Robin M Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 Thanks for those suggestions - particularly A Tempest, as we're about to tackle the play. My goal is mostly getting through it - I am less well read in medieval era literature than in any other era, and many of the classics I have no desire to read. But I've always wanted to tackle Inferno. I have an older translation by Cary on my shelves, but I'm not married to reading that one. Rose. I had all kinds of trepidation going into reading Inferno and read the Mandelbaum translation which I found found actually the most readable and understandable for getting through it. I went with the Hollander translation for Purgatorio and will see how that one works. I may switch to the Mandelbaum just because I like the layout better. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 First of all: A big hug to Violet Crown. And a paper bag if you still need it. I know I did after reading that. I am working my way through The Orphan Master's Son. It is not an easy read. If I had to make a choice, I would say it is like reading a Murakami book, not that I am any sort of expert on Murakami... It is simultaneously challenging, compelling, surreal, and a little too real all at the same time. I am more than halfway done, so should finish this week. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 Oh and since you ladies have been so supportive with the headache issues, I had a doctors appointment right before Easter. He did some simple neurological tests (walking with my eyes closed, touching my nose, reflexes etc.) and they showed nothing (thank heavens since if they showed something it would be serious). He did some blood tests and I have an appointment for a CAT scan on Friday so we will see what comes of that. Continued good thoughts/vibes/prayers are always appreciated. Hugs, prayers and good vibes coming your way! I read Malacandra ( Out of the Silent Planet), skipped Perelandra ( read it already 2-3 times) and am working on Thulcandra (3rd book) Seen the fact I had terrible headaches this week not too bad. For you too, Doll. Hope you both find relief for your headaches. External adventures dictated my next choice. When out hiking one morning, my desert-dwelling relative decided we would leave the boring trail and go straight up to a rocky outcropping. As we picked our way through the ocotillo and prickly pear, I noticed Wee Girl in front of me had just passed or stepped over a flattish gray patch. I thought, Huh, how oddly round OHMYGOD RATTLESNAKE!!!!!!1111!!!! And then part of my brain started saying quickly, definitely rattler, classic triangular head and rattles, only about a foot long uncoiled, not rattling and head down so still sluggish from the chilly night, that's why it didn't protest Wee Girl being so close And another part of my brain was saying !!!!!!!!!!!11111111!!!!!!!!! RATTLESNAKE !!!!!!!!! and running in tight little circles inside my skull. Now and then I still get a clear mental image of the critter and Wee Girl's chubby little legs right by it, in easy striking distance, and then I don't feel so good. So in honor of this week's adventures, I've started J. Frank Dobie's Rattlesnakes, a collection of Southwestern rattler lore and stories. If I were a real self-respecting Texan, that snake would be six feet long and a Diamondback or a Mohave Green, rearing up with a fifteen-ring rattle giving warning. But honestly it was just a sleepy little prairie rattler. Still. Edited for seasonal haiku: Gray leathery coils Spring dawn warms cold reptile blood-- Desert citizen. Oh my! Glad she is okay! Headaches and rattlesnakes, Spring is in the air! :willy_nilly: I get headaches every Spring, but at least I know my allergies are to blame. :grouphug: to all the headache sufferers. Can I join the Inferno read-along too? I'm trying to read this version along with listening to the Yale Open Course lectures for Dante in Translation so that I can do this with DD next year. I got sidetracked this last week by recommendation from the last thread so I read the Irin Chronicles by Elizabeth Hunter, and one off my new release list- Dark Heir by Faith Hunter. I loved the Irin Chronicles, and hope to find more stories to come. Jane's still kicking it for me after almost five years, so I'll continue to pre-order that series too. I finished Dark Heir and as always sad to reach the end of the book. Yes, I read it twice. I think Hollander and Mandlebaum both have poetic beauty and are reliable texts that don't sacrifice meaning for a turn of phrase. Yes, this. I liked Mandelbaum the best. Thanks for recommending Eliana. Save me worlds of time searching out what worked for me. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 ACCCKKK, Violet Crown!!! :willy_nilly: Ironically, the next day we went to White Sands, which featured long-eared, long-legged, adorable jackrabbits. I will take the jackrabbits any day. Mumto2, we have plenty of rat snakes out here, too. They don't bother me, because they're beneficial and rather timid, but they are awfully big. A three-footer crawled out of our storm drain just this evening and Great Girl had to prompt him back with a broom handle, because he was stretched out in the middle of the street, fixing to get himself run over. A mockingbird nesting in our elm was seriously freaking out and flying at the snake, which ignored him completely. It was pretty amusing watching this tiny ball of feathered fury going berserk on a great big oblivious reptile. Really I don't mind snakes if they have the courtesy to not be venomous. It's just there are so dang many venomous snakes around. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 Books falling open Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall Delight and please me. and The Book a Week thread Join your fellow book lovers Read, Discuss, Learn, Laugh. Regards, Kareni Windows opening Warm clean air rushes smoothly Fluttering my page I'm exhausted but this haiku formed in my head.... Mosquitoes buzzing, Cold, wet, pounding rain falling, Thank goodness dry tent :laugh: :hurray: My Book-a-Week pals, Cheer my speedy retirement From bad poetry! :tongue_smilie: :lol: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Wait! I'm not totally retired yet! Nutella. Nutella dreams. Crispy, crunchy pretzel sticks. Aren't you hungry now? :D (This came about because of a joke this week with a friend of ours. Lol.) Ok. Now I promise that I will step away from the haiku writing ring! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uff Da! Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Gah! I can't keep up with you all. I'm still reading Searoad and am waiting for Mere Christianity to come in. We are spring cleaning, painting walls and I'm a little under the weather. I'm going to bed now so here's a bedtime haiku ;) Wrapped in blankets dream Morning's cares fly far and wait Let rest funnel through 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Had a Jim Butcher blitz this week -- I've had Furies of Calderon sitting around for a while and decided to pick it up for some reason, then blew through Academ's Fury and Cursor's Fury, and now working my way through Captain's Fury (slowing down though). Re: CS Lewis pompousness -- yeah, well, y'all picked a bad trilogy to avoid that IMO :leaving: which is why I am re-reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe instead (although we are now reading that for Mother/Daughter book club so I may jump to The Screwtape Letters) Too much going on Running around like crazy The book draws me in 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I can only Haiku in Dutch: Moe, ontzettend moe. Ik ben nu wel aan rust toe. Eindelijk: koffie! Not the greatest one, but my first. Translated: Tired terrible tired I can need some break now. Finally: coffee! 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jironarcis Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 The second half has picked up the pace. I think this trilogy could have been two larger books with some of this middle book edited out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Bookish news: Nobel laureate Günter Grass has died. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 My depression is getting the better of me at this point in time, so books are my escape. I have started re-reading Hearing God by Dallas WIllard, and have also started Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller. I started Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer but didn't really like it. Listening to Persuasion, but don't really know what's happening as my mind tends to drift--this didn't happen with Mansfield Park which riveted me, so it's probably me. I will go back and listen to parts again. I am thinking that I am going to cut back on my hours at work and spend more time on spiritual pursuits, as well as homeschooling. I think I have been neglecting homeschooling as my business has grown, and that is making me sad. I have also been neglecting my inner life--I am an introvert and need a lot of time alone and that just hasn't happened. By cutting back on work I will be able to go to yoga again (yay!) which I havent done for years. 2015 Book List 1 The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 2 The Motivation Manifesto by Burchard 3 The Magic Art of Tidying 4 The One and Only by Giffin 5 One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World 6 Not that Kind of Girl by Dunham 7 The Search for Significance by McGee 8 10% Happier 9 To Kill A Mockingbird--audio book. 10 Unbroken with DS-audio 11 Mastering Tung's Acupuncture--for work 12 You Are A Badass 12 Coming up for Air by George Orwell 13. The Westing Game-audio 14. The Hole in our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung 15. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen-audio 16. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson-audio-current (with kids) 17. Persuasion by Jane Austen-current (hmmmm, need to re-listen to parts of this) 18. Prayer by Timothy Keller-current (just started 4/12) 19. Hearing God by Dallas Willard-current (been reading this on and off for months) 20. A Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins-audio-current (just downloaded this for a fun read) 21. Ender's Game-audio--current with kids Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness-later 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsWeasley Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Currently reading Hounded by Kevin Hearne (ebook) and Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis. What do you think of Hounded? Finishing the rest of that series (I'm four books in) is on my to-read list. I just finished Margaret Atwood's Stone Mattress. I need to catch up on school-related reading before starting a new book. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Halcyon, :grouphug: 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Praying for you, Halcyon. I finished The Wicked Girls last night and kept thinking, "Have I read this?" I'm not sure if it was either really similar to something I've read before or the same book. Either way, it kept my attention and I finished it in an evening. Now starting Patricia Briggs' Moon Called on this rainy, rainy morning. I should be teaching my children but I haven't had enough time to saturate myself in coffee so school will wait a little longer. ;) 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 :grouphug: :grouphug: Halycyon 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 The "to be read" pile keeps growing. Kind of frustrating when library holds, some from last summer, all come at once. I suspended the rest of my list for now but not before a message that the latest Sarah Addison Allen is waiting for me. I'll get it at the end of the week. Finished: Dodger by Terry Pratchett--loved it Family Plot by Seri Cobb South--enjoyed it In Progress: Out of the Silent Planet TBR pile: Mort Reaper Man Ungifted Pioneer Girl Trees in Paradise (and those are just the library books) I like the idea of reading Inferno--we'll see if I can actually follow through. I have my old college text from my Western Civ class. Only excerpts were assigned so I've never read the whole thing. And I'm the type who will read the book that's been on my shelf for years rather than seek best translation. It's the whole The Divine Comedy (ie rather chunky) and says "A new verse translation by C.H. Sisson." My morning haiku: rain and sun, rainbow ravenous hummingbirds drink spring in Oregon (I have to fill my hummingbird feeder twice a week now--I think there are new hummingbabes about. In fact, need to make more food for them now). 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I finished I, Tituba last night. I'm glad I read it, although I'm not sure that I actually liked it. It's hard to like stories about slaves and slavery. Tituba was a very interesting character - both powerful and powerless, in both physical and spiritual ways. I didn't mind the ending, but it's definitely in line with the sort of magical realism aspects throughout the book. So it's both a tragic and a happy ending at the same time? No, Not happy. But fitting, maybe. And not unsatisfying. One thing I thought was really odd - Tituba meets Hester Pryne while they are both in prison. But then Hester dies before Pearl is born. I think this is foreshadowing something that happens later, but isn't it kind of weird to use someone else's fictional character in your book but then have their life end differently? I found it distracting. I recently re-listened to The Scarlet Letter so Hester was fresh in my mind. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 My haiku attempt inspired by hiking amongst the giant redwoods in northern California the last few days: Amidst shadows cast By tall silent sentinels Insignificance 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 After reading everyone's brilliant haikus, I felt the obligation to sit down with pen and paper. I stared at the new green shoots, the azaleas that are almost ready to burst...and did a lot of doodling. Hanging head in shame... Feeling the pressure Of a haiku gone missing. Count those syllables. :001_smile: 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Bookish news: Nobel laureate Günter Grass has died. I tried reading The Tin Drum so, so many years ago but never made it all the way through. Any of his books to recommend??? My depression is getting the better of me at this point in time, so books are my escape. :grouphug: :grouphug: After reading everyone's brilliant haikus, I felt the obligation to sit down with pen and paper. I stared at the new green shoots, the azaleas that are almost ready to burst...and did a lot of doodling. Mine are bogus, not brillant. But, I've never claimed to be a creative writer or poet.... :tongue_smilie: I enjoyed yours (& counted syllables when composing mine too)! Azaleas! Ours are gorgeous today -- probably at their peak today, maybe tomorrow. The dogwoods are also bursting out in bloom all around us. Dh & I will celebrate our 21st anniversary later this week; we had an outdoor wedding & planned enough ahead of time (over a year) so that we could see when the trees, bushes, & flowers were most gorgeously in bloom & this is the week we picked. It always makes me smile to look at nature's finery the week of our anniversary. :) 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 What a lovely photo, Stacia. Thanks for sharing it! I've just begun a book for my upcoming book group ~ The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel by Debra Dean. It's too soon to share thoughts. Regards, Kareni 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Oy, we're nowhere CLOSE to azaleas here. We're at snowdrops and pussywillow. What a long winter it's been. Yesterday and today have been lovely, though, so perhaps we've turned a corner. :grouphug: Halcyon. Book roundup: Stella and I finished The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (YA). I liked this well enough; she liked it a lot. She seems to be getting tired of these ghastly dystopian series that she rips through with her crowd of friends; she appreciated old-fashioned monsters and ghosts... Suddenly, Love, by Aharon Appelfeld. This was for an IRL book group, and the first by the author that I've read, and I was quite slow to warm up to it. (May-December romance leads guilt-ridden old man to find goodness and God as well, ho hum...) I might even have given up on it had it not been for the group, but it ended up really growing on me, and now I want to try more by him. And our discussion was GREAT, so there's that. The Great Partnership: Science, Religion, and the Search for Meaning, by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. I admired this greatly, though there are parts of his argument (essentially, that science and religion address different types of questions through different types of thought patterns, and are thus complementary rather than in tension with each other) with which I disagree. He's a thoughtful, generous and profoundly optimistic man and a pleasure to read. Nathan the Wise, by Gotthold Lessing - Sacks' book sent me down this rabbit trail - a play written in 1779 as a plea for religious tolerance, an idea before its time... a bit too tidy-and-neat, but with a lovely parable at the center that I loved... And now, Jane: Santa calls! 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I finished Vandermeer's Authority last night. As I mentioned earlier, the later part of the book was way more interesting than the first half. I have a very full reading plan for now through May and was thinking I would read the third book of the trilogy in June, but with the way the second book ended I'm trying to figure out how to fit in the 3rd book. Right now the best way to stay on track with my plan is to just not order the third book! I went to Amazon to see about the Mandelbaum translation of the Inferno. Every time I looked at 1-star reviews people were complaining that the book they received or got on Kindle was not Mandelbaum, and that Amazon had been mixing up reviews and cover photos for different translations, i.e. the cover was correct on one book page, but the content was the Sayers translation, or the cover was incorrect on the page, but correct on the received book, etc. Goodreads is also showing a couple of different covers, one of which is the same as the problematic Amazon one. Can anyone with a physical copy of Mandelbaum's translation please post the ISBN? Much appreciated. :grouphug: to you, Halcyon. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 :grouphug: Halcyon I have been carrying my Kindle around all day trying to finish a historical paranormal romance that I found browsing in an overdrive library. Ascension by A.S.Fenichel manages to combine much of my current taste in fluffy books into one. ;) The setting is 19th century London with a hero who has just returned from France and fighting Napoleon. The Duke returns to find his beloved fiance a changed woman.....she now is a Demon Hunter. It continues from there, enjoyable with adult content. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22595242-ascension Stacia --I was also able to find The Dead Mountaineer's Inn in overdrive. I haven't started reading yet but it does sound interesting. Edited, I am having problems with my incorrect. It is off according to my toolbox but just fixed the author's name. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 I finished Vandermeer's Authority last night. As I mentioned earlier, the later part of the book was way more interesting than the first half. I have a very full reading plan for now through May and was thinking I would read the third book of the trilogy in June, but with the way the second book ended I'm trying to figure out how to fit in the 3rd book. Right now the best way to stay on track with my plan is to just not order the third book! I went to Amazon to see about the Mandelbaum translation of the Inferno. Every time I looked at 1-star reviews people were complaining that the book they received or got on Kindle was not Mandelbaum, and that Amazon had been mixing up reviews and cover photos for different translations, i.e. the cover was correct on one book page, but the content was the Sayers translation, or the cover was incorrect on the page, but correct on the received book, etc. Goodreads is also showing a couple of different covers, one of which is the same as the problematic Amazon one. Can anyone with a physical copy of Mandelbaum's translation please post the ISBN? Much appreciated. :grouphug: to you, Halcyon. This is the actual one I purchased -978-0553213393 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 My depression is getting the better of me at this point in time, so books are my escape. I have started re-reading Hearing God by Dallas WIllard, and have also started Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller. I started Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer but didn't really like it. Listening to Persuasion, but don't really know what's happening as my mind tends to drift--this didn't happen with Mansfield Park which riveted me, so it's probably me. I will go back and listen to parts again. I am thinking that I am going to cut back on my hours at work and spend more time on spiritual pursuits, as well as homeschooling. I think I have been neglecting homeschooling as my business has grown, and that is making me sad. I have also been neglecting my inner life--I am an introvert and need a lot of time alone and that just hasn't happened. By cutting back on work I will be able to go to yoga again (yay!) which I havent done for years. :grouphug: I'm also a introvert and have to build down time into my week. Can't stand going out every single day of the week which just leads to me getting, really, really grumpy. What do you think of Hounded? Finishing the rest of that series (I'm four books in) is on my to-read list. I just finished Margaret Atwood's Stone Mattress. I need to catch up on school-related reading before starting a new book. I just finished it and kind of 50/50 about it. Humorous and well done, but I don't have any desire to read more. Azaleas! Ours are gorgeous today -- probably at their peak today, maybe tomorrow. The dogwoods are also bursting out in bloom all around us. Dh & I will celebrate our 21st anniversary later this week; we had an outdoor wedding & planned enough ahead of time (over a year) so that we could see when the trees, bushes, & flowers were most gorgeously in bloom & this is the week we picked. It always makes me smile to look at nature's finery the week of our anniversary. :) You two are adorable! An early Happy Anniversary! :grouphug: 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 I finished Out of the Silent Planet and enjoyed it. Thankfully it was a quick read. I wanted Ransom to stay on the planet but I guess the story wouldn't have continued if he had. Mere Christianity is waiting in the wings. Up next is Matt Bonleewe's House of Wolves. In the twelfth century, Henry the Lion collected the rarest relics in Christendom. And to protect his most precious acquisitions, he encoded the whereabouts in a gorgeous illuminated manuscript called The Gospels of Henry the Lion.The manuscript has been showing up and disappearing ever since. No one knows where the relic has been hidden . . . or its ultimate power. Only one man holds the key to the mystery. And if August Adams can't decode the secret in time, the world's balance of power will forever be altered. I thoroughly enjoyed Illuminated, his first book, and so glad to find he continued on with the main character. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Great photo Stacia! Halcyon, may you find relief. I'm sorry for what you're going through. From J. Frank Dobie, Rattlesnakes: -------------- I may revert to my raising and kill the next rattlesnake I meet, but I knew one mighty good man who would not kill a rattlesnake under any condition. That was the noted hunter Ben V. Lilly. One cold, damp night while he was out on the trail of a bear in the Louisiana bottoms, he took refuge in a hollow cypress log and slept snug. About daylight he crawled out and made a fire right at the hollow. He roasted an ear of dry corn, and while he was eating it an immense rattlesnake, thawed out by the fire, ponderously crawled from where Lilly had spent the night. Ben Lilly looked at him and said: "Brother, you didn't bother me last night. I went into your house and you let me be. I won't bother you now, and I promise you I won't ever bother any of your folks." --------------- Dobie has an entire book on the legendary Ben Lilly, which is in my tbr mountain. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Between reading chapters of my book group book and doing other errands, I managed to read Julia Quinn's latest historical romance The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy. I enjoyed it, but I didn't find it as compelling as some of her other books. "Sir Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride. He knows he can't be too picky, but when he sees Iris Smythe-Smith hiding behind her cello at her family's infamous musicale, he thinks he might have struck gold. She's the type of girl you don't notice until the second—or third—look, but there's something about her, something simmering under the surface, and he knows she's the one. Iris Smythe–Smith is used to being underestimated. With her pale hair and quiet, sly wit she tends to blend into the background, and she likes it that way. So when Richard Kenworthy demands an introduction, she is suspicious. He flirts, he charms, he gives every impression of a man falling in love, but she can't quite believe it's all true. When his proposal of marriage turns into a compromising position that forces the issue, she can't help thinking that he's hiding something . . . even as her heart tells her to say yes." Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Between reading chapters of my book group book and doing other errands, I managed to read Julia Quinn's latest historical romance The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy. I enjoyed it, but I didn't find it as compelling as some of her other books. "Sir Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride. He knows he can't be too picky, but when he sees Iris Smythe-Smith hiding behind her cello at her family's infamous musicale, he thinks he might have struck gold. She's the type of girl you don't notice until the second—or third—look, but there's something about her, something simmering under the surface, and he knows she's the one. Iris Smythe–Smith is used to being underestimated. With her pale hair and quiet, sly wit she tends to blend into the background, and she likes it that way. So when Richard Kenworthy demands an introduction, she is suspicious. He flirts, he charms, he gives every impression of a man falling in love, but she can't quite believe it's all true. When his proposal of marriage turns into a compromising position that forces the issue, she can't help thinking that he's hiding something . . . even as her heart tells her to say yes." Regards, Kareni I totally agree. It wasn't as compelling as most of her other books. It was enjoyable by virtue of association with the Smith/Smythes. As I remember the second half of the book was a bit boring. Stacia, I love your picture. I hope you have a lovely anniversary week. I love azaleas so I think you picked the perfect week to be married in, especially outdoors. VC, When I read about your dd saving the rat snake I had to laugh. I don't think my creature saving daughter could deal with a snake no matter how much she wanted to. Lizards and spiders, no problem, but snakes....ick! Brave girl! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 1920s lady detective Phryne Fisher storms the Melbourne social scene with moxie while on the trail of a suspected poisoning, a back-alley abortionist, & the head of the cocaine trade. It also has some fabulous fashion (what else could be expected in the 1920s?) & forward feminist tones too boot. The pace was lively enough, the characters interesting enough, & the overall story entertaining enough; nothing super memorable but a reasonable, fluffy read that hit the spot. What places in Melbourne did it mention? !! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 To quote Tintin, "Great snakes!" Rat snakes don't bother me at all; in fact, I would much rather have them around then rodents. But copperheads are another kettle of fish. Ugh. Several years ago on a cool spring day when I was raking some leaf litter around the gutter downspouts (without gloves, mind you!) I encountered a copperhead curled up under the plastic plate that disperses the water from the spout. Fortunately it was cool and he wasn't moving much. Ever since that day though, I wear gloves when doing yardwork--not that gloves would offer protection from those venomous fangs, but they make me feel better. Wide berth given to copperheads and cottonmouths in these parts! Lizards have free rein of my garage, deck, etc. though. In fact, I believe that the lizards view this property as theirs and that we humans are an inconvenience. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 What places in Melbourne did it mention? !! I don't really remember many specific names, but there was a women's hospital (named after Queen Victoria), Upper Lon (Lonsdale Street) -- including some Turkish baths/spa there, admin/gov't buildings, & the Hotel Windsor (where Phryne) stayed. The book did mention quite a few specifics as to locations. Btw, I read that Phryne is pronounced fry-knee (rhymes with briny), which was interesting to me as I had never heard the name Phryne. Is that a common 1920s name, a common Australian name, ...??? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Btw, I read that Phryne is pronounced fry-knee (rhymes with briny), which was interesting to me as I had never heard the name Phryne. Is that a common 1920s name, I'm not that old, Love! a common Australian name, ...??? Absolutely not. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Testing my new Bluetooth keyboard for my tablet. Huzzah! It seems to be working. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 About the name Phryne... which I should have remembered as there is a bit in the book about why she was named Phryne! Also, today's Google doodle is cute -- in honor of the 155th anniversary of the Pony Express. Quite a few years ago, I read a book I got at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum: Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express. Some of you fans of non-fiction might enjoy it. "Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows, not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages--$25 per week." Thus ran a notice in several western newspapers in 1860. Or maybe not. This is just one of many unproved "facts" about the Central Overland California & Pike's Peak Express Company, better known as the Pony Express. The Pony's day was short, a mere 18 months, from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861 (just two days after the completion of the first coast-to-coast telegraph line). The company was a financial disaster for its owners. The total amount of mail carried was insignificant. Ah, but the "twisted truth and lasting legend," now that is something a good writer can throw in his saddlebag and ride with. And Corbett does exactly that in this fine analysis of the famed riders of the Wild West. He does an excellent job of finding bits of truth hidden behind layers of myth. For example, Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok were not Pony Express heroes, despite numerous dime novels and Hollywood westerns to the contrary. On the other hand, true heroes were lost among the lore. The feats of Robert Haslam and William F. Fisher were impressive by any standard. This book tells two main stories: what happened (so far as is known) and how the legend grew (about which much is known). A good selection for Old West aficionados, especially those who relish the challenge of separating fact from fiction. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Patricia Briggs' Moon Called was fun too. I'll definitely read the Mercy Thompson ones along with the Alpha and Omega series now. My husband was teasing me about the half naked woman on the cover of the book though. :p Starting Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity's Good Deed. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 The latest book in the Portland Storm series, Dropping Gloves, came out today, and since I was stuck on a buss for 6 hours I finished it. It was good. I loved that Katie and Babs got their own story. I need to digest it some more 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I bailed on The Sphinx of the Ice Realm. I just couldn't take the tone of the translation. This is too bad, because Verne has traditionally been translated so badly, I was looking forward to reading a complete translation. And I sympathize with this translator, he is trying to catch the tone and flavor of Verne's French. But the English translation is too modern and jargony. It just clashes in my ears. Especially after reading Pym. I wish there was an accurate translation that didn't sound so modern. I think I'll read Wells The First Men on the Moon instead - similar theme, exploration - and Lewis's main influence for OotSP. I also started That Hideous Strength. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Just finished Out of the Silent Planet. I really disliked the first third of this book, but the remainder was ok. Overall, I would say that I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi (not just this particular book, but any sci-fi). I feel that C.S. Lewis is too wordy in parts, too pedantic in others. At times, it has an almost Tolkien-ish style (probably the epic world-building & the style of detailed descriptions of a different 'world', as well as linguistic info). I later read this on Wikipedia, According to biographer A. N. Wilson, Lewis wrote the novel after a conversation with J.R.R. Tolkien in which both men lamented the state of contemporary fiction. They agreed that Lewis would write a space-travel story, and Tolkien would write a time-travel one. Tolkien's story only exists as a fragment, published in The Lost Road and other writings (1987) edited by his son Christopher. So, perhaps Lewis & Tolkien influenced each other & that is why I see quite a few stylistic similarities between their books. (I think Tolkien's works are ok, but I'm not a huge fan like many are. I guess that also sums up my feelings on Lewis.)I can appreciate Lewis' imagination in creating some of the world & was pleasantly surprised by the 'niceness' of parts of the story (not the first third). His writing style is too wordy for me & parts of the story are too plainly predictable. Lewis comes across as pompous & must hold his general reader as a lesser intellect than himself -- an attitude that does not endear him to me. If he lost the pomposity & had a better editor in the first place, I think I might like his work better. ;) Overall? Meh. I don't plan to read the sequels.If you're looking for a classic sci-fi book, I'd suggest reaching for H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Oh I also saw a beautiful cover today that made me want to buy a book I hate http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/editions/for-whom-the-bell-tolls/9780099289821(I LOVE and ADORE the Vintage Imprint). I did end up buying A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft (even though I own an ebook version of it) because this edition was beautiful Yes I buy books I already own because the edition is beautiful 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I bailed on The Sphinx of the Ice Realm. I just couldn't take the tone of the translation. This is too bad, because Verne has traditionally been translated so badly, I was looking forward to reading a complete translation. And I sympathize with this translator, he is trying to catch the tone and flavor of Verne's French. But the English translation is too modern and jargony. It just clashes in my ears. Especially after reading Pym. I wish there was an accurate translation that didn't sound so modern. Rose, I read a free Kindle version of Verne's book, in case you want to try a different version. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I read Lewis's Space Trilogy when I was in high school, liking it at the time. Back then I had minimal interest in Sci Fi, lesser interest in fantasy. These days I really am not drawn to either. Which is one reason I did not join you in that particular readathon. That said I was delighted to see my son go off on his latest adventure with A Canticle for Leibowitz which is one of the few Sci Fi, dystopian novels that I remember fondly. I had placed that one in his hands ages ago and it had gone on to live in his dusty stacks. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Maybe it's not fair for me to say that I don't like sci-fi. There are some books I've read that would fall into the category that I did enjoy or appreciate reading (The Sparrow; The Time Machine; Ubik; Bad Monkeys). I guess I don't care for Lewis' particular style of sci-fi. Is it epic sci-fi? (The style reminds me of the epic fantasy style, another type I'm not overly fond of....) 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 We are back home, the husband, dog and I, after a marathon 13 hour drive from one corner of California to the other. We had an excellent adventure over the previous week, winding our way up the coast highway, exploring beach towns, waving at all the happy cows, and eating far too well. We put the dog in doggie day care so we could spend the day at a museum in San Francisco! We spent the last 2 days hiking among the redwoods, even driving along a rutted old stagecoach road along the Oregon border, a route Jack London would have taken back in the day (had to fit in one literary reference!) I finally got to explore the fun shops in Eureka's downtown yesterday morning before we hit the road. I had a nice long chat with the owner of the fabric store who told me that the quaint Victorian buildings that house these wonderful shops were originally the saloons and bordellos that served all the lumbermen back in the day! We only started listening to an audio book during the last leg of our drive yesterday, an unusual history of the U.S, Simon Winchester's The Men Who United the States. In the first 1/3 of the book we listened to he talks about all the explorers, geographers and geologists who first mapped the country, picking out routes for the wagon trains and railroad tracks and canals. He makes some odd, overreaching connections from those explorers and the decisions they made to the modern US, but otherwise it is a fascinating listen. It is the kind of book I would use for high school American history. I wanted to make a few Dante recommendations. I have and really like the Penguin Classics edition, The Portable Dante, edited by Mark Musa. It is very readable. Pru Shaw's Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity, is a really useful introduction to the work for the general reader. One final plug for a brand new book which I haven't yet read but will probably pick up today, How Dante Can Save Your Life by Rod Dreher. It is a very personal book about how studying Dante brought him out of a deep personal crisis, and how passionate he has become in championing the work to any and everyone. The book got its genesis last year in a series of blog posts he did when he hosted a Lenten reading of the Purgatorio, which inspired me to tackle Dante. Even though Dreher is a very devout Eastern Orthodox Christian, his intention is that his book is for anybody, religious or secular. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 My son and I had an interesting conversation recently about world building. One of the things that he enjoys fantasy/sci fi novels are interesting worlds. He gave the example of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan and its sequels, young adult "steam punk" novels set in a world that has had an alternative WWI. The stories themselves fall a bit flat but the world Westerfeld creates is fascinating. I wonder if that is part of draw for some readers to Sci Fi/Fantasy, especially of the epic variety. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I wanted to make a few Dante recommendations. I have and really like the Penguin Classics edition, The Portable Dante, edited by Mark Musa. It is very readable. Pru Shaw's Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity, is a really useful introduction to the work for the general reader. One final plug for a brand new book which I haven't yet read but will probably pick up today, How Dante Can Save Your Life by Rod Dreher. It is a very personal book about how studying Dante brought him out of a deep personal crisis, and how passionate he has become in championing the work to any and everyone. The book got its genesis last year in a series of blog posts he did when he hosted a Lenten reading of the Purgatorio, which inspired me to tackle Dante. Even though Dreher is a very devout Eastern Orthodox Christian, his intention is that his book is for anybody, religious or secular. Your vacation sounds wonderful. Which museum in SF? Thanks for the Dante recommendations! I'll look into them. I feel so cynical because whenever I read that someone had a spiritual awakening from reading a book, I wonder if their reading was interrupted by a 6 year old yelling, "Mama, hurry! There's water all over the floor!" or a 10 year old shouting, "Cool, there are wasps living in the garage!" Sigh.... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 My son and I had an interesting conversation recently about world building. One of the things that he enjoys fantasy/sci fi novels are interesting worlds. He gave the example of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan and its sequels, young adult "steam punk" novels set in a world that has had an alternative WWI. The stories themselves fall a bit flat but the world Westerfeld creates is fascinating. I wonder if that is part of draw for some readers to Sci Fi/Fantasy, especially of the epic variety. Absolutely. Entire Comic-con panels are devoted to the topic! What I especially love is an author whose stories pull you into another world without you "seeing" the world building being done, without clunky exposition devices or long paragraphs where some young, usually female, character muses in detail about current politics. Or some long sequence where entire magic systems are explained. I like an author who first and foremost has a story to tell, and trusts the reader to figure out the world and the technology or magic system. Brandon Sanderson is an example of an author who effortlessly inserts readers into interesting, complex and very clever worlds, who usually has a good story to tell but doesn't always succeed in telling it. Sometimes his writing can be a little cringe-worthy -- his love stories for instance, but still I willingly pick up his tomes. The Master and Commander series is a brilliant example of world building -- it isn't sci fi, but it is a world totally alien to us and you just figure it out and get comfortable in it as you read. I think Hyperion remains one of my all time favorite sci fi books because it has it all -- great writing, compelling characters and a good story that takes place in a believable universe. And it has the best ending of any book I've ever read. I wrote about it here a few years ago when I read it -- it is, sort of, a Canterbury Tales in space. Not that you were looking for examples, Jane. ;) 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Your vacation sounds wonderful. Which museum in SF? Thanks for the Dante recommendations! I'll look into them. I feel so cynical because whenever I read that someone had a spiritual awakening from reading a book, I wonder if their reading was interrupted by a 6 year old yelling, "Mama, hurry! There's water all over the floor!" or a 10 year old shouting, "Cool, there are wasps living in the garage!" Sigh.... We went to the DeYoung museum primarily to see the exhibit "Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland", but stayed to enjoy lunch there and go through the rest of the exhibits as well. Driving in San Francisco, well, being the navigator for the driver, was harrowing!! I always forget how tightly packed everything is in that city!! And people don't let you over if you are in the wrong lane... The author of the Dante book is a homeschool dad, though not the primary homeschooling parent. When he was first reading and blogging about Dante he was sharing it with his daughter who would draw a picture, several of which he posted on his blog. But I agree that deep reading, much less reflective thinking, often is impossible with children of all ages around the house and underfoot. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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