Book a Week 2016 - BW19: Happy Mother's Day

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 19 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 Mother's Day:

 

 

Courtesy of Maria Oleszkiewicz

 

 

 

Before I was Myself, You Made Me, Me

 

By 

 

Nicholas Gordon 

 

Before I was myself you made me, me

With love and patience, discipline and tears,

Then bit by bit stepped back to set me free,

 

Allowing me to sail upon my sea,

Though well within the headlands of your fears.

Before I was myself you made me, me

 

With dreams enough of what I was to be

And hopes that would be sculpted by the years,

Then bit by bit stepped back to set me free,

 

Relinquishing your powers gradually

To let me shape myself among my peers.

Before I was myself you made me, me,

 

And being good and wise, you gracefully

As dancers when the last sweet cadence nears

Bit by bit stepped back to set me free.

 

For love inspires learning naturally:

The mind assents to what the heart reveres.

And so it was through love you made me, me

By slowly stepping back to set me free.

 

 

Happy Mother's Day, my lovelies 

 

:wub:  :wub:  :wub:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

History of the Renaissance World - Chapters 29 and 30 

 

 

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

 

What are you reading this week? 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 18 

 

Edited May 8, 2016 by Robin M

[Robin M]

Love, love, Loved Holling's book and thoroughly enjoyed reading every single one of them out loud with James.  Paddle to the Sea was a favorite!  

 

I'm reading Patricia Brigg's latest in her Mercedes Thompson series - Fire Touched.

Also slowly reading Rod Dreher's How Dante Saved My Life.   

 

 

Hugs, love and kisses to all - Happy Mother's day.  I appreciate each and every one of you very much! 

[Loesje22000]

Thank you for the lovely picture!

As I mentioned I finished The Professor from Bronte last week.
I'm now reading 'Sanditon' from Jane Austen.

'Villette' is packed for our holiday to southern England :)
Guide will be:

And for DH some Charles Dickens spots :)

 

 

 

 

ETA: picture

[Mothersweets]

What a lovely poem, Robin. Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

 

Last week I read A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer. I hadn't read this one before but I think someone recommended it here a week or two ago? Good, satisfying story about a couple who marry for convenience and grow to appreciate each other. None of the normal Heyer-esque shenanigans (thank heavens) and maybe a little bit slow in places but still very good.

 

I've started a re-read of The Hobbit after watching the movies this past week with my kids. I was surprised (and disappointed) that they stretched it out into three movies - how many sword fights do we really need to see? Loved Martin Freeman as Bilbo and the movie looked mostly as I had imagined it in my head.

[idnib]

Robin, thank you for the new thread and the poem.

 

Happy Mother's Day to all!

 

2 quotes from the last thread:

 

We loved Minn of the Mississippi. Have you done Pagoo yet? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/937198.Pagoo book was fabulous, as in top ten home ed experiences. We did a huge biology classification study based on that book which was so much fun. We talk about it whenever we go to the beach or see a hermit crab. ;)

 

We haven't read Pagoo yet. We're doing this Geography Through Literature pack which uses 4 of the books, but not Pagoo. We read Paddle-to-the-Sea  and we loved it so much I searched the boards for ideas on using the books, and found a link to these packs. We love the maps, and the kids are making journals on watercolor paper, along with sketches and painting. I plan to check out Pagoo when we're finished with the set of 4, though!

 

Another fan of Holling's books although my favorite is Paddle to the Sea.

 

This is a well-loved book at our house too!

Edited May 8, 2016 by idnib

[Mom-ninja.]

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies here. 

 

 

I read The Ghost Bride and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lovely story. I listened to it on audio and I'm glad I did. The author read it and her voice was lovely and soothing. Plus, I would have butchered the pronunciation of the names. 

[Jane in NC]

 

We shouldn't leave the job of loving the earth to the mole.  Nor should we leave the joy of making the sky our own to the birds.

 

Everyone should love and be loved, for love is one thing and life is quite another, and it will be a good thing indeed when the sun breaks through for the eyes of someone who has walked a long time in darkness, and even though it's not tired and there are plenty of trees, it will be good when the wing touches down on the earth.

 

From Absolute Solitude, Dulce Maria Loynaz, translated from the Spanish by James O'Connor

 

 

Happy Mother's Day my friends!

 

The Dead Mountaineer's Inn is proving to be an odd book but fun.  The back cover uses the term "off-kilter" which may be better than the word I was going to use, "absurd". Let's see what I think when it is finished.

 

While I would not normally place a cookbook on my read list, I suspect that The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning will be noted as this is not an ordinary cookbook.  It is a journal, a nod to previous explorations of Antarctica, a book about the practicalities of doing ordinary things in an extraordinary place. 

 

The authors were part of a joint Russian-Canadian environmental project in 1996 whose purpose was cleaning up accumulated garbage in what is described in the preface as "a continent uniquely devoted to peace and science". They note that "Early explorers and scientists endured unimaginable conditions, surviving on penguin meet and even dog paw stew". This book is an ode to past explorers.

 

The last line of the preface reads:

 

 

Whenever adventure beckons an open mind and a full stomach are necessities.

 

I am sure that I will have more to say as I progress through Wendy Trusler's and Carol Devine's cookbook/memoir.

 

Also, in case you missed it, Eaglei has a Mother's Day update.  Get out the handkerchiefs.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/498232-urgent-prayer-request-for-ds/page-42?do=findComment&comment=6988101

[Lady Florida.]

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommas!

 

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying my Angela's Ashes audio book, read by the author. While I'm too young to have lived the European immigrant or child-of-European-immigrants life, I'm old enough to have known people like the ones in the story. I'm half Irish, was raised Catholic, and I "recognize" many of the characters as people I might have known growing up. 

 

Still working my way slowly through The Voyage of the Beagle.

 

My current fluff is A Stranger in Mayfair - Charles Lenox mystery #4. 

 

I've been picking up A Moveable Feast now and then and reading a little at a time.

 

I've almost given up on Master and Commander. It still hasn't grabbed me.

 

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies here. 

 

 

I read The Ghost Bride and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lovely story. I listened to it on audio and I'm glad I did. The author read it and her voice was lovely and soothing. Plus, I would have butchered the pronunciation of the names. 

 

I've looked at that on and off for months. I do still have an audible credit and have been trying to find something to use it on. My self-imposed rule is the book has to cost more than one month's membership fee, and this one fits by a few dollars. 

[marbel]

Robin, thank you for the new thread and the poem.

 

Happy Mother's Day to all!

 

2 quotes from the last thread:

 

 

We haven't read Pagoo yet. We're doing this Geography Through Literature pack which uses 4 of the books, but not Pagoo. We read Paddle-to-the-Sea  and we loved it so much I searched the boards for ideas on using the books, and found a link to these packs. We love the maps, and the kids are making journals on watercolor paper, along with sketches and painting. I plan to check out Pagoo when we're finished with the set of 4, though!

 

 

This is a well-loved book at our house too!

 

We did that geography study with the Hollings books!   We may not have finished the 4th book/map. 

 

I came across the maps the other day.  Not sure what to do with them .They are beautiful, but the kids are too old to display such things. And they are big!  I guess I will have my daughter take photos of them for keepsakes. 

 

We also listened to this CD and loved it too. (link to Amazon)

 

[Kareni]

Yesterday I read a contemporary romance ~  Tigers & Devils by Sean Kennedy; I enjoyed it.  I also learned some Australian slang.  While this is a male/male romance; it is not explicit.  It is also currently for sale for 99 cents for Kindle readers.

 

 

"The most important things in Simon Murray's life are football, friends, and film-in that order. His friends despair of him ever meeting someone, but despite his loneliness, Simon is cautious about looking for more. Then his best friends drag him to a party, where he barges into a football conversation and ends up defending the honour of star forward Declan Tyler-unaware that the athlete is present. In that first awkward meeting, neither man has any idea they will change each other's lives forever.

 

Like his entire family, Simon revels in living in Melbourne, the home of Australian Rules football and mecca for serious fans. There, players are treated like gods-until they do something to fall out of public favour. This year, the public is taking Declan to task for suffering injuries outside his control, so Simon's support is a bright spot.

 

But as Simon and Declan fumble toward a relationship, keeping Declan's homosexuality a secret from well-meaning friends and an increasingly suspicious media becomes difficult. Nothing can stay hidden forever. Soon Declan will have to choose between the career he loves and the man he wants, and Simon has never been known to make things easy-for himself or for others."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Ali in OR]

This week I read the 4th Kate Shackleton mystery by Frances Brody, A Woman Unknown. I'm definitely enjoying the series more than I did for the first two books. I'll continue at some point, but have some other books on the pile (real and virtual pile).

 

Marked in Flesh became available from my hold list this week. I'm about halfway done and I'm trying to figure out why I enjoy these books, hoping the humans (most of them) get annihilated. This is a quick read. Up next is another from the hold list, Shelter by Jung Yun. This was mentioned in a best-of-2016-so-far list that Stacia linked many weeks ago, and I actually picked it for the cover (bingo square) which is very hard for me to do. I'm not so much a visual person and choosing a *book* by its *artwork* seems so off to me--I choose books for the writing, the storyline, the content I'll learn, but really never the cover. I liked the picture of this cover (but will admit to reading the summary before placing the hold!) I'll see if I can post the pic, but I've never done that before so it may take awhile or may not work.

 

 

[mumto2]

Robin, Fire Touched is in the currently reading stack also after a long waitlist. I need to read the two books leading up to it first, I had been pacing myself but a couple of people must of cancelled their holds because it just appeared in my account unexpectedly.

 

I have been reading Grace Burrowes book The Soldierhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9932662-the-soldier which is part of the Windham series. Enjoying this particular book's storyline because the main characters are all rather atypical. Two of the friends of the main character are the Daniel and Hadrian of Burrowes Lonely Lord's series. I plan to read those soon.

 

I also read a short story by JA Jance this morning called A Last Goodbye. It was part of her Ali Reynolds series and very sweet in a totally tear jerking way On the eve of Ali's wedding her fiancee rescues an abandoned dachshund. In the story they search for the elderly dog's owner.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23125154-a-last-goodbye?ac=1&from_search=true

[Onceuponatime]

I'm reading A Confidential Agent by Graham Greene. The writing is a pleasure after the last book, almost poetic. The story is set in a world of psychological intrigue that doesn't seem to be popular any more. Do cloak and dagger spy stories (without explosions) still get written?

[6packofun]

Finished the 20th Jack Reacher novel.

 

Finished Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye and really enjoyed it!!

 

Started The Windup Girl  by Paolo what's-his-face and just couldn't get into it, so now I'm on Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase.  After that I'll go back to Lyndsay Faye for her book about Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper!  I think it's called Dust and Shadow.  I really like her writing and storytelling.  I enjoyed her Gods of Gotham as well.

[Jane in NC]

I'm reading A Confidential Agent by Graham Greene. The writing is a pleasure after the last book, almost poetic. The story is set in a world of psychological intrigue that doesn't seem to be popular any more. Do cloak and dagger spy stories (without explosions) still get written?

 

Graham Greene is wonderful, isn't it?

 

Yes to your question.  Try Alan Furst who writes amazingly well researched WWII era espionage novels.  I put his books with Graham Greene and the older Le Carre's (Karla trilogy).  Le Carre's newer books are much less satisfying to me.

 

If you want to go back in time, you can't go wrong with John  Buchan's Hannay novels written about a hundred years ago. 

 

Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent is on my to be read list. Since I have turned the conversation to dead authors (a wee little problem I have), I can recommend Ashenden by Somerset Maugham.

 

If I had to pick one espionage novel that is my absolute favorite, it might be Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  Admittedly I am just a little Cold War obsessed...

 

Not sure when I'll get to it, but there is a Furst (Blood of Victory) in the dusty stacks.  After I read it, I'll send it your way!

 

[Stacia]

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms!

 

I am reading a book Pam sent me earlier this year: Harp of Burma by Michio Takeyama, translated by Howard Hibbett. I was interested in reading some books set in Burma since my grandfather served there during WWII. (Earlier this year, I read a different Burmese book: Smile as they Bow by Nu Nu Yi.)

 

 

Harp of Burma is Japan's haunting answer to Germany's well-known requiem for the First World War, All Quiet on the Western Front.

Winner of the prestigious Mainichi Shuppan Bunkasho prize, and the subject of an acclaimed film by Ichikawa Kon, Harp of Burma portrays a company of Japanese troops who are losing a desperate campaign against British forces in the tropical jungles of Burma. The young soldiers discover that the trials of war involve more than just opposing the enemy. The foreign climate and terrain, the strange behavior of foreigners, the constant struggle to overcome homesickness and nostalgia, and the emotions stirred by the senselessness of war—all of these forces, new and baffling to the soldiers, contribute to their distress and disorientation.

In the midst of these overwhelming challenges, they discover the power of music to make even the toughest situations tolerable—through their commander's ability to lead them in song. Even though they face the inevitability of defeat, singing the songs of their homeland revives their will to live.

Through the story of these men and of the music that saw them through the war, Takeyama presents thought-provoking questions about political hostilities and the men who unleash them. Harp of Burma is Japan's classic novel of pathos and compassion in the midst of senseless warfare.

Harp of Burma was made into a critically acclaimed movie (The Burmese Harp) by the celebrated director Ichikawa Kon.

 

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.) [baW Bingo: Female Author]
• 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.) [baW Bingo: Set in Another Country]
• The Expedition to the Baobab Tree by Wilma Stockenström, trans. from the Afrikaans by J.M. Coetzee, pub. by Archipelago Books. 4 stars. South Africa. (A haunting, stream-of-consciousness story of slavery, survival, solitude, strangeness, & strength. The language is lovely.) [baW Bingo: Translated]
• West with the Night by Beryl Markham, pub. by North Point Press. 5 stars. Kenya. (Markham’s amazing & wonderful tales of her life growing up in Africa & her adventures as a pilot.)

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.) [baW Bingo: Historical]
• 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.) [baW Bingo: Banned (in Myanmar)]
• A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power by Paul Fischer, pub. by Flatiron Books. 4 stars. North Korea (Fascinating & sometimes depressing look at the cult of personality & power of propaganda & film in North Korea, based around the 1970s kidnappings of two of South Korea's most famous movie personalities.)

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.) [baW Bingo: Non-fiction]
• 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.) [baW Bingo: Fairy Tale Adaptation]
• A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez, pub. by Europa editions. 4 stars. England. (Well done gritty crime/thriller, good detective duo, & nice twists involving international politics & African rebel groups. A series I might read more of….)

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.) [baW Bingo: Picked by a friend – idnib]
• 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.) [baW Bingo: Dusty]
• Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel by Tom Wainwright, pub. by PublicAffairs. 4 stars. Various: mainly Latin & North America. (Interesting look at illegal drugs & cartels through an economist’s eyes, analyzing them like any other large global corporation.) [baW Bingo: Published 2016]

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 Martínez, 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.) [baW Bingo: Library Free Space]
• 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.) [baW Bingo: Mystery]
• 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.) [baW Bingo: Number in the Title]
• Bossypants by Tina Fey, pub. by Little, Brown and Company. 3 stars. USA. (Light & laugh-out-loud funny in places as Fey shares her life & fame. It’s easy to tell that she started as a writer -- her writing skill shines.)
• The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay, ARC copy, pub. by Melville House. 3 stars. USA; also Europe: Italy. (Interwoven stories linking “Venice†from the 1500s, 1950s, & present day. Mix of thriller, historical fiction, magic/alchemy, & philosophy.) [baW Bingo: Over 500 Pages]

 

 

Edited May 8, 2016 by Stacia

[Lady Florida.]

I used to really enjoy spy novels, and for a while kept reading one after another, including The IPCRESS File, The Eye of the Needle, The Day of the Jackal, and many lesser known novels and authors. I read many of the early Jack Ryan books (Tom Clancy) and the original three Jason Bourne, the ones actually written by Robert Ludlum.

 

I've never read any Graham Greene, his thrillers or other works, but I keep meaning to try one. I actually have The Quiet American on my list for 2016. Another book I keep meaning to read is The Dreyfuss Affair (non-fiction). For some reason I never got around to LeCarre. And all of my exposure to Ian Fleming comes from the James Bond movies - I haven't read any of the books, but they don't appeal to me.

 

I do think the end of the Cold War had an effect on the genre, so books either written during that period or set in that time are probably more exciting than ones based on current spy activities. Just because the Cold War is over doesn't mean spies are redundant but I think there was a more romantic danger aspect to the ones set during earlier times. 

 

Has anyone watched the tv series The Americans? It takes place in the 80s but is seen mostly from the point of view of the Soviet spies, who are pretending to be normal Americans. Apparently there really were such spies, and they were Russian not Soviet, so it wasn't a Cold War thing. I guess setting the show during the Cold War makes it more exciting. 

[Onceuponatime]

Graham Greene is wonderful, isn't it?

 

Yes to your question. Try Alan Furst who writes amazingly well researched WWII era espionage novels. I put his books with Graham Greene and the older Le Carre's (Karla trilogy). Le Carre's newer books are much less satisfying to me.

 

If you want to go back in time, you can't go wrong with John Buchan's Hannay novels written about a hundred years ago.

 

Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent is on my to be read list. Since I have turned the conversation to dead authors (a wee little problem I have), I can recommend Ashenden by Somerset Maugham.

 

If I had to pick one espionage novel that is my absolute favorite, it might be Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Admittedly I am just a little Cold War obsessed...

 

Not sure when I'll get to it, but there is a Furst (Blood of Victory) in the dusty stacks. After I read it, I'll send it your way!

 

Thanks for the recommendations! I've read a few of Le Carre's older books, including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy, and isn't The 39 Steps a John Buchan novel? When I was younger, I read quite a few spy novels by Helen MacInnes and enjoyed them. I will keep an eye out for the other authors you mentioned. Edited May 9, 2016 by Onceuponatime

[Shawneinfl]

Hello everyone and Happy Mother's Day. This is proving to be a slow reading year for me however I did finish a book this week. A Girl With No Name: The Incredible Story of a Child Raised by Monkeys by Marina Chapman. It was as fascinating as it sounds. I think they are writing a part two of her life which tells of her adult life after she was rescued. I had a funny library moment last week. My local librarian called to tell me that a book that I reserved was available. I asked her what it was and she hesitatingly replied "The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu" :laugh: . I apologized profusely for making her say that aloud but it sounds like all the librarians had a good laugh over it.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Happy Mother's Day, friends! I haven't had much reading time this week. This weekend the girls' play closed. Dh is tearing the carpet out of our house, even though we really don't have a plan for what to replace it with yet - it just had to come out because it's infested with carpet beetles which we've all developed allergies to.  But, as with every project of this nature, it's proving to be more time consuming, horrible, messy, and expensive than we could have predicted.  Under some of the carpet we found 90 year old fir floor. Under some we found linoleum, masonite, particle board, all kinds of funky stuff.  Everything from my office and the girls' room is stacked up in the living and dining rooms.  There is a huge cedar chest in the middle of the kitchen. Everything is coated with dust.  Our house is only 1100 square feet to start with, so this is a little .  .  .  impactive.  Anyway, needless to say it wasn't a huge success of a celebratory weekend, despite the fact that saturday was dh's birthday and today is mother's day.

 

We did go see Captain America: Civil War last night, which we all enjoyed, and I took the girls to go see a production of Twelfth Night at the local CC today.  It was wonderful! It was done in elizabethan style, meaning all male actors, and it was so funny! It's been one of our family's favorite plays for a couple of years now and this production did not disappoint!

 

Oh yeah, books:  Well, they are mostly in stacks.  Not sure where my current or TBR stacks are.  I found Ubik, so I'm reading that, and listening to Vivian Apple at the End of the World.  Last week I read The Infernal Machine by Jean Cocteau, a 20th century redo of the Oedipus story, and Mo and I finished reading Through the Looking Glass.  That's such a weird story.

 

Hopefully I'll find my book stack at some point.  I know I'm reading a bunch of other things, somewhere.

[Violet Crown]

Apparently yes! I didn't know that it had been published earlier with a different title. I found it on someone's blog, I can't remember whose exactly... maybe Sarah Mackenzie's? I'll be honest, I ordered it without doing much research about it and was surprised to find that it was aimed at Catholic women and written by a Benedictine man. See, I told you I didn't do much, scratch that, ANY research.

 

However, I thought the book was beautiful. It had a lot of practical suggestions and then backed it up with reasons why it would be intelligent to follow those suggestions. It has four chapters that are sectioned off by titles like "Learn the two ways to pray and work" or "Seek holiness for the right reasons". The second half of the book is a bunch of written prayers that have sections like prayers to begin your day, prayers to end your day, and prayers for special needs. My personal favorites were titled Prayer for when exhausted by housework and the one that I snapped a picture of and sent to several friends, Prayer in time of exasperation. :p

 

Honestly, I'm terrible at waking up early before my children are up to pray or designating a certain time period only for prayer so I loved this as it was a lot of, "Hey, it is okay to pray while doing the dishes. You can seek God wherever you are and it is OKAY to do that." I also struggle finding the right words to pray so the written prayers will help, I believe. 

 

This is definitely one of those books that I intend to revisit probably once a year to have a fresh reminder that being a housewife, or a homeschooling mama of many littles, is a holy and worthwhile vocation. 

So glad to meet someone else who likes that little book! And nice summary. "Prayer when in a bad mood" is a model prayer I like also: 'Lord, I know I am in a shocking state of mind....'

[Violet Crown]

Finished The Raven this week. Well worth the read. The accounts of mid-century Texas-style politicking alone made it worth the reading; certainly puts our current election horrors in perspective.

 

Dh just finished Lolly Willowes, which I thought was okay and he didn't like very much, feeling as I did that it started promisingly and ended with a didactic whimper. To make up for his having had to read chick lit, I'm starting Jack Kerouac's On the Road, which I hear the young people today are all about.

[Lady Florida.]

Hello everyone and Happy Mother's Day. This is proving to be a slow reading year for me however I did finish a book this week. A Girl With No Name: The Incredible Story of a Child Raised by Monkeys by Marina Chapman. It was as fascinating as it sounds. I think they are writing a part two of her life which tells of her adult life after she was rescued. I had a funny library moment last week. My local librarian called to tell me that a book that I reserved was available. I asked her what it was and she hesitatingly replied "The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu" :laugh: . I apologized profusely for making her say that aloud but it sounds like all the librarians had a good laugh over it.

 

I'm not sure if you realize it but your book link brings up The Florida Museum of Natural History - free admission for Mother's Day. :)

[Stacia]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

[Ali in OR]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

 

I'm so sorry. Praying for successful treatment and for all the help, support, love, and strength she (and you, and all those close to her) will need for the journey ahead.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Shawneinfl]

I'm not sure if you realize it but your book link brings up The Florida Museum of Natural History - free admission for Mother's Day. :)

 

That's so weird.  Here's the proper link (I hope).  http://www.amazon.com/Girl-No-Name-Incredible-Monkeys/dp/1605985457/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462765597&sr=1-1&keywords=a+girl+with+no+name

[Shawneinfl]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

 

Aw man Stacia. Hugs and prayers for you and for your mom.

[Mothersweets]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[mumto2]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

:grouphug: As you know I know way too much about this topic. Sending prayers....

[Rosie_0801]

Yesterday I read a contemporary romance ~  Tigers & Devils by Sean Kennedy; I enjoyed it.  I also learned some Australian slang.  While this is a male/male romance; it is not explicit.  It is also currently for sale for 99 cents for Kindle readers.

 

 

"The most important things in Simon Murray's life are football, friends, and film-in that order. His friends despair of him ever meeting someone, but despite his loneliness, Simon is cautious about looking for more. Then his best friends drag him to a party, where he barges into a football conversation and ends up defending the honour of star forward Declan Tyler-unaware that the athlete is present. In that first awkward meeting, neither man has any idea they will change each other's lives forever.

 

Like his entire family, Simon revels in living in Melbourne, the home of Australian Rules football and mecca for serious fans. There, players are treated like gods-until they do something to fall out of public favour. This year, the public is taking Declan to task for suffering injuries outside his control, so Simon's support is a bright spot.

 

But as Simon and Declan fumble toward a relationship, keeping Declan's homosexuality a secret from well-meaning friends and an increasingly suspicious media becomes difficult. Nothing can stay hidden forever. Soon Declan will have to choose between the career he loves and the man he wants, and Simon has never been known to make things easy-for himself or for others."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

It's not properly learned unless you can use it in a full sentence. :p

 

Want a postcard from Melbourne? 

[Rosie_0801]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

 

 

Bugger. :(

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Nan in Mass]

Those of you with kindles - where do you get books? Can you load books from gutenburg? The library? Are books in that form expensive? Thinking about one for a summer coop where the student is very restricted in the amount of gear he can bring with him and won,t have much in the way of internet or phone.

 

Nan

Edited May 9, 2016 by Nan in Mass

[Jane in NC]

Stacia my dear,

 

Holding you, your mom and your dad in the light. How overwhelming this must be!

 

May life be kind to you my friend in these dark days.

 

Jane

[Jane in NC]

Finished The Raven this week. Well worth the read. The accounts of mid-century Texas-style politicking alone made it worth the reading; certainly puts our current election horrors in perspective.

 

Dh just finished Lolly Willowes, which I thought was okay and he didn't like very much, feeling as I did that it started promisingly and ended with a didactic whimper. To make up for his having had to read chick lit, I'm starting Jack Kerouac's On the Road, which I hear the young people today are all about.

 

Um...Fifty years too late, VC?

 

[fastweedpuller]

Hi everyone, hope your Mother's Day was at the very least relaxing...!

 

Ugh on the multi-quote.  Shall I simply embrace my technological ignorance?  Anyway I love it when those of you who enjoy genres I know next to nothing about (scifi, thrillers, romances, mysteries, fantasy!) do go on and on about your favorites.  Some posts, I read the titles and I cannot even guess what category the book would fall into (unless the title is pointedly obvious).  So I appreciated Ishki's discussion in the last BaW thread. 

 

And I take it to heart about your inclusion of audiobooks in your lists, folks.  With me, it's the multitasking nature of them...I surely don't give them due respect that I give to the electronic or printed page.  But sometimes that is okay.  Perfect example is my "hate-listening" to Nancy Jo Sales' American Girls:  Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers.  Every story she illustrates is positively horrid.  Yet I continue, masochistically, to listen to it.  (Book club's next read is Girls and Sex by Peggy Orenstein.  I have hope that this will be a more...hopeful book)

 

I did finish one (meh) book, though, this week:  John McGahern's Amongst Women, which is pretty much a social history at this point.  And I started a new one which probably should just be on my bookshelves and not an elibrary volume...it's got all the makings of something I will refer to again:  The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf about Alexander von Humboldt.  But yes I continue mentally surfing with Barbarian Days, who knew 400+pages on surfing would sustain my inland-sea interest? 

 

19.  Amongst Women by John McGahern

18. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

17.  The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

16.  Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

15.  Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Ofill

14.  The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante (did so not want the series to end wah)

13.  Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (reread; book club)

12.  Dream Land by Sam Quinones

11.  Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

10.  1Q84 by Hakuri Murakami

9.  Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford (reread; book club)

8.  Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein (horrid book to read after below)

7. M Train by Patti Smith

6.  A Little Life by Hanya Yanangihara

5.  The Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick

4.  Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks

3.  The Turner House by Angela Flournoy (book club)

2.  Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

1.  Neanderthal Man by Svante Paabo

[mumto2]

Those of you with kindles - where do you get books? Can you load books from gutenburg? The library? Are books in that form expensive? Thinking about one for a summer coop where the student is very restricted in the amount of gear he can bring with him and won,t have much in the way of internet or phone.

 

Nan

Here's a summary of what I have learned....

 

Many old copyright expired books are free on kindle. I find it easiet to download them directly onto the device. I believe Gutenberg can be used but have never needed to because the selection is similar. I tend to find one book of interest and look at what other people have also " bought" when searching for my free books. That seems to give me a broader list of free books.

 

In general kindle books are less expensive than paper with several books on sale for .99 or 1.99 everyday.

 

Many libraries have a great selection of kindle books. Generally they are removed from the kindle if they have expired the next time the kindle's wifi is on but leaving the wifi off means you keep your books. Return wise they are considered returned the day they were due. No overdue books ever. :) Many library accounts can share the same kindle, the main thing is that the kindle needs to be registered to the Amazon account that you check the books out through. After that I can download the book on several kindles without any problem. The reality is any valid library card number can work, so if some kind neighbour is willing to let your camper use their limit of books.......

 

I have had a hard time receiving books remotely via the kindle. Library books do not download to 3G service on my kindle reader, must be on wifi. They can and are taken away via 3G. :( Generally my device has to be on for several minutes for a library book that has been put in my que days before by dh to come through. I still think it could work much better and will admit part of the my problem may be in my partner in my experiments.

[Lady Florida.]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

 

:grouphug: Stacia  :grouphug:  Hugs for you and good thoughts for your mom.

[Ethel Mertz]

Thinking of you and your Mom, Stacia.

[Lady Florida.]

Those of you with kindles - where do you get books? Can you load books from gutenburg? The library? Are books in that form expensive? Thinking about one for a summer coop where the student is very restricted in the amount of gear he can bring with him and won,t have much in the way of internet or phone.

 

Nan

 

As mumto2 said, there are many free classics and inexpensive books available for Kindle. I don't use Gutenburg because I don't need to. If you just click on the Kindle Store at Amazon and type in free classics, you'll pull up a huge list. Or you can search for a specific title and put the word free in your search. You can also shop by category, or search their long list of books for $3.99 or less. 

 

Best sellers and books by big name authors usually aren't any cheaper on Kindle than their physical counterparts, but there are still many inexpensive Kindle books. The Martian started out as a blog post, then became a 99 cent Kindle book, before it got noticed. While there are many good ones there are also a ton not worth reading so it's hit and miss with the cheap Kindle books. I just bought The Ghost Bride for 99 cents after Mom-ninja posted about it here. My library has it but there's a waiting list so to me it was worth spending 99 cents and getting it right away (it's going to be my book club's book for May). 

 

I use my library system plus another out of state system where I paid for a membership. I love that there are never any late fees, and if I'm not finished with a book I just leave it in airplane mode until I'm done. I don't have any trouble downloading library books over wifi. My Kindle is wifi only anyway. If you use the usb to put it directly from the computer to the device I *think* it doesn't show up on your Amazon account. At least that's what a message led me to believe last time I loaded one that way. That might not matter to you, but it just means that if you have other Kindles on that account they won't be able to just download the books from the cloud.

 

When traveling, load up the device with as many books as you think you (or said student) will want. Traveling with a Kindle is wonderful because you can bring so many books on that one little device.

[idnib]

We did that geography study with the Hollings books!   We may not have finished the 4th book/map. 

 

I came across the maps the other day.  Not sure what to do with them .They are beautiful, but the kids are too old to display such things. And they are big!  I guess I will have my daughter take photos of them for keepsakes. 

 

We also listened to this CD and loved it too. (link to Amazon)

 

 

Yes, the maps are rather large! Thank you for the CD link, my kids love a good story CD.

 

Finished the 20th Jack Reacher novel.

 

Was Make Me the 20th novel? If so, I just finished that last month. The last quarter was really harrowing, much more so than any other Jack Reacher book to me, and I've read them all. Are you going to read Child's book about the writing of this book? I was considering it.

 

Has anyone watched the tv series The Americans? It takes place in the 80s but is seen mostly from the point of view of the Soviet spies, who are pretending to be normal Americans. Apparently there really were such spies, and they were Russian not Soviet, so it wasn't a Cold War thing. I guess setting the show during the Cold War makes it more exciting. 

 

I tried watching The Americans but it wasn't my cup of tea, which is surprising since I often like Cold War stories too. I only got a couple of episodes in, though.

 

Happy Mother's Day, friends! I haven't had much reading time this week. This weekend the girls' play closed. Dh is tearing the carpet out of our house, even though we really don't have a plan for what to replace it with yet - it just had to come out because it's infested with carpet beetles which we've all developed allergies to.  But, as with every project of this nature, it's proving to be more time consuming, horrible, messy, and expensive than we could have predicted.  Under some of the carpet we found 90 year old fir floor. Under some we found linoleum, masonite, particle board, all kinds of funky stuff.  Everything from my office and the girls' room is stacked up in the living and dining rooms.  There is a huge cedar chest in the middle of the kitchen. Everything is coated with dust.  Our house is only 1100 square feet to start with, so this is a little .  .  .  impactive.  Anyway, needless to say it wasn't a huge success of a celebratory weekend, despite the fact that saturday was dh's birthday and today is mother's day.

 

I hate to tell you this, but you might want to get the linoleum tested before pulling it out if that's your plan. Our neighbors did this and found it was the asbestos-backed kind. There are test kits online I think, or you can call one of those companies that removes popcorn ceilings and they usually do old linoleum too. You can remove it yourself, but you have to be very careful about disturbing the liner underneath, where the asbestos is. I'm no expert, just learned all this from my neighbor's ranting about it.

 

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

 

 

Oh Stacia, I'm sorry to hear this. Thoughts and prayers are coming your way. Does she live close to you?

Edited May 9, 2016 by idnib

[Nan in Mass]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

Stacia, I am so sorry! Holding you and your mum and all your family in the light. This time of our lives is not easy, is it!

Hugs, Nan

[-M-]

Belated Mother's Day wishes to my fellow BaWers! It's been a while since my last post, but here's my list:

 

January
â–  The Heir Apparent (David Ives; 2011. Drama.)
â–  Neighbors (Jan T. Gross; 2001. Non-fiction.)
â–  Our Class (Tadeusz SÅ‚obodzianek (adaptation by Ryan Craig); 2009. Drama.)
â–  Scored (Lauren McLaughlin; 2011. Fiction.)
â–  Ready Player One (Ernest Kline; 2011. Fiction.)
â–  Arcadia (Tom Stoppard; 1993. Drama.)
â–  Purge (Sofi Oksanen; 2008. Fiction.)
â–  Revival, Volume 6: Thy Loyal Sons & Daughters (Tim Seeley; 2016. Graphic fiction.)

 

February
â–  The Shawl (Cynthia Ozick; 1990. Fiction.)
â–  The Book of Jonas (Stephen Dau; 2012. Fiction.)
â–  The Bunker, Volume 3 (Joshua Hale Fialkov; 2015. Graphic fiction.)
â–  The Squirrel Mother (Megan Kelso; 2006. Graphic fiction.)
â–  The Silence of Our Friends (Mark Long; 2012. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Lazarus, Volume 4: Poison (Greg Rucka; 2016. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World (Cal Newport; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  When Breath Becomes Air (Paul Kalanithi; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  The Invaders (Karolina Waclawiak; 2015. Fiction.)
■ A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy (Sue Klebold; 2016. Non-fiction.)

 

March
â–  In a Dark, Dark Wood (Ruth Ware; 2015. Fiction.)
â–  What She Left Behind (Ellen Marie Wiseman; 2013. Fiction.)
â–  Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (Jon Krakauer; 2015. Non-fiction.)
■ Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore (Robin Sloan; 2013. Fiction.)
â–  Othello (William Shakespeare; 1603. Drama.)
â–  The Cold Song (Linn Ullmann; 2014. Fiction.)
â–  The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry (Gabrielle Zevin; 2014. Fiction.)
â–  Pax (Sara Pennypacker; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  The Call of the Wild (Jack London; 1903. Fiction.)
â–  The Life of Galileo (Bertolt Brecht; 1940. (Trans. John Willett; 1994.) Drama.)

 

April
â–  The First Time She Drowned (Kerry Kletter; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  Shelter (Jung Yun; 2016. Fiction.)
■ The Nest (Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  Cardenio (William Shakespeare and John Fletcher; 1613. (Adapted by Charles Mee and Stephen Greenblatt; 1994.) Drama.)
■ Long Day’s Journey into Night (Eugene O’Neill; 1956. Drama.)
â–  Richard III (William Shakespeare; 1592. Drama.)

 

May
â–  Imaginary Girls (Nova Ren Suma; 2011. Fiction.)
â–  The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community (Marc J. Dunkelman; 2014. Non-fiction.)
â–  The Odd Woman and the City: A Memoir (Vivian Gornick; 2015. Non-fiction.)

 

Another list that may interest some of you comprises my 2016 theater adventures:

 

■ A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol (January; Chicago Shakespeare Theater)
â–  The Heir Apparent (January; Chicago Shakespeare Theater)
â–  Marjorie Prime (January; Writers Theatre)
■ The Winter’s Tale (January; Shakespeare Project of Chicago)
â–  Cymbeline (February; Shakespeare Project of Chicago)
â–  Romeo and Juliet (March; Lyric Opera)
â–  Arcadia (March; Writers Theatre)
■ Long Day’s Journey into Night (March; Court Theatre)
â–  Othello (March; Chicago Shakespeare Theater)
â–  The Life of Galileo (April; Remy Bumppo Theatre Company)
â–  Cardenio (April; Shakespeare Project of Chicago)
â–  Richard III (April; The Gift Theatre at The Garage: Steppenwolf Theatre)
â–  Othello: The Remix (April; Chicago Shakespeare Theater)

 

Things are slowing down a tiny bit for me, so I hope to provide book notes and a bit of an update soon. Until then, happy Monday!

Edited May 9, 2016 by M--

[Mom-ninja.]

Stacia, I'm sorry. 

[Kareni]

... And all of my exposure to Ian Fleming comes from the James Bond movies - I haven't read any of the books, but they don't appeal to me.

 

Ian Fleming also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car.

 

To make up for his having had to read chick lit, I'm starting Jack Kerouac's On the Road, which I hear the young people today are all about.

 

I'm trying to decide if this statement makes me an infant or a mature individual.

 

Regarding Australian slang ~

 

It's not properly learned unless you can use it in a full sentence. :p

 

As I recall, "Bog off to the pub" was used in the book.  I would be unlikely to have cause to say that to anyone in real life.  But, one never knows ....

 

Want a postcard from Melbourne? 

 

Many (many) moons ago, I used to live in Moorabbin.

 

Those of you with kindles - where do you get books?

 

Try this link and click on Top 100 Free if necessary.  On the left hand side of the page, you can see the following categories:

 

• Arts & Photography
• Biographies & Memoirs
• Business & Money
• Children's eBooks
• Comics & Graphic Novels
• Computers & Technology
• Cookbooks, Food & Wine
• Crafts, Hobbies & Home
• Education & Teaching
• Engineering & Transportation
• Foreign Languages
• Health, Fitness & Dieting
• History
• Humor & Entertainment
• Law
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender eBooks
• Literature & Fiction
• Medical eBooks
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
• Nonfiction
• Parenting & Relationships
• Politics & Social Sciences
• Reference
• Religion & Spirituality
• Romance
• Science & Math
• Science Fiction & Fantasy
• Self-Help
• Sports & Outdoors
• Teen & Young Adult
• Travel

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Rosie_0801]

Well, if you ever have cause to say "bog off back to the pub" we hope to hear the story.

 

You keep on the lookout, won't you?  :laugh:

[Angel]

'Villette' is packed for our holiday to southern England :)

Guide will be:

 

How exciting!  Have a wonderful holiday!  And take pictures to share  ;)

 

 

I've started a re-read of The Hobbit after watching the movies this past week with my kids. I was surprised (and disappointed) that they stretched it out into three movies - how many sword fights do we really need to see? Loved Martin Freeman as Bilbo and the movie looked mostly as I had imagined it in my head.

It has been awhile since my last reread of The Hobbit but I was also surprised and disappointed with the movies.  I enjoyed reading The Hobbit more than The Lord of the Rings Trilogy but loved The Lord of the Rings movies better.  

 

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

:grouphug:  and ...

 

I'm so sorry. Praying for successful treatment and for all the help, support, love, and strength she (and you, and all those close to her) will need for the journey ahead.

Ali took the words right out of my mouth!  

[JennW in SoCal]

Still need to catch up with everyone's posts, but here's my year-to-date list:

 

In progress: 

The Three Year Swim Club by Julie Checkoway

The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzalez

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by A.J. Hartley

Beethoven for a Later Age by Edward Dusinberre

Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field by John Lewis-Stempel

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

 

Read:

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink

Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen

Rock, Paper, Tiger by Lisa Brackmann

Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Undertaker by Wendy Jones

Danse Macabre by Gerald Elias

 

Tapas, Carrot Cake and a Corpse by Sherri Bryan

The Paris Wife by Paula McClain

Wine Dark Sea by Patrick O'Brian (Master & Commander#16)

Jane Austen: An Illustrated Treasurey 

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

 

Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham

Atonement of Blood by Peter Tremayne

X by Sue Grafton

Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka

 

Too Good to be True by Ann Cleeves (novella)

Hanover Square Affair (Captain Lacey regency mystery) by Ashley Gardner

City of Thieves by David Benioff

Death of Aloha by AK Gunn

 

Abandoned:

Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson (So sad to abandon one of his books as I'm usually a big Bryson fan.)

Longing by J.D. Landis (2nd time I've tried this book -- got farther this time but just couldn't stand it.)

 

 

My reading this year is such a mixed bag.  I've thoroughly enjoyed some books, already can't remember a few of them, and just feel a bit in a reading rut, which is probably why I have a record 6 books in progress!

 

 

[HRAAB]

Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Thanks. :grouphug:

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

 

 

Abandoned:

Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson (So sad to abandon one of his books as I'm usually a big Bryson fan.)

 

 

My dd was just reading this book (on my recommendation - Bryson, not specifically this book).  She was so disappointed.  It went back to the library today, unfinished.  She felt he was condescending, rudely making fun of people, plus she tends to be sensitive about language.  I warned her that his books occasionally have language, but this one seemed to have a lot more than his others.  She only made it to ch. 4, I think, and gave up.  I suggested A Walk in the Woods, but now I'm wondering if my memory is failing me and she won't enjoy it either.

 

On another note, last night I finally got around to going through my latest book purchases from our library book sale and found a treasure I had completely forgotten.  Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym.  I've never read it! She started it before WWII, but for some reason never sent it to the publishers.  No, it doesn't take much to excite me.  I feel the same way about Barbara Pym as I do Joesephine Tey: they both died too soon and left too many books unwritten. Anyway, I'm a very happy reader right now. I vowed I would finish the current novel I'm reading, Season of Storms, but I can feel my resolve weakening.

[Jane in NC]

:grouphug: :grouphug:

 

 

My dd was just reading this book (on my recommendation - Bryson, not specifically this book). She was so disappointed. It went back to the library today, unfinished. She felt he was condescending, rudely making fun of people, plus she tends to be sensitive about language. I warned her that his books occasionally have language, but this one seemed to have a lot more than his others. She only made it to ch. 4, I think, and gave up. I suggested A Walk in the Woods, but now I'm wondering if my memory is failing me and she won't enjoy it either.

 

On another note, last night I finally got around to going through my latest book purchases from our library book sale and found a treasure I had completely forgotten. Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym. I've never read it! She started it before WWII, but for some reason never sent it to the publishers. No, it doesn't take much to excite me. I feel the same way about Barbara Pym as I do Joesephine Tey: they both died too soon and left too many books unwritten. Anyway, I'm a very happy reader right now. I vowed I would finish the current novel I'm reading, Season of Storms, but I can feel my resolve weakening.

Another fan of Barbara Pym here. How lucky you are to have an unread Pym! Enjoy!