Book a Week in 2014 - BW33

[shukriyya]

My copy of the Rilke's Book of Hours is a New Direction paperback that I purchased around 1980--$1.95 back then. The translator is Babette Deutsch, the same translation which Lost Surprise linked.

 

Forgive the lack of umlauts:

 

Wenn du der Traumer bist, bin ich dein Traum.

Doch wenn du wachen willst, bin ich dein Wille

und werde machtig aller Herrlichkeit

und runde mich wie eine Sternenstille

uber der wunderlichen Stadt der Zeit.

 

Dreamer, it is I who am your dream.

But would you awake, I am your will,

and master of all splendor, and I grow

to a sphere, like stars poised high and still,

with time’s singular city stretched below.

 

****

 

This is where I have kept the bookmark all these many years....

 

Anyone have a copy from another translator about?  This is from "Ich bin, du Angstlicher." or "I am, you anxious one".

 

Rilke is so soothing.  Thank you fellow readers!

 

This is lovely!

 

The translation I read (Anita Barrows and Joanna Marie Macy) :

 

"I am the dream you are dreaming.

When you want to awaken, I am that wanting:

I grow strong in the beauty you behold.

And with the silence of stars I enfold

your cities made by time."

 

 

As I said, I devoured this translation, reading it cover to cover in about an hour, hardly breathing, reading not just with my mind and eyes, but with my whole being.

 

...but if I'd read the German as I was going, or had read reviews of it, I would almost certainly have set it aside and looked for a 'straight' translation.  ...and my snobbery would have robbed me of a beautiful experience...

 

 

I have the above translation. I don't feel compelled to choose one over the other, they are both lovely, both articulating Silence in such different ways. Rumi says it so beautifully in my siggy...

[Kareni]

 

 

Someone had asked about home libraries, here are a few photos of ours:

 

 

 

 

 

And I thought I had a lot of books.  I think that you may win the award for biggest home library, Eliana!

 

Enjoy your granddaughter's visit as well as the company of your daughter (and son-in-law?).

 

Regards,

Kareni

[shukriyya]

And I thought I had a lot of books.  I think that you may win the award for biggest home library, Eliana!

 

Enjoy your granddaughter's visit as well as the company of your daughter (and son-in-law?).

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I concur...that is a lot of books, Eliana. Such a nice feeling looking at them and knowing how they must have shaped your inner world. Grandbaby is adorable. Love her up for us :001_wub:

[Stacia]

Oh, Eliana, give your adorable granddaughter a snuggle & a kiss from us! What a wonderful time you'll have!

 

:w00t:  Wow. You redefine 'home library'. I know you read really quickly (& would, therefore, probably need oodles of books) -- wowzers, woman!

[mumto2]

Eliana, Your granddaughter is beautiful!  I hope your have a wonderful time while they are with you. 

 

Wow!!!  Thats all I can say to your home library.  Definitely gets my vote for largest and best organized.

[Jane in NC]

Sixteen hours and counting, Eliana?  Your granddaughter is so gorgeous and most fortunate to be a member of your family.  I imagine her aunts and uncles taking a number to read to her!

 

Indeed you redefine the word home library! I suspect there are stacks in the basement...

 

Thank you for copying a stanza from the Rilke translation for comparison.  They are both beautiful and give pause to the concept of translation.  Is the point word for word, the concept, the idiomatic patterns which may be hard to reproduce in a second language without some liberal doctoring?  Translators must think about different things when translating a poem over a novel, I suspect.  The spaces, the silence that Shukriyya mentions, are so different.

 

SWB's comments on translations of Homer in TWEM were gratefully appreciated by this home schooler.  In fact, before The Boy read Don Quixote, I parked him at B&N with four or five translations to compare.  I wanted him to find the voice that he enjoyed.

 

 

[Stacia]

Finished The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davis. I found it an interesting look at a little slice of life, crime, & the courts in France in the mid-1500s. I think the author did good research based on what was written about the case at the time (including an account written by the trial judge of the case), as well as the small amount of general info that was available about the life of an average peasant during that period & in that location. From those info sources, she then tries to draw some lines & infer motivations & further details of the events. So, it's a bit of a mix in that the bulk of it is factual history, but some parts are filled in with the author's guesses as to what happened & why -- I think that's important to keep in mind if you're reading this for historical value. I think it's fairly accessible even to non-historians, but it is semi-dry & textbook-y in the style of quite a few history narrations (i.e., it's not high literature). Recommended, especially if you like history &/or true crime.

[mumto2]

I started a new book this morning.  It has a long wait list so I needed to give it a try.  So far it is intriguing,  the WWI portion at least is very near where I live.  So interesting after seeing so much in museums etc. to have the daily bits of real life being depicted in a book.  The other portion is about a bookstore so I may place it in my "books about books" category if it continues to have ideas like this link contains.http://www.knighthallagency.com/book/mrs-sinclairs-suitcase-by-louise-walters/  I had never really thought about the lives of people being reflected in the books they read by the objects slipped into books......occasionally I find an odd scribble or brochure but nothing like the letter found by the main character.

[JennW in SoCal]

Sitting with a scone and cup of coffee and a stack of post cards. You all have been so good about sending them while I've bought a nice collection only to stuff them in a closet! Hoping to fix that today! Wish I could be chatting with each of you over coffee or tea and scones....

 

And Eliana, sending good wishes for safe travels for your dd and baby. I know your family will have a wonderful time together

[shukriyya]

Sitting with a scone and cup of coffee and a stack of post cards. 

 

Enjoying this image, Jenn.  :D

 

And in bookish realms I'm half-way through Maids of Misfortune. It's mildly holding my interest and yet appears to be the thing to get me out of the drought.

[Robin M]

Sitting with a scone and cup of coffee and a stack of post cards. You all have been so good about sending them while I've bought a nice collection only to stuff them in a closet! Hoping to fix that today! Wish I could be chatting with each of you over coffee or tea and scones....

 

And Eliana, sending good wishes for safe travels for your dd and baby. I know your family will have a wonderful time together

 

At least you bought your postcards. I haven't even gotten that far yet.  Enjoying all the cards you wonderful ladies have sent so far. 

[Kim in Appalachia]

I got the new Murakami book today! I only had time to start it, but I'm hoping to have more time this weekend. We (whole crew) listened to Terry Pratchett's, Thudd, during of long ride. Pratchett's is always fun. We love his books.

[Violet Crown]

I got the new Murakami book today! I only had time to start it, but I'm hoping to have more time this weekend. We (whole crew) listened to Terry Pratchett's, Thudd, during of long ride. Pratchett's is always fun. We love his books.

Okay, someone tell me about Terry Pratchett. I picked up this book called Jurgen, by James Cabell, from 1919, off the clearance shelf, and the Wikipedia article said it was a fantasy novel and an influence on Terry Pratchett. Now I don't enjoy the modern fantasy genre, but I can't imagine something written a century ago to be an actual example of that genre. Should I read this thing? Is Pratchett the sort of book that I would toss across the room?

 

Loving Boswell's Life of Johnson, though he is certainly thorough in his details.

[JennW in SoCal]

Okay, someone tell me about Terry Pratchett. I picked up this book called Jurgen, by James Cabell, from 1919, off the clearance shelf, and the Wikipedia article said it was a fantasy novel and an influence on Terry Pratchett. Now I don't enjoy the modern fantasy genre, but I can't imagine something written a century ago to be an actual example of that genre. Should I read this thing? Is Pratchett the sort of book that I would toss across the room?

 

Loving Boswell's Life of Johnson, though he is certainly thorough in his details.

 

 

Do you enjoy satire?  Terry Pratchett is fantasy, but it isn't serious genre-fantasy.  It is instead a series of books that poke fun at social norms and customs and history and politics and business through the antics of the lively population that inhabit The Discworld, an alternate but very familiar universe.  There are wizards who inhabit UnSeen University and bumble about in various academic ways.  There are witches, dwarves and trolls and goblins and werewolves, vampires and golems, all of whom are slowly integrated into the Discworld society.  There is a delightful con man, Moist von Lipwig who turns around the post office and in the most recent book helps launch a system of railways. There's a street-wise tough cop, Sam Vimes, who marries a titled lady who raises dragons.  His books are among my favorites.  And Death is a character who has a book (or two) of his own -- he is fascinated by humans.  One Christmas (aka Hogswatch) he takes over as Santa Claus (the Hogfather) who has gone missing.  

 

I love Pratchett, but I like to laugh, and these books make me laugh.  They are absurd but intelligent, in a very British sort of way.  He was apparently the top selling author in Britain til JK Rowling pushed him aside.

 

Have you read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?  Do you enjoy Monty Python?  It's that sort of humor. 

 

ETA  Here's a nice summary of the many books and their various story arcs.  Just have to warn you that the language is a bit crass at the beginning -- a reflection on the reviewer and not on Sir Terry.  Why oh why do geeks think the f-bomb makes their viewpoints more relative?

[Kareni]

Today I reread the historical romance Simply Love by Mary Balogh.  This is a story that makes me go, "Aaaahhhh."  I don't think any reader would find the content problematic.  I recommend it.

 

"New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh returns to the elegance and sensuality of Regency England as she continues the enthralling story of four remarkable women–friends and teachers at Miss Martin’s School for Girls. At the center of this spellbinding novel is Anne Jewell, a teacher haunted by a scandalous past…until she meets a man who teaches her the most important lesson of all: nothing is simple when it comes to love.…

She spies him in the deepening dusk of a Wales evening–a lone figure of breathtaking strength and masculinity, his handsome face branded by a secret pain. For single mother and teacher Anne Jewell, newly arrived with her son at a sprawling estate in Wales on the invitation of an influential friend, Sydnam Butler is a man whose sorrows–and passions–run deeper than she could have ever imagined.

As steward of a remote seaside manor, Sydnam lives a reclusive existence far from the pity and disdain of others. Yet almost from the moment Anne first appears on the cliffs, he senses in this lovely stranger a kindred soul, and between these two wary hearts, desire stirs. Unable to resist the passion that has rescued them both from loneliness, Anne and Sydnam share an afternoon of exquisite lovemaking. Now the unwed single mother and war-scarred veteran must make a decision that could forever alter their lives. For Sydnam, it is a chance to heal the pain of the past. For Anne, it is the glorious promise of a future with the man who will dare her to reveal her deepest secrets…before she can give him all her heart."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

Today I reread the historical romance Simply Love by Mary Balogh.  This is a story that makes me go, "Aaaahhhh."  I don't think any reader would find the content problematic.  I recommend it.

 

"New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh returns to the elegance and sensuality of Regency England as she continues the enthralling story of four remarkable women–friends and teachers at Miss Martin’s School for Girls. At the center of this spellbinding novel is Anne Jewell, a teacher haunted by a scandalous past…until she meets a man who teaches her the most important lesson of all: nothing is simple when it comes to love.…

 

She spies him in the deepening dusk of a Wales evening–a lone figure of breathtaking strength and masculinity, his handsome face branded by a secret pain. For single mother and teacher Anne Jewell, newly arrived with her son at a sprawling estate in Wales on the invitation of an influential friend, Sydnam Butler is a man whose sorrows–and passions–run deeper than she could have ever imagined.

 

As steward of a remote seaside manor, Sydnam lives a reclusive existence far from the pity and disdain of others. Yet almost from the moment Anne first appears on the cliffs, he senses in this lovely stranger a kindred soul, and between these two wary hearts, desire stirs. Unable to resist the passion that has rescued them both from loneliness, Anne and Sydnam share an afternoon of exquisite lovemaking. Now the unwed single mother and war-scarred veteran must make a decision that could forever alter their lives. For Sydnam, it is a chance to heal the pain of the past. For Anne, it is the glorious promise of a future with the man who will dare her to reveal her deepest secrets…before she can give him all her heart."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

This sounds great.  I'm adding it to my to-read list!

[mumto2]

I got the new Murakami book today! I only had time to start it, but I'm hoping to have more time this weekend. We (whole crew) listened to Terry Pratchett's, Thudd, during of long ride. Pratchett's is always fun. We love his books.

Looking forward to your Murakami review.  I keep checking my libraries and it hasn't shown up as ordered.

 

ETA. Just looked again and it is now showing as ordered.  I am second on the list!

[mumto2]

Today I reread the historical romance Simply Love by Mary Balogh.  This is a story that makes me go, "Aaaahhhh."  I don't think any reader would find the content problematic.  I recommend it.

 

"New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh returns to the elegance and sensuality of Regency England as she continues the enthralling story of four remarkable women–friends and teachers at Miss Martin’s School for Girls. At the center of this spellbinding novel is Anne Jewell, a teacher haunted by a scandalous past…until she meets a man who teaches her the most important lesson of all: nothing is simple when it comes to love.…

 

She spies him in the deepening dusk of a Wales evening–a lone figure of breathtaking strength and masculinity, his handsome face branded by a secret pain. For single mother and teacher Anne Jewell, newly arrived with her son at a sprawling estate in Wales on the invitation of an influential friend, Sydnam Butler is a man whose sorrows–and passions–run deeper than she could have ever imagined.

 

As steward of a remote seaside manor, Sydnam lives a reclusive existence far from the pity and disdain of others. Yet almost from the moment Anne first appears on the cliffs, he senses in this lovely stranger a kindred soul, and between these two wary hearts, desire stirs. Unable to resist the passion that has rescued them both from loneliness, Anne and Sydnam share an afternoon of exquisite lovemaking. Now the unwed single mother and war-scarred veteran must make a decision that could forever alter their lives. For Sydnam, it is a chance to heal the pain of the past. For Anne, it is the glorious promise of a future with the man who will dare her to reveal her deepest secrets…before she can give him all her heart."

 

Regards,

Kareni

Sounds good......I ended up requesting the first in the series since it was available, Simply Unforgettable.  Already waiting for my Survivor's Club series by Balogh.  During my search I found a new author that looks good,  Annie Grace.  The first in that series is The Perfect Rake.  Opinions anyone?

 

The rest of my Julia Quinn's arrived yesterday.  Yeah!!!  Really relieved they made it since mary of the in transit items didn't arrive at our branch and they are something I want to read right now not something to add to the stack.  ;)  Working on finishing the Smythe/Smith family.

[Violet Crown]

Do you enjoy satire?  Terry Pratchett is fantasy, but it isn't serious genre-fantasy.  It is instead a series of books that poke fun at social norms and customs and history and politics and business through the antics of the lively population that inhabit The Discworld, an alternate but very familiar universe.  There are wizards who inhabit UnSeen University and bumble about in various academic ways.  There are witches, dwarves and trolls and goblins and werewolves, vampires and golems, all of whom are slowly integrated into the Discworld society.  There is a delightful con man, Moist von Lipwig who turns around the post office and in the most recent book helps launch a system of railways. There's a street-wise tough cop, Sam Vimes, who marries a titled lady who raises dragons.  His books are among my favorites.  And Death is a character who has a book (or two) of his own -- he is fascinated by humans.  One Christmas (aka Hogswatch) he takes over as Santa Claus (the Hogfather) who has gone missing.  

 

I love Pratchett, but I like to laugh, and these books make me laugh.  They are absurd but intelligent, in a very British sort of way.  He was apparently the top selling author in Britain til JK Rowling pushed him aside.

 

Have you read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?  Do you enjoy Monty Python?  It's that sort of humor. 

 

ETA  Here's a nice summary of the many books and their various story arcs.  Just have to warn you that the language is a bit crass at the beginning -- a reflection on the reviewer and not on Sir Terry.  Why oh why do geeks think the f-bomb makes their viewpoints more relative?

Thanks for the detailed description! I liked the radio version of Hitchhiker's Guide as a child, but not the book as much. "Absurd but intelligent" sounds promising. Good satire is always welcome. I suppose it's not the subject matter but how it's written that makes the difference. I think I'll just have to try Jurgen, and if it's good, try Pratchett.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

....  Already waiting for my Survivor's Club series by Balogh.  ....

 

I was going to comment on this, but then realized it was a different book. ;)  Same title, different subtitle....

 

I haven't read the one you mentioned, but I can give a positive review of:

 

The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life, by Ben Sherwood

 

I don't necessarily agree with everything, but it did change my perspective on some issues and has had a lasting influence on my life.  (I always wonder if I'm tempting fate each time I recommend it...)

[Jane in NC]

Thanks for the detailed description! I liked the radio version of Hitchhiker's Guide as a child, but not the book as much. "Absurd but intelligent" sounds promising. Good satire is always welcome. I suppose it's not the subject matter but how it's written that makes the difference. I think I'll just have to try Jurgen, and if it's good, try Pratchett.

 

VC--

 

Fantasy is not really my cuppa, but I enjoy listening to Pratchett novels. They are particularly entertaining on long family drives.

 

J

 

[MicheleinMN]

I finished The Aeneid, and my paper.   :hurray: As a reward I read Born in Blood (Sentinels Book 1) by Alexander Ivy, which was a random pick from the pile I have out from my library.

 

Congrats!  :party:

I did neither.  I did manage to read enough and take the quiz.  I'm really glad I decided to do the first paper, as I could not get it one done this week.  (Dh was traveling and our van, which he was driving, died.  It has made for a very busy week with quite a few disagreements between dh and myself as to what is a suitable vehicle for our family.

 

I'm still listening to Flavia and started Ovid, which I am enjoying much more than The Aeneid. 

[Kareni]

  During my search I found a new author that looks good,  Annie Grace.  The first in that series is The Perfect Rake.  Opinions anyone?

 

 

 

I've read a number of Anne Gracie's books including The Perfect Rake (Merridew Series)  and enjoyed them.  The storylines have not stayed with me nor do I recall rereading them as I tend to do with my favorites.  So, I'd say they are fun, light reads.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I finished Mrs. Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters which I so enthusiastically posted about yesterday.  I just went back and read my post and discovered that I linked but never actually said the name of the book--I am sorry!   Well it ended up being very blah after a great first chapter or two.  Not a good book about books,  barely acceptable WWI, and even failed my romance test.  It ended up essentially being a romance novel in the end although it certainly wasn't advertised as one.  Not really worth it imo.  I gave it a 3 because I liked where it started and it was an OK read,  it could have been great.  

 

 

[shukriyya]

I started the first book in the 'Call the Midwife' series yesterday as an audiobook. My thrifty self noticed that the first book as a kindle was $8 and not available at our library but the second and third books were $2 as well as being available at the library albeit with a long waiting list. I had a couple of Audible credits and decided to use one on this first book in the series and then read the other two. Clear as mud? Yesterday afternoon found me starting a new knitting project, cup of tea at hand and the women of East End post-war London for company. It was very enjoyable and the narrator, while not in the same camp as Vanessa Redgrave who is the narrator for the tv series (love the cadence and tone of her voice!), does a respectable job.

 

On another Audible note I just realized that a lot of the Great Courses are available as Audible book purchases. Not only does this mean significant savings if bought with credits but it also means they can be downloaded directly to the kindle so ds can listen on his kindle rather than having to use the computer were I to buy them from their site.

[mumto2]

I was going to comment on this, but then realized it was a different book. ;)  Same title, different subtitle....

 

I haven't read the one you mentioned, but I can give a positive review of:

 

The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life, by Ben Sherwood

 

I don't necessarily agree with everything, but it did change my perspective on some issues and has had a lasting influence on my life.  (I always wonder if I'm tempting fate each time I recommend it...)

Your version of the Suvivor's Club sounds like something my ds would love.  I requested it for him.

 

I've read a number of Anne Gracie's books including The Perfect Rake (Merridew Series)  and enjoyed them.  The storylines have not stayed with me nor do I recall rereading them as I tend to do with my favorites.  So, I'd say they are fun, light reads.

 

Regards,

Kareni

Thank you.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 

 

On another Audible note I just realized that a lot of the Great Courses are available as Audible book purchases. Not only does this mean significant savings if bought with credits but it also means they can be downloaded directly to the kindle so ds can listen on his kindle rather than having to use the computer were I to buy them from their site.

 

We often use Audible credits for Great Courses lectures. They make the commutes feel so much more productive!

 

[Angel]

I'm taking a moment here to update from the last few weeks.  Not much reading has been happening as I'm still slowly working on getting the house ready to go on the market.  Though how I'm supposed to do that and go on doing normal life with all its interruptions I'm just not sure!  Currently, I'm still reading Little Women.  Dd's will probably finish this week while they are at my parents, and I was hoping to as well.  Aly, who's 86% of the way through, told me today that she cried.  She's my ready to take on the world action girl and was a little embarrassed that the book brought her to tears.  It's good for her  ;)  So here's what I've actually finished...

 

Strange Capers by Joan Smith.  I needed a quick, fluffy read as Monument’s Men is slow going.  And, I’ll admit, I want to keep my numbers up so I don’t fall behind.  It was not as good as Imprudent Lady but it was still enjoyable.  There was a lot of deception and intrigue which made it difficult to tell what was really going on.  I could have maybe done with a little less of that and a little more of developing the characters as a couple but nonetheless it was a perfect fit for my mood.  3 stars.

 

 

I’m supposed to be reading Little Women with Skyeler and Aly, however, I needed something lighter so I picked up Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina.  I heard about it here, and since it was free for the Kindle, I picked it up.  It’s a Steampunk YA novel, similar in some ways to Etiquette and Espionage.  Seeing as how Aly loved the latter, I thought I would give it a try and see if it was something she would be interested in.  It was enjoyable, nothing stupendous, but a decent story line and clean like a YA novel should be.  I liked the heroine as she’s smart but still compassionate.  I’m definitely interested in checking out the rest in the series when I ever get the time and I think Aly will enjoy it.  3 stars.

 

I've decided I need a different rating system.  The stars just don't cut it.   :001_tt2:   Well, back to cleaning, sorting, packing, and decluttering, oh, and I also need to be getting something called school ready!  I found out our local district started today  :eek:   I haven't even thought about my paperwork yet! 

 

1 – The Women of Christmas by Liz Curtis Higgs (Isarel)

*2 – Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans (USA)

 

*3 – The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (Dusty, Narnia,)

 

*4 – Michael Vey:  The Rise of the Elgen by Richard Paul Evans (USA/Peru)

 

*5 – Soulless by Gail Carriger (England, BaW rec)

 

*6 – Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley (England)

 

*7 – A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (12^th Century, England/Wales,BaW rec)

 

*8 – Michael Vey: Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans (Peru)

 

*9 - Divergent by Veronica Roth (USA)

 

*10 - Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett (Turkey, 11th/12th Century, Dusty Book, re-read)

 

*11 – Austenland by Shannon Hale (England, Dusty Book)

 

*12 – The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (Narnia)

 

*13 – Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger (England, BaW rec)

 

*14 – The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis (Narnia)

 

*15 – Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury (England)

 

*16 – Imprudent Lady by Joan Smith (England, BaW rec)

 

*17 – Beorn the Proud by Madeleine Polland (Denmark, 9^th Century, re-read)

 

*18 – The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan (audiobook) (USA/Italy)

 

*19 – The Dead in their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley (England)

 

*20 – The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (Narnia)

 

*21 – The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (USA, dusty book)

 

*22 – The Mysterious Marquis by Eileen Ainsworth Ramsay (England/Scotland, dusty book)

 

*23 – Agenda 21 by Harriet Parke and Glen Beck (USA)

 

*24 – Persuasion by Jane Austen  (audiobook, England, re-read)

 

*25 – The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer (England, dusty book)

 

*26 – The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer (England)

 

*27 – Mr. Knightley’s Diary by Amanda Grange (England, dusty book)

 

*28 - Classics Illustrated Macbeth (Graphic Novel) by Shakespeare (Scotland)

 

*29 - Inferno by Dante (14th Century, classic, BaW read along)

 

*30 - Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter by Nancy Atherton (England, dusty book, BaW rec)

 

*31 - The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd (England)

 

*32 - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (Costa Rica, dusty book, re-read)

 

*33 - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Scotland, audiobook, BaW rec)

 

*34 - The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier (Algeria/Greece/Turkey/England/Crete/Finland)

 

*35 – Strange Capers by Joan Smith (England)

 

*36 – Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina (England, 19^th Century)

 

 

[JennW in SoCal]

Angel -- I can't remember or I missed hearing where abouts y'all are moving to.  

 

I don't think there is such a thing as normal life in the midst of selling a house, much less so when moving.  Shoot -- I'm all in a tizzy over moving stuff just to get new flooring.  Hang in there!!  

[Stacia]

Eaglei's latest update on her son:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/498232-urgent-prayer-request-for-ds/?p=5855982

[Angel]

Angel -- I can't remember or I missed hearing where abouts y'all are moving to.  

 

I don't think there is such a thing as normal life in the midst of selling a house, much less so when moving.  Shoot -- I'm all in a tizzy over moving stuff just to get new flooring.  Hang in there!!  

 

Well, dh has a job offer in the Kansas/Oklahoma area.  He has not accepted it yet as we are still praying and unsure exactly where God wants us.  That said, whether he takes the job or not we would like to sell and get out of the city and into some property.  Dh thinks he wants to raise goats and chickens  :lol: We have been in limbo for 8 months now, dh's company is in no rush at the present, and it is a little wearing.  We just have so much stuff!  Though, I will admit that for once I was thankful for not so many bookshelves  to pack up when I saw Eliana's great library.  It made me think that I could certainly handle my six or seven :lol:  

[shukriyya]

 

 

I’m supposed to be reading Little Women with Skyeler and Aly, however, I needed something lighter so I picked up Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina. I heard about it here, and since it was free for the Kindle, I picked it up. It’s a Steampunk YA novel, similar in some ways to Etiquette and Espionage. Seeing as how Aly loved the latter, I thought I would give it a try and see if it was something she would be interested in. It was enjoyable, nothing stupendous, but a decent story line and clean like a YA novel should be. I liked the heroine as she’s smart but still compassionate. I’m definitely interested in checking out the rest in the series when I ever get the time and I think Aly will enjoy it. 3 stars.

I picked this up as a kindle freebie a few months ago and read it in a day. I'm not sure what classifies it as a YA novel, the age of the protagonist perhaps, the lack of complexity? At any rate your synopsis was spot on. I went ahead and bought the next in the series but have yet to read it.

[Guest]

Eliana! Your granddaughter is so adorable!!!! Enjoy her! And your library....I have no words! :wub: :001_tt1: :svengo:

 

I'm about halfway through Great Expectations. I'm reading, it just isn't going very fast, lol. We got a puppy over the weekend, so I'm a little tired and worn out. ;)

[NoseInABook]

Eliana, that entire post is droolworthy from the beautiful baby to the marvelous book collection!

 

We're sending our sweet foster son to his grandparents on Friday morning. Such a bittersweet thing as we love him and will miss him but he so desperately needs to be bonding with the people who will likely raise him. I pushed hard to get him moved to his grandparents sooner rather than later because it's just what he needs. So I'm grateful for the two months we had with him and pray that he thrives with them. :)

 

I've decided that I don't particularly like Neverwhere. I know. This is the first Neil Gaiman book that I'm not feeling. It's weird. I'm going to push through a few more chapters and then I may give myself permission to just skim the rest but it didn't suck me in like the others did.

[aggieamy]

Eliana - when you get time feel free to come back and post about all the books you've been reading.  I expect you'll have lots and lots of picture and board books to be in the list. Glad you're getting time with your sweet little granddaughter.  

 

Angel - We're getting ready to move also.  We just need to find a house.  Right now in the neighborhoods we're looking in there have been ZERO new houses in the last two weeks.  Ugh.  You're motivating me to declutter a bit.  I hope you get news from the company soon so you can start getting excited about wherever you're going to be moving.

 

Woodland Mist -  That's a great idea to use audible credits on Great Courses.  I seem to spend them as soon as I get them on books I want to read.   :ph34r:   I guess I'll only have myself to blame if the kids don't get into Oxford or Starfleet Academy.  

 

   

[Stacia]

.

[Kareni]

Today I read and enjoyed Between the Devil and Ian Eversea: Pennyroyal Green Series by Julie Anne Long.  It's the ninth book, I believe, in the Pennyroyal series but I think it stands alone well. 

 

"She might look like an angel . . .

 

The moment orphaned American heiress Titania "Tansy" Danforth arrives on English shores she cuts a swath through Sussex, enslaving hearts and stealing beaux. She knows she's destined for a spectacular titled marriage—but the only man who fascinates her couldn't be more infamous . . . or less interested.

 

But it takes a devil to know one . . .

 

A hardened veteran of war and inveterate rogue, Ian Eversea keeps women enthralled, his heart guarded and his options open: why should he succumb to the shackles of marriage when devastating good looks and Eversea charm make seduction so easy?

 

And Heaven has never been hotter!

 

When Ian is forced to call her on her game, he never dreams the unmasked Tansy— vulnerable, brave, achingly sensual—will tempt him beyond endurance. And fight as he will, this notorious bachelor who stood down enemies on a battlefield might finally surrender his heart . . . and be brought to his knees by love."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Rosie_0801]

I just finished reading 'The First Sunrise: Australian Aboriginal Myths in Paintings' by Ainslie Roberts with text by Charles P. Mountford to dd. Some stories were familiar to me, but some were completely new. I hadn't read any from South Australia before. I think I might have posted that on the thread last week, but I can't remember. Anyway, we have another two volumes by the same chaps to read, so I'm looking forward to them too!

[Jane in NC]

Random Thursday morning thoughts:

 

Stacia, I think I see why you may have thrown in the towel on A Novel Bookstore.  Laurence Cosse's story begins with a convoluted mystery.  Then the author launches into the background which is the longest slog ever.  Yesterday I wanted to holler at the book, "Get on with it!" 

 

On my morning bike ride, I stopped by the neighborhood Little Free Library where the title of a book completely cracked me up.  Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons did not come home with me (since I doubt if this is my sort of book) but I would appreciate the bonbons!

 

On a non-book related note, the boldness of the wildlife in my neighborhood is astounding me.  Just a few minutes ago a doe and fawn galloped through my backyard as I was shaking out a rug.  Earlier I encountered a fox as I was riding my bike.  It kept its distance but it did disconcert me!

[Uff Da!]

 

We're sending our sweet foster son to his grandparents on Friday morning. Such a bittersweet thing as we love him and will miss him but he so desperately needs to be bonding with the people who will likely raise him. I pushed hard to get him moved to his grandparents sooner rather than later because it's just what he needs. So I'm grateful for the two months we had with him and pray that he thrives with them. :)

 

Sending my best to you during this transition.

 

 

I'm set to finish The Scarlet Letter today and wonder why in the world they had us read a shortened version in high school. Ugh.  It's short and an easy read so why shorten it more?  My library holds drifted in so I get to chose between "S", "I Capture the Castle", Abu-Jaber's "Birds of Paradise", or "The Last Unicorn".  I'm leaning towards "I Capture the Castle" for my next read.

 

I also started Coursera's Greek and Roman Mythology lectures and am due to start my next Hebrew course.

[Pam in CT]

Kim, I look forward to hearing what you think of Murakami's new book...  Did you see Patti Smith's review of it in Sunday's NYT Book Review?  I loved its closing:

 

The writer sits at his desk and makes us a story.  A story not knowing where it is going, not knowing itself to be magic.  Closure is an illusion, the winking of the eye of a storm.  Nothing is completely resolved in life, nothing is perfect.  The important thing is to keep living because only by living can you see what happens next.

 

(Which reminded me of how pleasantly surprised I was by Patti Smith's own memoir of her years with Robert Mapplethorpe, Just Kids, which my tough-guy teenaged nephew recommended to me when it first came out and which I only read to humor him.... and which turned out to be excellent...)

 

 

Jane, there's a female fox who's lived on our hill for years, and we all consider it to be a very good omen if we catch a glimpse of her (and even more so if her current crop of kits are following her...) truly they are Noble Beasts.  Deer -- not so much imho....  They are the bane of my garden; I've had as many as five of them right on my patio, munching freely from my container plants, and when I run out shrieking to chase them off they look up at me like, what is your problem, woman?  Grrrrr...

 

 

shukriyya, I love your take on the partnership between author and translator... I'm not a musician, but I've always thought of the relationship as analogous to that between composer and musician...

 

 

Angel, I'm sending good wishes your way... Eight months is a long time to live in limbo... we've been there as well, and it wears you down (even if the motivation to de-clutter is a bit of a silver lining...)

 

 

 

Eliana, I'm so glad that gorgeous baby is on her way to you!  Enjoy every minute of the visit, and we look forward to a detailed report of all her tricks when you have time again!

 

 

 

 

My daughter and dog and I were visiting cousins at the beach, without wifi, for several days... I could "see" the BAW conversation on my phone but my fingers are too clumsy really to respond, so I'm going back now to last week's thread to carry on a couple of thoughts there...

[TeacherZee]

 

I just watched that episode the other day. I do love me some Sheldon.

[Stacia]

Jane, I totally agree about The Novel Bookstore having a long slog in the middle. I loved the beginning & it seemed quite promising. But, with all the bookstore background & info about them setting it up... :willy_nilly: . I decided I had better things to do w/ my time rather than wait on the author to get around to moving the story along.

 

I saw a lovely fox the other night when I was going over for my evening walk w/ my friend. I love foxes. Don't see them super-often, but am happy when I do.

 

Rosie, thanks for mentioning the title of the Australian myths book you're reading. Sounds really quite interesting.

 

NoseInABook, :grouphug: .

 

Looking foward to Kim's review of the new Murakami book too! Hopefully I'll get a copy from the library soon. I had my name on their waitlist while they still had the book on order, so I think I'm near the front of the line. Mumto2, did you also say you're on the list to get it from the library?

 

And, in honor of Violet Crown's teensy-eensy-weensy-itty-bitty-chance-of-reading-a-modern-fantasy-book :D , here's a fun little interview with Terry Pratchett.

[Jane in NC]

Jane, there's a female fox who's lived on our hill for years, and we all consider it to be a very good omen if we catch a glimpse of her (and even more so if her current crop of kits are following her...) truly they are Noble Beasts.  Deer -- not so much imho....  They are the bane of my garden; I've had as many as five of them right on my patio, munching freely from my container plants, and when I run out shrieking to chase them off they look up at me like, what is your problem, woman?  Grrrrr...

 

 

 

Jane, I totally agree about The Novel Bookstore having a long slog in the middle. I loved the beginning & it seemed quite promising. But, with all the bookstore background & info about them setting it up... :willy_nilly: . I decided I had better things to do w/ my time rather than wait on the author to get around to moving the story along.

 

I saw a lovely fox the other night when I was going over for my evening walk w/ my friend. I love foxes. Don't see them super-often, but am happy when I do.

 

 

We are more likely to see foxes at dusk or dawn. During the day when construction and lawn people are out? Not so much. Our fox population took a hit from Hurricane Floyd but they are now quite abundant.

 

But the squirrel that is trying to chew through a screen on a kitchen window?  What is up with that?

[Pam in CT]

carried over from last week's thread:

 

 

 

ETA photo snip

 

The drought continues...

 

I'm hoping the drought has abated by now, dear, but if it hasn't I strongly recommend Thaliad by Marly Youmans ... it is a remarkably innovative book in its structure, set in a post-(nuclear?) apocalyptic future, written in the form of an ancient epic, peppered with Greek and biblical references, steadily building towards redemption despite obstacles and hardships throughout.  (Categorized as YA, not just for YA...)

 

 

 

Yep, I know I mentioned Bulgakov's The Master & Margarita! I found it fascinating & weird -- definitely one that will require a re-read one day. I really enjoyed the parts about Pontius Pilate, as well as the other storyline w/ the Devil & Behemoth wreaking havoc in Moscow. I think I said at the time that this is the type of book you could do an entire semester college course on & still miss stuff. I've never read Heart of a Dog, but have heard it is quite good.

Fascinating and weird for sure... I was still reeling when I finished... and I found the notes and afterward (Burgin/O'Connor translation) to be quite helpful.  I especially liked this bit:

 

The characters and reader are meant eventually to see beyond apparent identity to real identity, to understand that Woland and Yeshua bring the same message.  Woland gives everyone, especially Margarita, the same test, and to pass it, one must show compassion *even to the worst humanity has to offer*... Yeshua teaches by example, Woland by provocation, but they are both teaching that compassion is preferable to revenge... 

 

 

Thanks for the recommendation.  I may have to try Heart of a Dog now as well.....

 

 

Re country study:

 

Would you mind listing the country study ones you've done when you have time? (I think I've asked you that before, so sorry that I'm asking yet again!)

 

Not sure if you've read any of these...

So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ (Senegal)

Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie (Pakistan)

The Nun by Simonetta Agnello Hornby (Italy)

Lieutenant Nun by Catalina de Erauso (Spain; also much of it is set in South America)

The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin (Russia)

Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky (Russia -- but story is set in Germany)

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (Australia)

Aiding and Abetting by Muriel Spark (England)

Hygiene and the Assassin by Amélie Nothomb (Belgium, though she grew up in Japan & many other places around the world as a dd of diplomats)

Darkmans by Nicola Barker (England)

anything by Isabel Allende (Chile)

Ru by Kim Thúy (Vietnam & Canada)

Women of the Klondike by Frances Backhouse (Canada; non-fiction)

Daughters of Copper Woman by Anne Cameron (Canada)

... my list is in a somewhat chaotic form (I keep count starting in September; I have a "focus" list as well as a more opportunistic list, I separate fiction from non-fiction, blah blah -- and I also go for weeks at a time without writing things down), but... my round-the-world roundup over the last year has been something like:

 

 

• Freedom From Fear, by Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma) - September 8, 2013.  Response here
• Everything is Broken: A Tale of Catastrophe in Burma, by Emma Larkin - September 17, 2013.  Response here
• The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of Burma, by Thant Myint-U - September 22, 2013.  Response here
• Burmese Lessons: A True Love Story, by Karen Connelly - September 24, 2014
• From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey, by Pascal Khoo Thwe - September 29, 2013.  Response here
• Burmese Days, by George Orwell - October 3, 2013.  Response here
• Harp of Burma, by Michio Takeyama - October 6, 2013.  Response here
• Smile as they Bow, by Nu Nu Yi - October 11, 2013 (Burma)
• The Secret Lives of Babu Segi's Wives, by Lola Shoneyin (Nigeria) - November 21, 2013
• Waiting for an Angel, by Helon Habila (Nigeria) - December 9, 2013
• Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria) - December 17, 2013
• The Open Sore of a Continent: A Personal Narrative of the Nigerian Crisis, by Wole Soyinka - December 20, 2013.  Response here
• The Thing Around Your Neck, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (short stories set in Nigeria) - December 22, 2013
• This House Has Fallen: Midnight in Nigeria, by Karl Maier - December 26, 2013

• Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - January 4, 2014 (as much or more about  American- versus foreign-born black experience in the US, as about Nigeria)
• Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe - January 15, 2014
• A Man of the People, by Chinua Achebe - January 23, 2014
• What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, by Nathan Englander (US and Israel) - February 28, 2014
• My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel, by Ari Shavits - March 10, 2014
• Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation, by Yossi Klein Halevi - April 2, 2014
• To the End of the Land, by David Grossman (Israel) - April 14, 2014
• Day After Night, by Anita Diamant (Israel) - April 25, 2014
• Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples, by VS Naipul (Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan and Malaysia) - June 15, 2014
• Second Person Singular, by Sayed Kashua (Israel) - June 22, 2014
• The Wandering Falcon, by Jamil Ahmad (Pakistan and Afghanistan) - July 8, 2014
• Say You're One of Them, by Uwen Akpan - September 26, 2013.  Stories set in Kenya, Benin, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Rwanda.  Response here
• Sweetness in the Belly, by Camilla Gibb - October 9, 2013.  Set in Ethiopia.
• Our Man in Havana, by Graham Greene - October 15, 2013
• The Cat's Table, by Michael Ondaatje - October 21, 2013
• In the Shadow of the Banyan, by Vaddey Ratner (Cambodian war) - January 1, 2014
• The 13th Apostle: A Novel of a Dublin Family, Michael Collins, and the Irish Uprising, by Dermot McEvoy - January 19, 2014
• The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, by Haruki Murakami (Japan) - January 28, 2014
• The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simpson (Australia) - January 31, 2014
• The Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley (Scotland) - February 1, 2014
• The Solitude of Prime Numbers, by Paolo Giordano (Italy)- February 17, 2014
• Mazel, by Rebecca Goldstein (re-read) (Poland) - February 18, 2014
• The Enchantress of Florence, by Salman Rushdie (Renaissance Italy and Mughal India) - February 20, 2014
• Burning Lights: A Unique Double Portrait of Russia, by Bella Chagall, illustrated by Marc Chagall - February 21, 2014
• Magic Seeds, by VS Naipul (India) - February 24, 2014
• Black Radishes, by Susan Lynn Meyer (YA) (occupied France) - February 26, 2014
• The Free World, by David Bezmogis (Russian Jewish emigres in Italy) - February 28, 2014
• A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar: A Novel, by Suzanne Joinsen - March 2, 2014
• A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki (Japan, British Columbia) - March 4, 2014
• The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell (shogun Japan) - March 18, 2014
• I am Forbidden, by Anouk Markovits (Satmar France and Williamsburg) - March 19, 2014
• A Guide for the Perplexed, by Dara Horn (Solomon Schecter/Cambridge, Egypt) - March 20, 2014
• The Saffron Kitchen, by Yasmin Crowther (Iran) - May 1, 2014
• Out of Many Waters, by Jacqueline Green (YA) (Inquisition era Portugal and Brazil) - May 5, 2014
• Ru, by Kim Thuy (Vietnam) - May 16, 2014
• Gates of the Forest, by Elie Wiesel (Hungary) -- June 9, 2014
• Of Love and Other Demons, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia - ish) - June 16, 2014
• The Sisterhood, by Helen Bryan (Inquisition and modern Spain)- June 20, 2014
• City of Thieves, by David Benioff (Siege of Leningrad) - July 10, 2014

 

• Beautiful Souls: Saying No, Breaking Ranks, and Heeding the Voice of Conscience in Dark Times, by Eyal Press - October 3, 2013.  Response here
• The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen (Nepal) - October 26, 2013
• Haiti After the Earthquake, by Paul Farmer - November 1, 2013
• I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb (Pakistan) - November 24, 2013
• A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France, by Caroline Moorehead - December 5, 2013
• My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner: A Family Memoir, by Meir Shalev (Israel)- December 9, 2013
• Led by Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide, by Immaculee Ilibagiza - January 12, 2014
• Beyond the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in the Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo (India) - March 22, 2014
• Kasztner's Train: The True Story of an Unknown Hero of the Holocaust, by Anna Porter - July 1, 2014
• The Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience, by Jane S Gerber - July 5, 2014
• Rhubarb! Tales of Survival on a Little Greek Island, by David Fagan - July 20, 2014

Of your whole list the only one I've read is Ru -- which I greatly enjoyed.  I have Broken Verses on my bedside table at your recommendation but haven't gotten to it...

 

 

re women authors and religion:

What religions are you interested in and what format? If you want first-hand accounts there is a wealth of material in the Muslim and Catholic voice...many books about life as a nun, or life after the nunnery and the process of 'removing the habit of God' (I believe this is an actual title or something close to it, its poetry caught my fancy as well as the image). Many books about life as a Muslim woman or the conversion process which is always interesting for its unwritten subtext, the places between the words that are oftentimes more interesting than the text. Probably less from the Buddhist pantheon though Tsultrim Allione has some really interesting material. Hindu, there's a fair bit, Zoroastrian not so much, Sufi there's a good amount, mostly modern because the Sufi women were quiet except for their poetry though Rabia of Basra and Mirabai are two of the greats that come to mind. Protestant again a good amount, Jewish, you seem to have that one covered fairly well. I know I've missed a bunch but that's a start. The thing is these are all scattered and you just have to keep following rabbit trails and then voila you find a gem.

:laugh: Yes, the bolded is precisely my, er, method...

 

I'm interested in learning about all faith traditions, really -- I think of religion as one of the Great Conversations that link us across space and time and culture... the different ways we connect with the infinite / ineffable and seek to develop our Best Selves... 

 

I certainly read, and sometimes enjoy, personal journey / faith transition / conversion narratives when I come across them; but I look more actively for more -- I'm not sure how to put it -- descriptive? (I don't want to say scholarly, because that sounds so dead and dry, but maybe that's what I mean...) books... I think I've read everything that Karen Armstrong and Elaine Pagels have ever written; and I am the only person I know IRL who even finished, let alone was riveted by, Amy-Jo Levine's book...  Male authors outside Judaism whom I love include Thomas Merton, Thich Naht Hanh, Parker Palmer, Huston Smith...

 

... and, in a different vein, as you know, Rumi...  :001_wub: ... I am unfamilar with Rabia of Basra, just ordered  one of her collections...

 

 

[Stacia]

Pam, I also thought of a book I read a few years ago: Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun by Faith Adiele. It wasn't a favorite of mine, but she definitely had some interesting observations in her book.

 

And THANK YOU for posting your fabulous list, Pam!

[Onceuponatime]

Well, I finally finished The Evolution of God, and a quick little book called TheJournal of Abraham Van Helsing by Allen Kupfer.

 

I went through a period of spending my free time doing cryptic crosswords because every time I looked at my library stacks I was uninspired. So, I decided to trade all the unread ones in for new selections. That was a relief. Now I'm waiting for my holds to arrive.

[mumto2]

Pam, Thank you for the incredible list. I need to sit and go through it with my notebook! :)

 

Stacia, Yes, I am now on the list for the Murakami. It just appeared in the system very recently as on order. I am the second on the list but it may be awhile.

 

I finished The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness and loved it. Only rarely can that be said about the third book in a trilogy but that book deserves it. I loved the first one, Discovery of Witches, several years ago and felt a bit ambivalent about the second. I know someone recently read the first two books here but can't remember if they read the third. I highly recommend reading it if you have read the others.

[Violet Crown]

Some samples from Boswell's Life of Johnson. If you don't already know, Samuel Johnson was the great essayist and lexicographer of the eighteenth century, and James Boswell was his friend and kind of a Regency-era TMZ crew.

 

---------------------

 

Dr. Adams found him one day busy at his Dictionary, when the following dialogue ensued.... "ADAMS. But, Sir, how can you do this in three years? JOHNSON. Sir, I have no doubt that I can do it in three years. ADAMS. But the French Academy, which consists of forty members, took forty years to compile their Dictionary. JOHNSON. Sir, thus it is. This is the proportion. Let me see; forty times forty is sixteen hundred. As three to sixteen hundred, so is the proportion of an Englishman to a Frenchman."

 

----------------------

 

A lady once asked him how he came to define Pastern the knee of a horse: instead of making an elaborate defence, as she expected, he at once answered, "Ignorance, Madam, pure ignorance."

 

-----------------------

 

ETA: Someone last week asked about "teaze." In the eighteenth century, it meant to annoy or badger someone. The equivalent of the modern "teasing," in a pleasant, friendly sense, was "raillery." P.S. This information came from my memory, not from Johnson's Dictionary. :D

[aggieamy]

This is weird.  I've been "liking" stuff on here but it's going away.  Just so everyone knows ... I like you guys!