Book a Week 2017 - BW23: Fantasy June

[Rosie_0801]

I just finished The Kabul Beauty School. Some people do some amazing stuff in their lives...

[_SpreadingtheFeast_]

My, it's been a while. Life happened, and then I lost my log-in details. I clicked 'forgot my password' and 'email administrator' a zillion times but nothing worked. So, new account it is! 

 

Not even sure if I should update on what I read the last months  :huh: a lot....

 

There's a read-along on Goodreads for War and Peace, which I joined. We're reading 6 chapters a day throughout June and July. So far I'm keeping up, but my other reading is suffering. I will probably have to add August to it. 

I went with the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation. Last year I read halfway through W&P with the Maude translation, but I had a baby, and gave up on the book. the Pevear and Volokhonsky copy reads smoother imo.

 

Other book I'm reading are The Gray House, by Mariam Petrosyan, The Brothers Karamazov, and Anne of the Island. 

 

 

 

* 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

 

I LOVED Far from the Madding Crowd. Haven't read any others by him, even though I own about ten of them  :lol:

[Chrysalis Academy]

I just finished The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. I thought it was fantastic. Sort of a mashup of buddhist philosophy with tough-love anti-entitlement reaction to the current zeitgeist. Anyway, given recent traumas I found it both encouraging and enlightening. It's really not at all about not giving a f*ck, but much more about choosing better what to give your f*cks about. I highly recommend it assuming you have a high tolerance for profanity in print. It won't be everyone's cuppa.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[ErinE]

School's out for the kids! I'm probably one of the few parents in my circle looking forward to my older kids being home. I miss homeschooling.

 

Books read last week:

 

• The Revenant by Michael Punke. Historical Fiction. An injured fur trader seeks vengeance on the men who left him for dead.
• The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders #2) by Robin Hobb. Fantasy. A sailor sets out on a mad ship to rescue her family's sentient ship. This continues to be my favorite Hobb series. My least favorite character in the first book is slowly changing from a vain selfish girl to a strong intelligent woman. It also more closely follows a story line I found particularly compelling in the first book, the healing of a ship suffering from mental illness caused by abuse. Highly recommended.
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. Science Fiction. A bounty hunter seeks androids hiding among humans.
• A History of India by Michael F. Fisher. History-India. A summary of Indian history and cultures. The course was enjoyable, but I would have benefited from reading a history book on India first. I had picked up John Keay's History of India earlier in the year, but returned it to the library unfinished. When working through a survey of Chinese history, I read Keay's History of China then listened to the Great Courses lectures, which helped me follow the lectures more closely.

I also watched Blade Runner, the movie adaption of Androids, and realized halfway through I'd seen it before. I enjoyed the book more as the androids were less overtly sadistic and more driven by a desire to simply live. I also thought the book's bounty hunter was more fleshed out; the movie character seemed to be a stereotypical hard-boiled detective.

 

I'm finishing up Hobbs Liveship Traders series and moving on to the Dragon Keepers series. Since we're discussing Russian literature, in Catherynne Valente's Deathless, the characters reference Alexander Pushkin often which led me to pick up Novels, Tales, and Journeys, a book of Pushkin's written works translated by Richard Pevear. I'm tempted to buy Pevear's translation of War and Peace as the prose in Novels is easy to read. I originally read the Briggs translation from Penguin Classics and it would be interesting to compare the two. I think I would enjoy a course on Russian literature so if anyone has recommendations for either online or Great Courses lectures, I'd appreciate your thoughts. I'm also listening to The Future of Violence, a look at all the ways we are at risk. 

 

I remember someone asked about artificial intelligence. I read The Age of Em by Robin Hanson a speculative nonfiction work which imagines a society based on AI (biological humans no longer exist in this world). The bibliography was extensive and helpful. I also read half, but ran out of time to finish, What to Think About Machines That Think edited by John Brockman, which I would also recommend based on the parts I completed. 

Edited June 6, 2017 by ErinE

[_SpreadingtheFeast_]

I just finished The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. I thought it was fantastic. Sort of a mashup of buddhist philosophy with tough-love anti-entitlement reaction to the current zeitgeist. Anyway, given recent traumas I found it both encouraging and enlightening. It's really not at all about not giving a f*ck, but much more about choosing better what to give your f*cks about. I highly recommend it assuming you have a high tolerance for profanity in print. It won't be everyone's cuppa.

 

I read it recently and only gave it two stars on Goodreads. This is one of those book where afterwards I keep thinking about it. Worth a reread.

[strawberries]

In the past couple of weeks I've finished:

 

The Princess Bride -This was a fun read to start summer break and meet the PopSugar story-within-a-story requirement. DS is so happy that I can get all his references now.

 

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry - I guess I wasn't in that much of a hurry. :) I would have liked some diagrams or something to help illustrate some of the concepts. Once again, I find that I want to like Neil deGrasse Tyson's books more than I end up actually liking them. I loved the show Cosmos and I always enjoy seeing him interviewed. Guess I just like him more on TV than in print.

 

The Alzheimer's Prevention Program - This didn't really have any new information. Just the basics about living healthfully, keeping your mind and body active and being social. I liked the part at the end of the book where there was an example week laid out with healthy meals, exercise, and memory-building activities scheduled in. 

 

Healthy Brain, Happy Life - Written by a neuroscientist, this was part memoir, part science. I felt that the memoir sections were lacking something. Perhaps vulnerability or complexity; the overall tone was a little smug, as if now her life is peachy keen. I suppose this should not come as a surprise given the title of the book. She became even less relatable as she described hiring matchmakers, a personal trainer, and a life coach. The more technical sections about the brain were better. 

 

Fish in a Tree - Middle grade book about a girl with dyslexia. I picked it up for DS because it was on the local middle school's summer reading list. I'm going to ask DD to read it too. The main character is very well written and her thoughts and experiences feel real. Some of the other characters tend toward stereotypes (queen bee mean girl, nerdy Star Trek fan, etc) but overall I think it is a worthwhile read for its target audience.

 

Next up....still deciding. I have several things checked out right now and have read the first few pages of all of them. I will likely go with Illuminae, as it will fulfill both the multiple authors requirement for the PopSugar challenge and the science fiction square for BaW bingo. My initial gut reaction to the War and Peace read along was "no way! that book is Big and Scary." However, I'm going to at least pick up and look through my library's copy before making a decision. 

[Violet Crown]

I finished George Mackay Brown's Andrina & other Stories. Brown was a 20th-century Orcadian (that is, from Orkney) poet who branched out into short stories and novels while retaining a poetic prose. I enjoyed it greatly and plan to read more of his work. The local new bookstore has all his works in print; unfortunately the only poetry collection in print is a Complete Poems, too heavy and bulky for a suitcase. I bought his novel Magnus, a prose retelling of the Orkneyinga saga which I read when we traveled to the islands.

 

Trying to finish John Prebble's Culloden, a popular history of the disastrous battle that ended the Jacobite Rebellion and its afternath; but I always get bogged down in military history when it comes to the parts where different troop units are doing different strategic maneuvers and left flanks and right flanks and et cetera, and a hex map with little cardboard counters seems called for.

[Kareni]

My, it's been a while. Life happened, and then I lost my log-in details. I clicked 'forgot my password' and 'email administrator' a zillion times but nothing worked. So, new account it is! 

 

Not even sure if I should update on what I read the last months  :huh: a lot....

 

Welcome back!

 

And, yes, by all means share what you read over the last few months.  I'm (we're) all ears.

**

 

I finished a couple of enjoyable contemporary romances.  (Adult content)

 

Switched  by N.R. Walker

 

"Israel Ingham’s life has never been easy. He grew up in a house devoid of love and warmth. Nothing he ever did was good enough. The fact Israel is gay just added to the long list of his father’s disappointments.

Then a letter from Eastport Children’s Hospital changes everything.

A discovery is made, one of gross human error. Twenty-six years ago two baby boys were switched at birth and sent home with the wrong families.

Sam, Israel’s best friend, has been his only source of love and support. With Sam beside him every step of the way, Israel decides to meet his birth mother and her son, the man who lived the life Israel should have.

Israel and Sam become closer than ever, amidst the tumultuous emotions of meeting his birth family, and Sam finds himself questioning his feelings toward his best friend. As Israel embraces new possibilities, he needs to dissect his painful relationship with his parents in order to salvage what’s left.

Because sometimes it takes proof you’re not actually family to become one."

 

AND

 

Working It (Ringside Romance Book 1) by Christine d'Abo

 

"Nolan Carmichael is getting a fresh start—new career, new company, new life. The only problem is, he liked his old life just fine . . . until an accident robbed him of his health, his job, his self-confidence, and his ability to go out in public without having anxiety attacks.

 

Zack Anderson has scared away his last four executive assistants. So when he hires Nolan on a whim, he’s not too worried, since Nolan will be gone within the week anyway. Two weeks later, Nolan has made himself indispensable, completely reforming Zack’s schedule, life . . . and libido.

 

But in a company already torn by internal politics, one wrong step could ruin both their careers. And not only are they working to reopen Ringside Gym, Zack’s retreat when he was a troubled teen, but they also can’t help themselves falling for each other. If only the rest of their lives could go as smoothly as things do when they’re alone together."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Butter]

What are you reading this week?

I just finished reading Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox.  He wrote it over a decade and a half ago.  It's mostly his story of coming to terms with Parkinson's Disease and turning his life around.  My uncle had Parkinson's.  It's a horrible disease.

 

Not sure what I'll read next. The flu and then bronchitis has turned into mild pneumonia so I can't concentrate on anything complicated right now.

 

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.)

On the Kindle Keyboard, you used the five-way button to put the cursor on the little footnote symbol and then click on it and it'd take you to the footnote to read and then you'd have to hit back to go back to where you were.  On the Oasis, you tap the footnote symbol and if it is very short (a line or two) it pops up on the bottom of the screen and if it is longer it opens up a screen with the footnote and it has an X in the corner to tap to close the pop-up when you are finished reading it.  Since the Paperwhite is a touchscreen I'd imagine it would work much like the Oasis.

 

That said, if the author/creator of the ebook failed to properly link the footnotes when they made it, it won't work like that and you'd have to do it like you described.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished listening to Predictably Irrational by Dan Arielly. It was great! Dd will definitely be reading it next year - we're going to do a unit on Behavioral Economics.

 

. . . and I finished reading The Iron Heel. I had no idea Jack London wrote a dystopian novel, but sure enough. He was a staunch socialist and envisioned an alternative future where the capitalist Oligarchy created a brutal dictatorship that lasted for 300 years. It quite cogently lays out the socialist argument about economic and social organization. It gets over the top bloody at the end, but I was glad I read it. I can see how it grew very directly out of events at the turn of the 19th-20th century.

Edited June 7, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[Mom-ninja.]

how cool is this?

 

 

I could even see it being used for the books that get circulated among to those on this thread. The little card could be a fun way to see who has had and passed on the book.

[Violet Crown]

A joy of reading literature that enjoys the consensus of time is the recognition of the well-known quotation. Aha, that's where that came from! Bacon's essay, "Of Marriage and Single Life":

 

"He that hath Wife and Children, hath given Hostages to Fortune".

 

I feel somehow better educated now.

 

how cool is this?

 

 

I could even see it being used for the books that get circulated among to those on this thread. The little card could be a fun way to see who has had and passed on the book.

I love that. Do you think they have them in packs of 5000? Edited June 7, 2017 by Violet Crown

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I can't remember when I last posted but:

 

I listened to Spaceship Grifters by Robert Kroese and highly recommend it. It is a short(er) book but well worth it if you like science fiction and humor books. I will definitely be looking for other books in the series.

 

I also listened to/ read CyberStorm by Matthew Mather.  This was a good book although it felt a bit preachy at times. The book is about the six months that follow a cyber attack that shuts down the internet, the electric grid, and water systems in the US. The book focuses on one particular family in NYC and how they manage to survive the ordeal. The book certainly makes the reader pause and wonder what would happen if we lost all computer/internet/electric access. 

 

I am now only one book behind schedule. I have a stack of 10 or so books on my nightstand and another 6 on my Kindle. I am finding it difficult to sit and read this year. I would much rather be playing tennis or being active. I am certainly grateful for audiobooks which are allowing me to 'read' while driving or doing other things.

 

I have a solo camping trip planned for this weekend and hope to be able to read til my heart is content. The camping trip is planned around an away tennis match (it's less expensive than a hotel) so there will be that distraction.

[Matryoshka]

I finished Green Road on Monday.  Kind of an interesting set-up; the first part of the book is alternately told from a different character's point of view (4 siblings and their mother), but each section is just a brief vignette (covering between day to a few weeks), and they are all about a decade or so apart from each other.  Other than the one told when the youngest was a child and most kids were still at home, the other characters don't even appear in the others' vignettes - they are adults living as far away from their family as they can.  The second part of the book is still told in alternating voices, but focuses on the bunch of them coming home for Christmas, when they're in their 30's or 40's and their mother in her '70's.  They're all a mess, but because we only get such a brief time with each character in the first part, I didn't ever get a full idea of what their motivations were for many of their life choices.  The narration was really good.  2.5 stars, I rounded up on Goodreads for the good narration.

 

And I just finished Too Like the Lightning.  It was a bit slow getting started, but then I couldn't stop.  Finished it in the wee hours last night.  And it's a CLIFFHANGER!  &*#@*&^$.  I've got too many books on my plate this month, but I want to know the rest of the story!! (There are 4 books planned apparently, but only 3 are out).

 

Rose, I'm pretty sure I added this to my list based on your review.  I think you read the second, but not the third?  Does that mean I can safely read the second without another huge cliffhanger?  I've got so much on my TR this month (Dodo book must be finished before W&P!), where will I cram another book or two?  This is why I try not to read too many series that at least aren't stand-alone (like Erlendur).  But it was SO good!  One of the best I've read this year.  5+ stars.

[Kareni]

From Tor.com ~

 

Everything Falls Apart: 5 Books With Different Takes on the Apocalypse  by Anne Corlett

 

"The end of the world is a popular refrain in fiction and film. While it may feel like a fairly modern phenomenon, it is actually part of a long literary tradition, from the great floods of the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh, both dating back to somewhere between 1000 and 2000 BC, through nineteenth century classics like HG Wells’s The Time Machine, right up to recent cult hits such as The Walking Dead.

 

There are all sorts of theories about why we find apocalyptical stories so fascinating, but for me, it’s about taking human characters and placing them in extreme situations, where all their quirks and characteristics are thrown into sharp relief. How do people react in life-or-death scenarios? What sort of society would rise from the ashes of the old world? What kind of morality would remain?..."

**

 

Some currently free books for Kindle readers ~

 

a retelling of Cinderella from the point of view of the stepmother: Of Cinder and Madness (Once Upon a Darkened Night Book 1)  by Nicole Zoltack

 

an Afghanistan war memoir; it's categorized as humor amongst others:   The Hooligans of Kandahar  by Joseph Kassabian

 

sword and sorcery:   The Dragonslayer's Sword: The Dragonslayer Series: Book One of Four  by Resa Nelson

 

contemporary romance: The Trouble with Flying (Trouble Series Sweet Romance Book 1)  by Rochelle Morgan

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

And I just finished Too Like the Lightning.  It was a bit slow getting started, but then I couldn't stop.  Finished it in the wee hours last night.  And it's a CLIFFHANGER!  &*#@*&^$.  I've got too many books on my plate this month, but I want to know the rest of the story!! (There are 4 books planned apparently, but only 3 are out).

 

Rose, I'm pretty sure I added this to my list based on your review.  I think you read the second, but not the third?  Does that mean I can safely read the second without another huge cliffhanger?  I've got so much on my TR this month (Dodo book must be finished before W&P!), where will I cram another book or two?  This is why I try not to read too many series that at least aren't stand-alone (like Erlendur).  But it was SO good!  One of the best I've read this year.  5+ stars.

 

Oh, I'm glad you loved it! I think it might be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of book. So the scoop is, there will be 4 books in the series. The first two are two parts of one story - so yes, definitely cliffhanger city! Seven Surrenders resolves the first half of the story, and I would read it soon if I were you - I had to re-read Too Like the Lightning when Seven Surrenders came out, because the two books together make up one extended story.

 

The next two books are, similarly, two parts of the next part of the overall story.The first one, The Will to Battle, (third in the series) will be published in December. So you have a bit of a breather! The 4th one isn't completed yet.

 

Yep, that was a book/books that I kept thinking about for months. I read a bunch of Voltaire afterwards, too, and especially enjoyed it!

Edited June 7, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[mumto2]

I finished Green Road on Monday.  Kind of an interesting set-up; the first part of the book is alternately told from a different character's point of view (4 siblings and their mother), but each section is just a brief vignette (covering between day to a few weeks), and they are all about a decade or so apart from each other.  Other than the one told when the youngest was a child and most kids were still at home, the other characters don't even appear in the others' vignettes - they are adults living as far away from their family as they can.  The second part of the book is still told in alternating voices, but focuses on the bunch of them coming home for Christmas, when they're in their 30's or 40's and their mother in her '70's.  They're all a mess, but because we only get such a brief time with each character in the first part, I didn't ever get a full idea of what their motivations were for many of their life choices.  The narration was really good.  2.5 stars, I rounded up on Goodreads for the good narration.

 

And I just finished Too Like the Lightning.  It was a bit slow getting started, but then I couldn't stop.  Finished it in the wee hours last night.  And it's a CLIFFHANGER!  &*#@*&^$.  I've got too many books on my plate this month, but I want to know the rest of the story!! (There are 4 books planned apparently, but only 3 are out).

 

Rose, I'm pretty sure I added this to my list based on your review.  I think you read the second, but not the third?  Does that mean I can safely read the second without another huge cliffhanger?  I've got so much on my TR this month (Dodo book must be finished before W&P!), where will I cram another book or two?  This is why I try not to read too many series that at least aren't stand-alone (like Erlendur).  But it was SO good!  One of the best I've read this year.  5+ stars.

  

Oh, I'm glad you loved it! I think it might be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of book. So the scoop is, there will be 4 books in the series. The first two are two parts of one story - so yes, definitely cliffhanger city! Seven Surrenders resolves the first half of the story, and I would read it soon if I were you - I had to re-read Too Like the Lightning when Seven Surrenders came out, because the two books together make up one extended story.

 

The next two books are, similarly, two parts of the next part of the overall story.The first one, The Will to Battle, (third in the series) will be published in December. So you have a bit of a breather! The 4th one isn't completed yet.

 

Yep, that was a book/books that I kept thinking about for months. I read a bunch of Voltaire afterwards, too, and especially enjoyed it!

Too Like the Lightning is my next book because it returns tomorrow! Kindle reader is off until I finish that and The $500 House in Detroit. I have one other one with the tomorrow due date that I should be able to finish before bed if I stay off the boards so will post about that one later. Anyway glad to hear everyone loves it. I am planning to use it for a Bingo square...Sci fi I believe.

[Matryoshka]

Oh, I'm glad you loved it! I think it might be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of book. So the scoop is, there will be 4 books in the series. The first two are two parts of one story - so yes, definitely cliffhanger city! Seven Surrenders resolves the first half of the story, and I would read it soon if I were you - I had to re-read Too Like the Lightning when Seven Surrenders came out, because the two books together make up one extended story.

 

The next two books are, similarly, two parts of the next part of the overall story.The first one, The Will to Battle, (third in the series) will be published in December. So you have a bit of a breather! The 4th one isn't completed yet.

 

Yep, that was a book/books that I kept thinking about for months. I read a bunch of Voltaire afterwards, too, and especially enjoyed it!

 

Thanks, Rose, that's very helpful info!  I've gone and ordered the next volume from the library; I keep thinking about the story, so I might as well just scratch that itch!  It's very good to know that I can relax for a while after the second one, though. :)

[Matryoshka]

  

Too Like the Lightning is my next book because it returns tomorrow! Kindle reader is off until I finish that and The $500 House in Detroit. I have one other one with the tomorrow due date that I should be able to finish before bed if I stay off the boards so will post about that one later. Anyway glad to hear everyone loves it. I am planning to use it for a Bingo square...Sci fi I believe.

 

 

Get reading!   :D  And you might want to get the next one.  It just ...ends... in a very page-turny part of the story!!  :willy_nilly:

 

What with my SciFi book club picking two books a month, I've read a ton of SciFi, but I keep tossing them at other Bingo squares they match (especially since I've expanded to Big Bingo), and my SciFi square remains empty (I figure, one of them eventually has to be good for nothing else...)

 

Too Like the Lightning and its sequel I think will end up in the "Philosophy" and "Duke as a main character" squares of Big Bingo...  My next book club book, All Our Wrong Todays, might end up in SciFi... unless, of course, some other cool detail sends it to a harder-to-fill square...

Edited June 7, 2017 by Matryoshka

[mumto2]

I'm done! The one I needed to finish first was a book called Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28220906-daisy-in-chains. I didn't like the end at all. The whole book was a question mark to be honest but I kept reading because the author was really popular when I was working at the library. I have read and enjoyed the first in her Lacey Flint series but didn't care for the second. I guess I'm done trying to like this author. This is one of those big twist at the end books where I considered the possibility of what happened early in the book and discarded it because it was too strange. It was!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Get reading!   :D  And you might want to get the next one.  It just ...ends... in a very page-turny part of the story!!  :willy_nilly:

 

What with my SciFi book club picking two books a month, I've read a ton of SciFi, but I keep tossing them at other Bingo squares they match (especially since I've expanded to Big Bingo), and my SciFi square remains empty (I figure, one of them eventually has to be good for nothing else...)

 

Too Like the Lightning and its sequel I think will end up in the "Philosophy" and "Duke as a main character" squares of Big Bingo...  My next book club book, All Our Wrong Todays, might end up in SciFi... unless, of course, some other cool detail sends it to a harder-to-fill square...

 

Oh, those are good squares, and Seven Surrenders works for Prime Number too. And quite possibly "written by a sinner" too, although I probably shouldn't speculate on that.  ;)

[Matryoshka]

Oh, those are good squares, and Seven Surrenders works for Prime Number too. And quite possibly "written by a sinner" too, although I probably shouldn't speculate on that.  ;)

 

Ooo, I've been wondering what to use for "written by a sinner"  ... may have to shuffle! :D

[Kareni]

Some more currently free books for Kindle readers ~

 

Murder on the SS Rosa: a cozy historical mystery novella  by Lee Strauss

 

"It's 1923 and young war widow fashionista Ginger Gold makes a cross-Atlantic journey with her companion Haley Higgins to London England to settle her father's estate. When the ship's captain is found dead, Ginger is only too happy to lend her assistance to the handsome Chief Inspector Basil Reed.

The SS Rosa delivers a convincing array of suspects--the wife, the mistress, a jealous crew mate. To Ginger's dismay, her name has been added to the list! With a little help from Ginger's dog Boss, Ginger and Haley navigate the clues (those wartime operative skills come in handy.) They must solve the case and clear Ginger's name before they dock--and oh, whatever shall she wear!"

**

 

Provoked (Enlightenment)  by Joanna Chambers

 

"David Lauriston is struggling to build his reputation in Edinburgh’s privileged legal world. His humble origins are enough of a hurdle, never mind his recent decision to defend a group of weavers accused of treason, prompting speculation that he may harbour radical sympathies. The last thing he should be doing is agreeing to help the brother of one of the convicted weavers find the government agent who caused his brother’s downfall.
David’s personal life is no more successful. Tormented by his forbidden desires for other men, and the painful memories of the childhood friend he once loved, David tries his hardest to live a celibate existence, castigating himself whenever his resolve slips.
But then—into David’s repressed and orderly world—bursts Lord Murdo Balfour.
Cynical, hedonistic and utterly unapologetic, Murdo could not be less like David. Whilst David refuses to entertain the prospect of entering into a loveless marriage for propriety’s sake, Murdo is determined to wed one day—and has no intention of giving up the company of other men when he does so. But as appalled as David is by Murdo’s unrepentant self-interest, he cannot resist the man’s sway.
Murdo tempts and provokes David in equal measure, distracting him from his promise to find the agent provocateur responsible for the weavers’ fate, and forcing him to acknowledge his physical desires.
But is Murdo more than a mere distraction?
Is it possible he could be the very man David is looking for?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[JennW in SoCal]

I've just added Too Like the Lightening to my "want to read" list at goodreads.  As if I'm going to fit it in among all my summer chunksters!!  War and Peace on audio, the 4th Wheel of Time on my kindle and Wind up Bird Chronicles for when I have free time to just read. And I always have a mystery on stand by for a quick, mindless read. 

 

I stumbled upon one of the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries at the library today, after looking for them in vain the last 2 years. But it is one of the later ones -- Who Buries the Dead.  Would it be wrong to go ahead and read it without having read any of the earlier titles? I figured it would give me a taste of the series, motivate me to look harder in all the libraries around town. I won't start til the fans of the series weigh in on this critical issue...

[mumto2]

I've just added Too Like the Lightening to my "want to read" list at goodreads. As if I'm going to fit it in among all my summer chunksters!! War and Peace on audio, the 4th Wheel of Time on my kindle and Wind up Bird Chronicles for when I have free time to just read. And I always have a mystery on stand by for a quick, mindless read.

 

I stumbled upon one of the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries at the library today, after looking for them in vain the last 2 years. But it is one of the later ones -- Who Buries the Dead. Would it be wrong to go ahead and read it without having read any of the earlier titles? I figured it would give me a taste of the series, motivate me to look harder in all the libraries around town. I won't start til the fans of the series weigh in on this critical issue...

 

Sebastian St Cyr is a series you will love! I thought you had already read it actually. It really must be read in order imo. The books take place in a really short span of time compared to most so last weeks events are still really fresh and referred to in the next book. Also the level of the spoilers from out of order would ruin previous books in the series. The character's back story development is surprising but wonderful. :) Characters you dislike at the start either change over time or step back to be really minor for the most part. This series is worth the bother of holds. Make sure to check your overdrive too because the whole series appeared at my Overdrive library recently.

 

Here is the series order for those who are trying to figure out what we are talking about! https://www.goodreads.com/series/40696-sebastian-st-cyr

 

This is a great historical mystery series but it isn't a fluffy one at all. Some of the crimes are extremely violent so not necessarily for everyone. That being said Aggieamy is another fan so....

[Rosie_0801]

I just finished 'Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening.' :(   I resent having spent $12 on it.

[Violet Crown]

The Crown family just had the honor of a visit from AggieAmy's family, and how splendid it was. Naturally we went to the best bookstores - one used, one new - in our coastal town, and proprietor Bill of the used bookstore was happy to meet another American family of readers. Middle Girl was pleased to hang out with AA's delightful daughter, bonding I assume over the unreasonableness of their mothers. Little brother joined Wee Girl for some wave-jumping in the frigid bay, and we toured our local castle ruins. The treated us to a fish-and-chips supper, and brought Horrible Histories for the girls, to their immense pkeasure. It was so kind of them to drive all the way over to us, pitying our carlessness. Now a dour rainy day has swept in for the election and Amy's departure to the Sunny States, but we're warmed by the fun of yesterday. Now I have to pull the HH books out of the girls' hands and make them work.

 

Finished Robert Frost's Selected Poems last night, which I will bring over to Bill, who is selective in his acquisitions but never turns away poetry. Acquired from Bill: The Hugh MacDiarmid Anthology: Poems in Scots and English; George Mackay Brown, An Orkney Tapestry; and Max Beerbohm, Mainly on the Air. Paid too much at the cozy new bookstore (I'll let Amy tell you about that one) for otherwise-unobtainable Collected Poems of George Mackay Brown and Selected Poems of Edwin Muir. Why oh why is poetry so dang expensive?

Edited June 8, 2017 by Violet Crown

[Kareni]

The Crown family just had the honor of a visit from AggieAmy's family, and how splendid it was. ...

 

I'm vicariously enjoying all these recent Book a Week member visits.  What fun!

**

 

Some recent reads here that I enjoyed ~

 

the contemporary romance The Theory Of Second Best: Cake Series Book Two by J. Bengtsson.  While this is the second book in a series, it can be read as a standalone.

 

"Twenty-two-year-old Kyle McKallister has lived his life in the shadows. Younger brother to one of the world’s most elusive and embattled celebrities, Kyle has carved out a comfortable existence touring with his famous brother and living in the lap of luxury with no commitments or plans of his own, only a deep, haunting loyalty to his brother. But his life is about to be shaken up when the opportunity comes to compete on a popular reality show.

 

Small town girl Kenzie Williams has come on the show for one thing only: to win. But when a disastrous start forces her to rely on an eclectic band of misfits, she finds herself immediately smitten with a handsome and mysterious cast mate.

 

But life on the island is just a game. Can Kyle and Kenzie’s fragile spark survive the pressures of the real world?"

 

 

ALSO  the contemporary novella Just For You (Escape to New Zealand) by Rosalind James

 

"No shirt, no shoes, no … problems?

Hemi Ranapia isn’t looking for love. Fun, yes. Love, not so much. But a summer fishing holiday to laid-back Russell could turn out to be more adventure than this good-time boy ever bargained for.

 

Reka Harata hasn’t forgotten the disastrously hot rugby star she met a year ago, no matter how much she wishes she could. Too bad Hemi keeps refusing to be left in her past.

 

Sometimes, especially in New Zealand’s Maori Northland, it really does take a village. And sometimes it just takes a little faith."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

Anyone missed me? I am sitting in JFK having just returned from a fabulous hiking vacation in Iceland. It was all Arnauldur Indrisson's fault. Photos will appear in the days ahead.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Ooo, I've been wondering what to use for "written by a sinner"  ... may have to shuffle! :D

 

I just remembered, I used Too Like the Lightning for the Unicorns! square. Because, after all, the Utopian has a pet unicorn, right?  So it works!  :D

[Violet Crown]

Anyone missed me? I am sitting in JFK having just returned from a fabulous hiking vacation in Iceland. It was all Arnauldur Indrisson's fault. Photos will appear in the days ahead.

I missed you! Where, I asked myself, is our Superb Owl? And you were so close by, relatively speaking. AggieAmy may have gone right over you.

 

Photos are anticipated!

[Kareni]

Anyone missed me? I am sitting in JFK having just returned from a fabulous hiking vacation in Iceland. It was all Arnauldur Indrisson's fault. Photos will appear in the days ahead.

 

Welcome (almost) home!  I'm glad to hear you had a fabulous trip and look forward to seeing your pictures.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

Ooo, I've been wondering what to use for "written by a sinner" ... may have to shuffle! :D

Surely James Hogg's Gothic masterpiece "The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner."

[fastweedpuller]

Hello BAWers!  Oh how I have missed you...and my heart did a few leaps when you're all confessing to read both Hardy AND the deep dark path of War and Peace!  Joyjoyjoy.  Though I must quibble on why Maude vs Pevear/Volokhonsky translation but tomayto tomahto.

 

Frankly life's pace has outstripped my ability to read much less participate in this discussion, though I have been able to keep up with a few of you on Goodreads, but hello everyone else (waves!).  (And you all told me to calm down, that once the months slip by, the post totals drop too, but wow tuning in on a Monday and seeing that there'd been 80 posts already on the week?  Ah.)  But reading hasn't stopped here.  You've informed my choices and had me ditch down a few dark paths of your own favorites, so I will just recap quickly what's off my plate so far, book-wise, this year: the asterisks mean it's something I would probably never read meself.  I

 

I hope I can continue to drop by your lovely party :cheers2: with more regularity !

 

32. The Green Road, Anne Enright, contemporary fiction, Ireland

31.  The Rules do not Apply, Ariel Levy, memoir, personal trauma (child death/divorce)

30.  Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, Sebastian Junger, social history/war/history

29.  Aftermath:  On Marriage and Separation, Rachel Cusk, memoir, title says it all

28.  Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence, Karen Armstrong, history (not her strongest book and i say this as a fan, lots of apologetics in it)

27.  The Invisibility Cloak, Ge Fei, contemporary fiction, China

*26.  The Sound of Gravel, Ruth Wariner, memoir, family trauma, polygamy

25.  The Map that Changed the World, Simon Winchester, British history/cartography/geology

24.  The Nest, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, contemporary fiction, book club

23.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie, audiobook read by the author, listened to it w/dd; YA fiction, tribal life

22.  Captain Swing, Eric Hobsbawm, British history (1830s agricultural uprisings; Marxist author)

*21.  The Aeronaut's Windlass, Jim Butcher, fantasy/steampunk-ish, audiobook listened to w/dd

20.  A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki, contemporary fiction, PNW and Japan

19.  Nutshell, Ian McEwan, contemporary fiction, bookclub

18. A Thread of Grace, Mary Doria Russell, fiction,WW2/Jewish pogrom in Italy, been in my to-read list for years, as I love MDR (Sparrow, etc.)

17.  Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen, memoir, am a besotted fan, worried I wouldn't care for this but it was fine

16.  Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be, Frank Bruni, college app process chaos and how to take advantage of wherever you end up

15.  A World in Disarray:  American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order, Richard M Haass, politics/policy

*14.  Independent People, Halldor Laxness, historical fiction, Iceland, loved it

13.  THe Case Against Sugar, Gary Taubes, science, nutrition

*12.  The Sunne in Splendour, Sharon Kay Penman, historical fiction (Richard III, England), loved it.

11.  The Pursuit of Power:  Europe 1815-1914, Richard J Evans, European history

10.  Spark:  The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise, John J Ratey MD, I usually avoid books with superlatives but I gleaned a couple juicy tidbits

9.  I Contain Multitudes:  The Microbes within Us and a Grander View of Life, Ed Yong, science, biology, fun read, maybe for dd later

*8.  The Grand Sophy, Georgette Heyer, romance/Regency, sorry guys I disliked it because ew cousin love ew

7.  THe Nightingale, Kristin Hannah, fiction, WW2/France, reread for bookclub

6.  The Dream of Enlightenment:  Rise of modern Philosophy, Anthony Gottlieb, history of philosophy

5.  The Beak of the Finch, Jonathan Weiner, science, evolution, lab science

4.  A Canticle for Liebowitz, Walter M Miller Jr, science fiction/post-apocalypse

3.  Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami, contemporary fiction, Japan

2.  The Age of Genius:  The 17th Century and the Birth of the Modern Mind, A.C. Grayling, history/philosophy and science

1.  The Unwinding:  An Inner History of the New America, George Packer, contemporary social history, re-read because it's appropriate 

 

[mumto2]

Fastweedpuller, I am glad to see you back! No emoticons, sorry! I have been following you over on Goodreads but have missed you here.

 

Safe travels to Jane and Amy. I hope you both have/had good flights.

 

Vc, Lucky you. I'm glad you received a second visit. I keep hoping for a chance to head your way again but things seem to be busy around here.

 

Not much reading accomplished today. We were out the entire day, I carried the Kindle but never even opened it.

[Jane in NC]

Photos and travelogue to follow--this is a book thread after all.

 

To be honest, I have been so occupied by exploring Iceland that I did not do much reading over the past week and a half.  There was time on the plane, of course, and a few minutes here and there to squeeze in a few pages.

 

My Secret Santa had provided me with a stash of Icelandic books that included Burial Rites, a fictional account of the last months of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be beheaded in Iceland (1829).  The author paints a grim picture of isolated communities during the time period, a picture that was confirmed when we later visited the Skogar Museum.

 

Now for some serendipity...A woman who teaches writing saw me reading Burial Rites on the plane.  She then passed along a book that she had finished reading, Land of Love and Ruins by Oddný Eir, a book that won the EU Prize for Literature in 2014 and the Icelandic Women's Literature Prize.  It has been published in an English translation by Restless Books, a Brooklyn based independent publisher. 

 

I loved it!!!! From the back cover, someone named Jonathan Woollen nails it when he writes:

 

 

Starting from a lovely story of finding a place for independence in a new romance, she creates something like an epic hymn to sustainability that winds its way back through an ancestral Icelandic past and forward into the uncertainty of global change.  Every essayistic tangent in these collected diary entries folds itself back into the exceptionally tender core, which is all the more tender for being so fiery with passion.

 

As noted, the book consists of diary entries from travels around Iceland and elsewhere.  On a visit to Cumbria, the author has much to say on Wordsworth and his sister, then challenges visitors of today:

 

 

I was on cloud nine, having arrived at the roots of Romanticism.  So it was a shock to walk around the village, peek into the shop windows and see all the pillows embroidered with rotten daffodils and various other things related to the story of the Lake District poets.  It's one thing to remember, another to get stuck.  Why don't people buy notepads and write poems instead of sitting around on historical poem-pillows watching TV?  Why not renew Romanticism, re-clarify the relationship between creation and memory?

 

I believe that this is a book that Stacia, Rose and Ethel will all enjoy.  Ethel--you are first in the queue as this invocation immediately brought you and your upcoming changes to mind:

 

 

Upon my shield of hope, I carve a prayer for more justice.  For people, animals, and the earth.  And that the best from mother earth and the fatherland will guide me in my householding.  Carve runes to remind me to be bold of heart.  But how very beautiful melancholy can be when it's so near the earth.

 

One other book note:  I passed Burial Rites along to a fellow member of our hiking group.  The book made its way back to the States via Minneapolis.  Quite an adventure it is having as it crossed the continent to land at my doorstop initially.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Jane, your trip sounds wonderful, can't wait to hear more - and I love the book serendipity! I was in the far north in spirit last week - I just finished reading The Summer Book. I loved it. It was absolutely enchanting.  Deceptively simple, it touches most lightly and deftly on all the important things in life: love, loss, death, betrayal, friendship, growing up and growing old. Grandmother is the kind of grandmother I want to be some day. This book earned a coveted spot on Rose's Top 100 list, still under construction.

[Tress]

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?

Yes, you can keep private book notes. If you select a book and click on 'Add a review', you get a new page with a large space for a review (which is public), but on the same page below the dates and other stuff, there will be a space labelled 'private notes shown only to you' which you can use for those notes.

[Tress]

Hi ladies,

 

I'm back :D. I took a Lent break and due to health problems I had not visited the forums again. A friend told me you were going to read War&Peace together and I simply could not miss that :lol:. I bought a new Dutch translation (with translated French parts) and I'm all set.

 

I've read 109 books so far this year, which is an insane amount of books for me, mostly due to being too tired to do anything else than sit and read. I'm going to try another migraine medication next month, after I've finished reducing this one (Topamax) ....hopefully that will make a difference and my reading rate will drop, which is probably a weird thing to say on this thread :lol:, but actually having enough energy to *do* things would be nice for a change.

 

I hope everyone is fine and I'm looking forward to reading all your book posts!

[Loesje22000]

Welcome back to the 'comebackers'!!

[Jane in NC]

My husband will be loading photos over the next week or so.  Let me share part of our first long hike--five hours at Hengilssvaedid followed by a shorter walk at the popular geothermal spot Reykjadalur. We were part of a group of 20 American hikers led by two Icelandic guides.

 

This is a rugged volcanic landscape where mosses cling to the rocks. Our ascent was tough due to the wind.  We wore waterproof pants and jackets in case it rained but also to protect us from the biting wind on the unprotected slopes.

 

 

In the valleys, we were regularly fording streams.  Some were easy maneuvers but others led to wet socks for almost all.

 

 

How cold was it?  Usually in the upper 40's or lower 50's.  My usual attire consisted of a Smart Wool base layer, quick dry pants and shirt, fleece pullover, waterproof pants, waterproof jacket, wool hat, wool gloves, waterproof boots and wool socks.

 

One more view:  Reykjadalur is a popular "hot pot", a geothermal where people gather for soaking and socialization.   Here is the spot as we approached from above.

 

 

[ErinE]

Jane, what beautiful photos!

[Jane in NC]

Jane, what beautiful photos!

Iceland is a visual feast. The landscapes are amazingly beautiful or strikingly eerie--almost lunar like. Every day brought something new and wonderful.

[Loesje22000]

Wow!

 

I won't let see those pictures to DH & DD, they would love to go Iceland.

I am too chicken:)

[mumto2]

Oh, I'm glad you loved it! I think it might be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of book. So the scoop is, there will be 4 books in the series. The first two are two parts of one story - so yes, definitely cliffhanger city! Seven Surrenders resolves the first half of the story, and I would read it soon if I were you - I had to re-read Too Like the Lightning when Seven Surrenders came out, because the two books together make up one extended story.

 

The next two books are, similarly, two parts of the next part of the overall story.The first one, The Will to Battle, (third in the series) will be published in December. So you have a bit of a breather! The 4th one isn't completed yet.

 

Yep, that was a book/books that I kept thinking about for months. I read a bunch of Voltaire afterwards, too, and especially enjoyed it!

 

So I am 30% in to Too Like the Lightning and would class myself as mildly intrigued. It might be getting more interesting because something seems to be up but I am wondering if I should go on. Guys tell me have I missed it or do I keep going because it going to get good soon......I am wondering if I am in the doesn't get it side of things.

 

Jane, fascinating photos. I'm glad you had a great trip!

 

Tress, I'm glad to see you back. I hope the new medications work and you start feeling better. I do hope you still find time to hang out with us when you are reading less!

 

I did finish my finance Bingo Square by reading A $500 House in Detroit. I originally picked it because we were repeatedly asked for financial advice when we first arrived in the UK by people who were being marketed to regarding foreclosures all over the US. Telemarketers were packaging 10 or so homes for a super low amount and promising to handle the rental of the property. Some were in Detroit but a few other big cities too. Sight unseen. No idea if anyone actually bought but we didn't encourage it! I was curious what this book would say about the actual rehab process for these houses. I found some of the location descriptions really repetitive but I knew the areas being talked about so it could have just been me. Overall it was a hopeful book and interesting. A young woman close to me is involved in the art movement in Detroit in a very peripheral manner and was describing some of her experiences to me recently. That conversation enriched other parts of this book.

[Kareni]

Hello BAWers!  Oh how I have missed you...

 

 

I'm back :D.

 

Welcome back!

**

 

My Secret Santa had provided me with a stash of Icelandic books that included Burial Rites, a fictional account of the last months of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be beheaded in Iceland (1829).  ....

 

...  I passed Burial Rites along to a fellow member of our hiking group.  The book made its way back to the States via Minneapolis.  Quite an adventure it is having as it crossed the continent to land at my doorstop initially.

 

What a well traveled book! 

 

I'm enjoying hearing of your Icelandic adventures, Jane, and look forward to hearing more.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ErinE]

So I am 30% in to Too Like the Lightning and would class myself as mildly intrigued. It might be getting more interesting because something seems to be up but I am wondering if I should go on. Guys tell me have I missed it or do I keep going because it going to get good soon......I am wondering if I am in the doesn't get it side of things.

 

 

I'm in the "didn't enjoy it" camp. The bulk of the book is worldbuilding and philosophical ideas. The author was creating something interesting, but I like a story with worldbuilding, not a future world with little plot. The opening hook about a boy with powers is only a small part. The book also ends on a cliffhanger (no character arc is resolved) and I strongly believe authors should tell a complete story within a book, especially when the book is 400+ pages. 

 

The "on the nose" narrations were also off putting. Given the author's intended audience, I don't think explanations for every philosopher were needed. People can use the internet if a philosopher is unfamiliar.

 

Most of the characters are elitists who spend their time discussing a leaked list ranking the relative power of groups. If a certain group gets more support, then it's the tipping point to overthrow the rest of the groups. They even discuss their concerns in the midst of an orgy. I didn't find the driving premise or the characters believable.

Edited June 9, 2017 by ErinE

[Matryoshka]

So I am 30% in to Too Like the Lightning and would class myself as mildly intrigued. It might be getting more interesting because something seems to be up but I am wondering if I should go on. Guys tell me have I missed it or do I keep going because it going to get good soon......I am wondering if I am in the doesn't get it side of things.

 

I think that's about how long it took me to get into it.  I found it a bit slow-moving at first as it set up the world and the main characters, but then when things got going, I found myself hooked.  Sounds like ErinE didn't like it as much, but I think Rose and I would encourage you to finish it. :)

 

I'm looking forward to the next book.  The cliffhanger was mean. ;)

 

 

 

I did finish my finance Bingo Square by reading A $500 House in Detroit. I originally picked it because we were repeatedly asked for financial advice when we first arrived in the UK by people who were being marketed to regarding foreclosures all over the US. Telemarketers were packaging 10 or so homes for a super low amount and promising to handle the rental of the property. Some were in Detroit but a few other big cities too. Sight unseen. No idea if anyone actually bought but we didn't encourage it! I was curious what this book would say about the actual rehab process for these houses. I found some of the location descriptions really repetitive but I knew the areas being talked about so it could have just been me. Overall it was a hopeful book and interesting. A young woman close to me is involved in the art movement in Detroit in a very peripheral manner and was describing some of her experiences to me recently. That conversation enriched other parts of this book.

 

The latest season of This Old House just renovated two abandoned houses in Detroit.  One was bought by a family for themselves to live in, and they did a lot of the work themselves.  It wasn't in too horrible shape (some water damage, some pipes stolen but not everything), and gorgeous when they were done.  The other property was bought by some kind of organization that is buying up abandoned homes and redoing them in a much more basic fashion (no fancy custom kitchens, but nice stock cabinets), and selling them at auction.  That one started in way worse shape - really trashed, but still came out nice and was sold to an owner.  I'm glad to see things sound like they're turning around, at least in some neighborhoods.

[Kareni]

An entertaining and informative post from author Nicola Cornick on the Word Wenches site ~

 

The Truth About Dukes

 

"Nicola here, talking about dukes, as you do if you are an author of historical romance. I’ve live in Britain all my life and I’ve never met a duke. In fact they are the only rank of the peerage I haven’t met. There are currently only 24 of them in existence which in a population of 65 million must make them amongst the rarest creatures in the country on a par with the Scottish wild cat. At times during the UK's history there have been no more than two or three; at others – the mid 1700s – there were as many as forty so even at their height they were an endangered species.

 

That’s the reality, of course. In stories, particularly in historical romances, they pop up in London, Bath and various country towns and villages with a regularity that is rather fun. If only!..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I'm in the "didn't enjoy it" camp. The bulk of the book is worldbuilding and philosophical ideas. The author was creating something interesting, but I like a story with worldbuilding, not a future world with little plot. The opening hook about a boy with powers is only a small part. The book also ends on a cliffhanger (no character arc is resolved) and I strongly believe authors should tell a complete story within a book, especially when the book is 400+ pages. 

 

The "on the nose" narrations were also off putting. Given the author's intended audience, I don't think explanations for every philosopher were needed. People can use the internet if a philosopher is unfamiliar.

 

Most of the characters are elitists who spend their time discussing a leaked list ranking the relative power of groups. If a certain group gets more support, then it's the tipping point to overthrow the rest of the groups. They even discuss their concerns in the midst of an orgy. I didn't find the driving premise or the characters believable.

 

 

Now I won't feel guilty if I give up on it!

 

 

I think that's about how long it took me to get into it.  I found it a bit slow-moving at first as it set up the world and the main characters, but then when things got going, I found myself hooked.  Sounds like ErinE didn't like it as much, but I think Rose and I would encourage you to finish it. :)

 

I'm looking forward to the next book.  The cliffhanger was mean. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

The latest season of This Old House just renovated two abandoned houses in Detroit.  One was bought by a family for themselves to live in, and they did a lot of the work themselves.  It wasn't in too horrible shape (some water damage, some pipes stolen but not everything), and gorgeous when they were done.  The other property was bought by some kind of organization that is buying up abandoned homes and redoing them in a much more basic fashion (no fancy custom kitchens, but nice stock cabinets), and selling them at auction.  That one started in way worse shape - really trashed, but still came out nice and was sold to an owner.  I'm glad to see things sound like they're turning around, at least in some neighborhoods.

 

 

The one this young man bought for $500 was of the really trashed variety. He even had to rebuild the foundation. Apparently there were auctions with bidding starting at $500. His was a pretty typical family home. He traded and searched through rubbish for most of his materials. He found a stove from the 30's for his kitchen for instance. My understanding is that the "mansions" didn't up in the auctions normally.

 

Regarding Too Like the Lightning I will read a bit more before I give up but I have a great stack right now that I am looking forward to.

 

 

 

An entertaining and informative post from author Nicola Cornick on the Word Wenches site ~

 

 

The Truth About Dukes

 

"Nicola here, talking about dukes, as you do if you are an author of historical romance. I’ve live in Britain all my life and I’ve never met a duke. In fact they are the only rank of the peerage I haven’t met. There are currently only 24 of them in existence which in a population of 65 million must make them amongst the rarest creatures in the country on a par with the Scottish wild cat. At times during the UK's history there have been no more than two or three; at others – the mid 1700s – there were as many as forty so even at their height they were an endangered species.

 

That’s the reality, of course. In stories, particularly in historical romances, they pop up in London, Bath and various country towns and villages with a regularity that is rather fun. If only!..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

I feel special. :lol: The only official peerage I know is a Duke. He lives locally so meeting him wasn't that hard! He owns a good chunk of the land locally. I have only met one other titled person other than the Duke's wife, he is technically the first son of a Baron. Not sure what that makes him. He's localish too but just goes by his first name. Both are extremely nice and handsome. Just saying.....they are both rather dreamy actually. Definitely a certain polish that makes one feel special but too young for me and too married for dd! ;) :lol: