Book a Week 2016 - BW21: Middle of the World

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 21 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 - Middle of the World:  Thought I'd give your wishlists and pocketbooks a break with a bit of poetry D.H. Lawrence wrote about the Mediterranean Sea. Enjoy! 

 

Milky Way over the Mediterranean Sea by Albena Markova 

 

 

 

 

Middle of the World

 

by 

 

D. H. Lawrence

 

 

This sea will never die, neither will it grow old,

nor cease to be blue, nor in the dawn

cease to lift up its hills

and let the slim black ship of Dionysus come sailing in

with grape-vines up the mast, and dolphins leaping.

 

What do I care if the smoking ships

of the P. & O. and the Orient Line and all the other stinkers

cross like clock-work the Minoan distance!

They only cross, the distance never changes.

 

And now that the moon who gives men glistening bodies

is in her exaltation, and can look down on the sun,

I see descending from the ships at dawn

slim naked men from Cnossos, smiling the archaic smile

of those that will without fail come back again,

and kindling little fires upon the shores

and crouching, and speaking the music of lost languages.

 

And the Minoan Gods and the Gods of Tiryns

are heard softly laughing and chatting, as ever;

and Dionysus, young, and a stranger

leans listening on the gate, in all respect.

 

 

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

 

History of the Renaissance World - Chapters 33 and 34 

 

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

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

Link to week 20 

[Robin M]

Interestingly enough, I'm reading more non fiction than fiction.  I'm halfway through Rod Dreher's How Dante Saved My Life.  

 

Working through Julia Cameron's Artist's Way and Jack Hart's A Writer's Coach.

 

About to dive into Architects of Possibility by Lance Olsen.  

 

Meanwhile rereading Stacia Kane's Downside Ghosts paranormal fantasy series and finished #1 Unholy Ghosts and part way through #2 Unholy Magic.

 

:grouphug:

 

 

[Kim in Appalachia]

I'm going to do a quick jump into this thread. :)  I've not been reading much because I've been so busy as well as super stressed, making it hard to focus on a book. But 2 weeks ago I found myself stuck at Costco for over 3 hrs for new tires.  I had forgotten to grab my Kindle so I walked over to the book section.  I found Judy Blume's In the Unlikely Event .  Seeing Blume's name on the book gave me all the feels (sorry, cheesy expression, I know, but it was exactly how I felt), so I bought the book. I read a third of it while waiting, then finished it later that week.

 

I enjoyed the book immensely.  I was pulled right in, felt like I was there, in the early 50's in Jersey.  I loved the characters and could relate to so much.  I also loved the ending.  The modern thing is to not have a full epilogue, but she had a complete one.  It was a very satisfying read.

 

It felt good to get lost in a book. I could use another, fun, light read. I may have to go looking for one.  My normal books are dark or deep or both, but right now I need some good fluff.      

[aggieamy]

I'm going to do a quick jump into this thread. :)  I've not been reading much because I've been so busy as well as super stressed, making it hard to focus on a book. But 2 weeks ago I found myself stuck at Costco for over 3 hrs for new tires.  I had forgotten to grab my Kindle so I walked over to the book section.  I found Judy Blume's In the Unlikely Event .  Seeing Blume's name on the book gave me all the feels (sorry, cheesy expression, I know, but it was exactly how I felt), so I bought the book. I read a third of it while waiting, then finished it later that week.

 

I enjoyed the book immensely.  I was pulled right in, felt like I was there, in the early 50's in Jersey.  I loved the characters and could relate to so much.  I also loved the ending.  The modern thing is to not have a full epilogue, but she had a complete one.  It was a very satisfying read.

 

It felt good to get lost in a book. I could use another, fun, light read. I may have to go looking for one.  My normal books are dark or deep or both, but right now I need some good fluff.      

 

I just hate it when I forget a book! At least you were able to find a good solution. 

 

 

I'm checking in but haven't read/finished anything in a long time.  DH and I are self employed and we've invoiced as much this year already as we did all last year.  It's been crazy busy.  Oh and the Chews-on-Books is full of energy and he doesn't want me to sit and read when I could be paying attention to HIM.  It's a lovely but high energy phase.

 

We are leaving for vacation in three days.  I'm so excited and planning on getting some reading done then. 

 

And this is the part I'm really excited about ... the aggieamy family is going to meet the mumto2 family!!! Eek.  How exciting.  DH is going to get tips on how to not run people into ditches while driving in England from Mr. Mumto2 while Sandy and I chat about books. 

[Shawneinfl]

I just finished reading last week's threads and I realized I'm an old boardie too. I'm pretty sure it's been over ten years but from the relatively small number of posts I have you'd think I was just a lurker. Seriously, if you met me in real life you'd be amazed to see how much of a true extrovert I am. Maybe that's what it is...I'd rather be having real conversations instead of just typing them. I'd love to join any east coasters for a museum meet up.

[JennW in SoCal]

Found another satisfying mystery series, this time the Longmire series set in Wyoming. I think one of you recommended it recently, but I can't find it mentioned via the search function, though I have not reached anywhere near the level of "google-fu" as the master, Kareni! Anyway, last night I finished the first title in the series, The Cold Dish, after being rudely interrupted by family members thinking we needed dinner! I understand there is also a tv series based on the books, so will have to check those out as well.  

 

I'm giving up on the audio version of The Regional Office is Under Attack. It is a book that would probably be better in print as each chapter shifts in time and character, and when I've not listened to it in several days I forget who is who and where we are in the story.  It would be easier with a paper version to flip back a few pages and get things straight again. Can't decide if it is a good book or not -- it isn't great literature, but it might be a good page turner/beach read.

 

 

[JennW in SoCal]

 

We are leaving for vacation in three days.  I'm so excited and planning on getting some reading done then. 

 

And this is the part I'm really excited about ... the aggieamy family is going to meet the mumto2 family!!! Eek.  How exciting.  DH is going to get tips on how to not run people into ditches while driving in England from Mr. Mumto2 while Sandy and I chat about books. 

 

So jealous!! Have a wonderful time, driving and all! My brother-in-law said the hardest part for him when driving in New Zealand was NOT turning on the windshield wipers when he was signaling a turn -- the levers are on the opposite sides of the steering wheels, lol!

 

I just finished reading last week's threads and I realized I'm an old boardie too. I'm pretty sure it's been over ten years but from the relatively small number of posts I have you'd think I was just a lurker. Seriously, if you met me in real life you'd be amazed to see how much of a true extrovert I am. Maybe that's what it is...I'd rather be having real conversations instead of just typing them. I'd love to join any east coasters for a museum meet up.

 

I rarely look at post counts, but you're right -- it is a low number!  I wouldn't have expected it as I've "known" you around these boards for many years! 

[Jane in NC]

And this is the part I'm really excited about ... the aggieamy family is going to meet the mumto2 family!!! Eek.  How exciting.  DH is going to get tips on how to not run people into ditches while driving in England from Mr. Mumto2 while Sandy and I chat about books. 

Total envy, Amy!  Safe travels.

 

I am reading but I believe it is at a slower pace than last year.  More accurately, I am reading books at a slower pace than last year. At the moment, I probably spend an hour a day reading online journals of long distance hikers.  No, I am not joining them, but my son is out there with them.  He has hiked over 1500 miles since the end of February. He has about 700 more miles to go before finishing his trek. 

 

Wanting to reciprocate the generosity of some BaWers, I selected a couple of books to read that will be mailed out when I have finished. Onceuponatime, I'll send Alan Furst's Blood of Victory to you this week.  In this WWII novel, the "blood of victory" refers to oil, specifically the oil from Romania's Ploesti fields that fueled the Nazis.  It was not my favorite Furst but it will give Once an opportunity to try Furst's historically accurate espionage novels.

 

A year or two ago, there was an active discussion on John Williams' novel, Stoner, originally published in 1965 but a volume that gained attention and popularity when it was reissued by the New York Review of Books imprint in 2006.  This one is going to Stacia when I am done.  (And Stoner is the main character's surname--not a description of his habits!)

 

Shawne, I feel like you and I are so close yet so far away. One of these days we'll get together!

 

Jane

[mumto2]

We are looking forward to the Aggieamy Family's arrival also!

 

On the book front I finished Only Beloved by Mary Balogh. I think it will be the last of the Survivor's Club series because they are all now married. Sniff, sniff, I have really enjoyed this series.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067987-only-beloved

 

I just started the Madwoman Upstairs which Onceuponatime recommended. So far it's great but at 10 pages who knows? But since I abandoned a cozy this morning at about ten pages maybe ten pages says a great deal! ;) I have also listened my way into the third in the Jim Butcher series. I like listening to ghem. My overdrive has several as audiobooks, I hope they are all there.

[Kareni]

Milky Way over the Mediterranean Sea by Albena Markova 

 

What a beautiful picture, Robin; thanks for sharing it.

 

And this is the part I'm really excited about ... the aggieamy family is going to meet the mumto2 family!!! Eek.  How exciting. 

 

What fun!  I hope you all have a great time.

 

 

Found another satisfying mystery series, this time the Longmire series set in Wyoming. I think one of you recommended it recently, but I can't find it mentioned via the search function, though I have not reached anywhere near the level of "google-fu" as the master, Kareni!

 

I couldn't find any Book a Week thread mentions; however, I did find two mentions of the books (as opposed to many mentions of the TV series):

 

one by prairiewindmomma

 

two by Erica in OR

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

Some interesting posts from NPR ~

 

'People Want These Stories': Women Win Big At The Nebula Awards by K. Tempest Bradford

 

2015 Nebula Award Winners

 

Best Novel: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Best Novella: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Best Novelette: "Our Lady of the Open Road" by Sarah Pinsker

Best Short Story: "Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" by Alyssa Wong

Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy: Updraft by Fran Wilde

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation: Mad Max: Fury Road Written by George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nick Lathouris

Solstice Award: Terry Pratchett

 

**

'Devil And The Bluebird' Is A Magical, Musical Road Trip by Caitlyn Paxson

 

"Devil and the Bluebird starts out as a folksy road trip with a girl Odysseus whose journey takes her along the roads of modern America. But it quickly becomes clear that Blue isn't trying to find her way home — she's trying to piece together a new one. ..."

 

**

 

The Ultimate Latin Dictionary: After 122 Years, Still At Work On The Letter 'N' by Byrd Pinkerton

 

"On the second floor of an old Bavarian palace in Munich, Germany, there's a library with high ceilings, a distinctly bookish smell and one of the world's most extensive collections of Latin texts. About 20 researchers from all over the world work in small offices around the room.

 

They're laboring on a comprehensive Latin dictionary that's been in progress since 1894. The most recently published volume contained all the words beginning with the letter P. That was back in 2010.

 

And they're not as far along as that may lead you to believe. They skipped over N years ago because it has so many long words, and now they've had to go back to that one. They're also working on R at the same time. That should take care of the rest of this decade. ..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ali in OR]

Dd and I finished Dava Sobel's Longitude this week as a read-aloud. I finished In the Land of White Death by Valerian Albanov for my nautical read. This is a true memoir of the St. Anna, a ship that got locked in polar ice in 1912. After living on board 18 months hoping summer melt would release the ship, the ship's navigator and 12 other guys make sledges and kayaks and attempt to make it back to civilization. Two will make it, including the navigator who wrote the book. When he's not overcome by snow blindness, he uses his sextant and chronometer to determine his location--a nice tie-in to Longitude. A gripping read, and quick too.

 

I'm currently reading Anna Lee Huber's second Lady Darby mystery, Mortal Arts. I am enjoying the story, but am also noticing too many mistakes. I should have been an editor. Not a big-picture editor, just a nit-picky detail editor. And I'm wondering who edited this book--she should be fired. I cannot believe an author wrote and an editor left in a description of a stair rail made of "black rod iron." Rod iron? Wrought iron. Then there are three different characters (so far) who have used the phrase, "no worries" in this mystery set in 1830 in Scotland. This is recent American jargon! But maybe the Scots have been using the phrase for a couple hundred years...Still, I'm enjoying the story enough to continue. I note from Amazon that the author has written a bunch more of these (a new one every few months--maybe she should spend more time editing), but my library doesn't have any of the others, so this may be my last.

 

I picked up 3 14-day books at the library: the next Kate Shackleton mystery, Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, and Jim Wallis' America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America. I heard about the last on NPR several months ago and it sounds like it might address the "but what can an individual do?" part of the issue. I think it comes at the problem from a Christian point of view, but I haven't actually opened the book yet. Three books, 14 days--ready, set, go!

[Just Robyn]

Hey, everyone! I've missed a week, maybe two. But I am still reading. For audio books, I finished Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. This was fun enough to listen to, rarely particularly interesting, but there were at least a couple chapters that I would recommend to a young artist - chapters about finding your passion, finding/befriending the people who share your passion, etc. And I'm currently listening to A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. I'm loving this, and I was glad to discover that my library has more nonfiction Hemingway on CD. 

 

I also finished Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose, which was a nice read and added to my to-read list. I doubt I'll retain much of the good information, which books and authors are great examples of this or that. I read one of the Civil War graphic novels before taking my youngest to the movie. And I read The Book of Merlyn by T.H. White. This last was really a pleasure. I was in love with the book probably by the first or second page. My only complaint is that there is quite a bit of repeat from The Sword in the Stone, which was dull and unnecessary, because one should have already read it in the first book, and perhaps could have just been summarized.

 

I still have The Beagle, which I pick at, and my middle ds and I are trying to get through the fifth and final book in Catherynne M. Valente's Fairyland series - The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home. 

[Kareni]

Last night I finished a new adult novel which I quite enjoyed (some adult content) ~

 

Undecided by Julianna Keyes

 

"Nora Kincaid has one goal for her second year of college: be invisible. Last year’s all-party-no-study strategy resulted in three failed classes and two criminal charges, and if she messes up again she’ll lose her scholarship. But there’s one problem with her plan for invisibility, and his name is Crosbie Lucas: infamous party king, general hellraiser…and her new roommate’s best friend.

Crosbie’s reckless reputation and well-known sexcapades aren’t part of Nora’s studious new strategy, but as she’s quickly learning, her new plan is also really boring. When Crosbie’s unexpected gestures of friendship pull her head out of her books long enough to see past his cocky veneer, she’s surprised to find a flawed and funny guy beneath it all. The muscles don’t hurt, either.

But as Nora starts to fall for Crosbie, the weight of one of last year’s bad decisions grows even heavier. Because three failing grades and two misdemeanors are nothing compared to the one big secret she’s hiding…"

 

 

I'd previously read another book by this author, Going the Distance, and now I'm tempted to re-read that.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mothersweets]

I haven't been able to finish anything this week. :(

 

My 11yo stole The Hobbit from me so I couldn't finish that and I've started a few books that were meh.

 

The only thing that really interests me right now is the audio version of The Count of Monte Cristo that I'm listening to on Craftlit. Audio books count, right? Plus, I can knit while I listen! This is what I'm working on: Rheinlust shawl pattern  My 17yo dd's much-loved piano teacher is moving this summer and we wanted to give her a goodbye gift. I'm using a merino/silk blend in a steel blue color. Hope she likes it.

[Jane in NC]

I haven't been able to finish anything this week. :(

 

My 11yo stole The Hobbit from me so I couldn't finish that and I've started a few books that were meh.

 

The only thing that really interests me right now is the audio version of The Count of Monte Cristo that I'm listening to on Craftlit. Audio books count, right? Plus, I can knit while I listen! This is what I'm working on: Rheinlust shawl pattern  My 17yo dd's much-loved piano teacher is moving this summer and we wanted to give her a goodbye gift. I'm using a merino/silk blend in a steel blue color. Hope she likes it.

 

What a lovely shawl! Your daughter's piano teacher will love it!

 

[Onceuponatime]

 

Wanting to reciprocate the generosity of some BaWers, I selected a couple of books to read that will be mailed out when I have finished. Onceuponatime, I'll send Alan Furst's Blood of Victory to you this week. In this WWII novel, the "blood of victory" refers to oil, specifically the oil from Romania's Ploesti fields that fueled the Nazis. It was not my favorite Furst but it will give Once an opportunity to try Furst's historically accurate espionage novels.

 

Jane

What a nice surprise!

 

 

In book news, I only have one chapter left of Wee Free Men, so I should finish it up today. I've been spending too much time on line researching and planning for next school year. My brain needs a break.

[Kareni]

I haven't been able to finish anything this week. :(

 

My 11yo stole The Hobbit from me so I couldn't finish that and I've started a few books that were meh.

 

The only thing that really interests me right now is the audio version of The Count of Monte Cristo that I'm listening to on Craftlit. Audio books count, right? Plus, I can knit while I listen! This is what I'm working on: Rheinlust shawl pattern  My 17yo dd's much-loved piano teacher is moving this summer and we wanted to give her a goodbye gift. I'm using a merino/silk blend in a steel blue color. Hope she likes it.

 

Audio books definitely count!

 

What a lovely shawl; I hope your daughter's teacher will treasure it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ErinE]

.

Edited November 8, 2016 by ErinE

[Kareni]

A currently free Kindle book that might be of interest to some.  Several of the reviewers compare it to Howl's Moving Castle.

 

Spindle (Two Monarchies Sequence Book 1)  by W.R. Gingell

 

"She’s not a princess . . . but then, he’s no prince.

Polyhymnia is deep in enchanted sleep. High in a tower, behind an impenetrable barrier of magical thorns, she sleeps, dreams, and falls ever deeper into her curse.

Woken by a kiss, Poly finds herself in an alien world where three hundred years have passed and everyone she has ever known is dead. Luck, the enchanter who woke her, seems to think she is the princess. Understandable, since he found her asleep on the princess’ bed, in the royal suite, and dressed in the princess’ clothes.

Who cursed Poly? Why is someone trying to kill her and Luck? Why can’t she stop falling asleep?

And why does her hair keep growing?

Sometimes breaking the curse is just the beginning of the journey."

 

 

ETA: and here's one more free book by the same author:

 

Masque (The Two Monarchies Sequence)  by W.R. Gingell

 

"Beauty met the Beast and there was . . . Bloody murder?

It’s the Annual Ambassadorial Ball in Glause, and Lady Isabella Farrah, the daughter of New Civet’s Ambassador, is feeling pleasantly scintillated.

In the library is Lord Pecus, a charming gentleman whose double mask hides a beastly face, and who has decided that Isabella is the very person to break the Pecus curse.

In the ball-room is young Lord Topher, who is rapidly falling in love with an older woman.

And in the card-room, lying in a pool of his own blood, is the body of one of Isabella’s oldest friends: Raoul, Civet’s Head Guardsman. The papers sewn into his sash seem to suggest espionage gone wrong, but Isabella is not so certain.

Lord Pecus, as Commander of the Watch, is of the opinion that Isabella should keep out of the investigation and out of danger. Isabella is of the opinion that it is her murder to investigate, and that what a certain Beast-Lord doesn’t know won’t hurt him. . . .

Will Isabella find the murderer before Lord Pecus does, or will she end her investigation as a bloody spatter on the parlour floor?"

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mothersweets]

What a lovely shawl! Your daughter's piano teacher will love it!

 

 

 

Audio books definitely count!

 

What a lovely shawl; I hope your daughter's teacher will treasure it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Thank you!!

[shage]

I've been missing for a few weeks, waylaid by a job change, end of year homeschooling busyness, a graduating senior, and general exhaustion. 

 

But.  This weekend I have slept plenty and my schedule is looking much lighter and more manageable for the next few months.  Relief.  Life is not meant to be lived that quickly.

 

As far as what I have been reading...

 

With my younger kids, we read Carry On Mr. Bowditch for school, followed by several books about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  We are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods, half heartedly, and The Birchbark House, with a little more gusto. 

 

My own personal reading has been focused on medical nonfiction. I finished Inheritance, about the interplay between genes and life.  For me it was a much needed updating to my genetic knowledge, and timely because we are starting to have our kids tested for specific clotting disorders.  (First child tested, my daughter, was positive for one but not other.)

 

I enjoyed Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind and Body by Jo Marchant.  I highly recommend to anyone interested in the latest mind-body research and particularly how it applies to chronic pain, anxiety and depression, autoimmune disorders, chronic stress, etc.  Marchant has a nice, steady, approachable writing style.

 

I am currently reading The Teenage Brain and Being Mortal to possibly use in a Human Development psych class I am considering teaching to high school homeschoolers. I taught AP psych to homeschoolers last year and it was a wonderful experience. 

[Kareni]

Earlier I finished the contemporary romance Chase Me (Paris Nights Book 2) by Laura Florand.  I've read a number of books by this author and enjoyed them all.  (Some adult content.)

 

"A Michelin two-star chef at twenty-eight, Violette Lenoir could handle anything, including a cocky burglar who broke into her restaurant in the middle of the night.

Or so she thought.

Elite counterterrorist operative Chase "Smith" had been through things that made Hell Week look easy. But nothing had prepared him for a leather-clad blonde who held him at bay at knifepoint and dared him to take her on.

Now if only saving the world didn't require he ruin her life.

Two people who thought they could handle anything now have to take on each other.
It's a battle neither one expected. But with their futures on the line, they have nothing to lose...but their hearts."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[shage]

I'm going to do a quick jump into this thread. :) I've not been reading much because I've been so busy as well as super stressed, making it hard to focus on a book. But 2 weeks ago I found myself stuck at Costco for over 3 hrs for new tires. I had forgotten to grab my Kindle so I walked over to the book section. I found Judy Blume's In the Unlikely Event . Seeing Blume's name on the book gave me all the feels (sorry, cheesy expression, I know, but it was exactly how I felt), so I bought the book. I read a third of it while waiting, then finished it later that week.

 

I enjoyed the book immensely. I was pulled right in, felt like I was there, in the early 50's in Jersey. I loved the characters and could relate to so much. I also loved the ending. The modern thing is to not have a full epilogue, but she had a complete one. It was a very satisfying read.

 

It felt good to get lost in a book. I could use another, fun, light read. I may have to go looking for one. My normal books are dark or deep or both, but right now I need some good fluff.

I did a Judy Blume Fudge-fest with my younger kids a few months back. It felt...decadent? Pure fun.

[Kareni]

Here's a book that is free to Kindle readers only on 5/22 and 5/23.  It's described as a space opera ~

 

Foundra: The Rift War (Foundra Series Book 1)  by Emmanuel M Arriaga

 

Kirkus Review

 

"The story is a definitive space opera: beaucoup action with creatures and preternatural capabilities coupled with a bevy of romantic entanglements back on the good guys' ship. Arriaga wisely concentrates on a select few of the many characters, and Soahc, Destroyer of Worlds, is a standout...Delightful genre piece with all the right ingredients: monsters, warfare, and romance."

 

**

 

I've enjoyed other books by this author though I've yet to read this currently free Kindle book ~

 

The Way You Look Tonight (Seattle Sullivans #1) (The Sullivans Book 9)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Minerva]

I finished My Antonia. It was excellent except for the one, out of place, extremely racist chapter in the middle of the book. It added absolutely nothing to the story and it took me a while to recover from it before I could once again enjoy the optimistic well written characters and the lovely Nebraska landscape. I know that it was written a long time ago, and was about an era where racism was the norm, so I would like to not judge it by my more modern standards, but I judge I do.

 

It didn't, however, scare me off of reading Death Comes for the Archbishop, which has the potential for it's own brand of racism, but so far I am really enjoying it. Cather writes such compelling and likable characters and also does such a good job making her landscapes come alive.

 

I finished reading both The Breadwinner and A Long Walk to Water to my kids. They are both such heavy books but we got a lot out of them. My dd took over reading A Long Walk to Water as it was impossible for me not to sob through every page. I am not good at reading sad stories out loud, especially true sad stories, especially true sad stories about kids. 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2016 by Minerva

[Maus]

A couple of these are youth books I wanted to preview for our trip, but I did read them, so....

 

20. "Murder on the Ballarat Train" by Kerry Greenwood.  Fun read, just for me.  Read it on my Kindle and my smart phone Kindle app (love that I can do that!), mostly while waiting places for my kids to finish.

 

19. "Over See, Under Stone" by Susan Cooper.  My brothers and I loved this set of books when we were young.  My daughter and I used the audio version and listened as we traveled to and from her play rehearsals.

 

18. "Sing Down the Moon" by Scott O'Dell.  This would work, and my library even has the audio version!

 

17. "Soft Rain" by Cornelia Cornelissen.  A novel from a child's perspective of the Cherokee Trail of Tears.  I think the kids would like the book, but I can't find an audioversion...

 

16. "The Collapse of Parenting" by Leonard Sax.

15. ""Flying Too High: A Phyrne Fisher Mystery" by Kerry Greenwood.

14. "Cocaine Blues: A Phyrne Fisher Mystery" by Kerry Greenwood.  DH and I have been watching the TV series on Netflix, and I've read one of Ms. Greenwood's Corinna stories, so I thought I'd give it a go.  Deep and meaningful it was not, but a nice diversion.

13. "Let It Go" by Chris Williams.  True story of how Mr. Williams was able to forgive the drunk teenager who t-boned them in Salt Lake City, killing his pregnant wife and two of their children.  This story was recently turned into a movie called "Just Let Go." but I haven't seen it yet.

12. "Writing From Personal Experience" by Nancy Davidoff Kelton.

11. "Writing the Memoir" by Judith Barrington.

10.  "Boys Adrift" by Leonard Sax.

9. "Girls on the Edge" by Leonard Sax.  

8. "Christ and the Inner Life" by Truman G. Madsen. (LDS)  

7. "Gaze into Heaven" by Marlene Bateman Sullivan. (LDS)

6. "To Heaven and Back" by Mary C. Neal, MD.

5. "When Will the Heaven Begin?" by Ally Breedlove.

4. "Four" by Virginia Roth.

3. "Allegiant" by Virgina Roth.

2. " Insurgent" by Virginia Roth.

1. "Divergent" by Virginia Roth.

[aggieamy]

I think one can also broaden the definition of "needs to be laundered" when traveling.  I had to stifle a giggle when a family member told me what she was packing for a trip, confessing that she might wear capris more than once!  Well, duh...

 

 

 

 

With my younger kids, we read Carry On Mr. Bowditch for school,

 

 

To date this is still one of my favorite read alouds.  I can't wait to do it with DS when he gets big.

[mumto2]

I just finished reading last week's threads and I realized I'm an old boardie too. I'm pretty sure it's been over ten years but from the relatively small number of posts I have you'd think I was just a lurker. Seriously, if you met me in real life you'd be amazed to see how much of a true extrovert I am. Maybe that's what it is...I'd rather be having real conversations instead of just typing them. I'd love to join any east coasters for a museum meet up.

I agree with Jenn. I am a bit shocked by your post count. ;) It definitely feels like you are posting far more than your post count indicates. Glad you are a part of our group although I now think you need to post more! :lol:

 

 

Mothersweets...your knitting pattern is lovely. Your dd's piano teacher will love it.

 

I can't find the recent post about Station Eleven. I am positive someone here recently read it. It was recommended on my overdrive a few minutes ago. I checked it out but it is definitely not my normal fluff, sounds interesting.

[Shawneinfl]

I agree with Jenn. I am a bit shocked by your post count. ;) It definitely feels like you are posting far more than your post count indicates. Glad you are a part of our group although I now think you need to post more! :lol:

 

 

Mothersweets...your knitting pattern is lovely. Your dd's piano teacher will love it.

 

I can't find the recent post about Station Eleven. I am positive someone here recently read it. It was recommended on my overdrive a few minutes ago. I checked it out but it is definitely not my normal fluff, sounds interesting.

 

I will do my best :patriot:. BTW, I read Station Eleven at the beginning of last year. It was just okay for me but sci-fi is not my favorite genre. I know others liked it better than I. Did MMV read it? For some reason I think it was on her list. 

[Lady Florida.]

Found another satisfying mystery series, this time the Longmire series set in Wyoming. I think one of you recommended it recently, but I can't find it mentioned via the search function

 

 

I haven't read the books, but dh and I have watched the tv series.

 

 

 

And this is the part I'm really excited about ... the aggieamy family is going to meet the mumto2 family!!! Eek.  How exciting.  DH is going to get tips on how to not run people into ditches while driving in England from Mr. Mumto2 while Sandy and I chat about books. 

 

How exciting for both families! We will look forward to hearing about it. 

 

I wiBTW, I read Station Eleven at the beginning of last year. It was just okay for me but sci-fi is not my favorite genre. I know others liked it better than I.

 

I read it last year and while I liked it I didn't love it. I'm not a big fan of sci-fi or dystopia or whatever genre that fits. I thought there were a lot of loose ends. Here's my review. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm back online, after an enforced break of over a week due to a crushed modem and switching providers. I did go online at the library a couple of time and kept up with work email on my phone, but no posting here or anywhere else. It was actually a good break for me, but of course I'm happy to be back! I got quite a lot of reading done on my break, here are the highlights:

 

Fun reads:

Vivian Apple at the End of the World and Vivian Apple Needs a Miracle - well done and thought-provoking YA books, Shannon and I both enjoyed them very much.

The Queen's Poisoner - recommended by Eliana.  a fantasy riff off of the Richard III story. I liked it, but was kind of distracted by the similarities and differences to the original story.

Ubik - Philip K Dick - not my favorite PKD, but it was ok. 

 

Schooly reads:

The Palace of Illusions - a modern retelling of the Indian Vedic legends.  Shannon and I both loved it.  

The Madness of Love - a modern retelling of Twelfth Night - Shannon and I both really liked it.

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome - I listened to the audio book. It was pretty good.

Book Love  - this was fantastic! Very inspiring and highly recommended if you are teaching literature to teenagers

 

Serious read:

Modern Medea - the true story that Toni Morrison's Beloved is based on. Very fascinating, disturbing, well-researched book. 

 

I'm currently listening to The Invention of Nature and thoroughly enjoying it, and reading A Sand County Almanac and loving it. I also am finally getting around to re-reading The Age of Innocence, and remembering why it's one of my favorite classics of all time. Also reading some modern versions of Greek tragedies - When Then is Now (Antigone, Medea and The Trojan Women)

Edited May 23, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Lady Florida.]

I missed a good bit of the last two weeks, but I've been reading.

 

Finished:

 

A Stranger in Mayfair - #4 in the Charles Lenox mystery series.

Of Mice and Men - would you believe I've never read this? I liked it but both The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden are better IMO.

The Alexandria Affair - #11 Captain Lacey Regency mystery - I had pre-ordered the Kindle version, so it was nice to wake up one morning and have it there.

 

I have one chapter left of Angela's Ashes on audio book. Audible says there's a little over an hour left. I don't know how it ends (don't tell me) but so far I think this is going to go on my Top 100 list. 

 

Currently reading The Ghost Bride, recommended by Mom-ninja and my pick for book club.

 

[mumto2]

 

 

 

I read it last year and while I liked it I didn't love it. I'm not a big fan of sci-fi or dystopia or whatever genre that fits. I thought there were a lot of loose ends. Here's my review. 

 

 

 [quote name="Shawneinfl" post="7014739" timestamp="1464 BTW, I read Station Eleven at the beginning of last year. It was just okay for me but sci-fi is not my favorite genre. I know others liked it better than I. Did MMV read it? For some reason I think it was on her list.

 

 

Well I just learned something new about Good reads thanks to Kathy. I am not sure that her link was working exactly but that might be because she is one of my Good reads friends. Before the general reviews for Station Eleven are my friend's reviews. Several have read it and Margaret read it last week.

 

Not sure that I will read the whole book but I am curious about the setting of the first scenes so will probably read those for sure, sounds like Interlochen Arts Academy potentially. Overall the reactions were positive but I am not sure if in have ever read anything in that genre before.

 

The Madwoman Upstairs is still holding my attention. In will never look at Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre the same.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

I'm giving up on the audio version of The Regional Office is Under Attack. It is a book that would probably be better in print as each chapter shifts in time and character, and when I've not listened to it in several days I forget who is who and where we are in the story.  It would be easier with a paper version to flip back a few pages and get things straight again. Can't decide if it is a good book or not -- it isn't great literature, but it might be a good page turner/beach read.

 

I gave up on that book, too.  I can see it as a beach read, but it was feeling a little too Angry Young Woman to me . . . 

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

A year or two ago, there was an active discussion on John Williams' novel, Stoner, originally published in 1965 but a volume that gained attention and popularity when it was reissued by the New York Review of Books imprint in 2006.  This one is going to Stacia when I am done.  (And Stoner is the main character's surname--not a description of his habits!)

 

 

 

I read that recently, it was *amazing* - one of the best books I've read so far this year.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

I just started the Madwoman Upstairs which Onceuponatime recommended. So far it's great but at 10 pages who knows? But since I abandoned a cozy this morning at about ten pages maybe ten pages says a great deal! ;) I have also listened my way into the third in the Jim Butcher series. I like listening to ghem. My overdrive has several as audiobooks, I hope they are all there.

 

Oh, that's on my TBR list too! I'll look forward to hearing what you think.

[Chrysalis Academy]

The books I've read this week:

 

* Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie - I'm of two minds with this book. This is the last in a trilogy and since I haven't read the first two, I'm reviewing it as a stand-alone. A ship's artificial intelligence is trapped in a human body (called an ancillary) and the AI seeks to overthrow the evil empress. It was good, well written and engaging, which I feel is condemning with lukewarm praise, because the author only uses the pronoun "she", which pulled me out of the story every time it showed up. Since humans reproduce through binary s*xual reproduction, the society didn't feel real to me. I kept getting pulled off into tangents: how do they reproduce? Is it through cloning? Is cloning really more efficient than the old-fashioned way? Is it like Old Man's War where genetically modified people are grown in cloches and step out as adult in six weeks? It was very distracting.

 

 

 

Oh, I definitely think you would enjoy it more if you read the first two books! I loved the trilogy, and I think it had a good thematic arc that developed through the three books.  I spent the first half of the first book being very confused by the gender thing, but it does get slowly explained in the first book - I can see how it would be very confusing in the third book, because the author will assume you've already got how gender works in that culture down.  Essentially, the default pronoun is "she/her" and people are referred to as mothers/daughters regardless of biological gender in the Radchii language (but not in some of the other languages spoken by conquered peoples, which gives you some hints to what biological gender different characters are.) It's a superficially confusing but ultimately very intriguing device.  They reproduce the old-fashioned way, there is no cloning or anything like in Old Man's War (another intriguing book!).  I can see how it would have been distracting to step into such a foreign and complex world in book 3.  That series is one of my all-time favorites.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

I can't find the recent post about Station Eleven. I am positive someone here recently read it. It was recommended on my overdrive a few minutes ago. I checked it out but it is definitely not my normal fluff, sounds interesting.

 

 

I will do my best :patriot:. BTW, I read Station Eleven at the beginning of last year. It was just okay for me but sci-fi is not my favorite genre. I know others liked it better than I. Did MMV read it? For some reason I think it was on her list. 

 

 

 

I read it last year and while I liked it I didn't love it. I'm not a big fan of sci-fi or dystopia or whatever genre that fits. I thought there were a lot of loose ends. Here's my review. 

 

I read it last year too, and I really enjoyed it. I was checking out the goodreads ratings from our group, and it looks like there was quite a range, frm 2-5 stars.  I gave it 4 stars, but I like dystopian/ post-apocalyptic books and books about cults, so it kind of fit my demographic - or I fit its demographic? The fact that it had a dose of Shakespeare didn't hurt!

[Mom-ninja.]

So listening to Uprooted and I sure did not expect the more mature scene. I thought this book was YA so I was caught off guard. I was thinking, "Wait! Is this a teen book cause it's getting rather...whoa! What did she say? Yep, I heard correctly. This can't be a....Oh My! That's um rather yeah um descriptive and are my kids around? Is my mom here? Shhh, just act normal." 

 

Yeah, I admit I still feel like I'm 13 and sneaking my mom's bodice rippers. 

[Kareni]

I just finished the new fantasy The Summer Dragon: First Book of the Evertide  by Todd Lockwood; I enjoyed it even though it's not quite what I would normally read.  It has violence but no sexual content.

 

"The debut novel from the acclaimed illustrator--a high fantasy adventure featuring dragons and deadly politics.

Maia and her family raise dragons for the political war machine. As she comes of age, she anticipates a dragon of her own to add to the stable of breeding parents.  Her peaceful life is shattered when the Summer Dragon--one of the rare and mythical High Dragons--makes an appearance in her quiet valley. Political factions vie for control of the implied message, threatening her aspirations, her aerie, her entire way of life. 

The bond between dragons and their riders is deep and life-long, and Maia's desire for a dragon of her own to train, ride, fly, and love drives her to take a risk that puts her life at stake. She is swept into an adventure that pits her against the deathless Horrors, thralls of the enemy, and a faceless creature drawn from her fear. In her fight to preserve everything she knows and loves, she exposes a conspiracy, unearths an ancient civilization, and challenges her understanding of her world--and of herself."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[aggieamy]

So listening to Uprooted and I sure did not expect the more mature scene. I thought this book was YA so I was caught off guard. I was thinking, "Wait! Is this a teen book cause it's getting rather...whoa! What did she say? Yep, I heard correctly. This can't be a....Oh My! That's um rather yeah um descriptive and are my kids around? Is my mom here? Shhh, just act normal." 

 

Yeah, I admit I still feel like I'm 13 and sneaking my mom's bodice rippers. 

 

I'm like that too.  I could never read anything naughty in the library or in public because I'd start trying to act "overly normal" and make a fool of myself. 

[ErinE]

I have a huge stack of fiction books to read, and I awaken this morning to discover Justin Cronin's City of Mirrors, the last book in The Passage Trilogy, is out; the other books are The Passage and The Twelve. So the stack will have to wait.

 

Cronin, a professor at Rice University in Houston, is one of my favorite authors. I've read each of his books several times (his general fiction books The Summer Guest and Mary and O'Neill are good as well). I refer to him as a literary Stephen King; the Passage books are in the horror genre, but the first two are beautifully written. I have been looking forward to reading the City of Mirrors ever since I finished The Twelve.

[Shawneinfl]

I missed a good bit of the last two weeks, but I've been reading.

 

Finished:

 

A Stranger in Mayfair - #4 in the Charles Lenox mystery series.

Of Mice and Men - would you believe I've never read this? I liked it but both The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden are better IMO.

The Alexandria Affair - #11 Captain Lacey Regency mystery - I had pre-ordered the Kindle version, so it was nice to wake up one morning and have it there.

 

I have one chapter left of Angela's Ashes on audio book. Audible says there's a little over an hour left. I don't know how it ends (don't tell me) but so far I think this is going to go on my Top 100 list. 

 

Currently reading The Ghost Bride, recommended by Mom-ninja and my pick for book club.

 

I've had Angela's Ashes on my shelves for years. I can't believe I've never read it. Maybe I'll just splurge and get it on Audible for my upcoming road trip.

So listening to Uprooted and I sure did not expect the more mature scene. I thought this book was YA so I was caught off guard. I was thinking, "Wait! Is this a teen book cause it's getting rather...whoa! What did she say? Yep, I heard correctly. This can't be a....Oh My! That's um rather yeah um descriptive and are my kids around? Is my mom here? Shhh, just act normal." 

 

Yeah, I admit I still feel like I'm 13 and sneaking my mom's bodice rippers. 

 

Haha, that would totally be me, blushing and looking around with my headphones on, wondering if anyone else could hear.

[Angel]

I just hate it when I forget a book! At least you were able to find a good solution. 

 

 

I'm checking in but haven't read/finished anything in a long time.  DH and I are self employed and we've invoiced as much this year already as we did all last year.  It's been crazy busy.  Oh and the Chews-on-Books is full of energy and he doesn't want me to sit and read when I could be paying attention to HIM.  It's a lovely but high energy phase.

 

We are leaving for vacation in three days.  I'm so excited and planning on getting some reading done then. 

 

And this is the part I'm really excited about ... the aggieamy family is going to meet the mumto2 family!!! Eek.  How exciting.  DH is going to get tips on how to not run people into ditches while driving in England from Mr. Mumto2 while Sandy and I chat about books. 

Chews on Books sounds like he is in that FUN stage!  And count me as another that is totally jealous here!  Have a wonderful trip!

 

Found another satisfying mystery series, this time the Longmire series set in Wyoming. I think one of you recommended it recently, but I can't find it mentioned via the search function, though I have not reached anywhere near the level of "google-fu" as the master, Kareni! Anyway, last night I finished the first title in the series, The Cold Dish, after being rudely interrupted by family members thinking we needed dinner! I understand there is also a tv series based on the books, so will have to check those out as well.  

 

:lol:  I hate when they expect food when I'm in the middle of a good book!!!  Priorities people!!

[Chrysalis Academy]

So listening to Uprooted and I sure did not expect the more mature scene. I thought this book was YA so I was caught off guard. I was thinking, "Wait! Is this a teen book cause it's getting rather...whoa! What did she say? Yep, I heard correctly. This can't be a....Oh My! That's um rather yeah um descriptive and are my kids around? Is my mom here? Shhh, just act normal." 

 

Yeah, I admit I still feel like I'm 13 and sneaking my mom's bodice rippers. 

 

I feel your pain, I had the embarrassing experience of handing this to dd13 before pre-reading, because it came in on hold and I knew I wasn't going to have time to read it while we had it.  She got to that part, and said, "Um, mom????!!!???" and I felt extremely sheepish.  I never did actually read it, but she said it wasn't disturbing, just more graphic than she was prepared for. She decided not to keep going with it. I still haven't read it. Do you think my child is scarred for life????

[Lady Florida.]

I read it last year too, and I really enjoyed it. I was checking out the goodreads ratings from our group, and it looks like there was quite a range, frm 2-5 stars.  I gave it 4 stars, but I like dystopian/ post-apocalyptic books and books about cults, so it kind of fit my demographic - or I fit its demographic? The fact that it had a dose of Shakespeare didn't hurt!

 

I did think the Shakespeare aspect was a really cool addition. We will always need art, Shakespeare endures all, etc. 

[fastweedpuller]

Hi all, even though school has ended, it's high planting season on this wee farm and we're distracted by new chicks, turkeys and bunnies.  Work, too, has gotten a bit too busy for my liking.  I just am thankful for these longer days now in the northern hemisphere.

 

Last week, I finished reading Girls and Sex:  Navigating the Complicated New Landscape, hate-listening to American Girls:  Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers and finished the audiobook of A Man Called Ove.  I think I am not finished "navigating" teenage girl stuff so I might get Untangled:  Guiding Teenage Girls through the Seven Transitions to Adulthood, though quite frankly the latter sounds awfully self-helpy proscriptive, not generally my thing. 

 

I have just begun Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond and am limping through the ebook of The Invention of Nature, though I should just buy it and luxuriate in it in page form.  And I actually purchased a book I could not find on any Overdrive account.  It's Marion Coutts' The Iceberg, a memoir about losing her husband/grief.  It is beautiful.

 

Ali in OR:  I love Dava Sobel's stuff!  we did Longitude as a read-aloud as well.  Planning on having dd12 read Galileo's Daughter next year for school.  But I hear you on editing. I think my...pickiness keeps me away from certain genres because I can't help but see the holes and the mistakes.

 

Mothersweets:  lovely shawl!  (I came into knitting through spinning>>sheep owning>>knitting.  An odd track but here I am.)  And with the Kindle I can read and knit, it's sooo awesome

 

ErinE:  I admit having a bit of a crush on Sam Harris.  Free Will left me kind of cold, too.  But thanks for the reminder of Corelli's Mandolin.  I read it years ago, ages really, and suggested that my book club at the time read it.  It completely changed one girl's life in the club.  She so identified with the woman and regrets that...she moved back to her hometown and started her life from zero.  Of course it turned out fabuously for her because she met her husband soon after.  Happy memory, thanks for spurring it.  And SPQR is a few books down in my library queue.

 

Shage:  I did not get to Inheritance, but am wondering if you've plans for reading Siddhartha Mukherjee's latest, The Gene?  Mr Bowdich is a great read-aloud!  and Being Mortal is very timely with our family; both our parents are going through this now...though I suppose that is everyone's fate...at least this book gives us all some tools.  Have you read Ann Neumann's The Good Death?

 

Minerva:  I went through a huge Cather binge in my early 20s.  And sadly I read A Long Walk to Water to my dd too...probably should have spared myself and had her read it :)

 

Rose:  we seem to trip over the same books!  Thanks for the mention of the Twelfth Night redo...I have jotted it down.  Leopold gets a re-read pretty often here as we're a bit nature-obsessive, and of course you can't go wrong with Edith Wharton.

 

Station Eleven.  I read it last year.  I'm in Michigan so it was...quasi-familiar.  I saw too many loose threads though which decreased my enjoyment of it,  I think I gave it 3 stars. 

Edited May 24, 2016 by fastweedpuller

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm like that too.  I could never read anything naughty in the library or in public because I'd start trying to act "overly normal" and make a fool of myself. 

 

That's me. I have no poker face. Dh teases me when he sees me blushing or fidgeting while reading a book, "Whatcha reading over there? Anything you like?" Which of course just makes me blush more.

 

 

I feel your pain, I had the embarrassing experience of handing this to dd13 before pre-reading, because it came in on hold and I knew I wasn't going to have time to read it while we had it.  She got to that part, and said, "Um, mom????!!!???" and I felt extremely sheepish.  I never did actually read it, but she said it wasn't disturbing, just more graphic than she was prepared for. She decided not to keep going with it. I still haven't read it. Do you think my child is scarred for life????

 

She won't be scarred for actually reading it (it was on the lighter side compared to Kareni adult romance books), but she may be scarred because it was her mother who handed her the book.  ;)

[Chrysalis Academy]

That's me. I have no poker face. Dh teases me when he sees me blushing or fidgeting while reading a book, "Whatcha reading over there? Anything you like?" Which of course just makes me blush more.

 

 

 

She won't be scarred for actually reading it (it was on the lighter side compared to Kareni adult romance books), but she may be scarred because it was her mother who handed her the book.  ;)

 

I know, right? I think her exact words were, "Um, mom, you didn't read this book before you gave it to me, did you?"  Nope, no, honey, I didn't.  Sorry.  :blushing:

 

I actually think it's kind of sweet that at 13, she has strict boundaries for herself about what she is and is not comfortable reading. I don't police or censor, I just tell her about any content she might not like and let her decide (well, this works when I've read the book, at least!). So far, she doesn't really want any icky sex stuff in her books. I should enjoy it while it lasts, I guess  ;)  :D .  I know that when I was her age, the very fact that there were "forbidden" books is exactly what made me want to read them, and I'm sure I read all kinds of things, sneakily, at that age that I had no idea how to process in a healthy way.  And the fact that they were forbidden meant that I had no one to talk about disturbing stuff with, besides my friends who were as ignorant as I was.  Anyway, glad to hear it wasn't too hot & heavy!!