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Book a Week 2017 - BW15: Armchair traveling through India


Robin M
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Jenn, Great pictures!!!! Thank you for sharing them.

 

I just discovered that I can now get Helsinki White by James Thompson from my library overdrive so I have removed it from my currently reading. Not really in the mood so am happy to join a queue and hopefully read it when I feel like that type of a book.

 

I finished the next in my Carolyn Haines series and have to confess it was just plain silly, like watching part 10 of a once good movie. I finished only because I have a stack of the rest of the series waiting. If the next one is as bad I'm done.....;(

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Awww. So adorable. Thanks for explaining. I never knew there were blue penguins!!!

 

ETA:

 

Even if I wrote a story, I might not have penguins in it. Alligators, though. Definitely alligators! gator2.gif

 

Not if was set in Australia -- then it would be large, man eating, boat attacking, salt water crocs!! (Not sure about the boat attacking, just have heard stories...)

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Awww. So adorable. Thanks for explaining. I never knew there were blue penguins!!!

 

ETA:

 

Even if I wrote a story, I might not have penguins in it. Alligators, though. Definitely alligators! gator2.gif

 

I assume if you wrote the story, Stacia, and set it in Australia, you'd have to have crocodiles.  Any blue crocodiles in Australia, Rosie?

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I assume if you wrote the story and set it in Australia, you'd have to have crocodiles.  Any blue crocodiles in Australia, Rosie?

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Dunno. I've seen pictures where some looked like a blue-grey. But I am no crocodile expert. I live down south in the civilised part of the country where we don't have crocs.

 

The only alligator in Australia I am aware of is a publishing company.

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NOT OURS!!!!!!

 

 

For your information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_penguin just in case any of you writers ever place a story in Australia that would be improved by a penguin's interference.

 

I totally get the outrage - I started a book recently that was set in Topanga Canyon near where I grew up and the protagonist was hiking, and worried about . . . copperheads and poison ivy.  There are no copperheads or poison ivy in LA.  Rattlesnakes & poison oak, yes.  

 

It annoys me when authors don't bother to get such details right, i feel disrespected and don't trust them much after that.  Not that I'm not ignorant about a lot: for instance, I had no idea Australian penguins were blue, but if I were going to set a book in a place I didn't know much about, I'd at least google. Extensively.  Or just not do it. This might be the benefit of writing fantasy novels where you get to build the world up from scratch!  :lol:

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We need to live longer so we can read all the books!

 

Wasn't there a post a bit ago about the books you have left to read based on your age and reading habits? I found it depressing. I couldn't help but think, That's all? I know I have more books to read than that.

 

That was me. Sorry. It's just a good reason to not waste time on reading books that aren't good. 

 

And when my book gets made into a movie, I'll be sure to have Paul Hogan in there just so Amy will watch!

 

 

Hahaha!  Paul Hogan references make my day!

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A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~

 

Call Mr. Fortune by H. C. Bailey 

 

"In the suburbs of London, a remarkable detective fights for the underdog

When father is away, Reggie Fortune is left in charge of his quiet country medical practice. A young doctor with a sluggish work ethic and a passion for sweets, Fortune is at his happiest when tending to an old man’s illness or curing a poor boy’s broken leg. When a call comes in alerting Fortune that the archduke has been found unconscious in the road, he hurries no more than he would for a regular patient. But as he discovers when he inspects the lord, this is a most irregular case. The archduke lives—but another man has been murdered in his name.

This collection of six puzzling stories introduced the world to Reggie Fortune, a remarkable detective whose rotund frame conceals a razor-sharp mind and a fighting spirit. A true champion of the oppressed, Fortune will never let a murderer escape justice—whether his victim was royalty or the lowest of the low."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I finished a re-read of Patricia Briggs' Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) which I enjoyed once more.  I recommend this book to those who enjoy urban fantasy.

 

"Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifter, and while she was raised by werewolves, she can never be one of them, especially after the pack ran her off for having a forbidden love affair. So she’s turned her talent for fixing cars into a business and now runs a one-woman mechanic shop in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State.

But Mercy’s two worlds are colliding. A half-starved teenage boy arrives at her shop looking for work, only to reveal that he’s a newly changed werewolf—on the run and desperately trying to control his animal instincts. Mercy asks her neighbor Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, for assistance. 

But Mercy’s act of kindness has unexpected consequences that leave her no choice but to seek help from those she once considered family—the werewolves who abandoned her..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I totally get the outrage - I started a book recently that was set in Topanga Canyon near where I grew up and the protagonist was hiking, and worried about . . . copperheads and poison ivy.  There are no copperheads or poison ivy in LA.  Rattlesnakes & poison oak, yes.  

 

It annoys me when authors don't bother to get such details right, i feel disrespected and don't trust them much after that.  Not that I'm not ignorant about a lot: for instance, I had no idea Australian penguins were blue, but if I were going to set a book in a place I didn't know much about, I'd at least google. Extensively.  Or just not do it. This might be the benefit of writing fantasy novels where you get to build the world up from scratch!  :lol:

 

The worst of it is the book was an autobiography. She'd actually seen the bloody penguins for real!

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That was me. Sorry. It's just a good reason to not waste time on reading books that aren't good. 

 

 

 

My post was all in jest. I like numbers and I thought it was interesting. Maybe I was a bit down, but a bigger part of me was, Heh, numbers. Cool! I wonder what happens when I change the inputs.

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Oh my.  I finished Scholastique Mukasonga's memoir and tribute to family members lost during the Rwandan genocide.  The Hutus called the Tutsi inyenzi or cockroaches in order to dehumanize them before extermination.  Hence the book is called Cockroaches. It is a tale of survival and praise for the parents who made sure that some of their children would escape.  Last November, the Catholic Church apologized for the role they played in the genocide coming on the heels of the Year of Mercy as declared by Pope Francis.  Beautiful writing.  Stacia, you want this one.

 

Trevor Noah's Born a Crime became available for me at the library. It is also time to return to Karl Ove Knausgaard.  In 2015 I read the first two volumes in his six volume, 3600 page autobiographical work, My Struggle.  Time to read Volume 3. The sixth volume will not be published in English until 2018 so I have time to work my way through these books.

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Thanks for the recommendation, Jane. I would definitely love to read it.

 

I would also love to delve into Knausgaard's novels. Maybe next year would be time for me to think about starting that project....

I will send the book to you. (I don't want to say "I'll send Cockroaches to you" because, well...it just doesn't sound quite right.)

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Happy Sunday and welcome to  week 15  in our 2017 adventurous prime reading year. Greetings to all our readers and those following our progress. Mister Linky is available weekly on 52 Books in 52 Weeks  to share a link to your book reviews.

 

 

My armchair travels took me to India this week. I discovered the caves of Meghalaya while exploring and searching for diamonds, and ended up following a variety of rabbit trails through India. I enjoy epic novels delving into the history of India and was quite pleased to discover M.M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions:

 

book%2Bcover%2Bfar%2Bpavilions.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you read any of her mysteries?

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I did not realize that she wrote mysteries. Exotic settings are just my speed. Thanks for mentioning this.

 

 

As mysteries ... they have a certain 1950's feel that can be off putting to some but can also be charming if you go into it knowing that's it isn't modern. (You know, damsel in distress, charming alpha male)

 

The settings are amazing though. I really enjoy how she makes incredible secondary characters also. 

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As mysteries ... they have a certain 1950's feel that can be off putting to some but can also be charming if you go into it knowing that's it isn't modern. (You know, damsel in distress, charming alpha male)

 

The settings are amazing though. I really enjoy how she makes incredible secondary characters also.

I liked them too.

 

I finished my Outer Space square. A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet was fun. I am waiting for the second one but was disappointed to learn that while it features minor characters from the first book it's considered a stand alone.

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Sometimes we mention books our kids are reading. ...

 

My daughter's been re-reading some old favorites while home; she's read several books by Tamora Pierce.  She recently read The Goblin Emperor, Good Omens (on the plane), and The Martian (a re-read).

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Oh my.  I finished Scholastique Mukasonga's memoir and tribute to family members lost during the Rwandan genocide.  The Hutus called the Tutsi inyenzi or cockroaches in order to dehumanize them before extermination.  Hence the book is called Cockroaches. It is a tale of survival and praise for the parents who made sure that some of their children would escape.  Last November, the Catholic Church apologized for the role they played in the genocide coming on the heels of the Year of Mercy as declared by Pope Francis.  Beautiful writing.  Stacia, you want this one.

 

Trevor Noah's Born a Crime became available for me at the library. It is also time to return to Karl Ove Knausgaard.  In 2015 I read the first two volumes in his six volume, 3600 page autobiographical work, My Struggle.  Time to read Volume 3. The sixth volume will not be published in English until 2018 so I have time to work my way through these books.

One of my Danish friends has been recommending that I read My Struggle (Min Kamp) in Danish. Danish and Norwegian are so close that generally very little is lost in translation. But 3600 pages in a foreign language...egads that would indeed be quite a project for me.

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Sometimes we mention books our kids are reading. Some of ds' recent reads have been:

 

11099292.jpg13001958.jpg7945523.jpg

 

And he is currently reading:

 

28814691.jpg

Love the Wienermobile book! Agent to the Stars is actually on one of my wish lists.

 

My dd is working her way through Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid books right now. After that I think she is planning to tackle the Rivers of London series. She recently mentioned she only has three Terry Prachett's left to read.

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A one day only currently free American classic for Kindle readers ~

 

The Luck of Roaring Camp by Bret Harte

 

About the Author

Francis Bret Harte (August 25, 1836 – May 6, 1902) was an American author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California.

 

 

"The defining stories from one of America’s great wits

In the mid-nineteenth century, the Wild West grabbed ahold of American consciousness and never let go. With the discovery of gold, all eyes and wagons turned westward.

This collection of stories brings readers back to the American frontier. In “The Luck of Roaring Camp,†when a Native American woman dies in childbirth, the miners take it upon themselves to raise the child. Naming the baby Luck, the miners learn more about responsibility and class through raising the boy than they have through anything else in their lives. Other stories in the collection include classic prospecting-set short stories such as “Tennessee’s Partner†and “The Outcasts of Poker Flat†and the short novels “Muck-a-Muck†and “Selina Sedilia.†In this timeless collection, Bret Harte has captured the California gold rush as no other writer could."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I read Traditional Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens to Adrian for school.  It was awful.  Dull, dry, boring, dreadful.  We both hated it. It would seem those stories could've been told in quite a fascinating way by a different author. Sometimes I really wonder about the books recommended in The Well-Trained Mind.

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I keep getting behind because I'm trying to read all the posts and catch up. I'm sure I missed a lot and that there are posts I would have liked to respond to. Some weeks I just have to realize I won't catch up. :)

 

Finished recently-

 

The Secret History, Donna Tartt. I listened to the audio book read by the author. I live in the South and hear southern accents every day. They sound normal to me and don't bother me at all. However, her MIssissippi accent was so wrong for the characters and therefore distracting. They're preppie Classics students at a small private college in Vermont. The main character is from California. She doesn't even try to tone down her accent. I did get used to it after a while but wish she or her publisher would have chosen someone with a neutral accent at least. Aside from that, I found the characters didn't have much, if any, depth. I enjoyed The Goldfinch even though I thought it could have been shorter but I didn't care for this one much at all.

 

In Milady's Chamber - Unlike Tartt's book, which is supposed to be literary, I don't expect characters in this type of book to have depth. This was a fun mystery and I'll probably read more in the series. 

 

The Moving Finger - I had both this and The Secret Adversary checked out from Overdrive, but couldn't get into the latter. It's not the first time I tried to read a Tommy and Tuppence but couldn't finish. I probably shouldn't try again. OTOH, I enjoyed The Moving Finger even though Miss Marple had only a very small role in the story. I've read quite a few Poirot stories but only a few Miss Marple and only a few stand alone novels. This year I plan to read more of both.

 

Currently reading -

 

Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem in America's Most Storied Hospital - Thank you Amy for putting this one on my radar.

 

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle - I've had this on my TR list for a while

 

Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West - This is one of the ones I recommended to the library and they actually bought it. 

 

All three above are Overdrive Kindle books. I had to drop my other books so I could read these. Those other books are -

 

The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation - I would never have heard of this if not for Rose's giant bingo card. :D It's interesting but is also easy to put down and just pick up now and then.

 

Doctor Zhivago - I'm really enjoying it and will probably sneak in a few chapters while I'm supposed to be reading my library books. 

 

I've put A Gentleman in Moscow aside because I want to recommend it for book club. Our meeting for A Man Called Ove was postponed and we don't choose a new book until after our meeting for the most recent one.

 

 

My current audio book is #6 in Her Royal Spyness series, The Twelve Clues of Christmas.

 

 

 

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Woot! Woot! Finished Aquamarine. More difficult than expected as I kept picking up books and abandoning because wasn't in the mood for them.

 

A - An Artificial Night - Seanan McGuire (#3 October Daye, urban fantasy)

Q - Dream Quest of Vellit Boe - Kij Johnson (Paranormal)

U - Unmasking Miss Appleby - Emily Larkin (#1 Baleful Godmother, Regency fantasy)

A - Apple Orchard - Susan Wiggs (contemporary romance)

M - The Mistress of Spices - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. (India magical realism)

A - The Adept - Kathrine Kurtz/Deborah Harris (#1 Adept, paranormal, Scotland)

R - Resisting Miss Merryweather - Emily Larkin (#2 Baleful Godmother, regency fantasy)

I - Ice Cutters Daughter - Tracie Peterson (1900, #1 Land of shining water, historical romance)

N - Natural History of Dragons - Marie Brennan (#1 Lady Trent, fantasy)

E - Etched in Bone - Anne Bishop (#5 Others, urban fantasy)

 

Currently reading Lilith Saintcrow's Dark Watcher.

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Never mind. Going to try again on a real computer. 

 

LOL! I wondered. I thought maybe it was a secret so I highlighted to see if you posted the title in white.  :lol:

 

I get frustrated sometimes trying to post from my tablet. It's often how I get behind because I think "Oh, I'll just post later from my laptop" then I never get around to it.

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Woot! Woot! Finished Aquamarine. More difficult than expected as I kept picking up books and abandoning because wasn't in the mood for them.

A - An Artificial Night - Seanan McGuire (#3 October Daye, urban fantasy)

Q - Dream Quest of Vellit Boe - Kij Johnson (Paranormal)

U - Unmasking Miss Appleby - Emily Larkin (#1 Baleful Godmother, Regency fantasy)

A - Apple Orchard - Susan Wiggs (contemporary romance)

M - The Mistress of Spices - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. (India magical realism)

A - The Adept - Kathrine Kurtz/Deborah Harris (#1 Adept, paranormal, Scotland)

R - Resisting Miss Merryweather - Emily Larkin (#2 Baleful Godmother, regency fantasy)

I - Ice Cutters Daughter - Tracie Peterson (1900, #1 Land of shining water, historical romance)

N - Natural History of Dragons - Marie Brennan (#1 Lady Trent, fantasy)

E - Etched in Bone - Anne Bishop (#5 Others, urban fantasy)

Currently reading Lilith Saintcrow's Dark Watcher.

I was just looking at the Marie Brennan Lady Trent series and trying to decide if I would enjoy it or not. Seeing your post is one of those BaW coincidences. Since we enjoy many of the same paranormal authors I think I will give it a try! :)

 

I forgot to say congratulations on finishing Aquamarine. I found that one pretty hard too, all those vowels. I'm working on Diamond. My kids are taking an odd level of interest in this challenge. I have been advised by them to read a historical with diamond in the title since they obviously must exist, I should enjoy myself. I had picked a Sci Fi type book. My kids know me!

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I just finished My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander Mccall Smith. It was easy,amusing, and pleasant, nothing earth shattering, a great read for outside on the freshly cut lawn.

 

My kids are reading (for fun):

23 yo- Grail by Stephen Lawhead

18yo- I Robot by Asimov

12yo- Loamhedge by Brian Jacques

 

Dh is reading a biography of Patrick O'Brian

 

I'm going to try Among Others by Jo Walton next.

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I forgot to say congratulations on finishing Aquamarine. I found that one pretty hard too, all those vowels. I'm working on Diamond. My kids are taking an odd level of interest in this challenge. I have been advised by them to read a historical with diamond in the title since they obviously must exist, I should enjoy myself. I had picked a Sci Fi type book. My kids know me!

 

I admire all of you who are managing to keep up spelling those very long birthstones!  I'm taking the lazy route and just doing one book per month that somehow relates to the topic. ;)  Aquamarine was a particularly long one, although diamond isn't short either!  So, well done. :)

 

I'm trying to get through the AZ challenge, both authors and titles, so that's enough.  I'm almost done with the bingo squares for the year, though - did someone say there is a larger bingo board out there?  I may need a bigger one next year if I keep up this pace.  :)

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What my kids are reading for pleasure (as far as I've heard; two are in college) is an odd mix.

 

Dd16 does not, will not, read for pleasure.  Or at all.  We are *still* slowly getting through Jane Eyre on audio.  She refuses even to listen to that unless we're driving to robotics, and only in one direction, and that's only because I made her agree to listen to audio books in that circumstance (can't remember the bribe, but it involved one).

 

My older two love to read, though. They're both in college and very busy.

 

My CompSci girl ends up taking out James Dashner books when she's home on break.  She doesn't want to read anything heavy; she's reading for downtime from schoolwork.  

 

My other dd is wanting to major in Philosophy/Logic and Linguistics.  What she's been reading that's not assigned?  Some tome by Wittgenstein (hadn't heard of him, some old German logician?)  - in German.  A textbook on the Philosophy of Language (she was highlighting and taking notes on it during winter break) - just because, it's not for a course.  And she's hopefully going to Spain (Barcelona) for the summer, so she's started reading House of the Spirits (Allende) in Spanish to brush up on that, and some novel in Catalán, which she's trying to learn.  I think all of it's slow going, but she's plugging along...  She's also been reading a bunch of poetry by Anne Carson.

 

I got three really different kids...:tongue_smilie:

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I abandoned 'on Steam' from Terry Pretchet for my Steampunk square.

It maybe bad translated, but I also don't like it when pages have regularly sentences spelled the way Dutch sounds, not the way we learn to spel (I had to pronounce the sentences aloud to get an idea what was written)

 

I wondered if steampunk is more an American / English genre?

I searched a lot, but not much is translated or available in the library even not through IBL, even not in English.

I think I found one, and I will try to get that one the next library visit.

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I just finished My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander Mccall Smith. It was easy,amusing, and pleasant, nothing earth shattering, a great read for outside on the freshly cut lawn.

 

I fear you've been robbed if a bulldozer book does not shatter the earth.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I just finished a re-read of Lucy Parker's Act Like It; I enjoyed revisiting it and will be re-reading it again in the future.  Now I'm finally about to break down and buy her newest book, Pretty Face.

 

Here's the description for Act Like It:

 

"A sharp-witted heroine and an infuriating-but-swoon-worthy leading man bring down the house in this utterly charming contemporary romance debut from Lucy Parker

This just in: romance takes center stage as West End theatre's Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Elaine Graham


Richard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard's antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city.

Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man?

Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance.

Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I abandoned 'on Steam' from Terry Pretchet for my Steampunk square.

It maybe bad translated, but I also don't like it when pages have regularly sentences spelled the way Dutch sounds, not the way we learn to spel (I had to pronounce the sentences aloud to get an idea what was written)

 

I wondered if steampunk is more an American / English genre?

I searched a lot, but not much is translated or available in the library even not through IBL, even not in English.

I think I found one, and I will try to get that one the next library visit.

 

Hmm.  Gail Carriger's books don't seem to be available in Dutch (though Danish and Swedish, sure...), nor The Invisible Library series.  But The Golden Compass (Het gouden kompas) is available in Dutch - it's YA, but I liked it. It's got naptha lights and zeppelins, so Steampunky enough. :)  And speaking of Philip Pullman, at least the first volume of his Sally Lockheart Steampunk mystery series is available in Dutch (Het raadsel van de robijn).

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