Book a Week 2016 - BW36: September Sojourns through the South

[Lady Florida.]

I don't usually specifically plan to read a banned or challenged book for Banned Books Week, but I read those books all the time without even realizing it. For example, over the summer I read Persepolis and listened to The Things They Carried, neither of which I even knew were on the list until just now when I looked at a frequently challenged list.

 

I also listened for about the zillionth time, to the first three Harry Potter stories, and plan to listen to the others again soon. Of course I knew those are frequently challenged but that's not why I listen to/read them. :)

 

 

Wow it's only Tuesday and you folks are up to two pages!  busy-busy-busy.

 

 

Some weeks I want to respond to so many posts and feel myself getting more and more behind until I end up not replying to any.

 

 

 

[Butter]

We had a really fun time with Tony and Roo!  They got here around 6 on Sunday.  We had dinner and talked until about 11.  Tony is just as hilarious in real life as he is in his books.  We laughed so much.  Roo is just the sweetest person ever with the most awesome rainbow hair.  She gave my daughter advice on how to properly decorate a car (Ani is buying our taekwondo instructor's old car - a black 2002 Jetta - and with Roo's advice will be painting it with polka dots to make it really her own).

 

 

Monday Tony, Roo, Jamie, Adrian, and I went downtown (my other three stayed home).   First we went to the Alamo.  They were doing some living history stuff so we got to see a gun firing demonstration.  Then we went to the River Walk.  We walked a bit and then we went to lunch at a barbecue place (that had an nicely laminated gluten free menu so that was awesome for Adrian and me). Then we went on the river cruise tour.  After that we headed back toward home.  On the way we stopped and got ice cream at SubZero which is one of those places where they make the ice cream right in from of you using liquid nitrogen.  After we got home, we all (minus Roo who had a headache and stayed home to take a nap) went to my friend's house for a cookout.

 

 

Then we went back to our house and got Roo and then headed to do the Escape Room we had booked.  It was so fun!  Our storyline was that a disease had been released and we were looking for the cure to stop everyone from dying.  But when we entered our lab there was an open test tube and so now we were all infected and had one hour to find the cure and save ourselves and the rest of the world.  We finished with only 5 minutes to spare!  It was really stressful for a bit there.  We had the key to leave after 30 minutes, but we also needed the correct cure and in order to get that we needed to find and then solve a puzzle to get the password to the file that would help us find out which cure option was the right one.  But we did it!  It was great.

 

 

Last night we were up until about 11 again.  Tony and Roo slept in a bit while the boys did school.  In fact, Adrian had just finished his on his own work and Fritz had one thing left when they came out of the bedroom they were staying in.  I had Tony sign the back of my Kindle.  I read almost exclusively on my Kindle and have read all of his books on it so it made sense.  It's an old Kindle Keyboard and it's in pretty rough shape.  I am sure it'll die before too long so I'll just have to pry off the back and keep it when it does.  I asked Roo if she wanted to hold one of the sugar gliders before they left.  She was so excited.  I pulled Filli out of the pouch (Kree is way too hyper for anyone not used to holding her) and gave her to Roo.  I gave a yogurt drop to Filli since that keeps her extra calm.  Roo was just beside herself with happiness.  She spent a lot of time both nights just watching our little ladies (they are really fun to watch!).  Roo worked in a zoo years ago and they had a sugar glider breeding program since there aren't very many of them left in the wild in Australia (one of the problems with being pretty much at the bottom of the food chain).  Since they were meant to be raised and released (and they cannot be kept as pets in Australia), she never got to hold one before so it was such a treat for her.  They left about 10ish on their way to the next house in Houston (with instructions to stop for gas at Buc-ee's on the way).  He's giving a talk in Houston tonight.

 

I'm so glad we got the chance to host Tony and Roo.  They are really awesome people.

[JennW in SoCal]

 

Some weeks I want to respond to so many posts and feel myself getting more and more behind until I end up not replying to any.

 

This. And I am generally incapable of writing a quick post, so responding to several points in the thread can take me a couple of hours.  Even a few sentences, such as this post, will take too much time as type, delete, type, edit, delete and type again before clicking "add reply". 

[Onceuponatime]

I finished Aunt Dimity and the Buried Treasure. It was pleasant and quick. However, I think I've read enough Aunt Dimity books to last me a while. It wasn't very adventurous for me.

 

My next book will be The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. That should be different. 😉 I don't know if it has ever been banned, but it has been challenged multiple times. I've already read two banned books this year, in Cold Blood and Catcher in the Rye. Just like with those, I'm not quite sure what to expect.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Onceuponatime

[Kareni]

We had a really fun time with Tony and Roo! 

 

It sounds as though you kept them hopping (which seems strangely appropriate for someone named Roo!).  I'm glad you had such a fun time. 

 

I'm happily awaiting my library copy of his book!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Time travel romance, anyone?  This one is currently free to Kindle readers ~ 

 

The Draig's Woman  by Lisa Dawn Wadler

 

"Rescuing the man tied to a tree seemed like a rational decision. Claire is a smart, capable bookkeeper who happens to work at a martial arts academy. She has no idea the door she walked through to save the bound man would leave her trapped in 13th century Scotland. She is unable to regret the night of passion shared with Ian, even though it happened with the threat of death just outside the door. She pretends to be content with Ian’s friendship, knowing his people must come first. Compelled by honor and tormented by desire, is being his woman, while he marries another, enough?

Ian, Laird of the Draig Clan, is a man trapped by fate. Forced by necessity to marry a woman he has never met, her dowry is essential to save his clan. However, he is in love with the woman who saved his life and then spent one night in his arms. Duty prevents Ian from being able to marry Claire as custom, honor, and his heart demand. Drawn to her, believing they share the same desires and dreams in life, he finally offers her the only option available, a place by his side and in his bed.

Claire and Ian are bound together in love and then ripped apart by deception and a plot to destroy the Draig clan. Facing the final battle alone and unarmed, Claire saves them all. The ultimate challenge is forgiving Ian for sending her away."

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

Butter--Thanks for the fun report! Sounds like a good time was had by all!

 

I finished the first book in Izzo's Marseilles Trilogy, Total Chaos. It was a bit out of my comfort zone in terms of violence but I was sufficiently intrigued by Marseilles itself so I returned the volume to the library with the intention of picking up the second book. I could swear that I had seen it on Saturday. When I pulled up the card catalog on my phone, I verified that the book was on the shelf. Then I asked a librarian for help (noting that I might be crazy). She found a note on the computer record that the book was on order-- back in 2015. Everyone was completely confused at this point.

 

I took it as a sign that maybe I should read a less gritty mystery so I grabbed After the Armistace Ball by Scottish author Catriona McPherson. Mum--have you read any Dandy Gilver mysteries? A search revealed that Onceuponatime had but our search function seems less than adequate these days. So some of you may have tried these.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood again, so it would be fresh on my mind when Shannon reads it next week. I liked it even better this second time, and reading it in such close proximity to the re-listen to the Odyssey (along with Vandiver's lectures) was especially great.  You could definitely criticize it for applying modern sensitivities/values to an ancient text, but I think it brings a much needed "other side of history" perspective to the story.  Anyway, I thought it was great and am looking forward to discussing it with my kid!

[Stacia]

Heather, that is such a cool update! Thanks for sharing all the details & photos with us!

 

Awesome!

[mumto2]

 

I took it as a sign that maybe I should read a less gritty mystery so I grabbed After the Armistace Ball by Scottish author Catriona McPherson. Mum--have you read any Dandy Gilver mysteries? A search revealed that Onceuponatime had but our search function seems less than adequate these days. So some of you may have tried these.

Catriona McPherson is on many lists for cozy mystery books but I haven't had a chance to read one yet. Looking forward to your review!

[Ethel Mertz]

I just added this yet-to-be-published book to my "to read" list and thought others might be interested as well.

 

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race - Margot Lee Shetterly

[Chrysalis Academy]

I tentatively abandoned a couple of books last night: The Last Days of New Paris, by China Mieville. I had to chuckle when the discussion of him as an author one feels that one would like/should read but doesn't came up - I have this same issue. This is the second book of his I've abandoned, way too surreal for my tastes!

 

I also abandoned The Summer that Melted Everything, though I'd revisit it if someone else over the age of 25 reads it and tells me it's fantastic.  The thing is, it's narrated by a guy who was 13 in 1984.  Well, I was 13 in 1984, and it doesn't ring true for me at all. Granted, I was 13 in SoCal, not in SoOhio, but still - this feels more like a 1954 setting.  So I'm not buying the basic setup and characterization.  And as the premise is kind of out there, it's just not hooking me at this point.

[fastweedpuller]

I also abandoned The Summer that Melted Everything, though I'd revisit it if someone else over the age of 25 reads it and tells me it's fantastic.  The thing is, it's narrated by a guy who was 13 in 1984.  Well, I was 13 in 1984, and it doesn't ring true for me at all. Granted, I was 13 in SoCal, not in SoOhio, but still - this feels more like a 1954 setting.  So I'm not buying the basic setup and characterization.  And as the premise is kind of out there, it's just not hooking me at this point.

Funny:  the opening of Curtis Sittenfeld's Eligible is this (the book is set mostly in Cincinnati) "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always twenty years behind the times." --Mark Twain

 

I say you can abandon any book anytime fwiw though.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Funny:  the opening of Curtis Sittenfeld's Eligible is this (the book is set mostly in Cincinnati) "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always twenty years behind the times." --Mark Twain

 

I say you can abandon any book anytime fwiw though.

 

That's so funny! 

 

I think that if the author wasn't clearly so very young - it's her debut novel, and the book jacket photo is very "Angry Young Woman" - I'd buy the time frame more. I admit to being skeptical of her chops given that she probably wasn't born in 1984.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

I also abandoned The Summer that Melted Everything, though I'd revisit it if someone else over the age of 25 reads it and tells me it's fantastic.  The thing is, it's narrated by a guy who was 13 in 1984.  Well, I was 13 in 1984, and it doesn't ring true for me at all. Granted, I was 13 in SoCal, not in SoOhio, but still - this feels more like a 1954 setting.  So I'm not buying the basic setup and characterization.  And as the premise is kind of out there, it's just not hooking me at this point.

 

I'm not only over 25, I was over 25 in 1984. I don't think I'll read it though, so I can't help you there. :)

 

I say you can abandon any book anytime fwiw though.

 

Absolutely! See my signature. I don't remember why I added that quote but I'm pretty sure it was related to a conversation in a long-ago BaW thread.

[mumto2]

 

I also abandoned The Summer that Melted Everything, though I'd revisit it if someone else over the age of 25 reads it and tells me it's fantastic.  The thing is, it's narrated by a guy who was 13 in 1984.  Well, I was 13 in 1984, and it doesn't ring true for me at all. Granted, I was 13 in SoCal, not in SoOhio, but still - this feels more like a 1954 setting.  So I'm not buying the basic setup and characterization.  And as the premise is kind of out there, it's just not hooking me at this point.

I marked it as to read yesterday. Maybe I will eventually read it. Not promising. I was in college in 1984 so a bit older.

 

The light dawned on me last night regarding banned books. I read a frequently challenged book from the link in the first post. Challenged doesn't mean banned so I haven't read my banned book. :(

[Kareni]

 I also abandoned The Summer that Melted Everything, though I'd revisit it if someone else over the age of 25 reads it and tells me it's fantastic.  The thing is, it's narrated by a guy who was 13 in 1984.  Well, I was 13 in 1984, and it doesn't ring true for me at all. Granted, I was 13 in SoCal, not in SoOhio, but still - this feels more like a 1954 setting.  So I'm not buying the basic setup and characterization.  And as the premise is kind of out there, it's just not hooking me at this point.

 

I nominate Stacia to read the book; it sounds like it might be her kind of book! 

 

ETA:  "Let's get Mikey!" can become "Let's get Stacia!"  (And I see that that ad campaign aired from 1972 to 1984, so it's time appropriate to the book.)

 

Yesterday I finished two books ~

 

the first was a historical romance by an author who is new to me.  It was a pleasant read, but I felt that it flouted too many conventions to be a success for me.

How the Duke Was Won: The Disgraceful Dukes  by Lenora Bell

 

"The pleasure of your company is requested at Warbury Park. Four lovely ladies will arrive… but only one can become a duchess.

 

James, the scandalously uncivilized Duke of Harland, requires a bride with a spotless reputation for a strictly business arrangement. Lust is prohibited and love is out of the question.

 

Four ladies. Three days. What could go wrong?

 

She is not like the others…

 

Charlene Beckett, the unacknowledged daughter of an earl and a courtesan, has just been offered a life-altering fortune to pose as her half-sister, Lady Dorothea, and win the duke’s proposal. All she must do is:

 

* Be the perfect English rose [Ha!]

* Breathe, smile, and curtsy in impossibly tight gowns [blast Lady Dorothea’s sylph-like figure]

* Charm and seduce a wild duke [without appearing to try]

* Keep said duke far, far from her heart [no matter how tempting]

 

When secrets are revealed and passion overwhelms, James must decide if the last lady he should want is really everything he needs. And Charlene must decide if the promise of a new life is worth risking everything . . . including her heart."

 

 

the second book was a re-read from one of my favorite authors and series:

Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega Book 1)  by Patricia Briggs

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

I finished two more books, plus one I forgot to mention a week or so ago when I finished (and forgot to add it to Goodreads). I often forget to add a book to Goodreads, so when I go back and enter it in my Read list I have to guess at the dates I started and finished. 

 

 

The one I forgot is You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir, Felicia Day. I listened to the audio book read by Day herself, and enjoyed it but I was already a fan of hers anyway.

 

I also finished:

 

The Last Policeman - promptly put the next one on hold

 

Men Explain Things to Me - There was a point in the middle where it felt like a slog and I wasn't enjoying it at all. I thought any minute someone would knock on the door and demand I turn in my feminism card because I was supposed to love this. It did get better and I ended up liking it overall. I also realized the part I liked least was her "I love Virginia Woolf so much" section. I don't like Woolf's style at all and Rebecca Solnit (the author) was writing a lot like Woolf at that point so it's not a surprise I wasn't liking it. 

 

I also forgot to mention that I'm listening to The Lake House by Kate Morton. I got this one along with Felicia Day's book when Audible had a two books for one credit sale last month. It's a bit slow but a nice mystery.

 

Between the World and Me came in yesterday so I downloaded and started it this morning. 

 

 

[Violet Crown]

I finished The Prime Minister and realized I don't have the final novel in Trollope's Palliser series, The Duke's Children; so while I see about getting hold of it, I'm reading one of dh's books: Jose Saramago's Blindness, which I recall seeing discussed here. Dh assured me I wouldn't like it. Let's find out.

[Stacia]

 I nominate Stacia to read the book; it sounds like it might be her kind of book! 

 

ETA:  "Let's get Mikey!" can become "Let's get Stacia!"  (And I see that that ad campaign aired from 1972 to 1984, so it's time appropriate to the book.)

 

:smilielol5:

 

Actually, I may give it a try.

 

Signed yours truly,

Mikey

 

[Stacia]

I'm still working on The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe. I like it & even though it's short, I feel like it's moving kind of slowly. I also downloaded the H.P. Lovecraft book that it's a variation of (The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath) because I'm getting the feeling there may be a lot of overlap between the two, but I may wait & read the Lovecraft version in a month or two.

 

I have been wanting something gripping & fun. Dd handed me a series she's started recently, The Powder Mage Trilogy. I've read the first chapter of Promise of Blood & am already drawn in, so I think this will be a good fit for my (lame) brain & reading skills lately.

 

 

DragonCon side note:

 

I'm sure quite a few of you remember the comic strip Bloom County, right? If you look on Berkeley Breathed's FB page & scroll down a couple of posts to the guy dressed as "Sith Lord Sexypants", that's my bil.

https://www.facebook.com/berkeleybreathed/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE

:lol:

Dd was telling me this morning that when bil was dressed as that character, he & a couple of other guys in their Con group were in the room when someone knocked. Bil answered the door (in costume of course). It was the maid. When he answered, she said, "I hate DragonCon" & turned & left (after the guys confirmed they didn't need anything for the room). :smilielol5: Anyway, thought some of you would get a laugh out of his costume, esp. if you were fans of the comic strip.

[Kareni]

:smilielol5:

 

Actually, I may give it a try.

 

Signed yours truly,

Mikey

 

 

I look forward to learning whether or not Mikey likes it!

**

 

A bookish post ~

 

Our Book Lending Horror Stories  by Amanda Diehl  

"It goes without question that books should be shared with the world, but when it comes to our own personal libraries, some of us can be a bit sensitive. We know the sorrow of lending a book, never to see it again. Maybe we refuse to lend any more books in the future. Or perhaps after being burned before, we’ll only let certain books out of our sight. Regardless, many of us have a horror story or two of a book we’ve given to a friend or coworker to borrow, only to realize we’ve made a terrible mistake. So let’s pour one out for the books we’ve lost. Below are some of our stores:...."

 

 

So, do you have a story of a book lent that you care to share?

 

When I was a teen, one of my favorite books was The Cheerleader by Ruth Doan MacDougall; that book accompanied me on at least half a dozen moves.  Many years later, I lent the book to my daughter's teen age babysitter.  After several years had passed, I asked that the book be returned and was told that it had been.  Uh huh.  I bought a new copy a few years ago for the time when I get up the nerve to re-read it.  I'm curious to know what I would think of it today.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

 

I have been wanting something gripping & fun. Dd handed me a series she's started recently, The Powder Mage Trilogy. I've read the first chapter of Promise of Blood & am already drawn in, so I think this will be a good fit for my (lame) brain & reading skills lately.

 

 

DragonCon side note:

 

I'm sure quite a few of you remember the comic strip Bloom County, right? If you look on Berkeley Breathed's FB page & scroll down a couple of posts to the guy dressed as "Sith Lord Sexypants", that's my bil.

https://www.facebook.com/berkeleybreathed/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE

:lol:

Dd was telling me this morning that when bil was dressed as that character, he & a couple of other guys in their Con group were in the room when someone knocked. Bil answered the door (in costume of course). It was the maid. When he answered, she said, "I hate DragonCon" & turned & left (after the guys confirmed they didn't need anything for the room). :smilielol5: Anyway, thought some of you would get a laugh out of his costume, esp. if you were fans of the comic strip.

 

 

 

 

:lol: Your bil looks great!

 

 

I went ahead and requested your dd's recommendation for my dd. She always seems to like your dd's books, I just tell her Stacia's dd likes this book and she is totally willing to read it. It's funny how even my kids know who some of you guys are and your kids.

 

 

 

 

 

I look forward to learning whether or not Mikey likes it!

**

 

A bookish post ~

 

 

Our Book Lending Horror Stories  by Amanda Diehl

 

 "It goes without question that books should be shared with the world, but when it comes to our own personal libraries, some of us can be a bit sensitive. We know the sorrow of lending a book, never to see it again. Maybe we refuse to lend any more books in the future. Or perhaps after being burned before, we’ll only let certain books out of our sight. Regardless, many of us have a horror story or two of a book we’ve given to a friend or coworker to borrow, only to realize we’ve made a terrible mistake. So let’s pour one out for the books we’ve lost. Below are some of our stores:...."

 

 

So, do you have a story of a book lent that you care to share?

 

When I was a teen, one of my favorite books was The Cheerleader by Ruth Doan MacDougall; that book accompanied me on at least half a dozen moves.  Many years later, I lent the book to my daughter's teen age babysitter.  After several years had passed, I asked that the book be returned and was told that it had been.  Uh huh.  I bought a new copy a few years ago for the time when I get up the nerve to re-read it.  I'm curious to know what I would think of it today.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

I am not a happy lender of favourite books. I will lend pretty much anything to bf because I can tell her it's a signed copy and I know eventually it will return to me. If I ask she will mail it. I gave her loads of favourites for safe keeping when we moved.

 

But other than her I don't lend favourites easily. I actually bought an extra WTM to lend. My copy stressed me and I have loaned those books many times to people I didn't really know because I felt like I had to. I have a book that I record curriculum lending/ returns in.

 

I have a collection that is super battered of Disneyland magazines that I am very attached to. Bought with my allowance and were available at only one store in my smallish town. So I put tons of effort into that collection. I had them stored at my parents house. I pulled them out for the dc's but didn't take them immediately because I decided ds was too young for my fragile magazines! The next thing I knew my mom had lent them to my childhood friend who had loved MY magazines too (I was her babysitter and would take one along each time) so her children could enjoy them. Her ds is exactly the same age as mine. I ended up making an extra trip home and stopping by for my magazines. Totally stressed me. I let her daughter keep a couple of original Nancy Drews (n loan) so I wouldn't be too rude! :lol: On a side note I have been bringing them over here a couple of issues at a time in order to reduce my loss risk. Obsessed.......

 

I never heard of The Cheerleader. I need to see if I can find a copy.

 

Btw, I had to return Don Camillo to the library because someone put a hold on it. I didn't see that coming because it hadn't been checked out in almost a decade! I wonder if someone is around here is reading our thread! I didn't finish but did enjoy the stories I read. I am on the lookout for a newer, less fragile, edition.

[Chrysalis Academy]

:smilielol5:

 

Actually, I may give it a try.

 

Signed yours truly,

Mikey

 

 

 

Oh good!!!  Maybe don't look at the author's picture before you start. I feel that it inordinately prejudiced me against the book.  When I look at her, I just want to say, "Oh, puh-leeze" which is a very ageist curmudgeonly response.  I also want to know if anybody else remembers 1984 the way I do.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished Vinegar Girl, Anne Tyler's retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, the latest Hobart Shakespeare offering.  I found it entirely successful and satisfying. TotS is my least favorite Shakespeare, the one that travels worst into the 21st century. Because no matter how you try and turn it into a satire, let's face it, it's totally sexist and rather demeaning.  I did see a pretty funny modern movie version - the Shakespeare Retold BBC version - but even in that case, Kate was a caricature - a dry, bitchy, powerful harridan who feeds into all of our culture's worst stereotypes about powerful women.   But this book had a different slant on the whole story. We were discussing The Remains of the Day a few weeks ago, and some of us understood Stevens best as someone who was on the spectrum, not capable of sensing and responding appropriately to emotional nuances? Well, these characters are the same - brilliant scientist with so few social skills that they really read like Aspies.  And it totally works.  Very enjoyable and much more rated PG than the previous Hobarts I've read.

 

Now I'm really looking forward to the release of Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (based on The Tempest) in October.

 

I also started listening to Unbroken (after being stuck in traffic for an hour listening to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - so much talking! thinking! processing! analyzing! Nothing actually *happened*!) and reading Necessity, the third installment in Jo Walton's Thessaly series.  

 

My abandoned shelf is up to 80 books, so I'm doing well at not finishing things! That's definitely something I've come to in maturity - I used to feel terrible about abandoning a book.  I will still push through a few things - Moby-Dick, I'm looking at you - for the Culture Virtue Points  ;)  :D but it's much more rare these days.

[Jane in NC]

I listened to an abridged version of Vinegar Girl on BBC Radio's Book at Bedtime. Thoroughly enjoyed it with a plan to read the book this fall.

 

And while I generally agree with Rose's comments on Shrew, I confess that I adore the musical Kiss Me Kate. Cue "It's too Darn Hot"...

[Onceuponatime]

I listened to an abridged version of Vinegar Girl on BBC Radio's Book at Bedtime. Thoroughly enjoyed it with a plan to read the book this fall.

 

And while I generally agree with Rose's comments on Shrew, I confess that I adore the musical Kiss Me Kate. Cue "It's too Darn Hot"...

I was once so enamored of the singing male leads in mgm musicals, I didn't care too much about the story lines. Who wouldn't want a Howard Keel or Gordon McRae to sing at them, even in male chauvinist exasperation? Those glorious voices.

[Jane in NC]

I was once so enamored of the singing male leads in mgm musicals, I didn't care too much about the story lines. Who wouldn't want a Howard Keel or Gordon McRae to sing at them, even in male chauvinist exasperation? Those glorious voices.

Ayup. Which explains my love of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I listened to an abridged version of Vinegar Girl on BBC Radio's Book at Bedtime. Thoroughly enjoyed it with a plan to read the book this fall.

 

And while I generally agree with Rose's comments on Shrew, I confess that I adore the musical Kiss Me Kate. Cue "It's too Darn Hot"...

 

Ok, I'll confess I haven't seen that. Maybe that will be our weekend movie?

[Jane in NC]

Ok, I'll confess I haven't seen that. Maybe that will be our weekend movie?

You'll be singing Brush Up Your Shakespeare before it's over!

[Mom-ninja.]

We absolutely loved this version too. I was a bit skeptical before we watched it but David Tennant is now my new favorite Hamlet.  I've discovered an excellent fact: my dds, even dd10, are much more likely to watch a Shakespeare film version from start to finish if they love the actor.  We have The Hollow Crown with Tom Hiddleston lined up for later this year.  It's a funny midlife transition, realizing that Kenneth Branaugh and Ian McKellan are no longer the cat's pajamas when it comes to Shakespeare protagonists. I'm a little young to have been enamored of Laurence Olivier, and I don't like the style of his productions near as much as I do modern ones, but I imagine people went through a similar mental transition as I'm going through now.  Young whippersnappers!  But they are very good.  ;)  :D

David Tennant was fantastic. I also have a huge crush on Patrick.

 

Well, I've been doing a lot of virtual book cleaning-out. 

 

I deleted all my amazon wish lists & things in my cart (about 20 pages worth of stuff, mostly books), as well as deleting tons of kindle books I had. (So now I'm below 50 on kindle books which seems about right since I rarely read ebooks anyway.)

 

I also deleted all of my "to-read" list on Goodreads. 

 

I like having a clean (imaginary) slate to work with....

:svengo:

 

 

My reading time has drastically decreased. My eldest is taking two college classes and if anyone thinks that's less work for the homeschool mom it isn't. At least not for me. He is dyslexic so the amount of editing/reading I do with him is taking up a lot of time. His academic accommodations include a note taker and a reader, and when the class is online guess who that person is. If any of you know of a good text to speech software please let me know! Add in my praticum work and regular school lessons. Eldest still has high school course work as well plus me working with my middle schooler and my little 7 yr old. We all know that 12 and 7 yr olds are super motivated and work well on their own, right?  :tongue_smilie: (If you do have one or more of these magical creatures keep it to yourself.) 

 

Still reading Jane Austen's shorter works. Still loving them. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

You'll be singing Brush Up Your Shakespeare before it's over!

 

Ok, not only are we going to watch Kiss Me Kate, we decided to do a full-on TotS study for our first play this year. Thanks for inspiring me!

[JennW in SoCal]

Good heavens.  I'm older than I thought!

 

When Rose wrote about being 13 in 1984, the year in which The Summer that Melted Everything is set, I was nodding along with her about being 13 that year. Then Kareni posted the "let's get Mikey" link -- along with the dates that ad campaign aired, and a couple of others mentioned being in or out of college by 1984, and I realized, oh yeah. I finished grad school in 1984.  Rose -- you are too young to claim curmudgeon privileges, you young whipper snapper you! 

 

And I'm old enough to remember Star Trek when it premiered 50 years ago tonight. Here's a fun article from the LA Times about those iconic rocks that served as the back drop in the famous (infamous? iconic?) Gorn/Kirk smackdown. Thought my fellow Trekkies would enjoy it:

 

The Vasquez Rocks and Star Trek

 

I, too, love Kiss Me Kate, but what's not to love about Cole Porter?  Rose, it has the added attraction to your family of being a musical about a putting on a play. (Do I remember correctly that your girls are sometimes involved in musicals?) Which reminds me. Have you all ever watched Band Wagon?  The whole premise is turning Dante's Inferno into a musical. It is one of my all time favorite big move musicals.

 

Back to books. I'm enjoying Kipling's Kim far more than I had hoped. The beginning is really slow, and the sweeping cultural generalizations really rubbed me the wrong way as they came off as Imperialist racism.  But there are sweeping cultural generalizations about whites, too, and of the Church of England. I have come to think he has captured the India he knew in his youth, and it is a loving portrait. It perhaps could be read as a fantasy memoir -- a story of a life he might have, could have, led. I'm listening to it in the car, and the narrator is really bringing it to life with a wide variety of accents.

 

It's also taking me a ridiculous amount of time to get through the 100 pages of Ajax Penumbra, 1969, only because I'm reading it in the 20 minutes or so that it takes to eat a sandwich at lunchtime.  But what a fun book!  It is book #52 for me -- finally.

 

And Stacia.  Your bil will forever be my pop culture hero!!! I follow Berkeley Breathed and had seen Sith Lord Sexy Pants on FB a few days ago.  OMG!! It's your bil!!  Love it, love it, love!!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Good heavens.  I'm older than I thought!

 

When Rose wrote about being 13 in 1984, the year in which The Summer that Melted Everything is set, I was nodding along with her about being 13 that year. Then Kareni posted the "let's get Mikey" link -- along with the dates that ad campaign aired, and a couple of others mentioned being in or out of college by 1984, and I realized, oh yeah. I finished grad school in 1984.  Rose -- you are too young to claim curmudgeon privileges, you young whipper snapper you! 

 

And I'm old enough to remember Star Trek when it premiered 50 years ago tonight. Here's a fun article from the LA Times about those iconic rocks that served as the back drop in the famous (infamous? iconic?) Gorn/Kirk smackdown. Thought my fellow Trekkies would enjoy it:

 

The Vasquez Rocks and Star Trek

 

I, too, love Kiss Me Kate, but what's not to love about Cole Porter?  Rose, it has the added attraction to your family of being a musical about a putting on a play. (Do I remember correctly that your girls are sometimes involved in musicals?) Which reminds me. Have you all ever watched Band Wagon?  The whole premise is turning Dante's Inferno into a musical. It is one of my all time favorite big move musicals.

 

 

 

You remember right! My girls are both actors, in fact drama class and auditions for the next play are next week. I'm happy to hear about the putting-on-a-musical connection in Kiss Me Kate, that will appeal to both of them!! They were crushed to have missed a local production of TotS while we were on vacation in August.

 

I may not be old enough to be a curmudgeon, but I qualify in other ways. I'm practicing now so I'll be really good at it.  ;)  :D  :001_tt2:

[Jane in NC]

Good heavens. I'm older than I thought!

 

When Rose wrote about being 13 in 1984, the year in which The Summer that Melted Everything is set, I was nodding along with her about being 13 that year. Then Kareni posted the "let's get Mikey" link -- along with the dates that ad campaign aired, and a couple of others mentioned being in or out of college by 1984, and I realized, oh yeah. I finished grad school in 1984. Rose -- you are too young to claim curmudgeon privileges, you young whipper snapper you!

 

And I'm old enough to remember Star Trek when it premiered 50 years ago tonight. Here's a fun article from the LA Times about those iconic rocks that served as the back drop in the famous (infamous? iconic?) Gorn/Kirk smackdown. Thought my fellow Trekkies would enjoy it:

 

The Vasquez Rocks and Star Trek

 

I, too, love Kiss Me Kate, but what's not to love about Cole Porter? Rose, it has the added attraction to your family of being a musical about a putting on a play. (Do I remember correctly that your girls are sometimes involved in musicals?) Which reminds me. Have you all ever watched Band Wagon? The whole premise is turning Dante's Inferno into a musical. It is one of my all time favorite big move musicals.

 

Back to books. I'm enjoying Kipling's Kim far more than I had hoped. The beginning is really slow, and the sweeping cultural generalizations really rubbed me the wrong way as they came off as Imperialist racism. But there are sweeping cultural generalizations about whites, too, and of the Church of England. I have come to think he has captured the India he knew in his youth, and it is a loving portrait. It perhaps could be read as a fantasy memoir -- a story of a life he might have, could have, led. I'm listening to it in the car, and the narrator is really bringing it to life with a wide variety of accents.

 

It's also taking me a ridiculous amount of time to get through the 100 pages of Ajax Penumbra, 1969, only because I'm reading it in the 20 minutes or so that it takes to eat a sandwich at lunchtime. But what a fun book! It is book #52 for me -- finally.

 

And Stacia. Your bil will forever be my pop culture hero!!! I follow Berkeley Breathed and had seen Sith Lord Sexy Pants on FB a few days ago. OMG!! It's your bil!! Love it, love it, love!!

Pulling up my rocking chair next to Jenn.

 

Yes, my husband loved the Berkeley Breathed bit, Stacia. And I think your bro in law may have groupies!

 

Band Wagon...I don't recall this one, Jenn. Thanks for the rec. Kim, too. I have been intending to read this one. Off to make additions to my library lists.

[Kareni]

Pulling up my rocking chair next to Jenn.

 

Leave a space for me as I was in grad school in 1984.

 

**

 

a bookish post from Tor.com ~

 

6 Different Ways Sci-Fi/Fantasy Characters Avoid Traditional School  by Emily Asher-Perrin, Leah Schnelbach, Molly Templeton and Natalie Zutter

 

"As summer winds down and students troop off to school, we found ourselves thinking about the many different types of learning in SFF. One of the most fun aspects of genre is that writers who choose to tell coming-of-age stories and campus stories have so many more options than writers of realistic fiction—where your litfic author has to choose between, say, high school and college, or public, private, and parochial school, a genre author’s options are a lot cooler. Hey, how about if your teenage protagonist learns how to fly when he becomes a goose? That can totally happen in SFF! Want to send your characters to boarding school? Why not make it a magical boarding school? A summer internship in an office can make for lackluster reading, but what if you up the stakes by apprenticing your character to aliens… who are fighting a battle to save the universe?..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

 I am not a happy lender of favourite books....

 

Thanks for sharing your book and magazine lending experiences, mumto2.

 

 I never heard of The Cheerleader. I need to see if I can find a copy.

 

I'll look forward to hearing if you do.

 

Btw, I had to return Don Camillo to the library because someone put a hold on it. I didn't see that coming because it hadn't been checked out in almost a decade! I wonder if someone is around here is reading our thread! I didn't finish but did enjoy the stories I read. I am on the lookout for a newer, less fragile, edition.

 

That is funny that someone else requested the book after so long.  I hope you'll find a newer copy.  I come across Dom Camillo books every so often in thrift stores, so if you have anything similar you might keep a lookout.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

And a currently free book for Kindle readers ~

 

Miss Landon and Aubranael (Tales of Aylfenhame Book 1)   by Charlotte E. English

 

"A historical Regency romance blended with fantasy and fairytale.

Tilby, Lincolnshire, 1811. Miss Sophia Landon is the daughter of an impoverished clergyman. Her father’s health is failing fast, but who wants to marry a woman without birth, beauty or wealth? Her prospects are limited indeed - until her friendship with the town’s fae denizens earns her passage to the otherworldly realm of Aylfenhame. Could her fate truly lie beyond the shores of England?

There she meets Aubranael, a young man with a warm heart and a ruined face. In Sophy he sees the answer to his loneliness, but how can a disfigured Ayliri hope to win her heart? When a mysterious witch offers him the temporary gift of beauty, he eagerly accepts: and so begins an adventure that could change his life, and Sophy’s, forever."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Butter]

Nothing to do with reading, but... my daughter got her driver's license today!

[Mom-ninja.]

Nothing to do with reading, but... my daughter got her driver's license today!

Yikes

[Stacia]

Butter, yay for your dd! I can't wait until my dd gets her license!!!

 

Rose, 1984 was when I was 16/17. So I consider myself a child of the 80s. Of course, since you told me not to look at the pic of the author, I totally just did that. I found what is probably the jacket photo on her website. You do notice she's rocking some blue eyeshadow? That's totally '80s. :lol: I requested the book from the library but it may be a week or so until I get it.

 

But, since you're working on your curmudgeonly skills early, here you go (some inspiration):

 

 

My bil will be very pleased to know he's got groupies! :laugh:

 

Re: lending out books. I learned a long time ago that there are few people that actually return books in good shape or in a timely manner. So, years ago, I just adjusted my attitude so that if I "lend" a book to someone, I'm essentially giving it to them. I tell them to keep it, donate it, pass it on to someone else, etc.... I guess if it's something I truly want to keep, I don't lend it out in the first place.

 

mumto2, hope your dd likes the Powder Mage series. I'm not too far into it, but it seems well-written (which is not always the opinion I hold of fantasy-type books) & I really like it so far.

Edited September 8, 2016 by Stacia

[Stacia]

My sis w/ her dh, Sith Lord Sexy Pants:

 

 

(Apparently BB wants to send bil an autographed photo of the comic strip.)

[Stacia]

My sister said I could post these so you could see what a sexpot she married. Lol.

 

 

 

Apparently he's getting some marriage proposals out of this. :lol:

 

(Costume from this comic: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ee/14/a7/ee14a771b5bc95bd994762990f14c2e0.jpg )

[JennW in SoCal]

Band Wagon...I don't recall this one, Jenn. Thanks for the rec. Kim, too. I have been intending to read this one. Off to make additions to my library lists.

 

Whoops -- I had it wrong. It is a musical production of Faust, not the Inferno. Similar underworld moods and themes incongruous with a typical musical!  

 

Here's Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire

. *sigh* 

[Kareni]

Here's an enjoyable post from Book Riot for those who enjoy mythology ~ 

 

Dallying With The Gods: 16 Books About Gods And Mythology  by Nikki VanRy

 

"We mortal folk love dallying with the gods. From the time of Homer and the Odyssey to the Mahabharata and The Superhuman Life of Gesar of Ling, we’ve been telling stories about humans interacting with the gods for a very (very) long time. And this hasn’t changed. Modern authors love writing books about gods and mythology.

 

And, thank the gods, because I love to read them. I eat up books about gods and mythology–whether they’re based on existing mythologies or new systems the author created, whether they’re set in the past or right on our own streets, whether the gods are on the periphery or in the sheets, or whether the authors stick with one pantheon or mix them all up.

 

Books about gods and mythology are just deeply satisfying to read. They nurture a need we have for epic stories told from the bystander’s point of view. Because, in that way, the bystander becomes god-like too...."

 

 

I see some familiar titles listed as well as some that are new to me.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Last night I stayed up late reading Fast Connection (Cyberlove Book 2)  by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell which is a romance featuring two men. (Adult content)  I enjoyed it.  It had some one liners that had me laughing aloud and saying to my husband, "Listen to this ...."  I do like a book with some witty dialogue.  While this is the second book in a series, it stands alone well.

 

I read a review of this book on another site and left a comment.  The reviewer kindly loaned it to me which is the first time that has happened.  There are generous people out there in cyberspace! 

 

"After a decade of serving in the Army, everyone still expects me to be Dominic 'Nicky' Costigan--the skirt-chasing player. They don't know I've been spending my days trying to figure out my post-military life. Including how to pick up guys.

When I meet Luke on a hookup app, he makes it clear it's for one-night only. That's fine with me, because I'm down to see what this silver fox can do. But after I arrive at his doorstep, it doesn't take long to realize we have serious chemistry, and we end up meeting again.

He's got more walls around his heart than a military base, but I think he's as addicted to me as I am to him. He can't resist me for long. I mean, who can? Except Luke's rules exist for a reason, and when I test his limits, things get complicated. Maybe too complicated."

**

 

I also read and enjoyed Bear, Otter, and the Kid  by TJ Klune which is a love story featuring two men and one rather gifted child.  (Adult content)

 

"Three years ago, Bear McKenna’s mother took off for parts unknown with her new boyfriend, leaving Bear to raise his six-year-old brother Tyson, aka the Kid. Somehow they’ve muddled through, but since he’s totally devoted to the Kid, Bear isn’t actually doing much living—with a few exceptions, he’s retreated from the world, and he’s mostly okay with that. Until Otter comes home.

Otter is Bear’s best friend’s older brother, and as they’ve done for their whole lives, Bear and Otter crash and collide in ways neither expect. This time, though, there’s nowhere to run from the depth of emotion between them. Bear still believes his place is as the Kid’s guardian, but he can’t help thinking there could be something more for him in the world... something or someone."

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ethel Mertz]

Pulling up my rocking chair next to Jenn.

 

 

Leave a space for me as I was in grad school in 1984.

 

 

Me too. I was in my mid 20s in 1984, slogging away in "grad-ual" school. 

[Mom-ninja.]

Here's an enjoyable post from Book Riot for those who enjoy mythology ~ 

 

Dallying With The Gods: 16 Books About Gods And Mythology  by Nikki VanRy

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Hot as Hades looks right up your alley. ;)

[Kareni]

Hot as Hades looks right up your alley. ;)

 

I had that thought, too!

 

As to other titles on the list ~  I read The King Must Die by Mary Renault (well before 1984) and liked it at the time.  I read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (more recently) and enjoyed it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Powell's Staff Picks

 

I always love lists like this because there's such a variety.

 

Rose, I thought of you with the description of Nutshell with all your Shakespeare-variation reading lately.

 

With an ingenious plot and unique narrator, this tale of murder and treachery is told from the viewpoint of a fetus — the yet-unborn Hamlet, witness to the conversations and unsavory dealings of those around him.  A cleverly imaginative take on Shakespeare’s character, this darkly humorous and skillfully crafted novel reaffirms McEwan as one of the finest writers today. Recommended By Michal D., Powells.com