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Book a Week 2016 - BW15: Edith Wharton


Robin M
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You've gotten some really good suggestions and I wanted to add to them. :)

 

My kids have really enjoyed the Freddy the Pig series  - Freddy Goes to Florida -is the first in the series.

 

The Hero's Guide to Saving the Kingdom is delightful (even my 16yo enjoyed it) although we did listen to it on audio (Bronson Pinchot narrated and did a fabulous job!). It's the first in a series of three, I believe.

 

All my kids loved the Hero's Guide series. We loved Prince Duncan and Prince Gustav. 

 

 

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. Lots of books to keep him happily reading. 

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This has absolutely nothing to do with books, but I'm so excited!  A couple of my kids have been wanting to learn to play the piano and today we bought a used one from someone on CraigsList.  The lady we bought it from has a company that renovates and rents houses.  She said several years ago she took the piano and a few other things in lieu of back rent from a woman she evicted.  She has a baby grand in her home, but was saving this upright one for her grandson (who is still a little kid) to play on but her daughter isn't interested so she figured it was time to sell.  It has one hammer that needs to be repaired, but it looks like it won't be difficult (with the help of youtube).  Otherwise it is in great shape and sounds beautiful.  She only wanted $250 for the piano and we paid an extra $35 for some of her crew to deliver it on Monday (that thing is *heavy*).  I had set aside $400 to spend on a used piano so it was a total bonus that we got it for a bit less (my daughter has been watching CraigsList for a few months and $300-400 is typical).  My kids can't wait to be able to start playing on it.

Edited by Butter
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I finished Childhood's End and have started on The Mad Woman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell. It is a new release and first book by this author. I'm loving it. The narrator is is a twenty year old young American woman who was homeschooled for 10 years by her eccentric writer father until he died. (It could be slightly unflattering to homeschoolers, but is by no means stereotypical. ) She is a freshman studying English literature at Oxford, and also happens to be the last surviving relative of the Bronte family, much to her chagrin. Her unique background makes her cynical and sarcastic in a very American way, which amusingly contrasts with the Very British atmosphere in which she finds herself. There may or may not be a cryptic mystery in the background.

I have been looking for an excuse to re-download the library software that allows my Kobo to access their e-books, since our hard drive crash over a year ago. As my library only has The Madwoman Upstairs as an e-book, this will be the perfect opportunity! Thank you for the intriguing and motivating recommendation. :D

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Drumroll please . . . . . BINGO! I finished the Bingo. My last, most difficult square was "Pick book based on the cover."  I never pick books this way, so it was definitely a stretch for me. I picked Necropolis - Stacia posted the cover, and kindly sent it to me when I expressed interest.  Boy, I'm not sure exactly what I think about it. It is a novel with a story arc, but has many interspersed stories told within, some connected and some not. Some of them I liked very much. Some of them I found . . . . enlightening.  I have learned uses for tampons that I never would have imagined, and I kind of wish I never had . . . Anyway, if anyone is interested in the book, let me know and I'll send it along. Do be aware it's NC-17 . . . 

 

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Good thoughts and prayers going out to all (and family members) dealing with health problems right now.  

 

I read a fluff book this week:  And Only to Deceive.  It was OK, really just served as a distraction from real life.  Our dog suddenly got quite sick this week and we are having to have him euthanized today.  My daughter was afraid of dogs when this guy came into our lives; now she loves all dogs. (If she wasn't so anti-science she would make a great vet or vet tech. Pet photographer, maybe!)  Maxie started out as my son's dog really; he'd wanted one for years and it took us a long time to be in a place where we could have one, and the dog helped him through a lot of sadness caused by our cross-country move.  So, lots of tears all around today.  

Marbel darlin'  Lots of hugs and prayers winging your family's way. Always difficult when we lose our fur babies.   :grouphug:

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Drumroll please . . . . . BINGO! I finished the Bingo. 

 

 

 

438143bb6eac5314d9c3b68c792416de.jpg

 

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray:

 

Congratulations!   Give us a run down tomorrow of all your books.  I think you are the first one to complete the whole board.  

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The Captain Lacey books....out of curiosity does anyone's library actually carry them? I look periodically and never find them. I even looked through bf's library once.

 

I've been buying the Kindle versions, but I just went and checked my library system. They don't have them in any version - not ebook, audio book, or physical book.

 

 

 

Thanks for all the hugs and well-wishes about the dog.  A further complication for me is that I have a feeling of relief mixed in with grief.  I did love the dog, but his worsening anxiety complicated our lives a good bit - made it hard to travel or even have certain kinds of company (large groups, small children), despite medication, a thunder shirt, etc. I admit that I am ready to be pet-free for a while.  (This is probably the only place I can admit it - hope it is OK to admit this here - don't kick me out, OK? Maybe I'm not the only one who has ever felt that way.)

 

Of course it's okay to admit it. And there's nothing wrong with feeling that way either.

Edited by Lady Florida.
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I've been buying the Kindle versions, but I just went and checked my library system. They don't have them in any version - not ebook, audio book, or physical book.

 

.

My local library has them all because they bought them at my suggestion. I started by recommending the first two to see if I'd like them and then recommended more. The last few they've purchased (once again at my suggestion) as they were released.

 

The library in the nearby bigger city only has book seven (go figure!).

 

 

 

 

 

I just checked. My library has numbers 3 and 4 in the series! That's it. Weird.

 

 

Thanks for checking everyone. I knew Kareni was probably putting in requests but when others who tend to be library users also seemed to be finding them I started wondering. I admit they are reasonable on kindle. Can't believe I am saying this but when I buy books I like hard copies. :lol: I think I am programmed to consider my kindle reading to be free.

 

I think I will give it a bit longer because my main overdrive library keeps adding bulk author purchases each month....not sure what else to call it but pretty much every book written by Laura Kinsale, for instance, showed up on their new book list last week.

Edited by mumto2
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... I think I will give it a bit longer because my main overdrive library keeps adding bulk author purchases each month....not sure what else to call it but pretty much every book written by Laura Kinsale, for instance, showed up on their new book list last week.

 

In that case, it's time to request/re-request my two favorite Laura Kinsale books:

 

My Sweet Folly

 

and

 

Flowers from the Storm   (Oh wait, I see you already read this one back in August 2015.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

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In that case, it's time to request/re-request my two favorite Laura Kinsale books:

 

My Sweet Folly

 

and

 

Flowers from the Storm (Oh wait, I see you already read this one back in August 2015.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

I thought of you when I was mentioning Laura Kinsale. I just went and checked out My Sweet Folly. It was meant to be apparently since out of the 12 books that library has for that author it was the only one available. I also puthttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/802153.The_Hidden_HeartThe Hidden Heart on hold. Have you read it? It is the first of the Victorian series plus sort of (huge huge stretch) fits the exploration Darwin theme. ;)

 

Rose, Congratulations on your Bingo Card!

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Last night I finished Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill. This was a book to peruse at leisure and a walk through the author's bookshelves. While the book contained many lovely quotes, towards the last couple of chapters it got a bit drawn out and did not hold my attention as much as the first part did. Nevertheless, it was a worthwhile read and I've added some of the author's fiction to my ever-growing "to-read" list, along with many of the books she mentioned. If you choose to read this book, you will want to have a cup of tea (the author is British and so are many of the authors she cites), a biscuit or two, and pen and paper handy to jot down quotes and titles. Early on, you will discover the author's disdain for e-readers.

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This week I was sucked into Shakespeare's Sonnets. This edition was "No Fear Shakespeare Sonnets." What a great book for all ages to get a better grasp of all the little nuances hidden in his gems. My newly turned 10yo 😊 read "Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter" by Diane Stanley - what a fantastic illustrator.

 

☺

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