6packofun Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 So sorry to hear that news, Stacia! :( Will pray a new job is right around the corner for your dh. I started a sci-fi book and couldn't keep up with the world-building, weird religion, number of characters and how they referred to themselves so I just gave up. Bummer! Sometimes sci-fi is like that for me; I guess I need sci-fi LITE. LOL However, I picked up Ross Poldark afterwards and REALLY enjoyed it! I've got the next 2 Poldark books on reserve at the library. On my stack while I wait is The Small Backs of Children, The Gap of Time, and The Secret Chord (Geraldine Brooks). I liked the Best of... lists and agree about The Night Circus. One of my favorites, although I was a little late to the party! 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Oh Stacia, I am so sorry. I hope he finds new and better work soon, and this becomes an exciting transition to a better time. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawneinfl Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Stacia :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: We went through a major job change for dh this year and it actually ended up well. We started our own business. Best of luck to you and I pray things are looking up soon. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Stacia, I'm sorry. How frustrating and discouraging. :( 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Earlier today I finished re-reading another historical romance by Joanna Bourne; I enjoyed it once again. This book can stand alone well even though it is part of a series. The Forbidden Rose (The Spymaster Series Book 2) by Joanna Bourne From Publishers Weekly"Bourne (The Spymaster's Lady) returns to the French Revolution for her latest romance, this time matching up an English spy and a French aristocrat. Marguerite de Fleurignac, a noblewoman who smuggles émigrés to England, encounters William Doyle in the charred remains of her chateau outside of Paris. She needs sanctuary and agrees to let him escort her through the French countryside. Though she pretends to be Scottish and he claims to be French, no one in this book seems able to keep secrets: William knows Marguerite's identity, she and the French secret police both know he is hunting her father, and everyone, including the secret police and the British, knows everything about the smugglers. Nonetheless, the romance is sweet, and once William and Marguerite admit their love, the ensuing adventure story is everything a spy thriller should be." (June)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Now I need to start reading the book for my book group which meets on Thursday! Regards, Kareni 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Thanks, everyone. :grouphug: We just found out that my dh is losing his job next month. This will be the third lay-off we've gone through since my ds was born. I feel stressed, old, & tired. Hopefully 2016 will work out ok for us. We have survived before but it's certainly no fun. Just last week I felt happy & like we had finally emerged from the two holes created by the previous lay-offs. I am now beginning to wonder if I have pissed off the universe in some previous life. Anyway, lots to tackle in the upcoming times & just feeling no concentration for reading right now. Stacia, I am sorry and wish you and your husband great luck and speed in getting new employment for him. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Oh Stacia. :grouphug: It's hard enough to go through one layoff, let alone three. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Stacia, I'm so sorry. What a frustrating and discouraging thing to be dealing with. Especially just in time for the holidays. :grouphug: 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 (edited) This isn't book related......sorry! :) But thought my ornament link might save someone here time.....easy enough for boys too! Dd and I need to each make an ornament for an exchange tomorrow night and found this no sew one online. http://frame.bloglovin.com/?post=4660315781&blog=3523605. If the link doesn't take you to the tutorial it will if you click tutorial. It requires fabric which we have, an iron, and a thread hanger. So happy this isn't going to take a long time. Dd has hers done and it is lovely. Plan to make a few for our tree! eta....Christmas wrapping paper would work also. No iron needed. Edited December 15, 2015 by mumto2 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Last night I stayed up way too late re-reading Joanna Bourne's Rogue Spy. It's a dangerous book because it has short chapters, and I fall into the "just one more chapter" trap. Once again, this is a book that could stand alone. The fun thing though about reading this now five book series is realizing how interwoven they are. In this book, for example, you learn of a couple arriving from France and then realize that they are the hero and heroine of a different book in the series. Likewise, a crime lord orders ice cream at an ice cream parlor, and you realize it's for an injured child who is the heroine of a yet another book in the series. It has made re-reading this series all the more pleasurable and given me more admiration for the author to keep all these threads in order. ~Chosen as one of Library Journal's Best Romances of 2014~ "For years he’d lived a lie. It was time to tell the truth . . . even if it cost him the woman he loved. Ten years ago he was a boy, given the name Thomas Paxton and sent by Revolutionary France to infiltrate the British Intelligence Service. Now his sense of honor brings him back to London, alone and unarmed, to confess. But instead of facing the gallows, he’s given one last impossible assignment to prove his loyalty.Lovely, lying, former French spy Camille Leyland is dragged from her safe rural obscurity by threats and blackmail. Dusting off her spy skills, she sets out to track down a ruthless French fanatic and rescue the innocent victim he’s holding—only to find an old colleague already on the case. Pax.Old friendship turns to new love, and as Pax and Camille’s dark secrets loom up from the past, Pax is left with a choice—go rogue from the Service or lose Camille forever…" And I still need to start the book for Thursday's book group! Regards, Kareni 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 For your entertainment and amusement, here is a clip of my church's all volunteer orchestra playing "Mad Russian", a Trans Siberian Orchestra arrangement of Nutcracker tunes. This orchestra is made up of people ages 14 to 85!! The video is a little fuzzy and blurry, but I'm there, sometimes obscured by the conductor's elbow. You can at least see my bow madly sawing away! You also can't see that most of us were wearing our ugly Christmas sweaters, lol! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 No new reading progress to report here. Not sure there will be much over the next couple of weeks either. :grouphug: 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Thanks, everyone. We just found out that my dh is losing his job next month. This will be the third lay-off we've gone through since my ds was born. I feel stressed, old, & tired. Hopefully 2016 will work out ok for us. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I'm so sorry, Stacia. I hope that 2016 will be better. I hope that something is found for him soon. This truly sucks. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 It's time for a tea party. What is your favorite tea? Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice! I love it 'cause there's no need to add sugar!! Angel, thanks for the necklace link. Made me smile! I will try to keep Vonnegut's slogan in mind over the next many months.... Tea party? I'm good with Earl Gray. :grouphug: and dh makes the best little chocolate tea cakes with Earl Gray icing!!! :drool5: You would love them!! Jenn - forgot to multi-quote yours but I always enjoy listening whenever you post! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 The mamma of the little kids I was taking care of finally had her baby today. A baby boy 9lbs 11oz! :w00t: That makes 4 little boys and 1 little girl! Both were doing well. She went ahead to the hospital by herself, and the baby came so fast that her dh didn't have time to take the littles anywhere else On to book related things... While recovering from a migraine two weeks ago, I finished listening to Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. I know this book inside and out which made for easy listening for this non-auditory gal. I enjoyed the reader and, as always, the story, though I admit to once again being put off by the actions of a teenage boy lol. Though it was probably just the way the reader did the voice since I’ve never had that problem before. The Belgariad may be the book/series that I have read and reread the most. Eddings has an amazing way with developing characters! A MUST READ SERIES FOR ANY FANTASY LOVER. And today, while I should have been cleaning my house for Book Club on Thursday, I finished Magyk by Angie Sage which fulfilled the book for my Reading Challenge for an author with the same initials. This book had been sitting on my shelf for at least two years! I really enjoyed reading it, though a few parts dragged on a bit. I kept unconsciously comparing the Heap family to the Weasley family J I loved the Boggart for some reason and the part with the Dragon Boat was a wonderful twist. While I don’t feel the need to rush out and read the next one, I do believe I will continue the series when time allows. A GOOD FANTASY BOOK FOR KIDS. I'm currently in the middle of Harry Potter #5 (still) and Sense & Sensibility, and also very close to the end of the New Testament. I really need to finish the first two so that I can start 2016 fresh! Oh, and I also need to start Frankenstein for Aly's worldview class at co-op. I am so not into examining a book for it's worldview :ack2: On the whole, I like to read for pleasure to escape, NOT to think about some deeper meaning. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I finished Being Mortal by Atul Gawande today. This book was discussed here awhile ago, but I have to confess that I ignored the discussion at the time - I just didn't want to think about it. Dh read the book, and kind of bullied me into reading it (in the most loving way possible, of course). I am glad I did, although it was the source of several really ugly crying sessions. I think this is a must read for any one who might die some day, or who knows anyone who might die some day. I'm going to buy a copy for my parents. A really tough book to read, but probably the most important book I've read in years. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 My reading veered off on a tangent last week. I finished SWB's Story of Science and was inspired to pull some science writing off the shelves. I found this delightful to read and think she did a beautiful job presenting the various works. ...I was fond enough of it to order our own copy of it when I finished the one from the library... The two I finished (both very short): Galielo's Sidereus Nuncius (Starry Messenger) and The Sand Reckoner by Archimedes. Robin, I think I'd like us to consider doing this together in 2017. If we did roughly a chapter every two weeks, we could read it over the year... and I could write up a paragraph or two about the work(s) covered and suggest some related reading... if there's interest. (I was thinking 2017 since we have HOTRW for next year...) What an interesting idea especially since SWB added a chapter on science to Revised version of Well Educated mind. You know I'm going to have to read Story of Science now that you've put the bug in my ear. Maybe hubby will buy it for me for Christmas. :laugh: Something to mull over during the year. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 Okay, who messed with multi quote again. :toetap05: Beautiful music, Jenn. Thanks for giving us a front row seat to enjoy! Out of Africa is planned for February so you'll all have time to acquire the book again if need be. I've never read it and probably will end up watching the movie as well to compare. I saw it years ago so don't remember much. Also Jane will be in charge of the E.M.Forster read and discussion. Isn't there a movie for A Passage to India??? A film to book comparison plus rabbit trails sounds like a great idea. Steinbeck --- Yes, I will add him. Perhaps August or September. July will take us west of the prime meridian so scheduling Moby Dick for July. I think Sena Jeter Naslund might be a good complement to Melville - perhaps?. Eliana - January 18 is MLK day, so you are on for week of January 17 and Indigenous people's read fits in the late half of the year in October. Perhaps for 2017 we could toss around ideas for regular "columns", so to speak, and we could rotate who would cover the given topics each month/week. ...they could be time periods, or genres, or geographical regions, or topics......and someone who might not want to commit to a full post, might feel more ready to contribute a paragraph on dancing or physics or mysteries.... All good ideas and Jumping way far ahead - still mulling 2016. Baby steps. Angel - congrats to your baby mama friend. I read Frankenstein for entertainment myself so go for it. Even a pleasure read will expose you to the worldview with little effort. So much to discuss with that one. I probably should read it again. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 This historical romance which is currently free on Kindle has some good reviews: The Bargain by Jane Ashford "A scintillating Regency adventure filled with...dark and dangerous action." -Affaire de Coeur"Charmingly written, by a deft hand." -RT Book Reviews "A scientifically minded nobleman Lord Alan Gresham is the sixth son of the Duke of Langford and, as such, has been allowed to remain at Oxford to pursue his scientific studies. When the prince regent asks him to debunk the "ghost" of a dead actress haunting Carlton House, he cannot refuse, and is forced back to the Society he deplores. But upon meeting the daughter of the alleged ghost, his calm, logical investigation is disrupted. Learns the breathless chemistry of desire Ariel Harding doesn't believe in ghosts, but she's determined to investigate this haunting. Her mother recently committed suicide, and Ariel is desperate to find the reason. She'll work with Alan because he has access to Prinny's resources, but she never dreamed she'd make a perilous bargain with a man who's as maddeningly arrogant as he is confoundedly attractive..." Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I'm going to buy a copy for my parents. A really tough book to read, but probably the most important book I've read in years. Wow, considering how many high quality books you read, this is quite an endorsement! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Jenn, Thanks for posting the link, lovely! Angel, So glad your friend had a safe delivery even if you weren't blessed with the little people. I know you love having them and it's wonderful that they have you to stay with. When my friend was going through chemo her dd was with us quite a bit. It made things so much easier for my friend and her husband. We did a lot of field trips with her to keep her busy and all of us have been doing them again this year since her parents didn't get to go with us. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Wishing you strength and all the best Stacia! ++++ I live with redbush tea. The only tea that can replace a cup of coffee :) +++ I think I lost my way in all the book plans... 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 What an interesting idea especially since SWB added a chapter on science to Revised version of Well Educated mind. You know I'm going to have to read Story of Science now that you've put the bug in my ear. Maybe hubby will buy it for me for Christmas. :laugh: Something to mull over during the year. I love Eliana's idea of a group read of Story of Science and some of its original sources. Shannon and I are reading it together now, and I'm thoroughly impressed at what a great job SWB does in summarizing and contextualizing each great work of science. I would enjoy coming back through and reading some of the original sources that I've not ever read. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Wow, considering how many high quality books you read, this is quite an endorsement! That is very nice of you to say. I've read many high-quality books this year due directly to this group. After finishing Being Mortal and Between the World and Me, I'm now feeling brave enough to tackle Guantanamo Diary, that is going on my TR list for 2016. What made Being Mortal such a standout is that it covers a topic relevant to everyone, yet universally avoided - the end of life. How do we talk about it? How do we plan for it, when we really don't want to think about it? How do we do it better, and help our loved ones retain their autonomy, and make the choices that will bring them the results that they value, up till the end? How do we want the end of our own lives to look? I'm struggling with how to think about this in the case of my parents, and just starting to think about it for dh and myself. I have a good friend who is a hospice nurse, and I have to say that my respect for her and the job she does is immense. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 (edited) I love Eliana's idea of a group read of Story of Science and some of its original sources. Shannon and I are reading it together now, and I'm thoroughly impressed at what a great job SWB does in summarizing and contextualizing each great work of science. I would enjoy coming back through and reading some of the original sources that I've not ever read.I would like that too! Story of Science has been translated into Dutch recently and there was a highly complimentary review in a major Dutch newspaper this weekend! :hurray: Edited December 16, 2015 by Tress 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I would like that too! Story of Science has been translated into Dutch recently and there was a highly complimentary review in a major Dutch newspaper this weekend! :hurray: That would be nice: Reading along in Dutch :) 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 That would be nice: Reading along in Dutch :) I had no idea it would be translated into Dutch, so I bought it in English when it came out. I would really like to support SWB's book being translated, but buying another copy is sadly not in the budget. You buy it ;). 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I am chugging along with Purity. I am finding it quite engrossing so far. I did read a couple reviews and it follows the pattern of at least a couple Franzen novels of introducing a character, staying with him or her for a while, and then moving on to another for an extended period. We'll see how well I do when they start coming back around. But things are def getting exciting. I am also reading Gloria Steinem's book "My life on the Road". I am loving this one. It is so engaging, and I find her voice to be warm and inviting. And there is so much she has to share. For example, she was 'unschooled' until high school. Her parents lived a rather nomadic lifestyle and seemed to have not bothered to enroll her in school until high school. She learned to read by reading the road signs. She is a journalist by trade and that comes across in her writing. I just really like it. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Last night I finished a historical romance set in the sixties (it's sobering to think that I'm 'historic;' I think I'll just call myself 'classic'!); it was an enjoyable read. It was definitely of the time ~ for example, the heroine smokes, men open doors for women, the heroine is divorced and subject to many passes. The hero is an astronaut and the story takes place during the race to space era. Star Dust (Fly Me to the Moon) by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner "Houston, 1962Anne-Marie Smith wanted normal: a loving husband, two beautiful kids, and a well-kept house. But when she catches her husband cheating, she decides that normal isn’t worth it. Now in a new city with a new job, she’s trying to find her new normal—but she knows it doesn’t include the sexy playboy astronaut next door.Commander Kit Campbell has a taste for fast: fast cars, fast planes, and even faster women. But no ride he’s ever taken will be as fast as the one he’s taking into orbit. He’s willing to put up with the prying adoration of an entire country if it will get him into space.But Anne-Marie and Kit’s inconvenient attraction threatens both normal and fast. As the space race heats up, his ambitions and their connection collide and combustion threatens their plans… and their hearts." The authors currently have a free novella for Kindle readers in the same series featuring different characters. A Midnight Clear (A Fly Me to the Moon Holiday Novella) "Annapolis, Maryland, 1948Frances Dumfries is the perfect admiral's daughter. She runs the household, hosts the parties, and never falls for the midshipmen surrounding her. Having fun or putting herself first is definitely not on her schedule. And she doesn't want anyone—particularly not a man too handsome and kind for his own good—to point that out.Midshipman Joe Reynolds sympathizes: Ever since he tumbled headlong into love with Frances, life hasn't been much fun. With only so much time until he ships out from the Naval Academy, he’s racing the clock, and her refusal to give him a second look, to secure her affection. But this sailor isn’t surrendering in the campaign to win her heart.Torn between duty and selfishness, it will take a Christmas miracle to show Frances and Joe that love is rare, precious… and worth fighting for." Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 A couple of bookish items ~ A staggering 900 plus Best of lists are posted on Largehearted Boy's blog: “best books of 2015†lists *** 13 Books to Celebrate Jane Austen’s Birthday Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 17, 2015 Author Share Posted December 17, 2015 Here's what I've come up for 2016. Let me know if you have any additions or suggestions or alternates. Plenty of opportunities for cultural virtue points. :thumbup1: I'm probably going to milk that for a while. The Prime Meridian (Longitude = 0°) passes through the following countries: United Kingdom, France, Spain, Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana, Antarctica. East of the Prime Meridian January Junket - Vikram Seth – A Suitable Boy / Arundhati Roy (india) Eliana Jan 17 – MLK Week February Safari - - E.M. Forster – A Passage to India / isak dinenson (Karen Blixen)Out of Africa Jane – forster readalong and discussion Valentine’s Week 14th – 20 romance (Karen?) March gadabout–David Malouf (Australia) / Joan Druett (new Zealand) Spring April navigations - (naturalists) Charles Darwin Voyage of the Beagle / Edith Wharton World Book day 4/23 – celebrate with world book week 24th – 30th May Mediterranean Medley (too many countries to pick author flavor) Med countries – Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia,Cyprus,Israel,Lebanon,Syria, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovinian, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Monaco,Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey. Mum – British Cozies set in Villages Philosophical June Dante- Paradiso / George Eliot Middlemarch and female philosophers Iris Murdoch/Simone Beauvoir/Rebecca Goldstein Summer West of the Prime Meridian Maritime July – Herman Melville - Moby Dick / Sena Jeter Naslund Nautical alternates, adaptations and nonfiction August Peregrinations - John Steinbeck / Willa Cather September sojourns through the South ( Southern Literature) William Faulkner / Zora Neale Hurston Banned Books 9/25 to 10/1 Fall October Spooktacular - Edgar Allan Poe / Shirley Jackson November notions- Julio Cortazar / Laura Esquivel (surrealism vs magical realism) December Delectables Winter Eliana – Ancient lit/history plus MLK week Jan 14 / Indigenous peoples Oct Amy – Historical or detective Fiction Jane – E.M. Forster discussion and Eastern European writers Pam – Science and Spirit Stacia – translated works/banned fiction Karen – Paranormal and Romance Rose (modern/classic pairings) Mum – British cozies set in Villages 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 February Safari - - E.M. Forster – A Passage to India / isak dinenson (Karen Blixen)Out of Africa Jane – forster readalong and discussion Valentine’s Week 14th – 20 romance (Karen?) Yes, I could do something that week. Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Robin, that looks great, but if you want I will do a blurb during April on Darwin. Edith Wharton is also one of my favorite authors. I was absolutely transfixed by The Age of Innocence. So I might have a thing or two to say about Wharton as well. ;) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 :seeya: 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 :seeya: Howdy, Shukriyya!! I've been thinking of you, wondering how things are. Eliana – Ancient lit/history plus MLK week Jan 14 / Indigenous peoples Oct Amy – Historical or detective Fiction Jane – E.M. Forster discussion and Eastern European writers Pam – Science and Spirit Stacia – translated works/banned fiction Karen – Paranormal and Romance Rose (modern/classic pairings) Mum – British cozies set in Villages So Robin, did you decide you don't want anything about music after all? Doesn't really slot into any of your themes. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 17, 2015 Author Share Posted December 17, 2015 So Robin, did you decide you don't want anything about music after all? Doesn't really slot into any of your themes. See, I knew I was missing something. Music would fit in with any of the seasons, most likely spring best of all. What season do you like best? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 17, 2015 Author Share Posted December 17, 2015 Robin, that looks great, but if you want I will do a blurb during April on Darwin. Edith Wharton is also one of my favorite authors. I was absolutely transfixed by The Age of Innocence. So I might have a thing or two to say about Wharton as well. ;) Sounds wonderful! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 17, 2015 Author Share Posted December 17, 2015 :seeya: Hello darlin! Are you thinking of joining us for the new year? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 :seeya: Nice to see you back, shukriyya! Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Shukriyya, Good to see you! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 :seeya:A sight for sore eyes! I have been thinking of you as we wrap up the year. One of your recommendations, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, is on my top five list for 2015. Sending you best wishes, Jane 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I'm finishing up several books, but wanted to mention this one: Adam Sisman - Boswell's Presumptuous Task, the Making of the Life of Dr Johnson. I know it's a bit weird to be reading the Making of the Life of Dr Johnson, without having read The Life of Johnson, or anything by Johnson himself :blush:, but it was a very interesting book! Definitely on my top-2015 list. I'm now going to read The Life of Johnson, by Boswell, but that might take the whole of 2016 to finish :D. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I know I'm not the only one who loves books-about-books, so I want to mention: Michael Dirda's new book: Browsings, a Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living with Books. It was my Sinterklaas present and it is quiet good. Not as good as Classics for Pleasure and Bound to Please, but still very nice. His essays are a bit more personal and -I feel- a bit scattered, but still he can sell me on any book :D. (Like the Sisman book, see above, which he recommended in Bound to Please.) 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Howdy Shukriyya! Stay a while. Have a tamale. I'm finishing up several books, but wanted to mention this one: Adam Sisman - Boswell's Presumptuous Task, the Making of the Life of Dr Johnson. I know it's a bit weird to be reading the Making of the Life of Dr Johnson, without having read The Life of Johnson, or anything by Johnson himself :blush:, but it was a very interesting book! Definitely on my top-2015 list. I'm now going to read The Life of Johnson, by Boswell, but that might take the whole of 2016 to finish :D. Oh please do! I enjoyed it and wished I'd read it long before. It's not too long a read (and you may find there are some skimmable parts). 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Oh please do! I enjoyed it and wished I'd read it long before. It's not too long a read (and you may find there are some skimmable parts).We might have a difference of opinion about 'not too long' :D. I downloaded the Gutenberg version in 6 volumes and the first volume alone has 648 pages..... Do you have any recommendations for works by Johnson himself? 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 We might have a difference of opinion about 'not too long' :D. I downloaded the Gutenberg version in 6 volumes and the first volume alone has 648 pages..... Do you have any recommendations for works by Johnson himself? Johnson's most famous work, amd I think his only novel, is Rasselas. You can find collections of his contributions to various journals. But mostly he was known as a celebrity wit, and famous for being famous. Like a portly, erudite Kardashian. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I know I'm not the only one who loves books-about-books, so I want to mention: Michael Dirda's new book: Browsings, a Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living with Books. It was my Sinterklaas present and it is quiet good. Not as good as Classics for Pleasure and Bound to Please, but still very nice. His essays are a bit more personal and -I feel- a bit scattered, but still he can sell me on any book :D. (Like the Sisman book, see above, which he recommended in Bound to Please.) I love Michael Dirda too! When I started on this whole adult self-education path he was one of my big inspirations. So many books, so little time! But I agree, he makes any book sound wonderful. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 My book group meets tonight, and I read the entire book yesterday in between shopping, baking brownies for tonight, writing holiday cards, and gift wrapping and boxing presents to mail today. It was a busy day! The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion: A Novel by Fannie Flagg For perhaps the first fifty or so page, I felt as though the main character was rather silly, and I gave serious thought to putting the book aside. I'm glad I persevered as I got caught up in the story and enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to tonight's discussion. "Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother’s past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future. Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family’s filling station. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. Then, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure. As Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new inspiration for her own life. Fabulous, fun-filled, spanning decades and generations, and centered on a little-known aspect of America’s twentieth-century story, The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is another irresistible novel by the remarkable Fannie Flagg." Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) H is for Hawk arrived for me at the library. It may take a week or so before I have a chance to crack it open. This is one that is appearing on numerous Best of 2015 lists. I heard a wonderful interview with the author a few months ago on CBC's Writers and Company. She was humble and gracious and full of curiosity. A winning combination. Thank you, friends, for the love and warm welcome back. Though I've strayed far I've thought of many of you often over the past months. Stacia, I'm so sorry to hear about your dh's situation. I did receive your sweet Halloween card a while back, thank you. In my mind I always picture you happily sandwiched between two stormtroopers in your hometown...from a pic you posted a year or two ago when many of us did a selfie post. Hoping there are lots of troopers to help you weather the current storm :grouphug: Robin, I'm feeling the pull to join in for the upcoming year...with more modest goals than y'all though. Thanks for the warm encouragement to return. VC, tamales are a *thing* here, don'tcha know. I've been indulging regularly. Jane, Mum...knitting projects are on the go right now. Et vous? I'm currently reading a Charles Lenox mystery...and very much enjoying it. Canadian poet Gwendoly MacEwen fills my need for poetry these days. And non-fiction continues to be books on Tarot. Have recently discovered the works of Frederick Buechner. Anyone read him? He's rather inspiring. Edited December 17, 2015 by shukriyya 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 From the Tor.com site: Listen to Neil Gaiman Read A Christmas Carol For Free "The New York Public Library hosted his first reading of the classic in 2013, where Gaiman read from NYPL’s own rare copy of A Christmas Carol – a copy that includes edits Charles Dickens wrote in his own hand for his own public readings of the tale." *** Also, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Christmas Books That Are Naughty…and Nice Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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