Book a Week 2016 - BW7: be my valentine!

[PeacefulChaos]

Guys!!

 

I just called the library (you know, the one that's less than 1/2 mile from my house that I can never remember to return books to, so I stopped going) and our fines are a total of only 35.70!!

 

Now yes, that's a lot for library fines, BUT ITS SO MUCH LESS THAN I EXPECTED!!!!!!

 

So I'm stoked. Link is all bright eyed like 'does that mean we are going to the library again?!' :lol:

 

 

I'll do better remembering to return books this time. Promise!

[Soror]

Guys!!

 

I just called the library (you know, the one that's less than 1/2 mile from my house that I can never remember to return books to, so I stopped going) and our fines are a total of only 35.70!!

 

Now yes, that's a lot for library fines, BUT ITS SO MUCH LESS THAN I EXPECTED!!!!!!

 

So I'm stoked. Link is all bright eyed like 'does that mean we are going to the library again?!' :lol:

 

 

I'll do better remembering to return books this time. Promise!

That is awesome, I so understand the feeling. We would be on again off again users, on until I racked up a bunch of fines, then I'd swear off, couldn't take it anymore and start again promising to do better, rinse and repeat. My library finally did away with fines and got online inter-library loan requests it has changed my world for the better.

[Kareni]

I just called the library (you know, the one that's less than 1/2 mile from my house that I can never remember to return books to, so I stopped going) and our fines are a total of only 35.70!!

 

Now yes, that's a lot for library fines, BUT ITS SO MUCH LESS THAN I EXPECTED!!!!!!

 

Have fun at the library!

 

My library has a couple of perks for volunteers.  One must first accrue twenty hours of volunteer time and then volunteer for a minimum of four hours per month.  One perk is no overdue fines; the other is free inter-library loans.  (The normal fee is $3.00 per item.)

 

Perhaps your library has something similar.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Ethel Mertz]

I've finished 3 books this week:

 

1. A Pitying of Doves (A Birder Murder Mystery #2) by Steve Burrows. I really like this series. The characters in his books can be a tad difficult to keep straight on who's who, so when Burrows' next book comes out, I will read with a pad of paper at hand, so I can take quick notes. My spouse - an avid birder - has liked his books for the birding content.

 

2. The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate (#2). I pre-read this book (as well as The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate) for DS. I loved both books which are about a young girl (12 or 13) at the turn of the last century. Calpurnia loves everything about nature and is very focused on learning as much as she can about science by the side of her Grandfather. However, since the story takes place in the late 19th and early 20th century, she is interested in everything she isn't supposed to be and is decidedly non-interested in learning the "womanly arts" of needlework, cooking, and running a household. She would much rather be out exploring the flora and fauna of her area.

 

3. Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor. A thought-provoking read on why so many of us have learned to fear the dark and the racist implications of that fear. (Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest and prolific author.)

[Ethel Mertz]

Have fun at the library!

 

My library has a couple of perks for volunteers.  One must first accrue twenty hours of volunteer time and then volunteer for a minimum of four hours per month.  One perk is no overdue fines; the other is free inter-library loans.  (The normal fee is $3.00 per item.)

 

Perhaps your library has something similar.

 

Regards,

Kareni

Ours also has a yearly December pardoning of fines in exchange for bringing in donations for the town's food pantry or unwrapped, new toys.

[Stacia]

Re: reusing envelopes.

 

This was a bubble wrap envelope. I mark out the out the old label & then make sure that my new label covers all the old stuff.

[Kareni]

Ours also has a yearly December pardoning of fines in exchange for bringing in donations for the town's food pantry or unwrapped, new toys.

 

What a wonderful idea.  I may have to speak to one of the librarians to see if this might be possible in my area.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Oops. Double post.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Stacia

[Pam in CT]

re reusing bubblewrapped envelops: I do believe my own use was 3rd or 4th recycle.   As I recall I had to plaster the front with mailing stickers to cover up the old ones.  Yes, they last a long time.

[Chris in VA]

#1--You people mail books to each other? :svengo:

I...I don't even know what to say. Practically in tears...  :w00t:

 

#2--Ask if the library will forgive part of your fines. I've gone halfies with them before. Generally nice people. Helps if you appear somewhat distraught. :nopity: :D

[Stacia]

Chris, yes, we share books! I have been so fortunate to receive many wonderful books from BaW friends. Keep your eyes on the thread as we post stuff every once in awhile. Feel free to pipe up & request a book if someone posts something you're interested in. :-)

[Mom-ninja.]

I sat for a total of 2.5 hours today at a doctor's office. The good thing was that I had no other things to do (other than the kids and they were more then happy to eschew lessons and eat cheetos for lunch while I was away) and I had a book. I was quite content to sit and read. Had I forgotten a book it would have been unthinkable torture. At any rate I made a sizable chunk in the book I am reading, The Optimistic Child. This book was published 20 years ago, but I hope it's still relevant. I really need this book right now. 

 

If anyone has any suggestions for books on dealing with anxiety/depression in children please let me know. 

[Soror]

Finally finished Last Child in the Woods, it did pick up towards the end but I felt a bit disappointed with it, although I can't entirely pinpoint why. 

 

Now I guess onto Good Omens, it arrived last week but I didn't start it for fear I wouldn't finish my other books if I did. A nice fiction book will be a good interlude for all my non-fic reading.

 

1. The Crystal Cave- Stewart

2. The Hollow Hills- Stewart

3. The Last Enchantment- Stewart

4. The Wicked Day- Stewart

5. Younger Next Year for Women

6. Very Good Lives- Rowling- very, very, extremely short

7. The Once and Future King- White

8. The Lost Art of Walking

9. Move Your DNA-Bowman

10. The Wild Trees- Preston

11. The Magician's Elephant- diCamillio

12. Wild- Strayed

13. The Last Child in the Woods- Louv

Edited February 18, 2016 by soror

[Angel]

To the first paragraph: Yes.  Just yes.  It's very trendy and popular and cool right now to be trendy and popular and cool.   :lol:  There's a balance to it that for a good while was swinging veeeery far in the opposite direction of legalistic!  I do think that more people are beginning to find that balance now and seeing the problems with either end.  One can hope, anyway.   

 

Second: Same.  I read some 'books about the Bible' over the years through different ministries and stuff and was getting very tired of it. I was so thrilled whensome friends decided to start a Bible study group that just reads the Bible!  What a novel idea!   :lol:  Now I try to reserve the 'books about the Bible' to be either highly recommended over time (Knowing God by J.I. Packer is, so far, very good, and The Celebration of Discipline is an old favorite of mine) or rereads that I'm trying to decide whether or not to get rid of.    I find that sometimes they have their place, but any book has to be taken with a grain of salt.  Or a whole shaker full.  Whatever.   :D

:lol: isn't it!

 

I am slowly coming back into the world after my baby's birth a little over a week ago. Abigail Therese was born on Feb. 5, 7 lbs 11 oz, 20 inches long, with lots and lots of dark hair with really surprising blonde highlights. She also almost certainly has Down Syndrome. We are waiting on the test results, but it is highly unlikely that they will be negative. This was quite a shock as I had had no prenatal testing and there were no markers on my ultrasound. She does have some heart defects which may require surgery, but as of the moment, she is doing really well. I, of course, have shifted my reading to all Down Syndrome related titles, as I found I knew next to nothing about it. I am not sure how much I will be able to participate going forward, but I have to say that right now it is nice to have my Goodreads feed to scroll through at the end of the day just to have something a little normal.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Welcome to sweet baby girl!  If you are comfortable, we'd love to see a picture. 

 

Oh, dear. So I didn't even manage to read a romance? Well, at least that book can be my "Picked based on Cover" square. So, now I will ask you to suggest a romance for me. It will be my "Picked by Friend" square. I do not care for magical realism much. However, I did love The Night Circus. Not sure if that's magical realism and/or romance. I found it to be terribly romantic. I do not like Sarah Addison Allen or GH (I will use initials to avoid booing and hissing from this crowd). If you say Twilight or Outlander I may have to visit your home and have a serious talking to you. ;)

 

So wanna pick my romance? 

Twilight!   :001_tt2:

 

Couldn't resist  :lol:  :leaving:

[Angel]

I read The Original Miss Honeyford by M.C. Beaton in about 24 hours earlier this week.  Nothing much to say about it other than it was just the proper fluffy Regency romance I needed for Valentine's Day week.  It was also my "Romance" read for book club this month.  I'm looking forward to reading more of hers!  Thanks to whoever suggested this.  

 

*01.  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (classic - the Arctic, Switzerland, Germany, England, Scotland - 18th century)

*02.  Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (children's book - historical fiction - Norway - 20th century)

*03.  Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (BaW rec - Nigeria - 19th century)

*04.  The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (classic - reread - England -  18th century)

*05.  Harry Potter  and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (fantasy - reread - England)

*06.  Lost Empire by Clive Cussler (Zanzibar, Tanzania, USA, Madagascar, Indonesia - 21st century)

*07.  The Original Miss Honeyford by M.C. Beaton (BaW rec - England - 19th century)

[marbel]

re reusing bubblewrapped envelops: I do believe my own use was 3rd or 4th recycle.   As I recall I had to plaster the front with mailing stickers to cover up the old ones.  Yes, they last a long time.

 

Oh yes, we reuse envelopes and mailers all the time.  I keep old scrap paper around for new labels and to hide old markings.  I'm just about out of Math-U-See worksheetss which we stopped using in about 2009, I think.  :-)   

 

[idnib]

Some of us are very fond of brown paper...

 

We noticed.  ;)  You'll be receiving a thank you note from DS.

 

Ours also has a yearly December pardoning of fines in exchange for bringing in donations for the town's food pantry or unwrapped, new toys.

 

Our does too, at least for canned food. I don't think they do toys. I should ask them to if they don't.

 

#1--You people mail books to each other? :svengo:

I...I don't even know what to say. Practically in tears...  :w00t:

 

Yes! Speak up if there's a specific book or a general topic you're interested in.

 

Oh yes, we reuse envelopes and mailers all the time.  I keep old scrap paper around for new labels and to hide old markings.  I'm just about out of Math-U-See worksheetss which we stopped using in about 2009, I think.  :-)   

 

 

We do too. We've also become good at taking apart an over-labeled box and re-assembling it inside out!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Re: mailing a book....

 

Pam, thank you so much for the books; they arrived yesterday!

 

I've already reused the envelope & now Necropolis is on its way to Rose.

 

:lol:

 

P.S. Ime, sometimes at the post office, they will interrogate you like a criminal if you want to mail something media mail, trying to make sure you're not being sneaky & including a card or a note or some other 'contraband' in your package. :rolleyes:

 

OMG yes, one of the postal workers brings out the bright lights and the thumbscrews every time I try to mail something media.  Third degree city.  She's the only one, but she makes me feel like the next step is bringing out the caged rats.

 

 

Yes, that scene from 1984 has haunted me for MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Have fun at the library!

 

My library has a couple of perks for volunteers.  One must first accrue twenty hours of volunteer time and then volunteer for a minimum of four hours per month.  One perk is no overdue fines; the other is free inter-library loans.  (The normal fee is $3.00 per item.)

 

Perhaps your library has something similar.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

OMG, if I had to pay $3 per item for interlibrary loans, I would be unable to homeschool.  Seriously! We get stuff from our county and from the two surrounding counties for free! 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Ok, this is getting ridiculous, this time I will multi-quote:

 

 

re reusing bubblewrapped envelops: I do believe my own use was 3rd or 4th recycle.   As I recall I had to plaster the front with mailing stickers to cover up the old ones.  Yes, they last a long time.

 

Yes, rather than buying envelopes, I invested in a multi-pack of mailing labels, and I happily cover anything incriminating.  I've gotten packages where people taped a piece of regular printer paper over the whole front of the envelope. I have a big ole stack of envelopes that I reuse, and some of them have been around the block a few times!

 

 

#1--You people mail books to each other? :svengo:

I...I don't even know what to say. Practically in tears...  :w00t:

 

#2--Ask if the library will forgive part of your fines. I've gone halfies with them before. Generally nice people. Helps if you appear somewhat distraught. :nopity: :D

 

I felt the same way the first time someone sent me a book!  So exciting.  I don't send books that often because I use the library so much, and I usually only buy books if I plan to use them for school. But I'm always appreciative, and try to offer whatever was sent to me from a BAWers on to the rest of you.

 

Chris, yes, we share books! I have been so fortunate to receive many wonderful books from BaW friends. Keep your eyes on the thread as we post stuff every once in awhile. Feel free to pipe up & request a book if someone posts something you're interested in. :-)

 

Stacia is a most generous book sharer! I'm eagerly watching my mailbox for Necropolis, TIA!

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished two things: Deep Work by Cal Newport, which as a 2016 publication, gives me another Bingo row.  I liked the book, although I thought a lot of it was common sense. But I think it will be good for dd to read, as she is still forming work & study habits.

 

I also finished reading aloud Shakespeare's Sonnets. I had read many of them before, but this was the first time I'd read the whole thing cover to cover.  A few things struck me as funny: I don't know who numbered the Sonnets, if that was WS himself or if that was done later, but there are definitely whole stretches of related themes. And by the end, I don't think you can actually call them poems of love!  Things definitely take a dark turn.  I'm glad to have read them all, but I will say that despite my love for the Bard, I found some to be much better than others.  He goes on this whole riff of punning on his name "will" for a bunch of sonnets in a row, and after a couple dd and I were definitely all eye-rolly!  :001_rolleyes:

 

BINGO Top Row:

Female Author: Ancillary Sword, Ann Leckie

Published 2016: Deep Work, Cal Newport

Number in Title: Four Queens

Dusty: The Conqueror - Georgette Heyer

Picked by a Friend: Paper Towns - John Green

Edited February 18, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Melinda in VT]

I'm behind in posting about my reading. This thread reminds me how little time I spend on my laptop these days, and how much I hate to post replies from my iPad.

 

Our House in the Clouds is a quick read about a US couple building a house in Ecuador. I enjoyed it, but I picked it up only because we are heading to Ecuador for a week, and I have to do at least a little reading related to each trip. Bingo categories: Female author and Set in another country

 

I read my husband's latest novel. It is, of course, awesome. ;-)

 

The Secret Chord was my elliptical book. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and now I want to go read the biblical accounts of King David again. Bingo categories: Female author, Historical and Set in another country

 

The King's Peace is retelling of the King Arthur story. At one point, I thought this might be the first Jo Walton book that was a miss for me, but then I got pulled back into it, and I ended up enjoying it. I plan to read the sequel (sequels?), but not immediately. Bingo categories: Female author and Arthurian

 

Level Up was supposed to be my new elliptical book, but then I got sick and it was the perfect brain candy, so I finished it. Bingo categories: Female author and Published 2016

 

I'm currently reading In the Bleak Midwinter, recommended by someone here. I really like the characters, but the author's lack of biology knowledge and the very sloppy copy editing have provided material for several rants to family members. (If you are using blood type to rule out suspects, understand how it works!) I like the characters enough to read another book in the series.

 

I'm currently debating which books to take on my trip--books in my house waiting to be read, or Kindle books that I buy or borrow?

 

Here's the list so far for the year.

 

1. Welcome to the Episcopal Church

2. Sing for Us

3. Yesterday's Kin

4. The Winter's Tale

5. Annihilation

6. The Three-Body Problem

7. Ancillary Justice

8. Simply Tuesday

9. The Lost City of Z

10. Ancillary Sword

11. Ancillary Mercy

12. Our House in the Clouds

13. My husband's latest novel

14. The Secret Chord

15. The King's Peace

16. Level Up

Edited February 19, 2016 by Melinda in VT

[Melinda in VT]

I have a question about the bingo categories--how are we defining "epic"? I've been looking for suggestions online, and it looks like people are talking about "epic fantasy" or novels over 500 pages (which we already have as another category).

 

Or, we can skip the definition discussion, and you can tell me what epics you would recommend. [emoji6]

 

I'm also interested in recommendations for fairy tale retellings.

[aggieamy]

 

I read my husband's latest novel. It is, of course, awesome. ;-)

 

 

 

 

 What does your husband write?

[aggieamy]

I have a question about the bingo categories--how are we defining "epic"? I've been looking for suggestions online, and it looks like people are talking about "epic fantasy" or novels over 500 pages (which we already have as another category).

 

Or, we can skip the definition discussion, and you can tell me what epics you would recommend. [emoji6]

 

I'm also interested in recommendations for fairy tale retellings.

 

One of my favorite fairy tale retellings is Beauty by Robin McKinley.  It's wonderful. 

[Melinda in VT]

What does your husband write?

He writes in several different genres. This was a novel about a nurse in WWII.

[Melinda in VT]

One of my favorite fairy tale retellings is Beauty by Robin McKinley. It's wonderful.

It is! But I've read it more than once, and I'd like to try something new.

[Mom-ninja.]

I also was wondering about what epic means. 

 

Amy, I remember you writing about Beauty. Maybe I'll read it. 

 

I tried reading When Beauty Slept last year (or maybe year before) and quit. Just couldn't get into it. 

[Mom-ninja.]

He writes in several different genres. This was a novel about a nurse in WWII.

 

Is she able to recognize blood on a doorstep? Sorry, couldn't help inserting my sarcastic remark about the first Outlander book in which a *nurse* who had worked the front lines in WWII could not identify blood on the ground. Give me a break. That's when the author lost my interest.  

[Just Robyn]

Hey, guys! Happened upon this book and thought of all of you who are reading cartel-related books. Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel

[Stacia]

Hey, guys! Happened upon this book and thought of all of you who are reading cartel-related books. Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel

I saw that the other day & put it on hold at my library! (I don't think they have their copies yet.)

 

Great minds & all... ;-)

[Chrysalis Academy]

I have a question about the bingo categories--how are we defining "epic"? I've been looking for suggestions online, and it looks like people are talking about "epic fantasy" or novels over 500 pages (which we already have as another category).

 

Or, we can skip the definition discussion, and you can tell me what epics you would recommend. [emoji6]

 

I'm also interested in recommendations for fairy tale retellings.

 

I thought this was a pretty cool post/list about Epics.  I like that it included non-western selections.  I bought a few new books from this list!

 

http://www.amazon.com/lm/R36UA0KQ8K4OJ

[Stacia]

I thought this was a pretty cool post/list about Epics.  I like that it included non-western selections.  I bought a few new books from this list!

 

http://www.amazon.com/lm/R36UA0KQ8K4OJ

 

Thanks for the link. Great list.

 

I'd also add Sunjata as a possibility.

 

[Lady Florida.]

Is she able to recognize blood on a doorstep? Sorry, couldn't help inserting my sarcastic remark about the first Outlander book in which a *nurse* who had worked the front lines in WWII could not identify blood on the ground. Give me a break. That's when the author lost my interest.  

 

From a fellow Outlander hater - you might like this review. When people ask me why I didn't like it, I refer them to this. Unlike the reviewer I actually managed to finish the book. I wish I hadn't.

 

ETA: If you're an Outlander fan you probably don't want to click on that link.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Lady Florida

[Kareni]

I'm also interested in recommendations for fairy tale retellings.

 

 

Some leads ~

 

10 Fantastic Fairytale Retellings You Need To Read

 

 

Fairy Tale Retellings

 

 

The following wikipedia entry has a long list of retellings if you scroll down a bit ~

List of fairytale fantasies

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Mom-ninja.]

I read Neil Gaiman's Hansel and Gretel today to my youngest. Love his version, but I don't think it counts for a bingo square since it's a picture book. ;) 

[Butter]

He writes in several different genres. This was a novel about a nurse in WWII.

 

Is it published or is he still working on it?  If it's published, can you link?

[Butter]

#18: The Book Stops Here by Kate Carlisle.  I was sent this one by a kind BAWer after I had my surgery.  I read part of it and then accidentally misplaced it for a while.  I loved it!  It's about a bookbinder and rare and antique book expert who has a habit of stumbling over dead bodies and feels the need to solve the mysteries for the police.  I was very surprised by the ending.  I definitely wasn't expecting what happened.

 

#19: Deep Fried and Pickled by Paisley Ray.  Another good book.  A bit of a mind vacation.  In this one a first year college student Rachael discovers some of her roommates friends are involved in an art forgery ring.  In between going to classes and trying to avoid her newly dating father and crazy mother, she determined to solve the crime.  As the reader, you know the basic outcome long before the end since Rachael figures it out, so it's fun to go along with her trying to find the proof.

[Melinda in VT]

Is it published or is he still working on it?  If it's published, can you link?

 

This particular one is with his editor right now. She's bringing it to the ed board next week.

 

It's very nice of you to ask, and I hope this doesn't sound rude, but for privacy and safety reasons, I try to keep my online life separate from DH's pen name. I've shared a little too much location information here over the years.

[Butter]

It's very nice of you to ask, and I hope this doesn't sound rude, but for privacy and safety reasons, I try to keep my online life separate from DH's pen name. I've shared a little too much location information here over the years.

 

That makes sense.  I just wanted to see if it sounded like something I'd like to buy and read :)  Nurse and WWII caught my attention because I love both of those things.

[Kareni]

Last night my book group met to discuss Nicole Krauss' The History of Love; it was a good meeting, and we had a lively discussion about the book which I had finished earlier in the week.

 

Have others here read it?  It's not a new book as it was published in 2005.  In previous Book a Week threads, I can only find one mention:

 

I also am partway through The History of Love, but I keep forgetting it's there. It hasn't caught my attention really.

 

Did you continue with the book, Felicity?

 

As with many of the books that my group reads, this is not a book I would have chosen; however, I am now glad to have read it.  [Even if I didn't notice that one of the characters in the book was another character's imaginary friend.  Oops!]  I recommend it.

 

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The last words of this haunting novel resonate like a pealing bell. "He fell in love. It was his life." This is the unofficial obituary of octogenarian Leo Gursky, a character whose mordant wit, gallows humor and searching heart create an unforgettable portrait. Born in Poland and a WWII refugee in New York, Leo has become invisible to the world. When he leaves his tiny apartment, he deliberately draws attention to himself to be sure he exists. What's really missing in his life is the woman he has always loved, the son who doesn't know that Leo is his father, and his lost novel, called The History of Love, which, unbeknownst to Leo, was published years ago in Chile under a different man's name. Another family in New York has also been truncated by loss. Teenager Alma Singer, who was named after the heroine of The History of Love, is trying to ease the loneliness of her widowed mother, Charlotte. When a stranger asks Charlotte to translate The History of Love from Spanish for an exorbitant sum, the mysteries deepen. Krauss (Man Walks into a Room) ties these and other plot strands together with surprising twists and turns, chronicling the survival of the human spirit against all odds. Writing with tenderness about eccentric characters, she uses earthy humor to mask pain and to question the universe. Her distinctive voice is both plangent and wry, and her imagination encompasses many worlds.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

 

 

[Angel]

Some leads ~

 

10 Fantastic Fairytale Retellings You Need To Read

 

 

Fairy Tale Retellings

 

 

The following wikipedia entry has a long list of retellings if you scroll down a bit ~

List of fairytale fantasies

 

Regards,

Kareni

Thanks for the links.  My IRL book club's theme for next month is fairy tales - a modern version, a retelling, etc.  I may read Cinder because Skye just devoured these and passed them on to Aly, who is also devouring them, but I like to have options  ;)

[PeacefulChaos]

I thought this was a pretty cool post/list about Epics.  I like that it included non-western selections.  I bought a few new books from this list!

 

http://www.amazon.com/lm/R36UA0KQ8K4OJ

 

I literally just added almost all of them to my (ever growing) to-read list on goodreads.  I figure it'll take me my entire life to get through the list, as I'll keep adding and reading things as the mood strikes me, so I may as well just add anything that looks of interest.  :lol:

[Angel]

Thinking to get another quick Regency read in this week I decided to pick up Aly's Kindle and read Bab: A Sub-Deb by Mary Roberts Rineheart.  I downloaded this book a couple years ago (based on a rec from somewhere here) so technically it could be a "dusty" read.  At first I was disappointed.  It wasn't a Regency romance.  However, by the end of the book, I realized that I really had enjoyed it.  Bab is a 17yo in the early 1900's who is waiting her turn to "come out."  She narrates her adventures with all the passion of youth and all the spelling mistakes of a 10yo (though she prides herself on her spelling lol).  I would like to read this again without the wrong preconceived notion.  I think it will be better the second time around.

 

That makes #8 for me for the year!  

[Kareni]

I don't believe that anyone has posted this news ~

 

Harper Lee, Author of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ Dies at 89

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

This evening I finished a regency romance by Mary Balogh; it's one of her older titles that I had not previously read.  It was a pleasant read but a book I'm not likely to revisit.

 

The Last Waltz (Signet Regency Romance) by Mary Balogh

 

 

From Library Journal

 

Similar to several of Balogh's earlier Christmas Regencies (A Christmas Bride, LJ 11/15/97) and equally rewarding, this exquisitely rendered tale reunites former lovers at the holiday season and, in Balogh's typical cutting-edge fashion, forces them to deal with major issues (abuse, alcoholism) before they find happiness together. Realistic, exceptionally well-developed characters populate this emotionally involving story that is a bit darker and more overtly sensual than the average Regency; readers will be waiting for it. Balogh is a noted writer of both Regency and historical romances and lives in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Umberto Eco has also apparently passed away.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/arts/international/umberto-eco-italian-semiotician-and-best-selling-author-dies-at-84.html?_r=0

Edited February 20, 2016 by Stacia

[Soror]

One of my favorite fairy tale retellings is Beauty by Robin McKinley.  It's wonderful. 

 

Thanks for the rec, I just looked and found it on Kindle Unlimited and uploaded :)

I read Neil Gaiman's Hansel and Gretel today to my youngest. Love his version, but I don't think it counts for a bingo square since it's a picture book. ;)

We love Neil Gaiman here, haven't read that though.

 

 

Speaking of Gaiman I finished Good Omens yesterday, enjoyable read, a bit more light hearted than the usual Gaiman book, although I've never read Pratchett so I don't really have an idea of his usual style. 

 

I just download Beauty as mentioned above.  2001 Space Odyssey is calling my name too, I think I have it downstairs. I can't remember if I've read it but I haven't read a good sci-fi in ages.

 

1. The Crystal Cave- Stewart

2. The Hollow Hills- Stewart

3. The Last Enchantment- Stewart

4. The Wicked Day- Stewart

5. Younger Next Year for Women

6. Very Good Lives- Rowling- very, very, extremely short

7. The Once and Future King- White

8. The Lost Art of Walking

9. Move Your DNA-Bowman

10. The Wild Trees- Preston

11. The Magician's Elephant- diCamillio

12. Wild- Strayed

13. The Last Child in the Woods- Louv

14. Good Omens- Pratchett and Gaiman

[Soror]

....... I started Beauty this morning, I've already made it 1/3 of the way through, perhaps I should go back and look at more on the list of fairy tale retellings, we've always loved reading whatever versions we could find of various tales.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Some leads ~

 

10 Fantastic Fairytale Retellings You Need To Read

 

 

Fairy Tale Retellings

 

 

The following wikipedia entry has a long list of retellings if you scroll down a bit ~

List of fairytale fantasies

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I read Boy Snow Bird for my retelling, and I thought it was great, and unexpected. I also really enjoyed Neil Gaiman's The Sleeper and the Spindle.

 

DD loves Shannon Hale's Books of Bayern series.  These are  more YA.

 

We also enjoyed Vivian Vande Velde's The Rumplestiltskin Problem, which is a set of short stories, retelling Rumplestiltskin.