Robin M Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Happy Sunday Dear hearts: We are on week 34 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 - National Book Festival: Here is where I'd like to be on September 5th: The 15th anniversary celebration of The Library of Congress National Book Festival. They will be celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the arrival of Thomas Jefferson's Personal library to the Library of Congress as well as the 15th anniversary of the Veterans History Project. Have fun exploring their site. ******************************************************************** History of the Medieval World Chapter 38 Tang Dominance 282 - 290 Chapter 39 - the Tribe of Faith 291 - 301 ******************************************************************* What are you reading this week? Link to week 33 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 Still working my way through Swann's Way. Drudgery at this point. Really don't care but taking a class so must finish it...... Alternately rereading Keri Arthur's Dark Angel Series and on # 4 - Darkness Hunts Today is our 18th wedding anniversary. Time sure flies when you're having fun or maybe the older you get, the faster time goes. :lol: Going out to Ruth Chris Steakhouse for dinner this evening. 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Happy Anniversary Robin! Have a lovely dinner out at Ruth's Chris. Yum! Aggieamy, You need to clean out your PM box. Tried to get in touch earlier today. I finally read a Keri Arthur book after many recommendations from Robin and Melmichigan. The first Riley Jensen, Full Moon Rising. I enjoyed it and will try the next one soon. Currently reading Judy Blume's In the Unlikely Event. Not far enough in to have an opinion or even to know if I plan to keep reading it. A conversation here a few weeks ago put this book in my pile. It isn't what I expected so far..... 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I finished a dutch novel about former missionaries in Indonesia. I finished: - another part of Emile (Rousseau) - two parts of At Home (Bryon) I started MiddelMarch. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Happy anniversary, Robin! Should be a terrific dinner tonight! I'm about a quarter of the way through The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks and am really loving it. I decided that Johannes Cabal wasn't really grabbing me so I'm abandoning it. It was funny enough, but I wasn't compelled to turn it on during my long commute to my weekend gig, so I drove in the quiet or listened to NPR or classic rock instead -- a sure sign to abandon a book! I'm finishing a 9 show run of Into the Woods today. It's been a good production made extra fun by a sound guy who is spot-on with his cues. He has the best *squish* sound for when the giant is running amok in the second act. It's been funny listening to the gasps and ewwws coming from the audience except at yesterday's matinee. A sweet, sensitive young boy starting sobbing when the Baker's wife met her demise. I had heard him a bit during the first act trying to make sense of Sondheim's wacky take on the classic fairy tales, so wasn't surprised when the death toll of the second act finally got to him. Poor kid! His dad was able to console him enough that he could return to catch the end of the show. (The theater is an old movie theater, so no pit -- the orchestra is shoe horned into a corner by the stage, and we are very close to all the action, on stage and off!) 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Happy Anniversery Robin! It makes me realizing we are 17 years married... 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Jenn, you were asking what my girls thought of the Disney movie version of Into the Woods vs. the theatrical version. We watched the Disney version last night. Their take was, it wasn't as good. They thought the 2nd half was super chaotic, and they didn't think the character development worked as well. They said in the movie you didn't really see any change in the Baker character, despite the song, but that in the theatrical version you really did. As far as my take - I hated it! I'm right there with your young audience member, I sobbed too - but during the witches song to Rapunzel. She was a nasty piece of work, not funny like in the theatrical version, but her misguided desire to protect her "daughter" was certainly relateable and heartwrenching. But I was also so pissed off about how the Baker's wife's death was handled! So she and the prince have their encounter in the woods, and what does he get? He gets to tell his wife "I'll always love the girl who ran." Schmucky cad, totally unpunished. While the Baker's wife? Married to a pretty ineffectual guy? She has a moment of weakness, kisses a prince, and promptly gets killed for it. Lots of mother hostility in that movie. I really and thoroughly disliked it, I thought it was super sexist, misogynistic, and anti-mother. I liked the play much better. No books to review at this point, but I should finish a couple today! So I'll post about that later. I was just all boiling over with my thoughts about Into the Woods! 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I finished A Walk in the Woods. Next up: Murder at Monticello by Jane Langton. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Happy Anniversary, Robin! Have a lovely meal out tonight. The two men who are the focus of the books I am currently reading may get on my nerves this week but I am hoping not. The men in question are Ed Ricketts, the marine biologist in Steinbeck's Log of the Sea of Cortez, and Karl Ove Knausgaard, Norwegian phenom, author of the six volume autobiographical novel called "Min Kamp" or "My Struggle". Steinbeck may not have done Ricketts any favors in giving a description of his idiosyncrasies including womanizing. Knausgaard apparently tells us every banal detail (and then some) of his life in the course of 3500 pages of the six books. Knausgaard is often compared to Proust but what strikes me as remarkable is that the books of this "writer's writer" have apparently found their way into one of out of ten Norwegian homes. Archipelago has published translations of the first four volumes with the last two scheduled for future release. In fact, the acquisition of rights to Knausgaard's works has probably guaranteed the financial success of Archipelago. Good for them. With my travels, I have not been reading HoMW and my medieval saints book, The Golden Legend, with regularity. The former is bookmarked at Chapter 54 while the latter is at 100 of 182 vignettes. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I've now read a fourth book that fits into the spell your name challenge ~ K A -- Angels Fall by Nora Roberts R E -- Entreat Me by Grace Draven N -- Not My 1st Rodeo by Donna Alward, Sarah M. Anderson, and Jenna Bayley-Burke I -- I Want You to Want Me (A Rock Star Romance) by Erika Kelly Entreat Me by Grace Draven was an enjoyable fantasy romance. Hmm, looking over some customer reviews at Amazon, I see that it's described as a beauty and the beast retelling. I hadn't considered that, but it's an accurate statement. I've now enjoyed several of this author's books and will definitely read more by her. "Afflicted by a centuries-old curse, a warlord slowly surrenders his humanity and descends toward madness. Ballard of Ketach Tor holds no hope of escaping his fate until his son returns home one day, accompanied by a woman of incomparable beauty. His family believes her arrival may herald Ballard’s salvation. ...until they confront her elder sister. Determined to rescue her sibling from ruin, Louvaen Duenda pursues her to a decrepit castle and discovers a household imprisoned in time. Dark magic, threatening sorcerers, and a malevolent climbing rose with a thirst for blood won’t deter her, but a proud man disfigured by an undying hatred might. Louvaen must decide if loving him will ultimately save him or destroy him. A tale of vengeance and devotion." Regards, Kareni 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Hello all, Hope everyone is well. Happy anniversary Robin! I am reading The Story of a New Name, the second book in Elena Ferrante's set of Neapolitan novels. The blurbs on the front and back include words like "angry," "furious," "relentless," and "demonic," all of which seem pretty accurate to me. Well, "demonic" is probably overkill. But I'm finding this book as engrossing as the first, and heaven knows these women have every reason to be angry. I'm also mildly intrigued by the way that the narrator's classical education alienates her from her community of origin while also opening new paths. I'm also intermittently reading The Opposite of Spoiled, by Ron Lieber, a parenting book about kids and money. So far I am finding it unhelpful but it's a quick read and I'll finish it before bringing it back to the library. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Robin ~ Happy anniversary!! I also read and enjoyed the romantic suspense book Shattered Duty: A Deadly Ops Novel by Katie Reus. While this is the third book in a series, I think it could stand alone. "When his wife was murdered two years ago, Special Agent Levi Lazaro turned his back on everything he cared about. Ever since, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. Now he's finally uncovered the identities of those who killed his wife—and he's ready to destroy them at any cost. He won’t let anything stand in his way—not even a beautiful NSA agent on a mission of her own.Special Agent Selene Wolfe prides herself on being the best. Her fearlessness and quick-thinking make her the perfect person to take down a deadly terrorist cell. But she needs Levi’s help, and the moment he shows up, Selene knows her objectivity—and her heart—are in trouble.As the two strike an uneasy alliance, Levi finds himself tormented by his desire for Selene—a feeling he thought long dead. But when their mission takes an unexpected turn, he finds himself at a crossroads. Can he put aside his need for revenge to save the woman who’s reawakened his soul?" Regards, Kareni 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Today is our 18th wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary, Robin! We celebrated our 19th last week & had a lovely dinner also - not a steakhouse per se, but we had fabulous steak nonetheless. I read: Exiles of the City of Love - 3 Stars - This is a book that would most likely only be appealing for Baha’is. It’s a story of a family who were imprisoned, tortured, and banished to Siberia during World War 2. I’ve been a Baha’i all my life, yet my knowledge of the Baha’is in that time period and that region of the world (Ishqabad) has been rather limited. This book is informative and I learned so much. The story is heartbreaking and unforgettable. Their love, devotion, and spirit of sacrifice, is nothing short of inspiring. Farewell to the East End - 5 Stars - I would recommend this series all around. They’ve made me laugh and cry. I love them and hate that that they have come to an end. 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. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Happy anniversary, Robin! Both The Sparrow and The House of the Spirits were set aside for Julie Kibler's Calling Me Home. It's a breezy one that I should have finished quickly but I've been spending a lot of time school planning instead. I finished Teaching From Rest (the paper edition) which was, of course, lovely. I also read Julie Bogart's Jot It Down and started The Writer's Jungle. All In Orphan Care was finally finished too. I'm also working on Sarah Mae's Longing For Paris. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Happy anniversary, Robin! I finished Invisible Cities by Calvino. My main feeling is jealousy that he got to write something so cool - that he had the idea, the skills and the time. IMO, it's hard to classify. Goodreads calls it a novel, but I want to call it prose poetry. I am still reading Jane Eyre, and I started a memoir that a friend gave me - The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods. This is a book written by a woman who lived in a tree for over two years (very high up, over 180 feet). She climbed up with no knowledge about forestry issues or what it meant to live in a tree, just an urge to help, but people brought her literature to read on the topic while she was up there, she became a spokesperson for the cause because she attracted a lot of attention and people wanted to interview her, and she was granted an honorary degree of some sort (I forget the exact degree). She is not a great writer, just good enough, but the writing is clear and easy and the book is fairly interesting and informative. It's a quick read, and I feel like the amount of information in the book is sufficient for the time and energy it takes to read it. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Happy Anniversary, Robin! I finished The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension, reading and making a study guide. Finally, whew! I also finished The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. Books Read in August: 118. People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks 117. The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury 116. The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension - Joy Hakim 115. The LIbrary at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins 114. The Iron King - Maurice Druon 113. The Magus - John Fowles 112. A History of God - Karen Armstrong 111. War of the Worlds: Fresh Persepctives on the HG Wells Masterpiece 110. March - Geraldine Brooks 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I also finished The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. This is my favorite of the Bradbury books I've read so far. I hope you enjoyed it! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 This is my favorite of the Bradbury books I've read so far. I hope you enjoyed it! I did enjoy it. I got it to have Shannon read The Veldt, which she enjoyed so much that she read the whole book. So then she wanted me to read it, so we could talk about the stories. I liked it better than The Martian Chronicles, except for There Will Come Soft Rains, which is my favorite story of his, I think. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 52 Books Blog - National Book Festival: Here is where I'd like to be on September 5th: The 15th anniversary celebration of The Library of Congress National Book Festival. They will be celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the arrival of Thomas Jefferson's Personal library to the Library of Congress as well as the 15th anniversary of the Veterans History Project. Have fun exploring their site. When we lived in southern MD we went to the National Book Festival every year. We loved it. One year my then 7ish year old son got to meet his huge crush: WordGirl! Today is our 18th wedding anniversary. Time sure flies when you're having fun or maybe the older you get, the faster time goes. :lol: Going out to Ruth Chris Steakhouse for dinner this evening. Happy anniversary! This is a good week for anniversaries. My cousins will celebrate 28 or 29 years and my parents will hit 50 years later this week! I'm currently reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I actually like it so far. Slow, but not bad. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I just gave up on the Judy Blume book. In the Unlikely event was depressing and not overly interesting. I just couldn't read about the effects of a plane crash on a community and on a nice little girl. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24357287-in-the-unlikely-event Not sure what I will read now. I will take a look at due dates I guess. Big sigh..... eta. I think there is something going on with my auto correct , I glanced at my post right after it appeared and saw train instead of plane. Couple of other odd wordings today. Sorry! 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 My book club met and discussed Go Set a Watchman today. Those of us that finished it all agreed that it was awful. Today is our 18th wedding anniversary. Time sure flies when you're having fun or maybe the older you get, the faster time goes. :lol: Going out to Ruth Chris Steakhouse for dinner this evening. Happy anniversary. Hope you guys had a splendid day. Aggieamy, You need to clean out your PM box. Tried to get in touch earlier today. Cleaned it out. I didn't realize it was even full. Oops. I hope you were PMing me to convince me to move to England. :coolgleamA: I finished A Walk in the Woods. Next up: Murder at Monticello by Jane Langton. Is this series cozy? It sounds interesting ... 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Is this series cozy? It sounds interesting ...I've enjoyed most of the Homer and Mary Kelly mystery series. I would classify them as cozy with a bit of an edge now and then. One I didn't like at all. The author will usually focus on one piece of literature or history entwined within the story. I appreciate that. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Happy Anniversary, Robin! Have a lovely evening! Still in somewhat of a reading rut, so nothing new to report. Have made a little more progress in Marco Polo & the other book I'm reading with it (In the Footsteps of Marco Polo). Enjoying both of them, actually, but my brain is just not in the right place for much reading these days. May need to start The Martian soon because ds keeps telling me to read it. Lol. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I saw a very favorable mention of this CURRENTLY free Kindle book ~ Lingerie Wars (Invertary Book 1) by janet elizabeth henderson "Englishman Lake Benson loaned his life savings to his dippy sister so that she could buy a shop. It was a big mistake. His sister has been steadily flushing his money down the drain – and now he wants it back. Years in the special forces taught Lake that if you want a job done, do it yourself. So he steps in to make the shop profitable, sell it and get his money back. The only problem is, the business is an underwear shop. And all Lake knows about underwear can be summed up in how fast he can unsnap a bra. To make matters worse, the tiny highland town already has a lingerie shop. A successful one, run by an ex-lingerie model. A very gorgeous ex-lingerie model, who’s distracting him from his mission more than he’d like to admit. If Lake wants to get his savings back, and get out of Scotland, he only has one option – wipe out the competition.Kirsty Campbell has spent years rebuilding her life after she woke up in hospital in Spain to find her body scarred, and her ex-fiance had run off with all her money. The last thing she needs is a cocky, English soldier-boy trying to ruin all she has left. Her home town is only too happy to help her fight the latest English invasion, although Lake is beginning to sway them with his sex appeal and cut price knickers. With the help of her mother, and the retired ladies of Knit or Die, Kirsty sets about making sure that her shop is the last one standing in Invertary.It’s Scotland versus England as you’ve never seen it before. It’s lingerie war" Regards, Kareni 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 My book club met and discussed Go Set a Watchman today. Those of us that finished it all agreed that it was awful. It's down to 3 1/2 stars on Amazon. I just need it to go down 1 more star and I can read it and count it for the book with bad reviews category. May need to start The Martian soon because ds keeps telling me to read it. Lol. My son is begging me to read that one, too. Watching The Phantom of the Opera (musical movie version from 2004) I decided I need to put the book on my to read list. Anyone particularly like a specific version - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=the+phantom+of+the+opera(I read on the Kindle). It's a rather co-dependent and creepy story when you think about it. Reading Les Mis made the musical way better, and I already loved it, so I want to see if that happens with Phantom, too. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Watching The Phantom of the Opera (musical movie version from 2004) I decided I need to put the book on my to read list. Anyone particularly like a specific version - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=the+phantom+of+the+opera(I read on the Kindle). It's a rather co-dependent and creepy story when you think about it. Reading Les Mis made the musical way better, and I already loved it, so I want to see if that happens with Phantom, too. Well, good luck with that. I thought the book was absolutely horrible. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I finished listening to People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. I thought it was really wonderful, though hard to listen to at times - torture by inquisitors and such. I thought it was the best kind of historical fiction - a book that makes the past come alive, that connects different times, places, cultures, religions, and makes them seem vivid and immediate. She's a great writer and a does a remarkable amount of research on her books. I think I'll be putting her on my read-everything author list. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Watching The Phantom of the Opera (musical movie version from 2004) I decided I need to put the book on my to read list. Anyone particularly like a specific version ... I don't have a particular version to recommend, but I will say that the story was a great favorite of my daughter's. It led her to reading a number of spinoffs. One she particularly enjoyed was The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth. Regards, Kareni 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Not much reading time. About 100 pages into Americanah which I'm enjoying. Book club Tuesday and I won't have it done (over 500 pages). We didn't even finish listening to Rebecca. I was supposed to return it Friday but I'm hoping we can finish it in a day or two and then return it. And I really need to do some lesson planning; I've been planning history this weekend and came up with a whole bunch of books for dd to read which means I need to read them too. Philosopher Kings and Uprooted both waiting for me at the library. Augh! Overwhelmed. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Happy Anniversary, Robin! Hope you have a delightful evening. Jenn, my kids and I have not seen the Into the Woods play but we have seen the movie and we love it! I would love to see the play to compare the two but I don't see that happening any time soon. Mumto2, I have the Judy Blume book waiting for me here on my library pile. I didn't think that I would like it but I wanted to try it, just in case. Now that I have read your thoughts on it, I won't try too hard to carry on if I don't like it. I am currently reading Gulliver's Travels (I do not know what is wrong with me but I am having problems understanding this, maybe I have been reading too many fluff books) and A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison--this is yet another fluff book of which I am still not sure what is going on. It is about some mistake the main character made when she was younger. This book jumps around so much that it is hard to keep track of where you are in the storyline but I keep reading cause I need to know the mistake and how it all plays out in the end. Oh, and the girls and I finished The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate--absolutely loved it! The next book, The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate is coming to us as I type but I hear it is not as good as the first one. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I don't have a particular version to recommend, but I will say that the story was a great favorite of my daughter's. It led her to reading a number of spinoffs. One she particularly enjoyed was The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth. Regards, Kareni While I didn't like the Gaston Leroux novel, I did really enjoy this book! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Not much reading time. About 100 pages into Americanah which I'm enjoying. Book club Tuesday and I won't have it done (over 500 pages). We didn't even finish listening to Rebecca. I was supposed to return it Friday but I'm hoping we can finish it in a day or two and then return it. And I really need to do some lesson planning; I've been planning history this weekend and came up with a whole bunch of books for dd to read which means I need to read them too. Philosopher Kings and Uprooted both waiting for me at the library. Augh! Overwhelmed. Put some time into finishing Rebecca. I thought it started off slow then wowza. And I don't 'wowza' lightly. The last half was exciting. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I'm trying to squeeze a book in this week. I have Spider's Trap: An Elemental Assassin Book by Jennifer Estep on the top of my TBR pile. My husband decided tonight that I need to work on teaching the kids more household chores in the next two weeks, before our school year goes full time, so that I can have more time for myself. He said he hasn't seen a book in my hand in months! :svengo: Even better he will be the one to enforce said chores. :001_wub: 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Kareni, Lingerie Wars looks interesting but the cover is rather ...well, inappropriate to put in the kindle fire account shared with the dc's. Good thing I am awake enough to realize which device I am on! I will go "buy" it in the morning from my other account. Thank you. Julia, I do think the Blume book might develop into a couple of romances by the end but didn't want to find out badly enough to read the sadness and horror. Since the author is apparently writing an autobiographical topic, she lived in a community where a plane crashed growing up, I decided there was no way to predict. Jenn, On the topic of Into the Woods, the Movie, dd and I loved it but haven't seen the play. I am so not equipped to discuss this but here goes, my third party comparison. One of Dd's best friend's attends a program for musically gifted youth and adores the movie. So do all her music friends. A couple of weeks ago they (not dd, but music friends) spent a day or two watching it over and over, something musical......they have some creative ideas that sprung from it. I wasn't really listening to her since it did not effect dd, but she was happy. I am certain they have all seen it live onstage and it was definitely the movie they were in love with, more enthusiastic about..... 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I was just all boiling over with my thoughts about Into the Woods! Don't be quoting my post back at me, damn spammer. Reported. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Enjoying the Into the Woods stories (except the spam-- you tell him, Rose!) Happy the show is finally done, though. It is a bit mind numbing to play, but I'll have to watch the movie soon and finally hear all the lyrics! Stacia and Heather (Butter) you MUST read The Martian! It is such a fun book. I'm leaving in the morning on a grand adventure, part of which will be helping my college boy move into his dorm. I've got my books packed and some yarn and a crochet hook so I'm ready for whatever comes my way. You all behave yourselves while I'm gone! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Jenn, Just in case you check in before you leave have a safe journey. Enjoy your time with college boy! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 What fun, Jenn! Hard to believe that College Boy is entering his senior year! Safe travels and I look forward to hearing your report on your adventures. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Stacia and Heather (Butter) you MUST read The Martian! It is such a fun book. The last couple or so weeks I've pretty much only been reading classics. I think I am due for a fun, brain candy book, especially since we start doing school again tomorrow. I shall read The Martian as soon as I'm done Treasure Island (which I am halfway through). 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I haven't finished anything or started anything new. Just wanted to pop in and say Happy Anniversary Robin! I hope you had a lovely dinner out. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 You all behave yourselves while I'm gone! Must we?? Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I read a very enjoyable fantasy yesterday ~ The Shattered Court: A Novel of the Four Arts by M.J. Scott; I recommend it. "Entangled in a court ruled by tradition and intrigue, a young witch must come to terms with newfound power and desire—and a choice between loyalty and survival.…The royal witches of Anglion have bowed to tradition for centuries. If a woman of royal blood manifests powers, she is immediately bound by rites of marriage. She will serve her lord by practicing the tamer magics of the earth—ensuring good harvests and predicting the weather. Any magic more dangerous is forbidden.Lady Sophia Kendall, thirty-second in line to the throne, is only days away from finding out if she will be blessed—or perhaps cursed—with magic. When a vicious attack by Anglion’s ancient enemies leaves the kingdom in chaos, Sophia is forced to flee the court. Her protector by happenstance is Lieutenant Cameron Mackenzie, a member of the royal guard, raised all his life to be fiercely loyal to the Crown.Then Sophia’s powers manifest stronger than she ever imagined they would, and Cameron and she are inextricably linked in the process. As a witch unbound by marriage rites, Sophia is not only a threat to the established order of her country, but is also a weapon for those who seek to destroy it. Faced with old secrets and new truths, she must decide if she will fight for her country or succumb to the delicious temptation of power.…" Here's a link to a very balanced review from the Dear Author site. Be aware that it does give away quite a few details. Regards, Kareni 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I know some here are fans of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. (I think Lisbeth is one of the best characters ever, even if I didn't especially love the books because they were too brutal for me.) Anyway, looks like another author has picked up Lisbeth & Mikael & has a new book coming out September 1: The Girl in the Spider's Web 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Today is our 18th wedding anniversary. Time sure flies when you're having fun or maybe the older you get, the faster time goes. :lol: Going out to Ruth Chris Steakhouse for dinner this evening. Happy Anniversary!! Dh and I celebrated our 25th earlier this month! Time DOES fly! I'm leaving in the morning on a grand adventure, part of which will be helping my college boy move into his dorm. I've got my books packed and some yarn and a crochet hook so I'm ready for whatever comes my way. You all behave yourselves while I'm gone! Safe travels and have fun!! No new books read, I'm still neck deep in school/co-op planning. I'm in the middle of Harry Potter 5. Aly picked The Three Musketeers to begin the year with. I'm debating if I want to read it with her. I'm not sure what I will read next. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I ended up shoehorning in The Mysterious Benedict Society because DS wants to design some studies around it. (We're trying to follow 8's Homeschooling at the Helm for this.) It's a fun trilogy plus there's a prequel and a puzzle book. I meant to get Faust done last week but with TMBS sneaking in, I didn't. I'm going to try and finish before my houseguests arrive this weekend. Steinbeck may not have done Ricketts any favors in giving a description of his idiosyncrasies including womanizing. Knausgaard apparently tells us every banal detail (and then some) of his life in the course of 3500 pages of the six books. Knausgaard is often compared to Proust but what strikes me as remarkable is that the books of this "writer's writer" have apparently found their way into one of out of ten Norwegian homes. This is another book I've picked up in the bookstore, skimmed through, and returned to the shelf, but without removing it from my mind. I know some here are fans of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. (I think Lisbeth is one of the best characters ever, even if I didn't especially love the books because they were too brutal for me.) Anyway, looks like another author has picked up Lisbeth & Mikael & has a new book coming out September 1: The Girl in the Spider's Web Thanks. DH will be pleased! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teegarden Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Two rereads for me this week: Shadow of the Giant and Shadow Puppets (Card, in the Ender's Game series). Not great literature by any stretch, but fun easy-reading sci-fi. Currently working my way through two big compendia: The Penguin Complete Father Brown (Chesterton) and Awakenings (Sacks). Those should keep me busy for a while. School starts for me on Wednesday, so getting my reading in while I can! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I know some here are fans of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. (I think Lisbeth is one of the best characters ever, even if I didn't especially love the books because they were too brutal for me.) Anyway, looks like another author has picked up Lisbeth & Mikael & has a new book coming out September 1: The Girl in the Spider's Web Stacia, thank you for this. You may recall that I absolutely love Lisbeth! I'll wait & see what the reviews says. Sounds exciting! :D 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Congratulations, Robin! Many more. Watching The Phantom of the Opera (musical movie version from 2004) I decided I need to put the book on my to read list. Anyone particularly like a specific version - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=the+phantom+of+the+opera(I read on the Kindle). It's a rather co-dependent and creepy story when you think about it. Reading Les Mis made the musical way better, and I already loved it, so I want to see if that happens with Phantom, too. Middle Girl read the Penguin edition this summer and seemed to like it. http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk/books/the-phantom-of-the-opera/9780141191508/ Almost done with A History of Private Life, vol. 1. The article on Roman domestic architecture of North Africa was a little too specialized to hold my interest, but the following article on the early middle ages quite made up for it. And still reading O. Henry stories, which are hit-and-miss, with the occasional duplicated twist ending. Unaccountably, despite not having finished a book in two weeks (due to the distractions of homeschooling, travel, and enjoying my birthday today), I have begun Saul Bellow's Herzog. See? Modern literature! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 And a very Happy birthday, VC!! Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Happy Birthday, Violet Crown! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.