Book a Week 2016 - BW45: bookish babble

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 

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

 

:leaving:

 

 

Nor have I.

 

 

 

Add me to the list. (Excepting the few episodes I watched as a child.)

[Just Robyn]

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.

 

Oh! Thank you. My library has a print version too, so that's what I'll get. I imagine you've saved me at least from disappointment, maybe confusion. 

[Nan in Mass]

So what counts as an epic? I think if I fill that blank, I,ll have the bottom bingo row. It will even have fulfilled its probable purpose, in my case - I never would have read Voltaire, otherwise.

 

Nan

[Chrysalis Academy]

I started reading Florence & Giles last night, a re-imagining of The Turn of the Screw story sent to me by Stacia.  I see from goodreads comments that I'm not the only one who is annoyed by Florence's made-up grammar scramble.  Florence is self-taught, an avid reader. She clearly isn't making mistakes, she's using language "creatively" intentionally, citing Shakespeare, who makes up words when there isn't a word for what he wants to say.  Yeah, but that's not what she's doing, she isn't making up words, she's using weird forms - verbs for nouns, adjectives for verbs, nouns for adverbs, whatever.  I'm not sure that it works for me.  OTOH, I read a passage aloud to dd, and she was entranced.  Sounds like I need to make her read Turn of the Screw and then turn her loose on this one.

 

Verbing weirds language.  :huh:

[Ali in OR]

I forgot to mention that youngest and I finished The Turn of the Screw as a read-aloud last week. We were aiming to get done on October 31 (to finish up spooky-read month) but didn't finish until Tuesday. The last sentence shocked us, and I have to confess that I had to go to Wikipedia to confirm what we thought happened.

 

Santa bought the family the first season of the newer Dr. Who incarnation last Christmas, and I have to confess that we still haven't tried it! Maybe over the long holiday breaks coming up. We should try it over Thanksgiving so that if we get hooked, Santa could bring season 2 this year.

 

[Lady Florida.]

Goodness, this thread exploded quickly! If I don't respond now, I'll never catch up.

 

 

 

A possibility for the upcoming holidays:

 

 

 

 

Thanks. I was going to ask if it's okay to read out of order, then I saw that the question was asked and answered. 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Do you mean A Royal Pain or the Grantchester book? I enjoyed the first one and so far have only listened to this series. It seems like the type of series I'll enjoy more as an audio book than in print. I feel the same way about the Amelia Peabody books too, although that narrator sometimes seems to get her voices mixed up. I'm not far enough into the Grantchester book to say what I think, but so far it looks as though the tv series followed the book fairly closely. I'll let you know more after I finish. 

 

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. 

 

I started listening to that last year but it went back to the library - twice. I plan to try again one day. 

 

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.

 

 

I hope things calm down a bit now so you can get some reading in. Was the surgery you or a family member? Either way,  :grouphug: hugs and healing thoughts.

 

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!

 

Ouch! When I broke my ankle I got one two pins and one plate. It sounds like I got off easy. Take advantage of that bedrest and read while you have that excuse. Sending you well wishes too.

[Just Robyn]

So what counts as an epic? I think if I fill that blank, I,ll have the bottom bingo row. It will even have fulfilled its probable purpose, in my case - I never would have read Voltaire, otherwise.

 

Nan

 

A hero goes on a quest. Dictionary.com says:

 

noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upona hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style: Homer's Iliad is an epic poem.

 

and

 

resembling or suggesting such poetry:

an epic novel on the founding of the country.

 

I read The Lord of the Rings, but there must be something shorter. There are many trilogies and series but on an epic fantasies list, Goodreads lists some standalone books too, such as The Princess Bride, The Hobbit, Good Omens, The Neverending Story and The Once and Future King (if you want to call that one book). Another list has Beowulf and The Epic of Gilgamesh.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Ok, I have a question for you guys which is going to sound suspiciously like asking for homeschool advice . . . but y'all are the ones I want to ask, so I am posting it here anyway!

 

Do the writers and readers among you have favorite literary magazines? Print versions, I mean. We've been getting Scientific American for years, and dd never reads it. In the interests of addressing the child I have, I thought it might be nice to get her a subscription to a literary magazine, but I don't really know what to choose.  Something that would expose her to the contemporary literary world, and that might include both nf/lit crit and short stories/poetry?  I know of The New Yorker and The Atlantic and Harpers - are these good choices, or is there something else folks would suggest?

 

TIA!

[Kareni]

Verbing weirds language.  :huh:

 

And I give you this.

 

 

[i'd forgotten the original Calvin and Hobbes strip.  Here it is for others.]

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

And I give you this.

 

 

[i'd forgotten the original Calvin and Hobbes strip.  Here it is for others.]

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

:cheers2: for getting the reference. I remember bonding with Steven Pinker at my grad school interview over that strip.

 

And that first link is pretty funny, too!

[Lady Florida.]

A non bookish but Doctor Who post -

 

David Tennant was my first doctor and you know what they say - You never forget your first doctor! So yeah, he's my favorite. :)

 

I never watched it growing up. Star Trek (TOS) and Lost in Space were pretty much the extent of my science fiction tv watching. Dh said he watched it on and off with his older brothers. I remember him watching the reboot with the 9th doctor but I didn't pay attention to it then. It wasn't until ds got older and got interested that I actually sat down with my guys and started watching. By then it was the 10th doctor. I did go back and watch the 9th doctor episodes just to get caught up. Matt Smith grew on me and I like him better than Eccleston who was obviously unhappy in his role. I lost interest in the current doctor mostly because dh and ds lost interest, but also partly because I didn't like the writing. 

 

At one time Netflix had the old original episodes and ds decided he wanted to try them. We randomly chose one of the black and white episodes. In it there was a girl from the future. She was from - wait for it - the year 2000! Of course she was dressed in the required future outfit, a jumpsuit. Even though it was b&w, we knew the jumpsuit was silver and sparkly. That episode was so laughable that it cured ds of wanting to watch more of those old episodes. I think he eventually went back and watched some of the 80s episodes on his own.

 

Robin, at some point you need to watch The Doctor's Daughter - not because it's a great episode but because of the cool connections. The doctor's daughter really is the doctor's daughter, but she's also the doctor's wife. Confused?  :lol:  The actress who played the doctor's daughter is the daughter of Peter Davidson, who played the 5th doctor. That makes her the doctor's daughter.  She also married David Tennant (they met while filming that episode). So she's also the doctor's wife. 

[fastweedpuller]

:cheers2: for getting the reference. I remember bonding with Steven Pinker at my grad school interview over that strip.

 

And that first link is pretty funny, too!

Wha?  you bonded with Steven Pinker??  <bows deeply>

 

People, I have finished nothing this week. But I have done a darned good job of avoiding the media by listening to an audiobook that is twisting my brain into knots:

 

How Not to Be Wrong:  the Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg.  It is read by the author and he can be quite funny and punny.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Wha?  you bonded with Steven Pinker??  <bows deeply>

 

People, I have finished nothing this week. But I have done a darned good job of avoiding the media by listening to an audiobook that is twisting my brain into knots:

 

How Not to Be Wrong:  the Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg.  It is read by the author and he can be quite funny and punny.

 

Ah, that's on my TR list. Good to know it's read by the author, I like that - I'll look for an audio version of this one.

 

Yep, Pinker was the reason I went to grad school in cognitive science in the first place - I fell in love with The Language Instinct. Of course, I got accepted to the program, and then he immediately took a sabbatical to write How the Mind Works. By the time he was back I had shifted more to the brain side of things, so I never actually worked with him. But I did enjoy a few conversations about language, heard many funny and entertaining talks, and I've always enjoyed his writing.

[Kareni]

An interesting article for map fans ~

 

A More Accurate World Map Wins Prestigious Japanese Design Award

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[aggieamy]

 

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]

 

 

Hey!  Your ratings are perfect bell curve.  Have you had any one star books?

 

 

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:

 

I can just picture that!

 

I forgot to mention that youngest and I finished The Turn of the Screw as a read-aloud last week. We were aiming to get done on October 31 (to finish up spooky-read month) but didn't finish until Tuesday. The last sentence shocked us, and I have to confess that I had to go to Wikipedia to confirm what we thought happened.

 

Santa bought the family the first season of the newer Dr. Who incarnation last Christmas, and I have to confess that we still haven't tried it! Maybe over the long holiday breaks coming up. We should try it over Thanksgiving so that if we get hooked, Santa could bring season 2 this year.

 

Do it!  With the ages your DD's are at they'll love it.  It's also a great Christmas present for years to come.  :laugh:  

 

And I give you this.

 

 

[i'd forgotten the original Calvin and Hobbes strip.  Here it is for others.]

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I love it!  I was so sad when he quit doing the comic because it was just wonderful. 

 

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm raising a Calvin. 

[Kareni]

Oops ~ computer blip.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

I started the Eyre Affair but in the meantime I've managed to read The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life by Sid Fleischman.  Wow.  Wonderful.  I picked it up from the library for DD but I was stuck in the car with only it to read so I decided to read a chapter or two to pass the time.  A fascinating life and a fascinating storyteller.  I do recommend reading one or two of his books before reading it because you'll get more from it.

[Jane in NC]

 

An interesting article for map fans ~

 

A More Accurate World Map Wins Prestigious Japanese Design Award

 

Regards,

Kareni

Fantastic! There is an exhibit on maps at the British Library that I want to see.

 

http://www.bl.uk/events/maps-and-the-20th-century-drawing-the-line?ns_campaign=maps&ns_mchannel=bl_website&ns_source=carousel&ns_linkname=tickets_now_open&ns_fee=0

[Nan in Mass]

Grin - I like flexing English. If I am reading an interesting book just to see what happens next, I find it a bit annoying because it pops me out of the book world and back into my own, but otherwise, I don,t see why one shouldn,t use words creatively. The world would be pretty boring, I think, if we didn,t. : )

 

Nan

[Chrysalis Academy]

Grin - I like flexing English. If I am reading an interesting book just to see what happens next, I find it a bit annoying because it pops me out of the book world and back into my own, but otherwise, I don,t see why one shouldn,t use words creatively. The world would be pretty boring, I think, if we didn,t. : )

 

Nan

 

Yeah, this is my problem - in the book I'm talking about, I actually find it distracting - it pops me out of the book world, and makes me notice the writing much more than the story.  Too much of a potentially good thing,  in this case! IMO of course.  Stacia, what did you think of the English-flexing in Florence and Giles?

Edited November 7, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Just Robyn]

Ok, I have a question for you guys which is going to sound suspiciously like asking for homeschool advice . . . but y'all are the ones I want to ask, so I am posting it here anyway!

 

Do the writers and readers among you have favorite literary magazines? Print versions, I mean. We've been getting Scientific American for years, and dd never reads it. In the interests of addressing the child I have, I thought it might be nice to get her a subscription to a literary magazine, but I don't really know what to choose.  Something that would expose her to the contemporary literary world, and that might include both nf/lit crit and short stories/poetry?  I know of The New Yorker and The Atlantic and Harpers - are these good choices, or is there something else folks would suggest?

 

TIA!

 

My favorite literary magazine is Zoetrope. It contains only visual art and short stories. In each issue, one of the short stories has been turned into a movie. I could send you an issue. For poetry, I subscribe to Rattle, and I think I could send an issue of this one, too. One magazine that might have all you're looking for is Carve. In addition to short stories, nonfiction and poetry, they have some sections that might interest a writer:

 

+What We Talk About: In-depth interviews with each author

+Story Statshot: Surprising facts on each story's journey to publication

+Decline/Accept: We declined it; another publication accepted it

+One to Watch: Discover what's up and coming in the literary world

 

Asimov's might be a good genre option.

 

There are a bazillion literary magazines, and you might look through some of the magazines listed on the Pushcart Rankings to find what you're looking for. I could also send copies of Black Warrior Review (assuming I ever get around to reading the copy on my desk) and Blue Monday Review (though this one just went on hiatus, and we'll just have to wait and see if they ever come back from it, and with this one as with the last - I still need to read the issue I would send).

 

Let me know if you want any of these!

[Chrysalis Academy]

My favorite literary magazine is Zoetrope. It contains only visual art and short stories. In each issue, one of the short stories has been turned into a movie. I could send you an issue. For poetry, I subscribe to Rattle, and I think I could send an issue of this one, too. One magazine that might have all you're looking for is Carve. In addition to short stories, nonfiction and poetry, they have some sections that might interest a writer:

 

+What We Talk About: In-depth interviews with each author

+Story Statshot: Surprising facts on each story's journey to publication

+Decline/Accept: We declined it; another publication accepted it

+One to Watch: Discover what's up and coming in the literary world

 

Asimov's might be a good genre option.

 

There are a bazillion literary magazines, and you might look through some of the magazines listed on the Pushcart Rankings to find what you're looking for. I could also send copies of Black Warrior Review (assuming I ever get around to reading the copy on my desk) and Blue Monday Review (though this one just went on hiatus, and we'll just have to wait and see if they ever come back from it, and with this one as with the last - I still need to read the issue I would send).

 

Let me know if you want any of these!

 

 

Yes!! Thank you! This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for - and it would be great to have a few options to check out and choose from, I really appreciate it. I'll pm you my address.

[Mothersweets]

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!

 

 I hope your ankle heals quickly and that you have good helpers available to wait on you. :grouphug:

 

and I was so so happy for Ruth was able to find happiness and normalcy after such a crazy childhood. Her stepfather was a real piece of work, wasn't he? :cursing:

[Mothersweets]

 

 

 

Do you mean A Royal Pain or the Grantchester book? I enjoyed the first one and so far have only listened to this series. It seems like the type of series I'll enjoy more as an audio book than in print. I feel the same way about the Amelia Peabody books too, although that narrator sometimes seems to get her voices mixed up. I'm not far enough into the Grantchester book to say what I think, but so far it looks as though the tv series followed the book fairly closely. I'll let you know more after I finish. 

 

 

I meant the Grantchester book - yes! I'd love to hear what you think of them. 

 

And for the Royal series - I've enjoyed them more on audio, too. I read the first one in print and maybe the second? before realizing that the audio makes them much, much better. ;)

[Robin M]

We watched Dr. Who The Waters of Mars yesterday, one of  the specials,  in which the Doctor went off the rails and it didn't turn out good. I've had to limit our watching to once a week as these stories are rather intense and really get James keyed up.    Definitely one show I wouldn't even consider Binge watching.  Would make me too nervous.   :lol:

 

Mum:  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. 

 

Once I got past the first chapter, the pace picked up and it got more interesting and lots of action.  I'd picked up a couple times before and couldn't get past the first couple pages.   Third time was the charm and enjoying.  You may want to give it another go when you have time to read beyond the first chapter. 

 

Negin - I'm drooling over the bookstore picture.  Looks like an awesome place. 

 

Angela - Does the Library Free space mean it has to be a library book?    Nope, just a free space. Any book will do! Don't remember why I put library.  :confused1:

 

Kathy: Robin, at some point you need to watch The Doctor's Daughter - not because it's a great episode but because of the cool connections. The doctor's daughter really is the doctor's daughter, but she's also the doctor's wife. Confused?  :lol:  The actress who played the doctor's daughter is the daughter of Peter Davidson, who played the 5th doctor. That makes her the doctor's daughter.  She also married David Tennant (they met while filming that episode). So she's also the doctor's wife. 

 

Gotcha!  

 

Hugs and love to all who are on the mend!

[JennW in SoCal]

A few random thoughts before I settle down to cram in preparation for casting my vote tomorrow. I have to make an informed choice on 31 separate ballot measures -- 31!! 17 are California wide and 14 are local. Only have to choose a candidate for 10 offices. It isn't just presidential politics this year that is making us Californians  :banghead:

 

The LA Times today has some suggestions for other things to watch tomorrow instead of wall-to-wall election coverage.  For instance, The Weather Channel will be running a 9 hour marathon of "visual relaxation footage" of clouds and rainbows and autumn foliage complete with a smooth jazz soundtrack.  :cool:  My personal plans include yoga class, music making with friends and hiding behind a wall of fabric and my Doctor Who audiobook!! 

 

I'm very close to filling in the Bingo card, but we'll see what happens. My rebellious, non-conformist self refuses to read a book just to fill in an arbitrary category, but my fear of being left out self wants to read those last 4 books so I can be a winner, too.  :willy_nilly: Clearly I shouldn't be thinking about it this week.

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

The LA Times today has some suggestions for other things to watch tomorrow instead of wall-to-wall election coverage.  For instance, The Weather Channel will be running a 9 hour marathon of "visual relaxation footage" of clouds and rainbows and autumn foliage complete with a smooth jazz soundtrack.  :cool:  My personal plans include yoga class, music making with friends and hiding behind a wall of fabric and my Doctor Who audiobook!! 

 

 

 

I've been watching The Crown on Netflix and have a few more episodes to finish up the season. Maybe that's what I should watch, considering Queen Elizabeth's offer to restore the U.S. to British rule.  :lol:

[TravelingChris]

I finished  book 41.  By It's Cover by Donna Leon.  Another one in the series of Commissario Guido Brunetti.  I did not like this one as much as I have liked others.  I think there were less food references (I can't remember which now deceased mystery writer's books I loved which had fantastic descriptions of food.  This series usually has some dishes mentioned and this time they were mentioned but much less than in other books).  The interesting thing was that the mystery involved rare books.  

 

I have been busying ordering books that I have heard about here.  I had heard about Something Wicked This Way Comes before, even before I saw either the movie or tv movie, don't remember which one it was but it sure was creepy.  So I read the sample available to me on Amazon but have to wait for the whole book to finish reading.  I have started Scene of the Crime, a writer's guide to crime scene investigation.  

 

Sorry about the foot, MM.  Hope it heals well.  My last ankle break I had to finally get a machine which electrically stimulates growth.  Fortunately my insurance paid for it since I think it was expensive.  But if that hadn't worked, the orthopedist said next up were pins to hold the bone together.    All together it took about a half a year or so to heal.  So I hope yours goes much quicker.

[idnib]

The only book I finished last week was Homeschooling for Excellence. I started but did not finish Dreiser's An American Tragedy, which is turning out to be quite a compelling read.

 

DD has a 103 fever and DH is out of town, so it's been mostly caretaking and read aloud here.

 

I've been watching The Crown on Netflix and have a few more episodes to finish up the season. Maybe that's what I should watch, considering Queen Elizabeth's offer to restore the U.S. to British rule.  :lol:

 

That offer reminds me of the King George character in Hamilton,

.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Thoughts and well-wishes to those who are sick or injured and to those who are caring for a loved one who is sick or injured.  :grouphug:

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Yesterday I finished The Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins. It's quick and light. Well, I mean it's sort of dark, but not heavy.  I guess what I mean is that it's a breeze after finishing The Iliad.   ;)

 

I am rather fond of epics and chunksters, but I also like a cleansing breath in-between. This was that sort of book. 

 

 

[mumto2]

I've been watching The Crown on Netflix and have a few more episodes to finish up the season. Maybe that's what I should watch, considering Queen Elizabeth's offer to restore the U.S. to British rule.  :lol:

 

It is wonderful to be able to get a new PM without an election. ;) :lol: Have to admit everyone here is complaining that the election is stressful too!

 

 

 

A few random thoughts before I settle down to cram in preparation for casting my vote tomorrow. I have to make an informed choice on 31 separate ballot measures -- 31!! 17 are California wide and 14 are local. Only have to choose a candidate for 10 offices. It isn't just presidential politics this year that is making us Californians  :banghead:

 

The LA Times today has some suggestions for other things to watch tomorrow instead of wall-to-wall election coverage.  For instance, The Weather Channel will be running a 9 hour marathon of "visual relaxation footage" of clouds and rainbows and autumn foliage complete with a smooth jazz soundtrack.  :cool:  My personal plans include yoga class, music making with friends and hiding behind a wall of fabric and my Doctor Who audiobook!! 

 

I'm very close to filling in the Bingo card, but we'll see what happens. My rebellious, non-conformist self refuses to read a book just to fill in an arbitrary category, but my fear of being left out self wants to read those last 4 books so I can be a winner, too.  :willy_nilly: Clearly I shouldn't be thinking about it this week.

 

 

Can't even imagine that many issues on one ballot. I hope you enjoy the quilting and the Dr. Who book. Btw, I have been on a Lucy Boston marathon. Listened the The Children of Green Knowe and reading the Patchwork of Lucy Boston. Lovely book, more little snippets of her life interspersed with photos of her quilts. Things like how much she paid for her fabric after WWII. She made incredible quilts into her 90's all by hand with EPP. I am inspired. Tomorrow I work on finishing the table runner I experimented with using her pattern.

 

 

 

 

We watched Dr. Who The Waters of Mars yesterday, one of  the specials,  in which the Doctor went off the rails and it didn't turn out good. I've had to limit our watching to once a week as these stories are rather intense and really get James keyed up.    Definitely one show I wouldn't even consider Binge watching.  Would make me too nervous.   :lol:

 

 

Once I got past the first chapter, the pace picked up and it got more interesting and lots of action.  I'd picked up a couple times before and couldn't get past the first couple pages.   Third time was the charm and enjoying.  You may want to give it another go when you have time to read beyond the first chapter

 

I will give the series another try.

 

Btw, that is a favourite Dr. Who episode. I love the temporary companion. Instead of Dr. Who she went on to play Morgan le fay in Merlin. Another series James might like....

 

  

I meant the Grantchester book - yes! I'd love to hear what you think of them. 

 

And for the Royal series - I've enjoyed them more on audio, too. I read the first one in print and maybe the second? before realizing that the audio makes them much, much better. ;)

I have read a couple of the Royal books. Enjoyable but not a huge urge to read more. Planning to look for audio since both you and Kathy liked the audio form better.

 

I hope everyone feels better!

[Violet Crown]

Ok, I have a question for you guys which is going to sound suspiciously like asking for homeschool advice . . . but y'all are the ones I want to ask, so I am posting it here anyway!

 

Do the writers and readers among you have favorite literary magazines? Print versions, I mean. We've been getting Scientific American for years, and dd never reads it. In the interests of addressing the child I have, I thought it might be nice to get her a subscription to a literary magazine, but I don't really know what to choose. Something that would expose her to the contemporary literary world, and that might include both nf/lit crit and short stories/poetry? I know of The New Yorker and The Atlantic and Harpers - are these good choices, or is there something else folks would suggest?

 

TIA!

I like the NYRB.

[Violet Crown]

No one should waste any sympathy on me; all the excitement is over now. It went like this:

 

Me: So doc, what about this thing growing on my scalp? Think insurance will cover taking it off for aesthetics?

Doctor: Good Lord! I'm making you an appointment with the best dermatologist I know. She's got a three-month wait list but she'll see you tomorrow.

Me: Aaaaaaaaaaa!

-------------------

Me: This is nothing doc, right?

Dermatologist: Oh my! We'll schedule your surgery immediately and get that to the lab pronto.

Me: Aaaaaaaaaaa!

--------------------

Me: Don't worry, mommy just has a few stitches here. It doesn't hurt at all, and...

Wee Girl: Aaaaaaaaaaa! [puts head under pillow]

Me: [Wears hats & scarves for rest of week]

--------------------

Me: Hello?

Lab: Hi yes it's all benign bye.

--------------------

So I guess I was just growing an extra head or something, like a Norse troll, or Zaphod Beeblebrox. As a friend remarked, "It's good to have a talent."

 

But I admit my anxiety level made reading a little difficult.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 I know of The New Yorker and The Atlantic and Harpers - are these good choices, or is there something else folks would suggest?

 

 

 

I wouldn't recommend The Atlantic. I can't remember details now, but we didn't renew our subscription. I just remember not being impressed. I'm not sure it's what you're looking for anyway.

[SKL]

Our horse lady lent me another book called "Stolen Lives," a true story about a woman who had been imprisoned in Morocco because of something her father had done.  I just finished the intro parts.

 

Still laboring through that Natural Theology book.  No offense to anyone who likes that sort of thing, but honestly it reads to me like a bunch of people on drugs arguing about crazy stuff because they don't have anything more important to do.  But that probably just means I am ignorant.  :P

 

We finished the Holes audiobook.  My kids said this was the best book club book so far.  Looking forward to finding out what the next selection will be.

 

I finished the Kashmiri Storyteller book (read-aloud) and hope to get back to Little Women, Part II - maybe today.

[Stacia]

:grouphug: :grouphug: , idnib, for you & your dd. Hope she breaks her fever soon & starts feeling better.

 

Rose, I found the word-making in Florence & Giles to be a little strange at first, but soon fell into the cadence of it & it was fine. Overall, it didn't bother me.

 

Amy, :lol:  re: your bell curve comment. I would have never, ever considered my list in that manner. I love your engineering ways! (And, no. No 1-star books because those are the ones that I abandon before finishing. FYI, looks like I've abandoned about 8 so far this year. How does that affect my bell curve if you plug those in as 1-star books?)

 

Kathy, the Queen Elizabeth article is awesome!

 

Jenn, I totally get the rebellious, non-conformist thing of not wanting to read a book to fill in a square. I've never done a full Bingo previously -- just filled in the ones I would read normally anyway.  ;)  Not sure why I'm doing it this time other than I had only 3 spaces left & crstarlette inspired me. BUT, after suffering through 300 pages of "So they rode against each other, exchanging many strong blows. Finding no sure victory, they leaped down from their saddles and raised their swords against each other", yada, yada, yawn -- I am definitely going to try to finish. No other square should be as painful as the Arthurian one was.

 

VC, not to :smilielol5: at your situation, but your retelling had me laughing. Nothing like doctors to give one a heart attack, eh? (Maybe keeps business good.) I do say that if you are growing an extra head (& I had to look up what exactly a Zaphod Beeblebrox is), you should be able to do at least twice the amount of reading next year.... Yes? Speaking of -- I have two ??? (not sure what they're called) on my forehead but years ago, the dermatologist at the time said it was just the stumps from where they sawed off my devil horns.

 

 

And, speaking of devils, I just got a book from a link Kareni posted (The Offbeat Infernal: 5 Books with Unusual Demons and Devils): Snake Agent & it looks promising. Looking forward to reading it. It's about my relatives after all! <bwh-ha-ha> (done in my most evil Vincent Price impersonation). :lol:

 

When a soul goes missing, an occult detective ventures into Hell to retrieve it
 

When the fourteen-year-old daughter of Singapore Three’s most prominent industrialist dies of anorexia, her parents assume that Pearl’s suffering has come to an end. But somewhere along the way to the Celestial Shores, Pearl’s soul is waylaid, lured by an unknown force to the gates of Hell. To save their daughter from eternal banishment, they come to Detective Inspector Wei Chen, whose jurisdiction lies between this world and the next.
 

A round-faced cop who is as serious as his beat is strange, Chen has a demon for a wife and a comfort with the supernatural that most mortals cannot match. But finding Pearl Tang will take him further into the abyss than ever before—to a mystifying place where he will have to cooperate with a demonic detective if he wants to survive. It’s easy, Chen will find, to get into Hell. The hard part is getting out.

Snake Agent is the first of the five Detective Inspector Chen Novels, which continue with The Demon and the City and Precious Dragon.

 

Edited November 8, 2016 by Stacia

[Kareni]

I'm very close to filling in the Bingo card, but we'll see what happens. My rebellious, non-conformist self refuses to read a book just to fill in an arbitrary category, but my fear of being left out self wants to read those last 4 books so I can be a winner, too.  :willy_nilly: Clearly I shouldn't be thinking about it this week.

 

If you like, we could probably make a ballot and vote on the issue ....

 

DD has a 103 fever and DH is out of town, so it's been mostly caretaking and read aloud here.

 

 

That offer reminds me of the King George character in Hamilton, who sings that we will be back.

 

 

Sending cooling thoughts for your daughter.

 

Those are amongst my favorite songs from Hamilton; it was fun to hear them again.

 

No one should waste any sympathy on me; all the excitement is over now. ...

 

Glad to hear that the excitement is over and that all is well.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

I've been watching The Crown on Netflix and have a few more episodes to finish up the season. Maybe that's what I should watch, considering Queen Elizabeth's offer to restore the U.S. to British rule.  :lol:

 

*snort*  Yes!  Let's take her up on it.  Too bad I already voted.  It was a write in vote for my friend Terry who is basically a good person and not under any indictments.  Overqualified to be President to be honest. 

 

No one should waste any sympathy on me; all the excitement is over now. It went like this:

 

Me: So doc, what about this thing growing on my scalp? Think insurance will cover taking it off for aesthetics?

Doctor: Good Lord! I'm making you an appointment with the best dermatologist I know. She's got a three-month wait list but she'll see you tomorrow.

Me: Aaaaaaaaaaa!

-------------------

Me: This is nothing doc, right?

Dermatologist: Oh my! We'll schedule your surgery immediately and get that to the lab pronto.

Me: Aaaaaaaaaaa!

--------------------

Me: Don't worry, mommy just has a few stitches here. It doesn't hurt at all, and...

Wee Girl: Aaaaaaaaaaa! [puts head under pillow]

Me: [Wears hats & scarves for rest of week]

--------------------

Me: Hello?

Lab: Hi yes it's all benign bye.

--------------------

So I guess I was just growing an extra head or something, like a Norse troll, or Zaphod Beeblebrox. As a friend remarked, "It's good to have a talent."

 

But I admit my anxiety level made reading a little difficult.

 

Just the fact that you mentioned Zaphod Beeblebox makes today better.  That sounds so stressful!  I'm glad they were able to get you the results quickly. 

[JennW in SoCal]

If you like, we could probably make a ballot and vote on the issue ....

 

 

Gah!!!  

[Angel]

Matt Smith is my least favourite Doctor so I haven't even watched many of those. 

 

 

 I'm sorry.  So, so sorry.  I'm not sure we can still be friends  :svengo:  :001_tt2:  

 

I have only watched a few older episodes.  Dh is a fan of Tom Baker.  

 

I have found that your favorite Doctor is a very personal thing lol!

 

David Tennant is an amazing actor, and I love him as the Doctor, but I personally think Matt Smith is the Doctor.  

[Robin M]

A few random thoughts before I settle down to cram in preparation for casting my vote tomorrow. I have to make an informed choice on 31 separate ballot measures -- 31!! 17 are California wide and 14 are local. Only have to choose a candidate for 10 offices. It isn't just presidential politics this year that is making us Californians  :banghead:

 

I am also cramming tonight.  Hubby started reading the measures as soon as it arrived, providing plenty of input, gripping, commentary, whatever you want to call it.   I always put it off to the last weekend before, having no desire to dive in until absolutely necessary.    It will be the attack of the   :zombiechase: for the next few days!  :lol:

Edited November 8, 2016 by Robin M

[Kareni]

From the New York Times ~ Natalie Babbitt, 84, Dies; Took On Immortality in ‘Tuck Everlasting’ by Sam Roberts

 

"Natalie Babbitt, a celebrated children’s author and illustrator whose ruminative novel “Tuck Everlasting,†about a family’s immortality, found a fervent readership and inspired two films and a Broadway musical, died on Monday at her home in Hamden, Conn. She was 84...."

 

 

Do you have favorites of her books?  In my house, we enjoyed Tuck Everlasting and The Search for Delicious.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Yesterday I finished reading the historical romance The Soldier's Scoundrel  by Cat Sebastian which I enjoyed.  I suspect this is a book I'll be re-reading.  I'm also looking forward to the next book in the series.  (Adult content)

 

"A scoundrel who lives in the shadows

 

Jack Turner grew up in the darkness of London’s slums, born into a life of crime and willing to do anything to keep his belly full and his siblings safe. Now he uses the tricks and schemes of the underworld to help those who need the kind of assistance only a scoundrel can provide. His distrust of the nobility runs deep and his services do not extend to the gorgeous high-born soldier who personifies everything Jack will never be. 

 

A soldier untarnished by vice

 

After the chaos of war, Oliver Rivington craves the safe predictability of a gentleman’s life—one that doesn’t include sparring with a ne’er-do-well who flouts the law at every turn. But Jack tempts Oliver like no other man has before. Soon his yearning for the unapologetic criminal is only matched by Jack’s pleasure in watching his genteel polish crumble every time they’re together. 

 

Two men meant only for each other"

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Lori D.]

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.

 

More Doctor Who and famous author trivia ;) :

 

Douglas Adams wrote 2 episodes for the ORIGINAL series -- 4th Doctor episodes "Pirate Planet" (of the Key to Time season), and co-wrote "City of Death". Adams also was the show's script editor for season 17 (4th Doctor and the 2nd Romana season).

 

 

Totally have fallen out of keeping up with books and reading for the past 2 weeks as I have been snowed under with editing DH's annotations for his MFA, and now commenting on my Film Class student's long film essay rough drafts...  in the tiny voice of the scientist at the end scene of the 1950s movie The Fly:  ...help me...

[Nan in Mass]

I've been watching The Crown on Netflix and have a few more episodes to finish up the season. Maybe that's what I should watch, considering Queen Elizabeth's offer to restore the U.S. to British rule. :lol:

Brilliant!!!

[Nan in Mass]

Stacia, have you not read Hitchiker,s Guide to the Galaxy? Maybe I,ll read that today. It is a comfort read for my children and me. Our copy is tattered and taped and well travelled.

 

Sending out healing thoughts to everyone, including the US.

 

Nan

[Angel]

I've been skimming the conversations here for the past few weeks.  October turned out to be quite hectic!  It dawned on me that I'm already drawing near 52 books!!!  I'm kind of excited about that!  Here are my latest reads that I (think) I haven't posted.

 

For my "what says Fall to you?" book I scoured Goodreads and came up with Squashed by Joan Bauer.  It was absolutely delightful!  A true young adult book about a teenage girl who grows giant pumpkins in Iowa.  It's the story of her struggle competing for the biggest pumpkin in the adult competition, finding love, overcoming the death of a parent, and all the trials and joys that go with it.  Truly it is hard to find a real young adult book anymore, as a large percentage have adult content masquerading as a young adult book.  Anyway, this fit my Fall category better than I could have hoped for.  I highly recommend it!

 

The Jane Austen book I wanted to listen to next was unavailable so I downloaded Robert Jordan's New Spring.  It's a shorter book, and I figured it would be a good filler until Emma came available.  I ended up listening to it all the way through.  Though I didn't care for how The Wheel of Time ended, I still like the characters and enjoyed visiting with them again!

 

Aly and I finished our first biology read aloud, For Darkness Shows  the Stars by Diana Peterfreund.  It was suggested as a fiction book about the effects of genetic engineering.  The book didn't get into the genetic engineering in depth, but there was still a small tie in.  We both really enjoyed it.  The storyline is a dystopian take on Jane Austen's Persuasion.  There were just the right amount of differences to help it be its own story, though.   Another highly recommended YA book, especially those who enjoy Austen's Persuasion.

 

Since we were reading For Darkness Shows the Stars, I decided that my next Austen audio book would be Persuasion instead of Emma.  Persuasion was one of the first audio books I ever listened to all the way through.  It was fun to be listening to it as we were finishing up the other book.  Like I've said before, listening to the Austen books has brought out some subtleties  that I have overlooked in previous readings.  One thing that stuck out to me this time, other than the vainness of Anne's father, was how homey the Harville's, the Croft's, and the Musgrove's were.  It's no wonder that Anne desired to spend more of her time with them!  

 

Persuasion is #47 for the year!  I thoroughly recommend Squashed!  And For Darkness Shows the Stars was another good YA too!

 

We were doing the A to Z Challenge in my Book Club, just for fun, and I'm getting close with that as well.  I want to check out the BaW Bingo because I might have quite a few there, too!  I'm pleased with my reading so far this year.  

[fastweedpuller]

I finished Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi this morning, and now I feel like I can handle the day's events.

 

Despite waffling on fiction, when this book showed up in my Overdrive holds much earlier than I expected it to, I decided to just go ahead and read it.  I am so glad I did!  It had always been a missing puzzle piece my own knowledge of history (how did Africans enslave Africans) and this story of linked stories filled it in for me...whereas before I would watch the scary parts through my fingers, intentionally missing the gory action.  I am so glad I uncovered my eyes.

 

Hugs again, Sadie! and Jane too.  Jennifer, sheesh I am glad MI never gets around to ballot measures.  VC, MM, heal well, though VC you did have us all laughing.  And MM, please keep on reading and reviewing the YA stuff, my kiddo is now "into" that genre.  Erin, I know well your feeling about TV viewing, I get the nagging pressure too, like, "I think my time would be better spent with that bad book I am reading."  Idnib, I hope you still enjoy your Dreiser.  Stacia...hate to tell you but...when we disbud (dehorn) our goats, it leaves divots, not lumps!  (and it's their fave spot for you to scratch).  And Angela, I hope that book still is giving you all kinds of insights, though I am with you on the blushing end of the spectrum! 

[Karen A]

So, since I last checked in I've started another Georgette Heyer (thanks for the Cotillion recommendation).

 

I also checked a preloaded Kindle out of the library that had 163 books (best-sellers) loaded on it.  One can check it out for 3 weeks, and it's non-renewable...).  I managed to read

 

a Malcolm Gladwell book with a title about David/Goliath something--I don't even remember the title, actually. 

The Fault in our Stars - not as good as I had imagined it would be

Marie Kondo's book.  This one made me laugh out loud.  I doubt I'm likely to become a tidy person, but every time I ball my socks folding laundry, I might giggle.  (She is adamantly against the balling socks practice, as they ought to be allowed to rest when not working hard protecting our feet...)

Orphan Train - sweet, nice read.  Kept me from housecleaning)

 

I've never really used a Kindle before, and I like that I could fit it in my purse and tote it around so easily.

 

I also cried through When Breath Becomes Air.  It was beautifully written, and hit close to home.

 

Enjoying this thread, as always.

 

 

 

[Mom-ninja.]

I will be back to catch up. I just got back from a 4 day trip to NYC. It was an anniversary present to go to a New York Comedy Festival show. 

 

 

I'm still listening to Trigger Warning and I'm reading Sleights of Mind and started the first Harry Potter book in German. It takes me a lot longer to read in German. ;) However, the story still sucks me in despite it requiring more work for me to read. I guess it's good practice for me to remind myself what's it like to read when you have dyslexia. It helps me remember what the struggle feels like so that I have more patience and guidance for my boys.