Stacia Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Thanks for the reminder about this! I saw this course announced at the beginning of the summer, but I didn't sign up because I had no idea what my schedule for the fall would be like. I've never done Coursera before but I think I am going to give it a try. Someone (Violet Crown?) said that you don't have to do all the writing assingments unless you are wanting the certificate (I don't). But I would like to listen to the lectures. Hmmm.... .... Started The Borgias: The Hidden History by G.J. Meyer because my nonfiction totals for the year are pitifully low. Also working on The Last Werewolf (Glen Duncan) that I found on Flavorwire's 2012 Highbrow Halloween Reading List. Like you, I've never done Coursera, but this one sounds fascinating. Will have to find out the details... Let me know how the Borgia book is. Many, many years ago when I first learned about them, their power, their popes, their villainy, I thought they were a riveting, if awful, part of history. They seem like a good non-fiction pick for Oct. Also looking forward to your comments on The Last Werewolf. I meant to read it last year (even had it home from the library), but just didn't get around to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Actually, I can see how that would happen. We all have different levels of ability to identify with character's personalities, their emotions, and their experiences. Since I loved and identified with The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwieler when I was growing up, this book was fascinating to me. So much more so when I got to the end and saw that the author had that book in mind when he wrote his story. Me being an adult also has something to do with it. I am sure that all of us here interact with the books we read differently, I wouldn't hold it against anyone if they absolutely hated a book I love, because I know that I sometimes grimace at the thought of some of the books others love. So true. I glanced through the book, and thought that it seemed like something someone with a little more life experience would enjoy. She may return to it when she gets older, and discover that she loves it. Or not. Your review makes me want to go get it for me. :) I should have read it when we had it the first time. Do you think that having read The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwieler made the story more rich? Would you recommend me reading it before reading Wonder Struck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 So true. I glanced through the book, and thought that it seemed like something someone with a little more life experience would enjoy. She may return to it when she gets older, and discover that she loves it. Or not. Your review makes me want to go get it for me. :) I should have read it when we had it the first time. Do you think that having read The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwieler made the story more rich? Would you recommend me reading it before reading Wonder Struck? The experience of having read The Mixed Up Files made me feel as though I was treading on familiar ground, like deja vu. It's probably not necessary, but it does add something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Scored a copy of The Geography of Bliss at the thrift store today. I remember it being talked about, but don't remember if it was liked. I thought I might like it, since I enjoyed Getting Stoned with Savages earlier this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 ... I enjoyed Getting Stoned with Savages earlier this year. I remember that. Tsk! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 I remember that. Tsk! Regards, Kareni :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 Interesting reading study from science journal - reading literary fiction makes you smarter and improves how you 'read' others. Which coincides with this poster I found on pinterest. Synchronicity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Actually, I can see how that would happen. We all have different levels of ability to identify with character's personalities, their emotions, and their experiences. Since I loved and identified with The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwieler when I was growing up, this book was fascinating to me. So much more so when I got to the end and saw that the author had that book in mind when he wrote his story. Me being an adult also has something to do with it. I am sure that all of us here interact with the books we read differently, I wouldn't hold it against anyone if they absolutely hated a book I love, because I know that I sometimes grimace at the thought of some of the books others love. Ooooh! I loved Mixed Up Files so now I want to go find Wonder Struck. Scored a copy of The Geography of Bliss at the thrift store today. I remember it being talked about, but don't remember if it was liked. I thought I might like it, since I enjoyed Getting Stoned with Savages earlier this year. A couple of us recommended Geography of Bliss. I really liked it and I can't remember who else it was who liked it, too. By the way, the new Bill Bryson, One Summer, America 1927 is entertaining and interesting, and it is fascinating how little has actually changed since 1927!! I'm listening in the car, and as with most of his books, he is the reader on the audio. The superlatives are sprinkled a little too liberally, but lots of big things happened in 1927 and I'm not sure how many other ways he can put things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I finished Shard of a Broken Crown, book 4 of the Serpentwar Saga by Raymond E Feist. I really liked his Riftwar Saga when I read it years ago and his Daughter of the Empire trilogy was also fun, but this series.....mweh. I read it because I don't want to leave a serie unfinished and also because I wasn't up for difficult reading. Invisible cities by Italo Calvino is starting to grow on me :tongue_smilie:, there were some really beautiful descriptions of cities.I have been reading two or three chapters (one page each) a day. And I remembered why I had bought it in the first place, it's part of 'A Day's Read' from the Great Courses. So when I have finished I'm going to listen to the lecture, to see what I have missed :lol: . Some of you may remember that I ordered the English/Latin version of Seneca's On the Shortness of Life, from the Great Ideas series. Well, the book arrived and contained only the English text, which I could have ordered for half the price in the series. Turns out it was a mistake on the bookdepository website, there is no English/Latin edition. They did give me a refund and let me keep the book :thumbup1: . Mumto2, thanks for mentioning the Coursera course on Fantasy and Science fiction! I have never taken a Lit Course in my life (I'm an astrophysicist), so I'm a bit nervous about the essay writing part, but I got the impression that you don't need to submit essays if you don't want to. ----------- 5. Shards of a Broken Crown (Serpentwar Saga book 4) - Raymond E. Feist 4. Divergent - Veronica Roth 3. The Pleasure of Reading in the Age of Distraction - Alan Jacobs (reread) 2. Dream of Joy - Lisa See 1. The Shallows - Nicholas Carr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Last night we saw a stage production of Tartuffe, Moliere's comedy about a wealthy landowner Orgon who falls under the spell of the outwardly pious con man Tartuffe. The rest of the family sees Tartuffe for what he is--but fails to convince Orgon of Tartuffe's schemes until matters get quite out of hand. The play was set in the 1980's with a tele-evangelist-like Tartuffe. Oh my, did we laugh! Here is a prime example of how works from the past (17th century in this case) continue to resonate today. The pious hypocrites remain with us--even if Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker have moved over to make way for the next con. In TWTM and TWEM, Susan recommends a lovely translation by Richard Wilbur, a delightful rendering in couplets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Some of you may remember that I ordered the English/Latin version of Seneca's On the Shortness of Life, from the Great Ideas series. Well, the book arrived and contained only the English text, which I could have ordered for half the price in the series. Turns out it was a mistake on the bookdepository website, there is no English/Latin edition. They did give me a refund and let me keep the book :thumbup1: . Free is good! Is there any Latin/English version besides the Loeb? Even used, that's $15, a little steep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I finished another book:Hangman's Holiday. Good stories between working on sand castles. Hooray vacation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Is there any Latin/English version besides the Loeb? Even used, that's $15, a little steep. I haven't been able to find many Latin/English texts, besides the Loebs and materials from Bolchazy and both are quite expensive. I would prefer Latin/Dutch texts, but haven't been able to find any, except school readers. It's as if everybody assumes you are either a classicist and perfectly able to read Latin, or you are a student with a teacher to guide you. I'm using a Belgium Latin curriculum and the TM doesn't even contain translations of the Latin texts :banghead: . That makes it very difficult for me to self-study. I finished the unit on Caesar, but decided to re-read all the texts to make sure I really got it. Next unit is Ovid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 The requirements should be spelled out a bit better for certificates on Monday. I am going to "take" the course with dd. For me that will mean reading plus lectures so I can give feedback on her work. Also planning to take ds through as much as possible but not sure what the reality of that will be. I doubt I will qualify for a certificate because too busy with our new house to do more. Dd plans to do papers and will receive a certificate for sure -- she loves to get Coursera certificates so will make sure she completes all requirements. :lol: One of the best things about Coursera is you can use the course however you want. I have been doing the Lord of the Rings course with dc's and really enjoying it. I hope you enjoy this one because it looks like it will be really interesting! :) Mumto2, thanks for mentioning the Coursera course on Fantasy and Science fiction! I have never taken a Lit Course in my life (I'm an astrophysicist), so I'm a bit nervous about the essay writing part, but I got the impression that you don't need to submit essays if you don't want to. ----------- 5. Shards of a Broken Crown (Serpentwar Saga book 4) - Raymond E. Feist 4. Divergent - Veronica Roth 3. The Pleasure of Reading in the Age of Distraction - Alan Jacobs (reread) 2. Dream of Joy - Lisa See 1. The Shallows - Nicholas Carr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 I fell off the wagon for a few weeks as I was swamped with my grad school class. But I finished one this week. Woo hoo! Started Reading: Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony Amore (American Author, DD class 700) The Gospel's Power and Message by Paul Washer (American author, DD class 200) Still Reading: Finished: 42. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (American author, DD class 800) 41. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley (Canadian author, DD class 800) 40. Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 200) 39. When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper (American author, DD class 200) 38. Inferno by Dan Brown (American author, DD class 800) 37. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (American author, DD class 800) 36. The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200) 35. Sandstorm by James Rollins (American author, DD class 800) 34. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Mexican Author, DD class 800) 33. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost (Dutch Author, DD class 900) 32. Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 31. The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer (American author, DD class 800) 30. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (American author, DD class 800) 29.The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (American author, DD class 800) 28. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (American authors, DD class 800) 27. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 26. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopian author, DD class 800) 24. Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300) 23.The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (American author, DD class 600) 22. The Infernal Devices #3: The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800) 20. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (British author, DD class 200) 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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 Finished A Walk in the Snark by Rachel Thompson yesterday. It started out funny - hilarious in some parts even - but the "Poignancy Alert" sections just didn't fit. They were just tossed in there haphazardly to, I assume, make the reader think that the author is more than just snark. Really, those things just needed their own book because they were distracting. By the end of the book, things had gone from funny to dull. Started Dexter in the Dark (book 3). Completed So Far1. Best Friends by Samantha Glen2. Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien3. The Gift of Pets: Stories Only a Vet Could Tell by Bruce Coston4. Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human by Elizabeth Hess5. Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine6. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim7. Beowulf by Seamus Heaney8. The Odyssey by Homer (Fagles translation)9. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield10. The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings11. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson12. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery13. Tales of an African Vet by Dr. Roy Aronson14. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children15. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie16. Kisses From Katie by Katie Katie Davis17. Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan18. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald19. Zoo by James Patterson20. St. Lucy's School for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell21. Russian Tortoises in Captivity by Jerry D. Fife22. Leopard Geckos for Dummies by Liz Palika23. The 8th Confession by James Patterson24. Leopard Geckos: Caring for Your New Pet by Casey Watkins25. The Ultimate Guide to Leopard Geckos by Phoenix Hayes Simmons26. 9th Judgement by James Patterson27. 10th Anniversary by James Patterson28. 11th Hour by James Patterson29. 12th of Never by James Patterson 30. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner31. Chasing Science at Sea: Racing Hurricanes, Stalking Sharks, and Living Undersea With Ocean Experts by Ellen J. Prager32. Dolphin Mysteries: Unlocking the Secrets of Communication by Kathleen M. Dudzinski & Toni Frohoff33. The Greeening by S. Brubaker34. No Touch Monkey! by Ayun Halliday35. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl 36. Beating Dyspraxia with a Hop, Skip, and a Jump by Geoff Platt 37. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela 38. Traveling With Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor 39. The Stranger by Albert Camus 40. Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare 41. Shakespeare: The World a Stage by Bill Bryson 42. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 43. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift 44. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster 45. Brain Power: Improve Your Mind as You Age by Michael J. Gelb and Kelly Howell 46. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 47. Animal Farm by George Orwell 48. Carrie by Stephen King 49. Deconstructing Penguins by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone 50. The Way Life Works by Mahlon Hoagland 51. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 52. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay 53. Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay 54. A Walk in the Snark by Rachel Thompson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 What is the name of this course? I did a search for both "Lord of the Rings" and "Tolkien" and didn't get any hits on the Coursera site. I'd like to put it on my watchlist for the next time it comes around. :bigear: It is from Vanderbilt (search by that) called Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative. We decided to do the track without the gameplay much to dc's distress! ;) It has been very interesting. We have covered quite a bit about romance literature mainly in relation to the Fellowship of the Ring and some other shorter poetry. Last week was devoted to the different ways of telling the story literature/movie/online game.....The professor is extremely enthusiastic so I suspect he will do more courses soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 6, 2013 Author Share Posted October 6, 2013 Link to week 41 - please continue conversation in new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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