Book a Week 2015 - BW28: history and writing

[Butter]

I finished My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke yesterday.  I have such an old man crush on him  :lol:

 

It's about a month and a half until school starts now so I decided I had better start pre-reading books Cameron will be reading next year.  So I started The Importance of Being Earnest (the play).

[Loesje22000]

I finished the Discovery of France last night.

Now I have to find a new book :)

[Angel]

Baby Island was my middle dd's first favorite book. Not her first book, but the first that she read over and over and over again. Our copy is also falling apart.

 

 

Baby island! I loved that book so much I used to lay awake at night making my own version of it happen in my head. I have to get a copy for my kids in a couple of years.

 

Love those art pics.

 

 

I loved Baby Island! I read it over and over. I was relieved to diacover rhat I still liked it when I read it aloud to my boys. : )

 

Nan

 

I can't tell you how excited I was to see that so many people loved Baby Island!!   :001_wub:  It's one of those books that I haven't seen very often so usually when I mention it, people don't know what I'm talking about.  

[mumto2]

I finished My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke yesterday. I have such an old man crush on him :lol:

 

It's about a month and a half until school starts now so I decided I had better start pre-reading books Cameron will be reading next year. So I started The Importance of Being Earnest (the play).

I love Dick Van Dyke......I will try and get the book. Will I still love him when I am don reading it? ;)

 

Angel, we read Baby Island because it was Veritas Press book with a study guide. We loved it but I had never heard of it before.

 

I attempted to post a review of the Ice Twins https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23553419-the-ice-twins morning. I really did not like it and upon reflection probably like it less now!

 

It is being referred to as like Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. I am still waiting on Girl on the Train (curiosity because I was 998 on the List) but greatly disliked Gone Girl. I have to say this one is worse. Creepy book that hits tons of triggers. Just yuk....bad ending btw. I lack resolution because really not convinced.

 

Edited....fixed my link

[Stacia]

NoseInABook, I'm thrilled that you loved Mr. Fox.

 

I have never heard of Baby Island (except on this thread). How neat that it is one that a few of you all remember fondly.

 

I finished Heliopolis last night & am glad I read it. It is the first book I've read this year that is set in South America (Brazil). I enjoyed the set-up of the story, which alternated between the present day & the childhood of the main character. The story also provided alternating views of the "haves" (the mega-rich) & the "have-nots" (those in favelas). The main character's mother is a cook, & while this is not a food book, there are some lovely descriptions of meals & food (which makes me think Jane might enjoy this one). The book was nominated for the Man Booker a few years back & it has the good quality of writing I expect from the nominees. A worthwhile, literary read.

[Kareni]

My book group meets this week, so this is a NFBA (a non-fluffy book alert)!

 

Last night I finished Tatjana Soli's The Lotus Eaters.  This was a gripping read.  For the first fifty or so pages, I thought I might have to assign myself a 100 pages a day until the book was complete; however, I ultimately got caught up in the story and read and read.  That said, I feel as though I've read too many war books in recent months with my book group; such books leave me feeling sad.  This one was set in Vietnam during the Vietnam war.  In the book, one character says that the Vietnamese call it the American War as opposed to the French War which took place some years before.

 

 

- Winner of UK's James Tait Black Prize
- New York Times Notable Book of 2010
- American Library Association 2011 Notable Book
- Finalist LA Times Book Award
- A Kirkus Reviews Top Debut Fiction of 2010
- Bookmarks Magazine Best Literary Fiction of 2010

"In the final days of a falling Saigon, The Lotus Eaters unfolds the story of three remarkable photographers brought together under the impossible umbrella of war: Helen Adams, a once-naïve ingénue whose ambition conflicts with her desire over the course of the fighting; Linh, the mysterious Vietnamese man who loves her, but is torn between conflicting loyalties to his homeland and his heart; and Sam Darrow, a man addicted to the narcotic of violence, to his intoxicating affair with Helen and to the ever-increasing danger of his job. All three become transformed by the conflict they have risked everything to record.

 

In this much-heralded debut, Tatjana Soli creates a searing portrait of three souls trapped by their impossible passions, contrasting the wrenching horror of combat and the treachery of obsession with the redemptive power of love."

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Butter]

I love Dick Van Dyke......I will try and get the book. Will I still love him when I am don reading it? ;)

 

Yes, I think so.  He's not perfect and doesn't pretend to be (he smoked cigarettes even after he knew they were bad for you, he is a recovering alcoholic and has had many relapses, he's divorced and never got around to marrying his second companion - even though they were together 35 years, he laments that many people felt he was hard to get to know because of his shyness, etc.), but he's really just an all around good guy, faults and all.  I like him even more now :)

[idnib]

What are you changing? (Just curious... : ))

 

Nan

 

A couple of main things I want to change:

 

I want to impart more of my own knowledge during lessons. So far I've been using more scripted materials, and I plan to continue but I'll be going off-script a lot. I'd still like a bit of a script to help me make sure I cover everything, but I'm going to be adding in a lot more. Collins talks a lot about making connections and I realized I can do this but I don't do it nearly as much as I could. I have some regrets about not "going off script" sooner, but I also know I didn't have to confidence to create it out of my mind; I was a techie with no experience around children and I wanted the scaffolding.

 

I want to keep the kids together more during our work. It's been interesting to learn how Collins deals with a very blended classroom of 30 children ages 4-12, many with much bigger problems than my children face. I tend to separate out the kids for most subjects, especially math and writing, but I'm going to see if I can teach joint lesson and then have them separate out for their own work. She also has some of the older children teach the younger ones, which gives the older ones confidence and grace in addition to content review, and a sense of support and camaraderie for the younger child.

 

Collins' school room eventually ended up being above her own flat and school technically started at 9:00a, but kids would start arriving as early as 7:30 and she would go over things with them while she cleaned the kitchen, brushed her hair, mopped, etc. and I was thinking I could use my time better as well, doing more of a "learning all the time through living" model. Of course I don't want to overdo it either.I do think I could do more "life learning" and demonstrate my own ongoing self-education better.

 

Collins' kids were from the ghetto and she was pretty much their only shot to learn about many of the things kids outside the ghetto are exposed to in daily life. Partly as a result of that I think she had a very concentrated technique whereas I'm more likely to use a more "fluffy" technique. For example, while discussing Crime and Punishment, she talks about how it's a psychological novel, gives a definition of psychology, give the Greek root psyche and its definition, and talks about the psychology of the character and whether his circumstances excuse his behavior. [Leaving out C&P spoilers here.] This all happens within a few class minutes, so it's very dense. The "extra" teaching happens right in the moment, with definitions, phonics (with diacritical marks), and spelling all happening within the lesson. And I realized I have all that same knowledge in my head, but I haven't been pulling it together like that. I might discuss a novel and ask a question, while separately using a book about word roots, and having yet another time for spelling. I have a knowledge base or can acquire what I need by pre-reading what my children will do, but it's been stuck in my head while I was busy using scripts. My teaching has been in individual subject columns and now I want to start connecting the columns.

 

So we'll see. Between Collins' book and 8's new PDF on creating your own curriculum, I feel everything has come together in a serendipitous way to push me forward to the next level of my ability.  :)

[Stacia]

I sat down & read a bittersweet, yet charming, little book in one sitting. I found it on the "new" shelf at the library; it was published in France in 2013, just now translated & published in English:

The Travels of Daniel Ascher by Deborah Levy-Bertherat

http://www.publishersweekly.com/9781590517079#path/9781590517079

 

It's a bit of a mix between Indiana Jones & The Book Thief. It brought a few tears to my eyes but a few smiles too. It also reminds us of a history & humanity we should not forget.

 

I'm not sure if it is meant to be a light adult novel or something for the YA market. Either way, it's one I think quite a few BaWers (& their teens) would enjoy & appreciate. Recommended for a wide variety of readers.

[Butter]

With a sore, broken pinky toe, there's not much I can do as far as puttering around cleaning like I usually do (it's amazing how much you put pressure on that little toe!) so I read The Importance of Being Earnest (the play) today.  So funny.  I saw it performed when I was a teenager.  I love it.

 

Next up is Across Five Aprils (that and Earnest are pre-reading for my oldest son's school next year).

[Shawneinfl]

Finally finished Station Eleven. I so wanted to like this since everyone here seemed to enjoy it so much but for me it was meh. Next up: What Alice Forgot by Moriarty.

[Stacia]

M-mv, who painted each of those pictures? I know the Miro, but have just guesses for the others.

[Lady Florida.]

I finished Bring up the Bodies. Now I need another audiobook but don't have any ideas. I think I'll browse my library website.

[Negin]

I just finished All the Light We Cannot See - 3 Stars - This started out for me as a potential 5-star book. As the story progressed and kept going back and forth in time, making it feel rather choppy and disruptive, it became a 4-star one. By the end of it, when I’d waited so long for the characters to come together, I wouldn’t give it more than 3 stars. I liked it fine, but certainly didn’t love it, and, by the way, I felt that the book was excessively long and that the pace was far too slow. The rich and lyrical writing style was beautiful, but I look far more towards the story and characters. I seldom felt a strong connection to the latter. The reader is not privy to their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. The short chapters and going back and forth certainly don’t help either. 

 

 

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. 

[NoseInABook]

Robin, What's a campfire without a little moonshine? *giggle* I may possibly be the most liberal, open minded redneck you'll meet. ;) 

 

As I'm reading more of Guantanamo Diary, I can pretty much sum up my thoughts with a, "Can we PLEASE just stop hurting people?!" :(

[Kareni]

I recently finished an inspirational historical romance set in WW1 France ~  Stacy Henrie's Hope Rising (Of Love and War).  It's the second in a series, but it stands alone quite well.  The other books in the series do sound intriguing.

 

If you choose to read this, skip the author's note at the beginning as it gives away a key point in the story.  I think it would have been better placed at the end.

 

"Henrie's attention to historical detail and her ability to create multidimensional characters in a swiftly moving, immersive story make this a novel to be savored until the final page is turned." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

 

 

"FROM A GREAT WAR, SPRINGS A GREAT LOVE

In France at the height of World War I, American nurse Evelyn Gray is no stranger to suffering. She's helped save the life of many a soldier, but when she learns her betrothed has been killed, her own heart may be broken beyond repair. Summoning all her strength, Evelyn is determined to carry on-not just for herself and her country, but for her unborn child.

Corporal Joel Campbell dreams of the day the war is over and he can return home and start a family. When a brutal battle injury puts that hope in jeopardy, Joel is lost to despair . . . until he meets Evelyn. Beautiful, compassionate, and in need of help, she makes an unconventional proposal that could save their lives-or ruin them irrevocably. Now, amidst the terror and turmoil of the Western Front, these two lost souls will have to put their faith in love to find the miracle they've been looking for."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Guest]

The Hollow Land by Jane Gardam: More coherent than interconnected short stories, but less of a unit than a novel.  The final story jumped forward in time and tried to pull a number of elements together in ways that didn't quite work for me, but, overall, the pace and flavor were deeply appealing.  Jane, have you read this? 

 

Billie by Annie Gavalda: Another ending that didn't quite work, but the compelling voice of the first person narrator and her complex relationship with her friend... and the troubles both have overcome really grabbed me and kept me reading... and caring.

 

 

An Artist of the Floating World by Ishiguro: I think if I had read this before Remains of the Day I would have adored it, but it is too similar to quite work for me and crystallize as perfectly. ...but the unreliable narrator looking back at a past that has a different inflection now than it did at the time... the things unspoken, the mix of times as the story slowly develops were all brilliant.

 

 

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey: A very readable novella that balanced humor and understated pathos well.  The edge to the careful observations was not unkind, and the implied sadnesses were real without being overwhelming.

 

Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold: a novella in the Chalion series.  Not as well developed as her longer stories (understandably), but also less nuanced than my favorite Bujold short stories.  Sweet, if a little predictable.

 

 

Out of time already - also a Stoppard play, an August Wilson play, and 2 Rebbe Nachman books,   Will try to get back later to add links, etc and reply to at least a few of the posts I have marked.... 

[Jane in NC]

Eliana -- I have not read The Hollow Land but my favorite books of 2014 were Gardam's Old Filth Trilogy. I should read more of her work.

[shukriyya]

I listened to an interview today on onbeing with anthropologist-turned-novelist Mary Doria Russell. She's apparently written a very popular, both critically and publicly, series of science fiction books. Not my genre at all but I was intrigued by her worldview enough to reserve one at the library. Anyone read her? Her two most well-known books are, The Sparrow and Children of God. Eliana, I'm thinking you've probably read her as it seems like she'd fit a lot of your criteria. And maybe Kareni?

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm just back from a camping trip, so trying to catch up.  

 

Robin, I read Worlds Together, Worlds Apart alongside Jeremy Adelman's Coursera Global History course.  I really like the text. It does a great actually covering history in an integrated, global manner, rather than just jumping back and forth among various countries. I hope you and James enjoy it!

 

I read Eliana's recommendation, Set This House In Order, about a character with multiple personality disorder.  We had been discussing it in the context of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde.  I really enjoyed it, there were lots of interesting plot twists that surprised me and held my attention - which was saying something, because there were constant distractions all around me! It was a great camping/beach/vacation book.  I thought the author kind of spent a little too much time wrapping everything up at the end - I really didn't need multiple chapters of denoument plus an Epilogue - but a very interesting book about a fascinating subject, psychologically.  I think this review deserves a trigger warning, though, because obviously MPD is only initiated by serious abuse in childhood, and while the author didn't dwell on this aspect more than the plot demanded, there are disturbing descriptions of child abuse.  

 

Books read in July:

101. Set This House in Order - Matt Ruff

100. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

99. Enchantress from the Stars - Sylvia Engdhal

98. Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

97. Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein

96. World War Z - Max Brooks

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I listened to an interview today on onbeing with anthropologist-turned-novelist Mary Doria Russell. She's apparently written a very popular, both critically and publicly, series of science fiction books. Not my genre at all but I was intrigued by her worldview enough to reserve one at the library. Anyone read her? Her two most well-known books are, The Sparrow and Children of God. Eliana, I'm thinking you've probably read her as it seems like she'd fit a lot of your criteria. And maybe Kareni?

 

Stacia has read these, and I have too.  I found The Sparrow to be one of the most devastating books I've ever read.  It was fabulous, but so incredibly disturbing it's still kind of seared in my memory.  It's one of those books I'm not sure whether I'm glad I read, and I'm not sure whether I'd recommend, but it had a huge impact on me. I don't know that this is a helpful review!  Someone else may be more eloquent.

[Stacia]

I've read The Sparrow. (But, I've never gotten around to Children of God. You all know how I am with series books! :tongue_smilie: )

 

I thought The Sparrow was harrowing, but great. We read it for my book club years ago & I was surprised that it was one that everyone enjoyed. (I expected that there might be a divide between the more religious members & the secular members. But, there was not.) There was a ton to discuss. I loved the descriptions of the characters in the first half of the book. I really fell in love with the people who were going on this mission. You will come to love these people. She characterized them beautifully. But, you know from the outset that the shoe is going to drop because the flashback way the story is told & you know there is only one survivor of the trip who is (in the story's present time) on trial for the deaths of the others. It's not a spoiler to say that as it is set-up that way from the beginning. So, you fall in love with these characters (including the accused) & yet you know something absolutely horrific is coming too. Compelling. Heart-wrenching. Sometimes agonizing.

 

Years later, I read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. I wish I had known to read it alongside The Sparrow for some interesting insight & comparison/contrast. (I don't think I read much sci-fi up to the point when I read The Sparrow.)

 

I heartily recommend The Sparrow but parts of it are hard to read.

[shukriyya]

Stacia has read these, and I have too.  I found The Sparrow to be one of the most devastating books I've ever read.  It was fabulous, but so incredibly disturbing it's still kind of seared in my memory.  It's one of those books I'm not sure whether I'm glad I read, and I'm not sure whether I'd recommend, but it had a huge impact on me. I don't know that this is a helpful review!  Someone else may be more eloquent.

 

 

I thought The Sparrow was harrowing, but great. We read it for my book club years ago & I was surprised that it was one that everyone enjoyed. (I expected that there might be a divide between the more religious members & the secular members. But, there was not.) There was a ton to discuss. I loved the descriptions of the characters in the first half of the book. I really fell in love with the people who were going on this mission. You will come to love these people. She characterized them beautifully. But, you know from the outset that the shoe is going to drop because the flashback way the story is told & you know there is only one survivor of the trip who is (in the story's present time) on trial for the deaths of the others. It's not a spoiler to say that as it is set-up that way from the beginning. So, you fall in love with these characters (including the accused) & yet you know something absolutely horrific is coming too. Compelling. Heart-wrenching. Sometimes agonizing.

 

Years later, I read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. I wish I had known to read it alongside The Sparrow for some interesting insight & comparison/contrast. (I don't think I read much sci-fi up to the point when I read The Sparrow.)

 

I heartily recommend The Sparrow but parts of it are hard to read.

 

Hmm, devastating, disturbing, harrowing, horrific, compelling etc etc. Not what I tend to reach for in my reading selections, hehe. It's already on reserve at the library so I'll likely give it a try but with the descriptives above, well, I don't think it's going to be a winner here. :lol:

 

I'd recommend the interview to both of you though since the book was so resonant for you. It's in the archives at onbeing.org and is called, 'The Novelist as God'.

[Kareni]

Here's an enjoyable blog post from Tor ~

 

What Do You Reread For Comfort Or Escape? by Liz Bourke

 

I'm an avid re-reader.  My husband has commented that he can sometimes tell my mood based on what I've chosen to re-read.

**

 

Some fun bookish gifts here ~

 

Book Fetish: Volume 167  by Rachel Manwill

 

I like the Pooh eye chart.

**

 

11 Charts That Accurately Sum Up Being A Book Nerd

 

These are fun. Jane, you might have a quibble with number 10!

**

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

Last night I decided to give up on the Tracy Chevalier book, Burning Bright.  I was 170 or so pages in and still had NO idea what the story was going to be about and still had NO connection to the characters and still found the characters to be highly unlikable, with the exception of William Blake and his wife.  Ugh.  What a disappointment!  I'm glad I only paid .25 for it.  I don't usually give up on a book that far in but blah, just blah.

 

So after tossing that (literally) on the floor, I picked up The Clockwork Scarab again.  I really like the idea of the Holmes/Stoker team but that's about all I liked.  After a few chapters there was just a little too much "girl power" (gag) and WAY too much description of the machinery.  When we got to the description of the girls' dresses with the steampunk themes, well, it joined the other book on the floor!  In this case it may not be the book, it may not be the right time for the book, as I have enjoyed Gail Carriger's Etiquette and Espionage series and The Lady of Devices.

 

So, now I'm not sure what to read.  Even Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is irritating me!  Harry has such an awful attitude and Umbridge is so nasty.

 

Sooo, obviously it's me :rolleyes:  Not sure what to read now, though not much will get read anyway because we are really close to our Boston trip and dh keeps us going from sun up to sun down.  

 

Should I start I Capture the Castle or wait until I'm in a better mood  :lol:

[idnib]

I've hesitatingly added The Sparrow to my Amazon cart.

[Stacia]

Well, Angel, you could always read another Kurt Vonnegut book.

 

:laugh:

 

idnib, I think you may like The Sparrow. shukriyya, I'm not sure that you will like it. (Just my wild guesses, of course.)

[Angel]

Well, Angel, you could always read another Kurt Vonnegut book.

 

:laugh:

 

 

:lol:  :lol:  

[mumto2]

idnib, I think you may like The Sparrow. shukriyya, I'm not sure that you will like it. (Just my wild guesses, of course.)

You can give a prediction on my liking it too......I put it on hold early this morning before the reviews that made me wonder. :lol:

[Stacia]

You can give a prediction on my liking it too......I put it on hold early this morning before the reviews that made me wonder. :lol:

 

:lol:

 

(<------- That's me with my crystal ball. Yes, I'm actually green irl.)

 

I will put you in the middle, mumto2. You will like it more than shukriyya will, but less than idnib.

 

:biggrinjester:

 

 

[Onceuponatime]

An Artist of the Floating World by Ishiguro: I think if I had read this before Remains of the Day I would have adored it, but it is too similar to quite work for me and crystallize as perfectly. ...but the unreliable narrator looking back at a past that has a different inflection now than it did at the time... the things unspoken, the mix of times as the story slowly develops were all brilliant.

 

 

 

That is also a pretty good description of When We Were Orphans, the Ishiguro book I just finished. I read Remainsof the Day last year. He must use that style for most of his writing. This time around it made me very tense because I had a better ability to read between the lines and see the narrator's obsessions and personal delusions. Then there is the uncomfortable feeling that in some way I may be that delusional, making excuses for my actions that are based on emotions I can't admit to. 😕

[Stacia]

Just a side note...

 

Can't remember if I ever posted that ds finished Outcasts United. He loved it. Thanks again, Caroline.

 

He also just finished Born to Run & really enjoyed that one.

 

I think he's getting ready to start some of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

 

(He also has to read Anthem for school, so he's starting that one too.)

[mumto2]

A couple of weeks ago we had a link to a list of good fastasy/sci fi series that were not well known, the actual title was more concise but I can't remember it. One of the series mentioned was Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkinshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5287473-hex-hall. I immediately thought of the tv show Hex which I have watched some of but lost interest because all the weirdness became boring. There may be a connection between the too namewise but the reality is the connection is slim.

 

The book was definitely YA, fun YA. dd has been reading them also. After reading just the first one, I think the series really is like Harry Potter. Not quite as good but really enjoyable. The second is in my to be read pile, dd is waiting for the third. :lol:

[shukriyya]

:laugh:

 

idnib, I think you may like The Sparrow. shukriyya, I'm not sure that you will like it. (Just my wild guesses, of course.)

 

 

You can give a prediction on my liking it too......I put it on hold early this morning before the reviews that made me wonder. :lol:

 

 

:lol:

 

(<------- That's me with my crystal ball. Yes, I'm actually green irl.)

 

I will put you in the middle, mumto2. You will like it more than shukriyya will, but less than idnib.

 

:biggrinjester:

 

I was going to straight out ask my BaW sisters who know my reading habits whether I'd like this book or not but apparently Stacia's crystal ball has done the trick. Mumto2 has a wider aperture than I do so I think the crystal ball is right on that score. Mumto2, let me know how you get along with it. I'm still waiting on my copy to come in. Meanwhile 'Catherine the Great' continues to entertain.

[Onceuponatime]

I've started The Face on the Wall by Jane Langton. Nothing like a murder mystery to clear the cobwebs and get ready for the next literary effort.

[idnib]

The Classics and the Western Canon group on Goodreads will be reading Goethe's Faust (I and II) starting July 29. I think I'll join. Anyone else here interested or planning to join?

[Jane in NC]

The Classics and the Western Canon group on Goodreads will be reading Goethe's Faust (I and II) starting July 29. I think I'll join. Anyone else here interested or planning to join?

Timing is not right for me but I will be interested in hearing what you have to say particularly about translations. I have never heard anyone advocate loudly for particular translators of Goethe.

 

I enjoyed Gessner's book on osprey and their migrations. Next up is a 19th century Russian novel, Mikhail Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time.

[idnib]

Timing is not right for me but I will be interested in hearing what you have to say particularly about translations. I have never heard anyone advocate loudly for particular translators of Goethe. 

 

Neither have I. I think I'm going to use Alice Raphael's translation. 

[Violet Crown]

Hello friends! I have been very out of touch up in Ultima Thule where wi-fi is apparently shipped in by herring boat from Norway--so one concludes from the small trickle available in the rental flat, disappearing entirely when there's "weather," which is most of the time. Happily that led to increased reading time, when sight-seeing wasn't occupying us--and by the way you could read outside at 3 in the morning if you had wanted. I finished off my Scottish reading with Orkneyinga Saga, a book foisted on you quite literally at the ferry depot, and which rewards the tourist reader with accounts of viking power politics and alcohol-fueled national crises occurring in the very locations that you, gentle reader, are visiting a thousand years later, with inscribed runes and grave goods still around to remind you these things actually happened. Orkneyinga Saga features Earl Thorfinn and St. Magnus, but I preferred Earl Rognvald (pronounced "Ronald"), nephew of Magnus, and particularly the account of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Rognvald takes a few longship-fuls of his viking mates, and while other pious Europeans are slogging south and east on their own dime, the Orcadians finance their pilgrimage by (naturally) viking raids along the way. At one point they run across a dromond, which Earl Rognvald is very excited about, and they decide they'll take the ship with a clear conscience: if it's full of infidels, they're doing a holy work; if it's Christian merchants, they'll let them buy the vikings off in the usual manner; and either way, they'll give a full fiftieth of the loot to the poor. So it's all good. (When they reach the Holy Land, they spend a lot of time getting drunk and annoying the locals; afterward they visit the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople, who, with a keen eye to character, immediately offers them jobs as mercenaries.) Earl Rognvald ends up as St. Rognvald, by the way, on the strength of building St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall and forcing the relocation of his uncle's relics thence. So he's either in heaven or valhalla I suppose.

 

And Jane, I am starting Roderick Random, which I suppose is another Scottish novel, so that's one more on the pile. Though your Smollett sounds so intriguing. Jet lag overwhelms and so I will go on about other vacation books on another day.

[Violet Crown]

Shukriyya, good to see you around!

 

Last night I decided to give up on the Tracy Chevalier book, Burning Bright. I was 170 or so pages in and still had NO idea what the story was going to be about and still had NO connection to the characters and still found the characters to be highly unlikable, with the exception of William Blake and his wife.

You might like Alexander Gilchrist's Life of William Blake, written when many people who knew Blake were still alive, and which is the source for most of the fun things we know about the Blakes. Mrs Blake seems to have been an impressively patient woman. Did your book mention the "air bathing"?

[Violet Crown]

The Classics and the Western Canon group on Goodreads will be reading Goethe's Faust (I and II) starting July 29. I think I'll join. Anyone else here interested or planning to join?

I might be tempted by a re-read. Has anyone ever read the adaptation of Parts I & II in the last volume of the old My Book House? Not the sort of thing you expect someone to write a children's version of.

[Kareni]

My book group had a good discussion of Tatjana Soli's The Lotus Eaters last night.  The hosting member went all out and provided pho (a Vietnamese soup mentioned in the book) and peach pie (since one character in the book loved peaches).  We also all  suggested titles for upcoming reads and now have choices through the end of 2016!

 

 

Two recent reads ~ Jenna Sutton's All the Right Places was an enjoyable contemporary romance; it's the first in a new series.  I'll definitely read more by this author.

 

"Amelia Winger is a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a successful designer. So when she gets a gig designing accessories for denim empire Riley O’Brien & Co., it’s a dream come true. Amelia can handle the demanding job, but she isn’t quite prepared for sexy CEO Quinn O’Brien. She’s doing her best to keep things professional, but the attraction sparking between them makes it personal. And so does the secret project she's working on behind his back...

Quinn’s not interested in the new accessories, but he is interested in the woman designing them. Amelia is smart, sexy, and talented, and he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her since they met. Mixing business and pleasure isn’t wise, but that doesn’t stop him from coming up with excuses to spend time with her. He thinks he understands the risk he’s taking when he gets involved with Amelia. But he doesn’t know he’s risking a lot more than his heart."

 

 

I also finished the historical western romance Seduced (Into The Wild) by Molly O'Keefe.  I'd previously read contemporary romances by this author.  I'll likely read more in this new series, but I prefer her contemporary novels.

 

"Melody Hurst’s days as a Southern belle are over. Now she’s widowed and alone in the foothills of the Rockies, struggling to make a life in a dangerous world. She’s determined to secure a future by marrying – but love is out of the question. Cole Baywood has turned bounty hunter after serving in the horrors of the Civil War, but the ghosts of the men and women he’s killed still haunt him. He’s drawn to the beautiful widow trying to seduce him, only the darkness in his soul forces him to reject her. Is it possible that Melody’s touch can heal the demons of his past? And how can he convince a woman who has lost so much to risk her heart?"

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[-M-]

M-mv, who painted each of those pictures? I know the Miro, but have just guesses for the others.

 

 

 

 

Edouard Vuillard

The Painter Ker-Xavier Roussel and His Daughter

1903

 

Henri Matisse

La Musique

1939

 

Joan Miró

Carnaval d'Alequin

1924-25

 

Max Beckmann

Hotel Lobby

1950

 

Miró and Beckmann are particular favorites of mine. Here is another image (and, again, the images in this post were taken by this poster) of the Hotel Lobby:

 

 

 

[Stacia]

Thanks. I had also guessed the Matisse. Looks like a great collection on display.

 

I love Miro too.

[Maus]

30. "Asperger's and Girls" by Tony Attwood.  Another recommended by the Neuro-psych.  I will be coming back to this one frequently.  Worth the purchase.

 

29.  "A Veiled Antiquity" by Rett MacPherson.  My mom checked it out from her library while we were there.  I don't really like to start a new series any place other than the first book, but the first book wasn't available.  I liked the book, and the genealogist component was a draw, but I'm reserving judgement until I've read another in the series.  Preferably, the first.

 

28. "As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust" by Alan Bradley.

27. "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan.

26. "Temple Theology: An Introduction" by Margaret Barker.

25. "Walking With the Women of the New Testament" by Heather Farrell (LDS). 

24. "Cub Scout BEAR Handbook."

23. "How to Read Literature Like  a Professor for Kids" by Thomas C. Foster.

22.  "Women and the Priesthood" by Sheri Dew (LDS).

21. "No More Meltdowns" by Jed Baker, Ph.D. 

20. "Amazed by Grace" by Sheri Dew (LDS).

19. "Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace" by Sarah Mackenzie.

18. "How to Become a Straight-A Student" by Cal Newport.

17. "Eight Plus One" by Robert Cormier.

16.  "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand.

15. "How to Train Your Dragon" by Cressida Cowell.

14.  "As You Wish" by Cary Elwes.

13. "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. 

12. "My Louisiana Sky" by Kimberly Willis Holt. 

11. "Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself" by Alan Alda.  

10. "When I Was Your Age" edited by Amy Ehrlich.

9. "Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick.  

8. “Broken Things to Mend†by Jeffrey R. Holland (LDS)

7. “When You Can't Do It Alone†by Brent Top. (LDS)

6. “What to Do When You Worry Too Much†and “What to Do When Your Temper Flares†by Dawn Huebner, Ph.D.â€

5. “Tales of a Female Nomad†by Rita Golden Gelman.

4. “Heaven is for Real†by Todd Burpo.

3. "Your Happily Ever After" and "The Remarkable Soul of a Woman" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. (LDS)

2. "Cliff-Hanger" by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson.

1. "Rage of Fire" by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson.

 

[idnib]

I might be tempted by a re-read. Has anyone ever read the adaptation of Parts I & II in the last volume of the old My Book House? Not the sort of thing you expect someone to write a children's version of.

 

I have not but I think I might have that set in the garage after a library sale binge I'm still sorting through. I hope I do because if I like Faust I'll be on the look out for a children's version.

[Robin M]

With a sore, broken pinky toe, there's not much I can do as far as puttering around cleaning like I usually do (it's amazing how much you put pressure on that little toe!) so I read The Importance of Being Earnest (the play) today.  So funny.  I saw it performed when I was a teenager.  I love it.

 

Next up is Across Five Aprils (that and Earnest are pre-reading for my oldest son's school next year).

So sorry to hear you broke your pinky toe.  I sprained mine a couple years back, so feel your pain. 

 

I'm just back from a camping trip, so trying to catch up.  

 

Robin, I read Worlds Together, Worlds Apart alongside Jeremy Adelman's Coursera Global History course.  I really like the text. It does a great actually covering history in an integrated, global manner, rather than just jumping back and forth among various countries. I hope you and James enjoy it!

So happy to hear that.  I've been keeping my eye on that course, hoping they offer it again. 

[Kareni]

Have you ever arrived at the last page of a book only to disconcerted to find the words, "To be continued..."?  You have been warned.  I wish I'd been warned!

 

Today in an endeavour to obtain another bingo square for my adult summer reading program, I needed to read for an hour in a local park.  I sat at a picnic bench near a playground and enjoyed the still coolish morning and the sounds of children at play.  (I'd forgotten how much instruction is so often given to young children.  "Don't climb up the slide!", "Use your words!", "If you can't play nicely, we'll need to leave."   Sadly, the child being given all of these instructions was ultimately taken away.  I'm wondering if the mother was simply ready to go home, because he didn't seem out of control to me.)  In any event ....

 

Today, I finished (can one be said to finish something that is "To be continued..."?) Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher.  Now having found the Amazon page, I see that this is part one of three. 

 

Lisa Kane, an Amazon reviewer, says

 

"Charlie (short for Charlize ) and Silas are two high schoolers that suddenly in the middle of class have no idea who they are. The memories they had of themselves and all of the relationships in their lives are wiped clean. They do have some random recall for things like the password for a laptop, names of celebrities, words to songs etc. They quickly realize that they are both in this predicament together and were a long time couple before this happened to them. They set out to find out all they can about themselves but once they do, will they like the people they were? What about the relationships they had with their parents, siblings, friends? What would they change; in the end- would they still be a couple ?

As the investigation to uncover who they are progresses, Charlie and Silas find out many disturbing things going on that their current “born again minds†find hard to believe. Things about the rifts that exist in their families, and some ugly truths about their parents. But some of the harshest truths are about themselves and the things they’ve done behind each other’s backs."

 

 

I did enjoy the story, save for the cliffhanger aspect.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Robin M]

Have you ever arrived at the last page of a book only to disconcerted to find the words, "To be continued..."?  You have been warned.  I wish I'd been warned!

I know.   I've been reading Karen Moning's Fever series and I'm glad I waited until now since the majority ended in cliffhangers. 

[Guest]

Idnib, hurrah for your kids having such positive connections to Shakespeare! Early exposure shaped me on so many levels (and all in what I see as positive ways)

 

Cstarlette, We saw an amazing production of LLL the other year. It was set in the Brideshead Revisited era (complete with teddy bear!) which brought out some powerful aspects of the play...it also handled the cruel 'humor' near the end in a way that was moving, disturbing, and fit perfectly with the larger issues and themes.

 

Shukriyya, I am so happy to 'see' you here!!!! Massie's bio of her is far from my favorite, but I've always found Catherine's story compelling, if depressing.