Book a Week 2016 - BW3: Martin Luther King

[aggieamy]

Ha ha.  In my excitement to post my review of The Blue Castle I forgot I was going also report back on the second Charles Lennox mystery.  The September Society by Charles Finch. Four stars.  My praises and complaints are the same as in the first book.  He writes people so well.  I want to invite all the characters in his books to a dinner party because it would be delightful.  I want to time travel to Oxford in Victorian times but I feel like I don't need to because it was described so well in the book.  The mystery was top notch - clever and well done.

 

And now I'm going to be a cranky old lady for a moment.  Why didn't his publishers get him a quality editor that knew the time period?!?!  It's Victorian era, not some obscure Babylonian era where nobody but the most educated historians would realize something was period inappropriate. 

 

 

Example and minor minor minor spoilers -  One of the secondary characters is pregnant and everyone is talking about baby names and is so excited over the pregnancy.  She goes to the doctor everyday and discusses her pregnancy with her husband's friends.  Casual acquaintances talk about the pregnancy when they meet in the streets.  Distant male relatives talk about the names picked out for the baby when they meet in the War Office.  That would not have happened and this was not the only situation where you had to shake your head and wonder why an editor didn't have that toned down a bit.   

[Violet Crown]

 

I thought about this . . . let me know what you think of it! I do like Tennyson. I remember reading at some point that his treatment of Guinevere was rather . . . harsh.

 

 

Keep in mind that he wrote it as Poet Laureate under Queen Victoria (and dedicated it to Prince Albert!). Faced with an adulterous fictional queen, he praises the real queen's chastity by contrast through his condemnation of the former.

[Violet Crown]

Read J. R. Ackerley's We Think the World of You. This gets cast as a "gay novel," but its homoeroticism comes across, like the narrator's insane affection for his jailed lover's dog, as a metaphor for British class conflict. Worth reading.

 

Back to Newman and Tolstoy.

[KathyBC]

Who made such a horrible cover for this book?!?!?  The book is set in early 20th Century in rural Canada.  The cover has two Yuppies (complete with sweater tied around the Ken dolls shoulders!) awkwardly standing in a field of ferns.  It hurts my eyes.

 

So at the end of 2016, we'll have to add a category for worst book covers ? Or maybe nothing could quite top this one.

[shage]

We are such a talkative bunch early in the year!

 

I popped in to say I have finished two books which I have to report on:

 

The Blue Castle - LM Montgomery - Wowza. That was so so lovely. Flufferton gals ... check it out. You will love it! Also after you read it you will be so amused by the awful cover that you find find yourself just staring at it and laughing. Who made such a horrible cover for this book?!?!? The book is set in early 20th Century in rural Canada. The cover has two Yuppies (complete with sweater tied around the Ken dolls shoulders!) awkwardly standing in a field of ferns. It hurts my eyes.

]

Elbow to the crotch.

 

Oh wait.

[Ali in OR]

Angel, yes, my grandmother's Idylls of the King is a small brown book. Says copyright 1912 inside but then on another page says published in 1923. Will try to attach a crummy pic showing it by a regular-sized paperback I just finished.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2016 by Ali in OR

[Kareni]

So at the end of 2016, we'll have to add a category for worst book covers ? Or maybe nothing could quite top this one.

 

Oh, I wouldn't say that. 

 

Take a look at this collection ~

20 Embarrassingly Bad Book Covers for Classic Novels ...

 

L. M. Montgomery's books must be magnets for poor cover art.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

Oh, I wouldn't say that. 

 

Take a look at this collection ~

20 Embarrassingly Bad Book Covers for Classic Novels ...

 

L. M. Montgomery's books must be magnets for poor cover art.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

LOL! Did you see the Henry James one Violet Crown? :)

 

Also, the Anne of Green Gables one fit with the recent discussion here.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Lady Florida

[Pam in CT]

Oh, I wouldn't say that. 

 

Take a look at this collection ~

20 Embarrassingly Bad Book Covers for Classic Novels ...

 

L. M. Montgomery's books must be magnets for poor cover art.

 

Regards,

Kareni

OMG.  Huck.Finn.   :lol:

[Just Robyn]

For crstarlette (& others):

What’s One Literary Magazine Everyone Needs To Be Reading?

 

Hey! Thanks! I haven't read any of the magazines on their list yet. There are so many! And it doesn't help that the magazines my library carries are things like Vogue and Cooking Light.

 

But I will add to their list, in case anyone is interested.

 

My current favorite is Zoetrope. Simple. Just four or five stories and some art.

 

I also enjoyed Blue Monday Review - a smaller, newer magazine (and thus in need of support, unlike Zoetrope, which has a huge circulation.)

 

I and my children all enjoyed the issue of Ember I read to them, and more issues are in the to-read-aloud pile.

 

And a free option with one of my own pieces in the current issue is The Tishman Review. They have a readers' choice contest here. 

[Just Robyn]

While I'm asking for suggestions - what is your favorite Arthurian book?  I'm hoping to try something new and great for the Bingo square.

 

Here's what I've read:

-Mary Stewart's Arthurian series (The Crystal Cave et al)

-The Once & Future King

-Sir Gawain & the Green Knight

-The Mists of Avalon

 

My favorite Arthurian book is already on your list  - The Once and Future King. To fill that Bingo square, I'm planning to read his posthumously published The Book of Merlyn.

[Violet Crown]

LOL! Did you see the Henry James one Violet Crown? :)

 

 

Ooooooookayyyy...

 

I wonder what they would have done with The Wings of the Dove.

[aggieamy]

So at the end of 2016, we'll have to add a category for worst book covers ? Or maybe nothing could quite top this one.

 

It should win.  :)

 

Elbow to the crotch.

 

Oh wait.

 

I don't know why this cover was chosen!

Oh, I wouldn't say that. 

 

Take a look at this collection ~

20 Embarrassingly Bad Book Covers for Classic Novels ...

 

L. M. Montgomery's books must be magnets for poor cover art.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Oh my gosh.  The Scarlet Pimpernel was hilarious!

[Teegarden]

My favorite Arthurian book is already on your list  - The Once and Future King. To fill that Bingo square, I'm planning to read his posthumously published The Book of Merlyn.

 

My favorite too! And I liked The Book of Merlyn. I'll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

Thank you, everyone, for the birthday wishes. :D I settled on Texas Women of World War II for my book, which has been fascinating (and frequently hilarious). Hopefully I'll have finished it and have a full review by Sunday.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Oh, I wouldn't say that. 

 

Take a look at this collection ~

20 Embarrassingly Bad Book Covers for Classic Novels ...

 

L. M. Montgomery's books must be magnets for poor cover art.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

:lol:  :lol:  :lol: I haven't laughed that hard since the last Text-Autocorrect-F-up post on Facebook!  I literally have tears squeezing out of the corners of my eyes.  The covers were hysterical, but the commentary was priceless.

[mumto2]

Since we are all thinking about our favorite Arthur books I am going to ask if anyone knows the name of a book I read off my sil's bookshelf as a teen. I have hunted but can't find it. I think the cover was misty with a blond/red head in a green dress.

 

The book was about a woman named something similar to Lenore who was King Arthur's childhood playmate and his mistress. Other words his true love. She was present at his burial. I loved it. Probably read between 1975 and 1980.

 

Any ideas???? I loved it and would like to revisit it.

[Robin M]

Since we are all thinking about our favorite Arthur books I am going to ask if anyone knows the name of a book I read off my sil's bookshelf as a teen. I have hunted but can't find it. I think the cover was misty with a blond/red head in a green dress.

 

The book was about a woman named something similar to Lenore who was King Arthur's childhood playmate and his mistress. Other words his true love. She was present at his burial. I loved it. Probably read between 1975 and 1980.

 

Any ideas???? I loved it and would like to revisit it.

Would the woman be Morgan???

[idnib]

OMG.  Huck.Finn.   :lol:

 

Maybe I can take another approach to getting DS to read Twain....

[Rosie_0801]

I'm reading Pyle's King Arthur to dd. The forthwiths are making up for the fairly dull story about men who are absurdly quick to anger.

[Ellesmere]

We are such a talkative bunch early in the year!

 

I popped in to say I have finished two books which I have to report on:

 

The Blue Castle - LM Montgomery - Wowza. That was so so lovely. Flufferton gals ... check it out. You will love it! Also after you read it you will be so amused by the awful cover that you find find yourself just staring at it and laughing. Who made such a horrible cover for this book?!?!? The book is set in early 20th Century in rural Canada. The cover has two Yuppies (complete with sweater tied around the Ken dolls shoulders!) awkwardly standing in a field of ferns. It hurts my eyes.

 

 

I actually was going to find and read The Blue Castle last week, but earlier on the month I tried a different L.M. Montgomery book (with a better cover) and couldn't get through it. After that disappointment, I couldn't bring myself to try The Blue Castle with that cover. But I need something fluffy for next week, so I may give it go it after all.

[Robin M]

Yippy! The newest book in Karen Marie Moning's Fever series just came out - Feverborn. I had preordered so it downloaded and I'm trying to be good. I want to finish A Suitable Boy before I dive in. I'm almost there and on page 1304 out of 1474.  I also have The Forest House on my nook geared up to read.  Maybe the 3rd time will be the charm.  

 

 

 

 

Rose - To be honest I haven't read any of his Pendragon series. I did read Hood and enjoyed it.  I tried reading Scarlet and ended up shelving it and never getting back to it. Maybe this year, maybe not.  

 

Pam, oh dear!   There's nothing like being held captive to an audio book in the car.  

 

Tawlas  -  Congratulations on finishing History of the Ancient World. Yes, readalouds with your kids, particularly books over 100 pages long, you can count.  Having readaloud the majority of the Harry Potter books and others,  lots of brownie points heading your way.  

 

Kathy - pm your email address and I'll send you the pdf file.  I didn't realize the picture was messed up and not coming through on the blog.  Will work on fixing that this weekend. 

 

Karen - thanks for the link to worst book covers. What were they thinking? 

 

MelMichigan -- So happy to hear the good news and glad you were able to get your iphone and ipad to read the stories to you. 

 

[Nan in Mass]

OMG. Huck.Finn. :lol:

That,s the pne that got us. I made my husband guess, first.

[Nan in Mass]

Since we are all thinking about our favorite Arthur books I am going to ask if anyone knows the name of a book I read off my sil's bookshelf as a teen. I have hunted but can't find it. I think the cover was misty with a blond/red head in a green dress.

 

The book was about a woman named something similar to Lenore who was King Arthur's childhood playmate and his mistress. Other words his true love. She was present at his burial. I loved it. Probably read between 1975 and 1980.

 

Any ideas???? I loved it and would like to revisit it.

It might have been by Elizabeth Goudge? I can,t remember the title.

 

Nan

 

Eta - no, I think that one was Child of the Sea. Different time period. I think I tead your book, but I,m drawing a blank.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Nan in Mass

[Jane in NC]

Yup, when someone says "Scarlet Pimpernel" I always think of a kitten in an attache.

 

I think Cranford is the one that made my eyes pop.  Seriously, someone was taking some interesting drugs when making the sci fi choice for Mrs. Gaskell's work!

[Stacia]

For my book club, I have started reading We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo.

 

Winner of the 2014 PEN / Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction
Winner of the 2014 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction
Shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize
Winner of the 2014 Zora Neale Hurston/ Richard Wright Legacy Award for fiction
Winner of the 2013 Etisalat Prize for Literature
Finalist for the 2013 Guardian First Book Award
One of the New York Times Notable Books of the Year for 2013
One of National Public Radio's Great Reads of 2013 

In Bulawayo’s engaging and often disturbing semiautobiographical first novel, 10-year-old Darling describes, with childlike candor and a penetrating grasp of language, first, her life in Zimbabwe during its so-called Lost Decade and then her life as a teenager in present-day America. What is at once delightful and disturbing is the fact that young Darling and her friends are so resilient amidst chaos. Darling must cope with absentee parents gone to who-knows-where, seeking jobs and a better life; abusive adults; and murdering bands of self-appointed police in a country gone horribly wrong. Yet she evinces a sense of chauvinism regarding her corrupt homeland when she joins her aunt in America. There she discovers a country that has fallen into a different kind of chaos, primarily economic. She and her new family struggle while America fails to live up to her hopes. Ultimately what lingers is Bulawayo’s poignant insights into how a person decides what to embrace and what to surrender when adapting to a new culture in a new land. --Donna Chavez --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

 

 

[Angelaboord]

I haven't actually read them, sorry!

 

I think I'm going to have to check them out myself. They sound intriguing!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Kareni]

This afternoon I finished an enjoyable contemporary romance.  This is one I'll likely re-read.

 

Kulti by Mariana Zapata

 

"“Trust me, I’ve wanted to punch you in the face a time or five.†When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.

 

It didn’t take a week for twenty-seven-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she’d seen in the international soccer icon—why she’d ever had his posters on her wall, or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.

 

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man that hadn’t known she’d existed. So she isn’t prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team’s season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he’d once been.

 

Nothing could have prepared her for the man she got to know.

 

Or the murderous urges he brought out in her. This was going to be the longest season of her life."

 

There's a balanced review here.

 

Regards,

Kareni
 

[Lady Florida.]

 

Kathy - pm your email address and I'll send you the pdf file.  I didn't realize the picture was messed up and not coming through on the blog.  Will work on fixing that this weekend. 

 

 

 

Thanks. I PM'd you. There might not be any problem with the blog, though it can't hurt for you to check. Avast has been overprotective and it's driving me crazy. It doesn't give me any credit for having been on the internet long enough to know what websites are safe. I'm almost ready to just turn it off completely but that makes dh twitchy.

[PeacefulChaos]

We are such a talkative bunch early in the year! 

 

I popped in to say I have finished two books which I have to report on:

 

The Blue Castle - LM Montgomery -  Wowza.  That was so so lovely.  Flufferton gals ... check it out.  You will love it!  Also after you read it you will be so amused by the awful cover that you find find yourself just staring at it and laughing.  Who made such a horrible cover for this book?!?!?  The book is set in early 20th Century in rural Canada.  The cover has two Yuppies (complete with sweater tied around the Ken dolls shoulders!) awkwardly standing in a field of ferns.  It hurts my eyes.

 

 

Fact: That cover honestly made me just... unable to consider reading the book.  :lol:  Granted, I do think I read the synopsis and a couple reviews and determined it definitely wasn't for me, BUT the cover was a hugely bad first impression.  :lol: :lol:

[Jane in NC]

I am exhausted after a couple of hectic days with limited time to read.  I did wrap up Roadside Picnic which is a thought provoking book that gave me pause.  In general, I shy away from the sci fi genre but this book (written in the '70's) has a plot and characters that captivated me.

 

The Aliens (whoever they may me) have contaminated parts of the earth. These Zones are off limits but there is a significant black market trade in the objects contained within. Entering a Zone brings physical peril.  Those who participate in the harvesting of alien trash (with its fascinating technologies) are called Stalkers.

 

The book focuses on one stalker, Red Schuhart, who in part risks these trips into the Zone for the cash that supports his wife and child.  But there is more to it than that. One could perhaps see black market parallels between selling objects from the Zone and the sale of Western merchendise in the Soviet Union at the time the novel was penned by the Strugatsky brothers.  Or one can be taken aback to the foreshadowing of the creation of the zone around Chernobyl which happens fifteen years after the book is published.  There is the sacrifice of the son for those intrigued by biblical imagery.

 

For me though the book is one of ambiguous morality in a world where hope is unknown. Wow--that sounds bleak, doesn't it?  I'm still processing this one.

 

Onward.  I started reading a McSweeney publication, Mr. Gwyn and Three Times at Dawn, two intertwined novellas by Italian author Alessandro Baricco.  And I am still reading D'Ambrosio's essays in Loitering and Trojanow's travel book Along the Ganges.

 

Yet another public meeting to attend today.  I am bringing my knitting.

[Mom-ninja.]

You are probably right, but then there is that pesky square on the Bingo board . . . which I am being slightly OCD about!  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

 

Maybe read one of the prequels to Mists of Avalon as they all tell the story leading up to King Arthur. 

 

 

Laughing. I started The Martian last night and wondered why such a smart person lacked an expansive vocabulary. I guess if you are stranded on Mars, only one word will do.

They've done studies that show that using curse words/bad language helps decrease pain and stress. That was mentioned here before, and made me understand why I turned into a sailor during birth. 

[mumto2]

It might have been by Elizabeth Goudge? I can,t remember the title.

Nan

Eta - no, I think that one was Child of the Sea. Different time period. I think I tead your book, but I,m drawing a blank.

  

 

I haven't had time to go through all of Gouge's books but I didn't see it with my quick glance. Her books look really good. Definitely a new author to explore. Thanks for saying you think you read it. I remember it fondly as sooooo very romantic. ;) But after several fruitless searches I start thinking I dreamed it!

 

 

Would the woman be Morgan???

No, definitely not Morgan. It is something similar to Lenore. Unfortunately my sil is no longer part of our family and things will never be so I can contact her and ask. To be honest I doubt that she would remember it. I think part of the reason I managed to read it may have been she hadn't although I don't remember any really adult scenes either, just a nice romance built within a familiar story.

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm having a yucky week so that link to the book covers is like the best medicine ever. 

 

I could not stop laughing at Turn of the Screw.

 

And Huckleberry Finn?! I guess the person who chose that cover figured since it's a book about a young teen boy....

 

The Princess Bride....just what? 

 

These people just didn't read the books did they? I wonder if anyone got in trouble for a job badly done.

[idnib]

The Aliens (whoever they may me) have contaminated parts of the earth. These Zones are off limits but there is a significant black market trade in the objects contained within. Entering a Zone brings physical peril.  Those who participate in the harvesting of alien trash (with its fascinating technologies) are called Stalkers.

 

The book focuses on one stalker, Red Schuhart, who in part risks these trips into the Zone for the cash that supports his wife and child.  But there is more to it than that. One could perhaps see black market parallels between selling objects from the Zone and the sale of Western merchendise in the Soviet Union at the time the novel was penned by the Strugatsky brothers.  Or one can be taken aback to the foreshadowing of the creation of the zone around Chernobyl which happens fifteen years after the book is published.  There is the sacrifice of the son for those intrigued by biblical imagery.

 

For me though the book is one of ambiguous morality in a world where hope is unknown. Wow--that sounds bleak, doesn't it?  I'm still processing this one.

 

Wow. I admit I've only heard the title of the book and wasn't aware of what it was about. If I worked for those publishers who have the crazy covers I would have slapped on an oil painting of people actually having a picnic by the roadside.  :o

[Tawlas]

Yay! I knew that finishing Story of the Ancient World would fee up a lot of reading time for me :). Made a lot of progress in Pride & Predjudice yesterday and finished off The Art of Communicating (Thich Nhat Hanh) this morning.

 

I have discovered have a lot in common with Zen Buddhism. I really identified with a lot of things he said in this book, which is thrilling. I love finding out that there are others out there that think like me. I picked this book up on a whim from the library a few weeks ago and I was unsure if I'd even like it since I'm a very practical person (to a fault, really)and I was worried that this would be would be too wish you-washy or "out there" for me to get through. But I found it refreshingly simple and straight forward and I loved that he included some practical suggestions on how to apply his ideas in my own daily life. I may even pick up another of his books in the future.

 

Also, I'm looking for a book recommendation for my Dh. He has bouts of insomnia but finds that reading fantasy helps him feel drowsy, mostly because it has absolutely nothing to do with the reality of his day-to-day life. He's enjoyed both the Harry Potter books as well as the Monster Blood Tattoo series. Any recommendations for him would be much appreciated!

[SKL]

Well, I am still busy with work deadlines and am not making it to my basement book stash.  So I decided to re-read a short book called The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra.  I read this many years ago, before kids.  I really liked it, except for the first chapter.  Well, this time around I "get" the first chapter a lot better.  So far so good.  I used to be a lot closer to that book's ideal, but having babies / young kids took away my ability to really sit and think deep thoughts and basically take care of myself in a spiritual sense.  Time to get back to it.

[Robin M]

Sigh! I finished A Suitable Boy. Don't want to spoil it for those still reading, so will hold off with specific thoughts for a bit. I need a couple days to decompress. My initial thought upon completing the story is on goodreads.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Robin M

[Kareni]

A couple of pieces from Tor.com ~

 

 

A lovely piece from author Max Gladstone: 

 

On Alan Rickman, Loss, and Mourning Our Heroes

 

 

and

 

Five Books About Fantastical Islands by Simon Sylvester

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

Double post in response to Sadie's post. Since others already Liked the second one, I deleted this one.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Lady Florida

[Lady Florida.]

It's good I got some heavy duty reading in early in the year. We've just been given notice that we have to move out of our rental, so I imagine the next few months won't be leisure time heavy.

 

:grouphug: Oh Sadie, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you can find something affordable that you're happy with. Pop in when you can even if it's just so comment on other people's reading choices. Of course we'll still be here whenever you can start reading again.

[Jane in NC]

I don't want to "like" your post, Sadie, but I do want to offer support and a general "Ugh".  Best of luck with the transition.

[Lady Florida.]

Ugh! The Story of a New Name has stopped being enjoyable and has become a chore. 

 

I wrote this comment under my Currently Reading status on Goodreads:

 

 

"This is becoming a chore, and I'm not sure I'm going to finish. I've been reading it much of the afternoon, and am now at 54%. I really enjoyed the first book, My Brilliant Friend. Halfway through the second one however, I find myself really disliking almost all of the characters (maybe all of them, I can't think of any I like). The prose that I enjoyed so much the first time has become tiresome and repetitive. It would probably be different if this was a classic and/or I thought there might be a payoff at the end, but I don't think it's going to get better. I might give it another chapter or two, then decide. For now, I'm going to move on to one of the books I'm actually enjoying."

 

Edited January 21, 2016 by Lady Florida

[Nan in Mass]

It's good I got some heavy duty reading in early in the year. We've just been given notice that we have to move out of our rental, so I imagine the next few months won't be leisure time heavy.

 

I'm sorry, Sadie.  I hope you find, after all the chaos, that your new place is way better than your old place.  And that you have an endless supply of escape literature to sustain you and an opportunity to escape at frequent intervals. : )

 

Nan

[AmandaVT]

I hope I can join you guys this year! I tried last year and stopped posting when I had a hard time reading anything deeper than Jen Lancaster books. This year, I am determined to up my reading game a bit and read more than just light and fluffy books. :-) I bought The Well Educated Mind and am planning on reading it and reading the recommended books. I am slightly daunted by the idea of starting with Don Quixote though. Tomorrow is our library day, so I will give it a go. 

 

I have been reading and I've read:

 

Two Minute Warning: How Concussions, Crime and Controversy Could Kill the NFL by Mike Freeman

 

I love football and found this book really well done. I think it'll only appeal to people who really like football, because it was a bit dry at times, but I really liked it. It also makes me wonder how much longer the sport will be around. I'm very glad we made the decision not to let our son play football as well. 

 

 

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink. 

 

I've reread this one for the new year most years and it's really interesting and informative. The author is a psychologist who studies eating and eating habits. He has a food science lab and runs various studies out of it - exploring what happens when people are given bottomless bowls of soup, wine with different labels, whether people will eat more snacks if they're served in multiple smaller bowls or one larger one, and lots of others. Much of it is very practical information that I already knew, but I still found the book fascinating and his descriptions, especially about how they got the bowls of soup to refill automatically, can be quite funny.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Confession time: I am abandoning Angle of Repose.  :leaving:   I was a little more than half way through, but it was just becoming a joyless slog. I never really got into it from the beginning: I found that the frequent interruptions by the narrator/storyteller made it hard to get into the story he was telling - about his grandparents - but as it went on I just found the characters, particularly Susan, more and more frustrating and irritating. Finally today I realized I was dreading picking it back up. That can't be a good thing. So I'm letting it go.

 

Off to find something else published in 1971  :gnorsi:

[idnib]

It's good I got some heavy duty reading in early in the year. We've just been given notice that we have to move out of our rental, so I imagine the next few months won't be leisure time heavy.

 

:grouphug:

 

I liked your post but it was a "Like of Support" rather than liking your situation. I'm sorry you have to move. Maybe some fun audiobooks while you pack?

[Pam in CT]

It's good I got some heavy duty reading in early in the year. We've just been given notice that we have to move out of our rental, so I imagine the next few months won't be leisure time heavy.

Oh, that is miserable.  I'm so sorry.   :grouphug:

 

 

 

Confession time: I am abandoning Angle of Repose.  :leaving:   I was a little more than half way through, but it was just becoming a joyless slog. I never really got into it from the beginning: I found that the frequent interruptions by the narrator/storyteller made it hard to get into the story he was telling - about his grandparents - but as it went on I just found the characters, particularly Susan, more and more frustrating and irritating. Finally today I realized I was dreading picking it back up. That can't be a good thing. So I'm letting it go.

 

Off to find something else published in 1971  :gnorsi:

Oh dear.  Sorry it didn't do it for you... but much better to cut bait on joyless slog!  Life is short, and I'm sure there are plenty other fine 1971 offerings...

[Mesamin]

I finished Steven Brust's "To Reign in Hell."  The copy I read has been passed around, smells of smoke and there were business cards and other items falling from the pages as I read.  The story is a fantasy telling of the revolt of angels at creation and is cleverly done.  My younger self would have loved this and at this age I find it interesting (I'm not big in to science fiction or fantasy at this age in general).

 

Jane and I are on the same wave length as far as thinking about censorship this week.  I've been thinking about it on a broad scale while listening to Noble Peace Prize speeches and I've been thinking about it in my own life as I debate censoring my own voice.  But I am reminded of all those who did not censor, who were brave and stood up and spoke even when it was ugly and hard to do so.  I'm especially taken with this poem by Shane Koyczan:

 

 

 

;)

 

 

[Jane in NC]

I finished Steven Brust's "To Reign in Hell." The copy I read has been passed around, smells of smoke and there were business cards and other items falling from the pages as I read. The story is a fantasy telling of the revolt of angels at creation and is cleverly done. My younger self would have loved this and at this age I find it interesting (I'm not big in to science fiction or fantasy at this age in general).

 

Jane and I are on the same wave length as far as thinking about censorship this week. I've been thinking about it on a broad scale while listening to Noble Peace Prize speeches and I've been thinking about it in my own life as I debate censoring my own voice. But I am reminded of all those who did not censor, who were brave and stood up and spoke even when it was ugly and hard to do so. I'm especially taken with this poem by Shane Koyczan:

 

 

;)

Beautiful! Thank you!

[Nan in Mass]

I liked the Shane Koyczan poem. Thank uou Mesamin.