Book a Week 2016 - BW39: Book News

[Stacia]

I have one exam to go (tomorrow!) till I am finished my studies - temporarily, as I start a Masters degree next year. But between this Saturday and the end of Feb 17, I can read ALL THE BOOKS!

 

If there was one book from your reading this year that you'd just have to recommend, what would it be ? My booklist is long, but it's not long enough :) It will only get me through to November.

 

Any recommendations/genres welcome - although I'm not mad keen on romance.

 

I read it prior to this year, but I'll recommend The Martian by Andy Weir.   The audio version is also quite good.

Just one????  That's difficult. How about No Country for Old Men?  or . . . . nope, nope, stepping away from a second suggestion.  ;)  :D

 

Ack, no, on second thought, The Plover for you.  I suggest The Plover.  Completely ignore my previous suggestion.  :001_tt2:

 

Ok, I'll heartily endorse all 3 of those suggestions. Loved them all.

 

But, I still get to recommend one from my reading this year.... Hmmmm....

 

I'll suggest:

 

 

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi

[Onceuponatime]

I finished Arrowsmith. I could totally see it as a PBS mini-series. It has plenty of the personal angle with the agonies and flounderings of misunderstood idealists seeking pure knowledge, simultaneously dealing with the uncomfortable fact that they are all too human. Also, Bacteriophage was a new concept for me, and apparently it is relevant in today's medical world, especially as an alternative to antibiotics. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage

 

Now I am free! Next up, Smoke and Mirrors:Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman.

[aggieamy]

Hi Friend. Some favorites.   :) Hope you are well <3 I liked Victoria Holt before I liked Susan Howatch ... In fact, as I recall, I found Howatch by looking a couple of shelves below Holt and wondering what she was about with titles like Cashelmara and Penmarric.

 

((hugs))   Flufferton Abbey just isn't the same without you!

 

 

I love her books. My favorite is Blue Hat, Green Hat. I almost always include a copy of it with baby gifts. And, like you, these are some that have been saved in our house too (along w/ all Richard Scarry books).

 

 

 

I have this one memorized and held together with industrial tape.  It won't survive until grandchildren and I will have to repurchase it.

 

Sandra Boynton is on FB and posts almost daily pictures.  Very cheery and wonderful. 

 

I have one exam to go (tomorrow!) till I am finished my studies - temporarily, as I start a Masters degree next year. But between this Saturday and the end of Feb 17, I can read ALL THE BOOKS!

 

If there was one book from your reading this year that you'd just have to recommend, what would it be ? My booklist is long, but it's not long enough :) It will only get me through to November.

 

Any recommendations/genres welcome - although I'm not mad keen on romance.

 

Not keen on romances, eh?  Well that will narrow it down for me to about three books I've read this year.  How do feel about cookbooks?  :laugh:  Actually I do have two recommendations and you can pick one.  They are YA graphic novels and were wonderful. 

 

awkward by Svetlana Chmakova

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

 

Stacia - have you read either of those novels?  They struck me as being "you" novels and I couldn't remember if it was because you had mentioned reading them or I just though you would like them. 

[Kareni]

Agatha Christie fans might enjoy seeing this article ~

 

These Agatha Christie Stamps Are Guaranteed to Bring Out the Sleuth in You

  by Emily Asher-Perrin

 

 

"Over in the UK, the Royal Mail has issued a set of gorgeous stamps to honor Agatha Christie–it’s been 100 years since she finished writing her very first book, and these stamps are the perfect sort of celebration….

 

They are tiny mysteries...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[aggieamy]

Agatha Christie fans might enjoy seeing this article ~

 

These Agatha Christie Stamps Are Guaranteed to Bring Out the Sleuth in You

  by Emily Asher-Perrin

 

 

"Over in the UK, the Royal Mail has issued a set of gorgeous stamps to honor Agatha Christie–it’s been 100 years since she finished writing her very first book, and these stamps are the perfect sort of celebration….

 

They are tiny mysteries...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Thank you!  I love those.  I guess I'll have to plan another trip to the UK to pick some up.  :)

[aggieamy]

And a spooky book recommendation from Kevin.

 

I, Ripper by Stephen Hunter

 

 

Disclaimer:  Books posted by Amy but recommended by Kevin might not be fluffy.  He's made of tougher stuff than I am.   

Edited September 29, 2016 by aggieamy

[mumto2]

Well, I suppose I should be walking to the Post Office right now..... :lol:

 

I finally got around to reading my very first Mrs. Bradley book by Gladys Mitchell https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21802216-speedy-death. It was my August Prime free book so I needed to return it before I missed checking out September's. With this book I did things backwards and watched the tv series first, at least the episodes I was able to record. Dd and I loved the shows because Diana Rigg and Peter Davidson were in them. Now I have read some reviews and discovered they weren't overly true to the books. ;( :lol: Somehow I'm not surprised!

 

Both the shows and the books appear the break the conventional formulas for series mysteries and tend to surprise me. Apparently Speedy Death isn't one of the better books according to a website where fans ranked all 66 of her books although I liked it. I plan to try one of the favourites from these lists next https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30074629-picture-miss-seeton

 

The first in the Miss Seeton series which Lori D. recommended on another thread is this month's prime selection. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30074629-picture-miss-seeton

[Loesje22000]

I just finished Juliet Barkers' biography about the Brontes (in translation).

I started The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (in translation) and discovered a biography about Anne Bronte:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51vlaYl9x6L._SX334_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 

Does anyone know it / read it yet?

[Tress]

What book are you on now?

Angel,

 

I recently finished WoT and I know you wanted to talk about it.

I don't have much computer time, but will try to read this thread more :).

[mumto2]

Tress and Ladydusk, Hope to "see" more of both of you! Missed you.

 

Sadie, Some ideas.....

 

The Others series by Anne Bishop

 

Ex Libris by Jim Hines https://www.goodreads.com/series/67567-magic-ex-libris

 

The Dinosaur Feather by Gazan https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7086187.S_J_Gazan for some reason goodreads isn't showing the English versions right now. I assure you I read them in English!

[Stacia]

Amy, no, I haven't read either of those YA graphic novels. I have seen Roller Girl (as it gets checked out at the library pretty regularly).

 

In completely unrelated news, my dd got her driver's license today! :party:

[Ali in OR]

 

I have this one memorized and held together with industrial tape.  It won't survive until grandchildren and I will have to repurchase it.

 

Sandra Boynton is on FB and posts almost daily pictures.  Very cheery and wonderful. 

 

 

The Going to Bed Book is the one I have memorized, and I have it memorized because my middle dd had it memorized as a two year old and would recite it. And yes, it was falling apart so I bought a second one which is in beautiful condition and she will be able to read it to her children!

[Butter]

In completely unrelated news, my dd got her driver's license today! :party:

 

Woohoo!  My daughter got hers about 3 weeks ago and while I'm still nervous as heck when she drives (thank goodness for Find My Friends and both of us having iPhones), it's been so awesome to not have to get her places, go home, go back to pick her up, etc.  I'm really enjoying her having her license.

[Maus]

Time to read while waiting for the kids at piano lessons, which is preferable to waiting at the doctor's office! :P

 

48. "How to Write a Memoir in 30 Days" by Roberta Temes, PhD.  Yes, I'm working on one, and this is my favorite of several how to's I've read.  I'm on day 20 in the homework, but finished the reading today.

 

47. "The Asperkids' Secret Book of Social Rules" by Jennifer Cook O'Toole.  I'll assign this one to my oldest, but I actually got some ideas for myself from it, too.  I'm not Aspergers, but I do have social anxiety, and that has led to what my therapist has termed "immature social skills."  (I have good manners, but I've kept all my friendships at the casual acquaintance level for most of my life, deliberately, because of the social anxiety, and now that I have some closer friends, I stumble a bit figuring out when to text vs when to call vs when to stop by, and those subtle friendship rules like that.)

 

46. "The Kids' Guide to Staying Awesome and in Control" by Lauren Brukner. 

45. "Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome" by Luke Jackson.

44.  "Seven Miracles That Saved America" by Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart (LDS). 

43. "The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared" by Alice Ozma.

42. "Unsolved Mysteries of American History" by Paul Aron.

41. "The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up" by Carol Stock Kranowitz. 

40. "Look Me in the Eye: my life with asperger's" by John Elder Robison.

39. "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History" by Thomas E. Woods.

38. "A Buffet of Sensory Interventions: Solutions for Middle and High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders" by Susan Culp. 

37. "Thinking in Pictures" by Temple Grandin.

36. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by Jack Thorne, et al

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.

25."Caddie Woodlawn" by Carol Ryrie Brink.

24. "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George.

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.

[Kareni]

NO LONGER FREE! A currently free Kindle young adult novel that has some enthusiastic reviews ~

 

The Secret Billionaire  by Teymour Shahabi

 

"1960s — March 24. Billionaire Lyndon Surway takes off in his private plane and never returns.

His will leaves the entirety of his wealth—one of the largest fortunes in history—to his “dear friend Lucian Baker.†Only there is no trace of anyone by that name. And the fortune itself is nowhere to be found.

Andrew Day knows nothing of wealth and privilege, but he won a scholarship to study at the most exclusive school in the country, in the town where the mystery, decades later, remains unsolved. There he discovers friendship and danger with the aristocratic Cameron and the beautiful Olivia. But watchful eyes follow him everywhere... Until, one night, he comes across a secret that will change his life. As he begins to unravel what really happened to the Surway fortune, the question remains: who is Lucian Baker?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

Finished A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck.  Awesome awesome awesome.  I listened to this as an audiobook and it was just splendid.  Exactly the sort of book that both children and adults can enjoy together.  Funny.  Heartwarming.  A bit bittersweet.  My favorite Richard Peck book so far.

[Kareni]

Some posts of interest ~

 

Meet the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 

 

**

 

Attention, readers of the world - this is for you

 

To mark our 80th anniversary, Heywood Hill is proud to present The Library of a Lifetime Prize Draw - the world's first lifetime literary prize for readers. Win a hardback book a month from Heywood Hill FOR LIFE

 

..."To enter simply tell us which single book has meant the most to you, published in English since Heywood Hill opened in 1936." ...

 

 

Which book would you choose?

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

I saw a favorable mention of this currently free Kindle mystery on another site.  Perhaps someone here may find it of interest ~

 

Small Town Shock (Some Very English Murders Book 1)  by Issy Brooke

 

"The isolated and rural farming county of Lincolnshire, England is a place you come from - not move to.

Except for Penny May. She’s tired of the stress of her job in London, and it’s time for an early retirement. In an effort to reclaim the exuberance of youth that she once had, she gets a funky hair style, a classic motorcycle - and a dog with “issuesâ€.

Dog ownership is harder than she expected, but she won’t give up. To avoid postmen, people in hats, people with bags and all the other dogs in the world, she has to walk in lonely places at lonely times … it’s almost inevitable that she stumbles across a dead body, really.

It might not be the most conventional way of settling into a new community, but the locals open up to her, and soon she’s involved in the investigation. But her need for justice brings her into conflict with Drew, the local blacksmith who’s been helping her with dog training, and Cath Pritchard, the detective constable. Is her need for friendship stronger than her need to find the killer?

And will she ever be able to walk her dog in daylight?

This is a clean read suitable for all; it’s a standalone novel with no cliffhanger, and the mystery is fair-play and solved."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Shawneinfl]

Finished A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck.  Awesome awesome awesome.  I listened to this as an audiobook and it was just splendid.  Exactly the sort of book that both children and adults can enjoy together.  Funny.  Heartwarming.  A bit bittersweet.  My favorite Richard Peck book so far.

 

Amy, I'm so glad you enjoyed this. It's one of my favorites as well.

[mumto2]

Going back to a thread conversation I had with Amy a few weeks ago.....

 

After many years I reread Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who Could Read Backwards https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6643846-the-cat-who-could-read-backwards. It is the first book in her wonderful series which is definitely a top ten cozy series on most lists ;) . It was great! Qwelleran meets Koko....One thing that I noticed was this book (published in 1966) didn't feel as dated as many books do when they are fifty years old. I plan to continue this series reread fo at least a few more books.

 

Also I forgot to mention I was able to pick up the latest Flavia on Thursday morning. I have read a few pages......may read a few more today. :lol:

Edited October 1, 2016 by mumto2

[Robin M]

Good afternoon! Remember when I said I wasn't going to watch the Outlander series.  Hubby went out of town Wednesday and is gone until Sunday afternoon. I have a horrible time sleeping when he's gone. So I watched the first episode, loved it and binge watched the whole first season.   :lol:  Of course, I had to fast forward through a couple bloody scenes. A bit too graphic for me but otherwise awesome.  

 

Good news. Jumped through enough hoops with our financial adviser and the bank. Our SBA loan has been approved for the purchase of our new business property.  Yeah!!!  Discovered however in the process that B of A whom we were trying to get a Home equity line of credit through, doesn't care how long you've been a customer (30+ years)  or how good your credit is.  They have lousy underwriting.    Boo!! We'll be moving all our banking business.  

 

Book wise, trying to decide which spooky book to begin with.  Decisions. Decisions.   :tongue_smilie:

 

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2016 by Robin M

[Butter]

#97: The Tale of Troy by Roger Lancelyn Green.  Another one I pre-read for my 10 year old.  It's actually the book he is currently reading in school.  He just started it yesterday.  It's a good version of The Iliad and The Odyssey.  I liked it.

[6packofun]

I'm reading a bizarro novel called The Hike by Drew Magary.  

 

When Ben, a suburban family man, takes a business trip to rural Pennsylvania, he decides to spend the afternoon before his dinner meeting on a short hike. Once he sets out into the woods behind his hotel, he quickly comes to realize that the path he has chosen cannot be given up easily. With no choice but to move forward, Ben finds himself falling deeper and deeper into a world of man-eating giants, bizarre demons, and colossal insects. 
 
On a quest of epic, life-or-death proportions, Ben finds help comes in some of the most unexpected forms, including a profane crustacean and a variety of magical objects, tools, and potions. Desperate to return to his family, Ben is determined to track down the “Producer,†the creator of the world in which he is being held hostage and the only one who can free him from the path.
 
At once bitingly funny and emotionally absorbing, Magary’s novel is a remarkably unique addition to the contemporary fantasy genre, one that draws as easily from the world of classic folk tales as it does from video games. In The Hike, Magary takes readers on a daring odyssey away from our day-to-day grind and transports them into an enthralling world propelled by heart, imagination, and survival.

 

This book took absolutely no time in getting weird. I alternately hate it and like it.  lol

 

Next up:  The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

[Kathleen.]

I read "Book of a Thousand Days" by Shannon Hale - I love her books, she is a true storyteller. My 10yo read "Goddess Girls - Athena the Brain" by Joan Holub.

☺

[Lady Florida.]

Congrats on the SBA Robin! As for B of A, I have nothing good to say about them. FIL has been through a nightmare with them in past years. I hope you find a bank that actually appreciates your business.

[Lady Florida.]

double post

Edited October 2, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[Robin M]

Link to week 40 - please continue conversation in new thread