Book a Week 2016 - BW44: November Notions

[ErinE]

A very meaty post from Tor.com.  Do read the comments as many additional titles mentioned there.

 

19 Positive Approaches to Religion in Sci-Fi and Fantasy  by Leah Schnelbach

 

"Of all the genres, science fiction and fantasy are the ones where humans can tackle their deepest societal problems and thought experiments. Because of this, it’s a natural place for people to explore ideas about religion, faith, and the meaning of life…

 

Religion can also be an emotional and contentious topic for people. For people who choose to leave a religious tradition, science and science fiction can become the home they didn’t find in a church or temple, and can also provide a way to critique the life they left. For others, the flexibility of the genre allows them to express their faith, or their questions about their faith, in deeper ways than any other medium would allow.

 

I thought it would be interesting to look at some examples of books and short stories that have tackled religious questions in respectful and positive ways. While these stories sometimes go to uncomfortable places, they each take faith seriously, and would be worthy additions to the TBR stacks of believers and non-believers alike...."

**

 

 

I don't normally enjoy theological discussions in books as they usually descend into caricatures of believers and unbelievers, but The Sparrow was amazing. The book was deeply disturbing, but the sense of betrayal and struggle to find meaning in suffering were thought provoking. 

[Stacia]

What a nice post, Heather. All sorts of nice & good news in it. Thank you.

 

ErinE, I agree re: The Sparrow. I loved it & thought it was thought-provoking & heart-wrenching.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

I read I Am Princess X a few days ago and it was a lot of fun but so much technology that it was already feeling dated.  Everyone was on a phone and on whatever apps and those apps will now be silly history.  I wonder how authors that right modern stuff will deal with that.  If I read a book from the 50's through the 80's then sometimes I don't know exactly when it took place because everyone was writing letters or calling on a phone for such a long stretch of time.  

 

LOL.  I feel bad for poor Connie WIllis.  She must have just been devastated to hear about the split.  Really.  She's the real victim in that breakup.   :laugh:    

 

 

 

 

:lol: I know, right?  I actually ended up bailing on the book after another night's reading - it started plodding. The characters aren't likeable, and they are like ridiculous caricatures of modern people, not real modern people.  At least I hope so! I don't know anybody this ridiculous about their technology. But maybe I just don't move in the right circles.  Speaking of which, The Circle by Dave Eggers felt much more realistic, and chilling, in its indictment of modern technology.  I just couldn't get into Crosstalk, but I liked The Circle very much.

 

I also tried and rejected The Sport of Kings. It just felt too dark and violent - racism, the south. I've been going there a lot lately and didn't feel up to it. But then the next book on my stack was Cold Mountain! I don't know if I want to go there either.  I need something fun to pair with my reading of the incomparable Anna Karenina, I think.  

[fastweedpuller]

Thanks for the Tor links, Kareni!  I too loved The Sparrow and Children of God...and I think it's why I have had A Thread of Grace in my Goodreads TR list forever...I simply hope it would be as good (and chilling and haunting) and the reason it's still in the TR list is I don't want to be disappointed.  (And, really, I *think* I don't read much scifi but apparently I do/have.)  But where better to investigate the meaning of life and the purpose of religion than in the safety of a book not based in this world?

 

I look forward to getting The Carpenter and the Gardener this week from Overdrive, it's kind of the counterargument to Amy Chua (Tiger Mother). Perhaps a good bookclub candidate, esp. if most of your club's members are moms with lots of parenting opinions.

 

 

[Kareni]

... always tweet a link to my reviews and she responded to one of my tweets today saying that I made her heart sing.  It's always so fun to get a response like that.  She made me happy by writing books I enjoy and I made her happy by letting her know I enjoyed them.  It's a really awesome thing about reading books today that didn't exist just a few years ago.

 

How wonderful, indeed!

 

 

The author that stayed with us in September (Tony James Slater) is just about done his trip around the country and getting ready to head back to Perth.  ...

 

My library copy arrived, so I have started That Bear Ate My Pants! Adventures of a Real Idiot Abroad by Tony James Slater and am enjoying it.  I find it a book best read in small doses, so I'm having fun reading a few chapters in between other books.

 

 

21 years ago today my husband and I started dating.  ...

 

Happy first date anniversary!  I hope you and your husband will have many joyful years together.

 

How interesting to learn that you're a second generation homeschooler.  Do you homeschool in a similar fashion to the way you yourself were homeschooled?

 

**

 

Yesterday I re-read a book that I read shortly after it was published in 2013.  I enjoyed it once more and recommend it.  Be aware that it will almost certainly make you drool.

 

The Chocolate Touch (Amour et Chocolat)  by Laura Florand

 

"La Vie en Chocolat

Dominique Richard's reputation says it all--wild past, wilder flavors, black leather and smoldering heat. Jaime Corey is hardly the first woman to be drawn to all that dark, delicious danger. Sitting in Dom's opulent chocolaterie in Paris day after day, she lets his decadent creations restore her weary body and spirit, understanding that the man himself is entirely beyond her grasp.

 

Until he touches her. . .

 

Chocolate, Dominique understands--from the biting tang of lime-caramel to the most complex infusions of jasmine, lemon-thyme, and cayenne. But this shy, freckled American who sits alone in his salon, quietly sampling his exquisite confections as if she can't get enough of them--enough of him--is something else. She has secrets too, he can tell. Of course if she really knew him, she would run.

 

Yet once you have spotted your heart's true craving, simply looking is no longer enough. . ."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Did you know Emma Watson runs a feminist book club over on Goodreads? I didn't.

 

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/179584-emma-s-book-club---our-shared-shelf

[Kareni]

Those of you who enjoy listening to audio books might be interested in learning that Audible is offering a free copy of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man.  The offer expires December 31.

 

"Ralph Elllison's Invisible Man is a monumental novel, one that can well be called an epic of 20th-century African-American life. It is a strange story, in which many extraordinary things happen, some of them shocking and brutal, some of them pitiful and touching - yet always with elements of comedy and irony and burlesque that appear in unexpected places.

 

After a brief prologue, the story begins with a terrifying experience from the hero's high-school days; it then moves quickly to the campus of a "Southern Negro college" and then to New York's Harlem, where most of the action takes place.

 

The many people that the hero meets in the course of his wanderings are remarkably various, complex and significant. With them he becomes involved in an amazing series of adventures, in which he is sometimes befriended but more often deceived and betrayed - as much by himself and his own illusions as by the duplicity and the blindness of others.

 

Invisible Man is not only a great triumph of storytelling and characterization; it is a profound and uncompromising interpretation of the anomalous position of blacks in American society."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

And I'm now on a Laura Florand kick.  Earlier this afternoon, I finished a re-read of The Chocolate Kiss (Amour et Chocolat Book 2)  by Laura Florand.  Once again, it proved to be an enjoyable read.  And it made me hungry for delicious French chocolate and pastries.

 

"The Heart of Paris

 

Welcome to La Maison des Sorcieres. Where the window display is an enchanted forest of sweets, a collection of conical hats delights the eye and the habitués nibble chocolate witches from fanciful mismatched china. While in their tiny blue kitchen, Magalie Chaudron and her two aunts stir wishes into bubbling pots of heavenly chocolat chaud.

 

But no amount of wishing will rid them of interloper Philippe Lyonais, who has the gall to open one of his world famous pastry shops right down the street. Philippe's creations seem to hold a magic of their own, drawing crowds of beautiful women to their little isle amidst the Seine, and tempting even Magalie to venture out of her ivory tower and take a chance, a taste. . .a kiss.

 

Parisian princesses, chocolate witches, pâtissier princes and sweet wishes--an enchanting tale of amour et chocolat."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Nan in Mass]

I just finished listening to A Midsummer's Education.  This is a murder mystery.  I think it would have been easier to follow if I had been reading it.  The unfamiliar names made it hard to remember who was who, sometimes.  I don't remember names at the best of times and often have to work to get the names memorized at the beginning of a book.  It is easier if I can see the names, not just hear them.  I liked the book, though.  The detective is rather like Sherlock Holmes.

 

Are you done discussing horror stories yet?

 

Nan

[Butter]

How interesting to learn that you're a second generation homeschooler.  Do you homeschool in a similar fashion to the way you yourself were homeschooled?

 

Pretty much, yes.  My mom had to mostly use stuff for public schools or make up her own things back then.  There just weren't the options there are today.  My mom had gone to Catholic private school where they did a pretty classical sort of education and she copied that a bit for me.

[Robin M]

I finished The Body by Stephen King, which completes a blackout on my BINGO card. Here's my list of BINGO books, by column.

 

B

 

Female Author - Gutshot by Amelia Gray

Historical - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Pick Based on the Cover - Driving Without a License by Janine Joseph

Translated - Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

Epic - The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

 

I

 

Published 2016 - The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne M. Valente

Revisit an Old Friend - Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg

Over 500 Pages - Dune by Frank Herbert

Banned - A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Nautical - The Island of Last Truth by Flavia Company

 

N

 

Number in the Title - 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Fairy Tale Adaptation - The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

Library Free Space - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Mystery - Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous

18th Century - The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

G

 

Dusty - Salt Water Amnesia by Jeffrey Skinner

Written in Birth Year - The Body by Stephen King

Classic - The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Color in the Title - The Blue Fox by Sjon

Aurthurian - The Book of Merlyn by T.H. White

 

O

 

Picked by a Friend - Distant Light by Antonio Moresco

Play - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Nonfiction - Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

Nobel Prize Winner - Demian by Hermann Hesse

Set in Another Country - A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

 

 

I'm curious about the fairy tale adaptations others chose. What did you read and what did you think of it?

:hurray:   Woot! Woot!   Congratulations on completing the whole card!    :cheers2:   :thumbup:  

 

 

Guess I better get shopping for those prizes!

 

 

How many ways to score Bingo:

 

One Row -  Horizontal, Vertical or Diagonally 

X marks the spot - Diagonally in both directions

Square - all the outside tiles

Inner square - all the inside tiles

Forward or backwards E

Right side up or upside down T

3rd row Horizontal and Vertical 

Total Blackout 

 

 

Let me know if you've got a bingo, my dears! 

 

 

[Stacia]

crstarlette is inspiring me. I have 3 squares left on the Bingo card.

 

So, I've now started reading The Death of King Arthur (the modernized version by Peter Ackroyd). I'm not really a fan of Arthurian legends, but we'll see if I make it through....

 

 

I have a few ideas for the "Revisit an Old Friend" category.

 

And, I still need the "18th Century" block. Any suggestions????

[Nan in Mass]

Hmm... I wonder if I have bingo yet?  For once, a number of the topics were ones that suited my reading style.  Can you link the card again?  I know I have Nautical well covered - The Plover, Hornblower books, Persuasion, a steampunk thing that had ships, and probably some others.  I'm working on Translated right now by reading a Diana Winn Jones book in French - Ma soeur est une sorciere.  And I guess the one I just listened to was originally in Japanese.  And there was a play that was originally in French.  Was its name Art?  How is Epic defined?  Maybe some of the fantasy I've read counts for that.  Definitely have picked books for by the cover. But I'm not sure any of those line up.

 

Nan

[Stacia]

Nan, the bingo card is here.

 

 

[Kareni]

Some currently free Kindle books ~

 

These are the first and third books in a series:

 

The Gauguin Connection (Book 1) (Genevieve Lenard) by Estelle Ryan

 

The Braque Connection (Book 3) (Genevieve Lenard) by Estelle Ryan

 

"Murdered artists. Masterful forgeries. Art crime at its worst.

As an insurance investigator and world renowned expert in nonverbal communication, Dr Genevieve Lenard faces the daily challenge of living a successful, independent life. Particularly because she has to deal with her high functioning Autism. Nothing - not her studies, her high IQ or her astounding analytical skills - prepared her for the changes about to take place in her life...."

**

 

Luck Is No Lady (Fallen Ladies Book 1)  by Amy Sandas

 

I read this historical romance over the summer.  At that time, I said, "it was a pleasant read but not a book I'll soon re-read.  I will admit though that the blurb for book two in the series has piqued my interest."

**

 

A historical inspirational romance ~ Love Comes Softly (Love Comes Softly Book #1) by Janette Oke

**

 

and this is described as a humorous erotic paranormal romance ~ Bunny And The Bear (Furry United Coalition Book 1) by Eve Langlais

**

 

and a male/male romance about which I've heard good things ~ rock by Anyta Sunday

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

 

[mumto2]

I finally finished London Falling https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15779584-london-falling. I haven't had much time to read and this book didn't go all that smoothly for me. I don't do well reading just a few pages a day. As you all know I am a huge fan of the Rivers of London (Midnight Riot) and I was expecting this book to be more like that series. It was probably the wrong book for me to pick as a travel companion, total fluff would have been better. I greatly enjoyed the parts of the book pertaining to the West Ham history. I don't want to say more because I think this book is being mailed between some of you. There were parts that were great fun but I found some of it a bit blah.

 

Kareni, Lets just say The Bunny and the Bear made it's way on to my Kindle because the title is just snort worthy.

[Nan in Mass]

Thank you, Stacia!

What a lot of these I have! Even Picked by a Friend! : )

Historical is historical fiction?

 

Nan

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

And, I still need the "18th Century" block. Any suggestions????

 

I read Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Which was published in 1798, so it just squeaked in.  I loved it.

 

You could read Swift's A Modest Proposal, published in 1729 - short, and the model for all satirical political writings since.

 

I read some of the 18th century novels in my youth, and I don't think I'll ever revisit those - Tom Jones, Pamela, Clarissa, Tristam Shandy. (Sorry VC!)

 

But I would like to re-read Candide at some point, and Ivanhoe is on my TR list.

 

Oh - what about The Monk? I see it's on your spooky reads to read shelf! 

 

I struggled with Arthurian too, I ended up reading a bad YA novel I don't recommend. For fairy tale retelling I read Boy, Snow, Bird.

 

Nan, for historical I think it can be fiction or nonfiction - Robin is pretty easy going!  ;)  :D

Edited November 4, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[aggieamy]

 

I look forward to getting The Carpenter and the Gardener this week from Overdrive, it's kind of the counterargument to Amy Chua (Tiger Mother). Perhaps a good bookclub candidate, esp. if most of your club's members are moms with lots of parenting opinions.

 

That just about sums up my ladies book club!  We recently read Beyond the Tiger Mom: East-West Parenting for the Global Age by Maya Thiagarajan.  Everyone thought it was well done with lots of information that you could actually use. 

[aggieamy]

Finished:

 

From Doon with Death by Ruth Rendell - this is the first in the Inspector Wesford series and there were a number of problems (flat characters, mystery a little unbelievable) BUT I also saw a lot of talent and room for the series to grow.  I've already requested the next in the series from the library. 

 

Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart - loved it! Suspense, mystery, just a hint of romance, and Scotland in the 1950's.   

[aggieamy]

I'm feeling motivated by everyone's success with the BaW Bingo.

 

I need a friend to pick a book for me ...

 

Friends?  What should I read next?

 

Here's my Goodread's To-Read list if you'd like to peruse it.  If not then I'm up for anything of your choosing!  My only criteria is not too violent or with hurt kids or super graphic *wink wink*.

 

 

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm feeling motivated by everyone's success with the BaW Bingo.

 

I need a friend to pick a book for me ...

 

Friends?  What should I read next?

 

Here's my Goodread's To-Read list if you'd like to peruse it.  If not then I'm up for anything of your choosing!  My only criteria is not too violent or with hurt kids or super graphic *wink wink*.

 

I want to tell you The Sunne in Splendor, but I don't want to cruelly suggest a 936 page book!!!  But that's my top choice on your TR list.

 

Or, you could read anything by Georgette Heyer, and count it as picked by me!  ;)  :D

[Stacia]

Amy, from your to-read list, I'd recommend either The Eyre Affair or Uprooted. Loved both. (Of course since our reading doesn't often overlap, you may want to take that into consideration. Lol.)

[Lady Florida.]

I want to tell you The Sunne in Splendor, but I don't want to cruelly suggest a 936 page book!!!  But that's my top choice on your TR list.

 

 

 

I'm 85% finished with it, and I started it in late September. Of course I've read other books in between so it isn't really taking me that long to read it. Definitely worth reading. Or you could read her mystery The Queen's Man, also from your list. Or any of the Hercule Poirot stories you have listed. And you haven't read the second Captain Lacey yet? That might be my recommendation. You have a lot of good choices on your list - it's hard to pick just one.

[aggieamy]

Alrighty.  I'm taking two picks.

 

The Sunne in Spelendor

 

& 

 

The Eyre Affair

 

Thanks you friends!

[fastweedpuller]

Alrighty.  I'm taking two picks.

 

The Sunne in Spelendor

 

& 

 

The Eyre Affair

 

Thanks you friends!

 

Bonus!  My hubby designed the cover of The Eyre Affair (and other of Fforde's books too)

 

[Kareni]

I need a friend to pick a book for me ...

Friends?  What should I read next?

 

I'll cast my vote (even if it is too late) for these three books all of which I've enjoyed:

 

Morning Glory

 

Uprooted

 

A Regimental Murder

 

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

Bonus!  My hubby designed the cover of The Eyre Affair (and other of Fforde's books too)

 

 

How cool.  Is that his job ... professional artist/graphic designer?  I guess I don't even know what that would be called.

[Chrysalis Academy]

One of you fabulous people - I want to say Erin? or Fastweedpuller? recommended The Fantasy Fiction Formula, which I just gave Shannon for her birthday gift. She is stoked, it looks perfect for her. Thank you!!!

[mumto2]

Bonus!  My hubby designed the cover of The Eyre Affair (and other of Fforde's books too)

 

Which one(s)? Several copies of Eyre Affair have passed through our house. Dd gave it to most of her friends as presents one year after I cleared it with the mom's.

 

Warning to Amy, The Eyre Affair and the others have a lot of swear words but otherwise pretty clean. Dd was close to your dd's age when I let her read it because it was a book she would love. While she was reading it I caught my kids in a corner with the book open with dd showing ds all the swear words mom had approved her reading. Ds wanted desperately to read it just for the words. He did read the Nursery Rhyme series. Probably not my proudest parenting moment but they were hilarious!

[Nan in Mass]

I just listened to Micromegas for my 18th century. I,m pretty sure I read Ancient Mariner this year, too. I tend to read that every year. I tried Micromegas in French, but it was going to require more energy than I have today, so I listened to it in English. Fun!

 

Nan

[idnib]

I don't normally enjoy theological discussions in books as they usually descend into caricatures of believers and unbelievers, but The Sparrow was amazing. 

 

 

I felt the same way about The Sparrow. I loved it and it really touched my heart. I felt like I knew and loved those people personally. I read it a couple of years ago, only because someone here recommended it to me. If someone had described the plot and the theological angle to me ahead of time, it would have gone on my "definitely not for me" list. 

[fastweedpuller]

Which one(s)? Several copies of Eyre Affair have passed through our house. Dd gave it to most of her friends as presents one year after I cleared it with the mom's.

His stuff looks like cut-up old dimestore novels (mostly because he cuts up old dimestore novels).  It's just his artist schtick I guess, or at least it was.  He's a studio artist, mostly photography, dabbles in graphic design as needed.  Here's a link if you're curious.

[mumto2]

His stuff looks like cut-up old dimestore novels (mostly because he cuts up old dimestore novels). It's just his artist schtick I guess, or at least it was. He's a studio artist, mostly photography, dabbles in graphic design as needed. Here's a link if you're curious.

Great cover! It really suits the story. :)

 

I spent a lot of time riding in the car today which means I had reading time. I finished Janet Evanovich's Curious Minds. It's a new one and another collaboration which I generally don't care for but this book was in the light rompy style which can be good mindless fluff. First in a series and I will continue.

 

I also read the first in a series that Kareni has recommended to me many times. One Night with You by Marie Force was a freebie prequel novella. A good quick romance book. I now have the first book wating for me. ;)

[Stacia]

I'm at the halfway mark in The Death of King Arthur, through sheer stubbornness alone. I would love to read a version that Ernest Hemingway would have written of this stuff -- I am positive he could have condensed it down to one or two eloquent pages. What a relief that would be.

 

SPOILERS:

Here are some kings.

Here are some knights.

(There actually is a big round table. And a mystical sword &/or scabbard.)

The knights fight often, starting with jousting & later fighting with swords on foot.

They may fight to kill; other times they fight to a draw & declare each other BFFs.

They may fight for the honor of a lady; other times they will behead a lady or two.

Mystical happenings, magic, or poison show up once in awhile.

They travel around on horses a lot & ships sometimes.

Repeat ad infinitum.

 

:svengo: :rolleyes:

 

(I should have chosen A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.)

 

I am earning my Bingo square on this one for sure!

[Lady Florida.]

I don't think this has been posted -

 

History of literature movements reduced to a single sentence each. 

[Kareni]

I also read the first in a series that Kareni has recommended to me many times. One Night with You by Marie Force was a freebie prequel novella. A good quick romance book. I now have the first book waiting for me. ;)

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it!  The series reminds me a bit of J.D. Robb's ... in Death series in that the relationship between the lead characters continues to grow, the reader becomes acquainted with more minor characters, and a different mystery is addressed in each book.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

History of literature movements reduced to a single sentence each. 

 

A few of those had me laughing aloud!  Thanks for posting the link, Kathy.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

Historical fiction fans - Have any of you read America's First Daughter? If so would you recommend it? I'm considering spending an Audible credit on it. 

[Kareni]

Here's another currently free Kindle book that might appeal to some.  It's published by Bethany House, so I imagine even conservative Christian readers might find it of interest.

 

Prophet (Books of the Infinite Book #1)  by R. J. Larson

 

"Ela Roeh of Parne doesn't understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to become His prophet. She's undignified and bad-tempered, and at age seventeen she's much too young. In addition, no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl. Worst of all, as Parne's elders often warn, if she agrees to become the Infinite's prophet, Ela knows she will die young.

Yet she can't imagine living without Him. Determined to hear the Infinite's voice, Ela accepts the sacred vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite's word to a nation torn apart by war. There she meets a young ambassador determined to bring his own justice for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela battles how to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

Hi everyone. This week's thread is great as usual.

 

But what a week I have had.  Warning:  non-bookish post!!

 

Sunday evening I attended a fundraiser for a farmer I have known for close to 20 years, a man whose land and tractors were underwater after Hurricane Matthew (three feet of water in his home too).  On Monday I drove up the coast to a meeting of an advisory board on which I sit.  The devastation of Matthew to small towns and farmers in Eastern NC was witnessed by many in the gathering.  One woman reported driving through a community where everything--mattresses, couches, drywall--sat in the yards of now empty houses.

 

This meeting kept us hopping until noon on Wednesday when I then drove to another part of the state to attend a gathering of a different advisory board at another university.  I serve as a liaison between the two groups. On Thursday morning I hit the ground running again.

 

When things wrapped up on Friday around noon, one would have thought that I would have used the three and a half hour drive home to listen to Kim.  I did for a bit.  But my head was filled with so much from the busy week that I found it preferable to decompress in silence and then listen to Science Friday on NPR.

 

So that is my excuse for not accomplishing much in terms of reading.

 

I would like to hide behind a wall of books and yarn in November.  Let's see how that plays out.

[TravelingChris]

It's time to talk politics ladies. No, not U.S. politics. Icelandic politics.

 

Did anyone else besides Stacia and me read Gnarr! How I Became Mayor of a Large City in Iceland and Changed the World?

 

If you did, you might be interested to learn that the Pirate Party did rather well in the most recent election

 

 

 

I just ordered this book.  Thanks for the recommendation.

[Kareni]

I would like to hide behind a wall of books and yarn in November.  Let's see how that plays out.

 

It sounds as though it was a grueling week; I hope next week will be calmer.  Here are a few walls of yarn behind which to hide; they do look inviting.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[TravelingChris]

I just finished listening to A Midsummer's Education.  This is a murder mystery.  I think it would have been easier to follow if I had been reading it.  The unfamiliar names made it hard to remember who was who, sometimes.  I don't remember names at the best of times and often have to work to get the names memorized at the beginning of a book.  It is easier if I can see the names, not just hear them.  I liked the book, though.  The detective is rather like Sherlock Holmes.

 

Are you done discussing horror stories yet?

 

Nan

 

 

I tired finding this book on Amazon and it doesn't seem to be listed. Where did you find this book?

[TravelingChris]

I haven't finished a book this week and probably won't. This week I spent more time with magazines and newspapers along with binge watching three seasons of The Killing. I am taking a break from it.

 

 

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Just Robyn]

I haven't finished a book this week and probably won't. This week I spent more time with magazines and newspapers along with binge watching three seasons of The Killing. I am taking a break from it.

 

 

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

The Killing is the last show I remember that kept me up all night, unable to sleep or tear myself away from the show. 

[Just Robyn]

 

 

I read Helen Oyeyemi's What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours. Loved it. (Also, her books Mr. Fox and Boy, Snow, Bird would also fit for that category.) I was actually surprised in your link from earlier re: fairy tale adaptions that some of her books were not listed. Of the three I've read of hers, Mr. Fox is still my favorite.

 

Thank you, Stacia. I do have Oyeyemi on my to-read list because you brought her books to my attention. I feel certain I'll love Mr. Fox if I can get myself to read it (and the only reason I haven't is that I must have been reading something else). That reading list has a lot of books I've never heard of, which is awesome if they're good, since it gets old having the same books recommended on every list, and just weird if they're not good. My fingers are crossed for awesome.

[Nan in Mass]

I tired finding this book on Amazon and it doesn't seem to be listed. Where did you find this book?

Keigo Higashino is the author. Boston Public Library has it as an audiobook. Here is the wikipaedia entry for the author https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keigo_Higashino .

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

I'm at the halfway mark in The Death of King Arthur, through sheer stubbornness alone. I would love to read a version that Ernest Hemingway would have written of this stuff -- I am positive he could have condensed it down to one or two eloquent pages. What a relief that would be.

 

SPOILERS:

Here are some kings.

Here are some knights.

(There actually is a big round table. And a mystical sword &/or scabbard.)

The knights fight often, starting with jousting & later fighting with swords on foot.

They may fight to kill; other times they fight to a draw & declare each other BFFs.

They may fight for the honor of a lady; other times they will behead a lady or two.

Mystical happenings, magic, or poison show up once in awhile.

They travel around on horses a lot & ships sometimes.

Repeat ad infinitum.

 

:svengo: :rolleyes:

 

(I should have chosen A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.)

 

I am earning my Bingo square on this one for sure!

I read Morte d'Arthur (in modern English) in college. Two volumes of fine print on thin pages. At the time, I summed it up as: Knight meets knight. Knight fights knight. Knight moves on. Repeat ad infinitum.

 

Is that what you read? I liked Tristan et Iseult much better. I made youngest read that one, in French, but I let everyone read an abridged Morte d'Arthur.

 

Nan

[TravelingChris]

Today in the mail I received my order of the Arthur Rackham Fairy Tale Book.  This book was one of my favorites as a child and a lot of it was because of the illustrations.  I collect children's illustrated books (though my collection is small)/  I was just so happy to get this book condition.  Here is a link to the Amazon page which has another book of his illustrations and a look inside so you can see examples.                                                                                  https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Rackham-Treasury-Full-Color-Illustrations/dp/0486446859/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=03BC7W6KYQ7G3FCHZN46