Cascadia Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Just a quick check-in before DS wakes up from his nap... I am a couple of chapters in to Northanger Abbey, and I'm liking the humor of it much more than I did 15-20 years ago when I first read it. Back then I wanted something just like P&P or S&S, and was disappointed. So far I've been keeping up with daily readings in The Harvard Classics in a Year: A Liberal Education in 365 Days. Yesterday I read another chapter of HotMW, and today finished a chapter of The Highly Sensitive Person. I think that my reading will be at a minimum level for the near future, as we're experiencing cabin fever and tensions are heightened between the kids when we can't get out to play as often as we'd like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 ----- BREAKING NEWS FLASH ---- My.book.journal.came.back.to.me!!!!!!! :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: Yay! So glad you found it. As to where you found it, ds always balks when I suggest places to look for something because he just knows it won't be there. Never discount looking in those places where you don't expect to find the lost item. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Yay -- so glad you found your book journal, Pam. Has anyone heard from Nan? Haven't seen her on here in a bit & with the storms in the NE, I'm hoping all is well for her & her family.... I'm here. I spent the last snowstorm in Florida, checking on my mother-in-law. Aside from the fact that it was pretty annoying to discover that the snow drifted into all our paths, completely filling them up again, and that only two cars (one of them a snow drift) fit in the driveway now, forcing middle one to park across the lake, we're fine. Middle one survived the walk across the lake. Well, the goldfish, who were abandonned in the last storm while middle one took the cat and dog and went to spend it with my mother, ate a lot of their plants and poked the smaller snail enough times that he decided the counter was safer than the tank, but the rest of us are fine. Oh, and the neighbor, knowing middle one was studying, kindly snowblowed my mother's driveway and got the dog's lead wrapped up in his blower. We did have an outside tap burst and make a lovely outside ice sculpture until middle one noticed and turned it off inside (which we should have done at the beginning of the winter - oops). And middle one is really sore from shovelling out three houses - my mother's, my sister's, and ours. The birds are pretty hungry because he didn't feed them. And he's beginning to think his EMT class might as well have been an online class, it's been cancelled so many times. Oh, and snow blew up the attic vent and is leaking into my mother's bathroom. All relatively minor stuff. I retread a path to the birdfeeder this morning. It pays to be small. Instead of having to shovel a path through the head high drifts in front of the house, I can just gently stomp a knee-deep path. You have to walk carefully or you slip off and sink thigh-deep, and the dog and I are the only ones who can use it, but it is much easier than shovelling. Mother-in-law is doing great and I got to wade in the ocean!!!!! Well, my husband would say I emerged rather wet for just wading, but whatever it was, it was pretty heavenly for midwinter. No reading news. I've just been collecting family stories and listening to Pride and Prejudice before I go to sleep. I did quite a lot of drawing, though. How did everyone else do with the snow? So glad about your book, Pam. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Nan, glad to hear that things are ok for you, even with the deep snowdrifts! I finished my non-fiction book The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherford. Fascinating pieces of lost &/or censored history. There are still plenty of gaps in the information, but Weatherford has done a good job of tracking down various sources of info in an attempt to uncover & save the history. (FYI, there are some harrowing sections in there re: violence toward girls & women.) Be sure to also read the epilogue, note on transliteration, & notes at the end of the book. It does get a little confusing to read at times, mostly owing to the previously mentioned gaps &/or the unusual names that appear throughout the book. It's not as smooth or as satisfying as his book on Genghis Khan, but it still uncovers glimpses of unique history that might otherwise be languishing or lost. Worth reading, especially in conjunction with Weatherford's book Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. 4 stars. I think Helen Reddy's line, "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar," might somehow be appropriate.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Nan, glad to hear that things are ok for you, even with the deep snowdrifts! I finished my non-fiction book The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherford. Fascinating pieces of lost &/or censored history. There are still plenty of gaps in the information, but Weatherford has done a good job of tracking down various sources of info in an attempt to uncover & save the history. (FYI, there are some harrowing sections in there re: violence toward girls & women.) Be sure to also read the epilogue, note on transliteration, & notes at the end of the book. It does get a little confusing to read at times, mostly owing to the previously mentioned gaps &/or the unusual names that appear throughout the book. It's not as smooth or as satisfying as his book on Genghis Khan, but it still uncovers glimpses of unique history that might otherwise be languishing or lost. Worth reading, especially in conjunction with Weatherford's book Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. 4 stars. I think Helen Reddy's line, "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar," might somehow be appropriate.... Gah. I miss GIFs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Have now started yet another book, one I originally heard about in a list of books that had been banned in the Middle East. This one was/is supposedly banned in Saudi Arabia & the UAE. http://www.vice.com/read/banned-books-week-and-middle-eastern-literature-923 http://arablit.org/2014/07/09/arabic-translation-of-malayalam-goat-days-reportedly-banned-in-saudi-uae/ "Goat Days" by Benyamin, translated from Malayalam by Joseph Koyippally. It was winner of the 2009 Kerala Literary Academy Award, nominated for the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize, & shortlisted for the 2014 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/books/goat-days-is-a-carefully-tended-tale "Najeeb’s dearest wish is to work in the Gulf and earn enough money to send back home. He achieves his dream only to be propelled by a series of incidents, grim and absurd, into a slave-like existence herding goats in the middle of the Saudi desert. Memories of the lush, verdant landscape of his village and of his loving family haunt Najeeb whose only solace is the companionship of goats. In the end, the lonely young man contrives a hazardous scheme to escape his desert prison. Goat Days was published to acclaim in Malayalam and became a bestseller. One of the brilliant new talents of Malayalam literature, Benyamin’s wry and tender telling transforms this strange and bitter comedy of Najeeb’s life in the desert into a universal tale of loneliness and alienation." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I finished When She Woke which I believe I put on my tbr list after Negin read the book a year or so ago. Finally read it and I really really liked it. I loved the story and loved the main character development. It was a cross between The Scarlet Letter and 1984. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Openhearted Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Pam so happy you found your book journal.:) I hate it when things are lost. I have learned the more I look, the least likely I am to find it, but when I quit looking then it turns up.:) I have been reading Pride and Prejudice. I decided to read it on the kindle because it is so much easier to look up those big words. Wow did everyone talk like that during that time? I am more interested than I thought I would be. There are a few favorite quotes, but I will have to look them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I finished Black Dog by Stephen Booth this afternoon. I enjoyed it and I still think Jenn will like it at some point, but it was neither fluffy or cozy. Definitely a police procedural with some pretty dark stuff going on. To be honest a couple scenes were a bit icky. The setting is a made up place put down in an area that my family has walks in frequently so odd for me. I spent quite a bit of time googling due to confusion until I stumbled onto the author's website explanation of what was fictional location wise. Overall I enjoyed it and will read more of the series. This is the type of book I liked for years but since I have been residing in Flufferton Abbey lately the realities of the current day Peak District were a bit harsh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Conservative readers may wish to skip this post. I enjoyed the book I read yesterday which is a romance with a strong mystery component. The Salisbury Key by Harper Fox "Can love repair a shattered life in time to save the world? Daniel Logan is on a lonely quest to find out what drove his lover, a wealthy, respected archaeologist, to take his own life. The answer—the elusive “key†for which Jason was desperately searching—lies somewhere on a dangerous and deadly section of Salisbury Plain. The only way to gain access, though, is to allow an army explosives expert to help him navigate the bomb-riddled military zone. A man he met once more than three years ago, who is even more serious and enigmatic than before. Lieutenant Rayne has better things to do than risk his life protecting a scientist on an apparent suicide mission. Like get back to Iraq and prove he will never again miss another roadside bomb. Yet as he helps Dan uncover the truth, an attraction neither man is in the mood for springs up against their will. And stirs up the nervous attention of powerfully placed people—military and academic alike. First in conflict, then in passion, Rayne and Dan are drawn together in a relationship as rocky and complicated as the ancient land they search. Where every step leads them closer to a terrible legacy written in death…" I hope to read more by this author. The book does have adult content. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Pam found her book journal and my internet connection to the BaW hive got its groove back!! :party: I finished As You Wish yesterday afternoon, and in celebration we watched The Princess Bride last night. It's been a while since I watched it from beginning to end as most often I catch it in progress on tv. Next up on my "to watch" list is Spinal Tap -- I only saw it once, years ago, but all the mentions of it in the book made me want to see it again. I'll have to turn the volume up to 11 to really appreciate it! I also finished Pratchett's Feet of Clay, one of the Sam Vimes novels I seem to have missed. He's perhaps my favorite Discworld character. It seems there are plans of making a tv series out of the Sam Vimes books, which could be awesome. I will likely finish Cashelmara this morning, and will keep Susan Howatch in mind when I need another historical fiction fix. She's a good writer. I started the book not knowing Cashelmara is a retelling of the story of Edward II, but the quotes about him that are the start of each section of the book clued me in. Now I can proudly (?) say that everything I know of Longshanks I learned from the movie Braveheart and this book! I'm that kind of well educated modern woman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Pam, so happy that the book journal turned up!! Occasionally, I have my suspicions that inanimate objects have minds of their own and think they're playing a rousing game of hide and seek with us! ;) In the middle of "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" by Sarah Addison Allen. It's a re-read, but I really enjoy her books, and I think I'm liking this one even more this time around. I'll re-read a couple more of hers this month and work around to her new one called "First Frost." Also planning to pick up Pride & Prejudice this month!! I think Dawn had a good idea... I have a hard copy but may read it on the Kindle the first time, as I do love how easy it is to look things up. I'm now more than halfway through Enns' "The Evolution of Adam" and it's raised some thought provoking ideas. Once I finish that, I'll start on "The Lost World of Genesis One" by John Walton. They both essentially deal with how one reads Genesis, and as I'm sorting through some of my beliefs lately, this type of reading is helping me mull over some important concepts... I'll probably have an ongoing theme this year and plan to read about many different types of faith and philosophies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Those of you who enjoy well written cookbooks might seek out this book ~ Books That Cook: The Making of a Literary Meal by Jennifer Cognard-Black and Melissa Goldthwaite There's a complimentary review here. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I stayed up way to late last night and read With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin that Kareni recommended as a free Kindle book. I was okay. I am a sucker for books set during ww2 but for me there was a bit to much religion. I am considering buying the other books in the series though because I really liked the secondary characters and they are featured in those books so... (I'll be writing a longer review later) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 I finished reading Station Eleven yesterday. Can't say I loved it, but found it interesting how everything kept circling around, all the connections. But it did get me to thinking - what would I do in those circumstances? Speaking of traveling: A literary guide to the middle east from Off the Shelf And Jane Austen History of 'loving' to read from the New Yorker and Love Harper Collins online literary romance festival and $1.99 books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 A lunch break in which I failed to do any housework has left me time to read Marilynne Robinson's NYRB piece on Edgar Allen Poe. Most of it concerns The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and has left me eager to find a copy. Those of you who read the novel last year may like seeing what Robinson has to say about it. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/feb/05/edgar-allan-poe/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 And Jane Austen History of 'loving' to read from the New Yorker Robin, your New Yorker link led me to another article on there (of interest to me since I have Sakhalin Island on my shelf to read): Chekhov’s Beautiful Nonfiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 A lunch break in which I failed to do any housework has left me time to read Marilynne Robinson's NYRB piece on Edgar Allen Poe. Most of it concerns The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and has left me eager to find a copy. Those of you who read the novel last year may like seeing what Robinson has to say about it. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/feb/05/edgar-allan-poe/ Oh, thank you, Violet Crown! Great article. I had fun reading it. I recommend Poe's Pym (& some of the spin-offs it has spawned). To me, it falls in the category of "lost American classic". For anyone considering it, here is what I wrote originally when I read it: Poe's only novel, this is a unique mix of seafaring adventures & misadventures (many to the point of horror), travel narrative/diary with the sort of flora/fauna/navigational notations that were popular on exploration trips of the day, fantastical locations/peoples/creatures, allegory, allusions, & a very strange, abrupt ending, all built on Poe's special scaffolding of creeping dread. Though I've read conflicting reviews on this book (& I agree that parts of it are uneven), there is no doubt that it has certainly inspired & influenced many famous literary works (ranging from Moby-Dick; or, The Whale to Life of Pi); I think this book should be categorized as a 'lost' American classic, one that needs a bigger audience than it seemingly has. A riveting, hard-to-categorize book. (Even though I had extremely mixed feelings about Life of Pi, I loved that the tiger was named Richard Parker. How can you not love a tiger with a name like that? Turns out, Yann Martel named the tiger after one of Poe's characters. Also, for the Borges fans here, apparently Borges touted The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym... as "Poe's greatest work".) In addition to Jules Verne writing a book that continues the story (An Antarctic Mystery), H.P. Lovecraft also crafted a sequel (At the Mountains of Madness). My copy of Poe's book (Penguin Classics) had a very abridged version of Verne's story in the back. (That's what it seemed to be....) So, I think I've got the gist of Verne's continuation of the story, even though I still plan to read the full-length version. And, of course, all this was started by my wanting to read the contemporary satire Pym by Mat Johnson. Not sure about tackling Lovecraft's book (maybe too much horror for me), but I might consider it for October reading. I did end up reading Verne's (a Felix to Poe's Oscar :laugh: ), Lovecraft's, & Johnson's books. They made a great set of connected readings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Pam, I am so glad that you found your book journal. Now if you are still looking for your grocery list, it is in the book you sent me. Don't forget the Cheerios and yogurt! And thank you, thank you, thank you for Extraordinary Renditions! I look forward to reading it. XXOO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Pam, I am so glad that you found your book journal. Now if you are still looking for your grocery list, it is in the book you sent me. Don't forget the Cheerios and yogurt! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I'm still here. :ph34r: I think I missed the entire last thread because I was trying to stay offline and pack for the move while having houseguests. I've reached Episode 11 of Ulysses (just amazing, now that I see how to read it) and am in the last third of 1Q84. I'm really enjoying both but would like it better if I wasn't reading them from 11pm-1am. ETA: May attempt Mansfield Park this month but I'm not sure yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I have finished two plays. The first was Measure for Measure, which I read before ds and I road tripped to see it performed by what is quickly becoming our favorite troupe. (Not sure if that's the right terminology.) We spent much of the three hour drive home discussing the ends of several of Shakespeare's plays. We decided that for a few of them, Measure for Measure included, the ends felt like afterthoughts. It's like so much effort went into constructing the jewel, but by the time polishing was needed, the Bard was already thinking about the next jewel and had lost interest. Does that make sense? It's like "Well, okay, here is the ending you all expect - I'll give you anything so I can move on because I have this great idea..." Whatever the ending, we had a great day and enjoyed the play. Ds and I read The Glass Menagerie together because he is covering it for AP English Lit. I can't believe I have waited so long to read that play or anything by Tennessee Williams. I absolutely loved it and oh, talk about an onion with so many layers to be peeled back! I think I need to watch this, but worry that it plays out better in my head than it could on stage. If any one knows a good version for us to watch, I'd love recommendations. Also, what else of his should I read? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 A lunch break in which I failed to do any housework has left me time to read Marilynne Robinson's NYRB piece on Edgar Allen Poe. Most of it concerns The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and has left me eager to find a copy. Those of you who read the novel last year may like seeing what Robinson has to say about it. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/feb/05/edgar-allan-poe/ Thanks for the link. That was interesting. And now a blast from the past. In 2013 I wrote: Poe's Pym novel is just plain odd although I wonder if my opinion is influenced by the fact that I rarely read speculative fiction. Also the sort of great seafaring adventure that Poe serves up is a period piece written at a time when parts of this globe were truly unknown. Despite the unevenness of the story, what is present is what Poe does so well: he creates a discomfort which might come from outside sources or might just be a product of a character's own mind. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym inspires a new 5/5/5 category for 2014: Stretch the Gray Cells, i.e. read something outside of one's comfort zone. Last year I read a western, first ever--thanks to Stacia, which I really enjoyed (The Sisters Brothers). Or maybe that 5/5/5 category should be Stacia Stretches My Gray Cells since she is the one who also got this Pym thing going. I am currently reading Nat Johnson's Pym--Volume I done so maybe a quarter of the way through. Poe's Eureka sounds fascinating. Putting that on my TBR list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Poe's Eureka sounds fascinating. Putting that on my TBR list. I agree. FYI, there is a free kindle version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Finished The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England's Most Notorious Queen by Susan Bordo. She's a cultural historian, rather than a Tudor expert, and writes about Anne's portrayal in the popular media, pretty much from her lifetime until now. Very fascinating book. I think I understand why Eliana was critical of Alison Weir as a biographer after reading this book. Historical fiction is such an interesting genre, isn't it? Especially in this sort of postmodernist era of fuzzy reality. Anyway, very thought-provoking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I'm not a fan of historical fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I'm not a fan of historical fiction. I like it, but I think I like entirely made-up stories set in historical times, rather than fictionalized accounts of real people. Although I did really enjoy Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I finished Goat Days by Benyamin, translated from Malayalam by Joseph Koyipally, published by Penguin Books. Though it is a fairly simplistic tale about an Indian man being enslaved to tend goats in the Saudi Arabian desert, it pierces straight to the heart. Straightforward & spare, the narrator's tale is unexpectedly bewitching. We share his manic highs & lowest of lows while he endures repeated horrors, manages to nurse hopes (dashed so many times), & survives against the odds. Spending years as an enslaved goat herder, the narrator identifies with the goats during his captivity &, perhaps in return, the goats tend to him by keeping him sane. (His bond with the goats reminded me a bit of Tom Hanks' friendship with Wilson in the movie Castaway; namely, that a human starved for interaction will create any emotional connections he can.) Human trafficking occurs every day &, right now, there are people across the globe suffering under similar, heavy fates. This is but one story among many thousands; a touching tale & timely reminder of the human capacity to endure & survive. Worth reading. 3 to 3.5 stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I just finished an intriguing read which I enjoyed quite a bit. The setting is Flufferton but with magic (it brings to mind Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell), mystery, and homosexual main characters. (Some adult content.) The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles "Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry.Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude... and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn't the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die." There are two follow on books to this one that have been published; I look forward to reading them. The author does have a free Kindle short story that is set between the second and third books; I haven't read it yet so don't know if reading it first will spoil the earlier books. A Case of Spirits (A Charm of Magpies) Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I finished As You Wish yesterday afternoon, and in celebration we watched The Princess Bride last night. It's been a while since I watched it from beginning to end as most often I catch it in progress on tv. Next up on my "to watch" list is Spinal Tap -- I only saw it once, years ago, but all the mentions of it in the book made me want to see it again. I'll have to turn the volume up to 11 to really appreciate it! I had to watch it after I finished the book too. I've never actually seen This is Spinal Tap because I'm not a big fan of mockumentaries. I just might have to watch it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 ETA: This one is no longer free. And yet another different free Kindle M. C. Beaton book. (I don't know if this will change at midnight; the free books seems to change each day so check the price.) The Banishment (The Daughters of Mannerling Series Book 1) by M. C. Beaton ** ETA: This one is still free. And I've enjoyed other books by this author but haven't read this free Kindle offering: Marked (Hostage Rescue Team Series Book 1) Kaylea Cross Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Today I finished Kristen Ashley's Kaleidoscope; I enjoyed it. This is a contemporary romance with adult content. "When old friends become new lovers...anything can happen.Sexy, gifted, and loyal, PI Jacob Decker is a tall, cool drink of perfection who had Emmanuelle Holmes at "hello." His relationship with Emme's best friend kept them apart for years, but things have changed. Now that a case has brought him to Gnaw Bone, Colorado, the road is wide open for Emme and Deck to explore something hotter and deeper than Emme dreamed possible. So why is she sabotaging the best thing that's ever happened to her?It isn't easy to catch Deck off guard, but Emme does just that when she walks back into his life after nine long years. The curvy brunette had her charms back in the day, but now she's a bona fide knockout . . . and she wants to rekindle their friendship. Deck, however, wants more. Emme's always been the one; she excites Deck's body and mind like no other woman can. But a dark chapter from Emme's past overshadows their future together. Now only Deck can help her turn the page-if she'll let him . . ." This is part of a series but can stand alone. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I haven't caught up on this thread. Just popping in to say I'm still reading Cosmos and enjoying Sagan's personal experiences with science and his overview of crucial historical discoveries. He also has a very subtle sense of humor that finds me chuckling at odd points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I started Jeneration X last night and found myself laughing out loud with just the intro. I took it with to the doctor office this morning and was laughing in the waiting room, and the nurse asked me what had me laughing. Jen Lancaster nevers fails to make me laugh, and being a generation x'er myself it's hitting home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Remember the discussion on whether you can think without words? I read an interesting article about two hooded crows in the Jan. 28, 2015 issue of Science News last night. They surprised the researchers "by passing a test designed to see whether animals can grasp analogies. The test presents a sample card showing two symbols, such as two triangles or a plus sign paired with a circle, that may be alike or different in shape, colour or size, says study coauthor Edward Wasserman of the U. of Iowa in Iowa City. A crow also sees two other cards with completely different symbols and has to pick the one that best exemplifies the relationship - sameness or difference - shown in the sample card. The crows managed to pick the correct card about three-quarters of the time, Wasserman and his colleagues report Dec. 18 in Current Biology. The triumph of the crows at this test adds anew evidence to a growing revolution in attitudes toward animals'mental processes. Research has been exploding that suggests animals, without lanugage or a fance human forebrain, have ways of dealing with what humans consider abstract concepts, Wasserman says." (p. 10) The article goes on to say that apes and baboons have also passed similar tests, and that what was intriguing about the crows was that they did well the first time they tried the test. They had previously been doing tests in which they had to pick a similar shape or colour or size, so they had some idea what they were supposed to be doing. Wasserman says that you have to be careful not to assume that the crows are using the same reasoning process as humans use, since the test wasn't testing for that. I still am glad science is finally catching up to what many people have known for ages. My mother always points out that when she was born, her mother was told that the baby couldn't possibly be smiling because babies were too young to think. She says that it wasn't until women doctors became more common that the doctors started realizing that very young babies really are smiling. Anyway, I thought the article was interesting in light of our discussion on whether we think with words or without words, and the earlier one about whether animals think. : ) Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Pam - So glad to hear your journal is found! I finished As You Wish yesterday afternoon, and in celebration we watched The Princess Bride last night. It's been a while since I watched it from beginning to end as most often I catch it in progress on tv. Next up on my "to watch" list is Spinal Tap -- I only saw it once, years ago, but all the mentions of it in the book made me want to see it again. I'll have to turn the volume up to 11 to really appreciate it! We just watched The Princess Bride yesterday. Our local theater plays a retro movie the first Thursday of the month so we were excited to see Princess Bride this month. Next month they're playing Pretty Woman. DD wanted to know if we were going to see that also ... NOPE! I like it, but I think I like entirely made-up stories set in historical times, rather than fictionalized accounts of real people. Ditto ditto ditto! For some reason I strongly dislike reading about real people for some reason and have avoided all the Howatch books because of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Speaking of historical fiction, I've just started the 2013 National Book Award Winner: The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. I have been completely sucked in since page 1. Winner of the 2013 National Book Award for FictionSoon to be a major motion picture starring Liev Schreiber and Jaden SmithA Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Oprah Magazine Top 10 Book of the Year“A magnificent new novel by the best-selling author James McBride.†–cover review of The New York Times Book Review“Outrageously entertaining.†–USA Today“James McBride delivers another tour de force†–Essence“So imaginative, you’ll race to the finish.†–NPR.org“Wildly entertaining.â€â€”4-star People lead review"A boisterous, highly entertaining, altogether original novel.†– Washington Post From the bestselling author of The Color of Water and Song Yet Sung comes the story of a young boy born a slave who joins John Brown’s antislavery crusade—and who must pass as a girl to survive.Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857, when the region is a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces. When John Brown, the legendary abolitionist, arrives in the area, an argument between Brown and Henry’s master quickly turns violent. Henry is forced to leave town—with Brown, who believes he’s a girl.Over the ensuing months, Henry—whom Brown nicknames Little Onion—conceals his true identity as he struggles to stay alive. Eventually Little Onion finds himself with Brown at the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859—one of the great catalysts for the Civil War.An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, and told with McBride’s meticulous eye for detail and character, The Good Lord Bird is both a rousing adventure and a moving exploration of identity and survival.From Booklist: *Starred Review* Abolitionist John Brown calls her “Little Onion,†but her real name is Henry. A slave in Kansas mistaken for a girl due to the sackcloth smock he was wearing when Brown shot his master, the light-skinned, curly-haired 12-year-old ends up living as a young woman, most often encamped with Brown’s renegade band of freedom warriors as they traverse the country, raising arms and ammunition for their battle against slavery. Though they travel to Rochester, New York, to meet with Frederick Douglass and Canada to enlist the help of Harriet Tubman, Brown and his ragtag army fail to muster sufficient support for their mission to liberate African Americans, heading inexorably to the infamously bloody and pathetic raid on Harpers Ferry. Dramatizing Brown’s pursuit of racial freedom and insane belief in his own divine infallibility through the eyes of a child fearful of becoming a man, best-selling McBride (Song Yet Sung, 2008) presents a sizzling historical novel that is an evocative escapade and a provocative pastiche of Larry McMurtry’s salty western satires and William Styron’s seminal insurrection masterpiece, The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967). McBride works Little Onion’s low-down patois to great effect, using the savvy but scared innocent to bring a fresh immediacy to this sobering chapter in American history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Remember the discussion on whether you can think without words? I read an interesting article about two hooded crows in the Jan. 28, 2015 issue of Science News last night. They surprised the researchers "by passing a test designed to see whether animals can grasp analogies. .... Nan This is not surprising to me but crows are smarter than the average bird. If the research had been achieved with say pigeons then I would be surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen. Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 To keep in line with the Brontes, I decided to read "The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson." She greatly admired and was inspired by the Bronte sisters. My 8yo read "Scholastic Discover More: Ancient Egypt" by Penelope Arlon. She has been fascinated by mummies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 FLAVIA! Bradley's latest is waiting for me at the library. I just have to go pick it up! But, I have waded into Howey's Wool Omnibus, and might wait a day or two to pick up the de Luce so I don't get distracted and get two books going at once. I know many of you are good at having more than one title bookmarked at a time, but I'm no good at it. These two titles should keep me busy for the next two weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Hey VC-- I know that we have a date to do some readalongs this year, but I need to catch up with a couple of books that you have already completed. Today's mail brought Buchan's The Strange Adventures of Mr. Andrew Hawthorn & Other Stories as well as Platonov's The Foundation Pit. Neither book was in my library system. A footnote in Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky's The Letter Killers Club clarified a reference to the idea of the "pure reader" as defined by German philosopher Johann Gottleib Fichte in his work Characteristics of the Present Age: Fiche refers to a "pure reader" who reads and reads to keep up with all that is being written, but without ever considering what he has read. This sort of mindless reading, says Fichte, becomes an addiction like tobacco smoking. The pure reader "reads only to read and live reading." I make no attempt to "keep up with all that is being written" since I seem to have missed much of what was written in the past. Thus I join the ranks of the impure reader. :coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 FLAVIA! Bradley's latest is waiting for me at the library. I just have to go pick it up! Just picked mine up today too! 14 days to read it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hey VC-- I know that we have a date to do some readalongs this year, but I need to catch up with a couple of books that you have already completed. Today's mail brought Buchan's The Strange Adventures of Mr. Andrew Hawthorn & Other Stories as well as Platonov's The Foundation Pit. Neither book was in my library system. No worries. I was just thinking how after I finish Whitman and Powers, I feel the need for more James. Hope you enjoy your Russian and Scot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 ----- BREAKING NEWS FLASH ---- My.book.journal.came.back.to.me!!!!!!! :party: Where was it, you ask? It was in the backpack my 11 yo uses as a "vacation bag." We worked out that, after we left the dog at my parents' over New Years, Stella went with me to retrieve the dog, and one of us or my mom must have jammed it in there, and she hasn't looked at it since. Thank you, St Anthony! And Rumi! And the journal itself, which surely longed for me as much as I longed for it! JennW: :party:my internet connection to the BaW hive got its groove back!! :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: Consider that a standing ovation! We are ahead of the curve -- Why americans don't read foreign fiction The strange voice of Edgar Allen Poe Why we are obsessed with talking animals Just go with the flow - I started listening to The Tao of Pooh yesterday and finding it entertaining, educational, interesting and amusing. I'm destined to follow a few rabbit trails. “Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully."Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever." "And he has Brain." "Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain." There was a long silence. "I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything.†Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 A footnote in Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky's The Letter Killers Club clarified a reference to the idea of the "pure reader" as defined by German philosopher Johann Gottleib Fichte in his work Characteristics of the Present Age: Is The Letter Killers Club one you think I would like, Jane? I remember seeing it in the list of NYRB Classics' books that came out fairly recently (the last year or two???). I know the title remained in my mind as one I thought I might enjoy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hey chicks! Remember our discussion about Austen and Bronte being of more interest to females versus males. Check out Joseph's review of Pride and Prejudice with he just read for the first time. He joined the 52 books read this year and since it was one of his wife's favorite books and he set a goal to read 12 classics from greatest novels challenge, he dove in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Is The Letter Killers Club one you think I would like, Jane? I remember seeing it in the list of NYRB Classics' books that came out fairly recently (the last year or two???). I know the title remained in my mind as one I thought I might enjoy....Autobiography of a Corpse completely blew me away. The Letter Killers Club seems more abstract--a surreal yet philosophical series of connected stories. I continue to process... I will be putting this one into circulation, Stacia. Pam and VC were on my list as possible recipients. Perhaps this is another one for the BaW Round Robin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Autobiography of a Corpse completely blew me away. The Letter Killers Club seems more abstract--a surreal yet philosophical series of connected stories. I continue to process... I will be putting this one into circulation, Stacia. Pam and VC were on my list as possible recipients. Perhaps this is another one for the BaW Round Robin. Jane, are the Krzhizhanovsky books at all similar in style to the Master and the Margarita? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Autobiography of a Corpse completely blew me away. The Letter Killers Club seems more abstract--a surreal yet philosophical series of connected stories. I continue to process... I will be putting this one into circulation, Stacia. Pam and VC were on my list as possible recipients. Perhaps this is another one for the BaW Round Robin. Ah, cool. No worries. My stacks are plenty high! Looks like my library has an ebook version of Autobiography of a Corpse. I just downloaded it & hopefully will get to it soon. I would like to first finish The Good Lord Bird. And, at some point, I need to finish The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. May just put The Revisionists aside for now & finish that another time.... Oh, the stacks! :svengo: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 This is not surprising to me but crows are smarter than the average bird. If the research had been achieved with say pigeons then I would be surprised. LOL I take it you read the article? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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