Book a Week in 2014 - BW5

[shukriyya]

It's the last day of January! My completed books for the month are ::

7. The Winter Sea
6. Incarnadine
5. Midlife Eating Disorders
4. Decoding Anorexia
3. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
2. The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds
1. The Forgotten Affairs of Youth

I've started Harold Fry and am still in the 'not sure' camp. Part of this is due to the fact that what I really want to do is plunge back into the world of Susanna Kearsley and the Jacobites and Scotland however Harold Fry was on hold and finally came available. So far I'm finding it a bit depressing though I'm not too far in. Also I can feel the author's world view kind of clumsily covered up by the character of Harold, the writing just seems a bit too obvious. I know the book got great reviews but I'm not feeling it yet so we'll see.

[SunnyDays]

Begging another question...maybe instead it's reality that's inhabiting you? :thumbup:

 

Oh great, thanks.... now my brain will spin so much I'll never sleep again!!  :LOL:  ;)  (So if is is, how do I get it out and invite dreamland in for a visit instead??  Hmmm...)

 

I wonder if I've started any book gangs in my other realities?

 

 

<ducking & running... :lol: >

 

Somehow... I'm willing to bet that this is a resounding YES!  :D

 

This looks good. I put it on my list.

 

It was an interesting read.  I am reading a variety of books from religious topics... I don't share her views, but I liked seeing how she arrived where she did.  She started off in a very conservative religious sect, and I think that triggered her initial movement on the continuum, and a lot of what she processed was relating to that early experience.

[aggieamy]

Marbel asked about art fiction and was given some good suggestions.  I want to add two things, the cozy mystery Murder at the Gardner by Jane Langton.  I mentioned this a week or two ago when someone else read Langton.  As a fan of the Gardner museum in Boston, I enjoyed this book which mentions various pieces in the collection throughout.

 

It has been a while, but my son and I both enjoyed the children's mystery Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.  Children's mysteries often lack complexity--this one doesn't.  Additionally there is a pentomino code in the book, a nice mathematical tie-in.

 

Ah, Vermeer...

 

 

 

DD just listed to Chasing Vermeer as an audiobook and adored it.

 

 

I think I'm in love with Teddy Roosevelt.

 

 

I call it a fictional affair.  I'm totally head over heels in love with James Herriot.  *sigh*  It's too bad my true love of DH, my bad dog/cat allergies, and 80 years have separated us.  

[My3girls]

I'm still reading The Source by James Michener. It's definitely a slower read than the Divergent Series, but good. Lol. I'm falling behind! :-(. It doesn't help that I'm in real estate school, right now, so that is taking up a lot of my reading time. Half way through. Yay!

 

4. The Source (in progress)

3. The Allegiant

2. The Insurgent

1. The Divergent

[prairiegirl]

Stacia,  I am envious that you are reading the latest Flavia book.  I have it on hold at the library but I think it will take awhile before it comes my way. 

 

Jane in NC, I read Chasing Vermeer with my kids a few years ago.  I bought the other two in the series with the hopes of reading them as well but it has not happened yet.  This thread has jogged my memory so maybe they will get read now.

[Robin M]

Here's my list for the month plus my thoughts on my blog: January wrap up

 

1. An Antarctic Mystery - Jules Verne: (1839 Antarctic 184p eb
2. Black Arts (JY#7) - Faith Hunter:  (20th C, New Orleans, 336p  eb)
3. Wind Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami (20th C, Japan 607p)
4. Ice Hunt - James Rollins (20th C, Arctic, 656p) 
5. The Tale of Genji (volume 1) - Lady Murasaki (12thC, Japan, 210p eb)
6. The Passage - Justin Cronin (Future, US, 766p) 
7. Fury of the Demon - Diana Rowland (20thC, Paranormal, 416p eb)

 

I got a head start on my 13th century read - Sharon Kay Penman's Here Be Dragons set in 13th century Wales during lunch.  One of the very dusty, dusty, dusty books inherited from my late mil and have been meaning to read it for years.   Started reading it at lunch time and already can tell going to enjoy it.

[Kareni]

Exactly! That's part of the reason why I keep this type of artwork in my signature all the time:

 

 

 

:001_smile:

 

The interesting thing to me is that I can interpret this two ways.  Think for yourself and let others do the same (i.e., think for themselves), but sometimes I see it as think for yourself and let others do the same (i.e., think for you).  I know it's the former but it sometimes gives me pause.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Today I finished a very pleasant romance ~ The Sweetheart Bargain (A Sweetheart Sisters Novel) by Shirley Jump.

 

"The Sweetheart Sisters, a trio of sassy, well-meaning grannies (who aren’t against a sip of bourbon with breakfast) are ready to dispense advice and help create happy endings with a little of what they do best—meddling.
 
Animal therapist Olivia Linscott is the Sweetheart Sisters’ first target. Running from a bad marriage and a lousy job, Olivia is determined to save the dog shelter she inherited from the mother she never knew and, above all, to protect her broken heart. The Sisters want to tie the spirited young do-gooder to wounded helicopter pilot Luke Winslow, but the intended pair keeps slipping the leash.

Luke’s dreams were shattered by a career-ending eye injury. Adrift and bitter, the last thing he wants is romantic involvement. But when a golden retriever in worse shape than he is scratches on the door, the dog brings in a whole lot more than puppy love…"

 

I would certainly read more by this author which is timely as the sequel comes out in April.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Yes! David McCullough's Mornings on Horseback covers the early part of his life, in particular the events and people that shape him.

Cool. Thanks. I'll have to look for that one. I enjoyed McCullough's 1776.

I've started Harold Fry and am still in the 'not sure' camp. Part of this is due to the fact that what I really want to do is plunge back into the world of Susanna Kearsley and the Jacobites and Scotland however Harold Fry was on hold and finally came available. So far I'm finding it a bit depressing though I'm not too far in. Also I can feel the author's world view kind of clumsily covered up by the character of Harold, the writing just seems a bit too obvious. I know the book got great reviews but I'm not feeling it yet so we'll see.

I know this book has gotten a lot of love (& was included in the Booker Prize nominations), but I just didn't feel the love for it (& I didn't like Harold). I called it quits partway through the book. Will be curious to see how you progress with it.

Oh great, thanks.... now my brain will spin so much I'll never sleep again!! :lol: ;) (So if is is, how do I get it out and invite dreamland in for a visit instead?? Hmmm...

Two suggestions for you.... :001_smile:

 

A movie: Inception (I have two favorite movies & this is one of them)

 

 

 

A book: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (for the philosophy of the Wee Free Men)

 

Stacia, I am envious that you are reading the latest Flavia book. I have it on hold at the library but I think it will take awhile before it comes my way.

Actually, I got on the library waitlist before they actually even had their copies. So, I guess that's why I managed to get it relatively quickly. Ds devoured it the first day we had it.

The interesting thing to me is that I can interpret this two ways. Think for yourself and let others do the same (i.e., think for themselves), but sometimes I see it as think for yourself and let others do the same (i.e., think for you). I know it's the former but it sometimes gives me pause.

Good point. I *definitely* think of it the first way! :thumbup1:

[Stacia]

Since it's the last day of the month & BaWers are posting their January reads, here are mine:

 

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (5 stars). Around the World – North America (USA).

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (3 stars).

Aiding and Abetting by Muriel Spark (3 stars). Challenge: Around the World – Europe (England).

Sunjata by Bamba Suso & Banna Kanute (5 stars). Challenge: Around the World – Africa (Gambia & Mali).

The Lunatic by Anthony C. Winkler (4 stars). Challenge: Around the World – Caribbean (Jamaica).

The Joke by Milan Kundera (4 stars). Challenge: Around the World – Europe (Czech Republic).

[Stacia]

Flavorwire has an interesting list of 50 Books by Women Authors to Read for #ReadWomen2014.

 

I've read some of these (books &/or authors), but must say that my own reading lists lean much more heavily to the side of male authors. There are some female authors I've enjoyed but they seem few & far between.

 

What about you? Do you tend to read male or female authors more often?

[Angel]

Wow!  You guys have been hopping in the last 24 hours!  Too busy today to be on much.  I got some reading time this morning while waiting for a mammogram/ultrasound (checking out a cyst, but praising God it was benign).  I'm about halfway through the 3rd Michael Vey book.  Dd's friend finally brought it back Wednesday night.  Found 2 quotes while reading this morning that I will post when I finish.  Had to take dd13 to buy a new swimsuit for an indoor waterpark birthday party tonigh/tomorrow. She also got her hair cut - short - like Claudia from Warehouse 13 (if anyone watches that on Netflix).  She had the perfect hair for the style and it looks adorable.  

 

Finished the evening with a date with my dh.  That was nice.  

 

I was going to comment to a few posts but I'm not going to make it!  Going to bed to read, though that might be 5 minutes before I'm out.  Don't have too much fun without me!

[mlbuchina]

Flavorwire has an interesting list of 50 Books by Women Authors to Read for #ReadWomen2014.

 

I've read some of these (books &/or authors), but must say that my own reading lists lean much more heavily to the side of male authors. There are some female authors I've enjoyed but they seem few & far between.

 

What about you? Do you tend to read male or female authors more often?

 

Good question.  I've never given it much thought.  Looking at the bookshelf closest to me, I seem to have a good mix of male and female.  Music on the other hand...  I definitely lean towards male singers.   :D

 

Wow!  You guys have been hopping in the last 24 hours!  Too busy today to be on much.  I got some reading time this morning while waiting for a mammogram/ultrasound (checking out a cyst, but praising God it was benign).  I'm about halfway through the 3rd Michael Vey book.  Dd's friend finally brought it back Wednesday night.  Found 2 quotes while reading this morning that I will post when I finish.  Had to take dd13 to buy a new swimsuit for an indoor waterpark birthday party tonigh/tomorrow.  She said the funniest thing today after buying the swimsuit, a one piece swim dress kind of thing...

 

Dd: "Mom, this just proves that you can have a modest bathing suit and still look hot!"

Me: "I don't know about my 13yo looking hot...I don't know if the world is ready for that."

Dd: "Mom, the world's been waiting 13 years for this!!"

:rolleyes:  :lol:  :willy_nilly:

She also got her hair cut - short - like Claudia from Warehouse 13 (if anyone watches that on Netflix).  She had the perfect hair for the style and it looks adorable.  

 

Finished the evening with a date with my dh.  That was nice.  

 

I was going to comment to a few posts but I'm not going to make it!  Going to bed to read, though that might be 5 minutes before I'm out.  Don't have too much fun without me!

 

So thankful that you got good results at the doc today!   :thumbup:   Glad you had a wonderful day with famly, too.  Your dd13 sounds like a lot of fun.  She and my dd8 would probably get along, as I can so see her saying something like that.  LOL

[mlbuchina]

I want to join in on the Dante's Inferno read-a-long.  What is the best translation available for Kindle?

 

Also, who are your favorite Italian authors?  I need some suggestions for our next country.   :bigear:

 

 

 

Hm...  This post seems a bit austere.  This calls for fluffy kittens!

 

[edited to remove picture]

 

 

ETA:  I found a translation by John Ciardi, Allen Mandelbaum, and Mark Musa.  Are any of these good?

[shukriyya]

Flavorwire has an interesting list of 50 Books by Women Authors to Read for #ReadWomen2014.

 

I've read some of these (books &/or authors), but must say that my own reading lists lean much more heavily to the side of male authors. There are some female authors I've enjoyed but they seem few & far between.

 

What about you? Do you tend to read male or female authors more often?

 

I've wondered this about others myself. I would say up to 90% of the authors I read are women possibly more but at least 90%. The exception this year so far has been Alexander McCall Smith. I read all the books in his Dalhousie series and *loved* them as I've shared here. The difference, as all my women friends who've read him are amazed by, is how he writes so genuinely and convincingly 'from' the mind of a woman such that you forget you're reading a male author. However when I looked at my 5/5/5 list to see how many male authors were on there I was surprised to see 8 out of the 25 were male.

[Stacia]

I've wondered this about others myself. I would say up to 90% of the authors I read are women possibly more but at least 90%. The exception this year so far has been Alexander McCall Smith. I read all the books in his Dalhousie series and *loved* them as I've shared here. The difference, as all my women friends who've read him are amazed by, is how he writes so genuinely and convincingly 'from' the mind of a woman such that you forget you're reading a male author. However when I looked at my 5/5/5 list to see how many male authors were on there I was surprised to see 8 out of the 25 were male.

I just looked back at my Goodreads list from last year. 20 of the 80 books were by women, so 25%. (One book I wasn't sure about because it was a collaboration of various authors, so I didn't count it under the women authors.)

 

From my favorites shelf, 14 of 64 are by female authors (about 22%).

 

On average, I'd guess 20% to 25% of my reading is of female authors. I think that's a pretty typical reflection of my reading taste. (I have often felt that many female authors just don't resonate with me.)

[Stacia]

So thankful that you got good results at the doc today!   :thumbup:  

 

I agree, Angel! :grouphug:

[Kareni]

Flavorwire has an interesting list of 50 Books by Women Authors to Read for #ReadWomen2014.

 

Well, I had no idea previously that Lionel Shriver (on the list) is a woman.  I learned something new tonight due to you, Stacia!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Looking at an article on Flavorwire always leads to other interesting articles.  This one, from last year, was interesting.

 

Learn from the Best: 10 Course Syllabi by Famous Authors by Emily Temple

 

I liked this from syllabus six, Lily Hoang’s MFA fiction workshop syllabus, 2012.

 

"COOKIE POLICY: If your cell phone rings or buzzes, you will bring cookies in for everyone. If I catch you texting, the same."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Stacia]

Well, I had no idea previously that Lionel Shriver (on the list) is a woman. I learned something new tonight due to you, Stacia!

On wikipedia:

Shriver was born Margaret Ann Shriver on May 18, 1957 in Gastonia, North Carolina, to a deeply religious family (her father is a Presbyterian minister). At age 15, she informally changed her name from Margaret Ann to Lionel because she did not like the name she had been given, and as a tomboy felt that a conventionally male name fitted her better.^[1]

[mlbuchina]

I just looked back at my Goodreads list from last year. 20 of the 80 books were by women, so 25%. (One book I wasn't sure about because it was a collaboration of various authors, so I didn't count it under the women authors.)

 

From my favorites shelf, 14 of 64 are by female authors (about 22%).

 

On average, I'd guess 20% to 25% of my reading is of female authors. I think that's a pretty typical reflection of my reading taste. (I have often felt that many female authors just don't resonate with me.)

 

That got me curious, so I went and looked at my list on GR from last year.  27 out of 57 were male, so ruffly 48%.  Yeah, I think that is a pretty good representation of my bookshelves as well.  Of course, now I am going to have to go count and see.   :D How fascinating.

[SunnyDays]

That is an interesting topic. I was guessing that I read more female authors... Although oddly, I've read exactly none of the books on the Flavorwire list. So off to Goodreads I went....

 

In 2013, I read 60 books.... 12 were by male authors, so 20%. In 2012, it was 10 of 65 books, so roughly the same average. Interestingly, most of the books by male authors were non fiction, so it seems the fiction I read is almost exclusively written by women. The exception was the Percy Jackson series in 2012. :)

[mumto2]

After a quick count over on goodreads it appears that roughly 25% of my completed books are by male authors. I had expected it to be higher.

[mumto2]

I just completed a bit of bookkeeping ;) as far as my challenges are concerned.

 

Around the World -- 14 countries have been visited using rather liberal standards (if a event takes place that truly resonated with me in a multiple location book the location was counted)

 

Japan and Murakami -- Wind Up Bird Chronicles

 

Winter Challenge -- Dead Cold by Louise Penny

 

12th Century -- Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

 

5/5/5 -- I had not planned to do this one but I appear to have completed 3 for last year's British History category and 1 chunky so I may revive my last years choices and see if I can complete them.

 

I have failed miserably at the reading slowly challenge. I somehow completed 32 in 31 days. Suspect it was because I started with 4 partially read books and two weeks of colds keeping us home.

[marbel]

Thanks for all the art fiction recommendations!  I am too lazy to do all that quoting (though I do know how to multi-quote) :D   They are all going into my Goodreads list.  Except The Goldfinch which has come up a couple of times.  I still have bad memories of Donna Tartt's The Secret History and have no desire to read more of her.  So much unpleasantness packed into one novel!  "Ugh" is the only thing I can come up with to say about it.

 

I also keep seeing mention of 5/5/5.  Let me see if I have this right:  5 books, 5 genres, of our own choosing.  Yes?   I'd planned not to force myself into any challenges but I'm being swept up in the spirit here so I think I will do the same.  I'm stealing food novels from someone (multiple someones?); and how about 5 art novels, and 5 books of the Renaissance  since that's what's happening in our little homeschool... need two more.  I'll ponder that later.

 

Now I must go finish the last 50 pages of The Book Thief which I had not planned to read right now, but it's from the library and has a huge queue so it arrived when it arrived.  Oh my. 

 

ETA:  I read all the Blue Balliett books to my kids a few years ago. Loved them! 

[marbel]

 

ETA:  I found a translation by John Ciardi, Allen Mandelbaum, and Mark Musa.  Are any of these good?

 

I love Ciardi's version, but that may be because it was the one my revered Humanities professor used. I also read Robert Pinsky's translation but did not like it as much.

[Onceuponatime]

More than 50% of my books from last year were by male authors, but most of those were non-fiction.

[mumto2]

I have not posted this one that I finished yesterday. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick was different. None of the main characters were nice. I don't just mean flawed, they were dreadful people. Somehow it kept me reading. If you click the link the steamy scenes were not romatic at all. This book was so far removed from the typical mail order bride story that I was in shock from what happened next for most of what seemed to be a really quick read. I had it on my kindle and the font was huge, the percents went up really fast.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040703559.html

[Jane in NC]

I finished The Upcycle, completing one of my 5/5/5 challenges from last year (sustainability).  This is a follow up to McDonough and Braungart's book Cradle to Cradle although they seem to be repeating much of the initial message in this second book. 

 

A word used in the book might make a good Saturday game.  Without looking at your dictionary or Google, define usufruct.

[ladydusk]

 

A word used in the book might make a good Saturday game.  Without looking at your dictionary or Google, define usufruct.

 

Can I have it in a sentence? Yikes.

 

I hopped on here to tell you all how much I'm loving (LOVING) The Magic Apple Tree by Susan Hill. I'm halfway done.  We had to be at basketball practices at 4, 6, and 8 last night -half an hour away- for my three children, so I essentially read for 4 hours (we drove to get something for dinner the other).  It is fantastic.  For those of you who remember my struggles, frustrations, and slow pace reading The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek last summer, this - this - is everything I had hoped Pilgrim would be. It's fantastic.  I'm wishing I had purchased a hard copy instead of Kindle so I could see the structure more easily.  Howard's End is on the Landing is going on my Kindle ASAP after I finish this, though.

 

Fantastic.

[Onceuponatime]

 

 

A word used in the book might make a good Saturday game.  Without looking at your dictionary or Google, define usufruct.

 Ooh. I know this one. My dad is the master. Isn't it gleaning from nature? When I was growing up we were always scouting out empty lots and public spaces for berry bushes, nut trees, etc.  My kids thought I was crazy when I got excited to find a persimmon tree at a public park one fall. "Mom, picking fruit off the ground is just gross." They don't seem to mind when we find wild blueberries or raspberries growing next to the church parking lot.

 

ETA: Michael Pollan talks about it in one of his books, I can't remember which one though.

[shukriyya]

A word used in the book might make a good Saturday game. Without looking at your dictionary or Google, define usufruct.

I woke feeling kind of foggy, low energy and detached. The only thing that comes to mind in my current state is that it's the sound a cat makes when regurgitating grass. We've all heard it and I imagine the visceral reaction is shared. Shudder. I'm posting from my phone so I can't add the appropriate smiley.

 

I gave in to my Susanna Kearsley impulse and downloaded 'The Shadowy Horses'. I'm still with Harold but again can't help shake the awareness of the characters as mouthpieces for the author's wv. Somehow it just seems so obvious in this instance. But it was long listed for the Booker so on I go with it.

[Lakeside]

Chiming in very late this week.   I finally finished Rediscover Catholicism.  I would say that I enjoyed it generally.  It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, and it was a bit too motivational-speaker-ish for me at times.   

 

I started pre-reading The Trojan War since we're going to be reading that soon.  I guess that kind of fits the rabbit-trail-with-a-string category.  We're reading The Hobbit right now for a literature study. We've read it aloud before, so we may read parts aloud and parts separately so that we can discuss it.  

 

Can I sidetrack myself with a mini library rant?  I have been so spoiled by good libraries that I am very grumpy about our current library situation.  In each of the last two places that we've lived we had access to two fantastic library systems.  It was rare that I couldn't find a book that I was looking for.  Now?  I'm living someplace where the library's holdings are so sparse that they have only had what I've been looking for once or twice.  I bring this up because as I read through the posts I've found great suggestions that you all have made.  But the library doesn't have them.  :glare:

 

At least that provides some motivation to read or reread the books on my shelves!  Which brings me to A Moveable Feast.  I first read this in college during a semester in Paris.  I sat down with it with some hesitation, because I didn't want the memory of it to be spoiled.  Thankfully that didn't happen.  At least it hasn't so far! 

 

 

Started This Week

A Moveable Feast Ernest Hemingway

The Trojan War Olivia Coolidge

The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien

In Progress

Anne of Avonlea (Read Aloud)

The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor

Completed

5. Rediscover Catholicism Matthew Kelly

4. The Odyssey Homer translated by Robert Fagles

3. A White Bird Flying by Bess Streeter Aldrich

2. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

1. The Practice of the Presence of God With Spiritual Maxims by Brother Lawrence

 

[Socalmom]

Hey Margie,

 

 

I'd love to hear about what you're reading!

 

Thank you!  I love Sheldon!!

 

In January I finished -

 

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Chickens in the Road by Suzanne McMinn

 

Where the Moon Isn't by Nathan Filer

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Dollar

Hyperbole and a Half  by Allie Brosh

 

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

 

 I'm currently reading A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby.

 

I have a tower of books from the library that I will never be able to finish before they are due. Anytime I read that someone loved a book, I have to request it from my library.  I think I'm becoming a library book horder. :blushing:

 

Margie

[Kareni]

 I think I'm becoming a library book horder. :blushing:

 

Hello soul mate, I suffer from the same affliction.  I recently returned the library's copy of Hyperbole and a Half  by Allie Brosh unread due to the too many books, too little time scenario.  (And that doesn't count the towering stacks of my own books.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Jane in NC, on 01 Feb 2014 - 05:22 AM, said:

 

A word used in the book might make a good Saturday game.  Without looking at your dictionary or Google, define usufruct.

Err, I can't even begin to guess.   I'm kerflumped.  Thought I was twitterpatted, but evidently I was wrong.

 

check out Flavorwire's   Historical Slang we Love from the Oxford English dictionary. 

[Stacia]

I have a tower of books from the library that I will never be able to finish before they are due. Anytime I read that someone loved a book, I have to request it from my library.  I think I'm becoming a library book horder. :blushing:

 

Hello soul mate, I suffer from the same affliction.  I recently returned the library's copy of Hyperbole and a Half  by Allie Brosh unread due to the too many books, too little time scenario.  (And that doesn't count the towering stacks of my own books.)

 

I will join the soul mate group! I currently have teetering piles of library books (no way I can get through them all) & am constantly requesting more. :huh:  Periodically, I bite the bullet, return everything, & start over immediately. :lol:

 

 A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Chickens in the Road by Suzanne McMinn

 

Where the Moon Isn't by Nathan Filer

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Dollar

Hyperbole and a Half  by Allie Brosh

 

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

 

 I'm currently reading A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby.

 

What did you think of A Tale for the Time Being and Cinnamon and Gunpowder? Also, how are you liking the Nick Hornby book? He's yet another author I've been meaning to read for years but haven't....

 

P.S. Glad you're joining in too!

[Kareni]

check out Flavorwire's   Historical Slang we Love from the Oxford English dictionary. 

 

That was fun!  And I'm familiar with the majority of those words (even though I didn't know usufruct).

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

A word used in the book might make a good Saturday game.  Without looking at your dictionary or Google, define usufruct.

 

I have no idea. Shukriyya's definition has me :ack2:  (I do have cats irl, after all) & Onceuponatime's definition seems like it may be correct so I may vote with hers. :thumbup1:

 

Without having the benefit of others' guesses, I would be truly stumped & probably guess some kind of gummy-bear like candy from the Scandinavian countries. (Hopefully something that tastes better than Swedish Fish.) :biggrinjester:  I also know I would be completely wrong in my guess.

 

[shukriyya]

 

I have no idea. Shukriyya's definition has me :ack2: (I do have cats irl, after all) & Onceuponatime's definition seems like it may be correct so I may vote with hers. :thumbup1:

 

Without having the benefit of others' guesses, I would be truly stumped & probably guess some kind of gummy-bear like candy from the Scandinavian countries. (Hopefully something that tastes better than Swedish Fish.) :biggrinjester: I also know I would be completely wrong in my guess.

Yours is definitely more palatable than mine. You need to use it in a sentence though. Ok gotta run, the cat is usufructing again :D

[Stacia]

Ohhh. Looking through my recent Goodreads newsletter about upcoming releases, I see that Joanne Harris (Chocolat; Five Quarters of the Orange) has a new one coming out called The Gospel of Loki. It looks excellent. Dd & I want to read it!!!! Looks like the two library systems I use don't have copies on order (yet), so I may end up ordering a copy.

[Jane in NC]

Usufruct:  1) The legal right of enjoying and using the fruits or profits of something belonging to another

                 2) The right to use or enjoy something

 

The derivation is Latin: ususfructus, from usus et fructus use and enjoyment

 

(With thanks to Merriam Webster.)

 

Usage:  In a letter to Madison, Jefferson wrote:

 

 

I set out on this ground, which I suppose to be self evident, "that the earth belongs in usufruct to the living": that the dead have neither powers nor rights over it.

 

And (ding, ding, ding!) we have a winner!  Congratulations Onceuponatime!

 

Jane (whose father had us collecting black walnuts along the public highways every fall)

 

 

 

 

[Stacia]

Yours is definitely more palatable than mine. You need to use it in a sentence though. Ok gotta run, the cat is usufructing again :D

Following rumors that the Loch Ness Monster has migrated to a fjord, I am arming myself with a camera & a bag of green usufructs to lure Nessie to me. (I've heard that Nessie just can't get enough of gummy candies, especially the green ones.) Getting in my kayak now.... Wish me luck!

[shukriyya]

Ohhh. Looking through my recent Goodreads newsletter about upcoming releases, I see that Joanne Harris (Chocolat; Five Quarters of the Orange) has a new one coming out called The Gospel of Loki. It looks excellent. Dd & I want to read it!!!! Looks like the two library systems I use don't have copies on order (yet), so I may end up ordering a copy.

 

 

 

Five Quarters of the Orange is one of my 5/5/5s. I've not read her before. Her new book looks like something my dc would *love*. Thanks for the heads up on that.

[PollyOR]

This week's read - Unwind by Neal Shusterman

 

I rarely write reviews but thought I would give it a try. From Goodreads:

 

"Finally! Young adult fiction that isn't dominated by vampires, werewolves, and love triangles. How refreshing.

This story allows teens to wrestle with some of the important questions in life without the overly depressing and adult themes presented in books like "Brave New World." In a fictional setting readers can ponder questions such as when life begins and who has the right to make decisions about life and death. 

There is one particular section that I found disturbing. Uncomfortable or not, it was a powerful moment when the reader becomes part of the story and realizes how vulnerable we are to others and society. No gore but truly frightening all the same."

[Violet Crown]

I had mentioned Little Women several times... I finally set it aside. I don't know *what* it is, it seems a wonderful book and I enjoyed what I read of it, but anytime I went to grab a book, I considered and ignored it in favor of something else. I'm putting it away for now and will probably try one more time down the road. Oh well.

 

Middle Girl couldn't get all the way through Little Women, but recently found Alcott's Hospital Sketches and liked it very much. It's a fictionalized account of her experiences as an army nurse during the Civil War.

[Socalmom]

Hello soul mate, I suffer from the same affliction.  I recently returned the library's copy of Hyperbole and a Half  by Allie Brosh unread due to the too many books, too little time scenario.  (And that doesn't count the towering stacks of my own books.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I really liked Hyperbole and a Half.  Both of my girls read it also and I could hear them giggling the whole time. (They are 13 and 16).  Some of the stories from the book can be found on her blog.   

 

Margie

[marbel]

 

I have a tower of books from the library that I will never be able to finish before they are due. Anytime I read that someone loved a book, I have to request it from my library.  I think I'm becoming a library book horder. :blushing:

 

Margie

 

Oh yeah.  One day one of the librarians commented on my amazing reading habits - both quality and quantity.  I gave a (subdued) snort of derision and said "you don't think I get around to reading all these, do you?"   

 

I figure part of my job as a library patron is to help  keep circulation numbers up.  I do my best. :blink:

[Socalmom]

I will join the soul mate group! I currently have teetering piles of library books (no way I can get through them all) & am constantly requesting more. :huh:  Periodically, I bite the bullet, return everything, & start over immediately. :lol:

 

 

What did you think of A Tale for the Time Being and Cinnamon and Gunpowder? Also, how are you liking the Nick Hornby book? He's yet another author I've been meaning to read for years but haven't....

 

P.S. Glad you're joining in too!

 

Thank you - I'm happy to be here!

 

I picked up Cinnamon and Gunpowder after reading about it here. I liked the whole premise of the book - lady pirate and the chef. Some parts dragged a bit but overall, I enjoyed it.  I could imagine it being a movie. 

 

A Tale for the Time Being bounces back and forth between a 16 year old Japanese girl and a writer living in Canada.  I liked reading Nao's story more than Ruth's, even though it was heartbreaking most of the time.  My girls are into Japanese pop-culture and I found the descriptions of Nao's life so interesting.  I didn't care for some of the more mystical elements towards the end of the book.  I like stories to be reality or fantasy but not mixed together.  That said, my book club has selected this as their February book and I'm looking forward to the discussion and finding out how others interpret what happened.

 

 

edited to add that I liked Nick Hornby's About a Boy better than I'm liking this one.  It's the only other book I've read of this author.

 

Margie

[Socalmom]

Oh yeah.  One day one of the librarians commented on my amazing reading habits - both quality and quantity.  I gave a (subdued) snort of derision and said "you don't think I get around to reading all these, do you?"   

 

I figure part of my job as a library patron is to help  keep circulation numbers up.  I do my best. :blink:

 

I often wonder what the librarians must think when I'm in every week picking up a huge stack of books.  I agree about keeping the circulation numbers up.  It's a job I take very seriously. :laugh:

 

Margie