Book a Week 2016 - BW10: bicycles, beaches and books

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 10 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 - Bicycles, beaches and books:  As Summer gives way to Autumn in Australia and New Zealand, I have beach reads and bicycle trips on the brain as well as romance.  In my meanderings around the www,  I stumbled across Aussie Authors Month, typically held in April, which not only lead me to Australia's Indigenous Literacy Foundation, but also Goodreads Aussie Readers group and their March reads as well as an  Autumn Challenge. 

 

The Autumn challenge includes reading books to match up with events taking place during the season including today which is clean up Australia day (reuse/recycle) so the task is to read a book from your stacks or a book from the library. Check out the challenge and join in.  

 

I also stumbled across Romance Writers of Australia which has a long list of Romance Authors.  Surprisingly, I've only read Keri Arthur, one of my favorite urban fantasy - paranormal authors Loved her Riley Jensen Guardian series which lead me to reading her other series.  

 

And for those who aren't into romance, check out Historical Novels for historical and mystery stories set in both countries, as well as Culture trips literary escape - Top Ten New Zealand Travel Reads and A Literary Tour of Melbourne. 

 

I had fun perusing the lists as well as Goodreads and adding a few new to me authors to my wishlists.

 

Happy reading! 

 

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

 

History of the Renaissance World - Chapters Eleven and Twelve 

 

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

 

What are you reading this week?  

 

 

 

 

Link to week 9 

 

Edited March 6, 2016 by Robin M

[Robin M]

I finished Nora Robert's The Liar which I enjoyed it - reminiscent of the small towns I used to live in.  Gave up on One Hundred Years of Solitude since I wasn't enjoying it at all.  Shh! Don't tell the class I'm leading.  :leaving:   At least they are all loving it and having fun discussing. Jumped into fluff mode and read Sarah Anderson's Mystic Cowboy (Men of White Sandy series) in which her male leads are from the Lakota Sioux tribe.  

 

Nonfiction wise, James and I are trying to read Putinism but don't think we are going to get too far.  Really badly written with constant tangents so never really quite sure what the point is.  

 

Listening to J.D. Robb's  Naked in Death again in the car. 

 

 

[Jane in NC]

Every once in a while I just need to read a tale of espionage. Among my favorite writers in the genre are le Carre, John Buchan, Graham Greene and Alan Furst--all considered masters of the spy novel.  Here is a good list of ten top spy novels should any of our readers feel in the mood to don their fedora and shades...

 

Unfortunately Joseph Kanon's 2015 novel, Leaving Berlin, did not scratch that espionage itch for me.  I debated giving up on the book but I truly hoped that there would be a resolution that would be somewhat satisfying--even if Kanon's dialogue was horribly strained and weak throughout the book.  I loved the premise:  German Jewish author flees the Nazis only to find himself the subject of McCarthy's 1950's witch hunts.  Thus the author abandons his American wife and son to return to Berlin--a now divided city.  Remember that the Berlin Wall was not constructed until 1961 so the city is divided and controlled by various allies--there are the American, Russian, French and British sectors.  This to me is a fascinating setting and one that is almost forgotten. But this book is so improbable that it completely annoyed me. 

 

Taking Negin's advice, I am now reading The Pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman's remarkable story of the triumph of the human spirit.  I also plan on reading a short story collection from Archipelago, Something Will Happen, You'll See, by Christos Ikonomou.  Greece was in the news for several years due to its economic situation. These days we hear of the refuge crisis, but I don't think the former situation has been resolved.  Ikonomou's short stories seem timely.

 

Sending everyone good wishes for the week ahead!

[NoseInABook]

Oops. I KNEW it was Sunday and still posted in the other thread. *shame* 

 

In the middle of Heartless by Gail Carriger and The Unhurried Homeschooler by Durenda Wilson. I have Gail Carriger's Timeless and Patricia Briggs' Shifting Shadows waiting for me this week. 

[mumto2]

Aurora TEAGARDEN! I love her, Kathleen!!

 

I finished that really stupid vampire book and refused to read the other TWENTY BOOKS in the series. In the middle of Heartless by Gail Carriger because Lady Alexis Maccon is always fun. Almost finished with The Unhurried Homeschooler by Durenda Wilson too.

 

I didn't get as much read this week because I was busy gathering all of the baby's belongings ........ so I am happy for him even if we're sniffly and missing him on our end.

 

:grouphug: I can only imagine how hard it must be but glad the placement is a good one. I have to admit I am wondering which vampire series irritated you. Normally our taste is similar.......

 

Finished:

 

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews.....A Kate Daniels series book. This one is probably my favourite so far because it was rather romatic.....

 

A Bali Conspiracy Most Fowl by Shamini Flint.......Inspector Singh Investigates.....This is a fascinating series. The topics are huge, this one dealt with terrorist attacks in Bali, but done in an interesting manner. Not cozy but not thriller mystery either. A rather safe in between place where reading was interesting and informative if you have practically no knowledge of that area of the world (me). A bit of armchair tourism that I could handle. Inspector Singh is a rather sweet main detective....older Hindu policeman from Singapore, who the political system would love to remove but can't, so they sent him out as a liaison to other countries expecting failure. Instead while trying to solve a comparatively small piece of the overall puzzle he clarifies larger pieces.

 

No Cats Allowed by Miranda James....A Cat in the Stacks Cozy...This series is an all time favourite. Each book is a wonderful escape into a Southern US college town with nice characters and an interesting but not overly contrived mystery. As many of you know I read quite a bit of fluff and these are really good fluff.

 

Currently reading....I have a stack and have been weeding through. Utterly Charming (Fates #1) by Kristine Greyson is currently being enjoyed. This one takes Sleeping Beauty and puts a new spin on it. The main character is a human lawyer who gets caught up with custody of the glass case and what to do with her newly awakened client who doesn't want anything to do with her handsome prince. Total fluff but entertaining. Not as funny as the other one in the series was....

 

I also have some Simon Brett cozy mysteries and a Mary Balogh inthe stack. Waiting on the new Anne Bishop. Hopefully I really am first in line....

[Kareni]

I didn't get as much read this week because I was busy gathering all of the baby's belongings and getting things in line for court. It was a good plan because this time, after 6 months and 1 day, his grandmother was awarded direct placement of him and he moved first thing Thursday morning. It's honestly one of the only times I've seen the court rule in the actual best interest of the child so I am happy for him even if we're sniffly and missing him on our end. 

 

Sending good wishes for the baby and sympathy for your missing-the-baby sniffles.  It's wonderful that you care for these children when no one else can or will. 

 

 

I also stumbled across Romance Writers of Australia which has a long list of Romance Authors.  Surprisingly, I've only read Keri Arthur, one of my favorite urban fantasy - paranormal authors Loved her Riley Jensen Guardian series which lead me to reading her other series.  

 

That was an intriguing list to peruse.  I hadn't known that many of these authors were Australian.  In addition to books by Keri Arthur, I've also read books by M. J. Scott (I liked her The Shattered Court), Melanie Scott (she has fun contemporaries), and Anne Gracie (who has some lovely regencies).

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Onceuponatime]

I have picked up The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker. It's on the third and last library renewal, so it has to be read or go back. The size of the book and density of the text is daunting, but the writing style seems readable so far. Maybe I'll make it all the way through without giving up. There are so many other fun books waiting for me...

[Kareni]

I think I read some Nora Roberts years ago (if not decades ago). If I were to start reading her work, where would be a good place to start?

 

 

She has written books that are straight romance, romance with paranormal elements, romantic suspense, and also gritty futuristic romance mysteries (as J. D. Robb).  Which of those categories sounds most appealing to you?

 

 

Everything except paranormal!

 

 

Getting back to your query, Ethel Mertz ~

 

As regards pure romance, I'd recommend the Chesapeake Bay Saga which begins with Sea Swept.

 

For romantic suspense stand alone novels, I'd recommend Blue Smoke  and Public Secrets.

 

 

I'll also recommend Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb.  Her ... in Death series is a futuristic romantic mystery/suspense series.  It is quite gritty.  The first in the series is Naked in Death.

 

Others here like it, too. 

 

Listening to J.D. Robb's  Naked in Death again in the car. 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Recently finished here ~

 

the contemporary romance novella Skin Deep (The I-Team Series Book 6) by Pamela Clare which I enjoyed.

 

"Broken on the inside



Megan Hunter has worked hard to get back on her feet, leaving the nightmare of her teenage years behind. The last thing she wants or needs in her life is a man. But when she is attacked by someone from her past, a scarred stranger intervenes, saving her life and that of her little girl. Looks can be deceiving, for despite the man’s rough appearance, she feels safe with him. And for the first time in her life, she knows the stirrings of desire.



Broken on the outside



Nathaniel West paid a high price serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. He returned to his family’s ranch in the Colorado mountains to heal—and be alone. Disfigured as he is, he has put all thoughts of sex and romance aside. But something about Megan brings him back to life, heats his blood, makes him feel like a man again. As danger pursues her, and the truth about her past is revealed, he vows to protect her—and to heal her wounded spirit.

But confronting the past is never easy—especially when it’s carrying a gun. Megan will have to learn to trust Nate to survive and to claim a passion that is much more than … Skin Deep."

**

 

I also read the graphic novel Displacement by Lucy Knisley.  I'd recently mentioned having read and enjoyed the author's

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen; this was enjoyable, too.  It's also timely as I'll be playing companion to my mother in a couple of weeks while my sister and her husband travel.  My mother is undergoing physical therapy now on the arm that she broke in January.  I'm exceedingly grateful for all the care that my sister has provided my mother; I'll admit to being daunted now that it's my turn.

 

"In the next installment of her graphic travelogue series, Displacement, Knisley volunteers to watch over her ailing grandparents on a cruise. (The book’s watercolors evoke the ocean that surrounds them.) In a book that is part graphic memoir, part travelogue, and part family history, Knisley not only tries to connect with her grandparents, but to reconcile their younger and older selves. She is aided in her quest by her grandfather’s WWII memoir, which is excerpted. Readers will identify with Knisley’s frustration, her fears, her compassion, and her attempts to come to terms with mortality, as she copes with the stress of travel complicated by her grandparents’ frailty."

 

I look forward to reading more by this author.

**

 

I also re-read a favorite paranormal romance which I enjoyed once again ~   Oracle's Moon (A Novel of the Elder Races) by Thea Harrison.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[SKL]

Hi.  I kinda fell off the wagon here for a while.  I did finish the book I had started maybe a month ago (7 spiritual laws to success), which is really a short book, and I started to re-read parts of it so I would remember it better.  I also started re-reading "See It, Say It, Do It" which is supposed to help with kids' task management.  I read it some years ago and am wondering if there's any wisdom to be gleaned the second time around, with older kids.  I also read a book about the neighborhood in which I recently bought historic property.  My great-grandfather and his dad were prominent folks there in their day, so I spent a lot of time trying to find info on the internet regarding them, and ended up reading a lot of history online, but I don't suppose that counts for this thread.  :)

 

I finished reading aloud "Anne of Green Gables," which was a huge hit with my kids (took a while to finish though).  Now I'm reading Heidi aloud.  I started reading Wild Animals I Have Known, but the first story was so brutal that my kids hated it (and I didn't love it either).  So that book will probably be on the donation pile next time around.

 

I'm not sure what grown-up, not-for-the-kids book I want to read next.

[JennW in SoCal]

After a hiatus of almost a year, I'm back aboard the HMS Surprise with Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin in the 16th Master and Commander title, The Wine Dark Sea.  It's like meeting up with dear old friends -- comfortable, familiar and just as delightful as I remembered.  Once again I'm listening to it because, for me at least, the books and Patrick Tull's narration are inseparable. 

 

Because of my obsession with the Master and Commander series, I dragged my dh to the Maritime Museum in Greenwich so I could take in the large exhibit on Nelson's navy.  It was everything I had hoped for, with display cases of the kinds surgical instruments Dr. Maturin uses in the books (fascinating in a horrifying kind of way) and of weapons and the different kinds of shot used in canons, and of Nelson's coat that he was wearing when he was received the fatal shot.  

 

And yes, we walked up the hill to the Royal Observatory to see the Prime Meridian and the Harrison Clocks -- the timepieces built to solve the problem of determining longitude on sea voyages.  (Pictures soon, I hope!)

 

Back to books.

 

I finished the very silly and fluffy Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson. It was the perfect audio book for a long airplane trip as the narrator's voice put me to sleep and the plot was so uncreative that I could miss 30 minutes of story and not feel like I missed anything.  I think I prefer Sanderson's epic fantasies, and prefer reading them in print as audio versions make his shortcomings as a writer glaringly obvious.  The man can build the most amazing, memorable worlds, but he fills them with 2 dimensional stock characters who have wooden, cliched dialog.

 

In progress are 2 books I bought on my trip.  Beethoven for a Later Age is about both Beethoven's quartets and the life of a modern day quartet, and Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field by a 3rd generation Herefordshire farmer.  This book is the perfect follow up to the Shepherd's Life memoir I read last year, though it is (so far) more about the natural landscape than about farming.  The writing is especially lovely.  

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Finished since I posted last:

 

The Soil Will Save Us - this was a quick read for me, nothing I didn't know, but of interest because I'm looking for some slightly more hopeful/upbeat books for Shannon's ES reading list.  This one will be good for her.

 

The Royal Succession - Book 4 in the Accursed Kings series, about the medieval French royal family - the end of the Capetian dynasty.  This series continues to be enjoyable.

 

Wars of the Roses - the followup to The Plantagenets, which I listened to previously. I didn't like the reader on this as much as on the first one. Still, together they were a good overview, very broad brushstrokes. I'm now ready to dig in and read more about a few of these figures and eras.  I have the framework in my brain now though, which is helpful.

 

A Short History of Myth - Karen Armstrong's introduction to the Canongate Myths series, a set of retellings of myths by famous modern authors - some of us read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood last year.  It's very short, and was fine but not stellar until the last chapter on myth (or the lack thereof) in the modern era, which i really enjoyed. I think this will be a nice addition to our study of mythology next year.

 

 

In current reads, I'm enjoying one of those serendipitous pleasures you get when you read lots of different things at once! I'm re-reading Frankenstein for the umpteenth time, as Shannon is reading it at the moment.  I love that book, despite its many and obvious flaws, I really do, and I like it more every time I read it.  Well, Stacia's post about the new Hobart Shakespeare retelling reminded me that I needed to re-read The Merchant of Venice as I have its retelling on hold.  So as I was reading it off and on with Frankenstein, I realized how similar the monster and Shylock are as characters.  I think we're going to study this play next, a difficult one, but Portia is my very favorite Shakespearean heroine, so it will be a pleasure to read it with my dd.

 

I'm also reading Stoner, thanks to Negin's rave reviews about it a few months ago.  It is a wonderful, wonderful book, I am awestruck. Not quite finished yet, but close.  A book you shouldn't read till you are approaching middle age, but you must read it then.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

Back to books.

 

I finished the very silly and fluffy Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson. It was the perfect audio book for a long airplane trip as the narrator's voice put me to sleep and the plot was so uncreative that I could miss 30 minutes of story and not feel like I missed anything.  I think I prefer Sanderson's epic fantasies, and prefer reading them in print as audio versions make his shortcomings as a writer glaringly obvious.  The man can build the most amazing, memorable worlds, but he fills them with 2 dimensional stock characters who have wooden, cliched dialog.

 

 

 

It's funny, I just abandoned reading Mistborn last night.  I realized that I didn't actually care what happened to the characters, although I thought the worldbuilding was wonderful.  I was thinking I might listen to the audioversion of the second half, because if I zoned out it wouldn't matter too much!  :laugh:

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

 

And for those who aren't into romance, check out Historical Novels for historical and mystery stories set in both countries, 

 

 

 

All of the Kerry Greenwood (Miss Fisher) books are listed there, which are both historical and mysteries. I read the first two because we thought the tv series was fun, but wasn't too excited about either, nor was I in a hurry to read more. I'm going to look into some of the others on that list though. I'm always on the lookout for a good mystery, no matter where or when it takes place.

 

Every once in a while I just need to read a tale of espionage. Among my favorite writers in the genre are le Carre, John Buchan, Graham Greene and Alan Furst--all considered masters of the spy novel.  Here is a good list of ten top spy novels should any of our readers feel in the mood to don their fedora and shades...

 

 

 

Sorry your spy novel didn't do it for you. I went through a spy novel phase, so I was surprised to see that I only read two from that list. I've heard of all of them though. The Quiet American is on my list of maybe-read for this year.

 

 

Currently reading....I have a stack and have been weeding through. Utterly Charming (Fates #1) by Kristine Greyson is currently being enjoyed. This one takes Sleeping Beauty and puts a new spin on it. The main character is a human lawyer who gets caught up with custody of the glass case and what to do with her newly awakened client who doesn't want anything to do with her handsome prince. Total fluff but entertaining. Not as funny as the other one in the series was....

 

 

I'm reading Wickedly Charming by that author. You recommended to me last week as a way to fill in the fairy tale retelling square on 52 weeks bingo. :) Prince Charming (one of many by that name) is a bookish nerd and divorced from (Cinder) Ellla, who has custody of their two daughters. His hair is graying and he has a bit of a paunch but hasn't lost any of his charm. Mellie is Snow White's stepmother who runs a group that protests the treatment of fairy tale archetypes. They meet in the Greater World (ours). Sparks fly. Words and actions are misinterpreted. Romance ensues. It's not very well written, but the story is kind of fun so I'm enjoying it anyway. Total fluff and ...I'm reading a romance! Do you hear that Kareni? I'm reading a romance. And liking it.  :D

[Lady Florida.]

Ugh. Lost my post. Trying again.

 

In addition to Wickedly Charming that I mentioned above, I'm almost half way through The Expatriates and really liking it. My IRL book club chose Love in the Time of Cholera for our March book but I haven't started it yet. I put in a library hold for the Kindle version. Stacia, I see you rated it only one star! That concerns me but I'm not sure if I should ask why. I try to read the books other people choose so that they'll be more likely to read mine when it's my turn to pick a book. In our two + years of existence there were only a handful of books I just couldn't finish.

 

I'm plodding through The Age of Reason and The Portable Atheist reading each one in small bits at a time. Both are interesting, but nether are page turners.

 

I'm also almost finished listening to Bleak House - on chapter 57 of 67 chapters. After I finish I think I'll put Dickens aside for a while. I can only read/listen to one or two of his books a year. Maybe later this year I'll be ready for another one.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Lady Florida

[Kareni]

I'm reading Wickedly Charming by that author. ... It's not very well written, but the story is kind of fun so I'm enjoying it anyway. Total fluff and ...I'm reading a romance! Do you hear that Kareni? I'm reading a romance. And liking it.  :D

 

I'm so proud of you!  Welcome to the club....

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Loesje22000]

I found the Illustrated edition from 'At Home' in Dutch in the library. I'm halfway now.

I read 10-20 chapters drom war and peace, I think I'm on a quarter of the complete story.

 

I read an other 'Inspector Lynley' story :)

[Negin]

Taking Negin's advice, I am now reading The Pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman's remarkable story of the triumph of the human spirit.  

Jane, I hope that you like it. We enjoyed the movie also. 

 

I read Me Before You - 3 Stars - I liked this enough, but I can’t say that I loved it. From the beginning, I was hooked, but it sort of dragged on for me around the half-way point and I kept wondering when it would end. Not a good sign! Although the theme (disability and assisted suicide) was definitely thought-provoking, some most of the characters were not particularly nice people.

While reading this, I told my husband a few times that I can imagine this being made into a movie. I had no idea that the movie is in fact coming out some time this year. Although the trailer looks fine, I probably won’t see it. I’m quite sure that I won’t read the sequel to this book. I liked the book fine, but that was enough for me.

One of my favorite quotes:

“You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.â€

 

 

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.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Negin

[Just Robyn]

I read Lying by Sam Harris. This is a short book consisting of

 

1. An essay on lying (He is opposed to lying that many people would find acceptable, even good.)

2. A conversation between Sam Harris and his old ethics professor

3. Some comments and questions from readers of his essay and his responses to them

 

Then I started two books of short stories: Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer and Flash Fiction Forward (an anthology). The flash book starts out strong with "Jumper Down" by Don Shea. The whole story is here, short and potent.

[mumto2]

 

I'm reading Wickedly Charming by that author. You recommended to me last week as a way to fill in the fairy tale retelling square on 52 weeks bingo. :) Prince Charming (one of many by that name) is a bookish nerd and divorced from (Cinder) Ellla, who has custody of their two daughters. His hair is graying and he has a bit of a paunch but hasn't lost any of his charm. Mellie is Snow White's stepmother who runs a group that protests the treatment of fairy tale archetypes. They meet in the Greater World (ours). Sparks fly. Words and actions are misinterpreted. Romance ensues. It's not very well written, but the story is kind of fun so I'm enjoying it anyway. Total fluff and ...I'm reading a romance! Do you hear that Kareni? I'm reading a romance. And liking it.  :D

I can't believe you are actually reading it! :) Glad you are enjoying it.

[aggieamy]

I have been on relistening kick:

 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer

 

*sigh* 

 

So much fun.  I am still working on Agatha Christie's autobiography.  It is the most word dense book I have ever read.  Not a lick of white space in the whole thing.  It's interesting but non-fiction doesn't seem to grab me the way fiction does so I'm slowly plodding through it. 

[Melinda in VT]

I read The King's Name by Jo Walton, the sequel to a book I read last month.

 

We went to visit my husband, and he passed along Into the Wild by Krakauer, which became my reading on a very long travel day back home. (Bus, then taxi, then plane, plane, plane.) I didn't love Into the Wild. It felt like the author had to pad the book with the stories of every other young American male who had disappeared into the wilderness because there wasn't enough narrative material about the main character. It was still an interesting read. I think my husband related more to the main character than I did. I think he was crazy not to take more supplies--like a map!

 

I also read my first ever graphic novel, Nimona, which I picked up because I was bored with all the other books I'm reading, and it was lying around from my kids, and I saw it had won an award, and I've been thinking I should probably try at least one book in that genre. I liked it, but I can't see me reaching for many graphic novels over other genres. That was book #20 for the year.

 

Now for all the books I am bogged down in:

• Snow, Bird, Boy--I started this on my trip, put it down to read Into the Wild, and I find myself somewhat reluctant to return
• The Gap of Time--I started this weeks ago, but I wasn't expecting the sex, and it threw me off a bit. I'm not necessarily opposed to sex scenes, but I like to know they are coming, and I definitely prefer them romantic rather than gritty. I'm uncomfortably pondering the possibility that I inherently dislike homosexual sex scenes. As the parent of an LGTBQ kid, that possibility bothers me.
• The Big Truck That Went By--this is about the post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. It's depressing. However, I have to finish it by Friday for book group, so I will wrap it up this week.
• The second mystery in Julia Spencer-Fleming's series. This book is suffering from not having been taken on my trip and not being required reading. I anticipate polishing it off next weekend.

I'm also reading Watership Down with my youngest son. I haven't read it since I was his age (my other kids were voracious readers at this age and no longer liked being read to), and I am happy it holds up well.

[Mothersweets]

After a hiatus of almost a year, I'm back aboard the HMS Surprise with Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin in the 16th Master and Commander title, The Wine Dark Sea.  It's like meeting up with dear old friends -- comfortable, familiar and just as delightful as I remembered.  Once again I'm listening to it because, for me at least, the books and Patrick Tull's narration are inseparable. 

 

Because of my obsession with the Master and Commander series, I dragged my dh to the Maritime Museum in Greenwich so I could take in the large exhibit on Nelson's navy.  It was everything I had hoped for, with display cases of the kinds surgical instruments Dr. Maturin uses in the books (fascinating in a horrifying kind of way) and of weapons and the different kinds of shot used in canons, and of Nelson's coat that he was wearing when he was received the fatal shot.  

 

And yes, we walked up the hill to the Royal Observatory to see the Prime Meridian and the Harrison Clocks -- the timepieces built to solve the problem of determining longitude on sea voyages.  (Pictures soon, I hope!)

 

Back to books.

 

I finished the very silly and fluffy Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson. It was the perfect audio book for a long airplane trip as the narrator's voice put me to sleep and the plot was so uncreative that I could miss 30 minutes of story and not feel like I missed anything.  I think I prefer Sanderson's epic fantasies, and prefer reading them in print as audio versions make his shortcomings as a writer glaringly obvious.  The man can build the most amazing, memorable worlds, but he fills them with 2 dimensional stock characters who have wooden, cliched dialog.

 

In progress are 2 books I bought on my trip.  Beethoven for a Later Age is about both Beethoven's quartets and the life of a modern day quartet, and Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field by a 3rd generation Herefordshire farmer.  This book is the perfect follow up to the Shepherd's Life memoir I read last year, though it is (so far) more about the natural landscape than about farming.  The writing is especially lovely.  

 

Super awesome! I hope to go there someday.

 

And yes, Patrick Tull's performance of the series is amazing.  Still haven't read the last one because I can't bear to have it end.

 

[Lady Florida.]

 

• The Gap of Time--I started this weeks ago, but I wasn't expecting the sex, and it threw me off a bit. I'm not necessarily opposed to sex scenes, but I like to know they are coming, and I definitely prefer them romantic rather than gritty. I'm uncomfortably pondering the possibility that I inherently dislike homosexual sex scenes. As the parent of an LGTBQ kid, that possibility bothers me.

 

Okay, first of all I'm not saying you should get comfortable with sex scenes (of any persuasion) if you don't want to. However, if you like mysteries and you do want to try and get more comfortable with it, you might give the Adrien English mysteries a try. He's a bookseller/mystery author who gets caught up in murder mysteries, and just happens to be gay. Sex, when it happens, has a romantic aspect and is part of the story. 

 

The first book is Fatal Shadows.

 

I believe I first heard of the series here on BaW, but I have no idea who recommended it.

[Lady Florida.]

After a hiatus of almost a year, I'm back aboard the HMS Surprise with Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin in the 16th Master and Commander title, The Wine Dark Sea.  It's like meeting up with dear old friends -- comfortable, familiar and just as delightful as I remembered.  Once again I'm listening to it because, for me at least, the books and Patrick Tull's narration are inseparable. 

 

 

 

Dh read the first book but had no idea it was a series. He was excited when I told him, just a few weeks ago. I have the first one on my list to read this year.

[6packofun]

Finished The Longest Night by Andria Williams and liked it well enough.  It's about a fictional couple that moves to Idaho Falls when the husband takes a job at a nuclear reactor.  The story is based around a true incident that occurred at the nuclear facility, but the plot is more about the marriage relationship.  It was pretty good.

 

Not sure what to read next!  My 14yo son is in Boy Scouts and preparing a reading list of six books for obtaining the reading merit badge!  Flutter goes this mama's heart.  LOL  So we were looking at Pulitzer Prize winners and realized that I've read most from 2000 on...thinking of trying one of those.  Or whatever ds picks so that we can chat about it.  :)

 

Oh, just checked my library in another browser tab and see that I have The Passenger by F.R. Tallis to pick up.  When the German submarine, U-471, collects two prisoners from a vessel located off the Icelandic coast, ordered to transport them to the base at Brest, one of the prisoners, a British submarine commander, goes rogue, setting in motion a series of shocking, brutal events that seem to be linked to the supernatural.

[Ali in OR]

Mindless Eating--Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink was waiting for me at the library and I finished it this week. Someone here read it in January and I put it on hold then. I've actually been working hard in 2016 to be a lot more mindFUL in my eating, so this was motivational for me even though I think I've heard everything in it before. It's a quick read with a sense of humor.

 

I returned Howard's End to the library unread but decided to keep Hogfather when I discovered I had 10 more days before it was due, so that's what I'm reading now. Hogfather drama of the week: Thursday afternoon was pretty hectic, driving kids to all of their activities, feeding each of them fast food at different times that fit their individual schedules, etc. Hogfather went with me in case there was any downtime to read while waiting for a kid to be done. By the time I got home, Hogfather was missing. I searched the car twice, searched around the house, and finally decided it must have fallen out of the car in the unlit, pitch-black parking lot by the soccer field when I picked youngest up at 7 pm. I fretted about it all night ("I lost a library book!" "Is it even in print anymore?" "How much will they charge me?" "I will go back and look for it in the morning." "I lost a library book!"). I took youngest to her science and band classes at the public school in the morning and then searched for the book at the soccer field parking lot. Nope. Nothing. I got groceries and then was checking my text messages while waiting for dd and dh had texted me a photo of the book! No story on where it was. So I started thinking that I was losing my mind and I had left the book on his car or something (lost my keys last weekend and they were in the car). Finally at the end of the day I got the story--dh went to the parking lot on his way to work and found the book. If I had checked texts earlier in the day I could have saved myself a trip. The book was fine--no rain that night, and I'm NOT losing my mind, so all's well that ends well. Will continue reading Hogfather this week--I think it's due Friday.

[Kareni]

The first book is Fatal Shadows.

 

I believe I first heard of the series here on BaW, but I have no idea who recommended it.

 

Cough, cough ~ that would be me.  I see I read it first in May 2015 and you read it a week later. 

 

I posted recently (and this is still the case) that the Kindle version is available for free in Spanish ~

Sombras Fatales (Los misterios de Adrien English nº 1)  by Josh Lanyon and Laura A. Rodriguez

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

 

Because of my obsession with the Master and Commander series, I dragged my dh to the Maritime Museum in Greenwich so I could take in the large exhibit on Nelson's navy.  It was everything I had hoped for, with display cases of the kinds surgical instruments Dr. Maturin uses in the books (fascinating in a horrifying kind of way) and of weapons and the different kinds of shot used in canons, and of Nelson's coat that he was wearing when he was received the fatal shot.  

 

And yes, we walked up the hill to the Royal Observatory to see the Prime Meridian and the Harrison Clocks -- the timepieces built to solve the problem of determining longitude on sea voyages.  (Pictures soon, I hope!)

 

Because of my obsession with measuring devices and dh's obsession with problem solving, we galloped up the hill to the Royal Observatory to see the Harrison Clocks.  Truly interesting stuff!

 

I have not been to Bletchley. I think another trip to the UK is in order.

[Melinda in VT]

Because of my obsession with measuring devices and dh's obsession with problem solving, we galloped up the hill to the Royal Observatory to see the Harrison Clocks. Truly interesting stuff!

 

I have not been to Bletchley. I think another trip to the UK is in order.

Another trip to the UK is always in order.

[Rosyl]

Finished since I posted last:

 

The Soil Will Save Us - this was a quick read for me, nothing I didn't know, but of interest because I'm looking for some slightly more hopeful/upbeat books for Shannon's ES reading list.  This one will be good for her.

 

The Royal Succession - Book 4 in the Accursed Kings series, about the medieval French royal family - the end of the Capetian dynasty.  This series continues to be enjoyable.

 

Wars of the Roses - the followup to The Plantagenets, which I listened to previously. I didn't like the reader on this as much as on the first one. Still, together they were a good overview, very broad brushstrokes. I'm now ready to dig in and read more about a few of these figures and eras.  I have the framework in my brain now though, which is helpful.

 

A Short History of Myth - Karen Armstrong's introduction to the Canongate Myths series, a set of retellings of myths by famous modern authors - some of us read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood last year.  It's very short, and was fine but not stellar until the last chapter on myth (or the lack thereof) in the modern era, which i really enjoyed. I think this will be a nice addition to our study of mythology next year.

 

 

In current reads, I'm enjoying one of those serendipitous pleasures you get when you read lots of different things at once! I'm re-reading Frankenstein for the umpteenth time, as Shannon is reading it at the moment.  I love that book, despite its many and obvious flaws, I really do, and I like it more every time I read it.  Well, Stacia's post about the new Hobart Shakespeare retelling reminded me that I needed to re-read The Merchant of Venice as I have its retelling on hold.  So as I was reading it off and on with Frankenstein, I realized how similar the monster and Shylock are as characters.  I think we're going to study this play next, a difficult one, but Portia is my very favorite Shakespearean heroine, so it will be a pleasure to read it with my dd.

 

I'm also reading Stoner, thanks to Negin's rave reviews about it a few months ago.  It is a wonderful, wonderful book, I am awestruck. Not quite finished yet, but close.  A book you shouldn't read till you are approaching middle age, but you must read it then.

 

Is ES Environmental Science?  If so, did you use a curriculum or are you just providing a reading list.  I am looking to use an environmental science for a 10th grader next year.

 

 

[mumto2]

 

I have not been to Bletchley. I think another trip to the UK is in order.

I thnk another trip to the UK is order for both of you....next time I hope to be there!

[Stacia]

NoseInABook, :grouphug:  on your foster. I'm glad the placement was for the best. You & your family have such generous hearts, in spite of knowing you have to endure the pain of goodbyes too. True heroes, you are.

 

Kathy (re: last week's thread), I'll send you Ajax Penumbra. (Btw, I kind of giggle now when I see that title because in the movie Deadpool, the 'bad guy' was named Ajax & there were some cracks made about his name & not trusting someone named after a cleaning solution, & so on. It's completely juvenile but it still makes me laugh.)

 

My IRL book club chose Love in the Time of Cholera for our March book but I haven't started it yet. I put in a library hold for the Kindle version. Stacia, I see you rated it only one star! That concerns me but I'm not sure if I should ask why. I try to read the books other people choose so that they'll be more likely to read mine when it's my turn to pick a book. In our two + years of existence there were only a handful of books I just couldn't finish.

 

Although I try to finish my book club books, there are plenty I don't. I do think you are way more generous in that respect than me. :lol:

 

Here's my info about Love in the Time of Cholera (feel free to skip it if you don't want to read it)....

 

For years I thought I should read that book because a few people I knew raved about how it is the best book ever written & other superlatives of that extreme. I guess I did try it at some point, didn't like it & abandoned it. I apparently also completely & utterly wiped it from my memory. Years later, my book club chose it. I started reading it (having no clue or memory that I had ever even read it before) & just had the weirdest, eeriest feeling for the entire first half of the book since I already knew what was going to happen, etc... even though I was sure I had never read it. It took me forever to remember that I had actually tried it & I still wonder why I so completely bleached it from my brain...? :huh: (I usually don't forget books I've read. Plots maybe, but I could still tell you the book title or what the cover looked like or something about it). Here... just nada.

 

Anyway, I just didn't like it. I didn't care one iota for any of the characters, their choices, the plot seemed boring, & that's about as much as I can remember as to why I didn't like it. I think, mainly, I pretty much disliked every character. A lot.

 

However, so many people absolutely love that book. Maybe there's hope...? :leaving:  (I'm not reading it again, though. :tongue_smilie: )

 

I should be working on my banned/no longer banned New Zealand book but my brain feels fried & I find it such a chore to read a kindle version of anything. So I know I should pick it up & read, but I'm just not. Maybe I'll have to break down & acquire a hardcopy. Not sure.

 

My book club is going to read Bossypants so I need to start that soon. Various others I'm contemplating. But, my brain is just tired & I'm not even up for much reading these past couple of days.

 

Did get to go do another fun thing last night. Dd's big Christmas present was to get tix to the Cirque du Soleil show Kurios (fun steampunk-y theme), along w/ a friend. Since they needed a chauffeur <ahem... me>, I made sure the chauffeur got a ticket too. <grin> So, we have a fun girls night out for dinner, the show, & a super-late-night coffee afterward.

 

And, thanks again, all my BaW friends. :grouphug:  You have all been so kind, so supportive, & so wonderful as my life has been chaos for awhile. I'm happy to report that my dh is starting a new job tomorrow. (Unfortunately, it is in another state & pays a bit less than his previous job. We are not planning to relocate the family, but will need to find him an apartment or other accommodations.) But, still, it's an improvement. And, it's with a company he loves & really wanted to get into. There are quite a few other crazy & stressful things going on now too, so I'd certainly appreciate any continued good thoughts as 2016 progresses. But, thanks again, my friends. You all, you guys, y'all, or all y'all (or however you want to say it)  have been a tremendous help, support, & encouragement to me. I am humbled & grateful for the kindness of this group. Sending much love to each & every one of you.  :grouphug:  :001_wub:  :grouphug:

Edited March 6, 2016 by Stacia

[Rosie_0801]

 A Literary Tour of Melbourne. 

 

 

If anyone wants a postcard from Melbourne, I can probably send one. :)

[Ali in OR]

And, thanks again, all my BaW friends. :grouphug:  You have all been so kind, so supportive, & so wonderful as my life has been chaos for awhile. I'm happy to report that my dh is starting a new job tomorrow. (Unfortunately, it is in another state & pays a bit less than his previous job. We are not planning to relocate the family, but will need to find him an apartment or other accommodations.) But, still, it's an improvement. And, it's with a company he loves & really wanted to get into. There are quite a few other crazy & stressful things going on now too, so I'd certainly appreciate any continued good thoughts as 2016 progresses. But, thanks again, my friends. You all, you guys, y'all, or all y'all (or however you want to say it)  have been a tremendous help, support, & encouragement to me. I am humbled & grateful for the kindness of this group. Sending much love to each & every one of you.  :grouphug:  :001_wub:  :grouphug:

 

Good news on the job front; hope the stress will decrease and you all can settle into a rhythm that works for you.

[mumto2]

Great news, Stacia! :grouphug: too!

[Jane in NC]

NoseInABook, :grouphug:  on your foster. I'm glad the placement was for the best. You & your family have such generous hearts, in spite of knowing you have to endure the pain of goodbyes too. True heroes, you are.

 

<snip>

 

And, thanks again, all my BaW friends. :grouphug:  You have all been so kind, so supportive, & so wonderful as my life has been chaos for awhile. I'm happy to report that my dh is starting a new job tomorrow. (Unfortunately, it is in another state & pays a bit less than his previous job. We are not planning to relocate the family, but will need to find him an apartment or other accommodations.) But, still, it's an improvement. And, it's with a company he loves & really wanted to get into. There are quite a few other crazy & stressful things going on now too, so I'd certainly appreciate any continued good thoughts as 2016 progresses. But, thanks again, my friends. You all, you guys, y'all, or all y'all (or however you want to say it)  have been a tremendous help, support, & encouragement to me. I am humbled & grateful for the kindness of this group. Sending much love to each & every one of you.  :grouphug:  :001_wub:  :grouphug:

 

First a shout out to NoseInABook who is indeed a true hero.  Righteous anger seems fashionable at the moment when personally I'd like to see more Kindness.  Nose, you demonstrate to the rest of us what we should be doing.

 

And Stacia my dear, in your list of "You all, you guys, y'all, or all y'all", you left out my favorite, the Brooklyn version "yous guys".  Cuz indeed yous guys on this thread are wonderful!!

[Angel]

Totally off topic, and it's okay if you don't want to answer. Is Aly short for Alyson? I ask because my niece's daughter (turning 8 this week) is Alyson, and you don't see that spelling often. The only other person I "know" who spells it like that is the actress Alyson Hanningan of Buffy fame (and apparently How I Met Your Mother, but I've never seen that show).

Actually it's Alyxandra  ;)  Though I am an only, my dad is the youngest of eleven kids, and I am 49 out of 52 grandchildren and there's a lot more great & great-great grandchildren.  I wanted my kids to have names that were not already in the family (difficult).  I like unique.  Skye is actually Skyeler.  I liked the "y"   :laugh: and wanted to carry it over to allow Alexandra to become a little more unique.  Aly was dh's nickname, and it fits her personality!  

 

 

And, thanks again, all my BaW friends. :grouphug:  You have all been so kind, so supportive, & so wonderful as my life has been chaos for awhile. I'm happy to report that my dh is starting a new job tomorrow. (Unfortunately, it is in another state & pays a bit less than his previous job. We are not planning to relocate the family, but will need to find him an apartment or other accommodations.) But, still, it's an improvement. And, it's with a company he loves & really wanted to get into. There are quite a few other crazy & stressful things going on now too, so I'd certainly appreciate any continued good thoughts as 2016 progresses. But, thanks again, my friends. You all, you guys, y'all, or all y'all (or however you want to say it)  have been a tremendous help, support, & encouragement to me. I am humbled & grateful for the kindness of this group. Sending much love to each & every one of you.  :grouphug:  :001_wub:  :grouphug:

Stacia, so glad to hear this news :hurray:

[Ethel Mertz]

Getting back to your query, Ethel Mertz ~

 

As regards pure romance, I'd recommend the Chesapeake Bay Saga which begins with Sea Swept.

 

For romantic suspense stand alone novels, I'd recommend Blue Smoke  and Public Secrets.

 

 

I'll also recommend Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb.  Her ... in Death series is a futuristic romantic mystery/suspense series.  It is quite gritty.  The first in the series is Naked in Death.

 

Others here like it, too. 

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

Many thanks to both you and Robin for the suggestions!

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I finished two books this past week mainly as an excuse to procrastinate from projects I didn't want to do around the house

 

Book 11 - Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop - I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this book and am planning to finished the third book in the series this week before the fourth becomes available at the library

 

Book 12 - City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte - It definitely improved as the book went along, and I enjoyed it enough to add the sequel to my to be read list.

 

Currently Reading

 

ESV Bible - 23 chapters into Deuteronomy

The Horse and His Boy - my youngest and I will pick up with this tomorrow, DH has been off with a hurt back so the boys didn't do school this past week

The Screwtape Letters by Lewis - didn't read consistently last week, but will pick up with one or two letters a day this week

 

I should be able to pick up the 3rd book in the Anne Bishop's Others series, Vision in Silver, as well as the new Mercy Thompson book by Patricia Briggs, Fire Touched, at the library tomorrow, so I imagine that they will get the bulk of my reading time this week.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Is ES Environmental Science?  If so, did you use a curriculum or are you just providing a reading list.  I am looking to use an environmental science for a 10th grader next year.

 

 

Yes. It's entirely homemade and still very much a work in progress.  It looks like the first year is going to focus on ecology, evolution and natural history and be very field-based, and the second year will cover a bit more of the traditional ES material, but with an effort to focus on solutions - so, agroecology, sustainable forestry, etc., not just all doom-and-gloom.  It can be challenging. This is the field I work in so I feel comfortable pulling my own material together, but framing it in a way to feel encouraging and hopeful to a young teen is proving to be challenging for me.  But also healthy, ultimately.

 

 

 

Now for all the books I am bogged down in:

• Snow, Bird, Boy--I started this on my trip, put it down to read Into the Wild, and I find myself somewhat reluctant to return
• The Gap of Time--I started this weeks ago, but I wasn't expecting the sex, and it threw me off a bit. I'm not necessarily opposed to sex scenes, but I like to know they are coming, and I definitely prefer them romantic rather than gritty. I'm uncomfortably pondering the possibility that I inherently dislike homosexual sex scenes. As the parent of an LGTBQ kid, that possibility bothers me.
• The Big Truck That Went By--this is about the post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. It's depressing. However, I have to finish it by Friday for book group, so I will wrap it up this week.
• The second mystery in Julia Spencer-Fleming's series. This book is suffering from not having been taken on my trip and not being required reading. I anticipate polishing it off next weekend.

I'm also reading Watership Down with my youngest son. I haven't read it since I was his age (my other kids were voracious readers at this age and no longer liked being read to), and I am happy it holds up well.

 

I loved The Gap of Time, but the sex scenes were definitely gritty.  I hear you.  I also put Boy, Snow, Bird aside for a little while, but I was glad I picked it back up. I think that I thought it was going to go in a very different direction than it did - there was a scene where she saw herself in a mirror covered with blood or something, and I was afraid it was heavy-handed foreshadowing. It wasn't, I was relieved to find. I actually really liked it when the perspective shift happened later in the book.

 

 

 

 

 

And, thanks again, all my BaW friends. :grouphug:  You have all been so kind, so supportive, & so wonderful as my life has been chaos for awhile. I'm happy to report that my dh is starting a new job tomorrow. (Unfortunately, it is in another state & pays a bit less than his previous job. We are not planning to relocate the family, but will need to find him an apartment or other accommodations.) But, still, it's an improvement. And, it's with a company he loves & really wanted to get into. There are quite a few other crazy & stressful things going on now too, so I'd certainly appreciate any continued good thoughts as 2016 progresses. But, thanks again, my friends. You all, you guys, y'all, or all y'all (or however you want to say it)  have been a tremendous help, support, & encouragement to me. I am humbled & grateful for the kindness of this group. Sending much love to each & every one of you.  :grouphug:  :001_wub:  :grouphug:

 

So glad for some good news, I hope things keep improving, and I appreciate your friendship so very much!  :grouphug:

[Chrysalis Academy]

I am all blissed out right now. It's been dumping rain all day, and other than cleaning the bathroom, I've done nothing but read today.  I finished The Merchant of Venice, which has my favorite Shakespearean character in it (Portia), and I finished Frankenstein, which I love more each time I read it.  I started listening to The Sixth Extinction, which is as depressing as I feared, but also very interesting and very well written, lots more good historical paleontology type stuff than I was expecting.  I'm going to start reading Homeric Moments and maybe Confronting the Classics, and I have Ransom waiting on my stack too.  So many good books in my future!  :001_wub:

[Ethel Mertz]

I finished Alan Bennett's The Lady in the Van and loved it. A very poignant story, it challenges the reader's assumptions about the mentally ill homeless. Now I want to see the movie. I'm now reading While You Were Mine by Ann Howard Creel (one of Amazon Prime's free books of the month) and Saltbound: A Block Island Winter by Chilton Williamson (a place where I have spent a great deal of time over the years). 

[shage]

A Bali Conspiracy Most Fowl by Shamini Flint.......Inspector Singh Investigates.....This is a fascinating series. The topics are huge, this one dealt with terrorist attacks in Bali, but done in an interesting manner. Not cozy but not thriller mystery either. A rather safe in between place where reading was interesting and informative if you have practically no knowledge of that area of the world (me). A bit of armchair tourism that I could handle. Inspector Singh is a rather sweet main detective....older Hindu policeman from Singapore, who the political system would love to remove but can't, so they sent him out as a liaison to other countries expecting failure. Instead while trying to solve a comparatively small piece of the overall puzzle he clarifies larger pieces.

 

....

So fun reading an Inspector Singh review. I received the first book in the series for Christmas and enjoyed it despite not being much of a mystery fan. This is making me want to continue in the series...

[JennW in SoCal]

About the Master and Commander series...

 

Super awesome! I hope to go there someday.

 

And yes, Patrick Tull's performance of the series is amazing.  Still haven't read the last one because I can't bear to have it end.
 

 

Extra super awesome to find another fan of the series!! :hurray:  I want to take some time to savor the last few books in the series, too, as it will be sad to come to the end.  Eliana, from this group, sent me the link to this series of essays about each Master and Commander title by the sci fi author Jo Walton.  You might enjoy reading them, especially if you decide to do a re-read:

 

Jo Walton on rereading the Aubrey-Maturin series

 

Dh read the first book but had no idea it was a series. He was excited when I told him, just a few weeks ago. I have the first one on my list to read this year.

 

Kathy, you and your dh might enjoy that series of essays, too, but beware that there are spoilers!

 

AND, if either on of you are ever in the San Diego area, our little Maritime Museum has the replica of HMS Surprise that was built for and used in the movie.  Most of that movie was filmed in the area and at a studio south of the border. A homeschool dad I know landed a role as one of the Surprise crew members, but he would have had to quit his job which didn't seem like the prudent thing to do.  

 

Oh, and wasn't it you, Kathy, that pointed out the Kindle mystery freebie Talking to the Dead?  I downloaded it and started it earlier today.  So far so good....

 

 I think another trip to the UK is in order.

 

Another trip to the UK is always in order.

 

I thnk another trip to the UK is order for both of you....next time I hope to be there!

 

Suppose we can write a grant proposal to raise funds for a book club session in the UK?  I was planning a return trip before we even left!  

 

And, thanks again, all my BaW friends. :grouphug:  You have all been so kind, so supportive, & so wonderful as my life has been chaos for awhile. I'm happy to report that my dh is starting a new job tomorrow. (Unfortunately, it is in another state & pays a bit less than his previous job. We are not planning to relocate the family, but will need to find him an apartment or other accommodations.) But, still, it's an improvement. And, it's with a company he loves & really wanted to get into. There are quite a few other crazy & stressful things going on now too, so I'd certainly appreciate any continued good thoughts as 2016 progresses. But, thanks again, my friends. You all, you guys, y'all, or all y'all (or however you want to say it)  have been a tremendous help, support, & encouragement to me. I am humbled & grateful for the kindness of this group. Sending much love to each & every one of you.  :grouphug:  :001_wub:  :grouphug:

 

Wonderful news, and yet still a tough road ahead with a long distance dh.   :grouphug:  Hope the other crazy and stressful things ease up a bit after several months of it already. 

[Robin M]

Because of my obsession with the Master and Commander series, I dragged my dh to the Maritime Museum in Greenwich so I could take in the large exhibit on Nelson's navy.  It was everything I had hoped for, with display cases of the kinds surgical instruments Dr. Maturin uses in the books (fascinating in a horrifying kind of way) and of weapons and the different kinds of shot used in canons, and of Nelson's coat that he was wearing when he was received the fatal shot.  

 

And yes, we walked up the hill to the Royal Observatory to see the Prime Meridian and the Harrison Clocks -- the timepieces built to solve the problem of determining longitude on sea voyages.  (Pictures soon, I hope!)

 

Yes, definitely- lots of pictures.

 

 

NoseInABook, :grouphug:  on your foster. I'm glad the placement was for the best. You & your family have such generous hearts, in spite of knowing you have to endure the pain of goodbyes too. True heroes, you are.

 

 

 

And, thanks again, all my BaW friends. :grouphug:  You have all been so kind, so supportive, & so wonderful as my life has been chaos for awhile. I'm happy to report that my dh is starting a new job tomorrow. (Unfortunately, it is in another state & pays a bit less than his previous job. We are not planning to relocate the family, but will need to find him an apartment or other accommodations.) But, still, it's an improvement. And, it's with a company he loves & really wanted to get into. There are quite a few other crazy & stressful things going on now too, so I'd certainly appreciate any continued good thoughts as 2016 progresses. But, thanks again, my friends. You all, you guys, y'all, or all y'all (or however you want to say it)  have been a tremendous help, support, & encouragement to me. I am humbled & grateful for the kindness of this group. Sending much love to each & every one of you.  :grouphug:  :001_wub:  :grouphug:

Ditto to Nose in a Book

 

Stacia -    :grouphug: and  :party: and  :cheers2:

 

Suppose we can write a grant proposal to raise funds for a book club session in the UK?  I was planning a return trip before we even left!  . 

I was just telling hubby this morning, it would be neat if we could put together a 52 books cruise. Probably take a year or more to plan and coordinate.  :lol:

[JennW in SoCal]

I was just telling hubby this morning, it would be neat if we could put together a 52 books cruise. Probably take a year or more to plan and coordinate.  :lol:

 

Maybe my retirement can be using an RV as a BaW bookmobile to drive around the country to share books with as many of the North American gang as possible!

[Kim in Appalachia]

This week I read Murakami's short story, Strange Library and his novel, South of the Border, West of the Sun.  Strange Library  was a perfect Murakami story.  I read it on my Kindle, and I had borrowed it from the library, but it is meant to be read in hard copy.  It's a work of art as well as a story.  I've always thought that short stories are much harder to write.  You have very little space to make the reader care about the character(s).  But Murakami can do it, and he did it well.

 

South of the Border, West of the Sun was also good, even though the ending made me want to scream.  I don't understand what happened.  Well, I kind of do, but it could have multiple meanings.  But I did enjoy it.  

 

I'm still reading through Stott's Basic Christianity.

 

I can't decide if I read Sputnik Sweetheart or something else next.  I need a day or two to think about it. 

 

 Stacia, I'm glad things are looking up.  I hope all of the details work out and your dh can find a decent place.  My parents had to do that for a little over a year.  My dad came home on weekends.  They both hated it, but you do what you have to do.  It all worked out. Congrats on your dh's job.   

[Chrysalis Academy]

Finished Stoner.  Wow. That's just about all that I can say. Wow.  Thanks for the review, Negin.

[mumto2]

This week I read Murakami's short story, Strange Library and his novel, South of the Border, West of the Sun.  Strange Library  was a perfect Murakami story.  I read it on my Kindle, and I had borrowed it from the library, but it is meant to be read in hard copy.  It's a work of art as well as a story.  I've always thought that short stories are much harder to write.  You have very little space to make the reader care about the character(s).  But Murakami can do it, and he did it well.

 

South of the Border, West of the Sun was also good, even though the ending made me want to scream.  I don't understand what happened.  Well, I kind of do, but it could have multiple meanings.  But I did enjoy it.  

 

I'm still reading through Stott's Basic Christianity.

 

I can't decide if I read Sputnik Sweetheart or something else next.  I need a day or two to think about it. 

 

 Stacia, I'm glad things are looking up.  I hope all of the details work out and your dh can find a decent place.  My parents had to do that for a little over a year.  My dad came home on weekends.  They both hated it, but you do what you have to do.  It all worked out. Congrats on your dh's job.

 

I read Sputnik Sweetheart at the beginning of the year as a read along with crstarlette....New Year and Murakami are sort of go together now in a baw way. ;) We both liked it overall. Obviously Murakami, not as good as 1Q84 but way shorter.