Jump to content

Menu

Book a Week 2016 - BW22: Philosophical June


Robin M
 Share

Recommended Posts

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!!!"  

 

I assigned this book to my son when he studied biology in high school.  Good choice for a summer read!

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry for the lack of quotes, I lost one post with quotes and just don't have the patience to go back to previous weeks again.

 

A couple of weeks ago Jenn returned from her graduation adventure with a new Amish mystery which she was enjoying. She went on to read the first mystery in the Kate Burkholder https://www.goodreads.com/series/56323-kate-burkholder series last week. In her review she found the first book in the series to be quite violent and a bit obvious. All I can say is I concur. But I went on to read the second one, Pray for Silence, because I already had it. It opened with a huge amount of violence and I did know who did it.

 

These definitely aren't cozy which the Amish part makes them seem like they should be. I have read and enjoyed many of Karen Harper's Amish Suspense books which were milder. All the criticism aside I am going to go ahead and read the third soon because I find myself invested in the main character's romance. These are far more descriptive than I would like but thanks to my kindle I can turn pages really quickly! :lol:

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another intriguing column from the Tor.com site:

 

Five Books About Prophecy by Kelley Grant

 

"The prophecy of the chosen one is considered to be a tired trope by many fantasy readers. Indeed, many books use prophecy as a crutch to make it easier on the characters and push the plot along. But when done well, prophecy makes it harder on the characters, not easier, and enhances the mythic quality of the novel."

 

Do read the comments as there are many more suggested titles there.

 

**

 

I recently re-read, with pleasure, the historical romance His at Night by Sherry Thomas

 

"Elissande Edgerton is a desperate woman, a virtual prisoner in the home of her tyrannical uncle. Only through marriage can she claim the freedom she craves. But how to catch the perfect man?

Lord Vere is used to baiting irresistible traps. As a secret agent for the government, he’s tracked down some of the most devious criminals in London, all the while maintaining his cover as one of Society’s most harmless—and idiotic—bachelors. But nothing can prepare him for the scandal of being ensnared by Elissande.

Forced into a marriage of convenience, Elissande and Vere are each about to discover that they’re not the only one with a hidden agenda. With seduction their only weapon—and a dark secret from the past endangering both their lives—can they learn to trust each other even as they surrender to a passion that won’t be denied?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just popping in for a moment to report my reading, or lack thereof. I have been reading the Ramona and Henry Huggins books to my 5 and 7 year old boys, but I have only finished one book of my own in the past few weeks - Nick Hornby's Housekeeping vs. the Dirt. It's a collection of the book review columns he wrote for the magazine The Believer in 2005. I like Hornby's sort of snarky but large hearted sense of humor, and I enjoyed the book a lot although his taste in novels is different than mine. I had actually started reading The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer at the time, but that book - while intensely interesting and well-written -- begins to terrify me after a while, so I have to take it in small doses.

 

I am also in the middle of 33 Days to Merciful Love by Michael Gaitley, a Catholic do-it-yourself retreat that is taking me much longer than 33 days to move through, and a lightish novel called Crooked Heart, by Lissa Evans. Crooked Heart has a sort of Harry Potter/Roald Dahl/Narnia-ish feel to me, not because it is fantastical (it isn't) but because one of the main characters is a boy who has essentially been made to inhabit a cupboard under the stairs and then is evacuated from London during WWII, where he is taken in by a con woman. Good writing, quirky characters. I'm enjoying it, so I'm not sure why I haven't finished it by now.

 

In Abby news, we had good news about her heart -- the hole may be closing on its own -- but it seems that she has now come down with the respiratory virus that has been going around our house and we're not sure how this will affect her. This spring seems to have been really tough virus-wise, just one thing after another. I wonder if it's just us or have others had this experience, too?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Angela, hope Abby isn't too hard hit by the respiratory stuff.

 

My parents both have something similar going on right now too. Seems like such an odd time of year for it, but I guess it can hit anytime.

 

In bookish news, following one of Kareni's links ended up leading me to this article:

The Inspiration for Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti is a Muslim Scientist From the 10th Century

 

The article begins...

 

In Nnedi Okorafor’s Nebula Award-winning novella Binti, the eponymous main character is a young woman who is an expert at crafting Astrolabes, a device that was used to discern the position of the stars and planets around us in ancient times, useful for everything from astronomy to time keeping to horoscopes.

 

Sounds like a cool story. Unfortunately, neither of my library systems appears to have it.

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!!!"  

 

I need to read this again.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

 

 

I wish I could get DS to enjoy these. They just don't resonate for him. He was laughing that we'll have to turn in our "homeschooling  card."

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In Abby news, we had good news about her heart -- the hole may be closing on its own -- but it seems that she has now come down with the respiratory virus that has been going around our house and we're not sure how this will affect her. This spring seems to have been really tough virus-wise, just one thing after another. I wonder if it's just us or have others had this experience, too?

 

I'm glad to hear the good news and hope that the virus will soon be behind you all. 

 

In bookish news, following one of Kareni's links ended up leading me to this article:

The Inspiration for Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti is a Muslim Scientist From the 10th Century

 

...

 

Sounds like a cool story. Unfortunately, neither of my library systems appears to have it.

 

That was an interesting article; thanks for posting it.  Time for a purchase suggestion ....

 

 

Regarding the Redwall books:

I wish I could get DS to enjoy these. They just don't resonate for him. He was laughing that we'll have to turn in our "homeschooling  card."

 

They didn't work for my daughter either, so tell your son that he may keep his homeschooling card.  I'm not ready to give up ours even though my daughter has graduated from both high school and college.

 

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry for the lack of quotes, I lost one post with quotes and just don't have the patience to go back to previous weeks again.

 

A couple of weeks ago Jenn returned from her graduation adventure with a new Amish mystery which she was enjoying. She went on to read the first mystery in the Kate Burkholder https://www.goodreads.com/series/56323-kate-burkholder series last week. In her review she found the first book in the series to be quite violent and a bit obvious. All I can say is I concur. But I went on to read the second one, Pray for Silence, because I already had it. It opened with a huge amount of violence and I did know who did it.

 

These definitely aren't cozy which the Amish part makes them seem like they should be. I have read and enjoyed many of Karen Harper's Amish Suspense books which were milder. All the criticism aside I am going to go ahead and read the third soon because I find myself invested in the main character's romance. These are far more descriptive than I would like but thanks to my kindle I can turn pages really quickly! :lol:

 

I've also gone on to read the 2nd and 3rd as they were on my library shelves and I needed some quick easy reads during last week's Shrek marathon. (That was the production I was playing -- Shrek the Musical!  Fun show, but 8 performances in 4 days out in the middle of nowhere was just a killer!)  But back to the Kate Burkholder mysteries. I think they are getting better with each title -- a bit less graphic with each title and the mystery gets better, too. The writing is nice, and I have to confess that I too am a total sucker for the romance!  

 

My current audio book is a very fun read.  Ds, the college grad, said it is his favorite fantasy in ages, and is hoping the next installment comes out before long.  It is Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw.  It is a classic bildungsroman, very Harry Potterish yet completely fresh.  The young protagonist is a great character who is surrounded by other good characters who are all put in challenging situations.  I have 19 hours yet to go in the book!!!

 

Today was my first full day off in ages. I've been trying to keep up with the thread during the week, though I know my "likes" have been really sporadic. Consider yourselves all "liked" and know that I probably have thought about comments to add to the conversation, but it's too much of a challenge to sit long enough to gather those thoughts, much less even multi-quote and type!

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night I finished the historical romance The Marquess of Cake (Redcakes Book 1) by Heather Hiestand; I enjoyed it though it was not without issues.  I'm not sure if it was a formatting issue, but every so often the scene would change from one paragraph to the next with no warning.  A space or some asterisks would have been less jarring.  Also, sometimes the dialgoue seemed anachronistic.   I've read several reviews which were mixed; a number of readers loved the first half of the book and then felt the characters acted differently.  One aspect of the book that I enjoyed was that the hero was hypoglycemic in an era where that was unrecognized.  Here's a link to an interview with the author that addresses that point. (Some adult content.)

 

This book is the first in a series, and I'd be happy to read more.

 

"Coffee. . .tea. . .or a pastry chef sweeter than any confection. . .

Scotch trifle fit for Queen Victoria, scones with clotted cream. . .Alys Redcake knows the way to a man's heart. Yet she is unaware that with each morsel--and flash of ankle--she is seducing the handsome marquess frequenting her father's tea shop. Unmarried at twenty-six, Alys's first love is the family business. But thoughts of the gentleman's touch are driving her to distraction. . .

With his weakness for sugar, the Marquess of Hatbrook can imagine no more desirable woman than one scented with cake and spice. Mistaking Alys for a mere waitress, he has no doubt she would make a most delicious mistress. And when he finds himself in need of an heir, he plans to make her his convenient bride. Yet as they satisfy their craving for one another, business and pleasure suddenly collide. Will Hatbrook's passion for sweets--and for Alys--be his heart's undoing?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

At times I tell myself I need to not read this thread. It makes me overly ambitious with the number of books I want need to read. I can begin to feel a bit melancholy knowing I will never be able to read all the books that call me. However I love the feeling of satisfaction at finishing a book, the feeling of urgency to read more never ends. I find myself pruning my tbr list at the end of each year only to have it build right back up again. Why does it feel like I'm cutting off my own arms when I cut down the size of my tbr list? Alas, I fear the only thing to calm my anxiety is, not a glass of wine, but to pick up a book and give in to the temptation to read it.

 

Some people don't understand my form of psychosis. Those people have my pity.  

 

 

I am currently listening to A Letter in Scarlet and have started Founding Mothers which already has me hooked. I happen to be doing colonial history with the kids at the moment. I think I will add this book for my teen.

Edited by Mom-ninja.
  • Like 14
Link to comment
Share on other sites

At times I tell myself I need to not read this thread. It makes me overly ambitious with the number of books I want need to read. I can begin to feel a bit melancholy knowing I will never be able to read all the books that call me. However I love the feeling of satisfaction at finishing a book, the feeling of urgency to read more never ends. I find myself pruning my tbr list at the end of each year only to have it build right back up again. Why does it feel like I'm cutting off my own arms when I cut down the size of my tbr list? Alas, I fear the only thing to calm my anxiety is, not a glass of wine, but to pick up a book and give in to the temptation to read it.

 

Some people don't understand my form of psychosis. Those people have my pity.

I love this thread. Whenever I finished an author's catalog, I would be lost for a bit, looking for another author to read. I don't have that problem now!

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

vidalportosergio-y.jpg

 

I sat down & read an entire book tonight: Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto, a Brazilian book translated from the Portuguese by Alex Ladd. Yet another wonderful book put out by Europa Editions.

 

This is a beautiful & inspiring book. Truly a gem. One of the very best I have read this year.

 

If I could press a copy into your hands, I would. And when you started reading, you might wonder why I loved it so. It starts off a little cool. Detached. But as each short chapter unfolds, the understated beauty of this story is revealed. And by the end, you too might have a tear in your eye & a smile on your face.

 

Starred review from Publishers Weekly:

Porto’s captivating, impeccably structured novel is a detective story wrapped around a deeper exploration of identity. Armando proclaims himself at the outset to be one of São Paulo’s best doctors, but the case of a 17-year-old named Sergio haunts him, due to Armando’s failure to diagnose a critical aspect of the unhappiness Sergio sought to eradicate through therapy: namely, Sergio’s wish to become a woman. Even though Sergio insists after discontinuing therapy that Armando helped him realize the course his life must take, Armando still considers the treatment a missed opportunity. Only after Sergio’s death does Armando learn about Sergio’s move to New York City and his path to becoming a woman named Sandra. Plagued by self-doubt about whether he inadvertently led Sergio to his death, Armando begins an investigation into Sergio’s journey as well as his own role in moving Sergio toward his ultimate destiny. The result is a methodical and deeply layered narrative about the sacrifices we make in the search for happiness.

 

Edited by Stacia
  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

 

 

Martian goes hiking.

Gets left bit by bit on trail.

He's badass like that.

  • Like 13
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Roommate took a bit

Nan's oldest son kept the rest

Martian leaves falling.

 

**

 

Today I re-read A Gift of Gold which is a historical romance novella by Mary Balogh; I enjoyed revisiting it.  It's appeared in several anthologies.  The one currently in print is The Heart of Christmas: A Handful of Gold\The Season for Suitors\This Wicked Gift.

 

"A Handful of Gold takes the reader to Regency England, a period for which author Mary Balogh is well known and universally loved. Here, handsome Julian Dare opts to spend his Christmas holiday in one last sensual fling before acceding to his family's wish to see him married. But the beautiful woman he asks to accompany him, Verity Ewing, turns out to be not only virginal but romantically irresistible and Julian's holiday has unexpected results."

 

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 13
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alternately with Scottish poetry I've been reading poet Robert Graves' account of his childhood and service in WWI, Goodbye to All That. This is the only prose of his I've read other than some chunks of his writing on mythology. Graves conveys the horror of trench warfare by a matter of fact, understated account; not for the weak of stomach.

 

Back to William Dunbar.

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!

 

 

Stacia took the words right out of my mouth.  And Yes & Yes! to the bolded  

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, let's see, in the last two days I survived a stressful business meeting, my 10 year old's birthday party, and I read Eligible, the P&P modern retelling.  I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were a couple of plot twists that I was ambivalent about at first, but it all worked. It was actually very cleverly done: the characters remained entirely true to the Austen characters, although the situations were, of course, entirely different. I'm a huge fan of P&P so worried that I wouldn't like this retelling, but I liked it a lot.

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That moment when all your library requests (both regular books and e-books) all come in at once and your "currently reading" list hits the double digits ..... :willy_nilly: Family is away on a birding trip until Monday evening. Good-bye housework and hello books!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

I sat down & read an entire book tonight: Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto, a Brazilian book translated from the Portuguese by Alex Ladd. Yet another wonderful book put out by Europa Editions.

 

This is a beautiful & inspiring book. Truly a gem. One of the very best I have read this year.

 

If I could press a copy into your hands, I would. And when you started reading, you might wonder why I loved it so. It starts off a little cool. Detached. But as each short chapter unfolds, the understated beauty of this story is revealed. And by the end, you too might have a tear in your eye & a smile on your face.

 

Starred review from Publishers Weekly:

 

 

I ordered it and hopefully it will arrive soon. I know we like a lot of the same books and themes, and you certainly sold me on it!

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That moment when all your library requests (both regular books and e-books) all come in at once and your "currently reading" list hits the double digits ..... :willy_nilly: Family is away on a birding trip until Monday evening. Good-bye housework and hello books!

 

This sounds like a good philosophy.  Happy reading!

 

 

 

Family away

Books arrive in quantity

Kiss housework good-bye!

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This currently free Kindle book might be of interest for about age ten and up ~

 

Cora and the Nurse Dragon by H. L. Burke

 

"Cora's a young girl with two dreams: to be a dragon jockey when she grows up and to own a pet dragon now. She constantly buys "egg packs" at the dragon emporium in hopes that one will hatch into a rare pet-sized dragon, but only gets short-lived mayflies. However, when an unexpected egg does develop into something new, Cora may be over her head."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...