Book a Week in 2014 - BW20

[prairiegirl]

Hey friends,

 

There are currently 5 wildfires in my area, 30 homes destroyed so far.  We are safe, not in the path of any of the current blazes, but I ask for uplifting prayers and good thoughts for the firefighters on the front lines as well as for all those families affected.  The firefighters did a heroic job yesterday in knocking down a 1500 acre fire that caused some friends to evacuate, but today is a nightmare.  100 degrees, 5% humidity and strong winds.  I HATE fire weather.

 

I am praying, Jen. :grouphug:

[Pam in CT]

Hey friends,

 

There are currently 5 wildfires in my area, 30 homes destroyed so far.  We are safe, not in the path of any of the current blazes, but I ask for uplifting prayers and good thoughts for the firefighters on the front lines as well as for all those families affected.  The firefighters did a heroic job yesterday in knocking down a 1500 acre fire that caused some friends to evacuate, but today is a nightmare.  100 degrees, 5% humidity and strong winds.  I HATE fire weather.

 

Oh, Jenn. Holding Southern CA in the light...  :grouphug:

[Pam in CT]

 

Pam, I think we read the same version of Night Circus.  I was very appreciative of your summary.  I went back and looked it over once trying to figure out what I was missing and I still walked away with your basic summary.  Sort of relieved someone else read it the same. ;)

 

Ah, you're absolutely right; that must be it.  Two editions.  

 

:lol:

[Rosie_0801]

Hey friends,

 

There are currently 5 wildfires in my area, 30 homes destroyed so far.  We are safe, not in the path of any of the current blazes, but I ask for uplifting prayers and good thoughts for the firefighters on the front lines as well as for all those families affected.  The firefighters did a heroic job yesterday in knocking down a 1500 acre fire that caused some friends to evacuate, but today is a nightmare.  100 degrees, 5% humidity and strong winds.  I HATE fire weather.

 

Fire season is definitely in my top five on my list of sucky things.  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Robin M]

Hey friends,

 

There are currently 5 wildfires in my area, 30 homes destroyed so far.  We are safe, not in the path of any of the current blazes, but I ask for uplifting prayers and good thoughts for the firefighters on the front lines as well as for all those families affected.  The firefighters did a heroic job yesterday in knocking down a 1500 acre fire that caused some friends to evacuate, but today is a nightmare.  100 degrees, 5% humidity and strong winds.  I HATE fire weather.

Stay safe and keeping all in our thoughts and prayers.

 

As always, based on the conversations here, I started poking around various book lists & found a nice list of 10 Great Magical Books for Adults. These may fall anywhere in the magical realism to fantasy to just plain fiction categories, I think. Fun list.

 

I've read four of them (The Master and Margarita; Mr. Fox; One Hundred Years of Solitude; The House of the Spirits), made it partway through another one (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle), & have read parts of The

:laugh:

Interesting list.  I've read One Hundred Years of Solitude and Wind Up, have The House of the Spirits and Jonathan Strange on my shelves.  The rest don't titillate my taste buds very much, except perhaps for Master and the Margarita. Stacia, you've sparked my curiosity once again.

 

Have enjoyed being a fly on the wall today with the discussion of magical realism versus fantasy.  Tor's article was great and especially like this part which one of you already pointed out: 

 

That’s a question that can lead to tedious semantics with dangerous ease. I have no interest in arguing classifications: all fiction is fantasy, it’s just a matter of degree.

 

 

Lots of thoughts, but most have been covered.  I practically lived in the science fiction/fantasy aisle of the bookstore back in my late teens/early 20's. It was all I read and still have all the books. Some have stood the test of time and others I really can't see what drew me to it in the first place.  I loved Tolkein then, but can't stomach his writing now. Some books you read once and you are done with them, even though they were great such Piers Anthony Xanth series, Larry Niven's Ringworld, or Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld saga.  I'll never outgrow Mercedes Lackey or Charles De Lint though. Love their worlds and imaginations.  

 

My interests have matured over the years and I've spread my wings genre wise, which has also made me a bit more picky in the books I choose, since it's a wide open field. 

 

Night Circus totally had the Ray Bradbury Something Wicked This Way Comes vibe for me.   I've discovered many authors these days who don't want to be tied down to one genre, don't want to be classified as only a horror author or a christian author or whatever. Their books cross many genres which makes them hard to categorize sometimes.  You can have several people read the same book and one say it was action adventure, another a mystery, and another fantasy.  So many interesting elements.

 

The thing I like about books,  no matter the genre, are stories that take me on a journey, some that mind altering, others with totally surprising plots twists, others that when the story is over, you close the book with a sigh and it takes you a while to come down from that book high.  I'm actually glad there are authors crossing over, mixing their genres, because otherwise I could have missed them.

 

[Rosie_0801]

Oh man. I wish I could make art like that one above.  :drool5:

[shukriyya]

Ah, you're absolutely right; that must be it.  Two editions.  

 

:lol:

 

At least :smilielol5:

 

[Jane in NC]

The Game of Thrones series is not my cuppa, but George R.R. Martin's stock rose in my eyes today when I read that he writes his books on an old DOS computer.

 

 

I hate some of these modern systems where you type a lower case letter and it becomes a capital. I don't want a capital. If I'd wanted a capital, I'd have typed a capital. I know how to work the shift key. Stop fixing it.

 

Article here.

[JennW in SoCal]

Got called while giving a lesson that a fire had broken out in my neighborhood.  Home now, fire was extinguished out before it could grow, but we're getting ready to evacuate nevertheless.  Meanwhile the city is slowly being covered in smoke.  7 active fires.

 

Rosie -- you'd feel right at home in my neck of Southern California.  We are in a eucalyptus forest!  And those puppies, like the native CA vegetation, sure can burn.  

 

I'd like to disappear down that book path in the picture Robin posted!

 

[Jane in NC]

Oh Jenn--how frightening!  We are supposed to get one to two inches of rain tomorrow.  I wish that I could send some your way!

 

Stay safe,

Jane

[mamaraby]

I finished Olshan's "Marshlands" yesterday - loved it, but I think he could have easily expanded the book and it would have been far more satisfying. I'm about 3/4 of the way through "On the Noodle Road" which is good, but not as good as "The Language of Baklava." I was really glad when I got through the section on Iran. :0) I'm definitely not an adventuresome traveler!

[Violet Crown]

This is such an interesting conversation. I'm only minimally participting because I don't have much experience with the genres being discussed. However, listening to all of you who normally read this stuff is helping me understand why I like some fantasy/MR/sci-fi (though not so much the latter) and not others.

I had been thinking that I couldn't contribute to the discussion because I really don't enjoy books with magic and fantasy elements. Then I realized I just finished the Thrymskvitha, about Thor tricking the giants into giving back his magic hammer. But of course that isn't fantasy, it's poetry. Yes, very different.

[Stacia]

Oh Jenn, how scary. Keep us posted when you can. Worried for you! Stay safe.

 

Hugs.

[shukriyya]

I had been thinking that I couldn't contribute to the discussion because I really don't enjoy books with magic and fantasy elements. Then I realized I just finished the Thrymskvitha, about Thor tricking the giants into giving back his magic hammer. But of course that isn't fantasy, it's poetry. Yes, very different.

 

I'm sure you'd have some erudite contribution, VC. And anyway poetry must have an element of magic in it! Or at the very least some alchemy. Either way there is all that silence and space beneath the words. I like to think of it as the hush that occurs after the magician utters the words 'abracadabra'--the poetry is in that expectant, endless, magical/alchemical moment where anything is possible...until it's given form and then finitude comes clashing down with its clamor and dissonance. A really good poet can somehow allow that silence to permeate the form so that its birth isn't such a shock.

 

Jenn :grouphug:

 

 

[mumto2]

Jenn,  Just read the news updates and praying for all our friends in that area. :grouphug:  Please check in with us when you can so we know you are alright.

 

Late into the night I worked on my library book return project.  My return book bag is stuffed full for my Thursday drive to the next village.  Of course it will be full for the return trip but......Anyway in the process of deciding what to do about Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grant by Dyan Cannon I ended up reading the book.  Onceuponatime and I had a bit of a discussion several months ago on how by reading it our love of Cary could be ruined.  While I don't recommend the book, I have to not ruined my love of his movies hopefully,  because it was essentially her story not his.  Plus really love his movies.  Oddly their relationship was a bit like his role as Rhett Butler with Scarlett.  He was high handed while she was self centered. Both had serious issues.  When a baby and real life entered their story neither reacted well and their relationship collapsed pretty spectacularly.

 

 

ETA  Oops Rhett was Clarke Gable not Cary Grant.  I plead exhaustion due to a really late night.  The relationship comparison still exists, he just didn't play Rhett.  Thanks Floridamom.

[Pam in CT]

I had been thinking that I couldn't contribute to the discussion because I really don't enjoy books with magic and fantasy elements. Then I realized I just finished the Thrymskvitha, about Thor tricking the giants into giving back his magic hammer. But of course that isn't fantasy, it's poetry. Yes, very different.

 

Right.  And where do fairy tales fit in?

[Onceuponatime]

I had been thinking that I couldn't contribute to the discussion because I really don't enjoy books with magic and fantasy elements. Then I realized I just finished the Thrymskvitha, about Thor tricking the giants into giving back his magic hammer. But of course that isn't fantasy, it's poetry. Yes, very different.

 

If you say so.................... :001_rolleyes:  ;)

[Stacia]

 

A few fun links while you drink your coffee or tea this morning...

 

Dracula's castle is for sale

 

And on a similar, homey note: The 25 Greatest Homes in Literature

 

9 Contemporary Authors You Should Be Reading (I've read two of them -- Helen Oyeyemi & Jesse Ball.)

 

2014's Most Overlooked Books (So Far)

 

Not Sure What Feminism Is? Allow These Famous Authors To Explain (to go back to one of our old discussions...)

[Onceuponatime]

Hmm, of all those authors and books which are the ones that appeal to me? The Urban Nature Diary and the urban forager author. Am I my father's daughter? Christmas is coming.

[Onceuponatime]

I finished The Art of Happiness and am now reading more art theft in Immaculate Deception by Iain Pears. It had to be that one because my local library doesn't have any Pears books, but I found that at the thrift store.

[Mom-ninja.]

 

 

Late into the night I worked on my library book return project.  My return book bag is stuffed full for my Thursday drive to the next village.  Of course it will be full for the return trip but......Anyway in the process of deciding what to do about Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grant by Dyan Cannon I ended up reading the book.  Onceuponatime and I had a bit of a discussion several months ago on how by reading it our love of Cary could be ruined.  While I don't recommend the book, I have to not ruined my love of his movies hopefully,  because it was essentially her story not his.  Plus really love his movies.  Oddly their relationship was a bit like his role as Rhett Butler with Scarlett.  He was high handed while she was self centered. Both had serious issues.  When a baby and real life entered their story neither reacted well and their relationship collapsed pretty spectacularly.

 

Yep, I refuse to read anything about Cary Grant. He will live forever as the perfect man in my little world. Cause I want him to.

[JennW in SoCal]

 

 

A few fun links while you drink your coffee or tea this morning...

 

 

 

 

 

And a lovely good morning right back at you, Stacia!    Or afternoon for you by now...

 

We still holding our breath, but feel the worst is over.  There is still one worrisome uncontained fire, it is still stupid hot and dry, but the winds are quieter today and our usual mass of ocean-cooled air is supposed to settle in the region again starting tomorrow or Saturday.  

 

The fire fighting crews are the most awesome group of people on the face of the earth.  Between the crews on the ground and the helicopters and airplanes attacking from above, they have kept 9 separate fires in check.  I will have to restrain myself from hugging each of them the next time I see our local station crew at the grocery store!

[Lady Florida.]

 Oddly their relationship was a bit like his role as Rhett Butler with Scarlett.  He was high handed while she was self centered. Both had serious issues.  When a baby and real life entered their story neither reacted well and their relationship collapsed pretty spectacularly.

 

That was Clark Gable. Unless there's another GwtW adaptation I never heard of.

[Stacia]

A birthday thread for Rowan (Lizzie in MA's dd) is here in case you want to post some birthday wishes. :001_smile:

[Kareni]

If you're interested in reading some nautical stories, you might find this recent column from Tor informative.

 

Let’s Buckle Some Swashes with these Seafaring Adventures! by Leah Schnelbach

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

Last night I finished my most recent book group book.  We meet tonight.  Who, me? Procrastinate?  (And how would you punctuate that thought?)

 

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

 

"Three sisters have returned to their childhood home, reuniting the eccentric Andreas family. Here, books are a passion (there is no problem a library card can't solve) and TV is something other people watch. Their father-a professor of Shakespeare who speaks almost exclusively in verse-named them after the Bard's heroines. It's a lot to live up to.

 

The sisters have a hard time communicating with their parents and their lovers, but especially with one another. What can the shy homebody eldest sister, the fast-living middle child, and the bohemian youngest sibling have in common? Only that none has found life to be what was expected; and now, faced with their parents' frailty and their own personal disappointments, not even a book can solve what ails them..."

 

 

If you're a Shakespeare lover, there is no shortage of quotes to be found within the book.  And, yes, the book truly is a paean (how often does one get to use that word?  it's the first time for me.) to reading.  The book was an enjoyable read, though I found the first person plural voice of interest/curious/distracting.  I'm happy to have read it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Guest]

Oh, Jenn, I do hope the worst is over for you guys. We have a ton of family scattered throughout San Diego county, but so far I don't think any of them are in danger.

 

I've been trying to follow this fascinating conversation you ladies are having, but have not been able to participate. I woke up yesterday with what felt like a charley horse in my neck and have been in excruciating pain ever since. I'm trying to relax, but having a hard time concentrating due to the pain. I always considered myself a fan of fantasy, and I just assumed magical realism was something lumped in there, but this thread has been enlightening that they are not the same, and I haven't even read most of all the books that have been listed. Summer may be a good time to investigate the new (for me!) genre.

 

(And thanks for all the book suggestions upthread for South America and Australia, I have begun hunting for some of them!)

[aggieamy]

Yep, I refuse to read anything about Cary Grant. He will live forever as the perfect man in my little world. Cause I want him to.

 

Ditto ditto.

 

My grandmother once told me that she thought Cary Grant was just fabulously handsome and she adored him.  She was born in 1929 and my grandfather in 1918 so Cary Grant was of their era.  At breakfast one morning my grandmother was feeling particularly fond of my grandfather and told him that she wouldn't leave him if Cary Grant showed up and asked her to run away with him.  She said my grandfather didn't even put down the paper.  He just snorted and said "Of course you wouldn't. That man's probably 80 or something now."  

 

My grandfather wasn't one for romance as he got older.  :laugh:

[Rosie_0801]

My grandmother won a competition to have lunch with Clarke Gable once, so she said.

[mumto2]

That was Clark Gable. Unless there's another GwtW adaptation I never heard of.

Thank you, I added an edit to the original post.  I stayed up way to late reading that book.  Came up with my incorrect conclusion during the night and woke up and posted shortly after.  I don't function well on 4 hours sleep a night obviously.

 

One thing I learned after I posted was Cary Grant apparently spent quite a bit of time with his Dd and she remembers him very fondly.  She frequently lived at his house while her mom was busy on films which was not mentioned in the book at all.   I knew his grandson is named after him. One comment the Dd made in the interview was a simple she had read her mother's book.  Nothing else. The interview pretty much put him totally back on my nice guy books. 

 

Rosie,  just have to say lunch with Clarke Gable.  What a dream contest to win!  :)

[Mom-ninja.]

My grandmother won a competition to have lunch with Clarke Gable once, so she said.

My grandmother was cuckoo for Clark Gable. He's good too but Cary Grant is it for me.

[aggieamy]

I just kinda feel like this thread needs a picture or two ...

 

 

[Stacia]

Monica -- love your new avatar! Gorgeous! :)

[Guest]

 

Mapmaker's Wife is pretty great.  Did you by chance read Dava Sobel's Longitude?  In some ways Mapmaker's Wife reminded me of it -- a surprisingly fascinating human story behind a technological problem that I'd never given one moment's thought about.  MW really has two stories embedded -- one, the technical and logistical challenges with the effort to map the equator, and then the amazing (and evidently based on historically documented) story of Isabel Grameson's trek across the Amazon to be reunited with her husband.  Definitely worthwhile.

 

 

My library has that, so I'm going to try and get a copy.

 

 

For me the roots are found in the here-and-now world and the wings are in the various bending of those laws through magic. Fantasy, I've got nothing to hold onto, it exists in another dimension entirely and with no breadcrumbs or rope or touchstones. I get bored. I find this all so fascinating, the way each of us interprets things, so differently in some ways and yet there is always a point of intersection.

 

Hmm. See, I think this is why I so absolutely love fantasy. The ambiguity is what I relate to in these books. I love the extensive painting of these worlds - although the author is building it with their words, it is ultimately my world that is being built, and I love to go to a place that isn't marred by reality. The descriptions of the characters and events are done in a way that no one else really knows how they exist. In fantasy, I can build and not be wrong. Whereas in what you guys are describing as Magical Realism, it is too bizarre and too abstract. I feel like it's a secret that everyone understands but me. There is too much reality that I may draw the line between reality and fantasy in the wrong place. 

 

 

These conversations bring home the realization that reading is truly a personal experience and that another person cannot dictate what you do or do not get out of a piece of writing. There may be universal concepts to be gained from reading something in particular but that doesn't mean that everyone will internalize those concepts in the same way. Even the author has no control over what happens to his words once they enter another's mind. The most we can hope for is to find someone who "gets" our point of view, even if they don't hold it themselves.

 

:iagree: I wish someone had said this to my senior English teacher. :glare:

 

 

 

I think the author of the article hits an interesting point that MR is highlighting the chaos, discomfort, & horror in the real world.

 

 

Which would explain why I haven't read (m)any!

[Stacia]

...

[Stacia]

Whereas in what you guys are describing as Magical Realism, it is too bizarre and too abstract. I feel like it's a secret that everyone understands but me. There is too much reality that I may draw the line between reality and fantasy in the wrong place. 

 

I think the beauty of magical realism is that you could draw the line between reality & fantasy where you want to -- it's in your interpretation of the events as a reader, after all. There's really no right or wrong way to read MR, imo. Just be open to falling into the story & seeing where it may lead you...

 

 

[Guest]

Is Boy, Snow, Bird considered MR?

[Stacia]

Is Boy, Snow, Bird considered MR?

 

Some might say that, but I didn't really consider it to fall into the magical realism category. I looked back at my comments on it & I wrote: "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."

 

Oyeyemi's other book that I've read (Mr. Fox) would fit much more into the magical realism category, imo.

 

Loved both books immensely, but Mr. Fox is my favorite of the two.

[Guest]

Okay. I saw her Mr. Fox book on that list so I was wondering if Boy, Snow, Bird was in the same category.  I guess I will just have to read them both. :D

[shukriyya]

Monica -- love your new avatar! Gorgeous! :)

 

I noticed the change too and thought how nice to see who Phoenix actually was.

 

I don't watch oodles of older movies (but I have seen Gone with the Wind), but I think I'm a Clark Gable fan...

 

 

 

Rosie, how neat about your grandma's lunch. Did she actually have lunch with him??? How was it?

 

Stacia, this is just old-fashioned man candy...and we know you're a sucker for that no matter the century :lol:

[Stacia]

...

[Stacia]

Stacia, this is just old-fashioned man candy...and we know you're a sucker for that no matter the century :lol:

 

Hey, I know good men when I see them!

 

:D  (or should that be :w00t: ?)

 

P.S. Maybe Robin should start adding a man candy pic with each century challenge that comes up. ;)

[Stacia]

15 Teen Feminist Books Everyone Should Read.

http://flavorwire.com/457048/15-teen-feminist-books-everyone-should-read/view-all

[Stacia]

Dilemmas, dilemmas....

 

I'm partway through Eric Ambler's Background to Danger & am enjoying it.

 

I just got home from the local bookstore, picking up my gorgeous hardcover copy of Aurorarama by Jean-Christophe Valtat & want to dive in immediately. Even the endpapers are a lovely turquoise with stars in them. And here's a quote from the first page or two...

As far as Gods go, the Sun may not have, it is true, the most impressive record. He has certainly none of the gift of the gab that runs in the Jehovah family and when it comes to throwing lightning bolts Jove-style, He is as inept as the average mortal. But, down to earth as He is, when one needs a God who is punctual, reliable, and handy around the house, and that is exactly the kind of deity one needs above 80° North, good old Ray is likely to be the connoisseur's first pick.

Otoh, I have so many, many, many other things (other than reading, that is) that I should & need to be doing.... Sigh.

[Mom-ninja.]

Just so very yummy.

I just kinda feel like this thread needs a picture or two ...

 

 

[Kareni]

Yesterday I finished Jennifer Ashley's latest paranormal romance Wild Wolf (Shifters Unbound).  I enjoyed it.  I'd say it stands alone fairly well, but I'd still recommend starting with book one in the series --  Pride Mates (Shifters Unbound, Book 1).

 

"Graham McNeil knows that his pack is unruly, but he’s not sure he can take the next step toward Shiftertown stability—choosing a new mate. After losing his mate and son long ago, Graham has worked hard to keep his heart in check. And even if he was inclined to bind himself again, his girlfriend, Misty, is human—a fact that won’t sit well with Graham’s old-fashioned wolves. 
 
But Graham is up against a new enemy, one who could spell danger and death to all of Shiftertown. Graham must now defend his leadership and save Misty, the woman he has grown to love—before Shiftertown is pulled into an all-out war."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie, how neat about your grandma's lunch. Did she actually have lunch with him??? How was it?

 

So she said! She never said much, I got the feeling she was ridiculously star struck. :p

[melmichigan]

Yesterday I finished Jennifer Ashley's latest paranormal romance Wild Wolf (Shifters Unbound).  I enjoyed it.  I'd say it stands alone fairly well, but I'd still recommend starting with book one in the series --  Pride Mates (Shifters Unbound, Book 1).

 

"Graham McNeil knows that his pack is unruly, but he’s not sure he can take the next step toward Shiftertown stability—choosing a new mate. After losing his mate and son long ago, Graham has worked hard to keep his heart in check. And even if he was inclined to bind himself again, his girlfriend, Misty, is human—a fact that won’t sit well with Graham’s old-fashioned wolves. 

 

But Graham is up against a new enemy, one who could spell danger and death to all of Shiftertown. Graham must now defend his leadership and save Misty, the woman he has grown to love—before Shiftertown is pulled into an all-out war."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I liked this one too. It was interesting to see how things branched out into a different Shiftertown in order to bring in more characters.

 

A big thank you to all who listed new authors for me last week.  :coolgleamA:

 

I finished the Stormwalker Series by Allyson James.  Double Hexed, from the Hexed Anthology, is being released as a single title this coming Tuesday.

 

I also read the Charley Davidson Series by Darynda Jones. I love Charley's sarcasm!  The Sixth Grave on the Edge also comes out on Tuesday. I preordered the paperback of this one so I know what I'll be reading this coming week.   ;)

[Robin M]

Sad to say Mary Stewart has passed away.  Coincidentally I'm in the middle of reading The Crystal Cave.  Dedicating this sunday's post to Stewart since she is on my mind now.

[Jane in NC]

Sad to say Mary Stewart has passed away.

 

Lovely obituary.  Thank you for sharing.

 

I think I'll have a toast to Mary later on.