Faithr Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I'm in awe :lol: . After several discussions here, I'm much better at abandoning books than I used to be. Last year, I abandoned 10 (TEN!) books, I'm so proud of myself. I even made a list! :D That's the study group on Twitter, right? I'm still wondering how people have study groups on Twitter. All in 140 characters? City of God is on my list this year, but I want to read Peter Brown's Augustine biography first. The professor is also do a live seminar on Thursday evenings. I don't quite get how it all works! Here's a link to his twitter page #Civ#dei https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CivDei&src=typd 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Call me weird but my favorite Wimsey novel is Nine Tailors. I checked out the video link from your blog. As a customer and advocate for small farmers, I enjoyed learning about Smith Meadows Farms. Thanks! Chiming in the chorus: Happy Birthday Rosie!! It has been an age since I read A Canticle for Leibowitz, a book that I enjoyed in my younger years despite never being a fan of science fiction. Your comment on the voice of a narrator led me to track down other audio books by the wonderful reader of the Kim audio book, Ralph Cosham. I discovered that he has also read Inspector Gamache novels, a Jules Verne, even Paradise Lost. I should really search more often by reader. Enough! I should be finished with my morning sewing project but I keep hitting refresh on the computer. I think I gave the wrong impression, while Gaudy Night wasn't my favorite (honestly I thought it was incredibly pretentious) of Sayers' series, I love The Nine Tailors. I chose not to read it because I had just reread it a couple of years ago and I wanted to have time to read Wimsey books I hadn't already read! In The Nine Tailors I think Sayers creates the perfect immersive atmosphere. I thought I was on the Fens and all the characters just jumped off the page, they seemed so real to me. You do have to work your way through the too technical explanation of bellringing but I was ok with glossing over that just to get enough info to understand generally how things worked. So let the record be corrected! The Nine Tailors is one of my favorite books by Sayers! 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I think I gave the wrong impression, while Gaudy Night wasn't my favorite (honestly I thought it was incredibly pretentious) of Sayers' series, I love The Nine Tailors. I chose not to read it because I had just reread it a couple of years ago and I wanted to have time to read Wimsey books I hadn't already read! In The Nine Tailors I think Sayers creates the perfect immersive atmosphere. I thought I was on the Fens and all the characters just jumped off the page, they seemed so real to me. You do have to work your way through the too technical explanation of bellringing but I was ok with glossing over that just to get enough info to understand generally how things worked. So let the record be corrected! The Nine Tailors is one of my favorite books by Sayers! Consider your post "liked". Once again I am out! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I haven't finished much, only the two poetry chapbooks I mentioned in last week's thread. I am still reading Norwegian Wood and The Inquisitive Cook, and I am listening to Our Revolution by Bernie Sanders. I forgot to grab my books yesterday when I took my ds to the skating rink, so I read Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life" from his book Stories of Your Life and Others since it was on my phone. I enjoyed the story and intend to read the other stories in the book here and there, between other books maybe, but imo, it's not perfect. Without spoiling anything for anyone, I'll just say that I think his idea is very interesting up until it becomes a stretch. I was skimming articles online a little and one person mentioned that his idea (or a particular part or it) is one of fantasy, not science fiction, and that sounds right, to me. Also, I find his characters flat and cliched. This is a problem I had with his novella The Lifecycle of Software Objects, which I read in 2012, and I was crossing my fingers that this story, at least, if not the whole book of them, would be better in that respect, but no. And to be fair, it is pretty normal for idea-driven stories, like his, to lack full, interesting characters, like the idea is one story, and the characters are another, and you can't fit them both into one piece. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I'm in awe :lol: . After several discussions here, I'm much better at abandoning books than I used to be. Last year, I abandoned 10 (TEN!) books, I'm so proud of myself. I even made a list! :D That's the study group on Twitter, right? I'm still wondering how people have study groups on Twitter. All in 140 characters? City of God is on my list this year, but I want to read Peter Brown's Augustine biography first. Brown's biography of Augustine is quite good. I still remember it after reading it 25 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Rose, maybe branch out to something like this for the "embarrassed to read" book :lol: That's a good idea. Or maybe this: 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Brown's biography of Augustine is quite good. I still remember it after reading it 25 years ago. That's an edorsement! I'm looking forward to it. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Jenn, Thanks for the Norwegian Wood insight from your son. I did find the structure of the University life interesting. Jenn, I really enjoyed your comments on Norwegian Wood in relation to the educational & work systems in Japan. For about ten years (prior to having kids), I worked for Japanese companies in the R&D sections, so I worked with many Japanese co-workers (along w/ many American co-workers). The Japanese culture certainly is one of workaholism & it's definitely a case of the unit/group/company being more important than the mere individual. I actually worked with a Japanese engineer who died from overwork. :crying: Did you ever read the A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki? Part of it very much goes over the competitive, bullying environment of the schools for middle- and high-schoolers in Japan. Excellent book that I think you would really enjoy if you haven't read it already, especially since your son is currently teaching over there. It's really wonderful & is one of my favorites. I read it back in 2013 &, in case you or anyone else is interested, here's what I wrote about it after reading it: Yes, thank you Jenn and Stacia for your comments on Norwegian Wood and Japanese culture. Also, A Tale for the Time Being is currently $1.99 on Kindle. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) Now that we are on Week 2, I have revised my plans. Reminds me of my homeschooling plans :) I am still going to work on Bingo, but I am also doing the Into the Forest challenge. It focuses on myths, legends, and fairy tales which was going to be my 2017 focus before I found out about the challenge. Now I have a framework. Yay for that. I finished The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban last night. This was one of my favorite childhood books. I checked it out from the library over and over and over again. It is very melancholy and at times brutal...I have no idea what that says about me as a child :lol: . I tried reading it out loud to my boys when they were little, but it was a bust then. It was too sombre and pondering for two wiggly boys who liked stories with action. I put it aside after just a chapter or two. That was at least fifteen years ago. I didn't even try it on my younger son. I knew better - it probably would have traumatized him. Something made me want to revisit this book, though. And I am so glad that I did. There was one aspect of the ending that bothered me, but otherwise I thought it was darn near flawless. Edited January 9, 2017 by Penguin 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Yes, thank you Jenn and Stacia for your comments on Norwegian Wood and Japanese culture. Also, A Tale for the Time Being is currently $1.99 on Kindle. Ohhh -- thank you for the Kindle alert! Just downloaded it, and am thinking it will fit right in with both my reading of all things Japanese and my current listen to Terry Pratchett's Thief of Time :D (My fellow Pratchett fans know there is an actual time "being" on the Discworld.) Hope all my BaW pals in northern CA are high and dry. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Ohhh -- thank you for the Kindle alert! Just downloaded it, and am thinking it will fit right in with both my reading of all things Japanese and my current listen to Terry Pratchett's Thief of Time :D (My fellow Pratchett fans know there is an actual time "being" on the Discworld.) Hope all my BaW pals in northern CA are high and dry. The Russian River- just a couple of blocks east of us - is up over the bank, over the fence, and over the seats of the benches that you sit on to overlook it! There will be some significant flooding downstream, and there have been evacuations, but our town is staying high and dry, thank goodness. We have a creek that runs through town that is more risky than the river - two winters ago we had a freak rainstorm that led to kayaking in the Safeway parking lot! So far this has been a wet one but less damage than it could have been. Although the river won't crest till later today, and we have another storm coming Tuesday/Wednesday, so we're definitely still keeping an eye on things. How is everybody else holding out? Some big storms in the southeast, no? And several inches of ice accumulated up in Oregon??? 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 How is everybody else holding out? Some big storms in the southeast, no? And several inches of ice accumulated up in Oregon??? We're on day 3 of being housebound, but if you don't have to go anywhere it's not so bad (today is the fifth public school day cancelled since early December--and all extracurriculars get cancelled too). I told youngest today, "it's a good thing I like you guys since we're all cooped up again!" The people I've been most worried about are university students who had to travel to get back for the start of winter term today. But the universities closed today I think to give everyone another day to travel safely. Here in the Willamette Valley we had 2 hours of freezing rain Saturday morning, then snow pretty much all day, then light freezing rain off and on Sat night. We've had regular rain since yesterday but temps stayed lower than expected so everything is still a messy mix of snow, water, and ice. Just hanging out waiting for the world to melt. There may be some localized flooding with that, but I'm guessing nothing like what CA is getting. 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Oh I forgot to add a book! I just downloaded Mary Beard's SPQR; a History of Rome but don't you download because it is way, way expensive!!! I figure I will spend many months listening to it in the car in bits and pieces when I can, and it will wind up only being a few dollars a month. That's my sorry excuse for allowing myself to be robbed. 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 We're fine so far in our part of Sacramento since we aren't near any creeks which usually overflow with heavy rains. American river is high but that is usual with release of water from the dam but not at flood stage. 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I think the thing I'd be most embarassed to read in public is The Da Vinci Code. Because I am a snob as well as fussy, apparently. Twilight. I'm embarrassed to say I read it. I'd be doubly embarrassed to have read it in public. :D 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 This is why Kindles were invented! ;) 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schadenfreude Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Twilight. I'm embarrassed to say I read it. I'd be doubly embarrassed to have read it in public. :D:iagree: 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Happy Monday :) I had a couple questions on Saturday. Schadenfreude answered the first and I think the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle will be where I start with Haruki Murikami if I go there this year. I'd like to see what all the fuss is about but I am trying not to spend so much money on books, at least for a little while, and we are not library users. Second question was: DH and I decided to each choose a book from the Great Books list to read and discuss. I thought his pick would be Kant, but he's leaning towards the Federalist Papers (uggghh, I'd rather have Kant). I was leaning towards a math or science selection, maybe On the Origin of Species, but I am not fixed on that path. It can't be so long it overwhelms our own reading for the rest of the year (War and Peace and the Summa are out :) ) I'd like to pick something comfortably readable and fosters good discussion. The problem is probably too many good choices rather than too few. Anyone have suggestions, ideas or favorites? We are not married to any particular Great Books list, but were looking at this one since it is linked to free editions https://prodigalnomore.wordpress.com/great-books-of-the-western-world-as-free-ebooks/ 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) I think the thing I'd be most embarassed to read in public is The Da Vinci Code. Because I am a snob as well as fussy, apparently. That was on one of the lists of people's most embarrassing books that I found when I did a search! I've tended to avoid books that were runaway best sellers in the past, but I'm reading a lot more contemporary fiction now, so I'm less likely to *not* read something just because it's popular. I did read Gone Girl, I must confess. I really liked it as a beach read, it was perfect. Twilight. I'm embarrassed to say I read it. I'd be doubly embarrassed to have read it in public. :D Kathy, that cracks me up because when I read Sadie's post, the first thing that came to mind was Twilight! I read it when we were on our way home from a trip and staying with my SIL, sleeping in my niece's bedroom. I had finished all the books I brought, I had nothing else to read! Honest! :001_rolleyes: I'm not sure if I could have carried off reading it in public here, where people actually know me . . . . :D Edited January 9, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) Oooh, I just got a book package from my buddy Stacia! Whoo-hoo! Apparently, she thinks I need to read more weird, because here is what she sent me: and here is the description from the back: "If History is just a sick joke which keeps on repeating itself, then who exactly might be telling it, and why? Could it be John Scogin, Edward IV's infamous court jester, whose favorite pastime was to burn people alive - for a laugh? Or could it be Andrew Boarde, Henry VIII's physician, who kindly wrote John Scogin's biography? Or could it be a tiny Kurd called Gaffar whose days are blighted by an unspeakable terror of - uh - salad? Or a beautiful, bulimic harpy with ridiculously weak bones? Or a man who guards Beckley Woods with a Samurai sword and a pregnant terrier? Darkmans is a very modern book, set in Ashford [a ridiculously modern town], about two very old-fashioned subjects: love and jealousy. It's also a book about invasion, obsession, displacement and possession, about comedy, art, prescription drugs and chiropody. And the main character? The past, which creeps up on the present and whispers something quite dark - quite unspeakable - into its ear." This sounds like a candidate for the "Hmmmm...... category! Thanks, Stacia! (She also sent me Sunjata, which is cool! I'm reading lots of books set in Africa this year, so reading west Africa's major epic seems like a good place to start.) :party: Edited January 9, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 The Russian River- just a couple of blocks east of us - is up over the bank, over the fence, and over the seats of the benches that you sit on to overlook it! There will be some significant flooding downstream, and there have been evacuations, but our town is staying high and dry, thank goodness. We have a creek that runs through town that is more risky than the river - two winters ago we had a freak rainstorm that led to kayaking in the Safeway parking lot! So far this has been a wet one but less damage than it could have been. Although the river won't crest till later today, and we have another storm coming Tuesday/Wednesday, so we're definitely still keeping an eye on things. How is everybody else holding out? Some big storms in the southeast, no? And several inches of ice accumulated up in Oregon??? We are doing okay. I was thinking of you so I'm glad you checked in. We're close to the coast and flat so we don't have orographical effects, and the water mostly runs to the sea if the drains are not blocked. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I read The DaVinci Code because one of my teens was reading it and I wanted to be informed. I'm proud to say I've never touched a Twilight book. This is an advantage to having four boys, they were all appalled at the thought. 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 31 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I think the thing I'd be most embarassed to read in public is The Da Vinci Code. Because I am a snob as well as fussy, apparently. Me too. Snobby and fussy readers, unite!!!! 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrow Gate Academy Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I finished my second book of the year Murakami's "The Strange Library". It was odd but entertaining and fits in the translated bingo square. :thumbup1: On the audiobook front, I'm halfway through The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Tomorrow I'm going to have start tackling the pile of actual books from the library. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelaboord Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Has anyone else have trouble with The Gene because a lot of the early material is really basic Genetics anecdotes? I know not everyone majored in Biology, but it's a big book and that's a lot of pages of background. Perhaps I connected with his personal story in the intro., so I was disappointed in how much stuff I already knew that I had to sift through. I am waiting for Multitudes though, and looking forward to it. . I've just made it through the intro and enjoyed the stories, so I'll let you know what I think when I get into the meat of the book. I'm about halfway through Multitudes and I like it, but I've been distracted by The Case Against Sugar. I was afraid that Multitudes was going to be just like all the other gut flora books that have come out, but it isn't. He's really linking the microbiome to a much bigger perspective of ecology. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 Well I guess I'm the odd woman out again because I'd have no problem reading Da Vinci code in public. Read it twice as a matter of fact as well as his other books. Once I picked up a book in the store I thought Dan Brown had written and after reading a bit, thought his writing had changed. Had picked up a military thriller by Don Brown instead. Nice way to inadvertently discover a new to author I enjoyed. The Twilight Books - I was stuck in hotel room in New York with sick son for two days while hubby attended an audio engineering conference. I went to closest B&N when had a chance and picked it up, Ended up reading the whole series. Great twaddle to pass the time. :lol: 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Erin, you will be in my thoughts this week. I haven't read all of the Peter Wimsey books but Nine Tailors is my favourite so far. I have been trying to read them in order but the earlier ones were a bit ho hum. I had given up on them but maybe I need to give the series another chance. 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellesmere Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I had to read a few Georgette Heyer's before I was comfortable with the language and her style - all that Regency slang! One that I really enjoyed (and found easily understandable) was Frederica. I know so many here love The Grand Sophy but Sophy just irritated the life out of me! And I've done the same thing with Whose Body? ! I just can't seem to get it going! Maybe I need to see the movie first? :) Is there a movie? There must be a movie, right Thanks, I will try Frederica or The Grand Sophy next and not feel badly if I find Sophy intolerable. :laugh: I kept thinking if Venetia were a movie, I'd get to the point a lot more quickly. Same with Whose Body?! That book, I thought for sure would work out since I lol'd at during one of the early scenes, but I've abandoned, probably forever this time! 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellesmere Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I hope all goes well with your surgery, Erin. I finished Cotillion last night, and read The Grand Sophy at the end of last year. I wouldn't have read either one if Aggieamy hadn't sent them to me as a gift. The Grand Sophy pulled me in right away. It took longer for Cotillion - about 100 pages - but then it got going and I ended up enjoying it. Heyer's genre is not my style, but I might actually try a few more of her books, which will make Amy quite happy. :D I really wanted to read Sapiens - it seems like the kind of book I'd find interesting - but I was bored. I tried both the audio book and the Kindle version. In both cases, I let them go back to the library unfinished at the end of the loan period. I don't know why I couldn't get into it. I tried Whose Body? twice then gave up. I like detective fiction, including the Golden Age of detective fiction. I enjoy Agatha Christie, so I don't know why I couldn't read Sayers. I also tried P.D. James' Cover her Face and gave up on that one too. The end is in sight for me with Sapiens. I think it's working out because I just read a book sort of on the same topics (The Sixth Extinction) but I've had it in my Audible library for a long time before finally getting into it. If I could do it over, I'd borrow a hard copy from the library, but too late now. Rosie mentioned he had a good thing on Coursera but I can't find it there. Not sure if this is it, but if anyone is interested in the author, Yuval Noah Harari https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBOXjuzxIKcrqTyqh2Wwh6B86sIN-42di I loved P.D. James' The Mistletoe Murders and Other Stories but I haven't gotten around to Cover Her Face. I always go in thinking I'll like those books because I've been reading Agatha Christie since childhood, but I feel better knowing I'm not alone on Whose Body? :001_smile: 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I love Georgette Heyer too. I thoroughly enjoyed Sylvester (The Wicked Uncle) and most recently A Civil Contract. Venetia was good too but I kinda didn't like the ending (but I won't post spoilers). Faro's Daughter is my favorite in terms of Pride and Prejudice type tension between the lead characters. 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I, too, have read Dan Brown in public. In fact on a plane headed to Rome, no less. And I have accidentally read a Don Brown book. Maybe about a murder in San Diego on a Navy ship? One summer I read a Jane Fonda autobiography at the pool. I live in a very conservative area, so I put a Tom clancy dust cover on the book. Everyone thought I was reading Battle Ready instead of Jane Fonda, My Life so Far. I downloaded Hidden figures to read because I can only take so much Robert Burns in a sitting. Due to icy conditions, we are home from school again tomorrow. I spent part of today designing and making a ring pillow for a wedding I am attending this weekend. Well I guess I'm the odd woman out again because I'd have no problem reading Da Vinci code in public. Read it twice as a matter of fact as well as his other books. Once I picked up a book in the store I thought Dan Brown had written and after reading a bit, thought his writing had changed. Had picked up a military thriller by Don Brown instead. Nice way to inadvertently discover a new to author I enjoyed. The Twilight Books - I was stuck in hotel room in New York with sick son for two days while hubby attended an audio engineering conference. I went to closest B&N when had a chance and picked it up, Ended up reading the whole series. Great twaddle to pass the time. :lol: 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I finished Ancillary Justice (so good!) and checked out Ancillary Mercy and Ancillary Sword from the library along with a few other books. At the moment DS and I are reading The Great Gatsby and I'm still reading Jane Eyre which was neglected while I finished Ancillary Justice. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Where did your reading take you this year? the Arctic, Switzerland, Germany, England, Scotland, Norway, Nigeria, Zanzibar, Tanzania, USA, Madagascar, Indonesia, Italy, Costa Rica, Pacific Ocean, Egypt, Brazil, Antarctica, Iraq & Afghanistan (children's books w/Stacia), Christmas Island, Turkey, Iran, Cambodia, China, Japan, Canada, Russia, Mexico, and Albania How many books did you read and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? Or did you get caught up in reading and forget to keep track like me? *grin* I read 58 books! That exceeded my goal of 52! What countries and time periods did you visit? Well, countries see above. Time periods 1st, 8th, and 18th-21st century, a lot of time spent in the 18th and 19th centuries, but I was surprised to realize I read quite a few modern time period books as well. What were your most favorite stories? Any stories that stayed with you a long time, left you wanting more or needed to digest for a while before starting another? Which books became comfort reads. Beauty, The Belgariad (reread), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (reread), The 6th Extinction, Squashed, Venetia (reread), Anne of Green Gables (reread), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (reread), and Pride and Prejudice (reread) were probably my favorite stories of the year! I really enjoyed discovering James Rollins. What is the one book or the one author you thought you'd never read and found yourself pleasantly surprised that you liked it? I don't know that I had any of these this year. Did you read any books that touched you and made you laugh, cry, sing or dance. Anne of Green Gables and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever made me laugh and cry. Squashed really touched me, too. I can't put my finger on why, but it was such a lovely young adult story. Any that made you want to toss it across the room in disgust? The Pearl definitely made me want to throw it across the room in disgust. Non-fiction would probably be Women's Ministry in the Local Church which I read because my Pastor's wife asked me to. Frankenstein and Mansfield Park both had characters that I wanted to toss across the room in disgust :laugh: Please share a favorite cover or quote. "The things we respond to at twenty are not necessarily the same things we will respond to at forty and vice versa. This is true in books and also in life." from The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. I didn't love this book but it had some great quotes. Also, "As you contemplate the days schedule, be sure that nothing you have planned robs you of the joy God wants you to have." from Be Joyful. Each year I enjoy this thread more and more. I am happy to have participated a bit more this year and glad to call you all friends. I love your year end wrap up! I'm glad you posed it. :) Don't know if this will get buried but what is the best Wodehouse to begin with? Is there a specific order? Thanks!! There's no specific order but I do think some are better than others. He does a few different series with short stories and novels. My recommendation would be to start with a collection of short stories from early in the Bertie Wooster series. Carry On, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse I so wish we could still post pics & such from the internet on here! This is mostly a post for the newbies to the thread who don't really know me; I'm posting this because of my (cough, cough) mild dislike of Wuthering Heights. :ack2: Just so you know, this probably sums me up pretty well. (Well, except I'm not a balding man smoking a cigar.) I figure maybe Angel & aggieamy can give character references as to this since we're probably pretty opposite in some ways. ;) :lol: That's the cool thing about this thread, though. Everyone can voice wildly different opinions on books, enjoy hugely different types of reading, & yet everyone is supportive & wonderful. This is the best group ever. Thanks, Robin! And to all the BaW posters! Yes! Thank Robin. And this is a true story but DH and I are planning a trip for August and are looking at plane tickets with a certain layover so we can try to meet Stacia in real life. She's a bit of a celebrity as far as meeting BaW'ers while traveling. 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. Thank you for posting this. I had requested it from my library but I'll hold off for now. The gentle readers here appreciate you looking out for them. 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. Okay. I'll run by my friend's house tomorrow to borrow the book. She lives all of ten minutes away so it's crazy that I haven't actually done that yet. And what a cool college experience. Have you ever been to Japan? Most of my circle of friends have been and one couple actually adopted an infant from there about five years ago. It looks fascinating but my DH has no interest in going. 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. Did you listen to The Nightingale or read it? I finished Cotillion last night, and read The Grand Sophy at the end of last year. I wouldn't have read either one if Aggieamy hadn't sent them to me as a gift. The Grand Sophy pulled me in right away. It took longer for Cotillion - about 100 pages - but then it got going and I ended up enjoying it. Heyer's genre is not my style, but I might actually try a few more of her books, which will make Amy quite happy. :D You can't believe how happy that makes me! I love being able to share books I love with friends! Thanks, I will try Frederica or The Grand Sophy next and not feel badly if I find Sophy intolerable. :laugh: I kept thinking if Venetia were a movie, I'd get to the point a lot more quickly. Same with Whose Body?! That book, I thought for sure would work out since I lol'd at during one of the early scenes, but I've abandoned, probably forever this time! GH is my favorite author but Venetia wasn't one of my favorite books. I agree that the language takes some time to get used to and some books are worse (better?) than others. 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I liked all three of those books. Be warned that the first one has a pretty graphic section about the life of the young prostitute. I found it kind of fascinating on a clinical level (and Jenny definitely describes it very clinically), but I have some friends that were seriously offended by that section. Shadows of the Workhouse, the second book, was really hard to read. It gave a lot more information about the brother and sister who lived as husband and wife. Personally, that book helped me understand my husband's great-grandmother better. As a teen she was a servant to the family in charge of a workhouse. She had issues, probably would be diagnosed with PTSD today, later in life and I have no doubt a lot of that came from what she saw there. . Oh my word, just had to stop back and say thank you for the warning. I popped my earbuds in to listen today rather than over my bluetooth speaker while cooking as I usually do because of it. THANK heavens. I would've died if it had been blaring outloud with the kids standing in there. I wasn't expecting anything near as graphic as what came across. I'm no sheltered girl either- when I first started working in HIV research it was with male prostitutes which man, the stories I have- but wow. I really was blindsided by it, I think because of the difference in tone from the TV series. Perhaps it was the clinical treatment or something, but it hit me rather hard. i have seen enough abuse in my life from working with those young men, that I could have happily skipped over that entire section of the book. I'm not through it yet and am still glad I'm reading the book, but it's a long way from the sappy TV series I just finished watching! It's definitely more real than I expected. More Tijuana nightmare than sappy Pretty Woman type story. Anyway, thanks for the warning. I'm even more glad I shelved it on audible when dd was 11!!! Definitely not a car listen with the kiddos in tow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I know I'm a month or two too late for this discussion but I'd love some recommendations on healthy eating books. DH had some blood tests come back a little concerning and it's likely because of unhealthy diet - high fat, high salt, high sugar diet. (We really hope it is anyway! The other options according to Google are things like bone marrow cancer and hepatitis which are so unlikely. I shouldn't have googled it.) There's been a lot of fast food and ramen and eating out in the last few months at my house and we have just got to knock it off. Cookbooks with whole food recipes? Books that offer encouragement to eat healthy? Books with easy healthy recipes? Book on the importance of good nutrition? I would love suggestions on any of those. Thank you! 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Yay for Chuck Finley. I love a good librarian 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 We've talked about the sadness of books that don't get checked out of the library often getting pulled from the shelves... Chuck Finley would be one of the most well-read men in Florida… if he were real LOL! "Damn, we love a wily librarian." 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Erin - Hugs. Thinking about you! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 We've talked about the sadness of books that don't get checked out of the library often getting pulled from the shelves... Chuck Finley would be one of the most well-read men in Florida… if he were real I love that!! If you all need me to, I will get a library card and check out whatever you tell me to in order to save it. 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I finished Ancillary Justice (so good!) and checked out Ancillary Mercy and Ancillary Sword from the library along with a few other books. At the moment DS and I are reading The Great Gatsby and I'm still reading Jane Eyre which was neglected while I finished Ancillary Justice. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk Hey reading twin! I also really enjoyed Ancillary Justice and have the next one on hold at the library. :) Was just listening to Jane Eyre in the car with dd. We're still not long after Mr Rochester gets there... this is going to take forever! 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I know I'm a month or two too late for this discussion but I'd love some recommendations on healthy eating books. DH had some blood tests come back a little concerning and it's likely because of unhealthy diet - high fat, high salt, high sugar diet. (We really hope it is anyway! The other options according to Google are things like bone marrow cancer and hepatitis which are so unlikely. I shouldn't have googled it.) There's been a lot of fast food and ramen and eating out in the last few months at my house and we have just got to knock it off. Cookbooks with whole food recipes? Books that offer encouragement to eat healthy? Books with easy healthy recipes? Book on the importance of good nutrition? I would love suggestions on any of those. Thank you! My sister got me a couple of Skinny Taste cookbooks for Christmas that have been goon. I also love Jamie Oliver's cookbooks. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelaboord Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Oooh, I just got a book package from my buddy Stacia! Whoo-hoo! Apparently, she thinks I need to read more weird, because here is what she sent me: and here is the description from the back: "If History is just a sick joke which keeps on repeating itself, then who exactly might be telling it, and why? Could it be John Scogin, Edward IV's infamous court jester, whose favorite pastime was to burn people alive - for a laugh? Or could it be Andrew Boarde, Henry VIII's physician, who kindly wrote John Scogin's biography? Or could it be a tiny Kurd called Gaffar whose days are blighted by an unspeakable terror of - uh - salad? Or a beautiful, bulimic harpy with ridiculously weak bones? Or a man who guards Beckley Woods with a Samurai sword and a pregnant terrier? Darkmans is a very modern book, set in Ashford [a ridiculously modern town], about two very old-fashioned subjects: love and jealousy. It's also a book about invasion, obsession, displacement and possession, about comedy, art, prescription drugs and chiropody. And the main character? The past, which creeps up on the present and whispers something quite dark - quite unspeakable - into its ear." ] Ok, I'm having a good chuckle and must comment... I've actually mostly seen Henry VII's physician's name spelled Andrew Boorde... which happens to be my dh's name minus the e. [emoji6] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I know I'm a month or two too late for this discussion but I'd love some recommendations on healthy eating books. DH had some blood tests come back a little concerning and it's likely because of unhealthy diet - high fat, high salt, high sugar diet. (We really hope it is anyway! The other options according to Google are things like bone marrow cancer and hepatitis which are so unlikely. I shouldn't have googled it.) There's been a lot of fast food and ramen and eating out in the last few months at my house and we have just got to knock it off. Cookbooks with whole food recipes? Books that offer encouragement to eat healthy? Books with easy healthy recipes? Book on the importance of good nutrition? I would love suggestions on any of those. Thank you! If your cooking or meal planning skills aren't strong, I love Leanne Ely's Saving Dinner. She has a few, regular, low carb, etc. They are older books but just simple good stuff you can actually get on the table organized with weekly shopping lists. If you are looking for a crash course in nutrition biology Sarah Ballantyne's The Paloe Approach is awesome. It is NOT light, encouraging reading but leans closer to a college text book in many sections. Two completely opposite recommendations but I am sure others will have more. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 (edited) We've talked about the sadness of books that don't get checked out of the library often getting pulled from the shelves... Chuck Finley would be one of the most well-read men in Florida… if he were real Only in Florida! Tomorrow evening is my RL book club meeting and we'll be discussing Best. State. Ever. Edited January 10, 2017 by Lady Florida. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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