Book a Week 2015 - BW27: Jubilant July

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday Dear hearts:  We are on week 27 in our quest to read 52 books.  Welcome back to our regulars, anyone just joining in, and to all who follow our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 books blog to link to your reviews. The link is also in my signature.

 

 

52 Books blog - Jubilant July:  Welcome to Jubilant July and our theme of charming and enchanting plus our author flavor of the month - Tracy Chevalier.

What does charming and enchanting make you think of?  Southern Belles, Fairy tales, bewitching vixens, dashing alpha males, or mystical, magical tales or fantasy heroes.   We could go any route - whether it be cozy mysteries, retold fairy tales, southern gothics or historical fiction to name a few.  See what tickles your funny bone and enjoy following a few rabbit trails. 

One of which leads us to Tracy Chevalier  who is currently working on a retelling of Othello as well as organizing events and editing a short story anthology in honor to and in celebration of Charlotte Bronte's 200th birthday in 2016.  I think Chevalier is best know for her story The Girl with the Pearl Earring although she has written several novels including The Lady and the Unicorn and a story revolving around William Blake - Burning Bright.

Join me this month is reading all things charming and enchanting, plus I'll be diving into The Girl with the Pearl Earring. 

And I think Jane and VC have a Smollet readalong planned for this month.  Jane - could you list the 18th century novelists list again, please. 

********************************************************************

 

History of the Medieval World - Chapter 31 Reunification pp 223 - 230

 

***********************************************************************

 

What are you reading this week? 

 

 

 

Link to week 26

[Robin M]

I still have Swann's way on my plate but lagging because I'm just not in the mood.  Have The Girl with the Pearl Earring on my nightstand and currently reading She Can Run by Melinda Leigh (Thanks KarenI).  Still working on various non fiction writing books including Lisa Cron's Wired for Story.  

[Negin]

I read:

Yes, Your Teen is Crazy - 5 Stars - For the past few years, I’ve had a bit of an aversion to how-to books, particularly when it comes to parenting, and so on. I think that I got burned out when I overdid it a bit from the time I was pregnant and when our children were small. All I can say is that I am extremely grateful to a few of my online friends who recommended this book. My suggestion: read this book if you have a pre-teen or teen! The first few chapters are quite scary and worrisome, to say the least, but the latter part, the how-to part, is incredibly helpful and practical. I would recommend re-reading it from time to time. I know that I, for one, am the type that needs to be constantly reminded. This book will hopefully help me to regain some semblance of sanity, perspective, and understanding, during this challenging time.

 

Still Alice - 5 Stars - This book is about early onset Alzheimer’s. It is gripping right from the get-go and seems so realistic, which is obviously frightening, considering how likely it is that Alzheimer’s and dementia may affect many of us at some point.

Just the other night, as I was coming towards the end of this book, we were leaving home to go visit my parents as we do almost every evening. We saw something we’d never seen before: an elderly lady standing there in the dark, barefoot and in her pajamas. The poor woman had Alzheimer’s. We helped her back to her apartment (long story). She’d managed to open the door and wander out in the darkness while her son and daughter-in-law had gone out. It was scary to say the least. She had the all-too familiar shuffle that those suffering from Alzheimer’s have, she thought that she was nineteen, and kept saying that she has to get back home before her mother finds out that she’s out.

One sign of my reading a book that I love is how much I talk about it with my husband. This one, I couldn’t stop talking about. I put myself in Alice’s shoes and wondered how I would feel and what I would do. 

 

    

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

[Robin M]

I read:

Yes, Your Teen is Crazy - 5 Stars - For the past few years, I’ve had a bit of an aversion to how-to books, particularly when it comes to parenting, and so on. I think that I got burned out when I overdid it a bit from the time I was pregnant and when our children were small. All I can say is that I am extremely grateful to a few of my online friends who recommended this book. My suggestion: read this book if you have a pre-teen or teen! The first few chapters are quite scary and worrisome, to say the least, but the latter part, the how-to part, is incredibly helpful and practical. I would recommend re-reading it from time to time. I know that I, for one, am the type that needs to be constantly reminded. This book will hopefully help me to regain some semblance of sanity, perspective, and understanding, during this challenging time.

 

My hubby read the whole thing, loved it,  and has been demanding I read it. I made it halfway through but it got shelved for some reason.  Thanks for the reminder. 

 

[Loesje22000]

I read the cost of sugar this week:

http://www.amazon.com/Cost-Sugar-Cynthia-McLeod-ebook/dp/B006VL1IQW/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1436116513&sr=1-3

 

It is not a 'lovely' story, too many terrible parts.

It is not a book for sensitive people.

 

It is good to read about the dark pages of history, but I don't consider it a good read for dd now or nearby future...

Of to search a replacement for dd's readinglist.

[Jane in NC]

VC and I are reading Smollett this month which led us to list a number of other 18th century novelists including:

 

• Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders)
• Samuel Richardson (Pamela, Clarissa)
• Henry Fielding (Tom Jones, Jonathan Wild, Shamela, Joseph Andrews)
• Tobias Smollett (Humphrey Clinker, Roderick Random, Peregrine Pickle)
• Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels)
• Ann Radcliffe (The Mysteries of Udolpho)

Obviously this list focuses on novelists writing in English.  We could also include Voltaire or Rousseau or playwrights like Oliver Goldsmith whose work She Stoops to Conquer is one of my favorites.

[Jane in NC]

Am I the only one in this group who is carrying on with HoMW?  Progress is being made on this front.  At the moment I am ahead of Robin's schedule at chapter 50.

 

My idea of pairing HoMW with the 13th century classic The Golden Legend was a good one although this book does seem to take me on many rabbit trails. The latest concerned Pope Leo and the Council of Calcedon, an event that marked a turning point in the Christological debates.  Who knew?  From Wikipedia to backtracking in HoMW.  From today's perspective, the directive concerning the nature of Christ as man and god was the critical point to come out of the Council.  From Jacobus de Voragine's 13th century perspective, the Council's critical decree was that "virgins alone could take the veil".  Apparently Pope Leo was a reluctant participant in the Council of Caldedon but de Voragine gives him full credit for calling the conference.

 

Now many more rabbit trails open up as I consider the political and theological battles surfacing between Rome and Constantinople, all of this building to the Great Schism.  And I am thinking to myself "This is really exciting stuff", having noted to my husband that if history had been taught to me as a series of heresies (in the larger philosophical sense) rather than militaristic timelines, I might have spent more time on this subject.

 

Peregrine Pickle remains a fun read. I am at a story within the story, the scandalous memoir of "A Lady of Quality" which is inserted into the novel.  This is when I could use an English prof on call to guide me.  According to the Internet, the notorious courtesan Frances Vane paid Smollett to include her memoir into his text--which Smollett did without judgment. 

 

So no new books finished again this week, just continued work on three chunksters.

[Caroline]

This week, I read They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky. Both Stacia's son and my son had this as part of summer reading for different classes. It was a tough book to get through about the Lost Boys of Sudan, but a fairly fast read. I kept looking at my 8 year old and thinking these boys were younger than him.

 

In preparation for the stats class I am teaching over the next two weeks, I read Developing an Essential Understanding of Statistics. Not an exhaustive stats book by any stretch of the imagination, but a really great overview for understanding and critically reading any sort of stats in the general media.

 

With DS 8 I read Sideways Stories from the Wayside School by Louis Sacher. DS 8 is my non-reader. If it isn't Diary of a Wimpy Kid, he doesn't want to read it. But he found these funny. Any recommendations you all have for a very reluctant 8 year old boy would be appreciated. We have four weeks until school starts and he needs to be reading something!

[Jane in NC]

This week, I read They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky. Both Stacia's son and my son had this as part of summer reading for different classes. It was a tough book to get through about the Lost Boys of Sudan, but a fairly fast read. I kept looking at my 8 year old and thinking these boys were younger than him.

 

In preparation for the stats class I am teaching over the next two weeks, I read Developing an Essential Understanding of Statistics. Not an exhaustive stats book by any stretch of the imagination, but a really great overview for understanding and critically reading any sort of stats in the general media.

 

With DS 8 I read Sideways Stories from the Wayside School by Louis Sacher. DS 8 is my non-reader. If it isn't Diary of a Wimpy Kid, he doesn't want to read it. But he found these funny. Any recommendations you all have for a very reluctant 8 year old boy would be appreciated. We have four weeks until school starts and he needs to be reading something!

 

To the bolded:  :svengo:

 

If your guy is a reluctant reader, have you thought of placing Calvin and Hobbes in his hands? 

 

ETA:  mentioned the situation to my husband who suggests Bone or Tintin.

 

[Onceuponatime]

To the bolded: :svengo:

 

If your guy is a reluctant reader, have you thought of placing Calvin and Hobbes in his hands?

 

ETA: mentioned the situation to my husband who suggests Bone or Tintin.

 

I second Calvin and Hobbes. Also anything by Roald Dahl.

[Caroline]

To the bolded: :svengo:

 

If your guy is a reluctant reader, have you thought of placing Calvin and Hobbes in his hands?

 

ETA: mentioned the situation to my husband who suggests Bone or Tintin.

 

And you know, we have a large Calvin and Hobbes collection and Bone, too. Thanks for the reminder. He will enjoy those.

[Onceuponatime]

Yesterday I read The Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters and enjoyed it. The wrap up of the mystery at the end was a little muddled though. I'm just beginning When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro and have put Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier on hold.

[Just Robyn]

I finished Jason and the Golden Fleece. I read this mainly to read the story of how Medea met Jason, but I also enjoyed the Argonauts' stop at Lemnos, where they met a city of women who had recently killed all the men (except one - Hypsipyle saved her father, the king, by sneaking him off on boat to another city.). The men had replaced their wives with women stolen on raids.

 

I also finished Monday or Tuesday - short stories by Virginia Woolf. IMO, these were not nearly as good as her novels. I even question if all of them were meant to be stories, or just writing exercises. (For instance, Blue and Green.) Still, an interesting and instructive set of pieces.

 

I have started two books of brawling men: The Three Musketeers and Fight Club. Both very fun so far. I also started in on Wired for Story. 

 

I was originally planning on joining in for the Chevalier read, but now I'm thinking it's not going to happen. There are too many other books right now that I feel I need to read.

[Stacia]

I have started two books of brawling men: The Three Musketeers and Fight Club.

 

Lol.

 

That's actually a really interesting combo to read together. I've never read Fight Club, but it's on my list of to-reads.

 

I agree with Jane's assessment of :svengo: re: school starting in four weeks. It is for us too. I'm not ready! I'm not ready! :willy_nilly:  (And I'm not even the student!) My ds also just finished Night by Elie Wiesel for a school assignment & still needs to read Anthem by Ayn Rand too. He has Outcasts United (the one Caroline recommended in re: to They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky) sitting here, but hasn't started it yet.

 

I'm still slowly, slowly working my way through Leeches (also known as 'the no paragraph/no chapter breaks book', as I call it). I may have to pick up something else to read, though, just because it's summer & I want something fun. :tongue_smilie: :biggrinjester:

[Kareni]

I finished a book in the early hours of the morning.  It's a contemporary romance, and I enjoyed it.

 

Kiss Me Hello (Sweetest Kisses) by Grace Burrowes

 

"In the third novel of The Sweetest Kisses series, single mom Sidonie Lindstrom has her hands full with a troubled foster son, an abrupt adjustment to country living, and an unforeseen lack of funds. When her taciturn neighbor, MacKenzie Knightley, repeatedly offers practical help, Sid reminds herself she's not interested in the neighbor-despite his kindness, pragmatism and quiet charm. MacKenzie sees the vulnerability beneath her pride, and he's determined to change her mind..."

 

While this is the third in a series, it could stand alone.  You can get a taste for this author's writing by reading some of her currently free Kindle books. 

 

A Kiss for Luck: A Novella (Sweetest Kisses Book 0) which is a contemporary romance novella in the same series as the book above.

 

or

 

Gabriel: Lord of Regrets (The Lonely Lords Book 5) ... one of the author's historical romances

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Kareni]

Yesterday I also finished Ride Steady (Chaos) which is author Kristen Ashley's latest contemporary romance.  She's a favorite author of mine, and I enjoyed this book.  While it's the most recent in a series, it can also stand alone.  (Not for conservative readers.)

 

"The ride of her life . . .
Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy---until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa's pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.

Climb on and hold tight . . .
In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he's the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa's acting, it's clear she's falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damned hard. Now, as Joker's secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decide whether to ride steady with Carissa---or ride away forever . . ."

[Kim in Appalachia]

Yesterday I finished Solo Faces, by James Salter.  It was as dispassionate as the rocks the main character was climbing.  The author does write beautiful sentences, but I felt no emotional investment in the book.  I don't know if that was intentional or not.  Maybe it was supposed to feel cold?  Anyway, I rated it 2 stars on Goodreads.  It was OK, but I couldn't recommend it.

 

I'm starting a Kate Atkinson book, One Good Turn.

[Caroline]

I might need a not for conservative readers book this week to combat whiny math teachers.

 

Yesterday I also finished Ride Steady (Chaos) which is author Kristen Ashley's latest contemporary romance. She's a favorite author of mine, and I enjoyed this book. While it's the most recent in a series, it can also stand alone. (Not for conservative readers.)

 

"The ride of her life . . .

Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy---until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa's pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.

 

Climb on and hold tight . . .

In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he's the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa's acting, it's clear she's falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damned hard. Now, as Joker's secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decide whether to ride steady with Carissa---or ride away forever . . ."

[Chrysalis Academy]

Jane, I am still reading HotMW, I am religiously following Robin's schedule.  I like having it as assigned reading every week, it keeps me honest and on track. 

 

Negin, I'm glad that you reviewed Yes, Your Teen is Crazy. A friend recommended it a while back, and I did check it out, but I thought the tone in the first couple of chapters was kind of hysterical, and I just wasn't ready to go there. I'm glad to hear you thought there was useful information in it, I put it on hold.

 

For Tracy Chevalier, I have Girl With a Pearl Earring planned, just because it's such a well-known book I had never picked up, and Remarkable Creatures, her bionovel about Mary Anning, which I have on Shannon's reading list for next year.

 

This weekend I read World War Z. A good 4th of July read, maybe? It was much better than I expected, very thought provoking. I'm reading Starship Troopers as well, kind of a similar theme in some ways.  Other than that, I'm still in pre-read land.  The highlight currently is Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdhal, one I've seen recommended here often (well, on the homeschool boards). It's very good. I'm impressed at how well she integrates the three very different points of view she uses. I think this book would pair very well with War of the Worlds.  Among other things.

 

Books finished in July:

97. World War Z - Max Brooks

96. Over Sea, Under Stone - Susan Cooper

 

[Kareni]

I might need a not for conservative readers book this week to combat whiny math teachers.

 

 

Well, if you read Ride Steady (Chaos) or some other not for conservative readers book, I hope you'll enjoy it and report back!

 

I second the Calvin and Hobbes books for your son.  Are you also looking for something to read aloud to him?  If so, you might share snippets from Oh, Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty.  (Yucky cover art alert!)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ali in OR]

I finished The Crucible which I thought was a good book. Probably won't have dd read it, but we'll go see it when the local high school performs it this fall. I pre-read Isaac Bashevis Singer's A Day of Pleasure which dd will read as part of Lightning Lit. I think it's a very worthwhile read. Off the top of my head I don't know what LL will focus on with that book, but I'm hoping to pull out where it fits in our history studies. It takes place in the Jewish section of Warsaw mostly pre-WWI and captures a little of that time and place. It's a little hard to just kick back and enjoy it as the reader knows what is coming to that world in a couple of decades, but I'm glad that Singer has shared this world with us.

 

I have Guantanamo Diary out from the library; it sounds like a book that Americans need to read. But I've already missed 5 or 6 days of the 14-day checkout because life is busy and I think I have less time to read than during the school year. It's also a non-fiction chunkster, and I don't think I will make it too far this go-around. I think I will have to return it unfinished and try again later. I'm also just in the mood for easier reading at the moment. Maybe I'll see if the library has Chevalier's The Lady and The Unicorn; I've read a couple of her books, but not that one. And of course there is always more pre-reading. I started My Family and Other Animals for my treadmill reading las week--another Lightning Lit book.

[mumto2]

I have been busy trying to read Mary Balogh's Only a Promise which is the fifth (I think) in her Survivors series. I am enjoying it after waiting for it for several months. This is my favorite historical series, at least my favorite by this author. ;)

Hopefully I will manage to stay awake and finish it. :)

 

Jane, I haven't even managed to read my alternate history choices yet, so haven't even thought about HotMA beyond watching your progress. I have gathered my British history books(for lack of a better title) onto the bookshelves which is a start.

[mumto2]

For Tracy Chevalier, I have Girl With a Pearl Earring planned, just because it's such a well-known book I had never picked up, and Remarkable Creatures, her bionovel about Mary Anning, which I have on Shannon's reading list for next year.

 

 

I knew the Tracy Chevalier month was one I wanted to participate in and couldn't remember why. I tried reading the Girl with the Unicorn last year with Shukriyya and couldn't seem to get invoved enough to go on. The Mary Anning book is one I have wanted to read for several years. My dc's used to be very enthusiastic about fossel hunting. Their tutor has since gone on to name his own species, talk about a child's dream come true! Not sure what he named it but he originally thought it was an archaeopteryx http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/dinosaurs-other-extinct-creatures/dino-directory/archaeopteryx.html. I can't remember why his is different, but very glad it was. No idea what he named his dino.

[Kareni]

This book which currently free to Kindle readers sounds intriguing.  It's a steampunk, post-apocalyptic, young adult novel.

 

I Will Breathe (Forbidden Book 1) by Regina Puckett

 

"The year is 2836. It has been eight hundred years since The Great War. There are small groups of people scattered in isolated pockets around the world, but most are too suspicious of each other for any intimacy. If they don’t stop hiding, and learn to help each other, there won’t be anyone left on earth.

Liberty has grown up in this post-apocalyptic world. Her home is an airship built by her adopted father. Since his death, each day is just another day trying to survive in a hostile environment. That is until her father's dying friend asks if she’ll take custody of a small, child-like robot.

The last thing Liberty needs is another responsibility. Surprisingly, once the endearing robot is aboard Airus, she discovers there is more to life than just living, and loving someone can be as easy as breathing."

 

Regards,
Kareni
 

[Jane in NC]

I knew the Tracy Chevalier month was one I wanted to participate in and couldn't remember why. I tried reading the Girl with the Unicorn last year with Shukriyya and couldn't seem to get invoved enough to go on. The Mary Anning book is one I have wanted to read for several years. My dc's used to be very enthusiastic about fossel hunting. Their tutor has since gone on to name his own species, talk about a child's dream come true! Not sure what he named it but he originally thought it was an archaeopteryx http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/dinosaurs-other-extinct-creatures/dino-directory/archaeopteryx.html. I can't remember why his is different, but very glad it was. No idea what he named his dino.

One of my favorite places in Britain is Lyme Regis where Anning collected fossils. We left there with various bits and pieces. My son focused on fossils while I collected glass bits from an eroding Victorian dump along the coastline.

 

I too have been intending to read Remarkable Creatures for a while now.

[idnib]

I've just been spending time on Eliot's Four Quartets (still!)

 

I did finish 2 books that were not on my list but that DS read and wanted to be able to discuss with me: Holes and The London Eye Mystery. Both were really interesting and made for fun talks.

 

I have been reading an old edition of Kipling's Kim aloud to the kids. I am not a Kipling fan at all but we found a wonderfully illustrated 1962 Heritage Press copy of Kim at a library book sale for $1 and DH convinced me to buy it. I love this book and the kids do too. There's a fair amount of background information I have to give them, so it's slow going. But we're all getting so much out of it. Who knows as we go on, but for now it feel different from Kipling's other books.

 

 

 

Books finished in July:

97. World War Z - Max Brooks

96. Over Sea, Under Stone - Susan Cooper

 

I've been generally ignoring the whole zombie trend for the last few years but I really did enjoy WWZ. It's the format that made the book for me I think.

[Guest]

Much of last week's reading was boundary stretching for me:

 

Hyde (thank you, Stacia!): I have mixed feelings about this.  It doesn't get to horror, but it does get gross at times, and I felt it would have been a better, more powerful story if it had practiced more of Stevenson's restraint.  It did, however, dovetail beautifully with DJaMH in some ways that expanded my thinking about the source story.  (There were a few parts that jarred for me, but many of the main pieces were possible alternate views.) I wish I could have had a story that built on those elements, that used the shock/trauma things with more restraint, and thus more effectiveness.  ...but I am (mostly) glad I read it.  Stacia, if you end up reading this, I would love to hear your reactions.

 

[side note: Stacia, have you read Set This House in Order?  It deals with multiple personality disorder in a fascinating and powerful way.  The first 2/3 is brilliant, the last third doesn't have the same tautness and appeal, but I recommend it anyway.  ...though it deals with hard, possibly trigger-y things.]

 

Beloved by Toni Morrison: This was as disturbing as I had always thought it would be, though the sources were different than I'd expected.  I've had this on my 'maybe' list since reading all those Medea versions, but it has taken me this long to open the book.  It deals with some horrors of slavery in ways that can feel over-the-top, even knowing there are real sources for them.  The horror of the defining element of the story, the piece that makes this a Medea version, wasn't at the center, it was around the edges, in small pieces here and there, even in the telling of the incident itself there was so much walled away-ness... some of that reminded me of the Holocaust-set book King of Hearts... dissociation is an important survival mechanism for staying, mostly, sane through the unimaginable, the unbearable.  I had also expected that the supernatural elements would be psychologically portrayed, but I would shelve this, somewhat, with magical realism... and there is an almost folkloric tone to some of the narrative that makes that work (though it still isn't a style that speaks to me)

 

 

At Swim Two Birds by Flann O'Brian: This is a very weird book (Stacia, I wonder if you might enjoy it?)  It has a series of embedded narratives, riffs off a wide range of Irish literature, and has some very non-standard ways of giving over the stories.  What it lacked, for me, was any element that really engaged me and made me care.  It had some very amusing aspects, and I appreciated the games it was playing with story and form... so I am glad I read it.

 

The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses (thank you, idnib!)  This is a fascinating look at the writing and publishing of Ulysses... and one which also gives a moving (usually implied) argument for its significance and power.  Stacia, whether you ever read Ulysses or not, I think you would love this book.  It looks at censorship it ways I think would speak to you.

 

Okay, that's about half of them.  I'm going to post and try to come back later and list the rest.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Much of last week's reading was boundary stretching for me:

 

Hyde (thank you, Stacia!): I have mixed feelings about this.  It doesn't get to horror, but it does get gross at times, and I felt it would have been a better, more powerful story if it had practiced more of Stevenson's restraint.  It did, however, dovetail beautifully with DJaMH in some ways that expanded my thinking about the source story.  (There were a few parts that jarred for me, but many of the main pieces were possible alternate views.) I wish I could have had a story that built on those elements, that used the shock/trauma things with more restraint, and thus more effectiveness.  ...but I am (mostly) glad I read it.  Stacia, if you end up reading this, I would love to hear your reactions.

 

[side note: Stacia, have you read Set This House in Order?  It deals with multiple personality disorder in a fascinating and powerful way.  The first 2/3 is brilliant, the last third doesn't have the same tautness and appeal, but I recommend it anyway.  ...though it deals with hard, possibly trigger-y things.]

 

Beloved by Toni Morrison: This was as disturbing as I had always thought it would be, though the sources were different than I'd expected.  I've had this on my 'maybe' list since reading all those Medea versions, but it has taken me this long to open the book.  It deals with some horrors of slavery in ways that can feel over-the-top, even knowing there are real sources for them.  The horror of the defining element of the story, the piece that makes this a Medea version, wasn't at the center, it was around the edges, in small pieces here and there, even in the telling of the incident itself there was so much walled away-ness... some of that reminded me of the Holocaust-set book King of Hearts... dissociation is an important survival mechanism for staying, mostly, sane through the unimaginable, the unbearable.  I had also expected that the supernatural elements would be psychologically portrayed, but I would shelve this, somewhat, with magical realism... and there is an almost folkloric tone to some of the narrative that makes that work (though it still isn't a style that speaks to me)

 

 

 

 

 

I read Hyde last year, and I agree that it really offers an interesting, deepening way of thinking about the original. Completely fascinating psychological "explanation" for the phenomenon - I will say that I read Dr J & Mr H very differently afterwards. I found myself much more critical of Dr J (without actually being sympathetic to Hyde).  Set This House in Order looks like a book I would - enjoy? doesn't seem the right word, but be fascinated by, I guess.

 

I read Beloved last year, as well, a 2nd read. When I first read it in college, I was so shocked and horrified I just put it away without really thinking about it - I couldn't really process it.  And I was horrified in particular by the Medea-like aspect of it.  This was before I was a mother. Interestingly, this more recent read I was much less troubled, more sympathetic, to that aspect, and I was more able to see past that to the rest of the story.  It's a hard, hard book to read, but it was worth it this time.  This is a book that requires some maturity to process, IMO.

[Guest]

 

Still Alice - 5 Stars - This book is about early onset Alzheimer’s. It is gripping right from the get-go and seems so realistic, which is obviously frightening, considering how likely it is that Alzheimer’s and dementia may affect many of us at some point.

 

 

 

 

My eldest daughter encouraged me to read Genova's Left Neglected which had a similar impact on me.  I bounced off the beginning of Love Anthony, but I will add Still Alice to my TBR list.  

 

I read the cost of sugar this week:

http://www.amazon.com/Cost-Sugar-Cynthia-McLeod-ebook/dp/B006VL1IQW/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1436116513&sr=1-3

 

It is not a 'lovely' story, too many terrible parts.

It is not a book for sensitive people.

 

It is good to read about the dark pages of history, but I don't consider it a good read for dd now or nearby future...

Of to search a replacement for dd's readinglist.

 

 

I've added this to my TBR list, too.  I'm not sure how many more darker pages I'm up for right now, but I'd at least like to make a note of it for when I feel ready to come back to that era.  Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The highlight currently is Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdhal, one I've seen recommended here often (well, on the homeschool boards). It's very good. I'm impressed at how well she integrates the three very different points of view she uses. I think this book would pair very well with War of the Worlds.  Among other things.

 

 

I am *very* fond of Engdahl's YA books.  There is another book featuring Elana: Far Side of Evil, but it has a very different flavor (and is a hard book for sensitive readers).  ...and her Children of the Star trilogy is also worth reading.  When I read these as a child, the third book wasn't available... and I find it to be a weaker book, and one that deals with issues not necessarily as appropriate for the age readers who might have been drawn to the first two.  ymmv.  I am fondest of the first book This Star Shall Abide.  (Warning: Journey Between Worlds is a much fluffier book and I *highly* recommend only reading the more recent, revised edition which has fixed some very dated gender pieces.)

 

 

 

I finished The Crucible which I thought was a good book. Probably won't have dd read it, but we'll go see it when the local high school performs it this fall. 

 

I have Guantanamo Diary out from the library; it sounds like a book that Americans need to read. But I've already missed 5 or 6 days of the 14-day checkout because life is busy and I think I have less time to read than during the school year. It's also a non-fiction chunkster, and I don't think I will make it too far this go-around. I think I will have to return it unfinished and try again later. I'm also just in the mood for easier reading at the moment. Maybe I'll see if the library has Chevalier's The Lady and The Unicorn; I've read a couple of her books, but not that one. And of course there is always more pre-reading. I started My Family and Other Animals for my treadmill reading las week--another Lightning Lit book.

 

Crucible is one of my least favorite Miller plays, especially for teens.  I recommend All My Sons, which I've found speaks strongly to many teens, and/or Incident at Vichy which has the added bonus of having a video production which my kids have... enjoyed isn't quite the right word.... been deeply moved by.  If I had done just one with my kids, it would have been All My Sons... a powerful, important play which highlights Miller's recurrent themes and, despite the very real, intense tragedy, has such a strong element of idealism, integrity, and... I don't know how to express it... belief in the power of individual choices, of responsibility and in the importance of striving and caring.  I saw a dynamite performance of it at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival when I was ~17 - I wish there were a video performance I could strongly recommend.  I've heard not positive things about the one easily available.  I do own this one, and some of my kids have watched it and appreciated it, but it doesn't do it enough justice.  

[idnib]

Beloved by Toni Morrison: This was as disturbing as I had always thought it would be, though the sources were different than I'd expected.  I've had this on my 'maybe' list since reading all those Medea versions, but it has taken me this long to open the book.  It deals with some horrors of slavery in ways that can feel over-the-top, even knowing there are real sources for them.  The horror of the defining element of the story, the piece that makes this a Medea version, wasn't at the center, it was around the edges, in small pieces here and there, even in the telling of the incident itself there was so much walled away-ness... some of that reminded me of the Holocaust-set book King of Hearts... dissociation is an important survival mechanism for staying, mostly, sane through the unimaginable, the unbearable.  I had also expected that the supernatural elements would be psychologically portrayed, but I would shelve this, somewhat, with magical realism... and there is an almost folkloric tone to some of the narrative that makes that work (though it still isn't a style that speaks to me)

 

...

 

The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses (thank you, idnib!)  This is a fascinating look at the writing and publishing of Ulysses... and one which also gives a moving (usually implied) argument for its significance and power.  Stacia, whether you ever read Ulysses or not, I think you would love this book.  It looks at censorship it ways I think would speak to you.

 

It was the folkloric feel of Beloved that made me love the book so much, along with the haunting tone. It is really disturbing, though. The sense of detachment in some parts reminded me of Bastard Out of Carolina.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed The Most Dangerous Book. I think my favorite thing about the book was the ways in which all these people came together to make something happen. It made me feel much more sympathy for Joyce, esp in regards to his medical conditions. He worked through so much pain in the end Ulysses seemed a compulsion to write.

[Guest]

I read Hyde last year, and I agree that it really offers an interesting, deepening way of thinking about the original. Completely fascinating psychological "explanation" for the phenomenon - I will say that I read Dr J & Mr H very differently afterwards. I found myself much more critical of Dr J (without actually being sympathetic to Hyde).  Set This House in Order looks like a book I would - enjoy? doesn't seem the right word, but be fascinated by, I guess.

 

I read Beloved last year, as well, a 2nd read. When I first read it in college, I was so shocked and horrified I just put it away without really thinking about it - I couldn't really process it.  And I was horrified in particular by the Medea-like aspect of it.  This was before I was a mother. Interestingly, this more recent read I was much less troubled, more sympathetic, to that aspect, and I was more able to see past that to the rest of the story.  It's a hard, hard book to read, but it was worth it this time.  This is a book that requires some maturity to process, IMO.

 

I felt the explanation would have stood out more powerfully if done with more restraint.  ...but the circumstances that most commonly lead to the fracturing of personality are generally fairly intensively traumatic and it wouldn't have worked to not do that justice... 

 

I did have sympathy for Hyde in this version.  A great deal of sympathy, actually.  His pain and incapacity, his striving towards something better... the frail home he establishes and its destruction were more horrific to me than any of the gore or feces... and certainly belonged.  I still hope my darkest fears about what happened there are wrong.

 

I just wish I could have read this written by Stevenson or someone of equal caliber with the skill for leaving more unspoken.  

 

I think I am only just mature enough/old enough for Beloved.  I could not have experienced this as a younger reader, even in my 30's I was too young.  (I'm weird in my progression as a reader....)

 

Yes, very worth reading.  ...but so hard to 'see' such experiences.  So hard to accept that human beings could inflict such things on other humans.  ...and then to know that often it was made possible my not seeing those fellow human beings as possessing equal humanity.  Those are words I've known to apply, but this is a book which makes what that means very real and personal.

 

...so many of the books I've read this year and last are ones I wouldn't have ventured into without this group.  

 

So, thank you, everyone, for offering such encouragement to venture into these more challenging realms... it has been a deeply rewarding process.   

[Just Robyn]

 I've had this on my 'maybe' list since reading all those Medea versions...

 

Any way I can get you to share about that? Most entertaining? Most interesting?

[Chrysalis Academy]

I felt the explanation would have stood out more powerfully if done with more restraint.  ...but the circumstances that most commonly lead to the fracturing of personality are generally fairly intensively traumatic and it wouldn't have worked to not do that justice... 

 

I did have sympathy for Hyde in this version.  A great deal of sympathy, actually.  His pain and incapacity, his striving towards something better... the frail home he establishes and its destruction were more horrific to me than any of the gore or feces... and certainly belonged.  I still hope my darkest fears about what happened there are wrong.

 

I just wish I could have read this written by Stevenson or someone of equal caliber with the skill for leaving more unspoken.  

 

I think I am only just mature enough/old enough for Beloved.  I could not have experienced this as a younger reader, even in my 30's I was too young.  (I'm weird in my progression as a reader....)

 

Yes, very worth reading.  ...but so hard to 'see' such experiences.  So hard to accept that human beings could inflict such things on other humans.  ...and then to know that often it was made possible my not seeing those fellow human beings as possessing equal humanity.  Those are words I've known to apply, but this is a book which makes what that means very real and personal.

 

...so many of the books I've read this year and last are ones I wouldn't have ventured into without this group.  

 

So, thank you, everyone, for offering such encouragement to venture into these more challenging realms... it has been a deeply rewarding process.   

 

Oh, I agree and sympathized with Hyde in Hyde very deeply - I was referring to how reading Hyde affected my reading of the original.  It made me more critical of Dr J without necessarily making me "like" Hyde.  OTOH, I thought Hyde in Hyde was a sympathetic-to-the-point of likeable character, weirdly.  This is hard to be clear about in writing, isn't it?

[Angel]

We love Jurassic Park here!

Does Jurassic World have that same feel?  It seems futuristic from the commercials.

 

Yes, it has the same feel. The girls and I felt it was like the Operation Genesis: Jurassic Park computer game.  We had some giggles over that :laugh:   The plot could be considered futuristic but it really follows along the original ideas from the first movie.  And, like I said, we all appreciated the many little things they added to Jurassic World that were a nod to Jurassic Park!!  They kept the score as well.  

 

 

One of which leads us to Tracy Chevalier  who is currently working on a retelling of Othello as well as organizing events and editing a short story anthology in honor to and in celebration of Charlotte Bronte's 200th birthday in 2016.  I think Chevalier is best know for her story The Girl with the Pearl Earring although she has written several novels including The Lady and the Unicorn and a story revolving around William Blake - Burning Bright.

 

 

 I just picked up Burning Bright at my cousin's library book sale for a quarter!  And I also have her novel, The Last Runaway, on my TBR list for my reading challenge (closest book I could find to my tiny hometown lol).   I forgot Chevalier was the author of the month.  I wonder if I can fit either of these in this month.

 

 and have put Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier on hold.

 

This is the only Chevalier book I've read but I really enjoyed it!  What a great and interesting story.

 

I agree with Jane's assessment of :svengo: re: school starting in four weeks. It is for us too. I'm not ready! I'm not ready! :willy_nilly:  (And I'm not even the student!) My ds also just finished Night by Elie Wiesel for a school assignment & still needs to read Anthem by Ayn Rand too. He has Outcasts United (the one Caroline recommended in re: to They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky) sitting here, but hasn't started it yet.

 

:svengo:  I just realized this myself, though we won't start for 5 1/2 weeks!  And one of those weeks is our history trip to Boston and the other I'm keeping my "nephews."  All I want to do is sit in the sunshine and read (if we'd ever get some sunshine here!)

 

 

This weekend I read World War Z. A good 4th of July read, maybe? It was much better than I expected, very thought provoking. 

 

96. Over Sea, Under Stone - Susan Cooper

I had wanted to read World War Z this year!  That has slipped my mind.  I surprisingly enjoyed the movie, I think because the premise of the zombies was, dare I say, believable.  

 

Also, is Over Sea, Under Stone the first book in The Dark is Rising series?  I also found it for a quarter and picked it up.  

[Stacia]

I might need a not for conservative readers book this week to combat whiny math teachers.

 

:lol:

 

This weekend I read World War Z. A good 4th of July read, maybe? It was much better than I expected, very thought provoking.

 

I agree. I ended up liking that one much more than I anticipated I would.

 

I have Guantanamo Diary out from the library; it sounds like a book that Americans need to read. But I've already missed 5 or 6 days of the 14-day checkout because life is busy and I think I have less time to read than during the school year. It's also a non-fiction chunkster, and I don't think I will make it too far this go-around. I think I will have to return it unfinished and try again later.

 

For its length, it's a pretty quick read, imo.

 

I've been generally ignoring the whole zombie trend for the last few years but I really did enjoy WWZ. It's the format that made the book for me I think.

 

:iagree:

 

 

Much of last week's reading was boundary stretching for me:

 

Hyde (thank you, Stacia!): I have mixed feelings about this.  It doesn't get to horror, but it does get gross at times, and I felt it would have been a better, more powerful story if it had practiced more of Stevenson's restraint.  It did, however, dovetail beautifully with DJaMH in some ways that expanded my thinking about the source story.  (There were a few parts that jarred for me, but many of the main pieces were possible alternate views.) I wish I could have had a story that built on those elements, that used the shock/trauma things with more restraint, and thus more effectiveness.  ...but I am (mostly) glad I read it.  Stacia, if you end up reading this, I would love to hear your reactions.

 

[side note: Stacia, have you read Set This House in Order?  It deals with multiple personality disorder in a fascinating and powerful way.  The first 2/3 is brilliant, the last third doesn't have the same tautness and appeal, but I recommend it anyway.  ...though it deals with hard, possibly trigger-y things.]

 

Beloved by Toni Morrison: This was as disturbing as I had always thought it would be, though the sources were different than I'd expected.  I've had this on my 'maybe' list since reading all those Medea versions, but it has taken me this long to open the book.  It deals with some horrors of slavery in ways that can feel over-the-top, even knowing there are real sources for them.  The horror of the defining element of the story, the piece that makes this a Medea version, wasn't at the center, it was around the edges, in small pieces here and there, even in the telling of the incident itself there was so much walled away-ness... some of that reminded me of the Holocaust-set book King of Hearts... dissociation is an important survival mechanism for staying, mostly, sane through the unimaginable, the unbearable.  I had also expected that the supernatural elements would be psychologically portrayed, but I would shelve this, somewhat, with magical realism... and there is an almost folkloric tone to some of the narrative that makes that work (though it still isn't a style that speaks to me)

 

At Swim Two Birds by Flann O'Brian: This is a very weird book (Stacia, I wonder if you might enjoy it?)  It has a series of embedded narratives, riffs off a wide range of Irish literature, and has some very non-standard ways of giving over the stories.  What it lacked, for me, was any element that really engaged me and made me care.  It had some very amusing aspects, and I appreciated the games it was playing with story and form... so I am glad I read it.

 

The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses (thank you, idnib!)  This is a fascinating look at the writing and publishing of Ulysses... and one which also gives a moving (usually implied) argument for its significance and power.  Stacia, whether you ever read Ulysses or not, I think you would love this book.  It looks at censorship it ways I think would speak to you.

 

Thanks, Eliana, for all the comments & recommendations. I'm really looking forward to rereading Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, alongside Hyde. I've never heard of Set This House in Order -- will have to look that one up. I also need to look up the Flann O'Brian & the Most Dangerous Book books.

 

I have never read Toni Morrison. But, today, I did start a book that is apparently being compared (by some) to Morrison. It is the book Ruby by Cynthia Bond. It is both easy & hard to read. Easy in style, in characters; hard in some of the horrors & truths that are exposed. I'm not even a third of the way in & it's already harrowing & sad....

 

From Kirkus:

Voodoo, faith and racism converge in an East Texas town—particularly within the troubled titular heroine—in this bracing debut novel.

 

When we first meet Ruby Bell, she’s a symbol of local disgrace: It’s 1974, and a decade earlier she returned to her hometown of Liberty seemingly gone crazy. The local rumor mill (mostly centered around the church) ponders a host of reasons: the lynching of her aunt; her being forced into prostitution as a child; a stint in New York, where she was the rare black woman in a white highbrow literary milieu. The only person who doesn't keep his distance is Ephram, a middle-aged man who braves the town’s mockery and the mad squalor of Ruby’s home to reconnect with her. Bond presents Ruby as a symbol of a century’s worth of abuse toward African-Americans; as one local puts it, “Hell, ain’t nothing strange when Colored go crazy. Strange is when we don’t.†The echoes of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison are clear, but Bond is an accomplished enough writer to work in a variety of modes with skill and insight. She conjures Ruby’s fun-house-mirror mind with harrowing visions of voodoo ceremonies and the ghosts of dead children, yet she also delivers plainspoken descriptions of young Ruby’s experience in a brothel, surrounded by horrid men. And Bond can be sharply funny, satirizing the high-toned sanctimony of Liberty’s churchgoers (especially Ephram’s sister Celia) that’s really a cover for hypocritical pride and fear. Some of the more intense passages of the novel lapse into purple prose, and the horror of Ruby’s experience (which intensifies as the novel moves along) makes her closing redemption feel somewhat pat. But the force of Ruby’s character, and Bond’s capacity to describe it, is undeniable.

 

A very strong first novel that blends tough realism with the appealing strangeness of a fever dream.

 

[Stacia]

And, I sat down & read a book in one sitting today.

 

I traded the 'no paragraphs, no chapters' book for one that... ( <------- there's the drumroll....)

 

 

 

 

... has no periods (but has plenty of commas)! :lol:

 

 

Memoirs of a Porcupine by Alain Mabanckou

 

Um, first, I will say that Pam will probably deem this one as belonging in the 'magical' category since it is narrated by a porcupine.  ;)  :laugh:

 

All human beings, says an African legend, have an animal double. Some doubles are benign, others wicked. This legend comes to life in Alain Mabanckou's outlandish, surreal, and charmingly nonchalant "Memoirs of a Porcupine."

When Kibandi, a boy living in a Congolese village, reaches the age of 11, his father takes him out into the night and forces him to drink a vile liquid from a jar that has been hidden for years in the earth. This is his initiation. From now on, he and his double, a porcupine, become accomplices in murder. They attack neighbors, fellow villagers, and people who simply cross their path, for reasons so slight that it is virtually impossible to establish connection between the killings. As he grows older, Kibandi relies on his double to act out his grizzly compulsions, until one day even the porcupine balks and turns instead to literary confession.

Winner of the Prix Renaudot, France's equal to the National Book Award, Alain Mabanckou is considered one of the most talented writers today. He was selected by the French journal "Lire" as one of fifty writers to watch this coming century. And as Peter Carey suggests, he "positions himself at the margins, tapping the tradition founded by Celine, Genet, and other subversive writers." In this superb and striking story, Mabanckou brings new power to magical realism, and is sure to excite American audiences nationwide.

 

Though I didn't find it humorous (it is very dark humor), I did enjoy this quirky, dark tale & its many observations & comments on mankind. I think it's an excellent mix of very traditional African belief/folklore/village life mixed with the differences/clashes of 'Western'/white beliefs. The porcupine is an affable, if somewhat evil, narrator who expounds on his life to a Baobab tree. Maybe not for everyone, but definitely different & definitely one I relished. Recommended.

[idnib]

I had wanted to read World War Z this year!  That has slipped my mind.  I surprisingly enjoyed the movie, I think because the premise of the zombies was, dare I say, believable. 

 

Yes, I enjoyed the movie as well, something I never thought I would say about a zombie movie. "Come for Brad Pitt, stay for the zombies."

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

I had wanted to read World War Z this year!  That has slipped my mind.  I surprisingly enjoyed the movie, I think because the premise of the zombies was, dare I say, believable.  

 

Also, is Over Sea, Under Stone the first book in The Dark is Rising series?  I also found it for a quarter and picked it up.  

 

Yes, Over Sea Under Stone is Book 1 of The Dark is Rising. We really liked it and are looking forward to continuing the series when Shannon gets back from camp.

 

I didn't see the movie of WWZ, so I don't know how similar they are. What I really liked about the book is that it is written like an investigative journalism report - interviews of lots of different characters, each of whom tell a unique story from their own POV.  It was surprisingly effective.

[Stacia]

I didn't see the movie of WWZ, so I don't know how similar they are. What I really liked about the book is that it is written like an investigative journalism report - interviews of lots of different characters, each of whom tell a unique story from their own POV.  It was surprisingly effective.

 

I liked the investigative report format too. It really did work.

 

And, I found it funny that the author is Mel Brooks' son. Lol.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Stacia, have you read any Jeanette Winterson? If you are doing a whole Jekyll & Hyde binge, you might enjoy her book Lighthousekeeping.  It's not for everyone, it has a violent sex scene and one explicit sex scene between two women, but it is another interesting twist on the split personality motif.  The heroine is very unique. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I liked the investigative report format too. It really did work.

 

And, I found it funny that the author is Mel Brooks' son. Lol.

 

I didn't know that! That is funny.

[Stacia]

Stacia, have you read any Jeanette Winterson? If you are doing a whole Jekyll & Hyde binge, you might enjoy her book Lighthousekeeping.  It's not for everyone, it has a violent sex scene and one explicit sex scene between two women, but it is another interesting twist on the split personality motif.  The heroine is very unique. 

 

No, I haven't read her. But, I have had her recommended to me before. I'll have to pull that into my reading with the J&H themes....

 

[Angel]

It has been weeks since I actually posted what I've read.  Probably because I've barely read anything!  I guess it's the year of traveling for us, which means not much reading time for me!  So here are two books that I haven't posted, though I read them a few weeks ago.  I'm still working on The Historian.  I hope to finish it tomorrow or Tuesday.

 

So I read my classic romance for Book Club, Refining Felicity by Marion Chesney.  I know it was recommended by someone here, I just can't remember who!  It was a perfect, classic, fluffy Regency Romance!  The Tribble sisters were both hilarious and outrageous. It’s the first in the School for Manners series, and I believe I will read more if I can get my hands on them.  GREAT FLUFFY READ. 

 

I also read Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay.  My friend loved this book so much that she gave it to me for my birthday.  I don’t read modern romance very often and journal/letter style is not my favorite, but this book hooked me from the very beginning.  The writing really pulled me in.  I was instantly invested in Sam’s life, her struggle to overcome the obstacles of her past.  I was cheering her on every step of the way.   And the anticipation of finding out just who Mr. Knightley was, well I couldn’t put the book down and finished it in an afternoon.  A SWEET AND POIGNANT STORY AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE READS OF THE YEAR! I highly recommend this book!

 

I had 6 quotes from Dear Mr. Knightley, but I'll only share 2 here.  The first may be my favorite quote of the year  :laugh:

 

“How would it feel to get carried away on emotion like Marianne?  To be so recklessly entranced?  So passionately in love?  I never thought Marianne’s devotion to Willoughby was prudent, and it wasn’t, but I bet it was fun.  And later, I’m sure all that passion enveloped Colonel Brandon.†  :001_wub: 

 

And a book quote

 

 

“I’ve been sitting in my living room organizing my books.  It’s so quiet and dark, but I don’t feel lonely.  I feel safe.  How could I not?  All my friends are here.  You should see them lined up…they are all arranged:  Austen, Dickens, Webster, Gaskell, the Bronte sisters, Christie…They’re safe and sound and standing proud.â€

 

And my mid-year update...I'm a little behind on a Book a Week from all our traveling.

*01.  As You Wish by Cary Elwes (non fiction, memoir)

*02.  The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami (January Author, BaW rec, Japan)

*03.  The Princess Bride by William Goldman

*04.  Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (BaW rec)

*05.  Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (England, February Author, reread, classic)

*06.  Archimedes and the Door Science by Jeanne Bendick (biography, Greece)

*07. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (England, classic)

*08.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (England, reread)

*09.  A Murder for Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner (England, reread)

*10.  Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers (England)

*11.  As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust  by Alan Bradley (Canada)

*12.  The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna van Praag (England, BaW rec)

*13.  101 More Devotions for Homeschool Moms by Jackie Wellwood (non-fiction)

*14.  And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (March Author, reread, England)

*15.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (England, reread)

*16.  Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury (England, reread)

*17.  Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (England/Caribbean, classic)

*18.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (England, reread)

*19.  Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw (England, classic)

*20.  Eragon by Christopher Paolini (reread)

*21.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (England, reread)

*22.  Refining Felicity by Marion Chesney (England, BaW rec)

*23.  Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay (USA)

[Stacia]

[side note: Stacia, have you read Set This House in Order?  It deals with multiple personality disorder in a fascinating and powerful way.  The first 2/3 is brilliant, the last third doesn't have the same tautness and appeal, but I recommend it anyway.  ...though it deals with hard, possibly trigger-y things.]

 

Looking this up, I just realized it is written by Matt Ruff. He also wrote Bad Monkeys, a book I read last (?) year & totally loved the wild, wacky ride.

 

[Stacia]

Thanks, Caroline. Ds is now about halfway through Outcasts United & he's liking it. He's glad to have something different to read. He reads very quickly, but is also somewhat picky about what he actually likes, so he finds it hard to come across new books. He ends up reading his same old collection of books over & over; while he loves them, he also wants new stuff.

 

Does anyone have other suggestions for him? He likes smart, often sarcastic writing. His faves are Terry Pratchett's Discworld, Harry Potter, & the Flavia de Luce books. (But he has read all of those so many times, he practically has all of the books memorized.) He also really liked the 100 Year Old Man book, along with the other one the author put out (Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden or something like that). He didn't like The Eyre Affair, but did like Jasper Fforde's two Nursery Crimes books. For non-fiction, he's pretty sensitive to topics, but does enjoy ones written more in a 'story' format & that are positive, uplifting, &/or fun. Overall, he's not into dark/creepy/scary books (so war/dystopian/etc... are definitely not his thing) & he's not really into paranormal stuff (even though Discworld is populated w/ all kinds of fantasy characters). He hasn't really been interested in a lot of the books sitting on the YA shelves at the bookstores (just not topics or plotlines that seem appealing to him).

 

From my shelves, he's read (& enjoyed) the non-fiction one about the kids who spent many summers of their youth remaking the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie, as well as reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. I think there are others too, but I can't think of which ones he's read.

 

Someone on here mentioned the Psych books (was it Butter? or someone else?) & I'm planning to get him some of those. Would love more suggestions for his own fun reading (vs. required school reading). He & I would both really, really appreciate any ideas!

 

As for my own reading, I have some stuff going on this week & library due dates are coming up, so I may return my big pile of books (many unread), including my two in-progress ones (Leeches; Ruby) & see what I feel like reading next. Leeches & Ruby are both good, but seem very heavy (topic-wise) for summer. Maybe I have summer brain, but I'm in the mood for something lighter for myself.

 

 

[Jane in NC]

Stacia,

 

Has your son read any Douglas Adams?  If he likes sarcasm...  One Douglas Adams volume that is not often discussed is Last Chance to See, a non-fiction book co-written with a fellow from the World Wildlife Fund.

 

What about Conan Doyle?  Would the Sherlock stories appeal to him?

 

Along the same lines I will also suggest Maurice LeBlanc stories featuring Arsene Lupin, the gentleman-thief.  Since y'all are movie fans, this pairs nicely with the Japanese film The Castle of Cagliostro, directed by Miyazaki. 

[Stacia]

Thanks, Jane.

 

The Dirk Gently book I read recently is his. He tried it & didn't like it (that was months ago). After I read it & loved it, I told him I think he should give it another try because I do think he would really enjoy it. I'll definitely mention the other Douglas Adams book to him too.

 

He hasn't tried Sherlock as far as I know. I have some collections of those, so I'll pull them out & give them to him. Not sure if it will be his thing, but maybe.

 

Thanks re: the suggestion for LeBlanc. Will look those up too.

[idnib]

Hi all,

 

You may have heard about the passing of eaglei's son.  I know before her son became ill she was in BaW more often. I have permission from her to share her address with boardies who PM me for it, and Jane in NC thoughtfully reminded me to post in this thread as well. Please let me know if you'd like the address.

[Kareni]

Stacia,

 

Did your son sample the Johannes Cabal book?  It certainly had dry witty language.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

I missed the the last two weeks because I kept getting behind on the thread and couldn't find a place to jump in. I know, I know, just jump in anywhere so that's what I'm doing this week. I don't want to miss another week.

 

While I haven't been posting, I have been reading. I actually made it to the halfway point on my Goodreads Reading Challenge. My goal is 60 books and I've read 30 so far. I don't remember the last book I mentioned here, so I'll just link to my challenge. I'm pretty sure I have it set as public. https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/2253123

 

I read a few forgettable mysteries. One was really disappointing only because it was the Library Big Read for June. Eyes on You is a mystery that reads like a tv or movie-of-the-week script. It wasn't awful and was an easy read while we were away for a few days, but the fact that libraries across the country were pushing this book is what bothered me. I guess I expected better of libraries. I guess I shouldn't have. The Library Big Read, for those who don't know, is when participating libraries become part of an ebook club (with Overdrive) and guarantee that the Big Read choice will be available in electronic form for anyone who wants to borrow it. http://biglibraryread.com/

 

Anyway, I also read Far From the Madding Crowd and loved it so much I had trouble finding something else to read. Nothing was going to compare. I was going to choose Wives and Daughters because I can always read Gaskell, but two Goodreads book groups are reading books I want to read. One is Brideshead Revisited, the other is Of Human Bondage. Some of you might remember that I started the latter but didn't finish it. I'm hoping that I can get through the rest with the help of a book group. I didn't dislike it, it's just that there were other books that grabbed my interest, then it had to go back to the library. 

 

Re: The Girl With the Pearl Earring. - I read it several years ago but will wait until some of you read it before I say much. I did enjoy learning about how paint was mixed in that time.