Book a Week in 2013 - week twenty

[Robin M]

Good Morning, dolls! Today is the start of week 20 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 - Happy Mother's Day: Since I became a mother, I've learned that a mother's love is unconditional (or should be) When my son was little, we used to read Lisa McCourt's I Love You Stinky Face and it's one book I never could get rid of. It's binding is taped together now because of how often we read it and to this day the sentiment in the story has stuck with us. Even though my son is now 13, he still ends the day with 'Mom, I love you no matter what.' A mother's day poem is on the blog - be sure to check it out.

 

On PW they have a list of the 10 Worst Mothers in books. I am on the hunt for the ten best mothers in books. The first one I can think is Molly Weasley from Harry Potter. Who else?

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 19

[Robin M]

I'm still working on Joe Hill's N0S4A2. My brain was fried yesterday from wondering about in the heat at Marshall Gold Discovery Park so started reading a light and fluffy romance Barefoot in the Rain by Roxanne St. Claire. She's taking a break from writing romantic suspense and has written a new contemporary romance series - Barefoot Bay. Good so far but can't wait for her newest in the Guardian Angelino's series.

[Negin]

I am on the hunt for the ten best mothers in books. The first one I can think is Molly Weasley from Harry Potter. Who else?

Yes, I agree 100% about Molly Weasley. :) Love her and that entire family.

 

Some others that come to mind:

The moms in For One More Day

 

The Housekeeper and the Professor

 

Room

 

I'm sure there are fare better ones and more, but that's all I could think of at the moment.

 

This week, I read:

 

The Sunday Philosophy Club - 4 Stars - love Isabel Dalhousie and I think that I'll like this series far more than The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency series.

 

The Flame - 3 Stars - read this in my early teens - story of one of the first American Baha'i women.

 

[Violet Crown]

Sorry to have neglected the book threads. Last week I finished (under dh's guidance - it was a little like a tutorial) Plato's Republic. Instead of an excerpt, here's a claymation video of the Allegory of the Cave that's apparently going the round of the philosophy blogs.

 

http://t.ritholtz.com/bigpicture/#!/entry/the-cave-platos-allegory-in-claymation,518d241bda27f5d9d0c10281/media/1

 

Also, Balzac's paired stories, "The Unknown Masterpiece" and "Gambara," published with a long introduction by NYRB. The former story is much more successful than the latter, mostly because of the impossibility of conveying music in writing. But I didn't find either story particularly compelling, and this wouldn't be my first recommendation for someone wanting to try Balzac.

 

ETA: Oh yes - now reading The Odes of Pindar (Lattimore) and Carlos Fuentes' The Old Gringo, and contemplating Faust Part Two and an intriguing little book called Five Hundred Years of Printing.

[Just Robyn]

Happy Mother's Day to all! I started my Mother's Day with murder by reading The Saga of the Bloody Benders by Rick Geary. I have also finished The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, which had no quotation marks, and The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski, which had multicolored quotation marks (to indicate the speaker). The Castle of Otranto was surprisingly entertaining, and The Fifty Year Sword was interesting, artful and spooky. I also managed to get through The Siege of Macindaw (Ranger's Apprentice 6) by John Flanagan before starting Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, which I am reading now. It is my first Austen book.

 

I am on the hunt for the ten best mothers in books. The first one I can think is Molly Weasley from Harry Potter. Who else?

No exceptional fictional mothers are popping into my head just yet, but I'm going to join the Molly Weasley fan club. I love that woman. Other than the first book, I've only seen the movies though.

[Just Robyn]

Sorry to have neglected the book threads. Last week I finished (under dh's guidance - it was a little like a tutorial) Plato's Republic. Instead of an excerpt, here's a claymation video of the Allegory of the Cave that's apparently going the round of the philosophy blogs.

 

http://t.ritholtz.co...0c10281/media/1

 

Neat, thanks!

[Stacia]

Oh, I saw the trailer for that movie and want to see it. Mostly because of Wahlberg. Thanks for your review. I cannot handle gory or gruesome at all. At all. Shudder. I guess I'll have to skip the movie. Maybe I can just skip to all the yummy shots of Wahlberg when it's on dvd.

 

 

(Replying from last week's thread....)

 

If you cannot handle gory & gruesome, definitely skip the movie. In that respect, I think the trailer is hugely misleading. It completely leaves out the part w/ the two people who are later kidnapped & killed, yet it's a pretty big part of the movie & it goes into all the very violent, horrific, & gross details of how it played out. It's horrifying & even more so because it happened in reality (more or less).

[Violet Crown]

On the topic of mothers in literature, Great Girl just sent me this, where Aeneas runs into his mom, the goddess Venus:

 

Then suddenly, in front of him,

His mother crossed his path in mid-forest,

Wearing a girl's shape and a girl's gear--

A spartan girl, or like that one of Thrace,

Harpalyce, who tires horses out,

Outrunning the swift Hebrus. She had hung

About her shoulders the light, handy bow

A huntress carries, and had given her hair

To the disheveling wind; her knees were bare,

Her flowing gown knotted and kirtled up.

 

--Aeneid, Book 1

[Jane in NC]

Also, Balzac's paired stories, "The Unknown Masterpiece" and "Gambara," published with a long introduction by NYRB. The former story is much more successful than the latter, mostly because of the impossibility of conveying music in writing. But I didn't find either story particularly compelling, and this wouldn't be my first recommendation for someone wanting to try Balzac.

 

ETA: Oh yes - now reading The Odes of Pindar (Lattimore) and Carlos Fuentes' The Old Gringo, and contemplating Faust Part Two and an intriguing little book called Five Hundred Years of Printing.

 

 

More Balzac? Reading the Droll Stories last year was enough to satisfy my Balzac quotient for some time!

 

I read The Old Gringo within the last year or two. Not one of my favorite books but I was drawn to it because the Old Gringo is none other than Ambrose Bierce, an interesting man indeed.

 

Regarding favorite literary mothers, I will nominate one of my favorite literary characters who happens to be a mother, E.M. Delafield's the Provincial Lady, the nameless "writer" of five diaries. Her self described inadequacies resonate with me. A writer for the Guardian noted:

Much of the heroine's life is spent acting as a buffer state between [husband] Robert, who is a disciplinarian, and the children. Vicky and Robin are brilliantly drawn. Like all children, they suffer from endless colds, play the same pop record incessantly, ask for a banana in moments of high drama, and insist on spending the night outside in a tent, only to wake up the entire household by coming in at two in the morning. The heroine adores them, but tries to "maintain the detached attitude of a modern mother". When Robin goes back to school, she cries her eyes out, but also drily notes his request not to touch anything in his room, "which looks like an inferior pawnbroking establishment at stocktaking time".

 

Jilly Cooper's book column on Delafield dating from 2008 can be read here.

 

Toasting all of the less than perfect mothers whose children say the wrong things or those who find themselves shaking their heads over judgmental neighbors and grumpy husbands. Amazing how Delafield's Provincial Lady books resonate 75 years after they were penned!

 

This week I finished a volume in my library stack, All Natural by Nathanael Johnson. Well done! Johnson looks at the cultural dichotomy we see between those embracing a "natural" lifestyle vs. those who embrace technology. In his conclusion Johnson writes:

 

In the process of writing this book, friends would often ask me whether I was siding with nature or technology. At first I'd say that it was complex, sometimes one was right, sometimes the other, depending on the context. That's true (if dull and obvious) but in a larger sense, both are right. Nature is deadly and nurturing at the same time. The trick isn't picking a winner (in fact, the compulsion to divide by right and wrong, to see one way and not the other, is at the heart of the problem). The trick is to see the world both ways at once--with both eyes open. That sounds simple, but it's deceptively difficult because these two ways of seeing work in such different ways.

 

What Johnson has done is taken us through the cultural landscape to examine birth, farming, the meat industry, vaccinations, forest management, etc.with both eyes--because we need both nature and technology. He handles the complexity of the issues very well with many endnotes for those needing sources. I enjoyed this book!

[Onceuponatime]

This week I read Mrs. Queen Takes a Train. Billed as kind of modern Downton Abbey, exploring class and history, from the point of view of the Queen and other members of Buckingham Palace. The Queen finds herself disillusioned and depressed and goes on a solo jaunt, much to the consternation of her staff.

 

I haven't decided what to read next.

[melmichigan]

Happy Mother's Day to all!

 

I am still working my way through the Virgin River Series with a few diversions here and there for books from the authors that I routinely follow. I have skipped the novellas for now. I also found myself less engaged with the Forbidden Falls novel, so we'll see if I make it to the end of the series. Has anyone read the other series by Robyn Carr?

 

Week 19

108. Forbidden Falls (Virgin River) by Robyn Carr.

109. Immortal Ever After: An Argeneau Novel by Lynsay Sands.

110. Nightbred: Lord of the Darkyn by Lynn Viehl.

111. Nightbound: Lord of the Darkyn by Lynn Viehl.

112. Angel's Peak (Virgin River) by Robyn Carr.

113. Moonlight Road (Virgin River) by Robyn Carr.

[Stacia]

I just finished Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore. I've never read his books, though I've had them recommended to me different times.

 

Parts I loved, other parts were ok. It's a (strange?) mix of historical/art fiction, fantasy, almost-horror, & maybe a few other styles tossed in there too. Love the parts about the history of the color blue, as well as the personalities of the artists he uses as characters in the story. (I used to do oil painting as a hobby, so I was entranced by those parts.) The fantasy/almost-horror type sections weren't as interesting, imo; can't really put my finger on it, but those sections had an odd cadence that threw off the pacing of the story.

 

The hardcover version of the book, however, has text printed in a lovely, deep blue, along with a cover in varying shades of blue. Completely delicious & gorgeous. I even like the tongue-in-cheek half-wrapper around the nude on the cover. Numerous small, color prints by some of the masters of art are also included. Again, totally lovely. I do like Moore's historical & biographical notes at the end.

 

Here's a goodreads review that summarizes the book well, I think: http://www.goodreads.../show/264015955

 

Haven't had lots of concentrated reading time this week, so that is why Faulker is still sitting here waiting on me. He demands concentration as he weaves his tale....

 

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

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).

27. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (5 stars). Challenges: Dusty & Chunky; Continental – Asia (Japan).

28. The Iron Will of Shoeshine Cats by Hesh Kestin (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – North America (USA).

29. Sacré Blue by Christopher Moore (3 stars).

[Chocolate Rose]

Finally finished 1Q84 last night. I really enjoyed it but was disappointed in the non-ending ending. It took me a month to get through with the limited amount of time I have for reading.

Thanks to I don't remember who for posting about Joe Hill. I've been a S King fan since beginning college and have pretty much read everything he's written and hate waiting for new books to come out. I had no idea that SK's son's were writers. I just purchased Heart Shaped Box and am going to start it today. Really looking forward to it. And, it's just under 400 pages so I should be able to get through it in less than a month! :lol: Needless to say, I am no where near being on track for a book a week.

[Butter]

I think I've read 26 books so far. Halfway to 52! I finished The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton He really knew how to craft a good book. Truly a talented writer, and that was one of his early ones (1969). Now I'm reading A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes by Annette Funicello.

[Storm Bay]

My latest book was Insurgent by Veronica Roth, sequel to Divergent. Since I've read 47 books, I've increased my reading goal for the year. It's been decades since I've read this much. Right now I'm reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog and the third Kiki Strike novel.

 

Not yet; it's on my list after Snow Crash. :D I'd read Anathem and The Diamond Age before Cryptonomicon.

 

Why these first? Just curious. My eldest read Anathem and then stopped there.

On PW they have a list of the 10 Worst Mothers in books. I am on the hunt for the ten best mothers in books. The first one I can think is Molly Weasley from Harry Potter. Who else?

 

Hmm, tough question and no doubt I'll miss a spectacular mother here.

 

I always liked Marmee in Little Women, and Anne Shirley as a mother after she was married. It's not great literature and may not rank up there, but how about how Tris's mother takes a bullet to save her daughter in Divergence?

 

As for a mother who fluctuates between not very good and totally loving and self-sacrificing, Pearl and May's mother in Shanghai Girls, who not only saved their hides by rescuing their tickets, hiding money from everyone in case of just such an emergency as when they lost their home and her husband died, and then on the road how she hid her daughters and gave herself to be brutally gang raped by Japanese soldiers to spare her daughters?

 

How can there actually be only 10 best mothers???

 

As for worst mothers, what about the prostitute's mother in The Crimson Petal and the White, who sold her daughter as a virgin many times, making her suffer by putting a concoction on her to...you get the drift. The other mother in the novel was pretty bad, too. Another one is the one in Angle of Repose whose child drowns while she is "doing it" with her lover. A spoiler, I know, but I hated Angle of Repose.

[Robin M]

Crud! Hit the wrong button and wiped out all my quotes and response and don't have the patience to multiquote again. That's what I get for having multiple windows open. :banghead:

 

Negin - All three books about good mothers look great and adding them to my wishlist.

 

Violet Crown - you leave me in awe. Great group of books and I'll save Balzac for next year. It will take me that long to get in to a classical frame of mind.

 

Crstarlette - Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series looks good plus the author is Australian. I'll have to check it out.

 

Jane in NC - I can always count on you to come up with something that's educational to me. Adding E.M. Delafield to my wishlist.

 

 

Mel - I also read carr's Grace River Valley series which was a good accompaniment to the virgin river series. They take place before since tells how June and her husband came to be. I read her first book in the new Thunder Point series and introduces an interesting group of characters. I just finished listening to Virgin River on audio book and liked it enough to download the 2nd book Shelter Mountain.

 

Stacia - I think Faulkner is going on my list for next year as well.

 

Chocolate Rose - Hi Stacy! I think I'm the one who mentioned Joe Hill. Discovered who he was last year. Hope your enjoying Heart Shaped Box. Doesn't look like one I'll probably read so will have to let me know what you think.

 

Butter - Agree with you on Crichton. I love going back to his books time and time again over the years. Have a hankering to reread Congo.

[Robin M]

My latest book was Insurgent by Veronica Roth, sequel to Divergent. Since I've read 47 books, I've increased my reading goal for the year. It's been decades since I've read this much. Right now I'm reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog and the third Kiki Strike novel.

 

Why these first? Just curious. My eldest read Anathem and then stopped there.

 

Hmm, tough question and no doubt I'll miss a spectacular mother here.

 

I always liked Marmee in Little Women, and Anne Shirley as a mother after she was married. It's not great literature and may not rank up there, but how about how Tris's mother takes a bullet to save her daughter in Divergence?

 

As for a mother who fluctuates between not very good and totally loving and self-sacrificing, Pearl and May's mother in Shanghai Girls, who not only saved their hides by rescuing their tickets, hiding money from everyone in case of just such an emergency as when they lost their home and her husband died, and then on the road how shet hid her daughters and gave herself to be brutally gang raped by Japanese soldiers to spare her daughters?

 

How can there actually be only 10 best mothers???

 

As for worst mothers, what about the prostitute's mother in The Crimson Petal and the White, who sold her daughter as a virgin many times, making her suffer by putting a concoction on her to...you get the drift. The other mother in the novel was pretty bad, too. Another one is the one in Angle of Repose whose child drowns while she is "doing it" with her lover. A spoiler, I know, but I hated Angle of Repose.

 

Yeah for reading more. I think that's awesome. Amazing, the majority of books I've read have had the world's worst mothers but they've ended up shaping the character and giving them the angst which drives the story so I guess that's the reason there are more worst mothers than good mothers. Good for conflict.

[mumto2]

I finished Moonspinners by Mary Stewart and really enjoyed it. I really want to visit Crete now. :) I have the first ones in her Arthur/Merlin series checked out of the library. I hope to start them soon.

 

I absolutely loved Bellwether by Connie Willis. It was one of those books that you enjoy so much you don't want to put down. As I read it I simply enjoyed the story interwoven with fascinating tidbits about fads and how they happen. The main character, a researcher in that field, reached some conclusions that I found rather intriguing. For those of you who have read it I adored the sheep. Made me laugh a lot. :)

[Murmer]

Finished: Teaching the Essentials of Reading Through Picture Books by Alyse Sweeney, Teaching with Favorite Read Alouds in Pre-k (and Kindergarten and 1st grade and 2nd grade books too) by Susan Lunsford, and Sarah's Story by Ruth Elwin Harris

 

Currently Working On:

Downstairs: Marriage and Family Relations by BYU

Upstairs: My Fairy GrandMother by Aubrey Mace

Kindle: Forgotten: Germs, Genes, & Civilization: How Epidemics Shaped Who We Are Today by David Clark

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)

Personal Enrichment: Habits: The Mother's Secret of Success by Charlotte Mason

 

Total Finished in 2013: 50

[melmichigan]

I'm still working on Joe Hill's N0S4A2. My brain was fried yesterday from wondering about in the heat at Marshall Gold Discovery Park so started reading a light and fluffy romance Barefoot in the Rain by Roxanne St. Claire. She's taking a break from writing romantic suspense and has written a new contemporary romance series - Barefoot Bay. Good so far but can't wait for her newest in the Guardian Angelino's series.

 

I added this to my wish list. :)

[Shawneinfl]

I think I've read 26 books so far. Halfway to 52! I finished The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton He really knew how to craft a good book. Truly a talented writer, and that was one of his early ones (1969). Now I'm reading A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes by Annette Funicello.

 

I read The Andromeda Strain years and years ago. I agree with you about Crichton: great for summer reading. I enjoyed the movie Andromeda Strain as well. I think it was the first sci-fi flick I ever saw.

[Violet Crown]

 

I read The Old Gringo within the last year or two. Not one of my favorite books but I was drawn to it because the Old Gringo is none other than Ambrose Bierce, an interesting man indeed.

Good gravy - how did I not notice it was Bierce?

 

It's not that great so far, but not bad. Great Girl read it when Fuentes died (a year ago this Wednesday) and told me as much. We'll see. Maybe knowing it's Bierce will improve it.

 

Must look up Delafield.

[rwjx2khsmj]

It's been awhile since I checked in so here's the whole list. This week I finished Peace Like a River and Legend.

• Legend by Marie Lu
  
• Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
  
• Tear Down the Walls! A History of the American Civil Rights Movement by Dorothy Sterling
  
• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
  
• Falling Home by Karen White
  
• Showdown Trail by Louis L'Amour
  
• The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony
  
• Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
  
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich
  
• The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
  
• Thirteen Days/Ninety Miles: The Cuban Missile Crisis by Norman Finkelstein
  
• City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
  
• City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
  
• City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
  
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
  
• Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman
  
• The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn
  
• The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
  
• One Shot by Lee Child
  
• The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
  
• The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
  
• Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
  
• Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
  
• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
  
• Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
  
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  
• The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
  
• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
  
• All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
  
• The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine
  
• Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante
  
• Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo
  

Literary mothers- Here are several that have stuck with me, more for their human flaws than for their perfection: Marmee (Little Women), Clover (Calling Invisible Women), Alice (Map of the World), Beth (Deep End of the Ocean), Fantine (Les Miserables), Vivi and all the Ya-Yas (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood).

[BigMamaBird]

Oops! I forgot to post about my read last week. I decided to focus more on a 20th Author rather than a 20th Century Book. One of the top authors of the century that kept popping up in every list was James Joyce. I read his novel Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. It was beautifully written and the slice of life it portrayed was very interesting. Seeing a young man growing up near turn of the century Ireland was something I had never read about before. It wasn't exactly a page turner and despite how lyrically he writes, I don't think I'll be running out to read more of this work.

 

Then I found a more modern author and chose Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. That book was all over the place! Which is something that I like. It was so weird. I was expecting a war story and instead got a wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey jump over all this man's life. There were some really unique ways of looking at things in that book, like the explaination of how humans see reality as opposed to how the aliens do. It was very intriguing. One of those books that I found myself pondering throughout the day. I do believe I'll try another of his books, but I've got a stack on my nightstand so I'll have to wait a while.

 

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

18 - Ringworld - Larry Niven

19 - Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- James Joyce

20 - Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut

[ladydusk]

I'm working on two memoirs right now: The Exact Place by Margie Haack and The Little Way of Ruthie Leming by Rod Dreher. Both good.

 

I wanted to put in my vote for Madeleine L'Engle's Mrs. Austin as best mother. I want to be her.

[Robin M]

I hadn't heard of those!

reported~

[Jane in NC]

I wanted to put in my vote for Madeleine L'Engle's Mrs. Austin as best mother. I want to be her.

Nice choice!

[Ali in OR]

I'm back to Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey. I read Gaudy Night a month or two ago and loved it, so went back to read the first with Harriet, Strong Poison. I was disappointed that I knew within the first chapter who did it and a little bit of how it was done, but eventually I figured the "whodunnit" wasn't supposed to be hard to figure out--it was more about "howhedunnit". Now I'm on to Busman's Holiday with Lord Peter and Harriet now married. Enjoying it so far.

 

For the best literary mom award, I had also thought of Marmee from Little Women and I'll also add Caroline Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie to the list. But Mrs. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice is perhaps the one I enjoy the most!

 

 

Books Read in 2013

19. Strong Poison-Dorothy Sayers

18. The Kitchen House-Kathleen Grissom

17. Code Name Verity-Elizabeth Wein

16. Pandora’s Lunchbox-Melanie Warner

15. The Light Between Oceans-M.L. Stedman

14. Gaudy Night-Dorothy Sayers

13. Warrior Girls-Michael Sokolove

12. The Shape of the Eye-George Estreich

11. The Tiger’s Wife-Tea Obreht

10. The Hare with Amber Eyes-Edmund de-Waal

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

[eaglei]

Another not-good reading week for me - just precious little time . . .

 

Managed to complete one brain-candy novel:

 

#26 - This Golden Valley, by Francine Rivers.

 

Currently reading an old novel (c1912/1916 on back of title page):

 

#27 - Tish, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. This is the first book I've ever read by Rinehart; it's good for the funny bone.

[Stacia]

I have also finished The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, which had no quotation marks, and The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski, which had multicolored quotation marks (to indicate the speaker). The Castle of Otranto was surprisingly entertaining, and The Fifty Year Sword was interesting, artful and spooky.

 

I thought the same thing about The Fifty Year Sword.

 

I need to look up The Castle of Otranto. Sounds interesting.

 

Then I found a more modern author and chose Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

 

One of my favorite books! I love Vonnegut.

 

I've also started a new book: Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson.

 

In an unnamed Middle Eastern security state, a young Arab-Indian hacker shields his clients—dissidents, outlaws, Islamists, and other watched groups—from surveillance and tries to stay out of trouble. He goes by Alif—the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and a convenient handle to hide behind. The aristocratic woman Alif loves has jilted him for a prince chosen by her parents, and his computer has just been breached by the state’s electronic security force, putting his clients and his own neck on the line. Then it turns out his lover’s new fiancé is the “Hand of God,†as they call the head of state security, and his henchmen come after Alif, driving him underground. When Alif discovers The Thousand and One Days, the secret book of the jinn, which both he and the Hand suspect may unleash a new level of information technology, the stakes are raised and Alif must struggle for life or death, aided by forces seen and unseen.

 

With shades of Neal Stephenson, Philip Pullman, and The Thousand and One Nights, Alif the Unseen is a tour de force debut—a sophisticated melting pot of ideas, philosophy, technology, and spirituality smuggled inside an irresistible page-turner.

[Tullia]

Why these first? Just curious. My eldest read Anathem and then stopped there.

 

A friend suggested Anathem (we had been discussing 1491, 1493 and sustainable agricultural methods). I decided that I enjoy Stephenson's writing, so I got a list of my friend's favorites to continue--as for the rest of the reading order-- it's dependent on my book budget and when things go on sale. I want the non-fiction In the Beginning was the Command Line just because of the title. :laugh:

 

This past week (19) I focused on food and drink: The Fresh & Green Table and Vitamin Water. For week 20 I plan to re-read three old favorites. This afternoon I started The Silmarillion with pod casts from iTunes U (hat tip to 8FillTheHeart), and I also want to try Kindle versions of Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes. However, I do wonder what Ray Bradbury would have thought about having his work published as ebooks and feel a wee bit guilty for not digging out my old paperbacks. I'll plead middle aged eyes as an excuse--adjustable font size is a true blessing.

[Ecclecticmum]

I just wanted to say thank you for this thread. Although I don't think my stuff is suitable for here (its more boring learning styles/Special Needs/curriculum & methods types books).

 

Its given my a kick-in-the-butt to try to get something going online to remind me to persevere with the books I do need to read/finish/re-read.

 

So I'm going to be making my own book-a-week posts on my blog, updating with more information as I advance through the book, and hopefully end up making a pinterest folder with links to each book post in case I start wandering over there. This along with my signature & filofax, should hopefully be enough reminders to keep me moving through those books.

 

So thank you!

[mlbuchina]

Well, I took a break from 1Q84 again. I am going to finish this book at some point. It has never taken me this long to read a book in my whole life! I don't know what it is about this book. I sit down to read it, and think it won't take very long, but I end up in some time paradox where reading a sentence takes three times as long as normal. I don't know what the deal is!

 

During my break, I read Amglish, in Like, Ten Easy Lessons: A Celebration of the New World Lingo by John G. Doherty. I enjoyed reading it. It was fun, and I laughed in quite a few places. Especially when he gave examples of broken English in other countries. I will say that it also made me a little sad, in that I don't want our language to become so relaxed and, frankly, juvenile, and determined, in that I will be continuing to teach and require good grammar from my dc. Call me one of the grammar police if you like; I'll wear the badge proudly. :) Upon reflection, I don't think I would have felt that way, if I had not read The Death of the Grown-Up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization, by Diana West, first. I can't seem to put into words why I feel that way, but these two books, though vastly different, seem to go hand in hand.

 

We also finished up listening to By the Shores of Silver Lake, and are almost finished listening to The Long Winter. I am going to be so sad when we are finished with all the Little House books. They are so good!

 

I need to hurry up and finish 1Q84. I went to the library today and got The Monstrumologist and The Curse of the Wendigo, by Rick Yancey. I have tried reading The Monstrumologist before, but wasn't prepared for how gory it is. This time, I plan on skimming over the parts that make me squeamish, and try to get into the story. I was reading reviews of it, and the second book in the series, The Curse of the Wendigo, and I really want to know these characters.

 

While at the library, I stopped by the book sale and found Love Overboard, by Janet Evanovich, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I thought I could read Love Overboard between the two horror books. I will need that buffer, I'm sure. :D

 

The Round Up:

31. Amglish, in Like, Ten Easy Lessons: A Celebration of the New World Lingo

30. The Call of the Wild

29. By the Shores of Silver Lake

28. Pippi Longstocking

27. On the Banks of Plum Creek

26. Hiroshima

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

[Robin M]

I just wanted to say thank you for this thread. Although I don't think my stuff is suitable for here (its more boring learning styles/Special Needs/curriculum & methods types books).

 

Its given my a kick-in-the-butt to try to get something going online to remind me to persevere with the books I do need to read/finish/re-read.

 

So I'm going to be making my own book-a-week posts on my blog, updating with more information as I advance through the book, and hopefully end up making a pinterest folder with links to each book post in case I start wandering over there. This along with my signature & filofax, should hopefully be enough reminders to keep me moving through those books.

 

So thank you!

So happy you found us. You are welcome to hang out no matter what you read? We are quite a diverse group with eclectic reading interests. Drop on by anytime, let us know what you are reading, a little added incentive, ;) to be sure to blog that week and we'll be dropping by to read your posts.

[Robin M]

Well this is interesting. B&N uploaded google os for.the nook and I've been playing all day with new features and apps. they have given access to google play which means I can know download and read kindle books. broadens my reading horizons quite a bit because amazon has books b and n doesn't and visa versa. now I just have to get used to typing on screen keyboard. and yes the capitals will show up when I'm not in a hurry. off to get a footrub. ;)

[mumto2]

Looking forward to your review! My list just keeps getting longer but this one will be added.

 

This group has been great for me. I have really been branching out quite a bit more. Thank you!

 

 

I've also started Alif the Unseen[/url] by G. Willow [/img]

 

[Negin]

My dd created this image (not the quote, obviously ;), that's from one of our favorites - Roald Dahl).

Thought to share.

 

[Heather in Neverland]

Started Reading:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800)

Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300)

 

 

Still Reading:

Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (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:

19. The Infernal Devices #2: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800)

18. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800)

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

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

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)

[Lady Florida.]

Molly Weasley is an awesome mom! She's a real woman (even though she's a wizard lol) who fusses at her kids and her husband, but loves them more than words can say. She also genuinely likes kids, and not just her own.

 

I finished 4 books last week, one of which was an audio book.

 

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore - This was the audio book, and it was very entertaining.

A Covent Garden Mystery

The Iron Will of Shoeshine Cats

In the Time of the Butterflies

 

I'm floundering around now, not sure what I want to read. I'm not too excited about the library book I just got, Dark Entry. I'm listening to Nicholas Nickleby while I work around the house, but I haven't been doing much work, so I haven't been listening. I picked up Don Quixote again and am starting to get back into it.

 

I have also finished The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, <snip> The Castle of Otranto was surprisingly entertaining, ,<snip> starting Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, which I am reading now. It is my first Austen book.

 

I've had The Castle of Otranto on my Kindle for a while. Maybe I'll give it a try. Northanger Abbey might just be my favorite Austen novel. It's definitely the most entertaining. Her wit really comes out in that one. Since you've read The Castle of Otranto, you should be able to recognize her send-up of gothic novels.

[JennW in SoCal]

I never seem to sit down at this thread when I have time to thoughtfully comment on everyone's books and posts, but I'm noting down book titles and enjoying your reviews and lists.

 

For instance, thanks to all the glowing recommendations on this thread I had a lovely Mother's Day afternoon reading Beverley Nichols' Thatched Roof. What a fun quick read! I'm so glad to have a new author to turn to, though my library system doesn't have many of his books.

 

I finally starting the Iron Druid series earlier in the week, based on recommendations here. Not too far into it yet so shouldn't comment, but I'm not entirely sure it is going to cast a spell on me.

 

My younger college boy is home for a week and we went to a party celebrating the 20th anniversary of our favorite independent bookstore on Saturday. I came home with a short stack of new books...

 

Railsea by China Mieville

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

and

From the Mouth of the Whale by the Icelandic author Sjon. It is one of the books newly available in English here in the U.S.

[Jane in NC]

My life got hijacked several weeks ago by the hardest 'curve ball' I've ever had. As the debris begins to settle, I'm trying to get out of crisis mode, though normal is a long way off.

 

 

Sending you virtual hugs, Eliana. I have missed you!

 

Jane

[aggieamy]

I never seem to sit down at this thread when I have time to thoughtfully comment on everyone's books and posts, but I'm noting down book titles and enjoying your reviews and lists.

 

For instance, thanks to all the glowing recommendations on this thread I had a lovely Mother's Day afternoon reading Beverley Nichols' Thatched Roof. What a fun quick read! I'm so glad to have a new author to turn to, though my library system doesn't have many of his books.

 

I finally starting the Iron Druid series earlier in the week, based on recommendations here. Not too far into it yet so shouldn't comment, but I'm not entirely sure it is going to cast a spell on me.

 

My younger college boy is home for a week and we went to a party celebrating the 20th anniversary of our favorite independent bookstore on Saturday. I came home with a short stack of new books...

 

Railsea by China Mieville

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

and

From the Mouth of the Whale by the Icelandic author Sjon. It is one of the books newly available in English here in the U.S.

 

We read Iron Druid for my book club and it recieved mixed reviews. Some fairly negative but I know others have loved it.

[Storm Bay]

My life got hijacked several weeks ago by the hardest 'curve ball' I've ever had. As the debris begins to settle, I'm trying to get out of crisis mode, though normal is a long way off.

 

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I hope that things get better for you.

[mumto2]

The Iron Druid series was a really odd experience for me each book took me almost a week to make it past the first 75 to 100 pages then it would grab me and there I would be picking it up ever two minutes. I really liked them but I had to be persistent!

 

I never seem to sit down at this thread when I have time to thoughtfully comment on everyone's books and posts, but I'm noting down book titles and enjoying your reviews and lists.

 

For instance, thanks to all the glowing recommendations on this thread I had a lovely Mother's Day afternoon reading Beverley Nichols' Thatched Roof. What a fun quick read! I'm so glad to have a new author to turn to, though my library system doesn't have many of his books.

 

I finally starting the Iron Druid series earlier in the week, based on recommendations here. Not too far into it yet so shouldn't comment, but I'm not entirely sure it is going to cast a spell on me.

 

My younger college boy is home for a week and we went to a party celebrating the 20th anniversary of our favorite independent bookstore on Saturday. I came home with a short stack of new books...

 

Railsea by China Mieville

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

and

From the Mouth of the Whale by the Icelandic author Sjon. It is one of the books newly available in English here in the U.S.

[Storm Bay]

A friend suggested Anathem (we had been discussing 1491, 1493 and sustainable agricultural methods). I decided that I enjoy Stephenson's writing, so I got a list of my friend's favorites to continue--as for the rest of the reading order-- it's dependent on my book budget and when things go on sale. I want the non-fiction In the Beginning was the Command Line just because of the title. :laugh:

 

 

Okay, so there's no special reason for reading the books in any order. When my pile of books to be read diminishes I may add one of these, but I just added Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore as I keep reading good things about it in various places, as if I needed another one :ack2: .

[Angel]

I finished The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton He really knew how to craft a good book. Truly a talented writer, and that was one of his early ones (1969).

 

 

:iagree: It's been years since I've read him. My tolerance for language in books has changed, and Crichton has one bad potty mouth. But boy can he write a story! He always leaves me thinking that what he is writing about is possible...even Jurassic Park. I think my favorites were Congo and Jurassic Park: The Lost World. The only one I didn't like (of the ones I read) was Pirate Latitudes, just couldn't get into it for some reason and didn't finish it.

[mumto2]

Eliana -- Just wanted to send you some :grouphug:.

 

I also wanted to tell you I appreciated your review of the Connie Willis books. I plan to start her time travel series as soon as my ebook/library book accounts are availiable again. I have both dh's and my holds list filled up and am first on all of the books. I am going to be busy!

[Lady Florida.]

My life got hijacked several weeks ago by the hardest 'curve ball' I've ever had. As the debris begins to settle, I'm trying to get out of crisis mode, though normal is a long way off.

 

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[Ecclecticmum]

 

:iagree: It's been years since I've read him. My tolerance for language in books has changed, and Crichton has one bad potty mouth. But boy can he write a story! He always leaves me thinking that what he is writing about is possible...even Jurassic Park. I think my favorites were Congo and Jurassic Park: The Lost World. The only one I didn't like (of the ones I read) was Pirate Latitudes, just couldn't get into it for some reason and didn't finish it.

 

I love Michael Crichton. Two recent (well not SO recent, I read them when they came out) ones I loved were Prey and Next. Both, considering the current state of the world, especially in Science, could become true. I haven't read Pirate Latitudes....sounds like a weird title coming from him. I more went into dystopian novels and genetic experiments after that. Anything pre-Prey from Crichton I think I have read.

 

Funnily enough, when other kids my age were reading Babysitter Club, and Pony stuff, I was reading Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, and anything else my mother had in her library (except Danielle Steel, I think I only read two books of hers, one okay for fluff, and the other really bad), and sat there reading Electronics Magazines and Vintage/Antique texts from my fathers library, lol. I think the only sort of teen series I got into was Mallory Towers, and I still love that series (although I haven't been able to find replacements yet, I want a complete set of a certain cover (the same covers I had when I was young) and they either have different covers or go for insane prices. I'm too sentimental.

[Tullia]

To Eliana; :grouphug:

 

Okay, so there's no special reason for reading the books in any order. When my pile of books to be read diminishes I may add one of these, but I just added Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore as I keep reading good things about it in various places, as if I needed another one :ack2: .

 

Hmmm...well... Anathem is unique and can be read at any time, but my friend chided me for reading Diamond Age before Snow Crash so who knows. I usually don't do things in any kind of order so that's nothing new for me--maybe I'll see it differently once I've read SC. ;)

 

I understand about finding too many good books to read. Just now, I'm in a retrospective mood and keep picking up old favorites to see if they still appeal to me. And, then I open the book a week threads and see a whole list of new books. :drool5: