Book a Week 2017 - BW3: Author Oulipo Mashup

[Kareni]

Still catching up on prior weeks' threads ~

 

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:

 

 

Ooh, that looks delicious!

**

 

Happy belated birthday, Rosie!

 

I hope that your surgery went well, Erin.

 

My sympathies, Heather, on the death of the mother of your daughter's ballet friend.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ethel Mertz]

Here is my book poem from the seven books beside my chair:

 

Eleven Pipers Piping

Hidden Figures

The Lord of the Rings

Jubilee

The Market as God

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell

The Final Day

 

I'm still plodding along in my numerous reads. But, guess what?! A friend is starting a small book group for women (reading fiction) and I'm joining! I am so very excited!!! Between homeschooling and coping with progressive multiple sclerosis, I don't get to do as much as I'd like and this seems quite doable!

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Finished this week: 

 

• Book 3:  The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Doyle - This was my first try at an audiobook, and I enjoyed the audio format more than I expected.  The stories of course were intriguing, and I wrote a brief review. 

Progress this week:

• ESV Bible - nearly finished with Genesis
• The History of the Ancient World by Bauer - finished chapters 3 and 4

I have an abundance of library books that are clamoring for my attention, but I'm not sure which I'll read next.  I've also downloaded a few books from Amazon Prime that I could try.  Thanks Kareni for the link to the Eramus book.  I downloaded it this evening.

 

 

[Violet Crown]

Volume 2 of Hakluyt's Voyages (1599) done. Here's what northwestern Siberia apparently was like back then:

 

The river Cossin falleth out of the mountaines of Lucomoria: In the mouth of this is a castle, whither from the springs of the great river Cossin, is two monethes viage. Furthermore, from the springs of the same river, the river Cassima hath his orignall, which running through Lucomoria, falleth into the great river Tachnin, Beyond the which (as is said) dwell men of prodigious shape, of whom, some are overgrowen with haire like wilde beastes, other have heads like dogges, and their faces in their breasts, without neckes, and with long hands also, and without feete. There is likewise in the river Tachnin a certaine fish, with head, eyes, nose, mouth, hands, feete, and other members utterly of humane shape, and yet without any voyce, and pleasant to be eaten, as are other fishes.

 

 

Before volume 3, a break to read the book providing the next letter of my over-ambitious attempt to check off the Name In the Title bingo square by spelling out my user name with book titles: Octopus, by Frank Norris. Last year I read Norris' McTeague, and was interested enough to try the first book of his "Epic of the Wheat" trilogy (bilogy strictly speaking as he died before writing the third book). It's about the wheat and railroad industries in turn-of-the-century California. So far.

[Just Robyn]

Am I allowed to say I don't love food? I mean, I enjoy yummy food as much as the next person, but really I'm just as content to eat a bowl of unseasoned, steamed broccoli and call it good.  It's funny cause this morning my dh made eggs and bacon. It smelled delicious. However, I did not eat it because I had an hour long workout of HIIT, weights, and pilates waiting for me. That brings me more joy than bacon. I sucked down a pouch of applesauce instead for fuel. 

 

in which case, if the next person is me, you don't enjoy yummy food as much as the next person. Food affects your mood chemicals differently than the way it affects mine (or with a different intensity).

[thessa516]

Do you listen to the read aloud revival podcasts at all? There is an author interview with Jonathan Auxier that was great to listen to and left me wanting to try the Peter Nimble book.

 

 

Why yes, I do. :thumbup1:   That's how the it ended up on my list. RAR, Build Your Library, and BAW are where I get my to-read lists.

[Wheres Toto]

So, I totally copped out and I'm reading a bunch of In Death books.  A few I've never read but I also have a stack of rereads.  I'm too tired to put in the energy on something meatier.

 

I am still reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff and I have a bunch of others that actually fit into my categories ready to go when I feel the energy.

[Rosie_0801]

Peoples were talking about the Enid Blyton spoofs last week?

 

I just finished reading 'Five Go Gluten Free,' which my brother bought as a joke. 

 

I don't think I'm going to feel better until I've had a slice of a quadruple fudge cake made to a recipe invented by teenage boys intent on spending an entire semester's pocket money on junk food all in one day.

 

I keep having to retreat to fetal position.  :crying:

[Rosie_0801]

I tried to start the read-aloud of Arabian Nights yesterday.  I had to stop, because the prologue had a scene that sounded like an orgy or something - definitely not appropriate for 10-year-olds - so now I see I will have to pre-read and edit before I continue with that.  Oops.

 

Don't bother. It's all like that. Buy an abridged version.

[Violet Crown]

I tried to start the read-aloud of Arabian Nights yesterday. I had to stop, because the prologue had a scene that sounded like an orgy or something - definitely not appropriate for 10-year-olds - so now I see I will have to pre-read and edit before I continue with that. Oops.

 

There was a thread about that a little while ago:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/626961-one-thousand-and-one-nightswowza/

 

This is the version we read around here:

 

http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-375-82636-8

Edited January 16, 2017 by Violet Crown

[Angelaboord]

I settled on reading The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes for most of the week, but then got frustrated with my giant stack of in progress books and decided to pick something short just so I could have the satisfaction of finishing it.

 

I read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. I expected to like this, but I didn't. I think it's because I really don't get existentialism. I have a feeling that the play would be funnier if I saw it performed instead of reading it, but it just seemed confusing and sad to me. There were funny parts -- I mean, I got the jokes -- but ultimately a play about the pointlessness of life and the inevitability of death just seemed rather bleak to me. I mean, why live at all if that's what you think about life? Anyway, it left me scratching my head. I felt the same way about The Stranger when I read it years ago, but then The Stranger wasn't supposed to be a comedy.

 

And of course I know I am really in the minority, as the play has an average 4 star rating on Goodreads!

 

The Case Against Sugar is good. Full of Taubes' meticulous reporting about food politics, which will make you paranoid about any dietary advice you may have heard in the past 50 years. Having read Good Calories, Bad Calories and yet having had a bad experience personally with a low carb diet, I found it interesting that he backpedals a little in this book by saying that maybe it isn't excess carbs per se that cause diabetes and heart disease but specifically sugar. He's making a good case for it so far and my own personal experience with sugar is making me inclined to believe him.

 

To add yet another book to my stack, I pulled out a book I was planning to read last year in the hospital after Abby was born. Onward and Upward in the Garden is a collection of Katherine S. White's gardening columns from The New Yorker, edited posthumously by her husband, EB White. It's funny and charming and optimistic and had things gone well it would have been a nice recovery read for me (I like gardening). But with Abby's diagnosis, normal life kind of got shoved to the side. Now I'm finally in a spot where I'm getting back to it, and it seems appropriate to begin the new year reading about growing things.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited January 16, 2017 by Angelaboord

[BarbecueMom]

I finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time last week. I'm part of the way through The Name of the Wind... but it's not pulling me in nearly as much as it did DH. I'll finish it, but I'm going to return the next book in the series to the library. Based on what I've read so far and the reviews I've already seen on the thread, I think I'll move on for now.

 

On the non-fiction side, I'm nearly done with The Violinist's Thumb. I'm enjoying it, but I'm going to need to sign up for a remedial biology or genetics course after this. I can drive a truck through the gaps in my memories from 9th grade biology.

 

The library did open for a couple hours this weekend in the middle of ice sessions, but I didn't make it over there. I'll pick up Norwegian Wood on Tuesday.

[SKL]

There was a thread about that a little while ago:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/626961-one-thousand-and-one-nightswowza/

 

This is the version we read around here:

 

http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-375-82636-8

 

Thanks!  I ordered the kiddy version.

 

Guess I'll switch to The Wheel on the School for our read-aloud for now.  :P

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Joules]

 

I read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. I expected to like this, but I didn't. I think it's because I really don't get existentialism. I have a feeling that the play would be funnier if I saw it performed instead of reading it, but it just seemed confusing and sad to me. There were funny parts -- I mean, I got the jokes -- but ultimately a play about the pointlessness of life and the inevitability of death just seemed rather bleak to me.

 

There was a movie of the play, if you want to give it a try.  I liked it, particularly since I had sat through two live versions and three movie versions of Hamlet that month.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100519/

[mumto2]

Peoples were talking about the Enid Blyton spoofs last week?

 

I just finished reading 'Five Go Gluten Free,' which my brother bought as a joke. 

 

I don't think I'm going to feel better until I've had a slice of a quadruple fudge cake made to a recipe invented by teenage boys intent on spending an entire semester's pocket money on junk food all in one day.

 

I keep having to retreat to fetal position.  :crying:

 

 

So our little group has managed to read most of The Five for adult books.....one each which is plenty! :lol:

 

 

 

 

Here is my book poem from the seven books beside my chair:

 

Eleven Pipers Piping

Hidden Figures

The Lord of the Rings

Jubilee

The Market as God

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell

The Final Day

 

I'm still plodding along in my numerous reads. But, guess what?! A friend is starting a small book group for women (reading fiction) and I'm joining! I am so very excited!!! Between homeschooling and coping with progressive multiple sclerosis, I don't get to do as much as I'd like and this seems quite doable!

 

 

This sounds great! I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

 

Thanks!  I ordered the kiddy version.

 

Guess I'll switch to The Wheel on the School for our read-aloud for now.  :P

 

 

The Wheel on the School was a huge favourite at our house. We did a free old rewrite by Andrew Lang for 1001.

 

 

 

Yep.

 

Articles don't count. For example of The Ocean at the End of the Lane can use Ocean, End or Lane for one of the letters of the birthstone.  You aren't limited to the first word in the title.  All of rules for Bingo apply to Birthstone challenge

 

Page count minimum is 200 pages.  

Novellas and rereads don't count as that would be too easy.

Book has to be started and completed this year, no carry overs from last year. 

No double dipping. 

Audiobooks are fine as long as has substance and the actual book is over 200 pages in length

 

If just doing straight forward 52 books read, there isn't a required 200 page length as long as the book has substance, Can count rereads or book started in 2016 but finish in 2017.

 

Thanks Robin, I going to pull Norwegian Wood out of my garnet spelling because I listened to about an hour of it in 2016. I had been planning to anyway but haven't spotted another N.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Adding this to my list.  I like PD James--but I can't offer the titles I have read off the top of my head.  While I live my life as an optimist, I prefer dark and brooding literature.  What is that all about?

 

 

I'm the same way - although I'm fairly pessmistic IRL too! But I like dark and brooding literature, mostly. I like books that make me think, and those are not cheerful for the most part. But I do have to come up for air once in a while, so thank goodness for Georgette Heyer! I was sitting in my chair with my stack of "light/fun" books last night - a GOT book, Shift, a dystopia about how people destroy the planet and have to live in underground silos, which they then start to destroy, and The Night Circus, which is the most lighthearted of the three.  I needed a break - So I dove into my GH stack and pulled up Beauvallet, which I'm reading for my Swashbuckling square.  Whew! 

 

I don't read series for the most part. And yet, here's an interview with Marlon James (winner of the Man Booker for A Brief History of Seven Killings) that makes me want to read this series -- and the first book won't even be available until the Fall of 2018! :willy_nilly:

 

 

and

 

 

Sounds amazing & one I'm looking forward to waaaaay in advance. I'm especially interested because I've done more African reading in the last year or two & this just sounds like a great concept for a fantasy series.

 

That does sound awesome, thanks for sharing! That will have to go on next year's Bingo, no?  ;)  :D

Edited January 16, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[Jane in NC]

In case anyone needs to add more items to their book lists....

 

In December, The Irish Times offered a list of the best of '16.  I am delighted to see one of my favorite books of the year on the list, The Child Poet by Homero Aridjis. An international literary feast can be found here.

 

The finalists for the PEN America literary prizes will be announced on Wednesday.  The long list is on their website.  The categories are numerous:  debut, art of the essay, non-fiction, literary science writing, literary sports writing, poetry, etc.  A little something for everyone. In the translation category I see Angel of Oblivion, Maja Haderlap's poetic novel which Crstarlette and I read.

 

Enjoy!

[Chrysalis Academy]

We've mentioned We Need Diverse Books previously. Looks like their first anthology (aimed at middle-school age) has been published:

We Need Diverse Books publishes first of two anthologies

 

 

About the book itself (including mentions of starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist) & a printable teacher's guide.

 

This looks great! My library has it on order. I especially appreciate the teacher's guide - it has a couple of pages of other book suggestions I'm going to check out for Morgan. Thank you for sharing!

[Kareni]

Yesterday I finished the inspirational historical romance From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden.  I enjoyed it and did not find it too preachy (though the characters were a little too harsh on themselves from time to time).  I learned some interesting historical tidbits such as the fact that the first subway system in the US opened in 1897 in Boston and that it was the first electrical subway system in the world.  The first subway systems (steam run) were in London, Glasgow and Budapest.

 

"Romulus White has tried for years to hire illustrator Stella West for his renowned scientific magazine. She is the missing piece he needs to propel his magazine to the forefront of the industry.

But Stella abruptly quit the art world and moved to Boston with a single purpose: to solve the mysterious death of her beloved sister. Romulus, a man with connections to high society and every important power circle in the city, could be her most valuable ally.

Sparks fly the instant Stella and Romulus join forces, and Romulus soon realizes the strong-willed and charismatic Stella could disrupt his hard-won independence. Can they continue to help each other when their efforts draw the wrong kind of attention from the powers-that-be and put all they've worked for at risk?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

And here's a currently free historical paranormal romance that I've been eager to read.  The author also writes fantasy as Emily Gee; I enjoyed her Thief with No Shadow under that name.

 

 

Unmasking Miss Appleby (Baleful Godmother Historical Romance Series ~ Book 1) by Emily Larkin

 

"She’s not who she seems…

On her 25th birthday, Charlotte Appleby receives a most unusual gift from the Faerie godmother she never knew she had: the ability to change shape.

Penniless and orphaned, she sets off for London to make her fortune as a man. But a position as secretary to Lord Cosgrove proves unexpectedly challenging. Someone is trying to destroy Cosgrove and his life is increasingly in jeopardy.

As Charlotte plunges into London’s backstreets and brothels at Cosgrove’s side, hunting his persecutor, she finds herself fighting for her life—and falling in love…"

 

"Q & A with the author

How would you describe this series?

It's a fusion of magic and Regency England. I guess you could say it’s “Jane Austen meets Maleficentâ€. I hope to take readers on a journey from the glittering ballrooms of the aristocracy to the dark underbelly of Regency England – with passion, danger, adventure, romance, and a little magic thrown into the mix.

I think the series could also be labelled Regency Noir, because it falls on the darker, grittier side of the romance fence, although each book contains humor, too. The stories are emotional, but not sweet (there’s sex, violence, and my heroes do swear rather badly at times!).

Why did you write this series?

I wanted to get my well-bred heroines out of the drawing rooms and put them in the way of adventure and romance. But I didn’t want to write a series where magic is common; I wanted to write a series where only a few characters have magic, and it’s a deep, dark secret, and no one else knows.

But … do magic and Regency England go together?

Definitely! Many, many years ago I read Sorcery and Cecelia (or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot) by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, and totally loved it and ever since then I’ve thought that Regency England and magic go very well together. Other writers think so, too. Just look at Mary Robinette Kowal's Glamourist Histories and Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

What was the catalyst for this series?

A magazine article I read in which celebrities were asked what magic power they’d choose and why. That got me thinking! (I’d choose shapeshifting, by the way.)

How would you describe your writing?

Several reviewers have likened my writing to Georgette Heyer, which is the hugest compliment ever. I adore Georgette Heyer! She’s why I write historical romance, and I reread her books over and over. (If you’ve not read The Grand Sophy, please do so!) I’ve also had readers compare my writing to Courtney Milan and Mary Balogh, which are also massive compliments.

Who would like this series?

This series will appeal to readers who enjoy the historical backdrop of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, the dark and sensual ‘noir’ feel of Anna Campbell, the emotion of Mary Balogh or Courtney Milan, and the magic of Patricia Rice and Mary Robinette Kowal. Quite a broad range, really!"

 

 

ETA: and a currently free classic ~  Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini

 

"Fans of The Three Musketeers and Robin Hood will enjoy this classic adventure tale of a sword-fighting hero out for revenge during the French Revolution.
 
A lawyer of unknown parentage raised by nobility, André-Louis Moreau had little concern for the plight of the lower class and the vast inequality in France until his friend, Philippe de Vilmorin, is killed in a duel after demanding justice for a murdered peasant. Outraged, Moreau speaks out against the aristocracy and his words sow the seeds of revolution.
 
Wanted by the law, Moreau assumes the role of Scaramouche, the clown character in a group of traveling actors. His swashbuckling adventures include inciting a riot mid–theater performance, apprenticing at a fencing academy, and discovering a revelation about his past that leads to an unexpected romance.
 
Utilizing his mastery of swordsmanship and oration to combat the corrupt nobility, Moreau is an iconic character whose story explores class, inequality, and the power of an individual to influence his society."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Mom-ninja.]

Stacia, thanks for the link. Will look through it later. 

 

 

in which case, if the next person is me, you don't enjoy yummy food as much as the next person. Food affects your mood chemicals differently than the way it affects mine (or with a different intensity).

And I would happily pass the plate of brownies to you to bring you joy while lacing up my running shoes. I wouldn't mind if you saved me one. ;)

 

 

I am 1 chapter from finishing a book and I have to go teach lessons! The negative of homeschooling..... 

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Lady Florida.]

In honor of MLK Day, here are some suggested books for kids, teens, & adults (courtesy of the Patterson Free Public Library in NJ).

 

 

 

 

Totally nit-picking, but Paterson has only one T. I know because it's my hometown. People always want to give it two, but the man it's named after, William Paterson, spelled his name with just one. :)

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Lady Florida.]

Oh, thanks for telling me!

 

I corrected it (& am embarrassed I made that mistake in the first place)!

 

(No coffee this morning. That's my excuse anyway.,.. ;) :leaving: )

 

 

Don't be embarrassed. Most people automatically spell it with two. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Good morning all~

I didn't get much print reading in this week due to traveling and celebrating our 26th anniversary!

 

DH and I listened to a Catherine Ryan Hyde book, Walk Me Home, while driving. Catherine's books are always engaging and I love listening to them while driving. This particular reader was top notch and that made listening even more enjoyable. DH enjoyed the story but has requested a more masculine story for our next drive. :) Walk Me Home had two young female protagonists so I give DH props for listening to the entire 12 hour book.

 

I'm still reading Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. It's engaging and I am enjoying it. It's written by a neuroscientist and some of the writing is technical (requires a minimum knowledge of psychology and neurology). It's quite captivating, though, and I'm glad I picked it up. I'm currently in the chapter about stress and I am finding myself writing down the info for research articles for future reading.

[Onceuponatime]

Last night, I started reading a book that has been on my shelf for awhile: Head in Flames by Lance Olsen.

 

 

 

Perhaps the structure of it would fit under the Oulipo category...? It sticks to a very rigid structure of sets of three -- the first is a sentence or two by Vincent Van Gogh; it is followed in a different font by a sentence or two by Theo Van Gogh (Van Gogh's great grand-nephew); the third voice is in yet another font & has a sentence or two by Mohammed Bouyeri. And when I say sentences, that's not exactly the case; some are fragments of thoughts or speech, interrupted by the thought or words of the next person. Even though they are all separate threads, they reflect each other in fascinating & thoughtful ways (because of the way Olsen has juxtaposed the words).

 

I notice one reviewer on Goodreads recommends this one for "readers w/ a spine, a sense of history, & an openness to discovery that comes via great fear".

 

Um, yes. I'm not quite at the halfway mark. It's fascinating, horrifying, scary (knowing what will happen ahead of time). I can't even explain how I'm feeling reading this book. I want to read it. I don't want to read it. I want to stop. But I can't. Not even sure I'll really have words to say when I finish. My heart was clenching (I could actually feel it in my chest, my gut too) when reading; even when writing about it here, I'm feeling the same things.

 

:blink:

The cover is fascinating too. I was staring at it thinking, "Is that a sunflower or an eye," before I even read that the book was about Van Gogh. Also, I learned a new word: narraticule.

[Robin M]

Good morning, dear hearts. Here is a link to Eliana's post from last year about Martin Luther King which is jammed pack with information.

 

 

http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/2016/01/bw3-martin-luther-king.html

[Jane in NC]

Good morning, dear hearts. Here is a link to Eliana's post from last year about Martin Luther King which is jammed pack with information.

D

 

http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/2016/01/bw3-martin-luther-king.html

Quoting this as a "like" is insufficient...and to note how much I miss Eliana to whom I send good wishes.

[Alice]

I had to skim the thread again...so much to like but not enough time to reply. :) Probably good for me to not read too carefully anyway as my TBR list is too long as it is. 

 

I read Seinfeldia last week which is the story of the Seinfeld TV show and how it has influenced culture/enterainment. If you liked Seinfeld or watched TV in the 1990s it's fun. It's a little tood detailed. By about 3/4 of the way through I was kind of bored but it's an easy mostly fun read so I finished it. 

 

I also read The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary which is a middle grade novel told in verse. It talks about a year in the life of one class, each poem is by a different student and in a different voice. It would be a good addition to a poetry study as there are lots of different types of poems and the author (a poet) includes lots of info on writing different kinds of poems in the back. 

 

I'm reading My Brother Sam is Dead to discuss it with my 8th grader. And also Echoes of Sherlock Holmes which is a collection of Sherlock Holmes-inspired stories. It's the third in this collection and they have all been really good. 

[melbotoast]

This week I finished Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson. There were some interesting tidbits but I am impatiently waiting for the next Stormlight Archive book. I ♡ big books!

 

I also read The Unflappable Miss Fairchild, a Regency romance. It was just OK.

 

I downloaded the free audiobook someone posted on the Chat Board, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up. I've read it before and thought some of it was very helpful. Some is a bit much, like emptying your purse everyday! I need some inspiration to tidy up my homeschool supplies. My son liked to do school at the table, but my daughter likes being in her room, so I have homeschool stuff scattered around the house. I've been putting it off for months now...

 

I also started The Night Circus and am enjoying it so far.

[Kareni]

An enjoyable book-ish article ~

 

He Fixes the Cracked Spines of Books, Without an Understudy by KIRK JOHNSON

 

"ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Sometimes a book just gets loved to death. A Bible, or a copy of “Charlotte’s Web,†for that matter, can be opened only so many times, even by the gentlest reader, before its spine weakens and surrenders.

 

And here is a dirty little secret: Public libraries, despite their reputations for hushed wonder about the written word, can be rough places. Automated sorting machines, whirring conveyor belts and hard bins can break a book and shorten its life.

 

Donald Vass, who has spent the last 26 years mending and tending to books for the King County Public Library system here in the Seattle area, has seen both mechanical and human-inflicted damage and more. At 57 and with not many years left before retirement, he says he believes he will be the last full-time traditional bookbinder ever to take up shears, brushes and needles here. The skills take too long to learn, he said, and no one is being groomed to take his place in “the mendery,†Room 111 at the library’s central service center, where not so many years ago 10 people worked...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[LaughingCat]

The shelf I normally pile my books on was moved to make room for the Christmas tree and not yet moved back... so here is my poem of book titles 'in my reading chair'...

 

The Conversation.

Teen speak...

decisive, surviving survival, grit.

Do one thing different.

[shukriyya]

This thread continues to speed along at a punishing pace. I finished Fudoki this morning. I enjoyed the premise of this book, a cat who becomes a woman but retains her cat instincts, inner felinity and full memory of her cat-self. It made for an interesting perspective. It was rather a little too battle-heavy for me towards the end though. It finished somewhat ambiguously and left me with questions rather than completions which I liked and which felt in line with the overall themes of the book.

 

The Caliph's House is next and the book Jane linked in honor of Malanka is really drawing me but it's brandly new, so no library copies and rather $ in-store. Branching out of my usual with some of the GR challenges and as such I'm on the waiting list for Rebel of the Sands. So many books...

 

In the audio realm I'm listening the The Palace of Illusions. Fabulous!! Narrator is brilliant. Love, love, love.

[wendy not in HI]

An enjoyable book-ish article ~

 

He Fixes the Cracked Spines of Books, Without an Understudy by KIRK JOHNSON

 

"ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Sometimes a book just gets loved to death. A Bible, or a copy of “Charlotte’s Web,†for that matter, can be opened only so many times, even by the gentlest reader, before its spine weakens and surrenders.

 

And here is a dirty little secret: Public libraries, despite their reputations for hushed wonder about the written word, can be rough places. Automated sorting machines, whirring conveyor belts and hard bins can break a book and shorten its life.

 

Donald Vass, who has spent the last 26 years mending and tending to books for the King County Public Library system here in the Seattle area, has seen both mechanical and human-inflicted damage and more. At 57 and with not many years left before retirement, he says he believes he will be the last full-time traditional bookbinder ever to take up shears, brushes and needles here. The skills take too long to learn, he said, and no one is being groomed to take his place in “the mendery,†Room 111 at the library’s central service center, where not so many years ago 10 people worked...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

What a great story!  I'll have to share it with my dh.  Last winter he made a book press for a friend of mine who does book restoration and book binding.  It was a beautiful little machine!! 

 

--

 

I finished the book that I bought myself for Christmas:  The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey.  It started off strong, and it was an interesting look at England between the first and second world war, but she really didn't solve any of the mysteries that she presented at the beginning of the book, and I'm sorry to say that it was rather boring.

 

I also finished Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin.  I'm fairly certain my dh is a rebel/questioner which explains a lot about him!  I started her book Happier at Home this week, and I'm thinking about starting up a monthly focus like she does. 

 

I'm searching for something fun (not too heavy, happy ending) to start - There are a few teen books stacked up in the living room from Christmas that I may read, or something from this thread!!

[Mom-ninja.]

Shhh, I'm not here adding more books to my TR list. I'm typing and printing out the poem selections for ds's memory binder. 

[Lady Florida.]

I finished two books today -

 

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, Atul Guwande - I know a lot of you have already read this book and I kept meaning to get to it. I'm glad I finally read it. There's a lot to think about, both for elderly FIL and for dh and myself as we age. 

 

Royal Blood, Rhys Bowen - #4 in the series Her Royal Spyness and my bingo square for Flufferton

 

I've said before that I don't really care about book covers, but that's apparently not true. I was looking at my Goodreads books and a few of the Audible versions don't have a cover. When I looked at my finished books one just had a plain book with a lowercase g (for goodreads). It's kind of like when you don't make an avatar here and on other forums and you just get the featureless head. Well, I couldn't stand it! I actually switched to having read another version just so it would have a real cover. I still chose an audio version, just not the actual edition I listened to. :)

 

 

Edited January 16, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Corraleno]

I read When You Reach Me last night, a Newberry winner that made a perfect late night reading snack. The twist at the end wasn't hard to predict, but even without the "mystery" aspect it was still a really enjoyable read, with really well-drawn characters and other interesting subplots. This was actually on DD's shelf, and I was just looking for something quick and easy to tide me over until one of the Anne Carson books gets here, but I'm really glad I read it. It definitely deserves the awards and accolades it's received.

[EmmaNZ]

Week 3 and I'm still here! Yay, go me!

 

I finished two books this week - The Mislabeled Child, and All Passion Spent. The first was useful and informative, the second was easy but thought-provoking.

 

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to read next. My TBR list is ridiculously long from all of the ideas on these threads, and of course I could not decide. My grandma gave me some Dorothy Dunnetts a while back so I picked up Game of Kings and have started that instead. Which inevitably means that my TBR list is going to get completely out of control!

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[mumto2]

 

I've said before that I don't really care about book covers, but that's apparently not true. I was looking at my Goodreads books and a few of the Audible versions don't have a cover. When I looked at my finished books one just had a plain book with a lowercase g (for goodreads). It's kind of like when you don't make an avatar here and on other forums and you just get the featureless head. Well, I couldn't stand it! I actually switched to having read another version just so it would have a real cover. I still chose an audio version, just not the actual edition I listened to. :)

On Goodreads I may not be overly picky about matching which edition I read but I really want the cover to match even when it was a kindle read. I do make sure the audiobooks match properly.

 

I started listening to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy because of a technical problem with the Clive Cussler book I had started. Hitchhiker's is narrated by Stephen Fry so I will finish that one. :) It's a reread but a favourite. We've been watching and comparing different versions of the movie chuckling over the planning permission on display part.......stored down a dark stairway in a locked cabinet in a disused bathroom. :lol: I have never read the rest of the series so I may go on and listen to them. The rest aren't narrated by Fry sadly.

 

I gave up on Patricia Cornwall's latest, Chaos. It may have a one word title for bingo but I just kept thinking this again. The series needs some new ideas. This was the third book that felt really stale do I guess I am done with one of my favourite series. :(

[lewber]

Hello everyone! My book this week was A Man Called Ove. It was everything people say. It was charming and he was a wonderful character to get to "know." A sweet book full of goodness. 

 

I am not reading at the pace or level as most of you, but I am really enjoying this Book a Week a Challenge! I love hearing about what everyone is reading and am noting some ideas for the future, 

[Onceuponatime]

I love the cover art! It's funny that you say that because it should have occurred to me that it's a sunflower or some variation thereof because of the Van Gogh connection.... But, ever since the first time I've seen the cover (years ago), I've thought "rooster". So that is what I always see. :lol:

 

 

 

Did you see that Head in Flames could be a play on words representing the sunflower or a redheaded person? (There is even room for a rooster in there.) I wonder if the author and the cover artist collaborated. It is awfully clever. Edited January 16, 2017 by Onceuponatime

[shukriyya]

Re cover art, it's a definite factor in my initial interest in a book. I appreciate good cover art and gravitate towards it but often find the book is not what I'm interested in. Inversely, a well-written book overrides boring cover art every time.

 

 

[CadenceSophia]

Totally nit-picking, but Paterson has only one T. I know because it's my hometown. People always want to give it two, but the man it's named after, William Paterson, spelled his name with just one. :)

My first boyfriend's dad was a Paterson cop. Lived in Hawthorne. I spent a lot of good years driving around that area :) Funny how small the world gets.

[Schadenfreude]

I am drawn to books with funky cover art. One of my favorite things to do is go to a second hand bookstore and pick out the funky covered books. Unfortunately, we do not have a second hand store where I currently live. Stacia and Robin, you guys find the best books.

[CadenceSophia]

I am still reading Sous Les Ventes de Neptune from last week. Will probably finish it tomorrow.

 

I did read/finish Paul Coelho's The Alchemist. Waste of two hours. I probably would have liked it in high school but it is terribly pre-digested. A fun book is one thing but if it is going to be serious, I need some more meat to chew on.

 

I did start reading Jane Eyre because.. Well, I have no excuses :) and we are halfway through Kate DeCamillo's The Magician's Elephant as our audio book this week. I'm not totally in love with it yet. None of us are captivated really but we will see how the last few chapters go.