Book a Week 2017 - BW8: Book festivals and birthdays

[Chrysalis Academy]

I highly recommend Hyperion, probably the best sci fi novel I've ever read. Best of all it is part of the First-in-a-Series sale at Audible, and it is an excellent listen!

 

Hyperion is The Canterbury Tales in space. There are none of the familiar space tropes --  no evil aliens keen on conquering all, no wise-cracking heros nor earnest young heros realizing their destiny. It is seven pilgrims, for lack of a better word, each telling their stories as they are en route to the planet Hyperion to face something called The Shrike. It is profound and absorbing and unlike anything else I've read in the genre.

 

Jenn, that looks great. I just put it on hold. We've been reading a YA Canterbury Tales - Canterbury Tales on a bus to DC. It's been quite riveting. Sometimes We Tell The Truth. It's a YA, so grappling with all the issues teenagers grapple with, about identity and belonging and being true to yourself vs fitting in. But a really great book. I should finish it today. I had started it, but Shannon picked it up and read it in like 4 hours straight, nonstop, she couldn't put it down. So that's a rousing endorsement for the teenagers in your world. It does have quite a bit of sex talk, and there are some gender identity issues explored, as a word to the wise.

[Lady Florida.]

Yep, it definitely counts, as it's set on a non-earth planet.

 

 

 

Thanks. For some reason the description made me think it's set on earth and it's about how earth humans react to the coming of aliens. I must have totally missed something there. 

 

Who knows? Maybe I'll read both The Sparrow and Hyperion and once again BaW will be responsible for my branching out and taking chances. :)

[idnib]

Right?!

 

Now I'm excited for you to get to my favorite of the series, Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

Harry Potter was such a huge part of our homeschool life. Did I ever tell y'all that my oldest met his best friend in a theater class where they put on a play based on the first book? My red headed ds played Ron and his friend played Harry. The two of them went to Wizarding World in Florida last year and while riding the Hogwarts Express there play acted the trip to Hogwarts from the first book!  :laugh:  

 

 

I wish I could read the wonderful Harry Potter series for the first time again. Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite too.

[Caroline]

Jenn, that looks great. I just put it on hold. We've been reading a YA Canterbury Tales - Canterbury Tales on a bus to DC. It's been quite riveting. Sometimes We Tell The Truth. It's a YA, so grappling with all the issues teenagers grapple with, about identity and belonging and being true to yourself vs fitting in. But a really great book. I should finish it today. I had started it, but Shannon picked it up and read it in like 4 hours straight, nonstop, she couldn't put it down. So that's a rousing endorsement for the teenagers in your world. It does have quite a bit of sex talk, and there are some gender identity issues explored, as a word to the wise.

This looks great! Thanks for sharing it.

[Lady Florida.]

Jenn, that looks great. I just put it on hold. We've been reading a YA Canterbury Tales - Canterbury Tales on a bus to DC. It's been quite riveting. Sometimes We Tell The Truth. It's a YA, so grappling with all the issues teenagers grapple with, about identity and belonging and being true to yourself vs fitting in. But a really great book. I should finish it today. I had started it, but Shannon picked it up and read it in like 4 hours straight, nonstop, she couldn't put it down. So that's a rousing endorsement for the teenagers in your world. It does have quite a bit of sex talk, and there are some gender identity issues explored, as a word to the wise.

 

This looks really good. I'm not generally a fan of YA (HP and Hunger Games notwithstanding), but the premise of this book is brilliant. 

[BarbecueMom]

Yep, it definitely counts, as it's set on a non-earth planet.

 

My all time favorite set in space series is the Imperial Radch series, starting with Ancillary Justice. I know you've heard me rave about it before . . .

 

I just started Ancillary Justice this week and was thinking the same as far as space books. So far I'm hooked!

 

Although after last night's Agents of SHIELD, I was a bit skittish about reading anything involving AI right before trying to sleep.

[Matryoshka]

My all time favorite set in space series is the Imperial Radch series, starting with Ancillary Justice. I know you've heard me rave about it before . . . 

 

I also really love Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula Leguin.  Set on another planet.

 

I just read and loved the Imperial Radch series, and Left Hand of Darkness, along with The Dispossessed also by Ursula LeGuin, is one of my all-time favorite books.

 

Hey, do rereads count for the A-Z challenge, because I need a U author, and I think I've read virtually everything she's written, including Malafrena, Always Coming Home, and even two books of essays...  :blush:  I've been looking for other U authors, but nothing really piques my interest.  I'd love to reread either The Dispossessed or The Left Hand of Darkness, though... it's probably been 30 years or so since I last read them...

Edited February 22, 2017 by Matryoshka

[mumto2]

You both might be interested in this review I just saw on the Dear Author site ~

REVIEW: Vittoria Cottage by D.E. Stevenson

 

There are older additional reviews which you can see here.

 

Regards,

Kareni

Thanks for the link. I picked one the reviewer was a bit ambivalent towards but I think I will find interesting. She said it was slow. Post WWII in the UK was fascinating from my perspective. I grew up on my parents stories of their lives during/after the war and enjoy that time period.

 

I finished Ways to Disappear https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25746685-ways-to-disappear earlier today as my book set in Brazil for Amethyst. Parts of it were fascinating in terms of page layout, poetry intermixed, etc. Some of it I liked but parts were just plain odd and I had a hard time getting beyond that. It jumped around. A few people here have it marked as a want to read on Goodreads. I will be curious what others think.....

[Kareni]

... Space isn't my favorite setting and aliens aren't my favorite characters. :)

 

There's always Andy Weir's The Martian -- no aliens but there is one space pirate.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Lady Florida.]

There's always Andy Weir's The Martian -- no aliens but there is one space pirate.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Except I already read that one. :)

 

 

I finished Ways to Disappear https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25746685-ways-to-disappear earlier today as my book set in Brazil for Amethyst. Parts of it were fascinating in terms of page layout, poetry intermixed, etc. Some of it I liked but parts were just plain odd and I had a hard time getting beyond that. It jumped around. A few people here have it marked as a want to read on Goodreads. I will be curious what others think.....

 

That's been on my to-read list for a while but I keep changing my mind about whether or not I really want to read it. 

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Jane in NC]

Last year I went through a reading period where everything was so-so, finding no single book from the three months or so to be stellar.  It was odd and had me wondering if I was the problem--not the books.  As a rule I don't rate books--but I was delighted that two of this year's list would be given five stars if I were giving stars.  (Those books are The Underground Railroad and Mrs. Bridge.)

 

I think a record is being set here.  It is only February and I am going to say that I have finished another five star book:  A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa, translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn.  This book was hiding in the dusties when I was in my reading malaise. So glad it surfaced and now I wish that I had pulled it when Stacia was raving about it.  This is a book that others might enjoy. Oh Rose (i.e. Chrysalis), should I send it to you?

 

Oblivion has several threads of various parties during and after the Angolan declaration of independence in '75. We do not live in vacuums.  This is an allegory for Angola but the tale of how one person's actions affect others is moving.  The seemingly disparate characters converge with a satisfying resolution. Lovely writing!

Edited February 22, 2017 by Jane in NC

[Kareni]

Except I already read that one. :)

 

I re-read The Martian recently; I think it was the fourth time.

 

I'm not doing the bingo, but do re-reads count?

**

 

I just finished the historical romance Lady Claire Is All That by Maya Rodale. It was a pleasant read but not a book I expect to re-read.  It was rather anachronistic.

 

"HER BRAINS…

Claire Cavendish is in search of a duke, but not for the usual reasons. The man she seeks is a mathematician; the man she unwittingly finds is Lord Fox: dynamic, athletic, and as bored by the equations Claire adores as she is by the social whirl upon which he thrives. As attractive as Fox is, he’s of no use to Claire . . . or is he?

 

PLUS  HIS BRAWN . . .

Fox’s male pride has been bruised ever since his fiancée jilted him. One way to recover: win a bet that he can transform Lady Claire, Society’s roughest diamond, into its most prized jewel. But Claire has other ideas—shockingly steamy ones . . .

 

EQUALS A STUDY IN SEDUCTION . . .

By Claire’s calculations, Fox is the perfect man to satisfy her sensual curiosity. In Fox’s estimation, Claire is the perfect woman to prove his mastery of the ton. But the one thing neither of them counted on is love . . ."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Jane in NC]

:hurray: So glad you loved it, Jane.

 

Now you really must read Agualusa's The Book of Chameleons. (Which, btw, for our kindle readers, I see is $4.99 right now. That's a steal, people.) I loved A General Theory of Oblivion, but really loved The Book of Chameleons. (Oh, Pam, where are you???? We had such fun discussing the gecko!! :lol: ) And, I still recommend reading Ondjaki's Good Morning Comrades too, while Angola, its civil war, & the impact on residents is still fresh.

My library has neither. Pfui. There is an eclectic used bookstore that I will visit in a week or two (crazy busy days ahead). If I can't put money directly into local pockets, I will order these, Stacia. Cuz I need more books. Ahem.

[Mom-ninja.]

Reading is happening but haven't finished anything to post. 

 

I don't see anyone saying they have picked up Come as You Are.  :toetap05:   I want you all to know that it's not a drive. No such thing as a sex drive. What? I know! I was baffled as well. We have been misled and misinformed. Disconcordance is a real thing. Want to know more? Yes, you do.  

[Matryoshka]

I read a Swedish novella today: The Löwensköld Ring by Selma Lagerlöf. In 1909, Lagerlöf was the first woman to win the Nobel prize for literature. I enjoyed the novella & would consider it a psychological ghost story along the lines of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw.

 

I have an old copy of this on my shelf (and I think an old translation - mine is called The Ring of Löwenskölds).  I bought it years ago because I'd really liked another book of Lagerlöf's, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, when I was younger).  I could have sworn I'd read it, but now I can't remember anything of the story, and wonder if I did and somehow forgot it, or if I started and didn't finish, or if I didn't actually ever get to it...!  Mine is much longer than a novella, though - 367 pages, which is broken up into three parts, The General's Ring, Charlotte Löwensköld, and Anna Svärd.  Is yours just one part?  Very weirdly, the first part of the book has been translated by a different person than the second two parts...

 

Now I'm thinking I should put this on my to read (or would it be re-read?) list.  And maybe find a better translation.  Who translated yours?

Edited February 23, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Robin M]

I just read and loved the Imperial Radch series, and Left Hand of Darkness, along with The Dispossessed also by Ursula LeGuin, is one of my all-time favorite books.

 

Hey, do rereads count for the A-Z challenge, because I need a U author, and I think I've read virtually everything she's written, including Malafrena, Always Coming Home, and even two books of essays...  :blush:  I've been looking for other U authors, but nothing really piques my interest.  I'd love to reread either The Dispossessed or The Left Hand of Darkness, though... it's probably been 30 years or so since I last read them...

Yes, rereads can count for A - Z so reread away!   

 

Reading is happening but haven't finished anything to post. 

 

I don't see anyone saying they have picked up Come as You Are.  :toetap05:   I want you all to know that it's not a drive. No such thing as a sex drive. What? I know! I was baffled as well. We have been misled and misinformed. Disconcordance is a real thing. Want to know more? Yes, you do.  

Come as You are is on my wishlist so eventually!  

 

 

 

 

 

I just finished a new to me author - Emily Gee's Thief with no Shadow.  It's a fantasy / paranormalish story with a unique twist. She is a Wraith and all the world thinks Wraiths are evil.  The story captured me from the very beginning and the writing as well as the story is excellent. Characters are caught in a bad situation, learn from misconceptions and learn now to trust and love.  However,  It is a dark fantasy involving anthropomorphic sexual situations  so not for those triggered by violence.

[Kareni]

... Cuz I need more books. Ahem.

 

Clearly I was of a like mind today when I left the (going out of business on Friday after twenty years ... sigh) used book store.  I bought four books -- one is a gift and three are for me.  We don't need to mention the two bags full of books I bought back in December when I first learned that they were closing.  (♫ And now I have 'baa, baa, black sheep' running through my mind .... ♫)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I just finished a new to me author - Emily Gee's Thief with no Shadow. ...

 

I enjoyed that book recently, too.  You may not know that Emily Gee also writes as Emily Larkin.  One of her books (which I've not yet read) is currently free to Kindle readers ~ 

 

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

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Robin M]

Oh boy - The final four couples in the Swoonies 2017: Round 3 are Eve and Roark versus Mercedes and Adam.  Plus Rhine and Eddy vs Cletus and Jennifer.. I have no idea who the second pair of couples are. Bad me.   Go vote for the swoonworthiest couple.   Eve and Roark, Eve and Roark, Eve and Roark.  :lol:

 

For those near the London area, Smart B's/Trashy Books are having a meet up for readers of romance on March 4th.

 

For our scifi/fantasy fans, check out Kevin Hearn's interview on A Plague of Giants

 

Have you been missing pictures of men in kilts?  Watch two guys take it to a whole new level in Kilt Yoga  (beware they get a bit cheeky)

 

 

 

 

[Ethel Mertz]

My dh chuckle for the day was when he informed me that I have a hold available at the library. You should have seen his face when I told him that hopefully the other thirty would be there this weekend so need to wait to pick up. More emails to come.....

I love this! Must try it with my library-book-fetching spouse.

 

I finished The Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell.  That's book #20.  It is the San Antonio mayor's current book club choice.  It was a bit hard to read because it was rather horrifying what our country did to US citizens during WWII just because they were Japanese or German or Italian.  On top of that is the very disturbing part of our government bringing people up from Latin American countries, arresting them as illegal immigrants, and then putting them in Crystal City Internment Camp to await repatriation to Japan or Germany as part of a hostage exchange program with those countries.  Some of the repatriates were US citizen children and teens who had never been to Japan or Germany and were thoroughly American kids.  It makes me sad that fear and also greed (hostage exchange) led to that.  It's super sad that our government's current stance on the Germans involved was they were all security risks and weren't interned based on their ethnicity like the Japanese were.  Never mind some of the children interned were toddlers and many babies were born in those camps so certainly those surviving today - the children during WWII - were no security risk at all.  The book was very well written.

Thanks for this post. I've just added it to my TBR list.

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -- another 5-star children's book.

 

I think I'm the only one who hasn't yet read HP. In my defense, it took me over 50 years to watch The Wizard of Oz all the way through because I was afraid of the flying monkeys.

 

News articles have consumed my reading time, so I am only just plodding along in this week's books.

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Matryoshka]

Mine is just the first part of the trilogy. The afterword says...:

 

The version I have is ISBN 1-870041-14-3, published by Norvik Press in 1991 (Series B: No. 8), translated by Linda Schenck. This is one I picked up at the library book sale in the past couple of months. I have no idea if this translation was a good one or not, though there is some discussion (in the afterword) of earlier translated versions & some misconceptions/mistranslations in the story in previous versions. I found this version very easy to read & understand.

 

After reading this one & realizing it is part of a trilogy, I was curious enough to look in the library catalog & it looks like there may be a 1931 edition that has all three stories in it which I may request. The library catalog does not list the translator for that version.

 

ETA: The afterword specifically points out errors in the 1928 version of the translation.

 

LOL, the book I have is indeed the 1931 edition; it's an old hardcover library copy.  Now you have me wondering if I should find and read the newer edition of the first novella, and finish with the other two... wonder if that translator was better than the one who did the first...?

[Angelaboord]

I read a western! It was Six-Gun Snow White by Cathrynne Valente. Here is my review: I can't rate this. The story was very cleverly written with the Snow White symbolism and narrative weaving, but I can't say I liked it. It was too raw and ugly for me. On the other hand it exposes the story of Snow white as ugly and not at all enchanting. I should have known it would be like this after reading Valente's Deathless.

 

I felt the same way about Deathless. I read it really fast but at the end I was left wondering why other reviewers thought it was such a great portrayal of marriage. [emoji53] Six Gun Snow White was on my TBR list, but I think based on your review I'll probably give it a pass.

 

 

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[Angelaboord]

You're not the only one. I read the first one five years ago, but never the others. So, this is my first time through the series!

 

I have watched The Wizard of Oz (seemed to be a family tradition when I was growing up to watch it once a year when it was on tv), but I always hated it. My dc were scared trying to watch it when younger & I never made them watch it. I don't think they're missing anything. Imo.

 

(I'm enjoying HP thousands of times more than Oz.)

Oh, the flying monkeys! I hated those!!

 

My kids listened to the Wizard of Oz before they watched the movie, so they were too busy fuming about how it didn't follow the book.

 

I guess I am another person half on the never read Harry Potter list... I say "half" because I did listen to my dd read the first 2 books aloud in the car to her little brother. And then her little brother discovered audio books and listened to all the Harry Potter books except the last two so many times that we all practically memorized bits and pieces of them. So now the only way I can think of HP is in that narrator's voice.

 

 

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[Lady Florida.]

I re-read The Martian recently; I think it was the fourth time.

 

I'm not doing the bingo, but do re-reads count?

**

 

 

 

I think rereads are okay for some of the challenges, but they don't count for bingo.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Last year I went through a reading period where everything was so-so, finding no single book from the three months or so to be stellar.  It was odd and had me wondering if I was the problem--not the books.  As a rule I don't rate books--but I was delighted that two of this year's list would be given five stars if I were giving stars.  (Those books are The Underground Railroad and Mrs. Bridge.)

 

I think a record is being set here.  It is only February and I am going to say that I have finished another five star book:  A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa, translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn.  This book was hiding in the dusties when I was in my reading malaise. So glad it surfaced and now I wish that I had pulled it when Stacia was raving about it.  This is a book that others might enjoy. Oh Rose (i.e. Chrysalis), should I send it to you?

 

Oblivion has several threads of various parties during and after the Angolan declaration of independence in '75. We do not live in vacuums.  This is an allegory for Angola but the tale of how one person's actions affect others is moving.  The seemingly disparate characters converge with a satisfying resolution. Lovely writing!

 

Yes! Yes! I've discovered a reliable method for choosing great books: Ones that both you and Stacia rave about are a sure thing for me. I'd love to have you send it to me, thank you!

[Lady Florida.]

If I would just stop downloading samples I might actually make progress in one of the full length books I'm currently reading.

 

I now have three more samples to get through after downloading them earlier today - Hyperion, The Sparrow, and Sometimes We Tell the Truth. 

[Kareni]

Given the mention of Canterbury Tales-like books, it seemed propitious to encounter this currently free Kindle book in which several of the Amazon reviewers make such a connection ~

 

A Storm of Stories by K.B. Jensen

 

"Sometimes telling a story is just another way to stay alive. Swerving to avoid a hitchhiker out in a whiteout storm, Julie’s car ends up wedged in a snow bank. With the inches piling higher on the dark road, she can’t escape a man who makes little sense. Stranded in the freezing cold, the two tell stories to pass the time. From the Midwest to India, Denmark and Canada, they offer visions of lives and loves from young to old, far and wide. But as the hours blur together, and the snow and ice set in, it becomes less clear how their own story will end.

A tale of love, craziness and impossibility."

**

 

Also free: Center Stage: Magnolia Steele Mystery #1 by Denise Grover Swank

 

"Ten years ago, Magnolia Steele fled Franklin, Tennessee after an incident that left her with hazy memories and a horror of the place where she had been born and bred. Though her abrupt departure destroyed most of her treasured relationships, she vowed never to return . . . until she has no choice. When Magnolia’s breakout acting role in a Broadway musical ends in disgrace, there’s only one place she can go. She finds herself on her momma’s porch, suitcase in hand.

Drama follows Magnolia around like a long lost friend. She reluctantly agrees to help her momma’s catering company at a party for a country music star, only to find herself face-to-face with a sleazy music agent from her past. After a very public spat, Magnolia not only finds him dead but herself center stage in the police’s investigation. Now she must scramble to prove her innocence, relying on the help of acquaintances old and new.

But the longer Magnolia stays in Franklin, the more she remembers about the big bad incident that chased her away. The past might not be finished with her yet, and what she doesn’t remember could be her biggest danger."

**

Innocent Strangers by Millys Altman

 

Kirkus Review:

"A father-and-daughter duo become embroiled in small-town politicking and murderous family feuds in this mystery set during the golden age of coal and coke mining.
 
During what was supposed to be a brief stop en route to California,Jenny and Marc suffer a bizarre twist of fate when they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and stand accused of murder. While preparing their defense in the face of a trial that could lead to their hanging, they discover the town's dark, hidden underbelly. Although picturesque, Mount Hope, Pa.,is ruthlessly controlled by a few puppet masters who make their own rules,aided by lax laws and geographical isolation. Founding families have a heavy hand in the region, providing a cast of characters who are rich, spoiled, greedy and possibly murderous. But help meets abound, too. The tale is rounded out by a boyish young doctor, John--a romantic prospect for Jenny--and a kindly inn keeper and his wife, who attempt to aid the father and daughter in proving their innocence. After Marc suffers a heart attack, Jenny matures as she takes on the bulk of the murder investigation....Altman convincingly sets Jenny and Marc's evolving father-daughter relationship and Jenny and the doctor's blossoming romance against the seedy corruption of the coal-rich town, all the while teasing out the mystery and hiding the real culprit until the very end--no small feat for a debut author.
 
A perfectly framed mystery with the twists and turns of a mine shaft."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Robin M]

I re-read The Martian recently; I think it was the fourth time.

 

I'm not doing the bingo, but do re-reads count?

For 52 books challenge, yes rereads do count. They just don't count for the mini challenges

[Lori D.]

I highly recommend Hyperion, probably the best sci fi novel I've ever read. Best of all it is part of the First-in-a-Series sale at Audible, and it is an excellent listen!

 

Hyperion is The Canterbury Tales in space. There are none of the familiar space tropes --  no evil aliens keen on conquering all, no wise-cracking heros nor earnest young heros realizing their destiny. It is seven pilgrims, for lack of a better word, each telling their stories as they are en route to the planet Hyperion to face something called The Shrike. It is profound and absorbing and unlike anything else I've read in the genre.

 

Okay, I have to ask... Dan Simmons also wrote Ilium, a book I threw down in disgust after 1 chapter due to the first female character out of the gate being a big-booked brainless space babe. gaahh! Was that meant to be irony or parody and I missed it because I didn't read far enough? I just hate that typical 1950s male-chauvinistic sci-fi stereotype.  :cursing:  As I result, I had permanently crossed Dan Simmons books off my booklist.

 

So... Simmons' Hyperion is different?

 

 

I don't have a clue what to read for the Outer Space bingo square...

 

Another vote for Left Hand of Darkness (Le Guin) -- just re-read it a few months back and it still holds up well! -- or Ancillary Justice (Leckie). Or The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Adams) -- although if you've read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, then you've likely read this sequel, all set in space. ;)

 

I really liked Embassytown Town (Mievelle), although it takes concentration.

 

Other ideas -- mostly oldies ;) :

- Out of the Silent Planet (CS Lewis) -- first in the trilogy

- one of the Lens Men books (EE Doc Smith)

- Splinter of the Mind's Eye (Alan Dean Foster) -- a very early Star Wars world novel

- Star Soldiers (Andre Norton) -- or other Norton space book

- Ender's Game (Orson Scott Carde) -- first in the series

- Foundation (Isaac Asimov) -- first in the series

- Ringworld (Larry Niven)

- The Risen Empire (Scott Westerfeld) -- first in the Succession trilogy

 

For more ideas, check out this "Top 50 Space Opera Sci-Fi Novels" list.

Edited February 23, 2017 by Lori D.

[mumto2]

Oh boy - The final four couples in the Swoonies 2017: Round 3 are Eve and Roark versus Mercedes and Adam.  Plus Rhine and Eddy vs Cletus and Jennifer.. I have no idea who the second pair of couples are. Bad me.   Go vote for the swoonworthiest couple.   Eve and Roark, Eve and Roark, Eve and Roark.  :lol:

 

For those near the London area, Smart B's/Trashy Books are having a meet up for readers of romance on March 4th.

 

For our scifi/fantasy fans, check out Kevin Hearn's interview on A Plague of Giants

 

Have you been missing pictures of men in kilts?  Watch two guys take it to a whole new level in Kilt Yoga  (beware they get a bit cheeky)

Unfortunately I won't be able to go because it definitely sounds like something I would enjoy. Central London especially is still very much a family outing for us and a big deal one. Can't imagine my guys at that event!

 

The Kevin Hearne book looks interesting. I recently checked the library to see if there was a new one....usually in the spring a new Iron Druid appears. This explains it.

 

Ethyl, you really do need a like button. So does Rosie!

[Onceuponatime]

I felt the same way about Deathless. I read it really fast but at the end I was left wondering why other reviewers thought it was such a great portrayal of marriage. [emoji53] Six Gun Snow White was on my TBR list, but I think based on your review I'll probably give it a pass.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This morning I was reading some of the reviews to see why other people did and didn't like it. I read a review by a native American woman who thought it was disgusting. When I read what some of the elements of the story said to her, I cringed. I hadn't seen the story from that perspective. It made me realize how much we ignore the historical treatment of others, not fully seeing the implicit disgust for another's ethnicity in some words and actions.

[Loesje22000]

I read a Swedish novella today: The Löwensköld Ring by Selma Lagerlöf. In 1909, Lagerlöf was the first woman to win the Nobel prize for literature. I enjoyed the novella & would consider it a psychological ghost story along the lines of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw.

 

 

 

For those who prefer classic, not really scary stories for October, this might be a good selection.

 

ETA: If you want to try something by her, it looks like some of her books are available for kindle for free.

  

I have an old copy of this on my shelf (and I think an old translation - mine is called The Ring of Löwenskölds).  I bought it years ago because I'd really liked another book of Lagerlöf's, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, when I was younger).  I could have sworn I'd read it, but now I can't remember anything of the story, and wonder if I did and somehow forgot it, or if I started and didn't finish, or if I didn't actually ever get to it...!  Mine is much longer than a novella, though - 367 pages, which is broken up into three parts, The General's Ring, Charlotte Löwensköld, and Anna Svärd.  Is yours just one part?  Very weirdly, the first part of the book has been translated by a different person than the second two parts...

 

Now I'm thinking I should put this on my to read (or would it be re-read?) list.  And maybe find a better translation.  Who translated yours?

  

Mine is just the first part of the trilogy. The afterword says...:

 

 

The version I have is ISBN 1-870041-14-3, published by Norvik Press in 1991 (Series B: No. 8), translated by Linda Schenck. This is one I picked up at the library book sale in the past couple of months. I have no idea if this translation was a good one or not, though there is some discussion (in the afterword) of earlier translated versions & some misconceptions/mistranslations in the story in previous versions. I found this version very easy to read & understand.

 

After reading this one & realizing it is part of a trilogy, I was curious enough to look in the library catalog & it looks like there may be a 1931 edition that has all three stories in it which I may request. The library catalog does not list the translator for that version.

 

ETA: The afterword specifically points out errors in the 1928 version of the translation.

 

You make my day !

 

I LOVE to read Lagerlof.

Nils Holgerssons wonderbare reizen are a huge part of my youth, I think I read this book the most, just as the secret garden.

 

In my teenage year I discovered 'Christus Legenden'.

 

And now I have more to discover ! :D

 

Curious if it is translated...

[Penguin]

I just read and loved the Imperial Radch series, and Left Hand of Darkness, along with The Dispossessed also by Ursula LeGuin, is one of my all-time favorite books.

 

Hey, do rereads count for the A-Z challenge, because I need a U author, and I think I've read virtually everything she's written, including Malafrena, Always Coming Home, and even two books of essays... :blush: I've been looking for other U authors, but nothing really piques my interest. I'd love to reread either The Dispossessed or The Left Hand of Darkness, though... it's probably been 30 years or so since I last read them...

Have you read Sigrid Undset? She is also a Scandinavian Nobel Prize winner. You could take a look at Kristen Lavransdatter (Tina Nunnelly translation).

[Jane in NC]

Yes! Yes! I've discovered a reliable method for choosing great books: Ones that both you and Stacia rave about are a sure thing for me. I'd love to have you send it to me, thank you!

 

It is yours!

 

[Onceuponatime]

This morning I was reading some of the reviews to see why other people did and didn't like it. I read a review by a native American woman who thought it was disgusting. When I read what some of the elements of the story said to her, I cringed. I hadn't seen the story from that perspective. It made me realize how much we ignore the historical treatment of others, not fully seeing the implicit disgust for another's ethnicity in some words and actions.

I added to my review-

 

"Edited to add: To be fair to the author, after new information about historical context, I think the author was trying to make a point through allegory about the historical treatment of minorities, especially native americans and women. I think most readers miss the point and see only the surface story. I also missed some of the allusions at first. Now I realize that even the title "Snow White" is an ugly title. Its ugliness has been hidden for generations."

 

I still don't know how to rate something like this.

[Mom-ninja.]

I guess I am another person half on the never read Harry Potter list... I say "half" because I did listen to my dd read the first 2 books aloud in the car to her little brother. And then her little brother discovered audio books and listened to all the Harry Potter books except the last two so many times that we all practically memorized bits and pieces of them. So now the only way I can think of HP is in that narrator's voice.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

That would be Jim Dale.  :001_wub:   He narrated The Night Circus as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

I have an announcement: I do not like The Left Hand of Darkness. Nope, I do not. Not even a little. In fact, that book has stopped me from reading any other Le Guin books. I may stand alone, but I stand firmly.

[Matryoshka]

Have you read Sigrid Undset? She is also a Scandinavian Nobel Prize winner. You could take a look at Kristen Lavransdatter (Tina Nunnelly translation).

 

I have not read anything by her.  I'll put it on my TR list, thanks! :)

[Chrysalis Academy]

This looks really good. I'm not generally a fan of YA (HP and Hunger Games notwithstanding), but the premise of this book is brilliant. 

 

It was a really great YA book. The modern versions of the Tales were excellent, the way the characters embodied CA characters was quite brilliant - the descriptions of the kids were in some cases right out of the original, including that of Pard, who was "a mare or a gelding" . . . I'll say no more about that.  But it was the interactions and the dynamic between the kids, and what Jeff learned about himself, about friendship, fear, love and belonging, that really made it.  

 

Reading is happening but haven't finished anything to post. 

 

I don't see anyone saying they have picked up Come as You Are.  :toetap05:   I want you all to know that it's not a drive. No such thing as a sex drive. What? I know! I was baffled as well. We have been misled and misinformed. Disconcordance is a real thing. Want to know more? Yes, you do.  

 

LOL. It's on my list too, and creeping up the list. I've had 30-ish books on hold for months now, and it looks like they are starting to come in. I'm gonna be buried here if they all come in at once.

 

It is yours!

 

 

Yippee! thanks!

[Penguin]

Thanks for all the upthread mentions of Selma Lagerlof - too many to quote! I think I would like the Ring trilogy.

 

Before I left Denmark, I stocked up on Danish books. I have this Danish version of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils on my shelf. I wish you could see it...it is so beautiful. I have one more H.C. Andersen tale to finish before I choose my next Danish read. It will be either the Nils book or Astrid Lindgrin Ronja the Robber's Daughter (Ronja Røvedatter).

 

Meanwhile, I am 75% done with Doctor Zhivago.

 

--

Anyone else interested in reading while in yoga poses? Or do you already read while in a yoga pose? This is something I want to start doing. Here are some links I found this week :)

 

https://www.doyouyoga.com/7-yoga-poses-you-can-do-while-reading-91878/

 

http://bookriot.com/2014/11/28/5-best-yoga-poses-reading/

 

https://www.sandrafangyoga.com/single-post/2014/12/05/8-Yin-Yoga-Poses-You-Can-Practice-While-Reading-a-Book

Edited February 23, 2017 by Penguin

[Kareni]

A one day only classic currently free to Kindle readers ~

 

Looking Backward: 2000–1887 by Edward Bellamy

 

"A masterwork of science fiction that imagines the world not just how it could be, but how it should be

In Boston in the year 1887, Julian West is hypnotized and falls into a deep sleep. He awakens at the dawn of a new millennium in an America where war, crime, and inequality no longer exist. In this brave new world, goods are delivered in the blink of an eye, public kitchens ensure that no one goes hungry, and the retirement age is forty-five. It sounds too good to be true, but Julian soon learns that this socialist utopia is not the stuff of dreams—it is a carefully planned, wondrously liberating reality.
 
One of the bestselling American novels of the nineteenth century, Looking Backward launched a vibrant political movement and sparked an enormous amount of debate. Today it stands as an enduring testament to the power of imagination and the best of human nature."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Raifta]

Finally started working on Suite Francaise (in French) but haven't made it into the actual book yet - reading the introductory section about the author right now.  Reading in French is not as hard as I anticipated, although the frequent interruptions from children don't help when I'm getting through certain stretches.

 

And of course the library recalled the other book I had started and it has to go back tomorrow so I guess I'll find another one to start.  I do have 8 on hold to pick up today.  

 

Oh, and I ran into this neat Literature Map that purports to find authors that are similar in style to authors you enjoy.  It might have been mentioned here before, but the kids and I are enjoying using it to find authors they want to try.

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts from Tor.com.  The comments are often worth reading, too. ~

 

Five Books About Trolls by Chris Sharp

 

5 SFF Love Stories About Overcoming a Language Barrier  by Stubby the Rocket

 

 

The SFF Equine: Troublesome Tropes About Horses by Judith Tarr

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Matryoshka]

Thanks for all the upthread mentions of Selma Lagerlof - too many to quote! I think I would like the Ring trilogy.

 

Before I left Denmark, I stocked up on Danish books. I have this Danish version of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils on my shelf. I wish you could see it...it is so beautiful. I have one more H.C. Andersen tale to finish before I choose my next Danish read. It will be either the Nils book or Astrid Lindgrin Ronja the Robber's Daughter (Ronja Røvedatter)

 

I love Ronja too!  Almost all the Lindgren I've read has been in German (where it's Ronja Räubertochter :) ) - though I think I've read all the Pippis in both langauges. :D

 

Meanwhile, I am 75% done with Doctor Zhivago.

 

 

Hey, I just finished Doctor Zhivago last night! :)  How are you liking it?  Do you think you'll bother reading the poetry at the end?  I had good intentions, but I think I'm going to skip it.  

 

There were some quotes in there that were a bit disturbingly relevant to current affairs...

 

Anyone else interested in reading while in yoga poses? Or do you already read while in a yoga pose? This is something I want to start doing. Here are some links I found this week  :)

 

https://www.doyouyoga.com/7-yoga-poses-you-can-do-while-reading-91878/

 

http://bookriot.com/2014/11/28/5-best-yoga-poses-reading/

 

https://www.sandrafangyoga.com/single-post/2014/12/05/8-Yin-Yoga-Poses-You-Can-Practice-While-Reading-a-Book

 

Okay, at first I thought that was a bit nuts, but I looked at the links, and I think I might try some of those. :lol:

[Kareni]

Those who enjoy listening to their books may well be interested in this ~

 

BBC Releases Free The Underground Railroad Audiobook

 

"... The book is free to stream here for the next 29 days."

**

 

And also this free offering ~

 

Season of Stories

 

"Season of Stories is back with a special audio edition for the next six weeks. From Pulitzer Prize winners to first time novelists, Season of Stories presents another collection of masterful storytelling delivered in daily installments straight to your mobile phone. Start your week listening to a new story and follow along daily to its conclusion on Friday. This audio-only season will feature short listens from acclaimed authors Yaa Gyasi, Margaret Atwood, Helen Ellis, Jhumpa Lahiri, Adam Johnson and Jay McInerney...."

 

Regards,

Kareni