Angel Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Happy Belated Birthday, Stacia! :party: With the oppressive heat and who knows what swimming in the water, I think my best strategy for coping is to hunker down with chunksters. I laughed out loud at this and had to share with dd's! :lol: My dh has been reading the Master and Commander series for a couple of years now. He is more of a doer than a sit-and-read kind of guy, but he has really enjoyed this series and I like that the girls have seen him reading more, since he's started this series. It's good for that to be on their unconscious list of things good men do, IMHO. :lol: and :iagree: I'm starting to wonder if it's a good idea to have kids read the classics. Seriously - I read a fair number of them in my tweens, teens, and twenties, but I swear each one I revisit now has so much more going on than I even had the slightest clue of at the time. And they are so connected, which I mostly went over my head at the time, too. I feel like I'm just starting to be equipped to eavesdrop in the Great Conversation. I mean, I guess you have to read them at some point to start having something to make connections with, right? I guess the key is to never, ever let a kid think that they are reading these books to check them off, like they will somehow be "done" with them. Ever. But so much is wasted on the young . . . Dh and I were talking along the same lines yesterday about how we can teach our kids history but how the implications of history can go over their heads until they have more experience and maturity. And I agree with never letting a kid think that they have "checked off" a classic. I told one of Aly's friends last month to wait on Pride and Prejudice if she thought she may never come back to it. Would she enjoy it at 13? Yes. However, waiting just a few more years will give her a better appreciation and possibly love for it. There is a lot to be said for waiting for a bit to come to a book with more maturity. Hello all! I want to check in and say hello after my trip. We're back. Mostly well. I'm kinda caught up on emails I missed. My physical inbox is still overflowing but I'll get to it eventually. Should I add my dozen pictures and update here or start another thread? I'd prefer to do it here among friends but I don't want to clog up the BAW thread. Welcome home! I so enjoyed the pictures!!! And the sweet story of Chews on Books ;) I am also in awe of the fact that you did it all with a backpack each :eek: I lugged half of my closet on my 9 day trip to Florida :rolleyes: Ok, I'll read the Radcliffe of your choice if you'll read The Grand Sophy. You will just need a few free hours, I will require reading glasses and a looooong stretch of free time . . . . Definitely read The Grand Sophy!!!! It's such a wonderful, and hilarious, story! I didn't pick up my laptop for the whole 9 days of vacation with dh's family in Florida. Nor did I pick up either of the two books I brought along. The rental house had three stacks of books for the renters to read, and one of them happened to be The Historian. I never got around to reading it when I had it out of the library. I didn't have as much time to read as I had hoped but I am enjoying it, though I wish the author had put dates/places when she switched between stories. Because I am reading it kind of choppily, I keep getting lost. Skye read 4 books on vacation, and Aly read 3 but they had all the time to read in the car and I can't. :glare: 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I didn't pick up my laptop for the whole 9 days of vacation with dh's family in Florida. Nor did I pick up either of the two books I brought along. The rental house had three stacks of books for the renters to read, and one of them happened to be The Historian. I never got around to reading it when I had it out of the library. I didn't have as much time to read as I had hoped but I am enjoying it, though I wish the author had put dates/places when she switched between stories. Because I am reading it kind of choppily, I keep getting lost. Skye read 4 books on vacation, and Aly read 3 but they had all the time to read in the car and I can't. :glare: I love The Historian. I think it might start coming together if you get a chance to just sit and read for a couple of hours. Have you read Bram Stoker's Dracula recently? That makes it an interesting read also but not required. I read it alone the first time and loved it......contacted BF to tell her she needed to read it, oddly she had just finished it also. This wa before our Goodreads connection. Second time I combined it with Dracula. I will probably read it again...... Reading in the car.....have you tried reading on an original Kindle Reader? I love to read in the car and have normally been able to in the front seat. When we moved to England I started getting carsick when reading if we weren't on the motorway. For a couple of years I took knitting everywhere for the smaller roads. Then I discovered I can normally read my kindle on most roads. I still need the front seat but being able to read again is great. Fyi, the smaller roads here are designed with a bit more of a camber so the water runs off apparently. An engineer friend told me this is why I get carsick here more. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I just finished speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Wow. That was a powerful and important book. I really want to share it with my dd12, and talk about it with her, but I'm kind of afraid it will freak her out. Maybe it's too soon. Ach, tough call. She's at a tough age to judge, 12 1/2 going on 16, so mature in some ways but fairly sheltered, by virtue of the fact that she doesn't have to deal with the tween rat-race on a daily basis. She loved The Outsiders, that's probably the most mature-themed book that she has read, but this is different, I think, in that the violence is of a type she would find more upsetting, since she would relate to the heroine more. How do you guys decide when your kid is ready for a book that you feel is powerful and important, but you know they will find disturbing? Picking books for that age (12 going on 16) was really hard especially since my kids simply didn't have the life experiences I had at that age. Many of my friends at that age were very troubled, coupled with the fact that my best friend at the time had a psychiatrist for a dad. He felt that explaining things like teen suicide etc. to both of us, while being the parent chauffeur was appropriate. That probably had to do with the fact that he knew some of our friends professionally and couldn't say, but felt the need to explain. My junior and senior high years were filled with troubled friends that I was constantly trying rather unsuccessfully to rescue. My middle school BF (the daughter) ended up getting married while still in high school....my need to shelter my dc's stems from my experiences. Life as a homeschooler can be pretty sheltered and I am very grateful for that. It is my gift to the dc's... Now for books. Sometimes I just judge things as not ready for, especially if the greater friend pool was unlikely to bring the issue into their lives. The books get set aside for later and seem to return when needed. But for things they "need" to know more about (experience through books), we have a discussion before the book. I do spoilers. Especially for dd. I find the spoilers help her. Not necessarily exactly what happens but a broad this book deals with drug abuse.....sort of a pre lecture where what happens is mentioned as part of a broader discussion. I give the spoiler than she decides rather to read it or not. Her choice, almost always reads unless judges it boring. Ds frequently goes with boring.....so sometimes he gets the book, discussion after. lol Sorry, I rambled. Not sure if this helps at all but will post it. Normally I would just delete it now. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Rose I think I would wait. One of my students (16 almost 17) read it and she really enjoyed it and wrote a quite good review of it, but from reading her review and others I would wait until your daughter is 14 or 15. Today I am reading the latest Susan Mallery Fool's Gold book in the sun on the balcony. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Thanks, guys. I broached the subject with Shannon - kind of a pre-view without too many spoilers - and she looked like a deer in the headlights. Clearly, it's too soon! :lol: Mumto2, I know what you mean about spoilers - I found that the only thing that got me through the Game of Thrones series was knowing what bad stuff was going to happen! Too shocking otherwise. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I didn't pick up my laptop for the whole 9 days of vacation with dh's family in Florida. Nor did I pick up either of the two books I brought along. The rental house had three stacks of books for the renters to read, and one of them happened to be The Historian. I never got around to reading it when I had it out of the library. I didn't have as much time to read as I had hoped but I am enjoying it, though I wish the author had put dates/places when she switched between stories. Because I am reading it kind of choppily, I keep getting lost. Skye read 4 books on vacation, and Aly read 3 but they had all the time to read in the car and I can't. :glare: Hmm....do you think it's a bad idea to get The Historian on Audible? When I'm listening to audiobooks I'm usually on the treadmill, doing dishes, driving, etc. so it's tricky to try to go back and reread to clear confusions. Would a print version be better? I was going to get the audio book, but now I'm second guessing the idea... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I was reading How to Read Lit. lLike a Professor on the sofa last night while the boys were watching Batman Begins. I had a lot of fun hearing them gasp when I read short passages from the book during the movie. I read about rain, mists, rivers, and a couple ofther things. The passages were so appropriate that they began giving me dirty looks, so I stopped. 😃 Still, we've been having a lot of fun talking about Knights, quests, princesses, etc. I asked my 16yo what happens at the end of a quest and he replied "Illumination" in his best Sean Connery imitation. So I guess his reading has provided some insights that I haven't. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Thanks, guys. I broached the subject with Shannon - kind of a pre-view without too many spoilers - and she looked like a deer in the headlights. Clearly, it's too soon! :lol: Mumto2, I know what you mean about spoilers - I found that the only thing that got me through the Game of Thrones series was knowing what bad stuff was going to happen! Too shocking otherwise. This may be way off base, so feel to ignore if it doesn't apply to your situation. :) Handing you the salt shaker, I'll proceed.... I would evaluate what situations you dd is in. She's not part of the high school teen scene in a brick-and-mortar school. What about elsewhere? What will change in the next couple years? Will she hear about the topics elsewhere? Where? From a friend's personal experience? On the news? From you? I wrestle with the concept of protection vs ending innocence. Sometimes ending innocence in the literature realm can help protect it in other realms.... As always, everything depends on the child and what situations the child is in. If she is spending time with older teens, there's a chance she may hear about these topics elsewhere. Literature can sometimes serve as inoculation... Just a thought... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I'm another one who loves The Historian. Great book. Not sure how well it would work on audio because it's pretty long & sometimes complex. (I'm not an audiobook person, so I don't know how much of a consideration those points would be.) I think besides Dracula, The Historian is my favorite vampire book. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Fans of Elena Ferrante (her Neapolitan series is published by Europa Editions) might enjoy this article: Italian author Elena Ferrante stays in shadows despite prize nomination 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I'm another one who loves The Historian. Great book. Not sure how well it would work on audio because it's pretty long & sometimes complex. (I'm not an audiobook person, so I don't know how much of a consideration those points would be.) I think besides Dracula, The Historian is my favorite vampire book. Long and complex and audio probably shouldn't be used in the same sentence....at least not for me. ;) I flip back way too much... Should I wait for fall or winter? Is summer a bad time? What is the seasonal setting of the book? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I don't usually like vampire stories but I liked Historian very much. The library and history angles contributed to my enjoyment. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 This may be way off base, so feel to ignore if it doesn't apply to your situation. :) Handing you the salt shaker, I'll proceed.... I would evaluate what situations you dd is in. She's not part of the high school teen scene in a brick-and-mortar school. What about elsewhere? What will change in the next couple years? Will she hear about the topics elsewhere? Where? From a friend's personal experience? On the news? From you? I wrestle with the concept of protection vs ending innocence. Sometimes ending innocence in the literature realm can help protect it in other realms.... As always, everything depends on the child and what situations the child is in. If she is spending time with older teens, there's a chance she may hear about these topics elsewhere. Literature can sometimes serve as inoculation... Just a thought... Well, and this is exactly what brings it to my mind. My dd developed a crush, which seems to be mutual, on a boy from her theater group who just turned 17. :eek: They aren't dating, and they haven't even seen each other since the play ended, they communicate online. She and I have talked about why I wouldn't be ok with her dating someone that much older - though he'd be welcome to hang out with the family - and she gets it, to some extent - but not really, I feel like. So while she isn't currently in a situation where she hangs out with older teens a whole lot, it is increasingly plausible that she will do so more in the future, via theater, horseback riding camp (all girls, but all older than her), etc. We've talked about a lot of things, but I don't think they are very real to her at this point, and that's what I think a good story can do, sometimes - make something seem more real, more immediate, than just a safe conversation with your mom. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Long and complex and audio probably shouldn't be used in the same sentence....at least not for me. ;) I flip back way too much... Should I wait for fall or winter? Is summer a bad time? What is the seasonal setting of the book? I loved The Historian too. I probably wouldn't have liked it on audio as much, it's definitely flip-back-worthy. I also think of it and Dracula as winter books - the snowy Transylvanian mountains, the wolves chasing the sledge across the snow . . . I'm waiting till fall/winter to read a bunch of the Dracula knock-offs that Stacia recommended a few months ago. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I was just looking into The Historian on Audible, and I think it might be a good choice for fans of audio books. There are 2 narrators who both get glowing reviews for their various accents and bringing the story to life. I sometimes have a print edition on hand when listening to a long audio book so I can flip back if needed, or, if I get caught up in reading the print version, I can continue it while driving (or quilting or cleaning). I just did this with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, and I now think I will do the same with The Historian this fall. Rose -- I had a theater kid, too, who hung out with older teens, so yeah, I get the struggle with how best to broach all the potential land mines ahead of your dd in the teen years. But I can't help with book selections for you. My literal kids were "just the facts" kind of guys who would never read a book such as Speak, and even if they did, they'd hate it and would shut down a conversation about it with a withering "mom, it's a book. It's fiction. Teens aren't like that in real life." 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Personally, I like vampire books in the fall (for spooky reading). On a different note, a couple of articles/lists that may be interesting (from Flavorwire): Margaret Atwood Is Contributing a Comic Strip to ‘The Secret Loves of Geek Girls’ The 15 Best Fiction Books of 2015 So Far (of course, I just went & requested a bunch of books between the two library systems I belong to; by the time the books come in, though, I'll be wondering where I heard about them & why I requested them in the first place... lol) 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The 15 Best Fiction Books of 2015 So Far (of course, I just went & requested a bunch of books between the two library systems I belong to; by the time the books come in, though, I'll be wondering where I heard about them & why I requested them in the first place... lol) I know exactly what you mean! I keep having books come in and thinking, now why did I put this on hold??? :lol: I put a bunch on hold, too - we'll have to compare notes. :) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Just finished Glimmerglass by Marly Youmans. This is a grown-up's version of a fairytale interlaced with magical realism & mystery. So, there's a mix of the fantastical, the dreamy, a muse, lost (& found) dreams, the prince, the evil character, a mystery (a murder?), secrets hidden & shared, learning, growth, & redemption. It's a pretty quick read & one that is best read in one sitting to maintain the flow & magic. Like good fairytales, the path may be gnarled, but the telling is simple & straightforward, pulling you in deeper & deeper for a decently delightful diversion on a summer's day. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Any advice on rearranging book shelves once the youngest child is past a certain stage? I want to clear out our study bookshelves to make room for high school level and beyond books, but am having trouble moving out all the middle school books we never got to... Should I leave them out elsewhere and take up precious space or pack them away? She never felt inclined to read them in middle school, will she be inclined to read them later? They are good books, but for whatever reason they didn't speak to her. Others she did read and/or are reference books, but for middle school. Surely I should just pack them away, right? Will she really use middle school books in high school? Do any of you pack away books or do you keep them all out? I'm considering packing away some of them. It feels like I'm holding her back and not letting her move on if I keep them out, but I also don't want to hurry her along... :crying: Any BTDT advice? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Any advice on rearranging book shelves once the youngest child is past a certain stage? I want to clear out our study bookshelves to make room for high school level and beyond books, but am having trouble moving out all the middle school books we never got to... Should I leave them out elsewhere and take up precious space or pack them away? She never felt inclined to read them in middle school, will she be inclined to read them later? They are good books, but for whatever reason they didn't speak to her. Others she did read and/or are reference books, but for middle school. Surely I should just pack them away, right? Will she really use middle school books in high school? Do any of you pack away books or do you keep them all out? I'm considering packing away some of them. It feels like I'm holding her back and not letting her move on if I keep them out, but I also don't want to hurry her along... :crying: Any BTDT advice? The majority are packed away. The only times I have ever had to go hunting is when a friend who needs something, and then only if I am feeling nice and know which box. We have had to retrieve foriegn language books, math (NEM) for practice exams, and some grammar (Blue Book) once again for exam practice. A few books I thought "I" really wanted to read that we never got around to stayed out for awhile but I think those went in the last shelf purge. I am sure the odd really handy reference book should stay out (easy to follow history timeline or geography for example) but other than that it is probably fine to put it all away. imo. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The majority are packed away. The only times I have ever had to go hunting is when a friend who needs something, and then only if I am feeling nice and know which box. We have had to retrieve foriegn language books, math (NEM) for practice exams, and some grammar (Blue Book) once again for exam practice. A few books I thought "I" really wanted to read that we never got around to stayed out for awhile but I think those went in the last shelf purge. I am sure the odd really handy reference book should stay out (easy to follow history timeline or geography for example) but other than that it is probably fine to put it all away. imo. Thanks. As I'm going through the books that's the conclusion I'm coming to. I'm going to mark the boxes clearly in case I ever need to find a book quickly. That's come in handy more than once when I needed to unearth a book from her childhood for one reason or another. How poignant this is.... There are plenty of math books, biographies of women in mathematics, etc. I can let go of the guilt that she didn't develop a passion for math... I tried; I have my proof. So many books on various topics... I wonder why some didn't prompt her to pursue the subjects further. I find books she reread over and over and carried around for weeks and months and years. I find books that gave her little bits of information that always seemed to come from nowhere. Herein lies the source. I find books she never read. Would she be different if she had? Would a spark have turned to a flame? Then I run across a couple books I bought because a curriculum book list told me to... Those. Those books. Of all the books, it was those that drew her in, that captivated her, that beckoned her to follow... They changed everything - these books I would never have thought to buy... As I go through more books, the tapestry of who she is becoming begins to weave.... Yes. It is good and right to go through the books. It's time to discard the scraps, the scraps whose colors I lovingly chose, now past their usefulness... It's time to make room for more tapestry thread. Thread of her choosing... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Any advice on rearranging book shelves once the youngest child is past a certain stage? I want to clear out our study bookshelves to make room for high school level and beyond books, but am having trouble moving out all the middle school books we never got to... Should I leave them out elsewhere and take up precious space or pack them away? She never felt inclined to read them in middle school, will she be inclined to read them later? They are good books, but for whatever reason they didn't speak to her. Others she did read and/or are reference books, but for middle school. Surely I should just pack them away, right? Will she really use middle school books in high school? Do any of you pack away books or do you keep them all out? I'm considering packing away some of them. It feels like I'm holding her back and not letting her move on if I keep them out, but I also don't want to hurry her along... :crying: Any BTDT advice? For novels (either 'assigned' or 'for fun' reading), my two dc are quite different -- oldest (dd) loves to save practically every book she's ever had while youngest (ds) hangs onto just his absolute favorites. So, as my younger one has aged & we've gone through the shelves, I ask him if he's interested in saving it or not. Usually, his answer is no. (If it didn't appeal to him initially, it probably won't later either, at least in his case.) With what is leftover, I go ask my oldest if any are ones she wants to save. If she wants to keep them, she does. If not, at that point, I steel my heart & donate the books. There have been a few exceptions where I've overridden them on books (where I know it will be useful or loved down the road or if it's one that *I* particularly loved, lol. For example, my kids know that I do not allow Richard Scarry books to leave our house! :lol: ) I figure that, really, the book collections both of them have will be going with them (rather than staying with me for all eternity), so it's good to have them make decisions on what to keep or not (esp. once they're past the 'age range' of the books). There's no way to read every book out there, nor will they like/enjoy/want to read every book out there. And while there are books that are required or must-reads, as they age out of categories, I tend to place the responsibility to them to figure out what they love (vs. what they read only because it was required) & I know that everyone's reading tastes are different. I guess I want their ultimate book collections to bring them the 'warm fuzzies' of the best that reading can bring out, while shedding the 'meh' or 'ugh' books. My version of 'warm fuzzies' might be very different than either of their versions & that's ok. As far as reference books, I do keep some of those if I think we will end up using them but they must be able to justify shelf &/or storage space. It kind of depends on the topic, type of reference book, if we have other/harder/higher level books that are similar (that we will be using), etc.... I'm actually looking at my homeschooling shelves, knowing I need to cull a lot since we're at the end of homeschooling. :tongue_smilie: 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Any advice on rearranging book shelves once the youngest child is past a certain stage? I want to clear out our study bookshelves to make room for high school level and beyond books, but am having trouble moving out all the middle school books we never got to... Should I leave them out elsewhere and take up precious space or pack them away? She never felt inclined to read them in middle school, will she be inclined to read them later? They are good books, but for whatever reason they didn't speak to her. Others she did read and/or are reference books, but for middle school. Surely I should just pack them away, right? Will she really use middle school books in high school? Do any of you pack away books or do you keep them all out? I'm considering packing away some of them. It feels like I'm holding her back and not letting her move on if I keep them out, but I also don't want to hurry her along... :crying: Any BTDT advice? I've compromised (with myself, lol) and put up a small shelf in a large closet we have. I only put books that I really, really hope we get to, fiction and non-fiction, and can't bear to box up. BUT, don't forget that reading aloud is still an option no matter how old they are! lol Maybe. I don't prefer to be read TO, so I can understand if that isn't her cuppa. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I've compromised (with myself, lol) and put up a small shelf in a large closet we have. I only put books that I really, really hope we get to, fiction and non-fiction, and can't bear to box up. BUT, don't forget that reading aloud is still an option no matter how old they are! lol Maybe. I don't prefer to be read TO, so I can understand if that isn't her cuppa. We're still reading aloud, with no plans to stop. Although, not nearly as much as we used to... I treasure those moments! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Good Lord, Woodland Mist. I only have babies (my oldest is 7.5) but your post about packing away Middle School books and the reading choices she made that are weaving her into the person she's becoming? I can't haaaaandle this. :crying: 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Speaking of read-alouds with bigger kids . . . we finished Over Sea Under Stone today and Shannon announed, "That's the kind of book I like!!" Could she have read it on her own? Of course! But was it so fun to read it together? You betcha! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The only books I have "boxed" up are the few board books that I couldn't part with. They're in a plastic tote on the top shelf of the girls' closet and will be pulled out for grandkids. All other books are on bookshelves somewhere, and I hope to be able to continue storing them this way. I'm keeping favorites from every age, but trying to weed out some school reading as we age out of it. We have a bookcase that my middle dd dubbed "paradise" full of kid lit. It's overflowing. I think I'm going to go through it and remove books that were never read and donate them to the library book sale. Most of them came from there--anytime I saw a book that I had heard was good, I would buy it ($.50-$1 each). Maybe I'll post a list of the titles we're purging and you all can tell me "NOOO!" if any are too good to miss! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Jenn, Yesterday you started me on a search for Ann Cleeves and her Shetland Trilogy. Thought a I found the first one at my most inconvenient library which I was already going to today. Something went wrong and the book on the shelf wasn't Raven Black but the third one. So tonight I checked the local library just to cover all my bases and it is now there. Not just there but at my branch on the shelf according to the computer. Not sure what happened because it wasn't there last winter. I will stop by and pick it up soon...plan to be away during the open hours tomorrow. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I love The Historian. I think it might start coming together if you get a chance to just sit and read for a couple of hours. Have you read Bram Stoker's Dracula recently? That makes it an interesting read also but not required. I read it alone the first time and loved it......contacted BF to tell her she needed to read it, oddly she had just finished it also. This wa before our Goodreads connection. Second time I combined it with Dracula. I will probably read it again...... Reading in the car.....have you tried reading on an original Kindle Reader? I love to read in the car and have normally been able to in the front seat. When we moved to England I started getting carsick when reading if we weren't on the motorway. For a couple of years I took knitting everywhere for the smaller roads. Then I discovered I can normally read my kindle on most roads. I still need the front seat but being able to read again is great. Fyi, the smaller roads here are designed with a bit more of a camber so the water runs off apparently. An engineer friend told me this is why I get carsick here more. I am really enjoying it. Already I would like to read it again with not as many interruptions. I read Dracula a few years ago. I haven't tried reading the Kindle in the car (Aly has a paperwhite) but that is a good idea. I can sometimes look at my phone and text. I hate getting motion sickness. It's very frustrating. Hmm....do you think it's a bad idea to get The Historian on Audible? When I'm listening to audiobooks I'm usually on the treadmill, doing dishes, driving, etc. so it's tricky to try to go back and reread to clear confusions. Would a print version be better? I was going to get the audio book, but now I'm second guessing the idea... I'm another one who loves The Historian. Great book. Not sure how well it would work on audio because it's pretty long & sometimes complex. (I'm not an audiobook person, so I don't know how much of a consideration those points would be.) I think besides Dracula, The Historian is my favorite vampire book. Long and complex and audio probably shouldn't be used in the same sentence....at least not for me. ;) I flip back way too much... Should I wait for fall or winter? Is summer a bad time? What is the seasonal setting of the book? I am not auditory so audio books take real concentration for me. There is no way I would be able to do The Historian as an audio book. Too many shifts. As far as the season, for me there isn't one, unless you want to save it for your Spooky read in October. The book takes you all over Europe so there is a multitude of seasons. Any advice on rearranging book shelves once the youngest child is past a certain stage? I want to clear out our study bookshelves to make room for high school level and beyond books, but am having trouble moving out all the middle school books we never got to... Should I leave them out elsewhere and take up precious space or pack them away? She never felt inclined to read them in middle school, will she be inclined to read them later? They are good books, but for whatever reason they didn't speak to her. Others she did read and/or are reference books, but for middle school. Surely I should just pack them away, right? Will she really use middle school books in high school? Do any of you pack away books or do you keep them all out? I'm considering packing away some of them. It feels like I'm holding her back and not letting her move on if I keep them out, but I also don't want to hurry her along... :crying: Any BTDT advice? One of the wonderful things I have enjoyed about homeschooling is not having to fit inside the "grade" box. Just because it is a middle school book doesn't mean it wouldn't have any value in high school. Sometimes a "younger" book may get across a point that an "older' one would not be able to. I always keep that in mind when I am going through books. Also, I find that my older dd will come back to some of those middle school books that she ignored at the time. A little maturity makes for a broader reading scope and younger books take on a different appeal, usually finding that she may have missed some treasured children's classic. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Speaking of children and books, the 7.5 year old I mentioned hit a book milestone today. She gasped and then wept over a character dying. That's my girl. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I just finished #23 - Code Name Verity. Loved it. And I usually cannot stand YA fiction. But wow, I really liked this. I want to go back and re-read it again. Has anyone read the second book? Is it any good? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I just finished #23 - Code Name Verity. Loved it. And I usually cannot stand YA fiction. But wow, I really liked this. I want to go back and re-read it again. Has anyone read the second book? Is it any good? Eliana made this comment about the two books last year: This book blew me away. Rose Under Fire is also amazing, but not quite as transcendently so - but it does absolutely gorgeous things with poetry... Others have also read it: My daughter and I finished Elizabeth Wein's Rose Under Fire, which carries on with some of the characters of Code Name Verity. Like CNV, it is very well written. However, it goes into far greater detail than CNV about the camps, and particularly the medical "experiments." It's historically and morally important that people understand what happened; and I would recommend the book for adults; however had I known how detailed it was going to go, I would not have embarked upon it with a youngster. I loved it and would also highly recommend Rose Under Fire, the companion book. It’s more straight-forward of a story. It’s also very sad but beautifully written with great characters. Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I finished a re-read of a historical romance this afternoon. The story line of this book is definitely out of the ordinary, and it has some memorable scenes. If you read it, give it at least fifty pages as the story is complex and it takes a while to get calibrated. Delicious by Sherry Thomas "Famous in Paris, infamous in London, Verity Durant is as well-known for her mouthwatering cuisine as for her scandalous love life. But that’s the least of the surprises awaiting her new employer when he arrives at the estate of Fairleigh Park following the unexpected death of his brother.To rising political star Stuart Somerset, Verity Durant is just a name and food is just food, until her first dish touches his lips. Only one other time had he felt such pure arousal–a dangerous night of passion with a stranger, who disappeared at dawn. Ten years is a long time to wait for the main course, but when Verity Durant arrives at his table, there’s only one thing that will satisfy Stuart’s appetite for more. But is his hunger for lust, revenge–or that rarest of delicacies, love? For Verity’s past has a secret that could devour them both even as they reach for the most delicious fruit of all.…" There is almost an element of magical realism when it comes to the food that the heroine cooks. And the bath tub scene is ... memorable. (Adult content.) Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I haven't checked in yet this week so I have to drag a few comments from last week forward and reply to them here. Well Violet Crown, we shall have to call you Madame Librarian." She advocates dirty books, like Chaucer, Rabelais, and Baaaalzac. ..... Omar Kay..I....I...I..am appalled!"But we solemnly swear to read them with two hands. This is funny on so many levels. LOL. No . . . :leaving: Where should I start? ETA: The funny thing is, many of Georgette Heyer's Regency heroines read novels by Mrs. Radcliffe. But at the time I was reading them, I didn't realize she was a real person. The Grand Sophy. Ok, I'll read the Radcliffe of your choice if you'll read The Grand Sophy. You will just need a few free hours, I will require reading glasses and a looooong stretch of free time . . . . Two votes for Sophy. That means you have to read it! And then follow up with Cotillion. You'll be the newest GH fan. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 So I haven't been reading much lately. Mostly cookbooks. I have an audiobook going but haven't listened in a few days. I did finish Rebecca on my trip. That was awesome. I thought the first half was a little slow and then it just took off and I couldn't put it down. I can't believe I hadn't read it earlier. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 The Grand Sophy. Two votes for Sophy. That means you have to read it! And then follow up with Cotillion. You'll be the newest GH fan. I did finish Rebecca on my trip. That was awesome. I thought the first half was a little slow and then it just took off and I couldn't put it down. I can't believe I hadn't read it earlier. You loved Rebecca :wub: , so I'll trust your judgement in regards to Sophy. ;) It's on the list and moving up fast! :gnorsi: 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 From Buzzfeed... 5 Great Books To Read In July I just requested the Danielewski one.... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 From Buzzfeed... 5 Great Books To Read In July I just requested the Danielewski one.... I already had the numbers one from yesterday's list! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 From Buzzfeed... 5 Great Books To Read In July I just requested the Danielewski one.... Some of those look intriguing. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 My neighborhood Wee Free Library had a copy of Anita Lobel's memoir No Pretty Pictures which a board search reveals moved Ali a few years ago. I actually left this book in the library box when I last checked it on Sunday. Today I saw that it was waiting patiently for me so I brought the book home. Lobel was a child who fled from the Nazis and was later captured by them. This is the story of her childhood--and her recovery from it. I don't think I will be reading this book immediately but I suspect that it is another destined for the mailboxes of other BaWers eventually. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 So, I've started a book that I have no idea where I heard about it or why I requested it. :lol: I *think* I might have seen it on the Words without Borders website. It is Leeches by David Albahari. It's stream-of-consciousness (sort-of) & the entire thing (300+ pages) is one long paragraph. No chapter breaks, no paragraph breaks. For a bookmark, I'm actually using one of those narrow post-it notes for marking the line I last read. The NPR review: 'Leeches': A Tale Of The Balkans, Breathlessly Told Book description: The place is Serbia, the time is the late 1990s. Our protagonist, a single man, writes a regular op-ed column for a Belgrade newspaper and spends the rest of his time with his best friend, smoking pot and talking about sex, politics, and life in general. One day on the shore of the Danube he spots a man slapping a beautiful woman. Intrigued, he follows the woman into the tangled streets of the city until he loses sight of her. A few days later he receives a mysterious manuscript whose contents seem to mutate each time he opens it. To decipher the manuscript—a collection of fragments on the Kabbalah and the history of the Jews of Zemun and Belgrade—he contacts an old schoolmate, now an eccentric mathematician, and a group of men from the Jewish community. As the narrator delves deeper into arcane topics, he begins to see signs of anti-Semitism, past and present, throughout the city and he feels impelled to denounce it. But his increasingly passionate columns erupt in a scandal culminating in murder. Following in the footsteps of Foucault’s Pendulum, Leeches is a cerebral adventure into the underground worlds of secret societies and conspiracy theories. and the closing paragraph of the Words without Borders review: "The book is, ultimately, both compelling and original, a postmodern meditation on souls living and dead, the interwoven nature of relationships of both hate and love, war and order, religion and politics. The Kabbalistic elements of the book serve as a trope for the chaos bred by hatred, and ignited by limited economic opportunities, fomenting an environment of xenophobia and bigotry. Its translation is smooth, and lets this ambitious, pulsating book run its course without stumbles. Despite its sometimes confounding concatenation of detail, Leeches is a grand contemplation of the novel’s role in a society that is equally confusing. In the book, Albahari himself explains both the chaos and the order of the book: “No one can convince me that real life is as orderly as a novel, and that in real life everything is tidy and purposeful, that people appear precisely when their arrival fits into the plot, not a moment too soon or a moment too late, and that all else leads to a climax and a resolution, after which, there is nothing left unexplained." Read more: http://wordswithoutborders.org/book-review/david-albaharis-leeches#ixzz3eehRpN8C 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Last night I finished Jessica Topper's Courtship of the Cake (Much "I Do" About Nothing Book 2) which is a contemporary romance. It's the second in a series but can stand alone. While the first book in the series, Dictatorship of the Dress, focused primarily on the hero and heroine, this newer book has a main couple but also spends a significant amount of time on other characters. It's not a bad thing, just different. I enjoyed both books and would read more by this author. "From the author of Dictatorship of the Dress comes a new novel about a woman who’s vowed to never walk down the aisle—and the two men who’ll do anything to get her to say “I doâ€â€¦ “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride†has suited Danica James just fine…until the mysterious man who crashed her sister’s wedding steals her heart, leaves a slice of groom’s cake under her pillow, and then disappears. Hoping to forget her unforgettable fling, Dani takes a job as a backstage masseuse for a rock music festival, not expecting the tour’s headlining bad boy to make an offer she can’t refuse. Nash Drama needs a fiancée—and fast… Mick Spencer is the best wedding cake designer in New Hope and the town’s most eligible bachelor. But despite the bevy of bridesmaids he’s sampled, Mick can’t get the evening he spent with Dani out of his mind. So when she shows up for a cake tasting at the Night Kitchen—with his former best friend’s ring on her finger—Mick vows to charm the woman of his dreams into choosing a sweet and sinful ever after, with him…" Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 It's stream-of-consciousness (sort-of) & the entire thing (300+ pages) is one long paragraph. Aaaaaauuuuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhh!!!!! Sounds like a Faulkner nightmare. We had an English teacher in high school who was bragging that he could diagram any sentence. I gave him one from Faulkner and he wouldn't even attempt it. I've actually thought about re-reading a Faulkner to see if I like it any better now that I'm a mature adult. One of these days... 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Aaaaaauuuuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhh!!!!! Sounds like a Faulkner nightmare. We had an English teacher in high school who was bragging that he could diagram any sentence. I gave him one from Faulkner and he wouldn't even attempt it. I've actually thought about re-reading a Faulkner to see if I like it any better now that I'm a mature adult. One of these days... Can you believe I've never read Faulkner? I actually started Absalom, Absalom a few years ago, but life got too busy for me to concentrate on it. I need to revisit it because I was loving it. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 A quote I like from Leeches... History is not a novel that unfolds according to established rules. But it is also not a book, rejoined Isak Levi, that can be leafed through now from the beginning, then from the end. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I haven't had a chance to post in weeks...I need to go back when I have time and find recommendations for more books on the threads I missed. Here is what I have last read since I last posted in the BAW threads : 24. The Things I Want Most (The Extraordinary story of a boy’s journey to a family of his own) by Richard F. Miniter 25. No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War by Anita Lobel 26. Still Life by Louise Penny 27. The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi 28. The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan 29. Hope’s Boy by Andrew Bridge 30. I am a Bacha Posh by Ukmina Manoori 31. All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner 32. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny Two of the books made a strong impression on me. The Pearl that Broke its Shell took me to a world in Afghanistan that I knew nothing about, and when I say it took me to that world, I mean that after spending an afternoon immersed in the book I had a culture shock returning to my own life. I really expected to see the landscape and people of Afghanistan outside my door, lol. The second book that made a strong impression was All Fall Down. I could see how a person could become addicted to a substance and justify it to themselves long after it was seriously affecting their life. The only part of the book that I felt was unrealistic was the change in her daughter towards the end...in my experience, high-intensity children don't magically outgrow it...well, ever, I don't think; and definitely not over a period of weeks or months before they reach their seventh birthday. :lol: I am about to begin the third book in the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny, and I am loving the books! Here is what I have read so far this year: 1. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand 2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3. Without a Trace by Colleen Coble 4. Tempest's Course by Lynette Sowell 5. Freefall by Kristen Heitzmann 6. In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke 7. Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers 8. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 9. A Season of Change by Lynette Sowell 10. An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor 11. The Riddle of the Labyrinth by Margalit Fox 12. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 13. Seek Me With All Your Heart by Beth Wiseman 14. Holocaust Survivor by Mike Jacobs 15. Unwind by Neal Shusterman 16. The Ditchdigger's Daughters by Yvonne S. Thornton 17. Delirium by Lauren Oliver 18. The Wonder of Your Love by Beth Wiseman 19. One Plus One by Jojo Boyes 20. The Lost Childhood by Yehuda Nir 21. The Iliad by Homer (Lombardo translation) 22. A Path Made Plain by Lynette Sowell 23. The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman 24. The Things I Want Most by Richard F. Miniter 25. No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War by Anita Lobel 26. Still Life by Louise Penny 27. The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi 28. The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan 29. Hope’s Boy by Andrew Bridge 30. I am a Bacha Posh by Ukmina Manoori 31. All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner 32. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Huh, I just noticed that I forgot to record a book that I finished...I have the Iliad on the list, but I don't have the Odyssey, which I finished a few weeks after the Iliad. So I guess number 33 is the Odyssey, lol. I am one of the people that much preferred the Odyssey. So much more adventurous! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Can you believe I've never read Faulkner? I actually started Absalom, Absalom a few years ago, but life got too busy for me to concentrate on it. I need to revisit it because I was loving it. Absalom, Absalom is the one I read in high school. That would probably be the one I pick up again, once I get a little time and enough courage. I think I would like his world-building if I can just get beyond the stream of consciousness and run-on sentences. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Today I finished another young adult novel ~ A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan. This was one of those stories that strains credulity, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I see that there's a sequel, too; I may give that one a try. ""A first novel that combines adventure, mystery, love, and humor." --Booklist Farrah "Digit" Higgins has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year. But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group's number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping--all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously." Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 This was an enjoyable BookRiot post. Read the comments, too, for some additional suggestions. Riot Round-Up: The Best Books We Read In June Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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