Robin M Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 (edited) Happy Sunday dear hearts! This is the beginning of week 11 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 - Happy St. Patrick's Week: We'll be celebrating St. Patrick's day all week long and instead of loading your wishlists down with more books, your mission is to find a book on your shelves that has a green cover or has green in the title. https://youtu.be/FBIIgt7fjIg Sweetheart I’m bidding you fond farewell Murmured a youth one day I’m off to a new land my fortune to try And I’m ready to sail away Far away in Australia Soon will fate be kind And I will be ready to welcome the lass The girl I left behind Must we be parted?! his fairer one cried I cannot let you go Still I must leave you, the young man replied But for only a while you know Far away in Australia Soon will fate be kind And I will be ready to welcome the lass The girl I left behind Whether in success or failure I will always be true Proudly each day in that land far away I’ll be building a home for you Far away in Australia Soon will fate be kind And I will be ready to welcome the lass The girl I left behind Daily she waits at the old cottage gate Watching the whole day through Till that sweet message comes over the wave And in the new world they’re joined as two Far away in Australia Soon will fate be kind And I will be ready to welcome the lass The girl I left behind†************************************************************************************* History of the Renaissance World - Chapters thirteen and fourteen ************************************************************************************* What are you reading this week? Link to week 10 Edited March 13, 2016 by Robin M 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 ugh, I've been sick and have had no desire to read very much. I had to return All The Light We Cannot See, and I only got a few chapters in. Maybe I'll take it up again another time. I'll have to just listen in this week. Carry on, Bibliophiles. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 I'm about to start Anne Bishop's Marked in Flesh. I took a step back in time with Lee Child's Jack Reacher series in The Affair. I've been reading the series sporadically and currently have A Wanted Man and Never Go Back in my stacks. After I saw Child speak at a convention, I picked up 61 Hours and was hooked. Eventually I'll go back and read the beginning books in the series. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 ugh, I've been sick and have had no desire to read very much. I had to return All The Light We Cannot See, and I only got a few chapters in. Maybe I'll take it up again another time. I'll have to just listen in this week. Carry on, Bibliophiles. Hugs,doll. No fun being sick. Sleep and chicken soup, best remedy. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I finished the (Dutch) Illustrated at Home edition of Bill Bryson. I liked the book, it was fun to read, but more then once I finished a chapter unsatisfied: I had not learned what I wanted to know... 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Well, I'm in luck then! Three of the books I'm currently reading have green, or green-ish covers: and, my very ugly and old-fashioned library copy of The She-Wolf of France. You'll just have to picture the lovely olive-and-gray cover! Besides those, I'm reading Ransom, Homeric Moments, and The Serpent of Venice, and listening to The Sixth Extinction. Again, too many books at once to have made much progress given the small amount of reading time I've had this week. Books finished in March: 50. Writing with a Thesis: a Rhetoric and Reader - Sarah Skwire 49. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley 48. The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare 47. A Short History of Myth - Karen Armstrong 46. Stoner - John Williams 45. The Wars of the Roses - Dan Jones 44. The Royal Succession - Maurice Druon 43. The Soil Will Save Us - Kristin Ohlson 42. Shroud for a Nightingale - PD James 41. Men Explain Things to Me - Rebecca Solnit 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I just saw a book review that has piqued my interest; it's from a site called The Literary Hoarders ~ Book Review: The Trouble with Goats and Sheep "The first time I heard of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, I was reading Simon Savidge’s Books of 2015 post. Goats and Sheep was found at the end of his Part 2 and is named one of the books he “really, really, really loved†in 2015. I was rolling along, enjoying his choices, because so very many of them were on my TBR, when I came upon this blue book with a goat on the cover entitled, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep. I had never heard of it? What I normally do is check to see if the library is bringing it in, or if Chapters has it to order. I was completely shocked, honestly, to find the library was indeed bringing in this book with this funny little title. Up went the hold on it! And when I went to pick it up was told it was in high demand, so I would have to read within 7 days. How odd for a book I had never heard of before?!" ** I'm currently re-reading and enjoying (though parts of it are icky) Ilona Andrews' Bayou Moon (The Edge, Book 2). I'd recently re-read the first book in this series, so I'm reading the others that I have on hand. I see I have book four but not book three. Curious! "Cerise Mar and her clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands. When her parents vanish, her clan's long-time rivals are suspect. But all is not as it seems.Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge-and Cerise's life." ** ugh, I've been sick and have had no desire to read very much. I hope that you feel better soon, Chris. Regards, Kareni 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I haven't posted here in a long time even though I always enjoy reading through the weekly thread. :) Some of my favorites from the past few months have been: Big Little Lies boy, this author sure can pull you into the story right away! I also liked The Husband's Secret. Greensleeves by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. The Oregon Trail:A New American Journey by Rinker Buck The Color of Water:A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling Dinner Most Deadly:Another John Pickett Mystery by Sherri Cobb South. I've really been enjoying this series - fun and fluffy! The author just put out a novella with John Pickett called Waiting Game and it's only 99cents for the kindle. I want to thank the poster who recommended the audiobook Almost Interesting by David Spade. I finished it in two days - yes, he is vulgar but still so, so funny. I finished listening to Middlemarch by George Eliot and narrated by Juliet Stevenson. I've read it twice and this is my first time listening, it is still wonderful! I'm about to start Martin Short's I Must Say , also recommended on here. :) 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 ugh, I've been sick and have had no desire to read very much. Chris, hope you feel better very soon. I read The First Phone Call from Heaven - 1 Star - Silly, slow, and boring! Reading this turned out to be an utter chore. I’ve loved almost all of Mitch Albom’s books, most especially “Tuesdays with Morrieâ€. I’ve loved some of them so much, that we even own a few of the DVDs. Naturally, I was looking forward to reading this one, but it turned out to be quite disappointing to say the least. There were too many characters and I really didn’t care about any of them. The stories kept jumping around to the point of confusion and annoyance. I normally have a 10% rule – if a book doesn’t engage me in the first 10%, I usually give up on it and move on. I should have given up on this one, but because it was Mitch Albom and because I was curious to see what would happen, I stuck with it, unfortunately wasting precious hours of my reading time. Two books that have been on my wish list are on sale today - the Kindle versions. I just got them both. I often check my wish list to see if prices drop. Autobiography of a Face - $1.99 and My Name is Mahtob - $2.99 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosyl Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 14. The Decision by Wanda Brunstetter 15. Defending Jacob By Wm. Landay and I am still working on History of the Renaissance World, Trolley Car Days, The Triumph of William McKinley (almost done), and Passage to India. 13. Five Miles South of Peculiar by Angela Hunt 12. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 11. In the Time of the Butterflies Julia Alvarez 10. The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez 9. DIY Succulents: From Placecards to Wreaths by Tawni Daigle 8. The Scarlett Thread by Francine Rivers on audio. 7. Travels with Casey by Benoit Denizet-Lewis 6. The Rescuer Suzanne Woods Fisher 5. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute 4. Jackson Bog by Michael Witt. 3. Toward the Sunrise by Elizabeth Camden 2. Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin 1. Crucial Conversations by Patterson and Grenny 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I'm about halfway through Something Will Happen, You'll See, a short story collection by the Greek writer Christos Ikonomou. These stories of working class people struggling to survive the shaky Greek economy were depressing me so I decided to take a break with a French novel, The 6:41 to Paris, by Jean-Philipe Blondel. I'm about halfway through that one too. This past week was really fun. My best friend and her husband have been doing an annual rental in February or March at Saint Simons Island along the Georgia coast. They always invite me to join them for a few days. On this go around, I put my bike on the car and loaded Pratchett's Discworld novel Making Money in the CD player to help entertain me through the drive. Among the things we did was spend a day on Jekyll Island where we rode bikes, toured the art association's annual art fair, and visited the sea turtle rehab hospital there. I also came home with a bag of yarn from SSI's amazing yarn store--and books for the grand nephews from the independent book store. Lovely time. 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Finished Terry Pratchett's Hogfather this week, just before it was due back at the library. This was a good one for me to read as I just read his other books with Death last spring--I didn't know anything about Hogfather and didn't know it was another with Death as a main character. Two enjoyable reads going on: C.S. Harris' new Sebastian St. Cyr mystery, When Falcons Fall, and Anne Bishop's first in The Others series, Written in Red. A new genre for me. I checked out a couple Darwin books since we hit him in history this week, but honestly both The Voyage of the Beagle and the illustrated Origin of the Species look a bit long, heavy, and intimidating at the moment. I'll probably at least skim the one with pictures! Need a nap. Carry on without me--I'll check back later. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I finished Oh Baby by Kim Chinquee - a book of flash fiction and prose poetry. Here's a poem that sticks with me. Hoe She pulled weeds from his ex-wife's garden. Some had started into trees, and she couldn't get to the roots. Bare-handed, she picked up sticks and branches. Baseballs and candy wrappers buried under bushes. Rusty scissors. A barrette. She put the items by the swing. Around her were roses, lilies, bleeding hearts, and many others she would never know by name. There were chives and basil,oregano. He still used the spices in the dishes he prepared. He'd taught her how to make them. She got down on her knees and pulled his lavender by accident. She thought it was dead, but it wasn't. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Jane, your trip sounds wonderful! Chris, hope you are better soon. Reading the thread just now, I think my list of books to look for got a little longer. I haven't finished anything new since David Copperfield earlier this week. We are going on a short family vacation tomorrow so I'll probably have little time to read. My husband and I are exhausted and want nothing more than a cabin by a lake where there is nothing to do but read, drink coffee and maybe spend a little quality time together. But, in a few years when the kids are up and out, we'll have that... and we'll miss the family vacations. :-) Right? My latest audio is The Curse of the Pharaohs, an Amelia Peabody archaeology novel. I had read the first of the series a few years ago, enjoyed it, dove right into number two, but then felt it was too much like number one, so set it aside. Got the audio from the library on a whim and it's working much better in that format. Or maybe I went forward in the series too soon. Did someone comment on last week's thread, about needing a break from a series, even a good one? I find the maximum I can read without a break is three novels. After a while I get the urge again though, if it's a good series. 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 15. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I finished Ransom by David Malouf. Wow. Thanks to Eliana for mentioning it awhile back, and Robin for putting it on March's Australia list. I'm so glad I read this book. It makes the particular scene in the Iliad, the ransoming of Hector's body from Achilles by Priam, come alive in a way that feels very true to the original, but is a robust and meaningful story on its own. An excellent retelling, in conversation with The Iliad. I really enjoyed it. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Chris, I hope you feel better soon! I finished the new C.S. Harris When Falcon's Fall and thought it was really good. I am already looking forward to the next book. Dd has been busy reading this series and really likes it so far. I started Anne Bishop's Marked in Flesh this afternoon. I was surprised how seemless starting this book was. I haven't read an "others" book for a year and was able to connect with all the characters instantly. My memory just isn't that good...... Jane, Glad you had a good time on your island vacation! 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawneinfl Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I'm about halfway through Something Will Happen, You'll See, a short story collection by the Greek writer Christos Ikonomou. These stories of working class people struggling to survive the shaky Greek economy were depressing me so I decided to take a break with a French novel, The 6:41 to Paris, by Jean-Philipe Blondel. I'm about halfway through that one too. This past week was really fun. My best friend and her husband have been doing an annual rental in February or March at Saint Simons Island along the Georgia coast. They always invite me to join them for a few days. On this go around, I put my bike on the car and loaded Pratchett's Discworld novel Making Money in the CD player to help entertain me through the drive. Among the things we did was spend a day on Jekyll Island where we rode bikes, toured the art association's annual art fair, and visited the sea turtle rehab hospital there. I also came home with a bag of yarn from SSI's amazing yarn store--and books for the grand nephews from the independent book store. Lovely time. Jane, I remember you talking about this last year. I'll have to try to meet you there next year! We are just down the road a bit and I love Jekyll and St. Simon's. Do you ever make it down to Amelia Island in FL? There is much to do there as well as a pretty nice inde bookstore. It is the perfect time of year to do some biking around the islands. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Jane, I remember you talking about this last year. I'll have to try to meet you there next year! We are just down the road a bit and I love Jekyll and St. Simon's. Do you ever make it down to Amelia Island in FL? There is much to do there as well as a pretty nice inde bookstore. It is the perfect time of year to do some biking around the islands. I have not been to Amelia although last year we went to the art museum in Jacksonville on a rainy day. That exceeded expectations. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 ugh, I've been sick and have had no desire to read very much. Sorry you are sick! Hope you feel better soon. We have had a crazy week. My boys do Odyssey of the Mind on a team that I coach and the tournament was this weekend. This weekend was also JO's for Swimming and my oldest swam all three days. So it's been tiring but fun. I read Elizabeth George's newest Inspector Lynley book, A Banquet of Consequences. I mostly really liked it. I can't say what I didn't like because I don't want to give away spoilers. I realized this time that one of the things I like about her books is that she is so good at drawing you into a new world of characters with each new book and at the same time having the recurring characters that you get to see develop. It was a great book to read in a busy week. When I had the chance to read it was totally absorbing and very much an escape from all the crazy. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Jane, I remember you talking about this last year. I'll have to try to meet you there next year! We are just down the road a bit and I love Jekyll and St. Simon's. Do you ever make it down to Amelia Island in FL? There is much to do there as well as a pretty nice inde bookstore. It is the perfect time of year to do some biking around the islands. I have not been to Amelia although last year we went to the art museum in Jacksonville on a rainy day. That exceeded expectations. [Waving hand wildly] ooooh, oooh ooh, I want to come, too!! Relaxing this evening after a long weekend of playing 4 shows for a youth musical theater production, after a long week of disorganized rehearsals. We had cuts and changes to the music all the way until today's closing show!! It was a group of friends in the pit, and one of my former violin students had the lead (and was fantastic!), but other than that it was a frustrating waste of time for very little pay! The college boy is home for a week so the working boy came down to join him for the weekend. There is epic video game action going on at the moment!! We've got the college boy's birthday yet to celebrate this week as well as a trip to the desert to enjoy the wildflower blooms and movies to see and puzzles to construct. Mostly this trip home is to give him as much time to sleep, eat and relax before the final push to graduation in May. Nothing much new to report on the reading front, though the commute to and from rehearsals and shows allowed for lots of progress on my Master and Commander title. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I'm listening to Shattered which is the 7th Iron Druid book. Not much green on the cover, but one can't get more Irish than a book about Irish gods/goddesses and druids....with whiskey drinking and fighting to boot. ;) 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Feel better soon, Chris! Jane, it sounds like you've had some amazing adventures! Mom-ninja, whiskey drinking and fighting! WOO! That reminds me I should grab some more books in that series. I'm still reading Shifting Shadows. I didn't have much time to read this weekend as it was packed full of social things including a concert put on by an Irish worship band called Rend Collective. I've been catching myself saying things with an Irish accent all day long and then keep laughing at myself because though my last name is Irish by marriage and I love me some whiskey and potatoes, I'm definitely not Irish by blood! ;) Maybe I'll look up one of the silly Nora Roberts books that are set in Ireland and enjoy that. I've always had a special spot in my heart for Ireland because of all of those silly Nora Roberts books. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawneinfl Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 If y'all ever want to do a Florida meetup just pick a date. I'm happy to host. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 A 9-Year-Old Girl Is Running A Library For Underprivileged Children Who Can’t Read 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto4inSoCal Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) Well my book to finish for the week, The House of Seven Gables, has a green cover. I am also back to reading on education and my goal is to fully understand the history of education (classical and it's offshoots) and to understand some of progressive education. The first book I am reading is from the Jesuits. It's called Ratio Studiorum. I am only on the introduction but I was blow away by reading that Voltaire was trained by the Jesuits. I read Candide over the summer and really enjoyed it. I researched the author a little bit afterwards and found out he was an Atheist who would write with the goal of turning people away from the church teachings. Despite my personal opinion on his views he was an amazing writer. I can't imagine how the church felt about their pupil though. Edited March 14, 2016 by Momto4inSoCal 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I just finished Ilona Andrews' Bayou Moon (The Edge, Book 2); it was a good read in spite of some icky aspects. And, hey, the cover (which you can see here) has some green on it. Thanks for sharing about your trip, Jane; it sounds like you had a great time. And thanks for posting that link, Stacia; Muskaan Ahirwar is clearly making a positive difference. Regards, Kareni 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Two books (about which I've heard good things) that are currently free to Kindle readers: Date Night on Union Station (EarthCent Ambassador Book 1) by E. M. Foner ""Good comic science fiction is rarer than hen's teeth. This was a fun read."Kelly Frank is EarthCent's top diplomat on Union Station, but her job description has always been a bit vague. The pay is horrible and she's in hock up to her ears for her furniture, which is likely to end up in a corridor because she's behind on rent for her room. Sometimes she has to wonder if the career she has put ahead of her personal life for fifteen years is worth it.When Kelly receives a gift subscription to the dating service that's rumored to be powered by the same benevolent artificial intelligence that runs the huge station, she decides to swallow her pride and give it a shot. But as her dates go from bad to worse, she can only hope that the supposedly omniscient AI is planning a happy ending." and The Cryptographer (Second Sons Book 1) by Alice Wallis-Eton "Everybody has a secret, but some are harder to decipher… England, 1813. Aster Tanner is alone in the world and keeps a roof over her head by working the one asset she has – her mind. She needs her job; she does not need a Scotsman underfoot, making her heart flutter with heated glances and impertinent questions. Iain McIntyre, Captain in the Second Dragoons, has a confidential assignment: find a list rumoured to name traitors working against England. He is looking for anything unusual — like a woman working as a secretary. He tells himself his fascination with the lass is because she holds a man's position, and nothing to do with his rising desire to know the sharp mind hidden behind her darkened glasses. When Aster is targeted by those intent on recovering the list, she must decide who to trust. She has seven encrypted names. But whose? Meanwhile, Iain is on the trail of a double agent. Time is running out, and secrets must be decoded before lives and hearts are sacrificed." Regards, Kareni 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Like Chris I felt a bit ick last week, so I had plenty of laying around time but didn't feel like reading. I did finish Born to Run this weekend, which has been on my to-read list forever. I really enjoyed it, even more so now that I've taken up running(I've already been a barefoot enthusiast for many years). I'm still poking through Daring Greatly by Brown, it is a good but slow read. I have a few different books from the library as well that I've yet to start on. 1. The Crystal Cave- Stewart 2. The Hollow Hills- Stewart 3. The Last Enchantment- Stewart 4. The Wicked Day- Stewart 5. Younger Next Year for Women 6. Very Good Lives- Rowling- very, very, extremely short 7. The Once and Future King- White 8. The Lost Art of Walking 9. Move Your DNA-Bowman 10. The Wild Trees- Preston 11. The Magician's Elephant- diCamillio 12. Wild- Strayed 13. The Last Child in the Woods- Louv 14. Good Omens- Pratchett and Gaiman 15. Beauty- McKinley 16. Pride and Prejudice- Austin 17. Big Magic- Gilbert 18. Bird, Snow, Bird -Oyeyemi 19. Born to Run- McDougall 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Do you ever feel as though you're monopolizing the conversation?? Some bookish art ~ Artist Transforms Old Books Into Miniature Landscapes Regards, Kareni 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Book #28: The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. This is a very long (almost 600 page) book that I was pleasantly surprised by. It's an in-depth history of the six wives, before, during, and, in the case of half of them, after their marriages to Henry VIII. Some of the things I thought I knew turned out to be wrong. I was amazed at just how fascinating and engaging the writing was. Sometimes all the people were confusing, particularly since they could change name based on their castle name or whatever honor had been bestowed on them so you'd have siblings with completely different names. I found it quite interesting that Henry VIII thought it was wrong for a female to be ruler and yet of the three children he produced, the boy only reigned for 6 years and since he was 9 to 15 he wasn't truly in charge anyway. The girls are still known today - possibly even better than their father in the case of Elizabeth. Mary we remember as Bloody Mary and Elizabeth has a whole era named after her. I highly recommend this one. In a strange series of events, I have come into contact with my father-in-law's ex-wife. She is near 70 now and lives with her second husband in Norway. She was married to Jamie's dad in the 60s to very early 70s. Jamie vaguely knew his dad had been married before. They didn't have any children. Anyway, Patricia Bjornstad got remarried in the 80s to a Norwegian and went to Norway with him where she became a teacher. She is retired now and writes books. She got in contact with me because she had some pictures she wanted to send to Jamie and his kids. Two of them are Jamie's dad (who passed away in 2005, by the way) when he was married to Patricia and the other is Jamie's dad around 8 or 9. He looks so incredibly much like Fritz. It's pretty crazy how much that picture looks like Fritz. Well, after Patricia had friended me on Facebook, she noticed that I have a book review blog and so she asked if she could send her most recent book to me to read and, if I want, review (I review every book I read, so I'll definitely be reviewing it). It's called Blue-Eyed Arabs of the North. Her first book is A Quiet Life in Bedlam. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) I've passed the halfway point of The Better Angels Of Our Nature. It is very interesting and enlightening, but I swear I'm going to read at least three months worth of fluff afterward. Right next to my bedside happens to be a book I recently bought at a friends of the library sale: An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor. I don't know if I'll get to it this week though. The middle of March is a busy time for our family, two anniversaries, and two birthdays. My 16 yo will be 17 on the 17th! ETA: my most favorite irish themed book ever is McGillicuddy McGotham by Leonard Wibberly. I found my copy in a thrift store years ago. When I got home, I found it was full of pressed four leaf clovers. Edited March 14, 2016 by Onceuponatime 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minerva Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) I finished The Sound of Things Falling. So good. I am now reading Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail, another excellent recommendation from Stacia. I finished My Side of the Mountain with the kids. I had forgotten that my dd loved the book but hated the ending. She felt like it was unsatisfying, so we spent a good deal of time inventing alternate endings. We are Now reading There's an Owl in My Shower, also by Jean Craighead George. It's a short book but is causing me no end of trouble since both of my kids are now desperate to bring home a bird of prey to live with our family. They really could care less if it's an owl or a falcon. Either will do. I have been reading Aesop's Fables with my son who has a whole host of learning disabilities, and it has been such a great and sneaky way to work on reading comprehension. He generally is so reluctant to talk about what we are reading, even if done conversationally, but he is so eager to tell me what he thinks a good moral for each fable should be. His morals are usually hilarious and often way better than Aesop's. I am often terrified about this child's future, but this gives me hope. Edited March 14, 2016 by Minerva 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosyl Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I finished The Sound of Things Falling. So good. I am now reading Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail, another excellent recommendation from Stacia. I finished My Side of the Mountain with the kids. I had forgotten that my dd loved the book but hated the ending. She felt like it was unsatisfying and so we spent a good deal of time inventing alternate endings. We are Now reading There's an Owl in My Shower, also by Jean Craighead George. It's a short book but is causing me no end of trouble since both of my kids are now desperate to bring home a bird of prey to live with our family. They really could care less if it's an owl or a falcon. Either will do. I have been reading Aesop's Fables with my son who has a whole host of learning disabilities, and it has been such a great and sneaky way to work on reading comprehension. He generally is so reluctant to talk about what we are reading, even if done conversationally, but he is so eager to tell me what he thinks a good moral for each fable should be. His morals are usually hilarious and often way better than Aesop's. I am often terrified about this child's future, but this gives me hope. My kids loved Jean Craighead George's There's a Tarantula in My Purse. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I finished listening to Bleak House today. The last sentence seemed so abrupt I had to look it up to make sure there was nothing wrong with my copy. :) 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) Chris & soror, hope you both feel better soon! I think the pollen here is starting to go crazy so my sinuses are going nuts. Soror, I really loved Born to Run too. Mom-ninja, I will have to see if my dd has the 7th Iron Druid book. (Can't remember.) Maybe I need to read another of those again. It's definitely a fun series. Heather, that's a neat story of connecting across the miles! Will look forward to your review of her book. We're in the middle of Irish dance craziness, so I haven't had time to read. Super-fun but also super-long day on Saturday with the downtown parade & multiple dance appearances. Plus, throw in the time change & another dance appearance on Sunday & I mostly need a nap!! A short clip of our dancers on Saturday during the parade: http://vid930.photobucket.com/albums/ad146/Stacia-photos/IMG_0976.mp4 (My dd is the furthest on the left; the tall girl. Lol.) Still in progress with Tina Fey's Bossypants. It's fun & easy so at least it's a good choice for my crazy days right now. 2016 Books Read: Africa: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo, pub. by Reagan Arthur Books/Little, Brown and Company. 2 stars. Zimbabwe. (Child’s-eye view of life in post-colonial Zimbabwe & as a teen immigrant to the US. Choppy & hard to connect with the characters. Disappointed.) Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki, trans. from the Portuguese by Stephen Henighan, pub. by Biblioasis. 4 stars. Angola. (Simple & charming child’s-eye view of life in Angola during revolutionary changes & civil war in the 1990s. Semi-autobiographical.) Asia: North to the Orient by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, pub. by Harvest/Harcourt Brace & Co. 3 stars. Various countries. (A.M. Lindbergh served as her husband’s radio operator during their trek to try mapping new air routes to Asia by travelling north. Diary-like observations of some stops.) Smile as they Bow by Nu Nu Yi, trans. from the Burmese by Alfred Birnbaum & Thi Thi Aye, pub. by Hyperion East. 3 stars. Myanmar. (Fiery & feisty natkadaw [spirit wife] Daisy Bond performs during a nat festival while dealing with the wandering heart of his assistant & love Min Min.) Europe: Gnarr! How I Became Mayor of a Large City in Iceland and Changed the World by Jón Gnarr, trans. by Andrew Brown, pub. by Melville House. 3 stars. Iceland. (A quick, easy, fun, & inspiring read with an emphasis on being nice & promoting peace. Just what I needed this week.) What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi, pub. by Riverhead Books. 5 stars. Various countries. (Exotic, surreal, & magical collection of slightly interlinked short stories. Slightly sinister, fun, compelling, & completely delightful.) Latin America: The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, trans. from the Spanish by Anne McLean, pub. by Riverhead Books. 4 stars. Columbia. (Brilliant & bittersweet story showing the impact of the rise of the Colombian drug cartels on an entire generation of people growing up during the violent & uncertain times of the drug wars.) The Three Trials of Manirema by José J. Veiga, trans. from the Portuguese by Pamela G. Bird, pub. by Alfred A. Knopf. 3 stars. Brazil. (A mix of rural-life naturalism & the Kafkaesque in an allegory of life under [brazilian] military rule; captures the underlying fear & dread of a town. A serendipitous find.) Middle East: Necropolis by Santiago Gamboa, trans. from the Spanish by Howard Curtis, pub. by Europa editions. 3 stars. Israel. (Chorus of stories, mainly based around an author attending a conference in Jerusalem. One attendee commits suicide. Or did he?) North America: The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar MartÃnez, trans. from the Spanish by Daniela Maria Ugaz & John Washington, pub. by Verso. 5 stars. Mexico. (Front-line reporting of the dangers migrants face – from physical challenges, terrain, kidnappings, robberies, murders, rapes, & more – when crossing Mexico while trying to reach the US. Required reading.) A Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert Lawrence Smith, pub. by Eagle Brook/William Morrow and Company. 3 stars. USA. (A quiet & inspiring look at basic tenets of living a life of love & service. Nice little book with valuable & thoughtful ideas for today's world.) An Exaggerated Murder by Josh Cook, pub. by Melville House. 4 stars. USA. (Super-fun mash-up as if Pynchon met Sherlock Holmes & they had a few too many beers while sparring with Poe & Joyce. Entertaining, untraditional, modern noir detective romp.) Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan, pub. by Atlantic Books. 3 stars. USA. (Mini-novella prequel to Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Pleasant, nice, light reading about tracking down the single-surviving copy of a very old book.) Edited March 14, 2016 by Stacia 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I also started my next audio book - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I can't count it towards my number of books read because it's too familiar, but I can count it for bingo in the revisit an old friend square. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Some of these are charming ~ These Bookmarks Feature the Little Legs of Literary Characters Regards, Kareni 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Some of these are charming ~ These Bookmarks Feature the Little Legs of Literary Characters Regards, Kareni Those are funny! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 The Cryptographer (Second Sons Book 1) by Alice Wallis-Eton Thank you for dominating the conversation, Kareni! Your links to interesting articles and tidbits are hard to resist and this particular free Kindle was the right recommendation on the right day. Yesterday was my day off from music obligations, and this was the perfect fluff to read while I put my feet up between baking a birthday cake and preparing a birthday dinner. The college boy won't be here next week for his actual 21st birthday so we celebrated yesterday. I finished My Side of the Mountain with the kids. I had forgotten that my dd loved the book but hated the ending. She felt like it was unsatisfying, so we spent a good deal of time inventing alternate endings. We are Now reading There's an Owl in My Shower, also by Jean Craighead George. It's a short book but is causing me no end of trouble since both of my kids are now desperate to bring home a bird of prey to live with our family. They really could care less if it's an owl or a falcon. Either will do. I have been reading Aesop's Fables with my son who has a whole host of learning disabilities, and it has been such a great and sneaky way to work on reading comprehension. He generally is so reluctant to talk about what we are reading, even if done conversationally, but he is so eager to tell me what he thinks a good moral for each fable should be. His morals are usually hilarious and often way better than Aesop's. I am often terrified about this child's future, but this gives me hope. Love all of this!! I loved My Side of the Mountain when I was a kid, and one of my boys especially loved it, too, but I cannot for the life of me remember the ending. And now I'm learning of other Jean Craighead George titles that we missed -- my boys would have loved There's an Owl in My Shower. And bravo to the Aesop's Fables success. I've been in your homeschooling shoes, totally understand being terrified about the future, so love hearing these success stories. We're in the middle of Irish dance craziness, so I haven't had time to read. Super-fun but also super-long day on Saturday with the downtown parade & multiple dance appearances. Plus, throw in the time change & another dance appearance on Sunday & I mostly need a nap!! A short clip of our dancers on Saturday during the parade: http://vid930.photobucket.com/albums/ad146/Stacia-photos/IMG_0976.mp4 (My dd is the furthest on the left; the tall girl. Lol.) :hurray: :hurray: Brava to Stacia's tall girl on the left!! What fun -- dancing in a parade!!! Thank you for sharing :thumbup: 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Regarding The Cryptographer (Second Sons Book 1) by Alice Wallis-Eton Thank you for dominating the conversation, Kareni! Your links to interesting articles and tidbits are hard to resist and this particular free Kindle was the right recommendation on the right day. Yesterday was my day off from music obligations, and this was the perfect fluff to read while I put my feet up between baking a birthday cake and preparing a birthday dinner. The college boy won't be here next week for his actual 21st birthday so we celebrated yesterday. I'm glad to hear that that book hit the spot. (It's still free if anyone else is interested.) Happy birthday to your son; it's great that you got to celebrate (albeit early) with him. *** I'm about halfway through Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics which I'm reading for my book group meeting on Thursday. It's an easy yet compelling read. "...out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest." Regards, Kareni 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Here's another book-ish piece. This is from the LA Times ~ Artist never judges a book by its cover Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 DS is doing an e-fast (from all things electronic) this week as a requirement for his Confirmation Class. Alas, we grownups said we'd do it along with him in solidarity. I must confess that I am sneaking onto this thread while he is out of the house. At any rate, it looks like I will have lots of time for reading this week. I am still reading Harvey Cox's How to Read the Bible and Chilton Williamson's Saltbound: A Block Island Winter. I am finding the latter book a bit draggy; I am motivated to keep on with it only because I know the island so well. I have Jan Dunlap's The Boreal Owl Murder and Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells waiting for me at the library. This week I finished: Uprooted – Naomi Novik 3/9/16 - Loved this! I hope she writes a sequel. The Round House – Louise Erdrich 3/12/16 - I wanted there to be more, but it was a good read. I found myself having to take the occasional break as her writing is so dense, packed, lots of good, at times, difficult plot lines. Trigger warning: the aftermath of a rape. Parnassus on Wheels – Christopher Morley 3/14/16 - Great, short little book (150 pp). Delightful read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Stacia, Ajax Penumbra 1969 arrived today, and I want to thank you but I also have bad news. As I was opening it, I tore the jacket. I'm so sorry. I'll do my best to tape it back together. I'll post when I've finished reading it and see who would like it next. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Stacia, Ajax Penumbra 1969 arrived today, and I want to thank you but I also have bad news. As I was opening it, I tore the jacket. I'm so sorry. I'll do my best to tape it back together. I'll post when I've finished reading it and see who would like it next. Dang! Now you're going to be on the naughty list forever. I am sure you did it because you're one of those e-reader people! For shame for shame! ;-0 Actually, the book originally came from OnceUponATime. Then to me, then to you. I am not much of a dust jacket person myself & would just consider it looking well-loved as it makes its way around the BaW crowd.... (And maybe I should have wrapped it differently for mailing!) I think you'll enjoy it as a light little read. :-) 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shage Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Do you ever feel as though you're monopolizing the conversation?? Some bookish art ~ Artist Transforms Old Books Into Miniature Landscapes Regards, Kareni This made me laugh. I am drowning in work related projects and readings, so my own pleasure reading has ground to a halt. My homeschool read alouds are not grabbing me at the moment, and I find my mouth moving while my brain composes grocery lists. I am excited to read what other people have going on, though. It gives hope. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 My 16 year old daughter went on her first date today. I'm pretty sure this means I am old. Also, she designed the coolest date ever. The boy she asked is just a friend, also homeschooled. But this week happens to be spring break so a friend of my daughter and her boyfriend joined them. With her friend, Ani made a scavenger hunt with things to take pictures of worth a certain amount of points. Everything from a picture of a flower to a bird (bonus point if it was a road runner) to a picture of one of the team members with the tiniest dog they could find (they went to a park that has a dog play area) to getting a picture of them with three strangers jumping in the air. The winning team got to pick the first game they'd play after finishing the scavenger hunt (Ani and her female friend both brought a few games to play). Then they went to a nearby ice cream place. Way more fun than any date my friends and I came up with! 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 My 16 year old daughter went on her first date today. I'm pretty sure this means I am old. This is the WTM board. You aren't old here; you're classic! Regards, Kareni 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 I see that one of my favorite new adult romances is currently free to Kindle readers ~ The Year We Fell Down: A Hockey Romance (The Ivy Years Book 1) by Sarina Bowen Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Stacia, Thanks for sharing the parade photo. I loved seeing the tall girl...... Jenn, Glad you were able to have college boy's birthday celebration together. My ds has decided to reschedule his bday for St. Patrick's day. We are looking forward to a celebration where we are all healthy! I have had quite a bit of reading time because the kids are finishing some school work. I finished the latest Anne Bishop. It was good. I don't want to do any accidental spoilers because several people here will be reading it. I also started a new Jo Beverley historial romance series about the Mallorens. There are several of them. I read the first in the series, My Lady Notorious. It wasn't spectacular imo but my BF has read and enjoyed several of this series in the past few weeks so I will try a couple more before giving up. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 As I was opening it, I tore the jacket. I'm so sorry. I'll do my best to tape it back together. Btw, Kathy, Richard Scarry is my favorite children's author. I even have a favorite quote by him saved over on my Goodreads page... I'm not interested in creating a book that is read once and then placed on the shelf and forgotten. I am very happy when people have worn out my books, or that they're held together by Scotch tape. And, just so you know, many, many of the highly-beloved Richard Scarry books in our house have Scotch tape as an integral part of them! :lol: So, :cheers2: to books being worthy enough to need Scotch tape! 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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