Book a Week 2015 - BW33: bookish birthdays and book news

[Jane in NC]

Sending hugs and good vibes to you idnib.  You can always rely on your BaW friends if you need some support!

[Onceuponatime]

I never thought I'd say this. Bill Bryson is making me cry. We have lost so much. I've never seen a chestnut tree.

[idnib]

I never thought I'd say this. Bill Bryson is making me cry. We have lost so much. I've never seen a chestnut tree.

 

:grouphug:

 

If I've seen a chestnut tree, I'm not aware of it.  :crying:

[Onceuponatime]

:grouphug:

 

If I've seen a chestnut tree, I'm not aware of it. :crying:

If you have, it was not the American chestnut. They were almost completely wiped out by a fungus. Apparently they were magnificent, huge trees and once made up a quarter of the eastern forest.

He also said people chopped down 200 year old pecans just to harvest the nuts. What a waste.

[Jane in NC]

There was a chestnut tree in my neighborhood when I was growing up. Every autumn we would collect the nuts to toss into the annual fall bonfire where they would pop.

 

Neighborhood bonfires are a thing of the past, like chestnuts, I suppose. Stands of the trees remain and work is being done to cultivate them.

[prairiegirl]

Idnib,  :grouphug:  I am sorry. 

 

I finished  'Dangerous to Know'  by Tasha Alexander.  This is the fifth book in the Lady Emily Hargreaves mysteries, I quite enjoyed this book and will be trying to find more of the series.   I am now reading 'Saving Grace' by Jane Green.  I have just begun it but the main character is emotionally abused by her husband which hits a bit too close to home so I'm not sure if I will be able to finish it.

 

Eliana,  enjoy your time with your people, especially the littlest one.

[mumto2]

 

I finished 'Dangerous to Know' by Tasha Alexander. This is the fifth book in the Lady Emily Hargreaves mysteries, I quite enjoyed this book and will be trying to find more of the series. I am now reading 'Saving Grace' by Jane Green. I have just begun it but the main character is emotionally abused by her husband which hits a bit too close to home so I'm not sure if I will be able to finish it.

 

 

Julia, I never welcomed you back last week so :grouphug:. I am so glad that our little part of this huge forum is a place where we can find comfort when our world becomes painful.

 

Dd and I have read most of the Tasha Alexander books. They vary in quality imo but are enjoyable. Some of storylines that might not be enjoyable right now. Another series you might enjoy are C.S. Harris and her Sebastian St. Cyr. Regency Mysteries. What Angels Fear is the first one. These need to be read in order, missing one would probably be O.K. as long as what you have is in order. The stories all take place in one year so they have an underlying continuing storyline. These are not fluffy but good. Goodreads kept recommending Tasha Alexander when I was reading the St. Cyr books......

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. It's a recent publication, so I must have gotten it from of the BookRiot best new books postings.  I had a hard time rating this book, and I have a hard time describing it. Neil Gaiman, yeah, I get the comparison. I was thinking of it as a combination of Stephen King and Tom Robbins.  Very weird, surreal without being at all "magical realism."  Makes you think about the nature of power & authority, the limits of revenge, and the forces that shape the psyche.  Recommended if you have a high tolerance for weird. And gore.

[Kareni]

An article I came across this morning ~

 

Bestselling Book Promises Kids Will Fall Asleep at Bedtime

 

The article is about this book ~

 

The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep: A New Way Of Getting Children To Sleep by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin

 

ETA: If any of you have children (or spouses) who have a difficult time falling asleep, give it a try and let us know whether it works!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Last night I finished M. L. Buchman's latest Firehawks book Hot Point which I enjoyed. 

 

"THESE AIRBORNE HEROES BATTLE MORE THAN FLAMES
The elite firefighters of Mount Hood Aviation fly into places even the CIA can't penetrate.

 

FROM WILDFIRE TO GUNFIRE
Master mechanic Denise Conroy-with a reputation for being as steel-clad as the aircraft she keeps aloft-shuns useless flyboys who don't know one end of a wrench from the other.

 

Firehawk pilot Vern Taylor-known for unstoppable charm and a complete lack of mechanical skills-proves his talent for out-of-the-box thinking with every flight. He's a survivor and a natural-born heli-aviation firefighter.

 

When Denise and Vern crash together in the Central American jungle with wildfire on one side and a full-fledged military coup on the other, their newly forged partnership is tested to the max. They have each other, but not even their formidable skills combined can protect Denise and Vern from the conflagration sweeping the jungle...and their hearts."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[NoseInABook]

idnib, it sounds like you've  been through a lot lately. *hugs* What a coincidence. I grabbed The Sparrow last night because The House of the Spirits wasn't drawing me in. I'll pick it up again but for right now I'm hoping The Sparrow is a good one!

 

I also can't remember ever seeing a chestnut tree... sad.

[Stacia]

idnib, :grouphug: .

[Stacia]

I finished Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me. To call it the latest "in" book seems like it would trivialize it; otoh, it has been making a splash & is being widely talked about. I first heard about it because an indie bookseller (Astoria Bookshop in Queens, NY) decided to sell the book at cost in order to get the book out there to the reading public.

 

I can’t say that I especially enjoyed Between the World and Me. And maybe that is rightly so, as race problems, doubts, & fears are not something to enjoy; it is not a happy book; it does not sugar-coat the world. Since this was written as a letter from Coates to his 15yo son, I’m not the intended audience; sometimes, I felt like I was intruding on something too private, too personal... a strong feeling of “I shouldn’t be hereâ€. It’s hard to put a number or a rating on such private thoughts, personal musings, inner feelings on having grown up black in America & now raising a teen son in the US of today. There’s a profound message here, a deep impact. The prose was, at times, poetic, or unappealing, or clunky, or smooth; but at all times thought-provoking, or eye-opening, or heartfelt, or personal. There are many questions & thoughts, yet Coates provides no answers. It was really not the book I expected to read. And, yet, I can't stop thinking about it either.

 

I think I have a sliver of this embedded in me now. I hope I have come away wiser, more aware, a better human....

 

I really like this NY Times review & much of it reflects what I felt as I read the book too. Part of Coates' inspiration was James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, which I have now requested from the library.

 

#1 "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER Hailed by Toni Morrison as required reading, a bold and personal literary exploration of America's racial history by the single best writer on the subject of race in the United States ("The New York Observer")

"This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it."

In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation's history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of race, a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?

"Between the World and Me" is Ta-Nehisi Coates's attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son and readers the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children's lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, "Between the World and Me "clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.

 

 

[TeacherZee]

Just zipping in and out asking for a favour:

 

I need suggestions for a book for a friend who didn't pass English in high school here in Sweden. It is limiting her in life as she can't get into university without it and she is making another attempt. She needs an easy to read book (but not an abridged or simplified) that is at least 100 pages long. I am drawing a blank but I figured you ladies might know something that would fit. The language needs to be no more than an 8th grade reading level (even that will be hard for her) and an engaging story. Nothing sad, she has had enough sadness in her life (she lost one of her children who was a micro preemie plus other stuff)

 

Thanks

 

And hugs to those who need it!

[Loesje22000]

Just zipping in and out asking for a favour:

 

I need suggestions for a book for a friend who didn't pass English in high school here in Sweden. It is limiting her in life as she can't get into university without it and she is making another attempt. She needs an easy to read book (but not an abridged or simplified) that is at least 100 pages long. I am drawing a blank but I figured you ladies might know something that would fit. The language needs to be no more than an 8th grade reading level (even that will be hard for her) and an engaging story. Nothing sad, she has had enough sadness in her life (she lost one of her children who was a micro preemie plus other stuff)

 

Thanks

 

And hugs to those who need it!

A Christmas Carol would be accepted in the Netherlands, also James Herriot, even a Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie would be allowed.

Would she enjoy Chaim Potok?

[mommymilkies]

If you have, it was not the American chestnut. They were almost completely wiped out by a fungus. Apparently they were magnificent, huge trees and once made up a quarter of the eastern forest.

He also said people chopped down 200 year old pecans just to harvest the nuts. What a waste.

I accidentally sat my hand down on a fallen chestnut with the prickly bits in 2010 and had the most awful reaction to it!  My hand was very swollen and red and weeping for weeks.  

 

I'm reading The Writer's Jungle and trying to keep up with read alouds here.  Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, A big Winnie the Pooh book, The Penderwicks, The Way of Kings, and the Book of Marvels. 

[mommymilkies]

A Christmas Carol would be accepted in the Netherlands, also James Herriot, even a Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie would be allowed.

Would she enjoy Chaim Potok?

If she needs something not sad, I'd skip the first two.  

[Kareni]

... She needs an easy to read book (but not an abridged or simplified) that is at least 100 pages long. I am drawing a blank but I figured you ladies might know something that would fit. The language needs to be no more than an 8th grade reading level (even that will be hard for her) and an engaging story. Nothing sad, she has had enough sadness in her life (she lost one of her children who was a micro preemie plus other stuff)

 

I'm not sure if my choices will work.

 

Does it need to be a book for adults?  The first book I thought of is a children's book, but I see it's out of print. Gwinna  by Barbara Helen Berger

 

The second book I thought of is only 98 pages ~ The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.  And now I'm wondering if the book might also be too sad.

 

I'll continue to ponder.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Here are a few suggestions ~

 

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (144 pages, 5.0 reading level)

 

SAD BOOK ALERT~  Night by Elie Wiesel (148 pages, 4.8 reading level)

 

Animal Farm: A Fairy Story by George Orwell (154 pages, 7.3 reading level)

 

I've never read it thus can't speak to the sadness element ~ Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (116 pages, 4.5 reading level)

 

Hatchet (Brian's Saga Book 1) by Gary Paulsen (193 pages, 5.7 reading level)

 

ETA: I found the reading levels in this lengthy pdf

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Just zipping in and out asking for a favour:

 

I need suggestions for a book for a friend who didn't pass English in high school here in Sweden. It is limiting her in life as she can't get into university without it and she is making another attempt. She needs an easy to read book (but not an abridged or simplified) that is at least 100 pages long. I am drawing a blank but I figured you ladies might know something that would fit. The language needs to be no more than an 8th grade reading level (even that will be hard for her) and an engaging story. Nothing sad, she has had enough sadness in her life (she lost one of her children who was a micro preemie plus other stuff)

 

Thanks

 

And hugs to those who need it!

I found thishttp://www.scholastic.com/tbw/bookAlikeSearch.do?Ntk=TBW_BookAlike7_SI&workId=1275204&gradeOffset=0#cart/cleanupat a Scholastic website to find out grade level. I have been playing with it. Apparently Agatha Christie and James Herriot are grade 7. I was a bit surprised that Hunger Games is grade 5. I know it wasn't a difficult read but didn't quite expect that. :lol: It does explain why all the kids were reading it before the movie came out. Hunger Games is depressing and over 400 pages so not a great choice.

 

I am not sure how she will be using this book for her English qualifications, does the actual reading of the book give her credit? Fwiw dd has been reading Harry Potter's and Agatha Christie books in her foreign languages to increase her reading speed. Because she knows the story they are intuitive and she picks up the vocabulary quicker.

[Violet Crown]

 

I've never read it thus can't speak to the sadness element ~ Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

 

I would vote "sad" on that one.

[Kareni]

One other thought, TeacherZee ~

 

What books does your friend typically read in her native language?

 

I'm thinking of the fact that my daughter enjoyed reading Harry Potter, a book with which she was very familiar, in Latin when she was studying that language.  More recently, while studying Korean, she's enjoyed revisiting Diary of a Wimpy Kid in that language.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Eliana:  I might not be around as much for a little bit - my eldest daughter and her husband (and my precious grandaughter!!) are moving here this week, and staying with us for a while.  ...so we've been rearranging and trying to get things ready for

 

How exciting!  Hug that precious little one for me.   Glad the name challenge helped you to narrow down some choice reads.

 

 

Rose:  I'm trying to stay focused, and finish reading and making a study guide for Story of Science, with school starting Monday

 

 

We start the first week in September. I'm working on biology plans.  This summer went by way too fast. 

 

 

Butter I'm reading Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.  It's the first book my 13 year old will be reading when we go back to school.  I figure since that's a week from Tuesday I'd better get this book read.  I'm not loving it.  I'm finding it really hard to pay attention to it.  It's just not my thing.  I do think my son will enjoy it.

 

Too funny.  I have the same book planned as well and going to spend September reading it and other books while we do Teaching the Classics.  Tried to do books that we can compare to the film. 

 

 

 

Karen - Thanks for all the great links!  Hot Point!  Yeah. Downloaded. :grouphug:

 

 

Stacia: It's been awhile since I posted my list, so I'll put it here. I'm at 38 books this year, which is definitely behind the curve for me. I think I'll be doing well to eke out the full 52 this year. Please send me good reading karma!

 

List? What list. Were we supposed to keep a list?  :leaving:     I've have completely fallen behind with making any lists this year.  My bad.  Will be fun trying to create at some point.    Sending good reading Karma your way.  :auto:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUaT: I'm still reading A Walk in the Woods.. I don't think I'll be getting much reading done this week. We start school on Tuesday which will mean acclimating everyone, myself included, to a new schedule. We have had a very lazy summer.

 

Same here!

 

 

Hi Maela - just keep swimming!

 

 

Idnib - :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

 

 

[redsquirrel]

Hi all, I haven't posted here in what I now realize has been a few months. I am sorry. I think I couldn't settle on a new book for a week or two, and then I felt like I was 'behind' and so I waited. And then I forgot, lol.  But I have been reading the whole time, I promise!

 

Here is my list of books for 2015.  These aren't every single thing I have read because I don't "count" read out louds for my kid or silly diet books I take out of the library and read in 2 hours and return the next day.

 

David Copperfield

Half a yellow sun

Bring Up the Bodies

Olive Kittridge

Redeployment

Good Lord Bird

Brown Girl Dreaming

Homer and Langley

Orphan Master's Son

Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights

The Round House

Not That Kind of Girl

The Narrow Road to the Deep North

The 6th Extinction

Bad Feminist

The Story of a New Name

All the Light We Cannot See

Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World

Go Set a Watchman

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

Pastoralia

Slaughterhouse 5

The Buddha in the Attic

11/22/62

 

Currently reading:

Still plodding on with The Golden Notebook (but not since July)

Suspended Sentences by Modiano: this is a collection of three novellas by Patrick Modiano. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2014. I hadn't ever heard of him, and I figured if he is good enough to win the Nobel maybe I should check him out, lol. I haven't gotten far enough into it to really form an opinion. Except...it is very misty and dreamy. Very European. I am feeling like I should have saved it for February. It feels like a book to read when the days are short and the light is always purple.

 

I also have When the Emperor was Divine, by Otsuka. She also wrote The Buddha in the Attic. I wanted to read Emperor because it was chosen last year (I think) as the Cornell New Student Reading Project book. This year it is Slaughterhouse 5. I am hoping to make it to a couple of the lectures and presentations. There is also about to be a display of Vonnegut's drawings next week. 

 

Stacia, I am jealous that you have already read Between the World and Me. I have been waiting forever to get my hands on a copy. I mean, I could just buy it, right, lol. But, being a librarian's wife, it always feels a little silly to buy a book. But I really cannot wait to read it. Especially after having read 'Go Set a Watchman' I am really feeling the need for it.

 

And if anyone needs a good 'beach book' I highly recommend 11/22/1962 by King.  I thought it was an engrossing book with great characters. It is also over 800 pages, so it kept me entertained for most of a week of camping by the ocean. I had several days of very long reading sessions and the book just didn't stop, lol. I am not a Stephen King fan..I don't dislike his writing, I just don't usually want to read what he writes about. I LOVED his book "On Writing" and I have enjoyed his column in EW magazine when I come across it.  I think he is a fine writer, I just don't like to visit his sandbox. But I really liked this book. It is making me reconsider King and some of his less 'horrific' stuff. Maybe I should check it out.

[Stacia]

Eliana, hug your adorable granddaughter for us when your dd & her family arrive!

 

Stacia, you were right: I greatly enjoyed The Sparrow, although I agree with Rose it was harrowing. I've thought about why that was and I think it's because of the high degree of character development. I really felt like I knew them and I was an invisible, silent observer who was actually present throughout the book. Not many books have done that to me. Usually I do feel like they are in their own world and I'm understanding their story from the outside. I did warn my sci-fi loving DH that he would probably be too sensitive for it. Any other Russell books people would recommend?

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I agree also that it is harrowing. You are so right about the character development. I felt that part was especially strong in the first half of the book -- I was so invested in the story because I so loved the characters, they were just such real & wonderful people. I think that's what made it such an enormously strong book even though it's horrific what they go through. They are some of the best characters & ones I have loved the most among the many books I've read over the years.

 

I haven't read any of her other books.

 

I wanted to read Emperor because it was chosen last year (I think) as the Cornell New Student Reading Project book. This year it is Slaughterhouse 5. I am hoping to make it to a couple of the lectures and presentations. There is also about to be a display of Vonnegut's drawings next week. 

 

Stacia, I am jealous that you have already read Between the World and Me. I have been waiting forever to get my hands on a copy. I mean, I could just buy it, right, lol. But, being a librarian's wife, it always feels a little silly to buy a book. But I really cannot wait to read it. Especially after having read 'Go Set a Watchman' I am really feeling the need for it.

 

And if anyone needs a good 'beach book' I highly recommend 11/22/1962 by King.  I thought it was an engrossing book with great characters.

 

Ah, what did you think of Slaughterhouse Five? The display of Vonnegut's drawings could be neat & fun to see.

 

Looking forward to your comments on Between the World and Me. I still have to read Go Set a Watchman. I can see (based on reviews I've read) how the two would be an interesting pairing to read. I'm looking forward to the James Baldwin book I've requested from the library. And, if you haven't ever read Langston Hughes' The Ways of White Folks, it is searing & amazing & would be another good fit among these books.

 

I tried King's 11/22/62 a few years ago but couldn't make it past the first hundred pages. Even though it's not one of his 'gross' or 'gory' novels, he had enough gross stuff in the first hundred pages to make me stop reading. Lol.

[idnib]

And if anyone needs a good 'beach book' I highly recommend 11/22/1962 by King.  I thought it was an engrossing book with great characters. It is also over 800 pages, so it kept me entertained for most of a week of camping by the ocean. I had several days of very long reading sessions and the book just didn't stop, lol. I am not a Stephen King fan..I don't dislike his writing, I just don't usually want to read what he writes about. I LOVED his book "On Writing" and I have enjoyed his column in EW magazine when I come across it.  I think he is a fine writer, I just don't like to visit his sandbox. But I really liked this book. It is making me reconsider King and some of his less 'horrific' stuff. Maybe I should check it out.

 

I know what you mean by King. I have probably read 80% of his stuff, including the Bachman stories. But there was a point at which it became too much and his (very consistent) style started to grate on me. That said, I picked up 11/22/1962 for $1 at the library book sale and I'm planning to give it a shot at some point. I think the style is a bit different but I'm not sure.

[LaughingCat]

Read this week:  Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews

 

One thing I have been thinking lately is that I have been reading a lot of series - and many that I really enjoy-- but! for some reason they are not books that I want to reread.  They are just not calling to me  (or maybe it is because BaW is making my tbr pile too big?  :lol: )   

 

Also read this blog post about lack of (visible) women authors in SF -- and realized that 80% of the fiction I read this year is by a woman author (and it would be 90% except I blew through Jim Butcher's Calderon series)  Not on purpose in any way -- makes me have a little sympathy for those guys saying 'but I just read what I like - it's not my fault it's all written by men!'

[Kareni]

Also read this blog post about lack of (visible) women authors in SF -- and realized that 80% of the fiction I read this year is by a woman author (and it would be 90% except I blew through Jim Butcher's Calderon series)  Not on purpose in any way -- makes me have a little sympathy for those guys saying 'but I just read what I like - it's not my fault it's all written by men!'

 

That was an interesting post, LaughingCat.  I read a number of the comments, and they were of interest, too.

 

Here's a lengthy list  Women in SF&F Month: Big Giant 2014 List that has 1,051 entries.  (Many authors have multiple entries.)

 

"The Big Giant Recommendation List was created when Renay wrote a guest post for Women in SF&F Month asking readers to build their own list of great SF&F written by women. To quote:

 

Although it's possible to find plenty of lists now, for me there's always a certain thrill in asking people what their favorite books are. Perhaps because I grew up unable to do it or maybe it's because if something sounds awesome I can go get it immediately. Building recommendation lists like this feels like a way my adult self is carving out a space for the baby genre fan that she could have been had she only had the resources; it's a statement and a reclamation. Maybe the list will be for that baby genre fan in our lives who wants to know which way to go and isn't sure; for the curious friend who wants to learn more; or as a resource to let us know what genre fiction by women is celebrated and loved at this moment in time."

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I haven't read a book by King in years. I used to enjoy his books and then there was the one about the dog. I haven't read one since. I recently saw 11/22/62 on one of our lists, maybe time travel. Somewhere unexpected.

 

I just discovered that there are a whole lot of Fool's Gold books. https://www.goodreads.com/series/47858-fool-s-gold. I am still enjoying them but I will be at this longer than expected.

[Lady Florida.]

:grouphug:  Hugs to all those who need them. 

 

Welcome back to long lost members and welcome new members.

 

Eliana, I hope the move goes smoothly. I know you'll enjoy having the little one closer to you.

 

I finished 4 books since I last posted an update:

 

--How the Light Gets In, Louise Penny - audiobook

--A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini - I liked it much better than Kite Runner

--Call the Midwife - Jennifer Worth - I've seen the series (at least what's available in the U.S.) and it was interesting to read the actual stories and see where the show took each one. I would like to read the remainder of her memoirs in this series.

--Silence in Hanover Close, Anne Perry - historical mystery series #9

 

 

Still reading:

 

--Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell - Slow going, but I know the story and know it will pick up soon.

--Faust - like idnib, I've fallen behind. It shouldn't take me long to catch up because it's fairly easy reading

 

Started:

 

--Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward - This one is for IRL book club. I'm not sure what to think of it yet, but so far I find it easy to put aside for something else. I'm also dreading some parts I read about, having to do with the dogs in the story so I'm probably subconsciously putting it off.

--Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel - I should have waited to start this, because it grabbed me right away and is keeping me from my other books. A friend set up a meet and discuss for late September because she loved it and wants to talk about it. I would have had plenty of time to finish if I waited a few weeks to start it. The Salvage the Bones meeting for my actual book club is coming up in 2 weeks so I really need to finish it.

 

 

I'm at 41 for the year, and my Goodreads goal is 60. 

 

 

[JennW in SoCal]

I was killing time in Barnes & Noble recently and to my delight they had The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks on the shelf.  I've been wanting to read it since someone here (Kareni, probably, queen of the interesting links!) posted a link to this interview at The Guardian. I've only read about 30 pages so far and it is as wonderful as I had hoped. 

 

Sheep seem to be the theme of the week.  We are HUGE fans of Wallace and Gromit and all the claymation that comes out of Aardman Animations, so naturally we had to see Shaun the Sheep.  It was our big last family get together of the summer before the college boy heads back to campus, and we giggled our way all the way til the very end of the credits.  Actually, by the end of the credits we were all laughing so hard that tears were running down our cheeks.  This much silliness may not float your boat, but in case it does, here is a music video of the the final song that runs with the credits. 

Life's a Treat with Shaun the Sheep

[redsquirrel]

Ah, what did you think of Slaughterhouse Five? The display of Vonnegut's drawings could be neat & fun to see.

 

Looking forward to your comments on Between the World and Me. I still have to read Go Set a Watchman. I can see (based on reviews I've read) how the two would be an interesting pairing to read. I'm looking forward to the James Baldwin book I've requested from the library. And, if you haven't ever read Langston Hughes' The Ways of White Folks, it is searing & amazing & would be another good fit among these books.

 

I tried King's 11/22/62 a few years ago but couldn't make it past the first hundred pages. Even though it's not one of his 'gross' or 'gory' novels, he had enough gross stuff in the first hundred pages to make me stop reading. Lol.

 

I very much enjoyed Slaughterhouse 5, but enjoyed isn't really the right world.  I guess I should say I found it compelling and sad, but I am glad I read it. It was a reread, but it has been...20 years (?) since I first read it. This time I was much more aware of what he was writing about, his pain, what he was trying to show us. I found it powerful and heartbreaking.  I read it, my dh read it and my 15 year old read it, he is finally old enough to take part in the 'big read', and we all loved it.  DS1 can be a surprisingly sensitive reader, he sometimes really surprises me with his empathy and insight into characters, and he found it very moving.  He also thinks it is a great book for the incoming students. It isn't too long, it is accessible and there is a LOT to think about. He forced himself to slow down (Vonnegut is very easy to speed through) and reread passages to make sure he was understanding what was going on.  The movie is available to rent and I think we will have a 'grownup movie night' for the three of us. Sometimes it is challenging having a 5 year gap between kids, lol.

 

I do think this is a book that was wasted on me when I was younger. I was prob 22 when I read it. I read a whole lot of Vonnegut in a very short period and now it has all sort of blended together in my head. Hi ho and so it goes.  This time, when I read the subtitle, "the children's crusade' it felt like a punch in the gut. I did tell ds1 that he should consider a reread when he is old like me, lol. I am pretty sure he rolled his eyes.

 

 

 

I know what you mean by King. I have probably read 80% of his stuff, including the Bachman stories. But there was a point at which it became too much and his (very consistent) style started to grate on me. That said, I picked up 11/22/1962 for $1 at the library book sale and I'm planning to give it a shot at some point. I think the style is a bit different but I'm not sure.

 

 

I haven't read a book by King in years. I used to enjoy his books and then there was the one about the dog. I haven't read one since. I recently saw 11/22/62 on one of our lists, maybe time travel. Somewhere unexpected.

 

I just discovered that there are a whole lot of Fool's Gold books. https://www.goodreads.com/series/47858-fool-s-gold. I am still enjoying them but I will be at this longer than expected.

 

 

It has been so long since I read a King novel that I am not sure if the style is different. Like many, I went through my King phase when I was in high school. It's funny to see DS1 doing the same thing now. I made sure to start him off with the short stories (excellent IMO) and then Carrie and the earlier 'classic King".

 

I read the book because I found the topic interesting, it was almost despite the author. I am a SF or fantasy genre fan, but I don't make much time for it ...although I am a HUGE Harry Potter fangirl, totally insufferable, lol. Mostly I stick to YA SF or fantasy.  I did love "The Time Traveler's Wife".  So, if you find the topic of time travel interesting, or you are a huge "Mad Men" fan and wished you could go back to the late 50s-early 60s and actually live, then you might find this book compelling. I found it engrossing enough and long enough (a difficult combo) that it was perfect to read on a trip. DH is going to save it for the next time he has to fly to Asia.

[Butter]

I finished Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson this morning.  Ugh.  The last few chapters were better that the entire rest of the book.  Slow, boring.  Just, ugh.

[Kareni]

I was killing time in Barnes & Noble recently and to my delight they had The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks on the shelf.  I've been wanting to read it since someone here (Kareni, probably, queen of the interesting links!) posted a link to this interview at The Guardian. I've only read about 30 pages so far and it is as wonderful as I had hoped. 

 

....

 

I did link the article, so I'm glad that the Rebanks book meets your expectations.  It certainly sounded good to me, but there's that 'So many books, so little time' issue.  (And, yes, I do have a t-shirt that says that.)

 

And, thanks for mentioning Shaun the Sheep.  We (my daughter and husband particularly) are Wallace and Gromit fans, too.  Hmm, I should ask my daughter if this is showing in South Korea .... 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[idnib]

I finished Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson this morning.  Ugh.  The last few chapters were better that the entire rest of the book.  Slow, boring.  Just, ugh.

 

DS ditched Kidnapped. Maybe I should have made him stick with it until it got better.

[Jane in NC]

Even though we all know the ending, the last chapter of The Boys in the Boat is still exciting as the American eight row against Germany, Italy, Hungary, Britain, and Switzerland for the gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. I have mixed feelings about this book.  It is a cracking good tale. I suspect most people are not as annoyed as I am by the writing since Good Reads readers give it a 4.3; high score on Amazon too. This leads me to suggest that The Boys in the Boat might be the perfect book for your reluctant high school reader--or a book to give to Uncle Fester when you don't know what else to give.

 

Last night I started reading the preface entitled "About Ed Ricketts" in Steinbeck's Log from the Sea of Cortez.  While I knew that I had not read this before, there was something so familiar about it all. Then it dawned on me.  Doc in Cannery Row is based on biologist Ed Ricketts--as Wikipedia verified for me.

 

And I am still reading Elizabeth Taylor's Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont.  Shukriyya--I think you might like this too.

[Angel]

Warning! - Skip this review if you are a huge fan of The Red Badge of Courage  :lol:

 

I finished “A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t.† The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is the only book I ever remember not actually reading in school.  I was a follow the rules kind of girl, but just could not get into this book and ended up just bs-ing my way through the assignments.  So 26 or 27 years later, here I am actually reading it.  By chapter 3 I knew why I had never read it in school.  The language of the book is a bit bi-polar with Crane writing these flowery passages one minute and then back-woods slang the next.  In fact, I felt that he was trying to use as many similies and metaphors as possible.  To me, the subject matter just did not lend itself to his flowery descriptions.  I thought it was pretentious and overdone.  The flow of the story itself was choppy and hard to follow.  At one point, I actually looked up the end of a chapter in another copy thinking that there was a typo or a page missing.  Nope!  I felt the same way about the ending, too.  And then there is our main character, Henry.  To quote another book…his mood swings gave me whiplash.  I didn’t find his illuminations enlightening or deep, only whiny and mean spirited.   The whole thing was chaotic…chaotic storyline, chaotic character, chaotic language.  I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS IS A CLASSIC.  Even Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-5 flowed better than this, and his book was all over the place.  GLAD TO BE DONE with it! 

 

Oops!  Forgot my quote: “An’ allus be careful an’ choose yer comp’ny…I don’t want yeh to ever do anything, Henry, that yeh would be ‘shamed to let me know about.  Jest think as if I was a-watchin’ yeh.  If yeh keep that in yer mind allus, I guess yeh’ll come out about right.â€

 

That makes book #32 for me.  

[JennW in SoCal]

Even though we all know the ending, the last chapter of The Boys in the Boat is still exciting as the American eight row against Germany, Italy, Hungary, Britain, and Switzerland for the gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. I have mixed feelings about this book.  It is a cracking good tale. I suspect most people are not as annoyed as I am by the writing since Good Reads readers give it a 4.3; high score on Amazon too. This leads me to suggest that The Boys in the Boat might be the perfect book for your reluctant high school reader--or a book to give to Uncle Fester when you don't know what else to give.

 

Last night I started reading the preface entitled "About Ed Ricketts" in Steinbeck's Log from the Sea of Cortez.  While I knew that I had not read this before, there was something so familiar about it all. Then it dawned on me.  Doc in Cannery Row is based on biologist Ed Ricketts--as Wikipedia verified for me.

 

And I am still reading Elizabeth Taylor's Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont.  Shukriyya--I think you might like this too.

 

My ds knows Ed Ricketts' granddaughters who homeschooled through the same charter school we used. There is also a nice display at the Monterey Aquarium on Ed Ricketts and the life there on Cannery Row back in the day (the aquarium itself is on the site of a former cannery).

[Jane in NC]

My ds knows Ed Ricketts' granddaughters who homeschooled through the same charter school we used. There is also a nice display at the Monterey Aquarium on Ed Ricketts and the life there on Cannery Row back in the day (the aquarium itself is on the site of a former cannery).

Cool! The Monterey Bay Aquarium is fantastic. I would love to go back there again.

[Stacia]

Even though we all know the ending, the last chapter of The Boys in the Boat is still exciting as the American eight row against Germany, Italy, Hungary, Britain, and Switzerland for the gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. I have mixed feelings about this book.  It is a cracking good tale. I suspect most people are not as annoyed as I am by the writing since Good Reads readers give it a 4.3; high score on Amazon too. This leads me to suggest that The Boys in the Boat might be the perfect book for your reluctant high school reader--or a book to give to Uncle Fester when you don't know what else to give.

 

Another mom at dd's dance recently recommend this book to me. I've always been interested in rowing, so I may check it out one day.

 

Uncle Fester... :lol:

 

The whole thing was chaotic…chaotic storyline, chaotic character, chaotic language.  I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS IS A CLASSIC.  Even Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-5 flowed better than this, and his book was all over the place.  GLAD TO BE DONE with it! 

 

:lol:

[Stacia]

I finished Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson this morning.  Ugh.  The last few chapters were better that the entire rest of the book.  Slow, boring.  Just, ugh.

 

Lol. I haven't read that one, but "Ugh" is pretty much how I felt reading Treasure Island with my dc years ago. I really didn't care for it.

 

Otoh, I love, love, love The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- a perfect novella, imo.

 

[Butter]

Lol. I haven't read that one, but "Ugh" is pretty much how I felt reading Treasure Island with my dc years ago. I really didn't care for it.

 

Uh-oh.  Treasure Island is another he's reading.  So of course I have to read it, too.

[Lady Florida.]

Lol. I haven't read that one, but "Ugh" is pretty much how I felt reading Treasure Island with my dc years ago. I really didn't care for it.

 

 

 

I tried to read Treasure Island with ds. A few years later he tried to read it with a homeschool book club we had at Books a Million. Neither of us could get through it. I let him drop book club over it. Ugh.

[Angel]

Uh-oh.  Treasure Island is another he's reading.  So of course I have to read it, too.

 

I enjoyed Treasure Island earlier this year.  I'm a huge fan of Pirates of the Caribbean and found some of the similarities fun.  I admit to finding the dialogue a little hard to follow sometimes.  Punctuation seemed to be in weird places.  But overall I thought it a good book.  Dd14's perspective - she thought it was ok and didn't dislike it.   

[Chrysalis Academy]

We listened to the audiobook version of Treasure Island read by Alfred Molina on a long road trip.  We all really enjoyed it.  But mostly we loved Molina's great voice. I could listen to that man read a cookbook!  :drool:

[Kareni]

... the Monterey Aquarium...

 

If you've watched Star Trek IV, you've seen the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  It was renamed The Cetacean Institute for filming purposes.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Maus]

35. "The American Revolution" and "Hispanic America, Texas, and the Mexican War" by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier.  These aren't really full length books, at about 82 pages each, but I am reading all the volumes my library has as my own refresher course before we tackle U.S. History as a subject.  So I'll count two as one, shall I?

 

34. "Pilgrims and Puritans" and "The French and Indian War" by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier.  I'm liking these.  I may try them with the kids in the future.

 

33.  "Flygirl" by Sherri L. Smith.

32. "mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine.

31. "The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders" by Elizabeth Verdick & Elizabeth Reeve, M.D.

30. "Asperger's and Girls" by Tony Attwood.

29.  "A Veiled Antiquity" by Rett MacPherson.

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.

[Kareni]

Anyone here a fan of the movie The Ghost and Mrs. Muir?  It's a movie that I loved years ago.  If so, you might be interested in this post which discusses both the movie and the book upon which it is based.

 

Guest Squee: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – The Movie, the Book, and Me by Kay Layton Sisk

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Trying to clean off my bookshelves some. Here are a few books I'm giving away. PM me if you want any of them & I'll put them in the mail to you. If I don't have any takers by the end of the week, the books will be donated to the library.

 

The Castle in Transylvania by Jules Verne

Memoirs of a Porcupine by Alain Mabanckou

The Iron Will of Shoeshine Cats by Hesh Kestin

The Affinity Bridge by George Mann

[prairiegirl]

Julia, I never welcomed you back last week so :grouphug:. I am so glad that our little part of this huge forum is a place where we can find comfort when our world becomes painful.

 

Dd and I have read most of the Tasha Alexander books. They vary in quality imo but are enjoyable. Some of storylines that might not be enjoyable right now. Another series you might enjoy are C.S. Harris and her Sebastian St. Cyr. Regency Mysteries. What Angels Fear is the first one. These need to be read in order, missing one would probably be O.K. as long as what you have is in order. The stories all take place in one year so they have an underlying continuing storyline. These are not fluffy but good. Goodreads kept recommending Tasha Alexander when I was reading the St. Cyr books......

 

Thank you for the St. Cyr recommendation.  I will put that on my ever-growing TBR list.  

 

I am not a fan of either Treasure Island or Kidnapped.  I'm glad that I am not alone.