Book a Week in 2014 - BW13

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, dearhearts!  Today is the start of week 13 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 - Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad:  This week highlighting the 17th novel in Susan Wise Bauer's list of fiction reads from her book The Well-Educated Mind is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.  The story was originally published in a three part serial in Blackwood's Magazine in 1899.  Check out the beginning of the first chapter on the blog and read the rest online here or here or here.

 

April is just one week away and we'll begin the readalong of SWB's History of the ancient World. And since it is a new month, will be heading across the channel into England and delving into the 15th Century.

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 12

[Robin M]

Continuing with paranormal reads:  Just finished reading City of Fallen Angels (#4 Mortal Instruments series) by Cassandra Clare.  Not sure what I'll be reading next. 

 

Mom's memorial on Friday was beautiful. Only had one hitch when discovered California has their own special permit they require, but the folks at the National Cemetery pulled out all the stops and things turned out for the better.  Instead of going to one of the special ceremony shelters, we were able to go directly to the columbarium and dad got to put mom's urn into her niche. I was happy when we got there and discovered she was being placed in the section of columbariums that are in front of the lake with a fountain.  James and I had gone out there previously to check the place out and loved that spot. So beautiful and peaceful.  Today is Dad's birthday, so we are heading out to the river for the day.  Will check in later tonight.

[shukriyya]

Robin, so glad to hear things unfolded harmoniously for your mom's memorial. I imagine that's a sense of responsibility off your mind freeing you up now to allow her a different kind of place in your psyche.

 

My reading week was rather peculiar. I read two poorly written books in a glut, one a memoir and one straight fiction, Wasted and Seize the Day. And then I happened upon "The Midwife of Hope River"  by Patricia Harman. I read like mad for two days and then stopped for various reasons and just picked it up again last night. I am really enjoying it and will likely finish it early this week. I didn't get to any of the books in my ongoing pile. It was a very non-reading week for me though I'm still ahead on my 52-in-52 challenge with a total of 17 books read to date not including audio books.

And Robin, your ds and I share a birthdate. Today is my birthday. Dh and ds have feted me with flowers and cards and dh is giving me the gift of several hours off while he takes ds to his afternoon of kathak classes and rehearsals. Last night ds had his first tabla solo performance and did a wonderful job. He was part of a lineup of other Indian musicians so we spent a lovely evening listening to some great music, a super way to begin a birthday!

[JennW in SoCal]

It is a great weekend for birthdays!  My youngest's birthday was last night.  We were able to gather for a family dinner, but the fledglings are each back in their own lives today.  I just dropped the youngest off at the airport so he can get back to campus, and the oldest has his own apartment and full time job.  I made birthday cupcakes this year, sent some of them on the plane with the youngest and left some of them at the oldest's apartment.  Only 2 left for dh and me -- a good thing!!

 

Haven't read more than a few pages of Reading Dante in the last week.  I've got quite a stack here but am itching for the familiar characters of some of my favorite mysteries.  

[mamaraby]

Many happy birthdays to thise celebrating them this week. Robin, I'm so glad to hear that things went so smoothly. I can't imagine a better place to remember someone than by the side of a lake. :0)

I only made it through four books last week which I realize sounds silly. It's just a bit odd to not be reading a book a day even though it wasn't sustainable. My personal March side challenge was to finish 31 books. I'm at 25 and I think I'll be lucky to finish the one I'm reading right now. While I managed to finish a lot of books this month and still keep things running at home, I didn't get any prep work done for upcoming units so I've had to switch gears. I think next year I'm going to declare February the "month of reading" because this past month was a blast.

I finally finished up the Stephanie Plum series and the first two books in Sophie Littlefield's "A Bad Day for..." series. Compared to Stephanie Plum, Stella Hardesty is a genius. I'm loving that she's a middle aged heroine with a brain even though it's a tad on the vigilante side. I just started the third book in the series and then there's one more (I think) before I have to consider buying the next one in ebook form. Who publishes just an ebook?

[Mothersweets]

I'm so glad everything went well for you, Robin. :grouphug: It is hard to lose a parent.

 

I think I got my reading mojo back last week.

 

Orange is the New Black very compelling, I couldn't put it down and read it in one day.

 

Snobs by Julian Fellowes This is the same man who writes the Downton Abbey series. He has a great 'voice' in his writing and I just had to find out what happens to the people in his story (whether I liked them or not!). Good read.

[Uff Da!]

I took some time off of reading last week to clean and purge closets.  The weather warmed up significantly and my attention span flew out the window.  I haven't been able to recapture it.  I'm still on Gulliver's Travels and there isn't any reason why I shouldn't finish it this week.  A bunch of the books I ordered should be arriving at the library soon as well.

[Just Robyn]

After finishing To the Lighthouse, which was tight, concise and quite wonderful, I read:

 

The Beast of Chicago: The Murderous Career of H. H. Holmes - a nonfiction graphic novel by Rick Geary. I didn't think this was quite as good as some of his other books in this series, not as mysterious, but still good, quick.

 

Buddha, Volume 1: Kapilavastu by Osamu Tezuka - This was really different for me. I have never read or even really been interested in manga, but this series - and perhaps this author's other work, too - may be an exception for me. I have already checked books 2 and 3 of this series out from the library, and I've been peeking to see what else he has created. From Amazon:

 

 

 

 

I also started the popular and more thorough (than Rick Geary's graphic novel) account of H. H. Holmes' murders, Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. - So far, this is very enjoyable. I love all the related tidbits, like The Whitechapel Club and The Levee District (Oh, so that's where Don McLean drove his Chevy!).
 

ETA: Forgot one! I also read the Alliterative Morte Arthure.

[Onceuponatime]

I've reached August in A Year in Provence and Kant in Looking at Philosophy.

[Tress]

I read 12 books since I last reported on this thread. Most of them were non-fiction (sigh), but I’m getting better. My non-fiction, need-to-read-for-homeschool-or-health pile is finally getting shorter and I have a lot of nice fiction lined up.

 

I read 2 books on teaching writing by Ruth Culham: Getting Started With the Traits, K-2 & 3-5. I like the samples and rubrics. I had no idea what age appropriate writing goals are and this is very helpful. I didn’t really like the lessons, the writing lessons in No More I’m Done were more practical. I read a part of Writer’s Jungle, but didn’t really feel the connection. I want to read more of it though, to make sure I’m not missing something.

 

I read two Dutch health books, one about migraines (#16), another about female hormones (#18) (my migraines are hormone related). Both weren’t very helpful.

 

I read a Dutch (Belgian) book about gifted students & underperformance (#19). There might have been some interesting or useful things in the book, but it was written at such a low level that it annoyed the heck out of me. If someone needs a book with short sentences. To make sense of gifted students. And their problems. And how to teach them. Maybe, that someone shouldn’t be teaching gifted students. Or any students. Duh. And maybe. Parents of gifted students are not idiots themselves. Duh.

 

Reading What Makes This Books So Great, by Jo Walton, gave me loooots of book recommendations, including Vernor Vinge’s A Fire Upon the Deep & A Deepness in the Sky. Both very nice, old fashioned science fiction.

 

I read The Fast Diet, by Michael Mosley, because I had heard so much about it. I didn’t learn anything new.

 

I read two books from the Dutch High School reading lists: Kees de Jongen (1923), by Theo Thijssen, and Het woeden der gehele wereld, by Maarten ‘t Hart. I especially liked Kees de Jongen, which surprised me. I started reading it with the idea that it was a normal story about a young boy. You mostly see what happens through the thoughts of Kees and he is very naïve and makes a lot of mistakes. The first chapters were therefore very annoying. Then I realized that it wasn’t so much a story of what happens, because very.little.happens, but the story of how Kees grows up and how he little by little matures in his thinking. It was very interesting and very well written.

 

Maarten ‘t Hart is a well known Dutch writer. He has written a lot of books and I think I need to read some more of his works before I know if I like him. 'Het woeden der gehele wereld' was meh.

 

I think I saw the title in a BaW-thread and I was so surprised that I could find Tolstoy and the purple chair, my year of magical reading, by Nina Sankovitch, in my library! I love books-about-books and I love the idea of her reading a book a day in order to handle the grieve of her sister’s death. It did make me a bit sad while reading, I won’t ever have such a relationship with my parents or sister as she describes.

 

And just to show that I don’t understand a thing about marketing :D: who wants to guess how they translated ‘Tolstoy and the purple chair’, (which I find such a nice, intriguing title!) into Dutch?                            

 

The Dutch title is ‘Een boek per dag’, which translated into English would be a booooring ‘A book a day’. Why would anyone do that?

 

 

27. Getting Started With the Traits, 3-5 grade – Ruth Culham

26. A Deepness in the Sky – Vernor Vinge (Jo Walton recommendation, chunky)

25. Tolstoy and the purple chair, my year of magical reading – Nina Sankovitch (BaW recommendation) (N)

24. In gesprek over seks (‘Talking about sex’) – Arjet Borger (N)

23. Het woeden der gehele wereld – Maarten ’t Hart (Dutch N3) (N)

22. A Fire Upon the Deep – Vernor Vinge (Jo Walton recommendation, chunky)

21. Getting Started With the Traits, K-2 – Ruth Culham

20. The Fast Diet  – Dr. Michael Mosley (N)

19. Jij kan beter (‘You can do better’, gifted education) – Tessa Kieboom (N)

18. De kracht van vrouwelijke hormonen (‘Female hormones’)  – Prof. Dr. Sylvie Demers (N)

17. Kees de Jongen – Theo Thijssen (Dutch N3) (N)

16. Mijn hoofd en ik, omgaan met migraine (‘My head and I, living with migraines’) – Noortje Russell (N)

15. Howards End is on the Landing – Susan Hill (BaW recommendation)

14. No More I’m Done, Fostering Independent Writers in the Primary Grades – Jennifer Jacobson

13. Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell (BaW recommendation)  (N)

12. Op Hoop van Zegen – Herman Heijermans (Dutch, N3)  (N)

11.What Makes This Book So Great - Jo Walton (BaW recommendation)

10. Het pauperparadijs – Suzanna Jansen  (N)

9. Leisure, the basis of culture – Josef Pieper (Circe recommendation) (N)

8. Unwind – Neal Shusterman (BaW recommendation)

7. Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief – Katy Bowman

6. The Mood Cure – Julia Ross

5. Born to Run – Christopher McDougall (N)

4. The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova (BaW recommendation, chunky) (N)

3. Great Hunt – Robert Jordan (WoT2, chunky)

2. The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt (BaW recommendation, chunky) (N)

1. Eye of the World - Robert Jordan (WoT1, chunky)

[Kareni]

Today is the start of week 13 in our quest to read 52 Books.  ...

 

What are you reading this week?

 

It's a tad disconcerting to realize we're hitting the first quarter mark of the year!  Time flies.

 

 

I finished a couple of books this weekend.  The first is Katie Reus' paranormal romance Avenger's Heat: A Moon Shifter Novel  which is the fourth book in her Moon Shifter series.  I enjoyed it, and I think it stands alone pretty well.

 

"To truly have her, he must free her from her dark secret....

Enforcer Erin Flynn has dedicated her life to protecting her kind. But keeping her heart safe from Noah Campbell, the smoking-hot shifter who saved her life last year, is more difficult. The deadly beauty would love to sink into his arms and become his mate, but she knows she can’t—he must never know about her dark past.

When Erin is sent to investigate the disappearances of pregnant shifters in New Orleans, Erin and Noah find themselves involved in a mystery more sinister than anyone expected. And as Erin delves further into the crimes, chilling information about her own past is revealed. The people who wanted her dead in the first place are trying to finish the job, and Noah wants nothing more than to shield her from harm. But can Erin truly trust Noah and let him see the wounded beast she’s hidden for so long?"

 

 

I also read and enjoyed Kristan Higgins' contemporary romance The Perfect Match (The Blue Heron Series).  Once again, even though this is second in a series I think it stands alone.  There was a lot of humor in this book particularly given the fact that the heroine's eggs make comments throughout the book.  The heroine is 35 and, in the prologue of the book at her annual exam, she's told that "... the years are precious.  Egg-wise."  Here's a good review of the book.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

I took some time off of reading last week to clean and purge closets.  The weather warmed up significantly and my attention span flew out the window.  I haven't been able to recapture it.  I'm still on Gulliver's Travels and there isn't any reason why I shouldn't finish it this week.  A bunch of the books I ordered should be arriving at the library soon as well.

When the weather warms, purging closets is the last thing I think of doing although the recent sun beams revealed an amazing crop of dust bunnies.  My vacuum cleaner decided that it could no longer cope with the flotsam, jetsam and sand that builds up in this house.  I ended up replacing it.

 

Happy Birthday to Shukriyya!  I hope you have a lovely day!

 

Nothing new finished over the last few days--not a lot of reading accomplished over the last few days in fact.  I read another story in the Krzhizhanovsky book then decided I needed Angela Thirkell in my life for amusement.  So I started Before Lunch, a perfect delight so far.

 

Sending everyone good wishes for a new reading week.

[Mom-ninja.]

I gave up on my second book this year. I stopped reading Little Children because I just don't want to read about dysfunctional adults/marriages. I read 117 pages then skipped to the last page and decided I was more than happy to stop reading. I found I did not care one whit about any of the characters.

 

So I picked up Life Among Savages and am enjoying it.

[Shawneinfl]

Hello everyone. I finished two audio books this week. Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan and a fluff non-fiction book called Worst Ideas Ever: A Celebration of Embarrassment by Daniel Kline that I got for .99 at Audible. We had a 4 hour long car trip to hear dd sing in her college spring musical so I got a lot of listening and cross-stitching in. I was a great trip. We stayed at a wonderful little B&B called Strawberry House in tiny, Plant City, FL. It was so much fun - like visiting a favorite aunt's house. I think it will be our new place to stay when visiting our daughter. We stayed in a room called Betty's Berry Patch which even had Strawberry bedroom slippers.

[mumto2]

Shukriyya -- Happy Birthday!!!! It sounds like you are having a great celebration.

Robin -- I am glad things went so well at the memorial service. Enjoy today's birthday festivities!


My reading plans for the next couple of weeks have been slightly hijacked. I have an opportunity to attend a tea with a couple of mystery authors. I had never read either but was assured they write books that are my type. Being the compulsive soul that I am.... trying to get some of their books read. ;)

I read the first one in Kate Ellis(one of the authors) series "The Merchants House" really quickly. I barely set it down until it was finished. My type definately! The lead police detective Wesley Peterson also has a degree in archeology. In the first book he solves a historical crime involving skeletons found at an excavation while at the same time solving a present day crime that is somewhat similar. They each provide clues for solving the other.

I am also reading World Without End and The Raphael Affair. Loving both.

[Negin]

 We stayed at a wonderful little B&B called Strawberry House in tiny, Plant City, FL. It was so much fun - like visiting a favorite aunt's house. I think it will be our new place to stay when visiting our daughter. We stayed in a room called Betty's Berry Patch which even had Strawberry bedroom slippers.

This place looks lovely. I have a weakness for B&Bs.  I first wrote that I hadn't stayed in one in years, then I remembered that we stayed in a lovely one in the Cotswolds while visiting the U.K. a few years ago. :)

[Negin]

Mom's memorial on Friday was beautiful.

:grouphug:

 

Today is my birthday. 

 

 

 

I have an opportunity to attend a tea with a couple of mystery authors. I had never read either but was assured they write books that are my type. Being the compulsive soul that I am.... trying to get some of their books read. 

How exciting! :D

[Negin]

I read:

The Scorch Trials - 1 Star - What on earth was this all about? I was confused through most of it and barely had any idea as to what was going on! It bored me and I honestly did not care much at all for any of the characters, especially after my favorite was killed in the first book. Under normal circumstances, I would have given up on this in the first 10% (my personal rule for giving up on a book if it's rubbish), but I stuck with it since I hoped that it would get better, but mainly because it's part of a Reading Challenge. 

Obviously, I won’t be reading any more in the series. Surprise! Hahaha!  :lol:

 

The Racketeer - 4 Stars - One of my favorite things is a fabulous John Grisham book, the kind that takes me a few days to finish. "The Racketeer" reminds me of his older stuff that I prefer – clever, fast-paced, and hard to put down.

 

The Blind Contessa's New Machine - 3 Stars - I would have possibly given it 4 stars, but the ending was incomplete and I just didn’t particularly care for it. 

 

  

 

 

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.

 

 

[mumto2]

Nm

[shukriyya]

Thank you, Jane, mumto2 and Negin for your kind birthday wishes. I am thoroughly enjoying the quiet and spaciousness of this gift of an afternoon off. The dog is lying at my feet, the sun is streaming into the room, a cup of Earl Grey is at hand and the exquisite and other-worldly scent of freesia is filling the air--thanks to a birthday bouquet of freesia, tulips and ranunculus from a friend. Living in a house of males I forget how important these little details are to my feminine soul. There is also a glass of celebratory wine in my future tonight.

Negin, I clicked on your link for The Blind Contessa's New Machine because I was drawn to the cover art and I ended up going on a little linky journey coming out the other side with a pile more books on my tbr list. Not sure if I should thank you :lol: A couple by Pulitzer Prize winning Elizabeth Strout whom I've never read, one by Anna Quindlen, and what looks to be a real gem by Olive Schreiner called The Story of an African Farm. It was published in in England in 1883 and was considered extremely controversial in its day. It's in the public domain so a free kindle download. The writing is lush and I think it's going to be a good story. Jane, I'm thinking this last one might be your cuppa?

[ladydusk]

Happy Birthday, Shukriyya!

[Alice]

It's been awhile since I've posted. I can't remember what I last posted so I'll just mention the last two books. Both were excellent and I'd highly recommend them. The Good Lord Bird by James McBride and The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. The Orphan Master's Son will likely be on my own "best books of the year" list for this year. It depicts horrible things but is wonderfully written and has just enough of a tinge of redemption to keep you from utter despair. 

 

I'm almost finished with Nick Hornby's Ten Years in the Tub, it's really fun and was a perfect book to read after the heaviness of The Orphan Master's Son. It's a collection of all the columns Hornby has written in the past 10 years for The Believer magazine. His column is called "Stuff I've Been Reading" so you can pretty much figure out what the book is about. 

[Pam in CT]

... Today is my birthday. Dh and ds have feted me with flowers and cards and dh is giving me the gift of several hours off while he takes ds to his afternoon of kathak classes and rehearsals. Last night ds had his first tabla solo performance and did a wonderful job. He was part of a lineup of other Indian musicians so we spent a lovely evening listening to some great music, a super way to begin a birthday!

 

Aww... Happy birthday!  

 

 

... I think I saw the title in a BaW-thread and I was so surprised that I could find Tolstoy and the purple chair, my year of magical reading, by Nina Sankovitch, in my library! I love books-about-books and I love the idea of her reading a book a day in order to handle the grieve of her sister’s death. It did make me a bit sad while reading, I won’t ever have such a relationship with my parents or sister as she describes.

 

And just to show that I don’t understand a thing about marketing :D: who wants to guess how they translated ‘Tolstoy and the purple chair’, (which I find such a nice, intriguing title!) into Dutch?                            

 

The Dutch title is ‘Een boek per dag’, which translated into English would be a booooring ‘A book a day’. Why would anyone do that?

 

 

That is very funny.  Perhaps the implication is that Americans need more of a boost to crack the cover...

 

 

... We had a 4 hour long car trip to hear dd sing in her college spring musical so I got a lot of listening and cross-stitching in. I was a great trip. We stayed at a wonderful little B&B called Strawberry House in tiny, Plant City, FL. It was so much fun - like visiting a favorite aunt's house. I think it will be our new place to stay when visiting our daughter. We stayed in a room called Betty's Berry Patch which even had Strawberry bedroom slippers.

 

Oh, that looks lovely... My husband and I used to love staying in B&Bs... and then the first baby came along and it got tricky, and then the other kids came along and it really wasn't very fun anymore, and then the (first) dog came along and it was impossible.  But now the kids are old, one of them out of the nest and the others on their way, and I can dimly glimpse a not-that-distant future in which we might once again dip into such pleasures... aaahhhh...

 

The kids and (new) dog and I made a really long car trip last week, and now my husband has joined us for a week on the beach, and I finished LOADS of books, but my journal with the list is out in the car, and I'm already in my pajamas, so I'll report in tomorrow!

[Uff Da!]

When the weather warms, purging closets is the last thing I think of doing although the recent sun beams revealed an amazing crop of dust bunnies.  My vacuum cleaner decided that it could no longer cope with the flotsam, jetsam and sand that builds up in this house.  I ended up replacing it.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm still walking across snowbanks that have turned to ice.  It's a bit eerie to be walking that high up next to a road.  

 

If I could walk on water.....

 

When the muddy days come, then I'll be out the door and won't have time for such silly things as closets.  Until then, this is me  :willy_nilly: .

[NoseInABook]

Happy birthday, Shukriyya!

 

Man, all of the talk of Orange Is The New Black made me go buy it in ebook form. I've watched the first season on Netflix, *cough*twice*cough*. It's ridiculously addictive!

 

Finished up Jenny Plague Bringer and wasn't that impressed with it. It's fluffy, yes, but it felt like he was pulling in whatever he could to finish out a fourth book. I just started Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking. So it'll be that and OITNB this week! 

[Stacia]

shukriyya,

Glad to hear you've had a lovely birthday!

[Stacia]

Robin, :grouphug: on your mom's memorial. Sounds like she's in a beautiful location.

And, Happy Birthday to James! :hurray:

[Stacia]

I read a Dutch (Belgian) book about gifted students & underperformance (#19). There might have been some interesting or useful things in the book, but it was written at such a low level that it annoyed the heck out of me. If someone needs a book with short sentences. To make sense of gifted students. And their problems. And how to teach them. Maybe, that someone shouldn’t be teaching gifted students. Or any students. Duh. And maybe. Parents of gifted students are not idiots themselves. Duh.

:smilielol5: Oh my goodness, I almost spit out my coffee from laughing!

Like Winter Wonderland, I was busy decluttering today. Over the past few years I've spent a lot of time doing that (& reading books about it) because there are definitely some hoarding genes in my extended family & I do not want to be that way. My very close friend has been seeing what I've been doing & has said she might like help tackling a huge pile of her stuff, but never asked. Until today. So, I spent my entire afternoon & evening over at her house helping her go through stuff. Maybe I should share my favorite feng shui/declutter stuff from Karen Kingston's book with her? ;) :lol:

Things are just crazy busy these days & it seems like I eke out little reading time. I think I need short & fluffy if I'm ever going to finish any books right now. :tongue_smilie:

Normally, I don't really care for short stories, but I am still reading & loving Langston's Hughes' collection, The Ways Of White Folks. As I mentioned last week... ouch. And wow.

As much as I love A Moment in the Sun, I'm not sure I have the time or concentration to continue for another 800 or so pages in this book right now. I do want to read it, but maybe it would be a better wintertime read for me when I'm holed up in the house. Not sure....

[Heather in Neverland]

Started reading:
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Still reading: 
Follow Me by David Platt
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman

Finished reading: 
1. The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan (AVERAGE)
2. The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene (GOOD)
3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman (EXCELLENT)
4. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (EXCELLENT)
5. The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith by Peter Hitchens (AMAZING)
6. Champion by Marie Lu (PRETTY GOOD)
7. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (INCREDIBLE) 
8. Cultivating Christian Character by Michael Zigarelli (HO-HUM)
9. Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff (um...WOW. So amazing and sad)
10. Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church by JD Payne (SO-SO)
11. The Happiness Project: Or Why I spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. by Gretchen Rubin (GOOD)
12. Reading and Writing Across Content Areas by Roberta Sejnost (SO-SO)
13. Winter of the World by Ken Follet (PRETTY GOOD)
14. The School Revolution: A New Answer for our Broken Education System by Ron Paul (GREAT)
15. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (LOVED IT)
16. Beyond the Hole in the Wall: Discover the Power of Self-Organized Learning by Sugata Mitra (GOOD)
17. Can Computers Keep Secrets? - How a Six-Year-Old's Curiosity Could Change the World by Tom Barrett (GOOD)

18. You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney (GOOD)

[Uff Da!]

:smilielol5: Oh my goodness, I almost spit out my coffee from laughing!

 

 

 

Normally, I don't really care for short stories, but I am still reading & loving Langston's Hughes' collection, The Ways Of White Folks. As I mentioned last week... ouch. And wow.

 

 

As much as I love A Moment in the Sun, I'm not sure I have the time or concentration to continue for another 800 or so pages in this book right now. I do want to read it, but maybe it would be a better wintertime read for me when I'm holed up in the house. Not sure....
 

 

That is quite the engaging photograph of him.  He looks so young, fervent and like he's about to smile or say something.  I went hunting to see if there were any other photographs that were similar of him and didn't find another where his expression is as intense.

 

ETA:  The search also lead me to this terrifying poem:

 

Genius Child

This is a song for the genius child. 
Sing it softly, for the song is wild. 
Sing it softly as ever you can - 
Lest the song get out of hand. 

Nobody loves a genius child.

Can you love an eagle, 
Tame or wild? 
Can you love an eagle, 
Wild or tame? 
Can you love a monster 
Of frightening name? 

Nobody loves a genius child.

Kill him - and let his soul run wild. 

Langston Hughes

And this explanation:  Far better to extinguish such children and let the status quo remain, so that we can maintain control and predictability in an uncertain world. Obviously, Hughes does not believe this, rather he uses the poem to capture the attitude of society towards innovation and those that try to usher such changes in. Many, through their suspicion against new ideas, would commit violence to maintain stability.

 

It makes me wonder if he was even thinking about a child- or the child is anyone with a new idea.

 

 

[Robin M]

Happy Birthday Shukriyya!

 

Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.  ~Jean Paul Richter

[shukriyya]

Happy Birthday, Shukriyya!

 

 

Aww... Happy birthday!  

 

 

Happy birthday, Shukriyya!

 

 

shukriyya,

 

 

 

Glad to hear you've had a lovely birthday!

 

 

Happy Birthday Shukriyya!

 

Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.  ~Jean Paul Richter

 

Aw, thanks :001_wub: Y'all are so sweet with your birthday wishes. The rest of the afternoon and evening was lovely, low-key and perfectly topped off with a glass of good cab.

Aside from reading and tea drinking and space to do those in as I pleased, I listened to my current fave music with zero interruptions, commentary, criticism or requests for something different. That's a gift in itself :lol:

[Negin]

Negin, I clicked on your link for The Blind Contessa's New Machine because I was drawn to the cover art and I ended up going on a little linky journey coming out the other side with a pile more books on my tbr list. Not sure if I should thank you :lol: A couple by Pulitzer Prize winning Elizabeth Strout whom I've never read, one by Anna Quindlen, and what looks to be a real gem by Olive Schreiner called The Story of an African Farm. It was published in in England in 1883 and was considered extremely controversial in its day. It's in the public domain so a free kindle download. The writing is lush and I think it's going to be a good story.

These titles look good and thanks for the info on the free kindle download for The Story of an African Farm. 

Glad to hear that you had a nice birthday. :)

 

 Like Winter Wonderland, I was busy decluttering today. Over the past few years I've spent a lot of time doing that (& reading books about it) because there are definitely some hoarding genes in my extended family & I do not want to be that way. My very close friend has been seeing what I've been doing & has said she might like help tackling a huge pile of her stuff, but never asked. Until today. So, I spent my entire afternoon & evening over at her house helping her go through stuff. Maybe I should share my favorite feng shui/declutter stuff from Karen Kingston's book with her?  ;) :lol:

 

:smilielol5: Stacia, you know how much we both love to laugh at that book! :D

Dd is the Queen of Decluttering. We joke how she should be an organizational consultant. She especially loves to declutter when she's having a bad day. I love it, since she does it all for me. I like to declutter also, but not nearly as much as she does. 

[Negin]

Spot on  :smilielol5:.

[Jane in NC]

So last night, as my husband was joining me in bed, he commented that he would have to move my "scholar's mistress".  What? In Our Lady of Darkness, Fritz Leiber creates a character from an apparently random pile of books and magazines that accumulate in a roughly human shape on a bed.

 

But he exaggerates.  It was just two books and a tablet.  Really.

 

 

[mumto2]

I finished "The Raphael Affair" by Iain Pears and am starting dd's new pile (hmmmm stack probably sounds nicer) with it. Before I was distracted by reading Kate Ellis much of my planned reading in terms of non kindle were things that Dd might enjoy.  Trying to give them a bit of a prescreen because she hasn't had much time to read lately due to Coursera classes.  They finish in the next couple of weeks and she hopes to relax a bit.

 

The Raphael Affair was highly enjoyable.  It managed to be a great mystery without too much of anything that is disagreeable (extreme violence , super descriptive romantic scenes, etc)  so Dd (and many of you -- aggieamy comes to mind) should like it.  

[shukriyya]

It's still dark as I write this on the iPad from bed. Thankfully it's not super early, I'm just anticipating a long day out with ds's nature immersion class hence the pre-dawn wake up. I read into the night last night finishing 'The Midwife of Hope River'. It was a very good read, one of those books I didn't want to end. Now I've got that dazed and startled feeling of being book-less which for me comes on after finishing a book I really enjoyed. No matter that I've got a large tbr stack. I'm sure y'all can relate :D

Jane, that pic is very amusing and the prominent and strategic placing of the Wodehouse book makes me :lol: Of course one part of me was highly entertained by the scene and then I noticed another part was scanning the pile as though it were a shelf in its own right trying to discern titles to see if there was anything I might read :smilielol5:

[Pam in CT]

 

Dd is the Queen of Decluttering. We joke how she should be an organizational consultant. She especially loves to declutter when she's having a bad day. I love it, since she does it all for me. I like to declutter also, but not nearly as much as she does. 

 

I've often wondered what my life would look like if JUST ONE of the people who live in my house, myself included, were like this.

[LostSurprise]

Ha! Good, I'm not the only one to notice the Wodehouse. I thought, the way to this woman is a sense of humor...and more books, obviously. 

[NoseInABook]

I read half of Orange Is The New Black last night... I'm slightly groggy this morning because I stayed up too late. At least the kids helped themselves to breakfast when I wasn't up ASAP.  :blushing: I plan to finish it this afternoon and take a trip to the library. I'm a weirdo and need to have a paper book in my hands for a little bit. Too many ebooks make me crave the smell of ink and the feel of an actual book.

[shukriyya]

I've often wondered what my life would look like if JUST ONE of the people who live in my house, myself included, were like this.

 

Even half a one would do here :smilielol5:

 

And I want to comment on your lovely-sounding week at the beach but it will have to wait as I'm scurrying around making breakfasts and lunches.

[Pam in CT]

OK, I finally hauled myself out of my pajamas and retrieved my book list from the car:

 

The kids and I listened to Philip Pullman's Golden Compass on the drive down.  My son and I had read it together years ago; it was the first time for my 11 year old daughter.  We all enjoyed it, and the audio version of it (which is unabridged, but has different actors' voices for the different characters) is very good.  My daughter and I finished Elizabeth Wein's Rose Under Fire, which carries on with some of the characters of Code Name Verity.  Like CNV, it is very well written.  However, it goes into far greater detail than CNV about the camps, and particularly the medical "experiments."  It's historically and morally important that people understand what happened; and I would recommend the book for adults; however had I known how detailed it was going to go, I would not have embarked upon it with a youngster. 

 

I also finished Anouk Markovitz' I am Forbidden, which spans several generations within the Satmar community, spanning from wartime Hungary to current-day Williamsburg.  I thought this was much more nuanced than several other accounts on the subject.  I also read Dara Horn's A Guide for the Perplexed, which alternates between a historically-based account of Solomon Shechter's discovery of a cache of sacred texts among the rubble of a Cairo genizah (attic storage space) and a modern-day software programmer.  Very good.

 

As well (it's vacation!!  All I do is read!!) I finished A Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell (of Cloud Atlas fame...).  This is set in shogun Japan, at the moment c. 1800 when the Dutch East India Company imploded and its Batavian assets were seized by the British East India Company -- a time about which I knew nothing.  Great book -- like Cloud Atlas, many-layered and morally complex, though a much more straightforward narrative structure.  And also Katherine Boo's Beyond the Beautiful Forevers, which many BAW-ers have recommended, set among garbage-pickers in modern day Mumbai.  This will continue to work on my conscience...

 

 

 

I am embarrassed to admit that I still haven't finished The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel, by Robert Alter, which I have been far-too-erratically plugging away on for weeks.  No excuses: Tonight!!  The kids and I will carry on with the next in Pullman's trilogy, The Subtle Knife, on the ride back; and thereafter I will return to my own 26 hour audiobook (!), David Grossman's To the End of the Land.  I also just started Yossi Halevy's Like Dreamers, which should go well with it.

[Shawneinfl]

OK, I finally hauled myself out of my pajamas and retrieved my book list from the car:

 

My daughter and I finished Elizabeth Wein's Rose Under Fire, which carries on with some of the characters of Code Name Verity.  Like CNV, it is very well written.  However, it goes into far greater detail than CNV about the camps, and particularly the medical "experiments."  It's historically and morally important that people understand what happened; and I would recommend the book for adults; however had I known how detailed it was going to go, I would not have embarked upon it with a youngster. 

 

 

I just started reading this one myself after finishing Code Name Verity. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but I thought the descriptions a bit much for YA readers. Hoping RUF isn't too gruesome for me.

 

Speaking of gruesome: I was oddly attracted to this title today, sent as an Audible deal of the day. I have never read a Zombie novel yet this one sounds intriguing. Curious what you all think of Raising Stony Mayhall.

[wendy not in HI]

 

I love the conversation in this thread each week!  I just added 9 books to my "want to read" shelf in Goodreads!  I am planning to stop in at the library later today (after the post office.  I hate the post office.  The Library will be a little treat for myself after I do the dreaded post office trip.)  

 

Is there a way to follow any of ya'll on Goodreads?  Though I've had a Goodreads account for years, I've just started using it this year (mostly to keep track for this thread) and I don't have anyone to follow... 

 

This week I finished reading This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett.  I really enjoyed it.  Her voice is very clear and just nice to read.  I loved the story of the RV trip, and her friendship with a nun, and her grandmother, and her husbands heart, and ...  It was just a sweet collection of articles that Ann (we're on a first name basis, now) has written over the years.  After I finished that book, I had to read her fiction.  So I read Run.  It was the story of a family.  Of adoption, and life after the death of a mother, and a father trying to make everything work out just right.  I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more books by Ann.  

 

And now I have nothing to read, until I get to the library later...

 

2014

18. Run, Ann Patchett

17. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, Ann Patchett

16. Cress

15. Scarlet

14. Cinder

13. Summer of the Gypsy Moths

12. The Round House

11. Ready Player One

10. Goldfinch

9. Wonder

8. Lost Lake

7. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption - Laura Hillenbrand

6. Champion, Marie Lu

5. Prodigy, Marie Lu

4. Legend, Marie Lu

3. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

2. Rapture, Lauren Kate

1. Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein

 

[Stacia]

Speaking of gruesome: I was oddly attracted to this title today, sent as an Audible deal of the day. I have never read a Zombie novel yet this one sounds intriguing. Curious what you all think of Raising Stony Mayhall.

 

Well, I'm not into zombie books generally speaking (though I really enjoyed World War Z & Boneshaker turned out to be fine & not nearly as scary as I had anticipated), but the story sounds pretty intriguing. I'm not sure if it would be interesting or terrifying (or both). I will be curious to hear what you think if you read it.

 

Funny you mention zombies. I figured I'd need light, funny reading at the dentist this morning so I started Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man. (Death is one of my fave Pratchett characters. Adore him.) And, from what I've read so far, a professor from Unseen University died, then came back. The other professors are trying to figure out why & what exactly he is. Is he un-dead, a zombie, a vampire, a...??? :lol: Either way, the Archchancellor thinks it's unsanitary to have dead people walking around. I just love Pratchett's humor.
 

They say there are only two things you can count on... But that was before Death started pondering the existential. Of course, the last thing anyone needs is a squeamish Grim Reaper and soon his Discworld bosses have sent him off with best wishes and a well-earned gold watch. Now Death is having the time of his life, finding greener pastures where he can put his scythe to a whole new use.

 

But like every cutback in an important public service, Death's demise soon leads to chaos and unrest—literally, for those whose time was supposed to be up, like Windle Poons. The oldest geezer in the entire faculty of Unseen University—home of magic, wizardry, and big dinners—Windle was looking forward to a wonderful afterlife, not this boring been-there-done-that routine. To get the fresh start he deserves, Windle and the rest of Ankh-Morpork's undead and underemployed set off to find Death and save the world for the living (and everybody else, of course).

 

[mumto2]

I have to admit Raising Stony.....does sound intriguing. I am not normally a fan of zombies although they sometimes end up being in my paranormals. I generally only read vampires, weres, and witches. ;) I did find it in the ebook library and added it to my wish list (dangerous, I know) but am hoping someone else will read it first!

Speaking of gruesome: I was oddly attracted to this title today, sent as an Audible deal of the day. I have never read a Zombie novel yet this one sounds intriguing. Curious what you all think of Raising Stony Mayhall.

[Stacia]

 

That is quite the engaging photograph of him.  He looks so young, fervent and like he's about to smile or say something.  I went hunting to see if there were any other photographs that were similar of him and didn't find another where his expression is as intense.

 

ETA:  The search also lead me to this terrifying poem:

 

Genius Child

This is a song for the genius child. 
Sing it softly, for the song is wild. 
Sing it softly as ever you can - 
Lest the song get out of hand. 

Nobody loves a genius child.

Can you love an eagle, 
Tame or wild? 
Can you love an eagle, 
Wild or tame? 
Can you love a monster 
Of frightening name? 

Nobody loves a genius child.

Kill him - and let his soul run wild. 

Langston Hughes

And this explanation:  Far better to extinguish such children and let the status quo remain, so that we can maintain control and predictability in an uncertain world. Obviously, Hughes does not believe this, rather he uses the poem to capture the attitude of society towards innovation and those that try to usher such changes in. Many, through their suspicion against new ideas, would commit violence to maintain stability.

 

It makes me wonder if he was even thinking about a child- or the child is anyone with a new idea.

 

 

I agree that it is a wonderful photo of him.

 

Thanks for posting the poem. Like his stories, it underscores to me how much he puts very harsh realities out there, almost subtly, but with an impact like a punch to the gut. I've never read his poetry & my friend that I was helping yesterday was telling me how much she loves his poetry & how much of an impact his poetry had on her back in her school days.

 

Because I'm loving his short stories so much, I may need to try some of his poetry too.

 

[Stacia]

I generally only read vampires, weres, and witches. ;) I did find it in the ebook library and added it to my wish list (dangerous, I know) but am hoping someone else will read it first!

 

:lol:

 

Me too (normally I stick to vampires).

 

Like you, I'm hoping someone (braver than me) reads it first, then reports back...

[NoseInABook]

Ooh, my library has it. I'll check it out tonight and see if it's any good. I've read a couple of zombie things, I've read World War Z and things of that nature. A couple of the Walking Dead graphic novels too. 

[JennW in SoCal]

 

Funny you mention zombies. I figured I'd need light, funny reading at the dentist this morning so I started Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man. (Death is one of my fave Pratchett characters. Adore him.) And, from what I've read so far, a professor from Unseen University died, then came back. The other professors are trying to figure out why & what exactly he is. Is he un-dead, a zombie, a vampire, a...??? :lol: Either way, the Archchancellor thinks it's unsanitary to have dead people walking around. I just love Pratchett's humor.
 

 

You are in for quite a ride with Reaper Man!  It gets downright surreal by the end and you'll never look at a shopping cart the same when you're done :laugh:   Death is fabulous, isn't he?  

 

I just noticed the latest Pratchett book "Raising Steam" is out, and it features another of my favorite characters, Moist von Lipwig.