Robin M Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Happy Sunday, dear hearts! Today is the start of week 42 in our quest to read 52 Books. Welcome back to all our readers, to all those who are just joining in and to all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is below in my signature. 52 Books Blog - Armchair Traveling - Let's sail the ocean blue: We've been armchair traveling most of the year across the continents. We've spent quite a bit of time land locked, meandering about from England to Africa to Europe. It's time to have a bit of fun, wipe the dust off our feet and head out across the waters. Are you ready for a bit of barefoot travel, with the wind at our backs, mist in our hair as we sail the ocean blue. I can't decide whether to head out into the Atlantic and go north of the equator up to Greenland, or sail down and around the cape of Africa into the Indian Ocean. As I have the hankering to explore Mozambique as well as the barrier islands in the archipelago (a bit of book research, nudge nudge, wink wink)think I'll start there, before heading east to Indonesia. Then I'll have to decide whether to drop down to sail around Australia. Or sail to Singapore through the strait to the Pacific Ocean which will bring me back to where I started, ending and beginning my year at the same spot. Currently in my backpack are Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander and Post Captain from his Aubrey/Maturin historical series, M.L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans and James Rollins' Deep Fathom.If you've yet to read Melville's Moby Dick or C.S. Foresters Hornblower saga or Nordhoff and Hall's Mutiny on the Bounty, now may be a good time. For more suggestions go to historical naval fiction, or Goodreads selection of Popular Naval Fiction, books set in the Atlantic and books set in the Pacific. Check out Pinterest's eclectic list of Must Read Ocean Books.Happy Sailing! History of the Ancient World - Chapters 56 and 57 What are you reading this week? Link to week 41 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 Good morning. I've made it through my reread of J.D. Robb's In Death Series and on the the very last book Festive in Death. :hurray: . Interesting because her writing style stayed consistent throughout and where I saw issues months ago with a couple of her books, I didn't see them this time. Pure Nora. Will be sorry to leave the land of Eve and Roark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 So those of you who don't check this thread every day, how do you keep up? Or don't know? Do you just start wherever (that can't be the way you spell where ever?) you left off and take hours to catch up, or do you skip ahead and read backwards? I think I need a strategy. Every day isn't going to work at this point in my life lol. How did you do it as a lurker when you weren't posting on the threads? Once or twice a week, randomly, weekly? Like Jenn said, when I come back to the thread I click on the 'go to first unread post' and start from there. I usually like the posts as I read as a marker of where I've been. That's at the beginning of the week. By the end of the week that usually falls apart. I do read every day to keep up with the thread but don't always have time to comment. Which makes me quite thankful for everyone who participates and the constant conversations. Love my talkative, inquisitive, wonderful book buddies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 So, I need to have insomnia to post first on this thread. :seeya: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 So, I need to have insomnia to post first on this thread. :seeya: A very early good morning to you! Sorry to hear about the insomnia but so nice to see you (virtually) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 So, I need to have insomnia to post first on this thread. :seeya: Whoa that little smiley is waving to us from the future! I love this graphic of the world that is programmed to stay in sync with each day to get an idea of what time it is in other parts of the world. Rosie is, as I type, in the area of the world where it would be considered very rude to call! I'm still reading Cinnamon and Gunpowder, and am enjoying it, but only just. I wish there was more cooking! The underlying premise of the book, about the illegal opium trade being run by a British trading company is quite true and is taking me back to my Asian history classes in college. But it is a cartoon /revisionist/ historical fiction. I'd rather have the cartoonish aspect and more cooking or have a Master and Commander style historical fiction about the period. Started listening to Good Omens. It's my 3rd time attempting this book -- for some reason I wasn't in the mood the first 2 times I tried, which is odd since Pratchett and Gaiman are favorites of mine. I was cracking up while listening yesterday, so 3rd time's the charm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 We finished listening to Roald Dahl's The BFG and now we're listening to The Mysterious Benedict Society as we drive across South Carolina toward Ohio ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Well, I wish I could say I've moved on from Deathless, but I haven't. I've been avoiding it because I'm out of love with it. I got a lot of sewing done and caught up with my MOOC videos. I also went to the library and checked out some more spooky reads. I guess I'll push myself to finish it today so I can try something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Middle Girl has been happily reading Moby Dick, so I'll just count that for this week's challenge. I have foolishly broken my successful rule of not reading multiple books simultaneously, and in the breaks Wee Girl gives me from reading to her, I've been working on (1) the October Challenge with The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories, (2) the Satires of Horace, (3) Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, (4) James Cabell's Jurgen, and (5) Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class. And then I keep glancing at the bookshelf, where The Golden Bowl is calling to me, saying wouldn't you like to chuck all that and read some more James? And since it actually takes up most of my reading time, here's what I've been reading to Wee Girl: Russian Folk Tales (H. C. Stevens); History Stories of Other Lands (Arthur Guy Terry); the St Joseph Baltimore Catechism (first communion coming up!); and the Childcraft Story of the Sea. I am delighted to say that she quite unexpectedly decided to read the beautiful Watson/Provensen Iliad to herself, and has been enjoying it very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 From last week's thread: ... To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris. ..... Most of the book takes place in a Dentist office with frequent flashbacks. A book set in a dentist's office would be my idea of a horror book! Yesterday, I finished Unstoppable (A Country Roads Novel) which is a contemporary romance by Shannon Richard. It's the third in a series but could be read as a stand alone. It was fairly light, but I enjoyed it. "Melanie O'Bryan knows life is too short to be afraid of taking chances. And former Air Force sergeant Bennett Hart is certainly worth taking a chance on. He's agreed to help her students with a school project, but she's hoping the handsome handyman will offer her a whole lot more. Yet despite his heated glances and teasing touches, Mel senses there's something holding him back . . .Bennett Hart is grateful to be alive and back home in Mirabelle, Florida. Peaceful and uncomplicated-that's all he's looking for. Until a spunky, sexy-as-hell teacher turns his life upside down. After one smoldering kiss, Bennett feels like he's falling without a parachute. But with memories of his past threatening to resurface, he'll have to decide whether to keep playing it safe, or take the biggest risk of all." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Yesterday I also bought and read Thea Harrison's latest book in her Elder Races series ~ Night's Honor "On the run from her former employer, Tess knows that she’s vulnerable on her own amongst the Elder Races. That’s why she decides to audition to become the human attendant of a powerful Vampyre of the Nightkind demesne. But while her position affords her the safety she seeks, her protector turns out to be more than she bargained for.The right-hand man of the Nightkind King, Xavier del Torro is both terrifying and alluring. While his true nature frightens Tess, she can’t ignore the appeal of his innate sense of integrity and self-restraint. Thrown into Xavier’s world, Tess must quickly learn to navigate the dangers—both to her life and to her heart. But the biggest threat comes from her own past…" I enjoyed it, but it's not my favorite of the series. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Jane, I thought of one more set of mysteries that you may wish to investigate. I haven't read them, but my husband has enjoyed them. (I may have first learned of them in the old Common Reader catalog.) They are the Napoleon Bonaparte mysteries written by Arthur Upfield. These are NOT set in France but in Australia during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Bonaparte is a half caste Aborigine who is a Detective Inspector in the Queensland Police Force. This link has a list of the books in order. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I'm still reading Cinnamon and Gunpowder, and am enjoying it, but only just. I wish there was more cooking! The underlying premise of the book, about the illegal opium trade being run by a British trading company is quite true and is taking me back to my Asian history classes in college. But it is a cartoon /revisionist/ historical fiction. I'd rather have the cartoonish aspect and more cooking or have a Master and Commander style historical fiction about the period. Started listening to Good Omens. It's my 3rd time attempting this book -- for some reason I wasn't in the mood the first 2 times I tried, which is odd since Pratchett and Gaiman are favorites of mine. I was cracking up while listening yesterday, so 3rd time's the charm! Yeah, I was less enamored of Cinnamon and Gunpowder than I thought I would be. I rated it 3 stars. Ok enough but nothing that really stands out either. (The cover art is the best thing about it. :leaving:) And, happy to hear that the 3rd time's a charm with Good Omens! (You're a tenacious one! :laugh: ) A book set in a dentist's office would be my idea of a horror book! Lol. I'm much better about dentists/dental visits than I used to be, but I can agree with this statement. I didn't finish anything last week. Was in a big reading rut, returned a bunch of piles to the library, etc.... So, now I'm finally back in fun reading mode with <insert drumroll> Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice. From Publishers Weekly (starred review): Pynchon sets his new novel in and around Gordita Beach, a mythical surfside paradise named for all the things his PI hero, Larry “Doc†Sportello, loves best: nonnutritious foods, healthy babies, curvaceous femme fatales. We’re in early-’70s Southern California, so Gordita Beach inevitably suggests a kind of Fat City, too, ripe for the plundering of rapacious real estate combines and ideal for Pynchon’s recurring tragicomedy of America as the perfect wave that got away. It all starts with Pynchon’s least conspicuous intro ever: “She came along the alley and up the back steps the way she always used toâ€â€”she being Doc’s old flame Shasta, fearful for her lately conscience-afflicted tycoon boyfriend, Mickey. There follow plots, subplots and counterplots till you could plotz. Behind each damsel cowers another, even more distressed. Pulling Mr. Big’s strings is always a villain even bigger. More fertile still is Pynchon’s unmatched gift for finding new metaphors to embody old obsessions. Get ready for glancing excursions into maritime law, the nascent Internet, obscure surf music and Locard’s exchange principle (on loan from criminology), plus a side trip to the lost continent of Lemuria. But there’s a blissful, sportive magnanimity, too, a forgiveness vouchsafed to pimps, vets, cops, narcs and even developers that feels new, or newly heartfelt. Blessed with a sympathetic hero, suspenseful momentum and an endlessly suggestive setting, the novel’s bones need only a touch of the screenwriter’s dark chiropractic arts to render perhaps American literature’s most movie-mad genius, of all things, filmable. Inherent Vice deepens Pynchon’s developing California cycle, following The Crying of Lot 49 and Vineland with a shaggy-dog epic of Eden mansionized and Mansonized beyond recognition—yet never quite beyond hope. Across five decades now, he’s more or less alternated these West Coast chamber pieces with his more formidable symphonies (V ; Gravity’s Rainbow ; Mason & Dixon ; Against the Day ). Partisans of the latter may find this one a tad slight. Fans of the former will know it for the throwaway masterwork it is: playful as a dolphin, plaintive as whale song, unsoundably profound as the blue Pacific. I read a Pynchon book (Bleeding Edge) earlier this year & really enjoyed it; the same seems to be the case for this one too. He definitely throws a bazillion & one things in his mix, assumes a big amount of cultural/time period knowledge & just zooms right ahead -- which is completely my type of story. :laugh: Definitely thinking Pynchon is going on my favorite authors list.... Inherent Vice is fun & I'm reading it because the movie version will be coming out in December. (The movie definitely looks great with a great cast. A must-see for me.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Middle Girl has been happily reading Moby Dick, so I'll just count that for this week's challenge. I have foolishly broken my successful rule of not reading multiple books simultaneously, and in the breaks Wee Girl gives me from reading to her, I've been working on (1) the October Challenge with The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories, (2) the Satires of Horace, (3) Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, (4) James Cabell's Jurgen, and (5) Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class. And then I keep glancing at the bookshelf, where The Golden Bowl is calling to me, saying wouldn't you like to chuck all that and read some more James? And since it actually takes up most of my reading time, here's what I've been reading to Wee Girl: Russian Folk Tales (H. C. Stevens); History Stories of Other Lands (Arthur Guy Terry); the St Joseph Baltimore Catechism (first communion coming up!); and the Childcraft Story of the Sea. I am delighted to say that she quite unexpectedly decided to read the beautiful Watson/Provensen Iliad to herself, and has been enjoying it very much! Re: Wee Girl - FHC year for you, too? My 7 yo is also on the First Communion train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I finished 'Some Kind of Fairy Tale' by Graham Joyce last night bringing my weekly total to three along with 'Gemini' by Carol Casella and 'True Refuge' by Tara Brach. SKoFT was really good. The ending was ambiguously perfect or perfectly ambiguous. I looked at some of his other material but apart from The Limits of Enchantment. I don't think I'll be dipping into much more of his work as he tends to write more in the supernatural genre. I do like the way he weaves story and poetic imagery, language and landscape into a wonderful tale. This was a book I couldn't put down.On the roster this week is 'The Art Forger' by B. A. Shapiro which just came available on overdrive and continuing with Mary Stewart's, 'The Ivy Tree'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Jane, I thought of one more set of mysteries that you may wish to investigate. I haven't read them, but my husband has enjoyed them. (I may have first learned of them in the old Common Reader catalog.) They are the Napoleon Bonaparte mysteries written by Arthur Upfield. These are NOT set in France but in Australia during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Bonaparte is a half caste Aborigine who is a Detective Inspector in the Queensland Police Force. This link has a list of the books in order. Regards, Kareni You know me well, Kareni. These look vaguely familiar which leads me to wonder if I encountered them in my grad school days--when life was often a blur. Other authors I read way back when that I am thinking about revisiting include Robert van Gulik (who created fictional detective stories featuring Confucian magistrate Judge Dee) and Janwillem van de Wetering (the De Gier and Grijpstra series set in Amsterdam). I have a suspicion that your husband may have enjoyed the latter as well. Side note: when I met my husband, we had van de Wetering in common--except he read his Buddhist books whereas I read the de Gier/Grijpstra mysteries! Off to make curried pumpkin soup from the pumpkin I baked this morning (although some of the pulp made it into the freezer for future baking projects). Still reading the P.D. James mystery, The Lighthouse, and the volume on the history of textiles, Women's Work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I read: At Home - 3 Stars - I love Bryson's chatty style and the way that every historical fact is presented in an interesting, although rather meandering way. This is not as funny as his other books. It’s a really a book about how life has changed over the past few hundred years, but it’s very readable. If only all history books were this interesting! and The Time Keeper - 4 Stars - I always enjoy Mitch Albom’s books. They are meaningful and ever so deep. The message in this one is clear and simple, although not always easy to implement. The characters stay with you for quite a while. MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 You know me well, Kareni. These look vaguely familiar which leads me to wonder if I encountered them in my grad school days--when life was often a blur. Other authors I read way back when that I am thinking about revisiting include Robert van Gulik (who created fictional detective stories featuring Confucian magistrate Judge Dee) and Janwillem van de Wetering (the De Gier and Grijpstra series set in Amsterdam). I have a suspicion that your husband may have enjoyed the latter as well. Side note: when I met my husband, we had van de Wetering in common--except he read his Buddhist books whereas I read the de Gier/Grijpstra mysteries! Off to make curried pumpkin soup from the pumpkin I baked this morning (although some of the pulp made it into the freezer for future baking projects). Still reading the P.D. James mystery, The Lighthouse, and the volume on the history of textiles, Women's Work. I've been on a kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) kick for weeks now. Loving it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Wahnh - Robin, this week's challenge made me cry. We haul the boat next week, so instead of casting off my shoes and going sailing, we are sadly taking off the unread books and uneaten cans of sardines and baked beans. I have two kids on boats and am trying not to envy them. I know their jobs don't resemble the leisurly cruising I love so much, but at this time of jear, it is hard not to be jealous. I have Midshipman Hornblower on my to-read list. Amazingly, I have never read the series, despite having bought multiple copies of the series so my boys could have their own. I didn't lurk. I participated the first year, to encourage all the people who were trying to read more (not something I have ever needed encouragement to do lol) but then when it was obviously going to "go", I stopped participating and didn't even lurk. I might have dropped in a few times over the years but it was an I"m-sick-with-nothing-to-do thing and then I wouldn't be back for another year or two. Now that I am not homeschooling (well, other than tutoring oldest's girlfriend) and the thead has turned into something interesting, I am back. : ) I'll figure something out, I guess. Nan Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Wahnh - Robin, this week's challenge made me cry. We haul the boat next week, so instead of casting off my shoes and going sailing, we are sadly taking off the unread books and uneaten cans of sardines and baked beans. I have two kids on boats and am trying not to envy them. I know their jobs don't resemble the leisurly cruising I love so much, but at this time of jear, it is hard not to be jealous. I have Midshipman Hornblower on my to-read list. Amazingly, I have never read the series, despite having bought multiple copies of the series so my boys could have their own. I didn't lurk. I participated the first year, to encourage all the people who were trying to read more (not something I have ever needed encouragement to do lol) but then when it was obviously going to "go", I stopped participating and didn't even lurk. I might have dropped in a few times over the years but it was an I"m-sick-with-nothing-to-do thing and then I wouldn't be back for another year or two. Now that I am not homeschooling (well, other than tutoring oldest's girlfriend) and the thead has turned into something interesting, I am back. : ) I'll figure something out, I guess. Nan Nan Nan, dear. I think that the key thing to remember is that we support each other here in our reading (and our lives) but we don't expect anyone to stay on top of every conversation, book recommendation, challenge, etc. It is just impossible. If anything, view the challenges as recommendations for future consideration. Do not feel that you are under any pressure! And while you haul in the boat, I cheer the arrival of cooler air in the otherwise steamy South. The first gannet of the autumn arrived at the bird shelter this week. The poor thing was bitten by a shark. In the spring I will give you good news that the loons and gannets are on their way north, time to get out the boat again. But this week's visitor brings a different message. From Quebec and Labrador to these Southern shores...to have the story from this amazing eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Gane - Are those my gannets that are arriving where you are? Or are they coming from somewhere else? Thank you for the beautiful photos. Poor baby. If they are mine, I had no idea they had blue around their eyes like that. Of course, they dive before I get that close and we are usually both bobbing up and down, which doesn't help. It isn't so much that I feel obliged to keep up. It was hard to read just for escape when I was homeschooling. I always felt guitly. And before that, I got headaches and had to give it up for awhile. Now I can read guilt-free (well, almost lol, there are always dishes, etc., that I ought to be doing, that is all less urgent than a child's education) and this thread looks like it has the potential to supply an almost endless supply of new books to try. I don't want to miss anything. Shukriyya - That was so gorgeous! I could copy it on my pennywhilstle or recorder, but somehow it wouldn't sound the same lol. I wish I could play cello. The first bit gave me goose flesh! I will have to investigate her other music! I did like Alphabet of Thorn. I just didn't think it was one of her best. I would certainly not want to discourage you from reading it. And I liked Solstice Wood, but it isn't typical, so I wouldn't want you to judge Patricia McKillip from that particular book. : ) Eliana - I hope you have a lovely and inspiring holiday. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Gane - Are those my gannets that are arriving where you are? Or are they coming from somewhere else? Thank you for the beautiful photos. Poor baby. If they are mine, I had no idea they had blue around their eyes like that. Of course, they dive before I get that close and we are usually both bobbing up and down, which doesn't help. Gannets and loons spend their winter in the Southern Atlantic. I don't need a calendar to know when spring or autumn has arrived. Inevitably several wash up during their migration. These gannet photos were taken by my husband a year or two ago. But, as noted, the first arrival (either gannet or loon) tells us that autumn (or spring) is around the corner. This season's honor goes to a gorgeous, huge gannet. The yellow head indicates that it is an adult. That blue eye is mesmerizing, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 JJJJane lol. Oops. We don't normally have loons on our lake, but sometimes, in spring or fall, we'll get one for a day or two, a lovely, lovely treat. I thought our loons moved to the ocean for the winter? I know we see them in winter in the harbour. They seem to be black when they are in the ocean. I guess I should read up about them lol, since they have always been a big part of my summer life. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Loons and gannets do move to the ocean for the winter--the South Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. We sometimes see healthy birds fishing off shore but my up and personal sightings occur when the bird is stressed or ill. That is when they'll wash up on the beach. Even when ill, these birds are feisty with their dagger-like beaks. In fact, I got involved at the local bird shelter by asking a question of the rehabber. The next thing I knew, I was holding a loon while she was tube feeding it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Just checking in to sub the thread. Haven't finished anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Eliana has reminded me that it's time to watch one of our favorite movies Ushpizin. All the loon talk, loony talk ? :lol: is reminding me of summers spent on the lakes around Ontario. In the evenings the loons would call back and forth to each other speaking their avian poetry into the deepening summer night. Oh, it was lovely to wrap that around one's tired, sun-soaked body and drift off to sleep with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I started a couple of new books today, the first is by Peter James titled Want You Dead. Apparently it is the tenth book in a hugely popular series that I have never heard of (Roy Grace series) but it doesn't seem to matter so I decided to keep reading just to find out why the wait list was so long. So far it seems to be a good thriller with a stalker gone very bad. I am also reading One Book in the Grave by Kate Carlisle on my kindle. It is part of the cozy series set around bookbinding that I have been reading. Not sure that I am up for the ocean going theme. I checked a book called The Dressmaker out in overdrive. Set on the Titanic and on one of the lists. Not the same as Master and Commander ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Eliana has reminded me that it's time to watch one of our favorite movies Ushpizin. All the loon talk, loony talk ? :lol: is reminding me of summers spent on the lakes around Ontario. In the evenings the loons would call back and forth to each other speaking their avian poetry into the deepening summer night. Oh, it was lovely to wrap that around one's tired, sun-soaked body and drift off to sleep with... Yes! Yes! With your head on a damp pillow, smelling of lakewater from that last swim, listening to the water. We're going up to the summer lake (I live on one with no loons in the winter) in a few weeks. I can't wait. The loons will be off to visit Jane. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Ok Jane, in an effort to embrace autumn, I have lit the woodstove. Should have done it a few nights ago, probably, but if I do it too soon, I don't adjust properly. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Jane - You've read The Science of Good Cooking, haven't you? (Finally remembered to ask grin.) Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Yes! Yes! With your head on a damp pillow, smelling of lakewater from that last swim, listening to the water. We're going up to the summer lake (I live on one with no loons in the winter) in a few weeks. I can't wait. The loons will be off to visit Jane. Nan That last swim was always magical and made sleep feel like gliding from one body of water into another, mermaid-damp hair on the pillow...and the bull-frogs in their basso profundo nighttime chorus sending the boat of my young self into other lakes of awareness and possibility... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I just finished the last Harry Potter book. I loved the whole series and almost want to just start over again right away. I really appreciated how everything came together and that ever since at least the fifth book it's been clear that the good guys aren't perfect - even though many of the bad guys are perfectly evil. I finished a book of short stories by Kij Johnson - At the Mouth of the River of Bees. Some of these stories were set in Japan, some had oral tradition as a strong element, all were magical. And I read Winter Numbers, a book of poetry by Marilyn Hacker. This book is full of things I like: sonnets (solo and in sequences), villanelles, Sapphic stanzas, haiku sequences. But I could not connect with or really enjoy much of the content - cancer, old girlfriends. I was just bored. I did like her Street Scenes I - V. Here is Street Scene III Dusted with flour, pine-gold, the wand of bread protrudes from a fruit-knobbed plastic Monoprix shopping bag, balances gallantly on a bike basket, is tucked under a red cardigan sleeve, blue coverall sleve, fine gray acolyte's candle, torch of the athlete, common denominator. From what bakery on the morning of the seventeenth of July, his arms piled with baguettes, did the young man come to one locked gate of the Velodrome d'Hiver? French guards tore up the loaves they took from him and flung them at the thousands -- Jews -- penned there -- children, women and men -- on their way to die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawneinfl Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Spent a beautiful day at the beach reading book samples while dh and the girls swam. It was weird - there were all these old guys surfing - like they were having their own little reunion or something. We also saw a huge pod of dolphins. I love the beach in October. I finished Gemini. I'd probably give 3.5 or 4 stars. Now I'm hopping between The Glassblower, Surprised by Oxford and Lila not sure what I'm in the mood for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Eliana has reminded me that it's time to watch one of our favorite movies Ushpizin. All the loon talk, loony talk ? :lol: is reminding me of summers spent on the lakes around Ontario. In the evenings the loons would call back and forth to each other speaking their avian poetry into the deepening summer night.... It surprised me to learn that these birds that spend summers on fresh water would spend winters on salt water. For many people, loon sightings are rare; it is more common to hear their calls as in the above. Here is one of the shelter's success stories, a common loon at the time of release after rehab: It is straightening out its feathers but we describe this gesture as "shaking off human cooties". Jane - You've read The Science of Good Cooking, haven't you? (Finally remembered to ask grin.) Nan I can't say I have read it. We have both it and Harold McGee's book for reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 That last swim was always magical and made sleep feel like gliding from one body of water into another, mermaid-damp hair on the pillow...and the bull-frogs in their basso profundo nighttime chorus sending the boat of my young self into other lakes of awareness and possibility... water and light bright light pouring down white sundrops shimmering on water white leaves white dock pale gold water sparkles on gold stones cool weightlessness hot mugs on chilled hands garnets and crayfish blissful bare children calling laughing splashing running over cool moss the laky smell and hot pineneedles chippies here and gone again ripples on the ceiling pitchy feet hair never quite dry the taste of blueberries and wintergreen and sweet lake water snapping wood and burnt marshmellow dipping paddles in pink water the whiste of wind in screens the hush of wind in pines crinkling water in ears lap lap on shore a damp pillow laughing loons a silver lake or a million stars Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Jane - What a gorgeous photo! Interesting water pattern. What a wicked beak. We see them frequently in Maine, despite the Audubon people telling my aunt that we are too far south for them lol (that was years ago - now they acknowledge their presence). I've had them swim under my canoe in the shallows, so I could see them flying. It was very cool. They can tell sea planes from regular planes. They get all upset and call warning to each other when there is a sea planes overhead. They hate the 4th of July, too, naturally. I can't say I have read that cookbook, either. More like grazed through it from time to time, sort of like what happens when I go to look something up in the dictionary. It belongs to youngest. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Violet, you made me pick up some Henry James: The Aspern Papers (new to me) and Turn of the Screw (revisiting after an eternity). I love James's prose... and after an abundance of more modernity of late, it was very refreshing... though I still don't love TotS. ...and I made the mistake of reading the introduction and revisiting my abhorrence of the lit crit approaches to this novella... *sigh* ...but I do appreciate the story itself far more than I did as a young teen... The Aspern Papers is more the 'real' James (no Gothic elements!) and it made me want more... which is why I went on to TotS which was conveniently in the same volume... but I am not sure I am going on to another; the sadness bothers me less than it did when I was younger, but I am trying to decide if I should have more space before I move on to another one. I haven't read the Aspern Papers; but what's one more book on the TBR pile? I spent about ten minutes in some friends' sukkah on Thursday. It was 90+ degrees and muggy, and the mosquitoes were forming thick clouds around us. W. said the prayer, we downed our glasses of wine, and we fled indoors for dinner. Wee Girl was the only one who wanted to stay in the sukkah. Sounds like better weather in your parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Ooo just discovered that Dianna Winn Jones did a version of Tam Lin, too, called Fire and Hemlock (good old wikipaedia lol). I will have to investigate. I love her Dark Lord of Derkholm. And Shukriyya, when I can read Patricia McKillip again, I will have to reread Winter Rose. I want to read the selkie one, too. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Ooo just discovered that Dianna Winn Jones did a version of Tam Lin, too, called Fire and Hemlock (good old wikipaedia lol). I will have to investigate. I love her Dark Lord of Derkholm. And Shukriyya, when I can read Patricia McKillip again, I will have to reread Winter Rose. I want to read the selkie one, too. Nan 'Fire and Hemlock' looks good. Onto the tbr list it went. I now have at least four versions of Tam Lin in my tbr list :laugh: And I have yet to start 'The Art Forger' because 'Some Kind of Fairy Tale' with its whimsy and mystery is still ringing in my atmosphere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 Wahnh - Robin, this week's challenge made me cry. We haul the boat next week, so instead of casting off my shoes and going sailing, we are sadly taking off the unread books and uneaten cans of sardines and baked beans. I have two kids on boats and am trying not to envy them. I know their jobs don't resemble the leisurly cruising I love so much, but at this time of jear, it is hard not to be jealous. I have Midshipman Hornblower on my to-read list. Amazingly, I have never read the series, despite having bought multiple copies of the series so my boys could have their own. I didn't lurk. I participated the first year, to encourage all the people who were trying to read more (not something I have ever needed encouragement to do lol) but then when it was obviously going to "go", I stopped participating and didn't even lurk. I might have dropped in a few times over the years but it was an I"m-sick-with-nothing-to-do thing and then I wouldn't be back for another year or two. Now that I am not homeschooling (well, other than tutoring oldest's girlfriend) and the thead has turned into something interesting, I am back. : ) I'll figure something out, I guess. Nan Nan Oh nan! I feel like a mamma duck who has lost track of her chicks once again. Hopefully I didn't offend you with the lurker comment. Some weeks the thread is busier than others and we repeat ourselves a lot, fortunately and in a good way. I'll second what our wise Jane said. The weekly challenges and recommendations are for fun and inspiration and I don't expect everyone to join in. Enjoy your reads and sharing them, the conversation and don't worry about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Finished Lord of the Flies. Still reading Good Omens on the treadmill but almost done. Lord of the Flies was an uncomfortable read, but I think I would enjoy using it for English writing assignments. Lots of themes to pick apart. Not sure what's up next. I have The Historian on hold at the library and if it is turned in on time I should get it this week. Not sure it's for me, but I've read enough on these threads to be curious. Youngest and I are still reading Mara Daughter of the Nile. Did not read any HOTAW this week. We've now finished listening to Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles in the car--The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, and The Serpent's Shadow. Just started his The Lost Hero this week, so that series should keep us busy for the rest of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 ... Other authors I read way back when that I am thinking about revisiting include Robert van Gulik (who created fictional detective stories featuring Confucian magistrate Judge Dee) and Janwillem van de Wetering (the De Gier and Grijpstra series set in Amsterdam). I have a suspicion that your husband may have enjoyed the latter as well. My husband has not yet read either of those authors, but I will keep them in mind for him. He did enjoy some of the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries by Lindsey Davis some years ago. The first is The Silver Pigs. Currently he is reading a non-mystery namely George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. Side note: when I met my husband, we had van de Wetering in common--except he read his Buddhist books whereas I read the de Gier/Grijpstra mysteries! What a fun happenstance! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Robin - No no. I'm not quite sure how it would be offending? I certainly wasn't. I just didn't happen to lurk here and other places where I did lurk were seperate threads and I could skim quickly through the titles (although that was SO much easier with the old boards in outline mode, sigh). I was just trying to explain that this is something new for me. It will probably settle into something more comfortable when the newness wears off. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Like Jenn said, when I come back to the thread I click on the 'go to first unread post' and start from there. I usually like the posts as I read as a marker of where I've been. That's at the beginning of the week. By the end of the week that usually falls apart. I do read every day to keep up with the thread but don't always have time to comment. Which makes me quite thankful for everyone who participates and the constant conversations. Love my talkative, inquisitive, wonderful book buddies. This is how I do it. I don't always get here every day but I just start where I ended off and go from there. I don't always chime in on the conversations because my thoughts do not translate well in the written word. I have grand conversations in my head, though. We finished listening to Roald Dahl's The BFG.. The BFG is my youngest's favourite book. I think we have read it 5 times over. I am still slogging through The Moonstone but it is picking up and I have about 100 more pages to go. The end is in sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Oh these discussions of loons makes me remember such happy times gone by in my life. My grandparents always took a vacation to Minnesota and as kids all the aunts/uncles/cousins would go with them. As everyone got older (and my grandfather died) it ended up just being me, my grandmother, an aunt, and one set of cousins going. We still had the most amazing times. Eating fish, going on boat rides to see the loons at night, grilling out, sitting on the front deck and talking, my grandmother and her cousin deciding it wasn't too early to have a cocktail at noon. :laugh: Such happy memories. I have been re-listening to a bunch of Georgette Heyer audiobooks this last week. I'm still reading Ivy Tree. I'm dead exhausted when I climb into bed so I'm not getting through it as fast as I like. The audiobooks are easy because I can put them on when I pack boxes. DD and I are listening to The Unknown Ajax together. I'm so excited to share something I love with her. I think she likes it so far!!!! Kareni - I have a good friend that likes romances but HATES regency books. I'd love to get her a book and thought you would have a good suggestion. She prefers a modern setting. She likes sports but it doesn't have to be about that. She loves Law and Order and mystery/thriller type stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Kareni - I have a good friend that likes romances but HATES regency books. I'd love to get her a book and thought you would have a good suggestion. She prefers a modern setting. She likes sports but it doesn't have to be about that. She loves Law and Order and mystery/thriller type stories. If she is not a conservative reader and doesn't object to some adult content, I'd recommend Julie James' series that starts with Something About You. Another possibility would be Lisa Kleypas' series that begins with Sugar Daddy. If she is conservative in her reading, let me know and I'll think of some other possibilities. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 If she is not a conservative reader and doesn't object to some adult content, I'd recommend Julie James' series that starts with Something About You. Another possibility would be Lisa Kleypas' series that begins with Sugar Daddy. If she is conservative in her reading, let me know and I'll think of some other possibilities. Regards, Kareni Thank you! She's not conservative at all. In fact I think she likes books with a bit of nakedness in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Spent a beautiful day at the beach reading book samples while dh and the girls swam. It was weird - there were all these old guys surfing - like they were having their own little reunion or something. We also saw a huge pod of dolphins. I love the beach in October. I finished Gemini. I'd probably give 3.5 or 4 stars. Now I'm hopping between The Glassblower, Surprised by Oxford and Lila not sure what I'm in the mood for. I'd agree with your 'Gemini' rating. 'Glassblower' and SBO are on my list so I had to look up 'Lila' wondering if you were referring to the book by Robert Pirsig, speaking of boats and water journeys, but no you meant 'Lila' by the same author of Gilead and Home. I started 'Home' at one point but put it aside feeling in it a weight and sadness that I wasn't moved to accommodate at that point in my life. Lila looks rather intriguing and I'll be interested to hear how you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 If she is not a conservative reader and doesn't object to some adult content, I'd recommend Julie James' series that starts with Something About You. Another possibility would be Lisa Kleypas' series that begins with Sugar Daddy. If she is conservative in her reading, let me know and I'll think of some other possibilities. Regards, Kareni Well I just ended up requesting Something About You. Have you read the rest of the series. I have already gave up on my Peter James thriller. Stacia taught me how to get books off my goodreads account a few weeks ago and now I seem to be practicing my new skill pretty frequently! Next up is The Rosie Effect http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/08/the-rosie-effect-graeme-simsion-review sequel to the Rosie Project. Then hopefully my self induced library hold list pressures are resolved!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 This is how I do it. I don't always get here every day but I just start where I ended off and go from there. I don't always chime in on the conversations because my thoughts do not translate well in the written word. I have grand conversations in my head, though. The BFG is my youngest's favourite book. I think we have read it 5 times over. I am still slogging through The Moonstone but it is picking up and I have about 100 more pages to go. The end is in sight. To the bolded: Don't we all! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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