Book a Week in 2014 - BW 12

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, dearhearts!  Today is the start of week 12 in our quest to read 52 Books.  Welcome back to all our readers, to all those who are just joining in and to all who are following our progress.  Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews.  The link is below in my signature.

 

52 Books Blog - Spring Beckons:  Spring officially arrives on March 20th and with it comes the feeling of rejuvenation.  The feel of the sun,  flowers and trees blossoming, birds singing, squirrels chattering  and mornings sitting out on my patio enjoying nature.  The desire to begin spring cleaning and throw out all the old stuff to make room for the new.  I have the urge to clean up our garden, explore the nursery, go crazy buying too many flats of plants and get busy digging my fingers into the soil.  And for some unknown reason,  I'm always reminded of Robert Frost and his poem Spring Pools.
 

These pools that, though in forests, still reflect

The total sky almost without defect,

And like the flowers beside them, chill and shiver,

Will like the flowers beside them soon be gone,

And yet not out by any brook or river,

But up by roots to bring dark foliage on.

The trees that have it in their pent-up buds

To darken nature and be summer woods---

Let them think twice before they use their powers

To blot out and drink up and sweep away

These flowery waters and these watery flowers

From snow that melted only yesterday.

 

 

Tell me what you think of when you hear the word Spring?  Words that immediately come to my mind are rebirth, flowers, buds, seeds, sunshine, bees, birds, sing, bright, pink, new.     Goodreads came up with an interesting lists related to Spring or Flowers or sunshine. 

Decided I would get creative and use some of the words from Frost's Poem to find a spring book to read.   Not as easy as you think or else I'm just getting really picky.   Unlike Winter, in which my stacks were full of wintery reads, I don't seem to have nary a one relating to Spring.  Unless I want to count The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder. *grin*

Join me in reading books with spring or spring related words in the title for the season of Spring.

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 11

[Jane in NC]

Inspired by all of the Mary Stewart fans and childhood memories of Hayley Mills movies, I read The Moon-Spinners which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Stewart, who is 97 by the way (!), wrote a number of  other romantic suspense novels that I look forward to reading in the months ahead.  I loved Stewart's descriptions of the Crete countryside, the development of a strong young female protagonist, and her pacing of the novel.  Highly recommended for those who crave straight forward, good story telling.

 

Robin had mentioned that the selected country for the March armchair travel challenge is France.  Inspired by this theme and my own 5/5/5 challenge of five food novels (which I think I may change to include food memoirs), I read Ann Mah's Mastering the Art of French Eating.  Mah is married to a diplomat who is given a three year Parisian assignment.  Each chapter of Mah's book focuses on a recipe with some cultural history and personal anecdotes thrown in.  Another enjoyable book.

 

I intended on reading some Shaw this past week but did not get past the preface of Arms and the Man.

 

Looking ahead, I have two books that I plan on reading this week:  the often discussed and beloved Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi and a short story collection, Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky.  And maybe more than a few pages of Shaw?

 

[Robin M]

This past week I finished Michael Scott's The Sorceress, #3 in the Nicholas Flamel series and Mariah Stewart's contemporary romance At the River's Edge in her Chesapeake Diaries saga.   I'm currently reading Adrian Phoenix's paranormal Black Heart Loa, #2 in her Hoodoo Series.    And for Lent am in the midst of  Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina by Michael Casey and my bedtime read is Life of Prayer - St. Teresa of Avila (Victor classics version)

[Stacia]

Unlike Winter, in which my stacks were full of wintery reads, I don't seem to have nary a one relating to Spring.  Unless I want to count The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder. *grin*

 

Well, I love The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, but I agree that maybe it's not quite the point of "Spring" reading. :lol:  Too funny.

 

How about The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (even though it's only March)? There's a free kindle version & it's a nice, delightful tale that will make you look forward to sun, budding flowers, & all the beauty of Spring (& it can count as an "Italy" read).

 

Maybe Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen would work too?

[Mothersweets]

True Grit by Charles Portis. Even if you've seen the movie, you simply MUST read this book! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I'd seen the movie version with John Wayne and thought the girl in it rather annoying. She is much more likeable in the book. In fact, the book reads as though you are visiting your rather stern, opinionated, old maiden auntie and she is telling you a bit about her life. Great read!

 

 

[shukriyya]

Inspired by all of the Mary Stewart fans and childhood memories of Hayley Mills movies, I read The Moon-Spinners which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Stewart, who is 97 by the way (!), wrote a number of  other romantic suspense novels that I look forward to reading in the months ahead.  I loved Stewart's descriptions of the Crete countryside, the development of a strong young female protagonist, and her pacing of the novel.  Highly recommended for those who crave straight forward, good story telling.

 

<snip>

 

Yes, to the bolded, that's a very good way of describing Stewart's books. Their straightforwardness, I realize, is part of their appeal for me but pair that with lyrical descriptions of landscape and place and you've got a compelling combination. I didn't realize she was still alive, 97 is impressive! Apparently she was quite the botanist and gardener and had a keen interest in natural history as well as painting and theater. She and her geologist husband traveled extensively and she put her curiosity and interest to good use exploring widely wherever she found herself which is evident in the detail that characterizes her writing. I have a stack of three more of her books awaiting my lens.

 

As for my reading week and Robin's questions about Spring...

 

Spring inspires a spinning, a spiraling, unfurling, opening, budding gesture in my breath. It's a kind of greening impulse that is hopeful, possible, plausible even and extends far beyond the reach of my inner gaze into the seeding of something bigger, something more plush with mystery and miracle, awe and magic and everything that engenders.

 

Finished ::

 

My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart -- well written, a bit gruesome towards the end, not her best story but an enjoyable and fairly gripping read with lovely landscape descriptions

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi -- poorly written, poignant story

 

Started ::

 

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard -- poetic meditation on landscape and place

SWB's History of the Ancient World -- very accessible, trying for a couple of chapters a week

 

Ongoing ::

 

The list is a revolving door, in one week, out the next and back in the following week...round and round it goes

 

[Lady Florida.]

Calendar seasons don't mean much here. Spring is not really noticeable. Winter and spring are almost the same, though spring tends to be a bit warmer. It's our warm weather without humidity season and it actually starts in late February. The best part about spring (and possibly the only "sign" of spring) in Central Florida is the heady scent of orange blossoms in the air. I just want to stand in my backyard for hours and breathe it in. For some reason it's an especially wonderful scent after dark.

 

I finished listening to The Orphan Master's Son yesterday and gave it 4 stars. It didn't wrap up quite the way I wanted it to, but I will grudgingly admit it needed to end the way it did. My desired ending would have been too neat and unrealistic.

 

 

Fiction: Les Miserables, Americanah, The Time Machine.

 

I just started listening to The Time Machine last evening. I read The War of the Worlds last year and was unimpressed. I try not to let one book determine whether I like or dislike an author. Also, I thought perhaps listening would be better than reading it. So far though, this one has not changed my opinion of H.G. Wells. I'm not a huge science fiction fan to start with, plus I think sci-fi is a genre especially susceptible to becoming dated very quickly.

 

Non-fiction: Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Believing Bullshit: How Not to Get Sucked into an Intellectual Black Hole..

[Robin M]

Well, I love The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, but I agree that maybe it's not quite the point of "Spring" reading. :lol:  Too funny.

 

How about The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (even though it's only March)? There's a free kindle version & it's a nice, delightful tale that will make you look forward to sun, budding flowers, & all the beauty of Spring (& it can count as an "Italy" read).

 

Maybe Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen would work too?

Awesome, I'd come across The Enchanted April a couple times, didn't know it was free. Always an incentive.   I've read Garden Spells so might try another one of her titles.  I don't know why the heck the word 'garden' didn't even register when I've been sitting here staring out the window and thinking about what going to do with it.  I'm finding a bunch of wonderful titles on amazon - some of Nora Roberts which I've already read half a dozen times plus some other that are tempting me.  Thank you!

 

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

Maybe Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen would work too?

 

I enjoyed Garden Spells. That's another one that would be a stretch to call it a spring read, but it does have plenty of herbs and flowers. 

 

True Grit by Charles Portis. Even if you've seen the movie, you simply MUST read this book! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I'd seen the movie version with John Wayne and thought the girl in it rather annoying. She is much more likeable in the book. In fact, the book reads as though you are visiting your rather stern, opinionated, old maiden auntie and she is telling you a bit about her life. Great read!

 

I keep thinking I want to read this, but I really don't like westerns. I've heard that even people who don't like westerns would like Lonesome Dove, so I gave it a try. Apparently I was the exception - I abandoned it. It might be similar if I try to read True Grit.

 

Have you seen the 2010 movie? That is supposedly closer to the book. I've seen both movies, and I didn't dislike* the newer one as much as the John Wayne version.

 

*You might be wondering why I even bothered if I don't like westerns. Dh is almost always willing to watch  my movies with me, so I occasionally throw him a bone and watch one of his. :D

[Robin M]

As for my reading week and Robin's questions about Spring...

 

Spring inspires a spinning, a spiraling, unfurling, opening, budding gesture in my breath. It's a kind of greening impulse that is hopeful, possible, plausible even and extends far beyond the reach of my inner gaze into the seeding of something bigger, something more plush with mystery and miracle, awe and magic and everything that engenders.

 

Started ::

 

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard -- poetic meditation on landscape and place

SWB's History of the Ancient World -- very accessible, trying for a couple of chapters a week

Beautiful!

 

Reminds me that we planned to do a SWB History readalong starting in April.  I need to go pull it out of the stacks.

[melmichigan]

I am anxiously awaiting spring and can't wait to see something like my current avatar.  I have the winter blues, and they need to leave.

 

This last week I finished The Last Refuge and Eye for an Eye by Ben Coes.  At this point my heart is aching for Dewey Andreas the man, and in awe of the soldier.   (I love it when that happens with a character.)  The fact that we owe about 5 trillion dollars to other countries, and are 1.3 trillion dollars in debt to China makes Eye for an Eye all the more frightening.  I love the acknowledgement page where Mr. Coes thanks American veterans and tells them that he writes his books for them.   :patriot:

 

This week I'm planning to delve into Innocent Blood, #2 in The Order of the Sanguines Series by James Rollins.  I also have The Hero by Robyn Carr on my kindle from my library, but I'm waiting to see if The Newcomer becomes available in the next few days. Yeah, that's the one I'm still waiting for.  :toetap05: I'm being optimistic that the two people in front of me are quick readers.

 

[Stacia]

I enjoyed Garden Spells. That's another one that would be a stretch to call it a spring read, but it does have plenty of herbs and flowers.

 

 

I keep thinking I want to read this, but I really don't like westerns. I've heard that even people who don't like westerns would like Lonesome Dove, so I gave it a try. Apparently I was the exception - I abandoned it. It might be similar if I try to read True Grit.

 

Have you seen the 2010 movie? That is supposedly closer to the book. I've seen both movies, and I didn't dislike* the newer one as much as the John Wayne version.

 

*You might be wondering why I even bothered if I don't like westerns. Dh is almost always willing to watch my movies with me, so I occasionally throw him a bone and watch one of his. :D

I thought of Garden Spells only from the title alone, not really the content. I read it a few years ago but can't really remember when it's set, though I do remember that there were various herbs & such in it. I'm not an SAA fan (after reading Garden Spells), but I think she's generally considered 'light' reading, which is another thing I tend to associate with Spring.

 

Kathy, I'm kind of like you in that I've never really read Westerns (nor do I really want to) but read (& loved) The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt a couple of years ago. I picked it up because I loved the cover art, plus it was nominated for the Booker Prize. Hard for me to compare it to Westerns since I haven't read any others, but I'd say it's got a bit of a modern edge & might be considered a 'noir Western'. I think you might really like it.

 

I've never (gasp!) seen a John Wayne movie. I did see the newer movie version of True Grit & thoroughly enjoyed it. I had no knowledge or info about the story ahead of time, never having read it, nor having seen the previous movie, nor even seeing a preview ahead of time. Dh & I were at the theater & he said he would like to see it, so that's what we bought tickets to. I probably never would have seen it otherwise, but I'm so glad I did.

 

As for my own reading, it has been very scarce this week. But, I'm still working my way through Fantômas by French writers Marcel Allain & Pierre Souvestre. I think it's probably pretty bold & lurid for its time (early 1900s) & it's an interesting early detective/murder mystery pulp fiction style book. (Reminder: There's a free kindle edition of this one & a free LibriVox version.)

Fantômas is the first of 32 novels penned from 1911 to 1913 by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre. The title character is a ruthless thief and killer, a bloodthirsty successor to LeBlanc's Arsène Lupin. The first five novels were made into silent film serials. The character and the movies caught the eye of the French Surrealists who admired the primal violence of Fantômas, as well as his portrayal in the films, which are considered landmarks in French Cinema. In Fantômas, the Marquise de Langrune is savagely murdered and Inspector Juve, who is obsessed with capturing Fantômas, arrives to solve the murder.

Am halfway through A Novel Bookstore & have completely stalled out. I love the concept of the story (&, oh!, to dream of such a cool bookstore!) & there are plenty of quotes in there that will make book lovers swoon... but, it's moving at such a glacial pace that I'm getting resentful at having the initial story derailed to go into 'background' (well over 100 pages) that almost reads more like a business plan than a novel. (Perhaps I'm one of the lazy readers the author is mocking? Maybe so, but I also daresay that her book would not be one shelved at the featured bookstore. ;) ) Even though I'm well-invested in time & page count at this point, this one will be returned to the library without being finished. Slightly disappointed because I really wanted to love this one (especially since it's published by Europa Editions).

 

A Moment in the Sun has been languishing on my desk all week. Just haven't had the time or concentration to get back to it. Hopefully, I will have time this week to get further. Still loving & admiring this massive work.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I'm still reading The Son, by Phillip Meyer and The Return of the Prodigal, by Henri Nouwen.  

 

I don't have anything on deck for spring.  Around here spring means rain and flies.  There were so many flies out yesterday, the buzzing was loud.  I'm unsure what I'll read when I finish The Son, but I have probably 2 weeks on it, especially since I've been reading Nouwen a bit each day.  But nothing on my future book  list says spring.  

[ChrisB]

This week I finished Jane Eyre.  It is my third time reading it, however, it's been several years since the last read.  The first time I read the book back in Jr. High-ish, I loved it.  When I read it in college, I didn't like it as well, and I'm not sure why, maybe it was where I was in life.  This time I liked it again, but in a completely different way, perhaps from a more mature prospective.  The character of Helen Burns', her little friend at the school institution, life wisdom and death really touched me in way that I'd never thought about in the my previous reads.  And, can I just say, Bronte LOVES semi-colons...lol!  

 

Finished:

1. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, Bk 1, Lauren Willig

2. The Masque of the Black Tulip, Bk 2, Lauren Willig

3. The Deception of the Emerald Ring, Bk 3, Lauren Willig

4. The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, Bk 4, Lauren Willig

5. The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, Bk 5, Lauren Willig

6. The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, Bk 6, Lauren Willig

7. The Orchid Affair, Bk 8, Lauren Willig

8. The Garden Intrigue, Bk 9, Lauren Willig

9. The Hobbit, J.R.R Tolkien

10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

[Onceuponatime]

I'm still working on Looking at Philosophy. I've reached Locke so far. Of all the brief descriptions, Spinoza is the one I relate to the most. I might have to try an expanded version of him some time.

 

I finished Payment Deferred. It seemed to be a depressing kind of morality tale in a murder/suspense story. There was no hope, no beauty, no real future left at the end. All that was good was destroyed in ugly, petty ways throughout the story. Blah. A British take on the Russian novel?

 

I don't know what I will pick up next. I did put A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek on  reserve. Shukriyya's descriptions were enticing me.

 

Spring has been making me think of reading Chekov's The Cherry Orchard. I'm always reminded of Wordsworth's Daffodils at this time of year. They are bright spots in our yard right now.

[Just Robyn]

When I think of spring books I remember a book on my to-read list: Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima.

 

Last week I read Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents, which I sometimes found entertaining or interesting and sometimes found mind-numbingly boring, or perhaps just over my head.

 

I also finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And since ds finished up with it this morning, we look forward to re-watching the movie tonight.

 

Yesterday I read my fourth Chretien de Troyes book: Cliges, and I put in an ILL order for Perceval.

 

I also started To the Lighthouse last week, but decided I didn't like reading it in little bits. So I finished up the other things I was reading, and now I can finish To the Lighthouse in longer stretches of reading. Its rhythm makes my think of Leaves of Grass, and its reiteration of words/phrases makes me think of Murakami, but tighter. Especially with the sort of lightheadedness that I get from it, I would say it's less like a basket, and more like a spinning top. 

 

[Kareni]

I don't have anything on deck for spring.  Around here spring means rain and flies.  There were so many flies out yesterday, the buzzing was loud. 

 

Clearly THIS should be your spring read!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

When I think of spring I think of daffodils and  tulips.  Some spring I plan to go to Holland and see the fields in bloom!   I recently read Pagon Spring by GM Malliet.  It was good but not sure how enjoyable without the two previous books in the series.  I have a book with Autumn in the title but no spring or flower books in the stack or requests.

 

I finished "Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men" by Molly Harper.  A rather funny paranormal.  Second in a series I am trying to finish .  I also read another 12 th century setting "The Very Thought of You" by Lynn Kurland.  This is a great time travel romance which contains a setting that I see frequently when home.  Not sure how accurately portrayed but when my BF spotted the setting I had to read it.

 

Currently halfway through my next Kate Ross.  With more Nice Girl vampire books to read.  I also need to read Laurie Kings "The Moor" this week.  Reading The Expats on my kindle.

[Murmer]

Finished: The Lodger by Liz Adair (fluffy)

Dancing with the Pen by NZ Ministry of Education (I really like their approach to education less every child will hit this point at this point...more children are within a band of learning)

Mozart’s Sister by Nancy Moser (interesting look at the life of Mozart's sister...I enjoyed it)

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (fine enough...I have a hard time with this series...but it was a good audiobook)

 

Abandoned: The 4 Levels of Joy by Richard Eyre (just couldn't do it...not interested)

 

Working on:

Fiction: Arianna: A Gift Most Precious by Rachel Ann Nunes

Kindle: Naomi and her Daughters by Walter Wangerin Jr.

Non-fiction: FIAR Vol 4

Phone: Lies, Da** Lies, and Science by Sherry Seethaler

Computer: Motherhood Realized by Power of Moms

Well Education Mind: Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

Angel Girl: The Aesop for Children by Aesop

Sweet Boy: Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales Book

Autobook: 

 

Total Read for 2014: 42

[Shawneinfl]

Finished Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein. Here is a review from Amazon:

 

Rich in historical detail and intrigue, Code Name Verity is a vivid reminder of what makes historical fiction so compelling. In exchange for a temporary stay of execution and lesser forms of torture, a young female spy captured in Nazi-occupied France writes a confession of her activities in the Resistance. Her story is that of two women who should never have crossed paths, yet were destined to become the best of friends and embark upon the covert mission that would determine which of them would live or die. Courage born of friendship, fierce hope, and surprising ironies abound in this spell-binding novel that will appeal to teens and adult readers alike.--Seira Wilson

 

I thought this was a great book and is another addition to my 20th century war reading that has been going on for the last two years. I had a hard time thinking of this as a "young adult" novel. I thought it was pretty mature and I'm not sure my 14 year old boy would be ready for the descriptions of torture against young men and women in Nazi occupied France. What is the definition of a YA novel?

 

Anyway I'm going to race through Crispin today and tomorrow since I have to present it to my Challenge Class on Tuesday.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Clearly THIS should be your spring read!

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

:lol:  I was thinking of that yesterday.  :laugh:

[JennW in SoCal]

Spring means Spring Break and having my college boy home for his birthday!  He arrived last night and will be here for the week.  Can't think of any books off hand that call Spring into mind...

 

I don't think we're getting much of a spring here as we never really had winter and it is 92 degrees outside at the moment.  

 

No new reading to report, and I'm not sure how much I'll accomplish this week with the boy home, so here's my year to date list of books:

 

Mystery/Thrillers

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton

Kingdom of Shadows by Alan Furst

Diamond Solitaire by Peter Lovesy

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

The Summons by Peter Lovesy

The Rafael Affair by Iain Pears

 

Literature

The Fortune of War by Patrick O’Brien (audio)

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (audio & e-book)

Surgeon’s Mate by Patrick O’Brien (audio)

The Ionian Mission by Patrick O’Brien (audio)

Comedia by Dante (Purgatory)  (in progress)

 

Non-fiction

The Hare with the Amber Eyes

Ballerina by Deidre Kelly

Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity by Pru Shaw (in progress)

 

Sci-fi/fantasy

Darwin Elevator by Jason Hough

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore

 

[mumto2]

http://books.google.com/books/about/Daffodils_Before_Swallows.html?id=1dLrPgAACAAJ

 

Just put in a request for Daffodils before Swallows as my spring read. I love the cover, looks like my idea of spring. I planted my very small front yard full of daffodils like the cover picture. Not knowing the the four year old next door runs accross our yard to go to grandparents a few times a day.......should be interesting.

[Jane in NC]

Spring means Spring Break and having my college boy home for his birthday!  He arrived last night and will be here for the week.  Can't think of any books off hand that call Spring into mind...

 

Lucky you!  My senior is spending spring break on campus to put finishing touches on his thesis. I mailed him a cocoa bundt cake for his birthday!

[Rosie_0801]

Spring? Early winter is beginning here- http://www.herringisland.org/seasons1.htm

 

I'm half way through 'Halal and Haram: The prohibited and permitted foods and drinks according to Jewish, Christian and Muslim Scriptures.' With a title like that, it really ought to be a journal article instead of a proper *book.* :p (Is it just my experience or are journal article titles frequently almost as long as the article itself?)

 

It's fun.

[JennW in SoCal]

Lucky you!  My senior is spending spring break on campus to put finishing touches on his thesis. I mailed him a cocoa bundt cake for his birthday!

 

 

I've been thinking of you!  Didn't realize your boy was a March baby, too!  I may be mailing a birthday cake to campus in 2 years...

[Negin]

When I think of spring I think of daffodils and  tulips.  Some spring I plan to go to Holland and see the fields in bloom!  

 

 

Me too. Both are my favorite flowers. I love daffodils and wish we had them here. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (fine enough...I have a hard time with this series...but it was a good audiobook)

 

 

 

I enjoyed the first few, but no more, I'm done with that series. I'm really enjoying the Isabel Dalhousie ones, however. 

[ChrisB]

Mozart’s Sister by Nancy Moser (interesting look at the life of Mozart's sister...I enjoyed it)

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (fine enough...I have a hard time with this series...but it was a good audiobook)

 

Total Read for 2014: 42

 

 

Impressive # !!  Every time I see Mozart's Sister, I want to pick it up...one of these days. ;)  I also didn't love the McCall Smith series--not sure if it was the writing or the subject matter... 

[LostSurprise]

True Grit by Charles Portis. Even if you've seen the movie, you simply MUST read this book! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I'd seen the movie version with John Wayne and thought the girl in it rather annoying. She is much more likeable in the book. In fact, the book reads as though you are visiting your rather stern, opinionated, old maiden auntie and she is telling you a bit about her life. Great read!

 

My favorite book of the last 10 years, and it reads beautifully out loud.  :wub:

 

The character Maddie (14 going on 30) is so funny and believable. Imagine the worst kind of bossy maiden aunt and then think of her as a 14 year old girl who loves ponies and gets crushes she may or may not admit and absolutely must have her way.

 

I'm not a huge Western fan. I'm not in love with Lonesome Dove or Zane Grey, but this is a good book because of the characters. Every change in Maddie at the end of the novel is believable. 

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Spring would be a welcome sight here, but outside my window its snowing again.   I think they are predicting 8 inches this time. :glare:  I guess it's a good thing I didn't pack the kids snow clothes away at the end of last week.  The thought of spring brings to mind flowers, kittens, spring break, spring cleaning, and fishing (because the boys have been talking about it for a month now). 

 

I completed two books this past week :hurray:  #15 Urchin of the Riding Stars by McAllister (reviewed here) which was a read aloud with the boys and #16 a reread of Getting Things Done by Allen (reviewed here). 

 

To be read:

I need to start Histories by Herodotus and Till We Have Faces by Lewis to discuss with DD14

I'd like to try to balance that with something fun, but I haven't decided what...

 

In progress:

Bible - finished Deuteronomy and working throught Joshua, still on track

History of the Ancient World by Bauer - no chapters last week

Urchin and the Heartstone by McAllister - reading aloud with DS 9

 

Finished:

 

16.  Getting Things Done by Allen (non-fiction 646.7)

15.  Urchin of the Riding Stars by McAllister

14.  Agamemnon by Aeschylus (ancient lit, Greece, 882)

13.  One Corpse Too Many by Peters (12th century, England)

12.  Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles (ancient lit, Greece, 882)

11.  Oedipus the King by Sophocles  (ancient lit, Greece, 882)

10.  The Week That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Bradley (BaW rec, England)

9.  Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Cain (non-fiction 155)

8.  Sandstorm by Rollins (BaW rec, Oman)

7.  The War of the Worlds by Wells (classic lit, Great Britain)

6.  A Morbid Taste for Bones by Peters (12th century, Great Britain)

5.  Anitgone by Sophocles (ancient lit, Greece, 882)

4.  Secrets of an Organized Mom  by Reich (non-fiction 648.5)

3.  Phantastes by MacDonald (classic lit)

2.  The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Bradley (BaW rec, Great Britain)

1.  The Odyssey by Homer (ancient lit, Greece 883.1)

 

[mamaraby]

I finished ten books last week (Plum #10-14 including the three between the numbers books, #20, and re-read #1). I finished Plum #15 this morning and started #16 this afternoon. I should be able to finish it up tonight and then I'll have read the entire series, though it's quite possible that my brain has turned to mush. That will bring my yearly total to 34.

 

Last week I also started "Jane Eyre" for the "Someone please write a female lead who isn't a bumbling idiot" category and "Raising Freethinkers" for a non-fiction selection.

 

I have "Their Eyes Were Watching God," "City of Dragons" by Kelli Stanley, and "A Bad Day for Pretty" by Sophie Littlefield on hold at the library. Oh, and I picked up the Kindle version of "12 Years a Slave" that was mentioned on the last thread, though I haven't started reading it yet.

 

Any suggestions for a good read with a strong female lead?

[Ali in OR]

Finished up Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah which I enjoyed very much.

 

Read Hollow City, the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Can't really say it was an enjoyable read. I mostly felt stressed out reading it and the "gimmick" of writing characters and story line to match unusual photographs is wearing thin for me.

 

Read The Fault in Our Stars which I liked a lot. I read Paper Towns, another YA book by John Green, earlier this year and that one was just too annoyingly YA. I felt it didn't have much for the reader over 20. This book has more universal themes. And while a lot of it may be too depressing for some (about young people with terminal cancer), I thought it was well done. Definitely had some tears flowing. This book came recommended by my sister, a cancer patient, so I think it does capture accurately that experience, at least for some people. And it's a good love story. There are still a few things that scream YA novel (the video games, the vandalism of an ex-friend's car--both featured in Paper Towns also), but overall I found it worth reading.

 

I'm trying to decide if I want to try to read God's Hotel before it's due at the library this week. It has 3 holds so I can't check it out again. I've only just started but so far can't get excited enough to make the effort.

[Kareni]

 

Any suggestions for a good read with a strong female lead?

 

Here's a post from Flavorwire from 2012.  I think it is skewed in favor of some popular recent hits, but it's interesting nonetheless.  The commenters also suggest additional titles.

 

10 of the Most Powerful Female Characters in Literature

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Uff Da!]

I'm working on Gulliver's Travels and am surprised by his humor.  It's not what I expected.  I also tried to start Herodotus's Histories but the free Nook version I have is horrid so I will have to look around a bit and find a better version.

 

I skimmed through a lot of cello and Alexander Technique books this last week and am ready for something new.  I'm also ready to play violin again (I think) which may be why I'm not panting to continue that reading.  Charlotte Mason is calling my name and nature study books so I guess that is my spring calling.  I just put on hold whatever library books I could find on those subjects.  I don't even know how big of a stack I reserved. :leaving:

[Stacia]

Here's a post from Flavorwire from 2012. I think it is skewed in favor of some popular recent hits, but it's interesting nonetheless. The commenters also suggest additional titles.10 of the Most Powerful Female Characters in Literature

Interesting list. Even though I didn't especially care for the (brutal) storyline in the Dragon Tattoo series, Lisbeth Salander is still one of my favorite characters ever. I agree that she fits very well on the list.

 

This evening, I was able to finish Fantômas. It was enjoyable enough, though a little too gruesome for me in a few parts. Since this is one of those books written in the early 1900s, it is easy to think it will be milder/nicer than current novels when, in fact, that is not necessarily the case. (I always think stuff like that until I remember humans have been bloodthirsty throughout history, such as past times when people would attend public executions as a fun family outing.) This was the first of what was apparently a wildly popular 'pulp fiction' series in France (which also spun-off into multiple silent films), starring a not-quite-Sherlock-Holmes-like police inspector called Juve. Being popular pulp fiction, the story is a little wild, the solving (by the mastermind detective) a little too convenient, & the escaping of the dastardly villain a little too easily gained multiple times (but I guess that's how Fantômas manages to keep Juve on the run for the many sequels in this series). Overall, Fantômas is fiendish, fast-paced, & slightly severe in parts. I won't be running out to read the sequels, but I'm glad I delved into this popular piece of French cultural history from the early 1900s.

 

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

My Goodreads Page

My PaperbackSwap Page

 

My rating system:

5 = Love; 4 = Pretty awesome; 3 = Good; 2 = Meh; 1 = Don't bother

 

2014 Books Read:

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

07. One Hundred Years of Vicissitude by Andrez Bergen (3 grudging stars). Around the World – Asia (Japan).

08. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley (5 stars).

09. The French Connection by Robin Moore (4 stars). Around the World – North America (USA).

10. The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball (4 stars).

 

11. Eat for Health by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. (4 stars).

12. Lotería by Mario Alberto Zambrano (1 star).

13. Fantômas by Pierre Souvestre & Marcel Allain (3 stars). Around the World – Europe (France).

[Lady Florida.]

Well I've had quite a day. This afternoon ds was in the woods near our house carving a stick with his smallest but sharpest knife, when it slipped and cut his thumb. I was at the grocery store when I got a text saying, "Help. I cut my hand really bad. I think it's deep." Imagine my fear when I read that. I felt better after I called and talked to him, but told him to call dh, who was at home. I left the grocery store but they had already left for ER when I got home. I followed shortly after, then sent dh home. It seemed unnecessary for both of us to be there.

 

We spent 3-1/2 hours at the ER. It looks like he cut the tendon and will probably need surgery to repair it. I have to call the orthopedic doctor tomorrow and we'll know more after he sees him. 

 

I'm ready to curl up with a book and pretend today never happened. 

[mumto2]

Floridamom -- I couldn't like your post. :grouphug: What an awful text to receive. Glad to hear you are home again. Will be thinking of you and your ds tomorrow.

[Stacia]

Oh my goodness, Kathy. That's scary. Ugh. :grouphug:

 

Hope all goes well with the specialty dr. visit & (possible) surgery.

[mumto2]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/09/books/09whitney.html?_r=0

 

I found this when trying to pick out which Phyllis Whitney to request for dd(and me) after recent discussions here. One might conclude that great gothic romance authors live long lives after also learning how old Mary Stewart is. Wow, 104 years old.

[shukriyya]

:grouphug: floridamom

[Robin M]

:grouphug: Kathy. How scary for your son and you.  Hope everything turns out okay!

[Negin]

 I also didn't love the McCall Smith series--not sure if it was the writing or the subject matter... 

I have found (so far, since I haven't read them all) that the Isabel Dalhousie ones are much better. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency began to seriously get on my nerves. 

 

Here's a post from Flavorwire from 2012.  I think it is skewed in favor of some popular recent hits, but it's interesting nonetheless.  The commenters also suggest additional titles.

 

10 of the Most Powerful Female Characters in Literature

 

Regards,

Kareni

Very nice list. Lisbeth Salander and Hermione are amongst my favorites. 

 

Interesting list. Even though I didn't especially care for the (brutal) storyline in the Dragon Tattoo series, Lisbeth Salander is still one of my favorite characters ever. I agree that she fits very well on the list.

 

:iagree: .

 

We spent 3-1/2 hours at the ER. It looks like he cut the tendon and will probably need surgery to repair it. I have to call the orthopedic doctor tomorrow and we'll know more after he sees him. 

 

I'm ready to curl up with a book and pretend today never happened. 

:grouphug:   :grouphug:   :grouphug: 

 

I spent quite a bit of time yesterday on my post and then it got all deleted :cursing: , so I'm going to do it again, but slowly and in bits and pieces and hope that it doesn't disappear once again. 

[Negin]

I read more than usual last week, mainly because I haven't had energy to do much else. This is our time of fasting and other than getting the very basics done, I just don't have that much energy. So I sleep a lot and read a lot - and eat a lot when I can, which leads to incredible bloating  :lol:. 

 

As part of the Bingo Reading Challenge, I read:

I Want It Now - 3 Stars - "a book by a female author" - A fun and enjoyable read. Makes me want to see the Willy Wonka movie yet again.

 

 

Before I Go to Sleep - 4 Stars - "a book with a mystery" - I finished this in less than 24 hours and could barely put it down or stop thinking about it. This is one of those books that keeps you thinking.

 

 

 

 

I then tried to read Longbourn - I really wanted to like this, since Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite books of all time. This  book is written from the servants’ perspective. Not a good idea at all. When I told my husband about it (P&P is one of his favorite books ever), his reaction was pretty much this. 

I gave up at 10% - my rule for any book that I don’t like. Going on and on about the Bennett girls and their soiled underwear from menstruation is just not my thing at all :closedeyes:. 

 

She Drives Me Crazy - 3 Stars - This is the second book I’ve read by her and she just makes me laugh. A fun and easy read. 

 

Different Seasons - 3 Stars - "a book of short stories" - This is the first time I've read anything by Stephen King and I purposely chose this since I knew it would not be horror. It's a collection of 4 novellas, rather than short stories, which I originally thought they'd be. I have to say that for at least two of them, the movie is movie is better than the story (Shawshank Redemption, for example). Most of the stories were still very good and one was incredibly boring. 

 

 

Astray - 2 Stars - "a book with a one-word title" - I loved Room by the same author. This was completely different – a collection of short stories. Some were interesting and others were a bit dull for me. 

 

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

 

My Good Reads Page

[Negin]

nm

 

 

 

[Negin]

Something my dd just showed me the other day, and many of you probably already know. If you're on Good Reads and would like to see interesting graphics of books that you have in common with your friends:

1. Go to the left-hand side under "Edit Profile" and click "Friends".

2. Then you'll see a list of all your friends and you can click "compare books" for each friend on the left-hand side. 

 

I thought it was pretty cool. :)

 

I love Good Reads. I just wish that I could find more friends, but also more with similar tastes. 

 

[Hoot]

DS14 and I finished The Time Machine by H.G. Wells on Friday.  While it still wasn't really my cup of tea, I enjoyed it far more than War of the Worlds. 

 

I'm still plugging away at Orange is the New Black and Moby Dick.  And yesterday I started an e-book called The Telenovela Method on teaching immersion-based Spanish at home.  I haven't really "felt it" with reading lately so actually completing anything has been a real chore. 

 

 

1. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

2. Winnie Mandela: Life of Struggle by Jim Haskins

3. Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner

4. When Did White Trash Become the New Normal? by Charlotte Hays

5. Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar

6. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare

7. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar

8. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

9. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

10. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

[Jane Elliot]

Spring makes me want to read Wendell Berry. I'm not sure why. But, despite having college kids home for spring break for the past two weeks (why can't these colleges coordinate their spring breaks so we can all be together at once?), it doesn't feel like spring here. The kids were still skating on the pond Saturday.

 

I'm reading a lot but not finishing much lately. For personal reading, I'm enjoying Ivanhoe (thanks, JennW) and rereading Towards a Philosophy of Education, and as always I have several read alouds and read alongs going on with the kids.

[welovetoread]

We would love to see spring around here.  Currently, it is snowing a little bit and cold!

 

I am happily reading For Time and Eternity.  I also have The Visionist started. Both books are enjoyable.

[Onceuponatime]

I'm reading Cinnamon and Gunpowder. So far, it is enough of a farce (violently amusing??) to allow me to stay emotionally detached and not actually part of the story, which is what I was hoping for.

[Lady Florida.]

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency began to seriously get on my nerves. 

 

 

 

Those are the only books of his I read. I enjoyed them at first, but then got really tired of them. I don't think I even finished the last one I was reading, and I never finished the series. 

 

DS14 and I finished The Time Machine by H.G. Wells on Friday.  While it still wasn't really my cup of tea, I enjoyed it far more than War of the Worlds. 

 

 

 

This gives me hope. I haven't had a chance to listen any more, but will probably do so later today.