Book a Week 2016 - BW14: The Voyage of the Beagle

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 14 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 - Voyage of the Beagle:  Welcome to our 52 Books voyage aboard the HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin and company. Rose (Chrysalis Academy is our Captain and navigator for this trip.  

 

Charles Darwin: his name evokes as broad a range of responses as any figure in modern times. I’ve seen descriptions and characterizations of his life, his work, and his intentions in publishing it that seem like they can’t possibly all be about the same person.   How can you get a handle on the real Darwin? Who was he, what motivated him, what did he feel about the development of the theory of evolution, and what did he believe its legacy would be?  I’m going to suggest three books that will help an interested reader get a handle on the real Charles Darwin.  These books don’t specifically focus on the theory of evolution, but on the man behind the theory.

 

First: to understand the man, read his own words.  Start with The Voyage of the Beagle: May I recommend this lovely illustrated edition? It is slightly abridged, but it is also enriched with maps, photographs, line drawings, botanical illustrations, portraits, and very interesting excerpts from Robert Fitzroy’s Proceedings of the Second Expedition, the book he published about the expedition. This is the book I'll be reading this month, and I look forward to discussing it with anyone who'd like to join me!

 

The main thing that strikes me as I read Voyage is the wide range of Darwin’s interests, and the incredible breadth of his knowledge. He seems to be equally at home speculating about geology, botany, zoology, anthropology, and most other bio-related -ologies, and can theorize equally comfortably about algae, unique rock formations, and tortoises.  I keep thinking as I read, “Man, is there anything this guy didn’t know about or think about?†

 

It’s fascinating to consider what his education must have been like, what kind of mental preparation and training he had in order to be able to observe, catalog, and think about all the things he saw on his remarkable voyage. Though we may have much more information at our fingertips today than Darwin could dream of, I imagine that few of us would consider ourselves as knowledgeable as he was – and at a remarkably young age: He was just 22 when the Voyage began.  This amazing voyage, and the thousands of observations and drawings he made and specimens that he collected gave him the raw material he needed to formulate his theory.

 

Ok, but how did Darwin get from The Voyage to The Origin of Species?

 

 

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of his Theory of Evolution by David Quammen (a wonderful science writer! I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by him) is, well, a fascinating and intimate portrait of Darwin’s life and work in the years between his return to England in 1836 and the publication of his paper on Evolution in 1859 – a remarkable 23 year lag which would certainly have been even longer had Alfred Russell Wallace, a young naturalist who had traveled to South America and Southeast Asia and who had independently developed the idea of evolution by natural selection, not sent Darwin his own manuscript to review.  Darwin saw with horror that this manuscript articulated many of the ideas he’d been developing, but sitting on, for so many years, and this prompted him to finally share his theory with world – ready or not.

 

Why did Darwin wait so long to publish his theory? Quammen’s discussion is enlightening, but for an even more intimate portrait from a different perspective, read Charles and Emma: The Darwin’s Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman.  

 

 

This was a lovely book that introduced me to a woman I now deeply admire: Emma Darwin.  As much a biography of Emma as of Charles and their life together, I was fascinated to read about Emma’s quite liberal and open upbringing and education.  The Darwin’s were cousins, and knew each other all their lives. They were aware of their compatabilities, and a marriage between them was natural and expected, but they were also aware of a potential incompatibility: Emma was a woman of deep faith, strengthened after the death of a beloved older sister, while Charles lived with doubt about the existence and the nature of God, and wrestled with the problem of evil his whole life, especially after the tragic deaths of several of his children.  

 

But the Darwin’s made the “leap of faith†and formed a unique and amazing partnership. Darwin’s reluctance to publish his theory was partly due to his own nature, his perfectionism, and his desire to present an unassailable case, but it also stemmed from a reluctance to cause pain to his wife. He didn’t think her faith would be challenged, but he did worry that she would be pained by attacks on him. 

 

I think it’s safe to say Darwin wouldn’t have been the man he was without Emma at his side.  She was his first reader and critic, and the example of how they conversed, with respect and love, about their theological differences was inspiring. I loved reading about their home, their children, their parenting philosophies.  And I loved reading about Emma and her life after Charles. I can remember just where I was as I listened to the end of this book: driving, tears streaming down my cheeks, thinking that in Emma, I had a role model I’d love to live up to.

 

I hope some of you will be inspired to read or listen to either of these Darwin biographies, and I hope you will join me on a read-along of The Voyage of the Beagle this month. I hope to tackle The Origin of Species at some point in the future, but first things first! 

 

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

 

History of the Renaissance World - Chapters 19 and 20 

 

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What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

Link to week 13 

 

 

 

 

[Robin M]

Permission to come aboard, Captain Rose!    :patriot:

 

I finished my reread of M.L.Buchman's Night Stalker series and jumped into his Firehawks series and currently on #1 Pure Heat. 

 

Creativity wise - reading and working through Julia Cameron's Artist's Way,  Jack Hart's A Writer's Coach, and  Dinty Moore's The Crafting of a Personal Essay. 

 

Putting all that reading into practice with the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  If anyone wants the join in, today is the last day to sign up.   Several BAWer's have joined and you'll find their links on the 52 books site.  

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm excited to dive back into Voyage of the Beagle this week! I've been planning to read it for about a year now, and started and stopped it a couple of times. Shannon and I will be reading it together for the next few weeks. 

 

Let's see, since my last post I finished the Belgariad, Books #1-3 of David Eddings' series.  I had introduced the series to Shannon about a year ago and it quickly became her favorite, she wanted the books for Xmas and she's been bugging me to re-read them ever since.  It was fun to revisit after 20+ years.  The first book dragged for me a little bit - I've read so many quest novels in the interim! but by the 3rd book, I remembered why I liked the series so much. He does a nice job of slowly building the mystery, and slowly revealing bits and pieces. I really like his world-building.  The witty banter, which Shannon loves, gets a bit redundant at times, and I like it less than I did when I was younger.  But I can understand why she likes it so much. Snark is music to a teenagers ears, right?

 

We also finished reading aloud Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 chapters, wrapping up a unit on genetics. It was a good read aloud, lots of food for thought and discussion, and the author's political views didn't intrude too much, and where they did it was really interesting.  I liked this book much more than Ridley's The Evolution of Everything, which I ended up abandoning because while I had no problem with the biology he presented, his social and political applications of the theory was so one-sided that I just couldn't hack it.  He's quite the free market/libertarian in his political views, although he is not a social conservative by any means. I didn't object to the POV, but you have to at least acknowledge that other views exist, and in particular it is disingenuous to completely ignore facts that don't fit in with your view of reality.  I felt like he did this a lot in the 2nd book.

 

Currently reading aloud: Alice in Wonderland, and listening to The Iliad, the Derek Jacobi version.  Also reading Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food. It's written by a husband and wife team, he's an organic farmer and she's a geneticist. I confess to skimming over the farming parts - nothing new to me there - , but I'm really interested in reading her take on GE.  We have yet another ban-GE ballot initiative coming up in the fall in my county, so revisiting my issue and the science on which I'm trying to base it is important to me, especially as my views don't toe the party line and I do have to defend them at times.

 

Also reading Ghengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Old Man's War, Sometimes a Great Notion, Battling the Gods, and Necropolis.  Yep, once again back up to a ludicrous reading stack! 

Edited April 3, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Lady Florida.]

Thank you Rose, that was a nice introduction. I started The Voyage of the Beagle last week because I didn't want to wait and then find myself behind. I didn't get much of a head start but at least I got one. I have a credit to spend on Audible.com which I might use for Charles and Emma. Another option is to save my credit for something more expensive, buy the Kindle version, and get the Audible version for a reduced price. I haven't decided yet, but I do think I would like to read it. I've already checked my library and they don't have the ebook or the audio book. I didn't check for a physical book because I avoid those when I can and read them as a last resort.

 

This morning I started Breakfast at Tiffany's and it pulled me in right away. I can see that it's going to be a quick read. I'm not sure what else I want to read. I was thinking about rereading Middlemarch soon, but the Anna Karenina thread on the Chat Board almost makes me want to reread that one now. Ah, the difficult decisions of book lovers. :D

[Chris in VA]

Quickly;

 

I've discovered how to borrow books on my tablet, which has led to some interesting opportunities.

 

This week, I finished Game of Thrones, and last week, skimmed/read Whole 30.

 

GoT is my guilty-pleasure TV show; we don't have cable, so I've watched online and at the house where I babysit (after baby is in bed!). It helped me to keep straight all the characters in the book. It also made me realize what a good actor Peter Dinklage is--I can hear every line of his character in his voice. He completely embodies the Imp.

 

Whole 30 looks doable and challenging all at the same time.

I need to do some healthful rearranging, and I think it could be a good tool. I say "skimmed/read" because I did not go thru every recipe.

 

I have Foxcatcher up next, as well as some books on hold that may come thru this week.

 

One good thing--I am a TV watcher, and generally have a program every night that I'll watch for an hour (Supergirl on Mondays, etc.). I've found TV on Tuesday to be terrible--so it's become my reading night! lol  Small steps...

 

Hope you had good weeks of fine reading.

[Chris in VA]

Thank you Rose, that was a nice introduction. I started The Voyage of the Beagle last week because I didn't want to wait and then find myself behind. I didn't get much of a head start but at least I got one. I have a credit to spend on Audible.com which I might use for Charles and Emma. Another option is to save my credit for something more expensive, buy the Kindle version, and get the Audible version for a reduced price. I haven't decided yet, but I do think I would like to read it. I've already checked my library and they don't have the ebook or the audio book. I didn't check for a physical book because I avoid those when I can and read them as a last resort.

 

This morning I started Breakfast at Tiffany's and it pulled me in right away. I can see that it's going to be a quick read. I'm not sure what else I want to read. I was thinking about rereading Middlemarch soon, but the Anna Karenina thread on the Chat Board almost makes me want to reread that one now. Ah, the difficult decisions of book lovers. :D

 

For the bolded--

May I ask why?

 

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

Putting all that reading into practice with the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  If anyone wants the join in, today is the last day to sign up.   Several BAWer's have joined and you'll find their links on the 52 books site.  

 

Oh my goodness, I did it! I've been thinking about restarting my long deserted blog but wasn't sure where I wanted to take it. I'm still not sure, but maybe this challenge will help me sort it out.

 

I'm excited to dive back into Voyage of the Beagle this week! I've been planning to read it for about a year now, and started and stopped it a couple of times. Shannon and I will be reading it together for the next few weeks. 

 

 

 

I did the same with both Beagle and Origin of the Species - started and stopped several times. When I started Beagle last week, I went back to the beginning because it's been so long since I set it aside. If I read Origin, I'll also start over.

 

I love reading about BaWers reading with their dc for school or pleasure. While I'm enjoying this new phase of life (for both me and ds) I sometimes miss those days. I'll just have to relive them through you all. :)

Edited April 3, 2016 by Lady Florida

[Momto4inSoCal]

I didn't post last week but I did finish my book. I read "Is Public Education Necessary" It chronicles education in the United States. I was originally hoping it would give me a glimpse into the way they educated the children ie recitation, memorization etc. While it didn't talk about that at all it gave me a really good background on how our education system was put into place and solidified my views that our way of educating before the current trend of schooling was put into place was more effective. It's interesting to see all of the agendas of the different groups to push public school into being. It goes into the Calvinist, Unitarian, Socialist and Protestant views and how all of their philosophies aligned for different reasons. It seems that indoctrinating our kids has been on the agenda from the beginning. What philosophy to indoctrinate them with has differed. Ultimately everyone understands that to be a successful society children need to be taught and educated but just how they need to be taught and what they need to be taught is much debated.  I enjoyed the book and I have How to Tutor on my desk next. We were on spring break last week and I had planned on lots of reading time but it ended up being lots of playdates and not much reading time. I think I read more when we are in school than I did when we were out. 

 

In case anyone doesn't know amazon prime give you one free book a month. It's called kindle first and they are new books picked by their editors. The new selections start the first of the month and you have till the end of the month to get your book before it changes. Here are the April selections. I haven't picked my book yet I'm leaning towards The Eagle Tree. 

 

[Negin]

I read Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir - 4 Stars - I’m glad that I took a chance on reading this. It has been on my to-read list for quite a while.

This is a beautiful and heartwarming memoir of Christopher Buckley’s parents – William F. Buckley and his wife Patricia. Before reading this, I knew very little about them other than the fact that William F. Buckley was a staunch conservative. Regardless of where one stands with his political viewpoints and all, this is a worthwhile and surprisingly entertaining read, despite the sad subject matter (losing one’s parents). I would recommend it to all who have dealt or may soon be about to deal with losing one’s parents.

Some of my favorite quotes:

 

William F. Buckley often told his son, “Industry is the enemy of melancholy.â€

 

“Perhaps, after all, the most beautiful words in the language are I’m sorry.â€

 

“A twenty-minute eulogy, unless composed by a) William Shakespeare, b) Winston Churchill, or c) Mark Twain, is sixteen minutes too long. Technical note: It is better to tell a eulogist to speak for four minutes not five minutes. ‘Five minutes’ to the modern ear sounds like ‘around five minutes,’ whereas ‘four minutes’ means ‘four minutes.’â€

 

“Once they’re both gone, your parents’ house instantly turns into a museum.â€

 

I also read Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now - 5 Stars - Everyone should read this important and incredible book. Wow! Talk about thought-provoking. 

 

 

 

If you'd like to add me as a friend on Good Reads, my page is here. :)

 

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 April 3, 2016 by Negin

[Lady Florida.]

For the bolded--

May I ask why?

 

 

For those who don't want to go back and see the quote - the question asks why choose ebooks over physical books.

 

When my friend got one of the first Kindles many years ago, I thought that was nice for her but I would never, NEVER, want to give up the feel of a "real book". A few years later dh, in a moment of brilliance, bought me a Kindle for my birthday. He's not good at choosing things I like without some suggestions, bless his heart. That Kindle however turned out to be one of the best, if not the best gift he ever bought me. I quickly became a convert.

 

Since I'm always currently reading several books, I like that I can take all of them with me everywhere I go and decide which one I want to read. I like that the Kindle fits in my purse even with its cover. When I read tomes like War and Peace, Les Miserables, The Way We Live Now, and One Hundred Years of Solitude I could carry them everywhere. I could hold them without my arms getting tired. I like that I can read in bed lying on my back while holding the Kindle. I like that I can long press a word (or even a place or historical person) and quickly get info. I also like that if I didn't bring my Kindle with me and find myself stranded I can just pull out my phone and continue reading my book on the app. I like that I can hold any book with one hand while my cat cuddles up to me (she likes to lay on one arm).

 

When I read a physical book I no longer like the smell of paper that I used to love. I find it irritating to hold a book open or to have to use a book light so I don't bother dh when I read while he goes to sleep. 

 

As for "real" books, I soon learned it's the words not the delivery method that makes a book real. 

 

Some people will avoid ebooks for their own reasons. I avoid physical books for my own reasons. YMMV. :)

 

ETA: I mentioned audio books in that same post Chris quoted from, but I'm a recent convert. I don't particularly love them but I'm liking them more and more. I can't just sit and listen or my mind wanders, so I listen while I do boring tasks like folding laundry, chopping vegetables or other simple meal prep tasks, and sometimes in the car (if I'm going to be driving 20 minutes or longer). I find it easier to listen to some difficult books or books with a lot of vernacular (like anything by Dickens) than to read them. I also enjoy listening to books I'm intimately familiar with such as the Harry Potter books or any Jane Austen novels. I"m not anywhere near as big on audio books as ebooks though.

 

I also like listening to books read by the author in some cases (not all of them can read aloud well). I especially loved hearing both Tina Fey and Betty White read their own autobiographies, and Toni Morrison reading several of her novels. Last week, after someone mentioned Dick Van Dyke reading his book Keep Moving, I put the audio book on hold at my library.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Lady Florida

[Kareni]

52 Books - Voyage of the Beagle:  Welcome to our 52 Books voyage aboard the HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin and company. Rose (Chrysalis Academy is our Captain and navigator for this trip.  

 

 

I'm excited to dive back into Voyage of the Beagle this week!

 

Thanks for a lovely post, Rose.

 

The Tree of Life: A Book Depicting the Life of Charles Darwin by Peter Sis is a nice choice for younger readers.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

This morning I finished a re-read of Kristen Ashley's  For You (The 'Burg Series).  This is a contemporary romance/mystery/suspense novel.  It was fun to revisit it, and I've now begun book six in the same series which I have yet to read.  It has strong adult content.

 

"Lieutenant Alexander Colton and February Owens were high school sweethearts. Everyone in their small town knew from the moment they met they were meant for each other. But something happened and Feb broke Colt’s heart then she turned wild and tragedy struck. Colt meted out revenge against the man who brought Feb low but even though Colt risked it all for her, Feb turned her back on him and left town. Fifteen years later, Feb comes back to help run the family bar. But there’s so much water under the bridge separating her and Colt everyone knows they’ll never get back together. Until someone starts hacking up people in Feb’s life. Colt is still Colt and Feb is still Feb so the town watches as Colt goes all out to find the murderer while trying to keep Feb safe. As the bodies pile up, The Feds move in and a twisting, turning story unravels exposing a very sick man who has claimed numerous victims along the way, Feb and Colt battle their enduring attraction and the beautiful but lost history that weaves them together."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Thanks for a lovely post, Rose.

 

The Tree of Life: A Book Depicting the Life of Charles Darwin by Peter Sis is a nice choice for younger readers.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

It is a great book! Thanks for the reminder - I need to pull that out to read with Morgan this month, too.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

I also read Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now - 5 Stars - Everyone should read this important and incredible book. Wow! Talk about thought-provoking. 

 

 

 

 

 

Negin, I've been wanting to read Ali's work since you first posted about it here. Do you think one could jump right into this book, or do you think it's important to read Infidel and/or Nomad first?  I love the cover, by the way - brilliantly done.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[JennW in SoCal]

Thank you, Rose,  for such a great introduction to The Voyage of the Beagle.  I will be with you in spirit though likely not reading along -- as usual my own reading is taking me down different paths and life is as distracting as usual. The Charles and Emma biography has piqued my interest, and the illustrated Voyage -- I'm a sucker for a good illustrated book.

 

There was an excellent exhibit on Darwin that I was fortunate enough to see at the American Museum of Natural History, and to revisit when it travelled to town a few years ago.  Here is a link to articles and photographs related to the exhibit.  

 

The incomparable Melvyn Bragg's "In Our Time" series on BBC Radio 4 did a great show on Darwin some years ago, and I believe you can download it as a podcast at the iTunes store.  The guest scholars on this podcast are recorded as they walked around Darwin's house and study, and there was something wonderfully evocative on hearing the creak of the doors as they were opened, and the sound of their footsteps on the hardwood.

 

I have a couple of other links to share with y'all, both from today's Los Angeles Times. The first, A Writer's Solitude is an essay by an author about the dichotomy of a writer's solitary life and his need for an audience of readers and his editor's desire for a large crowd of readers. I thought our budding authors would enjoy this especially.  

 

And for those of you who cherish books in translation here is an interview with a translator who has just published her first novel featuring a literary translator as protagonist.  The Vapor Between Languages

 

[Onceuponatime]

I really want to read the Voyage of the Beagle...someday.

 

I'm about halfway through The age of Innocence. So far it is better than I expected. There are some pretty witty passages.

 

"...an unalterable and unquestioned law of the musical world required that the German text of French operas sung by Swedish artists should be translated into Italian for the clearer understanding of English-speaking audiences."

[Jane in NC]

In need of some easy escapism, I turned to Ngaio Marsh, a classic mystery author.  Death in White Tie was published in 1938 and is perfect for the crowd who might enjoy a murder in Downton Abbey. Chief Inspector Alleyn is not quite Lord Peter but still a delightful man.

 

Stacia and Pam have mentioned author Jenny Lawson previously. The name went in and off the radar until a friend IRL said that Lawson's book Furiously Happy was the funniest book she had ever read.  Really, I should read it. So I placed my name on the library list.

 

Coincidentally, my name made it to the top of the list at the same time as the spring book sale.  Fate, I tell you. 

 

And I have my copy of The Voyage of the Beagle standing by, ready to launch. Thanks for the lovely introduction, Rose!

 

Robin, how gracious of you to share your platform here with other members of the group!  Thank you again for curating this weekly thread for us.

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

And for those of you who cherish books in translation here is an interview with a translator who has just published her first novel featuring a literary translator as protagonist.  The Vapor Between Languages

 

I just spent some time browsing through the reviews on Goodreads, then added this to my Want to Read list.

 

In need of some easy escapism, I turned to Ngaio Marsh, a classic mystery author.  Death in White Tie was published in 1938 and is perfect for the crowd who might enjoy a murder in Downton Abbey. Chief Inspector Alleyn is not quite Lord Peter but still a delightful man.

 

 

 

I see that's #7 in a series. Would you say it can stand alone, or is it better to have read the others first?

[Jane in NC]

 

I see that's #7 in a series. Would you say it can stand alone, or is it better to have read the others first?

There is a progression of background story but I think these can stand on their own.

[Ali in OR]

While waiting for library holds to come in, I picked up P.D. James' The Skull Beneath the Skin. I bought this at the library book sale a few years ago--while I have "dustier" books lying around, I may still jot this one down in the Dusty bingo square. P.D. James is an excellent writer and this fits the bill for a classic mystery--everyone on an island so the murderer must be one of their party. Well done. I picked up a couple more fluffy-type reads at the library but haven't decided which one to dive into next.

 

April is super busy here--track, soccer play-offs, ballet performance, driver's ed, and lots of pollen are adding up to not enough sleep! I love ending my day lying down on the sofa to read for an hour, but it's not happening most nights right now. Even the 15-minute reading windows while waiting for a kid seem few and far between. But I do love the busy-ness in a way too--love the activities that my kids do.

[SEGway]

Two kids were sick last night/this morning. So, we all stayed home from church today. And, in an attempt at True Sabbath, I let the kids watch Russian and British cartoons as I reread Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet (which came up in an unrelated conversation somewhere semi-recently...last fall, maybe...and has been on my mental reread pile for a while). I realize that this relegates me to definite nerdy status. I'm okay with that. :)

 

One passage in particular really spoke to me. It's almost like a continuation/clarification of a conversation I was in yesterday. Part of the pleasure of reading good writing (however you define that) is finding at the right time, I think.

 

For those who haven't read C.S. Lewis' sci-fi, this quote is one part of a conversation between the protagonist (a human named Ransom) and his friend, Hyoi (a Martian, one of three sentient/symbiotic-but-separate races on the planet). The conversation takes place on Mars. 

 

 

"A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered. You are speaking, Hman, as if the pleasure were one thing and the memory another. It is all one thing. The seroni could say it better than I say it now. Not better than I could say it in a poem. What you call remembering is the last part of the pleasure, as the crah is the last part of a poem. When you and I met, the meeting was over very shortly, it was nothing Now it is growing something as we remember it. But still we know very little about it. What it will be when I remember it as I lie down to die, what it makes in me all my days till then--that is the real meeting. The other is only the beginning of it. You say you have poets in your world. Do they not teach you this?

"Perhaps some of them do," said Ransom. "But even in a poem does a hross never long to hear one splendid line over again?"

 

Hyoi's reply unfortunately turned on one of those points in their language which Ransom had not mastered. 

...

 

"And indeed," he continued, "the poem is a good example. For the most splendid line becomes fully splendid only by means of all the lines after it; if you went back to it you would find it less splendid than you thought. You would kill it. I mean in a good poem."

 

"But in a bent poem, Hyoi?"

 

"A bent poem is not listened to, Hman."

 

"And how of love in a bent life?

 

 

Don't feel obligated to have this mean much. :) But, this seems like the kind of place to share it, regardless. 

For the fact that there is an actual place in which to share a quote like this, I am thankful. 

 

[Negin]

Negin, I've been wanting to read Ali's work since you first posted about it here. Do you think one could jump right into this book, or do you think it's important to read Infidel and/or Nomad first?  I love the cover, by the way - brilliantly done.

Rose, yes, isn't the cover just perfect? You could read this one by itself, although I personally would prefer to read Infidel, followed by Nomad, and then Heretic. Mind you, when doing so, and with most books like this that are in a series/have a similar theme, I prefer to space them out a bit with other books in between. Her first two books are more memoir (but lots of fascinating and important stuff interspersed throughout). This one could be read alone, but I'm glad that I read them in order. 

[mumto2]

Lovely introduction Rose. You did manage to tempt me enough that I toom another look through my libraries just to make sure that the 2015 book was not available. It isn't which is probably for the best. I have a large stack of British Cozies waiting for me. All new to me authors.....

 

I am currently reading a book found on a cozy list by Antonia Fraser called Oxford Blood. Fraser is far better known for her biographies. I like this book, the style , the characters......not really a cozy by my definition. The book's sleuth is a reporter who specializes in documentaries. Her boss wants her to do one centering on young nobility in Britain. While deciding what she wants to do next, the reporter is called to the deathbed of a nun who confesses that the young heir of a public figure who is a Lord was actually switched at birth. She goes to Oxford to work on both stories..... This is the fifth book in the series. I actually like it enough that I have requested the only other book I can find in the series.

 

Also read Kevin Hearne's Staked.

[Butter]

#34: The Shifting Sands by Emily Rodda, the fourth Deltora Quest book.  I love this series.

 

#35: Mindsiege by Heather Sunseri, the second of the Mindspeak trilogy.  This one was non-stop action.  I really like this series.

 

I've read about 100 pages of my FIL's ex-wife's book.  She's a bit meandery, but multiple times I have laughed out loud at some of the descriptions of culture shock experiences and conversations between the main character (who is American) and her new, much older husband (who is Norwegian).  It's fiction, but draws heavily on her own experiences.

[Jane in NC]

I am currently reading a book found on a cozy list by Antonia Fraser called Oxford Blood. Fraser is far better known for her biographies. I like this book, the style , the characters......not really a cozy by my definition. The book's sleuth is a reporter who specializes in documentaries. Her boss wants her to do one centering on young nobility in Britain. While deciding what she wants to do next, the reporter is called to the deathbed of a nun who confesses that the young heir of a public figure who is a Lord was actually switched at birth. She goes to Oxford to work on both stories..... This is the fifth book in the series. I actually like it enough that I have requested the only other book I can find in the series.

 

 

Jemima Shore!  I read several of these back in the 80's--and enjoyed them very much.

[Momto4inSoCal]

For those who don't want to go back and see the quote - the question asks why choose ebooks over physical books.

 

When my friend got one of the first Kindles many years ago, I thought that was nice for her but I would never, NEVER, want to give up the feel of a "real book". A few years later dh, in a moment of brilliance, bought me a Kindle for my birthday. He's not good at choosing things I like without some suggestions, bless his heart. That Kindle however turned out to be one of the best, if not the best gift he ever bought me. I quickly became a convert.

 

Since I'm always currently reading several books, I like that I can take all of them with me everywhere I go and decide which one I want to read. I like that the Kindle fits in my purse even with its cover. When I read tomes like War and Peace, Les Miserables, The Way We Live Now, and One Hundred Years of Solitude I could carry them everywhere. I could hold them without my arms getting tired. I like that I can read in bed lying on my back while holding the Kindle. I like that I can long press a word (or even a place or historical person) and quickly get info. I also like that if I didn't bring my Kindle with me and find myself stranded I can just pull out my phone and continue reading my book on the app. I like that I can hold any book with one hand while my cat cuddles up to me (she likes to lay on one arm).

 

When I read a physical book I no longer like the smell of paper that I used to love. I find it irritating to hold a book open or to have to use a book light so I don't bother dh when I read while he goes to sleep.

 

As for "real" books, I soon learned it's the words not the delivery method that makes a book real.

 

Some people will avoid ebooks for their own reasons. I avoid physical books for my own reasons. YMMV. :)

 

ETA: I mentioned audio books in that same post Chris quoted from, but I'm a recent convert. I don't particularly love them but I'm liking them more and more. I can't just sit and listen or my mind wanders, so I listen while I do boring tasks like folding laundry, chopping vegetables or other simple meal prep tasks, and sometimes in the car (if I'm going to be driving 20 minutes or longer). I find it easier to listen to some difficult books or books with a lot of vernacular (like anything by Dickens) than to read them. I also enjoy listening to books I'm intimately familiar with such as the Harry Potter books or any Jane Austen novels. I"m not anywhere near as big on audio books as ebooks though.

 

I also like listening to books read by the author in some cases (not all of them can read aloud well). I especially loved hearing both Tina Fey and Betty White read their own autobiographies, and Toni Morrison reading several of her novels. Last week, after someone mentioned Dick Van Dyke reading his book Keep Moving, I put the audio book on hold at my library.

I was always against kindle or ebooks but I read both now. I love that I can access many of the public domain books via google books. I got Anna Karenina on google books and didn't realize how long it was until I had already started it. I don't think I would have started reading it if I had seen how large of a book it was. I still get a lot of books at the library to though. Reading can be an expensive habit :)

 

ETA: Speaking of public domain books The Voyage of the Beagle is on google books for free. I just opened it and noticed it was edited by Charles Eliot. He was TS Eliots cousin, a unitarian, who started the elective system at Harvard which was the beginning of the end of the liberal arts education they used to offer. Not that it has any relevance on the book I just found it interesting...

Edited April 3, 2016 by Momto4inSoCal

[Stacia]

I plan to read the illustrated version of The Voyage of the Beagle. But, I may not get to it for a week or two. These days I seem to do better reading one book at a time rather than juggling multiple ones.

 

I am still working on the sprawling Indian book The Story of My Assassins. I am enjoying it, but it is not a speedy read. I'm just approaching the 200 page mark (out of 520 pages).

[Angelaboord]

Here [/url]are the April selections. I haven't picked my book yet I'm leaning towards The Eagle Tree.

I read about a third of The Eagle Tree last night and so far, it's excellent. I think the author does a terrific job of writing in the point of view of an autistic teenager. It is thoroughly believable, IMO. I'm really looking forward to reading more of the book tonight.

 

I have no idea how to multi quote from the previous week's thread, so...

 

Thanks to everyone for your sympathies on the death of my grandfather. The kids and I have been putting his 100 years into perspective, and it really is amazing, all the changes he saw over the course of his life.

 

Re:Nan and "Angel Aboard" -[emoji5] I wish I had been that creative when coming up with my user name, but I just usually use my first and last name together because it's almost always unique and nothing else I can think of is. I do have some friends who call me Angel, though. [emoji4]

 

Also, I mentioned last week that I was looking for some fluff to read and someone (Kareni?) asked me what kind of fluff I liked. I've been thinking about that question all week. I guess I have a fairly broad definition of fluff. I do delve into chick lit a bit for fluff, as long as it's fairly humorous, and I like a good fantasy or SF adventure novel. But does Susanna Kearsley count as fluff since her novels are so long? I kind of do treat them that way, but I like to put them on my kindle app so I can't see how long the book is. [emoji5]

 

Well, and last week after saying I wanted to read fluff, I downloaded the SF novella Binti by Nnedi Okorafor. The author is the daughter of Nigerian (Igbo) immigrants to the U.S., and the main character of her novella, Binti, is a member of an African desert tribe of mathematicians who never leave home. Her dream is to leave the planet to go to university, but her dream is dashed by an act of terrorism. It is definitely not a fluffy novella. I gave it three stars on Goodreads because I never really got a handle on the way Binti uses math like magic, and I thought the ending was too rushed. But it's worth a read. I found it in an article that I think Kareni linked some time ago, about standalone SF stories.

 

-Angela

[Mom-ninja.]

 

I also read Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now - 5 Stars - Everyone should read this important and incredible book. Wow! Talk about thought-provoking. 

 

 

 

 

I have her book on my TBR list. At the moment I'm reading Islam and the Future of Tolerance. 

 

 

 

 

Also read Kevin Hearne's Staked.

Shhh, I haven't yet. Don't say anything about it. 

[mumto2]

Jemima Shore!  I read several of these back in the 80's--and enjoyed them very much.

 

 

I did wonder if these would pass the Jane cozy test. ;) My stack has several older series. It will be interesting how many I manage in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shhh, I haven't yet. Don't say anything about it.

 

Referring to the new Kevin Hearne.

 

I won't mention it again unless it's still in progress next week. Going slowly because I have it on my fire only and I read it in insomniac moments. I like it but it seems to let me fall asleep which is really good. I even remember it.....

[Just Robyn]

I read The Blue Fox by Sjon. On the back of the book it says that he has written lyrics for Bjork, so that's pretty cool. Overall, I enjoyed the book, the mystery created by not giving us details right away, like the name of the first character we meet. I wasn't into the end, which revealed information - surprise! - that I thought might have been given earlier for a deeper, richer (though perhaps longer) book. I would read more books by Sjon. I'm interested.

 

I also finished a book of poetry by Russell Edson - The Tunnel. I got this book having read and loved two poems by Edson. Now that I've read many, many more of his poems, I can say that I still love two poems by Russell Edson (though I've read one of them so many times, that I'm beginning to lose love for that one, too). I did like some of the other poems in the book, but mostly I found them silly and pointless. Like, he just wrote down every nutty thought he ever had, and that's fine, but then he published them too (and so did some editors, I guess). Whatever. I'm glad to have read this book, anyway, because the silliness of these poems inspired so many other poets whose work I do enjoy. It's nice to see what freed them up.

[Negin]

When my friend got one of the first Kindles many years ago, I thought that was nice for her but I would never, NEVER, want to give up the feel of a "real book". A few years later dh, in a moment of brilliance, bought me a Kindle for my birthday. 

 like that I can take all of them with me everywhere I go and decide which one I want to read. I like that the Kindle fits in my purse even with its cover. W

Some people will avoid ebooks for their own reasons. I avoid physical books for my own reasons. 

Kathy, I've had almost the exact same experience and thoughts with regards to the Kindle as you. I love my Paperwhite and never thought that I would. My dh also got one for me and I was skeptical, thinking for sure that I would prefer hard copies any day. I still like a regular hard copy from time to time, but the ease of the Kindle can't be beat - for all the exact same reasons that you mentioned - looking up words, fitting it into my handbag, and not waking up dh while reading in bed. :) 

I haven't tried audio books yet. No one's quiet enough around here and car rides are usually not very long on this small island that we live in. Plus, my listening skills leave much to be desired. Dh loves audio books, however. I wish I could. Maybe some day when the house gets quieter. 

 

I have her book on my TBR list. At the moment I'm reading Islam and the Future of Tolerance. 

Again, if you can, I would try to read her three books in order, but not back-to-back. 

I cannot understand why "Islam and the Future of Tolerance" was not already on my wish list. Just added it. Thank you for the reminder! :)

[Negin]

I just spent some time browsing through the reviews on Goodreads, then added this to my Want to Read list.

 

Kathy, not quoting you on this, but let me just say that I love your siggy quotes. :D

[Kareni]

Bookish art which does not destroy the book ~

 

Book Art- How to Fold a Book into a Word.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[NoseInABook]

Just opened Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway. I'm about 50 pages in and so far it's intriguing. I'm looking forward to seeing where it is going to go from there.

[Robin M]

Happy Monday! 

 

 

More info on the Galapagos Islands from UNESCO.

 

Japan Time's interview with David Mitchell -  Finding the Locus of David Mitchell.

 

Someone told me this weekend about The Moth Radio story tellers on NPR.  Looks interesting. 

 

Tor has posted April Releases for Fantasy.  Lady Trent # 4 is coming out tomorrow as well as Faith Hunter's # 10 in her Jane Yellowrock series Shadow Rites.   :hurray:

 

 

[Jane in NC]

Having just finished the first chapter of The Voyage of the Beagle, I want to echo Rose's comment on the depth of Darwin's knowledge, but add something else.  My husband and son both had the good fortune of studying biological illustration from a phenomenal woman who said that biological illustration is not about drawing, it is about seeing.  Darwin has eyes that seem to encompass more than the rest of us. He sees the outline, the details, the textures, the layers.  It is phenomenal!

 

Early on in chapter one, he not only collects dust on the Beagle, he analyzes it.  He seems to be foreshadowing how scientists today study the dust from Africa and Asia that lands here in North America and influences our weather.

 

He mentions Humboldt.  Last fall, a book entitled The Invention of Nature made an attempt to bring Humboldt back into consciousness.  Darwin thought Humboldt as brilliant.  Perhaps I should add Andrea Wulf's book to my list.

 

Thank you Rose for leading on our this journey with Darwin!  His passion for the natural world is contagious!

[Just Robyn]

 

First: to understand the man, read his own words.  Start with The Voyage of the Beagle: May I recommend this lovely illustrated edition? It is slightly abridged, but it is also enriched with maps, photographs, line drawings, botanical illustrations, portraits, and very interesting excerpts from Robert Fitzroy’s Proceedings of the Second Expedition, the book he published about the expedition. This is the book I'll be reading this month, and I look forward to discussing it with anyone who'd like to join me!

 

 

 

Thank you for the introduction to reading Darwin, Rose. I ordered the book, so hopefully I'll be reading along with you. Boy, that was a tough decision. $25 for a book I've never seen! But it's not available at any library or bookstore within a 30 minute drive, and Amazon doesn't have the "look inside" feature on this one. Well, I've been reading 84, Charing Cross Road today, and I'm so jealous of all the books Helene is buying that I had to get one for myself.

Edited April 4, 2016 by crstarlette

[Chrysalis Academy]

Having just finished the first chapter of The Voyage of the Beagle, I want to echo Rose's comment on the depth of Darwin's knowledge, but add something else.  My husband and son both had the good fortune of studying biological illustration from a phenomenal woman who said that biological illustration is not about drawing, it is about seeing.  Darwin has eyes that seem to encompass more than the rest of us. He sees the outline, the details, the textures, the layers.  It is phenomenal!

 

Early on in chapter one, he not only collects dust on the Beagle, he analyzes it.  He seems to be foreshadowing how scientists today study the dust from Africa and Asia that lands here in North America and influences our weather.

 

He mentions Humboldt.  Last fall, a book entitled The Invention of Nature made an attempt to bring Humboldt back into consciousness.  Darwin thought Humboldt as brilliant.  Perhaps I should add Andrea Wulf's book to my list.

 

Thank you Rose for leading on our this journey with Darwin!  His passion for the natural world is contagious!

 

The Invention of Nature is on my to-read stack also! And, agreeing with your comment, Jane, Darwin's ability to observe his surroundings is phenomenal, and his descriptions are quite poetic. Here's where we left off today:

 

"A small frog, of the genus Hyla, sits on a blade of grass about an inch above the surface of the water, and sends forth a pleasing chirp: when several are together they sing in harmony on different notes. Various cicidae and crickets, at the same time, keep up a ceaseless shrill cry, but which, softened by the distance, is not unpleasant. Every evening after dark this great concert commenced; and often have I sat listening to it, until my attention has been drawn away by some passing insect."

 

We chuckled on reading that the day became "extremely hot" and "very distressing" at the temperature of 84 deg.  Ah, the English spring! It's supposed to be 84 here tomorrow, and 94 on Wednesday.  I have to say, that is rather distressing.

[Onceuponatime]

I finished The Age of Innocence and must say that I enjoyed it more than I have other books of that type. It didn't go overboard on the angst, pathos, physical and spiritual distress. No one died a tragic death. That says it all.

 

I'm now reading The Deserter: Murder at Gettysburg, a Homer Kelly mystery, by Jane Langton.

 

I've also started making my way through The Idiot's Guide to American Literature in partial preparation for the America Literature CLEP Test I'll be taking at the beginning of summer. This will give me an idea of the gaps in my knowledge. I took my first test, in Spanish, last week and did well. So, I am excited to get more credits out of the way while saving money. I have a smattering of credits accumulated through the years. Right now my goal is to say I actually finished my college education, even if I will be ancient when it is done.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Onceuponatime

[Rosie_0801]

I started reading '101 Dalmatians' to dd tonight. Three chapters in, she says it is better than the movie.

 

Ha. Told you so. 

 

 

[Violet Crown]

Checking in late, again. Yesterday I finished the second book in Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels, Phineas Finn, my increasingly addictive substitute for actual politics this year. And possibly for the next four years, as it looks like my choices for governing the nation will be limited to people I wouldn't trust to feed my cat over the weekend. But we won't go there. Fortunately, there are four more books in the series, and each one is 700-800 pages long. And if I run out of Victorian political intrigue--mixed with breathless romantic plotlines--amongst Tories vs Liberals vs Radicals--Trollope wrote about fifty novels, so I'm happy for a long while.

 

Almost done with Secular Lyrics of the XIV and XV centuries, which is slow reading but surprising fun. Many of these verses were found written on fly-leaves or in the margins of various books; or on the backs of documents; or inscribed on walls. Did you know that the best-attested medieval lyric we have--nineteen (slightly differing) copies have been found--is a mnemonic for all the things you need to check when buying a piece of property? Here's a bit:

 

... Se whether yt be bond or free,

and se the Relese of euery fefee;

Se that the seller be of age,

& yf the land be not in morgage...

 

"Sumer is icumen in" is all very well, but folks were even more interested in making sure they didn't pay for land that turned out to be entailed.

 

My very favorite lyric is an absurd bit of doggerel written in the back of a Latin grammar book, apparently composed by a student at the University of St Andrews, with silly and jangly stanzas in Middle English and Dog Latin alternating. When I have the time I will copy it here. I already copied it into my journal because it makes me smile every time I read it.

 

Must continue with Newman, sadly neglected, and see to the next Palliser novel; but perhaps something else in-between. Inspection of our shelves turned up three copies of Origin of Species but zero of Voyage of the Beagle, alas.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Violet Crown

[Violet Crown]

I did the same with both Beagle and Origin of the Species - started and stopped several times. When I started Beagle last week, I went back to the beginning because it's been so long since I set it aside. If I read Origin, I'll also start over.

 

If you need a non-electronic copy, just let me know. :D

[Lady Florida.]

I finished Breakfast at Tiffany's yesterday and have to say it wasn't at all what I thought it would be, though I did like it. I've never seen the movie, which is unusual for someone my age.

 

Re: The Voyage of the Beagle - 

 

Early in our marriage, dh's work sent him  to Ascension Island for a week . As I was reading the description of the island with lava and little to no vegetation I kept thinking it sounds just like what dh told me about Ascension. Then a few pages later I found out it was Ascension that young Darwin was describing. :)

 

 

I finished The Age of Innocence and must say that I enjoyed it more than I have other books of that type. It didn't go overboard on the angst, pathos, physical and spiritual distress. No one died a tragic death. That says it all.

 

 

When I first finished The Age of Innocence I wasn't sure I liked it but I leaned towards not liking it. The further away I get from having read it, the more I realize just how much I actually did enjoy it.

 

Checking in late, again. Yesterday I finished the second book in Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels, Phineas Finn, my increasingly addictive substitute for actual politics this year. And possibly for the next four years, as it looks like my choices for governing the nation will be limited to people I wouldn't trust to feed my cat over the weekend. But we won't go there. Fortunately, there are four more books in the series, and each one is 700-800 pages long. And if I run out of Victorian political intrigue--mixed with breathless romantic plotlines--amongst Tories vs Liberals vs Radicals--Trollope wrote about fifty novels, so I'm happy for a long while.

 

 

The only Trollope I read was The Way We Live Now, which I absolutely loved. I keep meaning to try something else of his but haven't been able to decide between the Barsetshire or the Palliser novels.

[mumto2]

I started reading '101 Dalmatians' to dd tonight. Three chapters in, she says it is better than the movie.

 

Ha. Told you so.

 

I loved reading 101 Dalmations to the dc's. It was so much better! :)

[Violet Crown]

The only Trollope I read was The Way We Live Now, which I absolutely loved. I keep meaning to try something else of his but haven't been able to decide between the Barsetshire or the Palliser novels.

The Way We Live Now is probably his best novel. The Barsetshire series is the better-loved; it may be the better series, but it's been a long time since I've read them. Either series needs good notes unless one is already pretty conversant with the structure, dynamics, and terminology of Victorian ecclesiastical (Barsetshire) or political (Palliser) life. I know you don't like dead-tree editions, but I do have both series sitting around in well-annotated Oxford paperbacks, needing a good home.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Violet Crown

[JennW in SoCal]

Just got home after spending a lovely and leisurely breakfast (3.5 hours!) with swimmermom3, aka Lisa. So wonderful meeting boardies IRL!!  I encouraged her to come back to the BaW fold, but imagine we won't see much of her until college decision time has passed.

 

Jane and Rose, I too have been interested in reading The Invention of Nature. I've thought of getting it in audio format, but want to look at the print version first to see if there is anything visual, such as maps or illustrations, I'd be missing.

 

And Rosie and mumto2, add me to the 101 Dalmations fan club!  It was one of my favorite books as a child.  I have a soft spot for the original animated movie -- it is vastly superior to the live-action movie.  

 

Very little reading to report this week.  Started Sue Grafton's X, but am barely 50 pages into it.

[Ethel Mertz]

I read another five books this week.

 

The Moving Finger (Miss Marple #4) – Agatha Christie 4/2/16 - Alas, my s/hero, Miss Marple did not make an appearance until the very end of the book and, then, she was only there briefly to solve the mystery. Not one of my favorites of that series...

 

Snow in April – Rosamunde Pilcher 4/3/16 - Loved this quick read. I read it while it was snowing ... in ... April.

 

A Cafecito Story: El Cuento del Cafecito – Julia Alvarez and Bill Eichner 4/3/16 - Everyone who drinks coffee - or knows someone who drinks coffee - should read this book. It is a lovely story which will convince the reader how utterly important it is to drink shade grown, free-trade coffee. I read it in half an hour and the story will stay with me for years.

 

Murder on Cape Cod: A Jane Adams Mystery – B.H. Gates 4/4/16 - Yikes! This author needs an editor/proof-reader. The book went on forever and was a chore to plod through. The murderer was not who I thought, so that part was done well. However, I really did not need to know what kind of doughnuts two of the characters ate.

 

Mistletoe Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #1) – Leslie Meier 4/5/16. Lovely first book in the 22-book series. I really enjoyed this read.

 

I'm now waiting for a bunch of library books to come in to our branch library. I may download the next Lucy Stone mystery via Overdrive. I love Overdrive.

[Violet Crown]

Finished my medieval lyric poetry. Started and finished Euripides' Bacchae (in preparation for attending a performance). Started on Anatole France's Penguin Island, on dh's recommendation. What a strange book. The penguin colony in the Arctic is the least of it.

 

Oh Violet Crown, aren't you suddenly reading much faster than in previous years? Why yes, yes I am. Somebody please ask me why. :)

[Chrysalis Academy]

Finished my medieval lyric poetry. Started and finished Euripides' Bacchae (in preparation for attending a performance). Started on Anatole France's Penguin Island, on dh's recommendation. What a strange book. The penguin colony in the Arctic is the least of it.

 

Oh Violet Crown, aren't you suddenly reading much faster than in previous years? Why yes, yes I am. Somebody please ask me why. :)

 

Why, VC?  ;)