Hoot Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I finished my first book of the new year, The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright. It is DEFINITELY not something I would have chosen on my own and I pretty much gagged through the formulaic, Christian fiction drivel. My mother-in-law handed it to me at Christmas and insisted that I would love it. :scared: Clearly, I am putting out a VERY wrong vibe around her. I do have Winnie Mandela: Life of Struggle by Jim Haskins waiting in the wings along with a snow day tomorrow. :thumbup: Completed So Far 1. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ds & I just went to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. What a charming, nice movie. Ds said (& I agree) that they did a very good job taking the original story & creating a new movie based on the idea. If you are a daydreamer at heart (I am) & one who wants to travel the world (I do), this is a movie that will make your heart sing. Genuinely nice. Also, while there, we saw a preview for Winter's Tale. Definitely one I want to read & would like to see the movie too: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 52 Books was highlighted on Lifehacker yesterday and folks are coming out of the woodwork to join the challenge on the blog. Most don't have blogs and will be using Google + so now I need to reconsider using it. OY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Wow, this thread exploded since I checked it last night! I was almost going to be able to say I finished my first book of 2014 on January 1st. However, what I thought would be some time to read last night ended up being a social time, and it would have been rude to excuse myself to go read. Instead I finished The Poisonwood Bible today. I don't know why it took me so long to decide to read it - I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I'm trying to get organized with Evernote this year, and that includes organizing my reading lists. I also have a collection on my Kindle, of books I want to finish before starting another. Next up in January: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend - for an IRL book club The Grapes of Wrath - I started it last year, and Jen in NY's post about the Diane Rehm Show made me decide to try and finish it this month. It will also count for the Nobel Prize challenge The Demon-Haunted World - started in 2013 If on a Winter's Night a Traveler - my winter book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Love your kitty photo, Stacia! We're down to one cat. While it's probably going to stay that way for a while, it's been over 20 years since we only had one cat, and it feels a bit strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ah, you may surprise yourself! Glad you're here. And a big welcome to all the others joining in too!!! Thank you! Do your dc like the Redwall series by Brian Jacques? Yes, a big Redwall fan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Happy New Year! Welcome back and welcome to the new folks (or those trying again). Eliana, I hope you feel better soon. Congrats on the coming grandchild! Being a grandma is so much fun. Kareni, have you recovered from traveling yet? Yesterday I finished In the Shadow of the Banyan by Waddey Ratner, historical fiction set in wartime Cambodia by a young woman who lived through it herself -- very good. I read that in 2013, and thought it was good too. Next up are Americanah, by Ngozi Adichie; and a re-read of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, both set in Nigeria -- part of a country-study challenge I've been doing for a while. Both of these are on my list for 2014. I read Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichie, and downloaded the sample of Americanah. I started to read Things Fall Apart, but it had to go back to the library, I got distracted, and never went back to it. I hope to finish it this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I am reading Harry Potter Book 3 now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 :scared: Clearly, I am putting out a VERY wrong vibe around her. This made me laugh - I have some friends with whom I seem to do this often. Ds & I just went to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. What a charming, nice movie. Ds said (& I agree) that they did a very good job taking the original story & creating a new movie based on the idea. If you are a daydreamer at heart (I am) & one who wants to travel the world (I do), this is a movie that will make your heart sing. Genuinely nice. Oh! So glad to hear this, I want to see this and no one else seems very interested. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 This made me laugh - I have some friends with whom I seem to do this often. Oh! So glad to hear this, I want to see this and no one else seems very interested. :( Contessa's comment made me laugh too. Go see the Walter Mitty movie on your own then. It's just nice & I think you would enjoy yourself seeing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 I'm getting off to a slow start this year - we're still recovering from the flu and we're in the middle of staggered visits from our East Coast kids... ...and, absorbing much of my thoughts for the past few months, but not sharable news until now: dd#1 and Dsil are expecting a baby the end of May!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (The only down side - figuring out how to get us there and them here often enough!) I finished a few books before the new year started: The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico by Antonio Tabucchi (thank you, Stacia!): quirky, interesting little stories. (and the only Italian thing I read last year (not counting Ancient Roman lit). Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan: I really, really disliked this book - perhaps because the premise (or a bookstore as a magical place & home-base for a secret society) had such potential and it was irritating to see the focus be on tech solutions (not to mention how lame I felt the underlying 'mystery' was), perhaps because the writing was pedestrian and the characterization non-existent... Nightingale Wood by Stella Gibbon: I'd read Cold Comfort Farm, and found it amusing, but this Cinderella take-off was sweeter - though still edged and satiric. Stained Glass Monsters by Andrea Host: My first and last books of 2013 were by Host - not intentionally! This was another enjoyable story, with the usual strengths and weaknesses of a Host book, though I felt she did a better job resolving her complex situation, and laid a better foundation for the resolution. I'm in the middle of The Clouds by Aristophanes, The Homeric Hymns (not by Homer!), Barbara Pym's Excellent Women (a very dusty book), and Alberto Manguel's History of Reading, among others. I'm procrastinating on triaging my library stacks (again!) and dd#2 wants to have us plan some shared reads for the year - which will be so much fun! Hope everyone feels better soon and congratulations on the baby news. Uh oh~ I have Mr. Penumbra's book on the shelves and have started it twice, then put it back. Hopefully it was because I wasn't in the mood for it. La la la - I didn't hear a word. :) I see that I never posted the second half of my wrap up for 2013... Here's a link to my Goodreads page - click on the 2013 shelf to see my final list for the year. Challenges: Shakespeare: I read all 37 of the canonical (to me) Shakespeare plays... these days, the canon usually includes Two Noble Kinsman, but I'm putting it with next year's Shakespeare's Apocrypha challenge... French reading: I read 6 books in French (and selections of other things), which falls far short of my hope of reading at least 1 per month. If I’d been steadily reading, I’d feel fine about it (if I’d read Count of Monte Cristo in French, frex), Inspirational(18): I had hoped to do 2/month, so I fell short here too, but I was steadily reading inspirational titles regularly, just some of these required slower, more reflective reading. Dusty: I read 26 books that have been waiting on my shelves for at least 6 months – but most of those were near the beginning of the year… I’d like to do better this year, but we’ll see… A to Z: A: Austen, Jane; Emma (in French) B: Bronte, Emily; Poems C: Cicero; Assorted Works D: Dillard, Annie; Pilgrim at Tinker Creek E: Eliot, George; Impressions of Theophrastus Such F: Frankl, Viktor; Man's Search for Meaning G: Goethe; poems (in German) H: Horace; The Essential Horace I: Ionesco, Eugene; The Bald Soprano J: Jewtt, Sarah Orne; Country of Pointed Firs K: Kipling, Rudyard; Plain Tales from the Hills L: Lorca, Federico Garcia; Selected Poems M: MacDonald, Stephen; Not About Heroes N: Neruda, Pablo; The Essential Neruda O: Owen, Wilfred; Collected Poems P: Pinero, Arthur; Trelawny of the Wells Q: Quincy, Thomas de; Confessions of an English Opium Eater R: Racine, Jean; Phedre S: Shakespeare, William; Romeo and Juliet T: Tsvetaeva, Marina; Selected Poems U: Updike, John; Facing Nature (poems) V: Vonnegut, Kurt. Player Piano W: Woolf, Virginia; The Waves X: Xinran; Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother Y: Yeats: Early Poems Z: Zweig, Stefan; Journey into the Past This one was so much fun! ...I think I am going to go from Z to A in 2014, still going by author last name (though I will allow myself some flex when dealing with X and Q to use a first name, perhaps, instead) and only counting things I consider 'significant' enough Dewey Decimal: This was another fun challenge – though the most fun part was just keeping track of my reading trends (and shaking my head at the vagaries of classification!) 001-099 2 100-199 5 200-299 20 300-399 8 400-499 3 500-599 11 600-699 8 700-799 11 800-899 201 900-999 40 SFF: 44 (11 YA) FIC: 10 (5 YA) Historical: 10 (2 YA): the adult ones were mostly Regencies (perhaps better categorized as romances) MYS: 6: ½ Sayers and ½ Dunnett’s JJ stories A break-out of the 800's: 800-809 (Li crit, etc): 3 810-819 (American English): 27 820-829 (British English): 97 830-839 (German+): 5 840-849 (French+): 11 850-859 (Italian+): 1 860-869 (Spanish+): 13 870-879 (Latin): 9 880:889 (Greek): 6 890-899 (other languages): 29 Continental: I was aiming for 10-12 books for each continent (except Antarctica) written by someone from that continent. I ended up with the following continental categories: Canada: 12; US: 17; Latin America: 22; Africa: 27; England: 40; Europe (not including England): 68; Eastern Europe: 13; Asia: 17; Australia: 13 This ended up expanding into a 52 countries challenge - which I want to do again this year... Japan: Kitchen – Banana Yoshimoto China: Return to Painting – Gao Xingjian Ancient Melodies – Su Hua Ling Chen 19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei Message from an Unknown C. Mother – Xinran Selected Poems – Lu Xun Taiwan: The Old Capital – Chu T’ien-hsin India Dropping the Bow : Poems from Ancient India Saudi Arabia: Girls of Riyadh – Rajaa Alsanea Desert Tracings: Six Classic Arabic Odes Iran: I Heard G-d Laughing – Hafiz Things We Left Unsaid – Zoya Pirzad Pakistan Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid Turkey: Istanbul – Orhan Pamuk Ottoman Lyric Poetry Last Train to Istanbul – Ayse Kulin I am Listening to Istanbul – Orhan Veli Kenik Israel: Bar-Kokhba -Yigael Yadin Australia Monday Morning Cooking Club 30 Days in Sidney – Peter Carey Champion of the Rose - Andrea Host Hunting – Andrea Host Stained-glass Monsters – Andrea Host Bones of the Fair – Andrea Host The Playmaker – Thomas Keneally Short Stories in Prose and Verse – Henry Lawson In the Days When the World was Wide – Lawson Ransom – David Malouf The Man from Snowy River – AB Paterson The Perfectionist – David Williamson Traveling North - David Williamson Zimbabwe: The Hairdresser of Harare – Tendai Huchu South Africa: Master Harold and the Boys – Athol Fugard The Road to Mecca – Athol Fugard A Lesson from Aloes – Athol Fugard Kenya: Something Torn and New – Ngugi wa Thiengo Ghana: Night of my Blood – Kofi Awoonor Our Sister Killjoy – Ama Ata Aidoo Tickling the Ghanaian – Kofi Akpabli Senegal: So Long a Letter – Mariama Ba Selected Poems – Leopald Sedar Senghor Nigeria: Education of a British Protected Child – Achebe Hopes and Impediments – Chinua Achebe Chike and the River – Chinua Achebe Collected Poems – Chinua Achebe Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives – Shoneyin Heavensgate – Christopher Okigbo Climate of Fear – Wole Soyinka Of Africa – Wole Soyinka Morocco: Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits – Laila Lalami Egypt: Taxi – Khaled Al- Khamasi Brooklyn Heights – Miral al-Tahawy Beer in the Snooker Club – Waguih Ghali Before the Throne – Naguib Mahfouz Guinea: Dark Child – Camara Laye Algeria: Caligula - Albert Camus (en francais) Martinique:A Tempest – Aime Cesaire Antigua: A Small Place – Jamaica Kincaid Scotland: The Expensive Halo – Josephine Tey Ireland: Albert Nobbs – Moore Wild Oats – O’Keeffe Early Poems – Yeats France: Marianne – George Sand Memoirs of Hadrian - Marguerite Yourcenar War and the Iliad - Simone Weil Le Misanthrope – Moliere (en francais) Le Cid – Pierre Corneille (en francais) Phedre – Jean Racine (en francais;) Germany: Poems (in German) - Goethe Spain: Selected Poems – Federico Garcia Lorca Poem of the Cid Basque: Plants Don’t Drink Coffee – Unai Elorriaga Switzerland: Berlin Stories – Robert Walser Fire Raisers – Max Frisch Italy: Conquest of Gaul - Julius Caesar Assorted Works of Cicero Annals of Imperial Rome – Tacitus Aeneid – Virgil Epigrams – Martial The Essential Horace - Horace The Letters of Pliny the Younger – Pliny Phaedra – Seneca Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico – Tabbucchi Greece: The Odyssey – Homer Greek Lyrics – trans. Richard Lattimore Hippolytus – Euripedes Apology – Plato Crito – Plato Apology – Xenophon Austria: Journey to the Past – Stefan Zweig Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl Hungary: Plays and Other Writings – Arpad Goncz Esther’s Inheritance – Sandor Marti Embers – Sandor Marai Kaddish for a Child Not Born – Imre Kertesz Skylark – Dezso Kosztolanyi The Finno-Ugrian Vampire – Noemi Szecsi Poland: The Shadow of the Sun – Ryszard Kapuscinski Remember Who You Are – Esther Hautzig Czech Republic: Temptation – Vaclav Havel The Curtain – Milan Kundera A Cup of Coffee with my Interrogator – Vaculik The Joke – Milan Kundera Romania: The Bald Soprano - Eugene Ionesco Iceland: The Whispering Muse – Sjon Finland: Purge – Sofi Oksanen Russia: We – Yevgeny Zamyatin Selected Poems – Marina Tsvetaeva Ukraine: Restore my Soul – Rebbe Nachman Latvia: Strive for Truth vol 5 & 6– Rabbi Dessler Lithuania: Voice of Weepers – Dubner Maggid Canada: Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood Alias Grace – Margaret Atwood Writing with Intent – Margaret Atwood American Invasion of Canada - Berton Great Depression - Pierre Berton Flames Across the Border - Pierre Berton To Jerusalem and Back - Saul Bellow Maria Chapdelaine - Louis Hemon Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town – S. Leacock February - Lisa Moore View from Castle Rock - Alice Munro Handwriting – Michael Ondaatje Mexico: Songs of the Heart: Selected Poems - Ramon Lopez Velarde Chile: My Invented Country – Isabel Allende Selected Poems – Gabriela Mistral Passions and Impressions – Pablo Neruda World's End - Pablo Neruda Hands of the Day by Pablo Neruda 20 Love Poems & a Song of Despair - Neruda The Essential Neruda – Pablo Neruda Argentina: Sonnets – Jorge Luis Borges The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevera With Borges – Alberto Manguel A Reader on Reading by Alberto Manguel Dominican Republic: Something to Declare – Julia Alvarez In the Time of the Butterflies – Julia Alvarez Before We Were Free – Julia Alvarez A Wedding in Haiti – Julia Alvarez Columbia: News of a Kidnapping – Gabriel Garcia Marquez The Shipwrecked Sailor – G. G. Marquez Clandestine in Chile – Gabriel Garcia Marquez Peru: Letters to a Young Novelist – M. V. Llosa Selected Poems - Cesar Vallejo Cuba: Remembering Che – Aleida March United States: Vintage Didion – Joan DidionHoly the Firm – Annie Dillard Pilgrim at Tinker Creek - Annie Dillard Rise of Silas Lapham - William Dean Howells Country of Pointed Firs – Sarah Orne Jewett A Shayna Maidel – Barbara Lebow Arrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis Oranges - John McPhee Paris France – Gertrude Stein Facing Nature: Poems – John Updike G-d Bless you, Dr Kevorkian – Kurt Vonnegut Mother Night – Kurt Vonnegut Player Piano – Kurt Vonnegut Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton Old New York - Edith Wharton Glimpses of the Moon - Edith Wharton Here is New York – EB White England: World War I British Poets - Assorted Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (en francais) Emma – Jane Austen (en francais) Old Friends – Clive Bell Selected Letters of Virginia Bell Sketches in Pen and Ink – Vanessa Bell Poems - Emily Bronte The Bataille of Agincourt - Michael Drayton Impressions of Theophrastus Such - George Eliot Reflections on British Painting – Roger Fry Last Lectures – Roger Fry Nightingale Wood – Stella Gibbons Chrome Yellow – Aldous Huxley Plain Tales from the Hills – Rudyard Kipling Prisons We Choose to Live Inside – Lessing Not About Heroes – Stephen MacDonald Don’t Tell Alfred – Nancy Mitford A Talent to Annoy – Nancy Mitford Christmas Pudding – Nancy Mitford Pigeon Pie – Nancy Mitford The Blessing – Nancy Mitford Green Grows the City – Beverley Nichols Down the Garden Path – Beverley Nichols Collected Poems of Wilfred Owen Trelawny of the Wells – Arthur Pinero Confessions of an Eng Opium Eater – de Quincy Passenger to Teheran – Vita Sackville-West The Letters of Vita Sackville-West to V. Woolf Decline and Fall – Evelyn Waugh Jacob’s Room – Virginia Woolf The Waves – Virginia Woolf The London Scene – Virginia Woolf To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf A Room of One’s Own – Virginia Woolf Flush – Virginia Woolf Death of a Moth and Other Essays – Woolf A Writer’s Diary – Virginia Woolf Congenial Spirits: Selected Letters of V. Woolf Awesome list and it inspires me. Not to read faster, but to be a bit more selective with my reading and also to do a better job of keeping track. There are so many books on your lists I am intrigued by. Excellent! <clearing throat>... I think my best out-loud reading was/is of the book The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. (My dc still beg me to read this one out loud & they're 12 & 15 now.) Brush off your Scottish accent! (Of course, I'm sure Scots would be completely flummoxed by my accent, but my dc love it. :tongue_smilie: ) The Wee Free Men is a highly-recommended, best-of-everything favorite in our household. In fact, ds has been ringing in the new year by re-reading The Wee Free Men. (When we were on a car-buying quest in the middle of last year, we sadly lost his copy somewhere. We can only hope that some new reader has now discovered The Wee Free Men.) Ds got a new copy of the book for Christmas & decided to make it his New Year's Day reading. If your dc haven't read this one, they might love it. (And I highly recommend it for adults too. It's one of my favorite books.) One of my favorite read alouds was The Arc, The Reed and the firecloud. It is a kid's christian story with animals as lead characters including a scottish dog, irish cat, etc. Had so much fun doing the voices. I'll have to check out the Wee Free Men. May just entice my son enough to do another read together. I've been waiting for January, to join in on this thread! Happy New Year, readers! I used to post on the WTM old boards, a hundred years ago, and got out of the habit... but I've lurked these threads for years and finally decided to COMMIT and come back so I could join in. Earlier this week, I finished Tinkers by Paul Harding, which won the 2009 Pulitzer. Allusive and odd, and the voices are hard to sort through in the beginning, but it grew on me. Yesterday I finished In the Shadow of the Banyan by Waddey Ratner, historical fiction set in wartime Cambodia by a young woman who lived through it herself -- very good. I am nearly done with The Cutting Season, by Attica Locke; and haven't quite made up my mind -- it's maybe a little too self conscious? But I'll wait until the end for the final, uh, verdict (it's a murder story...) Next up are Americanah, by Ngozi Adichie; and a re-read of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, both set in Nigeria -- part of a country-study challenge I've been doing for a while. I think I'll also sign on for the A-Z challenge -- so many fun ways to approach this! Mazel tov, Eliana! Welcome to the challenge. I have Adichie Half the Yellow Sun and Achebe's Things Fall apart on the shelves as well. Hey- Half the Yellow Sun could be my A author book. Thanks for the idea. Finished: An Unlikely Witch by Debora Geary Working on: Fiction: Final Act by C. Paul Anderson Kindle: The DNA of Relationships by Gary Smalley Non-fiction: A Mathematics Source Book by University School Support for Education Reform Phone: Lies, Da** Lies, and Science by Sherry Seethaler Well Education Mind: Whatever comes after DQ (again not near me at the moment but will start as soon as I get home) Angel Girl: Aesop Tales (not sure which one right now since it is not near me lol) Sweet Boy: Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales Book Total Read for 2014: 1 Well Educated Mind - next up after DQ is Pilgrim's Progress. Another one to reread. Hmm! I'm slowly reading Winter's Tale. It feels slow and I'm having trouble getting into it. The writing feels like it's a bit over the top, and i just finished the first big romantic scene but i couldn't "feel" the romance. I don't want to ditch it yet, so I'll keep going. I would love to join the Murakami book read, but it will have to wait. I read Wind-up Bird, and I think it is his most approachable (out of what I've read so far). Helprin's writing takes a bit of getting used too, but once you do, the story will flow better for you. Wow, this thread exploded since I checked it last night! I was almost going to be able to say I finished my first book of 2014 on January 1st. However, what I thought would be some time to read last night ended up being a social time, and it would have been rude to excuse myself to go read. Instead I finished The Poisonwood Bible today. I don't know why it took me so long to decide to read it - I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I'm trying to get organized with Evernote this year, and that includes organizing my reading lists. I also have a collection on my Kindle, of books I want to finish before starting another. Next up in January: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend - for an IRL book club The Grapes of Wrath - I started it last year, and Jen in NY's post about the Diane Rehm Show made me decide to try and finish it this month. It will also count for the Nobel Prize challenge The Demon-Haunted World - started in 2013 If on a Winter's Night a Traveler - my winter book I loved the Poisonwood Bible for a variety of reasons and it really kept my attention. I was talking to my hubby about it for days telling him about the family and the natives reactions. So much to take away from that story. I'm saving Grapes of Wrath for banned book month. I'm bound and determined to finally read it once and for all. A very dusty book. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Arrg! Sorry, the computer flipped out on me. Guess I tried to quote too much. So since I'm taking up space anyway - check out flavorwire's strange collection of titles for must reads in January. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Thanks for the warm welcome :D The series is a kids' series but apparently the writing is in dc's words "really great because there are so many descriptive adjectives, the author creates such a visual world with words. It's very poetic. The main characters are full of complex feelings even though they are animals (squirrels to be exact sic). The quests are unusual because they're all different. This isn't monotonous at all as some quest series can be." So the series is called 'The Mistmantle Chronicles' and the first book is 'Urchin of the Riding Stars' I believe that some of the books are OOP but can be gotten on Abebooks or BD. Thanks for this. I will definitely have to recommend it to my dd10. :) I need some suggestions please! I have decided on what I want my 5/5/5 to be, and I need some help with titles to fill them. Here's what I've got so far: Old Favorite Sci-fi/Fantasy Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn The Star Scroll by Melanie Rawn Sun-Runner's Fire by Melanie Rawn The Rowan by Anne McCaffrey, which will probably lead to reading the rest of the books in this series Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, which will probably lead to reading the rest of the series, too (I think I have this category covered. LOL) Travelogue/Travel books The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof A Trip to the Beach by Melinda Blanchard 360 Degrees Longitude by John Higham Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson Whatever You Do, Don't Run by Peter Allison (Yeah, got this one covered, too.) Plays The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Mysteries Nope Nonfiction unrelated to travel Nada Any ideas? Here are our kitties, Lizzy and Captain Jack. They are half-brother and sister. Lizzy's a chocolate, Captain is a blue, and they are the sweetest cats. Lizzy is a little hostess, and whenever we have get-togethers, she has to go around and greet everyone. Captain lets anyone and everyone pet him and drag him around the house. LOL I didn't get a shelfie in last thread, so I thought I would share here. This is the bookshelf in our bedroom. It has gardening books, crafting books, books from when I was a kid, and new books waiting to be read. I need more bookshelves, though. There are books in the living room, kitchen, the kids' rooms, some of the bathrooms... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ds & I just went to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. What a charming, nice movie. Ds said (& I agree) that they did a very good job taking the original story & creating a new movie based on the idea. If you are a daydreamer at heart (I am) & one who wants to travel the world (I do), this is a movie that will make your heart sing. Genuinely nice. Oh! So glad to hear this, I want to see this and no one else seems very interested. :( Dh and I might be going to a movie tomorrow night, which is rare because we usually just wait for it to come out on video. Anyway we're trying to decide between The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Saving Mr. Banks. I've never read either book, nor have I seen the original Walter Mitty movie. I have, of course, seen Mary Poppins. Emma Thomson was on Letterman last night, and she had us leaning towards Saving Mr. Banks. I loved the Poisonwood Bible for a variety of reasons and it really kept my attention. I was talking to my hubby about it for days telling him about the family and the natives reactions. So much to take away from that story. I agree. There's so much I don't know about the wars in various African countries, and I liked how this book showed me such a non-U.S. perspective. It encouraged me to learn more, and in fact I found myself pausing in my reading to look up people and countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Every year I start out posting and then end up forgetting. I read a lot but I'd line to be more social about discussing books so hope to join in more this year. I just finished my first book of the year, Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George. I used to be a huge fan of her mysteries. I still like them but less so. This one was better than the last few, I thought. Next up I have Someone by Alice McDermott, The Riddle in the Labyrinth and the second bikini in a fun middle grade fantasy series that my son wants me to read. My only challenge for the year is to read more and to try and read more off my TBR list and my shelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I've resized a photo several times and it still telling me it's too big. The weird thing is, it's under the maximum size allowed. If I figure out the problem (not tonight) I'm going to upload a picture of our kitty to add to the kitty pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I need some suggestions please! I have decided on what I want my 5/5/5 to be, and I need some help with titles to fill them. Here's what I've got so far: Old Favorite Sci-fi/Fantasy Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn The Star Scroll by Melanie Rawn Sun-Runner's Fire by Melanie Rawn The Rowan by Anne McCaffrey, which will probably lead to reading the rest of the books in this series Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, which will probably lead to reading the rest of the series, too (I think I have this category covered. LOL) Travelogue/Travel books The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof A Trip to the Beach by Melinda Blanchard 360 Degrees Longitude by John Higham Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson Whatever You Do, Don't Run by Peter Allison (Yeah, got this one covered, too.) Plays The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Mysteries Nope Nonfiction unrelated to travel Nada Any ideas? Here are our kitties, Lizzy and Captain Jack. They are half-brother and sister. Lizzy's a chocolate, Captain is a blue, and they are the sweetest cats. Lizzy is a little hostess, and whenever we have get-togethers, she has to go around and greet everyone. Captain lets anyone and everyone pet him and drag him around the house. LOL Such cute cats! Really gorgeous. Ideas for your lists: Non-fiction: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (not just for runners) The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel Into Africa by Martin Dugard (but might fit under category of travel writing too) Passionate Nomad by Jane Fletcher Geniesse Mysteries: The Devotion of Suspect X (a Japanese mystery that was different from many I've read & it was nominated for the Poe award) All Men are Liars by Alberto Manguel Borges and the Eternal Orangutans by Luis Fernando Verissimo Plays: Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry (this is one I want to read this year; found it through a Flavorwire list of funky publishers...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I'm coming in 2 days late here, but I just finished A Memory of Light, the final book in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series! :party: So I reached my goal for 2013 (a little late) and finished all 14 books of The Wheel of Time series. I'm still processing the ending. I'm not sure that I like how it was all wrapped up. Of all the endings, this was not one I had imagined. The book had some brilliant moments and some that brought tears to my eyes (seeing as how I have spent all year with these characters). Overall, though, it was not my favorite of the series. I guess I wanted to LOVE it. Maybe with more reflection that will change. I may just be too close to it all now. I'm not sure that I've spent so long with the same characters before. Reaching the end is like moving away from very dear people after a long friendship. It's going to take me a bit to leave them behind and get focused on my TBR pile. Total books read for 2013: 18 The Wheel of Time (every one of these books were chunksters): The Eye of the World The Great Hunt The Dragon Reborn The Shadow Rising The Fires of Heaven Lord of Chaos A Crown of Swords The Path of Daggers Winter's Heart Crossroads of Twilight Knife of Dreams The Gathering Storm Towers of Midnight A Memory of Light Other books: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Audio book: The Peculiar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Every year I start out posting and then end up forgetting. I read a lot but I'd line to be more social about discussing books so hope to join in more this year. I just finished my first book of the year, Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George. I used to be a huge fan of her mysteries. I still like them but less so. This one was better than the last few, I thought. I've had a mixed reaction to Elizabeth George's more recent books, too. I really liked parts of this last one, though I thought some of Barbara's behavior strained the limits of believability. All in all it left me thinking that George felt she needed to hit the "reset button", that she needed to put her characters back to work solving mysteries, and this novel was an elaborate set up to get them back where they belong. I'd enjoy a spin off series on the Italian detective... As for keeping up with this thread -- I've had to make a point of checking in daily, even though some days I barely have time to skim all the posts! It is nice getting to compare notes with others who have read the same books, and nice when people start to remember who you are and what your taste is. I hope you stick around!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ok, I'm in! Last year, I had to bail out because I had to study for a major licensing exam, got separated, and nearly died. ;) I've created my own categories based on the books on my shelf. Categories: Spiritual Healthy eating/fitness Fiction Career/Change at Mid Life Self improvement Money/budgeting Right now, I am finishing Brene Brown's book Daring Greatly. She's a shame researcher and Daring Greatly is about vulnerability. She has some TED talks. I'm going to start The Finish Rich Workbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Such cute cats! Really gorgeous. Ideas for your lists: Non-fiction: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (not just for runners) The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel Into Africa by Martin Dugard (but might fit under category of travel writing too) Passionate Nomad by Jane Fletcher Geniesse Mysteries: The Devotion of Suspect X (a Japanese mystery that was different from many I've read & it was nominated for the Poe award) All Men are Liars by Alberto Manguel Borges and the Eternal Orangutans by Luis Fernando Verissimo Plays: Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry (this is one I want to read this year; found it through a Flavorwire list of funky publishers...) Thank you! The kitties are 5 years old, and we love them to pieces. We've had them since they were 8 and 10 weeks old. Captain was the runt of his litter, and Lizzy was the last of her's that one one seemed to want. They've both been wonderful additions to our family. Thank you for the recommendations, too. I was going to ask you if some of those you had recommended to me when I asked about authors similar to Nick Harkaway were mysteries. I may have to save two of those for when we get to South America. Didn't you read those for the Around the World last year for South America? The Devotion of Suspect X fits in quite nicely now, so I may get it for after I finish The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 So last year I joined, got crazy busy (mostly due to dance) in the first half of the year and barely read and then decided it was too hard to catch up and just didn't keep track. This year I am jumping aboard the reading train again and am determined that even if I get "behind" not to drop out completely and just do what I can do. It was so neat to see the final lists last week. That said I spent the first 2 days of the new year with YA brain candy, and mostly vegged out reading, meaning I have already finished 2 books this year. I figure if I can get through a few quickly when I get busy again I won't pressure myself to do more than I can. On Jan 1 I started and finished Whispers at moonrise by c.c.hunter. It is book 4 in the shadow falls series (YA supernatural creatures genre). Jan 2 I started and finished Chosen at nightfall by c.c. hunter which was book 5 of the above series. Tonight when I head to bed I am starting Age of Opportunity by Paul David Tripp. I have to finish it within a couple days because it was due at the library today and technically I couldn't renew it so I claimed I lost it in the house so they gave me the weekend to find it without charging me late fees, which means it must be done and in the book drop Sunday. I have no idea if I will participate in the challenges or not, if I saw I willo now chances are I will make my reading choices be about finishing challenges rather than titles I actually want to read kwim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ok, I'm in! Last year, I had to bail out because I had to study for a major licensing exam, got separated, and nearly died. ;) Died?! So glad you are ok. You are ok, now, right? Glad you're joining in again, and I hope this year will not be so crazy, unless if it fun crazy. :willy_nilly: :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ok, I'm in! Last year, I had to bail out because I had to study for a major licensing exam, got separated, and nearly died. ;) Some people are such book/reading slackers. ;) Joanne, many :grouphug: for all the obstacles you dealt with last year & for dealing with it all with grace & humor. Here's hoping for a grand 2014 for you! Glad to see you here & am looking forward to your book reviews. Thank you! The kitties are 5 years old, and we love them to pieces. We've had them since they were 8 and 10 weeks old. Captain was the runt of his litter, and Lizzy was the last of her's that one one seemed to want. They've both been wonderful additions to our family. Thank you for the recommendations, too. I was going to ask you if some of those you had recommended to me when I asked about authors similar to Nick Harkaway were mysteries. I may have to save two of those for when we get to South America. Didn't you read those for the Around the World last year for South America? The Devotion of Suspect X fits in quite nicely now, so I may get it for after I finish The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Yes, I did read some of those for South America last year. All Men are Liars is not a traditional mystery, but is a mystery/mysterious story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Died?! So glad you are ok. You are ok, now, right? Glad you're joining in again, and I hope this year will not be so crazy, unless if it fun crazy. :willy_nilly: :D Well, I can sneeze without wanting to ...... hurt someone. (Broken ribs, punctured lung) I walk unassisted now (used a walker for over a month and a cane for weeks). I still have some issues but I'm grateful to alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 So since I'm taking up space anyway - check out flavorwire's strange collection of titles for must reads in January. Oh! Me like! That list has a Europa book as well as one published by NYRB Classics. Hmmmm. Thinking I will be able to very easily spend my amazon giftcard from Xmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Newsflash for Negin: So, we all know that the feng shui book gives me the giggles & we even brought it up recently. Guess what? The same day that you & I discussed it, PaperbackSwap popped up w/ a message for me that there was a copy I could request. (I guess I had marked it on my wish list at some point.) Since I've been on a minimizing/simplicity quest for awhile & because ringing in the new year w/ a smile appeals to me, I figured it was (perhaps) karmic intervention telling me that I should get the book. (Well, that or normal statistics, along w/ the fact that I have a few credits over there waiting to be used.) It arrived in the mail today. :thumbup1: and :lol: (Fwiw, I actually remember liking some of her suggestions; it was just her writing style that made me giggle.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 My goal this year is to read through books I already own but haven't read. Week one is light reading: Sycamore Row by John Grisham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Well, I can sneeze without wanting to ...... hurt someone. (Broken ribs, punctured lung) I walk unassisted now (used a walker for over a month and a cane for weeks). I still have some issues but I'm grateful to alive. Doh! It's all coming back to me now... car collision. I'm so glad that you are doing much better, and I hope for continued quick healing! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Next up I have Someone by Alice McDermott, The Riddle in the Labyrinth and the second bikini in a fun middle grade fantasy series that my son wants me to read. Okay, I assume you're an autocorrect victim, but this just cracked me up! The "middle grade fantasy series" doesn't help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ok, I'm in! Last year, I had to bail out because I had to study for a major licensing exam, got separated, and nearly died. ;) Gosh, excuses, excuses... :lol: :grouphug: I'm so glad you're doing better!! Look forward to seeing what you have in a few of those categories, I have plans for some religion and spirituality books this year too. Someone... CupOCoffee, I think... made a comment about spending less time on the computer and more time reading. **Raising hand** I have the same problem here. In fact, I got an iPad early in 2013 and noticed that I really got distracted by it for a while. Less games, more reading in 2014! Eliana, congrats to you and your family on the upcoming little one!! I am in awe of the number of books you read. I know I can do better than last year but I need to hear your secrets, LOL!! And.... y'all can have your kitty pictures this week. They are cute, but I can't contribute! Can I suggest that next week's thread... go to the dogs?? ;) Finished my first book... a cute little romance book, Resisting the Hero by Cindi Madsen. (I occasionally get an advance copy of a particular romance line to review.) I already gave up on The Skeptical Believer... good topic, but the author was very wordy and I just wasn't following him in some places. Next!! I have started Little Women, have another romance book to read, and I think I might start The Happiness Project... read it a few years back but it seems like a good time to revisit it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Kareni, have you recovered from traveling yet? I have indeed; thanks for asking! (Well, there is that Mount St. Laundry to deal with ....) An interesting discovery made while visiting the nearest public library to my daughter's home. South Korea uses the Korean decimal classification (KDC) which is a slight variation of the Dewey Decimal system. From Wikipedia: "The main classes are the same as in the Dewey Decimal Classification but these are in a different order: Natural sciences 400; Technology and engineering 500; Arts 600; Language 700." No wonder those parenting books were in an unfamilar location! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I need some suggestions please! I have decided on what I want my 5/5/5 to be, and I need some help with titles to fill them. Here's what I've got so far: ... Mysteries Nope Nonfiction unrelated to travel Nada I read and enjoyed the mystery In the Bleak Midwinter (A Rev. Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery) by Julia Spencer-Fleming after reading recommendations here. It's the first in a series. A non-fiction book I enjoyed several years ago is Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things by Richard Wiseman. This led to some interesting dinner table discussions. Another older non-fiction/memoir recommendation is Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) by Richard P. Feynman and others. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I have indeed; thanks for asking! (Well, there is that Mount St. Laundry to deal with ....) An interesting discovery made while visiting the nearest public library to my daughter's home. South Korea uses the Korean decimal classification (KDC) which is a slight variation of the Dewey Decimal system. From Wikipedia: "The main classes are the same as in the Dewey Decimal Classification but these are in a different order: Natural sciences 400; Technology and engineering 500; Arts 600; Language 700." No wonder those parenting books were in an unfamilar location! Regards, Kareni Well, at least they have a system :lol:. The librarians at my library have decided that the Dewey Decimal System is 'too difficult' for customers, so they have instituted a new system. Except that it isn't really a system..... Last year I was looking for biographies of scientists. Stephen Hawkin's biography was located by the 'S' of 'Stephen', Albert Einstein's biography by 'E' of 'Einstein' and Madame Curie's at 'B' for 'Biography'. That was the moment I decided to only use the catalog, because browsing the shelves is obviously no longer useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I finished a couple of fluffy ones. The first was called How Nancy Drew Saved My Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. I checked it out for the title because I loved Nancy. It was not very good and jumped all over but the first 20 or so WWNDD (What would Nancy Drew Do) situations were entertaining. Here is what someone else had to say. http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/how-nancy-drew-saved-my-life I actually saved this one for 2014 do to the Iceland setting. :lol: I plan to do better -- not sure that much was accurate. I am not doing well geography wise ;) I also read Murder on the Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn for Scotland. The murder investigation stopped the train in Berwick (the last town in England on the way to Edinburgh -- nice place, we always eat at the McD's there on the way to Edinburgh and have a quick look weather permitting . This is a nice cozy series that I consider to be Nancy Drew for adults and teens. Dd and I joke how the heroine is the post WWI British 20 something Nancy. She is always right and everyone loves her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Well, at least they have a system :lol:. The librarians at my library have decided that the Dewey Decimal System is 'too difficult' for customers, so they have instituted a new system. Except that it isn't really a system..... Last year I was looking for biographies of scientists. Stephen Hawkin's biography was located by the 'S' of 'Stephen', Albert Einstein's biography by 'E' of 'Einstein' and Madame Curie's at 'B' for 'Biography'. That was the moment I decided to only use the catalog, because browsing the shelves is obviously no longer useful. I feel your pain. One library we go to doesn't do anything sort wise with the children's /YA sections. They just shelve wherever. Drive the dc's nuts because they also have the most books. Dd always suspects the book she wants is there but where? Makes my kids have teamwork! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I feel your pain. One library we go to doesn't do anything sort wise with the children's /YA sections. They just shelve wherever. Drive the dc's nuts because they also have the most books. Dd always suspects the book she wants is there but where? Makes my kids have teamwork! Ohhh, that's really bad!! At ours, they don't sort the picture books. But that's alright, they only have 'I don't want to eat vegetables', 'there is a monster under my bed', 'I'm using a potty', 'pre-school is fun' books....which I prefer to skip anyway. I'm always jealous of people who talk about wonderful picture books to use with older kids....I don't think I have ever seen those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 What is "your" general rule for getting through books? I started The Lake today and its AWFUL!!! I have lots of reading time today, but I cannot get into this book. I'm at 25%. I was going to slug through it, but then, Oh LOOK, a digital hold is available :p I hate not finishing books, but really, this author is horrible (in my opinion of course) For me, it's 10%. If a book doesn't grab me in the first 10%, I'm done. Life is too short to read books that I don't like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I've had a mixed reaction to Elizabeth George's more recent books, too. I really liked parts of this last one, though I thought some of Barbara's behavior strained the limits of believability. All in all it left me thinking that George felt she needed to hit the "reset button", that she needed to put her characters back to work solving mysteries, and this novel was an elaborate set up to get them back where they belong. I'd enjoy a spin off series on the Italian detective... As for keeping up with this thread -- I've had to make a point of checking in daily, even though some days I barely have time to skim all the posts! It is nice getting to compare notes with others who have read the same books, and nice when people start to remember who you are and what your taste is. I hope you stick around!! Thanks! I agree about Barbara. I also kept thinking that it wasn’t much of a mystery. I like her books for the ongoing characters but I felt like she’s gotten away from the core of the genre. I also would love to see the Italian detective again. Okay, I assume you're an autocorrect victim, but this just cracked me up! The "middle grade fantasy series" doesn't help! Ha! Yep, “book in†became “bikiniâ€. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 This joint is jumping! Arrg! Sorry, the computer flipped out on me. Guess I tried to quote too much. So since I'm taking up space anyway - check out flavorwire's strange collection of titles for must reads in January. As a card carrying member of the I Read Dead Authors Club, lists of new books don't always have me jumping, but I admit to being intrigued by two on Robin's link. I have submitted the first request at my library for: A novel of postwar Sierra Leone . Eliana--I will be sure to fill you in on this one. Unfortunately my library does not purchase many Europa editions, a publisher that Stacia has put on my radar. Robin's list has: For those of you looking for a little more history with your fiction, Michele Zackheim’s riveting novel about an American foreign correspondent in Europe on the eve of the Second World War, and the choices she must make before she flee, is required reading. I thought I was finished with WWII for a while, but with Alan Furst in the Dusty Book stacks, that will be not be the case. I do need to work my way through some dusties before new acquisitions are permitted. In the meantime, perhaps I should mention Europa and Archipelago books to a librarian... A couple of you were chatting about Elizabeth George. I am several novels behind in the series because I just did not like where she was going. The same thing happened with the Richard Jury/Melrose Plant books by Martha Grimes. Those of you who like British mysteries might enjoy her books--but I would recommend them in order because of the character back story. (P.S. Melrose is mine. I claimed him long ago.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ds & I just went to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. What a charming, nice movie. Ds said (& I agree) that they did a very good job taking the original story & creating a new movie based on the idea. If you are a daydreamer at heart (I am) & one who wants to travel the world (I do), this is a movie that will make your heart sing. Genuinely nice. I'm so glad to see a review. I've been wondering how the movie turned out. Maybe I can get dh to take me. The last movie date we had was Castaway with Tom Hanks. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllSmiles Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I am reading Little Women.... I started it last year and didn't make it very far, so starting over! I'm also working through The Skeptical Believer on my Kindle... It's a religion/philosophy non fiction. Will have to peruse the challenges on the blog.... I'm thinking Dusty Books is a good contender! I read this for the first time a couple of years ago, and I loved it. I couldn't believe that I had missed such a gem :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllSmiles Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 What is "your" general rule for getting through books? I started The Lake today and its AWFUL!!! I have lots of reading time today, but I cannot get into this book. I'm at 25%. I was going to slug through it, but then, Oh LOOK, a digital hold is available :P I hate not finishing books, but really, this author is horrible (in my opinion of course) I hate not finishing books too, but like others have said, there are too many great books to slog through a terrible book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Well, at least they have a system :lol:. The librarians at my library have decided that the Dewey Decimal System is 'too difficult' for customers, so they have instituted a new system. Except that it isn't really a system..... Last year I was looking for biographies of scientists. Stephen Hawkin's biography was located by the 'S' of 'Stephen', Albert Einstein's biography by 'E' of 'Einstein' and Madame Curie's at 'B' for 'Biography'. That was the moment I decided to only use the catalog, because browsing the shelves is obviously no longer useful. Our library said the same thing! They reorganized the entire thing and it's awful. It's by category now, and if you don't categorize things the same as the library, then you will never find something. I have to ask the librarian whenever I am looking for something specifically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllSmiles Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 At the End of 2013 I finished Divergent. I really enjoyed the book and I couldn't wait to continue the series. This week I was able to finish both Insurgent and Allegiant. Insurgent was good but I didn't find myself drawn into it as much as I did Divergent. I was pleasantly surprised by Allegiant. I saw a lot of poor reviews for the book so I wasn't expecting much. However, I thought Allegiant was just as good as Insurgent. Insurgent - 3 stars Allegiant - 3 stars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Well, at least they have a system :lol:. The librarians at my library have decided that the Dewey Decimal System is 'too difficult' for customers, so they have instituted a new system. Except that it isn't really a system..... Last year I was looking for biographies of scientists. Stephen Hawkin's biography was located by the 'S' of 'Stephen', Albert Einstein's biography by 'E' of 'Einstein' and Madame Curie's at 'B' for 'Biography'. That was the moment I decided to only use the catalog, because browsing the shelves is obviously no longer useful. Oh, no! How could the Dewey Decimal System be too difficult? Of course, I always look for what I want in the catalog to get the book's number before I go to the stacks, so maybe they are thinking it's too hard for just browsing? The new system your library has instituted doesn't seem to be any less difficult than the Dewey one. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Oh, no! How could the Dewey Decimal System be too difficult? Of course, I always look for what I want in the catalog to get the book's number before I go to the stacks, so maybe they are thinking it's too hard for just browsing? The new system your library has instituted doesn't seem to be any less difficult than the Dewey one. LOL Well, I can't speak for everyone ( :lol:), but the new system is definitely too difficult for me :001_rolleyes: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Our library said the same thing! They reorganized the entire thing and it's awful. It's by category now, and if you don't categorize things the same as the library, then you will never find something. I have to ask the librarian whenever I am looking for something specifically. Oh, no! I hope this is not a trend. Our library is bad enough as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Cook Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I will participate this year! I tried last year but didn't make it very far. Completing the 52 Books is one of my goals for this year. My first book was, The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. I spent New Year's Day snuggled up in my favorite chair reading it and finished it last night. I loved it! I'm moving on to her other books. I tend to binge on an author I like, either until I've read everything they've written or I get tired of it. Currently reading: Fiction: The House at Riverton by Kate Morton Non-fiction: How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any by Erik Wecks - ebook, kind of a Dave Ramsey rehash. I'll finish it but so far haven't learned anything I didn't already know. Kid's Read Aloud: The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I will participate this year! I tried last year but didn't make it very far. Completing the 52 Books is one of my goals for this year. My first book was, The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. I spent New Year's Day snuggled up in my favorite chair reading it and finished it last night. I loved it! I'm moving on to her other books. I tend to binge on an author I like, either until I've read everything they've written or I get tired of it. Currently reading: Fiction: The House at Riverton by Kate Morton Non-fiction: How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any by Erik Wecks - ebook, kind of a Dave Ramsey rehash. I'll finish it but so far haven't learned anything I didn't already know. Kid's Read Aloud: The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White Welcome, and you can do it! I have a tendency to binge on authors, too. Last year I discovered Sarah Addison Allen, and had to read all her books. Aw, I hope the kids enjoy Trumpet of the Swan. That is my most favorite book from my early childhood. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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