Book a Week 2015 - BW39: book news

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts:  We are on week 39  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 - Book News: Kitties, kids, kitchens, kisses, kings, keys, keepsakes and foolish thinkers who wants to install speakers in kayaks are all on my mind this week which is why I am bringing you the wonderful world of babbling book news.   Guess what we are learning this week?  *grin* 

The Humbug:  Edgar Allan Poe and the economy of Horror

Happy birthday, Truman Capote - Interview in Paris Review  (spr/sum 97 issue)

My son has been insisting I watch Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator which is why Charlie Chaplin's Scandalous Life and Boundless Artistry caught my eye.

Letters of Note:   Kurt Vonnegut, a private during WWII was captured and became a prisoner of war. He wrote a letter to his family letting them know he was alive and ready to come home. 

Ten Things You Should Know about H.P. Lovecraft 

The Dark and Starry Eyes of Ray Bradbury 

Have you figured out the theme yet?  As if you didn't guess, we are heading into October and our Spooktacular Reading Month which will begin next Sunday on October 4th.   If you haven't read the staples of the genre - Frankenstein or Dracula, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Grey or Something Wicked This Way Comes - now is your chance.  Put away your expectations, because you just may be surprised when they don't turn out how you suspect they will.  Start looking through your shelves and pull out those spooky stories you've been meaning to read and get ready for a thrilling month.


*******************************************************************
 
History of the Medieval World 
Chapter 46 - The Kailasa of the South pp  351 - 356
Chapter 47 Purifications  pp 357 - 362 
 
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What are you reading this week?




Link to week 38

[Negin]

My son has been insisting I watch Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator which is why Charlie Chaplin's Scandalous Life and Boundless Artistry caught my eye.

 

 

Robin, thanks for the reminder. I keep meaning to see this. 

 

I read: Through the Pilgrim's Eye - 4 Stars - This book will only be of interest to Baha’is.

It was a remarkable read and the stories are truly wonderful. The only reason that I am not giving it 5 stars is the lack of photos. It would have been nice to include photos. I’m a visual person and would have appreciated some photos! I look forward to reading Volume 2, when it comes out.

and

All the Shah's Men - 4 Stars - My dad has been telling me stories of the 1953 coup in Iran for years. At the time, he was in his early 20s and a student in Tehran University.

This book does a thorough job of answering the question as to why Iran hates Britain and the U.S. In a nutshell: it was due to the 1953 coup that was led by the CIA and the British government in order to remove Mohammed Mossadegh, the democratically elected prime minister. Mossadegh “inspired people around the world who believe that nations can and must struggle for the right to govern themselves in freedom. He towers over Iranian history, Middle Eastern history, and the history of anticolonialism. No account of the twentieth century is complete without a chapter about him.â€

Some things that I learned from reading this and from conversations with my dad and others who were around back then:

• Churchill was great for WW2 and all that, but when it came to Iran and its oil, he was absolutely despicable. He called Iran’s oil “a prize from fairyland beyond our wildest dreams.â€

• The British Foreign Secretary at the time observed that without oil from Iran, there would be “no hope of our being able to achieve the standard of living at which we are aiming in Great Britain.†Mossadegh made Iranians aware that they were getting royally screwed by the British who were taking Iran’s oil and giving them a tiny pittance.

• Truman was wise and far better than Eisenhower, for Iran anyway. Eisenhower’s foreign policy turned out to be dreadful, since he was so easily manipulated.

• The 1979 hostage crisis and gigantic overall mess most likely would not have occurred without the 1953 coup and that was merely the beginning. Stephen Kinzer does a brilliant job explaining how the coup changed the entire course of history in the region. “It led the United States to support Iraq in its long and horrific war with Iran, in the process consolidating the Iraqi dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Within Iran, it strengthened the most militant elements in the revolutionary coalition and turned the country into a center for the propagation of terror. They began financing and arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Middle Eastern factions known for their involvement in political kidnapping and assassination. They sent agents around the world to kill scores of Iranian dissidents and other perceived enemies. American investigators implicated them in both the 1983 suicide bombing that killed 214 American marines in Beirut and the 1996 attack that killed another 19 marines in Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors in Argentina asserted that they ordered one of the most heinous anti-Semitic crimes of the post-Holocaust era, the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which took ninety-three lives. With their devotion to radical Islam and their eagerness to embrace even the most horrific kinds of violence, Iran’s revolutionary leaders became heroes to fanatics in many countries. Among those who were inspired by their example were Afghans who founded the Taliban, led it to power in Kabul, and gave Osama bin-Laden the base from which he launched devastating terror attacks.â€

My dad and Stephen Kinzer would definitely see eye-to-eye. I may even convince him to read this. The book is fabulously researched, thought-provoking, and Kinzer really knows his stuff. It also helps that the writing style flows. This is a truly powerful read. 

 

  

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

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

[Robin M]

I'm 2/3rds through Robert Jordan's adventure in the Wheel of Time series - #4  The Shadow Rising.   

 

Went through my books yesterday and pulled out Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality #2 Bearing an Hourglass as well as Ted Dekker's The Priests Graveyard.  Also thought October would be a good time to read Marisha Pessl's Night Film.

 

 

[6packofun]

Just finished The Lavender Garden by Lucinda Riley.  She tells a good story, but sometimes predictable and her dialogue writing is somewhat forced.  But I really enjoyed this one for a light read.  :)

 

Dh just finished Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.  I read the first volume (not sure why it's sometimes found as one volume, sometimes 2.) and never got the second half.  So dh really enjoyed the cultural aspects of it but wasn't a fan of the ending.  (Yes, I know it's HER life. lol)   Just his personal opinion, but he thought that where the author ended up in life, her pursuits, were interesting, but in a disappointing way somehow.  He sort of thought, "THIS is the culmination of all those experiences?  Well, that's one choice, I guess..."  LOL  Hmmmm.  I have no idea what he means because I told him not to give me details!  

 

Getting ready to start A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson.

[Shawneinfl]

All the Shah's Men - 4 Stars - My dad has been telling me stories of the 1953 coup in Iran for years. At the time, he was in his early 20s and a student in Tehran University.

This book does a thorough job of answering the question as to why Iran hates Britain and the U.S. In a nutshell: it was due to the 1953 coup that was led by the CIA and the British government in order to remove Mohammed Mossadegh, the democratically elected prime minister. Mossadegh “inspired people around the world who believe that nations can and must struggle for the right to govern themselves in freedom. He towers over Iranian history, Middle Eastern history, and the history of anticolonialism. No account of the twentieth century is complete without a chapter about him.â€

Some things that I learned from reading this and from conversations with my dad and others who were around back then:

• Churchill was great for WW2 and all that, but when it came to Iran and its oil, he was absolutely despicable. He called Iran’s oil “a prize from fairyland beyond our wildest dreams.â€

• The British Foreign Secretary at the time observed that without oil from Iran, there would be “no hope of our being able to achieve the standard of living at which we are aiming in Great Britain.†Mossadegh made Iranians aware that they were getting royally screwed by the British who were taking Iran’s oil and giving them a tiny pittance.

• Truman was wise and far better than Eisenhower, for Iran anyway. Eisenhower’s foreign policy turned out to be dreadful, since he was so easily manipulated.

• The 1979 hostage crisis and gigantic overall mess most likely would not have occurred without the 1953 coup and that was merely the beginning. Stephen Kinzer does a brilliant job explaining how the coup changed the entire course of history in the region. “It led the United States to support Iraq in its long and horrific war with Iran, in the process consolidating the Iraqi dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Within Iran, it strengthened the most militant elements in the revolutionary coalition and turned the country into a center for the propagation of terror. They began financing and arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Middle Eastern factions known for their involvement in political kidnapping and assassination. They sent agents around the world to kill scores of Iranian dissidents and other perceived enemies. American investigators implicated them in both the 1983 suicide bombing that killed 214 American marines in Beirut and the 1996 attack that killed another 19 marines in Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors in Argentina asserted that they ordered one of the most heinous anti-Semitic crimes of the post-Holocaust era, the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which took ninety-three lives. With their devotion to radical Islam and their eagerness to embrace even the most horrific kinds of violence, Iran’s revolutionary leaders became heroes to fanatics in many countries. Among those who were inspired by their example were Afghans who founded the Taliban, led it to power in Kabul, and gave Osama bin-Laden the base from which he launched devastating terror attacks.â€

My dad and Stephen Kinzer would definitely see eye-to-eye. I may even convince him to read this. The book is fabulously researched, thought-provoking, and Kinzer really knows his stuff. It also helps that the writing style flows. This is a truly powerful read. 

 

  

 

 

Negin,

Thanks for this great review. The more I read the more I find out how deplorable my history education was. Last year it was all WWII and this year I'm reading more current histories. I will add this to my TBR pile.

[Robin M]

As this is officially Banned Books Week  

 

 

- Powells talks about 30 books that have been challenged in Oregon.

 

 

- Simon and Schuster's Banned Books celebration

 

 

 

[Just Robyn]

Letters of Note:   Kurt Vonnegut, a private during WWII was captured and became a prisoner of war. He wrote a letter to his family letting them know he was alive and ready to come home. 

 

 

 

The Dark and Starry Eyes of Ray Bradbury 

 

 

These two seem to be going to the wrong place.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Hmm, I don't know where to go next.  I planned to read Slaughterhouse Five as my banned book, and a bunch of Dracula spin-offs for my spooky read, but I've now got a stack of gnostic/postmodern/alien encounter books on my TBR stacks.  I suppose any of them count as spooky!

 

Books Read in September:

140. The Search for the Red Dragon - James Owen

139. Under the Skin - Michel Faber

138. The Man in the Brown Suit - Agatha Christie

137. Ella Enchanted - Gale Carson Levine

136. Exellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life - William Deresiewicz

135. The Soul of the Marionette: A Short Inquiry into Human Freedom - John Gray

134. Here, There Be Dragons - James Owen

133. Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Jack Finney

132. Memoirs of a Porcupine - Alain Mabanckou

131. Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded - Simon Winchester

130. Itch: The Explosive Adventures of an Element Hunter - Simon Mayo

129. The Castle in Transylvania - Jules Verne

128. Andrew's Brain - E. L. Doctorow

127. The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper

[Kareni]

Yesterday I finished L. A. Witt's Static.

 

The story is about Damon and Alex who live in a world of men, women, and shifters. Shifters are fully human, but sometimes they prefer/need to be in their male body and other times in their female body. Shifters face a lot of societal and religious discrimination, but slowly things appear to be improving for them and their rights are (usually) upheld.

 

Alex, who is a shifter, has a fraught relationship with his mother and step-father who feel (for religious reasons) that he ought to get an implant which will cause him to stop shifting, to be static. Alex disagrees. He and Damon have been in a relationship for a couple of years; unfortunately, Alex has never told Damon that he is a shifter and Damon knows him only as a woman. When the story begins, Damon comes to Alex’s home to find him as a man. Alex’s parents drugged him and surgically placed a black market implant in his spine. Now Alex is unable to shift. As events unfold, Alex and Damon deal with Alex’s new situation.

 

Winner: Best Science Fiction Romance in the 2013 EPIC Awards
Finalist: Best Transgender Fiction in the 24th annual Lambda Literary Awards
Winner: Best Bisexual / Transgender Sci-Fi / Paranromal / Fantasy in the 2011 Rainbow Awards

 

I enjoyed the book.  (Adult content.)

 

**

 

I also re-read Patricia Briggs' Fair Game (Alpha and Omega)  and enjoyed it once more.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Onceuponatime]

I'm currently reading Pygmalion for Thursday's book club meeting. So far, My Fair Lady seems to have stuck pretty close to the script, with just a few details omitted. I can hear Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn in my head.

 

After that, I will be diving into spookies.

[Loesje22000]

I finished 'North & South' from Elisabeth Gaskell this week.

I don't think the book is briljant as half way you presume x & y will marry each other.

And I don't like to 'wait' when 'everybody' (=parents) dies so someone can marry.

It has a similaring as Shirley but a different point of view.

It has a brave heroine though.

 

I'm almost done with Les Miserables.

The book differs much from the musical version!

(Most dutch translations are written according the musical version several years ago, It was hard to find an unabridged translation)

[Kareni]

Letters of Note:   Kurt Vonnegut, a private during WWII was captured and became a prisoner of war. He wrote a letter to his family letting them know he was alive and ready to come home. 

 

 

 

These two seem to be going to the wrong place.

 

I think this is the correct link: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2009/11/slaughterhouse-five.html

 

Regards,

Kareni

[idnib]

I'm still reading The Vicar of Wakefield and enjoying it. I was going to finish last night while babysitting but one of the babies was unwell so the mom stayed home and I got her ticket to see Danish band Mew at The Fillmore. The vicar will have to wait for another night. Wow, it had been a long time since I had gone out to a music venue to see a live band.

 

This afternoon we're going to see King Lear. I read the Lamb version to the kids a few weeks ago and yesterday just finished reading Gareth Hinds' graphic novel version, which we greatly enjoyed. Wonderful art and the language was quite true to the original. My brother, upon hearing we're on a King Lear kick, gave me a DVD copy of Ran by Kurosawa.

[Jane in NC]

Hello everyone!

 

Negin--Thanks for the recommendation of All the Shah's men.  I added it to my library list.

 

Robin--From the banned/challenged in Oregon list, I noted that Shirley Jackson's story The Lottery has been challenged.  This was required reading in my 9th or 10th grade English class.  I truly understand why one may not care for the story.  But banning it?

 

I finished Ann Cleeves' mystery The Crow Trap featuring Inspector Vera Stanhope.  It was exactly what I needed for the airplane!

 

Now that I am home again, I need to finish Miss Runcle Married as well as carry on with The Golden Legend and HoMW.  Not sure what follows after that...

[Negin]

Dh just finished Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. 

I've had mixed feelings about reading this since I've already seen the movie and have read parts of it in a bookstore already. I may give in and read it eventually. My dd has a copy. I love graphic novels. 

 

Negin,

Thanks for this great review. The more I read the more I find out how deplorable my history education was. Last year it was all WWII and this year I'm reading more current histories. I will add this to my TBR pile.

Shawne, I think that many of us feel somewhat lacking when it comes to history, especially world history. It's challenging to attempt to cover everything! All we can do is continue learning and reading up on at least the things that interest us. I'm often embarrassed at how little I know about Persian history. Mind you, I can't fully blame myself. I only spent 2nd and 3rd grade in Tehran and those were at an American /International school. 

[idnib]

Robin--From the banned/challenged in Oregon list, I noted that Shirley Jackson's story The Lottery has been challenged.  This was required reading in my 9th or 10th grade English class.  I truly understand why one may not care for the story.  But banning it?

 

Wow, I'm also surprised. It was required reading for us as well.

[Robin M]

These two seem to be going to the wrong place.

Thank you, the links are fixed now.  :blushing:

[Stacia]

I read The Tempest this morning (in preparation of reading Brave New World). It was a quick read, a bit like a feverish sea-dream, imo. I much prefer to see Shakespeare performed vs. reading his works. I'm not as enamored with this work as many probably are &, for some reason, I kept getting stuck on trying to understand how Miranda would have had proper clothing per her century if stranded on an island since childhood. (Not that Shakespeare stated whether or not she was properly clothed, but they did seem to have regular clothing & such.) I guess Prospero conjured what was needed? :lol:  I know, a stupid musing on my part, but things like that just kind of pulled me out of fully enjoying it. I also agree with Angel's earlier comment that I'm not sure those that were supposed to be contrite & repentant actually were. It just ended too quickly to feel that those strands were fully wrapped up, imo.

 

For this week, I'm planning banned books reading....

 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for my read-along with Angel; looking forward to this one since I've never read it but have always felt like I should...

 

and

 

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, a huge favorite of mine that I'm reading (yet again) because my book club is reading it.

[Stacia]

On the Powell's list of banned/challenged books, I can't believe The True Story of the Three Little Pigs is on there. I love that book! So much fun. I always do seem to enjoy books that are retellings/twists on the original, just to see what a different author will do with the story.

 

Negin, All the Shah's Men sounds really interesting & like something I'd enjoy reading. Thanks for the extensive review. I thought of you, esp. at the end of the In the Footsteps of Marco Polo book because the hardest country for those guys to get into was Iran. (I think they were traveling in the mid-1990s.) They finally were allowed to enter Iran, but it was the last place they visited & it took them almost two years of wrangling to get permission to enter the country.

[Mom-ninja.]

 

Robin--From the banned/challenged in Oregon list, I noted that Shirley Jackson's story The Lottery has been challenged.  This was required reading in my 9th or 10th grade English class.  I truly understand why one may not care for the story.  But banning it?

 

 

 

I love that story. I also read it in high school, and fell in love. It struck me. I should buy it so I can read it with my ds. 

 

 

I'm reading one of the spin off books of Among the Janeites that I put on my TBR list..... Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife. An R rated version of Darcy and Elizabeth being together. I don't know if it's been banned or challenged, but it's a naughty read.  :o   Not usually my cup of tea, but this is Darcy and Elizabeth, people. How I've never heard of this book before is beyond me. Well, probably because I'm not into fan fic but this book will be my exception. Reading it on my kindle so no one spies me reading it. ;)

[Kareni]

A few links of interest ~

 

Five Very True Tales of Book Censorship  by Sarah Hoffman

 

***

 

A Manifesto for Children's Literature; or, Reading Harold as a Teenager by Philip Nel 

I didn't read the Harold books as a child (wrong continent!), but I certainly enjoyed sharing them with my daughter.

 

***

 

Forget The Book, Have You Read This Irresistible Story On Blurbs?  by Colin Dwyer

Interesting to read about Whitman and Emerson ....

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

I read The Tempest this morning (in preparation of reading Brave New World). It was a quick read, a bit like a feverish sea-dream, imo. I much prefer to see Shakespeare performed vs. reading his works. I'm not as enamored with this work as many probably are &, for some reason, I kept getting stuck on trying to understand how Miranda would have had proper clothing per her century if stranded on an island since childhood. (Not that Shakespeare stated whether or not she was properly clothed, but they did seem to have regular clothing & such.) I guess Prospero conjured what was needed? :lol:  I know, a stupid musing on my part, but things like that just kind of pulled me out of fully enjoying it. I also agree with Angel's earlier comment that I'm not sure those that were supposed to be contrite & repentant actually were. It just ended too quickly to feel that those strands were fully wrapped up, imo.

 

For this week, I'm planning banned books reading....

 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for my read-along with Angel; looking forward to this one since I've never read it but have always felt like I should...

 

and

 

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, a huge favorite of mine that I'm reading (yet again) because my book club is reading it.

Yes, The Tempest fell flat.  When I mentioned to Skye that I couldn't remember how I felt about it the first time around she said I shouldn't be surprised. It didn't leave much impression.

 

Brave, New World is waiting at the library for me.  I'll pick it up tomorrow or Tuesday.  I, too, am looking forward to reading it.  I truly don't remember anything about it.  I am glad, however, that I am not rereading Slaughterhouse-Five  :laugh:

[Chrysalis Academy]

I read The Tempest this morning (in preparation of reading Brave New World). It was a quick read, a bit like a feverish sea-dream, imo. I much prefer to see Shakespeare performed vs. reading his works. I'm not as enamored with this work as many probably are &, for some reason, I kept getting stuck on trying to understand how Miranda would have had proper clothing per her century if stranded on an island since childhood. (Not that Shakespeare stated whether or not she was properly clothed, but they did seem to have regular clothing & such.) I guess Prospero conjured what was needed? :lol:  I know, a stupid musing on my part, but things like that just kind of pulled me out of fully enjoying it. I also agree with Angel's earlier comment that I'm not sure those that were supposed to be contrite & repentant actually were. It just ended too quickly to feel that those strands were fully wrapped up, imo.

 

For this week, I'm planning banned books reading....

 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for my read-along with Angel; looking forward to this one since I've never read it but have always felt like I should...

 

and

 

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, a huge favorite of mine that I'm reading (yet again) because my book club is reading it.

 

I just put Slaughterhouse-Five on hold too.  My book group is reading A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh next.  Somebody say something good about it? I'm not that excited, the only EW I've read is Vile Bodies which I thoroughly disliked.

[Stacia]

Rose, I think you'll like Slaughterhouse-Five. (Even if Angel says she doesn't want to read it again! :toetap05: ;) )

 

Can't speak to Waugh as I've never read anything by him....

[Jane in NC]

I just put Slaughterhouse-Five on hold too. My book group is reading A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh next. Somebody say something good about it? I'm not that excited, the only EW I've read is Vile Bodies which I thoroughly disliked.

A Handful of Dust is one of Waugh's earlier satirical works that includes Scoop (something I enjoyed) as well as Vile Bodies (which you did not). I have not read your book club selection but have a feeling that this may not be your cuppa. Perhaps Eliana will offer some hope.

[Negin]

I thought of you, esp. at the end of the In the Footsteps of Marco Polo book because the hardest country for those guys to get into was Iran. (I think they were traveling in the mid-1990s.) They finally were allowed to enter Iran, but it was the last place they visited & it took them almost two years of wrangling to get permission to enter the country.

Stacia, yes, I can just imagine how difficult it must have been for them. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

A Handful of Dust is one of Waugh's earlier satirical works that includes Scoop (something I enjoyed) as well as Vile Bodies (which you did not). I have not read your book club selection but have a feeling that this may not be your cuppa. Perhaps Eliana will offer some hope.

 

Sigh.  I may have to skip another meeting.  I have completely struck out with their selections this year - My two least favorite books of the year, Amsterdam and The Sense of an Ending, were book group selections.

 

All right, I just finished a big work project, Shannon is off at a horse show, and dh and Morgan went to the beach.  I'm going to pour a tall glass of iced tea, grab a stack of books, and read for awhile!!!

[Just Robyn]

I think this is the correct link: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2009/11/slaughterhouse-five.html

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

Thank you, the links are fixed now.  :blushing:

 

Hey, thanks! 

[Just Robyn]

Whew! Well, that week just went by. I did not finish any books. I was reading a literary magazine, then a couple days ago I started Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. 

 

I did manage to go see Steven Pinker talk at a library in a nearby city. I could not find my copy of The Language Instinct and my copy of Words and Rules is in embarrassing condition, so I just bought a new copy of The Language Instinct for the signing. Kind of felt like I paid $20 for someone's autograph, but it was fun (haven't stood in line for a book signing before), and the (free) presentation was very entertaining.

 

I also went to an open mic night with several guitarists, a comedian, a magician and poets, so if I didn't get much reading in, at least I got some culture.

 

I have two books checked out from the library for Spooktacular Reading Month.

 

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix. A couple of Goodreads friends marked this as to-read, and I thought it sounded neat. From Goodreads:

 

 

 

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör comes packaged in the form of a glossy mail order catalog, complete with product illustrations, a home delivery order form, and a map of Orsk’s labyrinthine showroom.

 

Carrie by Stephen King. This will be my first Stephen King novel, assuming I do actually read it rather than just letting it sit with the other library books for awhile.

 

(How is "spooktacular" not underlined by spellcheck?) 

[mumto2]

I read several books last week thanks to several days in bed. Happy to be up and around again. My kindle stack is currently rather small when I ignore the spooky books for next week. I may just start early. ;)

 

Still waiting for my banned book, The Great Gatsby, to arrive. I am currently next in line......

 

Last weeks reading included finishing Judith Cutler's Fran Harman series. I really enjoyed it.....Also read a couple more of the Jude Deveraux Edilean series. I am anxiously awaiting the next one in my order. These are fun.... one book present time, next histoical, present...all good, and they sort of manage to build the story.

 

I also read another Fool's Gold. Eventually I will finish these. Almost halfway now!

[mumto2]

Whew! Well, that week just went by. I did not finish any books. I was reading a literary magazine, then a couple days ago I started Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.

 

I did manage to go see Steven Pinker talk at a library in a nearby city. I could not find my copy of The Language Instinct and my copy of Words and Rules is in embarrassing condition, so I just bought a new copy of The Language Instinct for the signing. Kind of felt like I paid $20 for someone's autograph, but it was fun (haven't stood in line for a book signing before), and the (free) presentation was very entertaining.

 

I also went to an open mic night with several guitarists, a comedian, a magician and poets, so if I didn't get much reading in, at least I got some culture.

 

I have two books checked out from the library for Spooktacular Reading Month.

 

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix. A couple of Goodreads friends marked this as to-read, and I thought it sounded neat. From Goodreads:

 

 

Carrie by Stephen King. This will be my first Stephen King novel, assuming I do actually read it rather than just letting it sit with the other library books for awhile.

 

(How is "spooktacular" not underlined by spellcheck?)

I found Horrorstor in my libraries overdrive. Can't wait. Looks like a fun book.

 

I read Carrie as a teen....never again. I liked it then suspect I wouldn't now. :lol:

[Angel]

I finished Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie today.  I had wanted to join in on the Agatha Christie read and had this one sitting in the house.  I had not read it before.  What a ride!  It was thoroughly enjoyable!  Trying to figure out the “who dunnit†was so much fun, and I was totally off.  It was such a surprising ending.  I love clever endings!  Totally see why it is a classic mystery.  GREAT READ!

[Kareni]

I just finished a lovely young adult novel  Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.

 

 

"If you love Eleanor and Park, Hazel and Augustus, and Mia and Adam, you’ll love the story of Maddy, a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world, and Olly, the boy who moves in next door . . . and becomes the greatest risk she’s ever taken. This innovative and heartfelt debut novel unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, illustrations, and more.
 

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
 
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
 
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster."

 

This was an enjoyable read, also one that provoked tears.  In addition to standard prose, the book contains lists, charts, emails, and many illustrations by the author's husband.  It also had quite the unexpected twist.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

Ok, after a few blissful quiet hours I have a reading stack going:

 

Who's in Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain - Michael Gazzaniga.  Goes with my free will/gnosticism theme

The Impact of the Gene - Colin Tudge - potential read-aloud with Shannon when we do genetics. I'm really liking it so far

Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth - James Lovelock. I read this years ago, but wanted to revisit it in thinking about good reads for Earth System Science/Enviro Science studies. I'm working through a list of seminal yet readable books

 

For fiction - the jury is still out.  I started to re-read Speaker for the Dead, because Shannon really wants to read the sequels to Ender's Game.  I'm going to have to veto this one for now, though, and steer her toward the Ender's Shadow series.  I remember now how profoundly this book affected me, and upset me, and I am not up for reading it again right now, and I think it is too adult of a book for her.  So back to my teetering fiction stack to try and find something else.

[Shawneinfl]

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix. A couple of Goodreads friends marked this as to-read, and I thought it sounded neat. From Goodreads:

 

 

 

The preview of this one sounds fascinating and intriguing. I might just make this my October scary read.

[Stacia]

Horrorstor does look fun & it looks like my library has the ebook version. I am probably going to read this one in October!

 

ETA: And my other library system has a hard copy, which is even better!

[aggieamy]

I'm 2/3rds through Robert Jordan's adventure in the Wheel of Time series - #4  The Shadow Rising.   

 

Went through my books yesterday and pulled out Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality #2 Bearing an Hourglass as well as Ted Dekker's The Priests Graveyard.  Also thought October would be a good time to read Marisha Pessl's Night Film.

 

I loved Piers Anthony as a kid.  I read his books until the covers fell off.  I recently reread one as an adult and I remember still seeing the charm in it but I noticed other things that I didn't as a kid.  Report back on what you think. 

 

I finished Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie today.  I had wanted to join in on the Agatha Christie read and had this one sitting in the house.  I had not read it before.  What a ride!  It was thoroughly enjoyable!  Trying to figure out the “who dunnit†was so much fun, and I was totally off.  It was such a surprising ending.  I love clever endings!  Totally see why it is a classic mystery.  GREAT READ!

 

If you want to jump in and read The Man in the Brown Suit I think you still have time!  I think Sandy and Rose are done but we're waiting on one more ...  I can't remember who though!

[idnib]

Carrie by Stephen King. This will be my first Stephen King novel, assuming I do actually read it rather than just letting it sit with the other library books for awhile.

 

Interesting. How did you decide on this one?

[Just Robyn]

Interesting. How did you decide on this one?

 

A couple of reasons why I chose Carrie over other S.K. books.

 

1.) I've never seen the movie (either version), so I can read without actors' faces in my head.

 

2.) Last year I read S.K.'s On Writing in which talks a little about Carrie, about how his wife pulled it out of the trash and convinced him to keep writing it, about a real girl who was bullied that Carrie was partly based on, and about seeing a theme of blood in the first draft and intentionally strengthening the theme as he revised. Oh, and how broke he and his wife were until he sold Carrie. So - I'm interested in taking a look at how he crafted the theme, and by reading it I'll feel like I'm celebrating the success of this novel with him - albeit a little late.

[Angel]

 

If you want to jump in and read The Man in the Brown Suit I think you still have time!  I think Sandy and Rose are done but we're waiting on one more ...  I can't remember who though!

 

Brave, New World is waiting to be picked up at the library, so I'll have to pass on The Man in the Brown Suit.  Aly is listening to 4:50 From Paddington while running.  She's never read an Agatha Christie.  She wanted And Then There were None but it wasn't available.  She has played the 4:50 from Paddington computer game so it was a good choice.

[Stacia]

Well, Angel, I've already started Brave New World. I will be very, very interested to hear your comments on it once you start reading.

[Angel]

Well, Angel, I've already started Brave New World. I will be very, very interested to hear your comments on it once you start reading.

 

I'll try and run out and pick it up tonight then!

[Melinda in VT]

Yesterday I finished L. A. Witt's Static.

 

The story is about Damon and Alex who live in a world of men, women, and shifters. Shifters are fully human, but sometimes they prefer/need to be in their male body and other times in their female body. Shifters face a lot of societal and religious discrimination, but slowly things appear to be improving for them and their rights are (usually) upheld.

 

Alex, who is a shifter, has a fraught relationship with his mother and step-father who feel (for religious reasons) that he ought to get an implant which will cause him to stop shifting, to be static. Alex disagrees. He and Damon have been in a relationship for a couple of years; unfortunately, Alex has never told Damon that he is a shifter and Damon knows him only as a woman. When the story begins, Damon comes to Alex’s home to find him as a man. Alex’s parents drugged him and surgically placed a black market implant in his spine. Now Alex is unable to shift. As events unfold, Alex and Damon deal with Alex’s new situation.

 

Winner: Best Science Fiction Romance in the 2013 EPIC Awards

Finalist: Best Transgender Fiction in the 24th annual Lambda Literary Awards

Winner: Best Bisexual / Transgender Sci-Fi / Paranromal / Fantasy in the 2011 Rainbow Awards

 

I enjoyed the book.  (Adult content.)

 

**

 

I also re-read Patricia Briggs' Fair Game (Alpha and Omega)  and enjoyed it once more.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Thanks for this book. My trans teen frequently complains about the lack of trans representation in literature. This sounds like something they would like.

 

 

[Butter]

I just finished a lovely young adult novel  Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.

 

Sounds like a good one.  I just reserved the ebook through our library/overdrive.  I'm #7 on the list.

[Stacia]

I'll try and run out and pick it up tonight then!

 

No worries or hurries! Just looking forward to your comments on it when you do get to it!

[Robin M]

I loved Piers Anthony as a kid.  I read his books until the covers fell off.  I recently reread one as an adult and I remember still seeing the charm in it but I noticed other things that I didn't as a kid.  Report back on what you think. 

 

Will do. Back in the late 70's and 80's I went through a sci fi/fantasy craze and read quite a few of his books.   Think I quit the Xanth series around #10 or so. I just looked and he's up to 39.  Amazing.  Just noticed there are 3 more books in the incarnations of immortality I haven't read.  The man's a prolific writer.  I must have quit reading his stuff around the end of the 80's.  I reread On a Pale Horse last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Maybe I'll pull out the first book in xanth and see what my kiddo thinks of it.   :laugh:

[NoseInABook]

Horrorstor looks fun! I might see if I can get my hands on a copy and force time to read. I'm pretty sure I haven't touched my Kindle in a week but I am almost done with Whiskey Beach which *should* have been an afternoon read. My brain. It is leaking out of my ears, y'all. My computer is also being a big jerk face so it's going to have to go into the shop. Luckily, we just purchased one for the kids that I'm going to have to steal every now and then to see how everyone is doing (and well, do my online classes). 

[Ali in OR]

No time to read the thread yet (hope to later in the week) but just a quick reading update:

 

Finished Slaughterhouse Five and found it a worthwhile read. It's not a book I can say that I loved, but I thought it said important things; definitely a book I could write school essays on. It reminded me of All Quiet on the Western Front and Catch 22 as a record of the meaninglessness, insanity, and horror of war as reported by one who was there. In fact, one line that sticks out to me is Billy Pilgrim's "I was there" to a bombastic air force brass he shares a hospital room with when that general (who thought Pilgrim was a vegetable) begins to talk about the Dresden fire-bombing. Vonnegut, too, was there. What he says is worth reading. Anyway, lots of thoughts and ideas still bouncing around my brain from this one.

 

I started Ransom Riggs' Library of Souls. I guess I'm enjoying it but get tired of it after awhile and need to take a break. I also got a graphic novel version of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and the regular version of Hollow City because my girls had read parts of them. They're tearing through those and clamoring for mine, so I've got to keep up and finish. My 15 yo reads way faster than I do and she was reaching for Library of Souls when I came in with it after a soccer game.

[Butter]

I started Ransom Riggs' Library of Souls. I guess I'm enjoying it but get tired of it after awhile and need to take a break. I also got a graphic novel version of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and the regular version of Hollow City because my girls had read parts of them. They're tearing through those and clamoring for mine, so I've got to keep up and finish. My 15 yo reads way faster than I do and she was reaching for Library of Souls when I came in with it after a soccer game.

 

Have you taken the dust jacket off?

[NoseInABook]

I was thinking about House Of Leaves again today and remembered that his sister put out an album that goes with it. I *loved* the album when I was in high school so I figured I'd mention it to those who might want to listen to it if you're going to be reading House Of Leaves. It is on Spotify for free if anyone's interested.