Loesje22000 Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 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. Congrats with your Bingo! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Congrats with your Bingo! Thanks, I had a hard time deciding what to read for my finance square. I think I have six more books to read in order to fill my card. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 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: That is amusing! I feel honored to be cyber-ly acquainted with someone who knows a Duke. ** A bookish post that might intrigue those with an interest in the martial arts (Heather?). It leans toward the grim ~ 1914 Martial Arts Book for Women in Japan Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Anyone looking for an out of the ordinary horror book? (After all, Halloween is coming.) Stacia?? Here's a link to a review by Carrie S on the SBTB site: Amish Vampires in Space by Kerry Nietz "At our podcast live recording at the RT Convention, someone stated that there is a book called Amish Vampires in Space. Clearly, one of us was going to have to read this, and that someone was me. I was fully prepared to mock it to the heavens, but it turned out to be good – in a serious way, not as a parody. I’m very confused by this. My world is rocked. According to the introduction, Amish Vampires in Space started as a joke. Jeff Gerke was working for a Christian publishing house that was inundated with Amish novels. Just for fun, Jeff came up with a pretend title and cover for a non-existent novel. Much later, the author Kerry Nietz asked for permission to write a book to go with the cover. Instead of using the concept for parody or over-the-top madness, he managed to figure out a premise that would allow for there to be Amish vampires in space – as science fiction/horror. The book has humor, but it’s not silly overall...." Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Anyone looking for an out of the ordinary horror book? (After all, Halloween is coming.) Stacia?? Here's a link to a review by Carrie S on the SBTB site: Amish Vampires in Space by Kerry Nietz "At our podcast live recording at the RT Convention, someone stated that there is a book called Amish Vampires in Space. Clearly, one of us was going to have to read this, and that someone was me. I was fully prepared to mock it to the heavens, but it turned out to be good – in a serious way, not as a parody. I’m very confused by this. My world is rocked. According to the introduction, Amish Vampires in Space started as a joke. Jeff Gerke was working for a Christian publishing house that was inundated with Amish novels. Just for fun, Jeff came up with a pretend title and cover for a non-existent novel. Much later, the author Kerry Nietz asked for permission to write a book to go with the cover. Instead of using the concept for parody or over-the-top madness, he managed to figure out a premise that would allow for there to be Amish vampires in space – as science fiction/horror. The book has humor, but it’s not silly overall...." Regards, Kareni I paid $20 for this on Amazon and couldn't get through it. I'll send it free to anyone who wants to give it a try... it has 4 stars on Amazon... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 We're back from Scotland and exhausted. We flew back home last night and got in about 8 o'clock Kansas City time (2 AM Scotland time). John was up in the middle of the night because his internal alarm told him it was morning. We tried to keep him awake tonight but he's already down for the count and I'm not far behind him. DD is at a friend's sleepover so she's not going to get any sleep again tonight! We had a great time. Saw lots of cool things and I read a ton of Scotland books while in Scotland. Lots of fun! Do you mind a few travel pictures if I can make them literary related? DH and DD at the Walter Scott memorial in Edinburgh. Slain's Castle which was Bram Stoker's inspiration for Dracula's castle Jacobite Express which is basically the train you see in Harry Potter when they're headed to Hogwarts To be continued ... 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 (edited) An incredible book store in Inverness - we tried really hard not to buy too many books on the trip but failed. The local library in St. Andrews We had great weather on the trip. Just a bit of rain ... everyday! Still continued ... Edited June 10, 2017 by aggieamy 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 (edited) A few days into our trip I got a message from Sharon (Violet Crown) inviting us to come and spend the day with her family. With the way timing worked out because we were driving the perimeter of Scotland we met up with her and her younger two daughters on our last day there. We went to a few amazing bookstores (more books purchased that we had to get home in our carry on luggage!), played at the beach, got an insiders tour of the local grocery (American section of the store was basically Stove Top and Oreos - I loved that!), and had a great dinner at Sharon's house. It was the perfect end to the trip and frankly it made us not want to leave at all. John and Brigid at the ocean. I love this picture. It's just the epitome of classic childhood. John and Brigid touring the castle Sophia and Maeve - by this time on the trip Sophia was delighted to have another teenager hang out with. Even the shyest of teens doesn't want to just hang out with their parents and preschool brother for 17 days. Edited June 10, 2017 by aggieamy 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 Tomorrow I'll post my Scotland reading list ... now it's off to bed! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 The travel photos are making me jealous. Of course I have no business being envious having recently traveled to Japan and driven through the Southwest. I'm just ready to go again!! Love the photos especially since Iceland and Scotland are both on my bucket list. And VC, are you really going to the Orkneys? We expect a full report. Jane -- PM me if there is a link to your dh's photos that I can send along to my geology ds. As you remember he spent 2 weeks doing field work in Iceland, and I think he'd get a kick out of seeing your photos. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 Quick post as we are traveling this morning -- mumto2, we will have to find a way to meet -- maybe Edinburgh? We take the train in pretty often. Amy -- dh said, "Wait, we missed a good bookstore in Inverness??" Love the photos. They remind me of what the sun looks like, which hasn't come out since you left and isn't expected soon. Jennw -- we visited Orkney in a past year (& btw there's a great bookstore in Kirkwall -- what is there to do in winters but read?); just catching up on their literature now. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 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. Now that sounds like a fabulous vacation. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 Having recently read the sequel, I decided to re-read Cake: A Love Story by J. Bengtsson which I enjoyed once again. It's a contemporary romance. "Jake McKallister might have been a rock star, but he was no ordinary one. Surviving an unspeakable crime as a young teen had shaped him into a guarded workaholic, and he now lived his life trying to forget. If it hadn’t been for music and the redemption he found through it, he might not have survived. Career success came easily for him. Personal connections did not.When outspoken, vivacious college student Casey Caldwell was paired with the famously reserved rockstar for a friend’s wedding, she was prepared for the worst. What could they possibly have in common? She was a bubbly talker; he was a reclusive loner. His life was filled with music; she couldn’t carry a tune. She’d enjoyed a happy childhood; his was a well-publicized nightmare.Yet despite their obvious differences, Jake and Casey found each other, and her light balanced out his darkness. Would their love be strong enough to survive the weight of his tragic past?" Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 I finished two books this week - Mortal Engines - My enjoyment of steampunk goes no further than admiring steampunk cosplay at Megacon (Orlando's big sci-fi convention) and I wouldn't have read this if not for BaW bingo. And yet, I liked it. Take away the steampunk aspect and it's a basic hero/adventure story nicely told. Dh was in a reading funk and couldn't decide what to read after he finished his last book. I suggested this one and he's liking so far. I don't know if either of us will read more of the series but if we don't, the book is fine as a stand alone novel. And it's short - just over 300 pages. This is why I like my IRL book club where we take turns choosing a book, and BaW challenges. I wouldn't say my reading is in a rut because I like a variety of genres, but there are books I'd never consider (in some cases wouldn't have heard of) if not for BaW and my book club. I often end up liking those books that wouldn't even be on my radar otherwise. The King's Speech (audio book) - This is not, as you might think, the book on which the movie was based. The book was written by Lionel Logue's grandson who originally was just doing genealogy and his grandfather only had a small role in the family research. He didn't realize the importance his grandfather played in helping King George VI until he started reading Logue's diaries. The movie was planned and scripted years before the book, but just weeks before production they found out about the diaries and used some - only some - of the stuff from them. And of course as with most historical movies that aren't documentaries, liberties were taken. Anyway, the book tells the real story and was interesting. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 One of my favorite science fiction romances is currently free for Kindle readers; it's an entertaining book. Dark Horse (Class 5 Series, Book 1) by Michelle Diener "Some secrets carry the weight of the world.Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse." ** and these may also be of interest ~ Keeper of Dragons: The Prince Returns by J.A. Culican Black And Blue: Quentin Black World by JC Andrijeski a book featuring a snake shifter: Under Her Skin (Shifter Shield Book 1) by Margo Bond Collins The Ghost at His Back (Rankin Flats Supernatural Thrillers Book 1) by Cameron Lowe Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 A couple more photos for you. I cannot begin to count the number of waterfalls we saw in Iceland. Two famous ones here: Gullfoss from the top and then Skógafoss. "Foss" means waterfall in Icelandic. Both of these waterfalls are popular stops that are accessible to tourists in cars and buses. Less accessible sights to follow... 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted June 11, 2017 Author Share Posted June 11, 2017 Wonderful pictures Jane and Amy. Thank you Amy for the postcard of Leakey's Bookshop. It came today. Adding to my bucket list! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 I just finished 'Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening.' :( I resent having spent $12 on it. See if you can resell it on eBay? 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 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. I agree and I have now finished it. Occasionally I liked it and kept going and climbed to 60% complete with serious thoughts of giving up. I completed it for my Bingo square. No way am I starting the next. I can understand why some people enjoyed it but I just needed more of plot. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 I just finished The Kabul Beauty School. Some people do some amazing stuff in their lives... I read that. Agree. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 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. We went to three graduations this spring. The last was a high school graduation where the teacher speech was given by a favourite history teacher. The theme was Care Less = Have More. (I was relieved to find that he meant more happiness - obviously people who care less find it easier to get rich. Morals are an awful hinderance grin. ) He listed all the things you shouldn't care about, typical high school things like fitting in and your appearance. Then he listed all the things you should care about, like family . He said that if you could manage to not care about 80% of what you are currently caring about and care about the last 20% you would be much happier. It was a good speech. It sounds a lot like your book. I wonder if he had read it. Nan 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 I :001_wub: The Woodcutter by Kate Danley. What a great little book. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 I agree and I have now finished it. Occasionally I liked it and kept going and climbed to 60% complete with serious thoughts of giving up. I completed it for my Bingo square. No way am I starting the next. I can understand why some people enjoyed it but I just needed more of plot. I totally get it, it's the book I most nervously raved about here, knowing that it wouldn't be universally enjoyed. But kudos for finishing and deciding for yourself! I've finished a lot of things for Bingo that I would have abandoned otherwise, and sometimes I'm really happy about that. Not always, but sometimes. ;) :D I did an abandoning kick last night: I started and bailed on The Hate U Give (probably wonderful but written in dialect + YA - a combo I didn't have patience for), The Book of Joan (tatooing on that level is just a little too much like self-mutilation for my stomach) and A Scanner Darkly (I like PKD, but a drug novel? not so much). Sometimes it's the book, sometimes it's the mood. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 The travel photos are making me jealous. Of course I have no business being envious having recently traveled to Japan and driven through the Southwest. I'm just ready to go again!! Love the photos especially since Iceland and Scotland are both on my bucket list. And VC, are you really going to the Orkneys? We expect a full report. Jane -- PM me if there is a link to your dh's photos that I can send along to my geology ds. As you remember he spent 2 weeks doing field work in Iceland, and I think he'd get a kick out of seeing your photos. My husband posts his photos on Flickr. I have sent you a link that includes friends and family shots. Let me know if you have any problems accessing the pics. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 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: 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 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: 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. The book sounds great, Jane! Love all the pictures of Iceland. The shots of the waterfalls remind me of Transylvania County! (NC) I am having trouble keeping up with this thread! I'm reading bits and pieces of books these days. I finished: Loving Eleanor by Susan Wittig Albert (a fictionalized account of the love affair between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok - which has now led me to several related non-fiction books); Carter Heyward's She Flies On: A White Southern Christian Debutante Wakes Up (vintage Heyward, written mostly as a memoir); Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim (a fictional composite of the connections between an enslaved wet nurse/nanny and her charge as they both -- in very separate ways -- escape the racist and classist culture of 19th century southern plantations); and Timothy Snyder's (Yale professor) short book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghansMom Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 Just about finished with A Million June's- really good, magical and humorous. Next will be White Fur and then The Sisters Chase. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted June 11, 2017 Author Share Posted June 11, 2017 Link to week 24 - please continue conversation in new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghansMom Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Just completed You Will Know Me and All Over But The Shouting. Now I am reading The Final Girls, then The Child, and then American Fire. Oh, I also read The Weird Sisters and The Charm Bracelet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghansMom Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Just completed You Will Know Me and All Over But The Shouting. Now I am reading The Final Girls, then The Child, and then American Fire. Oh, I also read The Weird Sisters and The Charm Bracelet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Just completed You Will Know Me and All Over But The Shouting. Now I am reading The Final Girls, then The Child, and then American Fire. Oh, I also read The Weird Sisters and The Charm Bracelet. I'm going to post this via multiquote over on this weeks thread so everyone will see it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghansMom Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 I am reading The Lying Game currently and once I complete it, I will be reading Fierce Kingdom. 😠Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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