Stacia Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hackers made an LA traffic sign say... The article made me :lol: . ETA: And I think Jane is going to have to lead a contingent of BaW foodies here... Chicago to get a bookstore for foodies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Since this is Murakami month, looks like we can all email him!!! Dear Haruki Murakami Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hackers made an LA traffic sign say... The article made me :lol: . ETA: And I think Jane is going to have to lead a contingent of BaW foodies here... Chicago to get a bookstore for foodies Don't get me wrong, I like Chicago and would happy to go there even in January but the article mentions a similar establishment in Paris, La Librairie Gourmande. The latter may be a better BaW foodie destination, you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hackers made an LA traffic sign say... The article made me :lol: . ETA: And I think Jane is going to have to lead a contingent of BaW foodies here... Chicago to get a bookstore for foodies Love the sign! Cookbooks are about the only physical books I'm still willing to buy. I prefer to read nearly everything on my Kindle. Even in an age when almost any recipe I want can be found on the internet, I'll buy cookbooks. I like to browse through them. I actually read cookbooks like regular books. I know. I'm weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hello all, I've been reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. One, because it has the word snow in the title, two, because it's been sitting in my bedside stack for months. It is fascinating but dismaying. I knew about foot binding, but not the details about how horrible the experience was. I perused my library's catalog and have reserved Murakami's Strange Library. It appears to be very short. LOl. It is about a library, so it can't be too bad, right? Don't answer that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Love the sign! Cookbooks are about the only physical books I'm still willing to buy. I prefer to read nearly everything on my Kindle. Even in an age when almost any recipe I want can be found on the internet, I'll buy cookbooks. I like to browse through them. I actually read cookbooks like regular books. I know. I'm weird. I do that too, even ones that are really just the recipes with no extra text, like my mom's NYT cookbook from the 1960s. Hands down the cookbook I've enjoyed reading the most is The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers. Have you read it? She was such an amazing chef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hello all, I've been reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. One, because it has the word snow in the title, two, because it's been sitting in my bedside stack for months. It is fascinating but dismaying. I knew about foot binding, but not the details about how horrible the experience was. I read that quite a few years ago with my IRL book club. In our group, it was a loved it or hated it kind of book. I was in the loved it camp. The person who actually chose the book, hated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Having finished Of Human Bondage, which did not disappoint, and having located The Foundation Pit as a result of determined picking up of the house, I am now continuing the latter, a Soviet-era novel by Andrei Platonov. Jane, this is for you, to tempt you--the opening paragraph: -------------------- On the day of the thirtieth anniversary of his private life, Voshchev was made redundant from the small machine factory where he obtained the means for his own existence. His dismissal notice stated that he was being removed from production on account of weakening strength in him and thoughtfulness amid the general tempo of labor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Love the sign! Cookbooks are about the only physical books I'm still willing to buy. I prefer to read nearly everything on my Kindle. Even in an age when almost any recipe I want can be found on the internet, I'll buy cookbooks. I like to browse through them. I actually read cookbooks like regular books. I know. I'm weird. Cookbook lovers should all read Elizabeth David. I used to read these the way I would read novels. David writes as evocatively of the landscape as she does of the recipes and food she's focusing on. Classics! Jane, have you read any of her? I think you'd enjoy her very much, particularly the second book I linked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Having finished Of Human Bondage, which did not disappoint, and having located The Foundation Pit as a result of determined picking up of the house, I am now continuing the latter, a Soviet-era novel by Andrei Platonov. Jane, this is for you, to tempt you--the opening paragraph: -------------------- On the day of the thirtieth anniversary of his private life, Voshchev was made redundant from the small machine factory where he obtained the means for his own existence. His dismissal notice stated that he was being removed from production on account of weakening strength in him and thoughtfulness amid the general tempo of labor. Oh does this look terrific! My library has a copy translated by Robert Chandler and Geoffrey Smith. There is a newer translation though by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler with Olga Meerson, published by the New York Review of Books which is doing a wonderful job in bringing writers from the Other Europe to American audiences. Which translation are you reading? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophiaH Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hi all! I'm going to attempt to join in this year. I've randomly read BaW threads over the past few years but have made some goals this year and a BaW was one of them. And I'm going to go totally against my perfectionistic read-every-post-in-all-previous-threads-before-posting, which usually means that I never get around to actually posting. Therefore, here I am. :) I may join in on some of the monthly author challenges. I have probably 30 books, at least, that I've started and never finished so I'm hoping to use this challenge as a means to complete many of those. Right now, I'm just keeping a list on paper, but I also have a Goodreads account, which has been sorely neglected. Maybe I'll look into that. I envy those of you who are reading the classics and deep-thinking books. That is truly my desire, but my brain is too scattered currently to read anything that requires much concentration. :( So, I'll be mixing in some easy reads with some of the books I'm stuck in. I'm also going to go for the HotMW read-along. I have it already on Audible, but I'll have to buy the hard copy of the book to have any chance of success, I suspect. My 13yo will be joining me. She is a far more prolific reader than me, both in quantity and quality. She has read many, many classics that I haven't, even with my having been a Lit major. But, I've already been introduced to so many new authors through these forums over the years, so I look forward to spreading my wings a bit. Week 1 I read The Giver, which I had never read before. I was a bit disappointed in the length and lack of really delving into the issues she introduces, but I guess since it is a YA book, the treatment was appropriate. I guess it does say something well about the book that I wanted MORE of it, though. Last week I read John Buchan's The Thirty Nine Steps. It was okay. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had more background knowledge about the history and current events of the time. But I do appreciate it for what it was at the time it was written. On my TBR shelf is Unbroken, Till We Have Faces, Kristen Lavrensdatter (sp?), Athanasius' On the Incarnation, Call the Midwife, To the Lighthouse, Daniel Deronda, East of Eden, and I am determined to finish The Brothers Karamazov!! Thanks for letting me tag along. Is there any way to create a group on Goodreads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Cookbook lovers should all read Elizabeth David. I used to read these the way I would read novels. David writes as evocatively of the landscape as she does of the recipes and food she's focusing on. Classics! Jane, have you read any of her? I think you'd enjoy her very much, particularly the second book I linked. I have two Elizabeth David Penguin paperbacks from the '50's that belonged to my husband's intrepid Aunt, Plats du Jour or Foreign Food and A Book of Mediterranean Food. So no I have not read the books you linked. What excellent suggestions! Also...another classic food writer is Laurie Colwin. Home Cooking is considered her masterpiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hackers made an LA traffic sign say... The article made me :lol: . :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I have two Elizabeth David Penguin paperbacks from the '50's that belonged to my husband's intrepid Aunt, Plats du Jour or Foreign Food and A Book of Mediterranean Food. So no I have not read the books you linked. What excellent suggestions! Also...another classic food writer is Laurie Colwin. Home Cooking is considered her masterpiece. If you loved Laurie Colwin's, 'Home Cooking', you'll love ED. A Book of Mediterranean Food is wonderful. I'd not heard of Plats du Jour and was excited by the prospect of a new ED book but it appears it was written by one Patience Gray. The Folio Society has a lovely page dedicated to her. ABoMF appears there in its first edition cover and is lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 So I've gone on a binge this week. I even rewarded myself at work today by correcting one of my seniors ethics essays then a few pages in my book, then another essay and so on. So far I've finished: The Understatement of the Year The Year We Fell Down The Year We Hid Away Blond Date and A Modest Proposal (re-read) (this was perfectly "legal" to read at work since I'm discussing it with my seniors tomorrow) I really enjoyed the Ivy Years series and I'm glad she is writing more. I'll write up more about them when I've had some more sleep. I love The Giver and for some reason I am really nervous about reading the others in the series. Normally I'm all over series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 My very favorite cookbook to sit and read is An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophiaH Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 (Rosyl) Lyne, Your post in the first week's thread struck me--I like your categories. I attempted a French Revolution study last year but didn't get far. What books are on your list for that? Robin, I'm curious--what did you have in mind for your category, Study of St. Luke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 If you loved Laurie Colwin's, 'Home Cooking', you'll love ED. A Book of Mediterranean Food is wonderful. I'd not heard of Plats du Jour and was excited by the prospect of a new ED book but it appears it was written by one Patience Gray. The Folio Society has a lovely page dedicated to her. ABoMF appears there in its first edition cover and is lovely. Oh good grief! Smacks head! I don't know why I thought Plats du Jour was by Elizabeth David when it states prominently on the cover that the book is by Patience Gray and Primrose Boyd. Don't you want to have tea with Patience and Primrose? But wait! The book is illustrated by David Gentleman. Will Mr. Gentleman join us for tea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maela Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I can't keep up with this thread! I'm way behind from the little trip dh and I took this weekend. And I've been sick, so I haven't been reading so much, just sleeping. I have read quite a lot of La Casa. I'm understanding so much more than I did in the beginning; it's very encouraging! I'm also trying to get through Essentialism, but it doesn't seem to be happening. I'm going to give it another 30 pages before giving up. Re: Bill Bryson (a few pages back where I gave up trying to catch up on this thread) I can't remember which of his books I read in college, but the two or three that I did read I loved. I should read some more. j and I have just started Ramona the Brave, one of my favorites by Beverly Cleary. I remember giving a "speech" on it in third grade. :) He loved Ramona the Pest, so I know this will go over well too. I'm also reading The Marvelous Land of Oz to the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 For a more contemporary cookbook experience, I love Yotam Ottolenghi's books. And then there's Full Moon Feast which I think would appeal to a number of BaWers--Rosie, Nan, Jane to name a few. The recipes are wonderful--Rosehip-Hibiscus Soda, Nettles Soup, Yogurt Cheese with Rosewater Syrup... "Fired by the abuses of modern industrialism, this poet-chef tells her life story as a vision-quest for a world of harmony and connectedness, which she finds in the voices of traditional cultures past and present, condensed in poems, myths, foods, feasts and fasts, tuned to the rhythm of the seasons. As we follow her lunar calendar from Hunger Moon to Wolf Moon, we discover in recipes for Nettle Soup, Sourdough Crackers, Yarrow Ale, new uses and new meanings in the gifts of earth and sea. Meanings multiply in a work that is not a quick bite, but a vertical tasting to be savored slowly." —Betty Fussell, author of The Story of Corn and My Kitchen Wars, A Memoir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I read a fluff book this week; I had some dental work done and needed something easy and light to read while curled up on the couch recuperating. I read Tempest's Course by Lynette Sowell. The author is actually local to me; I don't know her, but I know her husband by sight - he dresses up like Santa Claus and hands out food samples at a nearby grocery store every December! He looks enough like Santa that my youngest even asks me during the year if he is Santa when we spot him in the grocery store. Read so far this year... 1. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (I needed to read a book about WWII in the Pacific theater!) 2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (yes, it was my first time!) 3. Without a Trace by Colleen Coble 4. Tempest's Course by Lynette Sowell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Oh does this look terrific! My library has a copy translated by Robert Chandler and Geoffrey Smith. There is a newer translation though by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler with Olga Meerson, published by the New York Review of Books which is doing a wonderful job in bringing writers from the Other Europe to American audiences. Which translation are you reading? Chandler/Meerson. I keep an eye out for the NYRB logo (and red cloth binding on the spine for children's books). It's almost a guarantee of a book worth reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hi, Sophia. Welcome! :) :seeya: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I can't keep up with this thread! I'm way behind from the little trip dh and I took this weekend. And I've been sick, so I haven't been reading so much, just sleeping. I have read quite a lot of La Casa. I'm understanding so much more than I did in the beginning; it's very encouraging! I'm also trying to get through Essentialism, but it doesn't seem to be happening. I'm going to give it another 30 pages before giving up. Re: Bill Bryson (a few pages back where I gave up trying to catch up on this thread) I can't remember which of his books I read in college, but the two or three that I did read I loved. I should read some more. j and I have just started Ramona the Brave, one of my favorites by Beverly Cleary. I remember giving a "speech" on it in third grade. :) He loved Ramona the Pest, so I know this will go over well too. I'm also reading The Marvelous Land of Oz to the kids. I love when BaWers post about what they are reading with their kids. My favorite homeschool memories are of sharing books, both when they were littles and when they were lanky and smelly teens! Three cheers for both Ramona and Oz! It was so fun, too, when my youngest at the age of 13 discovered Bill Bryson. His writing took on a very Brysonesque quality, complete with dry humor! We were just talking about that over Christmas break. But he claims that now as a college junior he just writes like any other academic. Actually, Bill Bryson still has some influence over his life -- he loves the book A Walk in the Woods so much that he talked his buddies last year into a backpacking excursion on the trail during spring break! Hope your are feeling better soon, Maela! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 O-kay . . . I just read The Strange Library. Yep, it was strange. I feel kind of the way I do sometimes when I visit a museum of modern art. Huh? I guess I'm just a Philistine . . . :huh: On a fluffier note, I'm reading The Chronicles of Prydain with my girls! They love it, they are each doing different voices. And the chapters are just the right length to read before bed. Books of 2015: Ancillary Justice The Case of Comrade Tulayev Night The Strange Library War of the Worlds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 O-kay . . . I just read The Strange Library. Yep, it was strange. I feel kind of the way I do sometimes when I visit a museum of modern art. Huh? :lol: Uh. Yeah. I think that about sums up Murakami. :D (That's why I love his stuff, for the most part.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 :grouphug: , Maela & Clear Creek! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 This is a rather attractive piece from BuzzFeed ~ 22 Absolutely Stunning Victorian Book Covers Regards, Kareni I'd like to read this one: It seems like a legit science textbook! Hackers made an LA traffic sign say... The article made me :lol: . ETA: And I think Jane is going to have to lead a contingent of BaW foodies here... Chicago to get a bookstore for foodies When librarians go bad?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Stayed up and got two more books read: Owly by Andy Runton - an adorable illustrated wordless novel. Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper - Sophia and I had to read this for a book club she is in. Copy of my review from Goodreads. I've read through a lot of reviews for this book and find myself agreeing with many of the negative comments ..*the slang sounds like an adult trying to sound like a kid*unbelievable that Melody didn't already have a computer*characters were one-dimensional*Penny's part at the end felt tacked on and didn't add anything to the story BUT!Despite those few negative comments I was hooked on the story from start to finish. It gave me great insight into what people with disabilities might go through on a daily basis. My daughter loved it. So instead of rating the book from the point of view of a grumpy adult literature critic I'm going to ask my inner 10 year old their opinion and give it five stars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I'd like to read this one: It seems like a legit science textbook! Here you go, The Fairy Land of Science. I've dabbled in this one. You can read it right there online or buy it :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I have finished a couple of fluffy books since I last posted. I read the next in Lynsay Sands Argeneau Vampire series quickly this afternoon. They are very fun and quick. I started it in order to compare with Alexandra Ivy (who I was excited about yesterday) and got hooked, unfortunately the Ivy books are simply OK. Maybe later type. I also read a pretty good cozy called Twisted Threads by Lea Waithttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18778799-twisted-threads. It was a good cozy and I rated it a four because of that. I try to be very careful to rate fairly according to genre because I don't want to ruin the star system for someone who just reads that genre. The fact that I generally prefer a bit more action shouldn't effect people who love cozy mysteries. ;) This one was well developed and the killer was actually a reoccurring character in the book. That tends to be a weakness in cozy mysteries imo, sometimes the killer just appears out of obscurity which is rather confusing. On the book completion question.....I have worked extremely hard at learning to abandon what I have started reading. I am actually really proud to say if I have less than an hour into reading a book and it bores me generally no qualms about quitting. An exception might be a read along where others are loving it. Like Kathy I have an abandoned shelf on Goodreads. To be honest that really contains the real clunkers, books that were icky or that I abandoned after trying for 300 pages. They had something about them that means I don't want to try again. There are lots of books where I read a chapter or two and go back to the library for now. I don't keep a list because I hope to encounter them with a fresh outlook the next time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beckster Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 My very favorite cookbook to sit and read is An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler. Ooh, that is a favorite of mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Sophia: Thanks for letting me tag along. Is there any way to create a group on Goodreads? Robin, I'm curious--what did you have in mind for your category, Study of St. Luke? Hi Sophia, Welcome and happy you decided to join in and chat with us. We tried doing a goodreads group but everyone preferred to discussing here and I really didn't have enough time to keep up another spot. However, we do have a spot and Cleo and a couple other gals are doing a Well Educated Mind readalong of the Biographies and are currently on Rene Descartes Meditations. For St. Luke, I am doing fiction and non fiction. What I have so far is Luke’s Story by Tim LaHaye, Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell and two non fiction books Luke: The Gospel of Amazement by Michael Card and the Navarre Bible: St Luke. I going to tackle Card's book first. ******************* I finished Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and yes I enjoyed it. Murakami's books are admittedly strange and in this one he choose not to give any of the characters names. We have the narrator, plus grandfather, the librarian, the chubby girl and well you get the picture. It was definitely different and had me wondering for quite a while how the two different story lines were going to line up. He gives you plenty to think about regarding the mind, the conscious and subconscious. After that I need a comfort read so started the first book in a new paranormal series by Keri Arthur - Memory Zero . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Solstice Wood is enchanting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophiaH Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Totally understand about Goodreads discussion. I was thinking more for just finding others from here that I could friend but I'm not that familiar with how it works. Thanks for the Luke books. My daughter and I are going through The Gospel of Luke by Fr. Lawrence Farley this year, reading a section a day as our Bible study. I might pick another out as a go-along. I'm enjoying the cookbook discussion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I finally finished reading our Children's Bible to the kids. The whole thing. That counts, right? Every now and then I pick up my Bible and read a bit. I won't get it done in a year but in my defense I'm reading the Apocrypha as well. That makes the Old Testament that much longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Ds and I spent the evening reading and zentangling. Here is my very first one... And here is ds's...I love his! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I'd like to read this one: It seems like a legit science textbook! Available on Librivox, even! https://librivox.org/the-fairyland-of-science-by-arabella-buckley/ I've just given up on what was supposed to be my first book for the year. It ended up not being because we listened to the Secret Garden, then I read Wizard of Oz to dd and finished that first. It was my dustiest book. Mum bought it for me for Christmas at the end of grade 6. I thought I could do it, but every time I try, I hear a BaW composite voice telling me I'm 35 and probably only have time to read another 3000 books in my life. I can't do it. It's going into the op shop bag where I hope it will find a friend who will appreciate it properly. :nopity: My zentangle book arrived today! I'm looking forward to giving it a go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 For St. Luke, I am doing fiction and non fiction. What I have so far is Luke’s Story by Tim LaHaye, Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell and two non fiction books Luke: The Gospel of Amazement by Michael Card and the Navarre Bible: St Luke. I going to tackle Card's book first. ******************* Robin, how about THIS one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Rosie, have you read any Susun Weed? She's got a great book that would fit nicely in your 5/5 menopause category called, appropriately, 'The New Menopausal Years'. I'm on my tablet so can't hyper-link but here's a clunky link that will get you there :: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/425696.New_Menopausal_Years_?from_search=true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Rosie, have you read any Susun Weed? She's got a great book that would fit nicely in your 5/5 menopause category called, appropriately, 'The New Menopausal Years'. I'm on my tablet so can't hyper-link but here's a clunky link that will get you there :: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/425696.New_Menopausal_Years_?from_search=true Much obliged for the recommendation. I hadn't any idea what I should read, only that I should! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I finished Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and yes I enjoyed it. Murakami's books are admittedly strange and in this one he choose not to give any of the characters names. We have the narrator, plus grandfather, the librarian, the chubby girl and well you get the picture. It was definitely different and had me wondering for quite a while how the two different story lines were going to line up. He gives you plenty to think about regarding the mind, the conscious and subconscious. After that I need a comfort read so started the first book in a new paranormal series by Keri Arthur - Memory Zero . Thanks for the Murakami review. I am planning to go back and read a couple more of his books before the end of the year. I am always fascinated by how his stories merge at the end. Knowing that this book has that feature is a plus! I didn't like Wind up Birds ending... Memory Zero just returned itself to the overdrive library. I didn't manage to read it this time but it sounds good. Looking forward to your review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 This is its own thread but I thought I'd post here for those who don't venture into the chat room beyond our cozy little BaW realm. Mysterious book sculptures of Edinburgh :: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-30697553 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I have my first ditched book of 2015: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I so wanted to like this book but this is my second attempt at it and I am willing to admit that this book is not for me. sigh I have moved on to The Lost Husband by Katherine Center. I am a few pages in and I am of the thought that this might be my second ditched book of 2015. :cursing: Sophia, welcome to the group. Do not worry what others are reading, just read what comforts or excites you. And enjoy. Shukriyya, both of those zentangles are beautiful. Please tell your ds that I am impressed. I sheepishly admit that I have not been keeping up with the zentangle talk. I am going to have to go back through the past two weeks to catch up on this. This looks like fun and something that my dd might like. My youngest and I are off on our weekly road trip to the reading therapist. It is a 5 and a half hour drive (return trip) so I am all ready to go with Dante (I sit in the car for an hour while she sees the therapist,) a salad, Pringles (there has to be some perks to this long, boring drive) and some podcasts queued and ready to go. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Prairiegirl :grouphug: what a good mama you are. I'm tucking some virtual chocolate in to go along with your Pringles and salad. And btw the way you phrased your first 'book ditching' made me curious about what mine might be. Book ditching could have a legitimate and fruitful place in one's reading life, I imagine, if it's done with intention. I'll tell ds what you said about his zentangle. He'll be chuffed as he was quite proud of his creation :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 http://www.evernote.com/l/AAfhpyid4r9AKbuW7hQ-n5OsFJY-UEXcRdU/ Made a decent amount of progress so far. Finished two fiction books - Red Rising and The Emperor's Blades. Enjoyed both. Also finished One Simple Idea, which is a licensing business book. Also good. Got some library books so I'm focusing on those - Quiet, Smartcuts, and Teach Your Children Well. Also have one fiction - Heir of Fire. I really should start focusing on finishing the books I've started. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I really should start focusing on finishing the books I've started. :p Hear hear! Instead, I keep starting new ones - all the books I've been putting on hold for the last two weeks are coming in at the library, and I keep seeing recommendations that I want to read *now*! This is getting ridiculous. I need to put a few aside and focus already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Rosie, have you read any Susun Weed? She's got a great book that would fit nicely in your 5/5 menopause category called, appropriately, 'The New Menopausal Years'. I'm on my tablet so can't hyper-link but here's a clunky link that will get you there :: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/425696.New_Menopausal_Years_?from_search=true As someone in the deepest trenches of this stage of life, the description and reviews of this book made me want to throw my laptop across the room!! Hot flashes literally create enlightenment? Yeah right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 As someone in the deepest trenches of this stage of life, the description and reviews of this book made me want to throw my laptop across the room!! Hot flashes literally create enlightenment? Yeah right. :lol: She's out there for sure and in a wonderfully authentic way but it really is a great resource for alternative views on and approaches to menopause. And her knowledge of herbs is pretty spectacular. I take what resonates and compost the rest. And I, for one, don't feel I'm in a position, at this point, to discount any possible opportunities for enlightenment no matter how far out ;) C'mon, Jenn, let's meet in the field for a cup of black cohosh tea. We can talk books, it'll fun, enlightening even :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 As someone in the deepest trenches of this stage of life, the description and reviews of this book made me want to throw my laptop across the room!! Hot flashes literally create enlightenment? Yeah right. Well they certainly make you aware of living in the the present tense. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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