Book a Week 2016 - BW43: Happy Birthday Robert Bridges

[idnib]

 Eagle of the Ninth was my all time favorite read aloud. It works so well read out loud...some parts were so - thrilling! - that I'd forget to keep reading for a moment, and the children would have to prompt me to continue :)

 

 

I ordered it. It's good to hear your experience about reading it aloud, as I was starting to look ahead to a new book after LoTR.

[Little Nyssa]

Finished The Secret Garden as a read aloud with DD. Connections with other books:

1. Colin's eyes: his mother's eyes :: Harry Potter's eyes: his mother's eyes

2. The robin in Secret Garden and the robin from Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe! As the children are following a robin through the snowy forest, Peter says, "A robin? Those are good birds in all the books I ever read." Robins who lead the way.

:)

Tried reading Little Lord Fauntleroy by the same author, but am finding it very slow... DD will not like it for a readaloud, for sure. I'll look at Rackety Packety Family instead.

 

Reading more Auden. I like these lines:

"All the literati keep/an imaginary friend"

And I've found a lot of his poems that I really like, so thank you again to those who recommended.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I can't remember which of you recommended that I read The Collector by John Fowles. But wowza.  What a completely disturbing book.  I really, really got sucked into the part narrated by The Collector and found it completely believable and disturbing. The part from Miranda's diary was less successful: I thought all the bits about her relationship with GP were a distraction. Not that it wasn't a believable relationship, but that I had trouble believing that it would be the main thing on her mind under the circumstances, that just didn't ring true to me.  But the ending!!! I"m always complaining about how books end, but this ending was perfect. Chilling.

 

I have to plug a documentary film we watched today: It's called OT: Our Town,and it's about a high school class in Compton who put on the play. It was wonderful and really reinforces the all time/all places nature of Wilder's play. What a brilliant piece of work (the play I mean) and the documentary reinforced its themes so very well.  Highly recommended.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Chrysalis Academy]

Huge fan of John Fowles here but The Collector is probably my least favorite of his books.  It's a little creepy...

 

 

 

 

Super creepy!! I read The French Lieutenant's Woman so many years ago I can't even remember it much, so it's due for a re-read. My book group read The Magus last year. I liked it, but I only gave it 3 stars, so apparently I liked The Collector better.  I definitely give it bonus points for the ending. Ending books is hard, and this is just spot-on.

 

What is your favorite book of his?

Edited October 26, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Jane in NC]

Super creepy!! I read The French Lieutenant's Woman so many years ago I can't even remember it much, so it's due for a re-read. My book group read The Magus last year. I liked it, but I only gave it 3 stars, so apparently I liked The Collector better. I definitely give it bonus points for the ending. Ending books is hard, and this is just spot-on.

 

What is your favorite book of his?

The Magus--the original and not the rewrite. It has been ages since I read Daniel Martin though and I suspect that it is one of those books that would resonate differently now than it did with my younger self.

 

Rose, you might also like a nonfiction work of Fowles, The Tree.

[mumto2]

Welcome Allsmiles!

[Woodland Mist Academy]

The only Sutcliffe we read was Black Ships Before Troy. I can't remember what I thought of the writing, but the illustrations were lovely! 

 

I think this is the only one my daughter read too. Or at least it's the only one that stands out in my mind. I remember getting the book in the mail and looking through the illustrations. 

 

Where does the time go? Has it been that many years? :crying:  It seems hard to believe she recently finished The Iliad (ahead of me.... :blushing: ) . 

[Kareni]

I thought I would mention a book that my husband listened to on a recent trip; it was read by the author and he enjoyed it.  It was a fairly short book as the audio lasted only some five and a half hours.  If someone is still looking for a read of a somewhat eerie nature, this might suit.

 

 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel  by Neil Gaiman, read by Neil Gaiman

 

"Sussex, England: A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. He is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet sitting by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean), the unremembered past comes flooding back. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie - magical, comforting, wise beyond her years - promised to protect him, no matter what.

 

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. A stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[melmichigan]

I'm still struggling some with memory, so I have been listening to all the series I've loved, on audiobook.  Robin got me started, and I am still working through the J. D. Robb In Death series (that one will take a little while), currently on book 8.  I've also gone back and listened to all of Nalini Singh and Sherrilyn Kenyon.  I listened to the latest league book, Born of Legend, two and even three times in some places, so I think that is my favorite for right now.

 

Happy reading to everyone! 

Edited October 26, 2016 by melmichigan

[Kareni]

A book-ish post ~

 

The 40 Books That Saved My Life  by James Altucher

 

"Oh my god, another list of books I should read! I can’t help it, though.

 

These are the books I return to when I need help, guidance, solace in my life.

 

I’m going to cheat. I’m not going to look at my kindle to see what I’ve read. Forgive me if I get a title or an author’s name wrong.

If I can remember the books, then it means they had some impact on me. If I can’t remember them, then why would I recommend them?

 

For each one of these books: either they made me a better person, or I felt, even as I was reading them, that my IQ was getting better. Or, in the case of fiction, I felt like my writing was getting better by reading the book."

 

 

Anyone here have a list of books that made a similar impact in their own life?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Shawneinfl]

A book-ish post ~

 

The 40 Books That Saved My Life  by James Altucher

 

"Oh my god, another list of books I should read! I can’t help it, though.

 

These are the books I return to when I need help, guidance, solace in my life.

 

I’m going to cheat. I’m not going to look at my kindle to see what I’ve read. Forgive me if I get a title or an author’s name wrong.

If I can remember the books, then it means they had some impact on me. If I can’t remember them, then why would I recommend them?

 

For each one of these books: either they made me a better person, or I felt, even as I was reading them, that my IQ was getting better. Or, in the case of fiction, I felt like my writing was getting better by reading the book."

 

 

Anyone here have a list of books that made a similar impact in their own life?

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Just Robyn]

 

 

Guess what's on my mind?  Is it too early to start thinking about 2017?  Start throwing ideas into the virtual hat for monthly themes and topics, author names and group book reads.

 

 

Idea 1: Read something from either the Mythic Fiction Reading List or the Fairy Tale Fiction Reading list - both here (inspired by a Goodreads group: Into the Forest)

 

Idea 2: A Ray Bradbury month, in which we try to read one book of poetry, one book of essays and one book of short stories - probably the closest many of us will ever come to following his recommendation to read one short story, one poem and one essay every day.

 

 

 HP Lovecraft's The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. What a trippy, fantastical, and surreal read!  I rather like it. It is a long dream populated with cats who leap from roof tops to the far side of the moon to "gambol on the hills and converse with ancient shadows", with creatures called zoogs -- furtive and secretive creatures who dwell "in the tunnels of that twisted wood, whose low prodigious oaks twine groping boughs and shine dim with the phosphorescence of strange fungi". It would make for a terrific Studio Ghibli animated movie.

 

 

Cats on the moon?! Sounds like the best book ever! 

Edited October 26, 2016 by crstarlette

[Butter]

#104: It's Bliss by Alene Roberts.  I should know better than to read a book recommended by either a relative/friend who is the author or a relative/friend of the author (this one I was asked to read ages ago by my friend who is the daughter-in-law of the author).  99% of the time, they are just not good and then I feel bad being honest in my review.  But honest I always am.  This book was... dumb.  The characters were one-dimensional.  The dialogue sounded like it was straight out of a 50s romantic comedy even though it was clearly set today.  There was a weird obsession with weight and weight loss and apparently women can only succeed in business and attract men if they lose the extra pounds since being overweight means they just don't take care of themselves.  The storyline was so incredibly predictable.  The main character was utterly perfect (once she lost the extra weight, of course) and at the same time utterly insufferable.  I'm giving it two stars only because it did end how I wanted it to (as predictable as it was) and while I read it mostly in a state of horror, it was entertaining.

[Stacia]

I'm still struggling some with memory, so I have been listening to all the series I've loved, on audiobook.  Robin got me started, and I am still working through the J. D. Robb In Death series (that one will take a little while), currently on book 8.  I've also gone back and listened to all of Nalini Singh and Sherrilyn Kenyon.  I listened to the latest league book, Born of Legend, two and even three times in some places, so I think that is my favorite for right now.

 

Happy reading to everyone! 

 

Hi, Melissa! So good to see you popping in again. You've been on my mind lately. :grouphug: :grouphug:

 

Anyone here have a list of books that made a similar impact in their own life?

 

Agreeing with the entry on the list of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

 

Idea 1: Read something from either the Mythic Fiction Reading List or the Fairy Tale Fiction Reading list - both here (inspired by a Goodreads group: Into the Forest)

 

Awesome lists! Those look great.

[Just Robyn]

I finished reading The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe, the story of the downfall of a romantic man living in a practical world.

 

I also read The Children of Green Knowe, a children's book. I started reading this to my ds, but he didn't like it. It did start out pretty slow. In the end, I'm glad I read it and think my ds might have eventually liked it - except that I doubt he could have kept himself from daydreaming through a large chunk of the beginning and so by the time it got more engaging he wouldn't know the basics of what is going on.

 

I finished listening to Born Standing Up by Steve Martin. I was trying to figure out what makes this celebrity memoir better than the others I've read or listened to, and I think the content itself has more depth. Martin's book focuses on his struggle as an artist/performer working and learning, eventually creating an original stand-up routine that brought in thousands (tens of thousands? I forget) of audience members, and finally writing a screenplay (The Jerk) that he considers the ultimate culmination of everything he was doing with comedy. Other books I've read or listened to might touch on that a tiny bit, but it isn't thoroughly explored. Nothing is thoroughly explored in them; they're usually a hodge-podge of their story as an artist, yes, but also touching or funny personal stories or work stories or random throw-ins, like what they fantasize about while working out (Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?).

 

Last night I finished reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which has already been discussed so much; just throw me in with everyone who really likes it. I'll be buying the Audible version so dh can listen to it, and so I can listen to it next year maybe.

 

 

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Idea 1: Read something from either the Mythic Fiction Reading List or the Fairy Tale Fiction Reading list - both here (inspired by a Goodreads group: Into the Forest)

 

Idea 2: A Ray Bradbury month, in which we try to read one book of poetry, one book of essays and one book of short stories - probably the closest many of us will ever come to following his recommendation to read one short story, one poem and one essay every day.

 

Great ideas!

[mumto2]

I finished reading

I also read The Children of Green Knowe, a children's book. I started reading this to my ds, but he didn't like it. It did start out pretty slow. In the end, I'm glad I read it and think my ds might have eventually liked it - except that I doubt he could have kept himself from daydreaming through a large chunk of the beginning and so by the time it got more engaging he wouldn't know the basics of what is going on.

 

.

A friend recently talked me into trying the Lucy Boston quilt pattern which I think is mentioned in The Children of Green Knowe. Is it part of the book? I read it as a read aloud years ago....http://www.marcusfabrics.com/features/articles/addicted_to_paper_piecing.shtml#.WBDv_OwXYv4

[Jane in NC]

 

 

I don't think anyone has mentioned this year's Man Booker Prize, won for the first time by an American, Paul Beatty.  The book is called The Sellout.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/25/paul-beatty-wins-man-booker-prize-2016

 

Also, the Washington Post recently had a nice article on Hungarian author Magda Szabo.  Pam sent me Szabo's novel The Door which I hate to admit has been living in the dusties, awaiting my attention.  Another Szabo novel has been translated into English and published by the New York Review of Books, Iza's Ballad.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/magda-szabo-the-hungarian-writer-you-probably-dont-know-but-should/2016/10/19/d444be34-9242-11e6-9c85-ac42097b8cc0_story.html

[Just Robyn]

A friend recently talked me into trying the Lucy Boston quilt pattern which I think is mentioned in The Children of Green Knowe. Is it part of the book? I read it as a read aloud years ago....http://www.marcusfabrics.com/features/articles/addicted_to_paper_piecing.shtml#.WBDv_OwXYv4

 

I'm not sure. Wikipedia's summary of book two says that the grandmother is mending her quilt while telling Tolly stories. In book one she also tells Tolly stories, so maybe she's mending a quilt, or doing something else with a quilt, in book one also, but I don't remember.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this year's Man Booker Prize, won for the first time by an American, Paul Beatty.  The book is called The Sellout.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/25/paul-beatty-wins-man-booker-prize-2016

 

 

 

Ah, nice! I saw that it was on the shortlist but hadn't seen the final result. I read this when it was published in late 2015 and enjoyed it - irreverent satire, with a kick. In the teeth. Definitely uncomfortable fiction, but also definitely thought provoking.

 

I'm glad this book won, although mostly for the selfish reason that it's the only one on the shortlist that I've read, although I've had His Bloody Project on hold every since the shortlist came out. 

[Violet Crown]

I finished reading The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe, the story of the downfall of a romantic man living in a practical world.

 

What did you think of Werther? I read it for the first time last year, or maybe earlier this year, who can remember.

[Mom-ninja.]

I started a book that I would not normally read. I stopped. I read the first few chapters, skimmed ahead a bit here and there, then read the end. I never ever do that. However, I wasn't into the book and tried to decide if I should read it. So I read the end. Decided not to read it. I have no desire to use my time reading a book in which a woman is murdered and the sister solves the case, and kills the guy who did it. So, I set it aside. 

 

The only reason I started the book in the first place was to practice my German. Not worth reading it even for that. I don't like books with creepy, all too realistic murderers. I'll read the Winnie the Pooh German edition I have instead. That's more up my alley.  

[Kareni]

Are you a scarf wearer?  Take a look at these lovely book-ish choices.  They'd make a lovely gift for you someone special.

 

The Ohlala

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

I started a book that I would not normally read. I stopped. I read the first few chapters, skimmed ahead a bit here and there, then read the end. I never ever do that. However, I wasn't into the book and tried to decide if I should read it. So I read the end. Decided not to read it. I have no desire to use my time reading a book in which a woman is murdered and the sister solves the case, and kills the guy who did it. So, I set it aside.

 

The only reason I started the book in the first place was to practice my German. Not worth reading it even for that. I don't like books with creepy, all too realistic murderers. I'll read the Winnie the Pooh German edition I have instead. That's more up my alley.

How about Die Leiden des jungen Werthers? :D

[Kareni]

The only reason I started the book in the first place was to practice my German. 

 

 

How about Die Leiden des jungen Werthers? :D

 

 

Or here's a somewhat lighter alternative that is currently free to Kindle readers.  It's a historical romance novella that is a favorite of mine ~

 

Die Gouvernante und ihr geliebtes Ungeheuer  by Courtney Milan and Ute-Christine Geiler

 

It's also currently available for free in English ~

 

The Governess Affair (The Brothers Sinister)  by Courtney Milan

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

Kareni, thanks! I downloaded it. I also found Sherlock Holmes in German for free. I always forget to browse kindle books in German. 

[Maus]

If I actually want to write my memoir, I need to write, not read about writing.  :001_rolleyes:   But I liked these, especially Dr. Hunter's book.

 

49. "Write Your Memoir: The soul work telling your story" by Dr. Allan G. Hunter.

 

48.  "Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir" by Lisa Dale Norton.

 

47. "The Story of Science" by Susan Wise Bauer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

37. "Thinking in Pictures" by Temple Grandin.

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

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

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

33. "Blue Fairy Book" by Andrew Lang.

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

31. "Greenwich" by Susan Cooper.

30. "Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper.

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

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

27. "Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick. 

26. "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" by Beverly Cleary.

25."Caddie Woodlawn" by Carol Ryrie Brink.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

17. "Soft Rain" by Cornelia Cornelissen.

16. "The Collapse of Parenting" by Leonard Sax.

15. ""Flying Too High: A Phyrne Fisher Mystery" by Kerry Greenwood.

14. "Cocaine Blues: A Phyrne Fisher Mystery" by Kerry Greenwood.

13. "Let It Go" by Chris Williams

12. "Writing From Personal Experience" by Nancy Davidoff Kelton.

11. "Writing the Memoir" by Judith Barrington.

10.  "Boys Adrift" by Leonard Sax.

9. "Girls on the Edge" by Leonard Sax.  

8. "Christ and the Inner Life" by Truman G. Madsen. (LDS)  

7. "Gaze into Heaven" by Marlene Bateman Sullivan. (LDS)

6. "To Heaven and Back" by Mary C. Neal, MD.

5. "When Will the Heaven Begin?" by Ally Breedlove.

4. "Four" by Virginia Roth.

3. "Allegiant" by Virgina Roth.

2. " Insurgent" by Virginia Roth.

1. "Divergent" by Virginia Roth.

[Just Robyn]

What did you think of Werther? I read it for the first time last year, or maybe earlier this year, who can remember.

 

I thought the epistolary format meant the plot was sometimes unnaturally forced into the letters and that the fictional editor in the last section of the book seemed to narrate some things he couldn't have gotten from interviewing townspeople, but I guess I like books about people who die (or go crazy or disappear or whatever) of being too romantic, so this is a book that's easy for me to like, and there were things I wanted to highlight (but couldn't because I checked it out from the library). I imagine I'll read it again sometime--after purchasing a copy so I can write in it. I was sure I dog eared more than one page so I could transfer some lines to a notebook before returning it, but somehow this is the only line that has made it:

 

 

What I know anyone can know--my heart is mine alone.

 

And what does this (whole book, not the quote) mean when compared to Frankenstein? Was Frankenstein too scientific, not romantic enough, when he created a life without considering the heart and soul of the being he created and then abandoned? What did the monster think when he read this?

[Stacia]

I finished Before the Fall by Noah Hawley.

 

I don't read a lot of thrillers & I'm on the fence on this book. I both liked it & didn't like it. Some chapters were great, others less so. There were some weird inconsistencies -- maybe some were there to create an aura of mystery, but I think some were just editing errors. Some characters were likeable/relatable, but most were not (imo). The author has written tv & movie scripts & it shows -- I'm not really a tv fan & this reads like a made-for-tv movie. I didn't cry when reading this, though an aura of sadness sort-of permeates the book. As the book is very much a reflection of our news-in-an-instant world & reality tv, I actually felt stressed reading it too. (And not stressed in a 'good' way like I'm on the edge of my seat & can't wait to find out the resolution, but more of a heaviness of the overbearing media loop we live in & are constantly bombarded by these days.)

 

I have read various books where chapters will shift between characters & it seems that people who like popular/bestseller type books often complain of books like that as being too complex, too hard to follow, etc.... This book switches between characters & viewpoints, so I find it surprising & good that readers in general are opening up more to this style of storytelling (even though I felt this was not a stellar example of that style of writing). That's a plus, I think.

 

Hmmm. A reasonable 'beach' level read, but not a favorite of mine. A solid 3 stars.

Edited October 27, 2016 by Stacia

[Shawneinfl]

Ah, nice! I saw that it was on the shortlist but hadn't seen the final result. I read this when it was published in late 2015 and enjoyed it - irreverent satire, with a kick. In the teeth. Definitely uncomfortable fiction, but also definitely thought provoking.

 

I'm glad this book won, although mostly for the selfish reason that it's the only one on the shortlist that I've read, although I've had His Bloody Project on hold every since the shortlist came out. 

 

So Rose, who do you think would enjoy The Sellout?

 

[Kareni]

If I actually want to write my memoir, I need to write, not read about writing.  :001_rolleyes:  

 

I've read more than my fair share of books about writing, because they are so often well written and thus a pleasure to read!

 

I finished Before the Fall by Noah Hawley.

 

I don't read a lot of thrillers & I'm on the fence on this book. I both liked it & didn't like it. ...

 

I enjoyed reading your thoughts, Stacia.  But ... would you go see it if it does become a movie?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some currently free Kindle books ~

 

The author of the first pair has high praise from a couple of well known authors:

 

The Uncanny Valley: Tales from a Lost Town by Gregory Miller

 

Darkness in the Valley: An Uncanny Dossier  by Gregory Miller

 

"A fresh new talent with a great future."
        --Ray Bradbury
 
"Gregory Miller remains an effective writer with nuanced characterizations and eerily intriguing settings.  But mainly he has a wild imagination that takes you in unexpected directions."
        --Piers Anthony, bestselling author of the Xanth and Incarnations of Immortality series

**

 

Intertwine (House of Oak Book 1)  by Nichole Van  (This one is described as time travel with, according to one reviewer, 'no smut'.)

**

 

Hungry Like the Wolf (SWAT Book 1)  by Paige Tyler (paranormal romance)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I'm not sure. Wikipedia's summary of book two says that the grandmother is mending her quilt while telling Tolly stories. In book one she also tells Tolly stories, so maybe she's mending a quilt, or doing something else with a quilt, in book one also, but I don't remember.

AThank you, at some point I think I will reread. Her house is about two hours from us, near Cambridge. It's open to the public and the pictures show a quilt in the pattern on one of the beds. http://www.greenknowe.co.uk/gallery.html. I hope to visit sometime.

[Loesje22000]

I started a book that I would not normally read. I stopped. I read the first few chapters, skimmed ahead a bit here and there, then read the end. I never ever do that. However, I wasn't into the book and tried to decide if I should read it. So I read the end. Decided not to read it. I have no desire to use my time reading a book in which a woman is murdered and the sister solves the case, and kills the guy who did it. So, I set it aside.

 

The only reason I started the book in the first place was to practice my German. Not worth reading it even for that. I don't like books with creepy, all too realistic murderers. I'll read the Winnie the Pooh German edition I have instead. That's more up my alley.

Die Brucke (The Bridge) by Mansfeld Gregor was an Impressing book imo

If you want something more Juvenile still interesting for Adults, you might want to consider 'Momo'.

Der Schachnovelle by Stefan Zweig is short but with an interesting story.

I like Der Schimmelreiter in Dutch, but it seems to have a harder reading level in German.

[Jane in NC]

Last night, I finished reading The Birds, a novel by Norwegian writer Tarjei Vesaas--but not the novel that inspired Alfred Hitchcock. So first a few words on the book I did not read and its author.

 

Daphne du Maurier is perhaps best known for Rebecca, a novel adapted into a movie by Hitchcock in 1940.  The character of Mrs. Danvers stretches beyond the book and its adaptations into a metaphor of sinister manipulation. Another of du Maurier's works was adapted into a film of high suspense, Don't Look Now, starring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland.

 

And then there is her novella, The Birds, published in '52.  I am a Hitchcock fan, particularly of the films from the '50s like Vertigo, North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train.  I shudder at the thought of Psycho but wonder what I would think of The Birds should I see it again.  It truly has been decades.  I did not realize though that du Maurier had written the novella on which Hitchcock based his film until I googled "The Birds" to learn more about Tarjei Vesaas who is not exactly the first name that comes up in the Google engine when one wants to learn more about "The Birds". 

 

Perhaps fans of du Maurier will have more to say about her work.

 

Vesaas published The Birds in 1957.  It was translated into English in '68 and is now enjoying an emergence off the dusty shelves of the past via a British publisher (Peter Owen) and Archipelago Books here in the US.

 

This is lovely book about a simple minded man, Mattis, who lives in a rural area with his sister, Hege. There is a small world in which Mattis is comfortable--in his home, along the lake.  Always in the background are the flashing knitting needles of Hege who keeps the pair together body and soul by making sweaters.  Something is about to change and Mattis sees if coming with the appearance of a woodcock flying over the house.

 

There is little action in The Birds, rather a quiet watching of how Mattis processes the inevitable change.  

 

Anyone in need of a walk through the quiet Norwegian countryside?  Let me know and I'll mail you this book

 

 

 

 

[aggieamy]

Kareni, I'm glad you spoke up about Before the Fall. I knew someone on here had read it (& had given it an "ok/all clear" as in the not-too-tearjerking category), which is why I requested it in the first place. Thank you! (Shawne, I'm 100 pages in & it's gripping & good so far.)

 

ErinE, I agree about The Hike (not recommended).

 

Spent a lovely October afternoon with my daughter & mom visiting a local installation of Chihuly artwork at the botanical garden. Between the beauty of the natural surroundings, the lovely artwork, the perfect weather, lots of kids running around in Halloween costumes, & the delightful company of my dd & my mom, it was an enchanting afternoon. (Here are some of my photos from today.)

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

Wow.  That's something out of a fairy tale or fantasy book.  I love it. 

 

 

For 2017, my personal challenge is to read some of the books I have around the house, many from my mom's estate or from previous library book sales, and then donate them to the library book sale.

 

I love this!  It's a challenge I can actually do. 

[Jane in NC]

I am still listening to Kim in the car, slow going since I have not done much driving lately (about to change though).  The Library of Congress has an amazing story on how the book Kim literally saved the life of a soldier in WWI.  The video at the bottom of the post is a delight!

 

http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2016/10/world-war-1-kim-the-life-saver/?loclr=twloc

[Just Robyn]

AThank you, at some point I think I will reread. Her house is about two hours from us, near Cambridge. It's open to the public and the pictures show a quilt in the pattern on one of the beds. http://www.greenknowe.co.uk/gallery.html. I hope to visit sometime.

 

That sounds lovely! I hope you make it there!

[Chrysalis Academy]

So Rose, who do you think would enjoy The Sellout?

 

 

I think Stacia would like it.  ;)  :D

 

Well, a reader would need to be ok with pretty raw language and use of the n word. And to enjoy satire. And to be ok with being shocked out of their complacency. And not be easily offended. Or take themselves too seriously. Or have a lot of untouchable/sacred cow subjects they don't want to see skewered.

 

I think that anybody who is concerned about race relations, who follows or wonders about the BLM movement, who has read Between the World and Me might be interested in this very irreverent take on race in this country. Or anybody who grew up in So Cal. Or anybody who likes to snicker at 1960s intellectual sociologists of any color.  Or who has had a difficult relationship with a controlling parent.

 

It's very funny, but the humor is very dark.  I don't know if this helps. I wouldn't recommend it to my parents, or to my children (my oldest is just turning 14) but I would recommend it to any adult reader with a pretty high tolerance for raw language and dark humor who would appreciate being prodded, or shocked, in to thinking about race, politics, and this country's history in a new way.

 

Oh, look, I wrote a review on goodreads right after I finished it:

 

"Brilliant writing, biting satire. This is one of the most Swiftian books I've read in a long time. There is such a disturbing combination of humor, rage and despair that I'd find myself laughing out loud and tearing up, often on the same page. And I don't think I've read another author with such mastery of figurative language. The metaphors and similes were shocking, unexpected, yet utterly perfect in creating the desired image. They were also relentless, this was a book best read in small doses, or you'd miss some of the fabulous imagery because you are just numbed and overwhelmed by it.

The indictment of American culture, the entertainment industry, and SoCal is scathing. And shaming. But as much as it is a book about race, this is a book about identity at all levels. Forming your identity against your parent's vision of who you should be. Forming your identity against your culture's stereotypes and labels about you. 

 

Funny - hilarious. Sad - tragic. Shaming and humbling. You may need a neck brace from the whiplash."

Edited October 27, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[fastweedpuller]

So in other words, *I* would like the book, Rose!

 

RE: recent books, I had wondered why it was I had not been reading at my usual pace:  was it because I was a book or two short of my goal?  Was it because I was, otherwise, very busy (and therefore exhausted when read-in-bed time comes around)?  Or was it because the books I have been reading have been of the good for me but a tough subject?  Bing!  last category wins.

 

I finished This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate by Naomi Klein.  And I am <<thisclose>> to finishing $2 A Day:  Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin and Luke Shaefer.

 

Not exactly page-turners, those two.

 

And they're keeping me from The Mothers and Homegoing.

[aggieamy]

The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel  by Neil Gaiman, read by Neil Gaiman

 

"Sussex, England: A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. He is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet sitting by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean), the unremembered past comes flooding back. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie - magical, comforting, wise beyond her years - promised to protect him, no matter what.

 

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. A stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I love that you and your husband listen to audiobooks together.  We do on car trips.  I've tried to do that on errands around town or at home but it never seems to work out.  DS has started listening to audiobooks in the car but he's only interested in Curious George and not cozy mysteries. 

[aggieamy]

Finished:

 

The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael #6) - This is a series my grandmother loved and I just started in the last year or so.  All the books have been consistently great which is unusual for a series like this.

[Kareni]

I am still listening to Kim in the car, slow going since I have not done much driving lately (about to change though).  The Library of Congress has an amazing story on how the book Kim literally saved the life of a soldier in WWI.  The video at the bottom of the post is a delight!

 

http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2016/10/world-war-1-kim-the-life-saver/?loclr=twloc

 

 

What an enjoyable story, Jane!  Thanks for sharing it.

 

***

 

Last night I finished Marie Force's Fatal Identity which is the eleventh book in the Fatal series.  This is a series that is best read in order.  I enjoyed it even though parts of the story strained credulity.  (Adult content)

 

"Every family has its secrets… 

 

As the first anniversary of her marriage to Vice President Nick Cappuano approaches, Lieutenant Sam Holland is dreaming of Bora Bora—sun, sand and a desperately needed break from the DC grind. But real life has a way of intervening, and Sam soon finds herself taking on one of the most perplexing cases of her career.  

 

Government worker Josh Hamilton begs Sam to investigate his shocking claim that his parents stole him from another family thirty years ago. More complicated still, his "father" is none other than the FBI director. When a member of Josh's family is brutally murdered, Sam begins to question how deep this cover-up goes. Is it possible the revered director was part of a baby-napping ring and that others involved are also targets? 

 

With a killer intent on deadly revenge and her team still reeling from a devastating loss, Sam's plate is full—and when Nick and their son, Scotty, take ill, is her dream of a tropical anniversary celebration in peril too?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

Question for ladies with online to-read lists -  What is your oldest book on the list?  How long has it been on the list?

 

I have one from August 2012.  A Thread of Grace.  I read the description and still want to read it but I just never seem to put in on the library list.

[Kareni]

I love that you and your husband listen to audiobooks together.  We do on car trips.  I've tried to do that on errands around town or at home but it never seems to work out.  DS has started listening to audiobooks in the car but he's only interested in Curious George and not cozy mysteries. 

 

We also only listen together on long car trips, and I do enjoy that, too.  My husband (the sole driver since I don't drive) definitely appreciates how listening to an audiobook makes the drive seem shorter particularly when one is traveling a familiar route.   He listened to the Gaiman book on a solo trip on which he flew; he liked the fact that it was a shorter book that he was able to listen to in its entirety. 

 

ETA: Give your son some time.  My daughter also listened to her own books when she was young, but she graduated to books we all enjoyed listening to by the time she was about ten or so.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[fastweedpuller]

Question for ladies with online to-read lists -  What is your oldest book on the list?  How long has it been on the list?

 

I have one from August 2012.  A Thread of Grace.  I read the description and still want to read it but I just never seem to put in on the library list.

 

Hah!  A Thread of Grace is the first (earliest?) book on my TR list too!  I *loved* The Sparrow.  But then, I had a fair amount of Jesuits as teachers in my youth...

 

ETA apparently I have been a member since Oct '07.  I never really used it as a social device, it was more as a tracking device for books I might wanna read.  But yeah I will bet A Thread of Grace has survived many TBR list-prunings.

Edited October 28, 2016 by fastweedpuller

[Chrysalis Academy]

So in other words, *I* would like the book, Rose!

 

RE: recent books, I had wondered why it was I had not been reading at my usual pace:  was it because I was a book or two short of my goal?  Was it because I was, otherwise, very busy (and therefore exhausted when read-in-bed time comes around)?  Or was it because the books I have been reading have been of the good for me but a tough subject?  Bing!  last category wins.

 

I finished This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate by Naomi Klein.  And I am <<thisclose>> to finishing $2 A Day:  Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin and Luke Shaefer.

 

Not exactly page-turners, those two.

 

And they're keeping me from The Mothers and Homegoing.

 

Agreed! I do think you would like it.

 

This Changes Everything is on my short list - is it worth it?

 

Homegoing is awesome, and The Mothers is on hold. Looking forward to hearing what you think of them both.

[Kareni]

Finished:

 

The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael #6) - This is a series my grandmother loved and I just started in the last year or so.  All the books have been consistently great which is unusual for a series like this.

 

One of the things that my husband and daughter did together throughout our years of homeschooling was watch videos together.  I've never been one who cares to watch TV or movies, so this was a great shared experience for them.  I assigned movies and documentaries that they watched together.  Sometimes, I would ask them to watch a video and they so enjoyed it that they would continue to watch more.  The Cadfael series starring Derek Jacobi was one such series.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

Question for ladies with online to-read lists -  What is your oldest book on the list?  How long has it been on the list?

 

I have one from August 2012.  A Thread of Grace.  I read the description and still want to read it but I just never seem to put in on the library list.

 

I didn't join goodreads till January of 2015 (right after joining the BaW thread, in fact!) and I have 21 books on my to-read list added on that day.  I added ~160 books to my TR list that first month that I still haven't gotten around to reading! As the TR list stands at 804 currently, I am clearly adding them much more quickly than I'm removing them.  :001_rolleyes:

[Stacia]

I enjoyed reading your thoughts, Stacia.  But ... would you go see it if it does become a movie?

 

Re: Before the Fall...

 

Um, maybe. But, I think it wouldn't be that fun as a thriller since I already know the outcome (which I didn't especially like, btw). Might depend on who is in it/who directs it.

 

I keep comparing it in my head to a book like The Martian. I loved The Martian (the book & enjoyed the movie too) because I felt like there was some hope, some humor, some intellectual thought in it. Plus, you just naturally root for Mark Watney. So, I didn't mind seeing the movie, even though I already knew the outcome of the story. Otoh, Before the Fall is sort-of a "what happened?" thriller, I guess, but there's not a lot of hope, too much conspiracy theory (for me anyway), ok but not great characters, too much development of some lines of the story & not enough of others, yada, yada. I mean, it was ok enough, but not a great book. To have made it a really great thriller, I think there should have been three, maybe four scenarios as possibilities, but give all equal weight in the story so you won't know what's coming. But, I felt like it was like a mystery where the author doesn't give you all the info to solve it until too late, kwim? Irritating. I feel like I sound totally grumpy about the book. I'm not. It was ok but I don't understand the hoopla over it.

 

I think Stacia would like it.  ;)  :D

 

:lol:

 

I actually did start reading it at one point awhile ago. But, I had just come off a string of heavy books & the satire in The Sellout was so dark, so heavy that I wasn't in the mood for it at the time. It's definitely one I want to read, though.

 

Question for ladies with online to-read lists -  What is your oldest book on the list?  How long has it been on the list?

 

Well, since I recently deleted all my online lists like that, there's only one on there that I've added (which was Oct. 13 of this year, Midnight Riot). I'm mostly trying not to add or accumulate anything on my list right now. I want a clean slate for awhile.