Stacia Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I'd like to recommend The Lost Daughter. Here's an article about Ferrante: http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/09/elena-ferrante-a-new-breed-of-writer-girl-crush.html I will add only that the fierce truthfulness that undergirds her writing has resulted in me adding all of her novels to my Christmas list. An article in the NY Times. (According to an email from publisher Europa editions, this piece will be on the front page of the arts section in tomorrow's paper.) Behind Feminist Potboilers, a Secret Identity Elena Ferrante, Author of Naples Novels, Stays Mysterious And, the full interview... ‘Writing Has Always Been a Great Struggle for Me’ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Kareni, now I know why that sentence sounded familiar. Thank you to whoever asked to have the accompanying link removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I just want to say that I love y'all. And I have done a ton of reading because I've been sitting up with Wee Girl while she falls asleep, which it turns out we both find comforting, and my reading light doesn't bother her. So I finished Dobie's Cow People, which I have to recommend as one of the best books about the real life of cowboys I've ever read. I'm going to have Middle Girl read it for our Texas history studies. The only caveats for children's reading is that there's one sexual vulgarity (and Dobie lets you know it's coming) and a gut-wrenching incident of barbaric abuse of a horse. Well, and people say hell and damn a lot, but that's barely cussing. With a glance at some of the Chat Board threads recently, here's my favorite cowboy saying from the book: "A world big enough to hold a rattlesnake and a pretty woman is big enough for all kinds of people." Middle Girl wants me to read Brigadier Gerard next. So. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Violet Crown, :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:. With a glance at some of the Chat Board threads recently, here's my favorite cowboy saying from the book: "A world big enough to hold a rattlesnake and a pretty woman is big enough for all kinds of people." I love this! :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Hey, Powell's (indie bookstore in Portland) is offering free shipping in the contiguous US if you order by noon on Dec. 15 w/ guaranteed delivery by Dec. 24. Looks like no minimum order size needed. http://www.powells.com/holiday-shipping-2014/#fineprint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Zemindar by Valerie Fitzgerald? It's long at 800 pages but IIRC it moves fairly quickly. I read it in my twenties. My mom did PR for a publishing company in our hometown. She set up all the interviews etc for all the authors who came through on their book tours. We got to meet some cool folks and I believe this book was one of the ones she set up stuff for. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald I haven't read it, but I've been thinking I would like to... Z for the author or the title? Stefan Zweig's Chess Story is compact and compelling. ...as is his Journey into the Past. The Bluebird Effect by Julie Zickefoose has lovely illustrations and lots of bird stories (Jane, have you seen this?), Kareni recommended it the other year and really enjoyed it. Zamyatin's We is the grandfather of modern dystopia. I read this beautiful translation last year. I posted a quote or two, I'll try to track them down and share them... Thank you for all the great suggestions. I've had Z on my wishlist forever but never got around to actually getting it. Chess Story and WE are short and doable and also look really, really interesting and intriguing so downloaded them both. I just want to say that I love y'all. :grouphug: Since we just cleared a bunch of books out of our bedroom, thinking I really don't need any more books for a while. I know, gasping for breath myself at the thought of not getting books. I'm a self admitted book hoarder. Let's just say I'll go on a book buying ban at the beginning of the year and see how long I survive. Christmas is all about the books :lol: Oh gee, now I've got that horrible stupid song "all about that bass" running through my head. Quick find some brain bleach. :laugh: Either that or substitute books for bass and trouble for treble and you have one hilarious or more hilarious song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I was at Barnes and Noble this morning getting a few gifts and buying myself a book. Dh gently reminded me when I got home that the book I got for myself is on my Christmas wish list and our son has been shopping from that list. Now I have to be a good mommy and be pleasantly surprised and happy when I open his gift at Christmas! And I have to go back to Barnes and Noble to return the book. Will it be possible to simply return it without exchanging it for another? Just how much will power am I supposed to have? The book in question is Stuff Matters -- it got great reviews here and I was very intrigued while thumbing through it in the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Robin, maybe this will help? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWe4GpTaO8I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Robin, maybe this will help? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWe4GpTaO8I :lol: That's great. I love it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Secret Santa Gift Exchange - Last call to get in on the gift exchange. Details: Cost is up to you, but for those who like parameters - Keep it in the $10 to $25 range including shipping. Pm your name and address by end of day if you haven't already got on board. I'll let everyone know this evening who their giftee is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I just read the first book in the Blue Heron series which I think some people here may have read. The Best Man was a good modern day romance. I enjoyed it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15803757-the-best-man I originally started reading the fourth one in this series and had to abandon it because it was obvious the recurring characters were going to drive me nuts if I didn't know the backstory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I finished The Spectre of Alexander Wolf by Gaito Gazdanov. The opening is strong & pulled me right in. But, the rambling narrative soon veered into other territories, not always well or smoothly connected. Some thoughts were fascinating intellectual or philosophical musings, but they lost their punch because they were buried among some longer, less interesting episodes of the book. The ending felt contrived. Perhaps the older translation I read is not as good as the more recent release by Pushkin Press? The uneven tone relegates what could have been 'great' firmly into 'good' territory instead. 3 stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 WonderinG if anyone else has noticed changes in Goodreads.....Goodreads is suddenly filling my home page with recommendations that I don't want to look at. Normally what my friends (dd and my best friend, so small group ;) ) are reading and have recently read are the only thing shown there which is extremely handy. These recommendations are being generated off books that I read so long ago that I don't remember them! To say I am not interested in them is being really polite. Did I accidentally change my settings somehow or is this a new feature. Can these recommendations be gotten rid of or am I stuck looking at them until they age out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Mumto2, I've not been to my GR page recently so I can't answer your specific question but I have noticed an increase in the amount of GR emails I'm getting. In bookish news I'm really enjoying Airs Above the Ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Robin - I'm so sorry about your mold problem. That would be way too close to the books for my comfort. I hope you are labeling the boxes... Eliana - I have never heard of Fred Small! I love the message in the possible song. : ) I am not suprised that rocking helps to create a meditative state. I think we are hard-wired to become still and drop into quiet watchfulness when rocked so that we can be comfortably carried for long periods of time as babies and small children while the carrier does something else, like walks around gathering food or gardenening or migrating or caring for more mobile children. I don't see why that would wear off as adults. : ) For myself, I find walking, chanting, and drumming all at the same time difficult enough to do (even after having done it for hundreds of miles) that I have don't have to worry much about losing my focus. The minute I stop focusing, I drum wrong and it is obvious to the whole group that I am no longer paying attention. By the time I've focused on it long enough to get the hang of it, I've focused long enough to be meditating. At the end of the day or if we start going uphill, I will start to think I can't keep going, but I accidentally discovered that if at that point, you focus on singing louder, it strengthens you enough to take another step, and another, and then another. I can't imagine managing without praying at the same time. It would be so much harder. The same paradox seems to hold true for getting up in time for morning prayers rather than sleeping later. Drumming the sun up gives you the strength to walk for the day. Obviously, it is possible to keep walking without drumming. My children, who mostly just walked without chanting and drumming, say it takes about four days before your body learns to walk (muscles grow) and your mind learns not to think. They hated going on walks that are just a few days. And I suppose I've done it on long hikes. It is harder, though. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Forgot to add that I haven't read anything but math books, massive amounts of math books, recently, except for a few pages on my way to sleep. Can't wait for extra one's finals to be over. : ) Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I just read the first book in the Blue Heron series which I think some people here may have read. The Best Man was a good modern day romance. I enjoyed it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15803757-the-best-man I originally started reading the fourth one in this series and had to abandon it because it was obvious the recurring characters were going to drive me nuts if I didn't know the backstory. I've enjoyed the Blue Heron series, too. While I think each book can stand alone, I agree that it's far better to read them in order. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I started seeing Shakespeare when I was ~6... and some of my kids have started at ~3... and when they get to high school there isn't any barrier... the language is familiar, the feel of the plays... and the conviction that Shakespeare's compassionate insight into what it is to be human is amazing... Wow, 6! I naturally developed a love for Shakespeare and his language but never had the opportunity to see it performed until a few years ago when I taught a small class on Shakespeare for Skye and her friends. Four of the 6 of them developed a love for seeing Shakespeare performed. Though one boy only liked it if they didn't "modernize" it lol. Because of this class, Aly began seeing Shakespeare performed at 10 or 11. She loves it! And Skye took one of the little girls she nanny's to see A Midsummer Night's Dream when she was 7. It was a blast to watch her connect with the play on her own terms. She, too, now loves Shakespeare, and I believe she will remember that when she reaches high school! I believe that the making of many of the old texts/novels "easy readers" also contributes to the lack of understanding and familiarity with Shakespeare language. One example of this is the King James Bible. There was a time when the King James Bible was the only version. It was taught from and read from introducing children to rich language at an early age. Now with the onslaught of many different versions to make it "easier" to understand, children are not exposed to that language thus making classic texts less approachable. jAnd the Bible is just one example of this. (Side note: this is not about versions, just one example that I have had the personal experience to observe. There are many other texts I could have chosen from ;) ) I started dd on Shakespeare a few years ago. I'm trying not to pass on my prejudices. :D Rosie, I think that is great!! It is SO hard to not pass on prejudices! I know that I have probably unknowingly passed on a few myself. I just want to say that I love y'all. With a glance at some of the Chat Board threads recently, here's my favorite cowboy saying from the book: "A world big enough to hold a rattlesnake and a pretty woman is big enough for all kinds of people." :grouphug: and :eek: NO SNAKES! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I finished Sylvester: Or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer yesterday. It is my favorite Heyer to date! The Grand Sophy was excellent. It was instantly my favorite when I read it earlier this year, however, Sylvester was just outstanding. The story was woven so well, touching with just the right amount of humour. The part where Phoebe meets his mother was just brilliantly written. I found myself not wanting to let go of the characters and their story. 5 stars! I don't know what I'll start next. I ordered The Historian and it came in today but I'm debating if I want to start a chunkster this close to Christmas. I guess I'll have to see what kind of time I have and what mood I'm in ;) I believe Sylvester was #54 but I'll have to double check that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Slightly OT, but a good article (re: censorship)... This Journalist’s Jailing May Mean The End Of Free Speech In Azerbaijan ETA: From the Committee to Protect Journalists, compiled statistics not up yet for 2014, but 2013 prison census: 211 journalists jailed worldwide. Also, 44 Journalists Killed in 2014/Motive Confirmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 An interesting piece from NPR. I've seen a couple of the mentioned books before (in used book stores or thrift stores), but only rarely. WWII By The Books: The Pocket-Size Editions That Kept Soldiers Reading by NPR Staff Dec, 10 2014 — (Morning Edition) — This week in 1941, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor. Over the next few years, millions of Americans would leave home to fight in Europe and the Pacific. They had few comforts and little in the way of escape or entertainment — at least not until American publishers got involved. "During World War II, American publishers wanted to support the troops," author Molly Guptill Manning tells NPR's Renee Montagne. "And so they decided that the best they could do was print miniature paperback books that were small enough that they could fit in a pocket so the men could carry these books with them anywhere." .... Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 This week I'm working on The Remains of the Day. I loved that book! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 WonderinG if anyone else has noticed changes in Goodreads.....Goodreads is suddenly filling my home page with recommendations that I don't want to look at. Normally what my friends (dd and my best friend, so small group ;) ) are reading and have recently read are the only thing shown there which is extremely handy. These recommendations are being generated off books that I read so long ago that I don't remember them! To say I am not interested in them is being really polite. Did I accidentally change my settings somehow or is this a new feature. Can these recommendations be gotten rid of or am I stuck looking at them until they age out? I haven't noticed a change. Is your homepage the one that shows you the updates from your friends, etc...? Are they on the left or right side of the page? On the right side of my page, there was a small scroll bar with recs based on the book I just finished. It had a "hide" link beside the title & I clicked that & now it is gone. (I'm not sure how to get it back, lol.) So perhaps see if there's a "hide" link there? Also, I use Firefox & I think it was through their settings that I disabled the advertising on GR, so I wasn't constantly bombarded with moving/flashing/scrolling ads at the top right corner of the page. Not sure if either of those are things you're referring to, though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I've enjoyed other books by Marie Force. I see this book of hers is available free to Kindle readers: Treading Water (Treading Water Series Book 1) "Love is the last thing on Jack Harrington’s mind when he sets out to meet Andi Walsh’s flight. Recently back to work after spending more than a year tending to his comatose wife, Jack is focused on getting through each day and caring for his three daughters. However, the moment he sets eyes on Andrea Walsh, the interior designer who has come to decorate the hotel his company is building in Newport, Rhode Island, Jack begins to wonder if Andi might be his second chance. After a disastrous marriage, Andi, single mom to a hearing-impaired son, isn’t exactly looking for love, either, but that’s what she finds with Jack. The two embark on a long-distance relationship fraught with challenges as they balance the needs of their children and dueling careers while Jack continues to care for his wife, Clare. Just when Jack thinks his life is once again settled, he is confronted with a new challenge that tests him in ways he never could've imagined, leaving him to wonder if "happily ever after" is in the cards for him." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Today I finished reading Katie Reus' romantic suspense novel Bound to Danger. It's the second in her Deadly Ops series, and I enjoyed it. It stands alone well though characters from the previous book are mentioned, and there is clearly a developing story that might prove to be the subject of book three or another future book in the series. (Some adult content.) "At a benefit dinner, community activist Maria Cervantes overhears two men plotting a terrorist attack that could rock Miami to its core. But before she can alert authorities, she’s almost killed in a massive explosion—and wakes up in a hospital with no memory of what happened. As the sole survivor of the attack, she is now a person of interest to the NSA—and especially to Agent Cade O’Reilly. Because Maria is the one woman Cade has never been able to forget. Years ago, they were closer than either was willing to admit—until Cade disappeared when Maria needed him most. Now he’s sticking by her, whether she likes it or not. Because the memories locked inside her mind could hold vital clues to the next attack. Because terrorists want her dead—and because he never wants to let her go again." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Yay! One of my 5/5/5 challenges completed! (Probably the only one that will be.) 'Islam Dreaming' was a hellava good read. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I haven't noticed a change. Is your homepage the one that shows you the updates from your friends, etc...? Are they on the left or right side of the page? On the right side of my page, there was a small scroll bar with recs based on the book I just finished. It had a "hide" link beside the title & I clicked that & now it is gone. (I'm not sure how to get it back, lol.) So perhaps see if there's a "hide" link there? Also, I use Firefox & I think it was through their settings that I disabled the advertising on GR, so I wasn't constantly bombarded with moving/flashing/scrolling ads at the top right corner of the page. Not sure if either of those are things you're referring to, though.... Thanks Stacia, my problems were on the left hand part of the feed. I just found the link button, which wasn't there yesterday, and got rid of them. I was getting several recommendations updates a day which was irritating, not a couple of book covers like I had on the right. Ds keeps offering to turn off my advertising and I should probably let him. My big fear is my newish kindle has some issues which Amazon has been fixing by sending updates to it. It is working much better so I don't want to ruin things! Eliana recommended Heyer's The Unknown Ajax quite awhile ago. I finally had a chance to read it and really enjoyed it. It was a hard one to source through library systems for some reason. I have only read one other book by Heyer and greatly preferred this one. Good main characters and the rest were comical. Herehttp://austenprose.com/2011/09/25/the-unknown-ajax-by-georgette-heyer-%E2%80%93-a-review-2/was the best review I could find. I suspect most of you have already read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Rosie, I had meant to include a Congratulations! on completing your 5/5 challenge in my previous post. If you haven't guessed I have a stack of books in progress so will hopefully be finishing some off this week. Another one that has been completed is Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilmanhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7303068-hard-magic. This is one that I ran into browsing an online catalogue. The first in a paranormal series and pretty good overall. I plan to keep reading the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I finished reading Lye in Wait by Cricket McRae yesterday. I got it on the Kindle free over three years ago and just now got around to reading it. Some books I've gotten free have been pretty terrible. This one was GREAT! Totally unpredictable and action from beginning to end. I loved it. Perfect mindless, fluffy novel :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Finished 'Airs Above the Ground' yesterday. Very fun! And it marks the completion of my Mary Stewart focus for my 5/5. Onto book #51, 'Primavera'. Mumto2, I noticed a new to me series on the kindle daily deal that might interest you. 'Lady of Ashes' about a female undertaker in Victorian London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Another one that has been completed is Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilmanhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7303068-hard-magic. .... In addition to the Paranormal Scene Investigations of which Hard Magic is the first, I first read and enjoyed Gilman's Retrievers series which starts with Bring It On. At one point, I brought home Flesh and Fire: Book One of The Vineart War to read. My adult daughter picked it up, loved it, and went on to read the other books in that series. (I still have yet to read the first!) Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Finished 'Airs Above the Ground' yesterday. Very fun! And it marks the completion of my Mary Stewart focus for my 5/5. Onto book #51, 'Primavera'. Mumto2, I noticed a new to me series on the kindle daily deal that might interest you. 'Lady of Ashes' about a female undertaker in Victorian London. My best friend read Lady of Ashes a couple of months ago and gave it a three on goodreads. That is her signal to me to only read it if I really want to. We rate things that the other one will like 4 and a 5 is a must read....see why I didn't like my goodreads messed with? Anyway because of her lack of enthusiasm I haven't bothered...overdrive does have it. In addition to the Paranormal Scene Investigations of which Hard Magic is the first, I first read and enjoyed Gilman's Retrievers series which starts with Bring It On. At one point, I brought home Flesh and Fire: Book One of The Vineart War to read. My adult daughter picked it up, loved it, and went on to read the other books in that series. (I still have yet to read the first!) Regards, Kareni I have seen the Retrievers series but not the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 A nice end of year list ~ Tor.com Reviewers’ Choice: The Best Books of 2014 and, for fans of fantasy, Even More Standalone Fantasy Fiction! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Catching up on this thread. I have still not moved past The Golem and The Jinni. Every time I start reading, I fall asleep. Not the book's fault. ;) My husband and I were discussing how we should start choosing books based on the length in this season of life because he tried to get through The Historian and didn't have the time to finish. I told him I felt his pain because The Golem and The Jinni should have taken me 3 days and it's been 2 weeks? More? *bag over head* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 ;) My husband and I were discussing how we should start choosing books based on the length in this season of life because he tried to get through The Historian and didn't have the time to finish. Well, in that case I highly recommend 101 Two-Letter Words by Stephin Merritt which I mentioned earlier in the thread. I can near guarantee that you'll get through it speedily, plus it's good for some laughs as well as your Scrabble or Words with Friends game. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Some holiday ornaments that I stumbled across today: Vintage Library Due Date Cards Christmas Ornaments Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 How are our West Coast BaWers doing with the storm that blew in? Hope everyone is safe & you avoid(ed) water &/or wind damage. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 No damage here. Rained all day long and the wind wasn't too horrible in our area. Kind of anticlimactic but we don't live near any of the creeks that flood when it rains hard. I think the news said we are getting 50% of our annual rainfall all of once. I heard from Shukriyya, they lost power but are fine. Jenn hadn't gotten hit with any of it yet down near her end. Depends on whether the system keeps going across and turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Some holiday ornaments that I stumbled across today: Vintage Library Due Date Cards Christmas Ornaments Regards, Kareni These are so simple but so cute! I finished another https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11938752-a-lady-awakened book from the stack. It was definitely filled with adult content, since the objective was for a recent widow to become pregnant so her husband's entailed estate and employees would not pass to a nasty relative, but not extremely explicit. I liked it enough to have the next in the series downloaded from overdrive and there is a .5 novella availiable free on kindle for a couple more days I think. The author is Cecilia Grant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Hello friends. Between holiday crafts and dental work (huge Ugh), my reading lags. But I wanted to check in with my bookish friends to send best wishes to the California gals. Stay safe! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Oh - Jane! I am sorry! Good to get it over with before the Christmas goodies show up, I guess, but no fun. Eliana - Well, in between the chaos, my life is pretty ordinary lol. No sailing around the world or extreme skiing or years living in another country or running some sort of program that significantly changes the community... Your knowledge has inspired me and mine for years, and I am equally fascinated by your life and have loved hearing the bits you have shared. : ) I hope you are surviving the storm. We just had a spell of stormy weather - the lake is in the basement, we've moved cars and boats to higher ground, and for the first time in my life, I saw wave with their tops being blown off into foam and eroded by the wind on the UPwind side in such a way that they look just like that odd-looking Hokusai print, the one where the foam looks backwards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa#mediaviewer/File:Hokusai_100_Ansichten_Kaij%C3%B4_no_Fuji.jpg The rain has stopped now and we have a dusting of snow, but still no sun. Storms here are less scary than the storms I read about on the west coast, though, because we mostly have rock under us. You guys slide all over when your ground saturates. YIKES! Kareni- We're a boggle family, not a scrabble family. Nobody can use 2-letter words and only the little ones can use 3-letter ones. (We've had a quite a surprise when we found we had to promote the child with mild reading problems to adult status way before the other two because he was beating us lol.) My father-in-law used to memorize odd 3-letter ones to play boggle, hence the rule. I wish he were still alive so I could give him the 2-letter book for Christmas. It is right up his alley. Stacia - Your censorship posts always make me stop and think. All - I just want to thank everyone for all the ideas. I am giving books this year for Christmas. It suddenly occured to me that I have never heard my mil mention Heyer, so I got one for her. She reads the more modern family drama/romances and she has a great sense of humour, so I am hoping she will like it. They are standard comfort food in my family. I have found ideas for other people recently, as well, although there was a hitch when I called youngest to ask which of the long list of books he had requested I should buy for his cousin and he said gak-none-horrible idea. Once again, I blessed TWEM. With me on the phone in the store and him in the middle of studying for finals, he was able briefly and convincingly to tell me why his beloved Sanderson and Weeks are not suitable. : ) Your reviews have been most helpful for my mother, as well. She is fairly picky and has read so much that it is always difficult to find her new books. They have been helpful for the teen cousins as well. THANK YOU, lovely people! I can't wait for Christmas. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I finished another https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11938752-a-lady-awakened book from the stack. It was definitely filled with adult content, since the objective was for a recent widow to become pregnant so her husband's entailed estate and employees would not pass to a nasty relative, but not extremely explicit. I liked it enough to have the next in the series downloaded from overdrive and there is a .5 novella availiable free on kindle for a couple more days I think. The author is Cecilia Grant. You might like to know that Cecilia Grant currently has a new and long novella in that series, A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong: A Blackshear Family novella, available free to Kindle readers. "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SIMPLE… With one more errand to go—the purchase of a hunting falcon—Andrew Blackshear has Christmas completely under control. As his sister’s impending marriage signals the inevitable drifting-apart of the Blackshear family, it’s his last chance to give his siblings the sort of memorable, well-planned holiday their parents could never seem to provide. He has no time to dawdle, no time for nonsense, and certainly no time to drive the falconer’s vexing, impulsive, lush-lipped, midnight-haired daughter to a house party before heading home. So why the devil did he agree to do just that? IT COULDN’T BE MORE DELICIOUSLY MIXED-UP… Lucy Sharp has been waiting all her too-quiet life for an adventure, and she means to make the most of this one. She’s going to enjoy the house party as no one has ever enjoyed a house party before, and in the meanwhile she’s going to enjoy every minute in the company of amusingly stern, formidably proper, outrageously handsome Mr. Blackshear. Let him disapprove of her all he likes—it’s not as though they’ll see each other again after today. …or will they? When a carriage mishap and a snowstorm strand the pair miles short of their destination, threatening them with scandal and jeopardizing all their Christmas plans, they’ll have to work together to save the holiday from disaster. And along the way they just might learn that the best adventures are the ones you never would have thought to plan." ETA: Somehow I missed your last couple of sentences, mumto2, where you mentioned this free Kindle novella. Oops. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Barnes and Noble is currently offering a 25% off one item coupon that's available for friends and family. And since you're all my friends ... It expires this Sunday, December 14. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Greetings from not-so-sunny Southern California. We've got a nice steady, soaking rain here with just enough occasional wind gusts to make it interesting. The grill cover, for instance, is missing in action. But all I have to do this morning is finish making the house ready for the college boy's arrival this afternoon! Cookies will be baked, laundry actually put away. Wild and crazy times, I tell you. Hoping to fit in some reading time as I'm a few chapters away from finishing Tigerman, a joyous, crazy, genre bending book by Nick Harkaway, the author of Angelmaker. Thanks all for asking after us. Rain is a glorious thing in this parched area of the world! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 No damage here. Rained all day long and the wind wasn't too horrible in our area. Kind of anticlimactic but we don't live near any of the creeks that flood when it rains hard. I think the news said we are getting 50% of our annual rainfall all of once. I heard from Shukriyya, they lost power but are fine. Jenn hadn't gotten hit with any of it yet down near her end. Depends on whether the system keeps going across and turns. Hope things continue to go well. Ali is in Oregon -- Ali, are things ok your way? And Eliana -- did you guys get anything off this storm system? Are those all of our West-Coasters? (Now I'm thinking of the song "West End Girls" by the Pet Shop Boys. :laugh: Strange the associations one's brain tends to string together....) Between holiday crafts and dental work (huge Ugh), my reading lags. But I wanted to check in with my bookish friends to send best wishes to the California gals. Hoping you've got more of the crafting going on & less of the dental work. :grouphug: Hope you feel better quickly & feel like shaking your maracas soon! THANK YOU, lovely people! I can't wait for Christmas. I'll echo you, Nan. Thanks, everyone! I always get great suggestions & ideas from you. And I love all the discussions & fun & caring here. Barnes and Noble is currently offering a 25% off one item coupon that's available for friends and family. And since you're all my friends ... It expires this Sunday, December 14. Cool. Thanks, friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I've been on an Audible binge while getting the house cleaned and ready for company, cooking and baking, etc. Some of these I may have posted before: The Martian - By Andy Weir - possibly my favorite audiobook of the year. A mechanical engineer/botanist astronaut stranded on Mars. Will not spoil it by telling more. If you're even slightly nerdy, get this book. The Exorcist - By William Blatty - picked this up on a daily deal sale, not expecting to like it (I would never watch the movie) - a surprisingly good story, excellent narration by the author, highly recommended. Big Little Lies - By Liane Moriarty - Moriarty reminds me of Connie Willis - her books start out flooding the reader with millions of details fluttering here and there that only begin to come together two thirds of the way through, well worth it for the final third of the book if you can hang in there. I did end up liking this book but it was exhausting. Kindred - By Octavia Butler - an odd time travel book in which a young black woman finds herself in the antebellum south as a slave. Interesting concept, more of a YA genre, would work well as a book discussion while studying that era. Leaving Time - Jodi Picoult - first time trying this author, very highly recommend this book about a teen girl who searches for her mother with the help of a detective and a psychic. I fell in love with the voice of one of the narrators - Kathe Mazur. Broken Harbor - Tana French - how in the world did I not know about Tana French before now?! Excellent plot and narration in this detective novel. I know where my audible credits will be going for the next few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I just want to say that I love y'all. ...With a glance at some of the Chat Board threads recently, here's my favorite cowboy saying from the book: "A world big enough to hold a rattlesnake and a pretty woman is big enough for all kinds of people." :grouphug: Thinking of you and yours, dear. And, please do keep the cowboy quotes coming. I just finished Bel-Ami and need a bit of air and light... :svengo: Good grief. Selected Poems by Salvador Espiru: Espiru was a Catalan poet and the marks of that heritage and the impact of the Spanish Civil War are evident in his writing. I was intrigued that he uses "Sephard" the Hebrew name for Spain and a Hebrew word for exile ("Golah" in the poems - Galus, exile, is the word I use). Although not Jewish, he felt a strong connection to the Jewish experience of expulsion and tied it to the exile of thousands fleeing Franco. ...I feel I've had a theme of core national/cultural tragedies. Aztec, African American, Jewish, Catalan, Shiite (in Shah of Shahs), Mapuche, and (less coherently) Latin American... and I was thinking that without hearing those narratives from the 'inside', I could never hope to understand that culture. I don't have anything clear or articulate to say... but I have all these reactions jumbling around inside me... I'll have to look for this... I just finished a slew of Barcelona / Catalan books, but no poetry. And, no, we've never been acquainted with Fred Small. What a delight! Thank you. And, you were in and out for the last few weeks -- dunno if I got a chance to tell you how much I (eventually) enjoyed Turning on the Girls, after a... wobbly... start. Hilarious. Catching up on this thread. I have still not moved past The Golem and The Jinni. Every time I start reading, I fall asleep. Not the book's fault. ;) My husband and I were discussing how we should start choosing books based on the length in this season of life because he tried to get through The Historian and didn't have the time to finish. I told him I felt his pain because The Golem and The Jinni should have taken me 3 days and it's been 2 weeks? More? *bag over head* :lol: I took three months to finish Mists of Avalon. It's good to have such an effective soporific. Robin, here's another for you (nuns working for social justice): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I know we've touched on this before, but I figure it would be fun to revisit the topic -- if you're giving books/reading material this month, what books are you giving? (Since I know some books the dc will be receiving from relatives too, I'll mention them here.) Nan's comment & Kareni's coupon share made me think of it again. (Btw, Kareni, thanks -- just used the coupon & bought a cool Hobbit book for dd.) Dd: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Cloaks & Daggers (I'm linking amazon here because a reviewer has posted a great video showing some of the inside pages. So happy. Dd will love this one!) the last 3 books in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series (from one aunt) Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest books (from her grandparents) Jackaby The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer Crack of Noon (Zits Comics Treasury) Plus, various coloring, paper doll, & hard/adult dot-to-dot books (she loves to do stuff like this in her down-time while listening to music) (from various relatives) And, maybe she'll get Rookie Yearbook Three from a different aunt Ds: The Croc Ate My Homework (A Pearls Before Swine Collection) (from one aunt) oodles (7 or 8) Terry Pratchett Discworld books (plus a cool Discworld tee) (from us & his grandparents) As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (newest Flavia de Luce book) (from another aunt) Dd & Ds together: The Brick Bible: The Complete Set Revolution! Assassination! Dh: Seven Forges my Dad: Navy Seals: Their Untold Story my sister: The Psychopath Test God's Gift (studs book, lol) my niece: the Seven Wonders books 1 & 2 my nephew: The Hunters (Brotherband Chronicles, Book 3) Wings of Fire, Book 6 I think that's it.... :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Your 'ordinary' is extraordinary to me... Eliana wrote this comment to Nan whom I nagged encouraged for years to join this thread. So glad she has arrived and is roped in! :grouphug: Thinking of you and yours, dear. And, please do keep the cowboy quotes coming. I just finished Bel-Ami and need a bit of air and light... :svengo: Good grief. Robin, here's another for you (nuns working for social justice): Yes, thinking of you VC and dearest Wee Girl. One of my friends has done some runs with the Nuns on the Bus. She has met some remarkable women among this crew. I know we've touched on this before, but I figure it would be fun to revisit the topic -- if you're giving books/reading material this month, what books are you giving? (Since I know some books the dc will be receiving from relatives too, I'll mention them here.) Nan's comment & Kareni's coupon share made me think of it again. (Btw, Kareni, thanks -- just used the coupon & bought a cool Hobbit book for dd.) I have mentioned some of these before too. One of my grand nephews is getting Jan Brett's book The Mitten--along with hand knitted mittens for himself and his parents. Another preschool aged grand nephew is getting Molly Katzen's cookbook Pretend Soup--along with some felt food that I made for him. My son, the archaeologist, is getting a facsimile copy of the guide 1854 Crystal Palace exhibition in London as well as a copy of the very rude Thug Kitchen cookbook. (Don't look this one up if easily offended by bad language.) His girlfriend is getting the Shakespearean Star Wars Trilogy that was mentioned on this thread. My husband is getting some Shogi (Japanese chess) books and Hasek's The Good Soldier Svejk which I will promptly steal from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Emerging from the sodden and storm-soaked earth that I imagine is quite happy and grateful for such a long, lovely drink. Thank you for all concern and well-wishes. The sun is actually shining right now We lost power for several hours but it returned in time to make the day enjoyable with hot drinks, chocolate and an episode of Nero Wolfe, the wonderful version with Maury Chaynkin and Timothy Hutton. I'm 3/4 of the way through my fifth book in my art novels focus, a book by A.S. Byatt called The Matisse Stories . I chose this over my original pick, Primavera, for various reasons not the least of which is that I really enjoy the texture and erudition of Byatt's work. I like the way her mind unfolds across the page. You all are such enthusiastic gift buyers. I've not bought anything yet. I've got lists but no actual purchases have been made :lol: Feeling rather low-key about it all this year but very much enjoying all the BaWers enthusiasm. Thinking of VC and her wee girl and sending :grouphug: And yes, very happy to have Nan on board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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