Book a Week 2017 - BW9: Fairy tales aren't just for Children

[Kareni]

Liza Q posted this on the Chat Board.  I believe some here will enjoy reading her column.

 

 

My daughter asked me to write something for her book blog. She and her friend, who was also homeschooled through high school, started the blog last year. They asked me to write about some of my reading over the years, focusing especially on children's books.

 

Then she asked me to post it here! As I am not a writer and I can see so many things I'd like to fix/improve, I am not too comfortable with sharing it....but here it is.

 

https://thewordafter.wordpress.com/2017/02/25/one-book-leads-to-another-how-the-library-led-me-to-my-favorite-books-guest-post-by-liza-q-diehl/#comments

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

Angel, Not sure if you have ever read any of Blaize Clement's cozy mysteries which are set on Siesta Key. I am doing a read/reread of the series because I realized I had only read a couple of them when I discovered this listhttp://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2012/11/the-ten-coziest-cozy-mystery-series-traditional-mysteries-kerry-hammond. I am only a few chapters into the first one Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter which is a reread and enjoying it.

 

Oooh!  Thanks!  A couple new to me authors!  I would have loved to have known about the Blaize Clement one before traveling.  I added it to my long TBR pile  ;)

 

ETA:  Do the animals die???

Edited March 1, 2017 by Angel

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Finished up my latest audiobook I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Bradley, aka the fifth Flavia mystery. Not sure what I'll listen to next.

 

I also started reading The Blood of Olympus at the urging of my kids. I really don't like the books where Percy isn't telling part of the story as well. Still at halfway through, it is better than I was expecting based on some of the reviews.

[Mom-ninja.]

I finished The View from the Cheap Seats by Gaiman. Some of the pieces I enjoyed and some, I admit, bored me. 

 

Currently reading/listening to: The Amethyst Heart  (I'm late getting this read obviously since it is now March), Better than Before, and A Short History of Nearly Everything. 

 

 

And may I announce that I have completed my training/class and am now certified in OG to tutor those with reading difficulties specifically those with dyslexia. 

 

Technically, I guess I should end that sentence with a question mark. ;) 

[mumto2]

Oooh! Thanks! A couple new to me authors! I would have loved to have known about the Blaize Clement one before traveling. I added it to my long TBR pile ;)

 

ETA: Do the animals die???

People died but no dead animals. I finished it this afternoon and enjoyed it.

[mumto2]

 

Someone to Hold (A Westcott Novel) by Mary Balogh

 

This is a new release, and I enjoyed it. It's not my favorite of the author's books, but I'll probably re-read it at some point.

 

"Humphrey Wescott, Earl of Riverdale, has died, leaving behind a fortune and a scandalous secret that will forever alter the lives of his family—sending one daughter on a journey of self-discovery...

With her parents’ marriage declared bigamous, Camille Westcott is now illegitimate and without a title. Looking to eschew the trappings of her old life, she leaves London to teach at the Bath orphanage where her newly discovered half-sister lived. But even as she settles in, she must sit for a portrait commissioned by her grandmother and endure an artist who riles her every nerve.

 

An art teacher at the orphanage that was once his home, Joel Cunningham has been hired to paint the portrait of the haughty new teacher. But as Camille poses for Joel, their mutual contempt soon turns to desire. And it is only the bond between them that will allow them to weather the rough storm that lies ahead..."

**

 

I also re-read with pleasure Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas. If you haven't already read this, mumto2, you might enjoy it. This book has an unusual story line.

 

"Their marriage lasted only slightly longer than the honeymoon—to no one’s surprise, not even Bryony Asquith’s. A man as talented, handsome, and sought after by society as Leo Marsden couldn't possibly want to spend his entire life with a woman who rebelled against propriety by becoming a doctor. Why, then, three years after their annulment and half a world away, does he track her down at her clinic in the remotest corner of India?

 

Leo has no reason to think Bryony could ever forgive him for the way he treated her, but he won’t rest until he’s delivered an urgent message from her sister—and fulfilled his duty by escorting her safely back to England. But as they risk their lives for each other on the journey home, will the biggest danger be the treacherous war around them—or their rekindling passion?"

**

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

I was able to find Not Quite a Wife in overdrive and will check it out as soon as I have room. I filled up my account by checking the remaining books in the Incryptid series out earlier today when I learned a new book in this series is also being released on March 7th. The new Anne Bishop and Patricia Briggs come out that day too!

 

I read that Mary Balogh book a couple of weeks ago and totally agrree. Not her best but wouldn't skip it if rereading the series.

[idnib]

In other reading news I have finally gotten around to reading my first Lee Child's mystery. I am starting at the beginning so am reading The Killing Floor. I can't believe I missed these! I looked at the publishing date and have concluded they all happened while I was busy with little ones so I have a whole new series with 20 plus books to enjoy.

 

Oh enjoy! The Jack Reacher books are a guilty pleasure and The Killing Floor is one of the best.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[mumto2]

I finished The View from the Cheap Seats by Gaiman. Some of the pieces I enjoyed and some, I admit, bored me.

 

Currently reading/listening to: The Amethyst Heart (I'm late getting this read obviously since it is now March), Better than Before, and A Short History of Nearly Everything.

 

 

And may I announce that I have completed my training/class and am now certified in OG to tutor those with reading difficulties specifically those with dyslexia.

 

Technically, I guess I should end that sentence with a question mark. ;)

Congratulations on completing your certification! I can't do the dancing emoticon so Woot!!!!!,

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I spent the afternoon reading and finished Blood of Olympus by Riordan. I'm glad I finally decided to finish the series.

 

Now I can listen to the first book in Riordan's Apollo series, The Hidden Oracle, and be caught up with my kids. In paperback I have Vision in Silver sitting on my bedside table for fiction to start on tomorrow.

[Kareni]

A book I read and enjoyed some time ago is currently free to Kindle readers ~

 

Withholding Evidence (Evidence Series Book 3) by Rachel Grant\

 

"Some secrets are worth dying for…

Military historian Trina Sorensen has a nearly impossible task before her: get recalcitrant but tempting former Navy SEAL Keith Hatcher to reveal what happened during a top secret Somalia op five years ago. Recent history isn’t usually her forte, but the navy wants an historian’s perspective and has given her the high security clearance to get the job done.

Keith isn't just refusing to tell Trina about the op, he's protecting a national secret that could destroy the lives of those he cares about the most. But not wanting to talk about a covert mission doesn’t mean he isn’t interested in spending time with the sexy historian, and the first time they kiss it’s explosive.

When the past comes pounding on Keith’s door, he’ll do anything to keep Trina safe… Anything, that is, except tell her the secret that could get them both killed.

The third book in Grant’s Evidence series where archaeology, politics, and war collide, Withholding Evidence is a short novel – approximately 50,000 words/150 pages."

**

 

a hiking memoir ~ The Last Englishman: A Thru-Hiking Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail by Keith Foskett

 

"Shortlisted for Outdoor Book of the Year by The Great Outdoors Magazine. The second book from Keith Foskett.

 

The Pacific Crest Trail stretches some 2,650 miles from the Mexican border to Canada. It meanders through the scorching deserts of California, the dramatic Sierra Nevada, the volcanic landscape of Oregon and the vast forests of Washington. Every year scores of hikers attempt to walk its entirety. Four in ten give up in the first month alone and only two in ten will reach Canada. Extremes of heat and cold, the toughness and roughness of the trail and encounters with an assortment of potentially deadly creatures stretch walkers to their absolute limits.

 

It’s a lesson Keith Foskett soon learns the hard way, having to deal with blisters and other physical ailments, as well as his inherent phobia of snakes, spiders, bears, getting dirty and camping in the woods after dark.

 

With the harsh winter looming, he enters into a desperate race against time, facing a dangerous, physical and very real threat to become the last Englishman to complete the greatest long distance hiking trail on Earth."

**

 

and a book about which I've heard good reports ~  Dead Running by Cami Checketts

 

"Cassidy Christensen is running.
Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.
Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.
Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.
With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she’ll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.

A light-hearted suspense with a side of PG-rated romance, Dead Running will have you lacing up your running shoes and impatiently waiting for the sequel."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

23 Irresistibly Weird Books You Won’t Believe Actually Exist

 

:smilielol5:

 

I could do ALL my gift shopping from this list. In fact, we have at least two of these in our house already, have checked one of these out from the library, & there are others I have looked at....

 

ETA: Kareni, #12 on the list is a romance novel!

 

Hmm, for some reason my library does not have #12.  What a ... shame.

 

I have read and enjoyed #22, however.

 

So, Stacia, enquiring minds would like to know which two books are already in your house ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Penguin]

 

Those look delicious!  Now I'm drooling.

 

And since food is on my mind, can anyone recommend any favorite books for someone looking to eat a low sodium diet?  My husband and I have been found to have elevated blood pressure so we've been making a lot of dietary changes.

**

 

 

Kareni,

 

I switched to low sodium cooking three years ago. For me, once I learned the right techniques and ingredient swaps, I didn't need specialized cookbooks.

 

But my husband has recently decided to align his eating habits closer to mine, so now I am looking for new recipes for things he would like - we do not have a lot of overlapping tastebuds and that has always been a challenge. I have been taking the DASH diet books from the library. Right now, I have this one:

 

The Everyday Dash Diet Cookbook

 

 

 

Normally, I use food blogs more than cookbooks. I have saved the following for low-sodium:

 

Hacking Salt

http://www.hackingsalt.com/

 

Sodium Girl

http://www.sodiumgirl.com/

 

Low Sodium Cooking

http://www.lowsodiumcooking.com/free/index.htm

 

--

Not related to sodium cooking, but I also had this book from the library last week and I loved it:

Vegan Vegetarian Omnivore: Dinner for Everyone at the Table

 

I live with a bunch of carnivores. While I am not strictly vegan, I strongly dislike meat. Which is why I have never been able to cook it right. 

 

(edited to fix link)

Edited March 2, 2017 by Penguin

[Mom-ninja.]

I gave up on The Amethyst Heart. I didn't realize the genre it is, and it is not my thing at all. The author basically uses her book to preach and try to convert people to her flavor of religion. The book started well but quickly went downhill for me. Not going to waste any more of my time on it.

 

Stacia, thanks to you I found 2 gifts.    

[Mom-ninja.]

--

Not related to sodium cooking, but I also had this book from the library last week and I loved it:

Vegan Vegetarian Omnivore: Dinner for Everyone at the Table

 

I live with a bunch of carnivores. While I am not strictly vegan, I strongly dislike meat. Which is why I have never been able to cook it right. 

 

Thanks for this suggestion. My sister and her family are coming to visit next month and they recently choose vegetarian. This is at my library so I'll check it out for while they are here. 

[Nan in Mass]

The summer I was 11, I was visiting another older couple and not a lot to do, but this time it was Germany.  I have very fond memories of reading Captains Courageous and Huckleberry Finn there (these were the books I'd packed with me to read).  

 

I loved Captains Courageous!  I remember liking how Harvey had to stop being a whiny rich kid and get to work, and how much he'd changed by the end.  I read it again with my kids, and they didn't like it as much. :(   I've been trying to get one of my dd's to give it another read, since she was volunteering last summer on a period fishing schooner out of Gloucester!  (It no longer fishes; it's been restored and gives harbor tours and historical info on the Gloucester fishing fleet).

 

 

 

How cool! We love Captains Courageous here. : )

 

 

?..

I reread Jane Austen’s Lady Susan. My DH bought me the Love and Friendship movie that came out recently, but I think I will get rid of it. It doesn't really work as a movie for me.

  

 

A movie? I love Lady Susan. I think too much would get lost translated to a movie. It is a pretty tight story as is.

 

...

 

I also started reading The Little Prince aloud to my 10th grader. I have a high success rate for choosing books he likes, and I think he is going to love it. Just like I did when my beloved 11th grade English teacher suggested it to me. I made my son promise not to look up anything about the book or the author until we were done.

My mother read The Little Prince to us when we were little. We loved it, but as a child, not understanding the grownup world made me miss much of the story. Sort of like taking my children to the magic show - we discovered afterwards that although they had loved it, it had not seemed mysterious to them because the tricks were done by magic. Ironically, you have to NOT believe in magic for magic to get the point of magic shows. I still love The Little Prince and reread it periodically.

 

Nan

[Chrysalis Academy]

23 Irresistibly Weird Books You Won’t Believe Actually Exist

 

:smilielol5:

 

I could do ALL my gift shopping from this list. In fact, we have at least two of these in our house already, have checked one of these out from the library, & there are others I have looked at....

 

ETA: Kareni, #12 on the list is a romance novel!

 

 

Oh man, those are hysterical. #23 would definitely qualify in the "book I'd be embarrassed to read on the subway" category.

[mumto2]

Before I forget to mention it in the preface of The Killing Floor Lee Child describes the process he went through in developing his best selling character Jack Reacher. I normally just skim prefaces but found this one fascinating. Btw, the book was great!

 

I have been reading The Little Book of Hygge over the past several days. Fun read. We definitely need to start having friends over to play board games!

[Nan in Mass]

My husband is still packing my shoulder in ice and reading me to sleep with the Penderwick books. Halfway through the third.

 

I am reading Candleshoe, my second favourite Michael Innes Mystery, and Creative, Inc., which is about how the Pixar company structured itself to encourage creativity.

 

I finished Redirect (redirected? Something like that) about which social interventions (like the Dare drug prevention program, PTSD programs, racial awareness programs, disadvantaged student programs, etc.) work and which don't, why, and how to test them. Definitely a lay person's book, but since I am a lay person in this field, I thought this was great. I like books that talk about how to fix the world, not just dissect what is wrong with it.

 

I finished a Quillian mystery, Dread on Arrival? Or something like that. Obviously, I am still sleeping through the titles lol.

 

There are snowdrops in my garden and whitecaps on the lake. A bit early but very March.

 

Nan

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished reading The Refugees, a book of short stories by Viet Thanh Nguyen, whose novel The Sympathizer one a bunch of awards including the Pulitzer last year. I've had The Sympathizer on hold for months, in fact it just came in to the library yesterday. I'm eager to read it after having read these short stories. I'm not a huge fan of short stories, but this collection was fantastic. There are 8 stories in the collection, and I have to say, they just got better and better.  I've rarely read a short story collection in which not a single one was a dud. Highly recommended. 

[Kareni]

I switched to low sodium cooking three years ago. For me, once I learned the right techniques and ingredient swaps, I didn't need specialized cookbooks. ...

 

Many thanks, Penguin, for the book titles and the links!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free book ~

 

I see this is actually the sixth book in the series.  The others might be easily obtained as I imagine they are all in the public domain.

 

The Duke's Children by Anthony Trollope

 

"Plantagenet Palliser must face new challenges and a changing world if he is to hold his family together in the final installment of the Palliser Novels.

After losing his devoted wife, Glencora, Duke Plantagenet Palliser takes on a task he has never had the time or skills to bother with before: dealing with his children. Palliser has never been a doting father, what with the responsibilities of title and duty constantly beckoning him away, but now his government no longer needs him. And it does not take him long to realize that his children have somehow become adults of their own accord—though not for the better.
 
Unbeknownst to Palliser, his late wife had given their daughter, Lady Mary, her blessing to pursue a courtship with a poor gentleman friend of the duke’s eldest son, Lord Silverbridge. Meanwhile, Silverbridge has followed his father’s wishes by entering Parliament only to become enamored with an American heiress who refuses to marry unless Palliser willingly welcomes her into the family. And Palliser’s youngest, Lord Gerald, has managed to get himself expelled from Oxford.
 
With such odds set against him, the duke will have to find it within himself to change, to face the end of the proper world he has always known, and to accept the new world his family has embraced for the good of all."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

... I have been taking the DASH diet books from the library. Right now, I have this one:

The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook

 

The link above is heading to the other title you mentioned.  Is this the book you intended?

 

The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook: Over 150 Fresh and Delicious Recipes to Speed Weight Loss, Lower Blood Pressure, and Prevent Diabetes (A DASH Diet Book)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

Finally have a few minutes to stop by and say hi.

 

Idnib, I finished We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and it is not the traumatic experience that The Lottery was when we were young. It is certainly disturbing, but very compelling and beautifully written. And it is short!  

 

My current car audiobook is Hard Country by Michael McGarrity, which I found on the "1st in a series" sale at Audible. It's a western set in New Mexico, and I'm just loving hearing familiar place names and the author's ideas of what they were like in the late 1800s. 

[Lady Florida.]

I finished Parable of the Sower earlier this week and I really didn't like it. I didn't hate it enough to abandon it, but if I wasn't reading if for book club I wouldn't have finished it. I've only abandoned a handful of books in the 6 years since the club was formed. Character development was lacking, there were inconsistencies, some things seemed to have been thrown in for shock factor, others as a way for Butler to preach her own beliefs (which I didn't necessarily disagree with but didn't want to be hit over the head with them). The fact that I don't much like dystopian fiction probably means I started reading already biased against it, but there were plenty of things to dislike even for someone who likes the genre.

 

I'm surprised at how many books I already read that fit a bingo square. I figured I'd get one, maybe two rows filled but it looks like I'll get more. While I did read one or two with the intent of marking a square, most have been accidental. Some were put on my to-read list before the 2017 bingo categories were announced.

 

Recent examples:

-Hidden Figures - I wanted to read this before seeing the movie, then I found out it was the author's debut book. Bonus bingo square.

-Stories of Your Life and Others - This was on my TR list because the movie Arrival was based on one of the stories. Bonus bingo square.

-Parable of the Sower - We take turns choosing books, and someone else chose this. I try to always read other book club members' choices because I want them to read mine when it's my turn to choose. Oh look. Bonus bingo square. 

 

If this keeps up I just might get a blackout. :)

 

 

Edited March 2, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Penguin]

The link above is heading to the other title you mentioned. Is this the book you intended?

The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook: Over 150 Fresh and Delicious Recipes to Speed Weight Loss, Lower Blood Pressure, and Prevent Diabetes (A DASH Diet Book)

 

Regards,

Kareni

Yes, that is it. Sorry! I will go back and fix the link when I can get on my laptop.

[Onceuponatime]

I finished The Snow Leopard. I give it high marks for descriptions of the Places, people, flora, and fauna encountered on the author's pilgrimage to Shey Gompa monastery in the Himalayas. The Buddhist stuff started to become a little annoying to me, and I began to think the author was too "attached" to Buddhism and needed to "kill the buddha." (A zen buddhist phrase.) I get that he was trying to find himself, but just a little western arrogance seemed to seep through his selfconscious practice. Of course that is my personal opinion. Otherwise, it was a fascinating book, to be read slowly.

Edited March 2, 2017 by Onceuponatime

[Onceuponatime]

I forgot say that I also read Elsewhere for my book title with one word. It was a teen book with a fantasy version of life after death. Simple and sweet and totally unbelievable.

[Jane in NC]

Home again, home again after two nights in Raleigh.  A state wide committee on which I serve had a meeting that culminated with legislative advocacy work. Yeah, I'm one of those people who pay visits to elected officials.

 

Being on the road, I was able to finish listening to Kill 'em and Leave:  Searching for James Brown and the American Soul by James McBride.  The audio version has a great reader which leads me to wonder if I would have enjoyed the written book as much.  Each chapter seems to have the possibility of standing alone in a magazine. This leads to repetition of information provided earlier in the book.  Also, McBride employs some pretty corny metaphors.  I was amused but I could see other readers rolling their eyes.

 

That said, I'm rather smitten with McBride. He is a jazz musician as well as a writer.  Being a jazz head myself, I loved the personal commentary and the connections between Brown's funk and the jazz scene. I know that Stacia has read McBride's The Color of Water which I have had on my library list. Miracle at Saint Anna is my next audio selection for the car. From the Penguin Random House website:

 

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Lord Bird, winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction, and Kill ‘Em and Leave, a James Brown biography.

James McBride’s powerful memoir, The Color of Water, was a groundbreaking literary phenomenon that transcended racial and religious boundaries, garnering unprecedented acclaim and topping bestseller lists for more than two years. Now McBride turns his extraordinary gift for storytelling to fiction—in a universal tale of courage and redemption inspired by a little-known historic event. In Miracle at St. Anna, toward the end of World War II, four Buffalo Soldiers from the Army’s Negro 92nd Division find themselves separated from their unit and behind enemy lines. Risking their lives for a country in which they are treated with less respect than the enemy they are fighting, they discover humanity in the small Tuscan village of St. Anna di Stazzema—in the peasants who shelter them, in the unspoken affection of an orphaned child, in a newfound faith in fellow man. And even in the face of unspeakable tragedy, they—and we—learn to see the small miracles of life.

 

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Jane in NC]

 

Jane, I haven't read McBride's The Color of Water (I think maybe Rose has or Pam has???), but I read & loved his book The Good Lord Bird.

 

Really?  I guess that the book has been on my library lists for a while--before the time I created separate lists for various BaW recommenders. I had pegged The Color of Water as a Stacia sort of book--especially given your fondness for The Good Lord Bird which I read after you recommended it.

 

[Kareni]

I've started a few books over the last few days, but the only one I've finished is a time travel romance which I enjoyed ~ 

Traveler  by Elaine Fox

 

"Shelby Manning is living a normal, if uneventful life, in modern-day Virginia when on a cold winter evening she stumbles across Carter Lindsey in a Civil War battlefield park. Bleeding and disoriented, and dressed in Union blue, he seems to think he actually fought in the Battle of Fredericksburg nearly 150 years ago. Believing him to be an injured reenactor, she takes him to the hospital, but though his body heals, his mind is still certain he is not from the present.

Maybe she should have written him off as crazy, but there is something about Carter Lindsey that draws her, something in his eyes, in his touch ... in the way she wants to do anything to help him.

Swept up in a passion she's never before known, Shelby may not understand what has happened to Carter, but she feels sure of one thing: if she has to defy time itself, they are meant to be together."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished News of the World. I loved it. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time. I actually stopped last night with 3 chapters left, because I was so worried about how it would end: I was so invested in the story that I knew that if it ended badly, I'd be crushed. Let's just say I was completely satisfied with the ending. I highly recommend this book to any and everyone: Bingo readers, if you live in Texas, it could be your Local Author book! Or it could be your Western! Just read it.  I'm so glad I did.

[Jane in NC]

I finished News of the World. I loved it. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time. I actually stopped last night with 3 chapters left, because I was so worried about how it would end: I was so invested in the story that I knew that if it ended badly, I'd be crushed. Let's just say I was completely satisfied with the ending. I highly recommend this book to any and everyone: Bingo readers, if you live in Texas, it could be your Local Author book! Or it could be your Western! Just read it. I'm so glad I did.

Good to hear! The library contacted me when I was in Savannah to report that the book was being held for me. I passed on the hold when I learned that they had ordered additional copies of the book. So I should be able to pick it up relatively soon.

 

By the way, Rose, I have been carrying around a package for you. I will remember to stop at the post office one of these days.

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free book; it's fiction but deals with finance ~

 

The Financier by Theodor Dreiser

 

"The Financier is a nuanced portrait of one of the greatest characters in twentieth-century literature. Based on the life of railway tycoon Charles Tyson Yerkes, the epic narrative spans from the aftermath of the Civil War to the Great Chicago Fire and the Panic of 1873. Both a glimpse of a fascinating period in American history and a timeless portrait of the dark side of human nature, this is the compelling tale the Wall Street Journal hailed as “the greatest of all American business novels . . . [with] an amazingly intricate description of high-rolling 19th-century finance.â€"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

...I switched to low sodium cooking three years ago. For me, once I learned the right techniques and ingredient swaps, I didn't need specialized cookbooks....

 

Me, again!

 

I'd be interested in hearing more about what you mean by 'ingredient swaps.'  Do you mean, for example, using no sodium added tomato products in lieu of the standard variety?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[idnib]

I'm almost done with A General Theory of Oblivion. Somewhere in the middle it too a completely different turn from how I imagined the book was going to go. Maybe I'm getting older, but for some reason I'm losing track of names in this book, resulting in several "What, who's that guy?" moments.

 

I also started Suspended Sentences. I have a habit of stopping by the bookstore while waiting for a movie, so I often use ticket stubs as bookmarks. Apparently I purchased this the night I went to see Jurassic World. I am enjoying this one, especially all the inclusion of light and shadow. I feel someone here read it last year, but I can't remember who.

 

 

Idnib, I finished We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and it is not the traumatic experience that The Lottery was when we were young. It is certainly disturbing, but very compelling and beautifully written. And it is short!  

 

At the time I finished it I posted that it reminded me a bit of Grey Gardens.

[Jane in NC]

I'm almost done with A General Theory of Oblivion. Somewhere in the middle it too a completely different turn from how I imagined the book was going to go. Maybe I'm getting older, but for some reason I'm losing track of names in this book, resulting in several "What, who's that guy?" moments.

 

All the threads come together--but there is a fistful of threads.

[Robin M]

I did it, spelled out Amethyst and had fun doing so.  I finished Penny's Bury Your Dead last night which had me close to tears throughout.  Three different events woven together as Gamache is recovering from wounds and the death of some of his men during a terrorist attack. I think if this had been the sole focus of the story, it would be a box of kleenex read.  However, intermixed is while he is delving deep into the history of Quebec and the mystery of where Champlain's body could be, he is asked for help with a current murder.  Meanwhile his inspector Beauvoir is in Three Pines reinvestigating whether Olivier truly killed the Hermit or not.   Beauvoir is also recovering and remembering bits about the attack as well.  The story really puts you through an emotional wringer. 

 

A:  Axis - Robert Charles Wilson

M: Midnight Crossroad - Charlaine Harris

E: Inheriting Edith - Zoe Fishman

T:  Thief in the Shadows - Emily Gee

H: Harvesting the Hummingbird - Scarlett Braden 

Y  Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny 

S: Snowed - Maria Alexander

T: Tinderbox - Rachel Grant

 

Edited March 3, 2017 by Robin M

[Jane in NC]

Tom Sharpe is P.G. Wodehouse on rudeness steroids. I laughed out loud while reading The Wilt Alternative--very silly book

 

Kareni--it's yours if you want it.  Otherwise I'll send it to V.C.'s husband who shares many of my reading tastes.

 

Still reading The Right to Be Cold for my non-fiction selection.  I also continue to work through In Praise of Defeat (poetry). And I think I'll jump on the fairy tale bandwagon with a volume from the dusties that exhibits my own peculiar twist.  Raggity and the Cloud by Sophia Prokofieva was produced by Progress Publishers, the Moscow based imprint that offered English translations back in the Soviet days.  This one has been hanging around for a while...

[Kareni]

Tom Sharpe is P.G. Wodehouse on rudeness steroids. I laughed out loud while reading The Wilt Alternative--very silly book

 

Kareni--it's yours if you want it.  Otherwise I'll send it to V.C.'s husband who shares many of my reading tastes.

 

I am going to pass, Jane, but thanks so much for the offer.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

I am going to pass, Jane, but thanks so much for the offer.

 

Regards,

Kareni

You are welcome. I think Professor V.C. will appreciate some light reading.

[strawberries]

23 Irresistibly Weird Books You Won’t Believe Actually Exist

 

:smilielol5:

 

I could do ALL my gift shopping from this list. In fact, we have at least two of these in our house already, have checked one of these out from the library, & there are others I have looked at....

 

ETA: Kareni, #12 on the list is a romance novel!

 

:laugh:

 

At least three of these books were exchanged among our extended family at Christmas this year. My mom, a kindergarten teacher and fan of all things undead, was quite tickled to open The Very Hungry Zombie.

[6packofun]

Angelaboord, I sent you a message about the book!  :)

[Angel]

:laugh:

 

At least three of these books were exchanged among our extended family at Christmas this year. My mom, a kindergarten teacher and fan of all things undead, was quite tickled to open The Very Hungry Zombie.

So I was off to look up The Very Hungry Zombie, and I was laughing out loud at the excerpt. I need someone to buy this for 😃

[Butter]

I ran out of likes somewhere around the top of page 3.  Consider yourself liked :)

 

I haven't had much time to go on-line this week between reading a ridiculous amount, educating the boys, and taking care of the girl (The first half of the week were good, second half was bad and now we've had to take her off all the foods she showed sensitivity to in the hopes it will calm her immune system down.  While the fish and shellfish and even peas and spinach and turkey and quinoa are easy, dairy, soy, beef, corn, potato, and mustard are a bit harder.).  Speaking of the girl, she put her second video up on her YouTube channel yesterday.  It's 10 Things People Say.  My best friend pointed out it applies to a lot more than just things said to chronic illness sufferers.  She heard most of them related to her (cheating) husband and (very bad) marriage.  You can watch her video here: 

 

My 10 year old son finished the last Harry Potter book on Tuesday.  He cried a bit.  He was sad over some of the characters and he was really happy how it ended.  Now he's reading The Lightning Thief and loving it.  He loves Greek mythology so I am not surprised.

 

My mayor liked my tweet about my Train to Crystal City review.  It's her San Antonio Mayor's Book Club pick currently.  I have a serious girl crush on my mayor so that made me ridiculously happy.

 

Did you know San Antonio has a toilet seat museum?  For one of his Webelos badges, Fritz needs to go to an art museum.  We decided that totally counts so we might go there today.

 

This week I finished six books:

The Children's Homer by Padraic Colum.  I read it to my boys as part of their history curriculum.  How is it possible an exciting story like The Iliad and The Odyssey was made so incredibly boring?  Telling at least part of it from Telemachus's point of view was interesting, though.

 

The Story of Awkward by RK Ryals.  In order to escape bullying and abuse and an eating disorder, a girl drew her own world, Awkward, where everything is perfect.  Then she and her best friend's brother (one of the bullies) drown in a car accident and are thrown into Awkward where they live out a fairy tale and both learn a lot about acceptance and love.  It was weird, but it was also good.

 

Ten Tea Parties by Joseph Cummins.  I never knew there were more tea parties in the 1770s in addition to the Boston one.  There were a whole lot of them.  Some were dramatic, some were pretty calm.  The information in the book was interesting, but it really read like a textbook so that took away a lot of the enjoyment.

 

Tutti Frutti by Mike Faricy.  It's a Dev Haskell, Private Investigator mystery.  They are total brain candy and pretty dumb.  This one centered on a bondage night club.  Dev pretty much just drinks all the time and sleeps with women and somehow the cases get solved anyway.  I like them for mind vacations.

 

Early Graves by Thomas H. Cook.  This one is a true crime book about Judith Ann Neelley.  She and her husband went on a crazy murder spree in the early 80s toting along their twin toddlers.  She was only like 18 or 19.  She ended up getting sentenced to death, but in 1999 her sentence was commuted to life in prison with no chance of parole.  She's there total.  Her husband died in 2005 while still in jail.  It was a well-written book.  I can only read one true crime book in a row.  Otherwise, I begin to think everyone is out to get everyone else.

 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.  This is the RL book group pick for March.  It gets such rave reviews, but I was just left feeling kind of "meh."  First of all, Ove (and his contemporaries in the book) acts about two decades older than the 59 it says he is multiple times.  That just rubbed me wrong.  I was sure the author must've been like 30 and not really have a grip on what "old" is.  Sure enough, when I looked it up, the author was 30 in 2012 when the book was published.  It wasn't bad by any means, but I just don't feel the Ove love.  He was very unlikable and really, I didn't care much for most of the characters.  I really liked the cat.

 

What are you reading this week?

 

I'm reading Hidden Figures.  I'm having a bit of trouble really getting into it.  I might finish other books before I finish that one.

 

Rena's Promise has been on my wish list and the Kindle version is on sale today. 

 

I loved that book once I got past the weird beginning with the author inserting herself into the story and doing weird things with the tenses.  I finished it, fittingly, on Holocaust Remmbrance Day.

 

It wasn't until my son dated a British girl that I heard the term "Pancake Day" which I guess really is a thing in the UK.

 

I'm Mormon so I didn't grow up doing anything related to Lent.  Then I married into a British family (Jamie's mom is from England) and though not religious at all, they always celebrated Pancake Tuesday.  It was definitely a thing even after she came to America.  She still makes herself pancakes every year on her own (she lives in Ireland now) to this day.  So we started up the tradition of Pancake Tuesday which makes my MIL very happy.  We had pancakes and crepes.  Cameron is usually our pancake and crepe maker but he was at work so Jamie made them.  I've been banned from making crepes because I always ruin them apparently.  Cameron pronounced them "okay" when he got home.  He's like a crepe master, seriously.  He's even sold them to rave reviews to pay for camp.

Edited March 4, 2017 by Butter

[Penguin]

I ran out of likes somewhere around the top of page 3.  Consider yourself liked :)

 

I haven't had much time to go on-line this week between reading a ridiculous amount, educating the boys, and taking care of the girl (The first half of the week were good, second half was bad and now we've had to take her off all the foods she showed sensitivity to in the hopes it will calm her immune system down.  While the fish and shellfish and even peas and spinach and turkey and quinoa are easy, dairy, soy, beef, corn, potato, and mustard are a bit harder.).  Speaking of the girl, she put her second video up on her YouTube channel yesterday.  It's 10 Things People Say.  My best friend pointed out it applies to a lot more than just things said to chronic illness sufferers.  She heard most of them related to her (cheating) husband and (very bad) marriage.  You can watch her video here: 

 

(snip)

Butter, I am so glad you posted another link to your daughter's YouTube videos. I didn't get to catch them before, and I had wanted to. She is very charismatic, and I am her newest subscriber.

 

Keeping with the fairy tale theme this week:

 

I read two fairy-tale-themed graphic novels for the Goodreads challenge:

 

Fables, Volume 1 Legends in Exile. Yuck. The dialog was awful, the artwork was forgettable, and every character was annoying. 

 

Snow White: A Graphic Novel. I liked this one. The artwork suited the setting (Depression era NYC) beautifully.

 

--

Some random things about H.C. Andersen that I know:

 

He also made beautiful papercuts. I have seen some of these in person at the museums in Denmark, and they are really cool. 

 

Charles Dickens found him to be a guest who overstayed his welcome. I first heard this story at the H.C. Andersen museum in Odense, Denmark, so I figure it must have some credibility.

Here is an article about their encounter.

 

He traveled a lot. A whole whole lot!!!

Link to his travels.

 

The reigning Queen of Denmark, Queen Margarethe II, is a talented artist. In fact, under a psuedonym, she illustrated a Danish version of the Lord of the Rings. She was an integral part of two films about the works of H.C. Andersen, De Vilde Svaner (The Wild Swans) and Snedronningen (The Snow Queen). She did the decoupage art for

, and she is the narrator - I have watched that film more times than I can count.  Edited March 4, 2017 by Penguin

[Kareni]

And may I announce that I have completed my training/class and am now certified in OG to tutor those with reading difficulties specifically those with dyslexia.

 

You may indeed announce that. 

 

 

Congratulations!!

 

**

A one day only currently free book ~

Uncle Silas: A Tale of Bartram-Haugh by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

 

"Family secrets and sinister plots abound in this beautifully atmospheric Victorian gothic thriller from a celebrated Irish author.

 

For Maud Ruthyn, life is lonely in a mansion with no family besides her melancholic father. But when Madame de la Rougierre is hired to be her governess, Maud finds herself in the clutches of a mysterious and malevolent woman. When her caregiver is eventually dismissed, Maud is relieved to have the woman out of her life. But it isn’t long before she encounters the madame again.

 

With the passing of her father, Maud is sent to live with her Uncle Silas at Bartram-Haugh until she can inherit the family estate. Feeling increasingly trapped in her uncle’s home, Maud is shocked to learn that Madame de la Rougierre is at her uncle’s service. And when Madame is instructed to escort Maud to London, the young girl begins to see through the shadows of deceit: No one intends for her to leave Bartram-Haugh alive.

 

J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s most famous novel, Uncle Silas is an eerie psychological thriller and has been translated into several languages as well as adapted for film."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Penguin]

Me, again!

 

I'd be interested in hearing more about what you mean by 'ingredient swaps.'  Do you mean, for example, using no sodium added tomato products in lieu of the standard variety?

 

Regards,

Kareni

Yes, exactly that.