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Book a Week in 2014 - BW46


Robin M
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Ick. Interesting as Veblen is, he was a man of his times. From the chapter "Conservation of Archaic Traits," an incomprehensible examination of the relation of ethnicity to social institutions, served up in Social Darwinist soup:

 

"It may be worth while to point out that the dolicho-blond type of European man seems to owe much of its dominating influence and its masterful position in the recent culture to its possessing the characteristics of predatory man in an exceptional degree. These spiritual traits, together with a large endowment of physical energy,--itself probably a result of selection between groups and between lines of descent,--chiefly go to place any ethnic element in the position of a leisure or master class...."

 

Right, let's see how that works out in about forty years.

 

ETA: Googling "Veblen dolicho-blond" takes you nowhere good.

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It's interesting how sometimes we think we're being intellectual and honest and breaking down barriers when really what we're doing is being offensive and prejudiced and creating other social constraints. 

 

 

I finished Lost Girls: an Unsolved American Mystery. I originally thought it would be about human trafficking. I hadn't heard of the Long Island Killer and the back and flaps was kind of vague about what happened to the girls. I liked the idea of seeing a crime through the history of the victim and their family and community. It seemed really female positive and person--rather than plot--based. 

 

I did enjoy the beginning of the book and reading all the girls' stories. It was very human and very eye-opening. Some of it I could relate to (lower and lower middle class background) and some of it I couldn't, but that's good for me. The book had a few problems. There are so many characters (parents, siblings, friends, SOs, children) and the author did not have a plan for making switches between family groups easier on the reader, especially at the end. I did not enjoy the second half of the book after the crime was revealed. I wasn't expecting closure on the crime, but family did not react in a healthy way and by the last 100 pages I felt the cynicism leaking out of the author and coloring every action and conversation. We want tragedy to be very simple. We want to feel bad and put the person on a pedestal and sooth the family, but people are still people. They react in ways that disgust or sadden us. All in all, it was a very honest book, I think, but it was hard to read. People can be so disappointing. Their emotional needs are so very complex and often unrealistic. Sad. 

 

Read a few more Gene Luen Yang graphic novels. Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks and Loyola Chin and the San Pelagrin Order shared characters. Loyola was a bit more obviously Catholic (in a welcome way) then I was expecting. Both had flashes of imagination and weirdness but the stories followed paths I was expecting. Themes of bullying, friendship, forgiveness, perfectionism, social darwinism, and perception. 

 

Working on Tam Lin and finishing up the Charles Stross short stories Wireless

 

 

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Hmmm. Does 'red curry' mean 'red ants'?

 

Just musing because we just got back from eating Thai food....

 

Lol.

 

EEW!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ladies, you are once again responsible for me burning my toast.  It used to be I could take a quick glance at the thread while making toast.  Of course, it always pops up a bit early, so I'll hold the level down for 10 seconds or so while continuing to skim through your posts.  Now I get so caught up....ya'll have become quite verbose... that I forget and wallah, burnt toast.   We've grown from the days of just listing our reads to great conversation, with a bit of frivolity inbetween.   I appreciate each and every one of you....even if I am eating burnt toast.   

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 I appreciate each and every one of you....even if I am eating burnt toast.   

 

I think I can say that we all appreciate you, too, Robin, for starting this thread and keeping it going.

 

And, on a side note, it's amazing how many burnt toast books there are:

 

Burnt Toast

 

Burnt Toast: A novel

 

Popsicles, Black Holes & Burnt Toast

 

Burnt Toast: And Other Philosophies of Life

 

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir of Food and Love from an American Midwest Family

 

Burnt Toast & Jam

 

Burnt Toast: Musings on living, loving and saying goodbye: A collection of columns by Lenore Skomal

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I read a romance last night that featured two women as the main characters; it was an enjoyable read with an adventure component.  (Some adult content.)

 

Taken by Storm by Kim Baldwin

 

"Lives depend on two women when a train derails high in the remote Alps, but an unforgiving mountain, avalanches, crevasses, and other perils stand between them and safety.

Associated Press reporter Hudson Mead is an extreme skiing enthusiast who has covered war zones and natural disasters during her long and distinguished career, but nothing could have prepared her for the challenges she’ll face when the snow train she’s riding is decimated by a massive avalanche.

Librarian Steffi Graham, on her first trip abroad, is anxious to hone her rock-climbing skills in a new and unfamiliar terrain of ice and snow. She gets much more than she bargained for when her talents put her on the team that goes for help.

As the two strangers struggle to reach civilization, they must compromise and learn to trust each other, a task that may be nearly as difficult as the journey itself."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Ick. Interesting as Veblen is, he was a man of his times. From the chapter "Conservation of Archaic Traits," an incomprehensible examination of the relation of ethnicity to social institutions, served up in Social Darwinist soup:

 

"It may be worth while to point out that the dolicho-blond type of European man seems to owe much of its dominating influence and its masterful position in the recent culture to its possessing the characteristics of predatory man in an exceptional degree. These spiritual traits, together with a large endowment of physical energy,--itself probably a result of selection between groups and between lines of descent,--chiefly go to place any ethnic element in the position of a leisure or master class...."

 

Right, let's see how that works out in about forty years.

 

ETA: Googling "Veblen dolicho-blond" takes you nowhere good.

:lol: Thanks for the heads up.  

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Violet Crown - What on earth are you reading?  And why?  I'm sure you told us, but I can't remember.

 

I am enjoying Miss Bianca.  I have read (and reread) Cluny Brown recently, but haven't read any other Margery Sharp for ages.

 

We saw the Jamie Wyeth exhibit at the MFA today.  The seagull paintings were amazing.  He got the eyes just right.  And the light under the feathers...  This site shows there of the deadly sins series: http://www.farnsworthmuseum.org/exhibition/jamie-wyeth-seven-deadly-sins

 

Nan 

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While waiting in line at the HEB, I skimmed an article in Texas Monthly--an excellent magazine--on the Texas books you must read. The online article is a very brief synopsis; I'll have to get a better look at the full piece at the library, Wee Girl permitting.

 

http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/john-phillip-santos-against-the-texas-canon

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I finally read a book on my ipad! It was Daniel and the Pheonix by Edward Ormondroyd that someone posted some time ago. It wasn't a horrible experience. :lol:

 

So, I went looking for some other free books that I wanted to read and found The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy. I've started on that and find it quick, light reading, which is what I want right now.

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I finally read a book on my ipad! It was Daniel and the Pheonix by Edward Ormondroyd that someone posted some time ago. It wasn't a horrible experience. :lol:

 

So, I went looking for some other free books that I wanted to read and found The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy. I've started on that and find it quick, light reading, which is what I want right now.

 

I haven't tried reading on mine yet.  My son loves it because he can set the text to stay sideways and prop it up and read himself to sleep on his side without having to hold the book.

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