Book a Week 2016 - W1: Happy New Year!!!!

[Robin M]

Jenn:  Welcome to all the new faces!  Just to reiterate -- we don't literally read a book a week or expect anyone to do so, though some like Eliana are overachievers and seem to read multiple books a week! Rather this is a place to share what we are reading and to discover new authors or genres, to step outside our reading comfort zones.

 

Yes, Thank you, Jenn.  We all read at different paces and different length and genres. Read and enjoy!

 

And to start the year off, here's a photo of my wintertime reading corner, with my current stack of books, the scarf I'm crocheting for my dh and the lovely yarn bowl he got me for Christmas.  The fireplace is just to the side, making this a cozy spot to stay for hours! (And yes, it has been so cold in Southern California the last few weeks that we've needed that fireplace going every evening!)

 

Love the picture.  I know. We've been freezing our butts off here as well.  So hard to get motivated and go walking in the evening when it's 32 degrees outside.  

 

 

Eliana:  Awesome, you almost got every century. Just a few more to go! 

 

 

Mellifera and Deanna:  Welcome back.  

 

Welcome Chris -  We have a lot of ladies who prefer reading literary books so you are in good company.  

 

 

[Minerva]

I'm in! At least, I'll make a good go of it.

 

I started off by reading a whole book today. I read The Call of the Wild by Jack London. It's one of those books I have had on the shelf forever but never read. It was a good yarn though I got a little annoyed with his romanticizing the primitive beast within all of us. He didn't need to spell it out so explicitly to get his point across.  

 

Now I am off to read The Marsh Arabs by Wilfred Thesiger.

 

There is no rhyme or reason to my book selections. It's mostly what I have on hand.

 

Meanwhile, who has kids that are attempting 52 books with them?

[Runningmom80]

I just finished The Alchemist, and I liked it. It wasn't "life changing," like I've heard, but I can appreciate it as a fable. I don't know, maybe it's the new year and the possibilities that are making me feel this way. Haha!

[purpleowl]

I'm considering joining in these threads, but I have a couple of questions...

 

Can I just share what I'm reading without participating in the challenges?  

 

And while I did end up with 52 books read in 2015, I had some weeks where I barely read anything and other weeks where I finished 3 different books.  Is that okay around here?

[Onceuponatime]

I'm considering joining in these threads, but I have a couple of questions...

 

Can I just share what I'm reading without participating in the challenges?

 

And while I did end up with 52 books read in 2015, I had some weeks where I barely read anything and other weeks where I finished 3 different books. Is that okay around here?

Most definitely. That's what I do regularly. Sometimes I join in if a selection intrigues me, but most of the time I follow my own reading whims. It's all good. Edited January 2, 2016 by Onceuponatime

[Nan in Mass]

Happy New Year, Everyone!

 

We stayed up until 2!!!! Ug. We decorated masks and got our blessings and each stitched together an 8pg journal and filled it. My watercolour crayons and micron pens were really popular. Two of these events were book-driven. Last year at New Year,s Eve, I was reading Sharon Shinn,s Troubled Waters and sequel, and I made a set of blessings for my sister. This year, I am reading An Illustrated Life, hence the journals. I chopped up a sketchpad to get the paper and we stitched them together woth crotcheting thread. It was so much fun to see what people did with their books! We gathered them up in an empty candy box and set them aside to read again next year. Both these things I think will become a tradition. We played Escape, a realtime, cooperative game, and 7 Wonders. 7 Wonders is the reason we were up so late. A number of us love the game. Lots of goat cheese, smoked fish, shortbread, and chocolate (not mixed together lol). Jane what is a collard? I,m not sure I have had black-eyed peas, either. Or is that what is in hoppin' john? One of the inlaws brought that one year, saying it was traditional. I think that had beans in it? The tradition didn,t take, in my clan, so I haven,t seen it since. I seem to remember thinking it was awfully bland compared with baked beans?

 

Did anyone remember to say rabbit rabbit?

 

Ships... That sounds good. I,ll find something to read from India, too. I,ve been meaning to reread Amrita for awhile (Jhabvala). And not a book, but we,ve been meaning to rewatch The Most Excellent Marigold Hotel, too.

 

Nan

 

Eta A weird thing happened while sitting quietly playing 7 wonders - suddenly, I got a sort of stitch in my ribs on one side and now I can,t take a deep breath without it jabbing me. Any suggestions for making this go away? I am getting tired of not being able to breathe.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Nan in Mass

[Robin M]

Happy New Year, Everyone!

 

Eta A weird thing happened while sitting quietly playing 7 wonders - suddenly, I got a sort of stitch in my ribs on one side and now I can,t take a deep breath without it jabbing me. Any suggestions for making this go away? I am getting tired of not being able to breathe.

Nan, Did you twist in a weird way or cough really hard?  May have pinched a nerve or pulled a muscle between your ribs.   

[Robin M]

Welcome Minera and Amanda 

 

I'm considering joining in these threads, but I have a couple of questions...

 

Can I just share what I'm reading without participating in the challenges?  

 

And while I did end up with 52 books read in 2015, I had some weeks where I barely read anything and other weeks where I finished 3 different books.  Is that okay around here?

All the challenges are optional and it isn't mandatory to literally read a book a week.  Read as much as you want, read whatever you want and when you want.   It all averages out in the end.  Have fun, enjoy, and just read.      

[Lady Florida.]

I just want to not still be reading Don Quixote during the December wrap-ups. Is that so very much to ask?  :svengo:

 

 

 

It took me forever to finish that book! According to Goodreads I started reading it in 2012 and finished in 2015.  :lol:

 

I kept putting it aside for long periods, then I'd forget what I already read and would have to start over. Last year (I typed this year, then realized I needed to change that lol) I was determined to finish it. I'm not sorry I read it but it honestly is one of those classics that had me scratching my head to figure out what's so great about it. I admit I saw some devices that are still used today, and I understand it was the first modern novel, but the story itself?  :confused1:

 

That wasn't intended to put you off finishing it, I was just commiserating. 

[shage]

Hi, everyone! You don't know me but I think I'll join in after lurking all these years! ;) :lol:

 

JK! I probably yak way too much on these threads.

 

Welcome to all the newcomers & the regulars too! :seeya:

 

 

 

Ah, but I really do want to join in after lurking!  Stacia--I have relied on your book recommendations many times.  So thank you for that.

 

I am expecting a number of life changes this year so decided my goal should be to slow down, read more, and get my garden back in shape. 

 

[SereneHome]

I am so liking this idea, but just wanted to double check - we don't have to read the books from the OP list, correct?

 

I already have 5 other different lists going.  LOL

[AsgardCA]

I'm excited to join along this year! I'm aiming for 52, but I probably won't get there. I'll be happy just to spend more time reading.

 

I've loaded up a 'to-read' list on Goodreads in preparation, and I've been reading the Week 52 thread for some recommendations.

 

Today I was able to start Celtic Lightning: How the Scots and the Irish Created a Canadian Nation which sounded interesting when I found it newly acquired at our local library. I'm hoping that reading during nap time will be enough to finish the book this week.

Edited January 2, 2016 by AsgardCA

[Rosie_0801]

I just finished The Alchemist, and I liked it. It wasn't "life changing," like I've heard, but I can appreciate it as a fable. I don't know, maybe it's the new year and the possibilities that are making me feel this way. Haha!

 

I think it is a book for young people. For several years in my early 20's, I read it each New Year's Eve. Now I find it blah. I found 'Veronika Decides to Die' a good follow up. I actually wonder if that shouldn't be mandatory reading for high school students.

[Shawneinfl]

I just finished The Alchemist, and I liked it. It wasn't "life changing," like I've heard, but I can appreciate it as a fable. I don't know, maybe it's the new year and the possibilities that are making me feel this way. Haha!

 

My daughter asked for this book for a Christmas gift. I'll have to borrow it back from her when she finishes it.

 

I just completed book #1 for the new year: The Girl On the Train by Paula Hawkins.

[Robin M]

I am so liking this idea, but just wanted to double check - we don't have to read the books from the OP list, correct?

 

I already have 5 other different lists going. LOL

Welcome! No, you don't have to read from the lists or any book I post about each week. This is actually a very flexible, laid back challenge. The goal is to read. Then share thoughts about your reads if so inclined.

 

 

 

Hi Shage and Asgard, welcome! Happy reading!

Edited January 2, 2016 by Robin M

[Runningmom80]

My daughter asked for this book for a Christmas gift. I'll have to borrow it back from her when she finishes it.

 

I just completed book #1 for the new year: The Girl On the Train by Paula Hawkins.

That was my first book last year! How did you like it?

[Runningmom80]

I think it is a book for young people. For several years in my early 20's, I read it each New Year's Eve. Now I find it blah. I found 'Veronika Decides to Die' a good follow up. I actually wonder if that shouldn't be mandatory reading for high school students.

Yes, right out of highschool is probably perfect.

[Shawneinfl]

That was my first book last year! How did you like it?

 

It was pretty good but for me it will be forgettable in a few months. I prefer books that stay with you.

[Kareni]

A book and novella that are currently free to Kindle readers.  I've read and enjoyed both of these in the past.

 

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

"Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever."

 

Finding Cinderella: A Novella by Colleen Hoover

"A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love has conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe.

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairytales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. But Daniel soon realizes that fairytales don’t exist, and unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn’t guarantee their happily ever after…it only further threatens it."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Ali in OR]

My first book of 2016 will be Erika Swyler's The Book of Speculation which was on a best of 2015 list. I'm about 100 pages in and am really enjoying it. It reminds me of The Night Circus though really it's totally different. I also have the last two published Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries awaiting my attention. I'm set for this week (and probably next).

[Loesje22000]

Thanks for all the encouraging words we don't 'have to' read a book a week.

Last year I almost quitted the BaW list for that reason :blush:

 

And I give myself more space to read in translation.

Although english books are cheaper and easier to get..

 

I do like the bingo challenge though as I can do that in Dutch too :)

[Loesje22000]

Literary calendar 2016

 

If you want to get a head start on planning to cross off the 'book published in 2016' bingo square :)

Thank you!

I didn't know War and peace comes on the BBC this weekend, so I just programmed the recorder :)

[Negin]

I loved this quote, Negin!  The bolded is so prevalent in our society today as we have so many who don't want to take responsibility for their own actions but instead want to blame someone or something else.

 

Angel, thank you. I agree with you completely. It's very frustrating to have to deal with that sort of victim mentality. Living like that and thinking like that is a complete waste of energy. What a sad way to live. 

[Negin]

I just finished reading The Power of Habit - 4 Stars - An interesting book to finish as many set New Year's resolutions (not me. I don't bother with that sort of stuff anymore.) I’ve been avoiding self-help books for some time, probably because I’m at a point where I find them annoying and a bit boring. I’d rather escape into some good fiction any day! I thought that this book would be yet another self-help book and so I’d been reluctant to read it for a while. I was wrong. It’s not a self-help book and it doesn’t tell you how to change your habits. In other words, it lacks solid advice. Rather, it presents real stories and anecdotes of how others have changed their habits. The overall approach of this book is one of: “Habits can be changed, if we understand how they work." If you’re looking for some informative and intelligent non-fiction to read, I recommend this.

Some interesting quotes:

 

“How do habits change? There is, unfortunately, no specific set of steps guaranteed to work for every person. We know that a habit cannot be eradicated—it must, instead, be replaced.â€

 

"Willpower isn't just a skill. It's a muscle, like the muscle in your arms or legs, and it gets tired as it works harder, so there's less power left over for other things."

 

I also read The Best Skin of Your Life Starts Here - 3 Stars - I love Paula’s products and wish that I’d waited to get this book free with my Paula’s Choice order, rather than paying full price for it. This most recent book by Paula Begoun is very good, but not her best one. Other than a few small tips, I didn’t learn anything new really. Her two previous books pretty much say the same thing. If you order from Paula's Choice and manage to get this one free, it's worth a read. I wouldn't pay full price for it and I prefer her other books. . 

 

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

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

 

My Good Reads page if anyone wishes to add me. :)

Edited January 3, 2016 by Negin

[nd293]

I did the 52 books challenge here in the year I turned 40, and sort of fizzled out after that. I turn 45 this year (quickly did the maths to check I got that right!) so here I am again. Five years later I'm happier and grown-upper and a university student but I have 6 months off due to a timetable issue that I have been assured is all my fault, so I've lots of time to read in the first half of the year at least.

 

As part of my ongoing effort to declutter (and prepare for a possible house move later this year) I'm going to focus on reading through any unread books on my shelf. I'll probably read along with the Berkeley Book Club through EdX as dd15 and I enjoyed the 4 week course on A Christmas Carol that we just completed. I'm going to have another shot at JM Roberts' excellent A History of the World as my year-long project. I made it to early modern times before losing focus last time I tried.

 

We've just arrived back from holiday so I've already read my first book: A Town Like Alice by Neville Shute. A book described as an "economic development and romance" novel? How could I not love that!

[ChocolateMomster]

I'd love to join! I think I could reach 52 books in a year, but I doubt I can finish one a week. I got some pretty long books on my to-read list, and finishing one of those up in a week is going to be impossible for me.

 

Here my Goodreads profile...love to make some new friends :)

 

The books I'm planning are listed HERE. I made a start in War and Peace, The Martian Chronicles, My Utmost for His Highest and Birth of Britain.

Edited January 2, 2016 by ChocolateMomster

[marbel]

We've just arrived back from holiday so I've already read my first book: A Town Like Alice by Neville Shute. A book described as an "economic development and romance" novel? How could I not love that!

 

That was one of my mother's favorite books.  Every few years I try to read it, and just can't get into it.  Maybe I'll try again this year.  I may still have her old thrift-store mass market paperback copy around. :-)

 

 

[marbel]

I'd love to join! I think I could reach 52 books in a year, but I doubt I can finish one a week. I got some pretty long books on my to-read list, and finishing one of those up in a week is going to be impossible for me.

 

Here my Goodreads profile...love to make some new friends :)

 

The books I'm planning are listed HERE. I made a start in War and Peace, The Martian Chronicles, My Utmost for His Highest and Birth of Britain.

 

Welcome!

 

Your Goodreads link didn't work...   :-)     Your blog is pretty.  Yes, I guess I am stalking you!

 

Edited January 2, 2016 by marbel

[mumto2]

I am planning to do a bit of armchair travel with Robin this year but my travel may end up being a bit fluffier than Robin's. A couple of years ago I used Map Makerto keep track of my countries visitedhttp://bighugelabs.com/map.php. It was fun to be able to see my places visited. If there is something better please post....I would love to be able to break down to states etc.

 

I found and checked out a decidedly fluffy book to start our Indian Ocean travel mainly because I struck out with Robin's authors at my libraries. Marry Me, Stranger looks like something light and set in India so I will give it a try. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23564499-marry-me-stranger

[ChocolateMomster]

Welcome!

 

Your Goodreads link didn't work...   :-)     Your blog is pretty.  Yes, I guess I am stalking you!

 

 

Thanks for that. I fixed it now :)

[Nan in Mass]

Nan, Did you twist in a weird way or cough really hard? May have pinched a nerve or pulled a muscle between your ribs.

We were jammed into a corner. I could well have twisted weirdly. Pinched nerve sounds about right. Thank you!

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

Welcome everyone new! The first year or two I read 52 books a year (not a book a week). Then, since the thread had plenty of people and I was busy, I didn,t visit here for awhile. And now I am back again, but I am just reading, not tracking or counting, and everyone has been friendly and great about that. Don,t worry! Have fun! The more widely the hive reads, the stronger and wiser the hive mind is, so don,t worry about not reading where everyone else is, either. Outliers make us bigger. : )

 

Nan

[purpleowl]

Thanks for the answers to my earlier post!  I'm glad I can participate without feeling stressed about it, lol. :)

 

I'm currently in the middle of J. I. Packer's A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life.  I'm enjoying it.

 

I'm also in the middle of Derrick Niederman's Number Freak: From 1 to 200 - The Hidden Language of Numbers Revealed, which is okay.  The author gives factoids about each (counting) number from 1 to 200, sometimes mathematical, sometimes just things like how Star Trek uses 47 all the time.  I'm pretty sure I found an error in one of his mathematical statements, so I'm not putting too much stock in what he says.  But it's entertaining enough.

[Laura Cook]

I am going to join in this year. I've tried for the last couple years but never stick with it. I'm not going to set a goal number of books, instead this year for my main goal I am aiming to spend more time reading and waste less time staring at a screen, unless it's a book on my Kindle!

 

I started my first book, The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory, on New Year's Eve and finished it this morning. It was a quick read about Queen Elizabeth. I guess it would be considered historical fiction. I think it probably qualifies as a bit of a "bodice ripper", lol. It was fun, the last book in the Tudor Court series. I'm not sure what book wil be next, I've got a few in mind.

 

One other goal I have for the year is to stretch myself into some non fiction. I have a list of books I'm interested in, I just need to pick what appeals the most.

 

I have to admit that I am really intimidated by some of you! You all seem so knowledgeable about books and how to discuss them. All I tend to look for in a book is if it is a good story, the kind that completely sucks me into that world!

[Laura Cook]

Nan in Mass - I like the homemade journals you did! It's got my brain spinning. I think I'm going to put together my own journal with some watercolored papers to record what I'm reading this year and any thoughts/ideas or quotes I especially like. A sort of commonplace book but just for my reading. I don't really need another project but I can't resist!

[Runningmom80]

I added everyone on good reads, so if you get a strange invite, it's me. :)

Edited January 2, 2016 by Runningmom80

[Jane in NC]

 Jane what is a collard? I,m not sure I have had black-eyed peas, either. Or is that what is in hoppin' john? One of the inlaws brought that one year, saying it was traditional. I think that had beans in it? The tradition didn,t take, in my clan, so I haven,t seen it since. I seem to remember thinking it was awfully bland compared with baked beans?

 

Did anyone remember to say rabbit rabbit?

 

 

Rabbit, rabbit??

 

Warning to newcomers:  I have a habit of bringing food into the book conversation!

 

Hoppin' John is a pilaf of sorts from Carolina rice country.  Black eyed peas or field peas are a necessary component but one might also add a protein (pork or shrimp).

 

The black eyed pea is a food that is connected to the African diaspora via the enslaved people of the South.  Collards are one type of bitter greens also commonly consumed in the South although pots here will also contain beet,mustard or turnip greens.  (Kale is a more modern addition.) What I particularly love is the term used to refer to a quantity of collards:  rather than a bunch, it is called a "mess".  Where I live, a "mess of collards" could mean the bundles purchased at the market or it could refer to the diminished amount that is in your cooking pot after they have broken down.  A "mess" means enough to feed everyone at the table and is thus adjusted according to how many people you are feeding.

 

Black eyed peas like most legumes are bland on their own.  Baked beans are not bland but the bean alone before it is jazzed up is bland. Speaking of which, what kind of bean do you used in your baked beans, Nan?  I prefer Jacob's Cattle over Navy (probably because the bean is so pretty) but I have a hard time finding Jacob's Cattle beans around here.

[Shawneinfl]

I have a friend who posts "Rabbit, rabbit" but I've always been too embarrassed to ask what it means.

[Wheres Toto]

I read the Wheel of Time series years ago.  Before the last book came out.  One of my goals this year is to reread the entire series so I can finally read that last book. :laugh:

 

If you liked Wheel of Time you might also like the Sword of Truth series.

 

Other than that, I'm doing a 49 book challenge this year.  It was supposed to be 50 but then I found I had a duplicate category. :tongue_smilie:   I put it together from a few challenges I found online and it has things like -a book written by someone under 30, -a book with a color in the title, etc.  So far I've read two books and I'm working on the third (although technically the first one I finished about 90 seconds before midnight on the 31st).

 

-a book that was made into a movie:
THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold - finished 12/31/15

-a book written by someone under 30 years old
CINDER by Marissa Meyer - finished 1/1/16

-a book over 500 pages
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Garcia and Stohl - in progress

 

[marbel]

Rabbit, rabbit??

 

Warning to newcomers:  I have a habit of bringing food into the book conversation!

 

 

Mmmmm you can talk about collards and other Southern food anytime you want, as far as I'm concerned.

 

I love collards.  I love collards more than my Georgia-born husband does.  (I'm from Buffalo and have never lived in the South; I just married into it.) 

 

We haven't had Hoppin' John yet but my son is looking forward to it.  The variation I make is surely not authentic but it works for us. (Cook's Illustrated, uses frozen black eyed peas.  Don't judge me.  :-) )

 

ETA:  Hey, any recommendations for books (not cookbooks) featuring Southern food?  Novels, essays a la Laurie Colwin?

Edited January 2, 2016 by marbel

[Runningmom80]

It was pretty good but for me it will be forgettable in a few months. I prefer books that stay with you.

 

I didn't love it either.  I felt like it was too much like Gone Girl, which I didn't love, but prefered to GOTT.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Thanks for all the encouraging words we don't 'have to' read a book a week.

Last year I almost quitted the BaW list for that reason :blush:

 

And I give myself more space to read in translation.

Although english books are cheaper and easier to get..

 

I do like the bingo challenge though as I can do that in Dutch too :)

 

Sweet! Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs was already on my list, as was Shylock is My Name, At the Existentialist Cafe, Zero K, Vinegar Girl, 

 

I've now added Homo Deus - super excited about this followup to Sapiens! 

 

I notice there was no word about the next George R R Martin Game of Thrones book  . . .  :toetap05:

[Just Robyn]

Hello everyone! I just finished book 1 of the new year - Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami. For those familiar with his work, this is your typical Murakami - alternate universes, doppelgangers, wells, cats, ears.... You know, all that. It was a nice, comforting book to start with. 

 

I've started on The Tunnel, a book of poetry by Russell Edson, and I've got a bunch of other books sitting here for me to choose from: 

 

The Blue Fox by Sjon, which I'm thinking I might return to the library to check out again later

The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien, which my eldest ds is going to read with me

You Animal Machine by Eleni Sikelianos, recommended by Stacia

The Language Instinct by Stephen Pinker, a nice and easy first book as part of my linguistics goal (below) and one I already own

 

My reading goals for this year:

 

BINGO and some of the monthly authors, definitely including Moby Dick

 

a return to linguistics, including some of my old books from college and some books that look at it from an alternate POV (I saw The Language Animal on the 2016 literary calendar posted by Sadie, so maybe that one will make it in there.) 

 

lit. mags and books on writing

 

plenty of short stories and poetry, and some specific novels I'd like to get to

 

[mom22es]

Well,  I want to participate.  I've joined a couple of times at the beginning of the year in the past and then eventually go back to lurkdom.  This thread is my favorite part of the boards and I read it each week, so I thought I should give it another go.

 

I recorded that I read 37 books last year, but I think I read more that I didn't write down.  I got a little lazy with my notebook.   I'm happy with this number since I ready a lot of chunksters and classics last year.  But I'm challenging myself to double that number this year.

 

My favorites from last year were The Big Green Tent, The Time Traveler's Wife, Herbert Mason's Gilgamesh and Beautiful Ruins.

Currently I'm reading Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin, Collected Poems in English by Joseph Brodsky and Gulag by Anne Applebaum.  

 

I've never participated in any of the challenges, but I like the idea of the bingo board and have been going through my TBR pile to fill in the squares.

Looking forward to a New Year filled with great books.

 

[Lady Florida.]

 

Here my Goodreads profile...love to make some new friends :)

 

 

 

I sent you a friend request, along with a message telling you who I am.

 

 

 

Hoppin' John is a pilaf of sorts from Carolina rice country.  Black eyed peas or field peas are a necessary component but one might also add a protein (pork or shrimp).

 

The black eyed pea is a food that is connected to the African diaspora via the enslaved people of the South.  Collards are one type of bitter greens also commonly consumed in the South although pots here will also contain beet,mustard or turnip greens.  (Kale is a more modern addition.) What I particularly love is the term used to refer to a quantity of collards:  rather than a bunch, it is called a "mess".  Where I live, a "mess of collards" could mean the bundles purchased at the market or it could refer to the diminished amount that is in your cooking pot after they have broken down.  A "mess" means enough to feed everyone at the table and is thus adjusted according to how many people you are feeding.

 

 

I made Hoppin' John yesterday using MIL's recipe. It's not my tradition and I could happily skip it, but dh's family (from Tennessee originally) always had it on New Year's Day. He puts up with my ravioli and meatballs tradition for Christmas dinner while everyone else is having ham, so I can give him his tradition. We don't sit down and eat it together as a meal. I make it early in the day, then leave it on the warming burner on the back of my stove. We also skip the collards, though some years I've made spinach just to have greens. I also usually make cornbread (dh's grandmother's recipe) though I skipped that this year too. 

[TeacherZee]

Hello everyone!

 

I ended 2015 on 122 books as I didn't read on the train. Instead I ended up having a very enjoyable conversation with a former student who was travelling back to school after the Christmas holidays. 

 

My goal for 2016 is 100 books, with one each month being either a classic or a non-fiction. I started out last year reading quite a few books like that but then SOMEONE recommended The Understatement of the Year and I went on a rabbit trail and fell down the hole. Then my job change and move happened and well...I am still in the rabbit hole. The first three books I am going to tackle are Gösta Berlings Saga by Selma Lagerlöf (classic), Anzac Girls by Peter Reese (non-fiction, started last year but then the rabbit hole) and The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan (same story as Anzac Girls). I also started Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans on the bit of the train journey that I didn't have company. So I will need to read that. 

 

I will also need to read something with my firsties, but I haven't decided what yet, although I am leaning towards Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri after the discussion here. I could assign them different stories, many of them are immigrants, have parents who are immigrants or have lived as expats around the world, I think they would like the stories and be able to see them in a larger perspective. 

 

Right now I am reading a very angsty m/m romance called Bear, Otter and the Kid by TJ Klune. There are two more books in the series and I will be reading them as well. Then I will need to tackle this months non-fiction/classic.

 

My Good Reads Profile. I've gotten loads better at using it since I got my new Kindle since it prompts me to add the books to my reading shelf when I start a new book, and prompts me to mark it as read when I am done. I mostly use it for that, and to stalk my favourite authors for new books  :lol:

[TeacherZee]

Hello everyone!

 

I ended 2015 on 122 books as I didn't read on the train. Instead I ended up having a very enjoyable conversation with a former student who was travelling back to school after the Christmas holidays. 

 

My goal for 2016 is 100 books, with one each month being either a classic or a non-fiction. I started out last year reading quite a few books like that but then SOMEONE recommended The Understatement of the Year and I went on a rabbit trail and fell down the hole. Then my job change and move happened and well...I am still in the rabbit hole. The first three books I am going to tackle are Gösta Berlings Saga by Selma Lagerlöf (classic), Anzac Girls by Peter Reese (non-fiction, started last year but then the rabbit hole) and The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan (same story as Anzac Girls). I also started Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans on the bit of the train journey that I didn't have company. So I will need to read that. 

 

I will also need to read something with my firsties, but I haven't decided what yet, although I am leaning towards Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri after the discussion here. I could assign them different stories, many of them are immigrants, have parents who are immigrants or have lived as expats around the world, I think they would like the stories and be able to see them in a larger perspective. 

 

Right now I am reading a very angsty m/m romance called Bear, Otter and the Kid by TJ Klune. There are two more books in the series and I will be reading them as well. Then I will need to tackle this months non-fiction/classic.

 

My Good Reads Profile. I've gotten loads better at using it since I got my new Kindle since it prompts me to add the books to my reading shelf when I start a new book, and prompts me to mark it as read when I am done. I mostly use it for that, and to stalk my favourite authors for new books  :lol:

[TeacherZee]

DP

Edited January 2, 2016 by TeacherZee

[mumto2]

Hello everyone! I just finished book 1 of the new year - Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami. For those familiar with his work, this is your typical Murakami - alternate universes, doppelgangers, wells, cats, ears.... You know, all that. It was a nice, comforting book to start with. 

 

 

 

 

I have to agree that I feel like the new year needs a Murakami book. I hope you don't mind but I just checked out Sputnik Sweetheart to try. I had been thinking I would read Norwegian Woods but typical Murakami sounds perfect.

 

 

I have a friend who posts "Rabbit, rabbit" but I've always been too embarrassed to ask what it means.

I have no idea how Rabbit, Rabbit works for New Year but back in college one of my roommates loved doing Rabbit, Rabbit. We would all sit around in our PJ's waiting for the digital clock to turn to 11:11. The first one to say Rabbit, Rabbit would have good luck.

[Just Robyn]

 

 

I have to agree that I feel like the new year needs a Murakami book. I hope you don't mind but I just checked out Sputnik Sweetheart to try. I had been thinking I would read Norwegian Woods but typical Murakami sounds perfect.

 

 

 

Yes!  :hurray: Another year, another Murakami. It's a T-shirt waiting to happen.