Book a Week in 2014 - BW16

[Onceuponatime]

I finished The King of Shadows and started on The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. There were plenty of chances to read today while I was waiting for various reasons. It is a little disconcerting to be called to the dentist's chair in the middle of a warm love scene. :)

 

One good thing: the dentist is 1 block from the book exchange so I got my fix in today. I left with 2 Dorothy Gilmans, 2 Elizabeth Peters, and a book of essays by Umberto Eco called Travels in Hyper-reality.

[Just Robyn]

I was thinking I'd love to lend you Strange Bodies when I'm done with it, and then was struck with the idea that maybe we should come up with a BaW book sharing club.  Use flat-rate box from the post office and send a box of favorite titles out to a fellow BaWer.  That person could take a book or two, add a book or two, then send it on to someone else. Sort of a Flat-Stanley book club.  We could write notes in the margins, send along favorite tea bags or post cards or knitting patterns or something. Of course including our overseas pals might be more of a challenge... 

 

I'd love to do this! It's been too long since I've done a fun mail thing. 

[mamaraby]

Welllll.....I planted my butt on our brand new patio and finished Cutting for Stone this afternoon. I thought that it was broad in scope and characterization, and I liked that. I read a lot of reviews that said the book would have benefited from a good editor and could of had a 100+ pages trimmed, but I tend to enjoy things that are as wide as this novel was. I felt very entrenched in the novel and the characters. I thought that it was slow to start (v.e.r.y. s.l.o.w.) and that it lagged in areas and felt rushed in other areas, however, I guess I am glad that I read it. I don't necessarily agree with all the messages I *think* the author was conveying. I was extremely disappointed in some of the actions of the main character near the end of the book. It took me a good while to figure out a few things after I finished, but now that I figured those things out, I feel satisfied with the novel. I wasn't pleased that some characters died, but so it goes. There were parts of this book that were a bit over the top and made me nauseous and uncomfortable, but that can be a good thing. I'm going to go with 3 1/2 stars on this, and hopefully after chewing over the themes a bit tonight, I'll settle on either a 3 or 4 star rating. :)

Oh, I loved "Cutting for Stone!" Ghosh was by far my favorite character. I loved his fierce determination all the way through the book, even when faced with incredibly difficult things. The way he rose to th occassion. The way he forgave Stone for leaving. He was the father Stone could never have been. I have much more mixed feelings about Marion, particularly as it concerns Genet.

 

I finished one book last week which according to Goodreads puts me at 42 for the year. I'm still plodding through "Their Eyes Were Watching God" and finally made some real progress in "The Language of Baklava." I'm enjoying it immensely, though I can't imagine how her mother stayed married to her father over all those years. It's one thing to be a wanderer, but it's rather difficult to do with a family, it seems to me. Diana Abu-Jaber has a fantastic voice and I'm enjoying the way she turns words into pictures, especially since so much of the book is centered on food. :0)

[Giraffe]

Fun idea! I could try to participate, but I do get a lot of the books I read from the library, lol. (I can still come up w/ some books to send, though.) Over the past year or two, I have sent a few books on to fellow BaWers (& they have shared a few w/ me too).

 

We need a flat librarian or something that could go along & then each person to get the box would have to take a photo of the flat librarian on their bookcases, or in their library, or out & about in town, etc.... :lol:

 

Hey, for overseas pals, we could send postcards saying hi. I say that because Rosie did the awesome postcard send-out from Hanging Rock if you read Picnic at Hanging Rock. (Which I most certainly read because I considered it to be uber cool to receive a postcard from the locale & the better bonus that it was from Rosie!)

 

:coolgleamA:

 

Hello from one of the overseas pals - long lost and returning, she hopes.  Long story that I'll explain later (it's 4am here - not quite coherent but insomnia reigns).  As far as postcards go - I can send some from here - Izmir, Turkey, home of Homer and ancient city of Smyrna.  Or I can post them from Foca, which was formerly known as Phokaia, which is just up the road.  You'll get to Phokaia in HOAW, those of you reading along.  Off the coast are the Siren Rocks.  Yes, those Sirens.  Others have claims, but these fit the story and they have enduring myths about them in the Turkish culture as well, not just in Greek. 

 

But if you want to do this, it has to be before mid-June when we head to the US for the summer. 

 

More later when my migraine dissipates and I've slept.  I've missed you all!

 

Giraffe

 

[Rosie_0801]

  You'll get to Phokaia in HOAW, those of you reading along.  Off the coast are the Siren Rocks.  Yes, those Sirens.  

 

!! How motivating !! I will definitely read it now. :lol:

[Uff Da!]

 

For my IRL interfaith book group, I read Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh's Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life.  He is always such a delight, and this one is no exception.  Here is one of so many of his easy-peasy, interfaith infused, gentle calls for attentiveness:

 

"In my (Buddhist) tradition, we use the temple bells to remind us to come back to the present moment.  Every time we hear the bell, we stop talking, stop our thinking, and return to ourselves, breathing in and out, and smiling... Since I have come to the West, I have not heard many Buddhist temple bells.  But fortunately, there are church bells all over Europe.. Whenever I give a lecture in Switzerland, I always make use of the church bells to practice mindfulness.  When the bell rings, I stop talking, and all of us listen to the full sound of the bell.  We enjoy it so much.  (I think it is better than the lecture!)  When we hear the bell, we can pause and enjoy our breathing and get in touch with the wonders of life that are around us -- the flowers, the children, the beautiful sounds.  Each time we get back in touch with ourselves, the conditions become favorable for us to encounter life in the present moment."

 

 

 

This is really beautiful.  We don't have church bells where I live unfortunately.  I was trying to think of what could be a reminder and came up with planes flying overhead and coyotes howling.  It's just not the same as church bells.

24 Awesome Librarian Tattoos

 

#20 is cute

Fun idea! I could try to participate, but I do get a lot of the books I read from the library, lol. (I can still come up w/ some books to send, though.) Over the past year or two, I have sent a few books on to fellow BaWers (& they have shared a few w/ me too).

 

We need a flat librarian or something that could go along & then each person to get the box would have to take a photo of the flat librarian on their bookcases, or in their library, or out & about in town, etc.... :lol:

 

Hey, for overseas pals, we could send postcards saying hi. I say that because Rosie did the awesome postcard send-out from Hanging Rock if you read Picnic at Hanging Rock. (Which I most certainly read because I considered it to be uber cool to receive a postcard from the locale & the better bonus that it was from Rosie!)

 

:coolgleamA:

Most of my books are nook or library books as well now unless they are art books.  But I can draw some nice postcards.  

[Giraffe]

Rosie, I've missed you!!  :tongue_smilie:

 

[shukriyya]

This is really beautiful.  We don't have church bells where I live unfortunately.  I was trying to think of what could be a reminder and came up with planes flying overhead and coyotes howling.  It's just not the same as church bells.

 

If you do a lot of driving you could use red lights. In my case that would mean ongoing mindfulness...which I guess is the point :lol:

[Robin M]

I feel so much better.  Took an hour while at work and wandered through Barnes and Noble for a bit and picked up Angelmaker and Cloud Atlas. Thank you Stacia.  Totally picked out a book based on cover and intriguing title - Sixty One Nails.  Never read anything by the author before and first page read totally captured me so had to get it.

 

 

Time to close up shop and head for home.  Later, chicas!

 

[Pam in CT]

This is really beautiful.  We don't have church bells where I live unfortunately.  I was trying to think of what could be a reminder and came up with planes flying overhead and coyotes howling.  It's just not the same as church bells.

 

 

I dunno... coyote howls just might do the trick.  Their uniquely wild insistence on the moment.

 

If you do a lot of driving you could use red lights. In my case that would mean ongoing mindfulness...which I guess is the point :lol:

 

pp. 32-33:  "Driving is a daily task in this society.  I am not suggesting you stop driving, just that you do so consciously.  While we are driving, we think only about arriving.  Therefore, every time we see a red light, we are not very happy.  The red light is a kind of enemy that prevents us from attaining our goal.  But we can also see the red light as a bell of mindfulness, reminding us to return to the present moment.  The next time you see a red light, please smile at it and go back to your breathing... It is easy to transform a feeling of irritation into a pleasant feeling... When I was in Montreal several years ago to lead a retreat, a freind drove me across the city to go to the mountains.  I noticed that every time a car stopped in front of me, the sentence 'Je me souviens' ('I remember') was on the license plate...I told my friend that I had a gift for him. 'Every time you see a car with that sentence, 'Je me souviens,' remember to breathe and smile.  It is a bell of mindfulness...

 

He was delighted, and he shared the practice with his friends... Later, when he visited me in France... he wrote me a very nice letter: 'Thay, it was very easy to practice in Paris. Every time a car stopped in front of me, I saw (in the brake lights) the eyes of the Buddha blinking at me.  I had to answer him by breathing and smiling, there was no better answer than that.  I had a wonderful time driving in Paris.'

[Robin M]

You'd be amazed at the what comes up when you search for super librarian. Who knew we had such sexy librarians.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Robin M]

Raising Steam is my next audible download, as both my ds and I enjoy listening to Stephen Briggs's narration!   We're so very excited to have a new Pratchett to share!

 

I was thinking I'd love to lend you Strange Bodies when I'm done with it, and then was struck with the idea that maybe we should come up with a BaW book sharing club.  Use flat-rate box from the post office and send a box of favorite titles out to a fellow BaWer.  That person could take a book or two, add a book or two, then send it on to someone else. Sort of a Flat-Stanley book club.  We could write notes in the margins, send along favorite tea bags or post cards or knitting patterns or something. Of course including our overseas pals might be more of a challenge... 

 

Love this idea.

 

[shukriyya]

I dunno... coyote howls just might do the trick.  Their uniquely wild insistence on the moment.

 

 

pp. 32-33:  "Driving is a daily task in this society.  I am not suggesting you stop driving, just that you do so consciously.  While we are driving, we think only about arriving.  Therefore, every time we see a red light, we are not very happy.  The red light is a kind of enemy that prevents us from attaining our goal.  But we can also see the red light as a bell of mindfulness, reminding us to return to the present moment.  The next time you see a red light, please smile at it and go back to your breathing... It is easy to transform a feeling of irritation into a pleasant feeling... When I was in Montreal several years ago to lead a retreat, a freind drove me across the city to go to the mountains.  I noticed that every time a car stopped in front of me, the sentence 'Je me souviens' ('I remember') was on the license plate...I told my friend that I had a gift for him. 'Every time you see a car with that sentence, 'Je me souviens,' remember to breathe and smile.  It is a bell of mindfulness...

 

He was delighted, and he shared the practice with his friends... Later, when he visited me in France... he wrote me a very nice letter: 'Thay, it was very easy to practice in Paris. Every time a car stopped in front of me, I saw (in the brake lights) the eyes of the Buddha blinking at me.  I had to answer him by breathing and smiling, there was no better answer than that.  I had a wonderful time driving in Paris.'

 

Hey, hey I'm on the right track :D

 

As to the mailing of books...I love this idea in theory but I'm notoriously bad at getting to the PO. A postcard might be more realistic however for my BaWer pals I might be inspired to do more.

[Negin]

Good morning ladies!  I am delighted to report that (after the longest coldest miserablest winter in memory) spring has finally, finally come to CT... I spent much of the weekend clearing my flower beds and planting containers, and last night we had friends over and actually sat out on the patio before dinner for the first time this year... aaahhhh...  

 

I'm definitely going to look for The Dream.  I finished Invisible Wall last week, I think at your recommendation.  I had forgotten until two-thirds in that it was a memoir -- it read like a novel.  I can't believe the man didn't start writing until he was in his eighties!

I miss spring. In fact, I miss having proper seasons. I never thought I'd say that and thought that I would love tropical weather forever. 

 

 

And Pam, yes, when I read The Dream, I also didn't realize that it was a memoir until later in the book. 

Just got The Nazi Officer's Wife for $1.99 on amazon! And am going to get the mindfulness book. :)

 

Also, The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust, another memoir by Edith Beer, telling her story of going underground (living as a "U-boat," a submarine under the surface of Vienna society).  This is a nearly unbelievable story, of how she and a handful of other young adults, identified as Jewish and sought for deportation by the Nazi regime, managed to obtain false identities and survive the war living in plain, chronically terrorized, sight.  Really fascinating story, though the writing is not as strong as Bernstein's.

 

For my IRL interfaith book group, I read Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh's Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life.  He is always such a delight, and this one is no exception.  Here is one of so many of his easy-peasy, interfaith infused, gentle calls for attentiveness:

 

 

Hey, for overseas pals, we could send postcards saying hi. I say that because Rosie did the awesome postcard send-out from Hanging Rock if you read Picnic at Hanging Rock. (Which I most certainly read because I considered it to be uber cool to receive a postcard from the locale & the better bonus that it was from Rosie!)

 

:coolgleamA:

Yes, that was such fun with Rosie sending out those postcards :D! She was so sweet to send me the DVD also  :grouphug: . The postcard idea sounds like a fun one. 

[Onceuponatime]

I'm also interested on that book by Thich Naht Hanh. That topic has been on my mind a lot lately, but I've mostly been watching youtube videos on the subject.  I did pick up a book called mindfulness at the book exchange last month, but it is by a different author.

[Stacia]

2014 Pulitzer Prize winners:

http://flavorwire.com/newswire/2014-pulitzer-prize-winners-include-donna-tartt-annie-baker/

 

Tartt's The Goldfinch won for fiction.

[Jane in NC]

I miss spring. In fact, I miss having proper seasons. I never thought I'd say that and thought that I would love tropical weather forever. Now, I'm tired of it and crave change. 

From my spring board on Pinterest. Central Park in the spring. 

 

 

 

And Pam, yes, when I read The Dream, I also didn't realize that it was a memoir until later in the book. 

Just got The Nazi Officer's Wife for $1.99 on amazon! And am going to get the mindfulness book. :)

 

Yes, that was such fun with Rosie sending out those postcards :D! She was so sweet to send me the DVD also  :grouphug: . The postcard idea sounds like a fun one. 

 

I love the postcard and package ideas!

 

The photo Negin posted reminds me of the cherry blossoms that I saw in Washington DC last week.  It was my first trip there in the spring.  Beautiful as are the dogwoods that are now flowering here.

 

[mamaraby]

Oh, postcards! I'd be in for postcards or a flat librarian exchange. Maybe not books. I can fit small things in my budget with ease. My penpal from the UK sent us some fantastic postcards last year including one from Sutton Hoo thath tickled the kids (history you can visit!). So it would be a double benefit for me. We love mail around here.

 

My dh really enjoyed "Peace is Every Step" immensely. The now defunct Family Dharma Group we used to go to (*sniff*) used some of his materials for kids which was also lovely. Along those lines - writing, mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hahn...

 

[Pam in CT]

I miss spring. In fact, I miss having proper seasons. I never thought I'd say that and thought that I would love tropical weather forever. Now, I'm tired of it and crave change. 

From my spring board on Pinterest. Central Park in the spring. 

 

 

And Pam, yes, when I read The Dream, I also didn't realize that it was a memoir until later in the book. 

Just got The Nazi Officer's Wife for $1.99 on amazon! And am going to get the mindfulness book. :)

 

Yes, that was such fun with Rosie sending out those postcards :D! She was so sweet to send me the DVD also  :grouphug: . The postcard idea sounds like a fun one. 

 

Mmmm... our magnolias aren't out yet -- they usually are by mid-April, but spring came so late this year -- we're just getting forsythia and the first hints of redbud/cercis and loads and loads of hyacinth and daffodils.  But soon, magnolia and cherry and Bartlett pear, oh my!

 

I love fall for the temperatures and the colors ( though I loathe its declining light); and I love the eased pace of summer (though by August my garden is scorched out and I can no longer keep up with the weeds); and I even love snow (when it's new fallen and clean).  But spring is my absolute favorite.  Everything about spring is grand: the lacy pale green foliage, the smell of newly thawed earth, the joyful song of the birds, the tender buds of the flowering shrubs, the valiant promise of newly cleared beds that are still, for the moment, free of weeds... ahhhh...

[shukriyya]

Mmmm... our magnolias aren't out yet -- they usually are by mid-April, but spring came so late this year -- we're just getting forsythia and the first hints of redbud/cercis and loads and loads of hyacinth and daffodils. But soon, magnolia and cherry and Bartlett pear, oh my!

 

I love fall for the temperatures and the colors ( though I loathe its declining light); and I love the eased pace of summer (though by August my garden is scorched out and I can no longer keep up with the weeds); and I even love snow (when it's new fallen and clean). But spring is my absolute favorite. Everything about spring is grand: the lacy pale green foliage, the smell of newly thawed earth, the joyful song of the birds, the tender buds of the flowering shrubs, the valiant promise of newly cleared beds that are still, for the moment, free of weeds... ahhhh...

Re the bolded, Spring is one glorious valiant promise, isn't it. As well as an ongoing poetry of mindfulness staggering in its immediacy and ability to reel us in to the right now of profuse pink, the 'isn't it astonishing' of rising green light, the humble miracle of dank earth...

[shukriyya]

Here's my version of Spring in its flare and rising...I call her Apple Blossom Goddess.

 

 

 

For those who are inspired by Thick Nhat Hanh you might also try out books by Pema Chodron. The writing is similar in its clarity and intention.

[Robin M]

Cute, but I really doubt I could make myself cut up a book:  Upcycle Old Books for Kid Friendly Crafts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check it out:  Jazz Poetry

[Jane in NC]

Warning:  This post has nothing to do with books.  Just seasonal stuff.

 

Having received my first CSA box of the season, I used the spinach and leeks in it to make a quiche.  What's for dinner?  Quiche, salad made from organic lettuce that was in my box and (drum roll) Hot Cross buns.  I know some of you wait for Good Friday but we don't limit our consumption of these yummy things to a single day.  And since the oven was going to be on for the quiche, it seemed a good idea to bake my buns simultaneously.

 

Let the snarky comments begin.  :D

[Jane in NC]

Cute, but I really doubt I could make myself cut up a book:  Upcycle Old Books for Kid Friendly Crafts

 

 

 

 

 

 

At least half of these books were in my inlaws house! 

 

[shukriyya]

Pigeons at Dawn

by Charles Simic

Extraordinary efforts are being made
To hide things from us, my friend.
Some stay up into the wee hours
To search their souls.
Others undress each other in darkened rooms.

The creaky old elevator
Took us down to the icy cellar first
To show us a mop and a bucket
Before it deigned to ascend again
With a sigh of exasperation.

Under the vast, early-dawn sky
The city lay silent before us.
Everything on hold:
Rooftops and water towers,
Clouds and wisps of white smoke.

We must be patient, we told ourselves,
See if the pigeons will coo now
For the one who comes to her window
To feed them angel cake,
All but invisible, but for her slender arm.

[Stacia]

...

[shukriyya]

 

[Angel]

Hey, hey I'm on the right track :D

 

As to the mailing of books...I love this idea in theory but I'm notoriously bad at getting to the PO. A postcard might be more realistic however for my BaWer pals I might be inspired to do more.

 

Me too!!!  I was thinking the same thing!  I think it's a great idea, though, and would be willing to try.

 

I would be happy to do some postcards over the summer.  Heathersage area/Jane Austen, Whitby/Stoker, and Haworth/Bronte sisters, are all on the list to visit this summer. If someone has a special request  I can try -- we love historical spots.  Send me a pm with address and preference and I will do my best to find the postcards. Oh,  Ashby de.....for Ivanhoe fans would be pretty easy too.

 

I will have to try to remember to pm you.  Dd and I would love to have postcards from the Austen and Bronte areas  :thumbup:

[Onceuponatime]

I finished The Secret Keeper. I liked it very much even though I figured out the main secret about half way through the book. The author did a good job of tying all the loose threads together by the end.

[Stacia]

...

[Stacia]

Great fake endings to Books:

http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/2012/11/14/hilarious-fake-endings-to-books/

 

:lol:

 

Eta: The last one (The Little Prince) totally cracks me up. Will I be doomed to picturing Will Smith every time I see The Little Prince?

[Jane in NC]

It was Stacia who connected me to Archipelago Books.  Those of you who enjoy poetry may be interested in their National Poetry Month offer of 60% off.  More here.

[shukriyya]

In thinking of the postcard/book send-off I have visions of also including a bar of local chocolate (we have incredible chocolate here!) assuming I'm not sending it somewhere intensely hot and humid.

[shukriyya]

ir

 

[Stacia]

It was Stacia who connected me to Archipelago Books.  Those of you who enjoy poetry may be interested in their National Poetry Month offer of 60% off.  More here.

 

 

Lol. Just coming to post the same thing....

 

In thinking of the postcard/book send-off I have visions of also including a bar of local chocolate (we have incredible chocolate here!) assuming I'm not sending it somewhere intensely hot and humid.

Wah! I think that 'too hot & humid' part will eliminate a lot of BaWers for a decent part of the year. But, I'll go ahead & put in my request to you for a chocolate order in January 2015. Lol.

[shukriyya]

 

Wah! I think that 'too hot & humid' part will eliminate a lot of BaWers for a decent part of the year. But, I'll go ahead & put in my request to you for a chocolate order in January 2015. Lol.

 

Well, that's too far off to wait for excellent chocolate. Maybe wrapping it in that lightweight insulate stuff would do the trick. Of course you'd need to specify if you're a dark or milk gal. I'm a dark gal myself, the one in the middle... :lol:

 

 

 

[Onceuponatime]

This just passed through my facebook feed:

 

http://www.openculture.com/2013/02/wh_audens_1941_literature_syllabus_asks_students_to_read_32_great_works_covering_6000_pages_.html

 

 

Hot and humid is a problem here. My mom called to day and reminded me that she sent us a "surprise" Easter package and to catch the delivery so it is not sitting on our doorstep in the sun. I don't think there will be a problem. Apparently spring is backtracking tomorrow. Love the picture of the girl reading.

[shukriyya]

Here's an interesting article...

 

Zelda Fitzgerald's Little-Known Art

 

From Alice in Wonderland to Times Square, a delicate dance of the imagination.

 

When Zelda Sayre married legendary Jazz Age novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald to become Zelda Fitzgerald, she was anointed “the first American flapper†and embarked on one of the most turbulent relationships in literary history. Though best-remembered as a writer and dancer, Zelda, unbeknownst to many, not only considered herself an artist but was also an exceptionally gifted one.

 

To read on and see some of her wonderful art work here you go. And below two examples of her work...

 

Marriage at Cana

 

 

 

Hansel and Gretel

 

 

[Angel]

In thinking of the postcard/book send-off I have visions of also including a bar of local chocolate (we have incredible chocolate here!) assuming I'm not sending it somewhere intensely hot and humid.

 

YUM!  I also liked the idea of sending your favorite tea/coffee!  Mine would be tea!

 

 

Well, that's too far off to wait for excellent chocolate. Maybe wrapping it in that lightweight insulate stuff would do the trick. Of course you'd need to specify if you're a dark or milk gal. I'm a dark gal myself, the one in the middle... :lol:

 

 

 

The bunny in the middle...totally a dark girl!  Milk, ok I guess.  White...totally not in a chocolate category  :leaving:

[Robin M]

Warning:  This post has nothing to do with books.  Just seasonal stuff.

 

Having received my first CSA box of the season, I used the spinach and leeks in it to make a quiche.  What's for dinner?  Quiche, salad made from organic lettuce that was in my box and (drum roll) Hot Cross buns.  I know some of you wait for Good Friday but we don't limit our consumption of these yummy things to a single day.  And since the oven was going to be on for the quiche, it seemed a good idea to bake my buns simultaneously.

 

Let the snarky comments begin.  :D

Oh Yum!

 

 

Well, that's too far off to wait for excellent chocolate. Maybe wrapping it in that lightweight insulate stuff would do the trick. Of course you'd need to specify if you're a dark or milk gal. I'm a dark gal myself, the one in the middle... :lol:

 

 

 

Totally making me hungry.  There was this one candy store in the mall in Georgia eons ago where I tried white chocolate for the first time and became hooked.  Hadn't had it in a long time and now that picture has me craving it. 

[Jane in NC]

 

Here's an interesting article...

 

Zelda Fitzgerald's Little-Known Art

 

 

I had the good fortune to see an exhibit of Zelda Fitzgerald's work last year.  In addition to her paintings, there were the most amazing paper dolls that she made for her daughter Scottie. 

 

 

[Stacia]

.

[Stacia]

...

[shukriyya]

I finished the audiobook of Untie the Strong Woman. Wonderful, deeply moving, resonant book...but not sure I would recommend it here. Put it this way, anyone wishing to attune to the Holy Mother within and the Great Woman without and the place of liminality where these two worlds are endlessly rivering into each other, this is a book for you. Strong Catholic slant to it which I didn't find detracting because of Estes's ability to situate the pull to ritual within the larger human consciousness. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the hard copy version and I have to say this is a unique situation where I would recommend getting both versions. Dr. Estes's ability to speak the words with immediacy and heart is really quite astonishing. Her voice itself is a transmission. But the hard copy has some amazing artwork and it gives more of a detailed trajectory than the audiobook plus all the end notes, bibliography etc add another layer. I'm also far enough into The Midwife of Venice to feel confident I'll enjoy it.

[aggieamy]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's been a long day.  Anyone want to join me for a glass of Hemmingway?

 

Great fake endings to Books:

http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/2012/11/14/hilarious-fake-endings-to-books/

 

:lol:

 

Eta: The last one (The Little Prince) totally cracks me up. Will I be doomed to picturing Will Smith every time I see The Little Prince?

 

"Goodbye arms ..."  LOL!

[The Governess]

Ok, so I'm halfway through The Goldfinch. Theo is back in New York. Someone please tell me things get brighter now?? Because this poor kid needs a break. And so does this reader. I have a terrible, looming feeling that the worst is yet to come. *sigh*

[Rosie_0801]

I will have to try to remember to pm you.  Dd and I would love to have postcards from the Austen and Bronte areas  :thumbup:

 

Yes! Robin, do make some *official* reading challenges of these books so I know what I have to read to *deserve* the postcards!

 

I'd be ashamed of undeserved postcards.  :leaving:

[Rosie_0801]

In thinking of the postcard/book send-off I have visions of also including a bar of local chocolate (we have incredible chocolate here!) assuming I'm not sending it somewhere intensely hot and humid.

 

Too good to lick it off the wrapper, are we?  :huh:

[mumto2]

Just finished "Murder Past Due"  http://www.houstonpress.com/2010-08-05/calendar/dean-james-writing-as-miranda-james-murder-past-due/full/ by Miranda James which was a delightful copy mystery.  It managed to completely distract me and keep me tied to my kindle all day yesterday!  I normally read something with real paper when at home.  When you click on the link you will see Miranda is a man -- may be reading more male authors then previously thought. :lol:  Now back to the storyline , the main character, a librarian, is accompanied everywhere by his favourite companion an absolutely fabulous Maine coon cat.  Just had to mention because of the high percentage of cat lovers. ;)  This was a well done copy.

 

I had to stop reading The Accident.  Just could not seem to follow it well enough to enjoy it.  Characters from the Expats popping up.  All sorts of unexplained intrigue.  Confusing.  The first pages were great.....literary agent receives incredible thriller manuscript with a page at the end from the author saying that if you are reading this they are dead.  Great start but.......May I will try again at some point.

[mumto2]

 

 

I will have to try to remember to pm you.  Dd and I would love to have postcards from the Austen and Bronte areas  :thumbup:

I would be happy to mail them!

 

Yes! Robin, do make some *official* reading challenges of these books so I know what I have to read to *deserve* the postcards!

 

I'd be ashamed of undeserved postcards.  :leaving:

If Robin makes some official challenges I would be happy to get the postcards.  Rosie is right because it would be more fun if the postcards come with challenges.  My only request is we do some advance planning so I can pick up the cards when my family is visiting the location.  My reality is places like Whitby are usually summer visits for us and the spooky reads are in October.