Jane in NC Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Would February or March work? I am leading the discussion on Forster in February so let's say March. Melinda, does that work for you? Of course, anyone can read Winesburg, Ohio at any time! If we say March, this gives me time to lay my hands on another Anderson book, one that I have not read, Dark Laughter, which Hemingway parodied in The Torrents of Spring. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Hmmm... I guess my answer to the questions is ummmm. Which might either be Christmas distractedness, or maybe, fingers crossed, mean that I achieved my goal of recapturing the way I read as a child. Nan Eta What I do remember from this year is how many of the books I got here. Thank you very much, everyone. I even got books in the mail! Totally amazing! And I would like to extend thanks on my mum,s behalf. Keeping her supplied with books is very important to me. And her grin. It takes some doing. She says thank you, everyone. (Hopefully I will get to come back and actually read this thread soon. Just wanted to pop in and post something, since it seems like a long time. Christmas is busy here.) Edited December 28, 2015 by Nan in Mass 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I am leading the discussion on Forster in February so let's say March. Melinda, does that work for you? Of course, anyone can read Winesburg, Ohio at any time! If we say March, this gives me time to lay my hands on another Anderson book, one that I have not read, Dark Laughter, which Hemingway parodied in The Torrents of Spring. March works! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) When do you want to read Winesburg, Ohio? I will plan to write up a paragraph or two on the novel and its author, Sherwood Anderson, for those interested in following along. I'm following the Winesburg, Ohio conversation to see what gets decided since it's on my to-read list, too. ETA: Looks like I just had to read a little further! Edited December 28, 2015 by crstarlette 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I am leading the discussion on Forster in February so let's say March. Melinda, does that work for you? Of course, anyone can read Winesburg, Ohio at any time! If we say March, this gives me time to lay my hands on another Anderson book, one that I have not read, Dark Laughter, which Hemingway parodied in The Torrents of Spring. Yes, March works! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Jólabókaflóð bounty: 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Hello, BaWers! This ongoing discussion is one of the dearest, most important items on my internet itinerary, so my heartfelt thanks to Robin and to all of the participants. I would like to return either later today or this week with my responses to Robin's year-end questions. Until then, though, just my list. Books read in 2015: 137 Fiction (excludes graphic works): 57 ■Did You Ever Have a Family (Bill Clegg; 2015. 304 pages. Fiction.)■Parasites Like Us (Adam Johnson; 2003. 352 pages. Fiction.)■The Slap (Christos Tsiolkas; 2010. 496 pages. Fiction.)■Delirium (Lauren Oliver; 2011. 480 pages. Fiction.)■The Other Side of the Mountain (Michel Bernanos; 1967 (2007 edition). 116 pages. Fiction.)■Authority (The Southern Reach Trilogy) (Jeff VanderMeer; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.)■The Thing about Jellyfish (Ali Benjamin; 2015. 352 pages. Fiction.)■Lost Weddings (Maria Beig; 1983 (1990 translation). 143 pages. Fiction.)■The Gap of Time (Hogarth Shakespeare) (Jeanette Winterson; 2015. 288 pages. Fiction.)■A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness; 2013. 224 pages. Fiction.)■Hermine (Maria Beig; 1984 (2004 translation). 186 pages. Fiction.)■The Blue (Lucy Clarke; 2015. 336 pages. Fiction.)■A Head Full of Ghosts (Paul Tremblay; 2015. 304 pages. Fiction.)■High-Rise (J.G. Ballard; 1975 (2012 reprint). 208 pages. Fiction.)■The Martian (Andy Weir; 2014. 384 pages. Fiction.)■Fates and Furies (Lauren Groff; 2015. 400 pages. Fiction.)■Compulsion (Meyer Levin; 1956 (2015 reissue). 480 pages. Fiction.)■The Admissions (Meg Mitchell Moore; 2015. 320 pages. Fiction.)■We Only Know So Much (Elizabeth Crane; 2012. 280 pages. Fiction.)■The One and Only Ivan (Katherine Applegate; 2012. 336 pages. Fiction.)■Luckiest Girl Alive (Jessica Knoll; 2015. 352 pages. Fiction.)■Black Chalk (Christopher J. Yates; 2015. 352 pages. Fiction.)■How to Be a Good Wife (Emma Chapman; 2013. 288 pages. Fiction.)■You Should Have Known (Jean Hanff Korelitz; 2014. 448 pages. Fiction.)■Afterwards (Rosamond Lupton; 2013. 415 pages. Fiction.)■Me Before You (Jojo Moyes; 2012. 384 pages. Fiction.)■The Never List (Koethi Zan; 2013. 320 pages. Fiction.)■My Wish List (Gregoire Delacourt; 2014. 176 pages. Fiction.)■Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll; 1865 (2008). 176 pages. Fiction.)■The Witch of Hebron: A World Made by Hand Novel (James Howard Kunstler; 2010. 336 pages. Fiction.)■Moon Tiger (Penelope Lively; 1987. 208 pages. Fiction.) *■The House of Paper (Carlos Maria Dominguez; 2005. 103 pages. Fiction.)■The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson; 1884 (2012). 144 pages. Fiction.)■Day Four (Sarah Lotz (2015). 352 pages. Fiction.)■Passing (Nella Larsen; 1929 (2003). 160 pages. Fiction.)■Only Ever Yours (Louise O’Neill; 2014. 400 pages. Fiction.)■The Expendable Man (Dorothy B. Hughes; 1963 (2012). 264 pages. Fiction.)■Mind of Winter (Laura Kasischke; 2014. 288 pages. Fiction.)■The Inner Circle (Brad Meltzer; 2011. 464 pages. Fiction.)■Half Bad (Sally Green; 2014. 416 pages. Fiction.)■Private Peaceful (Michael Morpurgo; 2003. 202 pages. Fiction.)■The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi; 2015. 384 pages. Fiction.)■Silent Alarm (Jennifer Banash; 2015. 336 pages. Fiction.)■The Subprimes (Karl Taro Greenfeld; 2015. 320 pages. Fiction.)■All My Puny Sorrows (Miriam Toews; 2014. 330 pages. Fiction.)■Odd Thomas (Dean Koontz; 2003. 480 pages. Fiction.)■My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece (Annabel Pitcher; 2015. 224 pages. Fiction.)■The Descent (Tim Johnston; 2015. 384 pages. Fiction.)■The Stranger (Harlan Corben; 2015. 400 pages. Fiction.)■The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins; 2015. 336 pages. Fiction.)■Afterparty (Daryl Gregory; 2014. 304 pages. Fiction.)■Undivided (Neal Shusterman; 2014. 384 pages. Fiction.)■The Days of Abandonment (Elena Ferrante; 2005. 188 pages. Fiction.)■Dept. of Speculation (Jenny Offill; 2014. 192 pages. Fiction.)■The Paying Guests (Sarah Waters; 2014. 576 pages. Fiction.)■The Shining Girls (Lauren Beukes; 2013. 400 pages. Fiction.)■Abroad (Katie Crouch; 2014. 304 pages. Fiction.) Drama: 9 ■Fallen Angels (Noël Coward; 1925 (2011 edition). Drama.)■Agamemnon (Aeschylus; 458 BC (1984 edition). Drama.)■Incident at Vichy (Arthur Miller; 1968. Drama.)■A View from the Bridge (Arthur Miller; 1968. Drama.)■The Price (Arthur Miller; 1968. Drama.)■Marjorie Prime (Jordan Harrison; 2013. Drama.)■Cymbeline (William Shakespeare (1611?); Folger ed. 2003. 384 pages. Drama.)■Anne Boleyn (Howard Brenton; 2011. Drama.)■The Little Foxes (Lillian Hellman; 1947. Drama.) Non-fiction (excludes graphic works): 30 ■The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics (Barton Swaim; 2015. 224 pages. Non-fiction.)■Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End (Atul Gawande; 2014. 304 pages. Non-fiction.)■Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes (Teresa Tapp; 2006. 288 pages. Non-fiction.)■No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness (Michelle Segar; 2015. 272 pages. Non-fiction.)■How to Teach Adults: Plan Your Class, Teach Your Students, Change the World (Dan Spalding; 2014. 256 pages. Non-fiction.)■The ESL Teacher’s Survival Guide (Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski; 2012. 336 pages. Non-fiction.)■Teaching Adult ESL: A Practical Introduction (Betsy Parrish; 2004. 317 pages. Non-fiction.)■The 17-Day Diet (Mike Moreno; 2013. 368 pages. Non-fiction.)■Will Not Attend: Lively Stories of Detachment and Isolation (Adam Resnick; 2014. 272 pages. Non-fiction.)■Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss (Joel Fuhrman; 2011. 400 pages. Non-fiction.)■The Death Class: A True Story About Life (Erika Hiyasaki; 2014. 288 pages. Non-fiction.)■Primates of Park Avenue: A Memoir (Wednesday Martin; 2015. 256 pages. Non-fiction.)■Somewhere Towards the End: A Memoir (Diane Athill; 2009. 192 pages. Non-fiction.)■Parenting Out of Control: Anxious Parents in Uncertain Times (Margaret Nelson; 2010. 276 pages. Non-fiction.)■The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere (Pico Iyer; 2014. 96 pages. Non-fiction.)■The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Marie Kondo; 2014. 224 pages. Non-fiction.)■The Psychopath Test (Jon Ronson; 2011. 288 pages. Non-fiction.)■So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed (Jon Ronson; 2015. 304 pages. Non-fiction.)■Shooting Arrows: Archery for Adult Beginners (Steve Ruis; 2012. 124 pages. Non-fiction.)■Beginner’s Guide to Traditional Archery (Brian J. Sorrells; 2004. 122 pages. Non-fiction.) *■Jean Luc Mylayne (Terrie Sultan, and more; 2007. 140 pages. Non-fiction.)■Container Gardening for the Midwest (William Aldrich; 2008. 208 pages. Non-fiction.)■How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country’s Top Students (Cal Newport; 2005. 193 pages. Non-fiction.)■Read This! (Hans Weyandt; 2012 200 pages. Non-fiction.)■Howards End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home (Susan Hill; 2009. 240 pages. Non-fiction.)■Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data (Charles Wheelan; 2013. 302 pages. Non-fiction.)■Kayak Morning: Reflections on Love, Grief, and Small Boats (Roger Rosenblatt; 2012. 160 pages. Non-fiction.)■Reading as Therapy: What Contemporary Fiction Does for Middle-Class Americans (Timothy Aubry; 2011. 268 pages. Non-fiction.)■Vodou (Mauro Peressini and Rachel Beauvoir-Dominique; 2013. 108 pages. Non-fiction.)■The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion (Meghan Daum; 2014. 256 pages. Non-fiction.) Graphic works: 41 ■Postal, Volume 2 (Bryan Edward Hill; 2015. 128 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine (Kelly Sue DeConnick; 2009. 132 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■A Year without Mom (Dasha Tolstikova; 2015. 176 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■The Collected Essex County (Jeff Lemire; 2009. 512 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Nimona (Noelle Stevenson; 2015. 272 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Jane, the Fox, and Me (Fanny Britt; 2013. 104 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb (Jonathan Fetter-Vorm; 2012. 160 pages. Graphic Non-fiction.)■Plotted: A Literary Atlas (Andrew DeGraff; 2015. 128 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas (Jim Ottaviani; 2015. 144 pages. Graphic Non-fiction.)■Outcast, Vol. 2: A Vast and Unending Ruin (Robert Kirkman; 2015. 128 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Killing and Dying (Adrian Tomine; 2015. 160 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■The Empty, Volume 1 (Jimmie Robinson; 2015. Graphic Fiction.)■Descender, Volume 1: Tin Stars (Jeff Lemire; 2015. 160 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■The Divine (Boaz Lavie and Asaf Hanuka; 2015. 160 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times (Andrew MacLean; 2015. 88 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Low, Vol. 1: The Delirium of Hope (Rick Remender; 2015. 144 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Saga, Vol. 5 (Brian K. Vaughan; 2015. 152 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■The Walking Dead, Vol. 24: Life and Death (Robert Kirkman; 2015. 136 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Sex Criminals, Vol. 2: Two Worlds, One Cop (Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky; 2015. 128 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick (Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky; 2014. 128 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Wytches, Vol. 1 (Scott Snyder; 2015. 144 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Letter 44, Vol. 1: Escape Velocity (Charles Soule; 2015. 144 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■They’re Not Like Us, Vol. 1: Black Holes for the Young (Eric Stephenson; 2014. 144 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Postal, Vol. 1 (Matt Hawkins; 2015. 128 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■The Walking Dead, Vol. 23: Whispers into Screams (Robert Kirkman; 2015. 136 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■The Bunker, Vol. 2 (Joshua Hale Fialkov; 2015. 136 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■The Bunker, Vol. 1 (Joshua Hale Fialkov; 2014. 128 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Lazarus, Vol. 3: Conclave (Greg Rucka; 2015. 144 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Joe the Barbarian (Grant Morrison; 2011. 224 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Outcast, Vol. 1: A Darkness Surrounds Him (Robert Kirkman; 2015. 152 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Birthright, Vol. 1: Homecoming (Joshua Williamson; 2015. 128 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Spread, Vol. 1: No Hope (Justin Jordan; 2015. 160 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■The Woods, Vol. 1 (James Tynion; 2014. 96 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Morning Glories, Vol. 5: For a Better Future (Nick Spencer; 2013. 136 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Morning Glories, Vol. 4: Truants (Nick Spencer; 2013. 216 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Morning Glories, Vol. 3: P.E. (Nick Spencer; 2012. 240 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Morning Glories, Vol. 2: All Will Be Free (Nick Spencer; 2011. 168 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Morning Glories, Vol. 1: For a Better Future (Nick Spencer; 2011. 192 pages. Graphic Fiction.)■Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir (Roz Chast; 2014. 240 pages. Graphic Memoir.)■The Party, After You Left (Roz Chast; 2014. 96 pages. Graphic collection.)■The Storm in the Barn (Matt Phelan; 2009. 208 pages. Graphic fiction.) * Denotes a reread Edited December 30, 2015 by M-- 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 To the BaWer who asked about birding: May this ardent backyard birder recommend Project FeederWatch? The 2015-2016 season of Project FeederWatch began November 14, but it’s not too late to register for this wonderful program. From the Project FeederWatch website: Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Anyone interested in birds can participate. FeederWatch is conducted by people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs. Participants watch their feeders as much or as little as they want over two consecutive days as often as every week (less often is fine). They count birds that appear in their count site because of something that they provided (plantings, food, or water). If you plan to participate, set up your feeders and commit to keeping them filled throughout the season. Use a variety of feeders and seed to attract a greater variety of visitors. For more information, check out this site. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 How many books did you read this year and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? I only made it to 70 this year. Didn't make my personal goal but it's been a crazy busy year so I can't say I'm terribly sad. Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books. I think Helen Oyeymi's Mr. Fox was my favorite of the year. Then I enjoyed the fours books in the Until The End Of The World series just because it was the exact thing I needed at the time. :) Which books or authors you thought you'd never read and were pleasantly surprised to like them? I never would have picked up Guantanamo Diary on my own but I'm glad that I did. One book that touched you - made you laugh, cry, sing or dance! All In Orphan Care made a difference this year. I wept through most of it because of how it made me view bio parents. Share your most favorite character, covers and/or quotes? I think Rachel Morgan throughout the entire Hollows series. One book you thought you'd love but didn't? I wanted to love Sally Clarkson's Own Your Life but I wasn't a big fan. Shocked me because I usually love everything Sally Clarkson ever. What countries or centuries did you explore? Erm, ah, I'd have to really think to answer that. What books would you recommend everybody read? Finding Zoe was really interesting to me but I'm super interested in deaf culture right now. What was your favorite part of the challenge? I love being encouraged to pick up books that I wouldn't otherwise look into! My husband even got into it this year and wound up reading a lot of Murakami. It's good to peek and see y'all. We've been hectic as the baby ended up staying longer. He's supposed to transition into his Grandma's house this week but we'll see how it goes... we fly out to California on Thursday so that should be a fun adventure to end out 2015 and start 2016 with! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I met my primary and secondary goals, but added a tertiary goal a couple months ago and I have 3 1/2 days left to meet it. Last night I finished reading Discover Magazine's Vital Signs. It's 40 of the best of that column from over the years. I love reading about medical mysteries and crazy or unusual medical situations and I've long been a fan of the Vital Signs column so I really enjoyed this book. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) I just reread Ancillary Justice, on year after the first read, after finishing the trilogy in November when the 3rd book came out. I said before that the book rewarded close reading. It rewards close re-reading as well. Now that I wasn't distracted by the point of view shifts, or the gender issues, I was able to appreciate the themes even more. The questions of free will, choice, compulsion, and identity - is it unified? Or is every human a collection of "ancillary" parts, some of which operate outside of our conscious awareness - feels ripped from the latest research in neuroscience and cognitive science. We all share the plight of Justice of Toren/Breq: we all feel that we are a single "I", a unitary being, yet we act against ourselves, contrary to our interests and desires, sometimes secretly, deceiving ourselves as to what we know and do. I was also struck by the economic arguments made, which I think mirrors what is going on in our culture, one that is grappling with the physical impossibility of continuing economic growth on a finite planet. Once the Radchii decided to stop expanding - annexing new planets, enslaving new populations, co-opting new resources - their entire system, which was built on growth, began to collapse. There are clear parallels to our situation today, and we only have the one planet. Anyway, this book - Ancillary Justice, the first in the trilogy - is solidly my #1 book of the year. Edited December 28, 2015 by Chrysalis Academy 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Confession: I had the house to myself for two days as my family went camping. Did I use those two days to read? No. I feel I need to come clean and confess my sin. I binge watched "The Time in Between" on Netflix. Finished the series. Ate nothing but pumpkin pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Didn't even look at a book. Totally worth it. 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Story of Science (or related) reading: The high point of last week's reading was Jacques Derrida's article Khora (in The Derrida Reader and On the Name) which examines this one pieces of Plato's Timaeus. We spend yesterday visiting with some family, one of whom is a ery enthusiastic (car) racing & baseball fan. While we were talking about the high risk aspect of being a race car driver and thinking about the different ways people are wired... how they process adreniline and how that relates to their risk-taking desires/tolerances I had an epiphany. For me, reading Khora was an extreme sport. I was glued to the page, I was stretched to my limits and beyond, I was straining to contain a world of allusions and connections and reflections... and when I finished I experienced and intense exultation. For all these years I've asserted that I don't do risk, I don't get a thrill from adreniline rushes... and all this time I've been lying to myself because my form of risk taking, my extreme sport is all in my head. ...and now I get it. If that is what a racer, a gambler, a spy, a mountian climber experience, *no wonder* they do it. Commentariolus by Copernicus was interesting, but I think I would get more pleasure from his Revolutions (though only if I worked through it properly rather than just reading... a problem I am facing with Ptolemy right now. I want to just read, but to really get full value, I would need to do more than that) On Airs, Waters, Places by Hippocrates: I hadn't expected to enjoy this as much as I did... but the earnestness, the striving to take the information he had and create from it systemic understandings was touching... and made me think of a Rebbe Nachman idea (from a very different context) that striving for transcendence is never wasted... however misguided, however short we fall... Aphorisms by Hippocrates: This had flashes of interest but was, overall, rather dull. If you are looking for one Hippocrates selection, this wouldn't be the one I'd choose. ymmv. Other reading: Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich: Wow. I thought her Zinky Boys was amazing, but this is even better, even more powerful, an even better example of why her Noble prize in literature was well, well earned. Meditations by Marcua Aurelius (Hays translation): I've been meaning to reread this for a few years & have started it a few times, but the translation I own isn't one of the ones I love. (I am not sure how that happened, or where the better ones have gotten to), so when I picked up a copy of this more recent translation, I decided to try it instead. ...and it does a lovely job, imho. (Though I wish I had my others to compare...) How to be Both by Ali Smith: I hadn't cared for the only other Ali Smith novel I'd read, so I was reluctant to try this one... but the descriptions I kept encountering appealed very much... and then it (metaphorically) jumped into my library pile... and I am so glad it did! It is a clever, in many ways brilliant, book that connects two seemingly disparate narratives - a modern teen and a 15th century painter. It doesn't offer tidy answers or satisfying closure, but it has enough warmth and character to sustain its questions and explorations... The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman: This suffered greatly in comparison to the other books read last week. ...and Gaiman has never really clicked for me at the best of times, but did some interesting things with its fairy-tale riffs. ETA: 70 Days for 70 Years: a collection of 70 essays to commemorate the 70 years since the Holocaust. Each participant reads an essay per day in memory of someone who died in the Holocaust. "I am learning in order to remember that there once lived a person named Joel (Yoel) van Tijn" Yoel was born January 25, 1908 in Utrecht (Amsterdam), his parents were Sara and Izaak. He died in Poland in 1944 at the age of 36. May his memory be for a blessing. (70 for 70 website) I will come back with some year-end wrap ups... Edited December 28, 2015 by Eliana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Jólabókaflóð bounty: At the library I picked up and then put down the book on Anders Breivik. I was very interested but it's pretty hefty and I have a lot going on right now. I'd love to hear what you think of it when you finish! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 How many books did you read this year and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books. Which books or authors you thought you'd never read and were pleasantly surprised to like them? One book that touched you - made you laugh, cry, sing or dance! Share your most favorite character, covers and/or quotes? One book you thought you'd love but didn't? What countries or centuries did you explore? What books would you recommend everybody read? What was your favorite part of the challenge? I've read 49 books so far. Will finish one more. So I'll be at 50. Two short of my goal. I blame Netflix for having such good mini series. Top 5: Looks like I rated Nation, Wee Free Men, Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Neverwhere as my top books. I notice a theme here. I'm going to add The Mislabeled Child. Never thought I'd read a book by Julia Sweeney Ocean at the End of the Lane made me cry. As You Wish made me laugh. Favorite character is Hunter from Neverwhere. Favorite cover is As You Wish cause Westley. Thought I'd love the modern retelling of Emma but I really didn't Telling everyone about Ocean at the End of the Lane and Neverwhere Favorite part of challenge? Book thread 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Oh, and I highly recommend the mini series "The Time in Between" on Netflix. :leaving: 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 At the library I picked up and then put down the book on Anders Breivik. I was very interested but it's pretty hefty and I have a lot going on right now. I'd love to hear what you think of it when you finish! The Breivik book is hefty but worth the read. Although it didn't make my best reads in 2015 it was well worth reading. Well written and made me think. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Library day today! I found 'H is from Hawk' in Dutch. But I started (and finished): 'Laughing all the way to the mosque' And laughing is what I did :) The book is translated as ' Little mosque on the prairie' which (obviously) triggered my curiousity. I didn't know it was the name of a TV serie (We don't have much Canadian series on the television) 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Reading list 2015 January Mansfield Park- Austen (England, classic romance, morality tale, 19th century) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan- See (China, historical fiction, lives of women, 19th century) The Strange Library - Murakami (life and death) The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits- Peters ( Mexico, mystery, drugs) Moriarty- Horowitz (England, 19th century, mystery) Common Sense and Age of Reason- Thomas Paine (non-fiction, 18th century) February Book Line and Sinker - Jenn McKinlay (mystery, librarians, Massachusetts) Cosmos- Sagan ( Non-fiction) Mrs. Pollifax Pursued- Dorothy Gillman (Us, Africa, intrigue) Devil May Care- Elizabeth Peters (Virginia, Mystery) Library: An Unquiet History- Matthew Battles (non-fiction) Winter's Tales- Isak Dinesen- (Short stories, Denmark) Behold, Here's Poison- Georgett Heyer (Mystery, England) March To Kill a Mockingbird- Lee (Deep South, prejudice) House of Silk- Horowitz (Sherlock, mystery, England) As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust- Bradley (Mystery, Canada, Flavia) Death at Wentwater Court- Dunn (Mystery, England, Daisy Dalrymple) This Rough Magic- Mary Stewart (Corfu, mystery) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- F. Scott Fitzgerald (a backwards life) Encore Provence- Peter Mayle (life in Provence, France) The Tale of Hill Top Farm - Susan Wittig Albert (Mystery, Beatrix Potter, village life, England) April A Moveable Feast- Hemingway (nonfiction, Paris) Anthem- Ayn Rand (Dystopian) The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza- Block (mystery, ex-burglar book seller, New York) Freakonomics- (nonfiction, economics) Mr. Campion's Farewell- (Albert Campion, mystery, England) Messenger of Truth- Winspear (Maisie Dobbs mystery, England) May A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court- Twain (Satire, England) Sharyn McCrumb- If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him (mystery, US) The Ladies of Missalonghi- McCullough (Australia, fiction) Jacques the Fatalist and His Master-Diderot (classic) Hatchett- Paulson (Canada, survival, YA) The End of Faith- Harris (non-fiction) Darwin's Ghosts- Stott (non-fiction, history of evolutionary thought) June- Giant- Edna Ferber (Texas, fiction) The Escher Twist- Langton (labrynthine Homer Kelly murder mystery featuring the art of Escher) The Ocean at the End of The Lane- Gaiman (fantasy, England) River Out of Eden- Dawkins ( non-fiction, evolution) Gourmet Rhapsody- Barberry (Paris, food, fictional biography of master chef) Dead as a Dodo- Langton (Oxford, Homer Kelly mystery, Darwin based intrigue) The Pluto Files- Tyson (Nonfiction, Historical chronicle of Pluto debate and demotion) The Stormy Petrel- Stewart ( Scottish Isle, light mystery, praise of nature) July- Rebecca- DuMaurier (England, gothic mystery) Einstein's Dreams- Lightman (Switzerland, imagining alternative time) Emma- McCall (England, modern retelling) How to Read Literature Like a Professor- Foster (non-fiction, literary analysis) When We Were Orphans- Ishiguro ( England, China, fictional personal narrative) The Face on the Wall- Langton (Homer Kelly murder mystery, US) The Unfinished Clue- Heyer (England, mystery) Remarkable Creatures- Chevalier (England, historical fiction, Mary Anning, fossils) Death in the Stocks- Heyer (England, mystery) August- Wuthering Heights- Bronte ( Gothic novel) The Bookaneer- Matthew Pearl (US and Samoa, historical fiction, Robert Louis Stevenson) A Walk in the Woods- Bryson (non-fiction, Appalachian trail, humor) Murder at Monticello- Langton (Mystery, Monticello, Homer Kelly) Breakfast at Tiffany and short stories- Capote (Short stories, US) Death in Kashmir- Kaye (Murder mystery, intrigue, India) September- Cards on The Table- Christie (Murder mystery, England) Vanish with the Rose-Michaels (Gothic Mystery, US) Packing for Mars- Roach (Non-fiction, astronaut training) The LIfe Changing Magic of Tidying Up- Kondo (Self help, non fiction, decluttering) D'Aulaires book of Norse Myths- D'aulaire (Juvenile classic, mythology) The Pumpkin Muffin Murder-Washburn (Mystery, US) Shiloh- Naylor (Juvenile, Animal story, US) Pygmalion- Shaw (Classic, play, England) October- The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library- Kimberly (Mystery, booksellers, US) The Halloween Tree- Bradbury (Fantasy history, juvenile) Good Omens- Gaiman and Pratchett (Fantasy apocolypse, humor, England) The Witches- Dahl (Juvenile fantasy, England) Ghosts by Gaslight- Dann (Compilation of ghost stories) Murder in the Cathedral- Elliot (classic, historical fiction) November- Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch- Atherton (Mystery, England) The Tentant of Wildfell Hall- Bronte (classic, England) The Peach Keeper- Allen (Magical, romance, US) Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks and Gangstas in the Public Library- Borchert (non-fiction, libraries, California) December- Divergent- Roth (Dystopian fantasy, YA) The Earthsea Trilogy- LeGuin (Fantasy, Magical) Mistletoe and Murder- Dunn (Mystery, Cornwall) First Frost- Allen (Magical, light romance, US) Questions to be answered in another post. Edited December 28, 2015 by Onceuponatime 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 How many books did you read this year and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? I read 83. My goal was 75. Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books. Remarkable Creatures Packing for Mars Good Omens The Pluto Files A Moveable Feast The Age of Reason Which books or authors you thought you'd never read and were pleasantly surprised to like them? Ishiguro, Murakami One book that touched you - made you laugh, cry, sing or dance! Good Omens- Hilarious The Strange Library- surprisingly moving Share your most favorite character, covers and/or quotes? "There is less inconvenience in being mad among madmen than in being wise alone."- Jaque the Fatalist (Diderot) "Every individual member of a species being itself a community of communities of domesticated bacteria." Richard DawkinsThere were a lot more, but apparently I didn't write them down. One book you thought you'd love but didn't? The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury The House of Silk, it stank. But there's always one every year. What countries or centuries did you explore? Mostly England and the US, my usual, but with side trips to China, Africa, France, India, Samoa, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and Denmark. What books would you recommend everybody read? The favorites above plus Sarah Addison Allen's books, if you like "magical" romance. What was your favorite part of the challenge? Reading! I love coming here to see what everyone else has read and padding my reading list. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 How many books did you read this year and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? I read 65 books. My goal was 52. I would like to get back into the triple digits but that might have to wait until DS is a bit older. Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books. Rebecca was my favorite book. It'll be easier to say a few of my favorite authors since I read a number of books in their series - Louise Penny's mysteries, Sheri Cobb South's mysteries (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for the Flufferton Abbey crowd), Angela Thirkell, and PG Wodehouse. Which books or authors you thought you'd never read and were pleasantly surprised to like them? Dodger by Terry Pratchett. He doesn't write in any of my usual genres. I liked his writing though and will pickup more books by him. One book that touched you - made you laugh, cry, sing or dance! Can't we talk about something more pleasant? Aging parents is such a hard topic. Share your most favorite character, covers and/or quotes? Well, well, well. Are you really giving me a change to share quotes when you know I read PG Wodehouse and every word he writes is quotable?!?! I will try to limit myself but basically I suggest you start at page 1 and read to page 256 to get a few good quotes. “I'm not absolutely certain of the facts, but I rather fancy it's Shakespeare who says that it's always just when a fellow is feeling particularly braced with things in general that Fate sneaks up behind him with the bit of lead piping.†- Bertie Wooster “He looked haggard and careworn, like a Borgia who has suddenly remembered that he has forgotten to shove cyanide in the consommé, and the dinner-gong due any moment.†“The Paddock was one of those medium-sized houses with a goodish bit of very tidy garden and a carefully rolled gravel drive curving past a shrubbery that looked as if it had just come back from the dry cleaner - the sort of house you take one look at and say to yourself, "Somebody's aunt lives there.†One book you thought you'd love but didn't? Henry's Freedom Box. I read the book and thought it was fantastic so I was inspired to find out more about Henry. Then I discovered that he was given a chance to buy his wife and children's freedom and refused then went to England and married someone else. What a jerk! Totally ruined the book for me. What countries or centuries did you explore? C'mon. I think everyone on this thread can answer this questions for me. England. Regency. Victorian. Edwardian. WWI. 1920's & 1930's. WWII. I also spent a bit of time in the Cabot Cove of the north woods. - Three Pines. What books would you recommend everybody read? Everything that PG Wodehouse wrote. What was your favorite part of the challenge? I didn't really get out of my comfort zone much this year so I didn't do many of the challenges. Next year is a new year though! 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I'm trying to decide if I should read History of he Ancient World this year, or if I should skip ahead to read History of the Renaissance World with all of you. Anyone have thoughts or advice? I need to decide soon so I can order the book. I know from experience that this is not the sort of book I want to read on my Kindle. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I'm trying to decide if I should read History of he Ancient World this year, or if I should skip ahead to read History of the Renaissance World with all of you. Anyone have thoughts or advice? I need to decide soon so I can order the book. I know from experience that this is not the sort of book I want to read on my Kindle. Well, if you have some compelling reason to go through history chronologically, or you will be teaching Ancients in the near future, you could start at the beginning. But it's much more fun to do a read-along! It can keep you going when you feel like quitting. And, HotRW is actually not quite as much of a chunkster as the first two books. I'm a few chapters in and liking it better than HotMW so far, for whatever reason. So, join us! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosyl Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 This is my list for the year. I don't think I will be finishing anymore. Recently Finished: 24. O Pioneers Willa Cather This book is one of my all time favorites. I always want the ending of this one to be different. 25. The Imposter by Suzanne Woods Fisher this has been an interesting reading year for me. I usually read more than this, but another resolution trumped this one this year. How many books did you read this year and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? I read 25 books. I did not meet my 5/5/5 challenge or the number I had set for myself. Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books. The books that have stuck with me the most are Atomic Girls, Code Name Verity, and O Pioneers. Regarding O Pioneers: I found interesting the differences in my observations to that book in my teens, late 20's and 40's. Which books or authors you thought you'd never read and were pleasantly surprised to like them? I. would have never picked up Atomic Girls. One book that touched you - made you laugh, cry, sing or dance Share your most favorite character, covers and/or quotes? Victim of Grace made me cry, Carolyn Brown makes me laugh, Sleeping Coconuts reminded me there is a purpose for everything and your greatest weakness is your greatest strength. Has anyone had a book that made them sing or dance? What countries or centuries did you explore? 20th century What books would you recommend everybody read? What was your favorite part of the challenge? I enjoy reading about what everyone else is reading. 1. Maggie's Mistake by Carolyn Brown 2. Sleeping Coconut by John and Bonnie Nystrom 3.. Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould 4Amish Baby Kristina Ludwig 5. Amish Bakery Challenge Kristina Ludwig 6.Amish Awakening Kristina Ludwig 7. The Girls o Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan 8. Adoniram Judson by Janet and George Benge 9.The Ladies Room by Carolyn Brown 10. PMS club by Carolyn Brown 11. The Amish Clockmaker by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner. 12.The Trouble with Patience Maggie Brendan 13. Twice Promised Maggie Brendan 14. Promise of Palm Grove Shelley Shepherd Grey 15. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 16. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline . 17. The Photograph by Beverly Lewis 18. The Wager by Carolyn Brown 19. Victim of Grace by Robin Jones Gunn . 20. One More Wish Robin Jones Gunn 21. Proposal at Siesta Key by Shelley Shepherd Grey 22. Amish Promises by Leslie Gould 23. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. by Gabrielle Zevin 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Ok guys, I need a version judgment: Robin Hood - Howard Pyle or Roger Lancelyn Green? Or other? or neither? This would be for a read aloud with the girls, 9 and 13. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Copenhagen is an interesting play that took on an unexpected meaning for me. My dear friend who had lost her scientist husband of many, many decades found the voice of a scientist's wife captured exquisitely by Frayn. She saw me reading the play while I was spending some time with her and asked if she could borrow the book when I was finished. The play served as a launching pad for some wonderful discussions and memories of her own husband. I am so happy you enjoyed it - and that it was a catalyst for conversation with your friend. Your observations about how rarely science is used in literature has stayed with me and I think of you every time I see it well used... Citizen and The Things They Carried are both important and both are moving. I wanted to thank you (belatedly) for mentioning Citizen - I should really keep notes rather than relying on my memory! I knew it had been inspired by conversations here... Thank you! It was not a comfortable read, but, yes, important and moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 The Breivik book is hefty but worth the read. Although it didn't make my best reads in 2015 it was well worth reading. Well written and made me think. Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll try and schedule it in the summer when I have (slightly) more time. I did regret putting it back on the shelf, but it was a concession to sanity more than anything else. One book you thought you'd love but didn't? Henry's Freedom Box. I read the book and thought it was fantastic so I was inspired to find out more about Henry. Then I discovered that he was given a chance to buy his wife and children's freedom and refused then went to England and married someone else. What a jerk! Totally ruined the book for me. Oh no! I read it to the kids and was similarly inspired. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 At the library I picked up and then put down the book on Anders Breivik. I was very interested but it's pretty hefty and I have a lot going on right now. I'd love to hear what you think of it when you finish! *chuckling* Confession: I am a stockpiler of books. Some people make lists of the books they want to read. I buy them... or ask for them for gifts. My husband jokes that for every two read books in our home library there are three unread. Some people store food, water, and matches for the apocalypse. We store books. This to say that it may be a stretch before you get that review. *smile* 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Oh no! I read it to the kids and was similarly inspired. Were you dis-enchanted after finding out more of the story? Edited December 28, 2015 by aggieamy 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Thanks to MMV who reminded me that Amy asked this question last week: Jane - Thank you for sharing your bird photo. I think when I grow up (well, when DS is out of the toddler stage and I can devote time to things like fun hobbies instead of my current hobby which is trying to keep my living room floor picked up) I'm going to take up birding. Any books to suggest for a gal that doesn't know much more than to identify a cardinal? You received some really good advice already. I want to second buying a local bird book. When I first became interested in birds, I was using one of the general guides and was often dismayed when I would identify a bird in my backyard that was not found east of the Mississippi. My mother in law, an accomplished natural scientist, gave me a book on the birds of the Carolinas. It continues to be a useful guide. Some serious birders may turn you off. I don't keep a life list. I am amazed by people who can recognize hundreds of birds on the basis of their calls. Finding people who want to share their love of birds with you is not too hard. Perhaps some of the nature preserves or gardens near you have bird walks. This is a great place to start as they may have spotting scopes and know the right places and right time of year to see certain birds. The Golden Guides are wonderful for children! Buy Chews on Books the Golden Guide to birds and then go to a park. Learn together. Your local resources may include a natural history museum. Winter visitors to my island home include a number of terns. I can tell a tern from a seagull but was unable to tell the various terns apart despite staring at drawings and photos in books. So I went to the "hands on" room at the Natural Science Museum in Raleigh where they have stuffed birds in drawers. I took out every tern so I could really see them, touch them. The curator taught me a chestnut: The sandwich tern has mustard (splash of yellow) on his beak. He did me a good turn. ;) 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Was heading by the library today, so I returned The Incarnations even though I wasn't finished with it. I was enjoying it but a) it's taking more brain power & concentration than I have at this point and b) some of the smaller stories w/in the story were pretty depressing in parts. Just not into depressing stuff right now. It is well-written & interesting, though, & one I would like to visit in the future. I'm guessing it's unlikely that I will start &/or finish any other books before the end of the year. Things have been busy over Christmas break & it will continue to be that way for at least a few more days for us. Just not much time to read this week. So, I'll post my whole list for the year in case anyone wants to see it.... (Not sure how accurate my 'star' ratings are, but I'll leave them in as a general guideline as to whether or not I liked the books.) 01. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann, a Tor book pub. by Tom Doherty Associates. 3 stars. Europe: England. (Entertaining steampunk with likeable characters.)02. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami, trans. from the Japanese by Ted Goossen, a Borzoi book pub. by Alfred A. Knopf. 4 stars. Asia: Japan. BaW January author challenge. (Creepy campfire style story; thought-provoking ending made me rethink the entire story.) 03. Extraordinary Renditions by Andrew Ervin, pub. by Coffee House Press. 4 stars. Europe: Hungary. (Triptych of stories in Budapest touching on the Holocaust, racism, corruption, the power of music,…) 04. Rue du Retour by Abdellatif Laâbi, trans. from the French by Jacqueline Kaye, pub. by Readers International. 4 stars. Africa: Morocco. (Poetic paean to political prisoners worldwide by one who was himself in prison for “crimes of opinionâ€. Explores not only incarceration but also readjusting to a ‘normal’ world after torture & release.) 05. Nigerians in Space by Deji Bryce Olukotum, pub. by Unnamed Press. 4 stars. Africa: South Africa & Nigeria. (Scientists lured back home in a ‘brain gain’ plan to start up Nigerian space program. But, things go awry. Is it legit, a scam, or something more sinister?) 06. The Jerusalem File by Joel Stone, pub. by Europa editions. 2 stars. Middle East: Israel. (Noir detective tale re: jealousy. Ambiguous, unsatisfactory ending.) 07. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherford, pub. by Crown Publishers. 4 stars. Asia: Mongolia. (Non-fiction. Even with gaps, fascinating pieces of lost &/or censored history.) 08. Goat Days by Benyamin, trans. from Malayalam by Joseph Koyipally, pub. by Penguin Books. 3 stars. Middle East: Saudi Arabia. (Simple tale of enslaved Indian forced to herd goats in the Saudi Arabian desert.) 09. The Good Lord Bird by James McBride, pub. by Riverhead Books (Penguin Group). 5 stars. North America: USA. (Sharp satire, historical fiction & folly, standing on top of heart, soul... & freedom.) 10. The Duppy by Anthony C. Winkler, pub. by Akashic Books. 3 stars. Caribbean: Jamaica. (A duppy [ghost] relates ribald & amusing anecdotes of Jamaican heaven.) 11. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, pub. by Scribner Classics. 4 stars. Europe: France & Spain. (Lost generation of post-WW1 expats living, loving, & arguing in France & Spain.) 12. Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor, pub. by Viking (Penguin Group). 3 stars. Africa: Nigeria. (YA fantasy lit in the vein of HP but with a West African base of myth & legend.) 13. Kismet by Jakob Arjouni, trans. from the German by Anthea Bell, pub. by Melville House (Melville International Crime). 4 stars. Europe: Germany. (Tough Turkish-German PI in the middle of a turf war as a Croatian organized crime group tries to take over territory of Albanian & German mobs in Frankfurt. Darkly funny & nicely paced.) 14. The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham, pub. by Penguin Books. 5 stars. Europe: France. (Interlinked stories of friends in post-WWI France as they move through life & each finds his or her own version of success.) 15. Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss, pub. by Melville House. 3 stars. Europe: England. (Creepy, frivolous fun horror/mystery mash-up… and a cat who wants Daniel Craig to voice him if there’s a movie version.) 16. Under the Frangipani by Mia Couto, trans. from the Portuguese by David Bookshaw, pub. by Serpent’s Tail. 3 stars. Africa: Mozambique. (Murder mystery that ultimately examines the things that kill a people, a country, a place; told through a magical realism lens of the living & the dead, traditions vs. modern mores, colonization against freedom, & war facing off against peace.) 17. Gassire’s Lute: A West African Epic, trans. & adapted by Alta Jablow, illus. by Leo & Diane Dillon, pub. by Dutton. 4 stars. Africa: West Africa, incl. Ghana & Burkina Faso. (Children’s poetic book [part of the epic of Dausi], telling of Gassire who gives up his noble lineage & warrior life to become a bard/griot.) 18. Orlando by Virginia Woolf, pub. by Harcourt Brace & Company. 4 stars. Europe: England. BaW March author challenge. (Woolf’s love letter to Vita Sackville-West; story of man/woman Orlando spanning over 300 years of English history. Wordy but redeemed by flashes of profound beauty & brilliance.) 19. Missing Person by Patrick Modiano, trans. from the French by Daniel Weissbort, pub. by David R. Godine (a Verba Mundi Book). 4 stars. Europe: France. (After WWII, an amnesiac tries to piece together the people & events of his past. A lyrical, yet spare, examination of identity & history.) 20. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, pub. by Vintage International. 5 stars. North America: USA. (Spare & brutal tale of stolen drug money in Texas. Classic themes which are hard & beautifully-crafted.) 21. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood, pub. by Poisoned Pen Press. 3 stars. Australia. (1920s lady detective Phryne Fisher storms the Melbourne social scene with moxie while on the trail of a suspected poisoning, a back-alley abortionist, & the head of the cocaine trade.) 22. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis, pub. by Scribner. 3 stars. Other: Malacandra. (Professor Ransom is kidnapped & taken to Malacandra, where he escapes his captors & interacts with local life on the planet.) 23. Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, pub. by Little, Brown and Company. 5 stars. North America: USA. (Shocking diary by a never-charged Guantanamo detainee. Shines a harsh light on rendition, interrogation, torture, & US thought & policy shifts after 9/11.) 24. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, pub. by Corgi Books. 4 stars. Other: Ankh-Morpork. (Moist von Lipwig’s punishment for being a con artist is being put in charge of the Postal Service & getting it back in profitable shape. Witty & fun.) 25. Duplex by Kathryn Davis, pub. by Graywolf Press. 3 stars. North America: USA. (Weird & compelling, chilling & disorienting.) 26. The Dead Mountaineer’s Inn by Boris & Arkady Strugatsky, pub. by Melville House. 3 stars. Europe: Russia. (Fun sci-fi/murder mystery mash-up in a snowed-in Russian ski chalet; a zany cast of misfits.) 27. No Cause for Indictment: An Autopsy of Newark by Ronald Porambo, pub. by Melville House. 4 stars. North America: USA. (Scathing look at racism, the Newark riots, the Mafia, crooked & militant police, corrupt politicians, feeble justice institutions, failing medical & educational systems, a meek Fourth Estate, & more….) 28. Petroglyphs of Hawaii by L. R. McBride, pub. by Petroglyph Press. 3 stars. North America & Oceania: USA/Hawaii. (Brief overview of petroglyphs of Hawaii; light on info concerning the history & meaning of the petroglyphs.) 29. Yesterday in Hawai’i by Scott C. S. Stone, pub. by Island Heritage Publishing. 3 stars. North America & Oceania: USA/Hawaii. (Magazine-like chapters present brief overviews of highlights of Hawaiian history; nice photos.) 30. The Infatuations by Javier MarÃas, pub. by Alfred A. Knopf. 3 stars. Europe: Spain. (A psychoanalytical exploration of identity, reality, truth, love, & death after a man is brutally murdered in a senseless crime in Madrid.) 31. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams, pub. by Gallery Books. 4 stars. Europe: England. (Fun sci-fi with ghosts, time-travel, Cambridge, & a shady detective who might just happen to save the world.) 32. Departure Lounge by Chad Taylor, pub. by Europa Editions. 3 stars. Oceania: New Zealand. (Noir-ish mix of crime & coming-of-age with a bittersweet edge.) 33. Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard, pub. by Anchor Books, a Division of Random House, Inc. 3 stars. Other: fantasy England, most likely. (Necromancer who sold his soul to the Devil wants it back & makes a second deal with the Devil. Acidly witty but gets much darker as the story progresses.) 34. Glimmerglass by Marly Youmans, pub. by Mercer University Press. 3 stars. North America: USA. (An adult’s mix of fairytale, magical realism, & mystery with a middle-aged protagonist as she follows her dreams, intuitions, stories, muses, & fantastic events.) 35. Memoirs of a Porcupine by Alain Mabanckou, pub. by Soft Skull Press, an imprint of Counterpoint. 4 stars. Africa: Congo Republic. (Wry & chatty porcupine recounts his long, surreal, violent life as an animal double to his wicked human counterpart. Simple, short tale with many observations on the follies & foibles of humankind.) 36. Heliopolis by James Scudamore, pub. by Europa Editions. 4 stars. Latin America: Brazil. (Present day & childhood flashback stories intertwined of a boy who was ‘saved’ from life in a favela to live with a mega-rich family; at a crossroad in his life in his late 20s….) 37. The Travels of Daniel Ascher by Déborah Lévy-Bertherat, pub. by Other Press. 4 stars. Europe: France. (Bittersweet, charming book that is part Indiana Jones & part The Book Thief.) 38. The Distant Marvels by Chantel Acevedo, pub. by Europa Editions. 4 stars. Caribbean: Cuba. (Maria Sirena, once a lectora in a Cuban cigar factory, tells her life stories from turn-of-the-century Cuba to women evacuated during Hurricane Flora in 1963. Beautiful & heart-rending.) 39. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, pub. by Spiegel & Grau. North America: USA. (An open letter from the author to his teen son on growing up black in the US of today. Timely & critical reading with a profound impact.) 40. The Martian by Andrew Weir, pub. by Broadway Books (Crown/Random House). 4 stars. Other: Mars (Astronaut Mark Watney is assumed dead & left behind on Mars. He has to re-establish contact with Earth & figure out how to survive until help can be sent. Action-packed fun.) 41. Pure by Andrew Miller, pub. by Europa Editions. 4 stars. Europe: France. (Historical fiction about the emptying of Les Innocents Cemetery in Paris – creating the catacombs – in pre-revolutionary France.) 42. True North by Marie Force, pub. by Smashwords. 3 stars. North America: USA. (Entertaining contemporary romance where two successful adults agree to a two-week, no strings fling.) 43. Maid for Love by Marie Force, pub. by Smashwords. 1 star. North America: USA. (Trite rich boy/poor girl contemporary romance; lots of typos or perhaps just bad/jumpy writing.) 44. In Red by Magdalena Tulli, pub. by Archipelago Books. 4 stars. Europe: Poland. (Unusual, modern, dark fairy tale – perhaps a morality play? – of an imaginary Poland based on various wars, inertia, & business there in the 20th century. Could be a modern ballet, I think.) 45. The Consultant by Jane Blue, pub. by Kindle. 3 stars. North America: USA (Steamy contemporary romance between two 40+ aged adults at a small tv station. Fun pool reading.) 46. The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli, trans. from the Spanish by Christina MacSweeney, pub. by Coffee House Press. 5 stars. North/Latin America: Mexico. (Garrulous auctioneer Highway tells his story in a charming, offbeat tale. Book is more than just a story; it’s an intersection of art/literature/value/society. Excellent.) 47. The Travels of Marco Polo, The Venetian by Marco Polo, trans. by W. Marsden, revised by T. Wright, edited by Peter Harris, pub. by Everyman’s Library. 5 stars. Asia: various. (Marco Polo’s accounts 13th century account of his travels throughout Asia & during his service to Kublai Khan.) 48. In the Footsteps of Marco Polo by Denis Belliveau & Francis O’Donnell, pub. by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 4 stars. Asia: various. (Book from the Nat’l Geo documentary following Polo’s route. Beautiful pictures & commentary to complement Polo’s work.) 49. The Tempest by William Shakespeare, pub. by Spark Publishing. 4 stars. Europe: unknown island. (Deposed Prospero conjures a tempest to shipwreck his usurping brother & conspirators in order to confront them, regain his Dukedom, & give his daughter her inheritance.) 50. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, pub. by Harper Perennial. 4 stars. Europe: England. (Dystopian classic from the 1930s about keeping a populace under control through happiness by sex & drugs.) 51. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, pub. by Dell Publishing. 5 stars. North America & Europe: USA & Germany. (Famous time-travel & aliens anti-war classic about surviving the bombing of Dresden in WWII.) 52. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, pub. by Harcourt Brace & Company. 4 stars. Europe & Asia: Italy & China. (Imagined cities reflected from Marco Polo’s account. Or is it the reflection of only one city – Venice?) 53. The Museum at Purgatory by Nick Bantock, pub. by HarperCollins. 2 stars. Other: Purgatory. (Curator’s guide through the lives & odd/unique collections of some artists/their art in the Museum at Purgatory.) 54. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, pub. by Sterling Children’s Books. 5 stars. Europe: England. (Perfectly-crafted Victorian horror novella exploring the good/evil sides of man.) 55. Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix, pub. by Quirk Books. 3 stars. North America: USA. (Ikea parody catalog with a horror story taking place in a big box store; takes jabs at retail/corporate life. A+ for catalog detail. Good ending for the story.) 56. The Folly by Ivan Vladislavić, pub. by Archipelago Books. 4 stars. Africa: South Africa. (A vacant patch of South African veld next to the comfortable, complacent Malgas household has been taken over by a mysterious, eccentric figure with "a plan." An allegory?) 57. Hyde by Daniel Levine, pub. by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 4 stars. Europe: England. (A dark & terrifying look at the story of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde as seen from Hyde’s point of view. Ominous & chilling.) 58. Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson, pub. by Harcourt. 5 stars. Europe: Scotland. (Orphan Silver is taken in by lighthouse keeper Mr. Pew. Examines the power of storytelling & love with references to Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Pew has entered my list of favorite characters.) 59. Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo, adapted by Richard Nelson, pub. by Samuel French, Inc. 4 stars. Europe: Italy. (Over-the-top, almost slapstick play that is a farce skewering police & political corruption; Fo won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997.) 60. King Vikram and the Vampire by Captain Sir Richard F. Burton, pub. by Park Street Press (a replica copy of the 1893 limited edition published by Tylston and Edwards of London). 4 stars. Asia: India. (Burton’s translation from Sanskrit of eleven ancient Indian morality tales narrated by a vampire/baital in order to confuse, confound, & trick King Vikram.) 61. Olalla by Robert Louis Stevenson, pub. by Kindle. 3 stars. Europe: Spain. (Gothic short story set in Spain. Very loosely related to ‘vampire’ tales.) 62. I Travel by Night by Robert McCammon, pub. by Subterranean Press. 3 stars. North America: USA. (Entertaining New Orleans gothic story about a gunslinging Civil War-era man who straddles the world between being human & being a vampire.) 63. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, pub. by The Modern Library. North America: USA. (Two civil rights-era letters written on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation examine race in light of religious, social, & political issues. Still relevant; should be required reading today.) 64. The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, pub. by Wordsworth Classics. 4 stars. Imagined kingdoms in Europe. (Jealousy & rage in the first half. A family torn apart. Lost. Tragedy. An ending of finding, forgiveness, & love.) 65. The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson, pub. by Hogarth. 4 stars. Europe & North America: England & USA. (Winterson’s “cover†of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, updated for modern times. Catches the emotional core. Well-done.) 66. The Fire This Time by Randall Kenan, pub. by Melville House. North America: USA. (My third book of letters/essays re: race in America. Resonated most with me because Kenan is similar in age & location/background/cultural/social references.) 67. Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos, pub. by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 3 stars. North America: Mexico. (Deceptively simple, yet immensely hard look at a cartel head’s lifestyle as narrated by his precocious seven-year-old son. Heartbreaking & disturbing.) 68. Hidden Witness: African-American Images from the Dawn of Photography to the Civil War by Jackie Napolean Wilson, pub. by St. Martin’s Press. 4 stars. North America: USA. (Per the title, a unique & lovely collection of photos, lovingly presented. Wish more were known about the actual people in the photos.) 69. A Cure for Suicide by Jesse Ball, pub. by Pantheon Books. 3 stars. North America: USA. (Uneasy, dream-like examination of starting life & memory anew; raises questions of love, illness, despair, betrayal, & memory.) 70. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, pub. by Scribner. 5 stars. Europe: France. (Sketches & tales of Hemingway’s time in Paris in the 1920s – a time of cafes, art, love, interesting friends, travel, writing, & more…. Wonderful.)71. Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera, trans. from the Spanish by Lisa Dillman, pub. by & Other Stories. 4 stars. North/Latin America: Mexico/USA. (Short, lyrical, & powerful tale of border crossings, traversings, & translations with Makina as she goes to find her brother.) 72. A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa, trans. from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn, pub. by Archipelago Books. 5 stars. Africa: Angola. (Beautiful, circular tale spanning the time from Angola declaring independence from Portugal & the ensuing decades of civil war. Ludo, an agoraphobic woman, bricks herself into her apartment & we see decades of change through her limited view of the world.) Edited December 30, 2015 by Stacia 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Where you dis-enchanted after finding out more of the story? I didn't know any more about the story until I read your post with the extra information about him. :) 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books. I think Helen Oyeymi's Mr. Fox was my favorite of the year. :hurray: Mr. Fox is still one of my all-time favorite books too. So glad to see you popping in. (You too, TeacherZee!) And, something I didn't mention in my wrap-up post, but one I'd recommend to many on this thread (because I think it would fit a wide variety of our readers): The Distant Marvels by Chantel Acevedo Starred review from Kirkus: One woman's story of brutality, courage, tragedy, and love gets a roomful of Cuban refugees through a hurricane. As Hurricane Flora approaches Cuba in 1963, 82-year-old MarÃa Sirena Alonso refuses to evacuate with her neighbors; she is seriously ill and does not want to be saved. But once the storm arrives, a soldier shows up at her door to load her on a bus bound for a shelter. Though she takes nothing with her except a small framed photograph of a little boy, she needs nothing more because her whole life is in her head: "I have a perfect memory. I remember nearly everything I've ever read or heard." Once installed in a room at the erstwhile governor's mansion with a group of women who will ride out the storm together—including an ex-friend whose dead son used to be married to her daughter—MarÃa Sirena begins to tell the story of her life, beginning with her birth to Cuban parents on a Spanish ship at the end of the 19th century. Her rebel father is jailed as soon as they reach shore; her resourceful, beautiful mother, Lulu, finds protection for herself and her daughter with another man. When AgustÃn rejoins them, they are swept into the war against the Spanish. Acevedo's third novel (A Falling Star, 2014, etc.) mingles the recounting of MarÃa Sirena's epic family saga, which ends with a heartbreaking confession, with scenes among the women at the mansion. One woman decides to make a break for it: "It is Noraida, swimming in the debris-filled water, her brightly dyed hair like streamers in her wake. We watch as she pushes aside a plastic cup, a sheet of plywood, an umbrella floating upside down and bobbing along." Such irresistible moments of rebellion and bravery define this tale. Perfect timing for a Scheherazade-style account of Cuban history. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Please share what you are reading this week as well as your reading lists and tell us about your reading year: How many books did you read this year and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? I seem to have ended up at 300 with a couple more that will likely be finished in 2015. I show 18 of those as being called novellas, so shorter. My goal was 200 but my fluffier content this year seems to have swelled my number. My goal last year was less reading and more crafts and telly. I think I achieved it overall considering my inability to concentrate on anything lately. Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books. I always list books and series here. Because I love series..... Books 1)The Rook....looking forward to the next in this series. 2) Ready Player One 3) Remarkable Creatures 4) Carrying Albert Home 5) Kafka on the Shore....enjoyed more because it was a group read than for the content. Loved everyone's Murikami reactions. Series 1)All Judith Cutler series...I still have books to finish but she became a beloved author of mine last year. 2)Anne Bishop....Series called The Others. soooo good 3)Jude Devereaux....The Edilean series 4)Jim C Hines....Libromancer series 5) Lauren Willig....Pink Carnation series. Still reading slowly because I don't want to finish it. ;) Which books or authors you thought you'd never read and were pleasantly surprised to like them? A carry over from prior years but the fact that I really enjoy Murakami still amazes me. One book that touched you - made you laugh, cry, sing or dance! I loved Carrying Albert Home. It merged parts of my life oddly. My childhood with a favorite elderly neighbour who told great stories about Florida in the 40's with my current life in a coal mining area. I loved it. Share your most favorite character, covers and/or quotes? Albert the Alligator. :lol: One book you thought you'd love but didn't? My goal this year was to stop reading if I disliked a book. I have stopped reading many books this year. That said I stuck with Patricia Cornwell's latest because I am not ready to quit the series yet. It would have been really easy to stop reading. What countries or centuries did you explore? I spent lots and lots of time in Regency England. What books would you recommend everybody read? I didn't really read anything that profound. What was your favorite part of the challenge? Reading what everyone is reading and their opinions. I am so grateful to have all of you in my life! eta. I hope this makes things clearer. Edited December 28, 2015 by mumto2 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Ok guys, I need a version judgment: Robin Hood - Howard Pyle or Roger Lancelyn Green? Or other? or neither? This would be for a read aloud with the girls, 9 and 13. I haven't read either, but I'm reading Pyle's King Arthur atm. I'm enjoying the thees and thous, but it's an effort to read aloud! I found Green's Egyptian tales perfectly readable. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Mumto2, are you keeping dry in your corner of England? The flooding looks bad in the news footage, and looks to be no longer just centered in the Lake District. We are still fine with surprisingly good weather (sunny today and tomorrow) but we live close enough to the Peneinnes to be concerned. The ground is saturated but could be worse. Much of the flooding in our basic area is due to run off not rainfall. People are keeping an eye on our local mill pond and are ready to open the flood gate if it starts going over the banks. Right now the pond is level wth the parking lot. We are visiting friends tomorrow who actually live pretty close to one of the area's with flooding and need to cross the Peneinnes to get there. Going via motorway not the scenic route. Tomorrow I may have horror stories. We are taking our wellies..... In book news I finished Bound by Night by Amanda Ashley. I loved parts of this book. The classic beautiful young woman escaping her horrible uncle and runnng away to hide in the local haunted castle where she finds a handsome man (who is really rich very old vampire) who loves her. The basic story was what I wanted but the details were irritating. Things like he had electric and bathrooms installed in his centuries old castle in two weeks for her. Seriously. Old houses made of stone take a really long time to modernize...thats with electric and plumbing already there. The unneeded weird details drove me nuts. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Ok guys, I need a version judgment: Robin Hood - Howard Pyle or Roger Lancelyn Green? Or other? or neither? This would be for a read aloud with the girls, 9 and 13. I chose Green's version for my 9 year old son. He'll be starting it in a couple weeks. I pre-read it and it's pretty violent, but also is a well-told story. I'm really not sure how my son will like it. He doesn't like violence much, but, then it IS stories of the knights of the round table, so I don't think you can get away without fighting. This evening I finished reading The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis. It was better than The Magician's Nephew, but I still really don't get why the Narnia books are so popular. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I look forward to joining you all in 2016~! 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 (edited) I haven't read either, but I'm reading Pyle's King Arthur atm. I'm enjoying the thees and thous, but it's an effort to read aloud! I found Green's Egyptian tales perfectly readable. I have Green's Egyptian tales and his King Arthur, and like them both. That's the way I'm leaning unless someone presents a compelling alternative. After all, who can resist a middle name like "Lancelyn" ??? Edited December 29, 2015 by Chrysalis Academy 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I look forward to joining you all in 2016~! Welcome! I'll look forward to hearing about what you're reading. Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 (edited) I finished Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World today. As I reached the end I really didn't want to be disturbed (liable to happen at any moment as DH was due home and the kids' documentary on the Space Race was ending) so I hid in the closet and finished the last few pages there! I really enjoyed reading it. It's somewhat similar to 1Q84 but it's a much shorter and easier read. I can't figure out how to discuss the content without major spoilers so I'll just say it's a cyberpunk novel that also explores the meaning of consciousness. I liked that none of the characters had names. I went shopping for a gift today and the gift shop had a really nice book, Natural Histories: Extraordinary Rare Book Selections from the American Museum of Natural History Library. I did not buy it because the case at the shop was bent and a few pages wrinkled, but I did this it was just beautiful and could be a good book for anyone studying natural history or illustration. Edited December 29, 2015 by idnib 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I wanted to thank you (belatedly) for mentioning Citizen - I should really keep notes rather than relying on my memory! I knew it had been inspired by conversations here... Thank you! It was not a comfortable read, but, yes, important and moving. I'm so glad you read it! I came upon it just because I decided to look at books released by Graywolf Press as a way to read some current poetry and not be overwhelmed with choices. It opened my eyes. And now it has gotten publicity from the woman reading it at a Trump rally! I got to see Rankine talk and read from the book a month or two ago. She showed a video that, in part, showed people sleeping on planes. This is what I mostly remember. The point of the video seemed to be that we are all so vulnerable, to the point of sleeping in public, our squishy bodies unguarded, that we depend on each other and have a responsibility to each other to be decent. She said the video wasn't finished yet, so I guess that's why I can't find it online, but there are some interesting videos on her website if you click on "situations." One of them has people sleeping on planes, but that's not the one I saw. :) I have the same problem of not remembering who recommended certain books. A goal for next year is to put a note in the comments section of my to-read list (which is on Amazon) when I add a book that is recommended here. Who recommended Kraken: The Curious, Exciting and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid? I loved that book! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Who recommended Kraken: The Curious, Exciting and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid? I loved that book! That would be yours truly. Glad to hear you enjoyed it! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 (edited) I'll try to get my year's summary pulled together but time eludes me. Meanwhile I read another comedy by Terence, "The Mother-in-Law," for a total of 60 books this year unless I finish my abridged Samuel Pepys' Diary (unlikely) before the New Year. CAUTION: MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING FOR EVERYTHING. "The Mother-in-Law" may be the most culturally inaccessible thing I have ever read. The humor hangs on the plot device of a wife whose husband left her untouched for the first two months of the marriage because he was still in love with his favorite prostitute, but then he fell in love with his wife; but then she flees his family's house and won't see him or any of her in-laws, because she's PREGNANT! And the child can't be his because it was conceived at the beginning of their marriage! Ha! Because she was raped by a stranger one night and it was dark so nobody knows whose it is so her husband will have to expose the baby, but if he does that everyone will know it's NOT HIS! Disaster! Ho ho! But then through this madcap series of misadventures, his ex-prostitute figures out that it was THE HUSBAND who raped his wife while coming drunk to see his mistress one night, without knowing it was his wife! And so all's well that ends well in this rape/infanticide comedy. Oh those zany Romans. I think I will take a substantial break from Terence and go back to Pepys. Edited December 29, 2015 by Violet Crown 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Ok guys, I need a version judgment: Robin Hood - Howard Pyle or Roger Lancelyn Green? Or other? or neither? This would be for a read aloud with the girls, 9 and 13. I recommend instead The Song of Robin Hood: http://www.amazon.com/Song-Robin-Hood-Anne-Malcolmson/dp/0618071865 --compiled by Anne Malcolmson and beautifully illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton, whom you will remember from Mike Mulligan and his Steam shovel, etc. These are the original Robin Hood ballads which form the source material for the story versions of Robin Hood, with the language modernized just enough, and traditional English music provided for the ballads. (One of the tunes in fact is seventeenth-ventury recorder music composed by Samuel Pepys whose Diary I'm now reading.) Besides being More Authentic--high on the list of all WTMers, I know--the songs are a lot of fun. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I'm enjoying the posted lists of books read, as well as everyone's answers to the questions in Robin's OP. I'll post mine tomorrow. Confession: I had the house to myself for two days as my family went camping. Did I use those two days to read? No. I feel I need to come clean and confess my sin. I binge watched "The Time in Between" on Netflix. Finished the series. Ate nothing but pumpkin pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Didn't even look at a book. Totally worth it. Well, when you get the house to yourself you're supposed to to just what you want to do, not what you (or others) think you should do. :) Oh, and I highly recommend the mini series "The Time in Between" on Netflix. :leaving: I googled this and have come up with a bunch of possibilities. Is the book called The Time in Between and the show on Netflix called Between? I wanted to read what it's about but I'm either coming up with the book, different series with the same name from various countries, or "Watch online free" results. This is my list for the year. I don't think I will be finishing anymore. Recently Finished:24. O Pioneers Willa Cather This book is one of my all time favorites. I always want the ending of this one to be different.25. The Imposter by Suzanne Woods Fisher I feel the same way about O Pioneers. I loved it but wanted a different ending. I've read three Willa Cather novels so far and have loved all of them, but My Antonia remains my favorite. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 unless I finish my abridged Samuel Pepys' Diary (unlikely) before the New Year. As I was trip planning today I found there is a Samuel Pepys exhibit at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. There are some fun rabbit trails to follow at that link. I'm adding it to my likely itinerary, though I won't be in the area to catch the curator's lectures. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 As I was trip planning today I found there is a Samuel Pepys exhibit at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. There are some fun rabbit trails to follow at that link. I'm adding it to my likely itinerary, though I won't be in the area to catch the curator's lectures. Ooh! Wish I could catch that. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 (edited) I have Green's Egyptian tales and his King Arthur, and like them both. That's the way I'm leaning unless someone presents a compelling alternative. After all, who can resist a middle name like "Lancelyn" ??? It sure sounds more dashing than Pyle. :leaving: Edited December 29, 2015 by Rosie_0801 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Yesterday I finished a couple of historical romances. I enjoyed them both. The first is a novella that is currently free to Kindle readers. Elizabeth Camden writes inspirational romances, but I really didn't see any religious content in this particular work. It would be suitable for all readers. Toward the Sunrise: An Until the Dawn Novella by Elizabeth Camden "Julia Broeder is only six months shy of graduating from the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania when one small decision spirals out of control and results in her expulsion. Hoping to travel the world as a missionary doctor, her only choice is to return back home...or throw herself upon the mercy of Ashton Carlyle.Formal and straight-laced, Ashton Carlyle is not pleased to see an expelled Julia arrive at his Manhattan office. His position as a junior attorney for the Vandermark family's world-famous shipping empire entails taking care of the Broeders, longtime employees of the Vandermark family. But Ashton has no intention now of using his employer's resources in defense of Julia's impulsive and reckless actions.What Ashton did not expect was a scathing reprimand from none other than the Vandermark family patriarch or the bewildering resistance from Julia herself when he's forced to change his tune. At an impasse, Ashton and Julia never anticipated the revelations that arise or the adventure that awaits them." ** I also read and enjoyed Jennifer Ashley's Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift (Mackenzies Series) which is also currently free to Kindle readers. This particular work would be best appreciated by those who have read other books in this series. "The Mackenzies gather for a clan Christmas and Hogmanay in Scotland. In the chaos of preparations for the celebration--the first of Hart and Eleanor's married life--one of Ian's Ming bowls gets broken, and the family scrambles to save the day. Daniel busily runs a betting ring for everything from the hour Eleanor's baby will arrive, to whether Mac's former-pugilist valet can win a boxing match. Ian begins a new obsession, and Beth fears that the loss of one of his precious bowls has made him withdraw once more into his private world." Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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