Kareni Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I just finished Maya Banks' When Day Breaks (A KGI Novel). It's the ninth book in the series and, while I enjoyed it, I'll admit that I enjoyed the earlier books in the series to a greater extent. "The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super-elite, top secret, family-run business. Qualifications: High intelligence, rock-hard body, military background. Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the U.S. government can’t… Eden is said to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. Her face has graced countless magazines and her body has sold millions of dollars of clothing. But her fame and beauty has earned her more than she ever imagined. Evil is stalking her, determined to extinguish the ethereal beauty forever.Swanson or “Swanny†as his teammates call him is always up for the next mission. He came back from Afghanistan wounded and scarred. Hardly the kind of man who even belongs in the same room with Eden. And yet there’s something about the quiet beauty that stirs his blood and makes him dream of the impossible. Because Beauty loving the Beast only happens in fairy tales and KGI doesn’t deal in fairy tales. Ever." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I read that far, far too young (11? 12?), and at an age where sexism was invisible to me, because it was so unimaginable, but the impression of the book as a whole was so vivid and intense that I have never yet been able to go back to it. ...though I know I must have missed so much... (though missing sexism could be counted as a positive, I guess...) Well, here's a list of the women in the book. Nurse Ratched: portrayed as bad - head nurse who metaphorically emasculates her patients in an all-male ward Other Nurse on Nurse Ratched's Ward - portrayed as bad because she's too religious and therefore prudish Harding's Wife - portrayed as bad - treats Harding poorly because he's gay Bibbit's Mother - portrayed as bad - infantilizes Bibbit Nurse on Other Ward - portrayed as good - says female nurses who aren't married by age 35 should be fired McMurphy's Friends - portrayed as good - fun-loving prostitutes I have a special fondness for YA... For me, it isn't less work for my brain, it is a different type of story arc... and that, w/ the exception of dystopia, there can be a more... aspirational flavor... an idealism even that is rarer in adult books... and the focus of the stories is different... This is a good point. I don't like that my 12 yo, thanks to the YA market, is attracted to so many books written at about a fifth grade reading level. But then, do I really want him reading a bunch of books that, while written at a higher reading level, might prematurely kill his idealism and hope? I look forward to looking into the books you listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 This is a good point. I don't like that my 12 yo, thanks to the YA market, is attracted to so many books written at about a fifth grade reading level. But then, do I really want him reading a bunch of books that, while written at a higher reading level, might prematurely kill his idealism and hope? I look forward to looking into the books you listed. Interesting thought. The death of idealism and hope is inevitable, is it? If so, should we be trying to delay it, or bathing them in philosophy so they are better able to cope when it does? Or perhaps stoicism is only able to be learned the hard way? No, I'm not in a very good mood just now, if anyone is wondering. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 :grouphug: , Rosie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Ugh, it sucks when it's after midnight and your kindle pre-orders haven't arrived yet! I guess it's a hint to give up and go to bed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Ugh, it sucks when it's after midnight and your kindle pre-orders haven't arrived yet! I guess it's a hint to give up and go to bed... Yep. Get your beauty sleep so you can stay up late tomorrow night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Ok, when I posted all those responses yesterday, I was really meaning to get on & say that I had finished Charles Portis' Masters of Atlantis. But, then I started responding to posts & reading other stuff & totally forgot to tell you gals. I really enjoyed it. Portis has very dry humor (which may or may not be to everyone's liking), but I think he had some pretty spot-on observations about people in general & specifically about Americans at times. Some of the things definitely had me chuckling. And, even though it was a wee bit uneven in parts, I liked it & was pleased that it had a very nice ending (imo) -- as in actual 'nice stuff happens' at the end of the story. 4 stars from me. Eliana, you specifically asked about the book. I'm not sure if it's one you would enjoy or not. I do think you would enjoy the dry wit but am not sure if the overall story is one you'd actually find all that interesting. In the meantime, I've started The Weirdness by Jeremy Bushnell. I must be in the right frame of mind for a weird book because I've already been laughing at some stuff in this one. "This book is wild. And smart. And hilarious. And weird ... in all kinds of good ways . Prepare to be weirded out. And to enjoy it." —Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe What do you do when you wake up hung over and late for work only to find a stranger on your couch? And what if that stranger turns out to be an Adversarial Manifestation—like Satan, say—who has brewed you a fresh cup of fair-trade coffee? And what if he offers you your life's goal of making the bestseller list if only you find his missing Lucky Cat and, you know, sign over your soul? If you're Billy Ridgeway, you take the coffee. Totally what I need right now. :thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Can I have a book recommendation please. I am in the mood for something Downton Abbey/upstairs downstairs-ish. Big country houses, parties and people sneaking around in those grand houses getting up to mischief. It can be perfectly silly or very dignified. I just want to escape to a different time and place but I'm not in the mood for my normal fantasy. I am not sure if you are looking for a book set in the same time period as Downton or not. For the Downton Abbey timeframe the Maisie Dobbs series written by Jacqueline Winspear is good. It isn't completely light and fluffy though, I finished the next one in the series for me yesterday and they are always quite serious in regards to the human consequences of WWI. I always feel rather sad when finished with one, such destruction. Dd and I also enjoy Carola Dunn's Daisy Darlrymple series. These are very light, very series mystery. Lots of post WWI slething and house parties. Very much adult Nancy Drews. The Countess of Carnarvon has written two books about the real Donwnton Abbey. I have read and enjoyed both although the first was better imo. One last thought is a BaW favorite the Flavia books by Alan Bradley. Start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I don't know that these exactly fit what you are hunting for but they are really good, with a very clever young sleth. Some of my favourite books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Hugs to Mumto2 and all those dealing with family health issues. I fear the day that comes to my doorstep. Still reading, still library bingeing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Thank you so much. It is the time period I think, late Victorian early Edwardian and the time after wwI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Thank you so much. It is the time period I think, late Victorian early Edwardian and the time after wwI I thought of one more series that dd and I have been enjoying, Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily series is set in a late Victorian timeframe. Starts with And Only to Deceive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I've glanced at Siege a few times, but keep walking away... I guess I fear it will be akin to Kite Runner... muchly lauded, but, for me, hollow and disappointing... and irritating because even the most obvious tear jerking does make me cry. ...and then, for some reason, with my dreadful name recall, I associated the author with the clunker War Brides, which I loathed. ...but your praises and Jane's have made me look again... Could you give me the final push, and help me click "place hold now"? (Snip, snip) I don't think he did anything as spectacular as Major Barbara... I hope to read Saint Joan before the week is over. The Siege is written with a level of sensitivity that is truly remarkable. There is a storyline, of course, but the real story is the sense of loss painted in the details. Have I convinced you to click the hold button? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I am currently reading The Rosie Project. I am so conflicted because I know this guy! When I read the story I hear the voice of a family friend. It is a hilarious story, but I feel guilty every time I laugh. Our friend is a lot younger than the protagonist and he does a lot of his thinking about things that are important to him on Facebook, every day. He has a lot of cheerleaders who give him advice on his self improvement project, which he accepts with amazing humility, even when he politely declines to follow it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Stacia, re- vegan books. I'm reading/ cooking through Forks Over Knives which have decent recipes. The one I loved was Smitten Kitchen cookbook. While not strictly vegetarian, it has really good recipes. So far I've tried a few : Shaved Asparagus Pizza was delicious as well as Ratatouille Subs. Next I'll be trying Mushroom Bourguignon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Violet Crown, haha. I love Sons of Anarchy. It's my pseudo-literary guilty pleasure. It took me til the third season to realize that Tara was Horatio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Eliana, I am also recommending Barrett's short story collection Archangel to you. My favorite story in the book was The Particles, about a group of geneticists in the late 1930's and how timing is everything--even in science. The story that gives the collection its name focuses on the American Expeditionary Force that was in Siberia at the end of WWI. Who knew? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Not all of those are books I would hand my own children - let me know if you want content alerts for any of them. Are you looking for fairy/folk tales or retellings or both? ...and are you sticking with Europe, or wanting to branch out farther? Many of my kids have gone through major folk/fairy tales stages - the originals and adaptations, so I could share some of what we've enjoyed, if you'd like. [One title: Kate Crackernuts by Katherine Briggs Briggs was a major British folklorist and her two kids' novels are really well done. (The other one is Hobberdy Dick) I'm looking at both the original and retellings. And I would love some of what you have enjoyed and content alerts! Dd will be 14 in about 5 weeks. My researching time is getting taken up by getting the house ready to sell. :glare: I haven't gotten far enough to decide if I want to branch out from Europe or not so recommendations are fine either way. My very, very vague outline is to take 5-6 months on fairy tales possibly reading the original and a retelling or two followed up by some sort of project (I've followed this pattern before with my Austen, Shakespeare, and Narnia studies), then spend then next 4-5 months on Harry Potter in a similar manner as we are heading to Harry Potter World (hopefully) in May. But I haven't had time to flesh this out or see if it will work or not. I looks like Cinderella is the most popular story with the most retellings. Though I'm finding quite a few Rumpelstiltskin ones as well. I've kind of gone back and forth with what to study for lit this year. I was going to head in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy direction however most of those lists I think will be better served in a year or two. I'm doing an Anne of Green Gables study next year because it will match up nicely with our history time frame. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 23. "The 7-day Christian: How Living Your Beliefs Every Day Can Change the World" by Brad Wilcox (LDS). A short, quick read. I finished half of it before we'd left the library, waiting for my youngest to tire of playing with the new puppet theater they've installed in the children's wing. A good reminder to live the way you believe all the time, with all people, in every circumstance.22. "Gift of Love" by Kris Mackay (LDS).21. "In Loving Hands" by Kris Mackay (LDS).20. "The Outstretched Arms" by Kris Mackay (LDS).19. "No Greater Love" by Kris Mackay (LDS).18. "The Book of Mormon" (LDS).17. "Inferno" by Dan Brown.16. "The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches" by Alan Bradley.15. "I Am Not Sick I Don't Need Help!" by Xavier Amador, Ph.D.14. "How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare" by Ken Ludwig.13. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.12. "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein.11. "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card.10. "With Healing in His Wings" ed. by Camille Fronk Olson & Thomas A. Wayment (LDS).9. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling.8. "The Good Knight" by Sarah Woodbury.7. "Speaking From Among the Bones" by Alan Bradley.6. "The Continuous Conversion" by Brad Wilcox (LDS).5. "The Continuous Atonement" by Brad Wilcox (LDS).4. "Finding Hope" by S. Michael Wilcox (LDS).3. "When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered" by S. Michael Wilcox (LDS).2. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. (Read-aloud)1. "The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes" by James L. Ferrell (LDS). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Eaglei's latest update: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/498232-urgent-prayer-request-for-ds/?p=5820969 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I am currently reading The Rosie Project. I am so conflicted because I know this guy! When I read the story I hear the voice of a family friend. It is a hilarious story, but I feel guilty every time I laugh. Our friend is a lot younger than the protagonist and he does a lot of his thinking about things that are important to him on Facebook, every day. He has a lot of cheerleaders who give him advice on his self improvement project, which he accepts with amazing humility, even when he politely declines to follow it. PM me your address if you'd like a postcard from Shepparton. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I finished People of the Book today, and I hate to say I was pretty underwhelmed by it. There were nice moments, and I wanted to like it, but as a whole it didn't work for me. I actually didn't like the little historical vignettes about the book, and I'm not just being contrary!! I liked the forensics of the modern story, but was especially annoyed at the big twists near the end. I wanted to stay in Sarajevo, to learn the story of the survivors, both books and people. Perhaps my problem with the book is that I was hoping for an epilogue to The Cellist of Sarajevo, which was a powerful, though emotionally difficult book. On very a different note, for Stacia and the other BaWers who enjoyed Angelmaker last year, here are some delightful links about Nick Harkaway and his newest book Tigerman. First, his post on his Big Idea for Tigerman, part of a series by differnt authors that John Scalzi posts on his blog. This was a delight to read and started me to poking around the internet for more on him and the new book. This led me to his happily looney blog. And that led me to this nice article about him and the new book by Teddy Jamieson in the HeraldScotland which has this particularly appealing quote about Tigerman: It's more "real" too he says, although considering it contains a former British soldier turned minor diplomat called Lester who dresses up in a tiger costume to fight a possibly fictitious criminal mastermind, it's conceivable his definition of reality might not align with yours. It all seems right up my alley! I'm looking forward to reading it (after I start tackling my comic-con stack....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I recall, shukriyya, that you've read several books by Susanna Kearsley. You (and others) might find this article of interest. The Making of a Susanna Kearsley Cover - Plus Giveaway Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Mumto2 - :grouphug: Shawneinfl- :grouphug: Onceuponatime - :grouphug: We went through 3 years of DH's dad being sick, then his mom, then my grandmother. It was tough. I'm thinking about you guys. O please someone vote this thread up to five stars. My finger slipped.... Hmm. Likely story ... :laugh: I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I've continued to read the series and am waiting for the last few to arrive at the library. And, yes, The Hanover Square Affair is still free to Kindle readers. Regards, Kareni Thanks for posting this deal. It's been on my to-read list. And bonus ... I got it for free. And double bonus then I could get the audiobook for only $2. That's a lot of book awesome-ness for $2. Can I have a book recommendation please. I am in the mood for something Downton Abbey/upstairs downstairs-ish. Big country houses, parties and people sneaking around in those grand houses getting up to mischief. It can be perfectly silly or very dignified. I just want to escape to a different time and place but I'm not in the mood for my normal fantasy. How do you feel about Regency? Georgette Heyer is pretty amazing. Joan Smith pales in comparison to GH but her books usually can be read in a short afternoon of ignoring the kids. Ugh, it sucks when it's after midnight and your kindle pre-orders haven't arrived yet! I guess it's a hint to give up and go to bed... Book lover problems. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I'd never heard of it before... I watch things very, very rarely, but I'll keep this in mind for the future. I enjoy seeing books (or plays or movies) riff off literature or folklore... when they have something neat of their own, those connections and resonances do such interesting things... Are we still talking about Sons of Anarchy? Is that the show with the motorcycle people? If it is then just a warning ... my DH found it too violent and disturbing to watch. I know we are outliers on that type of stuff and you might really enjoy it. Just consider that a mild warning before planning a marathon with your kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I just finished reading the historical romance After the Scandal (The Reckless Brides) by Elizabeth Essex. It was an enjoyable read albeit far fetched at times. "CAN AN INDECENT PROPOSAL When Lady Claire Jellicoe agreed to a walk in the moonlight, she never imagined her titled companion might have brutal motives. Nor could she have dreamed up such a brave rescue by the most unexpected savior of all: an inscrutable nobleman with a daring plan of escape—and a deliciously tempting embrace… LEAD TO EVERLASTING LOVE? Tanner Evans, the Duke of Fenmore, has palmed more treasures than he can count. Even for a man who grew up thieving in London’s stews, a stolen bride should be beyond the pale. But Fenmore won’t let scandal ruin the spirited beauty’s reputation. And now that she’s stolen his heart, how can he ever let her go…?" (If attempted rape bothers you in a novel, avoid this book.) Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I just finished Maya Banks' When Day Breaks (A KGI Novel). It's the ninth book in the series and, while I enjoyed it, I'll admit that I enjoyed the earlier books in the series to a greater extent. I read it yesterday and :iagree: . I like the earlier books, but this was better than the last one. Donovan's story was so disappointing that I waited to get this one from the library. I just finished Magic Breaks, the seventh and most recent book in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. If you read this one be sure to read author's note at the beginning of the book, otherwise you will be convinced this is the end of the series. (Yeah I usually skip those and was glad I didn't in this case.) No matter how much the paranormal politics of Atlanta change, one thing always remains the same: if there’s trouble, Kate Daniels will be in the middle of it… As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers. Since Kate’s connection to Roland has come out into the open, no one is safe—especially those closest to Kate. As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend the Conclave, a gathering of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered there, apparently at the hands of a shapeshifter, Kate is given only twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war which could destroy everything she holds dear… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 For some reason <<insert subliminal message here -- CUPCAKES!!!>>, I thought some on the WTM boards might be interested in this free ebook: Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Cupcakes-Trinkets-Other-Deadly-Dowser-ebook/dp/B00DH5WVV6/?_bbid=13277&_bbtype=email Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cupcakes-trinkets-and-other-deadly-magic-dowser-1-meghan-ciana-doidge/1119460166?ean=2940045928311&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-tWxX/Rg9ax8-_-10:1&r=1 Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cupcakes-trinkets-other-deadly/id663571969?_bbid=13277&mt=11 Bwa-ha-ha! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 How do you feel about Regency? Georgette Heyer is pretty amazing. Joan Smith pales in comparison to GH but her books usually can be read in a short afternoon of ignoring the kids. : I'll put it on my list. Quick books are good :) Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Are we still talking about Sons of Anarchy? Is that the show with the motorcycle people? If it is then just a warning ... my DH found it too violent and disturbing to watch. I know we are outliers on that type of stuff and you might really enjoy it. Just consider that a mild warning before planning a marathon with your kid. Agreed. While I think reimagining the Danish court as a California biker gang is surprisingly effective, there's definitely a lot of, erm, content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 My reading has taken a back seat to finding *the perfect middle school latin program*. Such a beast does not exist, I fear. Have started The Hummingbird's Daughter, just, but so far it's engaging me. I thought the coffee lovers among us would enjoy this paean to morning coffee found early on in the book, as I sit here with my excellent latte... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I finished The Rosie Project. The ending was very satisfying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 My reading has taken a back seat to finding *the perfect middle school latin program*. Such a beast does not exist, I fear. Have started The Hummingbird's Daughter, just, but so far it's engaging me. I thought the coffee lovers among us would enjoy this paean to morning coffee found early on in the book, as I sit here with my excellent latte... "Cayetana greeted that dawn with a concoction made with coffee beans and burned corn kernels. As the light poured out of the eastern sea and splashed into windows from coast to coast, Mexicans rose and went to their million kitchens and cooking fires to pour their first rations of coffee. A tidal wave of coffee rushed west across the land, rising and falling from kitchen to fire ring to cave to ramada. Some drank coffee from thick glasses. Some sipped it from colorful gourds, rough clay pots that dissolved as they drank, cones of banana leaf. Café negro. Café with canela. Café with goat’s milk. Café with a golden-brown cone of piloncillo melting in it like a pyramid engulfed by a black flood. Tropical café with a dollop of sugarcane rum coiling in it like a hot snake. Bitter mountaintop café that thickened the blood. In Sinaloa, café with boiled milk, its burned milk skin floating on top in a pale membrane that looked like the flesh of a peeled blister. The heavy-eyed stared into the round mirrors of their cups and regarded their own dark reflections. And Cayetana Chávez, too, lifted a cup, her coffee reboiled from yesterday’s grounds and grits, sweet with spoons of sugarcane syrup, and lightened by thin blue milk stolen with a few quick squeezes from one of the patrón’s cows." Did you look at Cambridge Latin? They start it here in year 8 at private schools. Not sure if they finished the red book in a year or not but can easily ask. Anyway not a bad program and cheap used copies if you want to try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Just finished The Collector by Nora Roberts and really liked it. Good pacing and it was good enough that I was reading in in time allotted for paper books. Now reading Lynsay Sands book The Accidental Vampire. Funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Did you look at Cambridge Latin? They start it here in year 8 at private schools. Not sure if they finished the red book in a year or not but can easily ask. Anyway not a bad program and cheap used copies if you want to try it. Thank you, mumto2, I had not seen that one and your suggestion sent me scurrying off to both their website and then here to look for threads by those who've used it :lol: This looks like a good possibility for my whole-to-parts learner. Into the basket of options it goes, where it stops nobody knows... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Good morning! Armstrong's Broken just isn't doing it for me so relegating to bedroom to read one chapter before going to sleep. Yep, it's a dozer. Interesting story but the emotion is lacking. Want to finish it but not in any hurry. Dove into J.R. Wards 4th book in fallen angel series Rapture and as always loving it. Don't know why I waited so long. Off to do some critiquing for writer's group, then take kiddo to his ot and sp. Will check back in later this afternoon. I need suggestions for a good tea kettle. Hubby didn't like the glass one I wanted so........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Hi ladies- We've been on the road for two weeks, and my book-record-keeping has been slovenly, and I'm not yet ready to reconstruct. I know I abandoned several books... I'm particularly unwilling to slog through something on willpower alone when on vacation... Jenn, I thought of you as I giggled through that article in the New York Times about Com Con... Did you see it? I can't link at the moment, but its gist was astonishment at how little money per person the conference participants spent on restaurants and tchotkes and whatnot.... There was a picture of three devotees eating sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper, staring at -- get this -- comics. Imagine! I've glanced at Siege a few times, but keep walking away... I guess I fear it will be akin to Kite Runner... muchly lauded, but, for me, hollow and disappointing... and irritating because even the most obvious tear jerking does make me cry. ...and then, for some reason, with my dreadful name recall, I associated the author with the clunker War Brides, which I loathed. ...but your praises and Jane's have made me look again... Could you give me the final push, and help me click "place hold now"? Oh gracious me, it's nothing like War Brides!! Perish the thought (that ending! Oy...)! As Jane says, its plot is not really its point, though there is a narrative. It's more like a collage of psychological portraits, sensitively written. And though the backdrop is appalling, there is sacrifice and redemption as well. Click Now. I just want to thank everyone here for their positive thoughts and prayers today. My mom is being moved to a rehab facility tomorrow. Hopefully that will help her improve physically. :grouphug: to everyone going through medical issues with their elderly parents right now. I can't believe that so many of us are having serious situations at the same time. I hate the fact that time and expense makes it difficult to just pop in. At this moment the decision is to wait and see how things go from here. Probably more useful to go when she is able to go back to her own home. :grouphug: I am so sorry. Interesting thought. The death of idealism and hope is inevitable, is it? If so, should we be trying to delay it, or bathing them in philosophy so they are better able to cope when it does? Or perhaps stoicism is only able to be learned the hard way?No, I'm not in a very good mood just now, if anyone is wondering. :glare: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I am currently reading The Rosie Project. I am so conflicted because I know this guy! When I read the story I hear the voice of a family friend. It is a hilarious story, but I feel guilty every time I laugh. Our friend is a lot younger than the protagonist and he does a lot of his thinking about things that are important to him on Facebook, every day. He has a lot of cheerleaders who give him advice on his self improvement project, which he accepts with amazing humility, even when he politely declines to follow it. It's very weird to know a person IRL who inspired the character in a book... One of my husband's best friends is the person, now 50-something, who inspired the character of Jamie in Mixed-Up Files ... of course, the real life person is just the inspiration, and thereafter the author is free to riff freely in whatever direction serves the story...amplifying this, toning down or deleting that, blowing this up to caricature proportions (that said, forty-odd years later, Jamie's still sorta cheap... :lol: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 No teapot suggestions. Hubby burned up two kettles and three teapots (hmm maybe four) before getting his Keurig. :eek: I was forever thankful to his mom for buying it for him for Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I need suggestions for a good tea kettle. Hubby didn't like the glass one I wanted so........ We finally went electric after replacing so many stove-top versions. We've not looked back with this model, and it heats up in a jiffy plus the interior is stainless as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 No teapot suggestions. Hubby burned up two kettles and three teapots (hmm maybe four) before getting his Keurig. :eek: :lol: Once upon a time (when I was first married), I had a cute teapot (decorative, never really used) that we left on the stove all the time. I burned that sucker quite a few times by turning on the wrong burner until I finally tossed the teapot. (Btw, burning enamel coating smells bad. Lol.) Yeah, I'm a good cook like that. ;) So, I"m not sure how long the pretty turquoise pot will live at my house. Still deciding if it's something I'll use much or not. I don't keep it on the stove except when using it to heat water! (I think it's genetic, though. My grandfather burned down their kitchen a few times because he would put on water to boil for tea, then go watch tv & forget about it. We used to joke that he only knew the water was ready when the smoke was too thick to see the tv. Fortunately, a few of his five sons turned out to be firemen in the same town. A common line from the firemen when they would get the call is to tell my uncles, "Hey, your dad is burning down the house again." And, they often joked that they would put in a substation at the end of my grandparents' street. :laugh: Obviously, no damage was ever done other than structural damage of varying degrees....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 That's the beauty of electric, it's got an automatic shut-off so it won't end up here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Let's see...last week I read Agamemnon and another Flavia book. This week I'm hoping to read Libation Bearers and Eumenides, Bacchae and Oedipus Rex, and finish something else, but I'm not remembering what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Robin, Another vote for the electric kettle. It took me awhile to clue in to how great they are -- I was given one by the electric company here when we switched our plan and didn't try it for months. I use it several times a day and frequently not for tea but general cooking. Quick access to boiling water speeds meal preparation hugely. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 In keeping with this week's theme of sick parents: my dad has been in the hospital for the past two weeks with pneumonia (although I think there is something more at play here but it is hard to get answers when you live 3,000 km away.) My mom had open heart surgery in March, I went there to help. I was home for two weeks and then my dad was in the hospital with pneumonia so I went back for two more weeks. That was in April. I didn't go back for this hospital stay because we just couldn't afford it. Anyway, my mom called this morning to tell me that the dr. has said that there is a strong possibility that dad will have to go into a nursing home. :crying: Did not see that one coming! He is only 76 and was, until this happened, totally independent! They let him out of the hospital today and we are in a wait and see stage right now. So if he has to go back to the hospital then I will have to go back to Ontario and help get things sorted out. I am not looking forward to this. I thought I had a few years until this was going to be a reality. I am just going to say this once but this really sucks. This past year has just been crappy and this on top of everything else sucks. Okay, I'm done now. Now back to books: I finished J.R.R.Tolkien's translation of Beowulf and I like Heaney's translation better. Much better. I decided to pass up the reading book by Wendy Lesser (can't remember the title) and is now reading the newer one by Nancy Horan about Robert Louis Stevenson (can't remember that title, either, sorry but it was one of the blue covers we had on a thread a few months ago.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: To all of you with ill and aging parents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Julia, :grouphug: It seems many of us here have walked this journey. And it is that, a journey, as much yours as his. That is the lens I viewed things through when going through this with each of my parents. Though often hindsight was the default I worked with, caught up in the emotion of it all, which is inescapable and so necessarily integral to the grace of human experience. Sending good thoughts your way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Julia, I want to send you best wishes and peaceful thoughts. I spent the evening with friends, discussing an aging and infirmed parent situation. Life requires that we take the bitter with the sweet, hard as this might be. Best regards, Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 In keeping with this week's theme of sick parents: my dad has been in the hospital for the past two weeks with pneumonia (although I think there is something more at play here but it is hard to get answers when you live 3,000 km away.) My mom had open heart surgery in March, I went there to help. I was home for two weeks and then my dad was in the hospital with pneumonia so I went back for two more weeks. That was in April. I didn't go back for this hospital stay because we just couldn't afford it. Anyway, my mom called this morning to tell me that the dr. has said that there is a strong possibility that dad will have to go into a nursing home. :crying: Did not see that one coming! He is only 76 and was, until this happened, totally independent! They let him out of the hospital today and we are in a wait and see stage right now. So if he has to go back to the hospital then I will have to go back to Ontario and help get things sorted out. I am not looking forward to this. I thought I had a few years until this was going to be a reality. I am just going to say this once but this really sucks. This past year has just been crappy and this on top of everything else sucks. Okay, I'm done now. Now back to books: I finished J.R.R.Tolkien's translation of Beowulf and I like Heaney's translation better. Much better. I decided to pass up the reading book by Wendy Lesser (can't remember the title) and is now reading the newer one by Nancy Horan about Robert Louis Stevenson (can't remember that title, either, sorry but it was one of the blue covers we had on a thread a few months ago.) :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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