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Book a Week 2017 - BW25: June Solstice

Robin M

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strawberries

strawberries

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Well, I took the plunge on War and Peace and have been pleasantly surprised. I was expecting this to be work but it's practically Downton Abbey. I have the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation, fwiw.


 


Recently I finished Illuminae for my science fiction square. It's 600 pages of a variety of documents - emails, transcripts, journal entries - piecing together the aftermath of a corporate spaceship fleet's sudden attack on a planet in the far-off future. It's YA and the protagonist is a teenage girl who was living on the doomed planet. She happens to have excellent computer hacking skills. There is a love story. There is AI. There is a virus with zombielike effects and resulting gore. Not at all what I usually read but quite enjoyable. 


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JennW in SoCal
JennW in SoCal

Here's a little something I've put together in honor of the War and Peace read along. It can be enjoyed whether or not you are reading along. I bring you....   The War and Peace playlist!   Snippe

Jane in NC
Jane in NC

Hugs to all who need them.   Several of us really enjoyed Helen Simonson's debut novel Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.  In fact, I recall that both Ethel and I had it on our lists for favorite novels

Stacia
Stacia

.

Kareni

Kareni

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Posted

A one day only currently free Kindle classic mystery ~

 

A Prince of Sinners by E. P. Oppenheim

 

"The sins of the father are visited on the son twofold in this classic mystery from one of the early twentieth century’s most popular authors

Kingston Brooks has just made his debut on the speaker’s platform at the local party headquarters when a stranger brings word that the young lawyer’s father has died on the far side of the world, where he was spreading the gospel as a missionary. Brooks has heard nothing from the old man since he disappeared decades earlier, and even this sad news is a balm. As he digs deeper into the stranger’s story, however, Brooks discovers that his father was no saint, and that his friends are not to be trusted.
 
The truth is that all those years ago Brooks’s father fled to Canada to impersonate a French nobleman. There he committed a series of crimes too terrible for his son to contemplate—except that they must all be made right if Brooks hopes to clear his name."

**

 

Terry Pratchett fans might be interested to see that one of the two free audio books from SYNC this week is

 

THE WITCH'S VACUUM CLEANER AND OTHER STORIES by Terry Pratchett and ready by Julian Rhind-Tutt. 

 

The other free audio book is   THE WITCHES: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff and Read by Eliza Foss. 

 

Download the free pair from SYNC »here .

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Kareni

Kareni

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Two posts from Tor.com's Five About series; both are about monsters ~

 

Five Monsters That Explore Gender, Sexuality, and Race  by Theodora Goss

 

"When I say “monster,†what do you think about? Frankenstein’s monster? Dracula? The creature from the Black Lagoon? Maybe even Cookie Monster… When we hear that word, we tend to think of monsters from movies or television shows (even when they began as literary characters), and most of the time, they are male. But some of my favorite monsters are female, and most of them have not yet appeared on the big or small screen. They aren’t as numerous as the male monsters, but they are just as interesting.

 

What is a monster, anyway? We tend to associate the monstrous with the ugly, evil, or frightening, but there’s a more sophisticated way of thinking about these creatures. In On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears, Stephen T. Asma argues that monsters are examples of “categorical mismatch.†We like to organize reality into easily understandable categories: you are either male or female, human or animal, living or dead. When something or someone crosses those boundaries, it makes us uncomfortable: that’s when we label it as monstrous. That kind of labeling can be dangerous, because it can allow us to deny someone’s humanity. But the idea of the monstrous can also be powerful. If you’re a woman, it can be a subversive act to think of yourself as Medusa, with snakes for hair, turning men to stone...."

 

AND

 

Speaking From the Shadows: Five Books That Tell the Monster’s Story  by Ruthanna Emrys

 

"Monsters fascinate. There’s something in the shadows that you don’t understand, can’t quite make out the shape of—something that can eat you. Something that can steal your children, spoil your crops, or worst of all turn you into a monster yourself, so that you’ll no longer be welcome in the warm places where we tell stories about monsters.

 

That warm place started as a small campfire in the dark night, surrounded by very real predators. Beside that fire, you could lay down your spear and basket and feel almost safe for the night. We keep fearing monsters even as the shadows retreat and the campfires grow, even now when light pollution banishes them to the few remaining dark corners, where they must surely shiver and tell stories about our advance.

 

Mustn’t they?..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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aggieamy

aggieamy

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9781402288630.jpg  

 

 

That is such a splendid cover!

 

The Moonstone audio book is actually really good. I spent awhile trying to locate where the shivering sands were/are on the Yorkshire coast. I am relieved to report that they don't exist!

 

 

 

I'm relieved that you are enjoying it. After Kathy gave up on it I was concerned that I was going to be it's only fan. It's definitely written in a style that's old fashioned and has a long slow start but I think it's paid off in the end.

 

 

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-M-

-M-

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img_1959.jpg?w=640&h=480

 

Hello, BaWers!

 

War and Peace has always been one of those books I hope to get to… Some day! Well, Robin and BaW have now ensured I will finish the tome by late October. Volume 1 of the three-volume Everyman’s Library edition (Maude translation) is in the middle of the stack pictured above, which means, yes, I now own yet another copy of War and Peace… well, two more, if you count the audiobook to which I am listening (at twice the recorded speed) while reading. For the commonplace book:

 

p. 4
Prince Vasili always spoke languidly, like an actor repeating a stale part.

 

p. 29
“If no one fought except on his own conviction, there would be no wars, “ he said.

 

“And that would be splendid,†said Pierre.

 

p. 71
They wept because they were friends, and because they were kind-hearted, and because they – friends from childhood – had to think about such a base thing as money, and because their youth was over…. But those tears were pleasant to them both.

 

I am still at work on the “Shakespeare in a Year†project. In anticipation of seeing the National Theatre Live broadcast, I put Julius Caesar before Henry V; otherwise, I am on or ahead of schedule. The Sonnets remain a slog, although, at Sonnet 82, I am actually ahead of schedule. Perhaps there is no poetry in me? But, then, how I do love the plays!

 

From Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene iii:

 

“All this� Ay, more. Fret till your proud heart break.
Go show your slaves how choleric you are
And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humor? By the gods,
You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split you. For from this day forth,
I’ll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

 

For submitting the first log in the summer reading program, each patron receives a book. My husband gave me his turn, so I ended up with two beach reads: The Woman in Cabin 10 and All the Missing Girls, both of which were the light, quick respites I needed while recovering from a dental emergency. (All is well now.)

 

As did nearly everyone else, I found News of the World (Paulette Jiles) delightful. I actually began reading it via audiobook on the trip downstate to bring my daughters home for the summer. (We need two cars to move them in and out.) The narrator remained in my ear even when I turned to the book, and upon finishing, I promptly insisted that my husband choose it as his next audiobook. For the commonplace book:

 

p. 121
Maybe life is just carrying news. Surviving to carry the news. Maybe we have just one message, and it is delivered to us when we are born and we are never sure what it says; it may have nothing to do with us personally but it must be carried by hand through a life, all the way, and at the end handed over, sealed.

 

p. 201

Life was not safe and nothing could make it so, neither fashionable dresses nor bank accounts.

 

Reading on devices troubles me, but it was the only way I could immediately access Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do about It (Richard V. Reeves) when I first became interested. At the halfway point, here are my commonplace entries:

 

p.3
There is one good reason why many Americans feel as if the upper middle class is leaving everyone else behind: They are.

Americans in the top fifth of the income distribution – broadly, households with incomes above the $112,000 mark – are separating from the rest. This separation is economic, visible in bank balances and salaries. But it can also be seen in education, family structure, health and longevity, even in civic and community life. The economic gap is just the most vivid sign of a deepening class divide.

 

p. 15
The big question is whether we are willing to make some modest sacrifices in order to expand opportunities for others or whether, deep down, we would rather pull up the ladder.

 

p. 54
The debate over college debt is lively and largely misplaced. It is lively because almost everyone involved in public discourse – scholars, journalists, politicians – went to college and has children who have done or will do so. (Almost every member of Congress has a college degree.) It is misplaced because the real problem in American higher education is not about debt, but distribution and quality. The debt problem is for people from poorer backgrounds who borrow to attend bad colleges.

 

Other notes: I reread Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in anticipation of the National Theatre Live broadcast. So much to press into the commonplace book, but this is destined to become a family favorite: “Martha, in my mind you’re buried in cement right up to the neck. No, up to the nose, it’s much quieter.†The Power promised more than the fragmented writing could deliver. March is one of those books that demonstrate just how important and powerful the graphic work genre is. I think I will need to reread the first three volumes of Bunker to make any sense of what is happening how. So much time passes between releases! The three four books on the bottom represent my TBRN (to be read next) pile. We’ll have to see if that plays out.

Edited by M--
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aggieamy

aggieamy

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Please hold Amy and family in your thoughts and prayers as her sister Jenna has passed away.  

 

Robin - Thank you for posting this and thank you everyone for the kind wishes and prayers. They are appreciated.

 

My sister Jenna shot herself last Friday night. She would have been 30 in just a few days. She leaves behind a husband that adored her and two young kids. Her 13 yo daughter found her. My family is really struggling with it - Jenna had struggled with depression for many years but seemed to have been doing so well. It's just horrific. And people are not dealing well with it. One of my other sisters is convinced there's foul play and is trying to get the Texas Rangers involved and that's just causing more stress and unhappiness.

 

Winter%20053.jpg

 

Jan2010%20044.jpg

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fastweedpuller

fastweedpuller

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Oh Amy how tragic.  I know sometimes people just can't put right to an idea like suicide...their deflection (the Rangers in your case) is just their way of trying to handle it.  My heart goes out to you, your family, and especially Jenna's hubby and children.  There are no words.  Hugs.

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AppleGreen

AppleGreen

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I finished Orange is the New Black. I am glad I stuck with it. It complemented Just Mercy, which I read earlier this year to my 16 year old, nicely. I also read Some Kind of Magic, which was straight up fluff. I think I may start North of Normal next.

 

I have read over most of the replies in this thread. Big hugs to those who are in a challenging season.  :grouphug:

 

 

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Violet Crown

Violet Crown

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How awful Amy. I'm sorry.

 

I'm relieved that you are enjoying it. After Kathy gave up on it I was concerned that I was going to be it's only fan. It's definitely written in a style that's old fashioned and has a long slow start but I think it's paid off in the end.

It's one of dh's favorite books. On my TBR stack.... Edited by Violet Crown
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Penguin

Penguin

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I don't remember who recommended The Palace of Illusions audiobook, but I am loving this so much. It is my first introduction to the Mahabharata. At first, I had to keep looking things up online to wrap my head around the characters and the story, but then I stopped and now I am just enjoying it. It does sort itself out.

 

BTW, it is taking me forever, because I really don't often listen to audiobooks. I am sure I could have read it faster, but the narration is indeed excellent.

Edited by Penguin
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Robin M

Robin M

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img_1959.jpg?w=640&h=480

 

Hello, BaWers!

 

War and Peace has always been one of those books I hope to get to… Some day! Well, Robin and BaW have now ensured I will finish the tome by late October. Volume 1 of the three-volume Everyman’s Library edition (Maude translation) is in the middle of the stack pictured above, which means, yes, I now own yet another copy of War and Peace… well, two more, if you count the audiobook to which I am listening (at twice the recorded speed) while reading. For the commonplace book:

 

p. 4

Prince Vasili always spoke languidly, like an actor repeating a stale part.

 

p. 29

“If no one fought except on his own conviction, there would be no wars, “ he said.

 

“And that would be splendid,†said Pierre.

 

p. 71

They wept because they were friends, and because they were kind-hearted, and because they – friends from childhood – had to think about such a base thing as money, and because their youth was over…. But those tears were pleasant to them both.

 

 

Yeah, glad you are joining in reading it.  

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Joules

Joules

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Hi! I've been absent for quite a while.  I ended up in the hospital in February and spent a couple of months convalescing.  It would have been a perfect time to read, but the pain and the meds prevented such complicated tasks ;-)  Binge watching junk TV was more my speed.

 

So I don't think I'll make 52 this year, but I had one I just had to share.  It's a fictional series of letters from a beleaguered English professor.  Light and hilarious, particularly if you have spent any time in academia.

 

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

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Joules

Joules

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Robin - Thank you for posting this and thank you everyone for the kind wishes and prayers. They are appreciated.

 

 

 

 

Amy, I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how hard that must be.  :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

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Granny_Weatherwax

Granny_Weatherwax

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I finished The Blue Line by Ingrid Belancourt. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I was captivated by this book for the historical information. I wasn't thrilled with the magical realism but I can understand why it was used. My feeling is the author wanted to write a story about Argentina's Dirty War and chose to write a fictional book based on historical accounts. The time hopping was a bit distracting but it was used to join the historical accounts with the current situation of the protagonist, Julia. 

 

 Prior to reading The Blue Line, I knew nothing about the war in Argentina with the exception of a passing knowledge that it had occurred. I was googling and researching for the first third of the book but had to make a concerted effort to just enjoy the book and stop looking up information. I love books that pique my interest and help me learn and grow. This book did that. It was well written and, as far as I can tell, well researched.

After reading this book, I have a longer list of Want to Reads, including the authors memoir, historical accounts of the Dirty War, and books about Peron. I will also be watching Evita (a movie I have tended to avoid). 

 

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Lady Florida.

Lady Florida.

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Posted

Well, I took the plunge on War and Peace and have been pleasantly surprised. I was expecting this to be work but it's practically Downton Abbey. I have the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation, fwiw.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one reading that translation.

 

Hi! I've been absent for quite a while.  I ended up in the hospital in February and spent a couple of months convalescing.  It would have been a perfect time to read, but the pain and the meds prevented such complicated tasks ;-)  Binge watching junk TV was more my speed.

 

So I don't think I'll make 52 this year, but I had one I just had to share.  It's a fictional series of letters from a beleaguered English professor.  Light and hilarious, particularly if you have spent any time in academia.

 

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

 

I hope you're well or at least much better now.  :grouphug:

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Jane in NC

Jane in NC

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Posted

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one reading that translation.

 

 

Nope, not alone.  I too am read the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation.

 

Sending best wishes to Joules and continued good thoughts to Amy.  I'd send hugs too but even my virtual hugs are sweat laden today.  Ugh.

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Matryoshka

Matryoshka

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Posted

Glad to hear it. I guess I've seen so many posts about the Maude translation that I thought everyone else was reading that one (except Stacia who's reading two translations :) )

 

I'm pretty sure I've seen some Briggs readers in the mix, too!  I don't think I've seen anyone saying they're reading the Garnett, though? It might be fun for someone to tally who's reading along and what translation. 

 

Like:

 

Maude: Matryoshka...

P/V:       Lady Florida, Jane in NC...

Briggs:  ...?

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Granny_Weatherwax

Granny_Weatherwax

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I'm pretty sure I've seen some Briggs readers in the mix, too!  I don't think I've seen anyone saying they're reading the Garnett, though? It might be fun for someone to tally who's reading along and what translation. 

 

Like:

 

Maude: Matryoshka...

P/V:       Lady Florida, Jane in NC...

Briggs:  ... Scoutermom

 

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Matryoshka

Matryoshka

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I have the Briggs translation so that's at least 4 translations in use.

Wait, what's the fourth? :) Aha... Ethel Mertz is reading Garnett! :)

 

If people like the idea, I can compile everything in this post so we don't have overlapping lists. I can do a quick scan back over this week's list to see if anyone's already posted what they're doing. If I get anything wrong, let me know, and for anyone who I've missed (that will probably be a lot), just post and I'll add it here. :) Okay, I'll fess up, I love to make lists... ;)

 

War and Peace read-a-long:

 

Maude: Matryoshka, Stacia(1), JennW, M--, Penguin, Mumto2, Mothersweets, Violet Crown, Angelaboord...

P/V: Lady Florida, Jane in NC, Strawberries, ErinE...

Briggs: Scoutermom, Stacia(2), RobinM...

Garnett: Ethel Mertz...

 

Dutch (Bloemen & Wiebes): Loesje, Tress

Edited by Matryoshka
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Loesje22000

Loesje22000

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Wait, what's the fourth? :)

 

If people like the idea, I can compile everything in this post so we don't have overlapping lists. I can do a quick scan back over this week's list to see if anyone's already posted what they're doing. If I get anything wrong, let me know, and for anyone who I've missed (that will probably be a lot), just post and I'll add it here. :) Okay, I'll fess up, I love to make lists... ;)

 

War and Peace read-a-long:

Maude: Matryoshka, Stacia(1), JennW...

P/V: Lady Florida, Jane in NC, Strawberries...

Briggs: Scoutermom, Stacia(2), RobinM...

Dutch: Loesje?

Tress & I read the 2006 translation by Bloemen & Wiebes in Dutch

Based on the 1869 text

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Penguin

Penguin

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Count me in for Maude. My book arrives tomorrow.

 

True confession: I would have opted for the P/V translation if I could've found it with this gorgeous cover:

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1112426/war-and-peace-vintage-classic-russians-series/

 

Is this cover only available in the UK? All I could find for sale was a P/V with a blue cover.

Edited by Penguin
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Kareni

Kareni

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Hi! I've been absent for quite a while.  I ended up in the hospital in February and spent a couple of months convalescing.  ...

 

So I don't think I'll make 52 this year, but I had one I just had to share.  It's a fictional series of letters from a beleaguered English professor.  Light and hilarious, particularly if you have spent any time in academia.

 

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

 

Welcome back, Joules.  I hope that you're fully recovered.

 

I enjoyed Dear Committee Members some time ago.

**

 

A one day only currently free Kindle classic ~

 

Can You Forgive Her? (The Palliser Novels) by Anthony Trollope

 

"This revealing romp through proper society follows three different women who dare to defy Victorian standards.

 

Can You Forgive Her? comically intertwines the stories of three very independent-minded women who each desires to decide her own fate in a world where love comes second to obedience and familial expectations set them apart from their peers.

 

First and foremost is the spirited Alice Vavasor, whose indecision and repeated rejections of two different swains have made her a woman of both substance and suspicion. Equally determined to have her way is the recently widowed Mrs. Greenow, who was married to a wealthy man at a young age, and who can now decide whom she will take as a husband. And finally, there is the tale of the brazen, free-thinking Glencora M’Cluskie, including her rocky marriage to the loving—but hardheaded—Plantagenet Palliser, whose powerful family appears throughout Anthony Trollope’s works.

 

In this classic novel of social satire, Trollope’s deft humor and biting examination of the lives and legacies of high society remain as entertaining and inviting as ever."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Loesje22000

Loesje22000

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Posted

Count me in for Maude. My book arrives tomorrow.

 

True confession: I would have opted for the P/V translation if I could've found it with this gorgeous cover:

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1112426/war-and-peace-vintage-classic-russians-series/

 

Is this cover only available in the UK? All I could find for sale was a P/V with a blue cover.

Just for fun ;),

 

This is our cover:

http://www.vanoorschot.nl/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Oorlog_en_vrede_57345a8897fa7.jpg

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Kareni

Kareni

Posted
Posted

Some book/computer art ~

 

A Neural Network Turned a Book of Flowers Into Shockingly Lovely Dinosaur Art  by Andrew Liszewski

 

"The estate of M.C. Escher may have just lost its lucrative stranglehold on the dorm room poster market thanks to artist Chris Rodley, who used a deep learning algorithm to merge a book of dinosaurs with a book of flower paintings. The results are magnificent, and deserve a spot on the walls of our finest art galleries.

 

This isn’t the first time Rodley has dabbled with a deep learning A.I. to create art. Using a website called Deepart.io, which is powered by an algorithm developed by Leon Gatys and a team from the University of Tübingen in Germany, Rodley previously merged a Trump family photo and various Muppet characters, with nightmarish results...."

**

 

Other bookish posts ~

 

From Bustle ~  13 New Nonfiction Books By Women That Will Nourish Your Brain All Summer Long

 

From the Washington Post ~ What your favorite writers are reading this summer

 

From the Portalist ~ 

 

12 Books to Read If You’re a Fan of 'American Gods'

 

13 of the Best Audiobooks for Sci-Fi and Fantasy Fans

 

13 Science Fiction Books That Will Tickle Your Funny Bone

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Violet Crown

Violet Crown

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I finished reading Conrad's An Outcast of the Islands, his second novel, already full of his meaningful mists, vapors, and various symbolic meteorological obscurities. Can't go wrong with Conrad! Also finished at last John Prebble's Culloden, which while informative was too much atrocity porn for my tastes: documented crimes against Scottish civilians by "The Butcher" Cumberland and his English army in the aftermath of the Jacobite disaster at Culloden are mixed in with the rumored and unlikely horrors that are retold in every century. 100 pages could have been reduced to "Cumberland's army inflicted murder, rape, looting, and mass property destruction on the civilian population of Scotland, with little regard for actual involvement in the Rebellion."

 

I have a pile of books recently acquired in Edinburgh and from Bill, our local bookstore owner, who no longer waits for us to search the shelves but now just hops up from his chair and finds the books we should read for us. A new Somerset Maugham for Middle Girl, and "Poems in Scots and English" by William Soutar for me, with instructions to read it this week -- English poems first -- and tell him what I think. He was so pleased that MG reads Maugham that he gave it to her free and told her to come for more when it's done. Also I bought his little Oxford War and Peace (Maude translation, Matryoshka!) so I can get started on that. When I've finished my Soutar assignment that is.

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