Runningmom80 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Well, I seem to have gotten a week behind. In my defense I was reading The Help and it's over 500 pages. I also had simultaneous family emergencies that greatly reduced my reading time. I know I don't need to give you all excuses, this is more for myself. :lol: I'm currently reading 10% Happier, and reading The Hobbit with DS. My list 1. The Alchemist 2. Between the World and Me 3. The Whole-Brain Child 4. The Help 5. 10% Happier 6. The Hobbit 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I have to say, I am really enjoying A Passage to India. When I first started reading it I thought it was all going to be a satirical send-up of British colonialism, and that while I might agree with the sentiment I wouldn't enjoy the process. But I was wrong, this is a much more interesting and thought-provoking book about the creation and interaction of culture and identity. And imagine my pleasure when I read this passage, which neatly paralleled the passage I posted from The New Jim Crow yesterday: (these lines are spoken by Dr. Aziz, a Muslim Indian doctor working for the British, to his British friend Fielding): "No one can ever realize how much kindness we Indians need, we do not even realize it ourselves. But we know when it has been given. We do not forget, though we may seem to. Kindness, more kindness, and even after that more kindness. I assure you it is the only hope." I'm also reading The Bhagavad Gita, translated and introduced by Eknath Easwaran. This is a pre-read for our Ancient History/Lit studies, but also inspired by discussions here. Books read in February: 28. The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England - Dan Jones 27. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander 26. Theogony - Hesiod 25. Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages - Richard Rubenstein 24. Richard III - William Shakespeare I loved A Passage to India! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Book #14: Forests of Silence by Emily Rodda. It's the first Deltora Quest book. I read it to the little boys. This is the third time I've read this series. I love it so much. It's like visiting old friends every time. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I hope I'm going to be able to carry on with A Passage to India. My book group just chose Anna Karenina for our next meeting. Which, because of the length of the book, won't be till April. But still! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I hope I'm going to be able to carry on with A Passage to India. My book group just chose Anna Karenina for our next meeting. Which, because of the length of the book, won't be till April. But still! Oh, dear. I definitely could NOT do both of those at once! Good luck with that... 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I finished listening to Brotherhood in Death, J.D. Robb's latest in Death addition. I enjoyed it. I'm listening to Pandora's Star, which is not my usual genre. I'm not sure if I will get through all 37 hours. It's so much harder to listen when I could read them so much faster! I have a real problem with series that I have been reading, because I just don't think of the characters the same way as they are performed, nothing against the narrator. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Book #14: Forests of Silence by Emily Rodda. It's the first Deltora Quest book. I read it to the little boys. This is the third time I've read this series. I love it so much. It's like visiting old friends every time. Deltora Quest! A trip down memory lane as it was the series that cemented my youngest's reading skills and perhaps got him hooked on epic fantasy. I can remember reading aloud a page or two then handing it over for him to read a page aloud to me. It wasn't long before he was reading them on his own. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Don't worry! We are not always reading the same books so any and all random book thoughts appreciated. Since Small is Beautiful was written, I think that culturally we have become obsessed with data for the sake of data. I am seeing that with one of my community advisory boards. There is a subcommittee that loves to gather and refine data--which would be fine if it weren't so expensive. The town manager is asking them to develop some pro-active projects that they can monitor. That way they'll still get some data but hopefully something positive will be done in the process. Computer modeling was new but still a significant part of the discussion when Small was written. Limits to Growth from the Meadows Group at MIT was published about the same time. I remember studying population and natural resource models in that book. I think that people involved in NGOs still look to Schumacher. The data thing is really interesting. I did some information management when I was in the army and certainly in that context too much was in many ways as much a problem as too little. I think there are still NGO's using his management principles - I find it interesting that they are so closely taken from Catholic social teaching. I wish there was an example, as an abstract set of principles I feel like it's missing something that a concrete example would help me see. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 An entertaining post ~ 15 Hilarious Complaints Medieval Scribes Left in the Margins Regards, Kareni 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I haven't had any reading time this week. We are hosting a Harry Potter Marathon/Party this weekend and the girls have kept me busy moving furniture and decorating. Today we made "chocolate frogs." I was hoping to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this week but totally underestimated the time I'd actually have to read. Angel...who has a stone wall taped to one living room wall, a Hogwarts crest blanket hung on the other, Harry Potter legos on the mantle, chocolate frogs in the fridge, Jean the Pygmy Puff in a pink bird cage on the piano, and an owlry on the kitty cat tower (not amusing to the kitty cat), and more to come! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I haven't had any reading time this week. We are hosting a Harry Potter Marathon/Party this weekend and the girls have kept me busy moving furniture and decorating. Today we made "chocolate frogs." I was hoping to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this week but totally underestimated the time I'd actually have to read. Angel...who has a stone wall taped to one living room wall, a Hogwarts crest blanket hung on the other, Harry Potter legos on the mantle, chocolate frogs in the fridge, Jean the Pygmy Puff in a pink bird cage on the piano, and an owlry on the kitty cat tower (not amusing to the kitty cat), and more to come! I advise audiobooks. Jim Dale = #Brilliant. You're a very good mom. Chocolate frogs, that's beyond my pay grade, myself... :lol: 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellesmere Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I don't think I posted what I actually read last week. I took it easy and re-read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. It was one of those books that I'd read many years ago, growing up on her books. But I am not sure I ever read it again past high school. I had seen the latest movie version last month and had been thinking of reading again this year anyway. Since I needed something that wouldn't tax my brain, I grabbed it even though I had something like 17 books already started. I actually had started out reading her stage version after intending to read The Mousetrap again. And I had The Mousetrap on my mind because I had listened to The Blizzard by David Ives. If I'd had more time I would have done more with reading the books and her stage versions in this volume and watched any filmed versions out there but another time.This article is a bit old but it said And Then There Were None was voted as readers' favorite AC book. I am never sure if I like some of Agatha Christie's books because of the familiarity and memories or if tit is because they are some of her better works. But at any rate, I wouldn't vote it as my favorite. This week: I'm probably not going to finish it, but I'm reading The Late Age of Print by Ted Striphas. I'm enjoying it but it's been a dreadful week (nothing terrible, just stressful and I can't get out of my own way) so I haven't been able to devote as much time to it as I'd like. I'm pretty sure I'm abandoning The Birth House, at least until I am in a better frame of mind for it. I'll post book related stuff in a separate post. Yesterday was a sad day in our household. I had made an appointment (THE appointment) for our dog for Tuesday, but he was in such bad shape Friday night that we knew it wasn't fair to make him wait that long. We had hoped for a few more days to say goodbye, but we feel we made the right decision. Fortunately our vet has half day hours on Saturday, so when I called in the morning they said we could bring him in. They were very caring and understanding and let us have as much time as we needed before actually doing anything. Ds' girlfriend came over early in the morning, went to the vet with us, and stayed most of the day and a good part of the evening. I was grateful to her, and I think her presence really helped him deal with his sadness. Of course our grieving is not over, but yesterday was the hardest and I'm glad she was able to be here to help him through it. She volunteers at an animal rescue thrift shop on Saturdays, but when she called and told them why she couldn't come in, they completely understood. As I mentioned, my heart is breaking from missing the dog, but also for my son, who grew up with him. They were the poster for "A boy and his dog." I don't want to end this post on such a sad note, so I want to share a message sent to me by a friend. It was in response to a comment I made about seeing my big 18 year old man fall apart over the loss of his childhood pet. I though it was a wonderful sentiment. This is so so SO hard. The thing is...Dingo left Dennis with a gift he will carry with him his whole life: compassion, and the ability to love and look after a creature put under his care. This, in some way, is Dingo's legacy: he left behind a boy, a young man in pain, but who is a better person for it. Hugs. What a beautiful message. My childhood dogs are long gone but they still come up in memories and conversations, making us smile & share. We can't have dogs but we have a pet for our kids and I've dreaded the day when her time will be up, but that is a message I hope to remember for them. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I just finished the inspirational romance Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden. It was a pleasant read. I've read several other books by the author; this had by far the most religious content. "Fascinated by Dierenpark, an abandoned mansion high atop a windswept cliff in the Hudson River Valley, Sophie van Riijn sees no harm in setting up a rooftop weather station for her work with the newly established Weather Bureau. While the villagers are suspicious of the mysterious estate and its tragic history, Sophie has come to see it as her own enchanted piece of paradise.The first Vandermark to return to the area in sixty years, Quentin intends to put an end to the shadowy rumors about the property that has brought nothing but trouble upon his family. Ready to tear down the mansion, he is furious to discover Sophie trespassing on his land.Instantly at odds, Quentin and Sophie yet find common ground when she is the only one who can reach his troubled son. There's a light within Sophie that Quentin has never known, and a small spark of the hope that left him years ago begins to grow. But when the secrets of Dierenpark can no longer be kept in the past, will tragedy triumph or can their tenuous hope prevail?" I've posted this before. The author's companion novella is currently free to Kindle readers ~ Toward the Sunrise: An Until the Dawn Novella by Elizabeth Camden "Julia Broeder is only six months shy of graduating from the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania when one small decision spirals out of control and results in her expulsion. Hoping to travel the world as a missionary doctor, her only choice is to return back home...or throw herself upon the mercy of Ashton Carlyle.Formal and straight-laced, Ashton Carlyle is not pleased to see an expelled Julia arrive at his Manhattan office. His position as a junior attorney for the Vandermark family's world-famous shipping empire entails taking care of the Broeders, longtime employees of the Vandermark family. But Ashton has no intention now of using his employer's resources in defense of Julia's impulsive and reckless actions.What Ashton did not expect was a scathing reprimand from none other than the Vandermark family patriarch or the bewildering resistance from Julia herself when he's forced to change his tune. At an impasse, Ashton and Julia never anticipated the revelations that arise or the adventure that awaits them." Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 And some bookish humor that my daughter shared with me ~ Have you ever wondered where books come from? Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shage Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I finished a quirky Powell's find called Therafields: The Rise and Fall of Lea Hindley-Smith's Pschoanalytic Commune by Grant Goodbrand. It is the strange and twisting tale of an English lay-trained psychoanalyst who established an intentional living community in Toronto in the late 1960's. The community grew to the largest full time residential commune in Canada, if not North America, before completely unraveling and derailing in the early 1980's. A number of varied and interesting characters had affiliations with the commune including poet bpNichol, theologian Gregory Baum, and an army of therapists who later fanned out across North America. (Writer Michael Ondaatje had some sort of loose affiliation or contact given his collaboration with bpNichol.) I had never heard of Therafields before, and it made for strange reading. Many of the therapeutic techniques developed by these therapists are fairly standard in treatment clinics which value experiential techniques. The technical part of what they were doing was reasonably solid, at least in the beginning. The spiraling down into strange, coercive tactics began when Hindley-Smith, the charismatic woman at the center of the movement, began advocating living together in therapeutic communities. The original communities were sprawling houses in suburban Toronto which she owned. She attracted a wide cross section of tenants: psychodynamic inclined therapists, nuns and priests from local religious orders invigorated by Vatican II, university of students, and young people drawn to the counter-cultural. Clients and therapists and coworkers all lived together with few rules, few boundaries, and a general encouragement to pursue new ways of living. Eventually the commune also included a farm with an artists’ community and beach front property in Florida. Hindley-Smith, as the central charismatic figure, of course benefitted financially and socially from the arrangement. Her immediate family did not fare so well. Eventually the economic climate of the 1970’s coupled with poor financial decision, disillusionment on the part of the rank and file with their leader, and general dissent and infighting led to the demise of the community/corporation. Post commune Hindley-Smith was largely ignored by her followers and died in near obscurity. Well, it’s a little more dramatic and disturbing than that. But I will leave out the details. Two caveats about the book. First, Goodbrand is a dull writer prone to excessive use of psychojargon such that sections of the book read like an ill-conceptualized, poorly written psychological report. Here’s an example: He feels that Lea projected her unconscious fear into his mind, that it was Lea rather than he who was paranoid. This consistent with a convoluted but well received theory in psychanalysis called projective identification, whereby if the therapist has strange feelings in a session and doesn’t think they are his, he assumes the client has placed their feelings inside him. In this situation, the client feels the process was reversed… Stop it. Just stop it. My second and greater concerned is that Goodreads may not be a particularly reliable historian given he was a central figure in the commune. Despite frequently being a voice of calm dissent during his tenure as one of the lead therapists, he now seems oddly apologetic to the Therafield legacy. He reports on darker details of the story, but with remote calmness that feels chilling. As a counter balance, I would strongly encourage the reading of this blog, also written by a former Therafields therapist, which provides an alternative take on events. There is no way to vet which account is the more accurate. Yet, the blog makes greater effort to include the stories of those most harmed by the community: children, women with young children, individuals with psychosis, and gay/lesbians. On a final note, I am including a link to by bpNichol and other Therafield poets known collectively as The Four Horsemen. This ain’t no haiku, people. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 This afternoon I read the graphic fiction work Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine which was lauded by M-- in this post: What I'd like to do is press Tomine's Killing and Dying on you. Set aside any misgivings and/or preconceptions you may have about graphic works. Tomine demonstrates absolute mastery of the short story form in his newest book. Yes, this is a well drawn collection; he effortlessly demonstrates what the genre can achieve in capable hands. But more importantly, it is a terrifically told collection, one that elicits involuntary gasps when it reminds us -- as the best fiction will -- that stories often reveal far greater truths that non-fiction ever could. It was an interesting read, but it did not speak to me. Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I haven't had any reading time this week. We are hosting a Harry Potter Marathon/Party this weekend and the girls have kept me busy moving furniture and decorating. Today we made "chocolate frogs." I was hoping to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this week but totally underestimated the time I'd actually have to read. Angel...who has a stone wall taped to one living room wall, a Hogwarts crest blanket hung on the other, Harry Potter legos on the mantle, chocolate frogs in the fridge, Jean the Pygmy Puff in a pink bird cage on the piano, and an owlry on the kitty cat tower (not amusing to the kitty cat), and more to come! I haven't received my invitation yet. I'm sure it'll be here tomorrow. In case it's not could you post your address here and then we can all join the festivities. Two caveats about the book. First, Goodbrand is a dull writer prone to excessive use of psychojargon such that sections of the book read like an ill-conceptualized, poorly written psychological report. Here’s an example: He feels that Lea projected her unconscious fear into his mind, that it was Lea rather than he who was paranoid. This consistent with a convoluted but well received theory in psychanalysis called projective identification, whereby if the therapist has strange feelings in a session and doesn’t think they are his, he assumes the client has placed their feelings inside him. In this situation, the client feels the process was reversed… Stop it. Just stop it. Tell us how you really feel. :lol: :smilielol5: I must say I have used that phrase myself a few times. Usually to my children though. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 ETA: NO LONGER AVAILABLE NOT FREE but a bargain for Kindle readers ~ Harry Potter: The Complete Collection J. K. Rowling, $14.99 (was almost $57.00) Regards, Kareni 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 (edited) I finished José J. Veiga's The Three Trials of Manirema. Earlier, I posted quote that said his writing mixes rural-life naturalism & the Kafkaesque & I'd say that's a very spot-on description. Assuming his book is an allegory of life under (Brazilian) military rule, his fable-like narrative captures the underlying fear, the pressures that bear down on individuals & communities, & the sheer dread of not knowing -- not knowing what is happening, why it is happening, what your neighbor or friend is thinking, or what may happen tomorrow. I stumbled across this book at a library sale awhile ago & I'm glad for the serendipity of finding it. A worthwhile read for fans of international literature. 2016 Books Read: Africa: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo, pub. by Reagan Arthur Books/Little, Brown and Company. 2 stars. Zimbabwe. (Child’s-eye view of life in post-colonial Zimbabwe & as a teen immigrant to the US. Choppy & hard to connect with the characters. Disappointed.) Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki, trans. from the Portuguese by Stephen Henighan, pub. by Biblioasis. 4 starts. Angola. (Simple & charming child’s-eye view of life in Angola during revolutionary changes & civil war in the 1990s. Semi-autobiographical.)T Europe: Gnarr! How I Became Mayor of a Large City in Iceland and Changed the World by Jón Gnarr, trans. by Andrew Brown, pub. by Melville House. 3 stars. Iceland. (A quick, easy, fun, & inspiring read with an emphasis on being nice & promoting peace. Just what I needed this week.) Latin America: The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, trans. from the Spanish by Anne McLean, pub. by Riverhead Books. 4 stars. Columbia. (Brilliant & bittersweet story showing the impact of the rise of the Colombian drug cartels on an entire generation of people growing up during the violent & uncertain times of the drug wars.) The Three Trials of Manirema by José J. Veiga, trans. from the Portuguese by Pamela G. Bird, pub. by Alfred A. Knopf. 3 stars. Brazil. (A mix of rural-life naturalism & the Kafkaesque in an allegory of life under [brazilian] military rule; captures the underlying fear & dread of a town. A serendipitous find.) North America: The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar MartÃnez, trans. from the Spanish by Daniela Maria Ugaz & John Washington, pub. by Verso. 5 stars. Mexico. (Front-line reporting of the dangers migrants face – from physical challenges, terrain, kidnappings, robberies, murders, rapes, & more – when crossing Mexico while trying to reach the US. Required reading.) A Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert Lawrence Smith, pub. by Eagle Brook/William Morrow and Company. 3 stars. USA. (A quiet & inspiring look at basic tenets of living a life of love & service. Nice little book with valuable & thoughtful ideas for today's world.) Edited February 11, 2016 by Stacia 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 (edited) In an effort to help spread the book love, if any BaWers would like the following books, please PM me & I'll be happy to put the book(s) in the mail to you. A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa (Angola. Thank you, Pam, for sending me this one! A great way to end my 2015 reading.) The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Columbia. Thank you, idnib, for sending me this one! A great way to start my 2016 reading.) The Three Trials of Manirema by José J. Veiga (Brazil.) (All have been requested.) Edited February 24, 2016 by Stacia 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I haven't had any reading time this week. We are hosting a Harry Potter Marathon/Party this weekend and the girls have kept me busy moving furniture and decorating. Today we made "chocolate frogs." I was hoping to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this week but totally underestimated the time I'd actually have to read. Angel...who has a stone wall taped to one living room wall, a Hogwarts crest blanket hung on the other, Harry Potter legos on the mantle, chocolate frogs in the fridge, Jean the Pygmy Puff in a pink bird cage on the piano, and an owlry on the kitty cat tower (not amusing to the kitty cat), and more to come! That sounds like such fun! We never hosted, but attended a number of Harry Potter parties when ds was younger. I made chocolate frogs too. I still have the mold, and though I'm pretty sure I'll never make them again I can't bring myself to get rid of it. The host of one of the parties had woods behind their house and the teens in the group (the party was hosted by a family in our hs group) set up a tri-wizard tournament in their back-yard woods. I hope you all have a blast. We have great memories of our HP parties. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 NOT FREE but a bargain for Kindle readers ~ Harry Potter: The Complete Collection J. K. Rowling, $14.99 (was almost $57.00) Regards, Kareni That must have been a short-lived sale. The link brings me to a page that has them at almost $57. Fortunately we have all of them on Kindle. We collected them slowly. I'm now slowly collecting the audio books, using my Audible credits. I get one per month, and so far we have three. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 That sounds like such fun! We never hosted, but attended a number of Harry Potter parties when ds was younger. I made chocolate frogs too. I still have the mold, and though I'm pretty sure I'll never make them again I can't bring myself to get rid of it. The host of one of the parties had woods behind their house and the teens in the group (the party was hosted by a family in our hs group) set up a tri-wizard tournament in their back-yard woods. I hope you all have a blast. We have great memories of our HP parties. I had an insect chocolate mold for the year we made Honeydukes sweet boxes for gifts. Lovely memory!! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 (edited) I am fortunate because last week, someone from Riverhead Books contacted me & asked if I would like a pre-reader copy of Helen Oyeyemi's new book of short stories. (The person had seen on Goodreads that I loved Oyeyemi's Mr. Fox & Boy, Snow, Bird.) I'm a fan of Oyeyemi's writing so I was thrilled. :thumbup1: Now I have the book in hand & have just started it. Reading just the first story reminds me again of how much I love Oyeyemi's fabulous storytelling style. The book is What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, due to be released early in March. Starred review from Kirkus: These nine casually interlocking stories, set in a familiar yet surreal contemporary world, overflow with the cerebral humor and fantastical plots that readers have come to expect from Oyeyemi (Boy Snow Bird, 2014).The opener, "Books and Roses," sets the tone: stories within stories and a fittingly cockeyed view of Gaudi’s architecture as two women in Barcelona share their experiences in abandonment while searching for the loved ones who left them behind. Most of the volume takes place in England, with nods toward Eastern Europe. In " 'Sorry' Doesn’t Sweeten Her Tea," weight-loss clinician Anton becomes increasingly involved in raising his boyfriend’s two adolescent daughters, Aisha and Dayang, while fishsitting for a traveling friend. The story seems straightforward until Anton’s friend falls in long-distance love with a mystery woman who's entered his locked house without a key and Anton’s co-worker Tyche helps Aisha recover from a crisis in disillusionment by casting a spell from the Greek goddess Hecate. Tyche returns as a student puppeteer in "Is Your Blood as Red as This?," which layers creepy echoes of Pinocchio onto realistically genuine adolescent sexual confusion. Readers realize Tyche’s fellow students Radha and Myrna have ended up sexually happy-ever-after when they pop up in "Presence" to lend their shared apartment to a psychologist so she and her grief-counselor husband can carry out the ironically eponymous science-fiction experiment that forces the psychologist to accept the absences in her life. While Aisha appears as a filmmaker employing puppets in "Freddy Barrandov Checks…In?," Dayang stars as ingénue in "A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society," a post-feminist romantic comedy about warring men's and women’s societies at Cambridge. Several stories are pure fairy tale, like "Dornicka and the St. Martin’s Day Goose," a twisted take on "Little Red Riding Hood,†and "Drownings," in which good intentions defeat a murderous tyrant. For all the portentous metaphors (keys and locks appear in every story) and all the convoluted and fabulist narrations, Oyeyemi’s stories are often cheerfully sentimental. ETA: If you are on Goodreads & live in the US, it looks like there is currently a drawing (open for 4 more days) to win a copy of the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25810500-what-is-not-yours-is-not-yours Edited February 11, 2016 by Stacia 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shage Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 (edited) I am fortunate because last week, someone from Riverhead Books contacted me & asked if I would like a pre-reader copy of Helen Oyeyemi's new book of short stories. (The person had seen on Goodreads that I loved Oyeyemi's Mr. Fox & Boy, Snow, Bird.) I'm a fan of Oyeyemi's writing so I was thrilled. :thumbup1: Now I have the book in hand & have just started it. Reading just the first story reminds me again of how much I love Oyeyemi's fabulous storytelling style. ] How fun! Looking forward to your review. Edited February 11, 2016 by shage 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 O Fearless Leader Jane. Passage to India. :svengo: What are our discussion parameters and timeframe? Stacia - I did manage to excavate Smile as They Bow; will send along! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I haven't had any reading time this week. We are hosting a Harry Potter Marathon/Party this weekend and the girls have kept me busy moving furniture and decorating. Today we made "chocolate frogs." I was hoping to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this week but totally underestimated the time I'd actually have to read. Angel...who has a stone wall taped to one living room wall, a Hogwarts crest blanket hung on the other, Harry Potter legos on the mantle, chocolate frogs in the fridge, Jean the Pygmy Puff in a pink bird cage on the piano, and an owlry on the kitty cat tower (not amusing to the kitty cat), and more to come! How fun! We want to come too! That sounds like such fun! We never hosted, but attended a number of Harry Potter parties when ds was younger. I made chocolate frogs too. I still have the mold, and though I'm pretty sure I'll never make them again I can't bring myself to get rid of it. The host of one of the parties had woods behind their house and the teens in the group (the party was hosted by a family in our hs group) set up a tri-wizard tournament in their back-yard woods. I hope you all have a blast. We have great memories of our HP parties. Kathy, you at least already have grandchildren. You can be the fun grandma. I am currently busy trying to decide what to save in case I have grandkids. Save your frog mold and make the chocolate frogs for xmas as soon as they read the first HP. I am fortunate because last week, someone from Riverhead Books contacted me & asked if I would like a pre-reader copy of Helen Oyeyemi's new book of short stories. (The person had seen on Goodreads that I loved Oyeyemi's Mr. Fox & Boy, Snow, Bird.) I'm a fan of Oyeyemi's writing so I was thrilled. :thumbup1: Now I have the book in hand & have just started it. Reading just the first story reminds me again of how much I love Oyeyemi's fabulous storytelling style. The book is What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, due to be released early in March. Starred review from Kirkus: ETA: If you are on Goodreads & live in the US, it looks like there is currently a drawing (open for 4 more days) to win a copy of the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25810500-what-is-not-yours-is-not-yours Obviously you are very qualified. Make sure to give us your review also. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 My internet usage is going to bit a bit restricted for the next few weeks. I feel like I gave it up for lent too. I hadn't realized how much I depend on it. Probably good for the whole family but strange. I have finished a few books. I suspect I will finish several more books now. :lol: Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick....This one was really good.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24358781-garden-of-lies. It has the feel of the first book in a series but doesn't appear to be. Nightshifted by Eddie Spencehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12905583-nightshifted..... This is the first in an interesting series about a nurse who is recruited to work on the paranormal floor at her county hospital. I will read more of these. Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig....I knew I was saving this one for a reason. Takes place in India......so I have now visited India. I have some cozies set in India too. ;) 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Last night I finished a very enjoyable illustrated memoir. I think it will hold particular appeal to those who love food and cooking. (I love the former if not the latter!) Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley From Booklist"Knisley, daughter of a chef mother and gourmand father, had the kind of upbringing that would make any foodie salivate, and she’s happy to share. In this collection of memories studded with recipes, she explores how food shaped her family life, friendships, travel experiences, and early career as a cartoonist. Loosely connected chapters chart a child- and young adulthood surrounded by cooks and bakers, bouncing between Manhattan kitchens and upstate farmhouses, and through art school and the booming culinary scene in Chicago. Knisley’s artwork has a classic, Richard Scarry vibe, and her illustrated recipes—from a family-special leg of lamb and huevos rancheros to the trick for perfectly sautéed mushrooms—are particularly delightful and inventive. Knisley tempers any navel-gazing impulses with humor, humility, and honesty, noting, for example, that even someone who loves fine food can still put away a truckload of McDonald’s fries from time to time. Just about everything in this rambling memoir is handled with good cheer, which hints at the positive energy and personal fulfillment Knisley has wrought from her young life in food." --Ian Chipman Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I am fortunate because last week, someone from Riverhead Books contacted me & asked if I would like a pre-reader copy of Helen Oyeyemi's new book of short stories. (The person had seen on Goodreads that I loved Oyeyemi's Mr. Fox & Boy, Snow, Bird.) I'm a fan of Oyeyemi's writing so I was thrilled. :thumbup1: Now I have the book in hand & have just started it. Reading just the first story reminds me again of how much I love Oyeyemi's fabulous storytelling style. The book is What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, due to be released early in March. Starred review from Kirkus: ETA: If you are on Goodreads & live in the US, it looks like there is currently a drawing (open for 4 more days) to win a copy of the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25810500-what-is-not-yours-is-not-yours Stacia--you have celebrity status! Very cool! O Fearless Leader Jane. Passage to India. :svengo: What are our discussion parameters and timeframe? Some people were just acquiring the book last week. I think we should restrict our conversation to the first section, Mosque, this week and move to the second, Caves, next. Any comments on the muddle so far? 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Columbia. Thank you, idnib, for sending me this one! A great way to start my 2016 reading.) You're welcome. I'm glad it came to you at the right time. Some people were just acquiring the book last week. I think we should restrict our conversation to the first section, Mosque, this week and move to the second, Caves, next. Any comments on the muddle so far? The writing is beautiful. This is my first Forster book, although I did see the movie of Howards End. I'm not very far into the book but the description of the mosque makes me feel so peaceful. It reminds me of a particular night in my life when I entered a mosque late and very few people were around. The entire courtyard was made of marble flooring and was open to the sky. The night was warm and humid so the smooth tiles had a fine layer of condensation on them and were a bit slippery but they felt so cool and refreshing on my bare feet. I remember looking back and seeing my footprints all they way across. The mosque in the book gives me that feeling. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Just popping in for a quick update. I finished Brideshead Revisited. The writing is exquisite. I do think I’ll have to re-read this one to fully digest all that it is trying to say to me. At times this one reminded me a bit of Catcher in the Rye, although I can’t articulate why. And, I agree with reviewers that you can see a lot of this book’s influence in some of Donna Tartt’s writing. Supposedly the mini-series with Jeremy Irons based on this book is supposed to be a good one, so I think I will watch it sometime soon. I am only a few chapters into A Passage to India. Since things have calmed down with my Father and he is recovering well at home, I plan to dive in to APtI and several other books I have in my rather large tbr pile this week. I have started reading Philip Larkin’s Collected Poems. I gave up on Joseph Brodsky, I don’t think I’m quite smart enough for him just yet – maybe another day. I am so relieved things are smoother for you father. I hope he continues to go from strength to strength! I've never tried Brodsky - and now I am intimated! What do you think of Larkin? He is on my ought-to-have-read-by-now list.... You almost make me want to try Catcher in the Rye again! I loathed it intensely as a teen, but I bounced off most typical teen lit then, and some of it I appreciate more now. Seconding Jane in agreeing that the Jeremy Irons production is outstanding. (And, to not leave out the other talented actor who makes the movie, Anthony Andrews is also spectacular - despite my impulse to see him always and forever as the Scarlet Pimpernel) re Side Trip to Burma: I did an armchair side trip to Burma a few years ago, in hopes of being able to tag along on a trip Tom was taking... kid logistics ultimately kept me from going in person (some day...) but the books I got through were: Freedom From Fear, by Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma) – September 8, 2013. Response here Everything is Broken: A Tale of Catastrophe in Burma, by Emma Larkin – September 17, 2013. Response here The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of Burma, by Thant Myint-U – September 22, 2013. Response here Burmese Lessons: A True Love Story, by Karen Connelly – September 24, 2014 From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey, by Pascal Khoo Thwe – September 29, 2013. Response here Burmese Days, by George Orwell – October 3, 2013. Response here Harp of Burma, by Michio Takeyama – October 6, 2013. Response here Smile as they Bow, by Nu Nu Yi – October 11, 2013 I read some of these in my Burma reading binge over a decade ago (insert another whine about my lack of list-making that leaves me without a record) and am adding the others to my TBR lists. Thank you! [i couldn't get the links to work to get to the individual posts, btw, but I did spend a delightful time reading other posts! I love your blog!!] Freedom from Fear is on my reread someday soon list. And her personal story has left me struggling to encompass my thoughts about the high personal cost of activism, especially for leaders, to their children and partners as much as to themselves... and realizing that I have a harder time with the price tag of a mother separated from her children than a father... Two books very much by outsiders (that I own, so I can find their titles again easily!): Burmese Looking Glass by Edith Mirante From the book description: "As captivating as the most thrilling novel, Burmese Looking Glass tells the story of tribal peoples who, though ravaged by malaria and weakened by poverty, are unforgettably brave. Author Edith Mirante first crossed illegally from Thailand into Burma in 1983. There she discovered the hidden conflict that has despoiled the country since the close of World War II. She met commandos and refugees and learned firsthand the machinations of Golden Triangle narcotics trafficking. Mirante was the first Westerner to march with the rebels from the fabled Three Pagodas Pass to the Andaman Sea; she taught karate to women soldiers, was ritually tattooed by a Shan “spirit doctor,†has lobbied successfully against U.S. government donation of Agent Orange chemicals to the dictatorship, and was deported from Thailand in 1988." And I think this Library Journal review gives the caution I was trying to compose: "Don't bother to get this book for a human rights collection, for only one small segment deals with seeing fields sprayed with 2, 4-D. And since punk artist Mirante believes in direct discovery rather than scholarly investigation, don't expect any insights into cultural diversity either. Buy this book, if you must, for its descriptive travel account of Mirante's encounters in the 1980s with the Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Mon, Palaung, Shan, and Wa people along the Thai-Burma border. Armchair travelers can revel in her joys and hardships along the frontier, but others will question her conclusions. Observing drug trafficking, teak forest plunder, and massive corruption about her, Mirante decides that these problems result from Ne Win and the Burmese government. Surely they will not disappear with a change of government. The work abruptly ends with Mirante's second deportation from Thailand in 1988 and her inability ever to return." Beyond the Last Village by Alan Rabinowitz: From the book description: "In 1993, Alan Rabinowitz, called "the Indiana Jones" of wildlife science by The New York Times, arrived for the first time in the country of Myanmar, known until 1989 as Burma, uncertain of what to expect. Working under the auspices of the Wildlife Conservation Society, his goal was to establish a wildlife research and conservation programme and to survey the country's wildlife. He succeeded - not only discovering a species of primitive deer completely new to science but also playing a vital role in the creation of Hkakabo Razi National Park, now one of Southeast Asia's largest protected areas. This text takes the reader on a journey of exploration, danger, and discovery in this remote corner of the planet at the southeast edge of the Himalayas, where tropical rain forest and snow-covered mountains meet." Neither of these are reflective books, really, but they gave me what I was reading them for, a stand-in for in-person discovery from angles of view I could connect with. ymmv. I read Jurassic Park (a re-read) trying to decide whether to include it in Shannon's list. On the one hand, it fits the themes we are discussing: scientific hubris, unintended consequences, genetic engineering. And I do give the book kudos for being ahead of its time in the exploration of potential misuse of genetic engineering, chaos theory, and the commodification of science. The thing is, I don't think it's actually a very good book. The scenes of people being attacked & eaten by dinosaurs are distasteful, that's kind of a no-brainer, but the plot has giant holes in it, and the characters are so very flat and unsympathetic, they don't behave and interact in very believable ways. Not sure whether it's worth reading it to make a point that is much more obvious in 2016 than it was in 1990? When I think of sci-fi that deals with genetic engineering and its consequences, I go straight to Bujold's Vorkosigen series. It is very, very long (and I have chosen not to read the most recent one because the retconning conflicts with my strong impressions of some characters), but that longer arc gives an opportunity to see some of the consequences and different impacts. I always recommend reading it in internal chronological order starting with Cordelia's Honor (and omnibus which has the first two books), but neither of those really enter into the territory you're exploring. (Though I do think you would enjoy these - and you'd be well supplied with reading material for quite a while!) Another is Slonczewski - whom I've raved about here before - Door into Ocean is where I started and although none of her other books reach the same heights or have the same tone, I strongly recommend it. (The second book Daughter of Elysium deals more directly, I think, with some of what you are looking at, but I can't imagine appreciating it as much without Door Into Ocean.) I described her first novel as "Quakers in Space" (which it literally is) when talking about it here the other year, but all of her books are deeply informed by both her mircobiology expertise (she teaches at Kenyon) and her Quaker philosophy. (I am, generally, allergic to books that I feel are visibly indebted to their authors' faith, or lack thereof, but Door Into Ocean is a masterfully brilliant achievement (though it takes a bit to get into it).) You are good and have a kind heart in not wanting to hurt others. I think the key is intention. It's hard to avoid ever hurting others. Some may unfortunately feel hurt without us ever meaning to be hurtful. We may have never intended to be hurtful. Timing, misunderstandings, all that - these are all challenges. It's hard to completely avoid being hurt or hurting others. It's something we can all strive for. To try to not offend and to not be offensive. :grouphug: I feel embarrassed, but finally, in my forties!, I am trying to apply something I always taught my kids when they were younger - to learn to see how my actions/words are impacting someone else. I just thought of this as I was reading your response... ...I remember one of kids was very exuberant in expressing her affection as a little one... so much so that some adult relatives would flinch when she headed for them to greet them. Gradually she learned to gauge how her hugs were being experienced by the other person... how the kitty seemed to like her caresses... I am watching my eldest (who was not that child!) trying to teach my toddler grandbaby those skills... and I am thinking now about how that development of theory of mind that we try to help our kids achieve might be a life-long task with goals higher than not knocking people over when we try to express our affection... Thank you, love. I can see that I have much to think about now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 The writing is beautiful. This is my first Forster book, although I did see the movie of Howards End. I'm not very far into the book but the description of the mosque makes me feel so peaceful. It reminds me of a particular night in my life when I entered a mosque late and very few people were around. The entire courtyard was made of marble flooring and was open to the sky. The night was warm and humid so the smooth tiles had a fine layer of condensation on them and were a bit slippery but they felt so cool and refreshing on my bare feet. I remember looking back and seeing my footprints all they way across. The mosque in the book gives me that feeling. For those not reading Passage, let me share this paragraph: He had always liked this mosque. It was gracious, and the arrangement pleased him. The courtyard— entered through a ruined gate— contained an ablution tank of fresh clear water, which was always in motion, being indeed part of a conduit that supplied the city. The courtyard was paved with broken slabs. The covered part of the mosque was deeper than is usual; its effect was that of an English parish church whose side has been taken out. Where he sat, he looked into three arcades whose darkness was illuminated by a small hanging lamp and by the moon. The front—in full moonlight—had the appearance of marble, and the ninety- nine names of God on the frieze stood out black, as the frieze stood out white against the sky. The contest between this dualism and the contention of shadows within pleased Aziz, and he tried to symbolize the whole into some truth of religion or love. Beyond the mosque are the sounds of a musical being performed at the English club, Hindu drumming, owls hooting, the train... But momentarily Dr. Aziz breathes in the night air of peace. Forster seems to have absorbed the minutia of his Indian world. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I am sitting in a library while the dc's are online..... One of the books I just downloaded is Forever and a Night by Linda Lael Miller which was the first paranormal romance I remember ever reading. Actually my first paranormal book ever. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/641637.Forever_and_the_Night?ac=1&from_search=1. The series is available on prime right now and I think on kindle unlimited. I was looking at the Goodreads reviews and it appears to have been many peoples first paranormal romance. Anybody else read this one? 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 For those not reading Passage, let me share this paragraph: Thank you Jane! I should have included it. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Kathy, you at least already have grandchildren. You can be the fun grandma. I am currently busy trying to decide what to save in case I have grandkids. Save your frog mold and make the chocolate frogs for xmas as soon as they read the first HP. While we don't want to hurry them through their current ages, I confess we'll all be excited (their parents too) when they are finally old enough to at least start having the first two or three books read aloud to them. Thanks for the idea. I really didn't see a time when I would use that mold again, but you're right. That will be fun. :) 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Eliana, thanks for those suggestions! I put A Door Into Ocean on hold, and the others on my To Read list. L 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I had this grand plan to do a Sunday essay to introduce y'all to some of my favorite music and books on music. The centerpiece was going to be the book Longing, a historical fiction account of the lives of Robert and Clara Schumann. Their story provides rich, juicy material for books and movies. He was a bi-polar pianist and composer, she was a child prodigy pianist who performed all over Europe in the 1800s. He was a student of her father's, who forbade them to marry. They had to sue him in court for permission to marry. She made performing without music -- by memory -- fashionable and premiered many famous works. They were pals with Franz Liszt and Frederic Chopin. They mentored Johannes Brahams. If that weren't enough, Robert tried to commit suicide and was committed to a mental hospital where he died. Music scholars are divided over whether Brahams and Clara were lovers or not, whether he fathered her last (her 8th!) child. Unfortunately I cannot bear to finish reading the book! It is a little bipolar, too! There is some very lovely writing in it, and Robert's madness is perfectly captured. It is also extraordinarily pretentious. I think the author couldn't decide if he was going to write a scholarly biography or literary fiction. The beginning chapters are especially bogged down with long footnotes where the author gets to show off his research. But, and this seems especially egregious against this scholarly backdrop, he has highly sexualized everyone -- with no footnotes to back any of it up!!! For instance. When 11 year old Clara plays for an elderly Goethe, he offers a pillow for her to sit on after she has settled at the piano, and, when she rises for him to place the pillow -- he takes advantage of the situation to grope her!!! Was Goethe a dirty old man? Do we know this as historical fact? And I'm just not drawn to the characters as written in this book. I'd rather learn more about them through the Great Courses lectures by Robert Greenburg (which is on sale at the moment!). Quick story. Way, way back in the last century when I was in college (early 80s), there was a woman in our university/community orchestra who celebrated her 100th birthday. She was still playing at 100!! Her father had taken her to Germany to study violin with the most famous violinist of the day Joseph Joachim. Joachim was friends with the Schumanns and Brahams, and in fact played string quartets with Brahams on Sunday afternoons. Sure enough, one weekend Joachim invited her to come by Sunday afternoon to meet Brahams!! I knew a woman who had met Brahams!! This same woman was presented at court to Kaiser Wilhelm. One last link. I first "met" Clara through playing her music, specifically her G minor piano trio, a rich and dramatic work typical of German romantic music. . And, if you can find it, there is a 1947 Katherine Hepburn movie about her, Song of Love. How disappointing about the book. :( There is so much story material there and it would be nice to see it well handled. I remember when there were only a tiny handful of recordings available of music by female composers... and how exciting it was to see the availability grow and for my kids to not grow up assuming that all classical composers were male... Uh oh; I think I'm at the point I was two years ago when I realized I could not keep up with the conversation here. I have nothing to contribute to any of the conversations going right now! :-) One of the images I use when thinking about this group and my participation in it is that of an open house party... the "house" is open and people stream in and out and there are always a dozen or more conversations going on at once. I don't drop in every week and sometimes I only pop in for a second and slip off again, other weeks I hang out for the whole party and try to join in some (or all!) of the conversations... or just sit in a corner (with my book!) and vaguely listen as the conversation swirls around me. Some folks drop in just to give a quick note of what they've read, others hand out more, there are the crafters and cooks and the Flufferton crows and the activists and the mystery readers and the folks earning serious "cultural virtue points". Some of us share a bit of our personal lives, others are more private... And you enrich us by just being yourself and participating in the ways and at the times that feel right for you. :grouphug: Reading: Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class, by Ian Haney Lopez. Eliana, was this among your MLK Long List? I thought it was (and am not sure how else it might have appeared on my stack?) but nothing came up when I searched. Anyway, much of its two pronged thesis is embedded its title. The first prong, the Reinvention of Racism part, uses key turning points in electoral history to analyze the emergence of what Lopez calls "code", with which racial messages are communicated without racial words being used. This part follows usefully from Coates' and particularly Alexander's books, getting into the "how" of what those authors described, happened. Special shoutout to idnib: Lopez does speak extensively to the different experiences of Latinos / Muslims / other minorities, and how both the coded language and the "line of whiteness" have evolved over time. I found this part quite illuminating. The second prong of his thesis speaks to how the emergence of such code (and how it's been harnessed to specific corporate and high-income interests) has had the effect of gutting the middle class, and in so doing harming millions of white people as well. I tend to react pretty reflexively against any kind of argument that smacks of false consciousness, and this part of his argument IMO does... so I struggled, still am struggling, with this bit. Race and Economic Jeopardy for All: A Framing Paper for Defeating Dog Whistle Politics, by Ian Haney Lopez - so then this is a policy paper that the same author did for the AFL/CIO, which spends a little time upfront laying out the reinvention-of-racism part of the book, but mostly amplifies on the economic effects part, particularly from the union lens. Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected Poems, by Sonia Sanchez. These are very powerful, some of them overwhelming really. Amy: this woman packs more into a haiku than I think I've ever seen! Highly recommended, for a day you're feeling strong... Here are excerpts from her eulogy for Vaclav Havel, Poem for July 4, 1994, which is among the most redemptive and hopeful of the (very often pretty bleak) bund: It wasn't on my list (though I glanced at it and considered it!)... should it be? Three books on this topic that I think you would appreciate: Fire This Time: I am almost resigned to never catching up on the conversations that passed me by in previous weeks... so recommending this book is instead of the long, meandering reflections I have on some of the how-we-got here issues. It is a close look at the Watts riots of the '60's, but it also does glance at the bigger picture nationally (and, a tiny bit, internationally) and does a bit more than glance at the cultural and political shifts which followed. It has left me with millions of questions and an aching heart as I question the received wisdom I grew up with about the Civil Rights movement, its methods and its impacts. Where and When I Enter: Another from the list you linked to of books recommended by Coates. This one made me look with very different eyes at the Women's Rights movement and (again) my perceptions of its process and impact. ...but I valued it most for the glimpses of insight into the complexities of addressing misogyny within the Black community. Sister Citizen: I am reading this now and I think its angle of view would be as interesting to you as it is being to me. [And while I am wimping out: Nan, love, Pam articulated far more clearly and coherently than I would have many of the same things I wanted to say in response to the 'didn't I already know these things?' question. (And it is a good question - and thinking about it has been very valuable for me, so thank you for asking it). ...but there is one thing I thought of that I don't think she covered: Many of the works I read, including and perhaps most influentially some of the writings of MLK, showed a shift from focusing on civil rights issues to focusing on issues of class/money. MLK's later years included some intense ideas about economic disparities and the corresponding injustices. And looking at the history of race, I could see (and can still) that, regardless of color, there are shared challenges and injustices for people who are economically disadvantaged. And I had thought, until this recent spate of reading, that the remaining racial disbalances were outliers and focus should be on broader issues of social justice. And even in The New Jim Crow, author Alexander envisions a search for solutions which crosses "color" lines... but my thinking is has shifted sharply now that I have really looked at what is happening.] re: Sanchez: Yes. It was an intense experience reading these poems... and, oh, yes, it takes strength to really hear her intensity, the rawness and generosity with which she share her heart and experience. I read another volume which was almost all haikus: Morning Haiku Today I ran into a young friend whom I'm tutoring in English who asked what my book was about. I told her it was about a young knight fresh from the Crusades and his lady-love, that Robin Hood was an important character, and that I was pretty sure the mysterious Black Knight was King Richard in disguise. She thought it was hilarious that I was reading a book for little kids. :D I'm hoping to get much reading besides Ivanhoe done in the next few weeks. My little Oxford War and Peace being irretrievably lost, dh ordered me a Like New replacement, due to arrive Valentine's Day. Perfect. :) So those and the Newman and who knows what else by Easter? Until then, stay warm, friends! :lol: We'll miss you, love. Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig....I knew I was saving this one for a reason. Takes place in India......so I have now visited India. I have some cozies set in India too. ;) ...and one that looks, at least a little, at the challenge of having an English father and an Indian mother. Eliana, thanks for those suggestions! I put A Door Into Ocean on hold, and the others on my To Read list. L I haven't given up on sitting down and typing up some of the book lists I promised you, but while you are waiting: Wooing, Wedding, and Power: Women in Shakespeare's Plays. I found this in a little bookshop in Ashland, Oregon when I was 9 or 10 (we went down sometimes a few times a year for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and I loved it for validating my readings of the plays... and glancing at it again when my eldest was a teen, I had a similar reaction. And when I encounter people who automatically assume that Shakespeare is sexist and his female characters disempowered pawns, I want to press copies of this upon each and every one of them (especially if one of my children is stuck in her classroom hearing these kneejerk reactions unsupported by evidence) ...which is a self-centered way to say that I can't be objective about Shakespeare nor about books which analyze/discuss it. (Frex: I cannot stand Bloom's readings, not even for a moment. I want to throw the book across the room when I try revisiting it...) So any recommendation is even more highly personal than usual. (and why is this oop? At least it is very inexpensive on Amazon...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 BINGO update (I finally sat down with my list of books read and figured out which ones enable to check off which squares): Diagonal (Left to right): Female Author: Mirrors of our Lives by Holly Pavlov (Jewish, religious) Revisit old friend: Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith (SFF) Free: Native Guard (poetry) Color in Title: Black Unicorn by Audre Lorde (poetry) Set in Another Country: Shards of Memory (India) Row N: Picked for cover: Orphan Train Over 500 pages: History of the Medieval World Free: Native Guard Classic: Lucretius Nonfiction: Being Mortal I need : an epic, a banned book, a mystery, a fairytale adaptation, something by a Nobel prize author, an Arthur book, a nautical book, an 18th century book, and one picked by a friend.... Thank you for setting this up, Robin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I haven't given up on sitting down and typing up some of the book lists I promised you, but while you are waiting: Wooing, Wedding, and Power: Women in Shakespeare's Plays. I found this in a little bookshop in Ashland, Oregon when I was 9 or 10 (we went down sometimes a few times a year for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and I loved it for validating my readings of the plays... and glancing at it again when my eldest was a teen, I had a similar reaction. And when I encounter people who automatically assume that Shakespeare is sexist and his female characters disempowered pawns, I want to press copies of this upon each and every one of them (especially if one of my children is stuck in her classroom hearing these kneejerk reactions unsupported by evidence) ...which is a self-centered way to say that I can't be objective about Shakespeare nor about books which analyze/discuss it. (Frex: I cannot stand Bloom's readings, not even for a moment. I want to throw the book across the room when I try revisiting it...) So any recommendation is even more highly personal than usual. (and why is this oop? At least it is very inexpensive on Amazon...) I am waiting very patiently :) . That book looks really interesting! I was eyeballing this one, too: Shakespeare's Daughters by Sharon Hamilton. Have you seen that one? 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 BINGO update (I finally sat down with my list of books read and figured out which ones enable to check off which squares): Diagonal (Left to right): Female Author: Mirrors of our Lives by Holly Pavlov (Jewish, religious) Revisit old friend: Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith (SFF) Free: Native Guard (poetry) Color in Title: Black Unicorn by Audre Lorde (poetry) Set in Another Country: Shards of Memory (India) Row N: Picked for cover: Orphan Train Over 500 pages: History of the Medieval World Free: Native Guard Classic: Lucretius Nonfiction: Being Mortal I need : an epic, a banned book, a mystery, a fairytale adaptation, something by a Nobel prize author, an Arthur book, a nautical book, an 18th century book, and one picked by a friend.... Thank you for setting this up, Robin! It's fun, isn't it? I have something in progress or planned for every category except for Picked for Cover - I realize, I *never* pick books that way! I always pick things to read based on suggestions or because I'm following some kind of a rabbit trail. So I've been trying - I've been scoping out the library New Release stack and picking up things with interesting-looking covers, but I haven't liked any of them!! It's kind of a character flaw - I'm not a very visual person, I don't really care how things look (if you saw my house decor, or lack thereof, you would know I speak the truth). It's kind of a stretch to try and pick something based just on visual appeal. But I'll keep trying! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 ...I've been scoping out the library New Release stack and picking up things with interesting-looking covers, but I haven't liked any of them!! ... Have you seen this one? It came home from the library today. It's fascinating and has a lot of humor, too; I'd describe it as a coffee table book rather than a book you're likely to read from cover to cover. Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words which is by the xkcd artist, Randall Monroe "Have you ever tried to learn more about some incredible thing, only to be frustrated by incomprehensible jargon? Randall Munroe is here to help. In Thing Explainer, he uses line drawings and only the thousand (or, rather, “ten hundredâ€) most common words to provide simple explanations for some of the most interesting stuff there is, including: food-heating radio boxes (microwaves) tall roads (bridges) computer buildings (datacenters) the shared space house (the International Space Station) the other worlds around the sun (the solar system) the big flat rocks we live on (tectonic plates) the pieces everything is made of (the periodic table) planes with turning wings (helicopters) boxes that make clothes smell better (washers and dryers) the bags of stuff inside you (cells) How do these things work? Where do they come from? What would life be like without them? And what would happen if we opened them up, heated them up, cooled them down, pointed them in a different direction, or pressed this button? In Thing Explainer, Munroe gives us the answers to these questions and so many more. Funny, interesting, and always understandable, this book is for anyone—age 5 to 105—who has ever wondered how things work, and why." Regards, Kareni 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellesmere Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Have you seen this one? It came home from the library today. It's fascinating and has a lot of humor, too; I'd describe it as a coffee table book rather than a book you're likely to read from cover to cover. Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words which is by the xkcd artist, Randall Monroe "Have you ever tried to learn more about some incredible thing, only to be frustrated by incomprehensible jargon? Randall Munroe is here to help. In Thing Explainer, he uses line drawings and only the thousand (or, rather, “ten hundredâ€) most common words to provide simple explanations for some of the most interesting stuff there is, including: food-heating radio boxes (microwaves) tall roads (bridges) computer buildings (datacenters) the shared space house (the International Space Station) the other worlds around the sun (the solar system) the big flat rocks we live on (tectonic plates) the pieces everything is made of (the periodic table) planes with turning wings (helicopters) boxes that make clothes smell better (washers and dryers) the bags of stuff inside you (cells) How do these things work? Where do they come from? What would life be like without them? And what would happen if we opened them up, heated them up, cooled them down, pointed them in a different direction, or pressed this button? In Thing Explainer, Munroe gives us the answers to these questions and so many more. Funny, interesting, and always understandable, this book is for anyone—age 5 to 105—who has ever wondered how things work, and why." Regards, Kareni I have that on the way! I know I keep complaining that I've already started too many books but I justified this as a book for everyone to browse through :) 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Some people were just acquiring the book last week. I think we should restrict our conversation to the first section, Mosque, this week and move to the second, Caves, next. Any comments on the muddle so far? My goodness, the story just took a most unexpected turn! But it's in the Caves section, so I can't say a word . . . :eek: ;) 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 (edited) Have you seen this one? It came home from the library today. It's fascinating and has a lot of humor, too; I'd describe it as a coffee table book rather than a book you're likely to read from cover to cover. Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words which is by the xkcd artist, Randall Monroe "Have you ever tried to learn more about some incredible thing, only to be frustrated by incomprehensible jargon? Randall Munroe is here to help. In Thing Explainer, he uses line drawings and only the thousand (or, rather, “ten hundredâ€) most common words to provide simple explanations for some of the most interesting stuff there is, including: food-heating radio boxes (microwaves) tall roads (bridges) computer buildings (datacenters) the shared space house (the International Space Station) the other worlds around the sun (the solar system) the big flat rocks we live on (tectonic plates) the pieces everything is made of (the periodic table) planes with turning wings (helicopters) boxes that make clothes smell better (washers and dryers) the bags of stuff inside you (cells) How do these things work? Where do they come from? What would life be like without them? And what would happen if we opened them up, heated them up, cooled them down, pointed them in a different direction, or pressed this button? In Thing Explainer, Munroe gives us the answers to these questions and so many more. Funny, interesting, and always understandable, this book is for anyone—age 5 to 105—who has ever wondered how things work, and why." Regards, Kareni So, when I went to the library online catalog to put this on hold, the next book on the list was Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me, which I have wanted to read based on the title, rather than the cover, ever since I first heard of it. I've always wanted to explore the origins of mansplaining. So I put that one on hold too. :D Edited February 12, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Amy (& others who may be interested), per the conversation last year re: bird books & birdwatching: The Great Backyard Bird Count begins tomorrow, Feb. 12 to 15. http://gbbc.birdcount.org/ 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 Howdy! Haven't had much time to read through everyone's posts as I'm still zigging and zagging, hither and yon. Took a break from One Hundred Years of Solitude to read a couple books in Robyn Carr's Thunderpoint series - I needed something fluffy. Meanwhile a quick jog around the internet lead me to Okay Africa and Siyanda Mohutsiwa's article "I'm Done with African Immigrant Literature" which in turn lead me to her blog Siyanda Writes and her youtube channel where she does book reviews among other things. Have fun! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Amy (& others who may be interested), per the conversation last year re: bird books & birdwatching: The Great Backyard Bird Count begins tomorrow, Feb. 12 to 15. http://gbbc.birdcount.org/ Thank you for the reminder! My family is registered. On the reading front ... um ... nothing. I have three in progress books sitting on my nightstand and no motivation to pick them up. :mellow: 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I am chuckling re: all the discussion of the book bingo. I look at the chart & all my reading so far this year (plus what's likely to come) fits into the same few categories: Female author Picked by a friend Non-fiction Translated Set in Another Country It's likely that at some point I may read ones that fit in: Banned Fairy Tale Adaptation (Oyeyemi's book of short stories has some of this & that's a thing she commonly weaves into her storytelling, so maybe it would count?) Published 2016 Picked Based on the Cover And, I guess I can manage the "Free Space"! :thumbup1: I'm not sure if I'll even end up with a bingo at some point. :tongue_smilie: Rose, when I've picked by the cover previously, I try to make sure it is a book I have never heard of, know nothing about, & don't read any of the dust jacket blurbs or anything. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 So, when I went to the library online catalog to put this on hold, the next book on the list was Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me, which I have wanted to read based on the title, rather than the cover, ever since I first heard of it. I've always wanted to explore the origins of mansplaining. So I put that one on hold too. :D That does look fascinating. I could bring it home, and it could keep my other thirty seven library books company. So many fascinating books and only so much time! Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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