Book a Week in 2014 - BW22

[shukriyya]

And for the luddites among us...we have The Holloway Reading Stand and Dictionary Holder c. 1892 This is worth a little look-see for the gorgeously intricate illustrations and the amusing commentary...

 

 

 

 

But wait there's more...

 

 

 

And it converts to a tea stand...

 

 

[Guest]

 

I probably ended up being among the very few people who didn't think that movie was awesome. Editing to say dh and ds loved it.

 

Well, all I know of it is that I've seen it in the checkout line at the grocery store. I don't even know what it is about!

[Mom-ninja.]

 

Would this be suitable for a tween? Ds has read all of Milne's stories, poems and listened countless times, too. If this were appropriate he'd enjoy it.

 

 

Yes, very much so.

 

[NoseInABook]

Hehe, I love that it noted that readers and thinkers are not lazy people. Not even when they have a machine holding their books for them so they can lay down.

 

I came home from the homeschool partnership to find a box of books on my doorstep. Woohoo! Denise Schipani's Mean Moms Rule, Kay Wills Wyma's Cleaning House, Sally Clarkson & Angela Perritt's You Are Loved, and Michelle DeRusha's Spiritual Misfit. All non fiction which I have been avoiding but I couldn't resist! They all looked so good plus I love anything that Sally Clarkson writes.

 

Aunt Dimity is fun. I want to read her while it storms outside and I'm curled up with a cup of tea. I have nooo idea why but the style of it makes me want to do that so badly! 

[LostSurprise]

I am very lazy today and I finished my non-fiction about cholera in Victorian London, so I am going to lie on the couch and read Iain Pears art mystery novels until I run out (since I only have 1 right now, this shouldn't be too difficult). 

 

 

 

The Ghost Map had an interesting subject; the rise of cities, the evolution of bacteria and viruses, miasma vs. ingestion theory before germ theory was introduced, a terrible outbreak in London, the primitive emotional connection to smell, the use of visual information and maps to convey information, a brilliant doctor (John Snow, pioneer anesthetist) and a sociable clergyman (Henry Whitehead) both of whom were necessary to find the whole truth. I even learned there was a drop in mortality during the Victorian age because of the availability and mass consumption of cheap tea from India (the boiling of water and the tannins in the tea killed many of the bacteria that plagued the unmanaged water systems).

 

Unfortunately, I can't really recommend the book because the author was all over the place. He anthropomorphized bacteria. When he got excited he tended toward exaggeration. He'd go into bizarrely minute detail only to suddenly skip over things. And then there's the epilogue, a 50 page treatise on the urbanization of the planet, the necessity of it and the possible future problems (and answers to those problems).  :rolleyes:  Really, he needed another book for all that. I think he read some books about urbanization and got a little excited. It's kind of a hodge-podge.

 

 

 

It did make me appreciate all the men and women who have worked so hard to find solutions to the ever-changing problems human beings face (often unknowingly of our own making).  "This is how great intellectual breakthroughs usually happen in practice. It is rarely the isolated genius having a eureka moment alone in the lab. Nor is it merely a question of building on precedent, of standing on the shoulders of giants, in Newton's famous phrase. Great breakthroughs are closer to what happens in a flood plain: a dozen separate tributaries converge, the rising waters lift the genius high enough that he or she can see around the conceptual obstructions of the age." 

 

And I understand Dickens a little better. 

 

 

 

 

 

Still working on Hild, half way done and due next week. 

[melmichigan]

Just a quick stop in to mention that I finished The Kill Switch: A Tucker Wayne Novel by James Rollins.  I enjoy most everything James Rollins writes and this one was also good.  

 

Next up is The King by J.R. Ward, number twelve it the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

[6packofun]

I read Annihilation, and I have private thoughts about what's going on in Area X so I didn't think of it as being surreal...just...alien. I liked it well enough. 

 

How do you feel about thrillers in general? Does the feeling start to wear on you after awhile? I could only make it through 1 season of Lost so while I generally would be annoyed at the stretched out trilogy, 200 pages was about as much paranoia as I can stand in one sitting. 

 

 

 

VanderMeer has been on one of those 'X number of authors you should be reading' lists recently that Stacia & Co. publish. I was like, 'yayy, I've actually heard of 2 of these people.' 

 

Oh, I agree about the alien aspect.  I don't believe it is *all* going on in their minds. 

 

When I think about thrillers as a genre, I wouldn't count Annihilation among them, I don't think.  I'm not sure what this was but I DID think of "Lost" many times throughout and that did wear on me.  Thrillers, to me, seem more focused on reaching a goal and some exciting conflict/climax.  I don't know what the hell the point was in Annihilation, I'm sorry to say.  LOL

 

Your post is so on the mark for me because I kept thinking as I was reading it, "This is one of those books that people want to say they've read--and liked--for whatever reason, but I just can't be one of the popular kids on this one."  :P

 

[Robin M]

 

I almost decided to read it when everyone was discussing it earlier in the year. I kept going back to the description though, and I realized it just isn't my type of book. 

 

 

We recently rented Gravity for a family movie (ds is 16, so our "family" movies are on the mature side these days). I had trouble watching it because it was such a loud movie. I actually put on headphones to muffle the sound and it was still too loud for me. I kept thinking of how awful it would have been to see it in the theater. If it was that loud on our home tv it must have been roaring on the big screen. 

 

I probably ended up being among the very few people who didn't think that movie was awesome. Editing to say dh and ds loved it.

Gravity was loud?  I kept turning up the volume. Of course, we have an old TV, no surround sound.  Which is probably why use closed captioning for everything.  :lol:

 

 

Finished  Grania, She King of the Irish Seas and moving on to Dean Kootnz chunky thriller - False Memory.    Just watched the trailer on Amazon for Odd Thomas movie - think I'd rather leave that stuff to my imagination.  Just like Game of Thrones, doesn't translate well on the screen and turns me off more than anything else. 

 

 

 

Mayo Angelou, author of I know why the caged bird sings, has passed away at the age of 86.   Reciting her poem Phenomenal Woman

[shukriyya]

A murmuration of starlings...not book-related but it is replete with alliteration and poetry...

 

[SunnyDays]

I've only skimmed the thread and skipped page 2 entirely... will return to the rest later, but thoughts for now...

 

Heather, oh my.  I'm sorry you've been so ill and I'm glad you're on the mend.  That sounds awful!  :grouphug:

 

Robin, thanks for the Virginia Woolf reminder... I've had Mrs. Dalloway on my Kindle for quite some time now.  It keeps getting pushed down the list and I forget about it.  Perhaps something to do with all the books I keep buying and adding...  :leaving:

 

Shukriyya, the book stand is fabulous.  :D

 

I'm still in my fluff weeks... I read a cozy mystery, an Amish mystery, and I am now reading "Wedding Night" by Sophie Kinsella. 

 

[mumto2]

Shukriyya- the starlings are beautiful.  Thank you.   I have been going to post  for a few days to let you know that I always think of you when I look out and my duck friends are doing destructive things to my lawn or sleeping on top of our fence.  Could be worse Shukriyya had them visit her living room!  Of course we have to be careful of our doors......or we will have them too!

[Jane in NC]

Ladies,

 

I would like to give everyone a group hug this morning.  Yesterday's sad news concerning nmoira and JFS's accident is just more than I can bear.  It is truly astounding how members of this virtual community have bonded over the ether. 

 

We can be a goofy bunch in this thread--and I don't want this somber note to change that.  I just need to give everyone a hug this morning.  :grouphug:  Shukriyya will supply the virtual chocolate.

 

Peace to all.

Jane

[NoseInABook]

Thank you for linking those, Jane. I often peek into this thread and then am off until I have more time to sit and browse the forums so I had no idea.

 

 

[Guest]

Ladies,

 

I would like to give everyone a group hug this morning.  Yesterday's sad news concerning nmoira and JFS's accident is just more than I can bear.  It is truly astounding how members of this virtual community have bonded over the ether. 

 

We can be a goofy bunch in this thread--and I don't want this somber note to change that.  I just need to give everyone a hug this morning.  :grouphug:  Shukriyya will supply the virtual chocolate.

 

Peace to all.

Jane

 

I was feeling this way yesterday as I appliqued my hands to Rosie's quilt square. I was just in turmoil and then to come home and read more sad news was just almost more than I could bear.  :grouphug:

[Guest]

On the reading front -

 

Still reading through Winter's Tale, I'm about halfway through. I had to read a few spoilers to help me get into it. I'm a big picture type person and if a novel is going to become as epic in scope as that book is, I need to have some parameters that I am reading in! My kindle borrowing period is about up for it so I decided I'm going to run down and get it from Barnes & Noble. (After a quick look-see to make sure the friends of the library isn't offering it for sale...) I may have decided I like it, though. I know for sure that I want to re-read the first half at some point, so I don't mind adding it to my collection.

 

I picked up a ton of summer reading books from the library yesterday:

 

One that I started and was actually enjoying was called Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. I only got a little way into it before I decided I didn't want to read it. It is a historical fiction account of Lewis Carroll and the Alice who inspired his Alice in Wonderland. I found the book extremely disturbing, his relationship with Alice, and I really didn't want to read further into that and find out things that I didn't want to know, things that would ruin a classic favorite of mine...so laid that one aside.

 

I got The Alchemist - I know it has mixed reviews around here, but I started that this morning and am enjoying it so far.

 

If I get to some of the others, I will post about them as they read them. :)

 

[shukriyya]

Ladies,

 

I would like to give everyone a group hug this morning.  Yesterday's sad news concerning nmoira and JFS's accident is just more than I can bear.  It is truly astounding how members of this virtual community have bonded over the ether. 

 

We can be a goofy bunch in this thread--and I don't want this somber note to change that.  I just need to give everyone a hug this morning.  :grouphug:  Shukriyya will supply the virtual chocolate.

 

Peace to all.

Jane

 

Yes, it was the motivation behind that youtube video I posted. I needed somewhere, an altar to place some of the emotion upon. Those common birds swirling together in the most exquisite dance of Mystery and Beauty seemed the right place. And as I watched them swoop and veer, treble and dive I felt a sense of wider community, widening community and gratitude for each of you here.

 

And yes, I will supply chocolate and lots of it--dark, milk and white for the renegades among us ;)

 

[Murmer]

I just started The Blind Side on audiobook.

 

I get my audiobooks from the library and listen to them in my car mostly when driving small children around...but one of my worries is that if I pick a book I haven't read it would be inappropriate but I don't know what they have until I get there and once I am there I don't have internet and if I did well small children would prevent me from spending a lot of time checking content.  Any thoughts on how to pick safe for small ears audiobooks?  Are there any you have heard or read that I could put on a list to see if they have it?  (in my world safe for small children is no f word, none or very very very occasional use of other curse words, nothing past kissing, and none or limited non descriptive violence) Bonus points if it would interest my kids and me at the same time lol.

[Pam in CT]

Argh!  I never finished last week's thread, I've misplaced my journal with the list of books I finished, I spent far too long poring over Robin's Brain Pickings, and I'm in a panic trying to get through the last third of the Huston Smith Reader for my book group tonight (not a book that ought to be rushed through, but oh well)...  

 

How could reading possibly be so stressful?

 

 

I got Dengue Fever and I was so sick for two weeks that I couldn't even read (shocking, I know!). But I finally managed to finish one book and I am feeling better now so I am back at it!
 

 Gah.  So glad you're on the mending side, at least...

 

 

And another find on Brain Pickings (shame on you, Robin, for making me spend so much time there) for lovers of poetry and art:

 

Whitman Illuminated: “Song of Myself,†in Breathtaking Illustrations by Artist Allen Crawford by Maria Popova

 

Regards,

Kareni

Sigh....

 

 

 

I'm being fairly strict in relation to my 5/5/5 challenge and have mostly averted my eyes from the various and enticing links y'all have posted with the exception of one mumto2 posted which happened to be a kindle daily deal. I've read 27 books to date. For my 5/5/5...I'm 2/5 with ancient history from women's perspective, 3/5 for midwifery fiction, 1/5 for magical realism, 1/5 with fairy tales and I haven't decided what the last category will be yet though I have several in mind, one of which might be Mary Stewart as she passed so recently and I've read several of hers already with a few more brand new ones in my tbr pile.

5/5/5 challenge?  I seem to go through bursts of discipline on this, followed by immensely longer intervals of... um... rest.

 

 

 

 

Umberto Eco on Greatest Maps of Imaginary Places.  Have added the book to my want list.

Not.looking.at.any.more.of.these.

 

 

... and I'm waiting patiently (b'shaah tovah, may it be in a good time) for my grandbaby... who is due any minute now!   The intersection of counting to Shavuous (the holiday that commemorates the giving of the Torah) with awaiting this little one has been an interesting one for me this year - the awe and wonder, the desire to focus inward on spiritual growth... the strong emotions around transmission from generation to generation...

Egads!  Already??!  Holding mother and baby in my thoughts!

 

 

Okay, okay ~ one last Brain Pickings post for shukriyya and other lovers of illustrated fairy tales.

 

How Hans Christian Andersen Revolutionized Storytelling, Plus the Best Illustrations from 150 Years of His Beloved Fairy Tales by Maria Popova

 

Regards,

Kareni

Not.looking...

 

 

That's only sort of true. It was more like every inch of me hurt and no pain meds could touch it. Even my eyelashes hurt. They call it "break-bone" disease here because that's what it feels like...all your bones are broken. It was brutal. We are having an epidemic of Dengue in this area right now. :(

Oh, Heather!!!  So, so sorry!

[Lady Florida.]

Well, all I know of it is that I've seen it in the checkout line at the grocery store. I don't even know what it is about!

 

Stranded in space (that's not a spoiler). An hour and a half's worth. Apollo 13 was a good stranded in space movie, especially because it was real (well the Hollywood version of real). Gravity, to me, was just an hour and a half of stranded in space.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I can't really recommend the book because the author was all over the place. He anthropomorphized bacteria. When he got excited he tended toward exaggeration. He'd go into bizarrely minute detail only to suddenly skip over things. And then there's the epilogue, a 50 page treatise on the urbanization of the planet, the necessity of it and the possible future problems (and answers to those problems).  :rolleyes:  Really, he needed another book for all that. I think he read some books about urbanization and got a little excited. It's kind of a hodge-podge.

 

 

 

 

 

That's too bad because it sounds like it would have been (should have been?) fascinating. I felt the same way about The Devil in the White City, though for different reasons. It was a subject that should have been interesting, and might have been with a different approach or a different author.

 

 

Gravity was loud?  I kept turning up the volume. Of course, we have an old TV, no surround sound.  Which is probably why use closed captioning for everything.  :lol:

 

 

 

 

The sound was loud, the talking wasn't. Music, sound effects, etc. blared and hurt my ears. We could barely hear what Sandra Bullock was saying when her character was thinking out loud.

 

 

Robin, thanks for the Virginia Woolf reminder... I've had Mrs. Dalloway on my Kindle for quite some time now.  It keeps getting pushed down the list and I forget about it.  Perhaps something to do with all the books I keep buying and adding...  :leaving:

 

 

 

I actually started it and then got sidetracked. One of these days I'll get back to it. It's sitting on my Kindle too, so it can wait.

[Robin M]

Ladies,

 

I would like to give everyone a group hug this morning.  Yesterday's sad news concerning nmoira and JFS's accident is just more than I can bear.  It is truly astounding how members of this virtual community have bonded over the ether. 

 

We can be a goofy bunch in this thread--and I don't want this somber note to change that.  I just need to give everyone a hug this morning.  :grouphug:  Shukriyya will supply the virtual chocolate.

 

Peace to all.

Jane

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

 

I just started The Blind Side on audiobook.

 

I get my audiobooks from the library and listen to them in my car mostly when driving small children around...but one of my worries is that if I pick a book I haven't read it would be inappropriate but I don't know what they have until I get there and once I am there I don't have internet and if I did well small children would prevent me from spending a lot of time checking content.  Any thoughts on how to pick safe for small ears audiobooks?  Are there any you have heard or read that I could put on a list to see if they have it?  (in my world safe for small children is no f word, none or very very very occasional use of other curse words, nothing past kissing, and none or limited non descriptive violence) Bonus points if it would interest my kids and me at the same time lol.

For their age, possibly Magic Tree House, Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh, Anne of Green Gables.   Mine's a teenager so we've been listening to Rick Riordan's Lightning Thief series. 

 

 

Stranded in space (that's not a spoiler). An hour and a half's worth. Apollo 13 was a good stranded in space movie, especially because it was real (well the Hollywood version of real). Gravity, to me, was just an hour and a half of stranded in space.

So, true having watched both.   We spent a good amount of time after Gravity discussing the messy physics.  Entertaining movie but they could have done better.

[mumto2]

I was trying to think of something to recommend to Murmer and started googling for a list of very light cozy mysteries.  I was thinking of things along the line of Carola Dunn and her Daisy Darlrymple mysteries.  Nothing bad for little ears but enjoyable for Murmer.  They are sort of the next level up from Nancy Drew imo.  Dd and I have read several.  Anyway I found a great web site.  It doesn't appear to rate the levels of violence etc which is what I was hoping for but looking at it for a few minutes certainly grew my wish list.   :lol:  Anyway enjoy browsing. http://www.cozy-mystery.com/

 

 

Murmer,  I will keep thinking.....

[Pink and Green Mom]

May I join?  I used to participate a few years ago when I was homeschooling but stopped following the board once my kids went back to school.  One is coming back home so here I am again...

 

Currently reading:  # 31 - How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill.  Meh.  Cannot get through it fast enough.  Here is my list for 2014.  I have read some bad books this year...

 

30.  Shotgun Lovesongs, by Nickolas Butler (well written story, no exciting plot but I like a nice story)

29.  The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, by Garielle Zevin

28.  Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders, by Vincent Bugliosi (no idea why I wanted to read this but I found it fascinating)

27.  Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, by Matthew Dicks

26.  The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt (there is part of my life I can never get back)

25.  Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross

24.  The Obituary Writer, by Ann Hood

23.  This Is How You Lose Her, by Junot Diaz

22.  Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

21.  Seating Arrangements, by Maggie Shipstead ( :thumbdown:)

20.  Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy, by Helen Fielding (what was hysterical in my 20s, not so much in my 40s)

19.  The Good Father, Diane Chamberlain (I was at someone's house with insomnia and this is what they had available.  yuck)

18.  Cambridge, by Susanna Kaysen

17.  22 Britannia Road, by Amanda Hodgkinson

16.  The Mourning Hours, by Paula DeBoard (meh)

15.  Grain Brain, by Dr. David Perlmutter

14.  Fin & Lady, by Cathleen Schine (loved this one)

13.  The Winter People, by Jennifer McMahon (loved this one)

12.  Lydia's Party, by Margaret Hawkins (did not like this at all)

11.  Alena, by Rachel Pastan

10.  Dept. of Speculation, by Jenny Offill (the story of a marriage told entirely in snippets of famous quotes, books, lines, etc.  I enjoyed it)

9.  City of Thieves, by David Benoff (disturbing at times but loved it)

8.  No Goodbyes- The Mysterious Disappearance of the McStay Family, by Rick Baker (terrible book, fascinating true crime)

7.  North of Boston, by Elisabeth Elo

6.  The Fox's Walk, by Annabel Davis-Goff (no)

5.  While I was Gone, by Sue Miller (double no)

4.  The Husband's Secret, by Liane Moriarty (liked it better than her other ones)

3.  I'm Kind of a Big Deal and Other Delusions of Adequacy, by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

2.  The Winter of Our Discontent, by John Steinbeck

1.  Dragonfly in Amber, by Diana Gabaldon (we were at in laws for Christmas/New Year and I needed a big book to take)

[shukriyya]

Shukriyya- the starlings are beautiful.  Thank you.   I have been going to post  for a few days to let you know that I always think of you when I look out and my duck friends are doing destructive things to my lawn or sleeping on top of our fence.  Could be worse Shukriyya had them visit her living room!  Of course we have to be careful of our doors......or we will have them too!

 

I'm happy to take up my place in your thoughts waddling amongst your resident duck friends :lol:

 

 

[Jane in NC]

May I join?  I used to participate a few years ago when I was homeschooling but stopped following the board once my kids went back to school.  One is coming back home so here I am again...

 

Welcome back Pink and Green!  Cupcakes are in order to celebrate your return!

 

 

[Kareni]

May I join?  I used to participate a few years ago when I was homeschooling but stopped following the board once my kids went back to school.  One is coming back home so here I am again...

 

 

Welcome, Terrie!  Come on in; the water's fine.

 

Thanks for sharing your reading list.  I enjoyed your comments.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Here's a recent, short article from the Tor site that seems appropriate to post here:

 

Into the Woods: Four Fairytale Retellings Off the Beaten Path by Sarah McCarry

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[shukriyya]

Yes, forgive my manners, PinkandGreen, I was busy waddling around the commons :D. Welcome! I see that Jane, as usual, has outdone herself with the sweet offerings today.

[Angel]

I'm working from two different computers and just realized that I was multi-quoting on the other and I can't remember all of them.  Oops!  

 

Heather, so glad you are starting to feel better.  Missionaries that our church supports wrote in detail about their struggle with this fever two years ago. :grouphug:  

 

I'm so excited.  Sunday ends pretty much all my school/co-op responsibilities and summer break will be here for reals  :hurray:   I have The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier waiting for me to pick it up at the library  :hurray:   Anne Fortier wrote Juliet, one of my all time favorite books and I'm so excited to see what she has in store for me next.  I can't wait to lose myself for a couple days in her new book!

 

 

[JennW in SoCal]

Yes, welcome, Terrie, aka Pink and Green.  And welcome back to the homeschooling trenches (though I and a few other on this weekly thread are now retired homeschool moms...)

 

I finished my most recent Master and Commander title last night, The Far Side of the World.  A solid entry in the series, and a good stand alone title.  The funniest thing about these books -- there is no denouement, or falling action to finish the book.  There is the big climax, and when it is finished the book just ends.  Boom!  It is rather jarring.  Some authors can't seem to finish soon enough, but Patrick O'Brien is very to-the-point when he is done with the story.

 

The college boy has been glued to The Martian today.  Based on his enthusiasm I am going to start listening to it on my commute to and from rehearsal tonight.  (Someone asked what I play -- it is the violin though tonight's rehearsal is going to be bluegrass fiddle.)

 

And thank you to whoever pointed out the kindle daily deal for Tasha Alexander's And Only to Deceive.  I'm about a 1/3 of the way through it and appreciate it being a nice, quick, fluffy read when I have a short chunk of time.

[SunnyDays]

Welcome, Pink and Green!!  :)

 

Jane, those cupcakes look divine.  Wouldn't it be lovely if we could all get together for cupcakes and conversation?  (And a big hug right back to you as well... I think we all need it this week.)

 

I did go back and read page 2, and at least now I know why Jaffa cakes were brought into the conversation, LOL!! (Have fun on your trip, Violet!!)

 

Heather... goodness, immunity to one version and potential for a worse case of three more?  I'm so sorry honey, I hope you're able to keep those mosquitoes far away!!  (I suppose we're fortunate that ours here may "only" transmit West Nile virus?!?)

 

We don't do movies in theaters anymore either, for the most part.  They're loud and overwhelming, and I'm enough of a homebody that I'd rather wait and see it at home.  Perhaps it makes me a curmudgeon, but I really don't want to pay a large sum of money to hear other people chatting through the movie and grit my teeth while the person behind me continually kicks my seat!  :D

 

[Angel]

In my excitement to post about my book coming in at the library, I forgot to post the book I finished this week.

 

I finished The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd Wednesday.  A friend loaned it to me knowing that I enjoy Regency Romance.  It was a Christian Regency Romance and a nice fluffy read.  Though I had mostly figured out what was going to happen early on in the book, for some reason I was still  eagerly reading and had trouble putting it down.  I think it is because the author did a very good job of describing the urgency of the situation so though I anticipated the outcome I was drawn into the book and the characters.  I was a little disappointed in the Christian aspect, though.  If you are going to put it into a book, I feel it needs to be done correctly.  I felt that she threw it in here and there and no resolution in that area.  I couldn't tell if she meant for the reader to just assume that the characters had grown in their faith or if they really hadn't.  I find that if you are inserting faith into the book, it needs to be real and show growth and a certain resolution, much like the end of the story.  Really, that should happen as part of the story.  Lori Wick is an excellent example of how to do both and make it readable.  *Shrug*  It just fell short there for me.  

 

Right now I'm still listening to the Wee Free Men, not much opportunity of late for the audio.  I started my collection of Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales because of you all.  It's a collection given to me by my grandmother when I was 5.  I am also reading/editing Jurassic Park.  Dd19 has loved the movie since she was 2 and has always wanted to read the book but she doesn't do books with that much language.  Her solution, for me to read it with white out!   :lol:  So I'm finally getting around to doing so.  She asked me how it was going and I told her fine since I was still near the beginning of the book.  There is not much swearing until people start getting eaten  :lol:

[Pink and Green Mom]

Still struggling with The Brothers Karamazov (page 300+ already)

So to compensate I read both Charlie books from Roald Dahl, deciding that reading Life of Fred (Trig) is more fun then Karamazov.

 

I started reading the Bleak House (Dickens) last night to have something enjoyable to read besides Karamazov...

 

I feel your pain with Brothers Karamazov.  I tried so many times to read it but could never ever make it past the first few chapters. 

 

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome back!  I love seeing what everyone is reading and getting new ideas.  I have 11 holds waiting for me at the library...

[mumto2]

 I am also reading/editing Jurassic Park.  Dd19 has loved the movie since she was 2 and has always wanted to read the book but she doesn't do books with that much language.  Her solution, for me to read it with white out!   :lol:  So I'm finally getting around to doing so.  She asked me how it was going and I told her fine since I was still near the beginning of the book.  There is not much swearing until people start getting eaten  :lol:

:lol:  The things we do for our children.  I hope you are enjoying the book.  I have edited a few myself and normally end up enjoying them. I started to loan someone Flames of Rome recently and quickly closed my mouth when I realized the post it's are still in place so Dd can read it when she wants to.  Contains some rather explicit scenes that I would have been happier skipping myself, glad Dd will be able to.  Some things once read never go away and that book had one of those ick scenes. Since it was part of a Sonlight course that she never finished ( to be honest never really started) my prereading ended up being a bit useless. But she plans to read the books someday.....

 

I finished the next Tasha Alexander called A Poisoned Season last night.  It does not appear to be a daily deal ;) but was good.  I am currently trying to get my April Prime selection read before I miss picking May.  Reading the Trials of Artemis the first in a historical romance trilogy that I am enjoying.  Hopefully the rest in that trilogy are still prime.  

 

For those of you who can get the kindle first books there were a couple that looked interesting this month.  I ended up picking Dragon's Triangle mainly for setting because of my geography challenge.  No idea when I will read it.  I think they stay on our kindle forever,  not just a month?

[Onceuponatime]

I just finished the frenetic Night Train to Memphis and feel exhausted. I did enjoy the book very much, though. The next story will hopefully be more slow paced. I haven't decided what it will be yet.

[Kareni]

If you're so inclined, please contribute to this thread that I started yesterday.

 

What curious impact has a work of fiction had on your life?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

:lol:  The things we do for our children.  I hope you are enjoying the book.  I have edited a few myself and normally end up enjoying them. I started to loan someone Flames of Rome recently and quickly closed my mouth when I realized the post it's are still in place so Dd can read it when she wants to.  Contains some rather explicit scenes that I would have been happier skipping myself, glad Dd will be able to.  Some things once read never go away and that book had one of those ick scenes. Since it was part of a Sonlight course that she never finished ( to be honest never really started) my prereading ended up being a bit useless. But she plans to read the books someday.....

 

 

:iagree:  to the bolded.  I spent one year with Sonlight, and it was my last.  I found so many of their listed books sad or just downright depressing.  While I know that everything is not happily ever after and that history is ugly sometimes, well, that kind of reading is just not for me. 

 

I have read Jurassic Park numerous times before as well as The Lost World, Congo, Sphere, and The Andromeda Strain.  I usually love Michael Crichton's stories.  It has been a while, however, because I no longer read stuff with all that profanity.  I just don't want that in my head.  I think I liked The Lost World better than Jurassic Park as a story goes.  He spends a lot of time getting into the technical in Jurassic Park.  I will be curious to see what dd thinks.  ;)

[shukriyya]

I'm about 3/4 of the way through The Crook and the Flail. As with the first book the author does a good job with the details of domestic court life but this book focuses a little more on the inner machinations of the protagonist. The sexual politics of that time and place are fascinating and marriage between siblings was common. Hatshepsut, herself, is married to her half-brother though no love is lost between them and she is depicted as the stronger of the two. A bit of research seems to back this up. She has yet to ascend to the throne and her husband/brother, Thutmose 11, shows no signs of vacating the seat so I imagine book three will deal with her reign in more detail. This second book appears to be about her journey to get there.

 

 

[Kareni]

I just finished Slammed: A Novel by Colleen Hoover.  I almost stopped reading after some thirty pages, but then I got caught up in the story and read it to the end.  It was a touching read (which generated some teary eyes), but it might also raise some red flags for some.

 

"Falling in love can feel like poetry. Or it can feel like a slam to the heart.

Colleen Hoover’s romantic, emotion-packed debut novel unforgettably captures all the magic and confusion of first love, as two young people forge an unlikely bond before discovering that fate has other plans for them.

Following the unexpected death of her father, eighteen-year-old Layken becomes the rock for both her mother and younger brother. She appears resilient and tenacious, but inside, she's losing hope. Then she meets her new neighbor Will, a handsome twenty-one-year-old whose mere presence leaves her flustered and whose passion for poetry slams thrills her.

Not long after a heart-stopping first date during which each recognizes something profound and familiar in the other, they are slammed to the core when a shocking discovery brings their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together and the forces that tear them apart. Only through the poetry they share are they able to speak the truth that is in their hearts and imagine a future where love is cause for celebration, not regret."

 

Now I want to read the sequel ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

Let me preface this by saying that in general I like Alan Furst's novels, spy thrillers that evoke the style of John Le Carre and Eric Ambler.  I was introduced to Furst on the beach when I ran into a friend who works in the publishing industry.  He has led me to a number of interesting authors through the years so inevitably I ask him, "Who are you reading?"  It was perhaps a decade ago or so when he said "Alan Furst".

 

Kingdom of Shadows has been one of my favorite Furst novels.  Expatriate Hungarian Nicholas Morath resides in Paris where in the late '30's anxiety is building, particularly in the Eastern European community.  Morath's uncle is a high level diplomat in the Hungarian embassy in Paris. Through the uncle's wheeling and dealing, arrangements are made that require Morath to participate in some hands on activities in Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Place names like Ruthenia and the Sudetenland drew me to maps and travel guides as I tried to grasp the ever changing borders of Eastern/Middle Europe.

 

There is a moral to the Sudetenland story.  It was "all" Hitler wanted in Czechoslovakia--or so he claimed--when he and the British PM decided that this piece of Czechoslovakia would be ceded to Germany.  (Why bother to ask the Czechs?) As we all know, Hitler wanted a lot more than the Sudetenland.

 

Brooding over the fate of Eastern Europe can be depressing.  So when I needed a bit of a lift, I started reading Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, a novel that is annoying me but I am sticking with it now that I am half way through and hoping for redemption.  (The characters are caricatures, if you know what I mean.)

 

 

[Robin M]

As of June 1st, I'll be joining Ruth and Cleo over on Goodreads Well Trained Mind Readers group in reading the WEM biographies starting with Augustine's Confessions.  Anybody else want to jump in? 

 

We are officially done with 8th grade and I got James a nano ipod, added a few audiobooks from Riordan's lightening thief series and some Elvis and Zelda music and he's a happy camper.  I'm happy because it doesn't have internet access and has to be hooked via usb to computer to download stuff. 

 

On page 481 in Dean Koontz chunkster False Memory all about brainwashing and implanted phobias.  Scary stuff.

[Mom-ninja.]

As of June 1st, I'll be joining Ruth and Cleo over on Goodreads Well Trained Mind Readers group in reading the WEM biographies starting with Augustine's Confessions.  Anybody else want to jump in? 

 

 

Rosie! Hurry! We must run the other way! Now! Don't slow down or look back!

[Onceuponatime]

I picked a cheesy, fluffy, cliche, romance type novel to read: Sundays At Tiffany's by James Patterson. It's not my usual type of read, but it is pretty tame. A  young girl with a poor self image has a beloved imaginary friend who is like a male guardian angel type figure, that's his job. He has no choice but to leave her when she turns nine, that's the rules of the job. She's heart broken but is supposed to forget him.  However, 28 years later they meet again and she hasn't forgotten. He has not aged, but she is all grown up. Well, you get the picture. 

[shukriyya]

Well, you get the picture.

:lol: Short and to the point, OUAT.

 

Today I received my book on Kuniko Craft and her work. It's a large and lovely volume filled with many of her paintings. I spent a magical half hour this afternoon curled up in bed with some Jasmine green tea and some chocolate immersed in her strong-delicate world of light and color and detail.

[iona]

Chiming in a little late, but I have been keeping track of my books. So far my selections have been mainly children's lit that I hadn't read before as well as educational type stuff. Many shorter books, so I haven't read all that much.

 

Fiction

1. Ice (YA snow queen retelling)...YA usually helps me get the reading ball rolling

2. Salsa Stories (kids-short sweet peek into a different culture by an older generation's stories based around foods)

3. Pedro's journal (kids-fictitious journal of a boy on Columbus' voyage. Pre-reading for my 9 y/o, decided to wait on this one)

4. House on Windy Hill (kids, a little creepy, liked it)

5. Midwife's Apprentice ( YA fiction, enjoyed the dialects and the story)

6. Kalevala (nice illustrated translation with verse interspersed)

7. Charlotte's Web (read aloud to the boys (9,7,5) cried)

8. Good-Bye Mr. Chips (cried a lot, wondered how much would go over a younger audience 's head)

9. The White Stag (Mythological beginnings of the Hungarians, ok)

10. Castle in the attic and battle for the castle(kids-my 9 year old loved these and I wanted to too, enjoyed)

11. The Canada Goose Quilt (kids, dealing with death and change, gently touching)

12. The Hundred Dresses (kids(people)can be cruel, even back in the day,some kids can surprise you with their strength and ability to forgive, others can change and learn from their mistakes). Good

13. Babe - (read aloud, good, watched the movie after)

14. Mr. Popper's Penguins-( silly, felt for the wife, and then he took off?!! Not to be taken too seriously though I guess)

15-16. Two collections of tales by Geraldine McCaughrean(I hadn't heard most of them and I realize I have no idea how to pronounce her name!)

 

Non fic

1. No Diet Obesity Solution for Kids (not the magic bullet I was hoping for, though I think there is no magic bullet)

2. Last Things First(theology, looking at Genesis through the lens of the gospel and where the story was going, not through a scientific or historical lens. Helpful)

3. Real Homeschooling (education-collection of different family's unique homeschool experiences, good to see the variety)

4. Health Secrets of the StoneAge (kooky title, paleoesque, nothing new, lots of common sense stuff)

5. 1stgrade Diary-( Miquon book, I am trying to be a better math teacher)

6. The Joyful Homeschooler (I am trying to be a nicer 'teacher/mommy', lots of advice to relax I wish I could take)

7. Wilddays ( education, nature study)

8-9. Abeka's 4th grade U.S. History book and Story of the World 4 (a lot I didn't know)

10-11. Latin Centered Curriculum 1 and 2 (education, reread)

12. Tending the Heart of Virtue (education, power of literature in moral formation)

13. Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics (took me a while to get through, I now know how much I don't know)

14-15. Family Worship and Family at Church (religious-little books I found helpful)

 

Trying to finish the Liberal Arts Tradition by Clark and Jain. I think I'll need to reread this one. My mind isn't absorbing much at all, ugh.

 

Does anyone have any steampunk recs for the June challenge? As far as I know I haven't read any in that 'sub-genre' (not sure what to call it). Something fun, a little romance wouldn't hurt. A little about my level/tastes-last year my favorites were Divergent and The Wind in the Willows.

 

Enjoy reading through your posts eve though I don't comment often,

 

Joanna

[mumto2]

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2010/02/collection-development/steampunk-20-core-titles/

http://www.gailcarriger.com/books

 

Iona-- Welcome!  There is a start to Steampunk fiction.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure the genre out last year.  I love Gail Carriger's Souless books so personally recommend starting there.  She has a fun assortment of characters that are in many cases werewolves, vampires........ Her Finishing School series is YA and  pretty clean content wise. They are prequel s to Soulless which Dd and I have both enjoyed. Her website has links to lots of lists which is where the library journal one came from.  I had forgotten we had Steampunk far a theme in June.  Going to have to find one myself!

[shukriyya]

I finished 'The Crook and the Flail' last night. As I imagined it ended with Hatshepsut's ascension to the throne. Book three will focus on her reign however I feel done with the Egyptian dynasty of that time period for now so I won't follow up with the third book at this point.

 

Happily A.S. Byatt's book, 'The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye' came available this morning through overdrive so that's up next. It's been described as a collection of fairy tales for adults and I enjoy the rigor of her writing so I'm curious about this one. Plus it's part of my 5/5/5 fairy tale/fantasy/myth focus.

 

I didn't realize we were doing a steampunk focus next month. I downloaded one a few weeks ago that came up as a kindle freebie. It's the first in a series. I don't have a lot of confidence that this will be a genre I'll enjoy nevertheless I'm curious thanks to y'all :D

 

Welcome to the neighbourhood, Iona.

[NoseInABook]

So tell me what the 5/5/5 challenges are. Fill me in!
 

I'm going to have to go through the steampunk book lists because I wouldn't even know where to start there. This could get quite interesting!

[Mothersweets]

I finished The Sunny Side by A.A. Milne. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. I can't recommend this little treasure enough. Perfect for light, cheery reading. I read it slowly to savor it.

 

Looks like it's on sale for Kindle at the moment so snap it up. It'll be a lovely little book to reread the stories and poems when you need a smile.

 

Thank you for this! Just bought it for my kindle. :)

[Uff Da!]

Hey everyone,

 

I've been missing in action and am greatly saddened by the tragedies of this last week.  It's a lot to take in.

 

As for reading, I was so putzy with Herodotus's Histories that I had to return it to the library and then wait for it to come back to me.  I'm two thirds of the way through and am open to a "fun" suggestion from the WEM for my next book.  I've been fascinated by the women in HH, such as Amazons taking over a ship and not knowing how to steer it and women killing a man by poking him with broach pins.  It's also interesting that Herodutus mentions people turning into wolves once a month.  Werewolves of ancient times!

 

I also made more progress on the Psalms and am wondering what it was about Edom that the insult of throwing on a shoe at Edom is mentioned twice.

 

My best to everyone,

Winter

[Guest]

For those of you who can get the kindle first books there were a couple that looked interesting this month.  I ended up picking Dragon's Triangle mainly for setting because of my geography challenge.  No idea when I will read it.  I think they stay on our kindle forever,  not just a month?

 

I just got Chasing the Sun this morning. I don't know if I'll like it, but it looked interesting enough. I thought Dragon's Triangle looked interesting, but I thought I read it was second in a series, so that always somewhat will deter me, as I just MUST read books in order. ;) I never knew about this Kindle First thing and was excited to sign up for their newsletter to get FREE books!

 

:lol: Short and to the point, OUAT.

 

Today I received my book on Kuniko Craft and her work. It's a large and lovely volume filled with many of her paintings. I spent a magical half hour this afternoon curled up in bed with some Jasmine green tea and some chocolate immersed in her strong-delicate world of light and color and detail.

 

:001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub: One day I will splurge on this.

 

Chiming in a little late, but I have been keeping track of my books. So far my selections have been mainly children's lit that I hadn't read before as well as educational type stuff. Many shorter books, so I haven't read all that much.

 

Fiction

1. Ice (YA snow queen retelling)...YA usually helps me get the reading ball rolling

 

 

Glad to have you here - can you share the author of this book? Our recent fairytale threads have me reading some of my favorites, and the Snow Queen was one of my top favs. :)

 

Does anyone have any steampunk recs for the June challenge? As far as I know I haven't read any in that 'sub-genre' (not sure what to call it). Something fun, a little romance wouldn't hurt. A little about my level/tastes-last year my favorites were Divergent and The Wind in the Willows.

 

 

Steampunk in June - I must have missed that! That will be a great excuse to read Aurorarama - which Stacia read/recommended and I have sitting here from the library and yet haven't cracked it open yet. I know Stacia enjoys steampunk if you search some of her past posts.  Here's a few links to get you started:

 

http://bookriot.com/2013/11/06/steampunk-halloween/

https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/steampunk