aggieamy Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I read The Blue Castle, which was a recommendation I got here a few months back. Of course I can't remember who recommended it, but I really enjoyed it. Thank you!! That might have been me. I read it about eight months ago and then proceeded to bully everyone I know into reading it. I'm sure I heard about it here originally though. I'm happy you liked it. What cover did your book have? I had this one which is one of the worst covers possible for it. It just makes me laugh. Now I'm reading Still Life by Louise Cooper. It's my first Inspector Gamache novel. I pulled it off my mom's shelves because I recognized the series from this thread. I'm not a big reader of mysteries, but I'm enjoying this one so far. I have no idea where it fits in the series, though! That's the first in the series. You're good to go! I set my goal this year at 60. I'm at 63 so I've met my goal already. Cool. I will say that is because I've been listening to a number of audio books. I listen to them each morning while getting ready and each night while undoing what I did to myself in the morning. Bonus: you brush your teeth longer when listening to an audio book. Negative: Sometimes you find yourself running a bit late because you just can't turn it off. Do you have a new goal? DD and I have been known to drive around endlessly if we're at the last hour of an audiobook. Positives: I get way more laundry, housework, and regular work done while listening to audiobooks. Negative: Chews on Books listens to audiobooks in the car too but only the same Thomas book over and over and over. (My DH has summed up the plot of every Thomas story as "Thomas and Percy play a trick on Gordon. Gordon exacts his revenge.") 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I finished three out of the many books I'm simultaneously reading. Ghost by Raina Telgemeier - This is the least scary or spooky possibly October read. It's a middle school graphic novel. I liked it okay. DD thought it was great. (Ethel - Do graphic novels count towards your books vs birds numbers? They'd be a good way to get some quick books in.) Strange Capers by Joan Smith - Not one of her best books but still an easy read. Structuring Your Novel by KM Weiland - Basically everything this lady writes on writing is great. This book was no exception. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Ooh. I'm down on Paulo Coelho at the moment. :angry: I'm down on him because I HATED The Alchemist. With a passion. So, so much. Just despised the book. I read it for a book club and half the people absolutely loved it and half absolutely hated it. There was no in between. It made for a very fun and lively discussion. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I(Ethel - Do graphic novels count towards your books vs birds numbers? They'd be a good way to get some quick books in.) I'm pondering it. I've never read a graphic novel, so I might give it a try. My To Be Read list is so huge that I am torn between wanting to win the contest and just reading along at my pace with my reading list and seeing where I wind up with my total. Off now to finish The Time Traveler's Wife. Hey! There's a solution to the contest! Surely, time travel could come in handy ... somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I finished Thrice The Brinded Cat Hath Mewed. Alan Bradley is a sneak and a rat. The mysteries are just distractions. His descriptive prose is sarcastic, amusing, beautiful, and heart tugging, all at the same time. But really! Some favorite lines: "Oxford Street was swarming with scores of Christmas shoppers jostling, their faces filled with a kind of happy gloom. The falling snow and the half-light of the low hanging, leaden sky made the street seem as if it were located in some far off mythical underground kingdom, and I wouldn't have been at all surprised to see Dante, or even old Odysseus himself, trudging along the pavement with a gift-wrapped rocking horse on his shoulder." "Frank Borley stuck his little finger into his ear and wiggled it about a bit, as if fine-tuning it for truth." "Giving someone the benefit of the doubt is not so simple as it sounds. What it means, in fact, is being charitable--which, as the vicar is fond of pointing out, is the most difficult of graces to master. Faith and Hope are a piece of cake but charity is a Pandora's box: the monster in the cistern which, when the lid is opened, comes swarming out to seize you by the throat." "Although Fate loves coincidence, it does not chew its cabbage twice." 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Wow! Page 3 and it's only Wednesday. I'll have to catch up! I just wanted to pop in and post my latest reads. *40. The Judas Strain by James Rollins (USA, Italy, Christmas Island, Turkey, Iran, Cambodia - 21st century) *41. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (audio - reread - England - 19th century) *42. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley (England - 20th century) I may have already posted The Judas Strain, I can't remember. I didn't like it as well as The 6th Extinction but it was still enjoyable. I will enjoy reading through these Sigma Force books!! Mansfield Park, UGH!, this was my 2nd time through, and it is still my least favorite Austen. As with P&P and S&S earlier, listening on audio gives a new perspective. I found the monologuing, especially by Mary Crawford and Edmund, to be tedious. Edmund is far from our normal Austen hero. Fanny, who my dd identifies with so much, stubborn and willful (as her Aunt Norris says lol). In fact the only person I liked and was rooting for was Henry Crawford. What the heck is up with that? I do not look forward to rereading this with Aly next year as we do our Austen study. And Flavia, well, I can't discuss Flavia because of spoilers but she, herself, never disappoints. I don't know if I have ever in my life had so many books going at one time! A non-fiction with Aly, a read aloud with Aly, The Odyssey, Squashed, and I need to read my magic book for October book club! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Btw Jenn, The newest DCI Banks series just finished airing here. It's one of my favourites each year although I have never read one of his books but did put the first on hold. The tv series is set mainly in Leeds which is close to us so I know it moderately well. Apparently the books are more village centered. I ended up in a conversation with a couple of male bellringers last week who are pretty huge fans of those books. They both live towards Leeds and say the village descriptions are really accurate. The books are considered to be way superior by them. Didn't surprise me the book always is better! What did surprise me is their taste in books. One is such a sci fi type, with tshirts proclaiming it. The other I really expected to be much more the classics type. They are going to try the Rivers of London series on my recommendation. Discussion is jokingly under way to start a Tower book club. :lol: My only caveat on the DCI Banks series is that some of the crimes are dark and evil and go places where cozy mystery lovers don't want to go. For me, the author straddled a fine line in that I could skim past the icky stuff, and focus on cheering on the detective inspector and his team. Some of the later books got stupid (for lack of a better description) and formulaic, but the most recent felt like the author was back on track. Meanwhile, I'm stuck at the half way point in The Plover, stuck because I don't have any quality reading time this week to finish it! I tried pulling it out during break at rehearsal last night, but it was the wrong venue for such a lovely book. I may pull an old Tony Hillerman off the shelf for something I can easily slip into in spite of the ambient noise of an orchestra pit. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I forgot about the Stephen King question. I read a few in late junior high/early high school because everyone else was. Firestarter. Some collection when he wrote as Richard Bachman. Cujo. Cujo was kind of the last straw. It was so terrible, and boring. I went several years making fun of him as a writer based on my memory of Cujo. Post college I was stuck at my SIL/BIL's home with nothing to do. BIL is a big fan and has every novel. Not much else was on the shelves, so I pulled out The Stand (extended '90s version) because it seemed the least horror-ific and read some. He let me take it home because I'd just moved to the area and didn't have anything else to read. I enjoyed that (it has some ending issues) but I was still unsure about King. I thought he could write a decent short story but he was tinny as a novelist. I think I changed after reading On Writing, The Green Mile, It, and Different Seasons, the process of a decade or so. He's definitely prolific. That can work both for and against someone. He definitely got better after he sobered up. He's not a character writer generally so I don't expect that of him. I don't go out of my way to read him because horror is not my genre, but if I hear enough good things about something I'll give it a try. "The Body" is a beautiful read. I did give his son (Joe Hill) a try once and couldn't do it. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I've got an anti-spooky read right now to keep things balanced...Eleanor & Park on audio. Great readers. A charming Romeo & Juliet tale set in Nebraska in the mid-'80s. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Yesterday we went to the library and I browsed their shelves of books for sale. Usually I find 1-2 books, but yesterday I picked up 8. Later, while I had some time to kill waiting for kids, I popped into the Salvation Army store, which usually has 0-1 books I'm interested in, and I picked up another 10, although some of those were for DH and his upcoming travel. One of the books was Michener's Alaska, which I guess I can use as a follow-up to Hawaii. There I also found a copy of the Louisa May Alcott Cookbook, which has some many great "Americana" recipes in DD8 is excited to dive in. The library's used book sale is next week, so I'm glad I cleared some space last month for the new incoming items. DH will be out of town, so my lack of carrying capacity might be more limited this year. I need to look into one of those wheeled carts.... 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 My only caveat on the DCI Banks series is that some of the crimes are dark and evil and go places where cozy mystery lovers don't want to go. For me, the author straddled a fine line in that I could skim past the icky stuff, and focus on cheering on the detective inspector and his team. Some of the later books got stupid (for lack of a better description) and formulaic, but the most recent felt like the author was back on track. Meanwhile, I'm stuck at the half way point in The Plover, stuck because I don't have any quality reading time this week to finish it! I tried pulling it out during break at rehearsal last night, but it was the wrong venue for such a lovely book. I may pull an old Tony Hillerman off the shelf for something I can easily slip into in spite of the ambient noise of an orchestra pit. The TV show is a bit gruesome in places also. I just went looking to link something with a picture of Stephen Tompkinson, he played the priest in Ballykissangel because he was how I started watching. I ran into this article which cracked me up. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/08/31/the-biggest-mystery-of-dci-banks-is-why-five-million-people-tune/ Normal reading me can easily skip over like you. Hopefully I am getting over some of my Flufferton needs. I will always love Flufferton but have really enjoyed many grittier detective novels too. I finally finished Murder at 42nd Street Library. I should have stopped about a hundred times. Thanks to a good review on some blog I waited for auite awhile for that book. Murder amongst authors at a reaserch library sounds like a good cozy. It was an orgy with incest. Yuk! It would redeem itself then go odd. It wins my award for the most unbelievable ending. There was a logical happy ending path, several in between plausible, and fairytale. The author went with fairytale. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25663544-murder-at-the-42nd-street-library?from_search=true 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I finally finished Murder at 42nd Street Library. I should have stopped about a hundred times. Thanks to a good review on some blog I waited for auite awhile for that book. Murder amongst authors at a reaserch library sounds like a good cozy. It was an orgy with incest. Yuk! It would redeem itself then go odd. It wins my award for the most unbelievable ending. There was a logical happy ending path, several in between plausible, and fairytale. The author went with fairytale. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25663544-murder-at-the-42nd-street-library?from_search=true That's the un-coziest! 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 By the way, Mumto2, neither the city nor the county library systems have the Rivers of London series. Oh wait -- they have the first, with the American title, only available as an e-book. Good grief! You should try Paul Cornell's London Falling for a comparison as it also deals with the supernatural in London and the Met figuring out how to deal with it. The author was a writer for Doctor Who and it shows, for better and worse! I could send my copy to you, especially if you wind up this side of the pond in the next few months... 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 By the way, Mumto2, neither the city nor the county library systems have the Rivers of London series. Oh wait -- they have the first, with the American title, only available as an e-book. Good grief! You should try Paul Cornell's London Falling for a comparison as it also deals with the supernatural in London and the Met figuring out how to deal with it. The author was a writer for Doctor Who and it shows, for better and worse! I could send my copy to you, especially if you wind up this side of the pond in the next few months... You are the person I think of everytime I mention this series. ;) I think you will enjoy it. I forgot about the name change. I just checked and London Falling is available on my overdrive library so I have checked it out. I just put half my holds list on suspend because I want to do more spooky books this month. I also checked out the first Rivers of London book, Midnight Riot for some of you, because I am feeling a bit excited about the new book coming out and may try to reread the series. I hope I don't confuse myself. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 If you would like it, let me know & I'll mail it to you. If no one speaks up for it, I'll take it! I've never actually read an entire Stephen King book. I tried The Green Mile when it came out in serialized form, but I was never able to get the right issue of the book in the right order at the right time. So, I gave up after about three of them. I also tried 11/22/63 because the premise seemed interesting & not scary. I made it through 100 pages before I put it down in disgust. I think King seriously needs an editor because it took him the first 100 pages (of repeating & repeating & repeating & repeating himself) to set-up the premise of the story. :willy_nilly: Seriously, he could have set-up the premise in ten well-written pages rather than the way he did. It drove me absolutely bonkers. I guess he's famous enough & has enough clout that no editor is going to tell him to knock it off or go in & seriously slash his text. Plus, in those first 100 pages he also repeated (ad nauseam) about the guy who kept coughing up blood. Seriously, after about the third description of it -- I get it already! Just stop. I figured there was no point in torturing myself with repetitive text for yet another 600-700 pages. Ugh. Just ugh. Not impressed in the least. Just inserting my (grumpy) two cents. Give me Hemingway's concise prose any day! I tried reading Stephen King once. The book was It. Not only was I scared but I felt the same way as you do...he took pages to write something that could have been summed up in a couple. I found him way too wordy (as well as scary). I, too, was unimpressed. A Georgette Heyer book that qualifies for the Gothic spooky category is Cousin Kate. Very different from her light romances, but very good. I'm pretty sure I've got that in a box somewhere, too. I had forgotten that I read this book!!! It was very spooky/creepy!! Very good! But (((shiver)))! That would be a great spooky read for October! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I'm down on him because I HATED The Alchemist. With a passion. So, so much. Just despised the book. I read it for a book club and half the people absolutely loved it and half absolutely hated it. There was no in between. It made for a very fun and lively discussion. I think it is a book for young people. I loved Veronika Decides to Die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Hey Rosie, why can't we like your posts? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Okay. This is why I need the list of who recommends what. A few weeks ago someone on her mentioned reading the three Harry Potter books that were basically recaps of the stuff posted on Pottermore. Who was that? I read all three of the Pottermore Presents books as did DD and DH. For a Harry Potter fan it was fun seeing some of the behind the scenes that went on in JK Rowling's mind as far as history of the Harry Potter world. Highly recommend to any Harry Potter fan. The life story of McGonagall is alone worth it. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Hey Rosie, why can't we like your posts? Coz I'm a Spam Buster. :coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Okay. This is why I need the list of who recommends what. A few weeks ago someone on her mentioned reading the three Harry Potter books that were basically recaps of the stuff posted on Pottermore. Who was that? I read all three of the Pottermore Presents books as did DD and DH. For a Harry Potter fan it was fun seeing some of the behind the scenes that went on in JK Rowling's mind as far as history of the Harry Potter world. Highly recommend to any Harry Potter fan. The life story of McGonagall is alone worth it. Me! Yes, the McGonagall story was excellent. JK's thoughts I think really made the books. I loved them. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Well then Rosie you just have to know that I always like your posts! 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 That might have been me. I read it about eight months ago and then proceeded to bully everyone I know into reading it. I'm sure I heard about it here originally though. I'm happy you liked it. What cover did your book have? I had this one which is one of the worst covers possible for it. It just makes me laugh. This one - it's the Kindle version. I ordered the paperback for my aunt because as I was reading it, all I could think of is that my aunt would love this book. :-) I think it was you aggieamy, thank you! I may have to stalk your other book suggestions now! I'm reading one of the "Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder" books right now and, ugh. The writing isn't good, the cookie recipes don't look right and I keep double checking the date of publication because the author is stuck in the 80's, but the book was written just a couple of years ago. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 (edited) Thank you for the suggestion! It sounds perfect for her, and the birthday is only 3 weeks away! I finished The Fantasy Fiction Formula. The initial exercises help a writer create novel elements, but the later exercises are geared towards analyzing published books and work-in-progress manuscripts. I think with adult guidance a young writer can create her manuscript from the chapter information. Some of the exercises recommend GRRM's works (he's not quoted in the book), but I think the instructions can be adapted to your daughter's favorite fantasy novel. Edited October 13, 2016 by ErinE 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Hi guys! A quick hello with thanks for your concern. I have been mostly unplugged, off on an adventure. More to report down the road--with photos, I promise! Thanks for the good thoughts. Jane 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I'm getting a huge kick out of Midnight Riot (the American title of the Rivers of London which Mumto2 was recommending yesterday), which I downloaded to my phone's kindle app yesterday. Can't believe my library system only has the first one. A hold just came in at the library, and I have no idea if it was recommended here or if it is one I just read about. It is The Dream-Quest of Villett Boe by Kij Johnson. I see Stacia also has it marked at Goodreads as "to be read", so it MUST have come up in these threads. In reading the synopsis and reviews, I kept wondering if it was really the Lovecraft reference that attracted me to it, then I finally saw the reference that clicked -- the protagonist is a middle aged woman. YES!!! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I abandoned Hammett's 2nd book, The Dain Curse, about halfway through. Too much casual racism - I know it's a product of its time, but yuck. It's the same thing that made Farewell My Lovely so distasteful. And just not all that gripping. He definitely got better by his 3rd book. But there is a reason why The Maltese Falcon is the book we remember him for, the first two are definitely below that standard. I *think* I will try his 4th book, The Glass Key, because I know they made film noirs out of it and The Thin Man, and I'm interested in seeing if The Maltese Falcon was a peak, or if he kept getting better. And there are a couple others I want to try out - a Ross MacDonald, and the short story Double Indemnity. Maybe I'm just getting a little burnt on the genre and I need to give it a rest, but I'm trying to pre-read everything I'm considering including in our detective/film noir unit, and that sometimes involves kissing some frogs. I am happy to report that Shannon loved Rebecca and is now reading Nine Coaches Waiting (Mary Stewart). I pulled out Cousin Kate (Georgette Heyer) for her to try too. Come in, my sweet, the water's fine! :lol: 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 (edited) Jane, glad to hear you are ok. Heather, I totally agree w/ you about Coelho's The Alchemist. I have an intense dislike for that book. Jenn, yes, I was planning to read The Dream Quest of Vellitt Boe, as well as the original Lovecraft story. I had briefly started it when I went through the tropical storm a month ago, but after my dog-related injuries, I ended up getting sidetracked & not really reading anything for a bit. So, both stories are on my list to read. I think I originally heard about it because of a link Kareni posted. And, someone else on here read it already, I think. Maybe M-mv or Nan??? Laughing about the bad book covers. The version of The Turn of the Screw I read has a bad one: :lol: The hokiness of it takes away from the true spooky/creepy feel of the book, imo. Angel, I will send the book your way. It will probably be next week when I get to the post office. Edited October 13, 2016 by Stacia 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I'm getting a huge kick out of Midnight Riot (the American title of the Rivers of London which Mumto2 was recommending yesterday), which I downloaded to my phone's kindle app yesterday. Can't believe my library system only has the first one. A hold just came in at the library, and I have no idea if it was recommended here or if it is one I just read about. It is The Dream-Quest of Villett Boe by Kij Johnson. I see Stacia also has it marked at Goodreads as "to be read", so it MUST have come up in these threads. In reading the synopsis and reviews, I kept wondering if it was really the Lovecraft reference that attracted me to it, then I finally saw the reference that clicked -- the protagonist is a middle aged woman. YES!!! I knew you would like them! So how similar are the worlds of Midnight Riot and London Falling. Should I try for both this month? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 mumto2 & Jenn, the Midnight Riot book looks great. Wish my library had it. May have to buy it, I think.... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I knew you would like them! So how similar are the worlds of Midnight Riot and London Falling. Should I try for both this month? Similar in that both are London and the Met Police, but different in tone and details. I don't know if I'd recommend reading them back to back. I had loved the author of London Falling when he spoke at a Comic-con panel, and adored him even more when we chatted while he signed my book, so was disappointed when I didn't love the book more. I think my high expectations colored (or since it is a British book, coloured) my reaction to the book. It might be better than I thought! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 mumto2 & Jenn, the Midnight Riot book looks great. Wish my library had it. May have to buy it, I think.... Your dd might like them. Pretty sure mine will. She's busy trying to finish the new Flavia so we can return it. I think you will enjoy the first one.....your dd the whole series. :lol: To everyone else remember the dd's being discussed are college students. I not suggesting Amy get them for her dd. ;) 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Your dd might like them. Pretty sure mine will. She's busy trying to finish the new Flavia so we can return it. I think you will enjoy the first one.....your dd the whole series. :lol: To everyone else remember the dd's being discussed are college students. I not suggesting Amy get them for her dd. ;) Definitely might be worth buying if dd would enjoy them too. I can read the first, then she can read all of them. Lol. You know my reading style too well. I still need to read the last Flavia book plus this most recent one. I never read the 7th one because ds hated it so much & felt so disappointed by it that it kind of turned me off. And I felt the original series ended well with the 6th book, so I was satisfied to stop there. But, curiosity may get the better of me & I may jump in & read them. Flavia is the only series I think I've really read all (or most) of the books; Terry Pratchett's discworld too, but there are so many more books that I haven't made a serious dent in those yet. (I think I've read about 10-15 of them.) 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm919 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I read this a few months ago. There were parts of it I liked ok, but I really disliked this book as an ecologist - I disliked the idea that humanity will "outgrow" earth and that the ecosystem and the rest of life is irrelevant, all that matters is human evolution. I tend to think that's a hard sci fi/physics sci fi worldview, and I think I like more "biological evolution" sci fi. My SIL, who is 50 something, raves about this book, which she read first as a teenager. It was totally formative for her. It's one of those books that might read differently depending when in your life you first discover it? IDK. Childhood's End... What I took away from it is that we might not LIKE what "adulthood" for our species would look like, it might be so far out of our frame of reference. I kind of got that vibe from Octavia Butler's books about the oankali. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature. :w00t: Seriously. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Definitely might be worth buying if dd would enjoy them too. I can read the first, then she can read all of them. Lol. You know my reading style too well. I still need to read the last Flavia book plus this most recent one. I never read the 7th one because ds hated it so much & felt so disappointed by it that it kind of turned me off. And I felt the original series ended well with the 6th book, so I was satisfied to stop there. But, curiosity may get the better of me & I may jump in & read them. Flavia is the only series I think I've really read all (or most) of the books; Terry Pratchett's discworld too, but there are so many more books that I haven't made a serious dent in those yet. (I think I've read about 10-15 of them.) This is a really hard thing for me to say (devote series reader) ;) but I think you could happily skip right to the new book. One new character comes from the last book but I am sure you could figure her role out pretty quickly. I have Midnight Riot on my kindle right now. I might give it to dd to try and report back. The problem here is I have to give her my kindle literally. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I am pretty peeved* about that. Thank you for the other thread where I could vent the full range of my peevedness! *the red hot angry kind of peeved. I don't know that I'm peeved, per se, but I find it an odd choice. If they had a category for poetry, I could see his stuff fitting there. But literature? No. (Btw, I'm not really a fan of folk music or Bob Dylan. I understand & appreciate the significance of rebellious folk music/poetry, etc..., but that doesn't mean I actually enjoy hearing/reading it.) 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Well here's an article that may start some fisticuffs here on our BaW thread... ;) Read Books and then Give Them Away 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 I decided my Georgette Heyer books need to find shelf space in the house - otherwise how will I lure my children into reading them??? But there are 40 of them, so space will be tricky . . . :svengo: what a wonderful problem to have! Strange Capers by Joan Smith - Not one of her best books but still an easy read. I read this after reading Imprudent Lady that you sent me. I didn't really enjoy it half as much. Imprudent Lady was great. Strange Capers was a bit strange. Angel, I will send the book your way. It will probably be next week when I get to the post office. Thanks! And give Flavia a try. I guess you could skip #7 but I enjoyed it. It was different but I think it gave us some more insight into Flavia herself. Though I agree with mum2, you would not be totally confused if you skip #7. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 It appears that I might be the first BaWer to finish Robb's Apprentice in Death https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28186363-apprentice-in-death. I can't figure out how I managed to read it before Robin and Teacherzee. I enjoyed it. It's amazing how this series keeps staying enjoyable. I don't think I ever mentioned that I listened to another Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody. A few weeks ago the narrator and voices were discussed for this series. They are irritating but at that point I didn't mind overly. The Lion in the Valley was boring and the narrator didn't help. I join the pretty tired of Ramses group and hope that I manage to find another series to listen to the next time I need an audio book. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Laughing about the bad book covers. The version of The Turn of the Screw I read has a bad one: :lol: The hokiness of it takes away from the true spooky/creepy feel of the book, imo. Funny you should mention this! I spent quite a bit of time deciding on the perfect Turn of the Screw cover. In the end, I was persuaded by the selection of extra stories. The cover was one of my top choices anyway, which made the decision easier. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelaboord Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 This is a silly question but I loved John Grisham books back when he first started writing. A couple were set near Memphis I think and I have always wondered if the setting was right. It seemed like a place I would love to live. I have never been to Memphis. Did he do OK? I really hate it when author's get the setting really wrong. It bugs me. Sometimes it drives me a bit nuts especially when the error makes the mystery clues impossible or just too weird. So I know exactly what you mean. Gosh, it's been so long since I've read a Grisham book! But yes, I think so, and my husband - who grew up in Memphis - agrees. John Grisham actually lives in Oxford, MS (or at least he used to) which is not too far away. And as a lawyer, I think he worked in Memphis. So he knew what he was talking about! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) I have spent my morning reading my craft blogs in between laundry and making everyone waffles. I was going to say just the reading bit but that sounds too peaceful! I found this fun book review which I know several here (maybe just Jane and Jenn but decided to share) will be curious about. The book called In the Footsteps of Sheep. It is published by Elizabeth Zimmerman's publishing company so probably has a pretty limited distribution. Knitting shops and Amazon. I plan to investigate. Fyi, EZ is sort of the grandmother of modern knitting. Her patterns are special and clever about making easy look great. Her daughter used to publish one of her mom's patterns every few months in Vogue knitting. I saved them. https://www.masondixonknitting.com/introducing-books-franklin-habit/?mc_cid=308fc5798f&mc_eid=608fd86829 In the Footsteps of Sheep is about a journey by foot around Scotland to visit all ten native breeds of sheep in their native habitats. Along the way she collects their wool, spins it, and completes a pair of socks. Eta I just went looking and Amazon sells it. More of a coffee table book because of photography and includes 11 sock patterns. Even better is the fact that I located it at a library that I occasionally have access to! I put it on the list. Eta again....went back to the blog and found this wonderful Elizabeth Zimmerman story https://www.masondixonknitting.com/arnolds-scarf/?mc_cid=308fc5798f&mc_eid=608fd86829. I wanted to share it. Edited October 15, 2016 by mumto2 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 I saw possibly the best theater of my life so far today, a production of Antigone. Anyone have a favourite translation they'd like to recommend ? I have this one translated by Robert Fitzgerald and it is very good. But I also really, really like this modern version, adapted by Brendan Kennelly, an Irish playwright: 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Finished The Vampire of New York by Lee Hunt. A very enjoyable take on the vampire story. Not quite to the level of The Historian, but similar in that it is a good mix of the present day, history, & the various legends surrounding Dracula (& vampires in general). Recommended, especially for fans of vampire lore & legend. Anyone want to give it a try? Let me know & I'll put it in the mail to you. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Stacia, that sounds right up my alley. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) NoseInABook, I will send it to you. I have now started reading Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I can already tell I'm going to like this one! ETA: It seems so deliciously polite & yet evil at the same time. Edited October 15, 2016 by Stacia 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Funny you should mention this! I spent quite a bit of time deciding on the perfect Turn of the Screw cover. In the end, I was persuaded by the selection of extra stories. The cover was one of my top choices anyway, which made the decision easier. ] Wait--you chose the cover art for the Oxford edition of Turn of the Screw? That's incredibly awesome. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 I'm happy to be home after several weeks away. Most of my time was spent with my mother, but I also did get to have some time with my sister at her home. It's nice to be back with my husband and sleeping in my own bed. Books recently read ~ Cake: A Love Story by J. Bengtsson which I enjoyed (adult content) "Jake McKallister might have been a rock star, but he was no ordinary one. Surviving an unspeakable crime as a young teen had shaped him into a guarded workaholic, and he now lived his life trying to forget. If it hadn’t been for music and the redemption he found through it, he might not have survived. Career success came easily for him. Personal connections did not.When outspoken, vivacious college student Casey Caldwell was paired with the famously reserved rockstar for a friend’s wedding, she was prepared for the worst. What could they possibly have in common? She was a bubbly talker; he was a reclusive loner. His life was filled with music; she couldn’t carry a tune. She’d enjoyed a happy childhood; his was a well-publicized nightmare.Yet despite their obvious differences, Jake and Casey found each other, and her light balanced out his darkness. Would their love be strong enough to survive the weight of his tragic past?" ** the contemporary new adult romance Steadfast (True North Book 2) by Sarina Bowen; this was a good read with an ex-convict hero struggling to overcome a drug addiction. (adult content) "She’s the only one who ever loved him—and the only one he can never have. Jude lost everything one spring day when he crashed his car into an apple tree on the side of the road. A man is dead, and there's no way he can ever right that wrong. He’d steer clear of Colebury, Vermont forever if he could. But an ex-con in recovery for his drug addiction can’t find a job just anywhere.Sophie Haines is stunned by his reappearance. After a three year absence, the man who killed her brother and broke her heart is suddenly everywhere she turns. It’s hard not to stare at how much he’s changed. The bad boy who used to love her didn’t have big biceps and sun-kissed hair. And he’d never volunteer in the church kitchen.No one wants to see Sophie and Jude back together, least of all Sophie's police chief father. But it's a small town. And forbidden love is a law unto itself." ** the contemporary new adult romance Damaged and the Beast by Bijou Hunter. I'd heard rave reviews of this book, but it didn't speak to me. (adult content) ** a re-read of Sarina Bowen's The Fifteenth Minute (The Ivy Years Book 5) a re-read of Thea Harrison's Oracle's Moon (Elder Races Book 4) Regards, Kareni 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 #102: I read The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart to my boys (bedtime story). It was so good! It was a freebie I got almost two years ago. It was so good that I got the second book and started reading it to them last night. It's smart, sometimes funny, sometimes exciting. All three of us loved it. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 15, 2016 Author Share Posted October 15, 2016 It appears that I might be the first BaWer to finish Robb's Apprentice in Death https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28186363-apprentice-in-death. I can't figure out how I managed to read it before Robin and Teacherzee. I enjoyed it. It's amazing how this series keeps staying enjoyable. Yeah! Did I forget to mention got it the day it came out. It is an amazing story and quite intriguing!!! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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