Book a Week 2016 - BW28: ode to the artichoke

[Lady Florida.]

For inquiring minds about the definition of epic

 

I listened to The Iliad earlier this year, so now I can mark of the epic square. 

 

I started listening to As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride in the car, and since I had a nice road trip on which to get through a chunk of it, I'm more than half way through. It's light and enjoyable. I especially love the stories about Andre the Giant.

 

I really enjoyed listening to that book too. I'm sure I would have liked reading it, but hearing it all in Westley's voice was perfect. 

 

This is the penultimate one in the series and I’m looking forward to reading the last one very soon, although I’m slightly worried that it’s going to have a devastating ending. It is Italian after all. I know that Italian movies (most French ones also, never mind Russian as well as Persian literature), tend to end dreadfully. I once mentioned this to an Italian friend of ours and his response, “Well, of course. Life ends badly. There are never any good endings.†I cannot stand bad endings. I’m not asking for a Disney-style ending where it’s all perfect and everyone rides off into the sunset, but at least some closure, and nothing crazy please! It seems to me that most of the endings that I love are in British and American literature.

 

A Russian character in an episode of the Sopranos I just watched said, about the difference between Americans' outlook and that of the rest of the world, "Americans don't expect anything bad to happen, and they are surprised when it does, while the rest of the world expects the worst and are not disappointed."

 

I really tried to like the Neapolitan novels. I flew through My Brilliant Friend and loved it. But I got less than halfway through The Story of a New Name and realized I just didn't care about any of the characters. None of them. I can dislike a character and still want to know about his or her fate, so it wasn't just about disliking them (though I disliked almost everyone). I'm not really sure why the sudden disinterest, but I don't care to read any further. I know many people are loving these books, and I might try again some day (often I like a book better on the second try), but for now I have too many other books I want to read or reread. 

 

These are currently free to Kindle readers ~

 

 

Cozy mysteries: RAFFERTY & LLEWELLYN SERIES BOXED SET...  by Geraldine Evans

 

Thank you! I hadn't heard of this series, but I got this set and will take a look sometime in the next few months. 

 

 

 

From Rose - my quote formatting messed up so I'm trying to fix it-

 

I need to pick a meaty classic to take with me on my vacation next month. Right now, it's between Anna Karenina, War & Peace, and David Copperfield.  What do you guys think?

Hmm. Any one of those would be a good choice, but for a vacation read I'd pick Anna Karenina, with David Copperfield a close second.

[Jane in NC]

I wish we could still post random pictures here.

 

But, here. A funny punctuation respite for when you need it. And here.

 

You're welcome. ;) :p

 

 

We do indeed miss Stacia bearing GIFs; her links will work though.

 

Stacia's love of the random photo brought us many snorts!

 

(Note my use of the semi-colon and apostrophe!)

 

Edited July 11, 2016 by Jane in NC

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

A few years ago I read a completely different book that had a quote that somehow applies to The Plover & to my reading of it. “Sometimes when she told stories about the past her eyes would get teary from all the memories she had, but they weren't tears. She wasn't crying. They were just the memories, leaking out.†(The quote is from A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.) The Plover is not my book. Not my story. It doesn't hold my memories. But when the tears leaked out of my eyes while reading, that quote is exactly what I thought of. It doesn't even make sense in a way, yet it does somehow. The Plover touched my heart & mind in so many ways. This story is well- & beautifully-told, a mix of reality & magic (not magical realism, more the magic of wonder & awe of the world we live in & with); true characters full of flaws, & wonder, & hope. A book that gave me some tears, smiles, & hope in our world. Gorgeous.

 

 

 

What a wonderful quote. I love that!

 

I couldn't remember what I had read last week and then it hit me - I had listened to a book! It was a re-read/first time listen for me of a favorite book - True Grit  by Charles Portis and read by Donna Tart. Loved it even more this time around. Really great read, great listen and so so so much better than the movies!!

 

 

 

I've had this on my to read list for a while. I resisted because I never like the movies - either the old one or the newer one. Recently I've been reading that the book is so much better (that shouldn't have surprised me) and added it to my list. I've also been looking for books to use my audible credits on, and just yesterday listened to the sample of Tartt's narration. It doesn't pass my test of having to cost more than my monthly membership, but I do break that rule every now and then.

 

I started Remains of the Day on audio, and while it has a very good narrator I decided I'd rather read it in print so as not to miss a word. I found I was missing some sentences while driving, which doesn't matter so much in general fiction, but with such beautiful prose it seemed a crime. 

 

 

 

I can understand that. I just read it last year and I think that's one you appreciate more by reading the written words. BTW, I've given up trying to find the pieces of the dust jacket for Ajax Penumbra and am just going to send you the book as is. I'll mail it tomorrow. I'm pretty sure either dh or ds saw the pieces, assumed they were trash, and threw them out.

 

 

As a new-ish (since the winter holidays) Kindle owner, I am a bit miffed by how the juggling of the library free-reads has likewise juggled my preferred reading order.  Do any of you feel like you NEED to finish a luxurious read just because something else is coming down the pike?  Maybe I am just mad at myself that I forgot to download the renew of a book on a long list so it went poof before I realized my mistake...and I now have another month or two before I can get it again (Purity, by Franzen) after I had read a third of its many pages.  That, and I see things available on my wish list and grab them without really charting out how much time I truly have to read them.  Summer is very busy for me professionally and farm-wise.  I feel I need now to manage my reading self...not happy!

 

 

 

Yes and no. I've been a library user for years, so I often felt that way when I borrowed print books too. Once my library went online I was able to check and see my position on any hold lists, and I planned accordingly even with print books. As was mentioned later in the thread, you can just not turn on wifi on your Kindle until you finish a book. Hurry up and download it before you lose it (my library gives me 3 days or it goes poof), then keep the wifi off. Of course that only works if you have an e-ink Kindle. If you have the Fire, you probably keep wifi on for other activities besides reading.

 

 

 

Anything but Dickens?  Masterpiece Theater does great stuff with Dickens but I cannot bear to read him.

 

 

 

 

I find it much easier to listen to Dickens on audio books than to read his work in print. 

 

I didn't quote your other response to me, but I'll have to mention the Persepolis movie at our book club meeting. We've occasionally had a movie night to watch an adaptation of a book we previously read. We might want to do that with Persepolis.

 

 

 

 

I really need to read Persepolis. I have seen it recommended so much. Like you, I am not necessarily a fan of graphic novels, but this sounds really good.

 

 

 

 

I've been wondering what to do with both volumes after I read them. While I loved the first one and expect to also like or love Part 2, they're not really books I'll want to keep. I'll gladly add them to the BaW rounds, but not until after mid-August when we meet to discuss the second one.  

[Kareni]

I recently read the contemporary romance Charged: A Saints of Denver Novel by Jay Crownover; I enjoyed it but it's not a book I'm likely to re-read.  (Adult content)

 

"Avett Walker and Quaid Jackson’s worlds have no reason to collide. Ever. Quaid is a high powered criminal attorney as slick as he is handsome. Avett is a pink-haired troublemaker with a bad attitude and a history of picking the wrong men.

 

When Avett lands in a sea of hot water because of one terrible mistake, the only person who can get her out of it is the insanely sexy lawyer. The last thing on earth she wants to do is rely on the no-nonsense attorney who thinks of her as nothing more than a nuisance. He literally has her fate in his hands. Yet there is something about him that makes her want to convince him to loosen his tie and have a little fun…with her.

 

Quaid never takes on clients like the impulsive young woman with a Technicolor dye job. She could stand to learn a hard lesson or two, but something about her guileless hazel eyes intrigues him. Still, he’s determined to keep their relationship strictly business. But doing so is becoming more impossible with each day he spends with her.

 

As they work side-by-side, they’ll have to figure out a way to get along and keep their hands off each other—because the chemistry between them is beyond charged."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

What a wonderful quote. I love that!

 

<snip>

 

I've been wondering what to do with both volumes after I read them. While I loved the first one and expect to also like or love Part 2, they're not really books I'll want to keep. I'll gladly add them to the BaW rounds, but not until after mid-August when we meet to discuss the second one.  

 

If you like the quote, you might enjoy the book: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It's really wonderful.

 

Starred review from Kirkus:

Ozeki’s magnificent third novel (All Over Creation, 2003, etc.) brings together a Japanese girl’s diary and a transplanted American novelist to meditate on everything from bullying to the nature of conscience and the meaning of life.

 

On the beach of an island off British Columbia’s coast, Ruth finds a Hello Kitty lunchbox containing a stack of letters and a red book. The book contains 16-year-old Nao’s diary, bound within the covers of Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time—and that’s no accident, since both funny, grieving Nao and blocked, homesick Ruth are obsessed with time: how it passes, how we live in it. Nao wants to “drop out of timeâ€; so does her father, a computer programmer who spent 10 years in California’s Silicon Valley before the dot-com bust apparently sent the family back to Tokyo and subjected Nao to vicious bullying at school. Ruth moved from New York City to Canada since it was an easier place to care for her sick husband and dying mother but now feels the move was “a withdrawal†and is finding it hard to write. She plunges into Nao’s diary, which also includes the stories of her 104-year-old great-grandmother, Jiko, an anarchist and feminist turned Buddhist nun, and Jiko’s son Haruki, a philosophy student forced to become a kamikaze pilot during World War II. The letters in the lunchbox are Haruki’s, and his secret army diary begins the book’s extended climax, which transcends bitter anguish to achieve heartbreaking poignancy as both Nao and Ruth discover what it truly means to be “a time being.†Ozeki faultlessly captures the slangy cadences of a contemporary teen’s voice even as she uses it to convey Nao’s pain and to unobtrusively offer a quiet introduction to the practice and wisdom of Zen through Jiko’s talks with her great-granddaughter. The novel’s seamless web of language, metaphor and meaning can’t be disentangled from its powerful emotional impact: These are characters we care for deeply, imparting vital life lessons through the magic of storytelling.

 

A masterpiece, pure and simple.

 

Re: Persepolis.... I think my library has a copy; I will check. Your offer is great & hopefully more of us in the group will read it!

Edited July 12, 2016 by Stacia

[JennW in SoCal]

Up at 2am

mindless internet browsing

Asahi Haikuist Network

 

 

 

[Stacia]

Up at 2am

mindless internet browsing

Asahi Haikuist Network

 

Until I clicked the link, I didn't "get" your post, Jenn.

 

You are pretty clever at 2am! :thumbup:

 

(And since the next round of their submissions is related to the sea, etc..., it might be a good match for all the BaWers who have recently been immersed in maritime/nautical reading.)

Edited July 12, 2016 by Stacia

[Kareni]

Do you tend to re-read books at bedtime?  If I take a new book to bed to read before sleeping, the danger is that I will read and read for hours instead of going to sleep at a cough reasonable hour.  Of course, this method is not foolproof says the person who was re-reading until 1:00am this morning.

 

 

I've been re-reading a book over the last few days as my bedtime book, and I finished it last night (well, at 1:00am this morning) ~ The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

 

"Vanessa Mazur knows she's doing the right thing. She shouldn't feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she's beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn't find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He's asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Loesje22000]

Yesterday, we went to the movie to see 'Love & Friendship' the movie based on Jane Austens 'Lady Susan'.

As it is a short novel, the film lasts 90 min.

we were the only ones to watch (the fact that the movie started at 16.50 has probably something to do with that :) )

 

The novel is a letter novel so I was curious how they would 'translate' that into the film.

They used an original way.

The film is fresh, new and feels pretty modern without becoming uncomfortable for a 'Jane Austen movie'.

We laughed, we enjoyed the film and had a good time.

But it has a different feeling then Pride & Prejedice and Sense & Sensability movies

 

Thanks to the film the book 'Lady Susan' has been translated into Dutch!

 

[Lady Florida.]

Yesterday, we went to the movie to see 'Love & Friendship' the movie based on Jane Austens 'Lady Susan'.

As it is a short novel, the film lasts 90 min.

we were the only ones to watch (the fact that the movie started at 16.50 has probably something to do with that :) )

 

The novel is a letter novel so I was curious how they would 'translate' that into the film.

They used an original way.

The film is fresh, new and feels pretty modern without becoming uncomfortable for a 'Jane Austen movie'.

We laughed, we enjoyed the film and had a good time.

But it has a different feeling then Pride & Prejedice and Sense & Sensability movies

 

Thanks to the film the book 'Lady Susan' has been translated into Dutch!

 

 

The name they gave it is interesting, considering she also wrote Love and Freindship (her spelling), which is also an epistolary story but is very much a parody. Lady Susan is very different from Love and Freindship. The only thing they have in common is the epistolary style.

[Loesje22000]

The name they gave it is interesting, considering she also wrote Love and Freindship (her spelling), which is also an epistolary story but is very much a parody. Lady Susan is very different from Love and Freindship. The only thing they have in common is the epistolary style.

 

Thank you!

When we were in the Jane Austen House museum I learned about Love & Freindship, I consider it very confusing as Lady Susan in Dutch got the title 'Love & Friendship'....

But I could not find the word 'epistolary story', thank you for that.

I've never read Love & Freindship yet.

 

They are now working on 'Sanditon' as a movie.

[Lady Florida.]

I finished Ready Player One. It was fun as an audio book with Wil Wheaton as the narrator. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much in print. He made the obscure 80s video game info less boring than it should have been. 

 

My Goodreads review. 

[Violet Crown]

I finshed King Henry VIII; my first read-through of the play.

 

This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth

The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms,

And bears his blushing honours thick upon him;

The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,

And, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely

His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,

And then he falls, as I do.

Returning now to Trollope's Palliser novels with Phineas Redux.

 

Hey, I think the five chunkster Palliser novels have got to count as a novelistic epic! Right?

Edited July 12, 2016 by Violet Crown

[Ali in OR]

Finished Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing...wow! She traces two branches of a family from Ghana through slave selling, being sold into slavery, suffering injustices in American slavery, still basically enslaved after emancipation, paying for the sins of cooperating with slavers, families split part, family history lost, family history revealed. I learn a lot from books like The New Jim Crow, but sometimes it takes a work of fiction to make the horrors and injustice become real. Very worthwhile read. ErinE--if you're ready for some fiction to go along with your slave coast reading, this might fit the bill.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished Volume 2 of The Belgariad - the last two books of the 5-book series, packaged into one.  I read these David Eddings books first when I was in college, in fact they are the series that got me into fantasy in the first place. I introduced them to Shannon about a year and a half ago, and they quickly became her favorite books. She's been bugging me to re-read them ever since.  I enjoyed them, but sad to say, not as much this time around. They're a good yarn, but have some definite flaws and just aren't terribly deep and meaningful, I don't think.  Perfectly good beach reading, but not too deep.

 

Oh, and I started Cain by Saramago today, his last book, and i"m enjoying it very much, and I'm happy to say that it has more punctuation (commas at least) and shorter sentences than the other books of his I've read.  And it doesn't capitalize names or use quotes for dialog, but it does capitalize the beginning of sentences, and generally is easier to read than I was expecting.  So, yay!

[Kareni]

A currently free fantasy set in Babylonia.  (The one review on the Amazon page is from 2004, so this is not a new book.)  The author's work (this book or another?) has garnered praise from some big names ~

 

“… A richly detailed construction…†C J Cherryh

“Coulson works on an enormous canvas — sometimes almost overwhelming. The characters are always memorable.†Marion Zimmer Bradley

 

Dark Priestess by Juanita Coulson

 

"Delicate, dark, touched by the divine gifts of Ishtar, goddess of love, a young girl named Ki-Inanna finds herself swept from obscure poverty to the golden palaces of power.

But the dangers of love are many…

There, in the high palace, Ki-Inanna would find the proud young soldier, Captain of the Army, in whom she recognized her ardent destiny. There, the Royal Governor, pledged to protect her, would covet her for his own and endanger her life…

Together with her father, Ki-Inanna is at the mercy of hostile political undercurrents and together they must guide each other through an extraordinary and treacherous period of witchcraft, superstition and rituals. Amidst conflicting religious ideals, the very real threat of barbaric prisons and supernatural fantasies, Ki-Inanna must question the safety of pursuing her chosen suitor. A perilous task given her status in Babylonian culture.

When ominous clouds of treason and intrigue begin to gather, the future of the civilized world is firmly under threat…

And Ki-Inanna is their only hope."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

And some more currently free Kindle books ~

 

 

political satire: Pianist in a Bordello  by Mike Erickson

 

From Kirkus Review

A lighthearted, satirical novel about an honest man who runs for office in corruption-plagued America. Richard "Dick" Milhous Nixon Youngblood, the smart-aleck narrator of Erickson's uproarious debut, is the son of commune-dwelling hippie radical Yuri Yablonsky Youngblood and the grandson of powerful Republican Sen. Stapleton Lambright. In this picaresque tale, Dick's life unfolds in lockstep with the major historical events of the last 40 years or so. He attends Stanford University and UCLA, heads to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield and wins some medals, including a Purple Heart. He comes home and publishes a book about his experience, gets a job teaching high school history (during which his students name him Teacher of the Year), rides the dot-com bubble in Palo Alto, and sells his stocks to become a millionaire. Later, he returns to teaching and eventually contemplates running for office on a Democratic Party ticket. Along the way, his enigmatic father, who's on the run from federal authorities, keeps showing up at opportune moments; as Dick (and Erickson) understates it, "his timing is almost supernatural." Dick himself has telling encounters with a series of women named Amanda. There's Amanda Patricia Nixon (no relation), a slightly unhinged college fling; Amanda Kristina, an ambitious lawyer and port-a-potty heiress ("her smile had a better chance of making the world safe for democracy than the rhetoric of Woodrow Wilson"); and the great love of Dick's life, intrepid reporter Amanda Patina. Although Dick is a passionate, dedicated teacher--and the classroom sections of the book are the most heartfelt and gripping by a wide margin--he kicks off a campaign for office and insists on publishing the garish, often hilarious autobiography that forms the bulk of this novel. Along the way, the author combines highly effective Joseph Heller-style political and social satire with some surprisingly touching personal moments. Overall, Erickson welds all of these elements together into a hugely enjoyable comic novel. A fast-paced, raucous tour through the last half-century alongside a modern-day Candide.

 

**

 

a science fiction retelling of Pinocchio: Strings by David Estes

 

**

 

and a darkish urban fantasy:   Gargoyle Knight  by William Massa

 

"An Urban Fantasy novel that feels fun and alive. There's a cinematic feel in Gargoyle Knight... the experience is sweeping with entertaining action that builds to a satisfying climax." Fantascize.com

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

 

[Maus]

Just got back from our epic, 15 state road-trip.  Listened to a lot of audio books with the kids.  Here goes (and this doesn't count the six Magic School Bus books we also had with us):

 

35. "The Wizard of Oz" by Frank Baum. 

 

34. "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain.  (We listened as we traveled in Missouri!)

 

33. "Blue Fairy Book" by Andrew Lang.

 

32. "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume.

 

31. "Greenwich" by Susan Cooper.

 

30. "Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper.

 

29. "Clash of Cultures" by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier.

 

28. "The Story of US: First Americans" by Joy Hakim.

 

27. "Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick. 

 

26. "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" by Beverly Cleary.  Such a hit with my six year old that we had to listen to it twice.

 

"Sing Down the Moon" by Scott O'Dell.  Not going to number it, since I just read it and counted it last month, but my 11 year old especially liked it.  (We listened as we traveled in Southern Utah and New Mexico.)

 

25."Caddie Woodlawn" by Carol Ryrie Brink.  Another hit, that a board member reminded me of.

 

24. "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George.  We liked it, though the years between writing the two books led to some odd moments, where they were talking about cell phones...

 

23.  "The Power of Vulnerability" by Brene Brown.

22.  "My side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George.

21. "Cheaper By the Dozen" by Frank Butler Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.

20. "Murder on the Ballarat Train" by Kerry Greenwood.

19. "Over See, Under Stone" by Susan Cooper

18. "Sing Down the Moon" by Scott O'Dell.

17. "Soft Rain" by Cornelia Cornelissen.

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.

13. "Let It Go" by Chris Williams

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.

[Robin M]

Afternoon dolls! Have we heard anything from Angela about the baby's surgery? Keeping her in thoughts and prayers this week!

 

I read an enjoyable g-rated contemporary romance written by our very own wtm mom Ktgrok - The Puppy Proposal. Just what I was in the mood for after finishing Kay Hooper's Fear the Dark! Added her 2nd book A Valentine for the Veterinarian to my stacks. Diving into Nalini Singh's #15 in her Psy-Changeling series Allegiance of Honor.

 

Thank you, lady Jane for the Haiku about the haiku's. Always fun to read,

 

Did anyone bag any bargains today from Amazon's prime day?

Edited July 13, 2016 by Robin M

[Stacia]

Angela, :grouphug: :grouphug: .

 

Thinking of you & hoping the surgery, if it did occur, went well & that Abby is on a quick road to recovery!

[Stacia]

 

Am currently reading Richard Brautigan's Trout Fishing in America. (The version I'm reading also has two of his others works here too, so I may also read them: The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster [a book of his poetry] and In Watermelon Sugar.) I was going to use this for my Birth Year square on BaW bingo, but just noticed the bingo card says 'written in birth year'. It was published in my birth year. Not sure how I'll go about finding something actually written (vs. published) in my birth year. What lists/links did you gals use?

 

After reading about him on Wikipedia & seeing that Haruki Murakami counts him as an influence, I can definitely see some stylistic similarities.

 

The first link (to the title) describes Trout as a prose poem & the following NPR link describes Brautigan's writing as "an American form of surrealism". So far, I would agree on both parts.

 

An article from NPR: Brautigan's Surreal Story: 'Trout Fishing In America'

Edited July 13, 2016 by Stacia

[Violet Crown]

Surely published in birth year counts. The tree hasn't really fallen in the forest until someone hears it.

 

I liked Trout Fishing in America.

[Just Robyn]

 

I found it fun to watch the movie as soon as I finished his book. 

 

Yeah, I figured that would be cool, but I actually watched it right before listening to the book and don't want to watch it again so soon. My grandmother had never seen the movie, so my kids and I brought dinner over to her house and watched it with her. Otherwise I didn't think she'd really enjoy listening to a book about the making of it while we drove, and I just thought it was too bad she'd never seen it and it was about time.

 

 

I really enjoyed listening to that book too. I'm sure I would have liked reading it, but hearing it all in Westley's voice was perfect. 

 

 

I agree, plus all the other people they brought in to voice their own comments. I'm sad they couldn't get Mandy Patinkin (who I really love for playing Rube on Dead Like Me even more than for his Princess Bride role), but I loved hearing the people they could get.

Edited July 13, 2016 by crstarlette

[Lady Florida.]

Violet, were you aware of Julian Fellowes' adaptation of Trollope's Doctor Thorne? He's apparently a big fan of Trollope. It's available on Amazon, free to Prime members. Dh works swing shift tonight, so I might take a look at the first episode. 

 

Trailer

 

Fellowes discussing Trollope (The Trollope Society link)

[Jane in NC]

 

Am currently reading Richard Brautigan's Trout Fishing in America. (The version I'm reading also has two of his others works here too, so I may also read them: The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster [a book of his poetry] and In Watermelon Sugar.) I was going to use this for my Birth Year square on BaW bingo, but just noticed the bingo card says 'written in birth year'. It was published in my birth year. Not sure how I'll go about finding something actually written (vs. published) in my birth year. What lists/links did you gals use?

 

After reading about him on Wikipedia & seeing that Haruki Murakami counts him as an influence, I can definitely see some stylistic similarities.

 

The first link (to the title) describes Trout as a prose poem & the following NPR link describes Brautigan's writing as "an American form of surrealism". So far, I would agree on both parts.

 

An article from NPR: Brautigan's Surreal Story: 'Trout Fishing In America'

 

Your timing is excellent, my dear.  I just posted The Alligator Report today, making a note about Brautigan in the letter I enclosed with the book.

[Violet Crown]

Violet, were you aware of Julian Fellowes' adaptation of Trollope's Doctor Thorne? He's apparently a big fan of Trollope. It's available on Amazon, free to Prime members. Dh works swing shift tonight, so I might take a look at the first episode.

 

Trailer

 

Fellowes discussing Trollope (The Trollope Society link)

Oooo! Thanks!

 

Aeneid fans who have been following the UK's Chilcot Inquiry will appreciate this: https://mobile.twitter.com/davidblairdt/status/752819059897540608

[Kareni]

... Mandy Patinkin (who I really love for playing Rube on Dead Like Me even more than for his Princess Bride role)...

 

Another Rube/Dead Like Me fan here.

 

**

 

Those in the US or Canada might be interested in this free offer from Tor.com ~

 

One Free Book Every Month: Announcing the Tor.com eBook Club!

 

"The Tor.com Ebook Club’s first offering is THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM, the first volume in Cixin Liu’s substantial sci-fi epic!"

 

The book above is available through July 17.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished Cain.  I really enjoyed it. It's not for everyone, but if you have ever read the Old Testament, particularly Genesis, with incredulity that it is considered a guide to moral behavior by millions, or thumbed through a children's Bible thinking you'd read your child some stories, and realizing that it would give them nightmares, this may be the book for you.  It's a very Gnostic vision of God and creation, very dark, but also kind of satisfying to realize that other people have had the same questions one has had.

[Stacia]

Surely published in birth year counts. The tree hasn't really fallen in the forest until someone hears it.

 

I liked Trout Fishing in America.

 

Sold! :thumbup:

 

(I'm going with your ruling then!)

 

Thanks.

 

I think it would be hard to pin down when something was written as so many writers often work on drafts on & off for years. Kwim? At least w/ publishing year, it's a set date that the printing presses ran....

[Onceuponatime]

I've finished The African Poison Murders and have started on Billy Budd. It requires greater concentration than my standard read because of the elevated vocabulary. But when the gears shift wonderful things happen. Subtlety becomes clearer. Deep thoughts have more power to rise to the surface. But I'm a little worried about how this story will play out. I also like satisfying endings.

 

I was intrigued by the mention in the book of a year, 1797, called The Great Mutiny . I asked my history fan about it and he had no idea. We delved into it and found out that that year the British navy had particular trouble with numerous mutinous events. Melville explains why we'd not heard of it, even now.

 

"Like some other events in every age befalling states everywhere, including America, the great mutiny was of such a character that national pride along with views of public policy would fain shade it off into the historical background. Such events can not be ignored, but there is a considerate way of historically treating them. If a well-constituted individual refrains from blazoning aught amiss or calamitous in his family; a nation in the like circumstance may without reproach be equally discreet ."

 

Do nations even have that luxury any more?

Edited July 13, 2016 by Onceuponatime

[Stacia]

A couple of you have mentioned Homegoing.

 

Goodreads has a give-away going on for it right now for readers in the US:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/194658-homegoing

[Robin M]

Stacia - sorry for the confusion. I meant published in birth year.  Written / published - both could be considered the same thing.  You're good with Trout Fishing!

 

:thumbup:

[Mom-ninja.]

I finished a book! When the Brain Can't Hear and while it was interesting I didn't learn anything new. At all. I was hoping for ideas on therapy/activities but all the author said was, "Go see the professionals or you will screw it up." Kind of like how the author in Overcoming Dyslexia says that parents should never ever teach their children to read. That must be done by professionals only. Funny though that by the time I was only at the tip my research ice burg on how to teach reading (to a child I later learned is dyslexic) I already knew so much more than an elementary school teacher, and in fact even knew more than my neighbor who was a reading specialist for the schools, and another mom who had gotten her PhD in reading education. Neither of them knew the updated, accurate information about dyslexia specific issues.

 

So, when I read a book in which the author says, "Parents don't try this at home," I tend to roll my eyes a bit. That said I'm not going to attempt to remove my child's appendix should it need to come out.

 

I'm surprised I finished a book. I literally was stealing 5-10 min. here and there to get it done. 

[Violet Crown]

I finished a book! When the Brain Can't Hear and while it was interesting I didn't learn anything new. At all. I was hoping for ideas on therapy/activities but all the author said was, "Go see the professionals or you will screw it up." Kind of like how the author in Overcoming Dyslexia says that parents should never ever teach their children to read. That must be done by professionals only. Funny though that by the time I was only at the tip my research ice burg on how to teach reading (to a child I later learned is dyslexic) I already knew so much more than an elementary school teacher, and in fact even knew more than my neighbor who was a reading specialist for the schools, and another mom who had gotten her PhD in reading education. Neither of them knew the updated, accurate information about dyslexia specific issues.

 

So, when I read a book in which the author says, "Parents don't try this at home," I tend to roll my eyes a bit. That said I'm not going to attempt to remove my child's appendix should it need to come out.

 

I'm surprised I finished a book. I literally was stealing 5-10 min. here and there to get it done.

Congratulations on finishing! I completely hear you about the book. I got a book relevant to Wee Girl's issues--one recommended heavily online--and it turned out to be "here's what you need to carefully explain to your child's teachers," and was completely useless for any other context than a classroom. And it didn't have the more up-to-date (and in my experience with Wee Girl, accurate) understanding of the underlying cause as a specific phobia.

[Stacia]

An article for those who like to pick a book by its cover as well as for those who don't.

 

"Here's Where We're Heading With the Book Cover"

 

I love the cover & already checked & am happy to see that both library systems are ordering/cataloguing the book, so I've already put it on my request list.

Edited July 14, 2016 by Stacia

[Stacia]

I picked up a book at the library the other day, read about 50 pages & decided it wasn't for me, but I'll mention it because I think some BaWers might enjoy it (esp. if you like non-fiction).

 

The Secret Poisoner: A Century of Murder by Linda Stratmann. This write-up in The Guardian tells about it. It was relatively interesting (though a little to heavy on the scientific compounds for my liking -- but then again, I never enjoyed chemistry) but a little too grim for me right now. It might appeal to some Flufferton fans, if you're in the mood for some history & science behind all those Victorian-era poisonings.

 

Murder by poison alarmed, enthralled, and in many ways encapsulated the Victorian age. Linda Stratmann’s dark and splendid social history reveals the nineteenth century as a gruesome battleground where poisoners went head-to-head with authorities who strove to detect poisons, control their availability, and bring the guilty to justice. She corrects many misconceptions about particular poisons and documents how the evolution of issues such as marital rights and the legal protection of children impacted poisonings. Combining archival research with a novelist’s eye, Stratmann charts the era’s inexorable rise of poison cases both shocking and sad.

 

Another one I started (& even found wryly amusing in a few spots) but ultimately decided to ditch: Among Strange Victims by Daniel Saldaña París. This is a Coffee House Press book & I originally spotted it because I saw that it was translated by Christina MacSweeney (who also translated The Story of My Teeth, one of my favorite books of 2015). It's one I could enjoy, but it's just not completely pulling me in right now.

 

Rodrigo likes his vacant lot, its resident chicken, and being left alone. But when passivity finds him accidentally married to Cecilia, he trades Mexico City for the sun-bleached desolation of his hometown and domestic life with Cecilia for the debauched company of a poet, a philosopher, and Micaela, whose allure includes the promise of time travel. Earthy, playful, and sly, Among Strange Victims is a psychedelic ode to the pleasures of not measuring up.

 

Edited July 14, 2016 by Stacia

[Kareni]

Earlier today I finished the contemporary romance Big Love by Rick R. Reed which I enjoyed.  (Some adult content.)

 

"Overall, Big Love truly is a story with a big heart...tackles some hefty subjects here: coming out, grief, and the horrible effects of bullying. Yet, with its focus on family and acceptance in all its forms, Big Love is a story of hope, healing, and ultimately embracing the differences that make us each human and worthy of love. Touching, heart-warming, and brave, it is a m/m romance I highly recommend." - Prism Book Alliance

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angelaboord]

Afternoon dolls! Have we heard anything from Angela about the baby's surgery? Keeping her in thoughts and prayers this week!

Thank you. [emoji4] The surgery actually has been bumped back to the 19th; we check in on the 18th. So I have been running around trying to get the house set up for my mom and the kids. The extra time let me put away some freezer meals. The baby has been doing well, but keeping everybody else healthy has been kind of tough! My 3 yo popped out in a head to toe rash last week. We still don't know why. It looked like a strep rash, but he tested negative. It's been such a weird year.

 

I've been doing a little reading this week. I finished How Not to Die by Michael Greger. It was kind of meh - repetitive, and I'm still not sure he sold me on veganism although I do think there is a lot of evidence for eating more plants. I have his Daily Dozen app on my iPad now.

 

I started The Enchanted April on Stacia's recommendation. Some amusing lines in that book! I'm not very far into it, but liking it so far.

 

I also started Jackoby, but my oldest ds came home from working at a scout camp and stole it, then passed it along to my dd. I'm hoping she finishes it soon so I can pick up where I left off! My ds is now reading Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer, which he says is "weird". I'm in line for that one, too.

 

 

 

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[mumto2]

Angela, Thanks for the update. Sending positive thoughts and prayers your way for next week. :grouphug:

 

I picked up a book at the library the other day, read about 50 pages & decided it wasn't for me, but I'll mention it because I think some BaWers might enjoy it (esp. if you like non-fiction).

 

The Secret Poisoner: A Century of Murder by Linda Stratmann. This write-up in The Guardian tells about it. It was relatively interesting (though a little to heavy on the scientific compounds for my liking -- but then again, I never enjoyed chemistry) but a little too grim for me right now. It might appeal to some Flufferton fans, if you're in the mood for some history & science behind all those Victorian-era poisonings.

 

 

Another one I started (& even found wryly amusing in a few spots) but ultimately decided to ditch: Among Strange Victims by Daniel Saldaña París. This is a Coffee House Press book & I originally spotted it because I saw that it was translated by Christina MacSweeney (who also translated The Story of My Teeth, one of my favorite books of 2015). It's one I could enjoy, but it's just not completely pulling me in right now.

Thanks for thr recommendation for The Secret Poisoner. I just requested it for dd (maybe me). She will love it. Several years ago she took a chemistry class where she had to do a research paper on any element. Naturally my mystery lover picked arsenic and tied all sorts of murders into her paper. She had a blast!

 

You also just reminded me about The Story of my Teeth. It's still on the list!

[Chrysalis Academy]

An article for those who like to pick a book by its cover as well as for those who don't.

 

"Here's Where We're Heading With the Book Cover"

 

I love the cover & already checked & am happy to see that both library systems are ordering/cataloguing the book, so I've already put it on my request list.

 

Hah, how cool!  Now see, I already have this book on hold at my library too, and I also love the cover, but I picked it because I read Ben Winter's Last Policeman trilogy and really liked it.  So different paths that will end up with us reading the same book! Which makes me happy.  :)

[Chrysalis Academy]

Thank you. [emoji4] The surgery actually has been bumped back to the 19th; we check in on the 18th. So I have been running around trying to get the house set up for my mom and the kids. The extra time let me put away some freezer meals. The baby has been doing well, but keeping everybody else healthy has been kind of tough! My 3 yo popped out in a head to toe rash last week. We still don't know why. It looked like a strep rash, but he tested negative. It's been such a weird year.

 

I've been doing a little reading this week. I finished How Not to Die by Michael Greger. It was kind of meh - repetitive, and I'm still not sure he sold me on veganism although I do think there is a lot of evidence for eating more plants. I have his Daily Dozen app on my iPad now.

 

I started The Enchanted April on Stacia's recommendation. Some amusing lines in that book! I'm not very far into it, but liking it so far.

 

I also started Jackoby, but my oldest ds came home from working at a scout camp and stole it, then passed it along to my dd. I'm hoping she finishes it soon so I can pick up where I left off! My ds is now reading Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer, which he says is "weird". I'm in line for that one, too.

 

 

 

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We'll keep you and Abby in our thoughts!

 

I am also reading Too Like the Lightning right now, and I will agree that it is weird, and difficult to follow. But potentially very rewarding.  This book reminds me a lot of the Ann Leckie Imperial Radch trilogy, where the first book really took some intense concentration, but the series as a whole totally paid off.  I will say that just last night I read a very shocking bombshell chapter, about in the middle, that was a little difficult to process.  You might want to be prepared to process it with ds, depending on how old he is? I think that my dd13 would be upset at this point in the story (if she had made it this far, which is unlikely).  I don't want to give anything away, but essentially you find out that a character you like and identify with did something truly horrific in their past, and it's a little hard to deal with. I think kids can have a hard time with that at a certain age, especially, but heck - I'm having a hard time with it! and considered not reading on. But I think I'm now well and truly hooked. This is not an easy book to read, but I *think* it will reward the engagement.  Hope so, at least.

[SKL]

I finished Unbroken and started Seabiscuit.

 

Interesting theme in Unbroken about human dignity, and how beating it down affects the person (though of course we all react differently).  It is relevant to current events.

 

Family audiobook - we finished Hold Fast, which we liked once we got used to the format.  This weekend we will start the next middle school book club audiobook - The Westing Game.

 

Read-aloud - we finished The Black Stallion and watched the movie.  I remembered this book as really great, but this time through I wasn't that thrilled.  The kids liked it well enough.  None of us liked the movie as well as the book.  They changed up the "facts" quite a bit.  Our next read-aloud will be Understood Betsy.  We're supposed to read this before the girls start their "farm camp," which means we will have a week to finish it!

[Angelaboord]

We'll keep you and Abby in our thoughts!

 

I am also reading Too Like the Lightning right now, and I will agree that it is weird, and difficult to follow. But potentially very rewarding. This book reminds me a lot of the Ann Leckie Imperial Radch trilogy, where the first book really took some intense concentration, but the series as a whole totally paid off. I will say that just last night I read a very shocking bombshell chapter, about in the middle, that was a little difficult to process. You might want to be prepared to process it with ds, depending on how old he is? I think that my dd13 would be upset at this point in the story (if she had made it this far, which is unlikely). I don't want to give anything away, but essentially you find out that a character you like and identify with did something truly horrific in their past, and it's a little hard to deal with. I think kids can have a hard time with that at a certain age, especially, but heck - I'm having a hard time with it! and considered not reading on. But I think I'm now well and truly hooked. This is not an easy book to read, but I *think* it will reward the engagement. Hope so, at least.

He's 19, but thanks for the heads-up, both for him and me! I'm not sure I can handle horrific at this point, but I think my ds will probably appreciate the warning if he decides to press on. It seems really hard these days to find SFF that doesn't have some element of dark to it. I can usually handle some amount of dark, but having to weed it out of so many books gets a little tiresome. I didn't feel like the Radch trilogy had that darkness to it which made it a little easier to read - although I seem to have stalled out on the last book.

 

 

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[Chrysalis Academy]

He's 19, but thanks for the heads-up, both for him and me! I'm not sure I can handle horrific at this point, but I think my ds will probably appreciate the warning if he decides to press on. It seems really hard these days to find SFF that doesn't have some element of dark to it. I can usually handle some amount of dark, but having to weed it out of so many books gets a little tiresome. I didn't feel like the Radch trilogy had that darkness to it which made it a little easier to read - although I seem to have stalled out on the last book.

 

 

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Oh, 19 should be fine! I was just thinking that a really young teen might find it disturbing to have their "trust" in a character violated, if that's not something they have experienced before.

 

I agree, the Radch books weren't dark so much. They way in which this series is similar is the ambiguity around gender, and the setting up of a very complex world that is unveiled bit by bit rather than explained.  The plots aren't really similar at all, just the feel, if that makes sense.

[Stacia]

Hah, how cool!  Now see, I already have this book on hold at my library too, and I also love the cover, but I picked it because I read Ben Winter's Last Policeman trilogy and really liked it.  So different paths that will end up with us reading the same book! Which makes me happy.  :)

 

That's cool. I picked solely on the cover. The article talked a little bit about the book plot, but when I got to that point, I skimmed over it so I don't really have an idea of the storyline. I just like being surprised.

 

I didn't realize he's the writer of The Last Policeman. I remember you mentioning that & I want to try it at some point. I always seem to get the book confused w/ another book I've been wanting to read a long time (which, after looking it up, is The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien [the nom de plume of Brian O'Nolan]).

[Kareni]

...It seems really hard these days to find SFF that doesn't have some element of dark to it.

 

 

I just saw this post that might be useful to you ~

 

In Praise of Humor in Fantasy and Science Fiction by Joe Monti  (Read the comments for additional suggestions.)

 

And best wishes for Abby's surgery and recovery.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I just finished Earth Bound by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner.  This is a romance set during the sixties in the time leading up to the moon launch.  I enjoyed it and expect I will re-read it at some point.

 

"Houston, Texas, 1961

The race to the moon is on, and engineer Eugene Parsons has two enemies: danger and distraction. Nothing is more distracting than his attraction to the brilliant, beautiful computer scientist on his team, but he’s determined to overcome it since he needs her to help America win.

Charlie Eason is used to men underestimating her. It comes with being a woman in engineering, but it’s worth it to join the space race—even if she can’t figure out what’s behind the intense looks one tightly wound engineer keeps sending her. But life isn’t as unemotional or predictable as code, and things soon boil over with the intriguingly demanding Parsons.

With every launch, their secret affair grows thornier. The lines between work and play tangle even as Parsons and Charlie try to keep them separate. But when a mission goes wrong, they’ll have to put aside their pride for the greater good—and discover that matters of the heart have a logic all their own."

 

You can get a feel for the authors' writing by reading their currently free novella:

A Midnight Clear (A Fly Me to the Moon Holiday Novella)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

I just saw this post that might be useful to you ~

 

In Praise of Humor in Fantasy and Science Fiction by Joe Monti  (Read the comments for additional suggestions.)

 

And best wishes for Abby's surgery and recovery.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Thanks for that! There are a couple there my snark & sarcasm loving 10 year old might enjoy, too.

[Stacia]

Any Lovecraft fans? Ds just showed me this site. There are some great gifts/board books/tees if you want to get something for a Lovecraft-ian friend.

 

http://shop.cisforcthulhu.com/collections/all

 

:zombie:  (Closest thing to Cthulhu I could find...)

[Violet Crown]

Any Lovecraft fans? Ds just showed me this site. There are some great gifts/board books/tees if you want to get something for a Lovecraft-ian friend.

 

http://shop.cisforcthulhu.com/collections/all

 

:zombie: (Closest thing to Cthulhu I could find...)

:€