Book a Week 2017 - BW23: Fantasy June

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday and welcome to week 23  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.

 

Adieu fair May, bonjour sweet Fantasy June.  June is turning into a very busy reading month. We are celebrating all things fantasy including the 20th anniversary of the publication of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  We are also celebrating Father's Day and well as the June Solstice which ushers in Summer in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter in the Southern Hemisphere. With the beginning of Summer, we will be also diving into a summer long read of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace starting on June 18th. 

We have three birthstones to choose from the the June Birthstone Bookology reading challenge - Pearl, Moonstone or Alexandrite.  You may choose to spell out the word, reading one book per letter or read a book with the name or the colors of the stone in the title.  Or perhaps find an author whose name is Pearl, Moonstone, or Alexandrite.   You may decide to find a book set in the time period where the birthstone was discovered or surrounding the myth and lore or set in countries where the birthstone is currently found.

The first recorded mention of natural pearls was in 2206BC by a Chinese historian. Cultured pearls (those grown on pearl farms) were produced by the Japanese and Chinese sometime in the 20th century.  Moonstones were discovered back in ancient times and Pliny wrote of how the stone's appearance shifted with the moon phases. The discovery of Alexandrite dates back to imperial Russia where it was found in the emerald mines in the Ural mountains. 

We'll be exploring both Fantasy and Science Fiction over the next two months.  Our armchair travels this month are taking us into the world of Fantasy as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, as well as the imagery worlds that exist outside of ordinary life, time and/or space.  More on the world of Harry Potter next week.    The fantasy genre encompasses a wide range of subgenres from fairy tales and myth to alternative history to magical realism to alternative histories to romance fantasy, just to name a few.   

There are a plethora of fantasy sites with plenty of books and articles including:

Unbound Worlds 
Tor
Literary Escapism
Fantasy-Fiction 
Best Fantasy Books
SFSignal


Plenty of rabbit trails to follow and opportunities to fill your shelves with intriguing and entertain and/or fun beach reads.  

Happy Reading! 

 

****************************

 

Story of Western Science – Chapter 18

 

***************************

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

Link to week 22


 

 

[Robin M]

Morning ladies.  I'm going to work on spelling out Pearl since I have a few P books and L books as well as chunky books on my shelves waiting to be read.  On my reading plate for this month are:  The Girl who Played with Guns (chunky), A Crown of Swords (Chunky #7 Wheel of Time), as well as Harry Potter and other fantasy novels. Not to mention War and Peace.

 

 I'm currently reading Devon Monk's Gods and Ends, #3 in her Ordinary Magic Series. Also decided I want to experiment more with poetry, so also reading In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poets Portable Workshop by Stephen Kowit. 

Edited June 4, 2017 by Robin M

[Mothersweets]

Good morning! Very interesting about the different birthstones, Robin. I didn't realize there were two other stones for June - they are each so beautiful!

 

Last week I continued reading Truman and got a little bit further. Also read:

 

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...and Maybe the World by William H. McRaven. The author is a retired Navy admiral and this book sprung from the commencement speech he gave to the graduating class of University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There is a youtube video of it but I haven't watched it yet. This little book gave me a boost of inspiration that I've been needing. :) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31423133-make-your-bed

 

And I finally got to the top of the holds list at my library for Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. I think I started at number 45 or something like that and it's taken a few months to get the book. Well, it was worth the wait! I tried not to read any reviews or discussion about the story while I was waiting for my hold to come in so I really didn't know anything about the story other than it involves Willie Lincoln and takes place in a graveyard. And I won't say anything else about it in case anyone here is planning on reading it, other than to say that I flew through it in about 5 hours and enjoyed it very much. I have the audio on deck to listen to next. :). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29906980-lincoln-in-the-bardo

 

I've been looking at different editions of War and Peace for our read along and can't decide between the Maude version or the Briggs one OR the Dunnigan. I did download the kindle version of the Maude translation but would also like a hard copy so I can look at the maps. Which one is everyone using? Or will it matter?

 

 

Edited June 4, 2017 by Mothersweets

[mumto2]

Not sure if the end result will be spelling Pearl or Moonstone. Each is partially done with a sort through my tbr pile. I think I am just going to keep track for a couple of weeks before I commit. I did go ahead and download The Secret Pearl by Mary Balogh because it's been on my tbr list for a couple of years.

 

I am happily reading Evan and Elle by Rhys Bowen. Part of a great series that will also give me an E for either stone. Decisions.......The books always describe the area around Mount Snowdon in Wales so well that I spent part of last night researching how much it would cost to live there then I went and read a few more pages and discovered the crimes in this book are setting fires in new people's homes. I think I'm officially off that idea! I know it's fiction but the idea has stuck! We did have a lovely vacation there a couple of years ago.

 

I am still listening to the Bear and the Dragon. I am in the teens now so making some progress.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I've reluctantly concluded that I just don't have the headspace right now for War & Peace. Between my parent's situation and my dd's chronic illness, not to mention the rest of life, I'm just too scattered. I need short books with short chapters that I can read in short chunks, not something I have to concentrate on to keep straight the hundreds of characters over a span of many years. I'm sad because it would be fun to read it with you guys, but I'll enjoy your discussion nonetheless.

 

So current reads - all pretty short books - are: Econmix, The Summer Book, The Iron Heel, Real Food/Fake Food, and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.  They are all very good and very engrossing, but I don't lose anything if I read them in a fairly scattered way. I'm listening to Predictably Irrational and Door Into Ocean, and reading several things aloud with the girls.

 

Seeing that moonstones are one of the June stones, I thought about pulling The Moonstone off my shelf, but it may be a little to long and focus-requiring at this point. We'll see.

 

You all know I love fantasy & sci fi! I'm reading through the Utopian/Dystopian list which contains much in this genre. Coming up I"m planning to tackle a stack of 1970s feminist sci fi. Should be interesting.

 

ETA: I also discovered that I'm just over halfway through the 240 Bingo Challenge, yet I haven't completed a single row! Funny how the pattern is shaking out. I've covered a lot of the easy squares, so I"ll have to be more conscious with my selections from here on out, so I made a focused Bingo shelf on goodreads.

 

Finished so far in June:

117. Walden - Henry David Thoreau

116. Imperfect Ideal: Utopian & Dystopian Visions - Great Books Foundation

 

Edited June 4, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[Ali in OR]

The last few weeks of school are always so crazy, so not a lot of reading here. Middle dd had a physics test Thursday, a math test Friday (both subjects she has to work at), SAT on Saturday morning, then two end-of-year ballet recitals yesterday in the afternoon and evening. I did 5 round trips to the high school yesterday. This week will have two evening band concerts and my disabled dd graduates from high school. Lots of stuff going on.

 

I carried Jar City with me this week and found small pockets of time to read it and eventually finished it. I thought it was great. Was it Jane who introduced us to this mystery series by Icelandian Arnaldur Indridason? I thought it was intellectually appealing and I enjoyed learning more about Iceland. If anyone wants to give it a try, shoot me a PM and I'll mail it out (eventually and by media mail, so if you must have it now don't wait for me!)

 

My W&P came Saturday. I went with the red Maude translation from Amazon--it has maps and guides and all that. It looks pretty readable (font size), but I'll probably still be more comfortable using reading glasses. I probably won't start it this week. I have a couple of books from the library I should get to. I would love to read some sci-fi/fantasy this month--will see if I can get to that. HP has been well-loved in this house. Can't believe we're already at the 20th anniversary.

 

ETA: Jar City will be on its way to Rose soon!

Edited June 4, 2017 by Ali in OR

[Ali in OR]

Oooh, I might just have to read one of my mom's old Nancy Drew mysteries, "The Moonstone Castle Mystery."

[Onceuponatime]

I finished The Great Gatsby. Not having read it since high school, I remembered very little. The writing was very beautiful, almost poetic. The story was meh. I sympathized most with Nick Carraway. What a spot to be in, when the people around you are all acting slightly mad, and obviously headed for disaster, a kind of group existential crisis.

 

Speaking of existential crisises (Is that a word?), I'm currently 3/4 of the way through The Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland. The blurbs for this book are all wrong. How do they get the people to write this stuff? It seriously makes me wonder if they read the same book I'm reading. The story is about a quiet existential crisis happening to the main character. This crisis is mostly happening in her head, which is probably why I like the story better than Gatsby. That one was so messy, loud, and externalized.

 

The narrative weaving and repetitive symbolism in The Transcriptionist remind me a little of Yan Martel's style, which I admire because of how clever it is. The main character is led to question her life after a chance meeting with a blind woman on a bus. The blind woman is later found dead and the transcriptionist becomes obsessed with the other woman's life and death. The parallels and contrasts in the two women's lives provides the interest. I don't know how it will end yet. I don't expect the end of this book to be neat and happy-ever-after. It wouldn't feel realistic.

Edited June 4, 2017 by Onceuponatime

[Lady Florida.]

I wasn't planning to do any of the birthstone challenges except the one for my birth month - October/opal - but there are two books that have been on my TR list for a while that fit the challenge. I might as well read them this month, or at least attempt to read them.

 

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck and The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins. I tried to read both several years ago but life got in the way and I never got far in either one. Since I don't remember much about what I did read I'm starting over from the beginning with both of them.

 

Edited June 4, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Kareni]

... I did go ahead and download The Secret Pearl by Mary Balogh because it's been on my tbr list for a couple of years.

 

The Secret Pearl is a favorite of mine.  I hope you'll enjoy it.

**

 

Last night I finished a very enjoyable book that I think others here might also enjoy.  I recommend it.

4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace  by Johan Twiss

 

Here's the review from Kirkus ~

 

"In this YA novel, a paralyzed, mute teenager gets a new roommate, an elderly jazz performer, who can hear his thoughts—and take him back in time.

 

It’s 1987, and Aaron Greenberg, 14, has been imprisoned for life by his own body. Once he was an active boy who played the trombone, but two years ago, he contracted a rare form of cryptococcal meningitis that left him paralyzed and, supposedly, brain-dead. Ever since, he’s lived in a nursing home, unable to communicate but fully cognizant. Aaron passes the time by entering his “mind palaceâ€: not the memory technique but an imagined castle with fabulous rooms to explore. Then Aaron meets his new roommate, the elderly Solomon Felsher, who suffers from some dementia but was once a famous jazz musician, playing his saxophone with all the greats. He can hear Aaron’s thoughts—and occasionally, Solomon somehow pulls Aaron into reliving important episodes from the saxophonist’s past, in which the boy finds himself providing crucial help. For example, Aaron saves the day when he plays trombone during Solomon’s first Chicago gig. Solomon also has a pretty, kind 14-year-old granddaughter, Sarah, who learns the secret of his communication with Aaron. Convincing his doctor takes some doing, but over the next two years, with Sarah’s support, Aaron slowly recovers. In the real world, he’ll need all his new strength to help his friend Solomon one last time. Twiss (I AM SLEEPLESS: Sim 299, 2015, etc.) offers a captivating double premise with his story of a locked-in boy and time travel via dementia. The author skillfully weaves these threads together with another double story about Aaron’s and Solomon’s progress, one toward health, the other toward acceptance. Not only that, Twiss handles Solomon’s Yiddish-inflected voice and Aaron’s teenage sensibility nicely, develops the youthful romance sweetly, and provides exciting scenes of danger, daring, and escape. (One quibble: Aaron’s last name is sometimes spelled “Greenburg†in the text.) This warmhearted novel focuses on how people make connections and help each other through the most trying circumstances with good humor, music, and affection.

 

An intriguing premise, effective voice, and entertaining writing make for a winning tale about two musicians."

**

 

I also read and enjoyed Letters to an Android  by Wendy Rathbone.  I like epistolary novels, and I'd estimate that greater than 90 percent of this book is in the form of written communications.  I recommend this book, too.

 

"Cobalt is a created human, vat grown and born adult, with no human rights and indentured to serve others for the duration of his life. Liyan is a young man with wanderlust in his eyes, embarking on a career that takes him to the furthest regions of space. The two become unlikely friends and create a memorable long-distance correspondence. Through Liyan, Cobalt gets to explore the universe, living vicariously through his friend’s wave transmissions. A strong bond develops between them that not even the stars can put asunder."

 

"Leaves you pondering the ideas of friendship, freedom and love long after the reading is done." - A.F. Black

**

 

And I read Midnight Blues  by Jill Baker which was an enjoyable contemporary romance.

 

"Struggling musician Addie Raintree has every reason to believe legendary rock star guitar man David Landry has stolen her song. But David insists he wrote the tune, his biggest hit in years.

When the two adversaries call a truce to collaborate, Addie suspects she’s found much more than a kind, generous mentor in David. The rest of the world may know him as the “Marquette Miracleâ€, but Addie soon learns he works wonders in her bed, too. David Landry: the sexy, irresistible remedy to any woman’s midnight blues.

How can Addie be just another in a long line of swindlers when she’s everything David craves? The earthy heiress to a quirky musical family’s bluegrass legacy could be the real thing: big talent, smoldering beauty, and a gift for making him feel like he’s finally found home.

There’s just one problem—that damned stolen song. Will either be willing to sacrifice what it takes to make love stay?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lori D.]

Woo-hoo! Finally posting in this thread again after having to deal with a lot of real-life stuff. Still have a week to go of the heavy bulk of 'real life' stuff to get through, BUT, had to pop in and share that I just treated myself to the newest installment in Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series (just released 2 weeks ago):

 

Thick as Thieves

 

Aaahhhh... deep sigh of satisfaction and contentment. It was worth the wait.  :thumbup1:   :cheers2:

 

It's like getting to read book 1 all over again, but with new characters. It is very much like book 1 in that it is another "road" story, with 2 characters who don't entirely trust one another, and aren't entirely as they seem. AND there is BONUS of the inclusion of some wonderful mythic epic poetry that Whalen created just for this world -- but epic poetry that has elements of Gilgamesh and even Beowulf in it. And, of course, these extended epic poem sections reflect or add to what is happening in the adventures of the two main characters. A sample:

 

 

Brave Ennikar Strong Ennikar

   taken like any man by Death

   to the gray lands

   through the gates of Kununigadak which none may pass

   twice

   none leave who have entered by way of them

   on the raod from which there is no way back

   to the land wherein the dwellers are bereft of light

   where dust is their fare dust and clay is their food and

   their drink

   the gray lands

Grieving Immakuk lost his friend

   a loss more powerful than a great river

   bowled him over

   sharper than a sword

   cut him through

Loss led Immakuk from his journey home

 

Death stalked the land as Unse-Sek had stalked

   had carried away his friend Ennikar

   left Immakuk nothing

 

Why do men die why does death take them

   Immakuk asked

   asked Nuri who had no answer

   asked Shesmegah goddess of mercy

   asked Anet to bring his friend back

 

 The goddess of the moon heard his cries

   took pity on Immakuk

   took pity on him and

   sent him to the stepwell of Ne Malia

   lit his path there

   to the underworld

Step by step Immakuk descended

   to the water of Ne Malia followed the moonlight

   below the water

   into dark lit by moonlight descended

   to the gray lands and the empty banks

   before the eternal river

   that has no beginning and no end...

 

 

Lovely, and I loved every page of it. :)

[Lori D.]

And while this article is from last August, thought this was appropriate for the pearl birthstone of June:

 

"Giant Pearl Worth $100 Million Spent a Decade Under Fisherman's Bed"

 

Biggest pearl found to date -- weighing in at 75 pounds.

[Lori D.]

I finished The Great Gatsby...The writing was very beautiful, almost poetic...

 

Great Gatsby was the surprise hit of high school lit. here -- both DSs STILL comment on how beautiful the writing was and how much they enjoyed the novel. :)

[Loesje22000]

I finished:

 

* Guns, Germs, Steel

Compared to the song of The dodo the writing style is a little dry.

The author also repeates sometimes him self.

Although the book tries to answer a big question, the book left me with much more questions.

 

* Far from the Madding Crowd

I really, really liked the book.

Chapters, sentences, word choice were all not too long/difficult or too short/easy.

With some very funny moments

 

* Zink

A thin book about a small piece of land that is squeezed between the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany and changed many times of nationality which made 1 man owner of 5 nationalities in different times without ever moving away from his village.

An example of Belgium weirdness

 

+++

 

I started:

 

Holocaust from Timothy Snyder.

More academical writing compared to Bloodlands, more about questions and myths ( why did it happened, did people really know, how could it looks so different in different countries)

 

Roman Fever

My first Edith Wharton, a book with short stories.

 

Biography about C.S. Lewis by Alister McGrath.

[Kareni]

* Zink

A thin book about a small piece of land that is squeezed between the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany and changed many times of nationality which made 1 man owner of 5 nationalities in different times without ever moving away from his village.

An example of Belgium weirdness

 

Zink sounds intriguing.  Can you share the author's name, please?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

Yesterday I finished the James Hogg 1822 Scottish classic The Three Perils of Man: War, Women, and Witchcraft, a chunkster at over 600 pages, and no small part of it in thick Scots dialect. Good thing I have to be on trains a lot. Quite a wild ride! Like a Sir Walter Scott novel that drinks whiskey and hangs out in the sketchy parts of Edinburgh. Recommended, if one can find it.

 

Now I've fallen into the trap of reading too many books at once. Going right now:

 

George Mackay Brown, Andrina and Other Stories. Excellent stories by the great 20th-century Orcadian poet.

 

John Prebble, Culloden. Gruesome Scottish history if you will forgive the tautology.

 

The Incomparable Max: A Collection of Writings of Sir Max Beerbohm. The first two essays are on Beau Brummell and George IV (whom I can only imagine as Hugh Laurie), giving a pretty clear idea of Beerbohm's interests. Perfect prose.

 

Robert Frost, Selected Poems. An airplane book that I'll trade in for some George Mackay Brown verse if Bill the bookstore guy down the street is willing.

 

Francis Bacon, Essays. Bill had a nice little Oxford edition, and reminisced about having to discuss "Of Travaile" when he was in secondary.

 

I hope there is a Meat Challenge some month and I will be right there with Francis Bacon, James Hogg, and Charles Lamb.

[Violet Crown]

* Far from the Madding Crowd

I really, really liked the book.

 

Having just inflicted Hardy on three unenthusiastic young ladies this last semester, I'm so glad to hear someone say that.

[Loesje22000]

Zink sounds intriguing. Can you share the author's name, please?

 

Regards,

Kareni

Sorry,

David van Reybroeck is the author.

But the book is only available in Dutch and French so far:

https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/49705287-zink?expanded=true

 

Another terrific book from him is in English available:

Congo: the epic history of a people

https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/13073122-congo-een-geschiedenis

 

But this book as thick as some War & Peace editons while Zink has only 60 pages.

[Mom-ninja.]

I have not finished anything. Still reading Harry Potter 2 and Roughing It.

[Loesje22000]

Having just inflicted Hardy on three unenthusiastic young ladies this last semester, I'm so glad to hear someone say that.

It has been my first Hardy, so I don't know if it is representive for his other works.

But I was really looking forward to the end of my day, so I could read further on this book.

[Negin]

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...and Maybe the World by William H. McRaven. The author is a retired Navy admiral and this book sprung from the commencement speech he gave to the graduating class of University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There is a youtube video of it but I haven't watched it yet. This little book gave me a boost of inspiration that I've been needing. :) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31423133-make-your-bed

I just saw this while we were in Miami a few days ago. I thought I might like it, but some reason I put it down and got some other books instead. I'm going to add this to my wish list now. 

 

We were on vacation (France & Miami) and returned just a few days ago and I've been mostly tired and jet lagged since then. I've missed this thread and reading everyone's posts. Other than the following, I haven't had time to sit and review the books that I've read, or even rate them.

 

I read two Rick Steves books - both 5 Stars, as usual - Provence and the French Riviera and his Paris pocket guide.

 

I also read At Home with Madame Chic - 4 Stars - This is the second book that I’ve read by her and all I can say is that her books are pretty and inspiring. Much of it is common sense, but the tips are wonderful in reminding us to find joy in tasks that often become mundane. The more that I read by her, the more I like her.

 

Some of my favorite quotes:

“This is not a race. The destination is not important. It is in the journey where all of the critical steps are taken. So enjoy this, my friend. Because life is meant to be celebrated. All of it.â€

 

“You may think that being chic has nothing to do with the most insignificant and mundane moments of the day. Moments like preparing your meals, emptying the dishwasher, and paying bills. But the secret is: those moments aren’t insignificant. Au contraire. They are very significant. That’s right—if you can change your attitude about making the pasta sauce, choosing your clothes for the day, folding the laundry, setting the table, or dealing with the incoming mail, you can completely change your life.â€

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

 

[Mom-ninja.]

I received a lovely postcard from a fellow BAW friend. :)

[Kareni]

Sorry,

David van Reybroeck is the author.

But the book is only available in Dutch and French so far:

https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/49705287-zink?expanded=true

 

Ah, thank you.  Sadly, my toddler level (primarily conversational) Dutch is certainly not up to that challenge; nor is my high school level French. 

 

Allow me to add to the applause for your use of English, loesje.  It makes me wonder how many other participants on the thread are non-native speakers of English.

 

 

... I hope there is a Meat Challenge some month and I will be right there with Francis Bacon, James Hogg, and Charles Lamb.

 

 

This made me chuckle.

 

Do you have any liking for Beethoven?  You could also read Beethoven Letters Journals and Conversations  by Michael Hamburger

 

If you're willing to branch out, you could add Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking  by Merrilee H. Salmon

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Oooh, I might just have to read one of my mom's old Nancy Drew mysteries, "The Moonstone Castle Mystery."

So very tempted. I loved that one. My 10 year old self thought the word moonstone made it super exotic. :lol:

[Lady Florida.]

 

* Far from the Madding Crowd

I really, really liked the book.

Chapters, sentences, word choice were all not too long/difficult or too short/easy.

With some very funny moments

 

 

 

 

It has been my first Hardy, so I don't know if it is representive for his other works.

But I was really looking forward to the end of my day, so I could read further on this book.

 

While there were some things about the characters that bugged me, I really enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd. If you plan to read more Hardy though you should know that book is his least depressing novel. :)

[CadenceSophia]

Happy Sunday :) I don't think I finished any books this week.. I just added a bunch to the in progress list. I am listening to Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Dava Sobel's book Longitude.

 

Longitude is a history of the quest for and discovery of a method to keep track of longitude at sea. So far there is a lot of interesting information and there is potential for it to be very good.. but this book needs major editing. We kept going back in time and being reintroduced to the same people as if it were the first time. Now it seems we are in the main narrative but it isn't quite as exciting because the ending was summarized offhandedly in the first chapter. It's a mess.

 

The Moon is a harsh mistress is not my favorite Heinlein. It's about fighting a revolutionary war for independence on Luna. Apparently I hate science fiction politics almost as much as real world politics. My husband really liked this book and I can see why -- tons of economics.

 

I'm more than halfway through 4 of the books I have I progress so this week I am going to try and finish some of them.. Really. I'm serious this week :-D

 

Oh.. Is there any way to keep private notes on books on Goodreads? I deleted all my books at Goodreads this week to start over. When I first got started there, I didn't realize everything was public and I had friends on Facebook offended that I gave a low rating of books they liked. I'm not into that sort of social aspect but I do want to keep summaries for myself and notes for child related considerations. If not, how do you keep your private book notes?

[Matryoshka]

Only finished one book this week.  I've been reading slowly this month; I think it's because dd is home from college and we've been have fun watching some shows together - totally cuts into reading time. ;)  I'm trying to get her to read at least one of my SciFi book club's books this month and come along to the next meeting; it's a multigenerational group so she won't be the only young adult there.

 

Book finished:

 

58. Boys in the Boat (ebook) - Well told story of the team that won the 1936 Olympics.  The life story of the main character growing up during the depression was also really interesting, as was descriptions of Hitler's propaganda machine surrounding the Berlin Olympics.  Original fake news. 4 stars.

 

 

Currently Reading:

 

- Song of the Dodo - still liking it, just long.  Need to finish it up in time to start next long book (W&P) :)

 

- The Green Road (audio book) - finishing my Emerald book just a bit late.  Will probably finish this up tomorrow.  I do have to say, if anyone is interested in reading this, do get the audio.  The narrators on this one (there's more than one) are all very good and enhances the story; I think in this case I wouldn't have liked the book as much if I'd read it.

 

 

Coming up:

 

My SciFi book club's picks this month are Too Like the Lightning and All Our Wrong Todays. Looking forward to both of those.  My next audiobook will be Lincoln in the Bardo, as I'm finally #1 on that Overdrive waiting list.  Not sure what my next ebook will be, maybe Ficciones?  Oh, and for monthly theme books, I think I'll read a Pearl S. Buck book - I've already read Good Earth - I'm leaning toward Pavilion of Women, but if anyone has read one that they think is a must-read instead, please share. :)  And I've got to get in on Fantasy month, so I think I'll read Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton.  And I've decided my next German book is Menschen im Hotel/ Grand Hotel, but who knows if I'll even get to it in June at this rate!  All of those plus the W&P read-a-long should keep me very busy this June!  :D

[JennW in SoCal]

I'm on a roll with the Wheel of Time series, and just finished the 3rd book, The Dragon Reborn. I was chuckling over a review at Goodreads in which someone said they couldn't rationally explain why they like the series as it is poorly written with unbelievable characters and clunky dialog -- and I totally agree! I'm enjoying it but at the same time am very annoyed with it. And yet I'm ready to start the next one! 

 

It is the women characters that annoy me the most. Here is a world where the women are powerful -- the Gandalfs if you will. But holy cow they are shrewish and petty. Every time I start to like them the author throws in a scene that just makes me cringe, and I turn it off or hit the fast forward button. It made seeing the new Wonder Woman movie a refreshing change as the Amazons were portrayed as truly wise and strong women, and Wonder Woman herself is a terrific superhero. I wanted to pump my fists at the end of the movie and shout "Yes! Girl Power!" but I didn't. 

 

Speaking of strong women, I finally got to the good stuff in Women Sailors and Sailor's Women, the chapter about the wives of Captains who save the day. Apparently many of them would learn navigation, perhaps out of curiosity, and more than once they had to put that knowledge to good use.  One woman in particular was remarkable. Only 19 years old and 4 months pregnant, when her husband the captain became ill, she had to take control of a Cutter in particularly nasty seas off Cape Horn. She navigated a course around the cape and delivered the ship and its cargo safely to San Francisco.  There might be one more interesting chapter, but then it is back to mistresses, mermaids and sirens.

 

 

 

 

[JennW in SoCal]

I have a kindle question. How do footnotes usually work? The last time I had a kindle with footnotes they were more like end notes -- I'd have to bookmark where I was and find notes at the end of the book then hope to find my way back to my current page. Drove me nuts especially since it seems I've never mastered navigating around my kindle very well. (I have a paperwhite.)

 

I'm looking at 2 different kindle editions of the Maude translation of War and Peace and can't figure out which one to get. Yes, they are each only .99, but is there some clue in the description of whether the footnotes are active -- can I just highlight the footnote to get the French translation???

 

option #1

 

option #2

 

Which brings me to another kindle question. How do I purge titles from my library listings? There are titles of Overdrive books from a few years ago and I want them GONE but can't figure it out. Same with a few books I've read but will never read again. How do I purge those? 

 

 

(edited to fix links...)

Edited June 5, 2017 by JennW in SoCal

[Kareni]

  Our armchair travels this month are taking us into the world of Fantasy ...

 

Some currently free fantasy/science fiction books for Kindle readers ~

 

The Apples of Idunn (The Ragnarok Era Book 1)  by Matt Larkin

 

The Fairytale's Daughter  by Carolyn Swanson

 

The Dragon Blood Collection, Books 1-3  also  The Emperor's Edge both by Lindsay Buroker

 

The Chronothon: A Time Travel Adventure and In Times Like These: A Time Travel Adventure by Nathan Van Coops

 

Silver (The Silver Series Book 1)  by Cheree Alsop

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angelaboord]

Oh.. Is there any way to keep private notes on books on Goodreads? I deleted all my books at Goodreads this week to start over. When I first got started there, I didn't realize everything was public and I had friends on Facebook offended that I gave a low rating of books they liked. I'm not into that sort of social aspect but I do want to keep summaries for myself and notes for child related considerations. If not, how do you keep your private book notes?

I think you can set whether or not your Goodreads posts to Facebook or not if you're on a computer, not using the app, but the app does allow you to turn off the automatic adding of Facebook friends under settings. I think you can also keep books out of your feed by checking or unchecking a box in your entry?

 

If necessary I guess you could also delete your account and start a new, private account where people have to ask permission to friend you.

 

I use the app most often, which doesn't have as much functionality as using it on a computer, so there may be more you can do there.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Angelaboord]

No more books for me this weekend, but I did preview a couple of Kindle editions of War and Peace and decided on the Maude. I don't know if I will actually be able to keep up or to read the whole thing, but I enjoyed the parts I read to preview so I think I will give it a shot.

 

Fantasy month gives me an excuse to read Robin Hobb's new book, Assassin's Fate! I pre-ordered it for Kindle and have had it since early May, but her books tend to suck me in and I haven't been sure that I really have the time to clear the decks and dive in. But Fantasy Month may be just the excuse I need. [emoji5]

 

ErinE, I liked her Bingtown Traders books too (read them a long time ago, though), but Fitz will always be my favorite character. [emoji16]. I keep looking for similar authors, but she's really in a league of her own.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Loesje22000]

While there were some things about the characters that bugged me, I really enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd. If you plan to read more Hardy though you should know that book is his least depressing novel. :)

Thank you for notifying me!

I also have 'The mayor of Casterbridge' on the shelf, and watched 'Under the Greenwood Tree' recently.

 

How depressing is depressing in your definition?

Comparable to Steinbecks 'Grapes of Wrath'?

Last year or so, I discovered I prefer more realistic but sometimes depressing books like Steinbeck or Zola then very rose colored optimistic books. But I don't like extremely dark books.

[Violet Crown]

While there were some things about the characters that bugged me, I really enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd. If you plan to read more Hardy though you should know that book is his least depressing novel. :)

Some of his poetry is cheerful! No, wait ... no it isn't.

[Violet Crown]

Oh.. Is there any way to keep private notes on books on Goodreads? I deleted all my books at Goodreads this week to start over. When I first got started there, I didn't realize everything was public and I had friends on Facebook offended that I gave a low rating of books they liked.

Offended? What, were they the authors?

[mumto2]

I have a kindle question. How do footnotes usually work? The last time I had a kindle with footnotes they were more like end notes -- I'd have to bookmark where I was and find notes at the end of the book then hope to find my way back to my current page. Drove me nuts especially since it seems I've never mastered navigating around my kindle very well. (I have a paperwhite.)

 

I'm looking at 2 different kindle editions of the Maude translation of War and Peace and can't figure out which one to get. Yes, they are each only .99, but is there some clue in the description of whether the footnotes are active -- can I just highlight the footnote to get the French translation???

 

option #1

 

option #2

 

Which brings me to another kindle question. How do I purge titles from my library listings? There are titles of Overdrive books from a few years ago and I want them GONE but can't figure it out. Same with a few books I've read but will never read again. How do I purge those?

 

 

(edited to fix links...)

I'm going to try to help. :lol:

 

I checked the Duke edition which should be Maude out of the overdive library. It says Duke on the top of the cover. I received the cover that I just put in my currently reading on Goodreads.....white horse on the cover.

 

I just paged through many pages and looked at the back. Relatively sure my footnotes all follow the paragraph immediately. Appears to be really easy to use. I counldn't find any footnotes that weren't language translations. Even on the same page most of the time. If someone can tell me where to hunt for other footnotes I will hunt. It's a huge book to page through!

 

Removing library books from kindles. Most of the time they should disappear with a message when the library takes them back and they disappear from your library account. Sometimes they stick if your device isn't online at the time. In order to get rid of them you have to click on the book.....on a fire you hold your finger on the cover until a message pops up. It will ask you if you want to remove it from your carousel or device. In order to get rid of it pick device. I think it might still sit in your cloud but I don't think that is a real problem. Readers you just right click on the book on the home page, on mine the bottom option is remove from device.

[Mom-ninja.]

To remove Kindle books, first remove them from device. I think each Kindle version has a slightly different method for removing books from the device. You can remove books from your Kindle library/collection from your Amazon account. I believe that deletes them permanently. You can delete or archive. 

[Just Robyn]

I didn't get much book reading done over the last week because I spent my reading time on essays, interviews and a couple of short stories. I am still working on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and I got a small start on Freud: The Key Ideas. 

[Lady Florida.]

I don't think I posted my currently reading list -

 

-The Moonstone, for the June birthstone challenge

-Mortal Engines - Steampunk isn't my thing but I've challenged myself to get bingo blackout. I did some searching online and much of what I found said this is the book for steampunk newbies. So far I'm actually enjoying it.

-Floodpath: The Deadliest Man-Made Disaster of 20th Century America and the Making of Modern Los Angeles - I've been reading this for a while and am going through it slowly. Interesting but not a page-turner

 

I downloaded several Kindle samples and reading them is keeping me from reading actual full books. :)

 

 

[Ethel Mertz]

I finished:

 

* Guns, Germs, Steel

Compared to the song of The dodo the writing style is a little dry.

The author also repeates sometimes him self.

Although the book tries to answer a big question, the book left me with much more questions.

 

* Far from the Madding Crowd

I really, really liked the book.

Chapters, sentences, word choice were all not too long/difficult or too short/easy.

With some very funny moments

 

* Zink

A thin book about a small piece of land that is squeezed between the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany and changed many times of nationality which made 1 man owner of 5 nationalities in different times without ever moving away from his village.

An example of Belgium weirdness

 

+++

 

I started:

 

Holocaust from Timothy Snyder.

More academical writing compared to Bloodlands, more about questions and myths ( why did it happened, did people really know, how could it looks so different in different countries)

 

 

I just moved his book On Tyranny to the top of my TBR list and have Bloodlands on my TBR list as well.

 

I've just started reading Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim. Other than that I'm reading a lot of articles and news these days. A friend just handed me a copy of Toxic Charity to read. Evidently, it critiques the practice of just writing checks instead of getting involved with hands-on work. Not sure what I'll think about it, but my friend was insistent that I read it. RE W&P - I've pretty much decided to go with the Maude translation.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I don't think I posted my currently reading list -

 

-The Moonstone, for the June birthstone challenge

-Mortal Engines - Steampunk isn't my thing but I've challenged myself to get bingo blackout. I did some searching online and much of what I found said this is the book for steampunk newbies. So far I'm actually enjoying it.

-Floodpath: The Deadliest Man-Made Disaster of 20th Century America and the Making of Modern Los Angeles - I've been reading this for a while and am going through it slowly. Interesting but not a page-turner

 

I downloaded several Kindle samples and reading them is keeping me from reading actual full books. :)

 

Who is the author of Mortal Engines? I see a few different ones on goodreads . . . 

[Lady Florida.]

Who is the author of Mortal Engines? I see a few different ones on goodreads . . . 

 

Phillip Reeve. This is the one I found referenced on several steampunk sites, which said to people like me, "start here".

[Kareni]

I downloaded several Kindle samples and reading them is keeping me from reading actual full books. :)

 

I'm guilty of this, too.  It's actually a good read in bed activity as it keeps me from staying up until all hours reading a complete book.  It's also worthwhile because it often makes me realize that I don't want to read that book after all.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

I just moved his book On Tyranny to the top of my TBR list and have Bloodlands on my TBR list as well.

 

I've just started reading Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim. Other than that I'm reading a lot of articles and news these days. A friend just handed me a copy of Toxic Charity to read. Evidently, it critiques the practice of just writing checks instead of getting involved with hands-on work. Not sure what I'll think about it, but my friend was insistent that I read it. RE W&P - I've pretty much decided to go with the Maude translation.

If you read Toxic Charity would you share your opinion? Sounds like it may be an interesting book. 

[Ethel Mertz]

If you read Toxic Charity would you share your opinion? Sounds like it may be an interesting book. 

Sure. I'm sure I'll read it in the next couple of weeks. If I don't, I will have to avoid my friend, as she can be rather insistent

 

W&P: Changed my mind on translations. I've got both Maude and Garnett. I like the translation better in the Garnett, as well as the font; I'll use Maude for the maps and lists of characters. I reserve the right to change my mind again ...

[6packofun]

I've found a new author that I really like!  Sarah Ward writes the Inspector Francis Sadler series; there are only 2 so far but I devoured both.  Mystery with a touch of police procedural and really interesting, twisting plots that I've enjoyed a lot.  Just good writing.  I'd like to see more character development with Inspector Sadler since the series is sort of subtitled about him, but the side characters are sometimes more the focus and I like them.

 

In Bitter Chill is the first one, A Deadly Thaw is second.  Can't wait for more!

 

Also, it's probably been mentioned here (I've been on vacation!) but the movie version of My Cousin Rachel comes out this weekend!!  Looking forward to it.

[JennW in SoCal]

Alrighty, I'm starting War and Peace this afternoon as I've got the first rehearsal for my long June gig. It's a 60+ hour book and I'll easily get through half of that on my commutes to and from this show! I've also picked a corresponding kindle version.

 

Thanks for the tip to go online to my Amazon account and delete titles of old library books. It seemed so dumb to have those titles listed when the books had long since expired with the content gone. 

[6packofun]

If someone can link me to a copy of War and Peace that does NOT have tiny type size, I'd be grateful.  I checked out 3-4 versions from my library and can barely read them with my glasses so I'm just going to buy a copy!

[Ethel Mertz]

If someone can link me to a copy of War and Peace that does NOT have tiny type size, I'd be grateful.  I checked out 3-4 versions from my library and can barely read them with my glasses so I'm just going to buy a copy!

 

This hardback Garnett translation has larger type than the paperback Maude translation.

[Kareni]

I recently finished an enjoyable rather angsty contemporary romance; it is currently free to Kindle readers.  I would happily read more by this author.  (Adult content)

 

After Midnight (Black Phoenix Book 1)  by Sarah Grimm 

 

"Thirteen years -- that's how long Isabeau Montgomery has been living a lie. After an automobile accident took her mother's life, Izzy hid herself away, surviving the only way she knew how. Now she is happy in her carefully reconstructed life. That is until he walks through the door of her bar...

Black Phoenix singer/front man Noah Clark came to Long Island City with a goal -- one that doesn't include an instant, electric attraction to the dark-haired beauty behind the bar. Coaxing her into his bed won't be easy, but he can't get her pale, haunted eyes nor her skill on the piano out of his head.

Can Noah help Isabeau overcome the past? Or will her need to protect her secret force her back into hiding and destroy their chance at happiness?"

 

Regards,

Kareni