Book a Week 2015 - BW45: armchair traveling east of the prime meridian

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday my lovelies!  We are on week 45 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 - armchair traveling east of the prime meridian:  It's been a while since we've been around the world, armchair style, so thought I'd meander about and see what I could find.  We've traversed the continents, our backpacks filled mostly with fiction, although I remember seeing a few travel and historical books mixed in with our reads.  Time to delve a bit deeper and see what we can see, non fiction style.  This week we'll trek east of the Prime Meridian and start at the North Pole with Hampton Sides and his thriller chiller of a tale - In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette. 

 

Then drop down into Siberia with George Kennan's Tent Life in Siberia: An Incredible Account of Siberian Adventure, Travel, and Survival:


 

before exploring a bit of China with Peter Hessler's River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze.

I have a hankering to follow the Silk road across to the Mediterranean sea with Colin Thubron's Shadow of the Silk Road where I'll settle for a while on the Turquoise coast for a breather.


 

Join me in exploring East of the Prime Meridian.

 

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

 

 

History of the Medieval World 

Chapter 58 Foreign and Domestic Relations pp 442 - 449

Chapter 59 The Second Caliphate pp 450 - 457

 

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

 

What are you reading this week?  

 

 

 

Link to week 44

[Kareni]

I finished two books yesterday ~

 

Regency Christmas Gifts: Three Stories by Carla Kelly

 

"In the first of these stories set in Regency England, an impoverished war widow returns a misdelivered parcel and attracts the interest of a well-to-do retired sailing master and his sister. In story two, a self-made man returns to Scotland to marry the woman he has corresponded with ever since he left as a boy, little knowing the letters were written by another. In story three, a man visits the estate of his relatives to comfort his lovely second cousin, who is unhappy that Christmas has been usurped by her sister's nuptials."

 

These were all enjoyable stories, and would be fine for all readers.

 

 

I also read Lisa Kleypas' Cold-Hearted Rake.  This is the author's first historical romance in some six or so years, and it was quite enjoyable.  It's the first in a series, and now I'm eager to read more.

 

"A twist of fate . . .

 

Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities . . . and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house . . . along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.

 

A clash of wills . . .

 

Kathleen knows better than to trust a ruthless scoundrel like Devon. But the fiery attraction between them is impossible to deny—and from the first moment Devon holds her in his arms, he vows to do whatever it takes to possess her. As Kathleen finds herself yielding to his skillfully erotic seduction, only one question remains:

 

Can she keep from surrendering her heart to the most dangerous man she's ever known?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

I started reading Side's In the Kingdom of Ice last night and am thoroughly enjoying it.  Now that I've learned the the difference between nonfiction and creative nonfiction, it has opened up a whole new whole.  Creative nonfiction styles itself after fiction bringing in all the senses, vivid imagery and showing the story versus just telling the story. 

 

Nora Roberts 1st book in her new Guardian Trilogy - Stars of Fortune arrived and I'll be diving into it as well.

 

Last week I read Julie Ann Walker's Hell or High Water, the first book in her Deep Six series.  As enjoyable as the Black Knights series.  Plus Keri Arthur's Wicked Ember's, #2 in her paranormal series Souls of Fire.  

 

 

[Negin]

I read The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way - 4 Stars - When it comes to Bill Bryson, I tend to prefer his travelogues. Although “The Mother Tongue†is not a travelogue, I enjoyed it greatly. It’s a fascinating and, as is usually the case with Bryson, entertaining account of evolution of the English language. I don’t consider myself a word or language nerd at all, yet I loved all the trivia, such as those that I’ve quoted below.

The only reason that I’m giving it 4 stars rather than 5 is that it’s a bit dated. It was written in 1990 before the internet age. I would simply love to see an updated version. All in all, this was a fun and informative read.

 

Having lived in Britain and the U.S., I have noticed the following for years and couldn’t agree more with Bill Bryson:

 

“No place in the English-speaking world is more breathtakingly replete with dialects than Great Britain. In America, people as far apart as New York State and Oregon speak with largely identical voices. According to some estimates almost two thirds of the American population, living on some 8o percent of the land area, speak with the same accent—a quite remarkable degree of homogeneity.

If we define dialect as a way of speaking that fixes a person geographically, then it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that in England there are as many dialects as there are hills and valleys. Just in the six counties of northern England, an area about the size of Maine, there are seventeen separate pronunciations for the word house.â€

 

I thought that this was interesting:

“Webster was responsible for the American aluminum in favor of the British aluminium. His choice has the fractional advantage of brevity, but defaults in terms of consistency. Aluminium at least follows the pattern set by other chemical elements— potassium, radium, and the like.â€

 

This made me smile:

"... the true story of an American lady, newly arrived in London, who opened her front door to find three burly men on the steps informing her that they were her dustmen. ‘Oh,’ she blurted, ‘but I do my own dusting.’"

 

 

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.

[Just Robyn]

I read a book of poetry by Jeanann Verlee called Racing Hummingbirds. IMO, this was a little YA in its themes and sometimes in its melodrama (just a line here and there), but it's not marketed as a YA book. This is the second book by this publisher (Write Bloody) that I thought was kinda YA grrrl power. A great thing to have more of, but I wish they'd market them as such. (And okay, I mean high school, not middle school. I would never give this book or the other one to a twelve-year-old. So maybe that's part of the issue.) Now I'm sort of reluctant to read anything else published by them - but there were so many I was planning to check out... 

 

I'm also half way through The Things They Carried. It's pretty hardcore, what with killing and dying and growing up all mixed together. Tough to read in public because I'm embarrassed by my about-to-cry face. 

 

Here is my favorite poem from Racing Hummingbirds. There are many poems by this author available online. A list is on her website. 

 

Carnivores

 

She is the prettiest thing New York City

has seen since Christmas.

It is 2:38 A.M. We have matching boots,

swirl cheap read wine between half-glossed lips,

jab bent forks into hard falafels.

The night is ready to end its shift.

 

A plump waitress wears the city's tightest

electric-pink sweater, (a Valentine for her beloved).

Two Marines wink from February's side of the glass,

a king cockroach lies wait in the ladies room sink,

the swordfish on the butcher block is looking for his gullet.

 

It is raining merlot.

Our construction paper hearts, soaked

all the way through.

 

It is 2:38 AM, and I am stuffing her with confession.

She sucks the fat, licks her fingers.

I am gutted and we are ravenous, eating with our hands.

slurp, chew, gnash. Gluttons.

 

Soon, the bar and the second bottle are empty.

 

I watch her take the dull blade of a table knife

to her chest, (my jaw hanging loose like a broken

screen door swinging in a summer monsoon).

She slices straight through her breast,

breaks off two ribs, sets them on her plate--

blood rivering through the hummus.

 

She takes my hand, jabs my curious fingers

into the wound. I dig in hard,

all the way up to my elbow.

 

She doesn't even wince.

 

The cooks across the room scorch

something that once was alive.

The pink waitress brings us each a free glass

of whatever wine is left and extra napkins

to mop up the pooling red spill

from our lips.

[Robin M]

It's amusing to read that with the advent of cell phones and gps technology, those standing on the meridian line in Greenwich are surprised to find it isn't exactly where it is supposed to be. 

 

Greenwich Royal Observatory - meridian line

 

How the Meridian Line is actually 100 meters away. 

 

Scientists Explain

 

Like the Appalachian trail, do you desire to walk the Greenwich Meridian Trail?

 

 

[Butter]

I'm about halfway through Bill the Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison.  It's sci-fi which is one of the few genres I read very little of.  It's funny and simple.  It is the last book I need to finish my special category book challenge for the year (author with the same initials as me).

[mumto2]

 

“No place in the English-speaking world is more breathtakingly replete with dialects than Great Britain. In America, people as far apart as New York State and Oregon speak with largely identical voices. According to some estimates almost two thirds of the American population, living on some 8o percent of the land area, speak with the same accent—a quite remarkable degree of homogeneity.

If we define dialect as a way of speaking that fixes a person geographically, then it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that in England there are as many dialects as there are hills and valleys. Just in the six counties of northern England, an area about the size of Maine, there are seventeen separate pronunciations for the word house.â€

 

I thought that this was interesting:

“Webster was responsible for the American aluminum in favor of the British aluminium. His choice has the fractional advantage of brevity, but defaults in terms of consistency. Aluminium at least follows the pattern set by other chemical elements— potassium, radium, and the like.â€

 

[/size]

Negin, I am sure you know this but for others here I have to comment on how quickly the dialets change here. We have a cute village maybe 2miles away where nice houses are comparatively inexpensive for no obvious reason. When we were house hunting really nice houses kept popping up there so we tried shopping there one more time, no one in our family knows what people are saying there. I was telling a friend here who is born Yorkshire that I need to be really nice to the dc's or they will stick me in a nursing home there someday and was shocked when she admitted she can't understand the dialect there either. Two miles and it is literally a different language. Oddly we have no problems a couple more miles down the road.

 

Robin, I just checked out the new Julie Ann Walker. Thank you. I have a question about the world travel books.....Are you planning on one each week, one a month.....They do look good. I definitely can find the first one but my stack is huge.

 

Currently reading The Lake House by Kate Mortonhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21104828-the-lake-house. So far it is intriguing. It is going pretty quickly considering how little actual reading time I have been having. I am also trying to finish another Sue Grafton alphabet mystery so I can turn my kindle reader's wifi on!

[Violet Crown]

I read the libretto to Verdi's Aïda (by Antonio Ghislanzoni, but who's ever heard of him?). Took Wee Girl to the dress rehearsal, which I usually avoid because of the wretched opera manners of the homeschool groups who go (and it wasn't any better this time), and will take the other girls to a proper performance this week. (There were posters for some Neil Caiman or Daiman person who will apparently be performing soon, and Great Girl was interested but the tickets were incredibly expensive and I suspect he can't even sing a decent tenor anyway.)

 

Here's the Triumphal March which isn't of course in the libretto at all and which is the only part of Aïda everyone recognizes. There were no horses in the production we saw.

 

Also finished J. H. Cardinal Newman's Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, and let me say "essay" is a pretty elastic term as it clocks in at just short of 500 pages. Lots of food for thought, though pretty much niche reading these days.

 

Still reading Wings of the Dove, from which I've allowed myself to be distracted; and started John Faulk's Fear on Trial, about which more later, as I get through more of it. Really good so far.

[Guest]

The book from last week that is haunting my and that I'm not sure if I should have read or not, but now that I've read it I suspect I'll never be free from it: No Country for Old Men.

 

Wow.  This was *way* out of my tolerance range for violence, and not at all the type of story I usually like/read... but it was also a book that sucked me in from the first page and left me unable to put it down.  

 

It is powerful, compelling, disturbing, and depressing.  It has such a grim view of the direction life/humanity is moving in... it doesn't reflect any of my own perceptions of life or humanity... but I have certainly never been immersed in the borderlands drug trading scene, nor have I ever (to my knowledge) had contact with a sociopath.

 

In less skilled hands, this would have  been a book I threw across the room (metaphorically) and tried to forget. I can't recommend it, but I can say that McCarthy is a stunningly skilled writer....

 

3 plays:

Democracy by Frayn: This lacks the transcendence of Copenhagen, but also uses an exploration of a historical incident (in this case the resignation of the German Chancellor who brokered the accords with the USSR & East Germany when one of his assistants was discovered to be an East German spy. 

 

Iphigenia in Tauris by Goethe: a follow-up to the Euripides (which was a follow-up to the new adaptation of the Oresteia).  Thomas Mann considered this the supreme work of German literature - which is a little more sweeping an endorsement than I can make.  ...but this is a masterful use of the source material to look at integrity and choice and the synthesis of heart and reason.

 

Medea (yes, again!)  this time the translation from the Greek Tragedy in New Translations series.  A lovely translation.  Highly recommended.  

 

 

readaloud: Rootabaga Stories Part One - my little guy had so much fun with these!  ...not as delightful (to me) as Beyond the Pawpaw Trees, but similarly absurd.

 

We're heading out soon, so I'll post this & try to post more later with the rest of last week's reading...

 

[Ali in OR]

I finished Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein this week. I think anyone who liked her Code Name Verity would like this also. Though it deals with life in Ravensbruck, it focuses on female friendship and community building while not glossing over the horrors of concentration camps. You know the protagonist comes out alive early on in the book, as she recounts the whole ordeal from Paris afterward. I like this approach as I don't stress out while reading it, wondering if she'll survive. Good book.

 

I'm about to start Act IV in The Winter's Tale which I am enjoying. No word from the library yet on The Gap of Time. I also picked up a book I got at the library book sale either this year or last, Dai Sijie's Once on a Moonless Night. This is a book that I picked up for the sound of the title, and the fact that it was less than an inch in depth! And I liked his Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress quite a bit. I'm enjoying this one too, but have had to re-read parts to really understand what is going on (I read a whole chapter thinking one character was reminiscing when it was really another person). This book is set in China and weaves in history and legend going back a few thousand years. I think Amazon can describe it better than I:

 

A precious scroll inscribed with a lost Buddhist sutra—once owned by Pu Yi, the last emperor of China—is illicitly sold to an eccentric French linguist, Paul d’Ampere, who is imprisoned as a result. In jail, he devotes himself to studying its ancient text.
 
A young Western scholar in China hears this account from the grocer Toomchooq, whose name mysteriously connects him to the document. She falls in love with both teller and tale, but when d’Ampere is killed in prison, Toomchooq disappears, and she, pregnant with his child, embarks on a search for her lost love and the scroll that begins, “Once on a moonless night . . .â€

 

Beautifully written book--I'm enjoying it even when I have to work hard at following it. And I'm amazed at the translation skills needed to bring this to us (Sijie writes in French).

[Kareni]

I read The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way - 4 Stars - When it comes to Bill Bryson, I tend to prefer his travelogues. Although “The Mother Tongue†is not a travelogue, I enjoyed it greatly. ... I would simply love to see an updated version.

 

 

This is my favorite of Bill Bryson's books.  (And, yes, I would definitely read an updated version!)  I also enjoyed his Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States about American English.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Guest]

The kids are taking forever to get ready to go run errands, so I got to finish my weekly update!

 

Poetry:

 

Night Horses: Poems by Billy Collins: I don';t know if this is a better collection than others I've looked ator if I was just in a the right place to love these (probably the latter), but I enjoyed this very much.

 

Library Land by Jane Graham George: This little chapbook was in the clearance section of a local Friends of the Library shop.  I found it delightful - spare, quiet, positive with books and nature alternating or even woven together.

 

Comfort reread:

Sasharia en Garde by Sherwood Smith: this is a reissue, with mild editing, of the duology Once a Princess & Twice a Prince.  YA fantasy, comfort reading... I'm very fond of many of Smith's books - some of my favorite comfort reads - and this is no exception.

 

Nonfiction:

We Should All be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A very short book adapted from a TED talk of the same name. Although I agree with the premise, I didn't relate to much of the material.  Interesting, but skippable. 

 

[JennW in SoCal]

It's my last free weekend until after Christmas and I've been making the most of it by reading, sewing and gardening.  

My weekend book was A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a compilation of 3 novellas by George RR Martin, all set in the Game of Thrones world, but about 100 years earlier.  The book is filled with truly lovely illustrations, an unexpected treat -- they make the physical book something special to hold and enjoy and savor. The novellas are everything that is brilliant about the Game of Thrones world and Martin's writing. It doesn't add to the existing series but makes for a meaty, enjoyable escape read.

 

I guess I did my non-fiction reading much earlier in the year, as I've already read Into the Kingdom of Ice and a different silk road book, Journeys on the Silk Road. Both books inspired me to go digging on internet, and after following so many rabbit trails its hard to tell where the books ended and my additional reading began. But, to me, that is the sign of a good non-fiction book -- it inspired me to read more, to further my armchair explorations. Kingdom of Ice was so fascinating that I grabbed a used book at a library sale called Ring of Ice: True Tales of Adventure, Exploration and Arctic Life.  Of course I haven't cracked it opened it yet...

 

Up next will be the new Elizabeth George mystery and whatever other mindless fluff strikes my fancy. 

[Laura in CA]

I have nothing to contribute, books-wise, but I saw the title of this thread, and it caught my eye because I am currently sitting on a ship on the Black Sea :)

When I return to reality, all too soon, I will have to read more about this region of the world. My parents have traveled the Silk Route, and have read widely about it, but I will see if they know the book you mentioned,

 

I brought GKC's Manalive with me, but have kept busy with other stuff. No progress here :)

[idnib]

I returned last night from our sudden trip to the Midwest and am exhausted.

 

I made "airplane progress" on In Cold Blood but had almost no time to read while grounded. There was simply too much to do between all the (religious/legal/administrative) things we needed to handle for our deceased loved one, plus the regular things like making sure everyone's needs were met.

 

 

The book from last week that is haunting my and that I'm not sure if I should have read or not, but now that I've read it I suspect I'll never be free from it: No Country for Old Men.

 

Wow.  This was *way* out of my tolerance range for violence, and not at all the type of story I usually like/read... but it was also a book that sucked me in from the first page and left me unable to put it down.  

 

It is powerful, compelling, disturbing, and depressing.  It has such a grim view of the direction life/humanity is moving in... it doesn't reflect any of my own perceptions of life or humanity... but I have certainly never been immersed in the borderlands drug trading scene, nor have I ever (to my knowledge) had contact with a sociopath.

 

In less skilled hands, this would have  been a book I threw across the room (metaphorically) and tried to forget. I can't recommend it, but I can say that McCarthy is a stunningly skilled writer....

 

This is one of my favorites (more for the writing and main theme than the actual plot) but I am truly surprised you gave it a go. It's such a bleak and spare  and restless book and I think it leaves a mark on sensitive people.

[Butter]

I finished Bill the Galactic Hero.  It was amusing.  Not the best book I've ever read, but still good.  Often the author chose words that were just hilarious given context of what was going on in the story.  For example, they ate protein blocks that was equine (much later it became very clear that their protein source was horse).  Soon after the main character was trotting.  A few pages later he was galloping.  There were several instances of things like this.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished The Winter's Tale and began The Gap of Time. That's all I got for today. Working on In Cold Blood though I may end up listening rather than reading, i got an audio version too.

 

Books Completed in November:

164. The Winter's Tale - William Shakespeare

163. The Sellout - Paul Beatty

162. Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith - Deborah Heligman

161. Loosed Upon the World: The Saga Anthology of Climate Fiction - John Joseph Adams, ed.

 

[Robin M]

Robin, I just checked out the new Julie Ann Walker. Thank you. I have a question about the world travel books.....Are you planning on one each week, one a month.....They do look good. I definitely can find the first one but my stack is huge.

I really hadn't thought it out all that much, but most likely one or two a month, depending on how long they are. Realized while working up the post this would be a good idea for armchair traveling for next year - east and west of the prime meridian, north and south of the equator.

 

 

 

Which brings to mind since there are only 8 weeks left to the year   :eek:  (where'd it go) now would be a good time to start brainstorming  for 2016 - readalongs, ideas, themes, authors, mini challenges, etc.   Everybody put on their thinking caps, start flinging ideas and see what sticks.

[Just Robyn]

Which brings to mind since there are only 8 weeks left to the year   :eek:  (where'd it go) now would be a good time to start brainstorming  for 2016 - readalongs, ideas, themes, authors, mini challenges, etc.   Everybody put on their thinking caps, start flinging ideas and see what sticks.

 

Hemmingway

 

Faulkner

 

weird format (like Hopscotch, or an unbound book, or Tristano, or...?)

 

literary magazine (maybe that's pushing it, but it came to mind since it's among my own reading goals)

 

LotR readalong

 

Paradiso (of course, right?)

 

Arthurian 

 

Or none of those, just flingin'. :)

[melmichigan]

I finished Born of Betrayal by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  It's #10 in The League:Nemesis Rising Series.  I love this series!  Only 225 days until the next release.  :D

 

I have Too Hard to Handle (Black Knights Inc.) loaded on my Kindle.

[Ali in OR]

What about coming up with our own Bingo board? (or maybe I'll come up with one for me...or find one I like).

[Kareni]

Going back a couple of weeks ~

 

 

I know the main character is a female, and there are two males characters.  The bar is the place where you enter faerie and an "in between" for human and fae.

 

 

A couple more possibilities to consider:

 

 

Jenn Bennett's Arcadia Bell series ~

Kindling the Moon (The Arcadia Bell Series Book 1)

 

and

 

Allison Pang's Abby Sinclair series ~

A Brush of Darkness (Abby Sinclair, Book 1)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

A few currently free books for Kindle readers that might be of interest ~

 

I've posted this one before:

 

Dun Lady's Jess: The Changespell Saga by Doranna Durgin (the author's first book, published in 1994)

 

"An award-winning book (Compton Crook for Best First SF/F/H of the Year) with special forward by Elizabeth Moon, and brand new remarks from Aurora-winning author Julie Czerneda

Courier mount Dun Lady's Jess accepts the hand of only one man: Carey of Anfeald. Together they race across rugged territories with the spell manuscripts no one else dares to carry, handling secrets with the potential to destroy worlds.

That is, until a treacherous wizard rips Lady and Carey apart in mid-run, tossing them across realities and turning Lady into Jess—a woman of fiery equine spirit and unyielding intent learning to be human in a new land called Ohio.

But Jess and Carey weren’t the only ones to tumble between worlds, and they aren’t the only ones looking for a way back. They definitely aren’t the only ones who want that deadly spell manuscript. And ultimately, only Jess—separated from the one person she trusts, flung into a new human form and culture—has the means to bring two worlds together and stop a wizard run amuck.

That is, if anyone can…"

 

***

 

I used to read Jeffrey Archer novels years ago though I haven't read this one:

 

Only Time Will Tell (Clifton Chronicles, Book 1)  by Jeffrey Archer

 

"From the internationally bestselling author of Kane and Abel and A Prisoner of Birth comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph.

 

The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the words "I was told that my father was killed in the war." A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he's left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys' school, and his life will never be the same again.

As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

 

This introductory novel in Archer's ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler's Germany. From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined."

 

***

 

I read and enjoyed this one a few weeks ago; now it's free:

 

Earls Just Want to Have Fun (Covent Garden Cubs, Book 1)  by Shana Galen

 

"Marlowe runs with the Covent Garden Cubs, a gang of thieves living in the slums of London's Seven Dials. But there was a time she went by a different name and when a private investigator thinks that she may be the missing daughter of a lord and lady, she is introduced to the spectacle of Society.

 

Maxwell, Lord Dane, is intrigued when his brother ropes him into his investigation of the fiercely beautiful hellion who is believed to be the lost daughter of the Marquess of Lydon.  He teaches her how to navigate the social morass of the ton, but Marlowe will not escape the Cubs so easily. Instead, Max is drawn into her dangerous world, where the student becomes the teacher and love is the greatest risk of all."

 

***

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Stacia]

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm working on Amy Poehler's Yes Please. It's ok, but I don't feel uber motivated to read it. I will finish it because my book club is reading it.

 

The book from last week that is haunting my and that I'm not sure if I should have read or not, but now that I've read it I suspect I'll never be free from it: No Country for Old Men.

 

Wow.  This was *way* out of my tolerance range for violence, and not at all the type of story I usually like/read... but it was also a book that sucked me in from the first page and left me unable to put it down.  

 

It is powerful, compelling, disturbing, and depressing.  It has such a grim view of the direction life/humanity is moving in... it doesn't reflect any of my own perceptions of life or humanity... but I have certainly never been immersed in the borderlands drug trading scene, nor have I ever (to my knowledge) had contact with a sociopath.

 

In less skilled hands, this would have  been a book I threw across the room (metaphorically) and tried to forget. I can't recommend it, but I can say that McCarthy is a stunningly skilled writer....

 

Wow, Eliana. I've got to echo idnib here & say I'm so surprised you tried & made it through this one. It is absolutely one of my favorites this year (or any year, I think), but it's pretty harsh & brutal. So incredibly well-told, but not for everyone either....

 

I totally agree w/ your assessment of powerful, compelling, disturbing, & depressing. And that McCarthy is a stunningly skilled writer.

 

As an aside, idnib, I know we were discussing some cartel fiction. I found some mentions of The Power of the Dog and The Cartel (both by Don Winslow), as well as The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderburg. I actually stumbled across the last one in the library the other day & remembered it from the cover art as I had noticed it in a local bookstore a couple of years ago, but then forgot the title & didn't have a way to figure out what it was, lol. So, I was like "aha!" when I saw the cover. Fittingly, it seems to fit in with cartel fiction too. Not sure if I'll get to these soon or not, but I definitely have them on tap to read either this year or for part of my 2016 reading.

 

I'm about to start Act IV in The Winter's Tale which I am enjoying. No word from the library yet on The Gap of Time. I also picked up a book I got at the library book sale either this year or last, Dai Sijie's Once on a Moonless Night. This is a book that I picked up for the sound of the title, and the fact that it was less than an inch in depth! And I liked his Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress quite a bit. I'm enjoying this one too, but have had to re-read parts to really understand what is going on (I read a whole chapter thinking one character was reminiscing when it was really another person). This book is set in China and weaves in history and legend going back a few thousand years. I think Amazon can describe it better than I:

 

<snip>

 

Beautifully written book--I'm enjoying it even when I have to work hard at following it. And I'm amazed at the translation skills needed to bring this to us (Sijie writes in French).

 

Looking forward to your final review of Sijie's book. Balzac & the Little Chinese Seamstress is another of my favorite books. I've often thought I should try the one you mention, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

I have nothing to contribute, books-wise, but I saw the title of this thread, and it caught my eye because I am currently sitting on a ship on the Black Sea :)
When I return to reality, all too soon, I will have to read more about this region of the world. My parents have traveled the Silk Route, and have read widely about it, but I will see if they know the book you mentioned,

I brought GKC's Manalive with me, but have kept busy with other stuff. No progress here :)

 

Would love to hear more about your travels when you have time!

 

I returned last night from our sudden trip to the Midwest and am exhausted.

 

I made "airplane progress" on In Cold Blood but had almost no time to read while grounded. There was simply too much to do between all the (religious/legal/administrative) things we needed to handle for our deceased loved one, plus the regular things like making sure everyone's needs were met.

 

:grouphug: :grouphug:

 

I finished Bill the Galactic Hero.  It was amusing.  Not the best book I've ever read, but still good.  Often the author chose words that were just hilarious given context of what was going on in the story.  For example, they ate protein blocks that was equine (much later it became very clear that their protein source was horse).  Soon after the main character was trotting.  A few pages later he was galloping.  There were several instances of things like this.

 

:lol:

[redsquirrel]

I just finished "Why can't we talk about something more pleasant"  Even though it was a tad difficult to read on my kindle, it was worth it.  I am very glad I read it.  I bet if you got the book it is the sort of thing someone could read very quickly.  It is a graphic novel and the drawings/format really bring a lot to the story.

 

I am halfway through The Martian and I am loving this book!  It is so rare for me that I read something that feels fresh, truly different than what I have read before. And I adore books that have bits of things in them that are offbeat but add to the narrative. For example, I am a sucker for fiction books that have recipes...or cookbooks that are also stories. That is one reason why I am in the cult of Laurie Colwin. I also like natural history type books, Diane Ackerman's "A Natural History of the Senses" comes to mind..but almost any will do.  The Martian is absolutely fiction but it really, really does not feel like fiction. The math, the science the cause and effect, all add so much to the story.

[Stacia]

Possible ideas for 2016:

 

Female adventurers & travelers

 

Cartel fiction

 

Moby Dick (had been on my list for this year but I just didn't get to it so I may try to get around to it in 2016... or not...)

 

Banned Books (as always for me)

 

Sjón's books that have been translated into English (3 of them: The Blue Fox; The Whispering Muse; From the Mouth of the Whale)

 

 

[Stacia]

Faulkner

 

weird format (like Hopscotch, or an unbound book, or Tristano, or...?)

 

What about coming up with our own Bingo board?

 

I like those ideas too!

[redsquirrel]

Possible ideas for 2016:

 

Female adventurers & travelers

 

Cartel fiction

 

Moby Dick (had been on my list for this year but I just didn't get to it so I may try to get around to it in 2016... or not...)

 

I got a good chunk into Moby Dick and really liked what I read.  I had a friend whose son wanted to read Moby Dick, for no reason anyone could determine...he was 10 at the time.  They decided to read a chapter out loud every day, taking turns.  It didn't take that much time on a daily basis. But, tbh, I am not sure they got through the entire thing. 

 

I stopped reading b/c it was just so long that I kept picking up other books to read, lol

 

[Stacia]

I got a good chunk into Moby Dick and really liked what I read.  I had a friend whose son wanted to read Moby Dick, for no reason anyone could determine...he was 10 at the time.  They decided to read a chapter out loud every day, taking turns.  It didn't take that much time on a daily basis. But, tbh, I am not sure they got through the entire thing. 

 

I stopped reading b/c it was just so long that I kept picking up other books to read, lol

 

I'm not sure I'd actually get through it because of length. Plus, I'm not sure I can stand chapters & chapters of detailed descriptions of how they use the whale. That's just really, really not my kind of thing. (I know the historical significance, the economic significance, yada, yada, but I still am not convinced I can stomach the details. Yet I can handle the brutality in No Country for Old Men. Go figure, huh?)

 

I also have Why Read Moby Dick and Matt Kish's Moby-Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page sitting here. I figured if I had a weird, abstract drawing to look at for every page of the book, it might entice me to read the book.  :tongue_smilie:  :lol:  So I'm still considering giving it a go. (Even though it obviously hasn't enticed me enough in 2015....)

[LaughingCat]

I just finished "Why can't we talk about something more pleasant"  Even though it was a tad difficult to read on my kindle, it was worth it.  I am very glad I read it.  I bet if you got the book it is the sort of thing someone could read very quickly.  It is a graphic novel and the drawings/format really bring a lot to the story.

 

I am halfway through The Martian and I am loving this book!  It is so rare for me that I read something that feels fresh, truly different than what I have read before. And I adore books that have bits of things in them that are offbeat but add to the narrative. For example, I am a sucker for fiction books that have recipes...or cookbooks that are also stories. That is one reason why I am in the cult of Laurie Colwin. I also like natural history type books, Diane Ackerman's "A Natural History of the Senses" comes to mind..but almost any will do.  The Martian is absolutely fiction but it really, really does not feel like fiction. The math, the science the cause and effect, all add so much to the story.

Am I the only one or does The Martian sound like an old time SF book?  Haven't read it and don't currently plan to (or see the movie) but everything I hear about seems to scream SF such as I read back in the 70's

 

For me this week:

The Goblin Emperor -- I really enjoyed this even though I got a bit lost in the names

Tongues of Serpents (Temeraire #7 ) -- still like this series but not loving it -- why do I feel lately like so many series top out in the first book?

[Negin]

Like the Appalachian trail, do you desire to walk the Greenwich Meridian Trail?

Robin, as an anglophile through and through, I would absolutely love to walk the Greenwich Meridian Trail!

 

Negin, I am sure you know this but for others here I have to comment on how quickly the dialets change here. We have a cute village maybe 2miles away where nice houses are comparatively inexpensive for no obvious reason. When we were house hunting really nice houses kept popping up there so we tried shopping there one more time, no one in our family knows what people are saying there. I was telling a friend here who is born Yorkshire that I need to be really nice to the dc's or they will stick me in a nursing home there someday and was shocked when she admitted she can't understand the dialect there either. Two miles and it is literally a different language. Oddly we have no problems a couple more miles down the road.

Yes, when living in Britain, I experienced this sort of thing time and time again. :)

 

This is my favorite of Bill Bryson's books.  (And, yes, I would definitely read an updated version!)  I also enjoyed his Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States about American English.

 

Kareni, Made in America will be arriving to me soon. Can't wait. I also can't wait to read his newest travelogue. I still have a few books of his that I haven't yet read. I do plan on re-reading most of his books. Too many books and too little time! 

 

[Negin]

Am I the only one or does The Martian sound like an old time SF book?  Haven't read it and don't currently plan to (or see the movie) but everything I hear about seems to scream SF such as I read back in the 70's

I tried and tried to read it, but I barely got through 5%. Usually before abandoning a book, I give it at least 10% (oftentimes more). I can't say if it was sci-fi. I didn't notice that. All I can say was that it really wasn't  my cup of tea at all. I wanted to like it, since I keep hearing about it. Mark got on my nerves.  :lol:

[Negin]

I just finished "Why can't we talk about something more pleasant"  Even though it was a tad difficult to read on my kindle, it was worth it.  I am very glad I read it.  I bet if you got the book it is the sort of thing someone could read very quickly.  It is a graphic novel and the drawings/format really bring a lot to the story.

I loved this book. I admire you for being able to read it on the Kindle! 

[mumto2]

I really hadn't thought it out all that much, but most likely one or two a month, depending on how long they are. Realized while working up the post this would be a good idea for armchair traveling for next year - east and west of the prime meridian, north and south of the equator.

 

 

 

Which brings to mind since there are only 8 weeks left to the year :eek: (where'd it go) now would be a good time to start brainstorming for 2016 - readalongs, ideas, themes, authors, mini challenges, etc. Everybody put on their thinking caps, start flinging ideas and see what sticks.

I think a bingo card with a wide variety of challenges would be perfect. That would give us 25 different challenges which would set a pace of every other week which would work for most....admittedly not everyone for every square. I know I will never manage or even try Moby Dick for instance.

 

I like the idea of armchair travel. The books from the first post this week all sound like something I might enjoy assuming we spread them out.....maybe monthly. It might be fun to read a cookbook from the region at the same time....I doubt North Pole cookbooks exist :lol: but for the other areas people should be able to find something of interest. Our group also seems to enjoy food conversations! Anyway I think the travel should be separate or just a couple of squares on the Bingo card.

 

Female adventurers,Cartel fiction,LotR reread, are others that I know I am probably up for in some form. Some possible fluffy squares would be good too. I really don't anticipate doing much serious reading in 2016, the things that are making my life stressful are unlikely to resolve themselves anytime soon. So I am probably going to continue with my fluffy reads. Personally I have several partially read series that I plan to finish up but that doesn't work for the group. Some other ideas that I would be up for....

 

Time travel

 

Steampunk

 

Banned book....People enjoyed the BNW read along, maybe another classic (not Red Badge of Courage please!) Maybe 1984....I did a reread already. Anyway I think we should try another read along for BB week.

 

I always enjoy the color, fall, whatever challenges.

 

I liked the challenge where we asked family members for a letter and number (I think that was it) and used those as coordinates in our library to read a random book. It was slightly adjustable because I landed in James Patterson first go and I had read them all. My second took me to a mystery that I really enjoyed.

[TeacherZee]

I read The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way - 4 Stars - When it comes to Bill Bryson, I tend to prefer his travelogues. Although “The Mother Tongue†is not a travelogue, I enjoyed it greatly. It’s a fascinating and, as is usually the case with Bryson, entertaining account of evolution of the English language. I don’t consider myself a word or language nerd at all, yet I loved all the trivia, such as those that I’ve quoted below.

The only reason that I’m giving it 4 stars rather than 5 is that it’s a bit dated. It was written in 1990 before the internet age. I would simply love to see an updated version. All in all, this was a fun and informative read.

 

 

 

 

This is my favorite of Bill Bryson's books.  (And, yes, I would definitely read an updated version!)  I also enjoyed his Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States about American English.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

You might also enjoy The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language by Melvyn Bragg (there is a tv series to go with it that you can watch on YouTube).

 

I am reading student essays (of varying quality), The Giver (re-read, my firsties are reading it, it is a bit to easy for them reading levelwise but the topic is good for discussing with them), and still firmly stuck in the romance genre and primarily reading M/M. The latest one was Not Just Friends by Jay Northcote which I enjoyed, I liked that it was set in the UK so the uni experience was more similar to my own than the usual US based ones. 

 

Oh and hi, sorry for going AWOL. :)

[Just Robyn]

What about coming up with our own Bingo board? (or maybe I'll come up with one for me...or find one I like).

 

That sounds fun!

 

Possible ideas for 2016:

 

Female adventurers & travelers

 

Cartel fiction

 

Moby Dick (had been on my list for this year but I just didn't get to it so I may try to get around to it in 2016... or not...)

 

Banned Books (as always for me)

 

Sjón's books that have been translated into English (3 of them: The Blue Fox; The Whispering Muse; From the Mouth of the Whale)

 

For Cartel fiction, I'd like to recommend a novella a read a couple years ago: Down the Rabbit Hole, which is told from the perspective of a young child living with a drug baron. (Though I wouldn't know if being a drug baron necessarily means you're part of a cartel or not - so maybe it doesn't quite count. Not sure.)

 

I have had The Blue Fox on my to-read list for some time now, so I'm down for that.

 

And I was planning to join you for Moby Dick this year, have been relieved that we haven't gotten around to it, and would be happy to try again for next year.

[Rosie_0801]

I finished reading 'Wee Free Men' to dd. Next up- 'A Hat Full of Sky!'

[Shawneinfl]

I finished Tell No One. I enjoyed it until the last page when Coban added a very unnecessary plot twist that unraveled the whole book for me. Kind of like a photo bomb. Oh well.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I like the Bingo board idea too.  I like things that stretch me outside of my normal reading zone, so my personal challenge for 2016 will include "Read something Stacia recommends at least once a month"  ;)

 

Is there any interest in doing a year-long read of the next HotW volume?  I'll confess that these chronological surveys aren't my favorite format for reading history, but spacing it out over the year has worked well and it does create a nice backbone of historical context for other readings.  If we did that, we could include as a theme reading things written in the Renaissance (even though I know SWB stops the book in 1453) like

 

Dante

Boccacio

The Prince

Chaucer

Utopia

Dr. Faustus

Shakespeare (maybe read some of his early histories that cover the period like Richard II or the early Henry plays?)

Fables of Marie de France?

The Book of the City of Ladies - Christine de Pizan

Arthurian legends - many options here

Sir Gawain

Margery Kempe

Song of Roland

 

I'm sure there are others here way more knowledgeable than I am about what is worth reading from this time period. Anyway, just an idea!

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I tried and tried to read it, but I barely got through 5%. Usually before abandoning a book, I give it at least 10% (oftentimes more). I can't say if it was sci-fi. I didn't notice that. All I can say was that it really wasn't  my cup of tea at all. I wanted to like it, since I keep hearing about it. Mark got on my nerves.  :lol:

 

 

I loved this book. I admire you for being able to read it on the Kindle! 

 

 

I agree with both of these sentiments!  Re: The Marian & Why Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant

 

Love your new avatar pic, btw  :)

[Kareni]

You might also enjoy The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language by Melvyn Bragg (there is a tv series to go with it that you can watch on YouTube).

 

That does look good; thank you.  And welcome back!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[redsquirrel]

Time and again I resolve to read Cormac McCarthy and I chicken out every time.  I read The Road for an old book club and it almost killed me. I cried for days and days.  Ok, see, I am actually tearing up just thinking about as I type.  And I say that knowing that The Road could be seen as sentimental (horrifying, but sentimental) but I would argue that McCarthy has the street cred to deal with that.

 

But, if I can't handle that one.....It wasn't the violence in The Road that got to me, it was the love.  There was such a powerful feeling of love, of desire to protect at all costs, it just triggers so much in me.  As I sit here wiping my eyes, lol. :rolleyes:  AndI know where it comes from, I know the story of how he was inspired to write the book, and that just made it worse for me, tbh. 

 

So anyway, I am afraid that McCarthy is just too powerful for me to deal with on an emotional level. OTOH, I feel like a big baby about this and maybe I need to power through.  He is one of the major writers of his generation and I should really be more familiar with his work.

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Time and again I resolve to read Cormac McCarthy and I chicken out every time.  I read The Road for an old book club and it almost killed me. I cried for days and days.  Ok, see, I am actually tearing up just thinking about as I type.  And I say that knowing that The Road could be seen as sentimental (horrifying, but sentimental) but I would argue that McCarthy has the street cred to deal with that.

 

But, if I can't handle that one.....It wasn't the violence in The Road that got to me, it was the love.  There was such a powerful feeling of love, of desire to protect at all costs, it just triggers so much in me.  As I sit here wiping my eyes, lol. :rolleyes:  AndI know where it comes from, I know the story of how he was inspired to write the book, and that just made it worse for me, tbh. 

 

So anyway, I am afraid that McCarthy is just too powerful for me to deal with on an emotional level. OTOH, I feel like a big baby about this and maybe I need to power through.  He is one of the major writers of his generation and I should really be more familiar with his work.

 

I agree completely, particularly with the bolded.

[Stacia]

:seeya:  TeacherZee! We've missed you around these parts!

 

Speaking of dialect stuff, my ds has been discussing dialect-related stuff lately in his Geography class at school. Here's a list/link he showed me re: an American dialect study. (For some of the words, I didn't know there was so much variation.)

 

For Cartel fiction, I'd like to recommend a novella a read a couple years ago: Down the Rabbit Hole, which is told from the perspective of a young child living with a drug baron. (Though I wouldn't know if being a drug baron necessarily means you're part of a cartel or not - so maybe it doesn't quite count. Not sure.)

 

I have had The Blue Fox on my to-read list for some time now, so I'm down for that.

 

And I was planning to join you for Moby Dick this year, have been relieved that we haven't gotten around to it, and would be happy to try again for next year.

 

I'm glad you mentioned that one. I've had it on my to-read list for awhile now (& his other book, "Quesadillas"). Even if it's not cartel fiction, I want to read it. Imo, it could probably fit the category since the main character is the son of a cartel head.

 

Cool on the others. Maybe you & some others can strong-arm me into reading Moby Dick while I kick & scream about not wanting to do it. :lol:

 

I finished reading 'Wee Free Men' to dd. Next up- 'A Hat Full of Sky!'

 

:thumbup:  I love pretty much any Terry Pratchett books I've read, but The Wee Free Men is near or at the top of my list of favorites from him.

 

I like the Bingo board idea too.  I like things that stretch me outside of my normal reading zone, so my personal challenge for 2016 will include "Read something Stacia recommends at least once a month"  ;)

 

:lol:  (The pressure! The pressure! :svengo: )

 

Time and again I resolve to read Cormac McCarthy and I chicken out every time.  I read The Road for an old book club and it almost killed me. I cried for days and days.  Ok, see, I am actually tearing up just thinking about as I type.  And I say that knowing that The Road could be seen as sentimental (horrifying, but sentimental) but I would argue that McCarthy has the street cred to deal with that.

 

But, if I can't handle that one.....It wasn't the violence in The Road that got to me, it was the love.  There was such a powerful feeling of love, of desire to protect at all costs, it just triggers so much in me.  As I sit here wiping my eyes, lol. :rolleyes:  AndI know where it comes from, I know the story of how he was inspired to write the book, and that just made it worse for me, tbh. 

 

So anyway, I am afraid that McCarthy is just too powerful for me to deal with on an emotional level. OTOH, I feel like a big baby about this and maybe I need to power through.  He is one of the major writers of his generation and I should really be more familiar with his work.

 

I've never wanted to read The Road because (a) post-apocalypse books aren't really a category I enjoy and (b) the tear-jerking properties I imagine it has since it is a father/son duo eking out an existence in said world.

 

I'm a pretty big sap & will cry for so many things in books (& movies). Still, I think you should give No Country for Old Men a try. There are a couple of places where you might feel a tear welling up, but I would imagine The Road is much, much more tear-inducing. I don't think you will find No Country for Old Men as emotional of a read. (Of course I say all that having never read The Road, so you can feel free to completely ignore me or mock me or :rolleyes: at me or whatever. Lol.)

[idnib]

Which brings to mind since there are only 8 weeks left to the year   :eek:  (where'd it go) now would be a good time to start brainstorming  for 2016 - readalongs, ideas, themes, authors, mini challenges, etc.   Everybody put on their thinking caps, start flinging ideas and see what sticks.

 

 

Like others, I was going to suggest Moby Dick and/or related books.

 

This year we did the "pick a book by its cover" challenge but I think people went for the best looking cover, at least I did. (And I still haven't finished Euphoria, thank you very much!) What about picking a book based on the worst looking cover?  :p

 

Selfishly scanning my own TBR pile, what about a nature or biography theme?

 

What about coming up with our own Bingo board? (or maybe I'll come up with one for me...or find one I like).

 

Yes!!!

 

ETA: My multi quote about the cartel books didn't show up. Thanks for the recommendations, will check them out.

[Kareni]

Last night I read and enjoyed Honor Among Orcs (Orc Saga Book 1) by Amalia Dillin.  I can't recall where I first heard of this book -- it's a tad more fantasy than I would normally read, but I liked it.  Now I'm eager to read the sequel.

 

"After nearly a decade as the king’s whipping-girl, Princess Arianna has no intention of going quietly into marriage to some treasonous noble, or serving obediently as the king’s spy until her death is more convenient. When she discovers a handsome orc, chained and trapped inside a magic mirror, Arianna cannot help but see a lasting freedom from her father's abuse.

 

Left to rot inside a mirror by the king, Bolthorn never imagined his prayers would be answered by a princess. Nor did he ever expect to meet so worthy a woman after knowing her father’s cruelty. He needs her help to escape the mirror before the king marches against the orcs, but all he can offer Arianna is ice and darkness in exchange for her aid. 

If Arianna can free the monster behind the glass, perhaps she might free herself, as well. But once they cross the mountain, there will be no return, and the deadly winter is the least of what threatens them on the other side."

 

This review gives some information about the book and the author:

10 Things About Amalia Dillin and Honor Among Orcs

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Stacia]

Last night I read and enjoyed Honor Among Orcs (Orc Saga Book 1) by Amalia Dillin.  I can't recall where I first heard of this book -- it's a tad more fantasy than I would normally read, but I liked it.  Now I'm eager to read the sequel.

 

"After nearly a decade as the king’s whipping-girl, Princess Arianna has no intention of going quietly into marriage to some treasonous noble, or serving obediently as the king’s spy until her death is more convenient. When she discovers a handsome orc, chained and trapped inside a magic mirror, Arianna cannot help but see a lasting freedom from her father's abuse.

 

Ok, the orcs are what almost made me walk out of the LotR movies when I saw them in the theater. They're just so awful to behold that I was ready to leave. (I didn't, but still. Ugh doesn't even begin to cover it for me.)

 

So, why does this sound completely fascinating to me??? :lol:

 

Thanks for the rec. I'm putting it on my to-read list.

[Loesje22000]

 

 

Like the Appalachian trail, do you desire to walk the Greenwich Meridian Trail?

That would be fun!

I didn't know it exists ...

Thank you!

[Kareni]

Ok, the orcs are what almost made me walk out of the LotR movies when I saw them in the theater. They're just so awful to behold that I was ready to leave. (I didn't, but still. Ugh doesn't even begin to cover it for me.)

 

So, why does this sound completely fascinating to me??? :lol:

 

Thanks for the rec. I'm putting it on my to-read list.

 

The orcs in Honor Among Orcs (Orc Saga Book 1) don't seem awful at all.  (They're a kinder, gentler orc, perhaps?!)

 

I hope you'll enjoy the book.

 

Regards,

Kareni