Book a Week 2017 - BW26: pearls, pearls, and more pearls

[ErinE]

I got Student, but I there were a couple of questions where there were for me two equally good answers, and if I'd picked the other I would have gotten Explorer, specifically the one that asked why you read - seeing things from another perspective, or learning new things makes me feel alive. Well, both!!!

 

The description for Student and Explorer aren't all that different, I think...

 

The Student

 

"The Student loves to learn, and loves to learn new things, just for the fun of it. You might read deeply on one subject you're passionate about; you may enjoy reading widely on a huge variety of interesting topics. Either way, new ideas make you feel energized. You're likely to get your book recommendations from colleagues, experts in various fields, and your own targeted research."

Yes, I think Student is a good description as well. I love immersing myself in a subject and talking to people about it to learn more.

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[fastweedpuller]

I got tagged an Insider too.  Don't think the description is too apt for me though; I read what critics say mostly so I can disagree with them :)  And...i have read or at least own and therefore intend to read all the books they suggested <<shrug>>

 

Fun quiz though!

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

Yesterday I read a work of fiction by Sawyer Bennett which I enjoyed and found myself thinking about as I lay awake in the middle of the night.  The author made her name writing romances, but this is different from her usual style.  I believe this is a book I'll read again.  It's a book that needs a host of trigger warnings.  Highlight to see:  child abuse, suicide, war, severe injuries, incurable cancer.  I've probably failed to list a few.

 

The Hard Truth About Sunshine  by Sawyer Bennett

 

"New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett has written her most gripping and poignant tale yet. Provocatively heart-breaking, audaciously irreverent and romantically fulfilling, The Hard Truth About Sunshine exposes just how very thin the line is between a full life and an empty existence.

Despite having narrowly escaped death's clutches, Christopher Barlow is grateful for nothing. His capacity to love has been crushed. He hates everyone and everything, completely unable to see past the gray stain of misery that coats his perception of the world. It's only after he involuntarily joins a band of depressed misfits who are struggling to overcome their own problems, does Christopher start to re-evaluate his lot in life.

What could they possibly learn from one another? How could they possibly help each other to heal? And the question that Christopher asks himself over and over again... can he learn to love again?

He's about to find out as he embarks upon a cross country trip with a beautiful woman who is going blind, a boy with terminal cancer, and an abuse victim who can't decide whether she wants to live or die.

Four people with nothing in common but their destination. They will encounter adventure, thrills, loss and love. And within their travels they will learn the greatest lesson of all.

The hard truth about sunshine..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

Another "English Major" here.  Of course I was a Math Major but as an undergrad I took an English course every semester so I could read!  My favorite English classes were Shakespeare, History of the Novel and Transcendental Poetry.

 

No surprise for me in the quiz result.

[Violet Crown]

English Major.

[JennW in SoCal]

I got Explorer, though I think the Student description would fit as well. Interesting list of recommendations, though, as I've only read To Kill a Mockingbird. It will be fun to look into the other titles, see if any pique my interest. Any of you familiar with these?

 

So what should you read next? Here are 5 picks for Explorers:

• At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Wild by Cheryl Strayed
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

[Robin M]

I got Escapist. No surprise there. 😄

 

If you're an Escapist, you believe that above all, reading is supposed to be FUN. You read because you enjoy it, but also because it helps you relax, especially when your real life feels crazy. You especially appreciate a book that feels impossible to put down.

[Jane in NC]

 

I got Explorer, though I think the Student description would fit as well. Interesting list of recommendations, though, as I've only read To Kill a Mockingbird. It will be fun to look into the other titles, see if any pique my interest. Any of you familiar with these?

 

So what should you read next? Here are 5 picks for Explorers:

• At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Wild by Cheryl Strayed
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

 

 

Don't bother with Wild.  I listened to the audio version when The Boy was on the AT--and stuck with it for that reason.  Self indulgent ugh.

[Lady Florida.]

I'm getting behind on the thread as usual. 

 

Welcome Danielle (Quill)! I think you'll find this is the best book club you could possibly join. :) I read your post on the Chat board about book clubs and giving up on a book. Here you get to read what you want, as much or as little as you want, and you can abandon a book any time you aren't enjoying it. 

 

I'm moving along in War and Peace and am further ahead than the read along. Since I've read it before I know what's coming so I'll just agree with those who are saying stick with Pierre. It will be worth it. I'm also glad I stayed with the Pevear translation. I sampled both Maude and Garnett translations and came back to Pevear/Volkhonsky. Erin, their discussion at the front is one reason why I stuck with them. 

 

Currently reading -

War and Peace

Hypothermia - Inspector Erlunder

The Devil's Novice - Brother Cadfael - Audible audio

 

Abandoned

Queen of Hearts - Audible audio version. This is #8 in the Her Royal Spyness series and I've been enjoying the books, all on audio, until now. There's no character growth. No one changes, no one moves forward, and some of the relationships are getting tiring. It's a shame because I found it to be such a fun series at first. 

 

As for the reader quiz, I'm an Escapist. No surprise. Reading has always been my escape. I read for enjoyment. That doesn't mean I never read any serious books or books that require work, but I read them because I want to not because I have to or think I should. My life doesn't have to be crazy for me to relax with a book. 

 

"If you're an Escapist, you believe that above all, reading is supposed to be FUN. You read because you enjoy it, but also because it helps you relax, especially when your real life feels crazy. You especially appreciate a book that feels impossible to put down."

[mumto2]

I took the quiz and it said that I am an Escapist. I read because it's fun....that's definitely me! :)

 

Matryoshka....Thank you, I was definitely over complicating things. Glad I only did five!

[Violet Crown]

Hi, all. I am hoping I can join in here, although I don't accomplish as prodigious an amount of reading as some (all?) of you do. â˜ºï¸ I am currently reading Hillbilly Elegy, which I find very interesting. I am about 62% finished that one (on Kindle). I am also listening to The Snowball on audiobook while I do my workouts. This is a biography about Warren Buffet. It's interesting. I spend a lot of time mulling over wealth accummulation vs. Miserliness. Buffet often appears to the miserly side of the equation, though I do admire frugality.

 

I might go for a Pearl-themed book when I finish Elegy.

Welcome, Quill! Never mind the high book counts; my first year here I aimed for "Book of the Month" and was super-pleased to read two a month instead. I'd burned out in grad school and it took the BaW thread to really recover. You'll be amazed at yourself.

[Violet Crown]

Finished the collection of Hardy stories, A Changed Man, today. Hardy calls them "short novels" in his introduction, but only the last (and weakest), "The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid," is what we would consider a novella. Now to finish my William Soutar poems so I can pack it and get going on War and Peace.

 

Some Soutar, from his "Bairnrhymes":

 

Lowp up the Lum

 

Baudrons, though plankit unco snug,

Sits glowerin frae the chimley lug:

His twa e’en round; his head outset;

I warrant ye his neb is het.

He canna nod; he canna thrum:

A rogie’s lowpin up the lum.

Fluff! There he goes,

And there’s his brither;

And there’s anither and anither.

[Ali in OR]

"English major" here too. But like Jane, I'm more a mathy person by vocation--not a math major (industrial engineering), but a math teacher who took English classes for fun. And I do like to read the books my kids are assigned. And I am reading War and Peace--that's got to count for something. I do like to make sure I read at least one classic every year. That should always be a bingo square in my opinion.

 

Maybe you're a bona fide English major; maybe you're one at heart. Either way, you believe in books that have stood the test of time. You love to see what's on current school reading lists. You enjoy old classics and modern classics, as well as books about the reading life.

 

My recs below:

 

• Austen, Bronte, Dickens, Flaubert, Kafka, you name it
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
• My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead
• A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz
• Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman

[Lady Florida.]

 My favorite English classes were <snip> History of the Novel 

 

Jane, have you read Michael Schmidt's The Novel: A Biography?

 

ETA: I meant to also add that I started reading this with a Goodreads group a few years ago. They got bogged down in side reads of the books (some obscure) mentioned and I never finished reading it. I own it on the Kindle and plan to try and get back to it one of these days.

 

 

Don't bother with Wild.  I listened to the audio version when The Boy was on the AT--and stuck with it for that reason.  Self indulgent ugh.

 

I rarely return books, but that's one of only two I've ever returned to Audible. I didn't get far and it just seemed like so much navel gazing. Yes, ugh.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Ethel Mertz]

Remove Your Shoes … and Your Books 

Faculty groups alarmed by potential impact of new TSA plan for screening carry-on luggage.

 

Ugh. Pondering now which books to pack for a trip in July... 

[Jane in NC]

Jane, have you read Michael Schmidt's The Novel: A Biography?

 

ETA: I meant to also add that I started reading this with a Goodreads group a few years ago. They got bogged down in side reads of the books (some obscure) mentioned and I never finished reading it. I own it on the Kindle and plan to try and get back to it one of these days.

 

 

 

I rarely return books, but that's one of only two I've ever returned to Audible. I didn't get far and it just seemed like so much navel gazing. Yes, ugh.

 

No to Schmidt.  Had not heard of the book.

 

As noted previously, I only stuck with Wild since I was living vicariously through The Boy's adventure.  Later I learned that some serious hikers believe Strayed is a fraud. Whether or not she did walk 1000 miles of the PCT, she has unfortunately influenced a lot of people to hike stupidly.

 

My son has his eye on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail).  I think he is hoping that this past winter's snowfalll in the Sierra Nevada will keep the less serious hikers off the PCT for a bit. 

[ErinE]

Don't bother with Wild. I listened to the audio version when The Boy was on the AT--and stuck with it for that reason. Self indulgent ugh.

The movie was an ugh as well.

[Shawneinfl]

I'm an Explorer too! I have read two books on the list: Wild and To Kill a Mockingbird - now looking into the other three. I've put samples of At Home In the World and This is How it Always Is on my Kindle. Hoping that they are right about my preferences and I'll find a couple new authors.

 

I actually liked Wild but I don't think I'd care for the movie.

[aggieamy]

I got Escapist. No surprise there. 😄

 

If you're an Escapist, you believe that above all, reading is supposed to be FUN. You read because you enjoy it, but also because it helps you relax, especially when your real life feels crazy. You especially appreciate a book that feels impossible to put down.

 

I'm in Club Escapist. Makes sense! Especially when I see who else is in there.

 

 

 

I've been reading but nothing new or with much depth. I've been rereading a bunch of GH and Mary Balogh. Everything has to have a happily ever after right now.

 

Kareni - I think you posted a link last week (last month? Yesterday? I don't remember) with a bunch of Beta Hero's and that's basically become my to-read list for the near future. Thank you!

[Violet Crown]

Book serendipity! Dh just finished reading his chosen Scottish novel, How Late It Was, How Late by Glaswegian James Kelman, which won the Booker Prize in 1994. He was poking through my TBR stack -- and discovered one of my new Scottish books, George Mackay Brown's Beside the Ocean of Time was short-listed for the Booker the same year. So he's reading that, too. So he can decide if they made the right decision.

[Kareni]

Kareni - I think you posted a link last week (last month? Yesterday? I don't remember) with a bunch of Beta Hero's and that's basically become my to-read list for the near future. Thank you!

 

You are quite welcome!  I'll look forward to hearing more.

 

 

So what should you read next? Here are 5 picks for Explorers:

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed

 

 

My husband, the Aubrey/Maturin fan, read Wild.  I'm not sure if it's fair to say that he enjoyed it, but he did read it all and shared a few entertaining snippets. 

 

I got Escapist. No surprise there. 😄

 

I'm rather surprised that I ended up as Explorer.  I'd have thought I'd be an Escapist, too.

**

 

This afternoon I finished Alyssa Cole's historical romance An Extraordinary Union (The Loyal League) which I enjoyed.  I haven't read too many romances featuring women of color, so this was a step in that direction.  I started the book a couple of weeks ago and then put it down half read; I'm glad I resumed reading.

 

 

“Richly detailed setting, heart-stopping plot, and unforgettable characters.†—Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author

 

"As the Civil War rages between the states, a courageous pair of spies plunge fearlessly into a maelstrom of ignorance, deceit, and danger, combining their unique skills to alter the course of history and break the chains of the past . . .

 

Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South—to spy for the Union Army.

 

Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton's Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he’s facing his deadliest mission yet—risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia.

 

Two undercover agents who share a common cause—and an undeniable attraction—Malcolm and Elle join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy's favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, and fighting a fiery and forbidden love, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost—even if it means losing each other . . ."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

 

I've been reading but nothing new or with much depth. I've been rereading a bunch of GH and Mary Balogh. Everything has to have a happily ever after right now.

 

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  You've been in my thoughts, Amy.

[Kareni]

Here's a rather fun article ~ 

 

‘The Orphan and the Ogres’: Here’s The [Washington] Post’s original review of Harry Potter  by Michael Dirda

 

"Virtually all juvenile books are, at heart, stories of education, testing, and growing up. Little surprise then that the heroes of classic fairy tales and much contemporary YA fiction should resemble each other: “I am not really what I seem, not just another kid. I am special.†Isn’t this how we all feel when young? The insignificant woodcutter’s son actually is a prince; one day the Ugly Duckling awakens a swan. And 11-year-old Harry Potter, the bespectacled, orphaned boy abused by his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia Dursley -- not to mention their fat bullying offspring Dudley -- turns out to be very special indeed, though for a long time he doesn’t know it...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

 

We spent the weekend in the hospital.  Hubs had a strange gut issue (still figuring it out frankly, but he is home now and is scheduled for more tests).  He is a horrid patient btw.  I am sure you all have people like that in your lives.  Anyway, we remarked, often, how SLOW time goes in the hospital.  It's a time warp, you're on 2/3 speed, or slower.  I was able to finish his socks AND mark off a fair bit of Middlemarch but my goodness.  Not a preferred place to be at all!  But kayaking...or watching Old Faithful...

 

I hope he's doing better and you get (good) test results soon. 

 

 

Another booklist for your summer reading pleasure...

 

This one is books recommended in various TED talks.

 

http://ideas.ted.com/101-books-to-dive-into-this-summer-a-reading-list/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethit

I'm not sure of I should click the link or not.....

 

 

Also, English Major here. I laughed at the "love to see what's on current school reading lists" because I do this all the time. I usually snort in disappointment due to the lack of classics. 

 

 

Not much reading going on here. I have been distracted by youtube

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

Some interesting columns from Tor.com ~

 

Five Books About Psi Powers  by Daryl Gregory

 

“The Northern Thingâ€: Five Books Inspired by Norse Sagas  by Scott Oden

 

Five Tales in Which History Meets Horror  by Tobias Carroll

 

AND 

My Love Affair With Ancient Aliens  by Karin Tidbeck

 

Tradition and Superstition: The Jinn in the Family Closet  by Karuna Riazi

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

 

[Lady Florida.]

Oh man. We were just talking about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series...

 

Michael Nyqvist, ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ Star, Dies at 56

 

I thought he did a great job in his role as Mikael in the Swedish series of movies.

 

So young. :(

 

I never saw the American adaptation so he's the only version of Blomkvist I know.

[Angelaboord]

Hah, that was a fun quiz, but I had a hard time choosing which answer to check - on several of the questions there was more than one choice that seemed to work equally well. I got "The English Major" which is probably what I should have been . . . That was fun, thanks for sharing.

 

ETA: I've read all the "what should I read next" suggestions, so apparently it's right on!

I'm "The Explorer"... but I really felt like a lot of those questions should have come with "all of the above" options!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Robin M]

I keep wanting to participate in BaW mail by actually sending something but time in my head behaves differently than time in the real world. Did anyone see Doctor Who on Saturday? There was a ship escaping from a black hole. Time at one end of the ship had slowed down so much that minutes on that end of the ship equaled years at the other end of the ship. That's basically the way I think time runs vs. the way time really runs. One day you will all get mail from me.

Yes, we saw it. Poor Bill.

 

 

Karen - you can be an honorary member of club escapist!

 

 

Amy -  Yes, books and movies with happy endings and lots of rereads.   :grouphug:

 

Speaking of Master and Commander - just as soon as I decided to read instead of listen to it, seems to have disappeared in the black hole of our garage. James said I packed it with the other books.  Uh oh! 

 

Updated 52 Books postcard swap listed has been sent out.  Pm if any changes needed. 

[Loesje22000]

According the quiz I would be an escapist.

I'm not convinced I fit in for 100 % ;)

[LaughingCat]

 

I said I'd repost the War and Peace read-a-long list near the top of this week's post so it would be easier to find.  This is what I've got so far, feel free to tell me to add you. :)

Add me to the Maude translation please :)

 

Since my last post a while ago, I ended up devouring the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka -- funny because I was feeling iffy about it after the first one.  Waiting on the last from the library now.

Also read White Hot by Ilona Andrews -- enjoyed this quite a bit but not quite as much as the 1st one; looking forward to the next one in the series

Otherwise I've been reading a bit of this and a bit of that but nothing that really stood out to me.

[mumto2]

Add me to the Maude translation please :)

 

Since my last post a while ago, I ended up devouring the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka -- funny because I was feeling iffy about it after the first one. Waiting on the last from the library now.

Also read White Hot by Ilona Andrews -- enjoyed this quite a bit but not quite as much as the 1st one; looking forward to the next one in the series

Otherwise I've been reading a bit of this and a bit of that but nothing that really stood out to me.

Now I know who started my Benedict Jacka addiction! I've only read two but have really enjoyed them so thank you. Waiting for room in my library account to get the third.......

 

Eta....just got to check Taken (book 3) out. Really happy because I now have a T for Alexandrite. Several of my planned reads for that have been on hold. I have been next in line the entire month for a couple....at least one will work for Ruby so it's fine overall. Another works for Bingo. Lol ;)

Edited June 28, 2017 by mumto2

[Guest]

I'm excited because I have two "pearls" on hold for me at the library to pick up today. I have The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck and The Girl With the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.

 

I'm reading In the Garden of Stone at the moment, but it's hard to get into this book. I might abandon once I have picked up my two "pearls." 😊

[Lady Florida.]

I'm excited because I have two "pearls" on hold for me at the library to pick up today. I have The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck and The Girl With the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.

I read The Good Earth for my pearl book and read The Girl With the Pearl Earring years ago. Two very different books but I enjoyed both. 

 

 

I need to start The Nightingale for my IRL book club. It's not that I don't want to read it but I don't want to put my other books aside to spend time on it.

[Mothersweets]

 

 

Abandoned

Queen of Hearts - Audible audio version. This is #8 in the Her Royal Spyness series and I've been enjoying the books, all on audio, until now. There's no character growth. No one changes, no one moves forward, and some of the relationships are getting tiring. It's a shame because I found it to be such a fun series at first. 

 

 

I listened to this earlier this year and I did manage to finish it but feel much the same as you. And will she just get rid of Queenie already?!

 

 

 

From the quiz - I got  English major but could've answered in a few different ways for many of the questions. 

[Matryoshka]

Add me to the Maude translation please :)

 

You're added. :)

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~

 

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser

 

"The controversial classic novel of a young woman’s journey from poverty to stardom in capitalist America.
 
Dissatisfied with life in rural Wisconsin, eighteen-year-old Carrie Meeber travels to Chicago. With no money or prospects, her only means of survival is a job in a squalid factory—until Charlie Drouet, a charming, well-dressed man, offers to take her to dinner.
 
Lavishing her with gifts, fine clothes, and her own apartment, Charlie introduces Carrie to a life of wealth and sophistication far removed from the Victorian moralizing of her youth. But when Carrie begins an affair with another man—and a career as an actress—her ambitions and desires reach far beyond what Charlie, or any man, can offer.
 
Later adapted into the Academy Award–nominated film Carrie, starring Laurence Olivier, Sister Carrie is widely considered “one of the landmark novels of the twentieth century†and a masterpiece of literary realism (The New York Times). But when it was first published in 1900, it stirred controversy for its depiction of female sexuality. In his Nobel Prize speech, Sinclair Lewis declared that “Sister Carrie . . . came to housebound and airless America like a great free Western wind, and to our stuffy domesticity gave us the first fresh air since Mark Twain and Whitman.â€"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

A brief heat wave coincided with a couple of days off, so I kept cool by reading a couple of cozy mysteries set in cool, northern climes.

 

Of Books and Bagpipes is set in Edinburgh in November, complete with rain, kilts and historical reenactments at old, moody castles. I'm not a big fan of cozies in general, but this was a pleasant diversion -- a definite escape --  with a heroine sensible enough to keep in contact with the police. (I hate characters acting foolishly simply to serve the plot!) I think it would be enjoyed by the cozy mystery fans here like Aggieamy, and mumto2. 

 

I grabbed Death on a Longship simply because it is set in the Shetland Islands, a favorite destination in my armchair travels. It the first in a series which Nan and her mom might enjoy as the heroine is a sailor, as is the author, and the series is actually called the Shetland Sailing mysteries. The longship is a replica Viking longship, but Cass, the heroine lives on her own sailboat which she uses instead of a car to get from place to place. Loved the nautical details. The author even has lots of photos on her website of the Shetlands and the kind of boat the heroine owns. (Was having trouble linking the exact page -- if you are interested click on "Cass's Shetland".)  It was a pretty good mystery, and could be considered "cozy" as the heroine is NOT a cop or detective and the murder wasn't too gruesome either.

 

 

[Onceuponatime]

I'm browsing this thread because my 18yo just drove off for his very first formal class away from home and I need to think about something else. He has anxiety, so I am anxious. He is well prepared and I know he'll be fine, but I also know he thinks he might not. My fourth child to spread his wings and fly, it doesn't feel any easier.

 

I took the silly test and I got social reader: "If you're a social reader, book talk is a key part of your reading experience. The discussion helps you clarify your thoughts, sometimes changes your mind, and is always a good time. You're likely to get your book recommendations from your real-life friends, your actual book club, and Oprah."

 

Oprah doesn't influence me, but my book clubs do. 😊 I very rarely get to talk about books in real life. Most people I know don't read, or don't read the same kind of books I do. However, I still find ways to sneak book talk into a lot of conversations.

Edited June 28, 2017 by Onceuponatime

[Kareni]

Yesterday I finished Jennifer Willis' science fiction romance Mars Ho! (Mars Adventure Romance Series Book 1)  which was a light read that is best approached with a willing suspension of disbelief.  I doubt that I'll re-read this, but if the sequel happens my way, I'd give it a go.  This book is currently free for Kindle readers.

 

 

"What would you do for a one-way trip to Mars?

Lori Ridgway entered the Mars Ho reality show for the chance to be one of the first corporate-sponsored colonists on Mars. But she didn’t anticipate the chaotic, meat-market atmosphere that has candidates competing on everything from flirting to life-and-death in the airlock.

She certainly didn’t expect Mark Lauren—handsome, intelligent, one of the strongest competitors, and an infuriating stickler for the rules.

As rivals and potential partners on Mars, can Mark and Lori pull together to survive the competition? Or will mistrust, manufactured drama, and an endless supply of unpalatable protein paste keep them apart?

Mars Ho! is the first book in the spicy M.A.R.S. sci-fi romance series."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

These books are currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

 

I'll repeat this one since I enjoyed it ~ A Different Blue  by Amy Harmon

**

 

for young adults ~  The Society  by Jodie Andrefski

 

"A thoughtful, sensitively drawn examination of bullying, revenge, and personal responsibility." KIRKUS Reviews

**

 

The Complete Father Brown Mysteries by G. K. Chesterton

 

There seems to be disagreement in the comments as to what constitutes 'complete.'

**

 

When Women Were Warriors  by Catherine M. Wilson

 

"The strong, supple prose on display in all three novels, the intelligence of the plotting, and the skillfully varied pacing make this a standout trilogy--highly recommended"
--from a review by the Historical Novel Society

 

"Think Beowulf--only comprehensible and with girls."
--from a review on the blog, The Rainbow Reader, by Baxter Clare Trautman

**

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Guest]

Here's a rather fun article ~

 

‘The Orphan and the Ogres’: Here’s The [Washington] Post’s original review of Harry Potter by Michael Dirda

 

"Virtually all juvenile books are, at heart, stories of education, testing, and growing up. Little surprise then that the heroes of classic fairy tales and much contemporary YA fiction should resemble each other: “I am not really what I seem, not just another kid. I am special.†Isn’t this how we all feel when young? The insignificant woodcutter’s son actually is a prince; one day the Ugly Duckling awakens a swan. And 11-year-old Harry Potter, the bespectacled, orphaned boy abused by his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia Dursley -- not to mention their fat bullying offspring Dudley -- turns out to be very special indeed, though for a long time he doesn’t know it...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

As the resident Potterhead, it was charming to read that article. Although they misspelled Voldemort...

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I'm an Explorer, too. 

 

Re: Wild - I read the book while I was preparing for my AT adventure. It was "meh".  The book I was surprised that so many people liked was Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. I found his historical accounts quite boring and his hiking story was sub par; he didn't even finish the trail and drove quite a bit of it. The movie wasn't that great either and, like Wild, brought way too many people without the proper knowledge or preparation out on the trail. The AT conservancy and Leave No Trace are still dealing the backlash from both of those movies. 

 

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I carried W&P with me to my tennis match yesterday. I optimistically thought I would read on the one hour drive to the courts. I was happily distracted by my team mates. We did talk about book clubs, books, current reads, etc so at least it was a literary trip.

 

Edited June 28, 2017 by Scoutermom

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I cant find the post about joining the postcard group. Was that last week? Should I search?

[Jane in NC]

I cant find the post about joining the postcard group. Was that last week? Should I search?

 

Send Robin a PM with your contact info.  She can add you to the list.