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

[Pam in CT]

Happy New Year, everyone!  And welcome to all newcomers and welcome back to all return-again-comers   :seeya: !

 

I still have to work on the 2015 round-up... We had a houseful of guests until late last week, and then decamped up to Boston so my 12 year old artiste could see the Science of Pixar today.  Really cool even for a can't-draw-a-straight-line technophobe like me; she was delirious with joy.  For anyone in the area, it closes next weekend and I'd highly recommend it.

 

 

 

The last books of the year were: Allah: A Christian Response, by Miroslav Wolf, who is a (then) Yugoslav-born theologian now at Yale; the book (written in 2012) addresses the question of do Christians and Muslims worship the "same" God.  I picked it up after the Wheaton brouhaha and had high hopes for it, which I guess I'd have to say were not really met.  It is a thorough, good faith, respectful run at several different aspects of the question but it seemed to me to veer away from others (particularly issues of faith exclusivity, coercion and evangelism) that are too important to be glossed over...

 

... and Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High, by Kerry Paterson and Joseph Grenny.  Nan, I do believe that you recommended this in furtherance of Peace On Earth, lol, and though that perhaps may set expectations a bit high, I enjoyed it.  Sadie, I wonder if you might like it -- if you PM me your address I'll send it along.

 

... and a strangely affecting coffee memoir by Julia Alvarez (of Dominican descent, and Garcia Girls and Butterflies fame) and her farmer husband Bill Eichner, A Cafecito Story: El Cuento Del Cafecito.  Amazon blurbs it as: "a story of love, coffee, birds and hope... Based on her and her husband's experiences trying to reclaim a small coffee farm in her native Dominican Republic, A Cafecito Story shows how the return to the traditional methods of shade-grown coffee can rehabilitate and rejuvenate the landscape and human culture, while at the same time preserving vital winter habitat for threatened songbirds.Not a political or environmental polemic, A Cafecito Story is instead a poetic, modern fable about human beings at their best."

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

:lol: OK, as soon as I finish my 2015 roundup I'm changing my signature to Outliers make us bigger.

 

[marbel]

I'm not a snob about Oprah at all - dh and I have had several heated conversations about this :)

 

I'm all for anyone who encourages people at large to read.

 

It's not really about Oprah but more about celebrity endorsements in general, I think.  I also prefer books that don't say "now a major motion picture" on the cover.  Just an odd quirk, I guess.  :-)

[Woodland Mist Academy]

It's not really about Oprah but more about celebrity endorsements in general, I think.  I also prefer books that don't say "now a major motion picture" on the cover.  Just an odd quirk, I guess.  :-)

 

I have the same odd quirk.  :)

[Stacia]

It's not really about Oprah but more about celebrity endorsements in general, I think.  I also prefer books that don't say "now a major motion picture" on the cover.  Just an odd quirk, I guess.  :-)

 

Well, I agree w/ this too.

 

I love cover art, but extraneous info like 'endorsed by' stamps or ads for the upcoming movie ruin the art, imo. I like the cover art to be the original artwork w/out extra stuff added to hype or publicize or movie-ize it.

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

I do know one of the Oprah picks I read years ago was Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's a fabulous book & has remained one of my favorite books ever. Even though I cull my bookshelves regularly, Middlesex is one book that has always remained firmly on my shelves. Cal/Callie (the protagonist) is one of the best, most well-written characters ever. I truly loved Cal/Callie's "voice" in this book.

 

With all the strides made in the past couple of years re: gender identity, Middlesex would actually be a timely & wonderful book to recommend now. (It was originally published in 2002 & won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003.)

 

For those still compiling reading lists, I would strongly recommend Middlesex! It's a fabulous book.

 

I chose Middlesex for my month in my IRL book club in 2014 and every one of us loved it. That's a rare thing in our group. It was such a great story and well told.

 

As for Oprah, I don't seek out her book recommendations, but I don't avoid a book just because it has her endorsement on it. There are many excellent books on her book club list, as well as many awful books. The same could be said for my own list of books I've read. ;)

[Stacia]

Glad to see Laughing Cat & laughing lioness in last week's thread. Hope to see you gals here in the 2016 threads too.

 

And, carrying over from last week's thread (from Maus)...

 

Yeah, I know we started a new thread, but I finished these in 2015!  I just haven't been online, as I had a thyrodectomy in mid-December, and before I hit my two week recovery mark, my dad died.  Didn't quite hit 52 books in 52 weeks, but I'm excited to start over.

 

45. "Stories and Memories of The Maurice ____ and June ____ Family" by my aunt.  493 pages of my aunt's memories of her parents and siblings, as interpreted through her lens of undiagnosed probably NPD and definitely OCD.  I got it as a Christmas gift from my dad a week before he died, and it came with a disclaimer letter from my dad, warning us that while the events were real, her memories of how they went down don't necessarily match those of her siblings.  I could see what he meant, as I was alive and present for a small handful of the latest events.  Her version tends to have her as the hero, or only one present, like one story where she was the only one who cared enough to travel to help their brother pack when he had to move suddenly.  Uh, okay.  I was ten, and my dad and I went, too.  Actually rode in her car with her, where I was trapped in the back seat with her four year old for nine hours.  So, it was interesting both as a history and as a study in psychology!

 

44. "The Thyroid Diet Revolution" by Mary J. Shomon.

 

43.  "Rising Strong" by Brene Brown.  

42. "The Cokeville Miracle" by Hartt and Judene Wixom. (LDS)

41. "The New Testament." (KJV)

40. "The Book of Mormon" (LDS).

39. "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson" (LDS).

38. "The United States Enters the World Stage: from Alaska Purchase through World War I" and "The United States in World War II" by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier.  Really need to get these.  But, wahoo!  I went to the quarterly library book sale Wednesday, and scored five of the 23 volumes, and even better:  I was there the last hour when they changed the price from $1.00 a book to $5.00 a bag!

37. "Indians, Cowboys, and Farmers and the Battle for the Great Plains" and "The Rise of Industry" by Christopher and

James Lincoln Collier.

36. "Slavery and the Coming of the Civil War" and "The Civil War" by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier.

35. "The American Revolution" and "Hispanic America, Texas, and the Mexican War" by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier.

34. "Pilgrims and Puritans" and "The French and Indian War" by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier.

33.  "Flygirl" by Sherri L. Smith.

32. "mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine.

31. "The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders" by Elizabeth Verdick & Elizabeth Reeve, M.D.

30. "Asperger's and Girls" by Tony Attwood.

29.  "A Veiled Antiquity" by Rett MacPherson.

28. "As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust" by Alan Bradley.

27. "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan.

26. "Temple Theology: An Introduction" by Margaret Barker.

25. "Walking With the Women of the New Testament" by Heather Farrell (LDS). 

24. "Cub Scout BEAR Handbook."

23. "How to Read Literature Like  a Professor for Kids" by Thomas C. Foster.

22.  "Women and the Priesthood" by Sheri Dew (LDS).

21. "No More Meltdowns" by Jed Baker, Ph.D. 

20. "Amazed by Grace" by Sheri Dew (LDS).

19. "Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace" by Sarah Mackenzie.

18. "How to Become a Straight-A Student" by Cal Newport.

17. "Eight Plus One" by Robert Cormier.

16.  "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand.

15. "How to Train Your Dragon" by Cressida Cowell.

14.  "As You Wish" by Cary Elwes.

13. "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. 

12. "My Louisiana Sky" by Kimberly Willis Holt. 

11. "Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself" by Alan Alda.  

10. "When I Was Your Age" edited by Amy Ehrlich.

9. "Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick.  

8. “Broken Things to Mend†by Jeffrey R. Holland (LDS)

7. “When You Can't Do It Alone†by Brent Top. (LDS)

6. “What to Do When You Worry Too Much†and “What to Do When Your Temper Flares†by Dawn Huebner, Ph.D.â€

5. “Tales of a Female Nomad†by Rita Golden Gelman.

4. “Heaven is for Real†by Todd Burpo.

3. "Your Happily Ever After" and "The Remarkable Soul of a Woman" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. (LDS)

2. "Cliff-Hanger" by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson.

1. "Rage of Fire" by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson.

 

I know you've had a tough few years & the end of 2015 sounds like it was even worse. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:  I'm glad to see you on the thread again, my friend. Hoping that 2016 will be a year filled with peace for you.

 

[dsmith]

I'm going to attempt the challenge this year. It's been a long while since I last tried. As an additional challenge to myself, I'm aiming for 80% of the books I read to be from Kindle Unlimited. I've been paying for it but not using it as much as I should to make it worth it. My book for this first week is The Leaving of Things by Jay Antani. I'm only a chapter in and not feeling it so far but I'm hoping it will get more interesting.

[PeacefulChaos]

Okay so I don't really know much about Goodreads or how it works, though I did end up putting all of our books on there last year I guess (separate profiles for me and for the kids).  I did go ahead and set my goal on there to 52 books this year.

 

This is me:  https://www.goodreads.com/1nonlykayelbee

 

 

There are so many books everyone is reading that I want to find out more about!  Maybe tomorrow I'll go back through and check everything out and have a tab open to add to my 'want to read' list at the same time lol.  

 

Oh, and if you do go to my goodreads, you'll see I only read like, 7 books last year.  :lol:  Which is 100% true.  I've kind of fallen out of love with reading the last several years, when I couldn't find anything interesting to read anymore and was getting tired of having to search through the library bookshelves to find things I ended up unimpressed with.  That's part of why this year is so many rereads - it's been a few years on a lot of these, and at the very least, I know I can enjoy the books I've always enjoyed.  :)  

 

[Nan in Mass]

...

 

... and Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High, by Kerry Paterson and Joseph Grenny. Nan, I do believe that you recommended this in furtherance of Peace On Earth, lol, and though that perhaps may set expectations a bit high, I enjoyed it. Sadie, I wonder if you might like it -- if you PM me your address I'll send it along.

 

...

Guess I should have said that I take a sort of charity-begins-at-home approach to World Peace. I am unconvinced that a world at peace will stay at peace unless we each know how to live peacefully with the people we come in contact with daily. As was recently pointed out to me, if the lion can,t lie down with the lamb within our own selves, how can we expect it to happen elsewhere? So - no info about how to negotiate a peace treaty between warring drug lords or unfriendly countries with nuclear bombs or areas devastated by European colonization/exploitation or whatever, but maybe something to help you stay friends with your family or make your work situation more comfortable? But maybe not the best thing out there for this? Just what Landed in my lap and was helpful.

 

Nan

[Pam in CT]

And... drumroll... 2015 roundup:

 

Total Books Read: 107 (ish), of which, 56 (ish) non-fiction, 46 (ish) fiction, 3 drama, 2 poetry.

Round The World: "Visited" 7/7 continents; 33 countries starting with 21  letters (several countries have more than one book associated with it, and several letters, most notably I, have a number of visited countries associated with it)

• Africa: Angola, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia (6)
  
• Asia: Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, (then) Malaya, Oman, Syria, Qatar (11)
  
• Antarctica: Antarctica (1)
  
• Australia: Australia (1)
  
• Europe: Finland, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine (7)
  
• North America: Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, United States (6)
  
• South America: Brazil (1)
  

 

Top 5 Fiction:

• All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr (occupied France)
  
• A Gap of Time: The Winter’s Tale Retold, by Jeannette Winters
  
• In Paradise, by Peter Matthiessen (autobiographical fiction set in modern-day Auschwitz)
  
• Home, by Toni Morrison (homecoming/transition story of black Korean War vet)
  
• A Replacement Life, by Boris Fishman (modern-day, Russian-Jewish Brooklyn)
  

 

Top 5 Non-Fiction: 

• Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  
• The Better Angels of our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, by Steven Pinker
  
• Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department, US Department of Justice
  
• The Great Partnership: Science, Religion, and the Search for Meaning, by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
  
• The Expanding Circle: Ethics, Evolution and Moral Progress, by Peter Singer
  

 

Top 5 YA:

• Shooting the Moon, by Frances O’Roark O’Donne (protagonist left behind when older brother is sent to Viet Nam)
  
• Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okafor (Nigeria)
  
• The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman 
  
• Kid Moses, by Mark Thornton (Tanzania)
  
• The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis (Afghanistan)
  

 

Top 5 Recommendations from BAW Friends:

• The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail, by Oscar Martinez, recommended by Eliana and Stacia (Non-fiction; Mexico & Central America)
  
• The Door, by Magda Szabo, recommended by I can't remember (Fiction; Hungary)
  
• A Dream in Polar Fog, by Yuri Rytheu, also recommended by Eliana and Stacia (Fiction; Siberia)
  
• The Brothers, by Asko Sahlberg, recommended by Eliana  (Fiction; Finland)
  
• A Treatise on Shelling Beans, by Wieslaw Mysliwski, HIGHLY recommended by Jane (Fiction; Poland)
  

 

Best Poetry (OK, also the only poetry of my slacker year, but both are terrific)

• Omeros, by Derek Wolcott 
  
• The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems, by Pablo Neruda 
  

 

Complete list for 2015

[Stacia]

Pam, I haven't yet read The Beast yet myself. I have it on request from my library right now.

 

In the meantime, the book I'm currently reading (The Sound of Things Falling) relates to cartel fiction & is excellent.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Stacia

[Pam in CT]

Thanks for posting this Pam. Being o/s, you would have to sell your first born to post me anything, but I notice it's available both on Kindle and as an Audible book, so have put it on my virtual TBR pile.

:laugh: My brother lives in Singapore; while you categorically can't have my firstborn, the book rates aren't so bad.  Just let me know.

 

 

 

re: communication skills, and fomenting Peace on Earth:

Guess I should have said that I take a sort of charity-begins-at-home approach to World Peace. I am unconvinced that a world at peace will stay at peace unless we each know how to live peacefully with the people we come in contact with daily. As was recently pointed out to me, if the lion can,t lie down with the lamb within our own selves, how can we expect it to happen elsewhere? So - no info about how to negotiate a peace treaty between warring drug lords or unfriendly countries with nuclear bombs or areas devastated by European colonization/exploitation or whatever, but maybe something to help you stay friends with your family or make your work situation more comfortable? But maybe not the best thing out there for this? Just what Landed in my lap and was helpful.

 

Nan

:iagree: to the bolded  (though I maybe would frame the challenge differently than "charity" which to me connotes a built-in, ongoing power differential which to me poses its own difficulties over the long haul... I'd maybe go for something more like "conflict resolution").

 

 

There was a good bit in Crucial Conversations on specific observational and tamping-down-tension skills that I thought was quite useful.  The organization / tone sometimes veered a bit Steven Covey for my taste, and I would have liked to have seen more on the strategic distinctions between "long games" between people who (like it or not) are engaged in repeated, long term, ongoing negotiations vs. the one-offs of ordinary encounters and many business negotiations (more as Fisher & Ury did in the second Getting to Yes series, which if you haven't read you might also enjoy).  But definitely, it starts at home, with the people with whom we engage, with the tools we have in our lap... 

[Pam in CT]

re: The Beast: Riding The Rails And Dodging Narcos On The Migrant Trail by Oscar Martinez:

Pam, I haven't yet read The Beast yet myself. I have it on request from my library right now.

 

In the meantime, the book I'm currently reading (The Sound of Things Falling) relates to cartel fiction & is excellent.

Ah, well, enjoy it then.  Well, enjoy is maybe not quite right either.

 

My bedside stack is waist high at the moment, so I'm just going la la la la la la to any and all suggestions.  For at least a week.

[Stacia]

re: The Beast: Riding The Rails And Dodging Narcos On The Migrant Trail by Oscar Martinez:

Ah, well, enjoy it then.  Well, enjoy is maybe not quite right either.

 

My bedside stack is waist high at the moment, so I'm just going la la la la la la to any and all suggestions.  For at least a week.

 

:lol:

 

Yeah. I have quite a few on my request list from the library & I just staggered the hold dates for them so I (hopefully) won't get them all around the same time. Plus, I belong to two library systems. And I have quite a few in my own stacks here at home.

 

Life is chaotic for me right now. I truly have no idea if I'll have regular or sporadic reading time over the next many months, so I'm trying to keep my stacks & lists reasonable. (Hahahaha. Not succeeding too well on that one, I think....)

[Jenny in Florida]

I hate it when this happens.  Last year I was looking to significantly edit my books, and so I reread all my Charles DeLint collection, which I loved in high school.  It was so disappointing - they all ended up in the book sale.  They weren't bad, but they weren't keepers.

 

Okay, now them's fighting words! I love Charles De Lint. If it were possible, I would move to Newford tomorrow. I agree that Moonheart doesn't hold up as well as some of the other stuff,and I'm discounting anything he published under a psuedonym, but all of them?!?!?!

[sarahjokim]

So excited to find this thread - I don't usually follow the Chat board so I'm glad someone on the General board mentioned it!  I love to read but these past few years my focus has been on reading to my son and primarily audiobooks for myself on my commute.

 

This year I'm planning to be more intentionally about reading for myself and I picked up The Well Educated Mind in December.  I'm 7 chapters into Don Quixote. It's more accessible than I thought but wow, it's long and I'm hoping it's not just more of the same over and over? Well I'm going to try to get into it!  

 

Here's what I did manage to read in 2015:

https://www.pinterest.com/sarahjokim/books-read-in-2015/

 

 

[sarahjokim]

I'm determined to finish my last 2015 book today, the audio version of Alexander McCall Smith's Emma. I'm still getting a kick out of it. It isn't something you can take too seriously, rather you just have to enjoy it as well written and funny fluff. The reviews I've read from Goodreads posts to the NYT review are far too critical, and I think miss the point of it just being a breezy and light retelling.  

 

I completely agree about the critical reviews!  I listened to the audiobook in December and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Alexander McCall Smith and I heard him speak in Berkeley - he's such a funny guy in person! 

[Loesje22000]

Which most (or all?) the rest of us can't, so you look cool doing it. :laugh:

There are other People who read Dutch on the BaW

 

I still have 2 questions about the bingo.

The 'banned' field is that a book that was banned somewhere, anytime?

Or just specific for the area you live?

 

And the 'Library free space' field, is that like the blanc stone in scrabble?

To use for anything you want?

If not so I don't understand that description :)

[Jane in NC]

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

 

I wish I could think of a Southern version of Laurie Colwin.  Mrs. Whaley Entertains (Charleston focus) springs to mind but she is not a Laurie Colwin.  Let me think some more...

[Just Robyn]

 

This year I'm planning to be more intentionally about reading for myself and I picked up The Well Educated Mind in December.  I'm 7 chapters into Don Quixote. It's more accessible than I thought but wow, it's long and I'm hoping it's not just more of the same over and over? Well I'm going to try to get into it!  

 

 

In the second half, some of the humor is meta -- jokes about the first half, which was originally published as a separate volume. But other than that - yeah, it totally is just the same thing over and over. It reminded me of SNL, which I hate. That said, I was a little sad when the book was over - so there must have been something there. Maybe it grew on me.

[Nan in Mass]

:laugh: My brother lives in Singapore; while you categorically can't have my firstborn, the book rates aren't so bad. Just let me know.

 

 

 

re: communication skills, and fomenting Peace on Earth:

:iagree: to the bolded (though I maybe would frame the challenge differently than "charity" which to me connotes a built-in, ongoing power differential which to me poses its own difficulties over the long haul... I'd maybe go for something more like "conflict resolution").

 

 

There was a good bit in Crucial Conversations on specific observational and tamping-down-tension skills that I thought was quite useful. The organization / tone sometimes veered a bit Steven Covey for my taste, and I would have liked to have seen more on the strategic distinctions between "long games" between people who (like it or not) are engaged in repeated, long term, ongoing negotiations vs. the one-offs of ordinary encounters and many business negotiations (more as Fisher & Ury did in the second Getting to Yes series, which if you haven't read you might also enjoy). But definitely, it starts at home, with the people with whom we engage, with the tools we have in our lap...

I grew up with the saying and it is so ingrained I don,t even hear the words anymore, just think of it as meaning start with yourself and work outwards. It feels like a KJ Bible quote. Or Shakespeare. Or something where the meaning of the key words have morphed over time. You are quite right - conflict resolution is a much better word. In modern English, charity is something I lump in with a lot of other judgemental words and try to avoid. Although I guess I like charitable, as in assuming that somebody has a good reason for doing whatever they are doing even if I can,t imagine what it is.

 

Maybe I should add some negotiating/mediating/hammering-out-compromise/eliminating-misunderstanding books to my reading this year but I can only take so much rarayoucandoitseeitssimpleness. And I tend to stop reading when I get to something I,m not doing but could and work on that. You,ve read much more widely here than I have. What do you think? If you are reading to learn how to do something, are you better off reading one book, practising it awhile, then reading another? Or are you better off reading widely at the beginning? Or is this a stupid question because the answer depends on what type of learner you are and what you are learning? I,ve taught myself painting from books (or tried anyway). I worked through a Reader,s Digest book first, then read widely. After the first book (which like this one was a gift, not a deliberate choice), I couldn,t do everything in the book well, but I had enough experience that the rest of the books were useful. Maybe this is not like painting, though? And reading more earlier would be better? And if so, what should I read? (The book was given to us by one family member to help us, the bridge in this situation, deal with another member, although that sounds more judgemental than it actually was. The situation just made it obvious to us all that life is going to require more negotiating skills now that we are older. I have no idea how they picked it.)

 

Nan

 

Eta - Actually, I think We just have to keep following the original rules I came up with when my children were little. I just have to find a way to transmit them to my inlaws grin. And maybe that statement exhibits enough invincibleness to keep me from getting injured attempting to ski. Grin.

[Nan in Mass]

Hey Robin! I think the bingo might actually have a row or two that would work for me! Cool!

 

Nan

[Pam in CT]

 

....  Life is chaotic for me right now. I truly have no idea if I'll have regular or sporadic reading time over the next many months, so I'm trying to keep my stacks & lists reasonable. (Hahahaha. Not succeeding too well on that one, I think....)

I know, honey.   :grouphug: Holding you in the light.  

[Nan in Mass]

Ok, lol, let,s see how many times I can actually use actually in actual sentences. : )

[Violet Crown]

Aaaaaa I'm still two or three pages behind on the previous book thread! Post now, VC, go back and read when The Holidays are over.

 

Currently reading Samuel Pepys' Diary, which is wonderful stuff. All three of my girls and dh have already finished books in the New Year. (Middle Girl picked up and read through in one day a book I had in my purse that I was just going to get to. It's almost like one of us is very very busy and others have time weighing heavy on their hands.

[Shawneinfl]

I've catalogued 346 books and that was just the office and my bedroom...now moving on to the living room and my husband's office. BTW, this is NOT helping pare down my tbr pile any. :lol:

[TeacherZee]

I stayed up until 5am reading Who We Are by TJ Klune (Book 2 about Bear, Otter and the Kid) with tears running down my cheeks. Although I slept late I still have a head ache. Now I'm reading book three and crying. Man books about mental illness get me every time.

[Rosyl]

So excited to find this thread - I don't usually follow the Chat board so I'm glad someone on the General board mentioned it!  I love to read but these past few years my focus has been on reading to my son and primarily audiobooks for myself on my commute.

 

This year I'm planning to be more intentionally about reading for myself and I picked up The Well Educated Mind in December.  I'm 7 chapters into Don Quixote. It's more accessible than I thought but wow, it's long and I'm hoping it's not just more of the same over and over? Well I'm going to try to get into it!  

 

Here's what I did manage to read in 2015:

https://www.pinterest.com/sarahjokim/books-read-in-2015/

 

I listened to Don Quixote on audio. 

[Lady Florida.]

 

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

 

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe comes to mind.  IIRC (I read it 20+ years ago) there are even recipes at the end of the book for the tomatoes plus several of the other dishes.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Lady Florida

[Chrysalis Academy]

Haha! Didn't think to say rabbit rabbit. It's a custom I'm aware of, but haven't really been part of (it's good luck to say it in the first of the month - especially before anyone else in your home, and especially on the first day of the first month).

 

Also, I'm in Canada and it's hard to find collards. I can grow them (but have had insect troubles) and I adore them. Especially if made with bacon and a splash of apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. I used to work in an organic produce delivery service and we would get them in every couple of months. Since I've moved, I've had them only once or twice. Gonna put it on my To Grow list right now!

 

Inspired by Jane, I made a mess of collards, sausage and mashed potatoes for dinner last night. Yum!

[Runningmom80]

I just realized I never posted my goodreads link. :)

 

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13950352-amber

[Stacia]

Re: marbel's original question re: fictional books featuring southern cooking....

 

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe comes to mind.  IIRC (I read it 20+ years ago) there are even recipes at the end of the book for the tomatoes plus several other of the dishes.

 

This would be a great choice, I think. Do any of Sarah Addison Allen's books have cooking in them? I read one (Garden Spells) years ago & there was more about using certain plants in cooking but not so much with cooking overall. Wondering if some of her other ones might have food-related things?

 

And, slightly off-topic... if you're looking for a break from the foodie & travel (wish you were here) type books, Cooking with Fernet Branca is hilarious. It's not southern cooking (not really cooking at all, but rather using food as an offensive weapon in 'neighbor' wars). The author is British, the story set in vacation homes in Italy, & had me chuckling out loud when reading it. I think it's the first of a series of two or three; I should probably read the next one someday when I'm looking for something fun to read. Anyway, slightly off-base from what you asked but highly recommended as an outlier for the genre!

[PeacefulChaos]

 

If you have a blog or website and would to be linked on the sidebar on 52 Books Blog, please let me know.

 

 

I was just thinking about this and I don't know if I would qualify to be linked on there or not.  I probably will write a post at the end of each month with the books I've read and a brief synopsis, as well as other things I've done that month (I've got a lot I'm trying to focus on for 2016 and the different things I'm trying will change monthly).  

 

I wouldn't mind being linked, but there's nothing book-related on there now.  I tried doing a blog post for each book I read back when I tried BaW several years ago and didn't do well with it, so I thought maybe a monthly wrap up of my activities would work better.  :)

[SereneHome]

Finished my first book of the year - Memory Man.  Yes, it was a very easy and fast read, but I am still excited.

 

Next one will probably take longer - Predictably Irrational!  Wish me luck!

[PeacefulChaos]

Oh, and after going through this thread I've added so many books to my 'want to read' list that I will probably never, ever get through them.  :lol:  I'm guessing that's a permanent state for everyone here?

 

A quick question, though:  Where do you guys find all your books to read?  Since this year I'm doing a lot of re-reads, I will own most, if not all, of the books I'm reading (others are ones I've ordered or that I already have but haven't read yet), but I'm assuming that most everyone, if they're reading all new books, isn't buying them all.  Or are you?  

 

Our library kind of sucks (plus I owe them an insane amount of money), so we rarely visit.  Though I keep telling myself I need to go pay my fines because Link is a voracious reader and soon our shelves won't be able to keep up with him.  The kid's reading level is higher than mine, I swear.  :lol:

Then I just have to practice actually remembering to take the books with me to return when I leave the house.  You'd think it wouldn't be that hard since it's literally a 1/2 mile away and I have to drive by it if I go anywhere.  But yeah, I never ever remember.

 

So I could potentially do the library after I pay them.  :lol:  There's also the possibility of borrowing books from friends, if they have any books I'm interested in.

 

Anyway, yeah, so where does everyone get their books?

[Lady Florida.]

 

And, slightly off-topic... if you're looking for a break from the foodie & travel (wish you were here) type books, Cooking with Fernet Branca is hilarious. It's not southern cooking (not really cooking at all, but rather using food as an offensive weapon in 'neighbor' wars). The author is British, the story set in vacation homes in Italy, & had me chuckling out loud when reading it. I think it's the first of a series of two or three; I should probably read the next one someday when I'm looking for something fun to read. Anyway, slightly off-base from what you asked but highly recommended as an outlier for the genre!

 

That looks like a fun book. I have a lot of long and/or difficult books on my TBR list and need to leave room for fun books. I downloaded the sample to my Kindle.

 

I was just thinking about this and I don't know if I would qualify to be linked on there or not.  I probably will write a post at the end of each month with the books I've read and a brief synopsis, as well as other things I've done that month (I've got a lot I'm trying to focus on for 2016 and the different things I'm trying will change monthly).  

 

I wouldn't mind being linked, but there's nothing book-related on there now.  I tried doing a blog post for each book I read back when I tried BaW several years ago and didn't do well with it, so I thought maybe a monthly wrap up of my activities would work better.   :)

 

If I'm not mistaken, not everyone who links on the 52 Books blog specifically writes book blogs. I think some bloggers just link to their book posts. I'm sure Robin will come in soon and either correct me or tell you it's fine. 

[Stacia]

Kara, I mostly use the library. I'm not the type to re-read books often, so I learned long ago that it was better for me to rely on the library. My library system is good, but doesn't have a lot of the style of books I like to read (international/translated books; books from small publishing houses; etc...). However, the next county over is a much bigger library system, so I pay an annual fee to belong to them. (The closest branch is not that far for me to go.)

 

I do have some books that I'll buy (new or used through the local library &/or used bookstores) or quite a few that have been given to me by family or friends (many friends here on the BaW threads!). I also used to use PaperbackSwap quite a bit (but less so lately).

 

I never lack for books.

[Lady Florida.]

Oh, and after going through this thread I've added so many books to my 'want to read' list that I will probably never, ever get through them.   :lol:  I'm guessing that's a permanent state for everyone here?

 

Haha! If there's one "complaint" any of us have about these threads is that it makes our want-to-read lists grow insanely long. :D

 

 

A quick question, though:  Where do you guys find all your books to read?  Since this year I'm doing a lot of re-reads, I will own most, if not all, of the books I'm reading (others are ones I've ordered or that I already have but haven't read yet), but I'm assuming that most everyone, if they're reading all new books, isn't buying them all.  Or are you?  

 

Our library kind of sucks (plus I owe them an insane amount of money), so we rarely visit.  Though I keep telling myself I need to go pay my fines because Link is a voracious reader and soon our shelves won't be able to keep up with him.  The kid's reading level is higher than mine, I swear.   :lol:

Then I just have to practice actually remembering to take the books with me to return when I leave the house.  You'd think it wouldn't be that hard since it's literally a 1/2 mile away and I have to drive by it if I go anywhere.  But yeah, I never ever remember.

 

So I could potentially do the library after I pay them.   :lol:  There's also the possibility of borrowing books from friends, if they have any books I'm interested in.

 

Anyway, yeah, so where does everyone get their books?

 

I read almost exclusively on my Kindle. I can't remember the last time I read a paper book, though I do regularly look through some favorite cookbooks. I'm even considering buying the latest Well Educated Mind as an ebook (yes, you can flip around in a Kindle book, make notes, and save bookmarks). I listen to audio books too, Most come from the library, but I buy some from Audible.com.

 

Anyway, I borrow most of my ebooks from the library. My library has a decent collection of ebooks, but it could be better. They often only have one or two licenses (aka copies) of most of the ebooks. I pay $27 a year for an out of state ebook library card from Fairfax County Virginia. I used to subscribe to the Philadelphia Free Library until the cost went up a few years ago. There are a number of libraries that allow out of state residents to get a card for a fee. The fee more than covers what I would have spent if I bought books.

 

I also read a lot of classics, and most are free or inexpensive on Amazon. There are other ways to get free ebook classics too, such as Project Gutenberg. 

 

Before I had my Kindle I still didn't buy many books. I used my library, and racked up late fees. One of the best things about ebooks from the library is there are no late fees.

 

This probably didn't help if you don't have either a Kindle or a tablet, but that's how I get my books. I will occasionally pay full price for a Kindle book if I really want to read it, can't get it at the library, and/or think others in the family might eventually want to read it. Otherwise I move on and find a different book.

[Jane in NC]

Oh, and after going through this thread I've added so many books to my 'want to read' list that I will probably never, ever get through them.   :lol:  I'm guessing that's a permanent state for everyone here?

 

A quick question, though:  Where do you guys find all your books to read?  Since this year I'm doing a lot of re-reads, I will own most, if not all, of the books I'm reading (others are ones I've ordered or that I already have but haven't read yet), but I'm assuming that most everyone, if they're reading all new books, isn't buying them all.  Or are you?  

 

Our library kind of sucks (plus I owe them an insane amount of money), so we rarely visit.  Though I keep telling myself I need to go pay my fines because Link is a voracious reader and soon our shelves won't be able to keep up with him.  The kid's reading level is higher than mine, I swear.   :lol:

Then I just have to practice actually remembering to take the books with me to return when I leave the house.  You'd think it wouldn't be that hard since it's literally a 1/2 mile away and I have to drive by it if I go anywhere.  But yeah, I never ever remember.

 

So I could potentially do the library after I pay them.   :lol:  There's also the possibility of borrowing books from friends, if they have any books I'm interested in.

 

Anyway, yeah, so where does everyone get their books?

 

I buy some books but use the library for many.  Also, active readers within this group are often mailing books to each other.

 

My local library is pitiful so I pay $30 a year to patronize the system in a nearby community. Totally worth it if one considers what I would otherwise spend on Amazon.

 

If your library is but a half mile away, I would make a habit of walking or biking there regularly.  Pay those fines! 

 

From the woman who loves libraries,

Jane

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm a library lover too! I use it for school stuff - I couldn't afford to homeschool without it.  Most of my own reads come from the library, the next chunk from books I buy at the library book sales. We have a great library system that lets us draw from 3 counties, so I make extensive use of holds. The girls and I can each check out 30 books at a time, and can put 20 books on hold. And yes, it has happened that we've had close to 90 library books in our house, and 60 holds, at the same time!  My library is also about half a mile away, so you'd think I'd walk or jog there more than I do, but the volume of books I'm usually checking out and/or returning can make that a challenge.  

 

I usually only buy books that we'll use for school.  This is because of insufficient shelving and a tiny house, rather than a lack of desire to own every book on the planet! But our house is only 1100 sq' and most of the walls are already coated with bookshelves. I got nowhere else to put them. At this point if I buy something new, something old has to go. It's a good way to cull my shelves, I suppose.

[Just Robyn]

Oh, and after going through this thread I've added so many books to my 'want to read' list that I will probably never, ever get through them.   :lol:  I'm guessing that's a permanent state for everyone here?

 

A quick question, though:  Where do you guys find all your books to read?  Since this year I'm doing a lot of re-reads, I will own most, if not all, of the books I'm reading (others are ones I've ordered or that I already have but haven't read yet), but I'm assuming that most everyone, if they're reading all new books, isn't buying them all.  Or are you?  

 

Our library kind of sucks (plus I owe them an insane amount of money), so we rarely visit.  Though I keep telling myself I need to go pay my fines because Link is a voracious reader and soon our shelves won't be able to keep up with him.  The kid's reading level is higher than mine, I swear.   :lol:

Then I just have to practice actually remembering to take the books with me to return when I leave the house.  You'd think it wouldn't be that hard since it's literally a 1/2 mile away and I have to drive by it if I go anywhere.  But yeah, I never ever remember.

 

So I could potentially do the library after I pay them.   :lol:  There's also the possibility of borrowing books from friends, if they have any books I'm interested in.

 

Anyway, yeah, so where does everyone get their books?

 

Another vote here for the library. I use it as much as I can, but end up buying books too, usually because the library doesn't have what I want, sometimes because it's a book I'd like to own so I can re-read or reference it or sometimes just because I saw it for only $1.99 for the Kindle. Looking at my list of books from 2015 (105 books - including read-alouds and literary magazines), 52 came from the library, six were free by other means, such as given to me as a gift. 

[Lady Florida.]

I might have the (dis)honor of being the first BaW'er to drop a book in 2016. Proust. Ugh. Stream of consciousness. It's why I can't handle Woolf or Faulkner, and certainly not Joyce. Swann's Way is somewhat less annoying than the others, but I don't know how much farther I can go. I'm going to try a little longer but I won't torture myself, and will just abandon it before I start hating it. 

 

I get enough stream of consciousness in my own head. I don't need it in my books.  :lol:

Edited January 3, 2016 by Lady Florida

[Loesje22000]

I finished H is for Hawk this week (in Dutch)

And a Flemish historic roman about a servant from Erasmus.

[swimmermom3]

I woke up at the crack of dawn and finished my first book of 2016 - although of course mostly read in 2015!

 

I read The Buried Book (hah! figured out how to link to it! Yay!) which is all about the Epic of Gilgamesh. The first couple of chapters cover the discovery and decipherment of the tablets from Ashurbanipal's library in Ninevah, and shed an interesting light on that age of discovery and British imperialism. A middle chapter uses text written during Ashurbanipal's reign to talk about what life was like in the Assyrian empire, and finally the Epic of Gilgamesh is itself unpacked. The epilogue is about Saddam Hussein's take on Gilgamesh and Iraqi history and is fascinating in its own right - I had no idea that Saddam had "written" novels in his later years.

 

Happy New Year, everyone!  :party:

 

Rose, I read this a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. In fact, I think it might have been recommended to me by our own Jane in NC?  Ds and I had never thought about how even museum curators can control how we understand history - that they have their personal prejudices. It's a great book to throw into the mix if you are doing a year of ancient history and literature and you have a student who is interested in archaeology.  

[Chrysalis Academy]

Lisa, in fact I got this recommendation from you, from the High School board, when I was starting to plan our Ancients year!  I really appreciate the suggestion, it was a great book.

[SereneHome]

Oh, and after going through this thread I've added so many books to my 'want to read' list that I will probably never, ever get through them.   :lol:  I'm guessing that's a permanent state for everyone here?

 

A quick question, though:  Where do you guys find all your books to read?  Since this year I'm doing a lot of re-reads, I will own most, if not all, of the books I'm reading (others are ones I've ordered or that I already have but haven't read yet), but I'm assuming that most everyone, if they're reading all new books, isn't buying them all.  Or are you?  

 

Our library kind of sucks (plus I owe them an insane amount of money), so we rarely visit.  Though I keep telling myself I need to go pay my fines because Link is a voracious reader and soon our shelves won't be able to keep up with him.  The kid's reading level is higher than mine, I swear.   :lol:

Then I just have to practice actually remembering to take the books with me to return when I leave the house.  You'd think it wouldn't be that hard since it's literally a 1/2 mile away and I have to drive by it if I go anywhere.  But yeah, I never ever remember.

 

So I could potentially do the library after I pay them.   :lol:  There's also the possibility of borrowing books from friends, if they have any books I'm interested in.

 

Anyway, yeah, so where does everyone get their books?

 

Years ago someone send me a list of "1001 books to read before you die"......

 

Then I have been creating my own lists from hearing mention books here, there and everywhere.

 

I have lists on all kinds of topics......

 

[swimmermom3]

Hi there, Happy New Year! I'm sorting through my To Read lists and what I have on hand (or can get a hold of when I go to the library tomorrow) and I think I've narrowed my options down to six. I'm gonna see if how it works, if I'll read them all concurrently, half at a time, one or two at a time. Still sorting out my routine after our Christmas break.

 

-History of the Ancient World (Well, the last half anyhow) I saw you're starting The Medieval World in February - don't know if I can finish by then, but I may read them congruently?

- Hands Free Life by Rachel Stafford

- Mini-Habits by Stephen Guise

-The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh

-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

-When The Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi

 

I've also got seven hours left of A Great Courses Lecture on Renaissance and the Reformation, but once that's done, I'll pick up a new audiobook, more than likely it will be Soul of Discipline by Kim John Payne. I mostly read non-fiction (except from WEM), so I'm trying to always have "lighter" fiction on my list. I feel like I'm too serious sometimes lol . . .

 

I am curious to know what you thought of the Renaissance and Reformation series. I know many people on the Great Courses site gave the professor scathing reviews for his delivery, but I really enjoyed the lectures and his level of detail.  

[Robin M]

I hate it when this happens.  Last year I was looking to significantly edit my books, and so I reread all my Charles DeLint collection, which I loved in high school.  It was so disappointing - they all ended up in the book sale.  They weren't bad, but they weren't keepers.

I read the majority of them in the 80's and 90's.  Discovered his Samuel Key books a few years back and enjoyed those. Think the last book I read of his was Dingo. I wonder what I'd think of newford now?  I'll have to check out his Wildling series.  Back then I read everything I could get my hands on of De Lint,  Dietz, Farmer, and Forster among others.  Still have them all too, resting in the bottom of my closet in boxes.  Periodically I dive into a box and pull one out.

 

There are other People who read Dutch on the BaW

 

I still have 2 questions about the bingo.

The 'banned' field is that a book that was banned somewhere, anytime?

Or just specific for the area you live?

 

And the 'Library free space' field, is that like the blanc stone in scrabble?

To use for anything you want?

If not so I don't understand that description :)

The banned field is for books banned anywhere, no specific region.  And yes, the Library free space is a freebie.  Any book you choose. 

 

I was just thinking about this and I don't know if I would qualify to be linked on there or not.  I probably will write a post at the end of each month with the books I've read and a brief synopsis, as well as other things I've done that month (I've got a lot I'm trying to focus on for 2016 and the different things I'm trying will change monthly).  

 

I wouldn't mind being linked, but there's nothing book-related on there now.  I tried doing a blog post for each book I read back when I tried BaW several years ago and didn't do well with it, so I thought maybe a monthly wrap up of my activities would work better.   :)

If you have a blog, you qualify.  It isn't specific to book bloggers.  I write about writing more now than anything else. However, I'm going to try and post about my reads this go around, even if it's a mini review or a monthly wrap up.  We have a wide variety of folks from all over the world who have joined the challenge, out side of Well Trained Mind.  So makes for some interesting reading.  No worries, I check out their sites before linking to make sure there isn't anything majorly offensive. 

 

Oh, and after going through this thread I've added so many books to my 'want to read' list that I will probably never, ever get through them.   :lol:  I'm guessing that's a permanent state for everyone here?

 

A quick question, though:  Where do you guys find all your books to read?  Since this year I'm doing a lot of re-reads, I will own most, if not all, of the books I'm reading (others are ones I've ordered or that I already have but haven't read yet), but I'm assuming that most everyone, if they're reading all new books, isn't buying them all.  Or are you?  

 

Our library kind of sucks (plus I owe them an insane amount of money), so we rarely visit.  Though I keep telling myself I need to go pay my fines because Link is a voracious reader and soon our shelves won't be able to keep up with him.  The kid's reading level is higher than mine, I swear.   :lol:

Then I just have to practice actually remembering to take the books with me to return when I leave the house.  You'd think it wouldn't be that hard since it's literally a 1/2 mile away and I have to drive by it if I go anywhere.  But yeah, I never ever remember.

 

So I could potentially do the library after I pay them.   :lol:  There's also the possibility of borrowing books from friends, if they have any books I'm interested in.

 

Anyway, yeah, so where does everyone get their books?

I'll admit it, my family hoards books and we like to reread quite a bit, so the library just doesn't work for us.  Yes, our shelves are double and triple parked and lots of packed boxes in the closet and garage.  I've gotten my money's worth with Amazon Prime, plus we frequent our local Barnes and Noble.  

 

I might have the (dis)honor of being the first BaW'er to drop a book in 2016. Proust. Ugh. Stream of consciousness. It's why I can't handle Woolf or Faulkner, and certainly not Joyce. Swann's Way is somewhat less annoying than the others, but I don't know how much farther I can go. I'm going to try a little longer but I won't torture myself, and will just abandon it before I start hating it. 

 

I get enough stream of consciousness in my own head. I don't need it in my books.  :lol:

I had to read Swann's Way for a class last year and after a while he grew on me.  Discovered if try to read snippets here and there, it's too hard to get into because of his writing style.  However, if settle in after a few minutes, his style grows on you.  An hour or two a day, no more. You just got to kind of let it flow and see where it takes you.  Otherwise it gets really annoying.  Given that, I don't know if I'd read Proust for pure pleasure.  I have friends who love him and can expound all day long.  They go really deep.  I'm more of a surface reader so the class forced me to dig a bit deeper.  They talked me into reading the next one - so sometime this year I'll dive into In the Shadow of Young Girls.  If I have time.... :laugh:

[Lady Florida.]

 

I had to read Swann's Way for a class last year and after a while he grew on me.  Discovered if try to read snippets here and there, it's too hard to get into because of his writing style.  However, if settle in after a few minutes, his style grows on you.  An hour or two a day, no more. You just got to kind of let it flow and see where it takes you.  Otherwise it gets really annoying.  Given that, I don't know if I'd read Proust for pure pleasure.  I have friends who love him and can expound all day long.  They go really deep.  I'm more of a surface reader so the class forced me to dig a bit deeper.  They talked me into reading the next one - so sometime this year I'll dive into In the Shadow of Young Girls.  If I have time.... :laugh:

 

It's not strictly for pleasure but it's not something I have to read either. One of my Goodreads groups chose it as the yearlong project (the entire In Search of Lost Time volumes). I thought reading it with a group might help me stick with it, but now I'm not so sure.

[Teegarden]

Returning for the new year! Maybe this semester I'll have enough time to stick it out when classes start.

 

And my first book for the new year is:

 

1. A Quaker Book of Wisdom (Robert Lawrence Smith)

 

I really liked this one! It's pretty short, but it was a slow read, because I kept wanting to stop and think over what had been said. The author wrote it mainly for his grandchildren, so it has a very gentle, loving tone. Smith, although a serious Quaker, fought in WWII, so his reflections on pacifism are particularly interesting. He also has thoughts on education which remind me a great deal of my own parents' educational philosophy from my homeschooling days. And his discussion of silence as an integral part of Quaker life is particularly compelling.

 

From the author's reflections on World War II:

 

More than half of the draft-eligible Quaker men in the United States served in World War II, inspired by the clear moral choices of this conflict. It was a higher percentage than in any previous war. I believe whole-heartedly that the Quakers who were conscientious objectors did the right thing. They were keeping alive a precious ideal -- affirming the role of peacemaker and the place of nonviolence in human affairs. Those who went to war did the right thing too. "Doing the right thing" can only be defined as letting your conscience guide you, as listening to that small voice of God within you, and doing your best to follow the path of truth. The most precious gift life offers us is choice. No one can ever take it away from us. No one but God can ever judge the choices we make.