Robin M Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 (edited) Happy Sunday dear hearts! This is the beginning of week 40 in our quest to read 52 books. Welcome back to all our readers, to those just joining in and all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is also below in my signature. 52 Books Blog - October Spooktacular Reading Month: Bwahahahaha! Welcome to the spooky and spectacular, fretful and frightful, eventful and exciting, thrilling and chilling October Spooktacular Reading Month! Our spooky reading month is not all about horror. Oh no! Especially since I'm not into blood and guts, graphic violence but those reads that are spine tingling, finger nail chewing, blood pumping, and goose bump exciting. There are a number of ways to go with psychological fiction, gothic, science fiction, supernatural, apocalyptic and dystopian. Reads full of bad guys, vampires, werewolves and monsters of the deep. Who comes to mind when you think about scary reads? Stephen King, Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, or Frank Peretti? Maybe Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill or Peter Straub? What about Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft or Bram Stoker. From the classics to the contemporary, you have a wide variety of choices. I've been surprised and entertained, maybe not pleasantly but scarily thrilled by Joe Hill's (Stephen King's son) N0S4A2 and Dean Koontz's Frankenstein series. Glued to the edge of my chair of Robert McCammon's Swan Song and enthralled by Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. If you haven't read the staples of the genre - Frankenstein or Dracula, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Grey or Something Wicked This Way Comes - now is your chance. Put away your expectations, because you just may be surprised when they don't turn out how you suspect they will. I have a few thrillers in my stacks for the month including Mary Shelley's The Last Man, Dean Koontz's The City along with Marisha Pessil's Night Film as well as an annotated version of Dracula. Plus I'm contemplating a reread of Frankenstein or Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. Both were equally good. What spooky books will you be reading this month? ****************************************************** HIstory of the Renaissance World - Chapters 69 - 70 ****************************************************** What are you reading this month Link to week 39 Edited October 2, 2016 by Robin M 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 I'm in between books at the moment and think I'll jump into spooktacular reading with Night Film. Continued my binge watch of Outlander with season two last night. Yawn! So glad hubby is coming home tonight! 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Who comes to mind when you think about scary reads? I'm reminded of One Second After by William R. Forstchen which is scary because it seems so very feasible. From BooklistIn a Norman Rockwell town in North Carolina, where residents rarely lock homes, retired army colonel John Matherson teaches college, raises two daughters, and grieves the loss of his wife to cancer. When phones die and cars inexplicably stall, Grandma’s pre-computerized Edsel takes readers to a stunning scene on the car-littered interstate, on which 500 stranded strangers, some with guns, awaken John’s New Jersey street-smart instincts to get the family home and load the shotgun. Next morning, some townspeople realize that an electromagnetic pulse weapon has destroyed America’s power grid, and they proceed to set survival priorities. John’s list includes insulin for his type-one diabetic 12-year-old, candy bars, and sacks of ice. Deaths start with heart attacks and eventually escalate alarmingly. Food becomes scarce, and societal breakdown proceeds with inevitable violence; towns burn, and ex-servicemen recall “Korea in ’51†as military action by unlikely people becomes the norm in Forstchen’s sad, riveting cautionary tale, the premise of which Newt Gingrich’s foreword says is completely possible. --Whitney Scott Regards, Kareni 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 My current line up for spooky reads includes Justin Cronin's The Passage, Shattered with Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell, and one with a great cover that I spotted yesterday titled The Accidental Alchemist https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22351151-the-accidental-alchemist?ac=1&from_search=true. I love gargoyles!!!!! I ended up listening to Anne Hillerman's Spider Woman's Daughter. It wasn't great but it wasn't horribe. I didn't really like the narrator that much so could have been influenced greatly by that. I used to love her father's books. I will probably read the next one eventually but not right away. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I read Clandestine in Chile - 1 Star - Boring. and The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness - 4 Stars - I grew up with Ladybird books and my children had many also. This short and quick read is part of a fun series for adults and quite frankly, they’re an absolute riot. The illustrations are the same classic ones from before and seeing them was pure nostalgia. MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I'm about 2/3 of the way through Smoke and Mirrors. Neil Gaiman's introductions are always amusing. The one for this book needs to be read before you get into the stories. Plus, it contains an extra story. Most of the tales are just fun and quirky with typical twisty endings. However, there are a couple of werewolf ones that are slightly gross, and a few stories with adult themes. My favorite one so far is the semi-autobiographical The Goldfish Pool, where the author goes to LA to write a screenplay of one of his novels. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 A hodgepodge ~ From the Tor.com site, Five Can’t-Miss SFF Books by Diverse Authors by Rae Carson ** Horror bookends for you, Robin. Tentacle Pirate Ship Attack Bookends Don Quixote Metal Art Bookends The company has over 100 styles; you can see them here. ** a currently free Kindle historical romance: Wicked and Wonderful by Valerie King Regards, Kareni 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Well, you are way ahead of me. I'm 5th on the waitlist for Nasreen's Secret School, Walter the Farting Dog was checked out, & I forgot about Hop on Pop. I have considered grabbing a Captain Underpants book (I check them in & out all.the.time working at the library -- they are hugely popular), but I haven't done it yet. Lol. Well let me know when you get them! I have not read a whole Captain Underpants but I saw the first couple pages and it made me laugh :laugh: 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 :). I am interested in talking about it but I don't want to spoil anything for Robin, so send me a private message if you have time to chat ;) In completely unrelated news, my dd got her driver's license today! :party: Yeah!!! How exciting!! 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: I went into the library last week to pick up some books on hold and saw a 7-day Fast Read copy of Flavia. I certainly don't have time to read a 7-day book but I couldn't leave it sitting there when I wanted to read it, right?? I started it, I haven't gotten far, but it's Flavia :D and I love her spunk and resiliency. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 (edited) My middle ds and I started our spooky reading with a re-read of Emily Carroll's graphic novel (or graphic short story collection) Through the Woods. The stories are atmospheric and the artwork is gorgeous. Some of the endings go a bit beyond ambiguous to huh?, but we love it anyway. Oh, and I also "read" (wordless book) Mosquito by Dan James, which I found by browsing Stacia's spooky reads shelf on Goodreads. I like the concept of this one, but found the story difficult to follow. Nice idea to go wordless. Leaving out narration and dialogue makes me think of a silent film (even though silent films do have words that you can read), but it just didn't work, and looking at the reviews on Goodreads, it seems others had the same difficulty. I am still trying to finish Dune, but look forward to more spooky reading after that. I have several books here waiting to be read: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (I have not read anything by her yet.) The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter (Not really sure how spooky this one is, but there ought to be at least a little blood in a chamber, I'm guessing, and it will count for my fairy tale adaptation for BaW Bingo.) Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand (Another author whose work I haven't read yet, and after looking at many books, this is the first one I came to that looked like it might be just what I was in the mood for. It was also under $4 on Kindle.) The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - I got this on Audible yesterday when it was $2. I have already read the book and look forward to *maybe* revisiting it after I finish what I'm currently listening to (Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft), but I'm also considering getting the audiobook of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane from the library. Other books I've finished since posting: A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You by Ralph Fletcher - This is a children's book, and I read it with my ten-year-old son. Each chapter shows one way a writer might choose to use his notebook (writing down bits of overheard dialogue, writing down memories, lists, etc.) and it gives examples from the author's own notebook plus the notebooks of students he's had. Two books by Faith Erin Hicks -- The Adventures of Superhero Girl and Friends with Boys -- The first one was originally a web comic and can be read online, but without the color. The second is a graphic novel about a girl who was homeschooled, but is now starting high school at a public school. Her mother has left, and we don't know why. She has - for reasons never explained - not had any friends other than her brothers until now. In an interview I listened to with the author, I think she said this is her most autobiographical work. The author was homeschooled until high school. (Her mother did not leave.) Perhaps she is similar to the protagonist in other ways, too. Anyway, these works felt soft and gentle to me, sometimes subtle. I enjoyed them. Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger - Another illustrated short story by Niffenegger. (I know many here read The Night Bookmobile, and maybe The Three Incestuous Sisters.) I saw this in the YA section of the library while I was grabbing some things for my sons. It is a fairy tale with a little twist. It's a little dark, though not quite spooky. Edited October 2, 2016 by crstarlette 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 (edited) I picked up I Am Not a Serial Killer and a book of Raymond Carver short stories as possible spookies, and have Lovecraft Country and His Bloody Project on hold. Plus I'm excited about The Elementals! One Second After looks like something I might enjoy - the description reminds me a bit of The Mandibles. I finished The Big Sleep, and started The Long Goodbye, and have a bunch more Noir/Hard-boiled detectives lined up for the month, so that fits too, I guess. I re-read Kafka's Metamorphosis yesterday, that's definitely a creepy book. The Big Sleep was #190 for me, which matched my book count for last year, so I'm a bit ahead of myself. Sometimes I worry that I read too much, does anyone else ever have that thought? So much easier to read than to actually interact with real people. :tongue_smilie: Edited October 2, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 No spooktaculars for me, folks. I can't do horror. The Victoria Holt novel that I read was interesting in that the heroine was far from sweet. Initially her determination was admiration but it turned to manipulation. This week I think I'll read something Stacia sent a month or two ago, Season of the Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih. And for distraction I am pulling a classic mystery from the dusties, Hamlet, Revenge! by Michael Innes. It has one of the those fabulous Penguin classic covers as you can see here. I suspect that when I am done, I'll send the book to Nan's Mum. October already! 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Negin, I had no idea that there were Ladybird books for adults! What a great gift idea! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I don't read books that actually scare me too often. I don't find ghost or monster stories that scary, but serial killer stuff can keep me awake for days - the idea that there are things going on every day that are scarier than anything you could dream up. The evil within the heart of man is much scarier than anything supernatural, to me - In Cold Blood type stuff, or the non-mythology X-Files stories, or other crime dramas. Bedbugs was very spooky, in a Rosemary's Baby kind of way. Under the Skin. a book I read last year, was one that has definitely stuck with me in the creepy-and-shivers department, and again it was more that it was weirdly plausible, rather than the fact that it was so scary. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 No spooktaculars for me, folks. I can't do horror. The Victoria Holt novel that I read was interesting in that the heroine was far from sweet. Initially her determination was admiration but it turned to manipulation. This week I think I'll read something Stacia sent a month or two ago, Season of the Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih. And for distraction I am pulling a classic mystery from the dusties, Hamlet, Revenge! by Michael Innes. It has one of the those fabulous Penguin classic covers as you can see here. I suspect that when I am done, I'll send the book to Nan's Mum. October already! Oh, that looks great! I think I read some Michael Innes as a teen, but I can't remember which. Shannon and I both might like this one, I'll have to check the library. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I'm reminded of One Second After by William R. Forstchen which is scary because it seems so very feasible. From BooklistIn a Norman Rockwell town in North Carolina, where residents rarely lock homes, retired army colonel John Matherson teaches college, raises two daughters, and grieves the loss of his wife to cancer. When phones die and cars inexplicably stall, Grandma’s pre-computerized Edsel takes readers to a stunning scene on the car-littered interstate, on which 500 stranded strangers, some with guns, awaken John’s New Jersey street-smart instincts to get the family home and load the shotgun. Next morning, some townspeople realize that an electromagnetic pulse weapon has destroyed America’s power grid, and they proceed to set survival priorities. John’s list includes insulin for his type-one diabetic 12-year-old, candy bars, and sacks of ice. Deaths start with heart attacks and eventually escalate alarmingly. Food becomes scarce, and societal breakdown proceeds with inevitable violence; towns burn, and ex-servicemen recall “Korea in ’51†as military action by unlikely people becomes the norm in Forstchen’s sad, riveting cautionary tale, the premise of which Newt Gingrich’s foreword says is completely possible. --Whitney Scott Regards, Kareni I've read that book and its sequel. Definitely scary in terms of plausibility. No spooktaculars for me, folks. I can't do horror. I can't stomach it either. It took me over 50 years to be able to watch The Wizard of Oz all the way through. The flying monkeys traumatized me as a 5 year old. I finally watched it last year and the flying monkeys made me laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 (edited) Back home from vacation. Doing laundry and helping ds prepare for his speech tomorrow. Congrats, to the new driver. Still reading Dodger along with Pratchett's short stories. Oh, wanted to add that I saw the coolest thing at the airport in Grand Rapids. The local public library had set up a bookshelf for people to "take one, leave one" and I thought that was a great idea. Edited October 2, 2016 by Mom-ninja. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 (edited) . Edited November 8, 2016 by ErinE 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Erin-- Liking your post to show support. Air kisses to you and your family. I hope everyone is well soon! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Erin :grouphug: I liked the reading part of your post not the illness part. I hope it isn't whooping cough. When I think of Scary books my mind tends to go to King and Koontz. Both of them tend to be too much for me to handle. I did read and really enjoy King's 11/22/63 last year because someone here recommended it. I looked at the contemporary link and was surprised to discover they were the only ones listed that I really recognized. Ethel, I liked the monkey's in the book better. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Erin - Hope all are better soon! I read two books this week: Rosamunde Pilcher's The End of Summer and Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark. For some reason, the latter really dragged and it was a chore to finish. The first in the trilogy - Oh Pioneers -- was a wonderful read. I'll probably wait a bit to read the 3rd book. I have lots of books going at the moment. Am currently reading Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad. Difficult read, but important. I'm also slowly making my way through The Firebrand and the First Lady: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice by Patricia Bell Scott. I love this book so far. My birding-obsessed family is heading west for a quick birding trip at the end of this week, leaving me at home with my books. We are having a family contest based on whether they can see more bird species this year than I can read books. The score is 174 to 215. They're winning. So far. But fall migration will soon be over and maybe, just maybe, I will catch up with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Oh Erin, I'm so sorry. I had whooping cough in my 20s when I was in grad school. It was horrible and looooooong. I know that immunity does wear off for that one, so it's not uncommon for people in their 20s to get it. Or at least it was before the re-shots that they have them do at 13 now? I know Shannon is behind on all of her 7th-grade immunizations because she was busy getting bee allergy desensitization shots, every week for 2 years, and I didn't want to inflict those on her too. But I should get on that, it's a good reminder. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 :grouphug: Erin! I don't do horror either! I am planning to go more the magic route than spooky this year I think. Here's what I've got lined up ... The newest Flavia The Alychemst Mistborn Neverwhere 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 :grouphug: Erin! I don't do horror either! I am planning to go more the magic route than spooky this year I think. Here's what I've got lined up ... The newest Flavia The Alychemst Mistborn Neverwhere What a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 (edited) I'm about to finish the Henrietta Lacks book in the next day or so. I have to say it is a good book to get the mind thinking about ethics. I could see it being assigned to be discussed in a classroom. So many interesting questions - some easy to answer, some not so much. It's also a nice intro for lay people into medical research. I would recommend it to my kids if they were a bit older. (Disclaimer - it's not a great read by any stretch, but understandable and thought-provoking.) I want to start on my new book, Natural Theology, in the next day or two. My brother gave it to me, and he'll want to know how I like it so far (he's seeing me on Tuesday). Hopefully I'll have some thoughts about it by next week's post. My kids and I finished Pax, the middle school book club selection (audiobook). It was not the most satisfying ending, but it made sense. Of all the book club books so far, we all liked this one least. I'm not quite halfway through the read-aloud, Little Women. My kids mentioned to their aftercare teacher that I was reading this, so she gave us another book by Louisa May Alcott - The Quiet Little Woman (a Christmas story). The book also includes a couple of short stories. I guess I will read this one after finishing L.W. :) I don't know what we should do next for an audiobook in the car. The book club doesn't meet again for almost 2 weeks. Any suggestions? (Suitable for 9yos.) Edited October 3, 2016 by SKL 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I don't know what we should do next for an audiobook in the car. The book club doesn't meet again for almost 2 weeks. Any suggestions? (Suitable for 9yos.) Based on memory and my audible library (good grief, I've had an account with audible for 11 years now!) here are some ideas: Bunnicula -- perfect for kids who don't like scary, but want a Halloween book. Apparently it is funny -- I don't remember it, but the boys loved it. Any and all of the Redwall series The Percy Jackson books (they were newly published when I had a tween reader!) Anything by Lynn Reid Banks (Indian in the Cupboard series, for instance.)\ Peter and the Star Catchers Tom Sawyer Heidi Around the World in 80 Days as read by Jim Dale Other Jules Verne titles (look at reviews of the reader and translation....some are better than others.) 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 It was a slow week for reading this week. DD10 was sick Monday, DS3 and DD2 were sick the rest of the week, and DS14 joined the group Friday. .. Sending thoughts for good health in your house, Erin. My birding-obsessed family is heading west for a quick birding trip at the end of this week, leaving me at home with my books. We are having a family contest based on whether they can see more bird species this year than I can read books. The score is 174 to 215. They're winning. So far. But fall migration will soon be over and maybe, just maybe, I will catch up with them. What a fun competition! I hope you catch up. Anything by Lynn Reid Banks (Indian in the Cupboard series, for instance.) At that age, The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks was a big favorite of my daughter; I'm not sure if there is an audio version currently available. (It was fun to be reminded of this book as I recall that my daughter mispronounced Rebel; the title sounded like The Fairy Re-belle.) Regards, Kareni 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelaboord Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Erin -- I really hope your kids feel better soon! Whooping cough is one of those things that terrifies me. Due to Abby's surgery, we had to put off her 6 month shots so I think we will be trying to catch up on those this week. The virus we just went through was wheezy and bad, but not that bad! I hope the test comes back negative and the breathing treatments help. I read more of Circling the Sun this week, but didn't finish it. It would appear from this book that the British moved to East Africa solely for the purpose of having extramarital affairs. I am having a hard time keeping them all straight. Mostly I just collected books this week. Kindle's Monthly Deals seemed particularly good this month and I picked up several titles, including a few mentioned here, like Heat and Light, and Blindness. I chose Venom and Vanilla as my Kindle First book; it seemed kind of fun, urban fantasy with supernatural creatures and a pastry chef. I'd rather read real books, but I couldn't resist free or $1.99/$2.99. I did pick up a copy of The Passage in paper, though. Our dog had puppies on Friday - 13 of them. One was stillborn and another, the runt, died tonight. There are 2 more that are borderline. So I am hoping to do a little reading tonight to take my mind off worrying about them. Probably not Blindness or The Passage, but I'm not sure I'm up for keeping track of all the British East Africans either. (For the record, Paula McLain, the author of Circling the Sun, is a good writer and I am enjoying that aspect of the book. But she's not focusing on Beryl Markham's accomplishments as much as her entanglements and those of her friends.) -Angela Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 NO LONGER FREE! This currently free Kindle book sounds like it might be an enjoyable read ~ Crossing In Time: An Edgy Sci-Fi Love Story (Between Two Evils Book 1) by D. L. Orton "Engaging, Funny, Romantic, and Harrowing" Publishers Weekly âï¸ Starred Review "Well Written and Deftly Crafted" Midwest Book Review Featured Pick "If someone took everything you live for, how far would you go to get it back?When offered a one-way trip to the past, Iz sacrifices everything for a chance to change her dystopian future—and see her murdered lover one last time.After a perilous journey through a black hole, she wakes up on a tropical beach, buck naked and mortally wounded—but twenty years younger! With only hours to live, she must convince an enraptured but skeptical twenty-something guy to fix their future relationship and thereby save the planet (no one is quite sure why.)But it's easier said than done, as success means losing him to a brainy, smart-mouthed bombshell (her younger self), and that's a heartbreaker, save the world or not.Across the infinite expanse of space and time, love endures...(Unfortunately, it’s not going to be enough.)FALL INTO THIS EDGY, action-packed, darkly comedic, dystopian love story, and be prepared to encounter a finicky time machine, a mysterious seashell, and a very clever dog (some sex, some swearing, some violence, but no vampires and absolutely no ditzes.)" Regards, Kareni 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Erin, :grouphug: :grouphug: on dealing with everyone being sick. Angela, :grouphug: :grouphug: on losing some of the puppies. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I'd rather read real books, but I couldn't resist free or $1.99/$2.99. Same here. Love the tactile experience of reading a physical book, and any artwork, including the cover, is nice to be able to see on paper instead of on a screen, but I can't spend $10-$15 on every book my library doesn't have that I want to read. Then there is the issue of space. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I really like the book We Have Always Lived in the Castle-- it is so strange, yet beautiful. I've never heard of anyone else ever reading it! Just in time for your October theme, I've been trying out the mystery writer Ngaio Marsh... I had heard that she is to be compared with Christie, Sayers and Allingham as "The Big Four" so I thought I'd try her. I read "Enter a Murderer" and "Vintage Murder" which are both just okay... both are about murder in a theater company, and both have a clever plot and nice detective. But with both of them... I got impatient. Sometimes it's just not interesting to watch the detective try to figure things out by making lists, etc. You want to know what happens and not get slowed down by tedious workmanship. I have to admit it... I skipped to the end of both books. But then I read her "Death of a Peer" and I found something so different- so much better, almost as if she had developed into a different writer altogether. The main characters in this one are an eccentric, delightful family- something that you might see in Testament, or even- Peter Wimsey's mother- this kind of fearfully intelligent but very scatterbrained nobility. They are fun and they deserved a whole book for their own sake, even if there were no mystery. I really enjoyed this one and there was no temptation to ruin it by skipping ahead. I will be interested to read more of her. 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Today, I finished Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan. Loved it. What a great fantasy book -- a mix of war & sorcery!It took me almost a month to read it but I've had bits & starts of time & this is a long book that you just want to sink into. I rarely read series books (other than Flavia de Luce), but I'm pretty sure I'll be reading the rest of this trilogy. I loved the characters in this one & think McClellan did a great job describing the world, the magic, the people, & the relationships. What an impressive piece of work as this is McClellan's first book. Definitely recommended. Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and greedy scrambling for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces. Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail.Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should... Not sure if I'll jump right into spooky reading or catch-up on a little more banned books reading first. Don't know what my October spooky reads even will be at this point! 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Well, we're reading Ovid right now in history class, so I guess that counts as a banned book. ;) I'm completely against censorship and I love Banned Books week, I think it's a great reminder of the importance of free speech and the insidious ways it can be challenged. OTOH, I find it interesting that on the ALA website, a frequent reason for books to be challenged - not banned - is "unsuitable for age group" which I think is totally legitimate. I think it's ok for parents, teachers, etc. to judge that a book contains material that a kid isn't ready to process at their age/stage. OTOOH, I listened to an interesting piece yesterday about how most challenged books by parents are those in the 4-6 and 14-17 age groups. The commentator was implying that this is because it's a time when parents are struggling with letting go of control, with big changes in life stage and the child venturing out into the wilder world, and that it's a function of parents' discomfort with that process. I suppose, though, it could be that it is a time when other people start to have more influence on what kids are offered to read - teachers, peers, etc. and so you can't really infer causality from the correlation. Interesting, though. I'm definitely against censorship, but I do pay attention to and sometimes limit what books my kids are exposed to. I'm guessing I'm not the only one. I also think that "unsuitable for age group" has a lot of dimensions. It may be due to disturbing content in the book, but it may also be due to a lack of maturity in the reader. I know that I found Virginia Woolf unsuitable for my particular age group until I was past 40 - and that says way more about me as a reader than it does about the content of the books. ;) I was walking out of the library the other day and saw a sign about Banned Books -- it was something about number of books challenged -- and the way it was phrased, instead of it making me reflect on the joys of freedom in reading instead I thought exactly as Chrysalis Academy is saying above... that there was nothing wrong with speaking up to say something if you found a book inappropriate for the age group in the children's or young adults section, and that they shouldn't be censoring people for pointing something like that out. For some reason, it felt like the sign was like dissing anyone who ever challenged as if it were impossible that there could be any good reason to do so. I argued it out with myself all the way home... and then I thought.... I should bring that thought to BaW for discussion. Considering I've barely been even lurking for the last 6 months or so, I guess that just goes to show that I think you all are the best of the best for a good book discussion :hurray: (although I'll also admit I did nothing about it until I happened to see the above comment :D ). Since I've been remiss in updating -- I'll add that I just finished the last Rivers of London book -- I've really enjoyed this series (which I found from a link on BaW a couple months back). 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I'm in the middle of two deliciously wonderful books. If life weren't quite so busy I'd have finished at least one of them this week, the one which has already gotten lots of BaW love, The Plover. Just beautiful. I want to hurry ahead to see what happens, and yet I don't want to rush past the lovely writing. Sign me up for the Brian Doyle fan club. The other book will take a couple of weeks to finish, I'm guessing. It is an audio version of an epic, fantastical fiction of T'ang Dynasty China by Guy Gavriel Kay, Under Heaven. The prose is beautiful, the characters and land and details of the period and culture are spot on. It is my spooky read because there are definitely ghosts and quite possibly a zombie wolf man and a fox-woman spirit, but with hours of listening yet to go I don't know how central those supernatural elements will be. 7 hours done, 12 still to go! I'm in the car quite a bit for gigs through the end of October, but as I'm carpooling for most rehearsals and shows I'm not getting as much audiobook time as I'd like. In all honesty, though, my reading and listening time has mostly been interrupted by the 3 books sitting here right next to me. Travel books! We're going to Japan in early spring to visit my son!! So much to plan and learn and consider! 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 This currently free Kindle book sounds like it might be an enjoyable read ~ Crossing In Time: An Edgy Sci-Fi Love Story (Between Two Evils Book 1) by D. L. Orton "Engaging, Funny, Romantic, and Harrowing" Publishers Weekly âï¸ Starred Review "Well Written and Deftly Crafted" Midwest Book Review Featured Pick "If someone took everything you live for, how far would you go to get it back? When offered a one-way trip to the past, Iz sacrifices everything for a chance to change her dystopian future—and see her murdered lover one last time. After a perilous journey through a black hole, she wakes up on a tropical beach, buck naked and mortally wounded—but twenty years younger! With only hours to live, she must convince an enraptured but skeptical twenty-something guy to fix their future relationship and thereby save the planet (no one is quite sure why.) But it's easier said than done, as success means losing him to a brainy, smart-mouthed bombshell (her younger self), and that's a heartbreaker, save the world or not.Across the infinite expanse of space and time, love endures...(Unfortunately, it’s not going to be enough.) FALL INTO THIS EDGY, action-packed, darkly comedic, dystopian love story, and be prepared to encounter a finicky time machine, a mysterious seashell, and a very clever dog (some sex, some swearing, some violence, but no vampires and absolutely no ditzes.)" Regards, Kareni The full book wasn't free without prime or Kindle unlimited but I was able to get a preview which appears to be pretty long. Over 2000 kindle locations. I can't seem to get my kindle to switch to page count but think that is at least a hundred pages. I was walking out of the library the other day and saw a sign about Banned Books -- it was something about number of books challenged -- and the way it was phrased, instead of it making me reflect on the joys of freedom in reading instead I thought exactly as Chrysalis Academy is saying above... that there was nothing wrong with speaking up to say something if you found a book inappropriate for the age group in the children's or young adults section, and that they shouldn't be censoring people for pointing something like that out. For some reason, it felt like the sign was like dissing anyone who ever challenged as if it were impossible that there could be any good reason to do so. I argued it out with myself all the way home... and then I thought.... I should bring that thought to BaW for discussion. Considering I've barely been even lurking for the last 6 months or so, I guess that just goes to show that I think you all are the best of the best for a good book discussion :hurray: (although I'll also admit I did nothing about it until I happened to see the above comment :D ). Since I've been remiss in updating -- I'll add that I just finished the last Rivers of London book -- I've really enjoyed this series (which I found from a link on BaW a couple months back). Glad you have been enjoying the Rivers of London series. I have good news The Hanging Tree is due for release in early November. I agree with you on the banning verses shelving of books in libraries. I am a card carrying member at many libraries but I volunteer at my village library. We recently (2 years or so) outsourced our inventory management, not our decision much higher. Cost.... This essentially means books can't be switched between children's and YA easily. That really bugs me. Sometimes I know the book is in YA everywhere else. I would love move it to YA and be done with it. There are also books that could be moved down to children's that sit in YA because of this. SKL, We loved Bunnicula in book form. If Jenn's boys liked the audio I would listen to that one. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I finished Smoke and Mirrors last night. I didn't think any of the stories were scary, but as some one mentioned before, fantasy is much less disturbing than reality based. One thing did bother me. I found the last few stories quite disgusting, but that seemed to be the desired effect. Up next, World War Z by Max Brooks. I would rather be reading Thrice the Brinded Cat, but the free copy I thought I had put on hold turned out to be only available to bookmobile customers. So, I am number two in the queue. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosyl Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Erin - Hope all are better soon! I read two books this week: Rosamunde Pilcher's The End of Summer and Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark. For some reason, the latter really dragged and it was a chore to finish. The first in the trilogy - Oh Pioneers -- was a wonderful read. I'll probably wait a bit to read the 3rd book. I have lots of books going at the moment. Am currently reading Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad. Difficult read, but important. I'm also slowly making my way through The Firebrand and the First Lady: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice by Patricia Bell Scott. I love this book so far. My birding-obsessed family is heading west for a quick birding trip at the end of this week, leaving me at home with my books. We are having a family contest based on whether they can see more bird species this year than I can read books. The score is 174 to 215. They're winning. So far. But fall migration will soon be over and maybe, just maybe, I will catch up with them. I did not realize that O Pioneers was the first in a trilogy. Song of the Lark is going in my tbr pile. I feel like my daughter when she found out there were more books in the Wizard of Oz series: "How have I gone my whole life without knowing this?" 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 The full book wasn't free without prime or Kindle unlimited but I was able to get a preview which appears to be pretty long. Over 2000 kindle locations. I can't seem to get my kindle to switch to page count but think that is at least a hundred pages. I've changed my post above to reflect that the book is no longer free. Sometimes these 'sales' do not last long. The Amazon post says that the complete book is 582 pages; the free preview Crossing In Time: PREVIEW (Between Two Evils Book 1) is said to be 160 pages. One of the reviewers says it's part one of three. *** Crafters might enjoy this post which features some free knitting and crocheting patterns ~ Stuff You Should Be Knitting by Elyse Regards, Kareni 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I finished Flavia and it was a good outing with my favourite 12 year old sleuth. I need to process it a bit but it probably rates pretty high in favourites for the series. Certainly in the middle. One bit of advice to those of you planning to read it DO NOT read the reviews. One gave me a spoiler that I wish I hadn't read. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 LaughingCat, you might enjoy this banned/challenged books discussion from a couple of years ago: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/529069-it-is-officially-banned-books-week/ 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 (edited) I am reading too many books at once, which means none is being finished, so why not add a spooky read? Besides my standby Victorians, J. H. Newman and Matthew Arnold, I'm still reading Richard Pearsall's The Worm in the Bud: The World of Victorian Sexuality. Which is more scholarly and less titillating than the title might lead one to believe, and definitely worth the read, but 600+ pages with lots of notes, so slow going. Abundant research went into this book, made more difficult by the submerged and ephemeral nature of much of the primary literature. Pearsall's difficulties in getting access to the British Library's "Private Cases" gets its own anecdote. Recommended for those interested in things Victorian. (While Pearsall does have the occasional salacious-by-Victorian-standards excerpts, they barely qualify as "adult content" in the 21st century, so no worries for the delicate. But plenty of my friends have had a good laugh this week on seeing what I'm reading!) Pearsall has another book, on Victorian Spiritualism, which I may have to check out from the library eventually. I wonder which of his books is more read? I started and then abandoned Sinclair Lewis' Elmer Gantry. Just as It Can't Happen Here only made me think how much better my time would be spent reading Solzhenitsyn, Elmer Gantry just made me wish I were reading Voltaire instead. Lewis is unsubtle and unfunny, and I quickly tired of his fish-in-a-barrel satire of the Baptist and Campbellite subculture that thinly veils a contempt for the rural lower-middle class. I took personal umbrage at the Yalie Lewis' sneers at the private Christian colleges of the South and their academic inferiority (we presume to Yale), my dear in-laws having attended a small Campbellite college in Tennessee and gone on to intelligent and productive lives as an engineer and schoolteacher. Anyway, on to better things. For a Halloween read, I picked up The Spook House, a collection of Ambrose Bierce stories published in a Penguin series of scary lit, "Red Classics." See their full list here: https://penguinchecklist.wordpress.com/later-series/red-classics/ Edited October 3, 2016 by Violet Crown 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 (edited) I started and then abandoned Sinclair Lewis' Elmer Gantry. Just as It Can't Happen Here only made me think how much better my time would be spent reading Solzhenitsyn, Elmer Gantry just made me wish I were reading Voltaire instead. Lewis is unsubtle and unfunny, and I quickly tired of his fish-in-a-barrel satire of the Baptist and Campbellite subculture that thinly veils a contempt for the rural lower-middle class. I took personal umbrage at the Yalie Lewis' sneers at the private Christian colleges of the South and their academic inferiority (we presume to Yale), my dear in-laws having attended a small Campbellite college in Tennessee and gone on to intelligent and productive lives as an engineer and schoolteacher. Anyway, on to better things. I encountered the same contempt in Arrowsmith, which I noticed because of my Cambellite background. Edited October 3, 2016 by Onceuponatime 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Laughingcat said: " I was walking out of the library the other day and saw a sign about Banned Books -- it was something about number of books challenged -- and the way it was phrased, instead of it making me reflect on the joys of freedom in reading instead I thought exactly as Chrysalis Academy is saying above... that there was nothing wrong with speaking up to say something if you found a book inappropriate for the age group in the children's or young adults section, and that they shouldn't be censoring people for pointing something like that out. For some reason, it felt like the sign was like dissing anyone who ever challenged as if it were impossible that there could be any good reason to do so." I absolutely agree with you, thank you for saying this. I hate the idea that we must embrace every book for every age, Or else we are some kind of fascist ignoramuses! 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Erin, may recovery be quick. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I really like the book We Have Always Lived in the Castle-- it is so strange, yet beautiful. I've never heard of anyone else ever reading it! Just in time for your October theme, I've been trying out the mystery writer Ngaio Marsh... I had heard that she is to be compared with Christie, Sayers and Allingham as "The Big Four" so I thought I'd try her. I read "Enter a Murderer" and "Vintage Murder" which are both just okay... both are about murder in a theater company, and both have a clever plot and nice detective. But with both of them... I got impatient. Sometimes it's just not interesting to watch the detective try to figure things out by making lists, etc. You want to know what happens and not get slowed down by tedious workmanship. I have to admit it... I skipped to the end of both books. But then I read her "Death of a Peer" and I found something so different- so much better, almost as if she had developed into a different writer altogether. The main characters in this one are an eccentric, delightful family- something that you might see in Testament, or even- Peter Wimsey's mother- this kind of fearfully intelligent but very scatterbrained nobility. They are fun and they deserved a whole book for their own sake, even if there were no mystery. I really enjoyed this one and there was no temptation to ruin it by skipping ahead. I will be interested to read more of her. I read it last October for my spooky read, and also The Haunting of Hill House. They were the first Shirley Jackson I'd read other than The Lottery, and I was impressed. I liked We Have Always Lived in the Castle the best of the two. I will have to try Death of a Peer! The murder in a theater company theme appealed to me, but I'd rather try one that got a glowing review first! 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I did not realize that O Pioneers was the first in a trilogy. Song of the Lark is going in my tbr pile. I feel like my daughter when she found out there were more books in the Wizard of Oz series: "How have I gone my whole life without knowing this?" Somehow I missed the memo that the books in the trilogy don't have the same characters. O Pioneers, Song of the Lark, and My Antonia are known as her Great Plains Trilogy and deal with the lives of ordinary Americans. I may have to read the last sooner rather than later. And, ack! All my library holds have come in at once! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I've changed my post above to reflect that the book is no longer free. Sometimes these 'sales' do not last long. The Amazon post says that the complete book is 582 pages; the free preview Crossing In Time: PREVIEW (Between Two Evils Book 1) is said to be 160 pages. One of the reviewers says it's part one of three. *** Crafters might enjoy this post which features some free knitting and crocheting patterns ~ Stuff You Should Be Knitting by Elyse Regards, Kareni It's a shame the freebies don't last bit longer. The patterns in the post Kareni linked are lovely and free. I really like the scarf which uses one skein of sock yarn.....I just need to buy some sock yarn. ;) The crochet cowl is one of the prettiest I have seen. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastweedpuller Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 People! I have fallen into the School Hole. (Actually, school has simply taken up all my other putative free time...autumn tends to be busiest, professionally (foundations need to be poured before frost sets so all projects tend to be RUSH), farm-wise (harvest crazy!) and of course homeschool restarting-wise.) But I *have* been reading. And I have missed reading your updates! Hugs to all sick and recovering and gobsmacked by life's roadbumps! The list: Life Reimagined by Barbara Bradley Hagerty (Midlife, 40-65ish, and how it's actually an amazingly productive time. Liked the book, could do without the author's blinkered existence as the example at every turn but...at 51 I gleaned a lot of positive insight from this book) Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli. (I admit to liking science-for-the-stupid-masses types of books, this one had a lot of joy in it) White Trash: The 400 Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg (Pure history, which was good; thesis a bit overstated, but it was summed up quite well in the epilogue and with her prodigious notes. Upended a lot of our (American) creation myths.) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (DD and i did his Coursera class 1-2 years previous; other current reads prompted me to pick the book up too, so am seeking to wedge it in, early-modern lesson-wise, with school this fall; upended a lot of our world myths) Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (Ah NYC in the sexist spooky 70s, may ever you be in the rearview mirror) How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (I so needed this, now; LOL funny and girl-power happy) The Vegetarian by Han Kang (the blurb for this was so much more positive, and interesting, than the book itself: do I blame a translation? or a culture?) 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 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: I only have bad things to say about B of A too. Really bad things! I have found that local credit unions have been wonderful to work with. It was a slow week for reading this week. DD10 was sick Monday, DS3 and DD2 were sick the rest of the week, and DS14 joined the group Friday. Our visit to the doctor Friday afternoon led to a likely diagnosis for DS14 and DS3: pertussis or whooping cough. None of my kids have the characteristic whoop, but vomiting or exhaustion after coughing are strong indicators. The test results take five days; if it's positive, the rest of the family needs to take antibiotics. In the meantime, two of my kids are on breathing treatments and prescriptions meds. When not fetching or caring for sick children, I've been vegetating on the couch. We vaccinate, but I know no vaccine is 100%. Pertussis is an awful disease, and I keep reminding myself I'm lucky no one has been hospitalized and I no longer have infants in the home. I didn't recognize the symptoms, but it sounds like the only way to diagnose the illness, barring a test, is the persistent, exhausting cough that doesn't respond to traditional cough medicine. PSA: Pertussis looks like an ordinary cold until you find yourself cleaning up projectile vomit because your child coughed so hard he puked. I managed to finish the following: The Kingdom of Speech by Tom Wolfe. Non-fiction Linguistics/Natural Science. A comparison between Wallace vs. Darwin and Everett vs. Chomsky. Wallace wrote to Darwin about a theory of natural selection, which prompted Darwin to finish his work on natural selection. When both men had their theories presented at a conference, Darwin, by way of alphabetical order and scientific prominence, took credit for the theory. Everett wrote about a group of native South Americans whose language disproved Chomsky's theory of universal grammar. Wolfe clumsily attempts to draw parallels between the two episodes. Relying too much on parenthetical asides and ellipses, it also gives the Chomsky/Everett controversy short shrift. I plan on exploring Everett's work more, but this book was a mess. Not recommended.I picked up Robert McCammon's Swan Song. I've seen where this book was compared favorably to King's The Stand, but I'm not seeing it thus far. I'm also reading Kenneth Ford's The Quantum World and Jack Weatherford's The Secret History of the Mongol Queens. I'm still working my way through Chinese history, but I noticed John Keay has also written a history on India which I plan to pick up once I've exhausted my library's China resources. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's spooky reads. ((HUGS)) Hope you guys all get feeling better quickly. :grouphug: Erin! I don't do horror either! I am planning to go more the magic route than spooky this year I think. Here's what I've got lined up ... The newest Flavia The Alychemst Mistborn Neverwhere I read Mistborn a few years ago and really liked it. My whole book club did in fact. I think you really will. I'm about to finish the Henrietta Lacks book in the next day or so. I have to say it is a good book to get the mind thinking about ethics. I could see it being assigned to be discussed in a classroom. So many interesting questions - some easy to answer, some not so much. It's also a nice intro for lay people into medical research. I would recommend it to my kids if they were a bit older. (Disclaimer - it's not a great read by any stretch, but understandable and thought-provoking.) I want to start on my new book, Natural Theology, in the next day or two. My brother gave it to me, and he'll want to know how I like it so far (he's seeing me on Tuesday). Hopefully I'll have some thoughts about it by next week's post. My kids and I finished Pax, the middle school book club selection (audiobook). It was not the most satisfying ending, but it made sense. Of all the book club books so far, we all liked this one least. I'm not quite halfway through the read-aloud, Little Women. My kids mentioned to their aftercare teacher that I was reading this, so she gave us another book by Louisa May Alcott - The Quiet Little Woman (a Christmas story). The book also includes a couple of short stories. I guess I will read this one after finishing L.W. :) I don't know what we should do next for an audiobook in the car. The book club doesn't meet again for almost 2 weeks. Any suggestions? (Suitable for 9yos.) I have two wonderful books that I've read as audiobooks. So great! A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder both by Richard Peck. The second one is the sequel. I'm assuming you've listened to James Herriot's Treasury for Children. If not then that's the highest recommendation. Do you listen to your books on audible? If so then send me a PM and I can send you a book for free. (That offer is actually open to anyone that uses audible and doesn't mind this crazy internet friend who might or might not be a 40-year old man living in a basement to know your real email address.) I did not realize that O Pioneers was the first in a trilogy. Song of the Lark is going in my tbr pile. I feel like my daughter when she found out there were more books in the Wizard of Oz series: "How have I gone my whole life without knowing this?" Speaking of Wizard of Oz ... the graphic novels are absolutely delightful. Everyone in my family love them. That includes the 40+ yo DH. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Sandy and Angel - I hadn't realized there was a new Flavia book out. I'm glad you gals mentioned that. I just uploaded it to DD's kindle. She will be delighted. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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