Book a Week 2015 - BW36: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts:  We are on week 36  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 in my signature.

 

52 Books Blog - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Happy 87th Birthday to Robert Pirsig.  He is the author of the philosophical book  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, in which he discusses the metaphysics of quality.   Yes, it is a dusty book on our shelves, one of hubby's and he's encouraged me to read it time and time again.  I guess it's time to dust it off and dig in.   

 

Metaphysics of quality - whatever does it mean?  I took this quote from wikipedia because it is the only one that came close to making sense to me: 

 

 

Dynamic quality cannot be defined. It can only be understood intellectually through the use of analogy. It can be described as the force of change in the universe; when an aspect of quality becomes habitual or customary, it becomes static. Pirsig calls dynamic quality "the pre-intellectual cutting edge of reality" because it can be recognized before it can be conceptualized. This is why the dynamic beauty of a piece of music can be recognized before a static analysis explaining why the music is beautiful can be constructed."

 

 

 

Got it? Good. Me neither. :laugh:

 

For a more in depth explanation, check out the Dr. McWatt's Introduction to MOQ and for some entertaining insight, read CBCNews 40th anniversary review A Fresh Look at Robert Pirsig which includes an audio interview. 

 

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

 

History of the Medieval World  -Part Four - States and Kingdoms 

Chapter 42: Law and Language - pp 319 - 326 

Chapter 43: Creating the past - pp 327 - 332 

 

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

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

Link to week 35

[Robin M]

I'm currently enthralled with Dean Kootntz's thriller -  dark rivers of the heart:

 

Do you dare step through the red door? Spencer Grant had no idea what drew him to the bar with the red door. He thought he would just sit down, have a slow beer or two, and talk to a stranger. He couldn’t know that it would lead to a narrow escape from a bungalow targeted by a SWAT team. Or that it would leave him a wanted man. 

 

 

But now Spencer is on the run from mysterious and ruthless men. He is in love with a woman he knows next to nothing about. And he is hiding from a past he can’t fully remember. On his trail is a shadowy security agency that answers to no one—including the U.S. government—and a man who considers himself a compassionate Angel of Death. But worst of all, Spencer Grant is on a collision course with inner demons he thought he’d buried years ago—inner demons that could destroy him if his enemies don’t first.

 

 

 

And yes, I'll still plugging away with Swann's Way, working through Dinty Moore's Rose Metal Press Field Guide to writing flash Non Fiction, and on the last chapter of Alice LaPlante's Making of a Story. 

 

[Loesje22000]

First week of lessons after summerholiday went not great.

So I haven't read much.

 

I continued with Middlemarch.

I am in search for an other book when I finish it next week....

(Something translated or written in Dutch that is readable enough at te end of the day during bad schooldays...)

[idnib]

I still have houseguests until tomorrow so reading is still only happening late at night.

 

I'm almost done with Acceptance, the third book of the Southern Reach trilogy. I am really liking it after not enjoying the second book very much. Some things about the series are still confusing to me but I'm leaning towards not researching those and re-reading the series at some point, using the new knowledge from the 3rd book to figure out some of the confusion. The entire series has a sense of bewilderment about it, so it's difficult for me to figure out if I'm missing something or if it's deliberately vague and will never be explained so we can experience what the characters themselves are going through. It really is a different kind of series, at least to me. I'm sure those of you who are more well-read could tell me it's a lot like ___________.

 

I received my first books from Archipelago. The sent me Vladislavic's The Folly, along with a copy of Book 1 of My Struggle. The Folly looks so much quicker I am thinking of reading it first. Jane, have you read it? I can't remember.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Very little time to read here, too, between a grueling work schedule and school. But I did finish Andrew's Brain by E. L. Doctorow. His last book, I think?  It was weird but enjoyable, but with a very, very odd twist ending. I'm still not sure what I think about it.  It was definitely a very different book from The March which is the only other Doctorow I've read.

 

I'm currently enjoying Castle in Transylvania by Jules Verne (courtesy of Stacia - thank you!) and listening to Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded  by Simon Winchester, which I am really enjoying - I think that was a suggestion from Jenn?  

 

So that's it for the moment - trying to keep it simple and focused.

[Violet Crown]

I finished Saul Bellow's Herzog, and have taken up William Langland's The Vision of Piers Plowman; a volume containing Catherine of Genoa's Purgation and Purgatory and The Spiritual Dialogue; and an unpublished novel called Stillwater, by a friend of mine, which is a version of Mansfield Park set in the Old South. Which last the author would like to discuss when she is in town in two weeks so I had better get cracking!

 

Also a certain thoughtful person with a taste for Eastern European literature has sent me Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time, which dh, who apparently shares her tastes completely, has appropriated, having recently completed Cassandra at the Wedding and a re-read of the Niccolò series. So much to read....

[JennW in SoCal]

and listening to Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded  by Simon Winchester, which I am really enjoying - I think that was a suggestion from Jenn?  

 

 

Yep!  I'm the Simon Winchester fan, especially on audio, although I do wonder what maps and illustrations are in the print version.  I spent some time on google earth while listening to the Krakatoa book.  He goes off on a tangent in the last section of the book but I don't think it detracts from the book over all. I loved the background on Indonesian history and both his geology explanations and the foray into his days as a geology student are terrific.

 

On a geology related note, when I saw the author NK Jemisin speak at Comic-con a few years ago she was just back from exploring the volcanos on the Big Island of Hawaii as part of a crash course in geology.  She was doing research for her next book, which has just been published, The Fifth Season.  I'm listening to it on audio and so far loving it. It is fantasy, but unlike anything else I've read in the genre.  So rich, so unexpected in its set up. I'm only an hour and a half into it, but have no qualms in saying it is excellent.  I try so many authors based on hearing them speak at comic-con.  If they are interesting speakers they tend to write really good books and she is reinforcing my experience!

 

By the way, NK Jemisin's The Inheritance Triology is on that NPR list of great romance books, under the category of fantasy.  Definitely adding her to my TBR list. 

 

Oh, and tonight on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery, for those of you with cable, is an adaptation of the Julian Barnes book Arthur and George. I read it several years ago, really liked it and have high hopes for the adaptation as it stars Martin Clunes of Doc Martin fame.

[Onceuponatime]

I'm currently reading Vanish With the Rose by Barbara Michaels AKA Elizabeth Peters. It is a fluffy gothic style mystery.

 

I think I'll read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance too. It's been on my to read list for a while.

[Kareni]

By the way, NK Jemisin's The Inheritance Triology is on that NPR list of great romance books, under the category of fantasy.  Definitely adding her to my TBR list.

 

I read her The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy) and sequels as they came out.  They were intriguing reads.  There's a nice review here.

 

 

 

Last night I finished Jennifer Probst's contemporary romance Searching for Always; it was an enjoyable read.

 

"She’s an expert in helping others de-stress, but Arilyn Meadows is running on fumes. Along with her job counseling singles seeking soul mates at the Kinnections agency in Verily, New York, she’s a yoga teacher, animal shelter volunteer, anger management therapist, and helping hand to her beloved grandfather. No time to find Mr. Right—but after discovering her yogi boyfriend in a compromising asana, Arilyn would rather dog-sit for her honeymooning friend Kate than risk her heart on another downward dog. And when police officer Stone Petty—radiating masculinity and bad-boy attitude—is sent to her for mandatory lessons in cooling off when the job gets too hot, Arilyn vows to ignore his seductive glances and sexy grin. But there’s no halting their sizzling flirtation—a red-hot, high-speed chase that’s breaking all the limits."

 

While it's the latest book in a series, it stands alone well.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[KathyBC]

 

 

52 Books Blog - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Happy 87th Birthday to Robert Pirsig.  He is the author of the philosophical book  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, in which he discusses the metaphysics of quality.   Yes, it is a dusty book on our shelves, one of hubby's and he's encouraged me to read it time and time again.  I guess it's time to dust it off and dig in.   

One of my hubby's favourite titles, too.

 

ETA: And this week I am reading Wendell Berry's A Place In Time.

[Kareni]

Some of you might be interested in this book that is currently free to Kindle readers.  It's described as being of interest to those who like The Dresden Files or The Iron Druid Chronicles.

 

Justice Calling (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress Book 1) by Annie Bellet

 

"Gamer. Nerd. Sorceress.

Jade Crow lives a quiet life running her comic book and game store in Wylde, Idaho. After twenty-five years fleeing from a powerful sorcerer who wants to eat her heart and take her powers, quiet suits her just fine. Surrounded by friends who are even less human than she is, Jade figures she’s finally safe.

As long as she doesn’t use her magic.

When dark powers threaten her friends’ lives, a sexy shape-shifter enforcer shows up. He’s the shifter world’s judge, jury, and executioner rolled into one, and he thinks Jade is to blame. To clear her name, save her friends, and stop the villain, she’ll have to use her wits… and her sorceress powers.

Except Jade knows that as soon as she does, a far deadlier nemesis awaits.

Justice Calling is the first book in The Twenty-Sided Sorceress urban fantasy series. Readers who enjoyed The Dresden Files or The Iron Druid Chronicles will likely enjoy this series."

 

 

If you should enjoy it, the first three volumes in the series (so two additional titles) are available for 99 cents --

The Twenty-Sided Sorceress Series, Books 1-3: Justice Calling, Murder of Crows, Pack of Lies by Annie Bellet

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

And a piece on

The 10 Most Expensive Books in the World by Shan Williams

 

I don't think my budget would extend to buying any of these!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ali in OR]

I finished Uprooted by Naomi Novik and really enjoyed it. I haven't read much fantasy in recent decades--maybe I should read more. Now in progress: The Boys in the Boat when I'm on the treadmill, and then trying to get a few chapters read in The Philosopher Kings before I have to take it back to the library. Then maybe I'll wait a month or so before putting it on hold again--it came up too quickly this time and I didn't have time to dive in.

 

I commiserate with those starting school. We start very slowly here--just math and history the first week, added Lightning Lit last week, adding a bit more this week as public school begins Wednesday, then finally full time next Monday. Already having struggles trying to get dd to get her work done. I think this will get better when her sisters are in school--hopefully.

 

Last night I ordered my first Christmas gifts. I wanted to read some book reviews at Amazon and it came up with some recommendations for me. One was The Lost Ocean, a new coloring book (out in late October) from the artist who did The Enchanted Forest and The Secret Garden. I have The Enchanted Forest and my girls have colored some of the pictures in there, so now that there are two other books, I ordered The Secret Garden and pre-ordered The Lost Ocean as gifts for them. I think they'll like them. And maybe they'll let me color some pages.

[Jane in NC]

The strangest little book called out to me from the New Book shelves at the library, Imperium by Christian Kracht.  There was no doubt that it was going in my book bag when I saw praise from Knausgaard on the back cover.

 

Imperium is a fictional retelling of the tale of August Engelhardt, a very real radical vegetarian and nudist who set off for what was known as the Bismark Archipelago (today northern Papua New Guinea) in 1902.  His objective was to pursue his passion of the coconut.  Thus Kracht introduces us to a new word and a new concept, that of the "cocovore":

 

Cocos nucifera was, as Engelhardt had realized on his own, the proverbial crown of creation; it was the fruit of Yggdrasil, world tree. It grew at the highest point of the palm, facing the sun and our luminous lord God; it gave us water, milk, coconut oil, and nutritious pulp; unique in nature, it provided humankind with the element selenium; from its fibers one wove mats, roofs, and ropes; from its trunk one built furniture and entire houses; from its pit one produced oil to drive away the darkness and to anoint the skin; even the hollowed-out, empty shell made an excellent vessel from which one could manufacture bowls, spoons, tankards, indeed even buttons; burning the empty shell, finally, was not only far superior to burning traditional firewood, but was also and an excellent means of keeping away mosquitoes and flies with its smoke; in short, the coconut was perfect.  Whosoever subsisted solely on it would become godly, would become immortal.  August Engelhardt's most fervent wish, his destiny in fact, was to establish a colony of cocovores.  He viewed himself at once as a prophet and a missionary.

 

 

 

Imperium is about extremism.  Apparently the book has created a stir in Europe and has finally been translated into English.

 

Stacia--not finished with it yet but I think you might want to look at your library for a copy. 

 

E.M. Forster's The Hill of Devi gave me a glimpse into another place and time.  Forster's letters home from 1921 suggest the end of the British Raj, but what struck this reader was how critical the eventual Partition of the subcontinent (division of India and Pakistan) became to modern day politics. I look forward to rereading A Passage to India in the months ahead.

[Jane in NC]

 

I received my first books from Archipelago. The sent me Vladislavic's The Folly, along with a copy of Book 1 of My Struggle. The Folly looks so much quicker I am thinking of reading it first. Jane, have you read it? I can't remember.

 

 

I mentioned The Folly when it arrived in the mail but I have yet to read it.  Perhaps I'll crack it open after Imperium.

 

[idnib]

Last night I ordered my first Christmas gifts. I wanted to read some book reviews at Amazon and it came up with some recommendations for me. One was The Lost Ocean, a new coloring book (out in late October) from the artist who did The Enchanted Forest and The Secret Garden. I have The Enchanted Forest and my girls have colored some of the pictures in there, so now that there are two other books, I ordered The Secret Garden and pre-ordered The Lost Ocean as gifts for them. I think they'll like them. And maybe they'll let me color some pages.

 

I saw a book of postcards at our local bookstore by the same artist. They are basically mini versions of the same style, with a place to address and write on the cards on the flip side. Very nicely done and good for smaller projects.

[Negin]

I just finished Infidel - 5 Stars - A few months ago, I read “Murder in Amsterdamâ€, about the murder of Van Gogh’s great-grand-nephew, Theo, back in 2004. Theo Van Gogh and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somalian refugee had recently produced a short documentary about the treatment of women in Islam. He was killed first and she was meant to be next. She has been under continuous death threats since that time.

 

Infidel is an amazing book, the first one I’ve read by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I definitely plan on reading more. I cannot say that it’s a book that I enjoyed reading, far from it. There were parts that extremely disturbing and painful (regular beatings and genital mutilation – I had to skip those details, since it was just too much for me). She takes us through her childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. She ends up in the Netherlands where she escapes an arranged marriage.

 

I cannot even begin to imagine having to grow up Muslim in these societies, or, sorry to say it, in any society really, since I have great issue to take with the way women are treated, and that’s just a starting point. I also cannot imagine growing up under the awful clan system that exists in Somalian and other cultures. I was born in Iran and spent some early years of my childhood there. Unlike what the media would have one believe, most Iranians, at least the ones that I knew and have known, are not particularly religious. I have found that the extremism of religion goes along with the class and education system. The more educated and the higher the class levels, the more they tended to shun religious extremism. Besides, many Iranians view Islam as an Arab import that was forced upon them back in the day. Anyway, not to digress, I am immensely thankful that I am not a Muslim and never have been. I am also very grateful that I never had to wear a headscarf or veil and for the fact that we left Iran before all that rubbish was enforced. The Islam that is practiced in Iran is definitely different to that in countries like Somalia, Saudi, and so on. The average Iranian Muslim is nowhere near as extreme as these other countries.

 

Ayaan eloquently challenges any claim that Islam is a religion of peace. She says it like it is and I love her for that. It never fails to amaze me that so many in the Western world in particular, are quite blind to the realities of Islam – to their lack of women’s rights, free speech, and so forth.

 

Some quotes that I liked and want to share:

"I first encountered the full strength of Islam as a young child in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the source of Islam and its quintessence. It is the place where the Muslim religion is practiced in its purest form, and it is the origin of much of the fundamentalist vision that has spread far beyond its borders. … Wishful thinking about the peaceful tolerance of Islam cannot interpret away this reality: hands are still cut off, women still stoned and enslaved."

 

“The Quran is a historical record, written by humans. It is one version of events, as perceived by the men who wrote it 150 years after the Prophet Muhammad died. And it is a very tribal and Arab version of events. It spreads a culture that is brutal, bigoted, fixated on controlling women, and harsh in war.

The Prophet did teach us a lot of good things. I found it spiritually appealing to believe in a Hereafter. My life was enriched by the Quranic injunctions to be compassionate and show charity to others. There were times when I, like many other Muslims, found it too complicated to deal with the whole issue of war against the unbelievers. Most Muslims never delved into theology, and we rarely read the Quran; we are taught it in Arabic, which most Muslims can’t speak. As a result, most people think that Islam is about peace. It is from these people, honest and kind, that the fallacy has arisen that Islam is peaceful and tolerant.â€

 

“When people say that the values of Islam are compassion, tolerance, and freedom, I look at reality, at real cultures and governments, and I see that it simply isn’t so. People in the West swallow this sort of thing because they have learned not to examine the religions or cultures of minorities too critically, for fear of being called racist.â€

 

Again, this book is not an easy read emotionally and mentally, and that's to be obviously expected given the subject matter. However, as far as content and writing style go, it is an exceptional read and one that I highly recommend. 

 

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.

[mumto2]

I have been trying to read The Rook today while doing what feels like a million other things. ;) I think someone here read it early this year. So far it is great. I can imagine several of you trying it but at only a measly 12 percent can't fully say. It is certainly interesting and fun so far. Here is an article http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/mar/08/science-fiction-roundup-reviewsthat lists The Rook along with some other steampunkish books. The Rook is not steampunk so far...simply a version of twentieth century England that isn't my reality, as far as I know. :lol:

[Jane in NC]

She who has too many books in the bedside stacks also found another new-to-her author at the library.  Pieter Aspe is a Flemish suspense/mystery author with a series featuring detective Pieter Van In.  Is anyone familiar with these books?

[-M-]

#92 The Price (Arthur Miller; 1968. Drama.)
#91 Marjorie Prime (Jordan Harrison; 2013. Drama.)
#90 The One and Only Ivan (Katherine Applegate; 2012. 336 pages. Fiction.)

 

I will finish Miller's A View from the Bridge and Elizabeth Crane's novel We Only Know So Much by the time our holiday concludes, which will put me at #94 in my quest to read at least 104 books in 2015.

 

NOTES:

We saw Timeline Theatre's staging of The Price. (Here's the Sun-Times review, if you're interested; I thoroughly disagree with the Tribune's assessment of Act II, though). If you're in or around Chicago, get there, if for no other reason than Mike Nussbaum's portrayal of Gregory Solomon, the 89-year-old furniture appraiser. Nussbaum, a Chicago treasure on the cusp of his ninety-second birthday, performs with more strength and agility, both physical and mental, than many actors half, even a third, his age.

 

We will see Marjorie Prime at the Writers Theatre later this fall.

 

And Ivan.... Many of you have already encountered this lovely book. My older daughter pressed it on me again this summer. Beautifully moving from first page to last.

 

BEYOND BOOKS:

So, it's been about fifteen months since our home education journey ended. Although in this same space about a year ago, I vehemently declared that I did not want another pet, I adopted a cat about two weeks later. My son's cat died unexpectedly two years ago last month. And, yes, Kenyon: "We stood and brushed each other off. / There are sorrows keener than these." That we know, perhaps better than many, how much keener sorrow can be may explain the year we left his best feline friend, our daughters' cat, with her only her thoughts and her humans. All at once, though, it seemed as if enough time had passed. In the year since my denial / turnaround, the new cat and the middle-aged cat have become, if not friends, certainly decent acquaintances. And she makes me smile. She is far more cat-like that the other two, and she's sort of a goof, splatting into walls in pursuit of birds, for example, or falling off tables while watching the other cat.

 

As I mentioned recently, I moved into the intermediate books in my flute lessons, and there are days when I actually make something approaching music.

 

My Spanish studies are progressing, but I have been remiss about the ornithology course.

 

And my husband and I have jumped into ESL instruction with heart and creativity. Our current group comprises more than a dozen students who have just begun on their journey to learn English. What a grand adventure -- for all of us!

 

EDITED TO ADD:

Have you been to Broadway on Screen, Fathom Events, and/or Live at the National Theatre? I ask because my family has enjoyed Driving Miss Daisy (Lansbury, Jones), Giulio Cesare and Aida (the Met), and Frankenstein (Cumberbatch, Miller), and Cumberbatch's Hamlet is coming up next month. This seems like a group that might really want tickets for that. (And, yes, we already have ours.)

[Shawneinfl]

I just finished Infidel - 5 Stars - A few months ago, I read “Murder in Amsterdamâ€, about the murder of Van Gogh’s great-grand-nephew, Theo, back in 2004. Theo Van Gogh and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somalian refugee had recently produced a short documentary about the treatment of women in Islam. He was killed first and she was meant to be next. She has been under continuous death threats since that time.

 

Infidel is an amazing book, the first one I’ve read by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I definitely plan on reading more. I cannot say that it’s a book that I enjoyed reading, far from it. There were parts that extremely disturbing and painful (regular beatings and genital mutilation – I had to skip those details, since it was just too much for me). She takes us through her childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. She ends up in the Netherlands where she escapes an arranged marriage.

 

I cannot even begin to imagine having to grow up Muslim in these societies, or, sorry to say it, in any society really, since I have great issue to take with the way women are treated, and that’s just a starting point. I also cannot imagine growing up under the awful clan system that exists in Somalian and other cultures. I was born in Iran and spent some early years of my childhood there. Unlike what the media would have one believe, most Iranians, at least the ones that I knew and have known, are not particularly religious. I have found that the extremism of religion goes along with the class and education system. The more educated and the higher the class levels, the more they tended to shun religious extremism. Besides, many Iranians view Islam as an Arab import that was forced upon them back in the day. Anyway, not to digress, I am immensely thankful that I am not a Muslim and never have been. I am also very grateful that I never had to wear a headscarf or veil and for the fact that we left Iran before all that rubbish was enforced. The Islam that is practiced in Iran is definitely different to that in countries like Somalia, Saudi, and so on. The average Iranian Muslim is nowhere near as extreme as these other countries.

 

Ayaan eloquently challenges any claim that Islam is a religion of peace. She says it like it is and I love her for that. It never fails to amaze me that so many in the Western world in particular, are quite blind to the realities of Islam – to their lack of women’s rights, free speech, and so forth.

 

Some quotes that I liked and want to share:

"I first encountered the full strength of Islam as a young child in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the source of Islam and its quintessence. It is the place where the Muslim religion is practiced in its purest form, and it is the origin of much of the fundamentalist vision that has spread far beyond its borders. … Wishful thinking about the peaceful tolerance of Islam cannot interpret away this reality: hands are still cut off, women still stoned and enslaved."

 

“The Quran is a historical record, written by humans. It is one version of events, as perceived by the men who wrote it 150 years after the Prophet Muhammad died. And it is a very tribal and Arab version of events. It spreads a culture that is brutal, bigoted, fixated on controlling women, and harsh in war.

The Prophet did teach us a lot of good things. I found it spiritually appealing to believe in a Hereafter. My life was enriched by the Quranic injunctions to be compassionate and show charity to others. There were times when I, like many other Muslims, found it too complicated to deal with the whole issue of war against the unbelievers. Most Muslims never delved into theology, and we rarely read the Quran; we are taught it in Arabic, which most Muslims can’t speak. As a result, most people think that Islam is about peace. It is from these people, honest and kind, that the fallacy has arisen that Islam is peaceful and tolerant.â€

 

“When people say that the values of Islam are compassion, tolerance, and freedom, I look at reality, at real cultures and governments, and I see that it simply isn’t so. People in the West swallow this sort of thing because they have learned not to examine the religions or cultures of minorities too critically, for fear of being called racist.â€

 

Again, this book is not an easy read emotionally and mentally, and that's to be obviously expected given the subject matter. However, as far as content and writing style go, it is an exceptional read and one that I highly recommend. 

 

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.

 

I always enjoy your 5 star reviews, Negin; I will definitely check this one out.

 

 

Happy Sunday dear hearts:  We are on week 36  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 in my signature.

 

52 Books Blog - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Happy 87th Birthday to Robert Pirsig.  He is the author of the philosophical book  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, in which he discusses the metaphysics of quality.   Yes, it is a dusty book on our shelves, one of hubby's and he's encouraged me to read it time and time again.  I guess it's time to dust it off and dig in.   

 

Metaphysics of quality - whatever does it mean?  I took this quote from wikipedia because it is the only one that came close to making sense to me: 

 

 

 

 

I remember reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in college (early 80's). Though I don't plan to re-read it, I'd probably have quite a different take on it in my more mature years.

[Stacia]

Still mostly in a reading rut here. Can't really seem to settle on much of anything these days. Gah. I hate this feeling.

 

Jane, thanks for the mention of the book. One of my library systems does indeed have it, so I've put in a request to get it later this month.

 

M-mv, thanks for the mention of Hamlet on the big screen. Will look up dates for my area & grab a few of my reading pals & will plan to go see it.

[Shawneinfl]

I have been awful about finishing anything lately though I have quite a few things going on my nightstand and on my audible. Just for fun I bought a Reader's Digest at the grocery store this week. My 12 year old was asking what it was while we were standing in the checkout and I couldn't have my children going on without knowing the pleasure of "Life in these United States" or "Laughter, the Best Medicine" or "Word Power". When I was growing up everyone I knew had a subscription to Reader's Digest. I used to devour these cover to cover with all of their eclectic offerings. Anyone else a RD fan? Maybe I should get a subscription just for the fun of it. I'll put it out on the coffee table with Life, Time, National Geographic and TV Guide just for fun. You never seen magazine covered coffee tables anymore.

[Stacia]

I have been awful about finishing anything lately though I have quite a few things going on my nightstand and on my audible. Just for fun I bought a Reader's Digest at the grocery store this week. My 12 year old was asking what it was while we were standing in the checkout and I couldn't have my children going on without knowing the pleasure of "Life in these United States" or "Laughter, the Best Medicine" or "Word Power". When I was growing up everyone I knew had a subscription to Reader's Digest. I used to devour these cover to cover with all of their eclectic offerings. Anyone else a RD fan? Maybe I should get a subscription just for the fun of it. I'll put it out on the coffee table with Life, Time, National Geographic and TV Guide just for fun. You never seen magazine covered coffee tables anymore.

 

My grandfather got RD. As a kid, I spent many summer hours when we were visiting reading those. Fond memories!

[Stacia]

Mumto2, I loved The Rook. (And it got me through a couple of long orthodontic appts. back when dd got braces.)

 

I think the sequel is supposed to come out relatively soon.

[Negin]

I always enjoy your 5 star reviews, Negin; I will definitely check this one out.

Shawne, thank you. I've always loved your reviews also. I think we both loved "Nothing to Envy" (North Korea)? I'm sure that there have been others. You're not on Good Reads by any chance? :)

 

Still mostly in a reading rut here. Can't really seem to settle on much of anything these days. Gah. I hate this feeling.

:grouphug: Me too. That's not a fun feeling at all. If I know you well enough, you'll find something soon. :)

 

I have been awful about finishing anything lately though I have quite a few things going on my nightstand and on my audible. Just for fun I bought a Reader's Digest at the grocery store this week. My 12 year old was asking what it was while we were standing in the checkout and I couldn't have my children going on without knowing the pleasure of "Life in these United States" or "Laughter, the Best Medicine" or "Word Power". When I was growing up everyone I knew had a subscription to Reader's Digest. I used to devour these cover to cover with all of their eclectic offerings. Anyone else a RD fan? Maybe I should get a subscription just for the fun of it. I'll put it out on the coffee table with Life, Time, National Geographic and TV Guide just for fun. You never seen magazine covered coffee tables anymore.

I LOVE RD! Unfortunately, they no longer bring magazines here :(. I got it on my IPad for a while, but it's not the same. I like regular print copies. I just try to buy a copy or two whenever we travel. 

[Kareni]

Just for fun I bought a Reader's Digest at the grocery store this week. My 12 year old was asking what it was while we were standing in the checkout and I couldn't have my children going on without knowing the pleasure of "Life in these United States" or "Laughter, the Best Medicine" or "Word Power". When I was growing up everyone I knew had a subscription to Reader's Digest. I used to devour these cover to cover with all of their eclectic offerings. Anyone else a RD fan?

 

I am another who read Reader's Digest as a child.  In fact, growing up with parents who were non-native speakers of English, I credit the Word Power column for giving a big boost to my vocabulary.  I also enjoyed the humor columns.  When I went to college, I took a large humor collection (this one, I think) and would read it if I needed a pick me up.  I think it saved me the year I took Organic Chemistry!  I can also remember laughing maniacally with my roommate over some of the jokes -- which may have been due to sleep deprivation and general punchiness as much as to the jokes themselves.  Good times!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[NoseInABook]

I'm fairly sure I'm never finishing The Sparrow. :p I like the story but it seems like it's taking me forever to finish. Not that I have that much time to do it right now because we welcomed in a teeny tiny newborn on Thursday. He's 5 days old today! So instead of snuggling up with a book, I'm snuggling a new baby. ;) 

[Stacia]

Awww, NoseInABook. What a lovely way to snuggle!

[idnib]

I remember reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in college (early 80's). Though I don't plan to re-read it, I'd probably have quite a different take on it in my more mature years.

 

I read it in college too. I'm sure I'd have a different take on it now. Not just the philosophy, but also the father/son relationship. Would probably seem more poignant now that I have children.

 

I'm fairly sure I'm never finishing The Sparrow. :p I like the story but it seems like it's taking me forever to finish. Not that I have that much time to do it right now because we welcomed in a teeny tiny newborn on Thursday. He's 5 days old today! So instead of snuggling up with a book, I'm snuggling a new baby. ;)

 

:hurray:

[Just Robyn]

Anyone else a RD fan? 

 

I did love doing Word Power as a kid. I wonder if my library has copies of RD. I wouldn't mind just taking a look at the words and seeing if I know any of them or if I still end up just guessing at the answers.

[Shawneinfl]

 

 

NOTES:

We saw Timeline Theatre's staging of The Price. (Here's the Sun-Times review, if you're interested; I thoroughly disagree with the Tribune's assessment of Act II, though). If you're in or around Chicago, get there, if for no other reason than Mike Nussbaum's portrayal of Gregory Solomon, the 89-year-old furniture appraiser. Nussbaum, a Chicago treasure on the cusp of his ninety-second birthday, performs with more strength and agility, both physical and mental, than many actors half, even a third, his age.

 

 

MMV, Chicago is now on my list of "places I must visit someday" primarily due to your many theater and museum reviews. I had the opportunity to see "Harvey" at our local dinner theater yesterday if that counts for anything. :)

[Kareni]

And a couple more books that are currently free to Kindle readers that might be of interest to some.

 

Traveler (The Traveler Chronicles Book 1) by Dennis Green

 

"Trav Becker is a police detective who discovers he has the ability to travel between parallel realities. But other versions of Trav also have this talent, and one of them is systematically killing every other Trav he can find. Trav must now fight to keep the very fabric of time itself from unwinding as he hunts the most dangerous quarry of all...himself."

 

AND

 

The Starry Child (The Starry Child Series Book 1) by Lynn Hanna

 

"If you enjoy the extraordinary stories of Diana Gabaldon, Karen Marie Moning, and the paranormal works of Nora Roberts...

THE STARRY CHILD is a spell-binding, unforgettable story of a star-crossed love that survives through the ages, a tale as timeless as the mystic Scottish legends and forbidden lovers among the heather of long ago. Yet it is as vibrant and alive in the present day as those whose fates now hang in the balance. It's the story of a young mother who learns that her own destiny is forever tied to a man she hardly knows, a man of the Highlands. Yet in her heart, she realizes that he's someone she has always known. And at the center of it all lies an undying love held in secret by a little girl.

Since the tragic death of her father, eight-year-old Sasha Nielson has not spoken a word. Her mother, Rainey, has taken her to doctors and therapists, but medical science has not found the cause or the cure for Sasha’s silence. There are days when her behavior is baffling, even potentially dangerous, particularly during lightning storms. The authorities threaten to take Sasha away and time is running out.

One man sees beyond Sasha’s mysteries. Matt Macinnes is a gifted professor of ancient languages, a man who senses that there is a key to Sasha’s silence, that she may in fact be guarding a secret of such profound and terrifying dimensions that it staggers the imagination. Only Matt can get Sasha to whisper her secrets, secrets she reveals to him in Old Gaelic, a language she has never had access to. Could this All-American little girl truly be carrying around the restless soul of an exiled Celtic queen of old?

More than that, Matt finds himself drawn to Rainey's amazing strength and beauty. He feels ties to her that he can't explain. But her protective instincts toward little Sasha have built a fortress around her heart, a barrier that only hard-won trust and absolute proof of his worthiness can tear down. He is devoted to both mother and daughter, but the mystery of Sasha's secret destiny must be solved before he can reveal the passionate truth that burns within him.

Rainey has fought to keep Sasha safe from the cruelty and ignorance of the world. She has tried everything to help Sasha overcome her silence, but in the end, Sasha's wordlessness has prevailed and stress and exhaustion are Rainey's constant companions. She can't fix things by herself, but she doesn't dare trust anyone else for fear others have a dark agenda that could lead to the loss of Sasha. Matt is very tempting. Aside from the fact that he has an almost mystical kind of attraction about him, it would be very easy to simply hand him her heart and her impossible responsibilities and let him take over for a while. Added to that, Sasha adores him at first sight. But is Matt only helping them in order to earn himself professional recognition and a hefty university grant? How can she deny being drawn to him with every breath she takes as if she has known and loved him for a thousand years? How can she dare to trust him when not only her heart is at stake, but Sasha's heart is in the balance as well?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[KathyBC]

 

 

Some quotes that I liked and want to share:

"I first encountered the full strength of Islam as a young child in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the source of Islam and its quintessence. It is the place where the Muslim religion is practiced in its purest form, and it is the origin of much of the fundamentalist vision that has spread far beyond its borders. … Wishful thinking about the peaceful tolerance of Islam cannot interpret away this reality: hands are still cut off, women still stoned and enslaved."

 

“The Quran is a historical record, written by humans. It is one version of events, as perceived by the men who wrote it 150 years after the Prophet Muhammad died. And it is a very tribal and Arab version of events. It spreads a culture that is brutal, bigoted, fixated on controlling women, and harsh in war.

The Prophet did teach us a lot of good things. I found it spiritually appealing to believe in a Hereafter. My life was enriched by the Quranic injunctions to be compassionate and show charity to others. There were times when I, like many other Muslims, found it too complicated to deal with the whole issue of war against the unbelievers. Most Muslims never delved into theology, and we rarely read the Quran; we are taught it in Arabic, which most Muslims can’t speak. As a result, most people think that Islam is about peace. It is from these people, honest and kind, that the fallacy has arisen that Islam is peaceful and tolerant.â€

 

“When people say that the values of Islam are compassion, tolerance, and freedom, I look at reality, at real cultures and governments, and I see that it simply isn’t so. People in the West swallow this sort of thing because they have learned not to examine the religions or cultures of minorities too critically, for fear of being called racist.â€

 

Again, this book is not an easy read emotionally and mentally, and that's to be obviously expected given the subject matter. However, as far as content and writing style go, it is an exceptional read and one that I highly recommend. 

 

 I vividly remember reading this book. I agree with your summary - well said.

[Just Robyn]

After finishing Jane Eyre early in the week, I read several short books. 

 

Tales of Whimsy: Four Stories of Unlikely Heroes  by Stacie Sugioka - This is a little book - about 50 pages - written and illustrated by a woman who was my coworker years ago and is now working with my husband. 

 

To See the Queen by Allison Seay - A book of ethereal poems. I imagine many of these only make sense if you read the whole book, but there are some that definitely stand alone, and I'll post one below.

 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby - I like this book only as an artifact that proves what people are capable of, that a person who can't move enough to swallow his own spit can write a book. But I found Bauby shallow and self-centered, and since he didn't undergo any change for the better, I did not like this book. Only finished it because I agreed to read it with a friend, and it's so short.

 

And I just finished Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron. At the basic level, there's probably nothing in this book you couldn't read elsewhere, but it was a good review with good illustrations of the author's points. And specifically, there are some nice lists of questions to ask yourself as you're writing/rewriting to keep your story in good form. I did highlight some of those lists to go back to and would consider this a good resource. I'm glad I own it.

 

Here's a poem from To See the Queen.

 

Time of Need

 

In the road, a dog. Days dead,

that dog. Liliana was walking beside me awhile

(I am sure) and I was almost not crying but then found

 

what I was looking for.

She heaved it for me--all of it, the stench, the weight--

in her thin arms until it was too much.

 

Tired, she dragged the thing by its wasted paws

all the way home. Her dress was stained. This is how

 

I learned about love. She did not mind at all

the silent, steady distance I placed between us.

[Angel]

Another week has passed without me finishing a book  :glare:   I am enjoying To Kill a Mockingbird.  Technically, it is a reread since I read it in 8th grade Honor's English.  Some of it is familiar.  Some, not so much.  I am hoping to finish it this week since much of my planning is now behind me.

 

Today is my baby's 15th birthday.  She has brought such joy and laughter into our lives, and we are so thankful for her.  She has reminded me that she is not her sister.  She wants to take Driver's Ed and is counting down the days till she can get her temps.  (Though that is six months away).  We've celebrated with bang bang shrimp and pavlova, and I'm totally stuffed!

 

Happy Labor Day tomorrow!

[Butter]

And a piece on

The 10 Most Expensive Books in the World by Shan Williams

 

It would be awesome to own one of those books.  If only I had a few extra millions just hanging around waiting to be spent.

 

Reader's Digest was always in our bathroom.  I'd read jokes while doing my business sometimes.  As I got older I'd read the articles while taking baths.  Good memories.

 

School really cuts into my reading time.  Just saying.

 

I'm about a third of the way into Phantom of the Opera.  I like it.  But I just want to knock some sense into Christine.  My daughter said it seems like she's 14, not 20.  Raoul is a disappointment.  And I love Raoul.  Christine/Opera Ghost is such a horrifyingly abusive relationship.

[Violet Crown]

This evening I finished Purgation and Purgatory/ The Spiritual Dialogue, by St. Catherine of Genoa. There's a lengthy introduction by Fr. Benedict Groeschel who became something of a celebrity among conservative Catholics in the '90s and '00s, but this edition is from the '70s and his introduction is endlessly preoccupied with psychoanalytic defenses of St. Catherine's visions and ecstasies, which today seems both quaintly dated and confusingly beside the point.

 

Catherine was a fifteenth-century mystic, a married woman who worked tending the poor and sick during an outbreak of plague that killed four-fifths of Genoese who remained in the city. Both writings were in Italian, in verse (mostly). From The Spiritual Dialogue, an oblique account of her spiritual journey through a dialogue among her Spirit, Body, and Self-Love:

-----------------

 

The Soul then said to Self-Love:

 

In meeting your needs,

I notice that bit by bit my own convictions are weakening.

Are you not getting more than your due?

And in following you am I not going to be badly hurt?

Indeed not I alone, but all three of us?

You are the arbiter. What do you think?

 

Self-Love answered:

 

It is because you were aiming so unreasonably high

That you feel as if you are debasing yourself

To come down to our level.

With time, though, you will learn to moderate yourself,

To be more sensible.

Our company is not so bad as you seem to think at this point.

Fear not, God will provide.

You are to love God fully, not in this world but in the next.

Take what you can get, and on the best available terms.

 

---------------------

The reader is often left to judge for herself to what extent Body and Self-Love are offering temptations, judicious corrections, or innocent but self-interested obstacles to the progress of the Soul.

 

Liked.

[Stacia]

I've never been to the catacombs in Paris. I didn't know the catacombs really started as a burial place once the in-city cemeteries were overly full & condemned, especially Cimetière des Innocents which was considered one of the worst (or maybe *the* worst). This was just a few years preceding the French Revolution.

Lost Paris: The Cimetière des Innocents

Catacombs of Paris

 

Looking for something to read, I picked up (yet another) Europa book on my library stack, Pure by Andrew Miller. (And it looks like the kindle version is currently $6.99 instead of the usual $17 right now.) It's compelling & in just this evening, I've already finished a third of this 300+ page book. If you enjoy historical fiction, you may want to check it out. 

 

The Guardian review of Pure 

 

Madeline Miller at NPR writes...
 

In 1785, before there were Superfund sites, there was Les Innocents, a decomposing mass-grave cemetery poisoning Paris. Its toxins were so bad that the attached church had to be shut down, and the whole neighborhood smelled like death. Into this disaster steps the hero of Andrew Miller's brilliant Pure, a humble engineer named Jean-Baptiste Baratte sent by Versailles to mop up. Along with exhuming generations of corpses, he must contend with various sinister forces: an unstable assistant, vexing women and a tinderbox political situation (the French revolution is, of course, just around the corner). Miller captures it all perfectly, from the grease on the sleeve of Baratte's pistachio-colored suit, to the bustle of an 18th-century Parisian street. I was astounded by the detail and research, which perfectly complemented the sharp prose, gripping story and moving characters. This is historical fiction at its best.

 

ETA: Pure won the Costa Best Novel award in 2011.

[Guest]

Another hectic week... but for such good things!  Our middle daughter is home for the foreseeable future, and we had all missed her so much... and, of course, as I keep kvelling about, our grandbaby and her wonderful parents are living with us, also for the foreseeable future.  

 

I'm still reading Marco Polo with interest and working on a number of other books that have both heft and weight, but the things I actually finished were either short or light... or both.

 

My favorite was Stoppard's Travesties.  Anyone who has enjoyed both Ulysses and Importance of Being Earnest in the not too distant past will probably find this as delightful as I did.  I think it would still be entrancing even without recognizing the riffs off one section of Ulysses, for example, but that certainly added resonance as well as amusement for me.  ...and the use of TIoBE was touching and hilarious in equal parts.   ...and then the use of Lenin and his wife's writings.... and Tzara (a Dada-ist)... less philosophical/historical than the three part Coast of Utopia, but also, imho, much more successful... though not as blow-me-out-of-the-water amazing as Arcadia (which balanced humor and intellect, heart and mind so perfectly).

 

My least favorite was the final installment in the Pink Carnation series.  I can usually count on these for sweet divertissement (with bits I don't like and other bits I am prudish enough to skip)... they all feel like variants on the same story, which they are, but though I can't say I *like* them, I have had a vague fondness for them... until this one.  The drag-character-through-humiliations-so-they're-more-humble-and-appreciative-and-can-be-forgiven trope always bothers me (okay, I tolerate it in Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles, but that's got such depth and background and sheer virtuosity), but it bothers me even more with supposedly competent, nice people... ... and the core 'misunderstanding' was so absurdly contrived I couldn't even pretend to believe it... and then the unbelievable set-up for a nude tete a tete in a hot tub in a Regency setting just irritated me... so I couldn't really appreciate it when the book went back to the usual flavor of the series. To be fair: these are written for romance genre fans, and I'm not one - but they somehow resonated enough as pseudo-Heyers that I have ended up reading them all.

 

Aeschylus's Persians was fascinating (and I can't remember reading it before, though I might have) and Euripides's Orestes was powerful but disappointing (which makes me feel I should go through it a few more times because I am probably missing nuance that would make the dissonance make sense and feel right.  Both are from the Greek Tragedy in New Translations series I'm reveling in.

 

 

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry (thank you, Kareni, Halcyon, and Prariegirl, and everyone else who read and mentioned it here), it was a fast, mostly cozy read, with more than a little soap-opera-ish-ness, lots of schmaltz, high readability, and a sheen of bookishness. 

 

Reread Witch's Business, one of my not-so-favorites by Diana Wynne Jones... but since I haven't reread it very often, it isn't overread....

 

Mitu's Spice Tour a chapbook by a poet from Zimbabwe part of this set: Eight New-Generation African Poets: A Chapbook Box Set.  Interesting, and now I want to read more of the volumes...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Robin M]

I have been awful about finishing anything lately though I have quite a few things going on my nightstand and on my audible. Just for fun I bought a Reader's Digest at the grocery store this week. My 12 year old was asking what it was while we were standing in the checkout and I couldn't have my children going on without knowing the pleasure of "Life in these United States" or "Laughter, the Best Medicine" or "Word Power". When I was growing up everyone I knew had a subscription to Reader's Digest. I used to devour these cover to cover with all of their eclectic offerings. Anyone else a RD fan? Maybe I should get a subscription just for the fun of it. I'll put it out on the coffee table with Life, Time, National Geographic and TV Guide just for fun. You never seen magazine covered coffee tables anymore.

The Readers Digest is a bathroom staple in our house. My dad keeps renewing a gift subscription for us every year.

[Guest]

 

I received my first books from Archipelago. The sent me Vladislavic's The Folly, along with a copy of Book 1 of My Struggle. 

 

How wonderful!  I look forward to hearing your reactions - and to vicariously reveling in your subscription!

 

 

... an unpublished novel called Stillwater, by a friend of mine, which is a version of Mansfield Park set in the Old South. 

 

 

That is an intriguing shift of place and culture... let us know what you think of it (and when it might be published and appearing at fine libraries everywhere! (one hopes...)

 

...and (belatedly): I love your inclusion of quotes!  ...I second Stacia's enthusiasm for even more of your own reactions as well!  ...but it wouldn't feel like a VC review without the carefully selected snippets, so I am relieved you have decided to keep them.

 

 

Some of you might be interested in this book that is currently free to Kindle readers.  It's described as being of interest to those who like The Dresden Files or The Iron Druid Chronicles.

 

Justice Calling (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress Book 1) by Annie Bellet

 

 

 

Thank you, Kareni!  Bellet's name sounded familiar and I realized she was on the Hugo ballot, was a nominee, but withdrew her name because she'd been on  the "sad puppy" slate.  GRRM honored her with an Alfie at his Hugo Loser's party... 

 

I don't want to bring politics here, even fandom politics, but I thought others might be interested.... 

 

 

The strangest little book called out to me from the New Book shelves at the library, Imperium by Christian Kracht.  There was no doubt that it was going in my book bag when I saw praise from Knausgaard on the back cover.

 

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

 

E.M. Forster's The Hill of Devi gave me a glimpse into another place and time.  Forster's letters home from 1921 suggest the end of the British Raj, but what struck this reader was how critical the eventual Partition of the subcontinent (division of India and Pakistan) became to modern day politics. I look forward to rereading A Passage to India in the months ahead.

 

Both of these sound absolutely fascinating, and I've added them to my lists - thank you!

[Guest]

 

#92 The Price (Arthur Miller; 1968. Drama.)
 

 

NOTES:

We saw Timeline Theatre's staging of The Price. (Here's the Sun-Times review, if you're interested; I thoroughly disagree with the Tribune's assessment of Act II, though). If you're in or around Chicago, get there, if for no other reason than Mike Nussbaum's portrayal of Gregory Solomon, the 89-year-old furniture appraiser. Nussbaum, a Chicago treasure on the cusp of his ninety-second birthday, performs with more strength and agility, both physical and mental, than many actors half, even a third, his age.

 

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

 

BEYOND BOOKS:

So, it's been about fifteen months since our home education journey ended. Although in this same space about a year ago, I vehemently declared that I did not want another pet, I adopted a cat about two weeks later. My son's cat died unexpectedly two years ago last month. And, yes, Kenyon: "We stood and brushed each other off. / There are sorrows keener than these." That we know, perhaps better than many, how much keener sorrow can be may explain the year we left his best feline friend, our daughters' cat, with her only her thoughts and her humans. All at once, though, it seemed as if enough time had passed. In the year since my denial / turnaround, the new cat and the middle-aged cat have become, if not friends, certainly decent acquaintances. And she makes me smile. She is far more cat-like that the other two, and she's sort of a goof, splatting into walls in pursuit of birds, for example, or falling off tables while watching the other cat.

 

 

 

And my husband and I have jumped into ESL instruction with heart and creativity. Our current group comprises more than a dozen students who have just begun on their journey to learn English. What a grand adventure -- for all of us!

 

 

 

 

(((MMV)))

 

The Price isn't even close to my favorite Miller, but I have found much to appreciate in all of his plays... and I so wish I could see that production!

 

I have been saying  'no more pets' for many years... and the discovery of allergies added some backbone to the certainty, but I don't know how we'll end up feeling once all of our kids are launched.  (My youngest is 5.5, so I have a while yet....)

 

A grand adventure indeed!  You are amazing, my dear.  And, as always, an inspiration.

 

I read it in college too. I'm sure I'd have a different take on it now. Not just the philosophy, but also the father/son relationship. Would probably seem more poignant now that I have children.

 

There are many books that read completely differently to me now that I am not only a parent, but the parent of some grown children... 

 

 

 

 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby - I like this book only as an artifact that proves what people are capable of, that a person who can't move enough to swallow his own spit can write a book. But I found Bauby shallow and self-centered, and since he didn't undergo any change for the better, I did not like this book. Only finished it because I agreed to read it with a friend, and it's so short.

 

 

I liked it very much when I read it... not for Bauby's character or (lack of) growth, but for the immersion in an experience.  I can now envision shut-in syndrome with a vividness and depth I could never have done without his little book.  

 

 

I'm about a third of the way into Phantom of the Opera.  I like it.  But I just want to knock some sense into Christine.  My daughter said it seems like she's 14, not 20.  Raoul is a disappointment.  And I love Raoul.  Christine/Opera Ghost is such a horrifyingly abusive relationship.

 

...when dd#3 and I saw Phantom together this spring, Raoul was played as such a self-centered, clueless (in a jerky rather than endearing way) guy that one of the best moments in a very well done production was when Christine slapped him.... (not that I am ordinarily a fan of assault!)

 

[idnib]

My favorite was Stoppard's Travesties.  Anyone who has enjoyed both Ulysses and Importance of Being Earnest in the not too distant past will probably find this as delightful as I did.  I think it would still be entrancing even without recognizing the riffs off one section of Ulysses, for example, but that certainly added resonance as well as amusement for me. 

 

Now I am intrigued!

[Guest]

 

 

I just finished Infidel - 5 Stars - A few months ago, I read “Murder in Amsterdamâ€, about the murder of Van Gogh’s great-grand-nephew, Theo, back in 2004. Theo Van Gogh and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somalian refugee had recently produced a short documentary about the treatment of women in Islam. He was killed first and she was meant to be next. She has been under continuous death threats since that time.

<snip>

Ayaan eloquently challenges any claim that Islam is a religion of peace. She says it like it is and I love her for that. It never fails to amaze me that so many in the Western world in particular, are quite blind to the realities of Islam – to their lack of women’s rights, free speech, and so forth.

<snip>

"I first encountered the full strength of Islam as a young child in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the source of Islam and its quintessence. It is the place where the Muslim religion is practiced in its purest form, and it is the origin of much of the fundamentalist vision that has spread far beyond its borders. … Wishful thinking about the peaceful tolerance of Islam cannot interpret away this reality: hands are still cut off, women still stoned and enslaved."

 

 

I don't want to bring religious or political strife to our safe, happy place here, but, as a reader, I feel strongly that no one voice or perspective can fairly encapsulate the truths of any faith or culture.

 

I have read some books by women who have left Orthodox Judaism which would have left me feeling as intensely about it as you do about Islam... if I didn't already live in (one strand of) that world myself, and hadn't seen and read about many others.

 

I don't want to in any way minimize the truths of your experiences, both lived and read, but although I've read some similar ones, I've also experienced, in person, here on the boards, and in works of fiction and memoir and history other facets of Islamic faith and culture. And those experiences have lead me to see as wide an Islamic spectrum as I do a Christian or a Jewish or a Buddhist or an atheist one.

 

Lastly, I know you wouldn't want to make an of our Islamic BaW friends, either active or lurking, feel unsafe or uncared for here... and I wanted to mention that I'm not sure I would feel okay, personally, if it had been my faith you were responding to.    ...again, not to in any way devalue your experiences or perspectives, love. (And I know you've had some hard ones.) Reacting from our hearts and truest selves is part of what makes this group special.

 

:grouphug:

 

 

 

 

 

[mumto2]

Mumto2, I loved The Rook. (And it got me through a couple of long orthodontic appts. back when dd got braces.)

 

I think the sequel is supposed to come out relatively soon.

 

I just knew you would like it! You were on the top of my BaWer's who would like this kental list. Jenn is at the top of the list too. Angel, Robin, and Noseinabook, would also enjoy it I think.

 

Noseinabook....enjoy the baby! :)

 

We are finally hopefully off on our short holiday. It has been cancelled so many time I hate to say it. No one has announced they are sick (we have had a nasty virus that has forced cancellation for the past month) so crossing my fingers and getting dressed to go!

[Negin]

 

I don't want to bring religious or political strife to our safe, happy place here

I agree and neither do I :).

 

I've been reading and re-reading your post and am not sure as to your intent and meaning. Are you trying to gently remind me in a rather roundabout way to stay quiet and to stifle how I feel about a book in order to possibly avoid offending others? I'm not sure. Please clarify. I feel that your tone may have been mildly condescending. Just maybe, but I'm sure that I'm mistaken, since, as you know, online conversations are so often misunderstood :grouphug: . Please help me out here and say it like it is, since it's often hard to read between the lines without eye-to-eye and person-to-person contact! :D  :grouphug:

 

I don't think that this thread is one where we should feel hushed in any way or asked to politely shut ourselves up. That's not my understanding. Maybe I'm mistaken. There were no personal attacks. I was merely summarizing quotes that were taken from the book and my thoughts on them. To ask us to not share things like that is like censorship, I believe.  

[Negin]

First week of lessons after summerholiday went not great.

:grouphug:. 

[Rosie_0801]

Nicely said, Eliana.

[Violet Crown]

First week of lessons after summerholiday went not great.[/

Robospam reported. Don't click on image at end of text.