Book a Week 2016 - BW22: Philosophical June

[Just Robyn]

 

Today, I started The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler.  I have to laugh that the Kirkus review ends with, "For die-hard mermaid-fiction lovers only." 

 

Okay, well since I don't think I have ever read a novel about mermaids, this actually intrigues me. And it makes me want to share some of the wonderful mermaid poems by Matthea Harvey.

 

The Straightforward Mermaid

 

The Objectified Mermaid

 

The Backyard Mermaid

[Stacia]

Okay, well since I don't think I have ever read a novel about mermaids, this actually intrigues me.

 

Well, when I did look up some info after starting to read the book, a few reviewers on Goodreads had complained because the characters are not "real" mermaids. They're just women who can hold their breath an inordinately long amount of time & perform in carnivals & such. So, if you're looking for "real" mermaids, be forewarned. Lol.

 

Thanks for the cool mermaid poem links. Those were fun.

 

In the meantime, I've also started another book: The Carpenter's Pencil: A Novel of the Spanish Civil War by Manuel Rivas, translated from the Galician by Jonathan Dunne.

 

Manuel Rivas has been heralded as one of the brightest in a new wave of Spanish writers influenced by Spanish and European traditions, as well as by the history of Spain over the past seventy years.

 

A bestseller in Spain, The Carpenter's Pencil has been published in nine countries.

 

Set in the dark days of the Spanish Civil War, The Carpenter's Pencil charts the linked destinies of a remarkable cast of unique characters. All are bound by the events of the Civil War-the artists and the peasants alike-and all are brought to life, in Rivas's skillful hand, with the power of the carpenter's pencil, a pencil that draws both the measured line and the artist's dazzling vision.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Stacia

[mumto2]

Okay, well since I don't think I have ever read a novel about mermaids, this actually intrigues me. And it makes me want to share some of the wonderful mermaid poems by Matthea Harvey.

 

The Straightforward Mermaid

 

The Objectified Mermaid

 

The Backyard Mermaid

Thank you for the links!

 

Long ago (about 12years or so) I made lots of mermaid and mermen dolls for the dc's and their friends. They looked similar to the ones in this kit

http://www.waldorftreasures.com/waldorfdolls/customwaldorfdolls/mermaids/mermaids.htm. Lots of fun but our dolls look like they have been in a war with tangled hair etc now. As a gift I paired them with the book Wet Magic by Nesbit which I must have cornered the market on because I found a stack of the books recently, conveniently tucked in with leftover mermaid supplies. Not the best mermaid book but at least it was a mermaid book by a classic author. ;) http://www.tor.com/2011/11/10/when-books-go-to-war-wet-magic/

 

That search led me to the real purpose of this post, I found a huge list of lists. Aren't rabbit trails amazing? I am sure we have linked it before in some form. But if anyone feels the need to grow their stacks......

 

http://www.tor.com/series/five-books-about/

 

I am almost relieved to say that I gave up after 20 minutes or so. The books that intrigued me just weren't available at my libraries. I will probably go back and have another go later! :lol:

[Onceuponatime]

Well, when I did look up some info after starting to read the book, a few reviewers on Goodreads had complained because the characters are not "real" mermaids. They're just women who can hold their breath an inordinately long amount of time & perform in carnivals & such. So, if you're looking for "real" mermaids, be forewarned. Lol.

 

.

I disagree. The people who wrote those reviews have no imagination and had no magic in their hearts when they were children. IMO, whether the characters were real mermaids or not is purposefully unclear. It rests in the mind of the reader, if she is able to set aside disbelief and immerse herself in the story. At 50+, I know there is no such thing as mermaids and taro cards don't have the power to predict the future. But when I read that book, I felt the terror and the oppression of the magical curse and the fate dealt in the cards. The multiple connections made between the past and the present and the rich symbolism made the book worth finishing, even though I currently hate being made to immerse myself in someone else's angst.

[Jane in NC]

Okay, well since I don't think I have ever read a novel about mermaids, this actually intrigues me. And it makes me want to share some of the wonderful mermaid poems by Matthea Harvey.

 

The Straightforward Mermaid

 

The Objectified Mermaid

 

The Backyard Mermaid

 

In the second link, we learn more about the poem and poet:

 

About this poem:

“This is the last in a series of nine mermaid prose poems I’ve written. Because of the first poem, I was invited to Mercon 2011, the first international mermaid gathering, held in Las Vegas. ‘The Objectified Mermaid’ was inspired by the constant photographing of the girls and women in glittery tails (I was photographing them too). Mermen were few—one Neptune and just a handful of others.â€

 

Matthea Harvey

Mercon?!?!?

[fastweedpuller]

Hah.  My kid is named after a mermaid.  It's an Irish myth about a woman/salmon rescued from Lough Neagh in Ulster.

 

Love long weekends!  Though ours was quite busy with planting and fruit tree issues, I did manage to start and finish Dana Spiotta's Innocents and Others.  Filmmaking, manic depression, and phreaking  with two friends my exact age...it is very new, and it popped up on my Overdrive list and I scarfed it right up.  It was a happier contrast to the other book I am reading:  Evicted by Matthew Desmond, which is quite good but also quite hand-wringingly dark.

 

 

 

 

[Lady Florida.]

While reading, I did think of Camus' writing being Hemingway-esque in a way -- honed, edited, precise. (I know Hemingway is not your favorite.)

 

 No, he's most certainly not. ;) I'll keep that in mind when The Stranger comes in. 

 

Although - I mentioned last week, Corey Stoll (he played Hemingway in Midnight in Paris and the skeevy senator in House of Cards season one) helped me get through A Moveable Feast because I heard his Hemingway as I read. Maybe I can try one of his novels again and let the actor "read" it to me in his Hemingway voice. :D

 

P.S. Did you have a good trip/get-away?

 

 I did, thank you. I went into Megacon on Friday only, while ds and his friends went all four days. The moms and I played board games, read, or went to the pool while the teens were in the convention center. 

 

Ds met James and Oliver Phelps (the Weasley twins) and got their autographs. Fred was his favorite character of the entire series and he was so upset over his fate. He also met (no autographs) Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) and Christopher Lloyd. The kids were telling us that the Oliver twins and Felton were having fun with each other. They would draw silly things (mustaches, goofy eyeglasses) or write "insults" on each others banners behind where they were sitting. The fans were eating it up (and egging them on). 

 

It was a rather interesting crowd in our hotel. In addition to Megacon guests staying there, the holel was also hosting a Christian (women's Covenant something or other) gathering that seemed to be all African American ladies in gorgeous hats, The Libertarian National Convention (yes the party's presidential convention), and an Irish dancing competition. So,you had all of these people wandering the hotel together, with the Irish dancers and Megacon cosplayers usually in costume.  :lol:  :lol:

 

There's a hallway that leads to the convention center where there are meeting rooms but in the hall are tables and comfy chairs. It's where the moms set up and played games while the kids were at the con. It allowed them to drop stuff off with us instead of having to go all the way back to the rooms, or to have a place to just rest a bit. On Sunday after the Libertarians chose their candidate he walked up and down the hall a few times while camera people were walking backwards filming and photographing him. 

 

1. That's the closest I've ever come to any presidential candidate, third party or otherwise.

2. I'm surprised they didn't make us move. That party likely has no chance, but it's bigger than other third parties and he IS a presidential candidate. I'm glad we didn't have to move, just a little surprised. Maybe we looked completely mom-like and safe. :D

 

In the second link, we learn more about the poem and poet:

Mercon?!?!?

I have learned there's a con for just about everything you can imagine.  :smilielol5:

[Stacia]

I disagree. The people who wrote those reviews have no imagination and had no magic in their hearts when they were children. IMO, whether the characters were real mermaids or not is purposefully unclear. It rests in the mind of the reader, if she is able to set aside disbelief and immerse herself in the story. At 50+, I know there is no such thing as mermaids and taro cards don't have the power to predict the future. But when I read that book, I felt the terror and the oppression of the magical curse and the fate dealt in the cards. The multiple connections made between the past and the present and the rich symbolism made the book worth finishing, even though I currently hate being made to immerse myself in someone else's angst.

 

I agree with you.

 

I just found it ironic that people were complaining that they weren't "real" mermaids, when the "real" mermaids they are seeking are the mythical ones (vs. the ones in this story which could arguably considered to be "real" mermaids to perform the water feats they did).

 

 

 No, he's most certainly not. ;) I'll keep that in mind when The Stranger comes in. 

 

Although - I mentioned last week, Corey Stoll (he played Hemingway in Midnight in Paris and the skeevy senator in House of Cards season one) helped me get through A Moveable Feast because I heard his Hemingway as I read. Maybe I can try one of his novels again and let the actor "read" it to me in his Hemingway voice. :D

 

 

 I did, thank you. I went into Megacon on Friday only, while ds and his friends went all four days. The moms and I played board games, read, or went to the pool while the teens were in the convention center. 

 

Ds met James and Oliver Phelps (the Weasley twins) and got their autographs. Fred was his favorite character of the entire series and he was so upset over his fate. He also met (no autographs) Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) and Christopher Lloyd. The kids were telling us that the Oliver twins and Felton were having fun with each other. They would draw silly things (mustaches, goofy eyeglasses) or write "insults" on each others banners behind where they were sitting. The fans were eating it up (and egging them on). 

 

It was a rather interesting crowd in our hotel. In addition to Megacon guests staying there, the holel was also hosting a Christian (women's Covenant something or other) gathering that seemed to be all African American ladies in gorgeous hats, The Libertarian National Convention (yes the party's presidential convention), and an Irish dancing competition. So,you had all of these people wandering the hotel together, with the Irish dancers and Megacon cosplayers usually in costume.  :lol:  :lol:

 

There's a hallway that leads to the convention center where there are meeting rooms but in the hall are tables and comfy chairs. It's where the moms set up and played games while the kids were at the con. It allowed them to drop stuff off with us instead of having to go all the way back to the rooms, or to have a place to just rest a bit. On Sunday after the Libertarians chose their candidate he walked up and down the hall a few times while camera people were walking backwards filming and photographing him. 

 

1. That's the closest I've ever come to any presidential candidate, third party or otherwise.

2. I'm surprised they didn't make us move. That party likely has no chance, but it's bigger than other third parties and he IS a presidential candidate. I'm glad we didn't have to move, just a little surprised. Maybe we looked completely mom-like and safe. :D

 

I have learned there's a con for just about everything you can imagine.  :smilielol5:

 

Maybe imagine Corey Stoll reading The Stranger too? :lol:

 

Sounds like a great get-away & how fun to have all those groups running into each other. I know one time that DragonCon overlapped w/ the Baptist Convention, so that was an interesting mix. There have been other conventions in town during DragonCon too & it makes for a confused/interesting mix the first day or so, but after that, everyone seems cool with it.

 

Mercon. That's interesting. Wasn't there an old attraction in Florida that was a mermaid park? And didn't it just recently close (or maybe get revived)? Ironically, even the movie The Nice Guys had mermaids too. And I remember a mermaid tank in the book Middlesex (one of my favorite books) too. Mermaids everywhere!

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

Mercon. That's interesting. Wasn't there an old attraction in Florida that was a mermaid park? And didn't it just recently close (or maybe get revived)? Ironically, even the movie The Nice Guys had mermaids too. And I remember a mermaid tank in the book Middlesex (one of my favorite books) too. Mermaids everywhere!

 

Weeki Wachee! I remember going there as a kid. I knew the state park service took over (as they did with Silver Springs and a few other springs attractions) but I had no idea they kept the mermaids. I only found out just now when I went looking for a link.

 

http://www.weekiwachee.com/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeki_Wachee_Springs

[Violet Crown]

Reading this week: Alexander Smith, Dreamthorp. Smith was a Scottish poet and essayist of the mid-19th century. Dreamthorp, a collection of essays, is mentioned in Fahrenheit 451; but Smith is now out of fashion and I was only able to find a copy at the local university's library. An essay therein on William Dunbar introduced me to that poet--Scotland's answer to Chaucer--and to John Barbour, medieval author of an imposing epic poem called The Bruce] (written, like Dunbar's poetry, in medieval Scots dialect).

 

Smith, Dunbar, and Barbour all make appearances in The Penguin Book of Scottish Verse, which I am also reading this week, which has in turn forced me to acquire the collected poetry of Dunbar--and The Bruce--and when it shows up in the secondhand bookshop, the more modern but equally challenging poetry of the brilliant Hugh Macdiarmid. Apparently Macdiarmid is something of a second Burns.

 

There may also be some other Scottish literature finding its way into the suitcase, like Barrie and Oliphaunt. Maybe.

 

From the title essay of Dreamthorp:

 

It matters not to relate how or when I became a denizen of Dreamthorp; it will be sufficient to say that I am not a born native, but that I came to reside in it a good while ago now. The several towns and villages in which, in my time, I have pitched a tent did not please, for one obscure reason or another; this one was too large, t’other too small; but when, on a summer evening about the hour of eight, I first beheld Dreamthorp, with its westward-looking windows painted by sunset, its children playing in the single straggling street, the mothers knitting at the open doors, the fathers standing about in long white blouses, chatting or smoking; the great tower of the ruined castle rising high into the rosy air, with a whole troop of swallows—­by distance made as small as gnats—­skimming about its rents and fissures;—­when I first beheld all this, I felt instinctively that my knapsack might be taken off my shoulders, that my tired feet might wander no more, that at last, on the planet, I had found a home. From that evening I have dwelt here, and the only journey I am like now to make, is the very inconsiderable one, so far at least as distance is concerned, from the house in which I live to the graveyard beside the ruined castle. There, with the former inhabitants of the place, I trust to sleep quietly enough, and nature will draw over our heads her coverlet of green sod, and tenderly tuck us in, as a mother her sleeping ones, so that no sound from the world shall ever reach us, and no sorrow trouble us any more.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Violet Crown

[Jane in NC]

Weeki Wachee! I remember going there as a kid. I knew the state park service took over (as they did with Silver Springs and a few other springs attractions) but I had no idea they kept the mermaids. I only found out just now when I went looking for a link.

 

http://www.weekiwachee.com/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeki_Wachee_Springs

 

Which somehow reminds me of Ester Williams.  Check out the great poster on this wiki page for Million Dollar Mermaid.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Dollar_Mermaid

[Kareni]

 

 ... It's where the moms set up and played games while the kids were at the con....

 

 

What fun to hear about your experiences at the con!  Any great new game discoveries?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[idnib]

One of my kids' best-loved books is a mermaid book. I picked it up at one of my favorite places, Owl and Company in Oakland, CA. They have a small space and an even smaller selection of children's books (1-2 bookcases) but the gentleman who curates the books does a phenomenal job of winnowing down to a collection of lovely books. (He also found another book that's one of our favorites: My Summer in Caillebotte's Garden.)

 

Anyway, the mermaid book is The Mermaid and the Major: The True Story of the Invention of the Submarine. It's rather obscure, a 1991 translation of a 1989 Spanish children's book by Francisco Melendez. It's the kind of thing I would not have come across except for that wonderful bookshop. We love the story and the art, but it's not for everyone. It is a bit peculiar and macabre, and the mermaid is depicted as anatomically correct with full breasts and nipples, which may not work for work for some families. 

[Mom-ninja.]

Finished Persuasion last night as my BINGO reread. I try to read at least one Austen every year. Now to watch a film version. My tradition: read Austen book and follow with film version(s). 

 

Lady FL, sounds like a very fun time. 

[Kareni]

A couple of currently free Kindle books.  I admit that I like the title of the first book ~

 

The Maltese Pigeon (A Matt Kile Mystery Book 5) by David Bishop

 

and

 

The Green Ember by S. D. Smith (this one seems to be fiction for ages 8 and up)

 

"Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.

Kings fall and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend.

Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Loesje22000]

@Camus

I read L'etranger and La Peste last year, and prefered La Peste.

L'etranger is pretty nihilistic, la Peste has some story.

But I did prefer L'etranger above 'monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs de Coran' from Ernst Emmanuel Schmitt.

 

@Persuasion

I prefer this film:

https://www.amazon.com/Persuasion-Ciaran-Hinds/dp/B00003JRCQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464783018&sr=8-2&keywords=persuasion+dvd

And I am glad I found the DVD this vacation.

 

I finished Vilette last night :)

[Chrysalis Academy]

I took a break from more serious reading to read Death on the Nile.  I've read it before, and I actually remembered who was guilty, but I still enjoyed the re-read. It's such classic AC - multiple sub-intrigues, classic misdirection.  The casual racism in all of AC's books set in Africa or Asia is certainly unsettling, but other than that I really enjoyed the break.

 

cstarlette, I'm so glad you mentioned the Futurelearn Marquez class! I decided to at least start it, though I'm not sure I'll keep up. I got the book of short stories and started on it last night. Yep, I still find Marquez weird, though I enjoyed 100 years and Love in the Time of Cholera very much when I read them quite a few years ago. It will be good to read some of his other work in a systematic way. Who knows, maybe it will increase my appreciation of magical realism? Anyway, it's cool to listen to the lectures in Spanish with the English subtitles. I'm not quite up to reading Marquez in Spanish, but I am enjoying listening to the lectures in this format. It's always interesting to see how certain phrases take so many more words to express in Spanish than in English.

[Kareni]

I recently finished a couple of books both of which I enjoyed.

 

Night Study by Maria V. Snyder. This is the most recent book in an enjoyable fantasy series; I'd definitely recommend beginning with the first book in the series, Poison Study.

 

"Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana's life has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia is safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear.

 

Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he's quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he's been keeping secrets from Valek…secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander's mysterious plans, they realize it's far more sinister than they could have ever imagined."

 

**

 

And the contemporary romance The CEO Buys In (Wager of Hearts Book 1)  by Nancy Herkness (some adult content).

 

"Self-made billionaire Nathan Trainor feels restless and disillusioned. His company may be thriving, but he can’t find a woman who sees him for more than his wealth. With his love life in the red, he meets two other billionaire bachelors at the ultra-exclusive Bellwether Club. The three of them make a wager of the heart: they must find women who love them for who they are, not their money.

 

Savvy office temp Chloe Russell is trying to scrape together the money she needs to support her grandmother. So when a flu epidemic strikes Trainor Electronics and she’s promoted to Nathan Trainor’s assistant, she jumps at the lucrative opportunity. But then Nathan himself falls ill, and he and Chloe must work from his penthouse while he recuperates. Before long, it’s clear there’s genuine heat between them, and it’s more than just a fever spike. Will Nathan win Chloe’s heart—and the bet? Or will their differences destroy any chance for love?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Nan in Mass]

Jane - I am glad Bonnie went on her bonnie way without too much upset. Loved the owl photo! Where is the boy now? We hiked in mountains this weekend and I have holes from the black flies. I hope he isn,t suffering too much. Mosquitoes, too. But the woods is oh so lovely at this time of the year, with ladyslippers and Canada mayflowers and bright soft beech leaves. A giant snapper chased me when I was swimming out in the lake. He,s probably the same one I saw as a child. I,ve never met him so close before. And I have never swum so fast. I,m sure he was just curious but still... My husband says no more skinnie dipping for him lol.

 

I tried listening to a number of books and abandonned them. Probably fine for other people, just not for me: Tales of the City, Wild, and Divergent. I listened to several Daisy mysteries (Carola Dunn). We are reading aloud Witches Abroad (Terry Pratchett).

 

I just sent The Last Continent and three of the guards books off with my middle son for his summer entertainment. Somewhat risky to send all one author, so I have my fingers crossed. Also totally guessing on the number of books.

 

I sent my husband,s copy of The Martian with oldest on his 12 day backpacking trip and he returned without it. His college roommate joined him for the first few days and the first evening, after supper, as they were waiting for it to be dark enough to go to sleep, my son pulled out his book. Roommate was trying his hand at starting a fire via friction and couldn,t believe oldest was lugging a book along. Oldest said he certainly was, how else was he supposed to spend the evening all by himself? Roommate teased for awhile and then asked when oldest would be finished so he could have it. So oldest tore off the part he,d already read. That bit left with roommate and the rest was left behind rather than carried the rest of the way. Lol.

 

Does anyone know how to get mold out of books? I don,t need the smell gone. I just need them to be unmoldy enough for me to read. Youngest rescued some books from an abandonned falling down house and I am curious about them. They are about the same era as my granfather,s books, I think.

 

Nan

[Jane in NC]

Nan,

 

I think moldy books may be a hopeless cause.  Cat litter does wonders if a book stinks. Would that or the damp-rid kind of product (clay based, I think) that hardware stores sell tackle the mold?  I don't know.

 

Black flies were tormenting The Boy so he is happy to return to higher elevations.  He is starting his climb of the White Mountains. 

 

Bonus from the new neighbor:  he trills when I go out in the morning to retrieve the newspaper from its streetside box.  If you are unfamiliar with the sounds of a screech owl, Cornell has recordings on its website.

[Nan in Mass]

We were in the other side of the Whites and not that high, but even the open ledges on the top of things had blackflies, where we were. Hopefully higher will be better. They went after the dog,s eyes, which was pretty upsetting.

[Angel]

I have decided to count The Willow Valley Kids:  The Treasure Hunt by Jean Pennington in my reading list for the year.  The Willow Valley Kids stories have been a part of our Patch the Pirate Program for years.  This year instead of including the stories in the teacher's book, they compiled the first batch of stories into a book.  The Treasure Hunt was the beginning of the story, one that we were glad to hear, as we have spent years jumping around in their timeline.  I'm always amazed that these sweet simple stories capture and hold the attention of my class of wiggly kids.  

 

After over a year, I have completed reading the Harry Potter books again.  Today I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  When you have read a book, multiple times, and yet can NOT put it down, even knowing what is going to happen, THAT is the sign of a great book.  The last Harry Potter book is a great book.  I love the movies, and truly they did a great job with the Deathly Hallows part 1 and 2.  But reading the book again made me realize just how many intricacies are left out, those tiny details that truly pull everything in the story together. 

 

Quote:  "After all this time?"  "Always," said Snape.

 

Harry Potter puts me at book #24.  I think I'll post me list for the year when I hit the half-way mark.  

[Kareni]

Some book-ish posts ~

 

 

Since mermaids were recently discussed, a mermaid bookend.

 

 

Plus an assortment of Fifty Fabulous Bookends

 

 

Not quite about books but interesting nonetheless ~ QI: how knitting was used as code in WW2?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Plus an assortment of Fifty Fabulous Bookends

 

Hey, my ds has those Portal bookends in his room! Lol.

[aggieamy]

Hello friends. I have not much book related to check in with but I had to come say hello because I've had such an exciting day and I want to tell you about it. We are still over the pond and on day eight of our trip. We have six days left until we go home and it already seems like it has gone by too fast. Today was a particularly fun day though because we got to spend it with mumto2's family! She is just as lovely and fun in real life as she is on the Internet. Her whole family came down and gave us a personal guided tour to York. According to my pedometer we walked about 7 miles and I can't say that there was a moment of silence during the whole trip. Her husband was awesome also. He discovered talking to my husband that he liked the Romans and took him to see some ruins which made his day. I have warned Sandy that we had such a good time that we plan to come back and visit them again.

 

 

Sandy and her husband are on the outside of this picture and her two children are the tall teenagers. John is riding on Kevin's back and Sophia is in the black trench coat. I'm the lady in the purple sweater.

Edited June 1, 2016 by aggieamy

[Jane in NC]

Oh Amy!  What fun!  And look how big Chews on Books is!

[Ali in OR]

Ready to converse with all of you! In multi quote fashion:

 

Finished Persuasion last night as my BINGO reread. I try to read at least one Austen every year. Now to watch a film version. My tradition: read Austen book and follow with film version(s). 

 

Lady FL, sounds like a very fun time. 

 

I want to do this with Pride and Prejudice this summer with my girls. I realized it is the one book on my "classics that must be shared with my kids" list that we didn't get to while older dd was still home schooling with us. Life is too busy during the school year for read-alouds now, but I'm hoping we can do it this summer. It will be my "old friend" on the BAW bingo card. And then we'll have to watch the BBC production!

 

@Camus
I read L'etranger and La Peste last year, and prefered La Peste.
L'etranger is pretty nihilistic, la Peste has some story.
But I did prefer L'etranger above 'monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs de Coran' from Ernst Emmanuel Schmitt.

@Persuasion
I prefer this film:
https://www.amazon.com/Persuasion-Ciaran-Hinds/dp/B00003JRCQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464783018&sr=8-2&keywords=persuasion+dvd
And I am glad I found the DVD this vacation.

I finished Vilette last night :)

 

And did you like Villette? I have to admit I was eager to give that one away after I finished it!

 

I took a break from more serious reading to read Death on the Nile.  I've read it before, and I actually remembered who was guilty, but I still enjoyed the re-read. It's such classic AC - multiple sub-intrigues, classic misdirection.  The casual racism in all of AC's books set in Africa or Asia is certainly unsettling, but other than that I really enjoyed the break.

 

I often don't consciously remember the plot of Agatha Christies I re-read, but I do have a hunch who did it (and I'm right).

 

I tried listening to a number of books and abandonned them. Probably fine for other people, just not for me: Tales of the City, Wild, and Divergent. I listened to several Daisy mysteries (Carola Dunn). We are reading aloud Witches Abroad (Terry Pratchett).


Does anyone know how to get mold out of books? I don,t need the smell gone. I just need them to be unmoldy enough for me to read. Youngest rescued some books from an abandonned falling down house and I am curious about them. They are about the same era as my granfather,s books, I think.

Nan

 

 

I would have abandoned Wild if it hadn't been a book club book. For mold, can you try leaving them outside on a hot, sunny day? It worked for books I bought from eBay that smelled of cigarette smoke.

[Jane in NC]

BBC Radio 3 has a drama online that blew me away.  I highly recommend it to Rose and Idnib--and others who enjoy riffs on Shakespeare.  Here is the program description for The Wolf in the Water:

 

 

What happened to Jessica, Shylock's daughter in The Merchant of Venice?

 

In the original Shakespeare, Jessica is a minor but fascinating character, Shylock's only daughter, who leaves him to convert to Christianity and marry Lorenzo. We are left rather uncertain about how that marriage is going to work out. It's also implicit that the conversion isn't going to be easy on either party. ...

The Wolf in the Water by Naomi Alderman is an imaginative response to The Merchant of Venice, in which we meet an older Jessica in 1615, secretly still practising her Jewish faith in a turbulent Venice that is increasingly hostile to Jews. A murder, twenty innocent Jews facing death - Jessica becomes embroiled in a mystery that challenges her apparently settled life and reconnects her with her identity. The year may be 1615, but the themes are universal and relevant. What drives one group to persecute another? What shameful deeds are done by those to whom we entrust our money? Can we ever be cosmopolitans - citizens of all nations and none - or will our ethnicity, our religion, even the ineradicable traces of God, always draw us back, perhaps to doom ourselves?

 

Warning:  the drama opens with Jessica and Lorenzo in the throes of passion.  I am mentioning this in case anyone is wondering about sharing this with their kids.  Merchant is a hard play though so I am suspecting you are not doing this one with your middle schoolers.  For high school age students, The Wolf in the Water would certainly present some interesting points for discussion.

 

Unfortunately the drama is not available for downloading.  There are 20 days left for listening.

 

ETA:  Oops!  I forgot the link!  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07bvjcs

Edited June 1, 2016 by Jane in NC

[Loesje22000]

Ready to converse with all of you! In multi quote fashion:

 

Nw

 

And did you like Villette? I have to admit I was eager to give that one away after I finished it.

Why did you not like it?

 

I don't like the 'anti - catholic' parts of it, but they were stronger in 'the professor.'

I read it in translation and did not consider it a hard or dry book, although it sometimes seemed nothing was happening.

 

I was hoping for a happy end, but that was not the case.

I can live with that.

 

In my reading experience I preferred the professor after all.

The ' you can intellectual grow even when you are poor' messagr appealed to me.

 

Now I wonder why charlotte put her romances in a master/teacher - student relationship.

I know it was part of her own life, but did she though it was ideal?

[Jane in NC]

 

I would have abandoned Wild if it hadn't been a book club book. For mold, can you try leaving them outside on a hot, sunny day? It worked for books I bought from eBay that smelled of cigarette smoke.

 

I forgot to comment on Nan's abandonment of Wild so I am glad you brought it up.

 

What a disappointment!  I know that I would have abandoned Wild if I had been reading it, but, by listening in the car, I made it through.  It was not the book I wanted it to be.  In fact, I am stunned by how many people have read it and recommend it. 

 

I wanted a book that told me more about the PCT, the Pacific Crest Trail.  Both the author of Wild and the author of H is for Hawk suffered losses that motivated them to do something a little extreme--walk one thousand miles (a segment of the PCT) or train a hawk.  In both cases, I as a reader did not need to read of the authors' depths of grief.  I have lost my parents.  I get it. 

 

The drug use in Wild gave me the willies.  I don't do well with that subject matter. 

 

When I finished listening to Wild, I wondered if I would have enjoyed the memoir had it been written by a more mature author.  I found Strayed's self absorption to be annoying. 

 

Currently in the car is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.  I am loving it and suspect Nan (and her mother) would as well.

 

[mumto2]

Oh Amy! What fun! And look how big Chews on Books is!

I can confirm Chews on Books is a sweetheart. He behaved really well!

 

We had a lovely day. It was great getting to meet the Aggieamy Family in real life! We've been planning for a few months. I didn't realize we walked 7 miles which explains the sore feet!

 

On a bookish note, I actually finished Station Eleven https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21792828-station-eleven on my way to York this morning. I stayed up rather late last night with it and had to put it aside if I wanted to function well today. Since people here had warned me that things wouldn't really add up I tried not to put much thought into the intricacies of the various storylines which resulted in my actually liking the book quite well. Not my normal and not sure I really care to read any other post apocalyptic fiction but I was entertained for pretty much the whole book. Some of the flash backs were too long.

[Ali in OR]

Why did you not like it?

 

I don't like the 'anti - catholic' parts of it, but they were stronger in 'the professor.'

I read it in translation and did not consider it a hard or dry book, although it sometimes seemed nothing was happening.

 

I was hoping for a happy end, but that was not the case.

I can live with that.

 

In my reading experience I preferred the professor after all.

The ' you can intellectual grow even when you are poor' messagr appealed to me.

 

Now I wonder why charlotte put her romances in a master/teacher - student relationship.

I know it was part of her own life, but did she though it was ideal?

 

I'm trying to remember why I didn't like it. But I knew I would not want to read it again so it went to the library book sale. From what I can recall:

1) Too much French! I couldn't read those parts.

2) I don't remember how it ended, but it was not an upbeat story. Kind of depressing.

3) I wanted a happy love story like most any Austen or Jane Eyre. This wasn't that.

[Stacia]

Love the photo of the aggieamy & mumto2 families! Thanks for sharing your day with us. Everyone looks great & it sounds like it was such a wonderful day. I would love to meet all of you too.

 

And everyone is commenting on how much ChewsOnBooks is growing, but I have to say that at first, I was thinking Sophia was Amy, then realized my error! Wow, she's grown soooo much, Amy!

 

Funny the comments on Wild. I've never read it, never had much of an inclination too. I know it was quite popular, but irl, I think I've heard more complaints about the book than praise. (Similar to complaints already mentioned in this thread.) Never wanted to see the movie either (but I'm no fan of Reese Witherspoon, so that was partly what kept me away from it). Another book that seemed to garner either love or hate was also Eat, Pray, Love. I know quite a few BaWers hated it, though I can say I loved it. So, who knows? Maybe I'd like Wild, though I doubt I would ever feel inclined enough to pick it up.

 

Feel like I'm getting the book itchies again. Two started, but I don't really want to pick up either right now. Maybe it's just that I've got a headache (big storm just rolled through here & that seems to trigger them sometimes for me), but I want... something... but I don't know what... in a book... that I don't have right now.... Will see if my mood passes & I get back into my two in-progress or if I decide to move on to something else....

[Stacia]

Calling Kareni's super-search powers....

 

Did you see this post by CindyH in NC?

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/611994-paris-comics-book-shop-book-a-week/

 

She's looking for a recent thread/post about a comic bookshop in Paris. Needs to find the info tonight. She wondered if it might have been on the BaW threads (I don't remember that, but my memory is sketchier these days).

 

Figured some BaWers might know the thread or place she's asking about...?

[Jane in NC]

Calling Kareni's super-search powers....

 

Did you see this post by CindyH in NC?

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/611994-paris-comics-book-shop-book-a-week/

 

She's looking for a recent thread/post about a comic bookshop in Paris. Needs to find the info tonight. She wondered if it might have been on the BaW threads (I don't remember that, but my memory is sketchier these days).

 

Figured some BaWers might know the thread or place she's asking about...?

All I could think of was Sylvia Beach's bookstore in Paris, Shakespeare and Company, or the Tintin store in Brussels. Not helpful, I know!

[Rosie_0801]

Finished Persuasion last night as my BINGO reread. I try to read at least one Austen every year. Now to watch a film version. My tradition: read Austen book and follow with film version(s). 

 

Which version? I have the 70's version. It is badly acted for the most part but the only one that really feels Anne-ish.

[Kareni]

Calling Kareni's super-search powers....

 

Did you see this post by CindyH in NC?

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/611994-paris-comics-book-shop-book-a-week/

 

Sadly, I don't recall reading such a post.  (If it turns out to be in a book a week thread, I shall be chagrined!)

 

Hello friends. I have not much book related to check in with but I had to come say hello because I've had such an exciting day and I want to tell you about it ...

 

Glad to hear that you've been having such a great trip.  Thanks for sharing the photo; you all look very happy.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Nan in Mass]

I forgot to comment on Nan's abandonment of Wild so I am glad you brought it up.

 

What a disappointment! I know that I would have abandoned Wild if I had been reading it, but, by listening in the car, I made it through. It was not the book I wanted it to be. In fact, I am stunned by how many people have read it and recommend it.

 

I wanted a book that told me more about the PCT, the Pacific Crest Trail. Both the author of Wild and the author of H is for Hawk suffered losses that motivated them to do something a little extreme--walk one thousand miles (a segment of the PCT) or train a hawk. In both cases, I as a reader did not need to read of the authors' depths of grief. I have lost my parents. I get it.

 

The drug use in Wild gave me the willies. I don't do well with that subject matter.

 

When I finished listening to Wild, I wondered if I would have enjoyed the memoir had it been written by a more mature author. I found Strayed's self absorption to be annoying.

 

Currently in the car is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I am loving it and suspect Nan (and her mother) would as well.

 

Agree with your assessment of Wild. Not at all the book I wanted it to be. Almost no info about the walking part of her journey. Willies is right! Give me The Martian any day lol. It put in all technical details and skipped the internal battles.

 

Yes! MPLS was a hit here.

 

Did you know that there is a sequal to A Guide to the Birds of East Africa? I am saving it for vacation.

 

Nan

[Loesje22000]

I'm trying to remember why I didn't like it. But I knew I would not want to read it again so it went to the library book sale. From what I can recall:

1) Too much French! I couldn't read those parts.

2) I don't remember how it ended, but it was not an upbeat story. Kind of depressing.

3) I wanted a happy love story like most any Austen or Jane Eyre. This wasn't that.

1) yes my book also contained French but gave most often a translation of it directly after it, but war and Peace has much more French..

2) I agree with the sad / depressing end, but it is also a puzzled end. I had to look online for explanation and discovered the Brussels Bronte Society that way...

3) Bronte is definetly something different then Jane Austen, also Jane Eyre and Shirley have 'depressing' parts imo and are not 'just' a happy love story, not the way Jane Austen is.

You might consider Agnes Grey, from Anne Bronte, that one is 'lighter' in the 'less depressing' meaning.

 

I wrote earlier I found Haworth (Brontes Parsonage) so much more depressing then Chawton (Jane Austen Cottage) I wonder how much their area has affected their books.

I expected Villette to end with an unanswered love, so more tragic.

The professor also ends with a happy love.

 

In Chawton I discovered more titels of Austen I was not aware of.

And I discovered one is just filmed and available in the Benelux cinema's :)

 

I have to look if there are more Bronte titels available, and otherwise I will go hunting for Gaskell and Eliot translations... :)

[KathyBC]

 

I tried listening to a number of books and abandonned them. Probably fine for other people, just not for me: Tales of the City, Wild, and Divergent. I listened to several Daisy mysteries (Carola Dunn). 

 

Since I very much appreciated Wild and am enjoying reading Divergent to the kids, perhaps I will have to try Tales of the City next. :D

I did try listening to Divergent during a painting project a few weeks ago, and found the narration painful - the narrator somehow made this action-packed book boring.

[Violet Crown]

I finished Dreamthorp today. Smith's essay style is old-fashioned but charming in its slow, wandering way; a pleasant change from the modern, rapid Atlantic-style. (One essay is on essay-writing, where he defends the old-fashionedness of Bacon and Montaigne.)

 

Still reading the Penguin Book of Scottish Verse--from which, Hugh Macdiarmid's "The Parrot Cry" (excerpted):

 

Tell me the auld, auld story

O’ hoo the Union brocht

Puir Scotland into being

As a country worth a thocht.

England, frae whom a' blessings flow

What could we dae withoot ye?

Then dinna threep it doon oor throats

As gin we e’er could doot ye!

My feelings lang wi’ gratitude

Ha’e been sae sairly harrowed

That dod! I think it’s time

The claith was owre the parrot!

 

Tell me o’ Scottish enterprise

And canniness and thrift,

And hoo we’re baith less Scots and mair

Than ever under George the fifth,

And hoo to ‘wider interests’

Oor ain we sacrifice

And yet tine naething by it

As aye the parrot cries.

Syne gie’s a chance to think it oot then

Aince we’re a’ weel awaur o’t,

For, losh, I think it’s time

The claith was owre the parrot!

 

Tell me o’ love o’ country

Content to see’t decay

And ony ither paradox

Ye think o’ by the way.

I doot it needs a Hegel

Sic opposites to fuse

Oor education’s failin’

And canna gie’s the views

That were peculiar to us

Afore our vision narrowed

And gar’d us think it time

The claith was owre the parrot!

 

...

 

And gin that disna dae, lads,

We e’en maun draw its neck

And heist its body on a stick

A’ ither pests to check.

I’d raither keep’t alive, and whiles

Let bairns keek in and hear

What the Balliol accent used to be

Frae the Predominant Pairtner here!

But save to please the bairns

I’d absolutely bar it

For fegs, it’s aye high time

The claith was owre the parrot!

"I doot it needs a Hegel/ Sic opposites to fuse" is the best verse I've read in a while.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Violet Crown

[Lady Florida.]

My copy of The Voyage of the Beagle - the one Rose suggested - finally came in at the library! I've been making slow but steady progress through my Kindle version and will continue to read it on the Kindle. I just wanted to look at the pretty pictures in the hardcover book. :)

 

 

Amy and mumto2 - How wonderful! Thank you for sharing the photo Amy.

 

Wild - I couldn't get through the audio book. In fact, it's one of only two books I've ever returned to Audible (the other was due to a boring narrator). I very much disliked Strayed and her whiny-ness. I didn't want to listen to her for the entire book.

 

 

 

What fun to hear about your experiences at the con!  Any great new game discoveries?

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Not really discoveries, but each of us had some new games we've been wanting to play. 

 

Stone Age -didn't cost that much when the person bought it

Targi - a two player game that we borrowed from a friend

Tokaido - this is mine that I bought a few weeks ago when Amazon had a sale on tabletop games

 

We also brought some of our old favorites to play when we didn't want to think, but just play a game while we talked - Bohnanza (we call it The Bean Game), Rummikub, Phase 10, Five Crowns, and Dominion.

[Kareni]

Not really discoveries, but each of us had some new games we've been wanting to play. 

 

Stone Age -didn't cost that much when the person bought it

Targi - a two player game that we borrowed from a friend

Tokaido - this is mine that I bought a few weeks ago when Amazon had a sale on tabletop games

 

We also brought some of our old favorites to play when we didn't want to think, but just play a game while we talked - Bohnanza (we call it The Bean Game), Rummikub, Phase 10, Five Crowns, and Dominion.

 

Thanks, Kathy!  It's always fun to learn what you've been playing and to discover a new game or two.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[idnib]

BBC Radio 3 has a drama online that blew me away.  I highly recommend it to Rose and Idnib--and others who enjoy riffs on Shakespeare.  Here is the program description for The Wolf in the Water:

 

 

Warning:  the drama opens with Jessica and Lorenzo in the throes of passion.  I am mentioning this in case anyone is wondering about sharing this with their kids.  Merchant is a hard play though so I am suspecting you are not doing this one with your middle schoolers.  For high school age students, The Wolf in the Water would certainly present some interesting points for discussion.

 

Unfortunately the drama is not available for downloading.  There are 20 days left for listening.

 

ETA:  Oops!  I forgot the link!  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07bvjcs

 

 

Thanks, I'll check it out!

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erendira and her Heartless Grandmother (and other stories) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  It's a collection of 7 short stories he wrote during a transitional period between 100 Years of Solitude and his later works, including Love in the Time of Cholera. I am appreciating the Future Learn class that is discussing these stories, I'm getting a bit more out of them because of the class.  They are truly odd stories, but the last one - innocent Erendira - was beautiful and sad, and my favorite.  I think I can take on another Marquez, the next on the class list is The Autumn of the Patriarch.  I'll give it a try.

[Jane in NC]

Two delightful books that are a tonic for those in need of a "feel good" story both contain the name Pettigrew in the title.

 

It was from this thread that I first learned of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, still the best tonic around.

 

But Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is also a delight.  I listened to Helen Simonson's novel that was beautifully read by Peter Altshuler which I suspect added to my enjoyment.  If there is a flaw with the book, it is probably the melodramatic ending. But I laughed aloud more than once at Simonson's comedy of manners.  Here is the basic storyline:  Major Earnest Pettigrew, a widower, forms an unlikely relationship with a widowed shopkeeper, a woman whose nephew has recently returned from Pakistan with a more rigid mindset.  Villagers are quick to see members of the Ali family and other Pakistanis as different--not racism at the golf club, mind you. They couldn't possible join because the Pakistanis are "in trade".  Nonetheless Major Pettigrew realizes that he really doesn't care for the stuffed shirts at the golf club anyhow.  But romance at his age?

 

It is a sweet story.

 

I know that I should be giving someone on this thread credit for putting the book on my radar. Thank you whoever you are!

[Onceuponatime]

I've finished So Big. It was a wonderful book. You don't hear much about Edna Ferber's books nowadays. This was my second and I'm up for more.

 

I'm currently reading Redwall. It is the only book all my boys have read and liked that I haven't read. My 12yo is currently trying to break one of his brother's records of having read 15 Brian Jaques books. One will probably be enough for me. 😊

Edited June 2, 2016 by Onceuponatime

[Jane in NC]

I've finished So Big. It was a wonderful book. You don't hear much about Edna Ferber's books nowadays. This was my second and I'm up for more.

 

I'm currently reading Redwall. It is the only book all my boys have read and liked that I haven't read. My 12yo is currently trying to break one of his brother's records of having read 15 Brian Jaques books. One will probably be enough for me. 😊

 

The audio versions of the Redwall books kept us company while homeschooling.  My son was quite the fan despite the formulaic plots.

 

There are a number of Ferber books in the old family place with its 1920's library. Perhaps I'll try So Big when I head up to the cottage later in the summer.

 

[Robin M]

Calling Kareni's super-search powers....

 

Did you see this post by CindyH in NC?

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/611994-paris-comics-book-shop-book-a-week/

 

She's looking for a recent thread/post about a comic bookshop in Paris. Needs to find the info tonight. She wondered if it might have been on the BaW threads (I don't remember that, but my memory is sketchier these days).

 

Figured some BaWers might know the thread or place she's asking about...?

The only thread I can find is when Jenn went to Paris, explored bookshops and her  hubby went to comic convention in England. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished A Sand County Almanac.  I  :001_wub: that book so much!!! Most things I feel or want to say about the environment, ecology, or conservation Aldo Leopold has already said, and more eloquently. I'm making my kid read this book this summer, for sure.  I feel like I'll hardly need to teach her Ecology class - I can just hold the book up, wave it around, and say, "What he said!!!"