Book a Week 2016 - BW45: bookish babble

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 45 in our quest to read 52 books. Welcome back to all our readers, to those just joining in and all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is also below in my signature.

 

52 Books blog - Bookish Babble:  Come on in and have a seat.  I'm in the mood for some bookish babble.  Here in the U.S, daylight savings time is ending and we have finally reached the final act of the presidential election.  A modern Shakespearean tragedy in which we've been the captive audience of what seems to be the world's longest play. The curtain is slowly descending as the players take their final curtain call.

 

Which reminds me, have you gotten a 52 books bingo yet?  Plays and fairy tale adaptations and non fiction reads will fill the bill.  In the mood to read presidential biographies, perhaps current affairs, foreign or domestic.  Or maybe you'd prefer a comedy or art. The book blogging world is celebrating Non Fiction November so head on over to Doing Dewey for more fun and frivolity.

 

For a translated book, check out Halldor Laxness's Wayward Heroes which has been translated from icelandic and is now available through Archipelago books.  If you are squeamish about mysteries, try a cozy mystery instead. You can't go wrong when it comes to Arthurian stories with Mary Stewart or Marian Zimmer Bradley.  

 

My son has introduced me to Doctor Who and he insists I must call him The Doctor.  However, unlike me in which I'd watch every episode in order in a season, we've been doing it my son's way and sort of The Doctor's way, dropping in here and there. He's enthralled with the weeping angels right now and I haven't decided which Doctor I like the best yet.   I'm waiting for the 'mom, I gotta have this book' itis to begin.  Did you know Neil Gaiman, whose birthday is coming up this week on the 10th,  wrote three episodes for Doctor who - The Doctor's Wife and The Nightmare in Silver.  He just became a grandfather as well.

 

Mini Bingo challenge of the month - have a friend, family member, loved one or even query a stranger in the book store and ask them to pick a book for you to read. You may be surprised!  

 

Happy reading!  

 

************************************

 

History of the Renaissance World - Chapter 79 and 80

 

************************************

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 44

Edited November 6, 2016 by Robin M

[Robin M]

I started Seanan McGuire's October Day series last night with the first book - Rosemary and Rue.  Enjoying it so far.   Completed another story in Diana Gabaldon's Lord John series - Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade.  

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 

Cover Her Face - I don't know why as a mystery lover, I've never read P.D. James. I always meant to, and now I'll begin.

 

A possibility for the upcoming holidays:

 

 

[Lady Florida.]

I posted in last week's thread just as this one was being started, so I'm bringing it over here.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

:grouphug: Jane  :grouphug: It's humbling to see the devastation caused by natural disasters - I know from experience too. I'm sure your help on the board is appreciated. Here's hoping you can just disappear into some good books in November.
 
I finished A Royal Pain (Her Royal Spyness #2) on audio book yesterday. Haven't decided what to listen to next.
 
While I'm enjoying my slow journey through both Britain in the late middle ages (Plantagenet fiction and non-fiction) and the American Revolution (Hamilton bio), it's been a while since I read a plain old mystery. Yesterday I downloaded two from my library.
 
Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death (Grantchester Mystery #1) - dh and I enjoyed the tv series on Amazon Prime so I thought I'd try the books.
 
Cover Her Face - I don't know why as a mystery lover, I've never read P.D. James. I always meant to, and now I'll begin.
 
Both seem like quick reads. I like to read before going to sleep but sometimes am too tired to concentrate on one of the meatier books I'm reading. OTOH I can't fall asleep without reading at least a little bit. My mysteries are great for those times.

[mumto2]

Robin, Huge Dr. Who fans at my house. I love the older episodes best. My favourite Doctors are William Hartnell (the true first) and Peter Davidson. My kids were raised on the old episodes because we had many on VHS. Lots of Dr. Who to explore.......

 

The books aren't bad. No one has ever been huge fans f the books altough they are different stories frequently. They are something we used to buy for travel pre kindle because everyone could/would read them.

 

I have continued to read Marie Force's Fatel series. Hugely enjoying it. I need to read the Invisible Library (BaWer recommendation) because Overdrive takes it away soon and I like it so far. I want to be able to keep my kindle on in order to let the next books in the Fatal series.....at least mine is an easy problem. ;)

[Chrysalis Academy]

Shannon is a huge Whovian, and her birthday haul is evidence- a Tardis robe, socks, coloring book, sneakers, and a mug with Sherlock & David Tenant on it which says, "I would call you a genius, but I'm in the room."  

 

I finished a paired reading this am: The Madwoman Upstairs and The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the 19th Century Literary Imagination.  The former belongs, along with The Secret History (my current audiobook) on a list of Books You Should Read Before Studying Literature in College. It was a book of little plot and few characters, but of many ideas:  how to read literature, why to read literature, and how to live - perhaps inspired or informed by literature, perhaps not.  The relationship between the two main characters - Samantha, a scion of the Bronte family studying lit at Oxford, and James Orville III, her dreamy lit tutor, was reminiscent of Jane's relations with her two much older and highly judgmental potential suitors. Despite the sometimes snarky annoyingness of Samantha, I did relate to and identify with her, and I enjoyed the book, all the way until the epilogue, which was perhaps inevitable but still annoyed the heck out of me. If you've read and loved - or hated - the Brontes, and/or if you contemplate or have lived through studying literature at higher levels, you might enjoy this book.  It definitely stayed close to the interesting-but-annoying edge, but managed to remain on the interesting side.

 

Kathy, I'm also a big fan of PD James, Dalgliesh specifically - I tried her Cordelia Gray novel recently and didn't like it as much.  

 

WMA, cool! I'd never heard of that short story collection - just put it on hold.

Edited November 6, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[mumto2]

Double Post

 

Sorry, Went to church. When I got home it later looked like I hadn't submitted so I did. Mistake!!!!! Also sorry for the typos. Obviously I shouldn't try to post on my way out the door!

 

Robin, Let me know what you think of Rosemary and Rue. It's a series I tried very briefly (under 10 pages) and have wondered about trying again.

Edited November 6, 2016 by mumto2

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 

I finished a paired reading this am: The Madwoman Upstairs and The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the 19th Century Literary Imagination.  The former belongs, along with The Secret History (my current audiobook) on a list of Books You Should Read Before Studying Literature in College. It was a book of little plot and few characters, but of many ideas:  how to read literature, why to read literature, and how to live - 

 

 

For some reason, a thought took hold of me after reading your post:

 

Live, therefore, as a madwoman in the attic... 

 

To which I sensibly replied,

 

Only if there are books and tea...and bonbons...

 

Rose, you always have the best-est ideas!  :cheers2:

[Ethel Mertz]

I never got through reading last week's thread and just couldn't catch up. Busy week here with medical appointments, a convention to attend, and getting the house ready for a realtor to tour. I did, however, manage to read 3 books.

 

1.     The Postmistress – Sarah Blake - 4 stars. I really liked this novel based in Provincetown, MA (though the town is called something else in the book), during WWII

2.     Underground Airlines – Ben H. Winters - 5 stars. 

3.     Butterflies in November - Ava Auour Olafsdottir - 1 star! Totally weird book and I'm still not sure how it ended, even though I read it! All is not lost though as it qualified for BAW Bingo in the Translated category. 

 

Speaking of Bingo, I have two more categories before I score a black out.

 

[Woodland Mist Academy]

For some reason, a thought took hold of me after reading your post:

 

Live, therefore, as a madwoman in the attic... 

 

To which I sensibly replied,

 

Only if there are books and tea...and bonbons...

 

Rose, you always have the best-est ideas!  :cheers2:

 

 

Rose's post has now prompted me to revisit Virginia Wolf's A Room of One's Own...

 

No more posting today, Rose.  :sneaky2:   You've already given me quite enough to think about...  :tongue_smilie:

[Onceuponatime]

Last week I abandoned my book club's pick of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, half read. It was very dry and others in the book club agreed but they read or skimmed the whole thing. I don't feel like I've missed anything, even though the historical aspect was sort of interesting.

 

I'm almost through The Blackheath Poisonings: A Victorian Murder Mystery by Julian Symons. It's a qick read without much effort needed. The story is just an average bit of fluff.

[Kareni]

I re-read several more Laura Florand books since the two I mentioned last week. 

 

The Chocolate Thief (Amour et Chocolat Book 1)   -- this is the first book by the author and probably the best to begin with.

 

"Paris

Breathtakingly beautiful, the City of Light seduces the senses, its cobbled streets thrumming with possibility. For American Cade Corey, it's a dream come true, if only she can get one infuriating French chocolatier to sign on the dotted line. . .

 

Chocolate

Melting, yielding yet firm, exotic, its secrets are intimately known to Sylvain Marquis. But turn them over to a brash American waving a fistful of dollars? Jamais. Not unless there's something much more delectable on the table. . .

 

Stolen Pleasure

Whether confections taken from a locked shop or kisses in the dark, is there anything sweeter?"

 

The Chocolate Temptation

 

 

The Chocolate Rose

 

and a prequel which no longer seems to be available ~

Night Wish: A Short Prequel to A Wish Upon Jasmine

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Negin]

Hi everyone. It's nice to be back after a wonderful vacation. While we were in Buenos Aires, we visited this beautiful bookstore that used to be an opera house. I thought of you all and wish that you could have been there. 

 

 

I read a few books and still want to catch up on the threads and book titles that I've missed while away.

 

Swim: Why We Love the Water – 3 Stars - I love swimming and have always been crazy about the water. Show me a pool or an ocean and I’m happy to jump right in. I chose to read this in order to motivate me to swim more often. I used to swim far more before I had a family. It doesn’t help that I’m the only one who has such an intense passion for it, although I keep telling myself that that is no excuse!

I’m giving this book 3 stars since I didn’t particularly care for Sherr’s jumping around on topics all over the place. I would only recommend this to those who love swimming. The book is thoroughly researched – some of it is interesting and other parts were a bit boring for me. I am grateful to have read it, since it’s definitely motivated me to hopefully swim more.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Swimming is my salvation. Ask me in the middle of winter, or at the end of a grueling day, or after a long stretch at the computer, where I’d most like to be, and the answer is always the same: in the water, gliding weightless, slicing a silent trail through whatever patch of blue I can find.â€

 

“Even the suggestion of swimming be stirring. Watch a swimmer pass a building with a pool: the whiff of chlorine produces a wistful smile. Sit with swimmers when a TV commercial shows someone in the water: they actually stop and watch.â€

 

“Buoyancy also lifts the ego when other body parts start to droop. Curvy people float better than lean beans, and women more than men, because even at our slimmest, we have an extra layer of fat distributed throughout our bodies.â€

 

On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life – 5 Stars - This powerful book made me cry several times and has inspired me to try to become a better person. The author, who burned nearly his entire body at the age of nine, does an incredible job telling his own story and how the reader can apply it to one’s own life. I look forward to reading it again. I think that this book is far and above your typical self-help-type book. 

Some of my favorite quotes:

“We had it all. Life was perfect. And then life changed. It always does. When life changes in this way, we can beg and plead to go back to the way things were. Feeling entitled to that reality. Waiting for someone to wave the magic wand and put things back to normal; back to the way life was. Or we can step up, recognize that it is time to move forward from here, and embrace total accountability.â€

 

“I believe in the power of prayer. And I know thousands of prayers were offered up for me that night, and every day for the next five months I spent in the hospital. But I also believe that prayer is not so much intended to change God, but to inform and inspire the next steps of the individuals offering the prayer.â€

 

“The number one joy indicator, the one thing that will predict whether someone feels joy in their life or not, is the practice of gratitude.â€

 

Defeating Jihad: The Winnable War – 4 Stars - This is a quick, interesting, and enlightening read. It addresses the important issue of radical Islam. The book is especially timely and here I will quote: “The year 2015 was the deadliest for jihadist plots and attacks in America since September 11, 2001. We are losing this war both in the Middle East and on the streets of the United States. There will be more attacks like those in Boston and San Bernardino unless we change the way we think about the threat to the homeland. There is no such thing as ‘lone wolf’ terrorism. All jihadists are connected to the global jihadist movement by their shared ideology.â€

Some other quotes (and there were many, which I have posted on Good Reads):

“Freedom is fragile. Freedom is not the natural state of affairs, and there will always be those who believe they have the right to take your freedom from you to serve their ‘greater’ ideological cause.â€

 

“Look at the history of the last hundred years. First it was Nazis who wished to create a global empire in which the individual was just a cog in the machine of a state that worshipped racial purity and the glorious Führer. Then there were the Marxists and the communists, who replaced the Aryan race with the working class, but who again saw freedom and individual liberty as a threat to the power of the ‘enlightened’ elite.â€

 

   

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

Edited November 6, 2016 by Negin

[Mothersweets]

Good morning!

 

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner. It is a memoir by a woman who was raised in poverty in a polygamous community in Mexico. Engrossing - I couldn't put it down and read it almost in one sitting.

 

I'm almost finished with The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. I've wanted to read this for a long time as it always pops up on lists of 'recommended books for me'. Borrowed it from my adult dd and it's been pretty good except for this one thing: it really bothers me (and I notice this a lot in the romance genre) when the author has the hero touch the heroine's face. I mean, these people hardly know each other - maybe they've spoken with each other 3 or 4 times -  and the man reaches out and strokes her jaw or caresses her cheek. That is SO WEIRD to me. I most certainly would NOT like some man doing that even if I was interested in him romantically and who does that anyway? Soo many authors put this in their story and I just don't get it. People don't do that!

 

Okay, done with my rant. I do have one other pet peeve about romance stories but I'll save it for another time. ;)

 

 

[Mothersweets]

 

My son has introduced me to Doctor Who and he insists I must call him The Doctor. 

 

Robin, my dds love Doctor Who! I love that your son wants you to call him The Doctor :) I like the Tenth and Eleventh doctors the best; a couple of my dds say Twelve is their favorite.

 

I posted in last week's thread just as this one was being started, so I'm bringing it over here.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

I finished A Royal Pain (Her Royal Spyness #2) on audio book yesterday. Haven't decided what to listen to next.

 

While I'm enjoying my slow journey through both Britain in the late middle ages (Plantagenet fiction and non-fiction) and the American Revolution (Hamilton bio), it's been a while since I read a plain old mystery. Yesterday I downloaded two from my library.

 

Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death (Grantchester Mystery #1) - dh and I enjoyed the tv series on Amazon Prime so I thought I'd try the books.

 

 

 

Did you like this? I love the audio version of this series - Katherine Kellgren is so great. I've also wanted to try the Grantchester books after watching the series on amazon and am interested to hear what you think.

 

 

On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life – 5 Stars - This powerful book made me cry several times and has inspired me to try to become a better person. The author, who burned nearly his entire body at the age of nine, does an incredible job telling his own story and how the reader can apply it to one’s own life. I look forward to reading it again. I think that this book is far and above your typical self-help-type book. 

Some of my favorite quotes:

“We had it all. Life was perfect. And then life changed. It always does. When life changes in this way, we can beg and plead to go back to the way things were. Feeling entitled to that reality. Waiting for someone to wave the magic wand and put things back to normal; back to the way life was. Or we can step up, recognize that it is time to move forward from here, and embrace total accountability.â€

 

“I believe in the power of prayer. And I know thousands of prayers were offered up for me that night, and every day for the next five months I spent in the hospital. But I also believe that prayer is not so much intended to change God, but to inform and inspire the next steps of the individuals offering the prayer.â€

 

“The number one joy indicator, the one thing that will predict whether someone feels joy in their life or not, is the practice of gratitude.â€

 

What a lovely vacation! and this sounds like a book I could really use right now, I'll be looking for it at my library - thank you!

[Negin]

What a lovely vacation! and this sounds like a book I could really use right now, I'll be looking for it at my library - thank you!

Thank you. We visited Santiago, Buenos Aires, and finally Miami.  

I hope that you manage to find the book. :)

[Jane in NC]

Thanks everyone for the hugs of support in last week's thread!

 

The Flame Trees of Thika is a fascinating memoir of a European (homeschooled) child in Kenya.  There is no denial that elements of racism arise in the tale as the voice of the child relates her view of the adult world about her. But at the same time it seems that Huxley and her parents are more aware of the rich culture surrounding them--at least when compared with some of their European neighbors.

 

Here is an article from a Kenyan newspaper on Huxley and Blixen that I thought was interesting.

 

I still have about 100 pages to read in the memoir.  I am hoping to find more time to read this week although I know I'll be tuned into media and biting my nails on Tuesday.  I had signed up for a craft class that day as a distraction.  Word arrived that it was canceled.  Hoping to find discipline to stay behind my wall of books and yarn!

 

About the Grantchester books: I read the first before the television series aired on PBS.  I read the second after the series began.  Both are easy going, comfort reads.  Having watched the television program should not interfere with your enjoyment of the books.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished my listen to The Secret History this morning. Finally. Whew.  I really liked it. No bad deed goes unpunished indeed.  I feel so grateful to have survived my years in institutions of higher learning. 

[JennW in SoCal]

 

 

A possibility for the upcoming holidays:

 

 

 

 

I just picked this up at Costco! I always browse the book table when I'm there, and this caught my eye today, thinking it will make for a great Christmas vacation read.  I'm not going to have either child with me this year (sniff!) so am planning on eating lots of cookies while reading lots of books. 

 

This week I finished a couple of books. Still Life with Murder, the first Nell Sweeney mystery by PB Ryan, is a solid historical fiction-mystery. It was fluffy enough to be a mindless read, smart enough to keep me coming back, and best of all it didn't fall into any historical romance cliches. It is set in post-civi war Boston with a smart heroine from a rough background and the potential future love interest is a very flawed man.  Thank you Kareni for all those links to free Kindle books!  I think there are one or two still lurking in my kindle library.

 

I also read another of Laurie King's Mary Russell series, The God of the Hive.  It was followed the cliff hangar ending of the previous book, but I didn't like this one nearly as much, especially because the story suddenly changed, and the true bad guy of the previous book wasn't really the baddest bad guy. Turns out it was all part of a large conspiracy.  **groan** My biggest pet peeve with long running mystery series is the trope of the "large secret government conspiracy" where our heros are the lone wolves fighting for good while seemingly every one else, long time character or not, is caught up by or influenced by the evil conspirators. 

 

Doctor Who! Haven't watched it in ages as the writing hasn't been so good. I want very much to like Peter Capaldi, but thus far haven't seen an episode that caught my fancy. I have a huge soft spot for Christopher Ecclestone's doctor followed by David Tennant. My all time favorite companion was Donna -- omg -- I just LOVE her!!

 

ETA I think I found my next audible listen: 10th Doctor Tales read by David Tennant and Catherine Tate

Edited November 6, 2016 by JennW in SoCal

[Ali in OR]

I got about 10 pages into Love in the Time of Cholera when the library saved me by making Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mewed available (the latest Flavia DeLuce). I finished Thrice and enjoyed it. I thought it seemed inspired by A.A. Milne and Christopher Robin a bit. Now the library has my next two book club books available--American Pastoral and The Girl on the Train (I'm too lazy to look up the authors). I'll probably get back to Love in the Time of Cholera at some point--I'm planning to make it one of the books that leaves my house in 2017, but I have to read it first.

[6packofun]

 

 

A possibility for the upcoming holidays:

 

 

 

 

I saw this the other day and thought the same about why haven't I read P.D. James yet?? lol  I'm OCD about reading a series in order, so does it matter if I read hers by picking and choosing?

[6packofun]

I just finished Louise Penny's latest Gamache novel and then Charlaine Harris brought back Aurora Teagarden after a decade!  That was a nice, fluffy read, although the ending was a bit abrupt and I wonder if she'll write any more?  Title: All the Little Liars

 

Reading now: Tana French's The Trespasser

 

Next up: Several new(er) teen and young adult books and a creepy mystery recommended to me by...someone?  lol  A Japanese author, Mariko Koike: The Graveyard Apartment.  Maybe it was from one of those creepy reading lists of last month.  :)

[Chrysalis Academy]

I saw this the other day and thought the same about why haven't I read P.D. James yet?? lol  I'm OCD about reading a series in order, so does it matter if I read hers by picking and choosing?

 

I don't think it matters what order you read them in. There are occasional references to people or events from past books, but it's rare and you wouldn't miss anything if you didn't get the reference. Just like when you read a Hercule Poirot or a Jane Marple mystery, you don't worry about reading them in order, even though there are some recurring characters (i.e. Captain Hastings) that might appear in more than one book.

[ErinE]

.

Edited December 11, 2016 by ErinE

[ErinE]

Hi everyone. It's nice to be back after a wonderful vacation. While we were in Buenos Aires, we visited this beautiful bookstore that used to be an opera house. I thought of you all and wish that you could have been there. 

 

 

 

 

What a gorgeous place!

 

Growing up, my city had a bookstore in an old movie theater. I loved that store (it's gone now). It stayed open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. It was like a secret society. Oh, you're one of those people who visit bookstores and stay until closing, browsing the books. 

Edited November 6, 2016 by ErinE

[Angelaboord]

I am an old school Whovian. My dad introduced me to Doctor Who when I was a kid. Our PBS station played the old episodes every Saturday night at 10:00. When I was around 11ish, I would get to stay up with him and watch, at least for a while. I like #2 Patrick Troughton and am another Peter Davison fan. [emoji16]Although I do also like David Tennant and Matt Smith. Now my kids are fans; My twins went as the 10th and 11th Doctors for Halloween, and my 3 yo calls our regular medical doctor, "Doctor Who", as in, "We going to see Doctor Who today, Mom? We going to the Doctor Who office?"

 

(Not that he really watches the episodes, but I guess it's just in the air at our house.)

 

A new book came in for me this week, The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge. I have been enjoying it tremendously and marking pages left and right for potential follow-ups with my dyslexic and dysgraphic kids. It's about neuroplasticity - how the brain maps and remaps itself based on use and environment instead of acting like a machine made of specific parts that can't be replaced when they're damaged. I heard about it in an inspiring video I saw on Facebook about a man with cerebral palsy who was getting ready to visit the Great Wall of China. In the book there are inspiring stories of stroke victims who regain the use of limbs years after their strokes and kids with learning disabilities who improve after receiving computer-based auditory therapy. (I'm about halfway through.)

 

But I feel like there should be a HUGE warning sticker on the front cover: CHAPTER TWO HAS A LOT OF ADULT CONTENT and you may not want to leave it lying around the house where your kids can pick it up!" It kind of actually went beyond adult content to the point where I was skimming with one eye closed and then just skipped. I am probably on the "high blush" end of the spectrum when it comes to reading adult content in regular books and I usually try to either a) avoid it or b) skip it. Chapter 2 in this book is about the author's psychiatric work with people with rather intense s*xual problems and also p*rn addiction. It's very clinical, but -ick! I wish he would have left it out.

 

If you are squeamish about experiments with animals, some of the experiments may make you feel uncomfortable as well. But overall, I think it's a great book, with lots of important information. So far, anyway.

 

--Angela

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Onceuponatime]

Neuroplasticity is fascinating. I love that you can retrain your brain to do things well that were once difficult just by repetitively working at hard things. So I started doing sudoku, even though I hate it.

 

I finished The Blackheath Poisonings. It wasn't great. I'm starting The Tower, The Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart.

[AmandaVT]

I read The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. It had great reviews on Amazon, but I wasn't impressed. It felt very incomplete to me - each chapter is a short story on one of his characters. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but Mr. Rachman seemed to like them less, because his characters were all made more wretched during their chapters. He also left their storylines unfinished until a short blurb in the epilogue. 

 

I've also been reading a couple of Janice Bennett's cozy mysteries - Black Cats and Boondoggles and Cold Turkey. These are cute, decently written cozy mysteries and they're appropriate for the season!

[Kareni]

Currently free to Kindle readers ~

 

Soul Warrior (The Age of Kali Book 1)  by Falguni Kothari

 

"Twisted myths. Discretion advised.

In the dark Age of Kali, the Soul Warrior alone stands guard over the Human Realm, protecting its denizens from evil-willed asuras or demons. When a trick of fate appoints him guru to a motley crew of godlings, he agrees to train them as demon hunters against his better judgment. Suddenly, Lord Karna is not only battling the usual asuras with sinister agendas, but also rebellious students and a fault-ridden past.

Spanning the cosmic realms of mythic India, here is a tale of a band of supernatural warriors who come together over a singular purpose: the salvation of a Karna's human child."

**

 

The following is a military romance novella.  I've read and enjoyed other books by this author.  If you like this one, be aware that some others in the series are on sale for 99 cents.  I believe the sale is until November 11 (Veterans Day).

 

Look Again: A Novella (Echo Platoon)  by Marliss Melton

 

"Echo Platoon--prequel novella. Tyler Rexall never considered being anything besides a Navy SEAL. But a mission-gone-wrong has ended his career in the Teams, leaving Tyler handicapped, his self-identity obliterated. Returning to his hometown of Louisa, Virginia, Tyler wallows in despair. He has no idea that the young woman showing up on his doorstep with a dog holds his future in the palms of her hands.

 

Katie Crowley’s lifelong crush on the formidable “T-Rex†hasn’t waned one iota in the last decade. Seeing him beaten down and handicapped arouses her determination to help him, even as she’s being terrorized by a desperate man who is getting bolder by the day.

 

Can Katie convince a proud man like Tyler to accept that a service dog can change his life? Unfortunately, she may not get the chance or the time to heal him as her heart demands, not when her stalker returns for a final encounter."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Today I started Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou. It's the book that Emma Watson's feminist book group on Goodreads is currently reading.

 

I've never read Maya Angelou.

 

And, I've never seen Dr. Who either.

 

:leaving:

[TravelingChris]

idnib, on 06 Nov 2016 - 10:27 AM, said:

I really enjoyed that series as well, although it certainly became grim. I was surprised to find the main male actor is actually Swedish. He does a fantastic American West coast accent! I think the original show was Swedish as well.

He is a Swedish American. He grew up in Sweden but went to an American show. I agree his,accent was great. The original show was Danish and this show is considered Scan-Noir even though it is in Seattle.

[Angelaboord]

Neuroplasticity is fascinating. I love that you can retrain your brain to do things well that were once difficult just by repetitively working at hard things. So I started doing sudoku, even though I hate it. .

There's an interesting section in the book about experiments with the elderly that have shown that by making the brain work in new ways, they can regain years of clear thinking. The author's point was that most of us stop learning anything really new in our 30's (or earlier, I guess) and that cognitive decline sets in at that point. Apparently, though, reading in your native language doesn't count. You might be learning new things but your brain isn't making new maps. So one of the things he suggested doing was learning a new language. I have to admit that made me wince a little, because it means I shouldn't be fudging through Latin with the kids! It isn't that I wouldn't like to learn Latin, but I always seem to have other ways to fill up the time. And once I get them through introductory Latin I can push them off to an online class. But maybe it would be better for me in the long run if I didn't do that. [emoji4]

 

I have two questions about Bingo, which I wasn't going to do, but now I see I've filled up the majority of the card anyway.

 

Does the Library Free space mean it has to be a library book?

 

And... would Robin Hobb's Farseer books count as "epic"? I read Fool's Assassin and Fool's Quest this year. Fool's Quest goes in the Over 500 Pages square, but I was hoping I could use Fool's Assassin for Epic.

 

-Angela

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Violet Crown]

Hesitantly posting. I got very little reading done last week, which went something like Surgery, Halloween, Church, Church, Stitches out, Multiple false starts throughout while I try to decide what to read next.

 

Also--poking my head above the parapet a moment--poetry analysis is one of our Big Homeschool Things that we do. And I really like Arthurian literature, with all its repetition and archaism. It's like liturgy. And I think I might read Morte D'Arthur soon. Can I still be in the book group?

 

By the way, finally settled on Dostoevsky's Devils. It's very funny.

 

Edits: Jane, well done and hoping for some well-deserved book time for you.

 

Penguin, welcome!

Edited November 7, 2016 by Violet Crown

[aggieamy]

Can't seem to settle to read atm, but I just popped in to say my fave Doctors are Tom Baker and Matt Smith, with a very soft spot for Christopher Ecclestone.

 

 

I just picked this up at Costco! I always browse the book table when I'm there, and this caught my eye today, thinking it will make for a great Christmas vacation read.  I'm not going to have either child with me this year (sniff!) so am planning on eating lots of cookies while reading lots of books. 

 

This week I finished a couple of books. Still Life with Murder, the first Nell Sweeney mystery by PB Ryan, is a solid historical fiction-mystery. It was fluffy enough to be a mindless read, smart enough to keep me coming back, and best of all it didn't fall into any historical romance cliches. It is set in post-civi war Boston with a smart heroine from a rough background and the potential future love interest is a very flawed man.  Thank you Kareni for all those links to free Kindle books!  I think there are one or two still lurking in my kindle library.

 

I also read another of Laurie King's Mary Russell series, The God of the Hive.  It was followed the cliff hangar ending of the previous book, but I didn't like this one nearly as much, especially because the story suddenly changed, and the true bad guy of the previous book wasn't really the baddest bad guy. Turns out it was all part of a large conspiracy.  **groan** My biggest pet peeve with long running mystery series is the trope of the "large secret government conspiracy" where our heros are the lone wolves fighting for good while seemingly every one else, long time character or not, is caught up by or influenced by the evil conspirators. 

 

Doctor Who! Haven't watched it in ages as the writing hasn't been so good. I want very much to like Peter Capaldi, but thus far haven't seen an episode that caught my fancy. I have a huge soft spot for Christopher Ecclestone's doctor followed by David Tennant. My all time favorite companion was Donna -- omg -- I just LOVE her!!

 

ETA I think I found my next audible listen: 10th Doctor Tales read by David Tennant and Catherine Tate

 

I'm still on the 11th Doctor right now and DD keeps getting on me to hurry up and catch up to her but it's not the point in life for me where I can watch a year of Doctor Who in a weekend ... over even in a year apparently!  My favorite doctor is the 9th.  There was just something so funny and wonderful about him.  He was also my first Doctor so that might have had something to do with it.  

 

We never watched Doctor Who growing up but when we were visiting my parents DD mentioned to them that it's her favorite show.  My mom had been a big fan when she was in college.  I had no idea! 

 

Today I started Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou. It's the book that Emma Watson's feminist book group on Goodreads is currently reading.

 

I've never read Maya Angelou.

 

And, I've never seen Dr. Who either.

 

:leaving:

 

I find that surprising.  Based on you and your DD's interest in books I think you'd really enjoy the show. 

[aggieamy]

I had a ton of things saved from last week to comment on and I lost them all.  Bummer.  I'm sure I had interesting and witty things to say also.

 

I've got Eyre Affair and Sun in Splendor downloaded on my Kindle.  Off to start one of them right now. 

[JennW in SoCal]

I wish I could send each of you a copy of Kij Johnson's The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe because it is all sorts of amazing packed into 165 pages. I can't begin to do it justice, so instead read this review from NPR -- it perfectly sums up my experience of the book. I would also add for my BaW friends  -- picture an older Harriet Vane or another character from Gaudy Night being plunked into a fabulous fantasy realm with a quest to undertake. 

 

I don't think it is necessary to first read the HP Lovecraft novella which inspired this book, as I did. Lovecraft is an acquired taste -- it can be rather turgid! But following up with Kij Johnson's writing was a breath of fresh air.

 

 

Edited November 7, 2016 by JennW in SoCal

[JennW in SoCal]

I'm still on the 11th Doctor right now and DD keeps getting on me to hurry up and catch up to her but it's not the point in life for me where I can watch a year of Doctor Who in a weekend ... over even in a year apparently!  My favorite doctor is the 9th.  There was just something so funny and wonderful about him.  He was also my first Doctor so that might have had something to do with it.  

 

We never watched Doctor Who growing up but when we were visiting my parents DD mentioned to them that it's her favorite show.  My mom had been a big fan when she was in college.  I had no idea! 

 

 

Dh's family lived in England in the early 60s when Doctor Who first aired, and he LOVED the show as a kid. We still have his Dalek costume from that period, though needless to say it is a little beat up after many Halloweens and moves. He never quite got the mad charm of the current version, though has watched a few Christmas specials with us and a few selected episodes.

 

Btw my now-adult kids still can't understand why I don't binge watch entire seasons of shows over a weekend. 

[MeghansMom]

Good morning!

 

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner. It is a memoir by a woman who was raised in poverty in a polygamous community in Mexico. Engrossing - I couldn't put it down and read it almost in one sitting.

 

I'm almost finished with The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. I've wanted to read this for a long time as it always pops up on lists of 'recommended books for me'. Borrowed it from my adult dd and it's been pretty good except for this one thing: it really bothers me (and I notice this a lot in the romance genre) when the author has the hero touch the heroine's face. I mean, these people hardly know each other - maybe they've spoken with each other 3 or 4 times -  and the man reaches out and strokes her jaw or caresses her cheek. That is SO WEIRD to me. I most certainly would NOT like some man doing that even if I was interested in him romantically and who does that anyway? Soo many authors put this in their story and I just don't get it. People don't do that!

 

Okay, done with my rant. I do have one other pet peeve about romance stories but I'll save it for another time. ;)

 

 

I just started reading The Sound of Gravel this morning and finished it tonight-had surgery on a broken ankle, a plate and nine screws, so I am on bedrest. I totally agree!

Edited November 7, 2016 by MeghansMom

[-M-]

Hello, BaWers! My goodness, I haven't been here since Week 39! Here are the books I've finished since that post:

 

â–  Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare; 1599. Drama.)

â–  Zen in the Art of Archery (Eugen Herrigel; 1953. Non-fiction.)
â–  Henry VI, Part I (William Shakespeare; 1591. Drama.)
â–  Henry VI, Part II (William Shakespeare; 1591. Drama.)
â–  Henry VI, Part III (William Shakespeare; 1591. Drama.)
â–  Richard III (William Shakespeare; 1592. Drama.)
â–  Henry V (William Shakespeare; 1599. Drama.)
â–  Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (P.J. Wodehouse; 1963. Fiction.)
â–  The Turn of the Screw (Henry James; 1898. Fiction.)

â–  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon; 2003. Fiction.)

â–  Bloodshot, Volume 1: Colorado (Jeff Lemire; 2015. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Dark Matter (Blake Crouch; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  The Light Fantastic (Sarah Combs; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  The Strain (Guillermo del Torro and Chuck Hogan; 2009. Fiction.)
â–  Trees, Volume 2 (Warren Ellis; 2016. Graphic fiction.)

 

At this writing, then, I’ve completed 109 books, which is five above my goal in a year of reading slowly. Twenty-six of those are graphic works; sixteen are non-fiction. If those numbers were flip-flopped, I would have met one of my objectives: to read more non-fiction. Seven or so weeks remain in the year, and I am knee-deep in the delightfully informative Life Reimagined (Barbara Bradley Hagerty), so there is still (some) hope of meeting that objective. Similarly, inspired by my work in the six-week MOOC “Literature and Mental Health: Reading for Wellbeing,†I am hopeful about meeting another of my objectives: to read more poetry.

 

Speaking of bibliotherapy, in a neat bit of serendipity / synthesis / synchronicity, I ran across the subject last week while catching up on my magazine subscriptions. From “Read a Novel: It’s Just What the Doctor Ordered†(Time, October 27):

 

Even the greatest novel cannot, by itself, cure clinical depression, erase posttraumatic stress or turn an egomaniac into a self-denying saint. But it might ease a midlife crisis or provide comfort in a time of grief.

 

The MOOC I completed – led by Jonathan Bate and Paula Byrne and featuring excellent interviews and discussions with Stephen Fry, Ben Okri, Ian McKellen, and Mark Haddon, among others – focused on the way that literature, particularly poetry, can illuminate certain aspects of the human condition and proffer insight or succor during times of emotional upheaval. More, quite apart from the subject, the cadence or form of a poem might also speak to the reader, serving as an incantatory emotional salve. To me, the MOOC provided a responsible and fascinating way to apply reading. The Novel Cure, on the other hand, a book in my TBR and one featured in the Time article above, seems like embarrassingly oversimplified application of the ideas – as in, Feeling blue? Read this. As Bate and Burns and the doctors, writers, professors, actors, etc. they featured pointed out, though, it simply doesn’t work that way. Literature may prove powerfully effective for some people experiencing emotional distress, but the works cannot be prescribed.

 

Other reading notes… After a long hiatus, I accepted three ARCs: The Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over the World (Abigail Tucker) was released last month; Running (Cara Hoffman) will be released in February; and The Jersey Brothers: A Missing Naval Officer in the Pacific and His Family’s Quest to Bring Him Home (Sally Mott Freeman) is due out in May. Already familiar with Hoffman’s novel Be Safe I Love You, I was engaged by the opening pages of Running, so it has secured a place in my knapsack this week.

 

I am off to catch up on the threads! I hope my fellow readers are doing well.

[Stacia]

VC, :grouphug: :grouphug:  & hope you are recovering well from surgery. (Assuming it was you having surgery?) :lol:  about liking Arthurian lit. I think we can still be friends. ;) (And I like your comment re: the repetition being like liturgy. That makes sense & brings a different kind of appreciation to it, I think. I also think Ackroyd's retelling was dry & that may have detracted quite a bit from the original.) 

 

MeghansMom, :grouphug: :grouphug:  to you too. Sounds like a lot to go through! Hang in there & truly take it easy. My mom shattered her ankle many years ago. She really, really did do the bed rest & elevation of her foot the entire time & has not ever had problems (aches, arthritis) in the decades since.

 

Amy, I may indeed like Dr. Who. The reality is that I just don't watch tv (& that includes watching things like dvds too). I mean, I watch the Oscars, the Olympics (mostly winter), & severe weather warnings, but that's about it. Something about tv just bores me, as well as makes me crazy.

 

I read Mom & Me & Mom in one sitting. It's a very quick, easy read. I enjoyed it, but I think I was also hoping for more. It's interesting & inspiring, but also feels a bit bare-bones & jumps around among various times in her life. I'm guessing some (most?) of her other work is stronger.

[Kareni]

And, I've never seen Dr. Who either.

 

 

:leaving:

 

Nor have I.

 

 I got very little reading done last week, which went something like Surgery ...

 

Ouch.

 

 

...-had surgery on a broken ankle, a plate and nine screws, so I am on bedrest.

 

and ouch again.  Wishing you both well.

 

 I'm sure I had interesting and witty things to say also.

 

I'm sure you did!

 

 

Welcome back, M--.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[MeghansMom]

I have read this week:

 

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon. It is a light read-YA, that I received in My Lit Box subscription. I enjoyed It and want to read her novel, Everything, Everything.

All The Ugly And Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood. Made me feel a bit squeamish, but an excellent read.

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner.

Vassa In The Night by Sarah Porter YA. I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was both magical and macabre.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. World building was a bit tedious, but what an ending! YA

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury.

I have read a few others, but I can't recall their authors and I am too tired and my daughter is asleep to get them-A Short Story of a Brief Marriage-heart breaking, I had to step away from it for a little bit, A Room With No Windows, The Season Of the Witch.

I have started on SwingTime by Zadie Smith.

[Stacia]

My 2016 reading so far:

 

5 stars:

• The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar Martínez (Mexico) [baW Bingo: Library Free Space]
• What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi (Europe: Various) [baW Bingo: Fairy Tale Adaptation]
• West with the Night by Beryl Markham (Kenya)
• Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto (Brazil & USA)
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Europe: probably eastern European)
• The Plover by Brian Doyle (Other: Pacific Ocean)
• The Elementals by Michael McDowell (USA)

4 stars:

• The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Columbia) [baW Bingo: Picked by a friend – idnib]
• Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki (Angola) [baW Bingo: Set in Another Country]
• An Exaggerated Murder by Josh Cook (USA) [baW Bingo: Mystery]
• The Expedition to the Baobab Tree by Wilma Stockenström (South Africa) [baW Bingo: Translated]
• A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power by Paul Fischer (North Korea)
• Narconomics by Tom Wainwright (Various: mainly Latin & North America) [baW Bingo: Published 2016]
• A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez (England)
• Eleven Days by Stav Sherez (England)
• The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (India) [baW Bingo: Epic]
• The Stranger by Albert Camus (Algeria) [baW Bingo: Nobel Prize Winner]
• The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud (Algeria)
• An Unattractive Vampire by Jim McDoniel (USA) [baW Bingo: Pick based on the cover]
• The Island of Last Truth by Flavia Company (Other: unnamed island off the coast of Africa) [baW Bingo: Nautical]
• Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone by G.S. Denning (England)
• Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Ghana), 4.5 stars [baW Bingo: Color in the Title]
• Kokoro by Natsume SÅseki (Japan) [baW Bingo: Classic]
• Trout Fishing in America/The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster/In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan (USA) [baW Bingo: Written in Birth Year] 
• The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters (USA)
• Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters (USA)
• Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih (Sudan)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (USA)
• Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan (Other)  
• We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (USA)
• Limonov: The Outrageous Adventures of the Radical Soviet Poet Who Became a Bum in New York, a Sensation in France, and a Political Antihero in Russia by Emmanuel Carrère (France & Russia)

3 stars:

• Gnarr! How I Became Mayor of a Large City in Iceland and Changed the World by Jón Gnarr (Iceland) [baW Bingo: Non-fiction]
• A Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert Lawrence Smith (USA)
• The Three Trials of Manirema by José J. Veiga (Brazil) [baW Bingo: Dusty]
• Necropolis by Santiago Gamboa (Israel)
• North to the Orient by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Asia: Various) [baW Bingo: Historical]
• Smile as they Bow by Nu Nu Yi (Myanmar) [baW Bingo: Banned (in Myanmar)]
• Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan (USA) [baW Bingo: Number in the Title]
• Bossypants by Tina Fey (USA)
• The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay (USA & Italy) [baW Bingo: Over 500 Pages]
• Harp of Burma by Michio Takeyama (Burma/Myanmar)
• Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston (Other)
• Time and Time Again by Ben Elton (Europe: Various)
• Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King (USA)
• À Rebours (Against Nature) by J.-K. Huysmans (France)
• The Alligator Report by W. P. Kinsella (USA)
• Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackmann (China)
• The Tale of the Unknown Island by José Saramago (Portugal)
• Two Brothers by Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá (Brazil)
• Rashomon and Other Stories by RyÅ«nosuke Akutagawa (Japan)
• Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin (USA)
• The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (England)
• Florence & Giles by John Harding (USA)
• The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel by Drew Hayden Taylor (Canada)  
• The Vampire of New York by Lee Hunt (USA)
• Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (USA)
• Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou (USA)

2 stars:

• We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) [baW Bingo: Female Author]
• Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (France) [baW Bingo: Play]
• The Hike by Drew Magary (USA)
• The Death of King Arthur, Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur retelling by Peter Ackroyd (England) [baW Bingo: Arthurian]

Edited November 7, 2016 by Stacia

[Just Robyn]

Today I finished listening to The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was lovely to listen to. Neil Gaiman narrates it himself and does a great job, imo. The story is both sweet and sad and reminded me a bit of Coraline. I don't feel like there's a lot to say about this one. It's pretty typical and isn't really thought provoking or truly interesting in either content or structure, just a well-told story - a comfort read, despite mild scariness. My library also has The Sleeper and the Spindle on Overdrive, so I'll probably listen to that one soon.

[Loesje22000]

I finished North & South by Gaskell!

So I finished also my first book in 19th century English :)

Gaskell is not often translated so I'll have to polish my English skills.

I watched the BBC serie first so I had an idea where I was in the storyline.

[ErinE]

The reality is that I just don't watch tv (& that includes watching things like dvds too). I mean, I watch the Oscars, the Olympics (mostly winter), & severe weather warnings, but that's about it. Something about tv just bores me, as well as makes me crazy.

 

 

I've run into this problem. DH and I were binge-watching a show and I found myself, well into season 3, thinking, "I could be doing something else right now." I gave up on the show and feel better for it. I don't find watching television relaxing.

[mumto2]

Happy news - dh is bringing me home the new Ian Rankin.

 

I love Rebus, but more than Rebus, I love Edinburgh.

Another series that is on my list!

 

 

Stacia, I have to say I think you and the dc's would really enjoy the "new" Dr. Who's. Your dc's definitely but you too at least for Eccleston and Tennant. Matt Smith is my least favourite Doctor so I haven't even watched many of those. I do watch the current Doctor.

 

Kareni, I can totally imagine you and your husband loving the older episodes. Dh and I frequently watch Peter Davidson's Concorde http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/timeflight/ as a comfort watch. Maybe we should watch that as opposed to Poldark on the eve of tomorrow's stress!

 

Angela, Dh and Bf both watched Doctor Who on Saturday nights through college. That wasn't an event at my school, at least in my dorm. Now Dynasty was an event.;) Somewhere along the line Dh managed to make our Saturday night's Dr. Who night. By the time the dc's arrived we had a huge plastic bin filled with Dr. Who episodes. Ds actually learned to read in order to be able to read the labels. He knew we were keeping the scary "good" ones from him.....if he couldn't ask for it by name he didn't stand a chance of being allowed to watch! :lol:

 

BINGO.....I am actually pretty close as long as I can use the audio version of Master and Commander. Enjoyed the audio but doubt I would like reading. I need to fill my Noble Prize square....it's any book by a winning author right? Siddhartha would work?

[Jane in NC]

My "like" receptacle runneth dry.  How did that happen?

 

Sadie, I wanted to send you a virtual hug as well as a link that may be useful.  BBC Radio 4 Ex has a Rebus dramatization available for online listening!  Let It Bleed can be found here.  I started listening to it in a hotel room last week but fell asleep, swaddled as it were in the Scottish dialect.

 

Jenn, The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe appears to be one of those books my husband might enjoy.  Unfortunately it is not in our library system.  Shout out to Kareni--if you see an Amazon deal on it, would you let me know?  In the meantime, I see that our library system has some other books by Kij Johnson which I'll pick up for him to let him test the waters.

 

I have been a huge fan of BBC television and radio forever it seems yet I have never grabbed on to Doctor Who.  I think I once tried to watch an episode decades ago, but turned it off after five minutes. My son never joined the Who-nation either.  Are we missing the gene?

 

Erin, glad you enjoyed Kraken.  I had a chance to meet the author a few years ago.  Her enthusiasm for squid is quite real.

 

VC, hope you are on the mend.

 

MMV, always good to see you.  Are you aware that you can see the Henry VI cycle in Atlanta this month?  I have friends who are traveling there from the west coast for that purpose.

 

Happy Monday everyone.  I have some chores to do for a local non-profit today but other than that I'm hiding. I'll check on the "like" situation later.

[Just Robyn]

 

 

Jenn, The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe appears to be one of those books my husband might enjoy.  Unfortunately it is not in our library system.  Shout out to Kareni--if you see an Amazon deal on it, would you let me know?  In the meantime, I see that our library system has some other books by Kij Johnson which I'll pick up for him to let him test the waters.

 

 

 

I loved her book of short stories, At the Mouth of the River of Bees. You (or your dh) can read or listen to some of her stories for free online.

 

"The Man Who Bridged the Mist" (<<This is a download.) was probably my favorite from the book.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Today I finished listening to The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was lovely to listen to. Neil Gaiman narrates it himself and does a great job, imo. The story is both sweet and sad and reminded me a bit of Coraline. I don't feel like there's a lot to say about this one. It's pretty typical and isn't really thought provoking or truly interesting in either content or structure, just a well-told story - a comfort read, despite mild scariness. My library also has The Sleeper and the Spindle on Overdrive, so I'll probably listen to that one soon.

 

I would highly suggest getting a hard copy or an illustrated ebook version of The Sleeper and the Spindle. It's kind of a picture book/graphic novel and the images add so much to the story.