Book a Week in 2014 - BW40

[shukriyya]

 

We're planning on exploring some lava tubes on the Big Island on our next trip so I too will get chthonic bragging rights!  

 

 

Yes, that is the place for them. The one I mentioned up-thread was a good 30 minutes in. Sitting there in the, cold, airless, ebon womb of the earth, held by Pele in various geographical manifestations forms as basaltic  lava which on the contrary felt anything but hard and static rather full of movement and muscle...well, if that's not chthonic it sure comes close!

[Jane in NC]

The combination of being imprisoned by her father in a tower, and her father being killed by a thunderbolt blast in punishment, made her the patron of miners: that is, the kind that dug underground and blew up towers. (And which incidentally is the source of a tarot card with the image of a tower struck by lightning.) Quickly this extended to anyone who worked with gunpowder or artillery and any type of miner, and the image of the tower now often resembles a cannon. Barbara is the saint for all guys who like to blow things up, and those who crunch the numbers to help them blow things up. When in a holy cause, naturally.

 

 

You demonstrate why I need a saint book. 

[NoseInABook]

Jane, so swoonworthy. *sighs happily*

 

Amy, I am so sorry. That is horrifying. My heart hurts for his daughter.

 

I wonder what it is with the lack of focus... I'm right there with you ladies.

 

Rob Rienow's Visionary Parenting was meh. Nothing terribly original there or new other than he reminded me that praying in the car WITH the kids is a good idea. I generally do pray in the car but those are quiet mutterings of my own. ;) Still slogging through The Book Thief because I feel like I should finish it. I have about 150 pages left which shouldn't take too long... if I can actually focus on it.

[Kareni]

This afternoon I finished Molly O'Keefe's Between the Sheets (The Boys of Bishop).  It was an enjoyable contemporary romance with two leads who both carried baggage from their upbringings.  It's not for the conservative reader, however.

 

"After years of running, Wyatt Svenson has now parked himself in Bishop, Arkansas, trying to do the right thing and parent a son he didn’t even know he had until recently. Over six feet tall and packed with muscles and power, Ty likes to get his hands dirty, fixing his motorcycle at night and keeping his mind away from the mistakes he’s made. Then his pretty neighbor shows up on his driveway, doesn’t bother to introduce herself, and complains about the noise. First impression? She should loosen up. Funny that she turns out to be his son’s elementary school art teacher—and the only one willing to help his troubled boy. Ty needs her. In more ways than one.
 
Though Shelby Monroe is safe in her structured life, she is drawn to Ty’s bad-boy edge and rugged sexuality. What if she just lets it all go: her worries about her mother, her fear of heartbreak, and her tight self control? What if she grabs Ty and takes a ride on the wild side? “What if†becomes reality—intense, exhilarating . . . and addictive. But Ty wants more than a secret affair. He wants it all with Shelby. But will she take a chance and open her heart? Ty is determined to convince Shelby to take the biggest risk of her life: on him."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ladydusk]

I finished Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer.  What a funny book.  I liked it very much.

[Stacia]

Finished Avner Mandelman's The Debba & I'm really glad I read it. 4 stars.

 

It's a decent mystery/thriller (quite a few twists & turns & there sure are plenty of various military/police/secret ops groups in this one!), but more interesting to me are the history/questions/issues it raises about Israelis & Palestinians -- from the 1940s through the 1970s (when the book is set). I'd definitely recommend it if you are interested in the history & politics of the area. (Pam, I do think you'd enjoy it. *Inna* & Jenn too....) It also fit in with my Banned Books reading as it revolves around a controversial play that is to be staged & the various efforts made to quash the production of the play.

 

Winner of the 2011 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Crime Novel

In Middle East lore the Debba is a mythical Arab hyena that can turn into a man who lures Jewish children away from their families to teach them the language of the beasts. To the Arabs he is a heroic national symbol; to the Jews he is a terrorist. To David Starkman, “The Debba†is a controversial play, written by his father the war hero, and performed only once, in Haifa in 1946, causing a massive riot. By 1977, David is living in Canada, having renounced his Israeli citizenship and withdrawn from his family, haunted by persistent nightmares about his catastrophic turn as a military assassin for Israel. Upon learning of his father’s gruesome murder, he returns to his homeland for what he hopes will be the final time. Back in Israel, David discovers that his father's will demands he stage the play within forty-five days of his death, and though he is reluctant to comply, the authorities’ evident relief at his refusal convinces him he must persevere. With his father’s legacy on the line, David is forced to reimmerse himself in a life he thought he’d escaped for good.The heart-stopping climax shows that nothing in Israel is as it appears, and not only are the sins of the fathers revisited upon the sons, but so are their virtues—and the latter are more terrible still.  Disguised as a breathtaking thriller, Avner Mandelman’s novel reveals Israel’s double soul, its inherent paradoxes, and its taste for both art and violence. The riddle of the Debba—the myth, the play, and the novel— is nothing less than the tangled riddle of Israel itself.

 

[Jane in NC]

I turn now to the macabre, but it is October after all...

 

Kutná Hora is a charming town that is an hour from Prague by train, hence a popular day trip for tourists.  We had decided to spend two nights there in order to see more than a couple of its attractions.

 

 

Many people who venture this way never step foot into the actual old town of Kutná Hora.  They come for one reason alone, the very strange Sedlec Ossuary.

 

Sedlec was once the neighboring town but is now a suburb of Kutná Hora.  In the 13th century, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery returned from Jerusalem with a small quantity of soil from Calvary which he sprinkled on the Sedlec cemetery.  Faithful from around Europe thus desired to be buried in the town.

 

Add to the crowded graveyard tens of thousands who died from the Plague, followed later by many thousands more who died in the Hussite Wars.  Sedlec began to overflow with all of these skeletons which prompted the creation of an ossuary which is not unusual by medieval standards.  The weirdness happened in the 19th century when a local woodcarver was assigned the task of using the bones for decoration.

 

 

 

 

Apparently this place is usually packed with tourists but we managed to have it to ourselves.  By spending the night in Kutná Hora, we walked the mile or so from the old town, arriving as the ossuary opened and before the buses arrived. 

 

Side note:  The Cistercian monastery in Sedlec was closed by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II in 1783 who from his secular perch instituted a number of church reforms including reducing monastic orders. In 1812 the monastery was purchased by a tobacco company.  Today Philip Morris owns it and operates a tobacco museum in the former monastery which we did not visit.  So what is weirder?  An ossuary where skeletons form the decorations or an American company operating a tobacco museum in a small Czech town?

[Stacia]

Wow, Jane! Indeed perfect for October. How very neat (& creepy) that you got to visit when it was almost empty. For Americans that have never traveled to Europe, I have to say there is a definite sense of the macabre in some of these old cathedrals & religious locations. All that medieval influence still there for us to see....

 

I vote for the ossuary being weirder. Lol. (But maybe that's because I've actually visited a tobacco museum -- the one that used to exist in Nashville.)

 

Angel, I stumbled across this list & thought you might like it:  15 Things You May Not Know About 'Slaughterhouse-Five'

 

Have started another book by one of the indie presses, Dzanc Books. The book is You, or the Invention of Memory by Jonathan Baumbach.

 

And, I really must get in gear for spooky October reading! Jane's post makes me feel behind! So, up next (I hope) -- spooky books. And, I still want to explore some more banned books, as well as indie presses. Those seem to be what are on my radar right now....

[mumto2]

I think the American tobacco company operating a tobacco museum in a former monastery is far weirder. Do they or did they ever grow tobacco in that area? Just trying to figure out why?

 

Spooky reads.....I finished my first, not classic and not new to me, Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong. It is number four in her women of the otherworld series which I started rereading a couple of years ago. I was hoping to get them all done this month but just discovered there are thirteen in total! Not sure that I can handle eight more in that series this month!!!! I know I haven't read a few of these which was the purpose behind the reread. I really liked these the first time through and it was a perfectly good reread but I will admit I am hoping that the next one is new to me. I am first on the overdrive list for it.:)

 

I started Kevin Hearne's Shattered today and so far really like it. It is number six in the Iron Druid Chronicles which were hugely popular reads when I first started BaW so several of you must have read some of these. ;) So far there is a new character which seems to be freshening the storyline at bit.

 

Both of these are paranormals with a wide collection of werewolves, vampires, whiches, norse mythology figures......not hugely scarey but I think they count as spooky.

[Kareni]

Last night (well, early this morning), I finished the historical romance  How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days by Laura Lee Guhrke.

 

"They had a deal . . .

 

From the moment she met the devil-may-care Duke of Margrave, Edie knew he could change her life. And when he agreed to her outrageous proposal of a marriage of convenience, she was transformed from ruined American heiress to English duchess. Five years later, she's delighted with their arrangement, especially since her husband is living on another continent.

 

But deals are made to be broken . . .

 

By marrying an heiress, Stuart was able to pay his family's enormous debts, and Edie's terms that he leave England forever seemed a small price to pay. But when a brush with death impels him home, he decides it's time for a real marriage with his luscious American bride, and he proposes a bold new bargain: ten days to win her willing kiss. But is ten days enough to win her heart?"

 

 

It was a good read that I enjoyed very much.  Trigger warning: the heroine has been raped prior to meeting the hero.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[NoseInABook]

Just finished The Book Thief. Well. That was depressing.

[Stacia]

Extending the discussion about censorship... (inspired by a post I saw on Flavorwire):

 

Literary Lions Unite in Protest Over Amazon’s E-Book Tactics  (NY Times, 9-29-14):

 

“We’re talking about censorship: deliberately making a book hard or impossible to get, ‘disappearing’ an author,†Ms. Le Guin wrote in an email. “Governments use censorship for moral and political ends, justifiable or not. Amazon is using censorship to gain total market control so they can dictate to publishers what they can publish, to authors what they can write, to readers what they can buy. This is more than unjustifiable, it is intolerable.â€

 

Is Amazon responsible for the Ellora’s Cave fiasco?  (Melville House Publishing, 10-2-14):

 

Why’s this going on? There are a couple of possibilities: it could be a morals issue—Amazon’s algorithms filter out content that’s deemed pornographic, and the covers of Ellora’s Cave titles, which generally involve a fair amount of skin and groping, could send alarm signals. (But if so, why wasn’t this an issue earlier? And couldn’t it be controlled by taming down the covers?)
 

Or it could be about money—discussions on romance messageboards describe the high prices of EC titles on Amazon, compared to buying the books through the company’s website, and it’s mentioned that Ellora’s Cave refused to give Amazon the discount they were asking for, which meant that prices were sometimes double on Amazon versus the EC site. Could Amazon have retaliated by making the Ellora’s Cave titles harder to find? Or was it a misjudgment of their strength on Ellora’s Cave side?

 

Authors Guild Met with DoJ About Amazon (Publisher's Weekly, 10-2-14):

 

In a statement circulated to members, and shared with the public, the Authors Guild today confirmed that it hosted a meeting on August 1 between a group of authors and the Department of Justice, in an effort draw antitrust scrutiny of Amazon's practices.

 

And, on a separate note, Amazon has announced that it will start a new crowd-sourced publishing platform. (Imo, it sounds like a way to bypass editing/slash publishing costs, at least in the early stages. Kind of how I see much of reality tv programming, in that it is very cheap for the producers, brings in viewers, and it's really about the profit margins, imo. Yes, I know it's business. But still, it does not sound very appealing to me.)

[Stacia]

From a Daily Kos article, but I'm not sharing it to promote the political point the author aimed toward, just b/c it summed up the two books more concisely than I can right now!:

 

HUXLEY FEARED

There would be no one who wanted to read book.

Those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism.  

The truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.

We would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.

As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions."

In Brave New World, people are controlled by inflicting pleasure.

In short, Huxley feared that our desire will ruin us.

 

 

ORWELL FEARED:

 

Those who would ban books.

Those who would deprive us of information.

That the truth would be concealed from us.

WE would become a captive culture.

In 1984, people were controlled by fear of pain.

In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us.

 

 

 

Though, and the author goes on to talk about this, we do, technologically, have many of the tools that would be needed to set up an Orwellian nightmare... it isn't impossible, but I don't think it has happened yet...

 

Well, how serendipitous that we were posting at the same time.

 

I think of the Amazon crowd-sourced publishing platform (along w/ reality tv) falling into Huxley's domain. (I want to read Brave New World, which I have sitting here but have not yet read.)

 

I identify with Orwell's fears.

 

Thanks for posting this. Love this overview of the authors.

 

[Stacia]

Eliana, I'm not sure if you would like The Debba or not. I think you would like the musing & juxtaposition of stories/events/people in this book. I'm not sure you'd actually like some of the characters, though, or the nitty gritty details. I imagine you would enjoy the second half of the book (the part I liked much more). To me, the first half seemed a little long, but then the pace picked up (getting closer to the play performance in the face of opposition) & the mixed bag of Israeli/Palestinian relations comes much more to the forefront. 

 

I think you would like some parts, not others. I'm on the fence about this one in re: recommending it to you.

[Uff Da!]

Hugs Amy.

[Stacia]

Just finished The Book Thief. Well. That was depressing.

Yeah, I bawled my eyes out.

 

Speaking of that, ds read Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for his Banned Books reading. (I haven't read this book yet.) Initially, he said that he could spot the parts that were probably sections quoted when people are looking to challenge the book. He actually liked the book (which I was kind-of surprised as he can be a bit of a persnickety reader), but did advise me that I'd probably be crying through the entire book. (He knows what a sap I am. :lol: ) He said he found much of it really depressing, but that he could get through it without crying because the author didn't dwell on it (which is how I feel about Slaughterhouse-Five).

 

I still do want to read Alexie's book.

[Jane in NC]

Yeah, I bawled my eyes out.

 

Speaking of that, ds read Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for his Banned Books reading. (I haven't read this book yet.) Initially, he said that he could spot the parts that were probably sections quoted when people are looking to challenge the book. He actually liked the book (which I was kind-of surprised as he can be a bit of a persnickety reader), but did advise me that I'd probably be crying through the entire book. (He knows what a sap I am. :lol: ) He said he found much of it really depressing, but that he could get through it without crying because the author didn't dwell on it (which is how I feel about Slaughterhouse-Five).

 

I still do want to read Alexie's book.

 

Alexie's book has been in the news in NC.  Here is the upshot.

 

[Onceuponatime]

Well, the cabin won! We are back from a visit to western NC. The boys had a great time exploring nature and I got a chance to visit with my dad who has permanently moved in with my brother. While I was gone,I read some of The Bible Unearthed by Israel Finklestein. Now that we are back home, I want to start my October reading with the last Flavia book, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches. The cover is a lovely pumpkin orange, too. I will also be trying to catch up on this week's thread.

[Stacia]

Alexie's book has been in the news in NC.  Here is the upshot.

 

:cursing:

 

Well, folks, just another example that censorship is not just in history but alive & well in the present day.

 

As always -- my rally cry of 'stand up for your rights & freedoms to read/not be censored' goes out again....

 

ETA: Thank you, Jane, for linking that article. Ds just read it too & had the same reaction as I did.

[Jane in NC]

:cursing:

 

Well, folks, just another example that censorship is not just in history but alive & well in the present day.

 

As always -- my rally cry of 'stand up for your rights & freedoms to read/not be censored' goes out again....

 

The book may not be closed on this one.

 

The woman who initiated the request to have the book removed from the library is not satisfied to have it behind the desk where it can be checked out with a parent's signature.  She claims that a school board member told her that it would be removed completely not just made less accessible.  I'll keep you posted.

[Stacia]

The book may not be closed on this one.

 

The woman who initiated the request to have the book removed from the library is not satisfied to have it behind the desk where it can be checked out with a parent's signature.  She claims that a school board member told her that it would be removed completely not just made less accessible.  I'll keep you posted.

 

Hmmm. Also, the article mentioned that now she's targeting getting it removed from the high school libraries too.

 

[ladydusk]

"I read all of them (well, all that were published up until that year) the year I read only mysteries (it was the year of organic chemistry, ~9 years ago... I don't usually read mysteries at all).

 

They were entertaining. The only piece that benefits from chronological reading, as I recall, is the historical background. In at least a few of the books, politics are part of the story, and the political situation develops over time. It isn't a big deal (and if you are either familiar with the Wars of the Roses era or are happy to just let it be background, it shouldn't make a big difference)

 

They weren't brilliantly researched pieces of historical fiction, but they weren't nails-on-the-chalkboard wrong either (at least for me). "

 

 

Eliana! This is not the first time I have been thankful for you year of reading mysteries. I really wanted to know if I could start with The Reever's Tale, which is the earliest of the series my library owns. Thank you!

[mumto2]

Is Amazon responsible for the Ellora’s Cave fiasco? (Melville House Publishing, 10-2-14):

 

The link wouldn't work for me but books by that publishing house were constantly in the top 100 free books list when I looked at it daily. I remember the covers.......

 

Eta. I stopped looking daily at least a year ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How old is your daughter? Slonczewski's books are fascinating, but they are not G rated. If you want/need, I can give specific content alerts for specific books, especially if you let me know what might concern you.

 

 

 

 

 

The 'rake' isn't portrayed as a romantic hero. ...okay, yes, I like Venitia, but the rake-like behavior isn't shown there are romantic either... the romance develops along other lines.

 

...and I'm a sucker for romances that blossom out of friendship and compatibility...

 

I am very fond of The Unknown Ajax - I like the lack of demonizing of difficult people; I like the slow build of trust and relationships, and I like the gentle humor... and I love the culminating scene even more than the one in Sprig Muslin.

 

 

I couldn't locate the Quakers in Space series ;) at any of our libraries but thank you for the offer of help. I would have been hugely appreciative if they had been availiable.

 

The Unknown Ajax is waiting at my other libray for pick up. It keeps receiving comments here so glad I requested it!

 

 

Last night (well, early this morning), I finished the historical romance How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days by Laura Lee Guhrke.

 

"They had a deal . . .

 

From the moment she met the devil-may-care Duke of Margrave, Edie knew he could change her life. And when he agreed to her outrageous proposal of a marriage of convenience, she was transformed from ruined American heiress to English duchess. Five years later, she's delighted with their arrangement, especially since her husband is living on another continent.

 

But deals are made to be broken . . .

 

By marrying an heiress, Stuart was able to pay his family's enormous debts, and Edie's terms that he leave England forever seemed a small price to pay. But when a brush with death impels him home, he decides it's time for a real marriage with his luscious American bride, and he proposes a bold new bargain: ten days to win her willing kiss. But is ten days enough to win her heart?"

 

 

It was a good read that I enjoyed very much. Trigger warning: the heroine has been raped prior to meeting the hero.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I have looked at the description for this one many times. Glad to know it was enjoyable. One of these days I will download it and read it now I know that you liked it.

[ladydusk]

 

 

My favorite thing about Cotillion is the romance develops along other lines.

 

...and I'm a sucker for romances that blossom out of friendship and compatibility...

 

I am very fond of The Unknown Ajax - I like the lack of demonizing of difficult people; I like the slow build of trust and relationships, and I like the gentle humor... and I love the culminating scene even more than the one in Sprig Muslin.

 

 

I like that too, but likely because that is my own love story. <3

[Stacia]

Is Amazon responsible for the Ellora’s Cave fiasco? (Melville House Publishing, 10-2-14):

 

The link wouldn't work for me but books by that publishing house were constantly in the top 100 free books list when I looked at it daily. I remember the covers.......

 

Eta. I stopped looking daily at least a year ago.

 

 

I checked the link & it seems ok. It does take a minute or two to load, though.

 

Sounds like they were memorable covers. ;)

 

[shukriyya]

Quakers in space, yes - in Joan Slonczewski's first book Still Forms on Foxfield.

 

It is far from her best book, much rougher and clunkier than her later ones and the philosophical/theological pieces are less woven into the story, but it is a good book worth reading, imho.

 

Her second book, Door into Ocean won the Campbell award and is, in many ways, her best.  It is the hardest one to get into, but is a powerful, fascinating exploration of language, gender, power, and culture.

 

There are several more books in that universe - though they are spaced out enough in time that they aren't really sequels/a series per se... seeing the developments of cultures and technologies over time in her universe is fascinating.  

 

 

Slonczewski's book are all rooted in hard science and Quaker infused philosophy/spirituality, SFoF shows those influences most overtly, but it is there in all of them.. 

 

I'm not a sci-fi reader, can probably count on one hand the number of books in that genre I've read yet the title, Door Into Ocean, intrigued me with its watery, liminal images. Clicking on the link and reading its premise my eye was then drawn to 'Daughter of Elysium' which actually looks like something I might find my way into. Even though it's not the first in the series I may dip into it...assuming my reading lens is still keen.

 

I'm finding 'Gemini' very compelling and it's competing with 'The Ivy Tree' which I'm also enjoying. Still,  I'm reading at a snail's pace and despite my enjoyment of these two books part of me wants to be done with them as it feels like weeks since I've finished a book.

 

 

[Pam in CT]

re Quakers in Space:

...  I think you are even more the audience for Slonczewski than I am, though I could be wrong.

 

...but I wouldn't start with Still Forms on Foxfield.  I think you'd enjoy starting with Door into Ocean, and wouldn't mind the slow warm-up... but I think you'd also like Wall Around Eden very much (I think of one scene in it at every seder... )

 

Do you have (or use)  and ereader?   I think some of the Kindle e-books I have are lendable, if you are interested.  (it doesn't need to be now, just whenever the fancy strikes you!)  [unfortunately, her oop books aren't in editions yet.  Garumph!)

 

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

 

I think I want to print that bit out and put it in frame in our room right now... and remembering that intensity of connection is helpful when also going through the hassles of day to day life  [today's crisis brought to us courtesy of Car Repairs at Maximally Inconvenient Times... ]

 

...which then makes me think of all the beautiful ways I was going to actualize my Rosh Hashanah realizations during this week... and instead I am about to go into Yom Kippur with a lot of good ideas and intentions and very few actions...

 

Gmar chasima tova, dearest.  May we all be sealed for a good, sweet year.

 

.......

 

 

From a Daily Kos article, but I'm not sharing it to promote the political point the author aimed toward, just b/c it summed up the two books more concisely than I can right now!:

 

HUXLEY FEARED

There would be no one who wanted to read book.
Those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism.  
The truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.
We would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.

As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions."

In Brave New World, people are controlled by inflicting pleasure.

In short, Huxley feared that our desire will ruin us.

 

 

ORWELL FEARED:

 

Those who would ban books.
Those who would deprive us of information.
That the truth would be concealed from us.
WE would become a captive culture.

In 1984, people were controlled by fear of pain.

In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us.

 

 

 

Though, and the author goes on to talk about this, we do, technologically, have many of the tools that would be needed to set up an Orwellian nightmare... it isn't impossible, but I don't think it has happened yet...

Do I have an e-reader???  Do any of us not??  I mean, even Stacia bit the bullet, as I recall...

 

>>>>

 

Thank you... You as well.

 

>>>>>

 

That is a fascinating layout of their differences.  I fear both, but I think I actually incline more towards Huxley's.  (At least... this week.)

[Jane in NC]

re Quakers in Space:

Do I have an e-reader???  Do any of us not??  I mean, even Stacia bit the bullet, as I recall...

 

Ahem.  Pam, meet Luddite Jane. 

[mamaraby]

I ordered two mass market paperbacks of the new series I'm reading from Amazon. The UPS driver is late today. Yes, yes, I know Amazon says they're on time right up to 8pm, but the driver's always here between 3-4pm. I'm feeling very impatient.

[Jane in NC]

Shukriyya, about that reading drought:  It occurs to me that I am in a knitting drought which is unusual given my output of the last few years (about a sock a month except for summer--one sock every two months).  As I finally started the heel on a second sock last night, I realized that I have been working on this pair since April. 

 

There is a season for all things, I suppose.  I have been sewing, I have read more this year than in recent years.  Shrug.  Maybe when the temperature drops I'll rediscover the pleasures of yarn.  I don't think that one can force these things.

 

Your posts inspire me to borrow some more Mary Stewart. 

 

Jane

[Angel]

Just checking in real quick, I'm reading The Graveyard Book for my Spooky read, and I'm kind of indifferent about it.  Almost gave up on it yesterday but so many here really enjoyed it so I'm keeping on with it.  

 

Be out for a few days!  See you all Tuesday!  :seeya:

[Stacia]

Do I have an e-reader???  Do any of us not??  I mean, even Stacia bit the bullet, as I recall...

 

"even Stacia" ... :lol:

 

Actually, I have an iPad mini (a gift I did not ask for but use more than I thought I would -- mostly use it for email/internet access if I travel or am away from home) that has the free Kindle & Nook software loaded on it. So, it's not quite an e-reader, but also not quite NOT an e-reader. You decide if that qualifies me for the modern era or not....  :tongue_smilie:  (I don't really like reading books on it, though. I think I have managed to read 2 or maybe 2 1/2 e-books??? I think I spend more time avoiding reading e-books than actually reading e-books.)

 

I mean, Jane's obviously old school. The rest of you are modern era. Maybe I'm the missing link? :w00t:

 

[Jane in NC]

"even Stacia" ... :lol:

 

Actually, I have an iPad mini (a gift I did not ask for but use more than I thought I would -- mostly use it for email/internet access if I travel or am away from home) that has the free Kindle & Nook software loaded on it. So, it's not quite an e-reader, but also not quite NOT an e-reader. You decide if that qualifies me for the modern era or not....  :tongue_smilie:  (I don't really like reading books on it, though. I think I have managed to read 2 or maybe 2 1/2 e-books??? I think I spend more time avoiding reading e-books than actually reading e-books.)

 

I mean, Jane's obviously old school. The rest of you are modern era. Maybe I'm the missing link? :w00t:

 

:glare: Old school?  Missy, I'll have you know I'm Classic.  Forget this old stuff!

 

[Onceuponatime]

"

I mean, Jane's obviously old school. The rest of you are modern era. Maybe I'm the missing link? :w00t:

 

 

I prefer to call myself a transitional fossil. I also have an ipad mini that I got a few months ago. I have the Kindle app on it and some books downloaded, but I haven't been able to bring myself to read any of them yet.

[Jane in NC]

I prefer to call myself a transitional fossil. I also have an ipad mini that I got a few months ago. I have the Kindle app on it and some books downloaded, but I haven't been able to bring myself to read any of them yet.

 

In addition to preferring real books, I also like Snail Mail (as some of you are aware!)

 

I see the advantage of an e-reader in a couple of cases:  it is more compact for travel than carrying a tome or heavy stack of books.  And I suspect that it is an insomniac's friend--or should I say the friend of an insomniac's sleeping partner?

 

A couple of years ago when my husband was working a period of goofy hours requiring a very early rising and thus very early bedtime, I borrowed his Kindle.  VC inspired me to read Balzac and a clear Kindle advantage was the ability to Google something in the text.  It worked but I prefer paper--and have converted to using an Itty Bitty reading light for minimal disturbance.

 

A friend of mine who spent a lot of time traveling on a sailboat in the Caribbean said that he wishes he had had a Kindle back then.  After stating this he paused and said that trading English language books with fellow sailors introduced a number of authors to him, authors he may not have read if he had had a full library at his disposal.  Does an e-reader eliminate--or reduce--serendipity from our reading lives?

[Stacia]

Sorry, Classic Jane!  :o

 

So, I guess OUAT & I are Traditional Fossils. (I still like the sound of Missing Link better! I sound less dusty that way. :lol: )

 

About sailboating reading serendipity, my sister works at a maritime center. They keep a rack there for boaters tor leave/take books, so I know there's some reading serendipity going on there. And, yes, I could see e-readers removing a good amount of reading serendipity. I also think e-readers remove some of the reading serendipity from non-sailors too, in that perhaps you aren't browsing a library or bookstore as much anymore, to see what catches your eye on the shelf, etc... And, with e-books, I wonder if what catches your eye most is the stuff that gets recommended to you by the preference programs that analyze your content, pages you look at, etc... & then recommend stuff to you? Those recommendations are the things you often see most or first, perhaps?

 

Just musing....

[Kareni]

As regards reading serendipity ~ It's also near impossible to determine what someone is reading on the bus or in a waiting room if they are using an e-reader.  This can be a good thing if you're trying to hide your copy of FSoG; however, you also miss out on the opportunity of having another reader say, "Oh, I loved that book!" and having a conversation about that book and others.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mamaraby]

Well, I don't have an ereader. I do have an iPad and have read a few ebooks, though mostly on the OverDrive app. I much prefer paper books. I do have to admit, ebooks are really nice for reading at night in bed when I feel badly about keeping the light on while dh goes to sleep. It is also nice for traveling when one might want to take a lot of books along with them. I'm still not buying a Kindle.

[shukriyya]

I love my kindle paperwhite and now prefer it to paper however in a parallel universe is my more romantic, holistically engaged self thumbing through dogeared books at my local second-hand bookstore and chatting up the owner on various authors. Jane and Stacia make some relevant and wonderful points that my romantic, parallel universe self is nodding her head in agreement with. All the while my non-Luddite self is happily settling in with her PW with its lovely purple cover :D

[Shawneinfl]

just downloaded The Glassblower for for free from the "Kindle First" monthly selection. Nice little birthday present for me. I love the cover.

I also checked out two banned books from the library yesterday: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and Grendel by John Gardner. Hope to get some reading time in this afternoon. We're finally getting a glimpse of fall in Florida. It might actually stay in the 70's this weekend.

 

Shukriyya, I am reading Gemini thanks to your recommendation. You said it was out of your usual genres - I took that as "easy to read". I am enjoying it so far!

 

[Kareni]

Still looking for a somewhat spooky October read?  I haven't read it, but this book is available for free to Kindle readers.  Vampires, time warps, and a gothic spoof -- who can resist?

 

That Scoundrel Émile Dubois: Or The LIght of Other Days by Lucinda Elliot

 

"When Sophie de Courcy, the often foolishly romantic and bored but patient companion to the Dowager Countess of Ruthin, marries her long-time hero, the dashing but rascally French émigré Émile Dubois, she has more excitement than she ever wanted as she is catapulted into Gothic adventure with man vampires and time warps.

With the help of her dauntless maid Agnes – who combines Tarot reading with a no-nonsense attitude - and whose own love interest is Émile’s swaggering valet and former accomplice, Georges – Sophie must come to terms with Émile’s criminal past and help free him from the machinations of their evil neighbours the Kenrick’s.

Set during the French Revolution in North Wales and in war torn France, this story is full of lively humour and combines believable characters and over-the-top Gothic adventure as a pair of down to earth eighteenth century villains become incongruously caught up in occult happenings. This darkly funny, sometimes sad and often romantic tale will captivate readers who enjoy a well written spoof of the Gothic tradition."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[shukriyya]

just downloaded for for free from the "Kindle First" monthly selection. Nice little birthday present for me. I love the cover.

I also checked out two banned books from the library yesterday: [] by John Gardner. Hope to get some reading time in this afternoon. We're finally getting a glimpse of fall in Florida. It might actually stay in the 70's this weekend.

 

Shukriyya, I am reading Gemini thanks to your recommendation. You said it was out of your usual genres - I took that as "easy to read". I am enjoying it so far!

 

[

I saw 'The Glassblowers' this morning and read the sample. Haven't downloaded it yet though as I'm undecided as to whether I'd like it. Stacia, for some reason I thought of you when looking at this. Not sure why.

 

'Gemini' is continuing to hold my interest. Hope you enjoy it.

[JennW in SoCal]

The flooring and painting is all done so I have started the hardest job of all:  sorting and shelving my entire library of books.  And lugging them all back upstairs, armload by armload.  

 

You'd think this job would tip me firmly in the e-reader camp, but no. While I enjoy reading books on my iPad and am a fan of audio books, I do love actual, physical books, dusty and heavy though they may be.  I'm looking forward to reading several books I'd forgotten I owned!!

 

My oldest boy never became much of a reader but to my delight he recently discovered e-books and has started reading again.  What appeals to him about e-books, and reading on his iPhone in particular, is that he only has to see one section of text at a time.  The ADD poster boy isn't distracted by the weight of the book, overwhelmed by walls of text or tiny font or any of the other pesky aspects of a physical book that got between him and the story.  I personally would hate reading on my iPhone as the screen is so tiny, and I'd have to keep swiping to change pages, but it works for him.  It's rather fascinating, actually.  

[Jane in NC]

As regards reading serendipity ~ It's also near impossible to determine what someone is reading on the bus or in a waiting room if they are using an e-reader.  This can be a good thing if you're trying to hide your copy of FSoG; however, you also miss out on the opportunity of having another reader say, "Oh, I loved that book!" and having a conversation about that book and others.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

It has particularly tickled me to see a student on a bus or subway giggling over or being completely engrossed in a book that I enjoyed at the same age.

 

Admittedly I am not a complete Luddite.  My five year old tablet recently died.  I did sometimes read digital magazines on it but never downloaded a Nook or Kindle app.  Given how convenient I found my tablet to be for travel, I will be replacing it. I think I should get the same brand (Archos) since it was a wonderfully reliable friend for five years (purchased back then because of the regular hospital visits I was making to my Dad).  Dearest husband thinks I want a Kindle.  We shall see...

[shukriyya]

My oldest boy never became much of a reader but to my delight he recently discovered e-books and has started reading again. What appeals to him about e-books, and reading on his iPhone in particular, is that he only has to see one section of text at a time. The ADD poster boy isn't distracted by the weight of the book, overwhelmed by walls of text or tiny font or any of the other pesky aspects of a physical book that got between him and the story. I personally would hate reading on my iPhone as the screen is so tiny, and I'd have to keep swiping to change pages, but it works for him. It's rather fascinating, actually.

I can relate to this somewhat. I decided to download the kindle app to my phone to try out e-reading to see if it I liked it before getting an actual kindle. As it turned out I loved reading on my phone and did so for a couple of months before receiving a PW for Christmas last year.

 

I have to say that the kindle has really turned my reading habits around. Before motherhood I read avidly and widely then I spent a decade reading mainly non-fiction and it's just in the past year or so that fiction has re-entered my life which I thank this group and the kindle for. Probably in equal parts, too.

 

Shawne, 'Gemini' had just taken a compelling twist. The way the author is weaving both stories adds an interesting layer to the narrative.

[mumto2]

just downloaded The Glassblower for for free from the "Kindle First" monthly selection. Nice little birthday present for me. I love the cover.

I also checked out two banned books from the library yesterday: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and Grendel by John Gardner. Hope to get some reading time in this afternoon. We're finally getting a glimpse of fall in Florida. It might actually stay in the 70's this weekend.

 

Shukriyya, I am reading Gemini thanks to your recommendation. You said it was out of your usual genres - I took that as "easy to read". I am enjoying it so far!

 

That cover is lovely, maybe I will get that one. I am amazed at the time I spend picking my kindle first book each month. I really enjoy that particular bonus. I read Grendal last year, it was very different. Not at all what I expected, I thought that I was going on a journey reminiscent of a literature class that I loved as a teen. Curious what your opinion will be.

 

Kindles, well obviously I am an insomniac so my kindle has improved my quality of life greatly during my night time hours. Dh appreciates it too, he much prefers knowing I am fine beside him rather than on a different floor. He used to feel obligated to come check that I was OK.

 

I also like my kindle for chunky books. So much easier on my hands. Recently I have started requesting older books on my kindle, by that I mean part of a series that has been out for some time, in order to read a clean copy without stains and spine cracking. Since I am still checking out several books a week in hardcopy for volume I end up reading whichever is more convenient.

 

For the sailing bookswapper which I am sure I would enjoy being ;) obviosly book swaps like Stacia spoke of would work best but I know I would probably need more books to feel comfortable on my crowded boat. Maybe five rotating swapping books and a full kindle. I'm the girl who loads several overdrive books on her kindle to go away for two days.....I fear not having a good book.

[shukriyya]

Luddites, you'll appreciate this...I'm about an hour from home at an event of ds's where I've been all morning. Around me parents are sprawled on the grass or in camp chairs in various states of repose. To my right is a woman lying on her back reading C.S. Lewis's, The Weight of Glory. To my left a woman knits beneath a lovely tree I'm unable to identify. Two parents discuss their now-grown kids' attunement to Latin musical chants and the esoteric side of King Solomon's teachings. A dad sits on a blanket having just finished strumming on his guitar and in front of me another lies on his back his face covered by an old-fashioned straw hat. Nary a device in sight save for Shukriyya's kindle and the phone she's posting this on ;)

[Shawneinfl]

Just finished Speak and it was excellent. I can understand why it may have been banned in some libraries, especially middle school. It tackles the difficult subject of teen date rape. It was made into a movie starring Kristen Stewart. I'd love to see it but it doesn't seem to be on any of the streaming channels I use.

[Pam in CT]

Ah, the Kindle controversy...  here are some of the tradeoffs I have observed, Jane my Luddite... I mean, classic friend:

 

Pros:

 

1.  Lighter - better for chunksters and awesome for plane travel

2.  Can read in bed without making your husband crazy

3.  As you noted, the built-in dictionary, particularly when you're reading authors shukriyya's recommended...

4.  You can read library books on them without ever leaving the house to pick them up, and they disappear, poof! when the term is up, so you never accrue library fines

5.  You can often get free samples of the first part of the book from Amazon (I expect B&N and others do the same thing)

6.  If you decide to buy a book, you can choose whatever edition is cheapest, paperback or kindle

7.  If you decide to buy a book on Kindle, it's in your greedy little hands within seconds; you needn't wait for the Fedex guy

8.  If your children are also reading the book, you can borrow or buy a single copy, and all read it on your separate gizmos (this was very helpful to us the year we spent traveling)

9.  If you have an emergent or slow reader, you can use the text-to-speech feature -- it's just a computer program, but it's a pretty good one, and in the early days my son used it a lot

10.  You can CHANGE THE FONT to whatever your aging eyes need.

11.  Your son won't lose the book, or leave it in his locker when he's supposed to read it for class.

 

 

Cons:

 

1.  Well.  It's a gizmo.  Gizmos are no substitute for books.

2.  Poor choice for the bathtub.

3.  No beautiful covers!

4.  It's not nearly as easy, or as satisfying to annotate e-books.  Yes, there are various widgets.  It's not as good.

5.  You can't easily lend the book, or pass it on if you know you're done, or donate it to the library sale.

 

So I definitely use both.  If my library has a book that I mean to read on Kindle, I'll get it that way (and if I thereafter decide I want to own it, then I do so).  If a book is a novel that I'm pretty sure I'll read once and then be ready to pass on, I'll get it in whatever form is cheapest.  If it's something that I know I'll want to mark up, I get it in hard form.  If I need it RIGHT NOW, usually because it's for book group that's to take place the day after tomorrow, I get it on Kindle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About sailboating reading serendipity, my sister works at a maritime center. They keep a rack there for boaters tor leave/take books, so I know there's some reading serendipity going on there. And, yes, I could see e-readers removing a good amount of reading serendipity. I also think e-readers remove some of the reading serendipity from non-sailors too, in that perhaps you aren't browsing a library or bookstore as much anymore, to see what catches your eye on the shelf, etc... And, with e-books, I wonder if what catches your eye most is the stuff that gets recommended to you by the preference programs that analyze your content, pages you look at, etc... & then recommend stuff to you? Those recommendations are the things you often see most or first, perhaps?

 

 

As regards reading serendipity ~ It's also near impossible to determine what someone is reading on the bus or in a waiting room if they are using an e-reader.  This can be a good thing if you're trying to hide your copy of FSoG; however, you also miss out on the opportunity of having another reader say, "Oh, I loved that book!" and having a conversation about that book and others.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I still do plenty of browsing in used book stores and other serendipitous venues, though I'd never really thought about that angle.  Maybe.  I agree with Kareni, though, that there are lost opportunities for good conversation...

 

 

I love my kindle paperwhite and now prefer it to paper however in a parallel universe is my more romantic, holistically engaged self thumbing through dogeared books at my local second-hand bookstore and chatting up the owner on various authors. Jane and Stacia make some relevant and wonderful points that my romantic, parallel universe self is nodding her head in agreement with. All the while my non-Luddite self is happily settling in with her PW with its lovely purple cover :D

:laugh:

 

 

 

Shukriyya, I am reading Gemini thanks to your recommendation. You said it was out of your usual genres - I took that as "easy to read". I am enjoying it so far!

 

:lol:

 

 

 

[*Inna*]

Finished reading Here Comes Mrs. Kugelman  - quirky, sweet and nostalgic, but with the holocaust shadow dark and present.