Robin M Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Happy Sunday dear hearts! This is the beginning of week 2 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 - happy birthday Haruki Murakami: Jubilant January wouldn't be the same without Haruki Murakami. He's a fan favorite with 52 Books and has become our traditional first readalong of the year. I was introduced to his writing with 1Q84 and as Murakami said, it is a mind bending ode to George Orwell's 1984. Synopsis: Japan's most highly regarded novelist now vaults into the first ranks of international fiction writers with this heroically imaginative novel, which is at once a detective story, an account of a disintegrating marriage, and an excavation of the buried secrets of World War II. In a Tokyo suburb a young man named Toru Okada searches for his wife's missing cat. Soon he finds himself looking for his wife as well in a netherworld that lies beneath the placid surface of Tokyo. As these searches intersect, Okada encounters a bizarre group of allies and antagonists: a psychic prostitute; a malevolent yet mediagenic politician; a cheerfully morbid sixteen-year-old-girl; and an aging war veteran who has been permanently changed by the hideous things he witnessed during Japan's forgotten campaign in Manchuria. Murakami's imaginative writing sucks you into his stories and won't let you go until the end. After delving in The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, then Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, I admit his stories can be a bit strange. However he gives readers plenty to think about regarding the the conscious and the unconscious mind. This year we'll be diving into Norwegian Wood, the book that propelled Murakami into the international spotlight. Synopsis: Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable. As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman. A poignant story of one college student’s romantic coming-of-age, Norwegian Wood takes us to that distant place of a young man’s first, hopeless, and heroic love. Should you decide Norwegian Wood isn't right for you, dive into another one of his fiction novels, explore his short stories or non fiction essays. A new book is being released in February in Japan, however the title and story synopsis hasn't been released yet. Want to find out more about Murakami - Check out his website, follow him on facebook, peak into his interviews in Japan Times on music, jazz and the brain, and danish award. Happy Birthday, Haruki Murakami! What are you reading this week? Link to week 1 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) Plus wish a very Happy Birthday to our wonderful, winsome, witty Rosie_0801 Happy Birthday Rosie! Edited January 8, 2017 by Robin M 38 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastweedpuller Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hey, Watanabe! I finished Norwegian Wood yesterday. Quite a good read, made me want to pick up a guitar :) 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I finished my first book of the year, A Darker Shade of Magic. I just want to point out that the author is female. ;) I liked the book. It was different. Haven't decided if I'll read the sequels. Maybe I will at some point. The only character I truly came to enjoy and care about was Lilah. She's a fun character. 30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 If Whitehead's novel The Underground Railroad does not make it to my top five list for 2017, I will be surprised. Five stars with the caveat that this is not a book for our gentle readers. In fact, given some of the harrowing scenes, one needs to be mentally prepared to face this one. I found myself gasping for air on more than one occasion. As noted yesterday, I had not realized that The Underground Railroad involves an alternative history of the US. More on this can be found in this review from the Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/articles/toward-a-more-perfect-union-1470432474 If you wish to be surprised as I was, don't read the review. I'll probably finish Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart (courtesy of Secret Santa) today. Hmmm...not sure what to think of it at this point but I suspect the ending will either resolve things or leave me scratching my head. Anyone want to talk about this book? We saw the movie Hidden Figures this weekend. :D Yes that is Jane grinning ear to ear. This is a film for girls, space freaks, engineers, geeks. How many films have "Use Euler's Method" as a punch line? But there was a fatal flaw: I don't recall seeing a single slide rule. :confused: :confused: :confused: Bring out your pocket protector and see this film! 33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 I finished Ben Kane's historical fiction novel Spartacus: The Gladiator set in 74 BC. I don't read a lot of historical fiction so am very picky about the books. Although a violent subject, Kane does an excellent job with making history fascinating. His Forgotten Legion series is great! Dove into Steve Berry's The Alexandria Link (#2 Cotton Malone series) last night and it's non stop action from the beginning. 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Second week here we come! Thanks, Robin. I've read a couple of mysteries and am now working my way through Salley Vickers' book - Miss Garnet's Angel. So far, I love this book. Here's the blurb from the back for anyone who may be wanting to read this for the birthstone challenge. "Miss Julia Garnet, prompted by the death of a friend, goes to live in an out-of-the-way corner of Venice. Here she meets Nicco, a beautiful Italian boy, Carlo, an art dealer, and the enigmatic English twins engaged in restoring the Chapel-of-the-Plague, whose mysterious history includes a lost fourteenth-century diptych. She is drawn to the paintings in the local church, which tell the story of Tobias and the Angel. The ancient tale of Tobias, who travels to Media to collect a family debt unaware that he is accompanied by the Archangel Raphael, unfolds alongside Julia Garnet's own story. As she unravels the story's history, Julia's life is thrown into a new and sometimes disturbing light." I'm also reading Sasha Abramsky's The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives. Interestingly, I'm finding what makes up my TBR lists for 2017 includes more nonfiction than usual - particularly, economic based, books on racism in the US, books of resistance from around the world, and biographies. Between that and the mystery series I get hooked on, we'll see how my actual reading unfolds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I finished 2 books this week: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28425755-war-and-turpentine Is a Prize Winner from a Flemish author, translated into English, German, French, Danish, Afrikanisch etc. The book is about the Great War era (WWI) in Flanders. It is written in memoire style, so there are no well rounded chapters, just longer and shorter sections. The book jumps in time setting so you have to be alert during reading. For Flemish Literature this is a very decent book. Most Flemish Literature has dramatic ends (suicides, rape, shoot accidents) and a huge amount of swearing. I also finished 'In search of Anne Bronte' from Nick Holland, owner of www.annebronte.org. https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/27219807-in-search-of-anne-bront As I read Julliet Barkers book recently, I was afraid this book would be too repeating. But I thought Julliets book had a focus on Charlotte and Emily, and found this book a valuable supplement. As I like Agnes Grey very much, I liked to read about the paralells with her own life. The English was also more close to my reading level in English, which made that I finished the book quickly. I continued my readings in War and Peace (in Dutch). 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I'm working my way through "Last Year" by Robert Charles Wilson. I adore time travel, alternate versions of Earth, multiverse kinds of books and this one isn't bad. I prefered Gary Gibson's Apocalypse duology to this one. After I finish this one I think I'll go back to Bee Ridgway's "The River of No Return" since I started reading it a couple of years ago. It really is a good book, I promise. :D 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) I finished reading Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes. This is my "Selected by a Friend" Bingo square book - originally suggested by Stacia, and the book kindly sent to me by Jane. I really, really liked it. It wasn't what I was expecting. It wasn't really magical realism at all. It had an interesting intersection of traditional and modern Ghanian culture, but entirely on African terms. And it was a good detective story. All about how we know what we know and the power of stories. I'm almost done wrapping up the books I started last year, just one left that I'm working on - The World of Ice and Fire, which is a prequel/history of the GoT world. New things I've started in 2017 (although they aren't all new to me) are Northanger Abbey (Shannon will be reading it), Death Comes to Pemberley (we just finished P&P), Girls & Sex, King John: Treachery and Tyranny in Medieval England (we're going to see a film version of King John today), A Clash of Kings (I'm done with the HBO series, so re-reading the GoT books to remember what was different), and Shift (the sequel to Wool, actually a prequel). My current audio - still listening to Atlantic. Ducking tomatoes, I abandoned Gaudy Night - I just wasn't getting into it, it was feeling like a slog. I appreciate Dorothy Sayers, but I guess I just wasn't in the mood. So I have to find something else for my "Book with "Night" in the title" category - I'm thinking of The Night Circus, Midnight Robber, or The Bear and the Nightingale. Edited January 8, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I finished Prague Winter and A Christmas Party, both good in their own ways. Today, I started The Nordic Theory of Everything by Anu Partanen, a non-fiction recommended to me by my librarian/friend. It will count for my first bingo square this year. 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Happy Birthday, Rosie! 🎂 I read 5 books this past week: Dark Matter by BlakeCrouch. Science fiction. Loved it! All is Grace by Brennan Manning. Memoir Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sereptys. YA historical fiction. This was so good!! I actually screamed out loud a few times at the intense parts. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I thought I would love this but, alas, it was a disappointing read for me. Tribe by Sebastian Junger. Non-fiction We start school tomorrow so my reading will probably slow down quite a bit. Right now I am reading: Underground Airline by Ben Winter. Lab Girl Uninvited by Lysa TerKuerst. Ithaca by Patrick Dillon 31 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) Where's Toto posted near the end of the Week One thread, but in case you missed it, the Kindle edition of Hidden Figures is currently on sale for $1.99. I probably wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't posted, so a big Thank You to her! Most of the time I'm content to wait long hold periods for a book at the library, but when the price drops significantly like in this case, I go ahead and buy it. It helps that I read most of my books on Kindle anyway. Edited January 8, 2017 by Lady Florida. 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Ducking tomatoes, I abandoned Gaudy Night - I just wasn't getting into it, it was feeling like a slog. I appreciate Dorothy Sayers, but I guess I just wasn't in the mood. So I have to find something else for my "Book with "Night" in the title" category - I'm thinking of The Night Circus, Midnight Robber, or The Bear and the Nightingale. I vote for Night Circus. For me it was unputdownable! 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I finished reading Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes. This is my "Selected by a Friend" Bingo square book - originally suggested by Stacia, and the book kindly sent to me by Jane. I really, really liked it. It wasn't what I was expecting. It wasn't really magical realism at all. It had an interesting intersection of traditional and modern Ghanian culture, but entirely on African terms. And it was a good detective story. All about how we know what we know and the power of stories. I'm almost done wrapping up the books I started last year, just one left that I'm working on - The World of Ice and Fire, which is a prequel/history of the GOT world. New things I've started in 2017 (although they aren't all new to me) are Northanger Abbey (Shannon will be reading it), Death Comes to Pemberley (we just finished P&P), Girls & Sex, King John: Treachery and Tyranny in Medieval England (we're going to see a film version of King John today), A Clash of Kings (I'm done with the HBO series, so re-reading the GTO books to remember what was different), and Shift (the sequel to Wool, actually a prequel). My current audio - still listening to Atlantic. Ducking tomatoes, I abandoned Gaudy Night - I just wasn't getting into it, it was feeling like a slog. I appreciate Dorothy Sayers, but I guess I just wasn't in the mood. So I have to find something else for my "Book with "Night" in the title" category - I'm thinking of The Night Circus, Midnight Robber, or The Bear and the Nightingale. I vote for Night Circus. For me it was unputdownable! Second The Night Circus. Beautifully magical. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Checking in. I finished 2 this week: Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea (thank you Robin) and the 4th Belgariad book, Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings. I read Gift from the Sea on the treadmill and thought it was a good one to read at the start of the year. Just a short book of essays she wrote while alone on an island and thinking about stages of life and marriage, particularly for a woman. It made me want to read more about her; maybe later in the year I'll look for a bio or more by her. I now have one left in the Belgariad series which I'm enjoying. My challenge for the rest of the month is to read some books lying around here and see if I can then donate a few to the library book sale. Our biggest sale is in February but they close donations for it around the end of the month so they can prepare for the sale. I'll keep checking in for the next few days but will probably drop out at some point if the thread is as long as last week's! I'm starting a class on Tuesday to start earning some credits to renew my teaching credential. Starting to think about the next phase of life after home schooling. Wouldn't want to teach full time, but a part time position would be perfect. I was a high school math teacher once. I'm taking college algebra just to get it all back in my head. The content should be easy for me; we'll see how I do with managing one more thing in a busy life! Will try to keep reading too. 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schadenfreude Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 This week I have started Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas and The Bible Unearthed by Israel Finkelsrein and Neil Silberman. I'm expecting it to take me a couple weeks to get them done as one is kind of dry and the other is large. 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) Happy birthday, Rosie! My first book by Murakami was 1Q84, which is not the book I would recommend as a first time read. I enjoyed my second read Norwegian Wood and plan on reading more Murakami in the future. Books read last week: Golden Son (Red Rising #2) by Pierce Brown. Science Fiction. After rising to the top of the ruling class, a low-born man finds himself in peril as enemies seek to pull him down. Described as a mix between Hunger Games and Ender’s Game, Brown brings to mind the style of the traditional pulp science fiction. There isn’t much science, but it’s an absorbing action/adventure read. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 edited by John Joseph Adams. Science Fiction/Fantasy. A better selection than past years, the stories range from a young girl, while playing games with her brother, discovering she might be something more to an alternative history of the Stonewall Riots. My favorite was Catherynne Valente’s wonderfully bizarre xeno-biology story “Planet Lionâ€. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Contemporary Fiction. A university student searches for his place in the world while his romantic interest deals with mental illness and his best friend challenges him for more. After wading through 1Q84, I found Murakami’s writing here magical. “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.†The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi. Science Fiction. Society crumbles as the western United States deals with a severe, prolonged drought. From the beginning, I knew it would be tough to enjoy this novel as the author makes a major geographical error. Texans flee the state as drought and hurricanes devastate the major cities. For unknown reasons, water falling in Houston can’t move any further west towards San Antonio (200 mi/320 km away) or Austin (165 mi/265 km) despite no geological structures stopping weather circulation yet enough rain falls in the West to keep the Colorado River flowing, but not the Rio Grande. A major part of the setting, Phoenix, Arizona is 1000 mi/1600 km west from Austin, Texas; it’s not believable refugees desperate for water would flee so far through semi-arid land when more temperate cities are much closer. Driving east, Atlanta, Georgia is 50 miles/80 km closer and north, Chicago, Illinois is only 100 mi/160 km more. I spent the remaining book noting the other errors in logistics, infrastructure, law, regulation, and more geography as well as fuming over the mind-boggling amounts of violence inflicted on women. I liked The Windup Girl, but this book was a disappointment. Giant by Enda Ferber. Western. The patriarch of a Texas ranching family struggles to hold onto his land in a changing world. After spotting a movie mural of James Dean in Las Vegas, I chose this book as my Western read. It was enjoyable at first, a biting satire of wealthy Texans, but the story grew thin towards the end. Winner of the 1952 Pulitzer Prize. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Science Fiction. A scientist confronts the consequences of his unnatural creation. Selected as part of the How Great Science Fiction Works course guide, I thought it an interesting reflection on the consequences of scientific discovery. The Plover by Brian Doyle. Magical Realism. A man seeks only to be an island on the ocean and his boat but finds in his travels, no man is alone. As a poster noted before, it’s as much an experience as a journey. A lovely, poetic read. “But he was wise enough even at twenty to see that what many would call an utter and admirable freedom was also a sort of thicket or wilderness, in which, by virtue of being able to take any path he chose, he was lost in a dense jungle of the possible, the sheer welter of which sometimes overwhelmed him. The irony was, he thought, that as soon as you chose a path, you mourned and regretted the ones that you did not choose; but to choose none was to moon uselessly over them all, and thus be imprisoned by impasse. How very many people, he thought as he walked through the catchbirdtrees by the lake, were frozen by the weight of their potential, the imposing alps of their dreams?†Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Historical Fiction – Tudor England. Born a commoner, Thomas Cromwell bullies and charms those around him to rise to the power behind the throne. After reading many books on the Tudors and Boleyns, this was the first that made the political intrigue boring, with too many asides and descriptions plus a confusing dialogue practice (the tag “he says†doesn’t make clear who’s speaking). Wolf Hall won the 2012 Booker prize. Redshirts by John Scalzi. Science Fiction. New ensigns on a space ship discover they are likely to die on away missions and seek to find the reason. It’s a fun, easy read for fans of Star Trek. My next reads are A Dream in Polar Fog and Morning Star. I’m still working my way through Understanding Cultural and Human Geography, a good listen if you like the intersection of geography, ecology, and history (I'd call it an academically correct Guns, Germs, and Steel). I have surgery Thursday, and I’m a bit nervous as it’s my first surgery besides my c-sections. I’ve been stuck on the couch or in bed since Christmas so I hope by the following week, I’ll be reading less and moving more. Edited January 8, 2017 by ErinE 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hey, Watanabe! I finished Norwegian Wood yesterday. Quite a good read, made me want to pick up a guitar :) :lol: :lol: :lol: What a perfect summary. I really did like Norwegian Wood. Second week here we come! Thanks, Robin. I've read a couple of mysteries and am now working my way through Salley Vickers' book - Miss Garnet's Angel. So far, I love this book. Here's the blurb from the back for anyone who may be wanting to read this for the birthstone challenge. "Miss Julia Garnet, prompted by the death of a friend, goes to live in an out-of-the-way corner of Venice. Here she meets Nicco, a beautiful Italian boy, Carlo, an art dealer, and the enigmatic English twins engaged in restoring the Chapel-of-the-Plague, whose mysterious history includes a lost fourteenth-century diptych. She is drawn to the paintings in the local church, which tell the story of Tobias and the Angel. The ancient tale of Tobias, who travels to Media to collect a family debt unaware that he is accompanied by the Archangel Raphael, unfolds alongside Julia Garnet's own story. As she unravels the story's history, Julia's life is thrown into a new and sometimes disturbing light." I'm also reading Sasha Abramsky's The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives. Interestingly, I'm finding what makes up my TBR lists for 2017 includes more nonfiction than usual - particularly, economic based, books on racism in the US, books of resistance from around the world, and biographies. Between that and the mystery series I get hooked on, we'll see how my actual reading unfolds. I'm glad you are enjoying Miss Garnet's Angel. I am looking forward to starting it but need to finish some other books so I can turn my reader back on. All my holds are coming in on overdrive. I have several suspended which I thought was good planning but seem to be getting slammed by ones that had a couple of people a head of me. Technically I understand but it is frustrating. I am returning books unread so I won't lose my holds and trying to read a stack in the next day or two. No quilting for me! Happy Birthday Rosie!!!!! 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 I have surgery Thursday, and I’m a bit nervous as it’s my first surgery besides my c-sections. I’ve been stuck on the couch or in bed since Christmas so I hope by the following week, I’ll be reading less and moving more. :grouphug: and good thoughts and prayers heading your way! 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmaNZ Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I finished cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I enjoyed all the medical details. It picked up at the end, but was a bit stodgy through the middle. Pretty proud of myself for reading a book longer than 500 pages in less than a week though (I am not a fast reader like many of you appear to be). I think I am going to start All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West tonight. I read it when I was a teen still living at home and found it whilst rummaging on my mum's bookshelves whilst we were visiting at Christmas. I vaguely remember enjoying it, so would like to see how much I have changed over the intervening years! After that I am excited to try one of the books mentioned on these threads. It's so nice to chat about books (even just listening in), because I don't really have anybody to chat to IRL about these things. My hubby just rolls his eyes 😂 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) Checking in. I finished 2 this week: Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea (thank you Robin) My challenge for the rest of the month is to read some books lying around here and see if I can then donate a few to the library book sale. I'll keep checking in for the next few days but will probably drop out at some point if the thread is as long as last week's! I'm starting a class on Tuesday to start earning some credits to renew my teaching credential. Starting to think about the next phase of life after home schooling. Wouldn't want to teach full time, but a part time position would be perfect. I was a high school math teacher once. I'm taking college algebra just to get it all back in my head. The content should be easy for me; we'll see how I do with managing one more thing in a busy life! Will try to keep reading too. Glad you are enjoying it. I need to do the same with my books - read all my dusty print books and then cull out some to give away or donate. Please don't disappear completely. It's always a bit hectic the first three or four weeks, then calms down. Awesome and best wishes for renewing your credential. We are doing algebra now with James and I've forgotten so much. Hubby looks at me like I've lost my head sometimes so I've turned math over to him. :laugh: As yoda says, do or do not, there is no try. Keep on reading, reading, reading. :grouphug: Edited January 8, 2017 by Robin M 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I read Martha's Vineyard: Isle of Dreams - 5 Stars - There’s so much to love about Susan Branch’s beautiful books. Her style is engaging and cozy and the water-colored illustrations are gorgeous. Her books encourage me to want to try out some of her recipes. If I could, I would give her books away to all my favorite friends. This book is the second in a series of three memoirs. In this one, she’s making a new life for herself after a painful divorce. Her final book (“A Fine Romanceâ€) is my favorite. That one is more of a travelogue through Britain. Some of my favorite quotes: “… because commonsensically speaking, a room full of good books had to better for your health than a room with no books in it at all.†“And you know what helps loneliness? Beauty. Your heart can be sad, but it will leap at the sight of the moon on the water, or when light flickers through the leaves and flutters like butterfly wings on the wall. You might fall back into sadness, but then, thank goodness, you see something else, even the smallest of things, a pink rose in a vase, an amazing line of inspiration in a book, kitty paws the way they fold over each other, and it leaps again.†“In all my days I’d never considered anything more important than home. In a chaotic world, it was sanctuary, it was where love grew.†and Boy: Tales of Childhood - 3 Stars - Reading this was such a pleasure, since Roald Dahl’s books were among our favorites when my children were younger. I haven’t yet seriously ventured into his books for adults. I tried to read one of them, but it was dark and I was sitting alone in the car and got seriously scared. I still want to give them a go and haven’t quite given up yet. Anyway, I digress. This is an easy and quick read as far as autobiographies go. It’s not a complete autobiography, however, just enjoyable stories about his childhood. I’ve always enjoyed Dahl’s writing style. This part touched me. Roald Dahl was sent to boarding school at the age of nine. “From my very first Sunday at St. Peter’s until the day my mother died thirty-two years later, I wrote to her once a week, sometimes more often, whenever I was away from home. I wrote to her every week from St. Peter’s, and every week from my next school, Repton, and every week from Dar es Salaam in East Africa, where I went on my first job after leaving school, and then every week during the war from Kenya and Iraq and Egypt when I was flying with the RAF. My mother, for her part, kept every one of those letters, binding them carefully in neat bundles with green tape, but this was her own secret. She never told me she was doing it. In 1957, when she knew she was dying, I was in hospital in Oxford having a serious operation on my spine and I was unable to write to her. So she had a telephone specially installed beside her bed in order that she might have one last conversation with me. She didn’t tell me she was dying nor did anyone else for that matter because I was in a fairly serious condition myself at the time. She simply asked me how I was and hoped I would get better soon and sent me her love. I had no idea that she would die the next day, but she knew all right and she wanted to reach out and speak to me for the last time.†And his father: “He harboured a curious theory about how to develop a sense of beauty in the minds of his children. Every time my mother became pregnant, he would wait until the last three months of her pregnancy and then he would announce to her that ‘the glorious walks’ must begin. These glorious walks consisted of him taking her to places of great beauty in the countryside and waking with her for about an hour each day so that she could absorb the splendor of the surroundings. His theory was that if the eye of a pregnant woman was constantly observing the beauty of nature, this beauty would somehow become transmitted to the mind of the unborn baby within her womb and that baby would grow up to be a lover of beautiful things. This was the treatment that all of his children." 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. 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I have surgery Thursday, and I’m a bit nervous as it’s my first surgery besides my c-sections. I’ve been stuck on the couch or in bed since Christmas so I hope by the following week, I’ll be reading less and moving more. Erin, thinking of you so all goes well and that you recover nicely. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Happy birthday Rosie! My first book by Murakami was 1Q84, which is not the book I would recommend as a first time read. I enjoyed my second read Norwegian Wood and plan on reading more Murakami in the future. 1Q84 was also my first Murakami read, two years ago when I joined BaW. Funny thing is I was just coming here to say it was a great introduction! This week I finished a few books: Night School: This is a Jack Reacher book. It was enjoyable, but I much prefer the early books in which Reacher is sort of a lone wolf. I hope this idea of him being called in to do work for the government as part of a team is not a recurring thing. There was barely a nod to some of the appealing things that were always in the early novels. Not happy. The Return of The King: This is the 3rd book in the LoTR trilogy, which has been our family's read aloud for over a year. (And before that, we read The Hobbit.) We've gone very slowly, supplementing with our own drawings and The Atlas of Middle Earth, plus a trip to Oxford while we were in the UK. There was saw some original Tolkien art, the botanical garden where he used to spend time, and some other related points of interest. Yesterday was the culmination of this large project, with the exception of DS looking over the appendices today. The Plover: This turned out to be a wonderful book. Thank you Stacia! Haunting, poetic, and with a certain level of humanity that I feel is so often missing from the modern industrialized world. I enjoyed the long sentences and the lists. I will definitely check out more books from Brian Doyle. I ams still working on The Underground Railroad and Euphoria, the latter having been set aside for the former. I've also been taking a long break from Michener's Hawaii, but I think I might pick it back up after reading The Plover. I had really enjoyed the earlier part of the book the most, which was mostly about oral histories, way finding, etc and had become a bit depressed after the whaling ships and missionaries arrived. 26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrow Gate Academy Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I found this week that I had too much going on and really wasn't up to focusing on a new book, so I decided to find a reread instead. I finished the first book in Anne Bishop's Others series, Written in Red, for the third time and will most likely read through books two through four between now and March 7th when the 5th book, Etched in Bone is scheduled for release. Here is a link to my review from last year. As a bonus it fills in the Science Fiction square for Bingo and meets the Birthstone bookology challenge with the color in the title. :hurray: For my year long read I finished two chapters of Bauer's The History of the Ancient World. I hope to continue reading a minimum of 2 chapters a week. I also gave audiobooks a try with my new Kindle fire and have listened to the first three short stories of Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Hopefully I'll be able to renew it on Overdrive because I don't think I'll make it through all the stories this week. On deck for this week, I have several library books to choose from, but will most likely read Assassin's Apprentice by Hobb. I also downloaded Murakami's The Strange Library which I will definitely be able to finish. 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 For my second book, I finished Hillbilly Elegy. It was a fast, compelling read to me. I live in appalachia technically, and although I did not recognize the exact hillbilly characteristics, I did recognize the poverty, drugs, and educational challenges that come from a small town type upbringing. It gave me some things to think about and reminded me how fortunate I was to have a stable family. I was also reminded what an impact my friends' parents who graduated from Harvard and told me I could do the same. Neither of my parents graduated from college and I didn't really think about it much at that age. I didn't go to Harvard, or any Ivy League school, but it made me think how many people can affect you positively. And also how I rose up in school to keep up with my friends whose parents had such expectations. One of my goals for 2017 is to try to find a way to be a help, influence, mentor type of some sort to children who need the support. His story solidified that adults, related and not, can really impact a child who needs it. I need to find my part to play. 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Anyone ready to talk Norwegian Wood? As I wrote last week, it appealed to me on many different levels from the deeply personal to the anthropological. I've been itching to touch on the culture. I minored in Japanese studies in college, had some good friends from Japan, taught English to Japanese students and now my ds is living there and teaching in a high school. I wanted to share a bit of what he said after I texted him a line Midori says early on the book. College is such a relief! It's full of ordinary people. My ds immediately understood and explained more in depth, which I'll paraphrase. Japanese childhood is relatively free, and since the crime rate is so low, kids have the freedom to wander around even in the big cities. Then starting in middle school and accelerating into high school the kids have NO free time resulting in either workaholism or giving up and dropping out or being shunted into less prestigious schools. And they truly have no time to call their own -- school is 8 hours long, then there are clubs after hours followed by cram school afterwards. It is all about the struggle to get into a good college. But college on the other hand is seen as an excuse for the students to finally live their own lives and go crazy. My ds says the teachers have all told him they didn't work at all in college! Nagasawa is the perfect example of this - he has gotten into a good college so his career path will be set, and he gets to party every night. After college the workaholism kicks back in -- it is what is expected by society. He said if the boss gets mad at you, you don't commiserate with your co-workers because THEY shame you, too. The kids who give up early on sometimes become recluses, literal shut-ins (hikikomori), or they drop out after middle school and go work in the family business. The suicide rate in Japan is 60% higher than other western countries -- it is the leading cause of death of young men. And the mental health system is slim to non-existent by our standards. When you are in a culture that values conformity to a group rather than the rights and needs of the individual, well, it would seem that standard Western psychotherapy wouldn't work! I have often wondered what kind of therapy would in an East Asian culture. I'm not trying to reduce Norwegian Wood to a commentary on the Japanese educational system; it is much, much more than that. But to me it was fascinating to understand the culture which Watanabe, Midori, and Naoko inhabit. 26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelaboord Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) Erin, hope your surgery goes well!! I finished two books last week, but I had been working on one of them since November at least. The Child with Special Needs - Dr. Stanley Greenspan. Definitely a book for the reference shelf and best read in small doses in order to absorb at least a fraction of the information, but really, really helpful. Geared toward autistic preschoolers, but useable with school children as well as for children with other needs, such as Down Syndrome. It took me forever to read, but I did it! Now I need to go back and reread sections and take notes. Roses Among Thorns: Simple Advice for Renewing Your Spiritual Journey. This is a collection of excerpted writings from St. Francis de Sales on many topics. It's short and lends itself to picking up and putting down as needed. St. Francis de Sales is one of my favorite saints, and I felt like beginning the year with a reread of his practical wisdom would be a good idea. Like Rosie, I've become a bit superstitious about my first book of the year. Books I have going now... (far too many and I am a bit overwhelmed!)... Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, Michael Lewis (Finance, Bingo) Norwegian Wood -- just came yesterday and I picked it up last night and dog eared the page with the same quote that ErinE shared. This is my first Murakami novel. The Gene - nonfiction Night Circus I Contain Multitudes - Ed Yong, nonfiction And I just picked up Gary Taubes' The Case Against Sugar today with a gift card. I just need to pick one and settle down with it! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Edited January 8, 2017 by Angelaboord 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Well, I started the year off well, but I didn't get anything.else.done. I doubt I'll be able to keep up this pace! This has been vacation week still, so mostly I've procrastinated on getting the decorations taken down, but real life will pick up again very soon... I finished: Hollow City - 2nd book in Miss Peregrine series. Fun, light, kind of getting tired of the old picture trope, but may still read the third sometime. I have a hard time cutting out before stories end... Autobiography of Red - Story in verse (says it's a novel, but it's very short). Based on an ancient Greek myth but set in modern times. Trippy. Dd recommended it; she's currently on a big Anne Carson kick. Between the World and Me - Also very short, first thing I've read on my phone (from Overdrive). Very readable, it's written from the author to his 15yo son about growing up black in America. I really liked it. Ancillary Justice - recommended by a friend. Haven't read any sci fi in a while. I really liked the voice/character of Breq/One Esk/Justice of Toren. Argh, how do you guys manage series? The next one is already on my to-read list; not sure how soon I'll get to it? Currently/still reading: Miss Garnet's Angel - only a chapter in. Like it so far. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex - also just a bit in, but enjoying it so far. Wonder if this will finally spur me to get through Moby Dick (which isn't even currently in my to-read pile..) I tried to get through Moby Dick a number of years back when I did a whole unit on Whaling with my kids. I think maaaybe if I listened to it instead? Has anyone done the audio of Moby Dick? La peste - just getting though a section every day or two slowly. The sections are nice and short. If this actually works, maybe I can someday use the same method to get through Don Quixote, which I tried to do that with once before, but I didn't have a reading support group to check in with. :) I've been meaning to get through Don Quixote (which sits on my shelf shaming me) for well nigh 30 years or so... And still slooowly listening to Jane Eyre in the car with dd. When we finally finish that someday, I'd like to read The Wide Sargasso Sea, just for me. I'm hoping to start Dr. Zhivago on audio for when I'm in the car without dd, but don't have it yet. It's been working well to have a book on my phone; I think I might do most of them nonfiction, as I find those easier to put down and pick up, so for me are suited to reading short bursts than fiction. Trying to find a method that takes advantage of downtime (like driving or waiting) plus a real book that often ends up taking more focused attention (and leads to other things not getting done as much as I'd like...) I don't think I'm going to end up embarking on a Murakami this year. Sounds somewhat interesting, but the descriptions have not really been grabbing me. I'm trying to start with things I think will keep me going so I get the reading habit back. First things first... I do think I will try to participate in some of the other monthly themes, as some of them overlap well with things already on my to-read list; I'll just have to time them right. ;D And hey, if I keep up at anywhere near this pace, maybe I will get to 52 books (or a prime nearby...) But I probably shouldn't get ahead of myself... 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samba Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I read Martha's Vineyard: Isle of Dreams - 5 Stars - There’s so much to love about Susan Branch’s beautiful books. Her style is engaging and cozy and the water-colored illustrations are gorgeous. Her books encourage me to want to try out some of her recipes. If I could, I would give her books away to all my favorite friends. This book is the second in a series of three memoirs. In this one, she’s making a new life for herself after a painful divorce. Her final book (“A Fine Romanceâ€) is my favorite. That one is more of a travelogue through Britain. Some of my favorite quotes: “… because commonsensically speaking, a room full of good books had to better for your health than a room with no books in it at all.†“And you know what helps loneliness? Beauty. Your heart can be sad, but it will leap at the sight of the moon on the water, or when light flickers through the leaves and flutters like butterfly wings on the wall. You might fall back into sadness, but then, thank goodness, you see something else, even the smallest of things, a pink rose in a vase, an amazing line of inspiration in a book, kitty paws the way they fold over each other, and it leaps again.†“In all my days I’d never considered anything more important than home. In a chaotic world, it was sanctuary, it was where love grew.†and Boy: Tales of Childhood - 3 Stars - Reading this was such a pleasure, since Roald Dahl’s books were among our favorites when my children were younger. I haven’t yet seriously ventured into his books for adults. I tried to read one of them, but it was dark and I was sitting alone in the car and got seriously scared. I still want to give them a go and haven’t quite given up yet. Anyway, I digress. This is an easy and quick read as far as autobiographies go. It’s not a complete autobiography, however, just enjoyable stories about his childhood. I’ve always enjoyed Dahl’s writing style. This part touched me. Roald Dahl was sent to boarding school at the age of nine. “From my very first Sunday at St. Peter’s until the day my mother died thirty-two years later, I wrote to her once a week, sometimes more often, whenever I was away from home. I wrote to her every week from St. Peter’s, and every week from my next school, Repton, and every week from Dar es Salaam in East Africa, where I went on my first job after leaving school, and then every week during the war from Kenya and Iraq and Egypt when I was flying with the RAF. My mother, for her part, kept every one of those letters, binding them carefully in neat bundles with green tape, but this was her own secret. She never told me she was doing it. In 1957, when she knew she was dying, I was in hospital in Oxford having a serious operation on my spine and I was unable to write to her. So she had a telephone specially installed beside her bed in order that she might have one last conversation with me. She didn’t tell me she was dying nor did anyone else for that matter because I was in a fairly serious condition myself at the time. She simply asked me how I was and hoped I would get better soon and sent me her love. I had no idea that she would die the next day, but she knew all right and she wanted to reach out and speak to me for the last time.†And his father: “He harboured a curious theory about how to develop a sense of beauty in the minds of his children. Every time my mother became pregnant, he would wait until the last three months of her pregnancy and then he would announce to her that ‘the glorious walks’ must begin. These glorious walks consisted of him taking her to places of great beauty in the countryside and waking with her for about an hour each day so that she could absorb the splendor of the surroundings. His theory was that if the eye of a pregnant woman was constantly observing the beauty of nature, this beauty would somehow become transmitted to the mind of the unborn baby within her womb and that baby would grow up to be a lover of beautiful things. This was the treatment that all of his children." 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. Negin, you've made me want to read both of these! 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hello everyone! This week I finished 3 books: The Nightingale by Kristin Hanna. Loved it! This tells the story of two French sisters during WWII. So moving and really fleshed out a time and place (French countryside, the Resistance, and Vichy government) that I wasn't very familiar with. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah. Wonderful listen! Again, another part of the world that I really didn't know much about but the basics. I listened to the Audible version with the author narrating and it was fabulous. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Dystopian story where women are completely controlled. Thought-provoking. 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Negin, you've made me want to read both of these! I hope that you enjoy them :). This probably isn't the right thread to admit to disliking Murakami, is it ?! :lol: I think I tried to read one of his books a while back and I really couldn't get into it at all. I may still give him another go, but he's certainly not top on my list of books that I plan on reading. I'm sorry. Your post just has me giggling. 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Erin--May you have a quick recovery! <snip> Between the World and Me - Also very short, first thing I've read on my phone (from Overdrive). Very readable, it's written from the author to his 15yo son about growing up black in America. I really liked it. <snip> And still slooowly listening to Jane Eyre in the car with dd. When we finally finish that someday, I'd like to read The Wide Sargasso Sea, just for me. I'm hoping to start Dr. Zhivago on audio for when I'm in the car without dd, but don't have it yet. It's been working well to have a book on my phone; I think I might do most of them nonfiction, as I find those easier to put down and pick up, so for me are suited to reading short bursts than fiction. Trying to find a method that takes advantage of downtime (like driving or waiting) plus a real book that often ends up taking more focused attention (and leads to other things not getting done as much as I'd like...) Many of us here on the BaW thread were moved by Between the World and Me. I was very happy to pass along my copy to a recent college grad who also found it to be thought provoking. Yes to following Jane Eyre with The Wide Sargasso Sea! That is what I did. Dr. Zhivago is one of my favorite books. If you find an interesting audio version (i.e. compelling reader), let me know. And now for some non-book stuff. My latest knitting project is a lacy cowl: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/a-noble-cowl I am using bunches of markers to keep track of the pattern. Tonight's dessert is courtesy of a BaWer who sent a tart pan to me ( :001_wub: ) and the dear family member who has gifted me with a fruit of the month subscription. This is what I did with Bosc Pears and the pan: 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 For my second book, I finished Hillbilly Elegy. It was a fast, compelling read to me. I live in appalachia technically, and although I did not recognize the exact hillbilly characteristics, I did recognize the poverty, drugs, and educational challenges that come from a small town type upbringing. It gave me some things to think about and reminded me how fortunate I was to have a stable family. I was also reminded what an impact my friends' parents who graduated from Harvard and told me I could do the same. Neither of my parents graduated from college and I didn't really think about it much at that age. I didn't go to Harvard, or any Ivy League school, but it made me think how many people can affect you positively. And also how I rose up in school to keep up with my friends whose parents had such expectations. One of my goals for 2017 is to try to find a way to be a help, influence, mentor type of some sort to children who need the support. His story solidified that adults, related and not, can really impact a child who needs it. I need to find my part to play. I have been trying to decide if I want to read Hillbilly Elegy. I thinknyou oushed me over the edge... Ali, I am a high school math teacher. It's my second career. Enjoy your course 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I finished Endurance, so I'm still reading Blue-Eyed Arabs of the North (almost done, finally), Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon, Chains, Don Quixote, Every Day is a Holiday, The Fever Code, Go Set a Watchman, Nelson Mandela, The Rabbit Ate My Flip-Flops (reading to the little guys), Rena's Promise, Stories from Separation, Texas, Terminal Value, Texas, and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I'm #2 on 1 copy on Overdrive for Norwegian Wood. That could be a while. 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Erin :grouphug: Wishing you a quick recovery! :) Ali, Congratulations on going back to school! :) I need to add please don't leave us completely. Jane, I love the knitting pattern. Jenn, Thanks for the Norwegian Wood insight from your son. I did find the structure of the University life interesting. Sadie, It's Ok if you don't like Murakami. I am looking forward to hearing more about the Guiniveres. It looks interesting but I can only find an audiobook so will wait for you to try it. :) 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Oh I don't know how to quote from one thread to the next, but was responding to the lady who is reading War and Piece. I am thinking of re-reading this one. I had to read it for school back in the day and skipped all the "war" parts, bc at 15 I was only interested in the love story part. I gotta see if I can find it on Amazon in Russian bc that's my native language, so it would be silly to read it in English. 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I finished Thomas Cromwell yesterday (yay!) and started Call the Midwife today. I watched the series while recovering last month and now had to read the book, which I've had since someone recommended it for my daughter here a couple of years ago. Still plugging away at Consider This and Foundation: History of England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I vote for Night Circus. For me it was unputdownable! Another vote for The Night Circus. A wonderful story. I think I'm going to go ahead and read Hidden Figures since I just bought that. But then I can get The Circle from my digital library (among others, I went through my whole list and marked what was on there). Plus I still have the books I pulled off my shelves sitting here. Decision, decisions, decisions. What I'm NOT going to read is Haruki Murakami. Sorry guys but I tried to read 1Q84 last year for one of my categories and couldn't get past the first couple of chapters, then tried another one (maybe the Kafka one? I'm not sure) and just had to stop. 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hello everyone! This week I finished 3 books: The Nightingale by Kristin Hanna. Loved it! This tells the story of two French sisters during WWII. So moving and really fleshed out a time and place (French countryside, the Resistance, and Vichy government) that I wasn't very familiar with. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah. Wonderful listen! Again, another part of the world that I really didn't know much about but the basics. I listened to the Audible version with the author narrating and it was fabulous. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Dystopian story where women are completely controlled. Thought-provoking. The Handmaid's Tale is one of those books that has always stayed with me, not in a good way. I found it very disturbing (although I was a lot younger when I read it, I don't know maybe it would be different now?). I regularly used to read Clive Barker and Stephen King and LOVE dystopia in general so I was kind of surprised by how bothered I was by it. 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllSmiles Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) Hello Everyone! Made it through week 1, phew 😅. Last week I read "Bethlehem Road", the tenth book in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries. I love cozy mysteries but it is nice to have a little meatier story. This book is probably one of my least favorites in the series though. The books in this series end immediately after you find out who did it. This book, has a little twist at the end. Three stars I also finished "The Help" last night. i listened to this book as an audiobook, and I'm glad I picked that format. I though the audio version was very well done, and helped to bring the story to life. I debated between 4 or 5 stars for this book. I chose 4, but I think 4 1/2 is closer. Goodreads doesn't offer me that choice though 😀 I have "By Gaslight" on hold at my library thanks to Stacia's recommendation. I'm number one on the list so I'm hoping it will come this week. Looking forward to reading everyone's posts this week! Theresa Edited January 8, 2017 by AllSmiles 26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Ali, Congratulations on going back to school! :) I need to add please don't leave us completely. Oh, I'm always here on Sundays. I just might not hang around all week! 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessa516 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Happy Birthday Rosie! Books I Finished This Week: Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert Kurson Books I'm Still Reading: Greenglass House by Kate Midford (pre-reading for the kids, but it's not high on my list so it's taking me a while to get through) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey (study with my older set of kids) New Books I've Begun This Week: The Spy Who Couldn't Spell: A Dyslexic Traitor, an Unbreakable Code, and the FBI's Hunt for America's Stolen Secrets by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee (this one is already so much fun and I'm just a few chapters into it) Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Cave on Earth by James Tabor (and apparently I'm on an adventure-story kick) The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (read aloud for the older kids) And the bedside stack has grown and grown this week. Norwegian Wood, By Gaslight, Spartacus. So much to read, so little time. I refuse to crack the spine on any of those books until I finish up some of the ones I have ongoing. 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Yes to following Jane Eyre with The Wide Sargasso Sea! That is what I did. Dr. Zhivago is one of my favorite books. If you find an interesting audio version (i.e. compelling reader), let me know. The Dr Zhivago audio I'm taking out goes along with the new translation. I hope it's good. I had to get something like 6 different narrators out of the library for Jane Eyre before I found one that wasn't like listening to someone reading the phone book. I mean, I love this book, I know how good it is, how can someone read it and make me feel like I'm slipping into a coma? Gah, don't read in a monotone, people! Fortunately I finally found a good version that's been quite engaging (read by Juliet Stevenson). 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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