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Book a Week in 2014 - BW14


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Finished Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi & loved it. Didn't see the end coming either. So glad that serendipity had me recently read Langston Hughes' The Ways of White Folks as some very similar themes popped up between both works & I loved how they worked in tandem & complemented each other. Oyeyemi creates a magical, yet menacing (a la Grimms' fairy tales) landscape with characters both firmly rooted in (harsh) realities while still existing on an almost mystical plane. Lots of fascinating, heart-wrenching, riveting topics on race, identity, reality, humanity, & the ties that both bind us all & also set us free. Not really a fairy tale nor magical realism, more of a unique blend of folktale, grand storytelling, political & social commentary told through the lives of strong & interesting women. I am enchanted with Oyeyemi's works -- so much to ponder & appreciate here....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/boy-snow-bird-by-helen-oyeyemi/2014/02/25/8749d0c8-995d-11e3-b931-0204122c514b_story.html

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Stacia ,  I am so glad you enjoyed Boy, Snow, Bird.  I loved it!

 

I think I have six books started right now.  I can't seem to pick one and finish it!  One is by an author that I am going to meet later today that I can't seem to get through.  Rather embarrassing.  It isn't a dreadful book just not something that interests me right now.  I did enjoy the other author's books.  Read several. I feel like I used to when my homework wasn't done (which did not happen often) which is very unsettling.

 

Yesterday we did a field trip to a Harry Potter film location site  http://www.malhamdale.com/Harry%20Potter%20Malham%20Cove.htm  with a friend's family.  We have had this planned for awhile.  My friend finished chemo last year at this time and could barely walk 10 yards.  A year later she managed 6 miles with some serious terrain issues.  Yeah!!!!

 

Dd took several photos and I will try to post a few real life ones later today or tomorrow.  The top of the rocks are really all cracked with gaps of 6 to 8 inches in between with about a 2 foot drop downwards.  Huge drop with a sheer cliff at edge.  We all walked across, even the dog. Only the Harry Potter film crew came to Malham,  The actors used a green screen so movie magic in action.

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Regarding Boy Snow Bird, what did you think of the last line? Did you find it as interestingly vague as I did? It seemed apt that Olivia got left behind.  

 

Jane envisions BaWers going into book stores across the nation to take a peek at the last line.... :leaving:

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Olivia was so set in her ways & unwilling to embrace (or even recognize) change, that her being left behind seemed spot on to me. Love that there are so many ways to dissect this book. Wouldn't it be fun for a book club discussion? You could go with the fairy tale/myth angle, or race, or identity, or women, or rights of minorities (women &/or non-whites) in 1950s small town America, or beauty vs. functionality (towns, things, or people), or reinventing oneself, or family relations/politics, the meanings/symbolism of names, etc.... Loved the unconventional names too.

For those of you who have enjoyed Boy, Snow, Bird, I'd highly recommend Oyeyemi's book Mr. Fox. Love both books, but Mr. Fox is still my favorite of the two.

And, for anyone considering Boy, Snow, Bird, I'd highly recommend Langston Hughes' The Ways of White Folks as an interesting & complementary book. The two books do seem to suit each other quite well.

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Jane envisions BaWers going into book stores across the nation to take a peek at the last line.... :leaving:


On my iPad so I can't do the little shocked smiley face here! What??? Read the last line of a book first?! The horror! The horror! <insert me fainting here>

Lol.
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Jane envisions BaWers going into book stores across the nation to take a peek at the last line.... :leaving:

Glad I still have my library copy.....I returned a few and held that one back for some unknown reason.  I loved the last few pages of that book.  Olivia left behind was very appropriate.

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I need a spoiler tag. Are there spoilers here? *lol*

 

Stony was raised from a wee little zombie baby. There was the zombie apocalypse and all of the other zombies were supposed to be killed so he was the only zombie around. People would still keep their eyes peeled just in case and would arrest/destroy them if they were found. Later in the book, Stony found out that he wasn't alone and there were weird zombie politics about what they should do to keep the zombie group from going extinct. Zombie political people, zombie jails for experimental purposes, etc. It was an interesting read.

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The Demon in the House is not zombie lit!  This early Angela Thirkell novel (1934) focuses on a maddening twelve year old boy, Tony Morland, whose mother Laura Morland appears as a minor character throughout many of Thirkell's Barsetshire novels. The widow Mrs. Morland keeps a roof over their heads and Tony in public school by penning romance novels.

 

While the loquacious Tony Morland provides the storyline, the response and interactions of the adults around him (as well as his good friend, the shy Donk, who plays a harmonica instead of speaking) had me chuckling. 

 

As is usually the case, I do much better at reading fiction than non.  I have read a bit in the HoAW but have barely scratched the surface of The Language of Baklava

 

ETA:  Those of you who enjoy Alexander McCall Smith may enjoy his comments on Angela Thirkell.

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Jane envisions BaWers going into book stores across the nation to take a peek at the last line.... :leaving:

 

:laugh: Not sure it would make any sense unless you knew the characters.

 

***Sort of Spoilerish***

 

What I found most interesting was the vagueness of that last 2 lines/paragraph. I thought about it a few ways.

 

*Hey, did they just leave Olivia behind after what sounded like telling her differently? They obviously don't trust her with this new information/situation. They seem to respect her generally...is that all lip service? Is it becoming lip service? Is what she wants unimportant in the grand scheme of things? Is she not taken seriously as a person because of her decisions?

 

*It's also vague enough, they could have done what they said for Olivia, but it's so unimportant it's not even mentioned within the frame of what they're doing. Olivia and her fears and small needs are not taken seriously. 

 

I did enjoy the book very much, but while trying to remember it all today it occurred to me that my problem with the ending twist may be because they don't seem to consider the character they were going to meet to be "genuine" in who they are (there's a strong theme of genuineness/appearances/being who you are). I think it complicates the purity of the main theme without giving time to the complexity that person's decision. Are they going to 'save' them? Confront them (then why all the people coming with)? Try to change them? Did that person become who they were always meant to be? 

 

The ending twist felt like it dumped an emotional load on the theme without actually elucidating or making the theme more complex. I think that twist could have done that, but it played out as drama/a surprise not forward movement. 

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:laugh: Not sure it would make any sense unless you knew the characters.

***Sort of Spoilerish***

What I found most interesting was the vagueness of that last 2 lines/paragraph. I thought about it a few ways.

*Hey, did they just leave Olivia behind after what sounded like telling her differently? They obviously don't trust her with this new information/situation. They seem to respect her generally...is that all lip service? Is it becoming lip service? Is what she wants unimportant in the grand scheme of things? Is she not taken seriously as a person because of her decisions?

*It's also vague enough, they could have done what they said for Olivia, but it's so unimportant it's not even mentioned within the frame of what they're doing. Olivia and her fears and small needs are not taken seriously.

I did enjoy the book very much, but while trying to remember it all today it occurred to me that my problem with the ending twist may be because they don't seem to consider the character they were going to meet to be "genuine" in who they are (there's a strong theme of genuineness/appearances/being who you are). I think it complicates the purity of the main theme without giving time to the complexity that person's decision. Are they going to 'save' them? Confront them (then why all the people coming with)? Try to change them? Did that person become who they were always meant to be?

The ending twist felt like it dumped an emotional load on the theme without actually elucidating or making the theme more complex. I think that twist could have done that, but it played out as drama/a surprise not forward movement.


Gotta run so no time to post now, but will be back later with some thoughts. I thought the whole reveal/twist at the end was a little bit blindsiding, yet makes you ponder the themes visited throughtout the entire book even more. Wasn't sure I liked the ending at first, but I do think it fits the story and expands the theme even more than I realized the whole time I was reading it. Definitely will post some more thoughts later.
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Ooh, this is akin to talking about a wonderful meal you prepared and not including the recipe.  Do tell what author you're meeting.

 

Regards,

Kareni

Sorry Kareni.  I know I mentioned the Kate Ellis part of today's event a few days ago.  I truly enjoyed the 3 books by her that I read so followed her discussion of her books and methods of research .....easily.  What struck me the most was how utterly involved she is with her characters,  she absolutely adores most of them. Her characters are good friends of hers that she knows very well.  Another fascinating tidbit she shared was a flow chart / mind map from one of her books.  All on a 20 by 11 piece of paper including the red herrings which are shown as fish shapes. :lol:

 

The other author was half of the writing team that is AD Garrett.  She writes psychological forensic crime novels.  That was her description, I think.  Anyway the portion of her book that I have read is very definitely not fluffy.  She read favourite parts and ended with literally the last page I read before stopping.  Her readings were great leaving me on a cliff hanger so I need to try to finish now.  ;)

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... Kate Ellis ... I truly enjoyed the 3 books by her that I read ... 

 

Another fascinating tidbit she shared was a flow chart / mind map from one of her books.  All on a 20 by 11 piece of paper including the red herrings which are shown as fish shapes. :lol:

 

That does sound like a fun afternoon.  (And I do like those fish shapes!)

 

My library has more than a dozen Kate Ellis books.  Which book should I start with?  (or add to my mile high to be read pile.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

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My library has more than a dozen Kate Ellis books.  Which book should I start with?  (or add to my mile high to be read pile.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

I started with the first one "The Merchant's House" which is the first in the series and very good.  If  that one isn't available start with the earliest one possible.  I know that I always advocate reading in order but  there is definitely a worthwhile backstory throughout this series so worthwhile with this series, imo.  I think you would really like this series.  The history is woven in really well and the author is passionate about her historical research and it shows.  Well written and interesting.  No urge on my part to skip boring bits.

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:seeya:  I haven't checked in for awhile...

 

I finished Stephen King's On Writing yesterday. I know it gets rave reviews, but I wasn't as impressed with it as I had hoped. It was written differently than I had expected, and there was a ton of language in it. (I haven't read any other book by him, I'm assuming that's one of his trademarks?) So....meh. I figure he obviously knows a lot more about writing than I do, so I can't really say it wasn't a good book. It had enough interesting tidbits in it that I will keep it and I will probably pull it out and read the middle section - which is the most practical section - again at another point, when my kids are a little older and writing more.

 

Going to start SWB's History of the Ancient World tonight! Yippee! I'm one of the ones who wanted to do a read along for the series.

 

I am reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I can't decide whether to throw up or cry when I'm reading it and yet I am totally drawn into the story. I am only 100 pages in...

 

Glad to "see" you all again...

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The Demon in the House is not zombie lit! This early Angela Thirkell novel (1934) focuses on a maddening twelve year old boy, Tony Morland, whose mother Laura Morland appears as a minor character throughout many of Thirkell's Barsetshire novels. The widow Mrs. Morland keeps a roof over their heads and Tony in public school by penning romance novels.

While the loquacious Tony Morland provides the storyline, the response and interactions of the adults around him (as well as his good friend, the shy Donk, who plays a harmonica instead of speaking) had me chuckling.

As is usually the case, I do much better at reading fiction than non. I have read a bit in the HoAW but have barely scratched the surface of The Language of Baklava.

ETA: Those of you who enjoy Alexander McCall Smith may enjoy his comments on Angela Thirkell.

Gosh, that was an enjoyable article. My interest has been piqued enough to consider putting both Wild Strawberries and High Rising on my tbr list.

I read a ton of Pym in my 20s and 30s. Her descriptions of village life and those times were very much the England of my father's youth so it's a comfortably familiar milieu for this reader.

Jane, if you've not read 'Major Pettigrew's Last Stand' you might consider it. There is something Pym-like about it descriptively speaking and village life is central to the story. It's one of the few works of fiction I read last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Olivia was so set in her ways & unwilling to embrace (or even recognize) change, that her being left behind seemed spot on to me. Love that there are so many ways to dissect this book. Wouldn't it be fun for a book club discussion? You could go with the fairy tale/myth angle, or race, or identity, or women, or rights of minorities (women &/or non-whites) in 1950s small town America, or beauty vs. functionality (towns, things, or people), or reinventing oneself, or family relations/politics, the meanings/symbolism of names, etc.... Loved the unconventional names too.

For those of you who have enjoyed Boy, Snow, Bird, I'd highly recommend Oyeyemi's book Mr. Fox. Love both books, but Mr. Fox is still my favorite of the two.

And, for anyone considering Boy, Snow, Bird, I'd highly recommend Langston Hughes' The Ways of White Folks as an interesting & complementary book. The two books do seem to suit each other quite well.


Mr. Fox draws my interest more than BSB. So despite everyone reading the latter I think I'll go ahead and put 'Mr. Fox' on the ever-growing tbr list. A list which has been complicated by a sluggish reading week. Hoping to finish 'The Birth House' and the first two chapters of HotAW this week.
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Today I finished Marie Force's contemporary romance All You Need is Love: Green Mountain Book One.  (melmichigan mentioned this book in February.)  The hero of the story is one of ten children, so if each one gets his or her own novel this could be a lengthy series!  It was an enjoyable story, but I still prefer the author's romantic suspense Fatal Series.

 

"The family-run Green Mountain Country Store is cherished by locals as a reminder of simpler times. The Abbott children are determined to keep it that way—but their father has different plans…

When Cameron Murphy heads to Vermont to build a website for a new client, she imagines a more relaxing trip than she gets. After wrecking her car by colliding with the town moose, she meets the most handsome hero she’s ever seen. Unfortunately, her savior, Will Abbott, is also the son of her client—and he wants nothing to do with the new website or the city girl creating it.

For all Will cares, Cameron can march her fancy boots right out of town and out of his family’s business. But he can’t seem to get her out of his head. As his family’s dispute heats up, so does the chemistry between the two, leaving them wondering if simple is better after all—especially when it comes to matters of the heart."

 

In a preface, the author says that the fictional Green Mountain Country Store is modeled on the real Vermont Country Store.  It was funny to read about a store I've actually shopped at (albeit years ago and via their paper catalog).

 

Regards,

Kareni

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SPOILER MATERIAL FOR BOY, SNOW, BIRD... (so please don't read if you plan to read the book...)

What I found most interesting was the vagueness of that last 2 lines/paragraph. I thought about it a few ways.

*Hey, did they just leave Olivia behind after what sounded like telling her differently? They obviously don't trust her with this new information/situation. They seem to respect her generally...is that all lip service? Is it becoming lip service? Is what she wants unimportant in the grand scheme of things? Is she not taken seriously as a person because of her decisions?

*It's also vague enough, they could have done what they said for Olivia, but it's so unimportant it's not even mentioned within the frame of what they're doing. Olivia and her fears and small needs are not taken seriously.


I think they meant they were coming back... but after a week (after the NYC trip), rather than immediately.

I don't think there was a need for Olivia to know why they were going (because the results could be so varying), plus Olivia always seemed so sure in herself, in her decisions for her life, for her family. She, to me, was the one unambiguous character in the entire book (while everyone else had multiple versions of themselves). Maybe because she was so singular & sure in her vision, she didn't fit in the new part of the story?

Plus, can you imagine finding that info out about your in-law? It would just be so shocking, I think, that perhaps the others wanted to investigate first, see if they found Frank or Frances, & decide from there.... Lots of personal hurt there for Boy to deal with before sharing it world-wide. Her best pal was along because she's the one who dug up the info in the first place, Bird is along because she is the daughter & this is her grandparent, Snow is along because she's the other daughter, even though not in blood -- almost like Snow is a bridge from one world to another.

I did enjoy the book very much, but while trying to remember it all today it occurred to me that my problem with the ending twist may be because they don't seem to consider the character they were going to meet to be "genuine" in who they are (there's a strong theme of genuineness/appearances/being who you are). I think it complicates the purity of the main theme without giving time to the complexity that person's decision. Are they going to 'save' them? Confront them (then why all the people coming with)? Try to change them? Did that person become who they were always meant to be?

The ending twist felt like it dumped an emotional load on the theme without actually elucidating or making the theme more complex. I think that twist could have done that, but it played out as drama/a surprise not forward movement.


The more I think about it, the more I think the ambiguity of the whole ending just supports every theme the book has presented up to that point. Every character in there can ask if he/she is 'genuine'. Every character has a complexity for the reason behind his/her choices in life. What is 'saving' the person? Being your original self (as born)? Being who you want to be? Being who you pretend to be? Being who you look like (but may not be in reality)? Changing jobs? Changing locations? What you present to the world, what the mirror reflects, & who you are are three separate (& often different things) for all these characters.

So, I think all the questions the ending opens up are not just about the grandparent but also about each & every character in the book. And all the answers are not there & many of the characters probably don't know the answers themselves. Who knows who or what they will find in NYC? Maybe a connection, a person, a history. Or maybe nothing but themselves.

All the open-endedness & ambiguity of the ending seems perfect for the story because these are not tidy characters with a tidy story that has a tidy ending.

Change is constant. And the force of that is quite fascinating in the realm of this story.

Oddly, after looking for some photos that might fit, I stumbled across a couple of photos from Inception (one of my favorite movies). I think there may be some definite parallels between them, even though they are really quite different. I think it still boils down to what is reality or what do you think is reality? It could even go back to Plato's Allegory of the Cave when I really think about it....

(Or maybe I'm just over-analyzing to the extreme. :lol: )

Thought-provoking book for sure....
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Mr. Fox draws my interest more than BSB. So despite everyone reading the latter I think I'll go ahead and put 'Mr. Fox' on the ever-growing tbr list.

 

I think Jane also loved Mr. Fox & since you & she seem to have somewhat similar book taste, I'm hoping you enjoy it. I think Mr. Fox is completely wonderful & delightful in every way.

 

I will say that I think Mr. Fox falls a little more into the 'surreal' (though neither surreal nor magical realism is really the correct description at all, imo) category than Boy, Snow, Bird (which seems like more of a straightforward story to me). Just mentioning that because I know you're a wee bit leery of surrealistic stories.

 

Either is a wonderful fiction pick, if you ask me. :D

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Orwell Prize longlist is out. (It is a British prize for outstanding political writing. One prize is given to a book & one for journalism.)

 

http://theorwellprize.co.uk/longlists/

 

Some interesting books on that list.  One of them is Kith:

 

 

While travelling the world in order to write her award-winning book Wild, Jay Griffiths became increasingly aware of the huge differences in how childhood is experienced in various cultures. One central riddle, in particular, captured her imagination: Why are so many children in Euro-American cultures unhappy — and why is it that children in many traditional cultures seem happier?

 

In Kith, Jay Griffiths explores these questions and many more. Moving from communities in West Papua and the Arctic to the ostracised young people of contemporary Britain, she asks why we have enclosed our children in a consumerist cornucopia but denied them the freedoms of space, time and deep play. She uses history, philosophy, language and literature to illustrate children’s affinity for the natural world and the essential quest element of childhood.

A novel that looks quite fascinating is:

 

 

 

Thanks Stacia!

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As a non-Christian I appreciate the move to BC and BCE. We can't do anything about the fact that the year count was started over to coincide with Christ's birth. It's not like we can say, "Ok, this is really the year 6 billion and something," and make everyone change to writing that on their forms. Or maybe change it to when we have the rudimentary start of written human history, so changing the year to be 6 thousand something. That is just improbable on a practical level alone. So the alternative is to simply change the labeling of the year from a Christian centered view to one that is not. Yes, it's still referencing the time of before or after Christ's birth, but as I said we cannot change something that was done 2000 years ago.

 

I've taught my kids both terms and explained why the current form of BC and BCE is more accepting of the fact that Christianity is not the center of importance for all people. It's a way to try and level the playing field as best as possible given the circumstances.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: simply pointing out my point of view. Not trying to argue about the age of time/earth/people/history. Not trying to argue about religion. Just simply disagreeing with the premise of using BC and AD. It doesn't keep me up at night nor will it make me not read a book.

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Yesterday I read the new adult book Deeper: A Novel (Caroline & West) by Robin York.  I suspect that many here would not choose to read this book due to the adult content.  It was a sobering read due to its storyline; however, it made me think and precipitated a lively discussion with my husband on the topic of revenge porn.

 

 

"When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.
 
West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.
 
They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they’re “just friends,” their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself—and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.
 
When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper."

 

There is a forthcoming sequel to the book which I'll be watching for.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

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Orwell Prize longlist is out. (It is a British prize for outstanding political writing. One prize is given to a book & one for journalism.)

Some interesting books on that list. One of them is Kith:

A novel that looks quite fascinating is:


Thanks Stacia!

Not sure how I found this one (maybe a Goodreads recommendation) but it arrived in my interlibrary stack today. I felt really clever when I clicked on Stacia's link.
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This one has me a bit curious.  It is in my e library but currently maxed out there.  I will check it out when space becomes available.

Yesterday I read the new adult book Deeper: A Novel (Caroline & West) by Robin York.  I suspect that many here would not choose to read this book due to the adult content.  It was a sobering read due to its storyline; however, it made me think and precipitated a lively discussion with my husband on the topic of revenge porn.

 

 

"When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.
 
West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.
 
They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they’re “just friends,” their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself—and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.
 
When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper."

 

There is a forthcoming sequel to the book which I'll be watching for.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

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Stacia,  Looking forward to hearing more about Boxer,Beetle.  I really wanted to love the Teleportation Accident and couldn't seem to get very far.  I still want to read it....maybe something else by him would be a better plan!

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I finished Raising Stony Mayhew aka "the zombie book" :001_unsure:. I liked it and thought it was a pretty interesting angle the author took on the whole thing with the "zombies are human too" theme prevalent. Of course this being my first swim in the pool of zombie genre, maybe that is a typical theme. I liked that they had their own political factions and worked hard to keep their urges in check. The only thing that bothered me about the book was the author's tendency to draw you into a particular story line and then jump ahead several years or decades right when you were at a cliffhanger. I felt like that took away some of the excitement and flow of the story. I'm curious to see what others thought.

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TAXES!!!!    :gnorsi: 

 

 

Checking in to report that I finished the first two chapters of HoAW.  Here is my .02 off the top of my head (spoilers ahead, if there are such a things as spoilers for a nonfiction book):   I liked the way SWB approached the universal flood story as just that, a universal story, and not the sole property of one religious group.  I also love this paragraph from the Preface: "I have chosen to use the traditional designations BC and AD for dates.  I understand why many historians choose to use BCE and CE in an attempt to avoid seeing history entirely from a Judeo-Christian point of view, but using BCE while still reckoning from Christ's birth seems, to me, fairly pointless."   :hurray:   The BCE thing has always been a pet peeve of mine, so Boom!

 

I also liked reading about the flood story from different points of view. Many I hadn't heard of so learned something new already.   Enjoying what I've read so far.

 

Thank you Stacia for linking to the orwell prize list - saw a few books that looked interesting and added Red Fortress to my wishlist.

 

I finished Michael Casey's Sacred Reading which was enlightening  to say the least. Quite a few things underlined for me to go back, peruse and research. Makes me want to delve more into the Church fathers.  The church mothers, not so much.  Teresa of Avila is driving me loopy at this point. Not sure will end up finishing.   Liked Casey's writing enough to purchase Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer.  Also decided to continue reading Dante and Purgatorio is on the way.

 

Fluff wise, I'm in book # 8 Mountain Echoes of C.E. Murphy's Walker Paper series.   James wants me to read # 3 in the Percy Jackson series, Titan's curse so that just may be next. 

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Hey, a question I've been meaning to ask for a few months now (but keep forgetting to post)....

 

Did anyone here read The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake? I read it quite a few months ago for my book club. Prior to reading, I thought I wouldn't like it. Once I started reading, I was pleasantly surprised that I did like it. And, then it went downhill. A lot. And quickly.

 

After my book club meeting, I feel like I missed a major plot point in it. I don't know if I'm clueless or just didn't see what everyone else did.

 

So, is anyone else up for talking about the weirdness/situation with the brother...? (This discussion, if it happens, will definitely have spoilers in case there are any of you out there who want to read the book but haven't yet.)

 

 

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Last night I started The Camelot Capers by Elizabeth Peters. It is one of her stand alone books and takes place in England, of course. "Gothica in irreverent trappings" is one description on the back of the book. I agree. The hero is a British writer of gothic novels and the heroine is an American girl who may be a descendent of Arthur trying to get to her grandfather in Cornwall. Adventurous and amusing, this would make a great romantic comedy.

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Last night I started The Camelot Capers by Elizabeth Peters. It is one of her stand alone books and takes place in England, of course. "Gothica in irreverent trappings" is one description on the back of the book. I agree. The hero is a British writer of gothic novels and the heroine is an American girl who may be a descendent of Arthur trying to get to her grandfather in Cornwall. Adventurous and amusing, this would make a great romantic comedy.


I think this is the same author who wrote the Amelia Peabody mysteries. I enjoyed several of those last year.
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Finished Dark Places. It started out strong and ended with a fizzle. Oh well, it was at least entertaining for half of it! I just picked up Sisterchicks on the Loose this morning. A friend of mine recommended them and I like chick lit sometimes so we'll see how it goes. My husband is on spring break this week (he's a public school teacher) so here's hoping I can get a handful of books read with him home to help with the kiddies.

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I finished Pilgrim at Tinker Creek today. It was alternately idyllic and mind bending, made me think of a grown-up My Side of the Mountain. There was  one jarring note for me. Call me a purist, but when she mentioned her cigarette about 3/4 of the way through the book, I was supremely disappointed. Cigarettes and nature walks do not belong together.

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I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
Dr. Seuss

I can read in red. I can read in blue.
I can read in pickle color too.
I can read in bed, and in purple. and in brown.
I can read in a circle and upside down!
I can read with my left eye. I can read with my right.
I can read Mississippi with my eyes shut tight!

There are so many things you can learn about.
But…you'll miss the best things
If you keep your eyes shut.
The more that you read, the more things you will know
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

If you read with your eyes shut you're likely to find
That the place where you're going is far, far behind
SO…that's why I tell you to keep your eyes wide.
Keep them wide open…at least on one side.

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Listened to 'Warming the Stone Child' in its entirety this morning while ds was at an event. It was read by the author, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and I found it to be resonant on many levels. I plan on doing a re-listen very soon. The new audible app format allows for bookmarks and notes which was great as there were several passages I wanted to revisit. I'm about 1/2 way through 'The Birth House' which is such a good story I don't want it to end. First two chapters of HotAW still await my lens.

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