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Book a Week in 2014 - BW5


Robin M
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:lol:  That's toooo funny!   But maybe that also you means you've got a BaW'er close to you IRL.  It would be cool to meet some of you that I've been chatting with for four years.

 

I've got Inferno here ready to go.  Are we going to do a guided read-along with a goal for each week, or is everyone on her own?    

 

Finished The Surgeon's Mate (Patrick O'Brian, Aubrey/Maturin #7) last night in between rounds of nursing duty.  Right now I've got one teenager recovering from a pretty nasty head cold and a dh who came down suddenly with what looks like the flu.  My other teenager has been hiding out in his room while I madly Lysol and Clorox every stationary surface in the house.  We missed the snow that has gridlocked the rest of the Southeast, so I'm thankful for that at least.

I think with Inferno read, everyone's going to be on their own. Which is how it usually ends up working out, since everyone generally jumps in and out, when ready or in the mood.  I'm sure there will be plenty of I've read this far and either loving it, hating it, think this quote is neat, etc. going on during the month.  I have this audible version, but decided to get the paperback book as well.  I think Eliana said Mendalbaum was her favorite so I got this one which has alternating pages of the original italian alongside the english translation.

 

Can I join late? I've been meaning to post and do this, but haven't yet : D

 

So far this year I've read:

 

1. "The Ladies' Paradise" by Emile Zola

2. "Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge" by Lindy Woodhead

3. "Of Human Bondage" by W. Somerset Maugham

4. "The Splendour Falls" by Susanna Kearsley

 

Currently reading "A Study in Scarlet" (Sherlock Holmes) by Arthur Conan Doyle, but I'm not having much patience with it, so I'm going to focus more on "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" by Anne Bronte.

 

Tonight I'm going to book club which will probably determine what I'll read week 6 or 7 :) Loving all the titles here. Going to pad my wishlist at Amazon!

Yep, you can jump in at any so time, so welcome.   We did a read of Tenant of Wildfell Hall within the past couple years, can't remember when exactly.  Looking forward to hearing what you thought about it.

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The same thoughts have run through my head when I find a long line of hold requests at the library for a book discussed here.  Is there a huge lurker contingent reading our thread each week, looking for book recommendations?! 

 

 

Er.  Well.  I did that, for a really long time... :o)

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Oh Ms. Hedgehog, put down the clorox and Lysol for a moment and give us a quick review of Surgeon's Mate!  It is the next title for me in the series and I'm a bit leery of it since it looks to be a more land-locked story.  

 

Sending healthy best wishes for everyone who has been battling the family flu merry-go-round.  Seems like we've had several flu-ridden BaW families this month.

Here I am watching tv and reading the new posts when I see Surgeon's Mate, Lysol, and the need for a review. I thought Surgeon's Mate was some new super duper disinfectant that would save us all from being reinfected. :lol:

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This is what I'm doing with Mrs. Dalloway. Savoring. It's my first time on a trip with Woolf and I'm savoring. Loving it. It's been awhile since I felt a deep connection with a book. Not just enjoying a book but connecting with it.

 

Oh, I'm remembering and feeling into what a delicious experience it is to have one's first encounter with VW. Enjoy!

 

Your reviews and posts are so lovely to read!  I have to confess there are times I don't savor an author's words.  Sometimes, if a story is particularly gripping, I find myself skimming ahead to find out what happens next.  I wonder from time to time if I've been guilty of totally glossing over some lovely paragraphs the author was particularly proud of, something that been painstakingly crafted.  

 

Thank you for these kinds words, Jenn.

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I'm still working on Milan Kundera's The Joke. (Eliana, I'm not quite at the halfway mark -- in the 'extended flashback' as you called it -- & I must agree w/ you that I'm feeling a bit bogged down in that section.)

 

I'm reading a section that tells the viewpoint of a folklorist/musician character. He's busy talking about music (not my forte, but Jenn, I thought of you) & mentions Czech composer LeoĂ…Â¡ JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek... which is the same composer that Haruki Murakami mentions repeatedly in 1Q84 (which I read last year). Interestingly, JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek composed his First String Quartet inspired by the Kreutzer Sonata (Beethoven's work), which in turn inspired a Tolstoy novel of the same name (which I also read last year).

 

I think there's a conspiracy pushing me toward listening to some of JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek's works. :lol:

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I'm still working on Milan Kundera's The Joke. (Eliana, I'm not quite at the halfway mark -- in the 'extended flashback' as you called it -- & I must agree w/ you that I'm feeling a bit bogged down in that section.)

 

I'm reading a section that tells the viewpoint of a folklorist/musician character. He's busy talking about music (not my forte, but Jenn, I thought of you) & mentions Czech composer LeoĂ…Â¡ JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek... which is the same composer that Haruki Murakami mentions repeatedly in 1Q84 (which I read last year). Interestingly, JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek composed his First String Quartet inspired by the Kreutzer Sonata (Beethoven's work), which in turn inspired a Tolstoy novel of the same name (which I also read last year).

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think there's a conspiracy pushing me toward listening to some of JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek's works. :lol:

 

Psst.  I mentioned Janacek too since his opera The Cunning Little Vixen was inspired by the tale I read recently.

 

Also, let me apologize for The Joke.  I think I recommended it last year, admitting that it had been a while since I read it. My younger self liked it a lot. I have no idea what my gray hairs think about the novel.

 

 

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Psst. I mentioned Janacek too since his opera The Cunning Little Vixen was inspired by the tale I read recently.

 

Also, let me apologize for The Joke. I think I recommended it last year, admitting that it had been a while since I read it. My younger self liked it a lot. I have no idea what my gray hairs think about the novel.

Maybe that's why it seemed even more familiar! LOL. Oooohhhh, you're in on the conspiracy too!

 

<donning my tinfoil hat now...>

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I'm still working on Milan Kundera's The Joke. (Eliana, I'm not quite at the halfway mark -- in the 'extended flashback' as you called it -- & I must agree w/ you that I'm feeling a bit bogged down in that section.)

 

I'm reading a section that tells the viewpoint of a folklorist/musician character. He's busy talking about music (not my forte, but Jenn, I thought of you) & mentions Czech composer LeoĂ…Â¡ JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek... which is the same composer that Haruki Murakami mentions repeatedly in 1Q84 (which I read last year). Interestingly, JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek composed his First String Quartet inspired by the Kreutzer Sonata (Beethoven's work), which in turn inspired a Tolstoy novel of the same name (which I also read last year).

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think there's a conspiracy pushing me toward listening to some of JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek's works. :lol:

 

I learn so much following rabbit trails from this thread!!  Here's a quick tour from the 15minutes after I read Stacia's post:

 

Janacek's Kreutzer quartet does not fall under the category of "easy listening", nor of easy playing for that matter.  But the connections between Tolstoy and Janacek are really interesting and nicely explained here by one of the violinists of the Emerson Quartet:  The Kreutzer Sonata: Three Degrees of Separation

 

There are several comments relating to Murakami on this YouTube recording of Janacek's Sinfonietta, a much more aurally accessible work.  (What's not to love about a big ol' brass fanfare?!)

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I learn so much following rabbit trails from this thread!!  Here's a quick tour from the 15minutes after I read Stacia's post:

 

Janacek's Kreutzer quartet does not fall under the category of "easy listening", nor of easy playing for that matter.  But the connections between Tolstoy and Janacek are really interesting and nicely explained here by one of the violinists of the Emerson Quartet:  The Kreutzer Sonata: Three Degrees of Separation

 

There are several comments relating to Murakami on this YouTube recording of Janacek's Sinfonietta, a much more aurally accessible work.  (What's not to love about a big ol' brass fanfare?!)

 

<removing my foil hat briefly to add...>

 

And, remember that I read Tolstoy's Kreutzer Sonata last year after it figured prominently in the Arab/Israeli book I (also) read last year, Second Person Singular.

 

<I will go cue The Twilight Zone music now...>

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Stacia,

 

I was thinking about you the other day when Isabel Allende appeared on the Diane Rehm show.  I had not realized that her novel House of the Spirits is being challenged in a school district in NC.

 

Really?  It's been a very long time but I can't think of anything in that book to cause a challenge.   I used to adore Isabel Allende's work and heard her speak a time or two.  I may still have a signed first edition of one of her books.  I think Paula was the last book of hers I read and enjoyed, though.  I'm not sure who changed, but... one of us did and we parted ways. 

 

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I really liked Surgeon's Mate overall.  It picks up immediately from the end of the previous book, The Fortune of War.  I thought Fortune dragged a bit during the Boston part but zoomed along at the end.  Likewise, there is a significant amount of time on land during Surgeon but it is broken up a bit with some actual sea-faring adventures in between. 

 

As I read through this series, I find that I enjoy the parts at sea with the interactions between Jack and Stephen, Jack and the crew, and the battles, wrecks, and chases, much much more than learning about either man's life on land.  Their romantic entanglements and financial troubles are not much interest to me, not sure if that's because of O'Brian's writing or just a personal thing.  

 

 

My thoughts exactly -- that Fortune of war dragged in Boston but picked up and that the books are much better on the water. Thank you for the quick review!  I will download Surgeon's Mate, the novel and not the disinfectant solution, next month when I again have audible credits to use.  :D

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Also, let me apologize for The Joke.  I think I recommended it last year, admitting that it had been a while since I read it. My younger self liked it a lot. I have no idea what my gray hairs think about the novel.

 

Why would you apologize???? I'm very glad to be reading Kundera (finally!) after telling myself for years that I need to read some of his work. Even though I'm feeling a little bogged down, he's an excellent writer & my bogginess (is that a word? ;) ) is probably well due to my mood lately. I've complained about plenty (most?) of books recently & have had a hard time settling on any. So, I'm definitely thinking "it's me, not you" (speaking in my head to the not-present authors) when it comes to books lately. :lol:

 

Maybe the foil hats have messed up my reading ability (& are making me speak to authors who are not really there, at least in my reality)! :tongue_smilie:

 

And I'm really glad you mentioned Kundera more than once last year, thus giving me the push to start reading him. Thank you!!! :coolgleamA:

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I gave up on   The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kennison,  I just was not in the mood for that kind of book.   I am now following a rabbit trail  from reading about Ann Morrow Lindbergh in   The Aviators Wife  by Melanie Benjamin.  I am reading Under A Wing by Reeve Lindbergh.  

 

 

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I've been resisting starting my next book, still feeling the residue of 'The Winter Sea' as it slowly leaves my psyche. Do y'all have that experience?

In the meantime to keep the literary side of myself busy I've been working on a 5/5/5 list. Robin's link earlier in the week to the Alice Munro - Margaret Atwood conversation (thank you for that btw, it was wonderful to watch those two great literary lionesses enjoy each others' company) sent me on a little tour of other Alice Munro (gosh I like her!) interviews which then got me reminiscing about some of the great Canadian authors I've read which got me searching out a more comprehensive list which got me thinking I might do a 5/5/5 with Canadian authors being one of the five. 

 

So far I've decided on Canadian Writers, Food Books, Fairy Tales/Myths, Homesteading and Poetry for my genres.  Kind of an eclectic combination I'll admit but perhaps that's the point :). I've almost chosen all the books for each genre. It's rather a daunting prospect and a couple of the books I've chosen might just be too ambitious, The Golden Bough, for one. But I'm willing to give it a go and I think it's an interesting way to approach reading, using the faceted lens of conscious intention as guide.

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I've been resisting starting my next book, still feeling the residue of 'The Winter Sea' as it slowly leaves my psyche. Do y'all have that experience?

 

 

Yes!  I've had that experience with several of Susanna Kearsley's books.  Sort of like I'm digesting them long after the book is over.  I really loved The Winter Sea, though I think my favorite of hers so far is The Shadowy Horses. 

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I've been reading, but I've turned to fluff! 

Past couple of weeks: 

 

Erynn Mangum - Maya Davis series (3 books)

Jen Lancaster - Bitter is the New Black

 

(not fluff) Diana Gabaldon - Dragonfly in Amber

 

I think there have been other books too - have to double check my kindle history! :-)

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So far I've decided on Canadian Writers, Food Books, Fairy Tales/Myths, Homesteading and Poetry for my genres.  Kind of an eclectic combination I'll admit but perhaps that's the point :). I've almost chosen all the books for each genre. It's rather a daunting prospect and a couple of the books I've chosen might just be too ambitious, The Golden Bough, for one. But I'm willing to give it a go and I think it's an interesting way to approach reading, using the faceted lens of conscious intention as guide.

I do hope you'll share your lists!

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:lol: That's toooo funny! But maybe that also you means you've got a BaW'er close to you IRL. It would be cool to meet some of you that I've been chatting with for four years.

 

I've got Inferno here ready to go. Are we going to do a guided read-along with a goal for each week, or is everyone on her own?

 

Finished The Surgeon's Mate (Patrick O'Brian, Aubrey/Maturin #7) last night in between rounds of nursing duty. Right now I've got one teenager recovering from a pretty nasty head cold and a dh who came down suddenly with what looks like the flu. My other teenager has been hiding out in his room while I madly Lysol and Clorox every stationary surface in the house. We missed the snow that has gridlocked the rest of the Southeast, so I'm thankful for that at least.

 

Hope everyone in your house is feeling top-notch very soon!

 

And, I agree with you -- it would be fun to meet some BaWers in real life! :coolgleamA:

 

I may do the Inferno read-along....

 

 

 

I must say, as a BAW newbie, I am suffering a substantial tension between slowing down to savor it vs. the alarming rate at which new recommendations are piling up.

 

I think you've hit the nail on the head as far as these threads go....

 

 

 

 

Right now, my daughter and I are obsessed with trying to see The Elegance of the Hedgehog. We both read the book and loved it. The

looks really good.

 

Ah, interesting that it's going to be a movie. You'll have to let us know what you think of the movie after you see it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finished Susanna Kearsley's 'The Winter Sea' tonight. The book is set in 18th century Aberdeenshire, Scotland during the time of one of the Jacobite uprisings and is a time-travel/historical fiction tale with romance etched all around the edges.

 

Round about the half-way mark the characters started to gather a kind of slow steam as did the events surrounding them in a measured way that lent a certain kind of refinement to the overall feeling of the book. I slowed my reading down to savor the story. I haven't had this kind of reaction to a book in a while though it may have less to do with the book and more to do with refinding my reading groove, thanks in big part to the BaW group and Robin's masterful steering of our sweet little ship.

 

The three main female characters in this book are very likeable. They are lovely, strong yet yielding women. I will say that I was least drawn to the modern-day character as she felt the least fleshed out and accordingly that aspect of the story was weakest. The landscape/nature/weather was described in a way that it became another character in the story. I liked this especially, her descriptive passages of the constancy of the sea's presence amidst its changeability, the jagged beach, the bleak, beautiful hills, the ongoing sky, the rain and mutable winds and the sprawling castle, Slains, (seen above) set down amidst all of that. Very well done.

 

I found the writing to be relatively restrained given the genre and the characterizations, while fairly traditional, weren't too heavy handed. The only exception here was a scene towards the end which dragged on emotionally and could have been cut by 2/3. I was irritated because it's a fairly pivotal scene and that in itself rendered the need for driving the point home so obviously unnecessary. But that's the only glaring flaw in an otherwise enjoyable book. The ending was a complete and welcome surprise! I love it when that happens.

 

The author used a format that I very much enjoy. A.S. Bayatt's, 'Possession' and John Fowle's, 'The French Lieutenant's Woman', both of which I loved, used this same technique in which there are two parallel stories unfolding, the reader moving back and forth across centuries. In 'The Winter Sea' the reader is stepping nimbly from 18th century Scotland to 21st century Scotland, the locale being exactly the same. And 'nimble' is the right word, there was no sense of tripping as one stepped through the shadowy thresholds of each era.

 

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this and am keen to read more of her writing. I don't want to tear myself away from 18th century Scotland and the Jacobites but Harold Frye's pilgrimage is awaiting on overdrive.

 

As others have already said, what a wonderful, lovely, descriptive review! :thumbup1:

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I have to jump in on this Moonstone vs Woman in White conversation. I enjoyed both. I did think Woman in White was better though because it was so tense and I loved the characters.

I still need to try Wilkie Collins' books. (For the longest time, I kept thinking the author was a woman. I don't remember how/why I realized that "Wilkie" is a man's name???) Anyway....

Rosie, I'm terrible at audio books. I might be better if I drove for extended periods of time, but most drives here are no longer than 20 minutes :lol:.

I guess you could just drive back & forth or in circles continuously...

 

Dvds are better anyway. Then you can see the frocks!

Great point. That must be why I don't like audiobooks!

This week I read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain which was recommended by several of you all. It was a validating read for me as an introvert and helped me think more about maximizing some of my strengths rather than merely minimizing my weaknesses. Just having someone "say out loud" how exhausting it can be trying to succeed in a culture that so highly values extroversion was encouraging somehow, as if the effort put in was finally being recognized. The book had a lot of useful ideas which I think will help me in making decisions about where to focus my energy and how to better communicate with my extroverted husband.

Thanks for your great review. I've been meaning to read this one....

Well, since the snow has started here, I guess we will be having a snow day and a school night. Once the girls saw the first flake, all thoughts of math, grammar, and ancient India went out the door with then. :)

 

Ah, well. More reading time for me. Hehe!

I've done too little reading during our snow day(s). I did put on my ski gear & go sit in our treehouse today, just absorbing the (relative) quiet & watching the birds in the snow.

I also figured out my 5/5/5 categories for the year: ancient lit, medieval lit, classic lit, non-fiction, and BaW rec

I hope you will share your book lists too!

I also finished Unbroken. It was a fascinating book about WWII in the pacific. It seems like there is some kind of taboo about Japan vs US, so that was interesting. After reading Code Name Verity and The Book Thief, it was nice to read a different side of the war. One thought I had, though, is that all of the sweet stories of WW2 that I have read are set in Germany or England. Have you read any set in Japan that you would recommend? I thought the information in Unbroken was fascinating - the flight info - I didn't realize so many crews were lost just in training! The ocean survival - crazy! The POW camps - terrible... but I didn't really love reading the book.

Interesting (in that you found the book informative & interesting, but didn't really love reading it). I've kind of been hesitating/avoiding that book because I've thought it might be so harrowing to read that it might lessen the joy of the reading experience, kwim?

 

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is not a WWII book, but it does touch on the topic of Japanese kamikaze pilots during WWII (as seen from the Japanese side). I found those parts of the book to be quite fascinating & touching. Also, a book I have on my shelf (but which I haven't read yet) is Hiroshima in the Morning.

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Plus, now that I am older, it seems more important than before that I carry away at least one pleasant thought from what I read. I no longer have the tolerance for unrelieved angst and depression that I used to. Perhaps because I have plumbed the depths of those feelings in my own life and do not have a desire to revisit them.

I totally, totally get this (& may be there myself too). :grouphug:

LostSurprise -- I have also been trying to understand the Inspector Gamache series. I have finished two and they are fairly good on their own. Lots of odd bits of backstory that has me hooked. I keep waiting to understand...currently reading number three. Really hope a few of my questions get answered.

Ok, surely I can't be the only homeschooler who has had this thought every time I see a reference to these books & Inspecter Gamache: I think of/picture SeĂƒÂ±or Gamache from La Clase Divertida (homeschool Spanish dvd program)! :laugh:

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I learn so much following rabbit trails from this thread!! Here's a quick tour from the 15minutes after I read Stacia's post:

 

Janacek's Kreutzer quartet does not fall under the category of "easy listening", nor of easy playing for that matter. But the connections between Tolstoy and Janacek are really interesting and nicely explained here by one of the violinists of the Emerson Quartet: The Kreutzer Sonata: Three Degrees of Separation

 

There are several comments relating to Murakami on this YouTube recording of Janacek's Sinfonietta, a much more aurally accessible work. (What's not to love about a big ol' brass fanfare?!)

Thanks for these awesome links, Jenn! Fascinating tidbits about Janacek's Second Quartet. TMI, indeed!

 

I guess I should have had the Sinfonietta playing when I was actually reading 1Q84 last year. Interestingly, I think it would have made the book feel a bit different as the music seems hyper (? -- maybe frenetic is a better word here?) vs. the book's more languid pace. Some of the more ethereal sections of the music would have slotted perfectly with the air chrysailis sections, I think.

 

ETA: I'm really not a music person (I do think I'm tone deaf), so I really feel like I can't describe music well. Listening to Janacek's Sinfonietta makes me feel like I've had too much caffeine.... (Not that it's good or bad, just that the music seems jittery to me/makes me feel edgy.)

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Dh tells me "Le Horla" was a significant influence on H.P. Lovecraft, which certainly comes through. My Google Translate history is now full of new-to-me French vocabulary like "dread," "prey," "disembowel," "insanity," and five or six synonyms for "to fear."

:lol: I just love this especially since I read H.P. Lovecraft for the first time last year.

I think it's mostly that Murakami just processes the world a lot differently than I do.

I think that's one reason why I tend to love Murakami's works. I like seeing things almost as if they are coming from someone else's dreamscape.... (I guess that's really what all books are anyway, to a certain extent....)

I've been thinking about this book as a couple of you have started it and here's what I've decided: I didn't care for the story itself, but I did enjoy the historical aspect of it.

Even though I didn't finish Russian Winter, I'd agree with this. Even though I enjoyed the historical parts, though, it wasn't enough to pull me back into the story.

Hi! Anyone here remember me?

:seeya: So glad to see beautiful you & your gorgeous family again!

It's funny, because I do not care for Downton Abby

Do you know that I just realized in the past week or so that it is DownTON Abbey instead of DownTOWN Abbey? Duh. (Obviously I'm not British. I would probably be rightly flogged for a mistake like that.)

President Hollande has other more pressing issues on his mind than aliens, n'est ce pas? :lol: :smilielol5:

He's probably wishing aliens & UFOs would take over the headlines about now....

 

[side note so Stacia doesn't feel lonely defending unloved books:

Aw, that makes me feel warm & fuzzy to be seen as a defender of unloved books.

 

Have I told you today that I love having you here? :grouphug: ...some weeks I think it would be funny to do BaWeeker Venn diagrams...

 

As I was reading the Pamuk I kept thinking, 'This isn't quite working, but I bet Stacia might like it..." and then I got to the end section, and wanted so much to hear what you thought.

 

You are, in so many ways, one of the absolutely best reading buddies I could have... you help me see things from a different angle, you show me aspects of books (and of reading) that I can't see (yet?).. you've inspired me to stretch out of my comfort zone, to be brave and daring and taste things that are odd and different... some of which I haven't loved... but all of which have been worth trying.

 

I know I ripped on the Murakami last week... but I'll say again, I'm not sorry I read it. There were parts I hated, parts that squicked me, but there was also something underneath that I knew I was missing... the connection that makes the difference between loving and hating a book... and one of the reasons I knew it was there, was I'd heard you describing it.

 

Okay, SPOILERS for the Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPOILERS

 

 

 

 

 

I had some issues before the ending with feeling that the seamstress didn't have her own reality, that she was very much an object, and the ending exponentialized that reaction.

 

I expected (even hoped) that the read her lit to make her a sexy modern woman we can have fun with thing would backfire, but that it did so in such an offensive, imho sexist way infuriated me. She didn't acquire any agency from her literature exposure, she developed an identity as a sex object... her big dream, her one act of agency (other than the abortion) was to head off to be a courtesan straight out of a Colette story (only, poor kid, in a whole different world... though the real world of those stories wasn't so lovely either)

 

...but what I really, really hated most of all was the feeling that the real, but unintended, message of the book says nothing positive about literature at all.

:grouphug: :001_smile: I'm very thrilled we are reading buddies, Eliana. You've certainly broadened my reading horizons & for that, I am truly grateful. Plus, it's just plain fun & energizing to read all your musings on books & reading! I like that we can appreciate & see beauty in different (& sometimes even the same) books. It is fascinating to learn what resonates with others & what does not. Reading is such an interactive experience, not only with our community here, but also with ourselves, our memories, our hopes, our fears, our dreams....

 

As far as Sijie's book, I think the ending was perfect for the story itself. Yes, one can hope for a dream/ideal ending, but I felt like the tang/sting of the ending was quite in line with the fable/folktale feel of the book -- where there's a lesson learned, often at one's own expense. Ne c'est pas? (I also remember feeling strongly the same way about the ending of Orwell's 1984 in that it was probably not the hoped-for ending, but rather the ending that fit the story.) And I do think the book was very positive about the mental & physical burdens that good literature can alleviate, the dreams & hopes it can engender, the lifelines it can provide (even if the lifeline takes a different route than you were expecting).

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I hope everyone is starting to feel better. It's at our house too... My son had a pretty rough respiratory virus (definitely more than a cold, but not quite right for flu) over the weekend... He's feeling better, but the Lysol apparently didn't work here since I seem to have picked up the illness. Sigh. Is it spring yet?!?

 

I did stay up to finish Winter Garden last night... I loved it. I could feel my heart breaking at several points through the pages, and especially with the reveals toward the end. I'm not sure I've ever finished a Kristin Hannah book without crying at least a little. :)

 

Today I started Lost Lake, which is the new one from Sarah Addison Allen. I'm a big fan of her writing and enjoying it so far.

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I'm reading a section that tells the viewpoint of a folklorist/musician character. He's busy talking about music (not my forte, but Jenn, I thought of you) & mentions Czech composer LeoĂ…Â¡ JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek... which is the same composer that Haruki Murakami mentions repeatedly in 1Q84 (which I read last year). Interestingly, JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek composed his First String Quartet inspired by the Kreutzer Sonata (Beethoven's work), which in turn inspired a Tolstoy novel of the same name (which I also read last year).

 

 

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I think there's a conspiracy pushing me toward listening to some of JanĂƒÂ¡Ă„ek's works. :lol:

 

It's kismet!

 

I've been resisting starting my next book, still feeling the residue of 'The Winter Sea' as it slowly leaves my psyche. Do y'all have that experience?

 

Yes.  It's called a Book Hangover.   :D

 

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I've done too little reading during our snow day(s). I did put on my ski gear & go sit in our treehouse today, just absorbing the (relative) quiet & watching the birds in the snow.

 

Well, reading more was wishful thinking.  I've been busy bundling up kids, stripping kids, throwing iced clothes in the dryer, rebundling kids to go back out in the snow, wash, rinse, repeat...  Not a whole lot of reading going on.  LOL  The girls have had a blast though.  My snowbunny stuck in the South has been a happy camper these past couple of days.

 

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Today I started Lost Lake, which is the new one from Sarah Addison Allen. I'm a big fan of her writing and enjoying it so far.

 

I was able to get an advanced copy of Lost Lake, and I can say that I don't think you will be disappointed.  I don't think it is her best (I love The Girl Who Chased the Moon), but after what she's gone through, it is a very strong comeback.  I hope you enjoy it!

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:smilielol5:

 

(And I LOVE Oscar!)

 

ETA: And I don't know why everyone thinks he's a grouch. I think he's just tellin' it like it is. ;)

 

Reminds me, in fact, of that quote from one of one of the Amazon reviewers for the demolition-of-positive-thinking book discussed upthread -- something to the effect of "I dislike positive thinking, preferring reality instead!" :lol:

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I was tucked in a warm bed with a book early last night and missed the party!

 

I still need to try Wilkie Collins' books. (For the longest time, I kept thinking the author was a woman. I don't remember how/why I realized that "Wilkie" is a man's name???) Anyway....

 

I've done too little reading during our snow day(s). I did put on my ski gear & go sit in our treehouse today, just absorbing the (relative) quiet & watching the birds in the snow.

 

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is not a WWII book, but it does touch on the topic of Japanese kamikaze pilots during WWII (as seen from the Japanese side). I found those parts of the book to be quite fascinating & touching. Also, a book I have on my shelf (but which I haven't read yet) is Hiroshima in the Morning.

 

BBC Radio 4 Extra is airing a dramatization of The Woman in White next week.  (Link.)  For those of you unfamiliar with their I-player service, I want to point that you cannot download the programs.  An episode airs daily and then can be accessed for a week via your computer.

 

I love the vision of Stacia in the treehouse.  Actually, can the BaWers meet there sometime? 

 

I took a walk on the ice yesterday using hiking poles for balance.  Just as I was leaving my street for the main drag, I witnessed a guy doing a perfect doughnut, a 360 degree turn instead of a 90.  Obviously the ice was not the only hazard.  Turning vehicles would not be able to stop for pedestrians.  I was treading carefully!  (Just heard from my husband who made it into work safely this morning.  Bridges are hazardous where I live!)

 

Ruth Ozeki's novel My Year of Meats is on my to-be-read list.  Food novels are one of my 5/5/5 challenges.

 

I hope everyone is starting to feel better. It's at our house too... My son had a pretty rough respiratory virus (definitely more than a cold, but not quite right for flu) over the weekend... He's feeling better, but the Lysol apparently didn't work here since I seem to have picked up the illness. Sigh. Is it spring yet?!?
 

 

Sending SunnyDays and everyone else who is battling seasonal viruses good cheer!  Be well my reading friends!

 

 

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A lot of random thoughts after reading through yesterdays posts:

 

Treehouses are THE best places to read books, especially if you do not want to be disturbed.

 

It is 1 degree outside my kitchen window, which is incredible for this part of the country. We just don't do this kind of weather. I have a lot more time to read, but really, this is ridiculous. I'm ready for a lot of warm sunshine myself. I want to open my windows!

 

I get book hangovers all the time. They make me wander around my house trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do next. I usually determine to avoid getting pulled into another for at least a day, all right at least half a day.

 

With 5 children, I think I spent half my life watching Sesame Street. Oscar really has a heart of gold, he just doesn't want anyone to know.

 

Yesterday I realized that I never include our homeschool read alouds in my yearly book count. It is kind of bittersweet because I am reading everything again for the last child. I use him as an excuse to keep reading juvenile literature.   We just finished reading King of the Wind and have started Ali and the Golden Eagle. All the books I give him to read to himself are for the last time. Sunday evening the two of us are having a Hobbit party, in honor of him finishing the Hobbit,  while dh and the older boys go to a superbowl party. Right now he is reading one of my all time favorites McGillicuddy McGotham by Leonard Wibberly.

 

A funny: dh is reading The Phantom Tollbooth for the first time. He couldn't stand listening to the boys quote from the book and not knowing what they were talking about. They also quote from Beatrix Potter's books. I love it.

 

The 14yo is following in his father's footsteps with his reading tastes. Last year he finished the Hornblower series and this week he started reading Master and Commander.

 

I read Wilkie Collins books about 10 years ago. My 1st  son (13 at the time) read them right after me. He used to follow me around watching what I read, so I was reading very well then, lol. We fought each other for the priveledge of reading each new Harry Potter book first. Then he got wise and figured out how to get separate copies.  When he hit 16 or so, I started following him around and watching what he read. I miss him.

 

This got sentimental, didn't it? I read through the very grown up posts here and realize I still have one foot firmly embedded in childhood. 

 

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<snip>

 

This got sentimental, didn't it? I read through the very grown up posts here and realize I still have one foot firmly embedded in childhood. 

 

Every now and then I think about certain books I read to my kids and am sad that I'll probably never read them again.  I know I could, but with so many unread books out there, it's unlikely.  This feeling comes up whenever someone mentions my family's favorite readalouds, Swallows and Amazons and the books following.   Sigh.  At those times I long for grandchildren to read to.  But that is a long way off!  

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Do you know that I just realized in the past week or so that it is DownTON Abbey instead of DownTOWN Abbey? Duh. (Obviously I'm not British. I would probably be rightly flogged for a mistake like that.)

 

 

 

There's a town in TN called Elizabethton.  People not from the area (like me when we first moved to that area), say Elizabeth-TOWN, but it's pronounced E Liz a Beth TON.  

 

But still, having learned that lesson over 15 years ago, when Downton Abbey first came out, I called it DownTown Abbey too.  But everyone around here knew exactly how to say it.  Just don't ask about the local towns with French names, they are all pronounced incorrectly....:) 

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I want to listen to this, though I am usually a dismal failure at concentrating on audiobooks or "talk" radio.  How do the times line up for us stateside?  The program says Monday at 10, but no mention of am or pm, and I'm guessing that's GMT?  (I think I am GMT -0600, not sure.)  Do you usually listen live or just whenever you get around to it?

 

I usually use their I-player and listen to episodes as my schedule permits.  Or as household tasks allow.  (I sometimes think my tablet is really just an audio device.)

 

When you click on play, you will usually hear the end of some other program, a brief promo for something forthcoming, then the episode itself.  Just don't worry if the episode you want to hear does not launch immediately.

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I finished Perelandra last night.  It was quite good, although I certainly didn't understand all of it!  Now to finish Alan Jacobs's book about Lewis. 

 

I also started The Magic Apple Tree by Susan Hill.  Read some quotes on a blog and thought they were fantastic so bought it for my Kindle.  It is lovely, but I'm not very far ... 6% or so :)

 

Book Reviews

1. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers
2. A To Z with C.S. Lewis by Louis A Markos
3. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
4. Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

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