Book a Week 2017 - BW19: W. Somerset Maugham

[Maus]

20. "QB: My Life Behind the Spiral" by Steve Young.  Decided to read it when I heard he was going to talk about his anxiety.  My late father would have loved it, since he also gives a lot of play-by-play replays of his big games.

 

19. "Batneezer: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.  Had to finish off the series!

 

18. "Lord of the Hat: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

 

17.  "Beyond Belief" by Jenna Miscavige Hill.

16. "Ruthless" by Ron Miscavige.

15. "Katfish: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

14. "Pinocula: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

13. "Potterwookiee: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

12. "Worth the Wrestle" by Sheri Dew (LDS).

11.  "Wonkenstein: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

10. "Cub Scout Wolf Handbook". 

9. "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

8. "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Sue Klebold

7. "Columbine" by Dave Cullen.

6. "Changed through His Grace" by Brad Wilcox (LDS)>

5. "The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida.

4. "No Doubt About It" by Sheri Dew.

3. "Amazed by Grace" by Sheri Dew.

2. "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown.

1. "Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake" by Frank W. Abagnale.

[Violet Crown]

No books finished this week. But! I got to meet JennW!!! And her lovely husband. And their adorable dog. Wee Girl was so taken with their sweet dog, she was set to hop in their car and drive off west with them. What a treat for us!

 

Still reading Karel ÄŒapek. He is not subtle in his political allegories; but he's a lot more fun than Orwell. Packing and preparing for the Great Spring Migration leaves not enough time for reading; and while I was greatly enjoying The Birth of the Modern, it's too big to bring and too long to finish. So that will have to be my July reading.

[Violet Crown]

Jane, I must go get a copy of the Maugham. I think I saw it on the clearance shelf even. Time to read will somehow appear. Thanks for the intro!

 

Oh and I should read Seneca's "Phaedra" tonight before we go see it. Instead I'm watching the Pete's Dragon remake and losing brain cells.

[LaughingCat]

Two picture book reviews are in:

 

Everybody Poops is hilarious and we've read it at least a dozen times. At least! I just ordered our own copy from Amazon.

 

DS right now is asleep in bed with The Elves Hat book tucked in beside him.   :wub:

 

Tomorrow we'll attempt another two from the library stacks.  

 

 Along the lines of Everybody Poops, another one that DD the younger enjoyed was -- Dinosaur vs. the Potty 

(DD the older thought it was hilarious as well and she was early grade school aged when we found it)

 

And darn it - my library doesn't have "The Elves Hat"!

[Chrysalis Academy]

 Along the lines of Everybody Poops, another one that DD the younger enjoyed was -- Dinosaur vs. the Potty 

(DD the older thought it was hilarious as well and she was early grade school aged when we found it)

 

And darn it - my library doesn't have "The Elves Hat"!

 

And of course, there is The Gas We Pass . . .

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I did lots of reading last week (and very little housework).

 

Finished Last Week

📚Dark Planet Warriors by Carven

📚Dark Planet Falling by Carven

📚Into the Light by Carven

📚Out of Darkness by Carven

📚Forged in Shadow by Carven - I have thoroughly enjoyed this series this week. They made a great escape from Eggers' book.

📚The Amulet of Samarkand by Stroud - I picked this back up at page 75 and finished it in an afternoon - 5 star fun

 

Long Term Reads

📚ESV Bible - currently working through Second Chronicles

📚The History of the Ancient World - three more chapters: the Zhous in China, more India, and Greece emerges

 

Currently Reading

📚The Circle by Eggers - I read all of part one and am hating the book. I'm considering adding it to my abandon pile.

📚Bloody Jack by Meyer - should finish my audiobook this week,

 

I have The Razor's Edge for the read along and should be able to read two parts this week. I need to sit down and prioritize my tbr stack to see what needs to be returned soon. I have way too many books, so I'm going to try not to add holds this week.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Narrow Gate Academy

[Mom-ninja.]

 

So I've lost my Kindle. On a normal day that would be a very sad situation. BUT! I'm 3/4 of the way through an MM Kaye mystery and I want to know how it ends.  

 

Anybody know where I could have put it? I checked all the usual spots ..

*The loo (I'm embarrassed to admit that might have been a location but sometimes I have to escape from John for few minutes)

*My purse

*Inside a cookbook because I frequently use one book as a bookmark in another book (C'mon! I can't be the only one.)

 

Nowhere to be found.

 

Sigh.

 

If you are so inclined please pray to St Anthony that I find it. We're going on a trip in a few weeks and it has to be found before then.  

 

 

The key is to not look for it. Things always pop up when you are not looking for them.

 

 

We are listening to The Ring of Solomon which is a prequel to the Bartimaeus trilogy. I am loving the back story between Bartimaeus and Faquarl. Also did you know that Bartimeaus has a blog? So fun. 

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

And of course, there is The Gas We Pass . . .

 

Or, if you want something that is just a trifle more erudite ~

 

Walter Canis Inflatus (Walter the Farting Dog in Latin) by William Kotzwinkle  (and, hey, it's even on sale for $3.05 plus shipping for a hardback.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Loesje22000]

I finished Ivanhoe.

 

Altough I like some parts of it, I mostly wondered if this book will survive on Great Book lists.

I can't imagine dd (and eventually grandchildren) wil like/accept this type of stories.

[Jane in NC]

Film adaptations of The Razor's Edge:

 

There have been two, neither of which I've seen.  The first was produced in 1946, starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney.  In 1984, there was a version starring Bill Murray as Larry Darrell. I recall the latter being panned by critics although one of my friends adored the film. I wonder if part of the negative reception was due to the Murray's image as comedian--not a dramatic actor.

 

Jealous that VC and Jenn had a chance to meet!  One of these years, our paths will cross.

 

 

[Loesje22000]

@ Westerns (bingo square)

 

I think the sister brothers is the only book in our library with a 'western' symbol on the back.

I don't like the book very much so far, so I wondered about alternatives.

 

Would 'Fortunes daughter' by Isabell Allende count?

Other suggestions for a book that fits in that square?

[Chrysalis Academy]

@ Westerns (bingo square)

 

I think the sister brothers is the only book in our library with a 'western' symbol on the back.

I don't like the book very much so far, so I wondered about alternatives.

 

Would 'Fortunes daughter' by Isabell Allende count?

Other suggestions for a book that fits in that square?

 

Many books by Cormac McCarthy would fit the bill, or Larry McMurtry - like The Lonesome Dove.

 

Or Paulette Jiles - News of the World would count, and she has others that look like they'd fit.

 

The Ox-Bow Incident? Sarah Canary? I haven't read those, but they've come up on "western" searches.

[Loesje22000]

Many books by Cormac McCarthy would fit the bill, or Larry McMurtry - like The Lonesome Dove.

 

Or Paulette Jiles - News of the World would count, and she has others that look like they'd fit.

 

The Ox-Bow Incident? Sarah Canary? I haven't read those, but they've come up on "western" searches.

Thanks !

 

I tried to get McCarthy before I picked Sister Brothers, but the books seam permanently loaned.

McMurtry is available through IBL. So I suppose I'll have to pay a little fee to get another western... :)

 

The other titles you mentioned are not translated (yet).

 

I just picked up my 'debute author' square so I'll read that first.

[mumto2]

I just started reading Murikami's just released Men without women https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33652490-men-without-women?ac=1&from_search=true. Love it, unfortunately I need to stream it and that will be difficult for the next couple days.

[Kareni]

@ Westerns (bingo square)

 

...

Other suggestions for a book that fits in that square?

 

Another possibility would be True Grit: A Novel by Charles Portis.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

Seconding the recommendation for True Grit, which I read and enjoyed earlier this year: Middle Girl read it also and loved it. Sort of a Calvinist Western, with a convincing adolescent girl protagonist. I'm using it for the husband birth year square.

 

There are lots of good histories of the American West, if those count. For my Western, I'm planning to read Andy Adams' "Log of a Cowboy," a famous account of the great cattle trails from 1903.

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free work for Kindle readers ~

 

 

What's Wrong with the World? by G. K. Chesterton

 

"An enduring collection of moral and social commentary from one of the twentieth century’s most original thinkers

This groundbreaking work epitomizes why G. K. Chesterton is considered one of the pithiest and most versatile philosophers of his era. An anthology of his early writings, What’s Wrong with the World takes on such thorny subjects as public education, jingoism, feminism, imperialism, politics, and the modern family. Chesterton’s humor and intellectual verve are on full display, making these incisive essays as applicable in their exploration of ethics and the human heart today as when they were penned over a hundred years ago."

**

 

And another free offering from Tor.com ~

 

Tor.com’s eBook of the Month Club

 

"...Now you can read and own Vernor Vinge’s Hugo Award-winning seminal space opera, A Fire Upon The Deep...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Loesje22000]

Another possibility would be True Grit: A Novel by Charles Portis.

 

Regards,

Kareni

  

Seconding the recommendation for True Grit, which I read and enjoyed earlier this year: Middle Girl read it also and loved it. Sort of a Calvinist Western, with a convincing adolescent girl protagonist. I'm using it for the husband birth year square.

There are lots of good histories of the American West, if those count. For my Western, I'm planning to read Andy Adams' "Log of a Cowboy," a famous account of the great cattle trails from 1903.

Thank you both!

True grit has been translated and is available in the Library.

Your description makes me curious Violet! :

A calvinist western

I wonder how that will look like :)

[Mom-ninja.]

@ Westerns (bingo square)

 

I think the sister brothers is the only book in our library with a 'western' symbol on the back.

I don't like the book very much so far, so I wondered about alternatives.

 

Would 'Fortunes daughter' by Isabell Allende count?

Other suggestions for a book that fits in that square?

Don't forget Willa Cather books. 

[Loesje22000]

Don't forget Willa Cather books.

Thank you!

I wondered if 'pioneers' was also western...

 

Unfortunetly we only have one of her books in the library which:

- I've already read recently

- has only about 160 pages

:(

[Kareni]

Several currently free books for Kindle readers ~

 

fiction:  Bertrand Court  by Michelle Brafman

 

“Brafman’s talent for drawing human emotion shines through in this episodic, deeply sensitive, and introspective novel of the human psyche.â€
— Booklist

“The thread of Jewish culture that runs through Brafman’s novel is both respectful provocative and lovingly integrated. These graceful, insightful stories are a testament to our complicated lives and importance of family and friends.â€
— Jewish Book Council

**

 

mystery:  Iced Spy (Bison Creek Mystery Series Book 2)  by A. Gardner

**

 

paranormal romance:  The Lion's Share (The Chimera Chronicles Book 3)  by Karin Shah

**

 

several free books by this week's featured author can be seen here:   W. Somerset Maugham

**

 

LGBT:  Off Campus (Bend or Break Book 1)  by Amy Jo Cousins (this is a book I've read and enjoyed)

**

 

erotica:  Beyond Shame (Beyond, Book 1)   and Beyond Control  by Kit Rocha

 

"... part of the Beyond series, stories set in a post-apocalyptic world where the rich and powerful have claimed ownership of the country's only self-sustaining city. Those who live within Eden's walls must abide by a strict moral code or risk exile to the brutal, lawless sectors...."

**

 

Regards,

Kareni

[melbotoast]

Thanks for the post on Maugham, Jane. I'm excited to dive in. 

 

 

All this talk of The Wheel of Time and the TV version makes me think it might be time to revisit that series again . . . maybe this summer. So many books.

 

  :iagree:   I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the series, Robin!

 

 

 

So I've lost my Kindle. On a normal day that would be a very sad situation. BUT! I'm 3/4 of the way through an MM Kaye mystery and I want to know how it ends.  

 

 

I hate it when this happens! I always check the refrigerator because DD3 likes to hide things in there. Or check on the top of the books on the bookshelf. It blends in there pretty well. 

 

 

I loved both (I'm a Shannon Hale fan in general), but I actually like Midnight in Austenland better, BUT that may be because I saw the movie before I read Austenland.  I highly recommend watching the movie first.  Or maybe it doesn't matter.  The big twist is a shock the first time no matter what I suppose.

 

 

I also preferred Midnight in Austenland, although I read both books before seeing the movie. I think the movie ending in Austenland is better than the book version. 

 

 

I read The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion and really enjoyed it. I also listened to Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. It was a full cast audio version with different actors for each character. I think having a good narrator(s) really makes a difference!

[Lady Florida.]

Another possibility would be True Grit: A Novel by Charles Portis.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I'm reading True Grit but it's going to be for the female adventurer square. I already used News of the World for the western square.

 

I'm really liking True Grit. I never liked the movie with John Wayne (then again, I never cared much for him as an actor) but I enjoyed the 2010 version with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. I read somewhere that the 2010 adaptation is closer to the book. I'll know how true that is when I've finished the book and then watched the movie again. :)

[Penguin]

Thank you both!

True grit has been translated and is available in the Library.

Your description makes me curious Violet! :

A calvinist western

I wonder how that will look like :)

Maybe you would like Shane for your western.

 

I don't know if you saw my post upthread, but I am in the Netherlands now. We were in Utrecht today and went to the Nijntje Museum and Dick Bruna's studio. What an amazing man and artist! Do you recommend any other Dutch children's authors? I have two books by Annie Schmidt already. I would love to buy something that is fairy-tale like if you have a suggestion or two.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Penguin

[Penguin]

dp

Edited May 9, 2017 by Penguin

[Loesje22000]

Maybe you would like Shane for your western.

 

I don't know if you saw my post upthread, but I am in the Netherlands now. We were in Utrecht today and went to the Nijntje Museum and Dick Bruna's studio. What an amazing man and artist! Do you recommend any other Dutch children's authors? I have two books by Annie Schmidt already. I would love to buy something that is fairy-tale like if you have a suggestion or two.

I'll have missed that post.

Do you want something for younger children or also 10-14 yo?

In the latter fits :

https://www.bol.com/be/p/koning-van-katoren/666820984/?suggestionType=suggestedsearch

A dutch classic.

 

Max velthuys, Marianne Busser, are for the younger crowd, but not fairy tale like.

'Het vrouwtje van Stavoren', 'Van de visser en zijn vrouw' are dutch fairy tale like stories and probably available in picture book.

 

I will think tomorrow any further!

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Robin M]

 

The discussion of M.M. Kaye earlier led me to read one of her children's novels, The Ordinary Princess which I liked very much.  Sometimes it is just so pleasant to read a sweet fairy tale.

 

A friend gave me two Nevada Barr books, Track of the Cat, and Ill Wind.  She said that the former comes earlier in the series but she thought Ill Wind was a better book so I should start with that one. Ill Wind takes place at Mesa Verde so she thought I'd enjoy the archaeological features described in the book and I am.  Not sure how I feel about the detective though.  Barr's writing is fair.  My friend who like me has read many mystery series and has a hard time finding new ones that are engaging feels that Barr's entertainments are acceptable--not outstanding. I glanced through some old posts here on the boards and really couldn't find any BaWers that are particularly enamored with her books.

 

Be well everyone!

The Leader's Bookshelf arrived and one of the books mentioned was M.M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions which I want to read at some point this summer.  Hubby wasn't too terribly enamored with it. He doesn't like to read books about what books to read.  James and I usually pick up a few books we think he'd enjoy and throw them on his bookshelf, which he then reads.  So I'll probably read it and use it to buy books for him as there are great suggestions which I know hubby would enjoy.  

 

Jane, Thank you for the wonderful start to The Razor's Edge.

 

I definitely haven't read the latest Nevada Barr because I remember it being taken back by Overdrive. It's likely I have missed a couple of other recent ones also. As you so aptly put it they are something I will read if it is available but not hugely enamoured by. Some have definitely been better than others, so a bit uneven. I particularly enjoyed Winter Study for it's setting and suspect you might enjoy that aspect of it also. .https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2039223.Winter_Study

I read Nevada Barr's Blind Descent a few years back and recall it being rather good which made me want to read more of the series.  I made it through Winter Study which was just as well written. The only thing that bothered me in her books were weird actions that were contrary to normal reactions, which would throw me out of the story thinking about it.  Otherwise they were good mysteries.

 

 

 

Not mysteries, but a fascinating infographic on the visual history of Science Fiction from the KU Gunn Center for the study of science fiction.  

 

 

Has anyone watched the trailer for Stephen King's The Dark Tower.  Idris is a good choice for the gunslinger. Not so sure about McConaughey for the man in black. Makes me want to read the book again. 

 

Did someone mention Brown Bear? ---  check out How do Books Bring Color to Your World. 

 

Also stumbled across Gene Yang's Reading without Walls challenge for young readers, however can be done by adults too.  Something to get your kids involved in, if they haven't already.

[Kareni]

I finished a couple of books recently ~

 

Sarina Bowen's contemporary romance Falling From the Sky (Gravity Book 2)  which I enjoyed (though it's not my favorite from the author).  While it's book two in a series, it stands alone well.  (Adult content)

 

"She's the woman he doesn't remember. He's the man she can't forget.

Bad boy Hank “Hazardous†Lazarus used to have everything: a gorgeous girlfriend, a career as a freestyle snowboarder and a spot on the US Olympic team. Nine months ago, after a bad crash in the half pipe, he woke up in the hospital, unable to move his legs. Now he’s landed there again, but gravity is not the culprit. With his family pressuring him to try a groundbreaking treatment, Hank self-medicates with too much tequila instead.

Doctor Callie Anders has the courage to restart a patient’s heart with a thousand volts of electricity, yet she’s afraid to risk her own. So she doesn’t confess to her newest patient they they met just before the accident, an encounter that he doesn’t remember. Even as their friendship develops, she won’t admit that she regrets turning down his dinner invitation, or that her heart stutters every time those inked shoulders roll through the door of the therapy department.

With another Vermont winter coming again, Hank needs a hand out from under the avalanche of his disappointments. If only Callie were brave enough to take the job."

 

AND a collection of two historical romance novellas which I also enjoyed ~  The Duke and His Duchess / The Courtship (Windham Series)  by Grace Burrowes.  These stories feature the parents of the main characters from the author's first series of books; it showcases their courtship (what a surprise!) and a time in their life when they have four young children.  You need not have read any of the author's other works to enjoy these novellas.

 

"THE COURTSHIP
The first novella to be published by New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrowes features the foundation story for her bestselling Windham series. This is the tender story of love tested and won, and how Percy Windham, the dashing and brilliant man who was never supposed to become the Duke of Moreland, wooed Esther Himmelfarb, the amazing lady who became his beloved Duchess.

 

THE DUKE AND HIS DUCHESS
In this second prequel novella to the popular Windham series, Grace Burrowes continues the story of the Duke and Duchess of Moreland through the tumultuous and bittersweet first years of marriage and parenthood. Percival Windham is a second son and cavalry officer when he weds the beautiful Esther Himmelfarb. Percy and Esther must grow into the nobility they've been resisting and stand together, or face the threat of destroying their young family and the beautiful love that started out with such promise..."

 

Regards,
Kareni

[Kareni]

These books are on sale (NOT FREE!) for 99 cents each ~

 

Code Name Verity Elizabeth E. Wein

Birds, Beasts and Relatives (The Corfu Trilogy Book 2) Gerald Durrell

The Night Lives On: The Untold Stories and Secrets Behind the Sinking of the "Unsinkable" Ship-Titanic Walter Lord

Up the Down Staircase Bel Kaufman

Sherman Alexie
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
Reservation Blues: A Novel

Post of Honour (A Horseman Riding By Book 2) R. F. Delderfield

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

I read today, and saw performed this evening, Seneca's Phaedra, ~50 AD. The graduate student director, according to the programme, has a theory that it's not in fact unperformable (as generally thought) if it's played as a comedy. Questionable, but it was certainly successful as a Roman comedy. Now whether it was still Seneca in anything but the lines is not obvious.

 

Speaking of silly plays, back to ÄŒapek....

[aggieamy]

 

 

 

One we bought eons ago was a Playmobil World History book in Dutch. Basically, a history of the world in Playmobil set-ups. It's completely awesome.

 

 

 

And now I have motivation to learn Dutch. :)

[aggieamy]

I found my Kindle. Yay. It was in the front seat of my car. I guess if I left the house once in awhile it wouldn't have been missing for five days ..

 

FINISHED:

 

The Brutal Telling (Three Pines #5) by Louise Penny - The series gets better and better. It's one of my all time favorite cozy series now. I think all the cozy mystery fans here on BaW are already hooked on the series but if you aren't and want to give it a try then start with the first in the series. 

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[JennW in SoCal]

No books finished this week. But! I got to meet JennW!!! And her lovely husband. And their adorable dog. Wee Girl was so taken with their sweet dog, she was set to hop in their car and drive off west with them. What a treat for us!

 

No books finished for me either in the past week. But we drove 3000+ miles through the beautiful, wide open desert SW and got caught in some epic traffic in central Texas. The epic traffic cut short our meeting with VC and two of her lovely girls, but we still managed to fit in some food and talk of books! Middle girl is devouring the Master and Commander books, clearly a reader with excellent taste! I figure I should take book recommendations from her, so if she liked True Grit, I'm sure I will, too! 

 

DH and I got through 1/4 - 1/3 of the audiobook version of David McCullough's Truman biography, which we are both enjoying. And I'm close to finishing the first in a series of Amsterdam mysteries. 

 

I'll catch up with the thread tomorrow, though am not sure if I'll be able to get to Razor's Edge this week. Life is back in full swing starting tomorrow morning!

[Ausmumof3]

Reading is a bit slow here... Still working my way through chasing Venus and also why diets make us fat. I also have a few fluffy fictions floating around but I'm just finding schoolwork very time consuming right now.

 

I did read the first couple of pages of the razors edge and it really grabbed me straight away so hope I enjoy it.

[Rosie_0801]

Finished The Feminine Mystique. By today's standards, it is classist, racist, and imo derogatory towards women who do stay home with children. I won't discredit the entire book. The second wave of feminism had a lot to overcome, and perhaps this is why they swung towards the other extreme end of saying all women who are "just a housewife" are wasting their lives and "not providing anything of value to society." 

 

I have a wee bit of a problem with such statements. But again the book was published in 1963. A rocky time in the US.

 

It's so important to place feminist literature into historical context.

 

 

Post Traumatic Stress is not fully understood today

 

I think there are different kinds. That'd make it harder to tease out.

[Penguin]

I'll have missed that post.

Do you want something for younger children or also 10-14 yo?

In the latter fits :

https://www.bol.com/be/p/koning-van-katoren/666820984/?suggestionType=suggestedsearch

A dutch classic.

 

Max velthuys, Marianne Busser, are for the younger crowd, but not fairy tale like.

'Het vrouwtje van Stavoren', 'Van de visser en zijn vrouw' are dutch fairy tale like stories and probably available in picture book.

 

I will think tomorrow any further!

Koning van Katoren looks good. I will look for that one :)

 

I am looking for the 10 - 14 year old range, I guess. Sort of the Dutch equivalent to Selma Lagerlof or Astrid Lindgren, for lack of a better description. I am set with picture books - I bought six Dick Bruna books! All four of his retold fairy tales and two Nijntje books.

.

ETA: I will also look at your previous recommendations (Couperus, Mulisch, and Simone van der Vlugt). I think I will try to also get at least one grown up book while I am here. Couperus looks 

Edited May 10, 2017 by Penguin

[Loesje22000]

Koning van Katoren looks good. I will look for that one :)

 

I am looking for the 10 - 14 year old range, I guess. Sort of the Dutch equivalent to Selma Lagerlof or Astrid Lindgren, for lack of a better description. I am set with picture books - I bought six Dick Bruna books! All four of his retold fairy tales and two Nijntje books.

.

ETA: I will also look at your previous recommendations (Couperus, Mulisch, and Simone van der Vlugt). I think I will try to also get at least one grown up book while I am here. Couperus looks

'Briefgeheim' en 'de Kloof' are good from Terlouw too.

 

Simone van de Vlugt and Thea Beckman write (wrote) historic fiction.

 

ETA:

 

I'm in front of dd's bookcases now,

I think you are looking for Tonke Dragt.

She has written so many good books.

Some of the books are more fantasy / science fiction.

 

ETA 2:

Just curious: are you learning Dutch?

I doubt one can read those books based on knowledge of Danish...

[Loesje22000]

ETA 3 :)

 

For adult literature you might want to consider:

Hella Haasse, Tessa de Loo too

[Mothersweets]

I'm reading True Grit but it's going to be for the female adventurer square. I already used News of the World for the western square.

 

I'm really liking True Grit. I never liked the movie with John Wayne (then again, I never cared much for him as an actor) but I enjoyed the 2010 version with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. I read somewhere that the 2010 adaptation is closer to the book. I'll know how true that is when I've finished the book and then watched the movie again. :)

 

I'm so happy to see all the love for True Grit! 

 

I felt the same way about the movies. I had seen the JW version and thought the girl was annoying (I'm from Darnell County blah blah blah Darnell County blah blah blah) but heard that the book was much better so gave it a try and loved it. The audio version read by Donna Tart is superb!

[Violet Crown]

It's interesting that, though it's told in the first person by a 14-year-old girl, True Grit seems to have escaped being classed in the Young Adult quasi-genre.

 

True Grit also reminded me of my girls' beloved late-elementary Mary Sue classic, Trail Boss in Pigtails, which was catnip to the little urban Texans terrified of actual cows.

 

ETA: Ah, here it is: https://www.amazon.com/Trail-Pigtails-Marjorie-Filley-Stover/dp/B000GWPFJS

 

"When her father becomes sick, a fifteen-year-old girl is responsible for leading a herd of eighty-two longhorns from Texas to Illinois." And of course the gruff and skeptical trail hands soon learn to respect the precocious young lady.

Edited May 10, 2017 by Violet Crown

[Lady Florida.]

I'm so happy to see all the love for True Grit! 

 

I felt the same way about the movies. I had seen the JW version and thought the girl was annoying (I'm from Darnell County blah blah blah Darnell County blah blah blah) but heard that the book was much better so gave it a try and loved it. The audio version read by Donna Tart is superb!

 

I considered the audio version after listening to a sample. Tartt's southern accent was so wrong for her own novel, The Secret History but seems perfect for True Grit. In the end, I didn't want to spend an audible credit because it's not a book I want to own, and my library's Overdrive doesn't have the audio version. I borrowed the Kindle version instead.

[Kareni]

I found my Kindle. Yay. It was in the front seat of my car. I guess if I left the house once in awhile it wouldn't have been missing for five days ..

 

Yay, indeed!  I'm rather in awe that you hadn't left the house in five days.  If I'm at home for more than a couple of days, I start to get cabin fever.

**

 

A one day only currently free book for Kindle readers ~

 

The Black Gang by H. C. McNeile

 

"Eight evil men assemble in an English country house. Thieves, white slavers, drug dealers, and communists, they share one common goal: the destruction of everything that England holds dear. Police surround the manor in preparation for a raid. Suddenly, a gang of men in black masks appears and knocks the officers unconscious. Whips in hand, the Black Gang enters the house—and the crooks inside beg for the soft touch of the police.

 

A conspiracy against the English crown is afoot, the plotters operating just within the boundaries of the law—making it impossible for Scotland Yard to intervene. Thankfully, the Black Gang has no such restraints. Led by the fearless veteran Bulldog Drummond, they will stop at nothing to save England, no matter how many lashings they must deliver along the way."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

You ladies are starting to convince me that I want to read True Grit.

 

 

I finished  I'm Judging You. Thank you to whoever it was here that posted about it. It was at times funny and at times more serious. I started listening to Queen Lucia.   Still reading The Forgotten Garden  but not making much progress because I am busy planning classes for co-op.  

[mumto2]

Home again, I managed to finish most of two books in route. The fourth Jack Reacher Running Blind was good but was a hole filled so I knew who the killer was pretty early imo. I only gave it 4 stars.

 

I loved The Turn by Kim Harrison https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29277157-the-turn. I am so looking forward to my reread of that series!

 

Like Mom Ninja you guys are making me consider reading True Grit. I really have been looking forward to The Brothers Sisters. Decisions.........

[Matryoshka]

Finished book 52 yesterday!

 

Secondhand Time  by Svetlana Alexievich is an oral history of the fall of the Soviet Union.  It's long, but really interesting.  She interviews tons of people, some who are nostalgic for the Soviet Union, some even for Stalin, many who were joyful about the fall of communism but are now disillusioned.  Short snippets, long detailed stories.  Varied and very interesting.  I'd highly recommend it, but definitely get the audio.  I'm not sure it would have read as well - it's transcripts of people talking.  The audio is very well done and has a number of voice actors reading different people.  The interviewer/author also interjects some background or her own opinion, but largely lets her subjects speak for themselves.

 

I've just dipped my toe into Razor's Edge, and I've downloaded but not started my next audio, Pachinko.

Edited May 10, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Penguin]

'Briefgeheim' en 'de Kloof' are good from Terlouw too.

 

Simone van de Vlugt and Thea Beckman write (wrote) historic fiction.

 

ETA:

 

I'm in front of dd's bookcases now,

I think you are looking for Tonke Dragt.

She has written so many good books.

Some of the books are more fantasy / science fiction.

 

ETA 2:

Just curious: are you learning Dutch?

I doubt one can read those books based on knowledge of Danish...

 

Loesje, thank you for the help.  :001_wub:

Tonke Dragt looks amazing. I have never heard of her. Here is an article from the Guardian about her:

 

Tonke Dragt Interview: I was born a fairytale teller

 

ETA: It looks like a few of her books have been translated into English

The Letter for the King

 

--

As for the Dutch, it is a language that has interested me for years, but I have never studied it. I think I will start in 2019 or something like that.  :lol: But this is likely my last trip here, as my son will soon no longer live here. And thus I feel compelled to buy some books in Dutch before I leave.

 

Presumably, this is a safe space for admitting to buying books that I don't need in a language that I can't read...

Edited May 10, 2017 by Penguin