Catwoman Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Just want to say you all are lovely! so glad I signed on for this... Interesting that with Rosie's def's, I feel earth-water-air with no strong pull to any except definitely not fire whereas with Shukriyya's I feel air + fire. Probably the word choices- no to passion and yes to flaring and simmering (and quick, insubstantial, mutable for air). But I am historically very poor at analyzing myself. Regarding 'pull' of some element - I was fascinated with both water and fire for years. Now not either so much and nothing has really jumped in to replace them either. I have read many (many!) zentangle books - and managed to produce maybe (maybe!) two - I am only sure of one because I just did it a couple of weeks ago. So I am in awe of those jumping right in. Of course drawing is the same - I own many drawing/painting/journaling books - but the output just doesn't happen (except those times I have taken a formal class). All dreams and no production (which would be all air and no earth in my own personal symbolism). Totally off-topic here, but I just wanted to tell you that I love your avatar photo!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera33 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 dp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera33 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I can't keep up! Finished Oliver Sacks' Hallucinations, and decided I needed to read some fiction, but nothing too heavy or depressing. I had never read Terry Pratchett, but he seems popular among WTMers, so I looked up a complicated matrix of where to start, and read half of Mort last night. Why did it take me so long to find this series? It's exactly what I like to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Dictionary and word lovers might enjoy this (longish) piece from Slate magazine ~ The Definition of a Dictionary by Stefan Fatsis. I read the author's book Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive ScrabblePlayers some years ago. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I just finished The Ghost-Feeler: Stories of Terror and the Supernatural - by Edith Wharton (!) I have always loved Wharton, The Age of Innocence is one of my favorite books ever, but I didn't realize she had written spooky stories. They are so enjoyable! They have echoes of Poe and Hawthorne and James, but without any of the melodrama, and with the lovely, spare, no-words-wasted writing Wharton is so good at. These aren't terror tales at all, but definitely that delicious Gothic spookiness. I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Books of 2015 Ancillary Justice The Case of Comrade Tulayev Dawn The Ghost-Feeler Night The Strange Library The War of the Worlds ETA: and then Dawn by Elie Wiesel. A short but devastating read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Last summer someone recommended The Chemistry of Deathhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46465.The_Chemistry_of_DeathbySimon Becket and ig has been sitting in my stack every since. It is a forensic mystery which I really love and this one didn't disappoint. As some of you know I haven't finished a book with actual paper in a while....if I like it I always end up shifting it to the kindle because of weight, print size......lots of excuses. I read the whole paper book even after discovering that overdrive library did so a rather odd extra nod to the book for holding my attention. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Skeeter. I knew it didn't look right as squito. Summer was such a long time ago and it isn't a word that gets used in winter. And it isn't a written word, anyway Rosie, what are swords? And pentangle is home? Hmm... Would pentangle still apply if I were unhappy if I had to stay home two weekends in a row? Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Inna - No, I didn't get the msg. I just cleaned out my full message box, so maybe resend it? Sorry! - Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Well I've been trying to use the techniques from The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up as I pack and declutter. It's working well for the kids. I've used variations on the "does this item bring you joy?" question with the kids: "Does it make your heart feel good?" "Do you get excited when you see it?" "You don't look too excited we found this. Can we let it go?" "Does this item make you happy?" Using these techniques, the children have really only had a few things they've insisted on keeping. On the other hand, it's only kinda sorta working for me. I'm getting better traction by using a much more prosaic question: "Do I seriously want to pay someone to move this for me?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Skeeter. I knew it didn't look right as squito. Summer was such a long time ago and it isn't a word that gets used in winter. And it isn't a written word, anyway Rosie, what are swords? And pentangle is home? Hmm... Would pentangle still apply if I were unhappy if I had to stay home two weekends in a row? Nan Squito looks like an exotic Latin American seasoning. :laugh: Oh, the four suits in Tarot are wands, swords, cups and coins/pentacles. Swords are intellect. They say coins/pentacles are all about money, but they can also be about other things we value. In my readings, they are usually about personal values. Like normal playing cards, the Tarot suits also have court cards- page, knight, queen, king. The queen of pentacles is very Mother. (Which is not to say queens of the other suits are lousy at motherhood.) Pentacles don't mean you want to be locked up in a cupboard with your deprived little homeschoolers. :lol: Anyway, this is just chatting. :) I don't know what signifier (your character) card I would pull for you because I haven't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I seem to recall seeing here that some of you enjoyed Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells. If so, you might be interested to hear of her book First Frost which is a sequel. There's a review here: First Look: Sarah Addison Allen’s First Frost (January 20, 2015). Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I'm skiffing along with 'The Steerswoman' and enjoying the ride so far. The writing is good, lots of attention to small details and so far the protagonist is likeable. And here is ds's tangle from yesterday... And here's mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I'm skiffing along with 'The Steerswoman' and enjoying the ride so far. The writing is good, lots of attention to small details and so far the protagonist is likeable. And here is ds's tangle from yesterday... And here's mine... Absolutely beautiful! How long does it take to make one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Thanks, Mumto2. I have tended to lose track of time when I'm doing them--a really nice by-product since that happens so rarely for me. If I complete one in a single sitting then perhaps somewhere between 1.5-2 hrs? But I've also completed them over the course of a day doing a bit here and there. Ds and I have usually sat down to do them when we know we'll have a large swathe of uninterrupted time. I put some soothing music on and we work away together in companionable silence broken here and there with various observations about what we're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Absolutely beautiful! How long does it take to make one? Dd and I have just finished our first ones. They were much simpler than Shukriyya's and probably took 15-20mins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Shukriyya, those are beautiful! The lack of time is something mentioned as a right brain thing in the book I'm reading. Rosie - Mother-y is good. And right for me. And I definitely did enjoy being shut up with my children homeschooling them. I disliked the shut up part but the children had nothing to do with that. On the contrary, they were what made it bearable. I've never wanted to get away from them. When they were little and getting heavy, I was happy to have somebody else hold them for a bit because my arms got tired, but I didn't want them taken away. I still like having them close. I just got done having a "mothering" week with oldest's girlfriend lol. Thank goodness for the dog. But I know nothing about tarot cards. What would drawing one for me entail? Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 But I know nothing about tarot cards. What would drawing one for me entail? Nan Me digging in my bedside table drawer, under the 'Complete Works of Shakespeare,' 'History of the Medieval World,' Story of the World volume 2,' my hair brush, Q&A diary and dvd player to find my cards. A task, to be sure, but a manageable one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 This is an experiment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Dh & I went to see Inherent Vice tonight. It was a movie I really wanted to see because it was based on Thomas Pynchon's book (which I read last year) of the same name. And though it has garnered Oscar nominations for both Adapted Screenplay & Costume Design (both areas that were well-done, especially the costuming which was pure 1960s/70s grooviness), the movie overall didn't carry the same speed & fun of the book. Which is too bad because I thought the book was rip-roaring fun & I love Pynchon's style. The movie nailed some of the Pynchonesque style, but something about it just didn't translate all the way, I think. So, it was like a nagging disconnect somewhere. Overall, it was ok but not quite what I had hoped for. Loved Joaquin Phoenix as Doc, though. He nailed Doc's character, imo. Plus, the sideburns. The sideburns were a character in & of themselves! :lol: I'd definitely support this movie in winning the Oscar for costuming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Me digging in my bedside table drawer, under the 'Complete Works of Shakespeare,' 'History of the Medieval World,' Story of the World volume 2,' my hair brush, Q&A diary and dvd player to find my cards. A task, to be sure, but a manageable one. Lol. Ok, draw a card for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 This is another experiment. Ok I give up I can,t figure out how to get a photo from my mini into a post as something other than a thumbnail. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Have you decided on a school yet or going to do a low residency course. I'm still trying to decide whether to go on for masters or not. What are you doing to gear up....lots of reading, writing and analyzing? The thread should calm down I a few weeks, they usually are quite busy at the beginning of the year. I'm going to do low residency, it makes the most sense at this juncture. There was one program in particular that included a teaching practicum, but I can't seem to remember which one it was, but that's my first choice. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 This is another experiment. Ok I give up I can,t figure out how to get a photo from my mini into a post as something other than a thumbnail. Nan It doesn't matter because if we click on the thumbnail we get a full-size version :D Your tangles are wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Finished Nikolay Platonov, The Foundation Pit. Jane, or anyone else picking it up, I would definitely recommend the NYRB edition, which has extensive notes which I found very necessary. What to read now, what to read. I think I am in the mood for Charles Siringo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Earlier today I finished Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles; I enjoyed it. It's a new adult romance with some adult content. "Alex Thompson's life is following the script. A pre-law student at Columbia University, she's focused on her grades, her life and her future. The last thing she needs is to reconnect with the boy who broke her heart. Dylan Paris comes home from Afghanistan severely injured and knows that the one thing he cannot do is drag Alex into the mess he's made of his life. When Dylan and Alex are assigned to the same work study program and are forced to work side by side, they have to make new ground rules to keep from killing each other. The only problem is, they keep breaking the rules. The first rule is to never, ever talk about how they fell in love." Hmm, I had no idea this was book 2 in a series until I saw it now on the Amazon page. Clearly, it stands alone well! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 Started Bristol House by Beverly Swerling. Managing a poem a day thanks to library of congress email. Read two short stories, not much progress on essays. Deep in love with Dorothea Brande's Becoming a Writer. And trying desperately to avoid temptation to buy anything new. Lalalalala. *grin* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epicurean Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I'm just now catching up in my reviews of the books I've read so far in January! You can read the full reviews on my blog. Shades of Milk and Honey is an alternate history where Regency ladies are expected to know how to work magic, as well as play the pianoforte and draw. A Natural History of Dragons is yet another alternate history, this time taking place in the Victorian era. It's the memoir of a Victorian lady who spent her life on dangerous expeditions to learn more about the zoology of dragons. How to Live on 24 Hours a Day is a treatise on intentional living first published in 1910. The author laments how "modern times" are so busy that one hardly has time to pursue the higher arts. His observations about the human condition and practical advice about living a full life are still as applicable as ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Lol. Ok, draw a card for me? Righto. Temperance, if you want to look it up. The Alchemist in my deck. (Simply a card to represent you. Includes no comment at all about whether this is who you ought to be, because I didn't ask. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Yesterday I finished All the Light We Cannot See. It was a really beautiful book.http://www.amazon.com/All-Light-We-Cannot-See/dp/1476746583 I'm now starting Conscious Parenting. So far it's stuff I already know/do, but it's helping my husband a lot. 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Last week someone recommended the book The Curious Incident of the Dog by Mark Haddon for C in the A to Z challenge. This served as a reminder to read the book because on a trip to London last fall there were posters everywhere for a theatre adaptation. I had a vague idea of what the book was about and wondered how it could be adapted. Just found this article which contains a youtube link of the play incase others are curious.http://www.thelowry.com/event/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time. I did go ahead and read the book. It was an interesting read and many here might like it although I suspect we would all find something different within. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 It doesn't matter because if we click on the thumbnail we get a full-size version :D Your tangles are wonderful! Oh! Nice! It works! So did the original beastie I was drawing show up? It isn't really a tangle, just a bunch of bits randomly stuck on the page where ever there was room, but the beastie himself was so tangly I thought I would add the page to the tangle collection. His skin and shell were so amazing. Usually, the stuff that catches my wonder is fractally. He was not but he was still wonderful. If the photo of him didn,t show up, I,ll post it. And he kept smiling at me. He didn,t mind me drawing him. He smiles the same way birds do. There are a few extra lines in there because every once in awhile I would suddenly be packed in a group of preschoolers. They worried him. The rest of the time he held nice and still for me, except to blow the occasional bubble or stretch a paw. Jane, I love your book. Thank you. Rosie, off to investigate your links. I began listening to The Diary of a Nobody, now I,m through Sense and Sensibility. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I've been pondering The Strange Library, or rather it has been pushing its way into my thoughts. Some of the elements began to make a kind of sense to me. So this morning, I went back and looked at the end of the story only to find I had missed the very last page where some connections are made. Spoilers: It must be all about the death of his mother, the constant in his life, the reason he never felt truly alone, even in the dungeon. She's waiting for him at home. We all know what the big black dog represents, but he was afraid for his own life. It never occurred to him that his own mother would leave him some day. The library labyrinth is reminiscent of Borges. The boy awakens to the fears, sorrows, frustrations, and pleasures in life, but still never expects (or denies the possibility of) the thing that will break his heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Righto. Temperance, if you want to look it up. The Alchemist in my deck. (Simply a card to represent you. Includes no comment at all about whether this is who you ought to be, because I didn't ask. ) Having read your link, I can,t help laughing over the card. Definitely apt lol. This is why I usually void this sort of thing. My sister gave me runes for Christmas and when I drew one to represent my current situation, it was movement. I had my coat in my hand to get in the car to go do errands lol. Anyway, thank you. : ) Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Oh I forgot, my middle son read Point to Point and liked it. He agreed that it gave us a sense of what it must be like to be able to read kanji and how much we wish we could. I also gave it to my 5+a-few-days nephew, who isn't,t quite reading yet. I helped him through the first page and then he read me the rest of the chapter himself. Throughout the day, I found him randomly opening the book to a page and reading it. Wish I could tell the author. : ) Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Yesterday I got to the discard store just as dozens of art books and Texas history books were being set out. It was irresistible. The Texas loot, which should go nicely with the Siringo currently underway: Texas Tears and Texas Sunshine: Voices of Frontier Women (this was urged on me by an older gentleman as necessary reading for a Texas woman bringing up daughters) J. Frank Dobie, Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver (wanted a copy of this for a while) Dobie again, I'll Tell You a Tale Roy Bedichek, Adventures with a Texas Naturalist J. Evetts Haley, Charles Goodnight: Cowman and Plainsman Noah Smithwick, The Evolution of a State, or Recollections of Old Texas Days (1900) John Henry Faulk, Fear on Trial (folklorist and friend of Dobie; helped bring about the end of the Hollywood blacklist--it's worth reading the Wikipedia article on Faulk) I picked up many art books too, many of them old Pelicans. It's strange living in an era when so many people are switching to electronic reading that one can reliably get lovely discarded books for a dollar or less. I wonder how long the bounty will last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 [quote name="Violet Crown" post="6137914" timestamp= I picked up many art books too, many of them old Pelicans. It's strange living in an era when so many people are switching to electronic reading that one can reliably get lovely discarded books for a dollar or less. I wonder how long the bounty will last. Sometimes I panic when I think how many treasures are being consigned to dust bins. It is very tempting to make it a mission to save the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Sometimes I panic when I think how many treasures are being consigned to dust bins. It is very tempting to make it a mission to save the books.I'm on it. ;) Jane, if you're keeping up with The Golden Legend, you see that today is St. Anthony Abbot. Here's a painting of one of his temptations, at the Met (the painting, not the temptation) by a pile of gold left by Satan in the road: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Anthony_Abbot_Tempted_by_a_Heap_of_Gold#/image/File:%27Saint_Anthony_Abbot_Tempted_by_a_Heap_of_Gold,_,Tempera_on_panel_painting_by_the_Master_of_the_Osservanza_Triptych,_ca._1435,_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg You notice that there is no pile of gold in the painting. It was originally done with gold leaf, which some sacrilegious soul, in an act of obvious irony and sad confirmation of the doctrine of Original Sin, scraped off, leaving St. Anthony appearing to be tempted by a hapless and undevilish rabbit. For a further literary connection, Jacobus de Voragine cribbed from St. Athanasius' Life of St. Anthony, an early Christian writing prominently mentioned in St. Augustine's Confessions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Well a reading angel lives in my neighborhood. Our wee free library had the last three books in Dunnett's House of Niccolo series, the three I have yet to read. I wonder if I started someone on the series when I placed a duplicate copy of one of the books in the box about six months ago. That book reappeared with the others over time. It has been an incredibly social week for me with another to follow. I am squeezing in some reading time but not as much as I would like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Onceuponatime, I love your interpretation of The Strange Library. Spoiler (in white): I had a similar reaction, in that the real point of the story is not a scary, weird tale of a dungeon, but rather the loneliness one faces when your loved ones are gone & you are alone. Truly alone with nobody who knows you. *That* is true emptiness & darkness. I found the ending really sad. And, it turned around the story for me from having been a creepy tale to being one of hope (of escaping) to see his mother & his pet. He had a reason to want to escape. But, now, if he were in the same situation, I don't think he'd want to escape as there is nothing to escape to/for (his mom, his pet). And what seemed like horror was nothing compared to a 'mundane' thing that all us us face (the death of loved ones) at different points in our lives. A sad & different twist for the book ending, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Okay, based on the spoilers from Stacia and OUAT it appears that Shukriyya + Harukami = 0 :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I'm on it. ;) Jane, if you're keeping up with The Golden Legend, you see that today is St. Anthony Abbot. Here's a painting of one of his temptations, at the Met (the painting, not the temptation) by a pile of gold left by Satan in the road: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Anthony_Abbot_Tempted_by_a_Heap_of_Gold#/image/File:%27Saint_Anthony_Abbot_Tempted_by_a_Heap_of_Gold,_,Tempera_on_panel_painting_by_the_Master_of_the_Osservanza_Triptych,_ca._1435,_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg You notice that there is no pile of gold in the painting. It was originally done with gold leaf, which some sacrilegious soul, in an act of obvious irony and sad confirmation of the doctrine of Original Sin, scraped off, leaving St. Anthony appearing to be tempted by a hapless and undevilish rabbit. For a further literary connection, Jacobus de Voragine cribbed from St. Athanasius' Life of St. Anthony, an early Christian writing prominently mentioned in St. Augustine's Confessions. VC, that painting is gorgeous. Those colors and lines. And having the story that goes with it adds a contextual layer that makes it more vivid. How did you come to know the story about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Onceuponatime, I love your interpretation of The Strange Library. Spoiler (in white): I had a similar reaction, in that the real point of the story is not a scary, weird tale of a dungeon, but rather the loneliness one faces when your loved ones are gone & you are alone. Truly alone with nobody who knows you. *That* is true emptiness & darkness. I found the ending really sad. And, it turned around the story for me from having been a creepy tale to being one of hope (of escaping) to see his mother & his pet. He had a reason to want to escape. But, now, if he were in the same situation, I don't think he'd want to escape as there is nothing to escape to/for (his mom, his pet). And what seemed like horror was nothing compared to a 'mundane' thing that all us us face (the death of loved ones) at different points in our lives. A sad & different twist for the book ending, imo. That's interesting. The point where he lost me was when the dog appeared with the dead bird in its mouth. I was actually enjoying it before that. I think I *get* the point, but I still didn't like it. But then, I read Dawn by Weisel last night. With that book too, I got the point, but I didn't like it. Maybe, sometimes, that is the point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Ok, I have a BaW procedural question: it's nice that people white out spoilers for authors of the month or for books that a group of people are reading. But is there a protocol for other books? Like, if I want to talk about how the ending of a book affected me, is that kosher, or do I need to say "spoiler alert" or white it out? When it isn't a book of the month or book under general discussion here, I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 How do I read the words in white? I'm on my iPad if that matters. Never mind, I figured it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Onceuponatime, I love your interpretation of The Strange Library. Spoiler (in white): I had a similar reaction, in that the real point of the story is not a scary, weird tale of a dungeon, but rather the loneliness one faces when your loved ones are gone & you are alone. Truly alone with nobody who knows you. *That* is true emptiness & darkness. I found the ending really sad. And, it turned around the story for me from having been a creepy tale to being one of hope (of escaping) to see his mother & his pet. He had a reason to want to escape. But, now, if he were in the same situation, I don't think he'd want to escape as there is nothing to escape to/for (his mom, his pet). And what seemed like horror was nothing compared to a 'mundane' thing that all us us face (the death of loved ones) at different points in our lives. A sad & different twist for the book ending, imo. I cried for the boy this morning. It made me think of the time my husband went through that particular "mundane" thing that all of us face. Having just read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, I also was very aware of the important part filial devotion plays in eastern culture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Rose, I don't think there's a procedure re: spoilers. I guess my opinion is that it can vary by book. Some books, you don't really have a spoiler, even if you are discussing how it affected you or what the ending is. (Sometimes even a book summary will tell you that much.) Other times, there is a twist or different ending, so revealing it might be a spoiler for those who may read the book. In that case, I think it's nice to say that it's a spoiler. It doesn't always have to be in white letters. At least if you say your next paragraph is going to be a spoiler, people can choose to skip it. Kwim? I think it's an 'at your own discretion' type of call.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 But then, I read Dawn by Weisel last night. With that book too, I got the point, but I didn't like it. Does that mean you are still looking for a "what happened to people after the war?" book? Not that I have a suggestion, just wondering if Dawn fulfilled what you were looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Jane, if you're keeping up with The Golden Legend, you see that today is St. Anthony Abbot. Here's a painting of one of his temptations, at the Met (the painting, not the temptation) by a pile of gold left by Satan in the road: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Anthony_Abbot_Tempted_by_a_Heap_of_Gold#/image/File:%27Saint_Anthony_Abbot_Tempted_by_a_Heap_of_Gold,_,Tempera_on_panel_painting_by_the_Master_of_the_Osservanza_Triptych,_ca._1435,_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg You notice that there is no pile of gold in the painting. It was originally done with gold leaf, which some sacrilegious soul, in an act of obvious irony and sad confirmation of the doctrine of Original Sin, scraped off, leaving St. Anthony appearing to be tempted by a hapless and undevilish rabbit. For a further literary connection, Jacobus de Voragine cribbed from St. Athanasius' Life of St. Anthony, an early Christian writing prominently mentioned in St. Augustine's Confessions. Well I am keeping up with my calendar not the church's. I see that St. Anthony's story is in chapter 21 whereas I chose to begin at the beginning and have thus only read through chapter 5. Typical for me. Catholicism and I often found ourselves on different pages. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Two interesting (and linked) pieces from the Smart Bitches Trashy Books blog: Kickass Women in History: Annie Londonderry and Miss Cayley’s Adventures by Grant Allen (This classic book, Miss Cayley's Adventures, is available free to Kindle readers.) Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I've got Loreena McKinnit's An Ancient Muse playing in while I sit with a pot of tea and some, wait for it, chocolate. The dogs have been walked, ds and dh are out at an all-day event. Dh will be back mid-afternoon so I have a few hours to myself to read and zentangle. Never mind the laundry, the dusting and the, ahem, Christmas tree that needs taking down. I'm more interested in punting along with 'The Steerswoman'. Really enjoying this book and wondering why Eliana disliked it so much. I hope I'm not in for a big disappointment as the story progresses. I seem to recall that you liked this, Eliana, up to a point and then it went south? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.