Book a Week in 2015 - Happy New Year

[mumto2]

Among Others is the only Jo Walton I have ever attempted to read. It is one that I keep thinking about returning to because it was partly returned because the library needed it back.

 

At one point someone here said that I might like her Farthing series better but none of my libraries had those. Yesterday when browsing the new books section up popped Farthing and the rest. I placed a hold but will have to see about the timing.

 

Finished a great Flufferton Abbey book last night. I have been waiting for the first book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/110391.The_Duke_and_Iin Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series since fall and finally got to read it. Loved it. Waiting for the second one now!

[Pam in CT]

Good morning ladies!

 

Robin and other Thomas Merton devotees - you might enjoy this essay by Quaker elder / educator Parker Palmer about how Merton (and particularly Seven Storey Mountain) has affected his life and work.  I was especially struck by:

 

"The Quest for True Self

 

First comes the pivotal distinction Merton makes between “true self†and “false self,†which helped me understand why I walked away from the groves of academe toward terra incognita. No reasonable person would call my early vocational decision “a good career move.†But looking at it through Merton’s eyes, I came to see that it was a first step on a life-long effort to be responsive to the imperatives of true self, the source of that inner voice that kept saying, “You can’t not do this....â€

 

and

 

"The Promise of Paradox

 

...Merton taught me the importance of looking at life not merely in terms of either-or but also in terms of both-and. Paradoxical thinking of this sort is key to creativity, which comes from the capacity to entertain apparently contradictory ideas in a way that stretches the mind and opens the heart to something new. Paradox is also a way of being that’s key to wholeness, which does not mean perfection: it means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life....

 

 

 

 

I presume after 48 hours of abstinence that my full complement of likes has now been restored to me, so I am off now to conduct my Highly Systematic Research.  Will report back forthwith.  

[Nan in Mass]

I,m not exactly reading all these posts in order lol...

 

I love 5 Red Herrings, but then I am focused on the background and not the mystery. Anyone who takes mystery rec,s from my posts probably might want to remember that. To me, it is a book about painting set in an imaginable setting (because of maine), one that my middle child walked through. Middle son loves it for that too, and because he aspires to be Lord-Peter-ish.

 

Amy, I have read a number of agatha Raisins and don,t find them cozy. She depresses me, as a character. I just found the first in the series funny. I like Hamlisch Macbeth better, but not nearly as well as Sayers and Ngaio Marsh and some Innes. I don,t find those cozy but I can escape into them easily. Spindle,s End is my idea of cozy. : )

 

I love Eight Cousins. And Rose in Bloom and Jo,s Boys. I read and retread those too in my teens. Now, as a parent of boys who are finding their way in the world, I find them harder to get through. They are so heartbreaking in spots. "And the boy Laurie never came again" haunts me. (Might not have the quote exact since I am not where my books are.) and the boys who become lost.

 

I feel obliged to point out that where I live, winters are relatively mild. We seldom have 0 days. The sun shines often and warms your face. If you are moving, you can doff your coat.

 

I can see how the grey misty weather would give you that rest if you grew up with it. Nice! Your answers actually are answering my question!

 

Nan

[Pam in CT]

OK, ladies, I am completely baffled on my Likes experiment, because I am up to 63 and I evidently still have more.  On to -- hold me in the light, please -- another thread to run out the remaining ones...

[Jane in NC]

Attention fellow readers!  I have finished reading HoAW and now believe that I deserve some sort of merit badge.

 

I finished my Agatha Raisin audiobook.  I adored the English countryside setting.  (Mumto - Can I come be your neighbor so we spend the day drinking tea and wearing flowered dresses and solving mysteries?)  The mystery lost a little steam towards the end and once poor Agatha went boy crazy I really lost interest.  

 

.And then Nan wrote:

 

Amy, I have read a number of agatha Raisins and don,t find them cozy. She depresses me, as a character. I just found the first in the series funny. I like Hamlisch Macbeth better, but not nearly as well as Sayers and Ngaio Marsh and some Innes. I don,t find those cozy but I can escape into them easily. Spindle,s End is my idea of cozy. : )

 

The character of Agatha Raisin is rather caustic so while she is atypical of the usual cast of characters in a cozy, the mysteries themselves, the village settings, etc. to me are all cozy.  There is usually not a lot of blood, gore or vice or in a cozy mystery.  M.C. Beaton seems to avoid much of that. The books are quick reads without  lot of intrigue or weighty character development.

 

Amy also commented:

I've been trying to read Lord Peter Wimsey's Five Red Herrings for the last few weeks and suffering.  All the characters are the same and even have similar names so it's hard to tell anyone apart.  Every time I read a sentence (and there are LOTS) that has a train time table in it my mind reads "la la la la boring boring boring boring" and it remembers nothing.  The plot jumps around so much that it's almost impossible to follow since I can only pick it up to read it for a half an hour every night.  I'm sad about it because I love Lord Peter but he and I just can't go on this adventure together.

 

To which Nan noted:

 

I love 5 Red Herrings, but then I am focused on the background and not the mystery. Anyone who takes mystery rec,s from my posts probably might want to remember that. To me, it is a book about painting set in an imaginable setting (because of maine), one that my middle child walked through. Middle son loves it for that too, and because he aspires to be Lord-Peter-ish.

 

 

Another fan of Five Red Herrings here!

 

Sayers brings a depth to her mysteries that few do.  I happen to like Ngaio March's Inspector Alleyn books. These books are less gritty than many of the more recent mysteries finding their way to shelves.  Flufferton Abbey fans would probably love them with their country house settings.

 

Finally we see that Amy said:

 

Stand by because I'm going to start High Rising by Angela Thirkell tonight. I'm pretty excited.

 

 

Standing by.  When Nan noted however many pages ago in this thread that she doesn't know how people live without winter, I don't know how people live without Angela Thirkell.  OK.  My husband and son live interesting and content lives without Angela Thirkell.  So I guess that comment should be that my life would be a little less empty without the Barsetshire towns of High Rising, Hogglestock, Pomfret Madrigal, etc. I hope you enjoy, Amy!

 

It is 18 degrees (Fahrenheit) here people!  This is a rare cold morning for us!

[Nan in Mass]

Well, I can,t figure out where the gaps in my reading were. Oh well. Moving on...

 

Thank you, Pam, for the essay. I like the bits about paradoxes. I spent a few years back thinking about gaps and how they shape us just as much as talents/gifts. Us and everything else. A kind man at church gave me his souvenir Mind the Gap tee shirt even, lol. The thought was a mental leap to something my mother had been trying to get me to see ever since I ccould remember, about the unity of opposites, sort of. I still am not so sure about some of what she says (like there needing to be bad for there to be good), but some now makes a lot more sense.

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

Jane, it is -18 here, which is also rare cold. I love the 20 degree range. The air is lovely, like breathing pine or spruce. Breathe deep and enjoy!

 

I feel I should also point out that i would probably feel very different if i lived in the city. But then I also think I would wear out and die there, too, so snow would be the least of my problems lol.

 

Nan

[Luckymama]

Still hemming and hawing over HotMW. I don't imagine I'll enjoy this too much with its male-centric, church-centric, non-indigenous people centric view and yet enjoyment isn't necessarily the point. The point is to get a comprehensive view and in order to do that I'd have to add a lot more to the medieval roster which would then make this a year-long medieval period focus rather than a single book focus. Which could be fun but which could also feel onerous. Or I could just read along knowing I'm getting partial context. Hmm...

Yes, this is how I feel.

 

Dd and I are working through "History of the Ancient World:A Global Perspective " (Great Courses) with the addition of many nonfiction books from the library. I don't think I could do a HotMW read-along after doing history our way!

[Pam in CT]

Totally. Bewildered.

 

 

The results of my Wholly Systematic Research.... (drumroll...)

 

 

Hypothesis:  That our "likes" ration has been reduced from its prior rumored allocation of 50, to something less.  Say, 30.

 

 

Procedure:

 

1.  Abstain from using the Like button for a full 48 hours (in my case, from 8 am January 6 to 8 am today)

2.  Race as fast as possible to like as profligately as possible until maximum is reached

3.  Count and record results

 

 

Results:   95 likes (????!!!!)

 

 

Conclusions:  That cannot POSSIBLY be right.  Not only does it "feel" way too high (I wish albeto were here, to speak up re: confirmation bias.....), but the number itself, 95, doesn't even make any SENSE.  Who would do that?  It's a crazy number.  I must have made a measurement error.

 

 

 

I encourage others to repeat the process and let the scientific method work its corrective magic.

[Pam in CT]

ps

 

It's 8 degrees F here.  That's right, 8.  (approx -15C)

 

Up from 6, earlier this morning before the sun rose, when I dropped my son off.

 

 

Just.Sayin'.

[Mom-ninja.]

This thread is always so hard to keep up with in January! 

 

I finished God is not Great and yesterday, in one day, I read If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't). Nice little book that makes me like Betty White even more. Touching parts in the book made me tear up. 

[Stacia]

It is 11 degrees. Brrr.

 

Did no reading yesterday as I was following the Paris news. Stressful enough that I can't see picking up my current book today either, especially since it is about imprisonment and torture for "crimes of opinion".

 

May pick up something fluffy for a day or two.

[Jane in NC]

On a happy note, it is Rosie's birthday.  Let's join in a chorus!

 

 

[shukriyya]

Stacia :grouphug: Did you happen to hear the NPR interview yesterday with some of the top French journalists talking about the history of political satire in their country? It was fascinating amidst the horrors of what happened in Paris. I'll see if I can find it and come back with a link.

 

Pam, I'm loving your systematic and passionately engaged exploration of the 'likes conundrum' :lol:

 

Jane, imagine yourself standing in a small circle of well wishers receiving your HotAW merit badge. Kind of like a girl scouts badge ceremony for adults minus the dorky uniforms ;) Well done, I say!

 

Luckymama, your history course sounds wonderful.

 

Rosie, I'll join Jane's chorus and wish you a very Happy Birthday!

[Uff Da!]

One of the characters in Five Red Herrings said something that I thought was hilarious.  It went along the lines of "I was running.  By God, I do remember that.  Bounding across the field and the stars bounding with me."  I can just imagine a man clutzily bouncing over heather and thinking he's something amazing and fast while being in awe of the world above him.

 

I renewed my affair with Bach and am having trouble reading anything because of it.  I think I might try listening to Ulysses while driving instead of reading it.  

[Pam in CT]

It is 11 degrees. Brrr.

 

Did no reading yesterday as I was following the Paris news. Stressful enough that I can't see picking up my current book today either, especially since it is about imprisonment and torture for "crimes of opinion".

 

May pick up something fluffy for a day or two.

 

Even if I had any remaining likes, which I don't, I wouldn't like this.  Cuz.

 

:grouphug:

[Pam in CT]

Happy Birthday, Rosie!

[Lady Florida.]

, I read If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't). Nice little book that makes me like Betty White even more. Touching parts in the book made me tear up. 

 

 

I listened to the audio book with Betty White herself as narrator. I loved hearing her tell her story.

[Stacia]

Happy Birthday, Rosie!

[Jane in NC]

Stacia :grouphug: Did you happen to hear the NPR interview yesterday with some of the top French journalists talking about the history of political satire in their country? It was fascinating amidst the horrors of what happened in Paris. I'll see if I can find it and come back with a link.

 

Pam, I'm loving your systematic and passionately engaged exploration of the 'likes conundrum' :lol:

 

Jane, imagine yourself standing in a small circle of well wishers receiving your HotAW merit badge. Kind of like a girl scouts badge ceremony for adults minus the dorky uniforms ;) Well done, I say!

 

Luckymama, your history course sounds wonderful.

 

Rosie, I'll join Jane's chorus and wish you a very Happy Birthday!

 

But I am all about dork!

 

Haven't decided if I want the HoAW merit badge or pin which of course would not go on my lapel but would be pinned to my woolen hat Alpine style.

 

About the horror that occurred yesterday:  Stacia had linked to this column by cartoonist Ted Rall. While I knew that satire was part of French culture, it surprised me to read his comments on the sheer number of political cartoonists employed by a single magazine. 

 

 

More full-time staff cartoonists were killed in Paris on  Wednesday than work at all American magazines and websites combined. (There’s only one full-time staff political cartoonist at a website: Matt Bors. None at a magazine.)

 

These are sad times indeed.

[Stacia]

No, I did not hear the interview, shukriyya. Sounds like it was an interesting one.

 

I noticed that one or two of the men killed were old enough to have been children during WWII. I guess that sticks in my mind because my in-laws are the same age (& were children in Europe during that time) & my fil holds as one of his strongest beliefs freedom of the press, precisely becase he said Hitler controlling the media was one of the first things Hitler took over did during his rise to power.

 

I know freedom of the press is held dearly here in the US, but I think the understanding of it in Europe runs deeper precisely because it was the battleground.

 

Anyway, just some of my musings since yesterday...

[TeacherZee]

Stacia :grouphug: Did you happen to hear the NPR interview yesterday with some of the top French journalists talking about the history of political satire in their country? It was fascinating amidst the horrors of what happened in Paris. I'll see if I can find it and come back with a link.

 

Pam, I'm loving your systematic and passionately engaged exploration of the 'likes conundrum' :lol:

 

Jane, imagine yourself standing in a small circle of well wishers receiving your HotAW merit badge. Kind of like a girl scouts badge ceremony for adults minus the dorky uniforms ;) Well done, I say!

 

Luckymama, your history course sounds wonderful.

 

Rosie, I'll join Jane's chorus and wish you a very Happy Birthday!

Please find the link. I'm trying to put together a unit on satire for my seniors (we are reading A Modest Proposal, watching some John Stewart, reading some The Onion so far. I planned during a start of term lecture today).

[TeacherZee]

Happy birthday Rosie!

[Lady Florida.]

Happy Birthday Rosie!

[Uff Da!]

Happy Birthday Rosie!

[Chrysalis Academy]

This thread is too cumbersome to go back through and quote, but I have the same feeling about HoTMW that some of you do.  I read it and HoTAW several years ago when I first started homeschooling, and I'm glad I did, as they filled gaping holes in my shoddy history education, but man, were they a slog.  Not the kind of history I enjoy reading straight through.  I think the plan of reading a chapter or two a week for a whole year is workable, but I agree with the need for many interesting digressions!  And I have a hard time imagining using these books as a spine for a 9th or 10th grader.  At least not my students - I think they'd hate history doing it that way.

 

A few supplements I've enjoyed:

Justinian's Flea - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2303856.Justinian_s_Flea?from_search=true

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/568236.A_Distant_Mirror?from_search=true Barbara Tuchman is such an amazing writer, as well as an excellent historian

Memoirs of a Medieval Woman - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1117906.Memoirs_of_a_Medieval_Woman?from_search=true I'mreading this right now.  I can't say I am truly enjoying it, but it is an interesting window on a woman's life in medieval England, going on a crusade, etc.

She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8474660-she-wolves?ac=1 I really liked this.

 

Alison Weir is a biographer I enjoy, she's done extensive bios of the Tudors, but she's also done Eleanor of Aquitaine and Isabella and The Wars of the Roses.

 

[shukriyya]

This thread is too cumbersome to go back through and quote, but I have the same feeling about HoTMW that some of you do.  I read it and HoTAW several years ago when I first started homeschooling, and I'm glad I did, as they filled gaping holes in my shoddy history education, but man, were they a slog.  Not the kind of history I enjoy reading straight through.  I think the plan of reading a chapter or two a week for a whole year is workable, but I agree with the need for many interesting digressions!  And I have a hard time imagining using these books as a spine for a 9th or 10th grader.  At least not my students - I think they'd hate history doing it that way.

 

A few supplements I've enjoyed:

Justinian's Flea - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2303856.Justinian_s_Flea?from_search=true

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/568236.A_Distant_Mirror?from_search=true Barbara Tuchman is such an amazing writer, as well as an excellent historian

Memoirs of a Medieval Woman - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1117906.Memoirs_of_a_Medieval_Woman?from_search=true I'mreading this right now.  I can't say I am truly enjoying it, but it is an interesting window on a woman's life in medieval England, going on a crusade, etc.

She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8474660-she-wolves?ac=1 I really liked this.

 

Alison Weir is a biographer I enjoy, she's done extensive bios of the Tudors, but she's also done Eleanor of Aquitaine and Isabella and The Wars of the Roses.

 

Interestingly, in the wee sleepless hours I put this book, The Summer Queen, about Eleanor of Aquitaine onto my tbr list. The author's writing intrigues me more than the subject though I imagine I'll be drawn into the story of such a dynamic woman. I'm not a huge historical fiction fan at this season of my life though I did read a ton of it in my twenties and thirties.

 

[Kareni]

Nonetheless, I will not be peeling labels off my deodorant to "reduce visual clutter."

 

Who knew that I'd been reducing visual clutter totally unawares?

 

 

And a very

Happy birthday, Rosie!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Pam in CT]

Re: season of stillness...

 

I've been musing over this throughout my interval of like-stillness.  I was a young adult before I recognized a distinct seasonal pattern to my moods.  As the light wanes, my own energy does as well -- now that I am aware of it, I see how marked it is... the number of minutes it takes me to complete 3 miles on the treadmill increases, the number of push-ups I can do in the morning falls off... not to mention the vastly, vastly greater psychological effort it takes me to get off my butt and even start the process... my willingness to sally forth in the late afternoon for activities falls off... even my desire to connect with dearly loved friends and family drains.  By 6:00 each evening (at solstice, the sun sets here before 4:30) I am dragging just to get to the finish line of the day.

 

Every winter, I go through this.  It's not at all about cold, either: snow here is rare but beautiful; I love cross country skiing.  I don't mind the cold (well, 8 degrees is a bit much.  But anything above 20 or so, I bundle up and take the dog out and do just fine.)  Even the ice storms for which Connecticut is infamous: treacherous for the roads, damaging to the trees, plays havoc with our electricity lines; but oh! the way they transform our mundane terrain into a diamond-covered fairyland.  I adore the change of seasons; and spring and fall are my favorite ones, temperature-wise and in terms of how the plants look.

 

It's the DARK I can't take.

 

And I've learned, over the years, to take vitamin D and E and iron diligently, and to be sure to drag myself outdoors and expose myself to real sunlight for a few minutes every day, and I have one of those Happy Lamps, and I don't do caffeine after noon, and yada yada yada.  None of it hurts; I'm sure some of it even helps, some.  But it doesn't *fix* it.  

 

And I don't *like* it: Even though by now I'm well aware of it, and it no longer really alarms me in a Big Picture way because I do know it's finite and I do know it will pass, I cannot experience this time positively, as a cozy inward time of stillness and replenishment (as, for example, my mother experiences winter).  For me, it's a loss, of physical energy and psychic hope.

 

 

So "season of stillness" doesn't do it for me... despite my recognition that a bit more stillness would doubtless be good for me... I could learn stillness in San Diego or Florida just as well, KWIM?

 

... the metaphor that I'm working on, that I'm doggedly trying to attach myself to, is "dormancy."  Like plants, that need an interval off to grow properly...

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I hear you on seasons.  I used to love historical fiction about european queens, so when I saw Alison Weir was embarking on historical fiction, I was excited.  But I haven't been able to get into any of the books.  I still like the biographies, though.  She's very erudite, well-researched books, but still readable.  I've always been kind of obsessed with the Tudors for some reason, though.  

 

Even though I'm not loving historical fiction about the time period the way I used to,  I really enjoyed Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. I'm eagerly awaiting her 3rd book in the series.

[Uff Da!]

I do the same thing Pam. This week of running on the treadmill instead of resting seems a bit better.

[aggieamy]

First things first -  Happy birthday Rosie!  As a virtual birthday present I will REFRAIN from singing happy birthday, recording it, and posting it online.  

 

I'm going to try to Frankenstein a multi-quote thread together.  

 

Re:  Great Courses Audiobooks

 

 

I was thrilled to find Great Courses as audiobooks. I've got several of Professor Elizabeth Vandiver's in my audible queue. They are so much less expensive in this form. After finishing Lavinia last year I was particularly drawn to her course on The Aeneid.

 

I only learned about this on a recent audible thread here on the chat board. I've never tried any of them but have been thinking about it since I read that thread.

 

 

I've started the GC on writing and sent DH one on history.  Will report back with reviews when we are finished.  His is only three hours long so his report should be in before mine.

 

 

Re: Agatha Raisin

 

 

Amy, I have read a number of agatha Raisins and don,t find them cozy. She depresses me, as a character. I just found the first in the series funny. I like Hamlisch Macbeth better, but not nearly as well as Sayers and Ngaio Marsh and some Innes. I don,t find those cozy but I can escape into them easily. Spindle,s End is my idea of cozy. : )

 

 

I think you have pinpointed my problem with Agatha.  She depresses me too.  She's not having fun with her life.

 

 

Re: Five Red Herrings

 

 

 

It took me a while before I appreciated 5 Red Herrings - it has a very different feel from some of the others and has some drier bits... and I still have to be in the right mood to enjoy it. 

 

Hurrah for setting aside a slog and moving on to something more exciting to you right now!

 

 

I wonder if it might also have been a problem that I couldn't read for more than half an hour at a time and it was so hard to remember what was going on.  Maybe I'll pick it up again someday when DS are older and I can leave him unsupervised for more than three minutes at a time.  (On a related note - I was using the loo this morning and when I came out the part of the bathroom with the sinks and other storage looked like it had been ransacked.  I think my baby could work for the mob.)

 

 

I quit Five Red Herrings last January. I doubt tbat I posted about it due to embarrassment. I think it is the only Lord Peter I haven't read. Dd actually told me to quit after she slogged through. She said I wouldn't like it.....

 

 

Then again ... maybe I won't pick it up again!

 

 

Re:  HoAW

 

 

Attention fellow readers!  I have finished reading HoAW and now believe that I deserve some sort of merit badge.

 

 

 

 

Jane -  Stand up and take a bow.  Great work!

 

 

Re:  Angela Thirkell

 

 

 

 

 

Standing by.  When Nan noted however many pages ago in this thread that she doesn't know how people live without winter, I don't know how people live without Angela Thirkell.  OK.  My husband and son live interesting and content lives without Angela Thirkell.  So I guess that comment should be that my life would be a little less empty without the Barsetshire towns of High Rising, Hogglestock, Pomfret Madrigal, etc. I hope you enjoy, Amy!

 

 

 

 

I am loving this book so far.  

 

"There lay her demon son, in abandoned repose.  His cheeks so cool and firm in the day, had turned to softest rose-petal jelly, and looked as if they might melt upon the pillow.  His mouth was fit for poets to sing.  His hands - spotlessly clean for a brief space - still had dimples where later bony knuckles would be."  

 

What a completely superb description of a sleeping little boy.  

 

 

[aggieamy]

It is 10 degrees here and with the sun and the wind it feels like it's 10 degrees.  We're on a warm streak.

 

I like winter but this is getting silly.  I want snow and lots of it and temperatures warm enough for sledding.  

[TeacherZee]

I'll happily take your cold instead of my slush. My feet got soaking wet on the three minute walk to work today (yes I need new boots but in the great boots vs. books discussion books seem to win all the time...probably because at one at a time they are cheaper and don't feel like such a big commitment).

[Chrysalis Academy]

This looks like an interesting supplement to HoTMW:

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/276214.From_Pagan_Rome_to_Byzantium

 

A History of Private Life: From Pagan Rome to Byzantium

 

There is a whole series of these, apparently.

[mumto2]

Happy Birthday Rosie!!!!

 

Trying to remember all that I want to respond to.

 

Our temperature here reached 54F. I just have to say that I think I live the furthest north of any of us other that Teacherzee and perhaps Julia. I didn't know I was living by the Med. Amy and Jane you need to come and enjoy my balmy climate. :lol:

 

Can't remember the rest so will post before I lose this.

[aggieamy]

Happy Birthday Rosie!!!!

 

Trying to remember all that I want to respond to.

 

Our temperature here reached 54F. I just have to say that I think I live the furthest north of any of us other that Teacherzee and perhaps Julia. I didn't know I was living by the Med. Amy and Jane you need to come and enjoy my balmy climate. :lol:

 

Can't remember the rest so will post before I lose this.

 

I wish we had a map that showed all the BaW generally locations on it.  That would be fun and so helpful for my memory that needs a visual to keep things locked in.  

[Jane in NC]

 

 

Re:  Angela Thirkell

 

 

 

 

I am loving this book so far.  

 

"There lay her demon son, in abandoned repose.  His cheeks so cool and firm in the day, had turned to softest rose-petal jelly, and looked as if they might melt upon the pillow.  His mouth was fit for poets to sing.  His hands - spotlessly clean for a brief space - still had dimples where later bony knuckles would be."  

 

What a completely superb description of a sleeping little boy.  

 

What makes that description so deliciously ironic is that the "demon son" never shuts up except when he is sleeping.

 

This looks like an interesting supplement to HoTMW:

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/276214.From_Pagan_Rome_to_Byzantium

 

A History of Private Life: From Pagan Rome to Byzantium

 

There is a whole series of these, apparently.

This one lives on my shelf so thanks for the reminder.  The series is translated from the French in case anyone would prefer the original. 

 

ETA:  Out of likes which leads me to wonder if there is a random number generator at work.

[TeacherZee]

The worst thing with my slush is that it is now freezing. The roads are going to be a skating rink tomorrow :001_unsure: <_<

[Lady Florida.]

I couldn't decided what to read next now that I finally finished The Luminaries. Yes, I'm reading two books with goodreads groups (The Brothers Karamazov and Ulysses) but what should I read just for me? I decided to go with Unbroken because I know dh is itching to discuss it with me. Also we won't see the movie until we've both read it (though I haven't heard good things about it from those who read the book).

 

I have times set aside for my goodreads books, just as if I was reading them for a class. Unbroken is for all my other reading time.

[mumto2]

The worst thing with my slush is that it is now freezing. The roads are going to be a skating rink tomorrow :001_unsure: <_<

I can't like icy roads!

 

I remembered what I wanted to say....I wonder if Pam's 95 likes were somehow cumulative from her 48 hour break. 50 from one day, 45 as some odd proportional number. I still keep running out and I am trying to ration them. No way can I do your experiment Pam, not liking for 48 hours would drive me nuts!

[JennW in SoCal]

Happy Birthday, Rosie!!   :party: 

 

 

Of course I'm wondering if your actual birthday, Australian time, was yesterday, and we're all late to the party...

[TeacherZee]

I'm just north of the 60th latitude North :001_smile: so north but we do see daylight in the dead of winter :D

[Kareni]

Those who enjoy shorter pieces of fiction (science fiction and fantasy) might be interested in this column:

Some of the Best from Tor.com 2014 is Free to Download Now!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Happy Happy Birthday, dear Rosie!!!!!!

 

:party: :cheers2:

[aggieamy]

TeacherZee - I like your blog!  That was fun to read through all your book challenges this year.  I have read All Quiet a few times and it's a book I love and hate equally.  So wonderful and so sad.  

[aggieamy]

I'm just north of the 60th latitude North :001_smile: so north but we do see daylight in the dead of winter :D

 

Are you in the Shetland Islands?

 

(If I'm being internet rude by inquiring about your location please ignore me!  I love arm chair traveling to places where I have friends.)

[TeacherZee]

Are you in the Shetland Islands?

 

(If I'm being internet rude by inquiring about your location please ignore me! I love arm chair traveling to places where I have friends.)

I'm in Sweden. :)

[melmichigan]

Happy Birthday Rosie!  :party: 

[Robin M]

I'm in Sweden. :)

 

Oh gosh, I just put it together..we did the book blogger holiday swap thing a few years back and you were my secret santa.  I have to admit I still haven't read the book (on my dusty shelf for this year) but still use the book marker daily.     Small world!