Book a Week 2016 - BW9: March Gadabout

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 9 in our quest to read 52 books. Welcome back to all our readers, to those just joining in and all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is also below in my signature

 

52 Books Blog - March Gadabout:  We are heading into March and will be cruising around the coast of Australia, stopping at a couple ports of call before sailing to New Zealand.   We'll stop in on the Dunedoo Bush Poetry Festival in New South Wales, drop in on Lian Hearn, best known for her Tales of the Otori series as she launches her new Tale of the Shikanoko series with Emperor of the Late Islands.  Plus, we'll be celebrating the 82nd birthday of our author flavor of the month  David Malouf,  I currently have  Ransom in my backpack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Award-winning author David Malouf reimagines the pivotal narrative of Homer’s Iliad—one of the most famous passages in all of literature. This is the story of the relationship between two grieving men at war: fierce Achilles, who has lost his beloved Patroclus in the siege of Troy; and woeful Priam, whose son Hector killed Patroclus and was in turn savaged by Achilles. A moving tale of suffering, sorrow, and redemption, Ransom is incandescent in its delicate and powerful lyricism and its unstated imperative that we imagine our lives in the glow of fellow feeling.

 

 

Once we hit New Zealand, you better put on your walking shoes, because we'll be gadding about the continent, taking one of Auckland's Literary walks. Add to that learning more about the Maori culture, as well as taking the Haiku pathway in Katikati.  We'll be dropping in on our other author flavor of the month - Joan Druett, maritime historian and novelist.  I have Island of the Lost World on board and can't wait to read it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death.

 

In 1864 Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave—rather than succumb to this dismal fate—inspires his men to take action. With barely more than their bare hands, they build a cabin and, remarkably, a forge, where they manufacture their tools. Under Musgrave's leadership, they band together and remain civilized through even the darkest and most terrifying days.

 

Incredibly, at the same time on the opposite end of the island—twenty miles of impassable cliffs and chasms away—the Invercauld wrecks during a horrible storm. Nineteen men stagger ashore. Unlike Captain Musgrave, the captain of the Invercauld falls apart given the same dismal circumstances. His men fight and split up; some die of starvation, others turn to cannibalism. Only three survive. Musgrave and all of his men not only endure for nearly two years, they also plan their own astonishing escape, setting off on one of the most courageous sea voyages in history.

 

Using the survivors' journals and historical records, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett brings this extraordinary untold story to life, a story about leadership and the fine line between order and chaos.

 

 

Also Check out Goodread's list of books set in New Zealand, books by New Zealand Authors,  as well as books set Australia, and Booktopia's list of top ten favorite Australia authors! 

 

Join me as we sail the ocean blue! Happy travels! 

 

**************************************************************************

 

History of the Renaissance World - Chapters Nine and Ten 

 

**************************************************************************

 

What are you reading this week? 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 8 

 

Edited February 28, 2016 by Robin M

[Negin]

Robin, I wish we were all actually traveling together! Thank you for starting another wonderful thread. 

 

I read Travels with Charley in Search of America - 4 Stars - The first time that I read anything by John Steinbeck was in high school (“The Pearlâ€). Although I remember that it was one of my favorite books in my high school literature class, more than thirty years went by before I read anything by him again (probably due to laziness, lack of motivation, or whatever). I read “East of Eden†several months ago, which I loved. “Travels with Charley in Search of America†is the third book I’ve read by him. Let me just say that he was an amazing writer.

In this book, Steinbeck gets the itch to travel across America with his French poodle, Charley. I love the way he told stories with such detail and depth. This book is basically a travelogue filled with interesting insight, moments that move you, and some that make you laugh.

The ending was a bit abrupt and felt rushed, which was slightly disappointing since he was truly a special writer. I look forward to reading more of his books.

 

Two of my favorite quotes:

“A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.â€

 

“And then I saw what I was to see so many times on the journey—a look of longing.

'Lord! I wish I could go.'

'Don’t you like it here?'

'Sure. It’s all right, but I wish I could go.'

'You don’t even know where I’m going.'

'I don’t care. I’d like to go anywhere.'"

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

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

[Robin M]

Thanks Negin, me too!  I so not awake today. Took an allergy pill before I went to bed and am still groggy.   Cindy Gerard came out with a new book in her One Eyed Jacks series #4 - Taking Fire.  Yeah!  She's another one of my favorite authors that all things stop while I read her books.   I'm still working my way through One Hundred Years of Solitude.  Foucault's Pendulum is waiting on the nightstand along with Ransom.   

 

 

Edited February 28, 2016 by Robin M

[Kareni]

I have Island of the Lost World on board and can't wait to read it.

 

This sounds fascinating!  I'll be interested to hear more when you read it.

**

 

Popcorn and Apocalypse Now. Is there a homeschooling merit badge for this? We are still towards the beginning of the movie, and thus far it is worse than the mummified chicken and better than the counselor's letter. :-P

 

I love the idea of homeschooling merit badges!  Thanks for the chuckle.  We never mummified a chicken; however, writing the counselor letter took true effort.

**

 

I finished a few books recently, all of which I enjoyed ~

 

Confucius Jane: A Nove by Katie Lynch

 

"Confucius Jane by debut author Katie Lynch is a lush and charming novel that vividly depicts New York City's Chinatown while taking the reader on a touching journey of family, community, and love.

 

On leave from college, Jane Morrow has a new job, helping out in her uncle’s fortune cookie factory, and a new roommate―her precocious 11-year-old cousin. Though surrounded by her loving family and their close-knit Chinatown community, Jane feels like a colossal failure. Writing fortunes is a kind of poetry, but Jane is penning words of wisdom for strangers while wondering if she will ever have the guts to move on with her life.

 

When Jane meets medical student Sutton St. James at her local noodle shop, sparks fly. Sutton stands at a career crossroads: surgical residency or stem cell research overseas? The first is what her father, former Surgeon General and “America's doctor,†has planned for her, but the latter might help find a cure for her mother’s debilitating MS. Neither would make either of them comfortable with their daughter's sexuality. Sutton’s only certainty is that she has no time for a relationship―yet neither she nor Jane can deny the chemistry between them.

 

Jane opens a whole new view of family to Sutton, a powerful counter to Sutton’s cold, sterile upbringing. Sutton inspires Jane to be more ambitious and to dream again―and challenges her to have faith in herself. But can Sutton and Jane overcome a scandalous secret that threatens to keep them apart?"

**

 

Consent by Nancy Ohlin

 

This one raises issues as it deals with the relationship that develops between a seventeen year old and her teacher.

 

 

"In this sexy and intriguing novel, an intense—and passionate—bond between a high school senior and her music teacher becomes a public scandal that threatens the reputation of both.

 

Bea has a secret.

 

Actually, she has more than one. There’s her dream for the future that she can’t tell anyone—not her father and not even her best friend, Plum.

 

And now there’s Dane Rossi. Dane is hot, he shares Bea’s love of piano, and he believes in her.

 

He’s also Bea’s teacher.

 

When their passion for music crosses into passion for each other, Bea finds herself falling completely for Dane. She’s never felt so wanted, so understood, so known to her core. But the risk of discovery carries unexpected surprises that could shake Bea entirely. Bea must piece together what is and isn’t true about Dane, herself, and the most intense relationship she’s ever experienced in this absorbing novel from Nancy Ohlin, the author of Beauty."

**

 

I also re-read  Patricia Briggs' Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) which I enjoyed once more.  I blame you, NoseInABook!

**

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Just Robyn]

Hey, I actually finished some books! 

 

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction, which includes a history of flash an 26 chapters, each by a different author and each including an essay, a writing prompt and a short short story. (Except the last chapter, which for some reason is just an essay.)

 

The Fellowship of the Ring - Really lovely. It's easy for me to fall right into the world, except when it starts going on for too long about this city and that and all I can see is blah, blah, blah because there's no way I can keep track of the entirety of Middle Earth (and don't care enough to keep looking at maps). I look forward to starting book 2, but I will wait for ds to finish book 1.

[Minerva]

Hello All,

 

I didn't write last week, but I did read every post, and wanted to comment about every single one, until I became overwhelmed and decided just to let you all know...

 

I have the biggest crush on everyone in this group.  :001_wub: I love the books, the little snippets of your lives, the generosity of spirit. 

 

I finished A Passage to India. I enjoyed the writing, but by the end of the book I realized that I felt as alienated from the characters as they felt from each other. 

 

I also finished reading The Last Battle to my kids. We all agreed that it was really weird, but it did spark good conversation. 

 

I am currently reading The Sound of Things Falling (recommended by Stacia via idnib). I am riveted.

 

I am reading aloud to the kids My Side of the Mountain. This is the third time I have read this. Once when I was a child, once to my dd and now to both of my kids together. It is such a good book. I especially love how tangible this dream seems. I am also really enjoying the parallel to the Martian, which is one of the books I read recently. It doesn't matter if you are an astronaut stranded on Mars or a young man who has run away to the Catskills. Survival is an exciting business. 

 

 

[Jane in NC]

Soup's on as is the kettle for a cuppa. C'mon over, y'all!I

 

I finished reading Loitering, a collection of essays by Charles D'Ambrosio, a very fine writer indeed.  As is the case with most collections, some pieces resonate more than others but, in this case, all of the essays deserved my attention. The book is published by Tin House, another fine independent press. 

 

Thank you to my Secret Santa for sending this volume my way!

 

The plan for the week is to read Leaving Berlin and get caught up in HoRW.  Should be doable.

 

As February comes to an end, I realize that I failed to open Out of Africa which had been on our list for the month.  So many books...

[Lady Florida.]

 We'll be dropping in on our other author flavor of the month - Joan Druett, maritime historian and novelist.  I have Island of the Lost World on board and can't wait to read it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wasn't planning to participate in anything this month, but that book looks fascinating. I sent a sample to my Kindle and though I haven't read it yet I already added this to my Goodreads Want to Read list. It looks that good, and the reviews are mostly good too.

 

I hope you get some relief from your allergies. :(

[idnib]

Thanks, Robin, for the new thread!

 

I finished A Passage to India and I have some thoughts on it. I'm still trying to decide whether to just write a few things that stood out or a more encompassing post. I'm leaning towards the former in the the interest of time.

 

Carrying forward some items from last week and one comment from this morning:

 

Thank you to so many of my BaW friends for joining me in Forster February!  Some of you are still reading A Passage to India.  Please feel free to continue the discussion.

 

I want to add one quote to our conversation, the opening lines of the first paragraph of Part Three, Temple. 

 

 

I wonder if these lines sum up the difficulties in the clash of cultures/religions. Eastern mysticism has been mentioned in other threads, but within that mysticism or perhaps in Eastern cultures themselves we find an acceptance of contradiction that we may be less inclined to see or acknowledge despite its presence in our Western lives.

 

Thank you so much Jane, for leading this discussion. The writing was beautiful and vibrant, and the story as well.

 

I think these lines do sum up the clash of cultures. Also, I don't know how representative of the British these particular characters were, but I not only saw a contrast between the religions, but the religiosity itself. These British really didn't seem like particularly religious people. They were never seen attending services, talking about Jesus, etc. It felt as if their state religion(?) was something that held them together as a people, but was not integrated into their daily lives.  I'm quite ignorant about what denomination these people would have been, so I'm sort of assuming Church of England.The story went through enough seasons that it must have at last passed through Easter. I think excluding Christian rituals may have been a deliberate decision by Forster.

 

Do I remember correctly that there is someone here besides me who has geology going on in the homeschool?  

 

We are doing geology in the spring and summer and I'm prepping now, so maybe you're thinking of me? Thank you for the link!

 

Laughing at the "loving the smell of napalm" comment. I agree that pairing HoD with Things Fall Apart is a great way to approach the material.

I have decided to watch Apocalypse Now with ds, though we don't have a specific time picked and this one won't happen if not scheduled. Y'all can cover me when I go in.

 

How'd it go?  :D  "I wanted a mission movie, and for my sins, they BaW gave me one. It was a real choice mission movie, and when I was done, I never wanted another."

 

 

 

I read Theodore Gray's "Molecules" - what a great read and sequel to "The Elements."

 

DS got this as a Christmas gift. I've been meaning to grab it from his room and read it.

 

The Fellowship of the Ring - Really lovely. It's easy for me to fall right into the world, except when it starts going on for too long about this city and that and all I can see is blah, blah, blah because there's no way I can keep track of the entirety of Middle Earth (and don't care enough to keep looking at maps). I look forward to starting book 2, but I will wait for ds to finish book 1.

 

This is our current read aloud. It really is lovely, but it's taking forever because it's generating so much discussion about friendship, loyalty, bravery, good vs. evil, power, doing what we must when difficulty is put upon us, etc. 

[Loesje22000]

Robin, I wish we were all actually traveling together! Thank you for starting another wonderful thread.

 

I read Travels with Charley in Search of America - 4 Stars - The first time that I read anything by John Steinbeck was in high school (“The Pearlâ€). Although I remember that it was one of my favorite books in my high school literature class, more than thirty years went by before I read anything by him again (probably due to laziness, lack of motivation, or whatever). I read “East of Eden†several months ago, which I loved. “Travels with Charley in Search of America†is the third book I’ve read by him. Let me just say that he was an amazing writer.

In this book, Steinbeck gets the itch to travel across America with his French poodle, Charley. I love the way he told stories with such detail and depth. This book is basically a travelogue filled with interesting insight, moments that move you, and some that make you laugh.

The ending was a bit abrupt and felt rushed, which was slightly disappointing since he was truly a special writer. I look forward to reading more of his books.

 

Two of my favorite quotes:

“A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.â€

 

“And then I saw what I was to see so many times on the journey—a look of longing.

'Lord! I wish I could go.'

'Don’t you like it here?'

'Sure. It’s all right, but I wish I could go.'

'You don’t even know where I’m going.'

'I don’t care. I’d like to go anywhere.'"

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

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

Maybe,

Or maybe not...

 

You also want to read:

http://www.amazon.com/America-Travels-John-Steinbeck-ebook/dp/B00MWS486U/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1456690528&sr=8-4&keywords=Geert+mak

 

A dutch author makes (almost) the same travel as Steinbeck, to see what is 'left' from Steinbecks' America. This book makes me read Steinbeck :)

[Loesje22000]

I finished (in Dutch)

 

Of mice and men

The Old man and the Sea

(Did I already mentioned I know why the caged bird sing?)

 

I did not like Hemingway despites the beautiful language.

The prologue said it was almost better then Moby Dick, so I'm not sure I want to try that one ever.

 

No war and peace due to illness (again)

[marbel]

Hello and Happy Sunday!   I've added two or three books to my Goodreads list and am sure there will be more to come.

 

Robin, thanks for the list of Australian authors!   I was happy to see Mem Fox - her Sleepy Bears is a book I give to pretty much all new parents who come my way.  We have many of her books in our "save forever" box. 

 

If any of  y'all haven't read anything by Tim Winton, go check Robin's link and find something of his.  I have fond memories of Cloudstreet and not too long ago read Eyrie which was amazing despite being so not the type of books I usually read and enjoy.  Also, The Deep is in my family's "save forever" box and helped my daughter get over her fear of water, somewhat.

 

Negin, I love John Steinbeck!  I grew up not too far from the Salinas Valley / Monterey area so some of the settings of his books are familiar to me.  One of my favorite college classes was just on him.  An entire semester dedicated to Steinbeck, taught by the local Steinbeck scholar!  And we even had a field trip to his old home and Cannery Row.  That experience only made me love him more.

 

Minerva, My Side of the Mountain is another family favorite here.  Don't be tempted to watch the movie though.  It has a terrible change in it that traumatized my children and has made them forever suspicious of movie versions of beloved books. 

 

I have a lot of reading to do this month but Island of the Lost sounds wonderful so I may try...

 

2016 Reading:

1.  Basin and Range, John McPhee

2.  Austenland, Shannon Hale

3. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin

4. The Lady in the Van, Alan Bennett

5. In Suspect Terrain, John McPhee

6. Jamaica Inn, Daphne duMaurier

7. A Dangerous Mourning, Anne Perry

8. Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Susan Vreeland

9.  Defend and Betray, Anne Perry

10. Economics in One Lesson, Henry Hazlitt

11. The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson

12. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

13. A Test of Wills, Charles Todd

14. The Original Miss Honeyford, Marion Chesney

 

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2016 by marbel

[Narrow Gate Academy]

This week I finished book 10, the updated version of Getting Things Done by Allen, and reviewed it.

 

Currently Reading

 

ESV Bible - finished Numbers and am 4 chapters into Deuteronomy

Murder of Crows by Bishop - 12 chapters into my reread ahead of the March release of book 4 in the series

City of Dark Magic by Flyte - only 5 chapters in and hasn't captured my attention yet, but not quite ready to give up

The Screwtape Letters by Lewis - planning to read 1 to 2 letters per day

The Horse and His Boy by Lewis - read aloud with youngest, hoping to finish this week

 

 

[Onceuponatime]

I'm halfway through The Woman in White and found that I remember very few of the details from the last time I read it. I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would.

[idnib]

Stacia, thanks for the heads-up on the OUP sale. I'm on their mailing lists but didn't receive anything, oddly. I've added the items I've had in my Amazon list to the OUP cart and will check prices tonight. Hopefully they're not on the exclusions list!

[Rosie_0801]

Soup's on as is the kettle for a cuppa. C'mon over, y'all!I

 

Uh, uh. If this is Downunder week, you have to say "you lot."

 

I don't know what New Zealanders say, but I know that don't say "y'all" :lol:

[Butter]

#22: The Lake of Tears by Emily Rodda.  It's the second Deltora Quest book.  I love, love, love Deltora Quest.

[Stacia]

Obama nominates Carla D. Hayden for Librarian of Congress

 

If you ever get a chance to go to D.C. & haven't been to the Library of Congress, it is amazingly beautiful & worth a visit. (And, if you go, you can get a Library of Congress Reader Registration card for free which, imo, has got to be one of the coolest library cards you can get. [i had one but it has since expired.])

[Jane in NC]

Thanks to Rosie, I stand corrected.

 

Soup's on as is the kettle for a cuppa. C'mon over, you lot!

 

Better? :D

[idnib]

I went back through my notes and tagged items from A Passage to India and I think I’ll just share some of my disparate thoughts over a few posts this week and see if anyone has any thoughts or comments about them.

 

In a book full of enchanting quotes, my best-loved was in Part III (Temple) during the time of the birth of Krishna:

 

 

But the human spirit had tried by a desperate contortion to ravish the unknown, flinging down science and history in the struggle, yes, beauty herself. Did it succeed? Books written afterwards say ‘Yes.’ But how, if there is such an event, can it be remembered afterwards? How can it be expressed in anything but itself? Not only from the unbeliever are mysteries hid, but the adept himself cannot retain them. He may think, if he chooses, that he has been with God, but as soon as he thinks it, it becomes history, and falls under the rules of time.

 

I think this encapsulates a  large part of the ephemeral and ecstatic experiences humans can have within religion and spirituality, and also the reason these experiences are easily dismissed. And are these experiences really hid from the unbeliever? What of all the believers who do not experience anything like this, or the unbelievers who do? Do some religions lend themselves more to these types of experiences by providing better opportunities to reach heights of ecstasy through rituals?

 

Religions may be human constructs in order to provide for certain behavior, or agreement of soldiers, or to build powerful nations, but perhaps there are experiences outside the bounds of time and space and religion, and when one tries to place these into boxes, they are changed or dissipated. There’s almost a bit of the observer effect (from physics) in what Forster is saying: how can we seize the experience when the act of seizing changes the thing itself? Are our conscious minds blunt tools that cannot precisely measure an experience such as this, and the more precise we try to be, the more it changes and eludes us?  And by placing these experiences outside of space and time, do we make them very vulnerable to being mocked? People have enough trouble with the question of what existed before time and space from both religious and cosmological persectives ("If God created everything, who created God?" and "What was before the Big Bang, if the Big Bang created time?"), so pulling a new experience out of time and space when time and space already exist, and are described by elegant equations, is something entirely different and easy to dismiss in a mechanistic age.

 

Forster provided a nice distinction between the Indians, who are more comfortable with these ways of thinking, and the British, with their increasingly time-oriented and scientific view. I enjoyed how Forster pointed out that for the birth of Krishna the Indians were for once on time precisely at midnight, and contrasted that with the "out of the bounds of time" experiences for the attendees.

Edited February 28, 2016 by idnib

[Ali in OR]

I only finished one this week, but glad to have finished The New Jim Crow. Well worth reading, but I did sometimes feel like it was very repetitive. I would read a sentence and think, "hasn't she said this exact thought several times already?" And being non-fiction, it was a little slow-going at times. At the moment, I only have my mystery going--A Medal for Murder. Howard's End will go back to the library unopened, and at the moment I'm thinking Hogfather will too (the very small font is putting me off), though I might get both again someday. Not sure what's up next, but I would like another good fiction book.

 

Had a nice visit with my dad and his wife this weekend. Sent him home with Being Mortal which he will love (he's a doctor) and he also got a little caught up in The New Jim Crow though that's a library book so he couldn't take it with him.

[Ethel Mertz]

I finished number 27 for the year: Gandhi the Man: How One Man Changed Himself to Change the World – Eknath Easwaran. I wanted to like this more than I did. The text just didn't flow smoothly. There were a great number of photographs (which were interesting), but they interrupted the flow of the book. I certainly learned a bit more about Gandhi, but wish there had been more to the book.

 

I'm currently reading Ronnie Gilbert: A Radical Life in Song - Ronnie Gilbert, How to Read the Bible – Harvey Cox, and Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Book Store – Robin Sloan. 

[Stacia]

he also got a little caught up in The New Jim Crow though that's a library book so he couldn't take it with him.

 

Well, he *could* have taken it with him, but since I assume it would have been checked out on your card, it would have made you a library scofflaw! You could be our BaW scofflaw/pirate! :lol:

 

I'm still working on An Exaggerated Murder by Josh Cook & am enjoying it. Even though it's a murder mystery, I'm not sure I can recommend it for the regular murder mystery crowd. It seems more like a murder mystery that Pynchon would have messed with or something. I find it fun & I think it might appeal to a couple of you, though. (Kathy -- you might want to give this one a whirl sometime.)

 

Starred review from Kirkus:

Three things to keep in mind about this book: Travel is far more enriching than arrival, detectives are essentially professional critics, and always be very careful when you decide to quit smoking.

 

Trident “Trike†Augustine is a very American, excruciatingly dysfunctional variant of the “consulting investigator†who’s been outsmarting criminals and out-thinking authority figures since the Victorian era. Yet even though this hip, dissolute Sherlock has managed to put away whole armies of fiends, thieves, psychos and grifters, Trike’s teeming brain has hit an immobilizing speed bump: the disappearance of a reclusive billionaire named Joyce. The only substantial clues are a large pool of blood and a secret compartment within Joyce’s mansion that the feds unaccountably seal off from further scrutiny by either Trike or the local cops. (By the way, it’s not clear, or particularly important, what city this is, though Cook, a first-time novelist, sells books in the Greater Boston region.) Trike can’t help but use such impediments as an excuse for pressing his inquiry. But the deeper he looks, the more confounded he becomes. There is, for instance, the matter of the dead pig that somehow shows up on Trike’s apartment floor in the dark of night, doing nothing but bleeding on his rug. The best, if tentative, conclusion that Trike and his two Watsons, a sassy painter named Lola and a circumspect ex-FBI agent named Max, can reach about the pig is that it’s one of several crass warnings to stay off the Joyce case. Which, this being a detective story, has the opposite effect on Trike. But the only thing that becomes clear about the novel's plot is that it’s somewhat less and considerably more than an average detective story. Rather, it’s a sustained inquiry into the nature of detecting itself—and into the process of writing. Keep in mind the millionaire’s name and the book’s quicksilver references to Ulysses—and to Edgar Allan Poe’s genre-defining mystery tale “The Purloined Letter.†Such literary gamesmanship may exasperate the traditional mystery lover, but the writing throughout is so crystalline, the dialogue so acerbically funny and the characters so engaging as to make the pages seem as though they’re turning themselves.

 

A beautifully written postmodern novel of deduction that merrily, wittily blows up its genre’s conventions while at the same time re-energizing possibilities for the 21st-century detective story.

 

Not much reading time these days as Irish dance season (for dd) is in full swing. Feis last weekend & St. Pat's Day will be here before long. So, practices, practices, practices, & appearances fill a lot of time. A little something to get you in the Irish dancing mood.... (This is a video I found on Youtube; I don't know these particular dancers.) Yes, I hear this music even in my sleep for well over a month, lol. :lol:

 

 

 

[NoseInABook]

Woo, Irish dance! I'm surprised my daughters haven't asked if they could learn as they're very proud of being McBabies and they adore dancing.

 

Half reading that A Shade Of Vampire book until Kindle Unlimited's free trial runs out for me.

[Just Robyn]

 

 

This is our current read aloud. It really is lovely, but it's taking forever because it's generating so much discussion about friendship, loyalty, bravery, good vs. evil, power, doing what we must when difficulty is put upon us, etc. 

 

Awwe. That makes me all warm with goodness. Poor Frodo.  :crying: Yet he is lucky to have such good friends. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Ahh, a new month, new set of book-reading plans.  Not that my TR stacks or lists are getting any lighter! Sounds like it's a good month to try and read The Road from Coorain. I'm definitely planning to read Ransom, I just put it on hold.  I am reading and very much appreciating Rebecca Solnit's volume of essays, Men Explain Things to Me. It goes from humorous to sobering very quickly. Solnit is my kind of feminist, though. I'm really appreciating each of the essays.

 

I had very little reading time last week. I finished listening to Good Omens and reading Robin Hood aloud, but the only thing I read start to finish was The Book of Job, a verse translation by Stephen Mitchell.  I loved it! I've always had issues with that book, and I really like what Mitchell did with it in translation, and the explication as well.  Makes more sense than all the sermons I've heard on the subject. 

 

Books read in February:

40.  The Book of Job - Stephen Mitchell, trans.

39. The Adventures of Robin Hood- Roger Lancelyn Green

38. Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

37. The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison

36. The Poisoned Crown - Maurice Druon

35. Shakespeare's Sonnets

34. Deep Work - Cal Newport

33. Boy, Snow, Bird - Helen Oyeyemi

32. Strange Bodies - Paul Theroux

31. A Passage to India - EM Forster

30. The Strangled Queen - Maurice Druon

29. Jurrasic Park - Michael Crichton

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

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

I'm still working on An Exaggerated Murder by Josh Cook & am enjoying it. Even though it's a murder mystery, I'm not sure I can recommend it for the regular murder mystery crowd. It seems more like a murder mystery that Pynchon would have messed with or something. I find it fun & I think it might appeal to a couple of you, though. (Kathy -- you might want to give this one a whirl sometime.)

 

 

 

Not much reading time these days as Irish dance season (for dd) is in full swing. Feis last weekend & St. Pat's Day will be here before long. So, practices, practices, practices, & appearances fill a lot of time. 

 

That looks like it might be fun. I saved the info to look into it later. Thanks. 

 

I love to watch Irish dancing! We know a local homeschooler who is into it. Ds plays Dungeons and Dragons with her and her brother. When her mother found out that I can sew she asked me about making her daughter's costumes. They're crazy expensive and while she would pay me, she was hoping I could do it for less. Wow! I'm good, but nowhere near that good. I politely declined and told her there's a reason why those costumes cost so much.  :lol:

[PeacefulChaos]

replying so I can come back later and find it the lazy way... :leaving:  :lol:

[mumto2]

Stacia, I thought of your dd and her Irish dance earlier today while dh and ds were buying silly cheap St. Patty souvenirs to take back to the UK. Happy to be back with dh and the dc's. I will post my books tomorrow.

[Loesje22000]

[quote name="Stacia" post="6861788" timestamp="1456702021

 

https://youtu.be/JICh_ZLBVZA

 

Lovely!

I will share this with dd,

She attends the local folkdance group

[Rosyl]

Robin, I wish we were all actually traveling together! Thank you for starting another wonderful thread. 

 

I read Travels with Charley in Search of America - 4 Stars - The first time that I read anything by John Steinbeck was in high school (“The Pearlâ€). Although I remember that it was one of my favorite books in my high school literature class, more than thirty years went by before I read anything by him again (probably due to laziness, lack of motivation, or whatever). I read “East of Eden†several months ago, which I loved. “Travels with Charley in Search of America†is the third book I’ve read by him. Let me just say that he was an amazing writer.

In this book, Steinbeck gets the itch to travel across America with his French poodle, Charley. I love the way he told stories with such detail and depth. This book is basically a travelogue filled with interesting insight, moments that move you, and some that make you laugh.

The ending was a bit abrupt and felt rushed, which was slightly disappointing since he was truly a special writer. I look forward to reading more of his books.

 

Two of my favorite quotes:

“A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.â€

 

“And then I saw what I was to see so many times on the journey—a look of longing.

'Lord! I wish I could go.'

'Don’t you like it here?'

'Sure. It’s all right, but I wish I could go.'

'You don’t even know where I’m going.'

'I don’t care. I’d like to go anywhere.'"

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

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

 

In  Travels with Casey, the author quoted Steinbeck's son as saying this book was fiction.  He never went anywhere with his dog, and he was in a motorhome in one spot for a few months writing it. He was on a deadline and hurried to finish it.  That may be why it seemed rushed at the finish.

All the ladies in my book club thought Steinbeck's was better than Travels With Casey.  That has made me want to read it.  Maybe sometime this year....

 

[JennW in SoCal]

Greetings from Hearthrow airport where people are heading to exotic locations around the world. Love contemplating all the potential roads to take while sitting in an international terminal, but we're heading home. Our suitcases are heavier thanks to book purchases and our bodies a tad heavier, too, thanks to all the good eating we've done.

 

I have post cards to send out and a few pictures to share in the next few days, but first there is a 10hour flight to survive!

[mumto2]

Greetings from Hearthrow airport where people are heading to exotic locations around the world. Love contemplating all the potential roads to take while sitting in an international terminal, but we're heading home. Our suitcases are heavier thanks to book purchases and our bodies a tad heavier, too, thanks to all the good eating we've done.

 

I have post cards to send out and a few pictures to share in the next few days, but first there is a 10hour flight to survive!

Can't wait to hear about your trip! I still can't believe you came to visit and I wasn't there. Safe fight home, I am sure you have a good book to enjoy.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I've been reading some books on and off, but this week I finished Joe Abercrombie's, Half a War.  I had read his other 2 in the trilogy as well, Half a King and Half a World.

 

They were a fun, quick read.  Good characters and not the predictable plot.

 

I had also finished The Ice Queen, by Alice Hoffman.  It was the first book that I've read by Hoffman.  I enjoyed it.  Her writing is decent and the characters felt real.  It was a very fast read.  I will have to get her most popular one, Practical Magic, from the library.  

 

I'm also reading John Stott's Basic Christianity.  I'm half way through that. 

 

JA's books were popcorn reads, and now I'm moving on to Haruki Murakami. :)  I have 3 books to choose from, The Strange Library, South of the Border West of the Sun, and Sputnik Sweetheart.  (That is a lot of S's!) I can't decide with to read first.  

[Jane in NC]

Can't wait to hear about your trip! I still can't believe you came to visit and I wasn't there. Safe fight home, I am sure you have a good book to enjoy.

 

Flying has become so challenging these days.  ;)

 

Another who looks forward to hearing about your trip, Jenn!

[mumto2]

Flying has become so challenging these days. ;)

 

Another who looks forward to hearing about your trip, Jenn!

Great but accurate typo.....on Saturday my connecting flight landed 20 minutes after my flight back to the family started boarding. It really was a fight to switch terminals and board that plane. I was the second to the last on board. The last was also on my flight in......I managed to move faster than a 30 year old in heels. Tennis shoes are good for something!

[Kim in Appalachia]

I forgot to say that I'm listening to I Must Say, by Martin Short.  I saw it recommended on this thread. It has been so fun to listen to it while I run.  He does all of the character voices as well as a few quick impersonations.  It has been fascinating as well.  I'm almost done listening to it, and I will have to find something else similar to it.  

 

 

[Mesamin]

I just started Frances Mayes "Swan" which was her first (and maybe her only?) novel.  So far, it reminds me of John Berendt's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".

[Kareni]

I finished a few books/e-books ~

 

 A re-read of Michele Diener's science fiction romance Dark Horse (Class 5 Series Book 1)  which I enjoyed once more.

 

"Some secrets carry the weight of the world.

Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.

Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.

She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.

In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse."

**

 

and some male/male romance novellas (adult content):

 

Twelfth of Never (Blind Faith Series 3.5) by N. R. Walker

 

Until We Meet Once More by Josh Lanyon (currently free to Kindle readers)

 

The French Have a Word for It by Josh Lanyon (currently free to Kindle readers)

 

(If you read Spanish, I see his full length Adrien English mystery is also currently free to Kindle readers.  I enjoyed the book in English.   Sombras Fatales (Los misterios de Adrien English nº 1))

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Woo, Irish dance! I'm surprised my daughters haven't asked if they could learn as they're very proud of being McBabies and they adore dancing.

 

The funny thing is we're not Irish. At all. I don't think there's any Irish blood in either side of the family.

 

I love to watch Irish dancing! We know a local homeschooler who is into it. Ds plays Dungeons and Dragons with her and her brother. When her mother found out that I can sew she asked me about making her daughter's costumes. They're crazy expensive and while she would pay me, she was hoping I could do it for less. Wow! I'm good, but nowhere near that good. I politely declined and told her there's a reason why those costumes cost so much.  :lol:

 

The costumes are over-the-top crazy (in bling & expense). Dd has a simpler dress that we bought used from someone else at her studio, but it is very plain compared to most. But, the dress is so small, I'm not sure how she actually breathes while competing. She desperately needs a dress, but we're going to have to get one made because we can't find used ones that fit her. She is incredibly tall in both torso & legs, plus she has broad shoulders. Problem is that most of these dresses easily go into the thousands of dollars for one. :blink:

 

Stacia, I thought of your dd and her Irish dance earlier today while dh and ds were buying silly cheap St. Patty souvenirs to take back to the UK. Happy to be back with dh and the dc's. I will post my books tomorrow.

 

Yep, I'll be blinged out in my light-up St. Pat's Day blinking necklace & plenty of other green stuff for the parade this year. I need to remember my green fingernail polish too. :lol:

 

Lovely!

I will share this with dd,

She attends the local folkdance group

 

Very cool. Does she also do Irish dance or another type of dance?

 

Greetings from Hearthrow airport where people are heading to exotic locations around the world. Love contemplating all the potential roads to take while sitting in an international terminal, but we're heading home. Our suitcases are heavier thanks to book purchases and our bodies a tad heavier, too, thanks to all the good eating we've done.

 

I have post cards to send out and a few pictures to share in the next few days, but first there is a 10hour flight to survive!

 

I can tell that you took my advice & ate some great French bread, croissants, & pastries for me during your trip because I think *I've* gained about 5 or 10 pounds lately. ;) Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

 

I forgot to say that I'm listening to I Must Say, by Martin Short.  I saw it recommended on this thread. It has been so fun to listen to it while I run.  He does all of the character voices as well as a few quick impersonations.  It has been fascinating as well.  I'm almost done listening to it, and I will have to find something else similar to it.  

 

My friend listened to that book & really enjoyed it. She said that he's just such a likeable guy.

[Stacia]

I just started Frances Mayes "Swan" which was her first (and maybe her only?) novel.  So far, it reminds me of John Berendt's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".

 

I'm going to have to look that one up because I really enjoyed Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil. Thanks for the rec.

[Stacia]

I am currently reading The Sound of Things Falling (recommended by Stacia via idnib). I am riveted.

Yay. Always nice to hear when someone else is enjoying the same book! I thought it was just lovely, even with the hard topic matter.

[duckabell]

So I finished two out of three books that have been on my to-read list for over a year. The first one was Still Alice by Lisa Genova. It was an interesting yet sad glance into the world of early-onset dementia. Alzheimer's doesn't run in my family, but it runs in my husband's family when they get older. I was expecting more in the ending, but I don't know what.

 

The second book I finished this week was called A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The authors are a husband/wife team who wrote "Half the Sky" one of my favorite non-fiction books. Half the Sky is about issues that women face around the world and steps we can take to support women and help them gain more economic independence and better health. It addressed issues I had never heard before.

 

A Path Appears was similar in that it talked about social issues around the world, but it focused on how individuals can help alleviate poverty both in the US and abroad. It also talked about the challenges non-profits have and what successful non-profits are doing. It was very thought-promoting and helped me see that helping others isn't as hard as I may think. 

 

This week I am reading What Happy People Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Life for the Better by Dan Baker and Cameron Smith. I've only gotten into the first chapter or so. I want to try reading this book more for retention and trying some of the strategies in this blog post. So I won't necessarily read every word, but I'll try to catch the main tenants of the book.

 

 

[duckabell]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 9 in our quest to read 52 books. Welcome back to all our readers, to those just joining in and all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is also below in my signature

 

52 Books Blog - March Gadabout:  We are heading into March and will be cruising around the coast of Australia, stopping at a couple ports of call before sailing to New Zealand.   We'll stop in on the Dunedoo Bush Poetry Festival in New South Wales, drop in on Lian Hearn, best known for her Tales of the Otori series as she launches her new Tale of the Shikanoko series with Emperor of the Late Islands.  Plus, we'll be celebrating the 82nd birthday of our author flavor of the month  David Malouf,  I currently have  Ransom in my backpack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Award-winning author David Malouf reimagines the pivotal narrative of Homer’s Iliad—one of the most famous passages in all of literature. This is the story of the relationship between two grieving men at war: fierce Achilles, who has lost his beloved Patroclus in the siege of Troy; and woeful Priam, whose son Hector killed Patroclus and was in turn savaged by Achilles. A moving tale of suffering, sorrow, and redemption, Ransom is incandescent in its delicate and powerful lyricism and its unstated imperative that we imagine our lives in the glow of fellow feeling.

 

 

Once we hit New Zealand, you better put on your walking shoes, because we'll be gadding about the continent, taking one of Auckland's Literary walks. Add to that learning more about the Maori culture, as well as taking the Haiku pathway in Katikati.  We'll be dropping in on our other author flavor of the month - Joan Druett, maritime historian and novelist.  I have Island of the Lost World on board and can't wait to read it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death.

 

In 1864 Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave—rather than succumb to this dismal fate—inspires his men to take action. With barely more than their bare hands, they build a cabin and, remarkably, a forge, where they manufacture their tools. Under Musgrave's leadership, they band together and remain civilized through even the darkest and most terrifying days.

 

Incredibly, at the same time on the opposite end of the island—twenty miles of impassable cliffs and chasms away—the Invercauld wrecks during a horrible storm. Nineteen men stagger ashore. Unlike Captain Musgrave, the captain of the Invercauld falls apart given the same dismal circumstances. His men fight and split up; some die of starvation, others turn to cannibalism. Only three survive. Musgrave and all of his men not only endure for nearly two years, they also plan their own astonishing escape, setting off on one of the most courageous sea voyages in history.

 

Using the survivors' journals and historical records, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett brings this extraordinary untold story to life, a story about leadership and the fine line between order and chaos.

 

 

Also Check out Goodread's list of books set in New Zealand, books by New Zealand Authors,  as well as books set Australia, and Booktopia's list of top ten favorite Australia authors! 

 

Join me as we sail the ocean blue! Happy travels! 

 

**************************************************************************

 

History of the Renaissance World - Chapters Nine and Ten 

 

**************************************************************************

 

What are you reading this week? 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 8 

I'll have to recommend Island of the Lost to my husband.

[Kareni]

I just finished the contemporary romance A SEAL Forever (West Coast Navy SEALs) by Anne Elizabeth.  It was a pleasant read, but it fell a little short. I'm thinking it may have done a little too much telling rather than showing.

 

"Even a hero needs someone to believe in him...

 

Parkour instructor Maura Maxwell has always denied her attraction for her bachelor neighbor because she's seen his revolving door of women and doesn't want to become another notch on his belt. But the man who rescues her from a sudden storm isn't the one she thinks she knows-he's Master Chief Declan Swifton of SEAL Team Five, and he literally sweeps Maura off her feet.

 

Just as his teasing and tenderness start to work their way into Maura's heart, Declan and his team are called in for a dangerous op in the Middle East. The man who returns is facing the toughest fight of his life, and he needs Maura by his side more than ever..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

Kareni, I finished the SEAL book....SEALED with a kiss. I enjoyed it. I actually enjoyed a romance. That said the author made mistakes regarding celiac. I can guarantee you that there is not a celiac in existence that would place wheat toast on their plate. Even though it's not going to be eaten just having the toast on the plate with the other food is way too risky. So they would just not take any toast to begin with. Taking the toast and setting it on her plate? No. Also, BIG error with the kissing scene. Mr. Hot SEAL drinks a beer, and then they kiss? Um, no. I thought maybe the author kind of forgot she had Mr. Hot SEAL drinking a beer, but then she wrote, "he tasted of beer...."  Just no. Nope. Not accurate. No way. A celiac cannot kiss someone who has been drinking or eating gluten before that person has brushed teeth and rinsed well. Yeah, I made that mistake one time cause I wasn't thinking (blame the wine I had been drinking) and that's a mistake I will not repeat. I even read that to my dh and he snorted and said the author didn't have a clue. Cross contamination for a celiac is a big problem (also making the scene of her eating a bun free burger at a fast food joint on the edge of unrealistic as well) and many people don't realize just how easy it is for a celiac to get sick and just how strict we must be with where, what, and even how we eat. For example if I can't wash my hands before eating I have to make sure I do not touch my food with my hands cause I may have touched gluten at some point while outside my house. This is why a banana is perfect. I can eat it without touching the part that is actually eaten.

 

So besides the mistakes about celiac I enjoyed the book even though I found myself blushing at times. Just not used to those scenes!  :laugh:

[Butter]

Cross contamination for a celiac is a big problem (also making the scene of her eating a bun free burger at a fast food joint on the edge of unrealistic as well) and many people don't realize just how easy it is for a celiac to get sick and just how strict we must be with where, what, and even how we eat.

 

This is why our house is 100% gluten free.  We have three Celiacs here (my daughter, youngest son, and me) and my husband doesn't have Celiac, but he does better off gluten (but cross contamination isn't really an issue for him the way it is for the three of us).  It's just easier to not worry about gluten when we are at home at all (and we rarely eat out).

[Kareni]

Kareni, I finished the SEAL book....SEALED with a kiss. I enjoyed it. I actually enjoyed a romance. That said the author made mistakes regarding celiac. ..

 

I'm so glad to learn that you enjoyed the book.  And I enjoyed hearing more about celiac issues from you and Heather.  I have a friend who is severely gluten intolerant.  I don't believe she's been formally diagnosed, but she has a sibling with celiac and it's likely she has it, too.  She would never dream of having a piece of wheat bread on her plate.  I've become much more aware of food ingredients since befriending her some dozen years ago.  She and her family used to come to our place to eat meals when she ate gluten; now, we only dine at her house.  And she would never eat something that I/we make since my husband makes all of our bread, and she's fearful of wheat contamination from our kitchen. 

 

I seem to recall that the hero in Elle Pierson's Artistic License is said to have coeliac (the author is a New Zealander thus the different spelling).  It's a fun book, but I suspect it too would have you rolling your eyes as regards what the hero eats.  That said, it's an enjoyable book.  I can't recall though if it would make you blush.  It's currently on sale for 99 cents for the Kindle version and is well worth that price.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[PeacefulChaos]

Ok.  Caught up.

 

Still working on Between the World and Me.  I may have time to finish it tonight - if not now, then tomorrow at the doctor's office.

 

Sigh.  I have had high blood pressure for a few years now, and it's been steadily rising so I finally decided to get something done about it.  I went last week and what they put me on hasn't helped yet, which I was expecting - while it would be great for the very first thing they tried, in the minimum dose, to work, the chances of it... :P  Yeah.  

 

So I go back in tomorrow to see what we're going to try next.  

 

I'm also thinking that maybe this month I'll tackle some hard things for me, like diet, because I'm sure that there are a few things I'm eating that are probably not the cause of my BP, but probably don't help it.  And I really don't want to.  Honestly, I'm annoyed by the thought.  I'm freaking 33, you know?  I shouldn't have to police what I eat in life (I don't think anyone should, not just me lol).  It annoys me that we as humans supposedly have to do so.  

Like, what's the point of living to be old if we can't eat good food?  :glare:  

Anyway.  Ugh.  I'm in a bit of a mood.  At least about that stuff.  Trying to decide if dropping a snack will be worth it in the long run.  Bleh.  Blah.  :rolleyes: 

 

 

 

Last month I only read two of the four books I was intending to read, though I still did read a total of four.  I could always read more, but it's a hard habit to get into, picking up a book instead of doing something else in free time.  

 

 

On a side note, I said something to a friend about goodreads and now she's like, 'OMG this freaking goodreads thing!!  THERE ARE SO MANY BOOKS!!!  I WANT TO READ THEM ALL RIGHT NOW!!'  :lol:  :lol:  I don't have the problem with wanting to read them all now, just with adding endless numbers to my list to be read someday lol.  :)

 

 

[mumto2]

In Travels with Casey, the author quoted Steinbeck's son as saying this book was fiction. He never went anywhere with his dog, and he was in a motorhome in one spot for a few months writing it. He was on a deadline and hurried to finish it. That may be why it seemed rushed at the finish.

All the ladies in my book club thought Steinbeck's was better than Travels With Casey. That has made me want to read it. Maybe sometime this year....

 

I recently read a wonderful book called Carrying Albert Home https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24585366-carrying-albert-home which is about an incredible journey the author's parents took in order to set a pet alligator free. It is titled mostly true...in the Carolina's they encountered Steinbeck on his journey during a mill strike....

 

 

I just started Frances Mayes "Swan" which was her first (and maybe her only?) novel. So far, it reminds me of John Berendt's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".

I am also a fan of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil so will look for Swan.

 

 

The costumes are over-the-top crazy (in bling & expense). Dd has a simpler dress that we bought used from someone else at her studio, but it is very plain compared to most. But, the dress is so small, I'm not sure how she actually breathes while competing. She desperately needs a dress, but we're going to have to get one made because we can't find used ones that fit her. She is incredibly tall in both torso & legs, plus she has broad shoulders. Problem is that most of these dresses easily go into the thousands of dollars for one. :blink:

 

 

A friend had to order her dd's costume used from Australia. Crazy expensive. Her dd is super tiny, 4' 11", so not much choice in the colour she needed. It was still cheaper than new.

 

 

 

Kareni, I finished the SEAL book....SEALED with a kiss. I enjoyed it. I actually enjoyed a romance. That said the author made mistakes regarding celiac. I can guarantee you that there is not a celiac in existence that would place wheat toast on their plate. Even though it's not going to be eaten just having the toast on the plate with the other food is way too risky. So they would just not take any toast to begin with. Taking the toast and setting it on her plate? No. Also, BIG error with the kissing scene. Mr. Hot SEAL drinks a beer, and then they kiss? Um, no. I thought maybe the author kind of forgot she had Mr. Hot SEAL drinking a beer, but then she wrote, "he tasted of beer...." Just no. Nope. Not accurate. No way. A celiac cannot kiss someone who has been drinking or eating gluten before that person has brushed teeth and rinsed well. Yeah, I made that mistake one time cause I wasn't thinking (blame the wine I had been drinking) and that's a mistake I will not repeat. I even read that to my dh and he snorted and said the author didn't have a clue. Cross contamination for a celiac is a big problem (also making the scene of her eating a bun free burger at a fast food joint on the edge of unrealistic as well) and many people don't realize just how easy it is for a celiac to get sick and just how strict we must be with where, what, and even how we eat. For example if I can't wash my hands before eating I have to make sure I do not touch my food with my hands cause I may have touched gluten at some point while outside my house. This is why a banana is perfect. I can eat it without touching the part that is actually eaten.

 

So besides the mistakes about celiac I enjoyed the book even though I found myself blushing at times. Just not used to those scenes! :laugh:

:grouphug: One of my good friend's needs to be gluten free post chemo. Fortunately she isn't as sensitive as most but we still try to be careful with her food. I am pretty sure she has touched bread products while we are eating together, handing things to others.......Btw, glad you enjoyed the romance novel! Edited March 1, 2016 by mumto2