Book a Week 2016 - BW 20: Armchair Travels through the Middle East

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 20 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 - Armchair Travels through the Middle East.  As we sail the Mediterranean sea, visiting various ports of call, I'm drawn towards Israel.  So much safer visiting the Middle East vicariously in books, exploring the past, the present and the future.   I currently have James Michener's The Source on my nightstand, calling my name.  

 

 

 

In his signature style of grand storytelling, James A. Michener transports us back thousands of years to the Holy Land. Through the discoveries of modern archaeologists excavating the site of Tell Makor, Michener vividly re-creates life in an ancient city and traces the profound history of the Jewish people—from the persecution of the early Hebrews, the rise of Christianity, and the Crusades to the founding of Israel and the modern conflict in the Middle East. An epic tale of love, strength, and faith, The Source is a richly written saga that encompasses the history of Western civilization and the great religious and cultural ideas that have shaped our world.

 

 

Bodie and Brock Thoene take us step by step through the rise of world war II in Vienna in the 1930's through the late 1940's to Israel's Declaration of Independence in their historical fiction series Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles. Beautifully written and powerfully poignant, once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I'd consumed the whole series. 

 

 

 

Also on my nightstand is Joel Rosenberg's political middle eastern thriller The Third Hostage, which my son immediately absconded with and once he started reading it, couldn't put it down. His stories are spine chilling, finger nibbling, good. 

 

 

 

When New York Times foreign correspondent J. B. Collins hears rumors that an al-Qaeda splinter cell—ISIS—has captured a cache of chemical weapons inside Syria, Collins knows this is a story he must pursue at all costs. Does the commander of the jihadist faction really have the weapons? If so, who is the intended target? The U.S.? Israel? Or someone else? With tensions already high, the impending visit of the American president to the region could prove to be the spark that sets off an explosion of horrendous proportions. Knowing that terrorist forces are already trying to bring down two Arab governments in the region—Iraq and Syria—can Collins uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or will the terrorists succeed in setting their sights on the third target and achieving genocide? 

 

Two Israeli authors currently on my wishlist are Amos Oz and AB Yehoshua, thanks to Eliana.  Check out Goodreads for the Best Middle East Non Fiction and  Fiction as well as Historical Novels.com for Historical Novels of the Middle East. 

 

 

Where are your travels taking you this week?

 

 

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

 

History of the Renaissance World - Chapters 31 and 32 

 

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

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 19 

[Robin M]

:grouphug: and  :wub:  

 

I'm still reading Dreher's How Dante Can Save Your Life, making my way through it slowly a chapter at a time.  I finally read  Blade Song by J.C. Daniel's which has been in my ebook stacks for a long time.  Guess the time was finally right.  Once I read the first book in her Colbana Files Series, I immediately read # 2 Night Blade  (trigger warning - sexual abuse  and vampires) and now on #3 Broken Blade.

 

Also working through Transforming the Difficult Child Workbook as hubby and I took the plunge into Nurtured Heart parent training.  During the first session, both of us looked at each other and said we could use this for Hubert (our tractable technician) too.  We'd been telling James occupational therapist that positive feedback worked much better with him than dwelling on the negative.  Quite harping on the 5% of the time he does something wrong and concentrate on the 95% of the time he does well.  It finally got through. :hurray:  The whole group took Nurtured heart training classes so when they brought up the parent course, I couldn't say no.  Glad we are all on the same page now.  

[Stacia]

I've started a few non-fiction books over the past week. I finished one last night: Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston. This is a book for font/typography/punctuation nerds. The book jumps around through history, trying to pinpoint the origin of various marks. Some chapters succeed better than others. Overall, somewhat interesting, but probably of most interest to those that already have an interest in (or obsession with) typographical marks. Or maybe of interest if you'll be appearing on Jeopardy & need some additional arcane trivia at your fingertips.

 

2016 Books Read:

5 stars:

• The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar Martínez (Mexico)
• What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi (Europe: Various)
• West with the Night by Beryl Markham (Kenya)

4 stars:

• The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Columbia)
• Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki (Angola)
• An Exaggerated Murder by Josh Cook (USA)
• The Expedition to the Baobab Tree by Wilma Stockenström (South Africa)
• 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 (North Korea)
• Narconomics by Tom Wainwright (Various: mainly Latin & North America)
• A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez (England)
• Eleven Days by Stav Sherez (England)

3 stars:

• Gnarr! How I Became Mayor of a Large City in Iceland and Changed the World by Jón Gnarr (Iceland)
• A Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert Lawrence Smith (USA)
• The Three Trials of Manirema by José J. Veiga (Brazil)
• Necropolis by Santiago Gamboa (Israel)
• North to the Orient by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Asia: Various)
• Smile as they Bow by Nu Nu Yi (Myanmar)
• Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan (USA)
• Bossypants by Tina Fey (USA)
• The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay (USA & Italy)
• Harp of Burma by Michio Takeyama (Burma/Myanmar)
• Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston (Other)

2 stars:

• We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe)

Edited May 15, 2016 by Stacia

[Jane in NC]

Hello everyone!

 

My reading travels are taking me to Paris, Istanbul, Beirut.  The year is 1940 and the writer is Alan Furst which means that spies and agents are hard at work in pulling the strings of war. In Blood of Victory, a journalist has been enlisted as a spy to assist in an allied operation that will attempt to prevent Germany from importing oil from Romania.  This book has been living in the dusty stacks.  I was reminded of its existence last week when Onceuponatime mentioned spy stories.

 

Perhaps when I finish this I will continue on the Middle East theme with Robin.  Elias Khoury's Broken Mirrors has also been hiding in the dusty stacks.  This Archipelago edition is translated from the Arabic.

 

I had been ahead in HoRW and suddenly I am behind!  There is no too much going on outside of home this week so maybe I'll catch up.

 

May all of my fellow readers have a good week--with working appliances!

 

XXOO

 

 

Edited May 15, 2016 by Jane in NC

[mumto2]

New question about kindles - if you buy a book, where does it live (assuming no cloud account)? On the kindle? How many books fit on a kindle? How long does your battery last?

Nan

 

They live in your account with Amazon.

 

I drove my first kindle reader (second generation one so ancient now)a bit nuts and eventually dh took it away and reset it an archived the 3000+ mainly free books I had on it. Most of the were sorted into/onto bookshelves which probably didn't help. I downloaded everything that had ever interested me in the free section, it was my tv watching entertainment for a couple of months. The complete Bobbsey Twins just because they were handy, kids too old at that point, etc. I have all the classics I could find. Free fluff, some of it confuses things because I try to check it out of the library.

 

So the answer is they can hold many books. Realistically I try and keep readers below 300 now. The battery lasts much longer. I can read for roughly 20 hours (total guess to be honest) without charging. I charge my reader every other week. If I download several that seems to mean a bit more frequent charging. I keep the wifi off unless I need it.

 

My fires are different because that is what I go online with. If I spend a couple of hours online during the day and read at night my kindle needs to be charged the next day. I recently decreased the books actually on it to around 30 but several pdf etc. charge is holding longer.

 

Hope this helps. I will post more later.

Edited May 15, 2016 by mumto2

[Mothersweets]

Good morning everyone :)

 

Last week I read:

 

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes. I haven't watched any of her tv shows (I don't generally watch tv) but saw this book at the library and thought it looked interesting. Funny, honest, and real - I liked this book even though it rambled a bit. Plus, Shonda and I share a birthday!

 

The New York Regional Mormon Single Halloween Dance by Elna Baker. Funny, I liked this one, too.

 

Hmmm, seems I read a lot of memoirs.

 

Once Upon a Toad by Heather Vogel. Funny, middle grade, fairy tale retelling (sort of?)  in a modern day setting. I pre-read this one before giving to my 11yo. Clever story, held my interest and my 11yo dd liked it, too.

[Negin]

Robin, "The Source" is one of my favorites. I'm going to look into the other titles that you mentioned. 

 

I read Day - 2 Stars - I was disappointed with this one even more than I was with “Dawnâ€. “Night†is powerful and the other two are a definite let-down and depressing. I cannot understand why these three books are part of a trilogy. The last two are a bit muddling and all over the place. I almost abandoned both of them. 

 

 

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. 

 

[Negin]

Bodie and Brock Thoene take us step by step through the rise of world war II in Vienna in the 1930's through the late 1940's to Israel's Declaration of Independence in their historical fiction series Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles. Beautifully written and powerfully poignant, once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I'd consumed the whole series. 

Also on my nightstand is Joel Rosenberg's political middle eastern thriller The Third Hostage, which my son immediately absconded with and once he started reading it, couldn't put it down. His stories are spine chilling, finger nibbling, good. 

 

When New York Times foreign correspondent J. B. Collins hears rumors that an al-Qaeda splinter cell—ISIS—has captured a cache of chemical weapons inside Syria, Collins knows this is a story he must pursue at all costs. Does the commander of the jihadist faction really have the weapons? If so, who is the intended target? The U.S.? Israel? Or someone else? With tensions already high, the impending visit of the American president to the region could prove to be the spark that sets off an explosion of horrendous proportions. Knowing that terrorist forces are already trying to bring down two Arab governments in the region—Iraq and Syria—can Collins uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or will the terrorists succeed in setting their sights on the third target and achieving genocide? 

 

Two Israeli authors currently on my wishlist are Amos Oz and AB Yehoshua, thanks to Eliana.  Check out Goodreads for the Best Middle East Non Fiction and  Fiction as well as Historical Novels.com for Historical Novels of the Middle East. 

Robin, thank you for these wonderful links and book suggestions. :) I've read several on the GR links and it's nice to find more suggestions. 

Edited May 15, 2016 by Negin

[melmichigan]

I tried staying on top of the threads in the last few months and ended up discouraged when I couldn't keep track, so I've been MIA a long time.  Things continue to slowly improve with my recovery, and I've started reading some of the threads here on the board myself, versus having them read to me, so I'm going to jump in again now that things appear to slowed down a little bit.   :blushing: I've missed it.

 

I'm mostly still listening to audiobooks, or having books read to me, so I'm sticking with series that I've been following for a long time.  Recently I've finished:

 

Shadow Rites (Jane Yellowrock #10) by Faith Hunter.  This series is still going strong for me.  I love how Jane has grown and changed over time.

Flash of Fire (Firehawks #7) by M.L. Buchman.  I only read the longer books that he writes, but enjoy them all.

The 14th Colony (Cotton Malone #11) by Steve Berry.

War Hawk (Tucker Wayne #2) by James Rollins. This is a spin-off from the Sigma Force novels, where Tucker Wayne and Kane are first introduced.

White Tiger (Shifters Unbound #8) by Jennifer Ashley.

Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga #1) by Peter F. Hamilton.  This was an accomplishment!  I started this in January, and at 37 hours it is the longest book I've ever listened to. It's also not a genre that I usually read/listen to.  I will say, sometimes the audio was confusing and I'd have to switch to the kindle whisper sync so that I could understand what was going on. The transitions in the audio from one story arch to the next were very poor.

Edited May 15, 2016 by melmichigan

[marbel]

Hey, The Source might be just what I need to get out of my reading doldrums!  I used to read a lot of Michener - I adored Caravans and wanted desperately to go to Afghanistan after I read it - this was in the early 1970s when I was young and so naive.   Anyway, thanks for that, Robin, and for all you do!

 

My reading has been mostly unsatisfying.  I read a couple of fluff novels, and Of Mice and Men as a preview for my kids.  I feel I can't let them graduate without reading something by Steinbeck, since I grew up not far from the Salinas Valley and took a college course from a Steinbeck scholar.  Even though my kids never lived in Cali, I did, so it's in their blood whether they like it or not.  :-)  But, that book is too bleak right now.  The Grapes of Wrath would fit beautifully with American History, but it might be too long to squeeze in.  Maybe for a summer read?  I'm not sure.  Since my son is graduating I really can't assign him anything but he'll take recommendations. 

 

I have a huge stack of books but haven't really settled on anything.  I've started listening to Station Eleven, which I read last fall and loved - I finally got my book group to read it. But that's not happening for a month so I'm not motivated to read yet.  My strategy is to listen to get the story back fresh in my mind, then read carefully.   I want to track the characters this time around.  I'm also feeling guilty that I haven't finished The Invention of Nature, which I anticipated so eagerly.  Not sure why that is not clicking for me.

 

The homeschool year is coming to an end; I think I've read all the geology I'm going to for the present, so the only textbook-type reading is for American History.  We have slowed down a bit as my kids finished up their dual-enrollment classes. It'll take a few weeks to get through that. 

 

Still, I'm on track for 52 books this year, though I can't say all of them were the best use of my time! 

 

1.  Basin and Range, John McPhee

2.  Austenland, Shannon Hale

3. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin

4. The Lady in the Van, Alan Bennett

5. In Suspect Terrain, John McPhee

6. Jamaica Inn, Daphne duMaurier

7. A Dangerous Mourning, Anne Perry

8. Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Susan Vreeland

9.  Defend and Betray, Anne Perry

10. Economics in One Lesson, Henry Hazlitt

11. The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson

12. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

13. A Test of Wills, Charles Todd

14. The Original Miss Honeyford, Marion Chesney

15.  David Copperfield, Charles Dickens

16. What Angels Fear, C. S. Harris

17. The Curse of the Pharaohs, Elizabeth Peters

18. My Antonia, Willa Cather

19. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins

20. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy

21. And Only to Deceive, Tasha Alexander

22. Still Alice, Lisa Genova

23.  Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

24. The Body on the Beach, Simon Brett

25. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

26. Mindspeak, Heather Sunseri

27. The Copenhagen Connection, Elizabeth Peters

 

 

Edited May 16, 2016 by marbel

[Stacia]

Totally non-book related, but I love the internet, google, & youtube videos. I did a small amount of searching, found a work-around fix & fixed my washing machine today! I need to order a replacement part, have already watched a how-to video & think it's do-able. In the meantime, the temporary work-around has my washer working. Hoping to have the replacement part here & installed in about a week or two!

 

I did the same thing about two years ago with my dryer. It broke & I was able to google, find some descriptions of the problem, dismantled my dryer & replaced a part. It's still going strong.

 

Anyway, especially if you have older, mechanical machines (vs. the computer-driven models more prevalent now), it's worth looking for a fix before calling a repair person or replacing your stuff.

 

:hurray:

[Ali in OR]

Week 20 already? Wow!

 

I finished Jung Yun's Shelter this week, a book I picked for its cover. And I still think that's a silly way to pick books! This is a very well-written book, a gripping tale of a man and his family falling apart in the aftermath of a violent attack on his parents and the subsequent revelation of the domestic violence in his childhood home. There is a hope of healing at the end of the book, but mostly this is a severely damaged man and family. Not an easy comfort read!

 

In between library books I've made a little slow progress in Kristin Lavransdatter 3. It's dense writing. When I'm reading on the treadmill, I think I average about 30 pages in a typical fluff mystery during my 30 minute session. I think I get through about 10 pages of KL, and really it requires too much brain power to read it on the treadmill. But I have nothing else going yet, so tomorrow morning it will be back to KL. After my weekly trip to the library I will also have Valerian Ivanovich Albanov's In the Land of White Death: an epic story of survival in the Siberian Arctic. This will pass for my nautical bingo square. I remember giving this to my dad for Christmas probably the year it was published in 2001. As is our style, I was skimming it before wrapping it and got caught up in this newly discovered true tale of surviving shipwreck in the arctic. If I lived closer to my dad I'm sure I would have borrowed it back after he read it, but I'm just catching up with it again now. It's about as nautical as I think I can handle.

 

Have a good week!

[Ali in OR]

Totally non-book related, but I love the internet, google, & youtube videos. I did a small amount of searching, found a work-around fix & fixed my washing machine today! I need to order a replacement part, have already watched a how-to video & think it's do-able. In the meantime, the temporary work-around has my washer working. Hoping to have the replacement part here & installed in about a week or two!

 

I did the same thing about two years ago with my dryer. It broke & I was able to google, find some descriptions of the problem, dismantled my dryer & replaced a part. It's still going strong.

 

Anyway, especially if you have older, mechanical machines (vs. the computer-driven models more prevalent now), it's worth looking for a fix before calling a repair person or replacing your stuff.

 

:hurray:

 

You rock, Stacia. My dh fixes most everything around here by this method, but I have never tried it myself. Can you imagine that they used plastic clips to hold the spinning basket of heavy, wet clothing in our front-load washer? Plastic! Needless to say they failed once, but dh ordered new ones and fixed it. I try not to overload the poor thing anymore.

[Stacia]

You rock, Stacia. My dh fixes most everything around here by this method, but I have never tried it myself. Can you imagine that they used plastic clips to hold the spinning basket of heavy, wet clothing in our front-load washer? Plastic! Needless to say they failed once, but dh ordered new ones and fixed it. I try not to overload the poor thing anymore.

 

Next time something breaks, you should try it yourself, Ali! You can do it! (And, I wonder if you could find metal clips to put in instead of the plastic ones if/when they break again in the future?)

 

I'm not much of a DIYer, but dh is even less so. I figured what was there to lose? We were thinking we would have to replace it anyway, so I thought it would be worth looking up the problem to see what solutions people or companies have posted. Found the work-around very quickly, tried it out & it worked perfectly. Ran an entire empty load & it went through every cycle w/out a problem. Afterward, I looked up how to replace the part (which will be more involved because I'll have to dismantle the entire washing machine for that), found the part, & ordered it.

 

I told dh he can now order me the very expensive coffee machine I want! :D

[Jane in NC]

 

My reading has been mostly unsatisfying.  I read a couple of fluff novels, and Of Mice and Men as a preview for my kids.  I feel I can't let them graduate without reading something by Steinbeck, since grew up not far from the Salinas Valley and took a college course from a Steinbeck scholar.  Even though my kids never lived in Cali, I did, so it's in their blood whether they like it or not.  :-)  But, that book is too bleak right now.  The Grapes of Wrath would fit beautifully with American History, but it might be too long to squeeze in.  Maybe for a summer read?  I'm not sure.  Since my son is graduating I really can't assign him anything but he'll take recommendations. 

 

Steinbeck for your son:  Travels with Charlie or Once There Was a War??  I have a copy of the latter which I'll be happy to pass along after I read it. (Knowing it needs to go to someone may motivate me to move it out of the dusties.) 

 

Totally non-book related, but I love the internet, google, & youtube videos. I did a small amount of searching, found a work-around fix & fixed my washing machine today! I need to order a replacement part, have already watched a how-to video & think it's do-able. In the meantime, the temporary work-around has my washer working. Hoping to have the replacement part here & installed in about a week or two!

 

I did the same thing about two years ago with my dryer. It broke & I was able to google, find some descriptions of the problem, dismantled my dryer & replaced a part. It's still going strong.

 

Anyway, especially if you have older, mechanical machines (vs. the computer-driven models more prevalent now), it's worth looking for a fix before calling a repair person or replacing your stuff.

 

:hurray:

 

Wow, you do rock, Stacia!  Go you!

[mumto2]

Stacia I am so impressed! Dh uses Youtube etc to solve so many of our repair problems. I am impressed everytime he fixes something....I didn't marry him expecting home repairs.

 

Mel, Just wanted to say welcome back. We've missed you. I liked the new Faith Hunter too.

 

For my Mediterranean book I have been listening to the first Inspector Montebello mystery https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/163166.The_Shape_of_Water The Shape of Water. I have wanted to read these for awhile because the tv show looked good but I have never managed to watch more than a few minutes of it. I am not sure how I feel about the book....it's a bit gritty. I only have about an hour left.

 

I also finished Quiet as a Nun the first Jemima Shore mystery and have started the second in the series. Planning to continue the series and discovered that the series was also a tv show in the 80's which is available on dvd. I ordered the complete series this morning to quilt with.

 

My main reading this week was Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series. I finished the published ones this week. It was fun to just immerse myself in the series.

 

I am still reading Werewolf of Bamburg by Oliver Potzsch. It's long. I was really struggling with it but hit 50 percent this morning and it is going better now. I really enjoyed the first books in the series so hate to give up.

[Jane in NC]

For my Mediterranean book I have been listening to the first Inspector Montebello mystery https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/163166.The_Shape_of_Water The Shape of Water. I have wanted to read these for awhile because the tv show looked good but I have never managed to watch more than a few minutes of it. I am not sure how I feel about the book....it's a bit gritty. I only have about an hour left.

 

 

I'm rather fond of the Montebello books despite the grit. I read them for the food--and the mysteries.  But the food!  I even taste the espresso when Andrea Camilleri writes about it.

[Violet Crown]

Finished Jack Kerouac's On The Road--appropriately enough--on the interstate between Ft Worth and Austin. Very much a guy book, but I liked it. I read a portion to Middle Girl and she liked it; asked if the writer was a poet. Which of course he is. Here's the famous last paragraph:

 

So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars'll be out, and don't you know that God is Pooh Bear? the evening star must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie, which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens all rivers, cups the peaks and folds the final shore in, and nobody, nobody knows what's going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old, I think of Dean Moriarty, I even think of Old Dean Moriarty the father we never found, I think of Dean Moriarty.

We're just about to set out on the springtime peregrination that is dh's Other Job, and I need to decide what book to bring for the long travel thither. Something I won't find easily on the other side; portably smallish; battered enough I won't mind abandoning it so as not to add to suitcase weight on the way back. Possibly my old water-damaged compact copy of Walden? It's on my Shame List, so maybe it's time. Edited May 16, 2016 by Violet Crown

[Violet Crown]

Since Ali brought up the weirdness of choosing books by their covers, I had to say I agree in principle but Penguin is bringing me around on that. Over the years their cover design has swung between elegant and awful, but right now their Classics are wonderfully designed and do in fact make me want to read each book just that bit more. The cover to On The Road is especially good I thought:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41bRH5v3zyL._SX332_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

If only I could paste in the picture using an iPad....

[Nan in Mass]

Totally non-book related, but I love the internet, google, & youtube videos. I did a small amount of searching, found a work-around fix & fixed my washing machine today! I need to order a replacement part, have already watched a how-to video & think it's do-able. In the meantime, the temporary work-around has my washer working. Hoping to have the replacement part here & installed in about a week or two!

 

I did the same thing about two years ago with my dryer. It broke & I was able to google, find some descriptions of the problem, dismantled my dryer & replaced a part. It's still going strong.

 

Anyway, especially if you have older, mechanical machines (vs. the computer-driven models more prevalent now), it's worth looking for a fix before calling a repair person or replacing your stuff.

 

:hurray:

We fix things by following youtube videos alot. I,m too scared to fix my ipad headphone jack, though. It involves microwaving it to soften the plastic in order to remove the screen.

 

That,s great about your washer! Good for you!

 

Nan

[Kathleen.]

I didn't post my week 19 oops

I read "Classics in the Classroom" by Michael Clay Thompson - everyone should read this book. My 10yo read the first book in the Faraway Tree Series "The Enchanted Wood" by Enid Blyton. She absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read the next one. This was a recommendation from one of the forums.

:)

[mumto2]

I'm rather fond of the Montebello books despite the grit. I read them for the food--and the mysteries. But the food! I even taste the espresso when Andrea Camilleri writes about it.

The food is lovely, thats a great way to compensate for the uncomfortable bits! I am sure I will keep listening to these but I think the listening part makes them grittier. ;( I am used to reading fast through uncomfortable bits in my books. Audiobooks go rather slowly through them. This series isn't available in book form on my overdrive I have to stick with the audiobooks.

 

Next up on my listening list is probably a Jim Butcher paranormal that I have abandoned many times. It is such a popular paranormal series that I know I should love it but I can't seem to focus on it. Going to try the audiobook out.

 

VC, Safe travels. I hope you find the perfect companion book.

Edited May 16, 2016 by mumto2

[Mom-ninja.]

I listened to Martin Short's memoir. It made me laugh and cry. I want to rewatch some of my favorite movies now. 

[Ethel Mertz]

I did a lot of light reading last week as I discovered Ann Ross's North Carolina based Miss Julia series (my spouse was born and raised in NC and all in-laws are there). I just finished the 3rd in that series.

 

Other books read this week:

 

A Murder of Crows (Bob White Birder Murder Mystery #5) – Jan Dunlap. Such fun these birder mysteries!

A Pocket Full of Rye (Miss Marple #7) – Agatha Christie. Delightful Christie.

Valentine Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #5)

The Outside World – Tova Mirvis. Another novel based in an Orthodox Jewish community.

 

I'm still reading Daniel Berrigan's autobiography: To Dwell in Peace. I abandoned Kate O'Brien's The Flower of May (chosen because it had the word "May" in the title). I found it to be dishwater dull and just couldn't get beyond the first 25 pages. For my "May" read, I'll re-read one of May Sarton's books. I'll also be re-reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in advance of discussion with DS.

[ErinE]

.

Edited November 8, 2016 by ErinE

[ErinE]

Next up on my listening list is probably a Jim Butcher paranormal that I have abandoned many times. It is such a popular paranormal series that I know I should love it but I can't seem to focus on it. Going to try the audiobook out.

 

 

If this is the first book in the Dresden Files, that's probably his weakest. I like to read series in order, but I ended up starting with book 3 because of availability. I would recommend reading the rest of the series in order though.

[Ethel Mertz]

 

Crucible of Gold and Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik - After reading her novel Uprooted (Five stars, highly recommended, a read it now book), I started the Temeraire novels; His Majesty's Dragon is the first in the series. Novik does a wonderful job describing the world of the early 1800s, only with dragons. The series travels to Western Europe, China, Africa, South America, and Australia. I really enjoy this author and thus far haven't found a book from her I wouldn't recommend.

 

 

 

 

I loved Novik's Uprooted! Thanks for suggesting the Temeraire novels; I've just added them to my very long to-be-read list.

[Kareni]

Home again.  I haven't read this week's thread yet, but I saw these questions on last week's thread.

 

How many books fit on a kindle?

 

I'm something of a free Kindle book hoarder; I ran out of space at about 1600 Kindle books.  I believe an indefinite amount of books can remain in the cloud though which means I can continue to acquire.
 

 

 How long does your battery last?

 

My Kindle battery can last for days depending on how much I'm reading.

 

 

I acquired a copy of My Antonia last month.  Which is better Death Comes for the Archbishop or My Antonia?

 

Death Comes for the Archbishop was the first Willa Cather novel I ever read.  Unlike many of her novels, it is set in New Mexico. I liked it more than My Antonia, but I suspect that others will feel differently.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ErinE]

I loved Novik's Uprooted! Thanks for suggesting the Temeraire novels; I've just added them to my very long to-be-read list.

 

They were a fast read for me, much faster than Uprooted. I loved the descriptions of all the various continents and how dragons (and people) differ culturally.

[mumto2]

If this is the first book in the Dresden Files, that's probably his weakest. I like to read series in order, but I ended up starting with book 3 because of availability. I would recommend reading the rest of the series in order though.

I read the first one a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. I have started Fool Moon at least three times and read a few pages but never bothered to click on it again on my kindle. I am 2 hours into the book and enjoying it. Not sure what my problem was other than the opening scene wasz a bit blah.

 

It is rare for me to read a series out of order. When I do it it generally a mistake or I can't get thee start of the series.

[SEGway]

Life got weird and crazy. I haven't had time to read through the last several weeks worth of these threads (which is sad to me). But, I saw today that Audible's deal of the day is Neil Gaiman reading his _Ocean at the End of the Lane_ for 3.95.

 

It made me think of you lovely ladies. 

Hope it's helpful!

 

-Sarah

[melmichigan]

I read the first one a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. I have started Fool Moon at least three times and read a few pages but never bothered to click on it again on my kindle. I am 2 hours into the book and enjoying it. Not sure what my problem was other than the opening scene wasz a bit blah.

 

It is rare for me to read a series out of order. When I do it it generally a mistake or I can't get thee start of the series.

It took me forever to read Storm Front, I just couldn't figure out what all the rave was about.  Fool Moon took me a little while to get into and then improved.  I just realized I must have bought them when they were on sale; I have through #7 archived on my kindle cloud.  I downloaded Grave Peril to try sometime this week. :)

[Kareni]

... I've been MIA a long time.  Things continue to slowly improve with my recovery, and I've started reading some of the threads here on the board myself, versus having them read to me, so I'm going to jump in again now that things appear to slowed down a little bit. 

 

 

Welcome back!  I'm glad to hear that you are recovering and hope that you'll soon be at 100%.

 

 

I haven't participated here in awhile, but I was on vacation last week and finished several books.

 

...

 

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson - Although this book had a unique premise, there wasn't enough emotional investment in the main character for me to recommend it. No particular descriptions stood out other than the one moment the character reveals a big secret, which seemed a weak justification for the resulting actions.

 

And welcome back to you, too, Erin.  I also thought the premise of The Traitor Baru Cormorant was intriguing; however, I lost interest in the book about half way through and left it unfinished.

 

 

I told dh he can now order me the very expensive coffee machine I want! :D

 

Kudos to you, Stacia, on your fix it skills.  I hope some good coffee is in your future!

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Butter]

Book #46: Sugar Gliders by David E. Boruchowitz.  I knew pretty much everything in the book mainly because of obsessive research to figure out how to raise these critters.  It only vaguely talked about bonding and that's extremely important.

 

I'm reading more books again now.  I've got an hour a day of just sitting while Fritz is at swim team and I'm not doing as much research on how to care for my little ladies.

[Mom-ninja.]

 

Crucible of Gold and Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik - After reading her novel Uprooted (Five stars, highly recommended, a read it now book), I started the Temeraire novels; His Majesty's Dragon is the first in the series. Novik does a wonderful job describing the world of the early 1800s, only with dragons. The series travels to Western Europe, China, Africa, South America, and Australia. I really enjoy this author and thus far haven't found a book from her I wouldn't recommend.

 

 

I'm reading (or listening to I should say) Uprooted right now. 

[Kareni]

A couple of recent posts from Tor.com that might be of interest ~

 

a very enthusiastic book review by Jo Walton:

 

A Future Worth Having: Ada Palmer’s Too Like the Lightning

 

"...It’s quite a common experience when you’re a teenager to read a book that blows you away, that causes the top of your head to come off and your brain to rearrange itself and be a better more interesting brain thereafter. I’ve talked about this a lot, both in posts here and also fictionally in Among Others, it’s one of the fundamental experiences of the SF reading kid. It’s a much less common experience when you’re grown up. I read books now and I think “Oh I like this! This is a really great example of that thingâ€. I may get immersed in a book and hyperventilate but I won’t finish a book and think “Wait, who am I? Why is the world like this? Do I even have a head?†This did that to me, it gave me that experience of reading SF when SF was new to me, the feeling that I am a different and better person because I read this, and not only that but a better and more ambitious writer."

 

and

 

Five Books With Families We’d Like to Live Alongside as Neighbors by Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu  

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Melissa, I'm glad to see you back here & hope this provides some happy space while you are still working on your recovery.

 

Heather, I meant to mention last week how absolutely adorable your sugar gliders are!

 

Fitting in with Robin's theme this week, I pullled an Archipelago book off my shelf & started reading it: Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury, translated from the Arabic by Humphrey Davies. It's beautiful so far. Just beautiful.

 

 

• A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year
• A Christian Science Monitor Best Book of the Year
• A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
• American Association of Publishers Best Book of the Year
• One of Kansas City Star’s 100 Noteworthy Books of the Year
• Boldtype Notable Book of the Year
• A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
• Le Monde Diplomatique Book of the Year

Gate of the Sun: Bab al-Shams is the first magnum opus of the Palestinian saga. After their country is torn apart in 1948, two men remain alone in a deserted makeshift hospital in the Shatila camp on the outskirts of Beirut. We enter a vast world of displacement, fear, and tenuous hope. Khalil holds vigil at the bedside of his patient and spiritual father, a storied leader of the Palestinian resistance who has slipped into a coma. As Khalil attempts to revive Yunes, he begins a story, which branches into many. Stories of the people expelled from their villages in Galilee, of the massacres that followed, of the extraordinary inner strength of those who survived, and of love.

 

Gate of the Sun is a Palestinian Odyssey. Beautifully weaving together haunting stories of survival and loss, love and devastation, memory and dream, Khoury humanizes the complex Palestinian struggle as he brings to life the story of an entire people. Originally published in Beirut in 1998, the novel has been a sensation throughout the Arab world, in Israel, and throughout Europe.

ETA: It looks like the ebook versions (pdf & ePub) are currently $9.99 on the Archipelago site right now (vs. the normal $26 price).

Edited May 17, 2016 by Stacia

[mumto2]

I am thrilled to report that I am finally done with The Werewolf of Bamberghttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25149799-the-werewolf-of-bamberg. The book seemed like it was never going to end. I have really enjoyed the Hangman's Daughter series but this one was just too long, around 600 pages.

[marbel]

Steinbeck for your son:  Travels with Charlie or Once There Was a War??  I have a copy of the latter which I'll be happy to pass along after I read it. (Knowing it needs to go to someone may motivate me to move it out of the dusties.) 

 

 

Thank you!  I have never read either of these.  Both are in my library system and are requested!  Thanks!  I will probably read them too. 

 

[Mom-ninja.]

Kareni, your links always have me adding books to my impossibly large tbr list. Do I have to put you on ignore until I reduce my list in half? 

 

I would love to learn to read faster. 

[Kareni]

Kareni, your links always have me adding books to my impossibly large tbr list.

 

Rubs hands in glee.

 

 

 Do I have to put you on ignore until I reduce my list in half? 

 

Yes, probably.

 

I've always wondered how the ignore feature works.  Would you just see a blank in the thread?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

 I've always wondered how the ignore feature works.  Would you just see a blank in the thread?

 

You see a message that says, "This post is hidden because you have chosen to ignore posts by ________. View it anyway?" You can then click on the "View it anyway?" part & it will show you the post.

 

On a different note, The Vegetarian has been announced as the winner of the Man Booker International Prize.

 

[Lady Florida.]

You see a message that says, "This post is hidden because you have chosen to ignore posts by ________. View it anyway?" You can then click on the "View it anyway?" part & it will show you the post.

 

 

 

That's why I don't put people on ignore. The few times I've done it (those posters are no longer here) I was always curious and clicked on View it anyway. I have no willpower. :D

[Onceuponatime]

Hi. I finished Death in an Ivory Tower, unfortunately King Arthur walked through that book on stilts, making only a couple of cameo appearances. It was an average/good cozy. Yesterday I picked up Wee Free Men. It had finally been in the library when I wanted it. Plus, I needed a distraction from a looming midlife medical procedure. 😠I think I may have become a Pratchett fan. Why else would I have found myself wiggling with delight and anticipation when I opened the book to the first page? I am not disappointed.

[Kareni]

You see a message that says, "This post is hidden because you have chosen to ignore posts by ________. View it anyway?" You can then click on the "View it anyway?" part & it will show you the post.

 

Thank you.  I now feel informed.

 

 

That's why I don't put people on ignore. The few times I've done it (those posters are no longer here) I was always curious and clicked on View it anyway. I have no willpower. :D

 

I'm another who has no willpower; I suspect I would do likewise.

 

 

On a different note, The Vegetarian has been announced as the winner of the Man Booker International Prize.

 

What an interesting article, Stacia.  I shared it with my daughter because of the comments of the translator concerning the dearth of English-Korean translators.  (Potential future career for my daughter who is currently teaching English in Korea??)

 

 

And speaking of Korea, my husband finished the book you sent him. (I'd told Stacia that it might take my husband between one to seven years to read the book.  It's not that he doesn't like to read, it's generally a matter of a lack of time to read.  He started dipping into it in April and finished it on our recent trip to a family wedding.)  He enjoyed the book.

 

I'll happily send it on to another interested reader.

 

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

 

Here is what Stacia said after reading the book:

 

I finished 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.

 

3.5 to 4 stars.

 

A fascinating (& sometimes depressing) look at the cult of personality & power of propaganda & film in North Korea, largely based around the 1970s kidnappings of two of South Korea's most famous movie personalities, actress Choi Eun-hee and director Shin Sang-ok. A unique glimpse into a hermit nation.

 

Truth surely is stranger than fiction.

 

Recommended for fans of non-fiction & for film buffs, especially.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[NoseInABook]

It's been a crazy week! I didn't have time to catch up on the last thread so hopefully I will be able to do this one. My mom brought me two Jude Deveraux books and I was transported back into being about 12 and loooooving Jude Deveraux. Ever After and First Impressions are complete. I also finished Patricia Briggs' Fire Touched which was wasn't bad but wasn't great either. I'm about halfway through Kevin Hearne's Hammered which always seems to get put on the back shelf when something else exciting pops up though I do like Atticus quite a bit.

[Kareni]

Books read and listened to in the recent past ~

 

On our road trip to observe the Transit of Mercury, my husband and I started listening to

One Second After by William R. Forstchen (and read by Joe Barrett).  It was an engaging/terrifying book, and it generated a lot of conversation.  That said, I stopped listening to it when we returned home, and my husband finished it alone.

 

From Publishers Weekly

 

"In this entertaining apocalyptic thriller from Forstchen (We Look Like Men of War), a high-altitude nuclear bomb of uncertain origin explodes, unleashing a deadly electromagnetic pulse that instantly disables almost every electrical device in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. Airplanes, most cars, cellphones, refrigerators—all are fried as the country plunges into literal and metaphoric darkness. History professor John Matherson, who lives with his two daughters in a small North Carolina town, soon figures out what has happened. Aided by local officials, Matherson begins to deal with such long-term effects of the disaster as starvation, disease and roving gangs of barbarians. While the material sometimes threatens to veer into jingoism, and heartstrings are tugged a little too vigorously, fans of such classics as Alas, Babylon and On the Beachwill have a good time as Forstchen tackles the obvious and some not-so-obvious questions the apocalypse tends to raise."

 

**

 

Beyond Repair by Susie Tate -- I'd read a couple of other books by this author.  It was an entertaining contemporary romance.

 

Red Dirt Heart by N. R. Walker -- an enjoyable contemporary romance set in Australia featuring two men.

 

Several books in the Portland Storm series (TeacherZee mentioned having read these) all of which I liked:

 

Breakaway (Portland Storm Book 1) currently free to Kindle readers, 

 

On the Fly (Portland Storm Book 2)  currently free to Kindle readers,

 

and

Holiday Hat Trick (Portland Storm, Volume 8)

 

A Forbidden Rumspringa (Gay Amish Romance) by Keira Andrews -- I really enjoyed this one.  I would have liked it even better, I think, had it been somewhat less explicit as I think that might have better suited the storyline.  And I say that as someone who has no issue reading books with adult content. I hope to read the two sequels.

 

Valor on the Move by Keira Andrews -- This was very different than the book above as it was a romance between the president's son and a secret service agent.

 

The Game Plan (Game On, Volume 3) by Kristen Callihan -- a contemporary romance.

 

and a reread of the paranormal romance novella The Wicked (Elder Races) by Thea Harrison

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Nan in Mass]

Sniff sniff... I finished The Shepherd,s Crown and there will be no sequels. I have had a lovely time being Tiffany and life is looking pretty dull now I am through the last of the series.

 

Nan

[Angel]

 

Five Books With Families We’d Like to Live Alongside as Neighbors by Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu  

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

The Vale of Aldur was on the list from The Belgariad by David Eddings!   :001_wub: I'm in the middle of listening to the series (I've read them over and over so many times that I thought they would be the perfect audio books...and they are!).  I love the characters in David Eddings' books!  They are like family or old comfortable friends.

[Stacia]

That's why I don't put people on ignore. The few times I've done it (those posters are no longer here) I was always curious and clicked on View it anyway. I have no willpower. :D

 

:lol:

 

Hi. I finished Death in an Ivory Tower, unfortunately King Arthur walked through that book on stilts, making only a couple of cameo appearances. It was an average/good cozy. Yesterday I picked up Wee Free Men. It had finally been in the library when I wanted it. Plus, I needed a distraction from a looming midlife medical procedure. 😠I think I may have become a Pratchett fan. Why else would I have found myself wiggling with delight and anticipation when I opened the book to the first page? I am not disappointed.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  on your looming medical procedure.

 

Yay for Terry Pratchett & Tiffany Aching!

 

What an interesting article, Stacia.  I shared it with my daughter because of the comments of the translator concerning the dearth of English-Korean translators.  (Potential future career for my daughter who is currently teaching English in Korea??)

 

And speaking of Korea, my husband finished the book you sent him. (I'd told Stacia that it might take my husband between one to seven years to read the book.  It's not that he doesn't like to read, it's generally a matter of a lack of time to read.  He started dipping into it in April and finished it on our recent trip to a family wedding.)  He enjoyed the book.

 

Being an English/Korean translator would be an amazing job, imo. That would indeed be a very cool future career, imo.

 

Wow, your dh must have speed-read it! ;)  Glad he enjoyed it.

 

I'm happy because on my library run today (to the other county's library system, not the one where I work, lol), I ran in their 'Friends of the Library' used bookstore & found a copy of No Country for Old Men. I've been looking for a copy ever since I read it last year & was totally blown away by it. I also picked up a book of short stories by Balzac, solely because I've never read Balzac & yet I love Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Seems wrong not to have read Balzac....