Book a Week 2017 - BW27: Scifi July

[mumto2]

Thanks to mumof2 and Tress:

My first crochet project: Hygge

https://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Loesje22000/457037507/IMG_1161_medium2.JPG

 

 

Wow!!! It's beautiful. I have to agree that it doesn't look like a first project at all. Those youtube videos are obviously awesome. I made a baby blanket for dd using that technique and it turned out pretty bad so I know how much work that was.

 

 

 

Stopping by to ask all the BaW aunties to send good thoughts to the weather gods in Southern Japan. My ds texted yesterday that the streets were beginning to flood around him, but haven't heard from him since --  though we aren't worried as he isn't in the specific towns mentioned so far in the news stories. It was just a surprise to see a news story then realize, oh, that is where my son lives!!

 

At the half way point in War and Peace and otherwise busy with life. Will check in later!

Sending hugs and prayers his way.

 

I did finish Benedict Jacka's Taken this morning. Loved it. I'm currently reading The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths. It's the latest in a favourite series that features an archaeologist who is a professor in Norfolk. No need to read every single book in the series but they should be read in order or there would be way too many spoilers in the on going storylines!

[Penguin]

Thanks to mumof2 and Tress:

 

My first crochet project: Hygge

 

https://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Loesje22000/457037507/IMG_1161_medium2.JPG

That is gorgeous :) I remember when you started it, but I didn't realize that it was your first project. I am still struggling to learn, but I will keep trying.

[Kareni]

My first crochet project: Hygge

 

https://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Loesje22000/457037507/IMG_1161_medium2.JPG

 

Congratulations!  That looks lovely.

 

Stopping by to ask all the BaW aunties to send good thoughts to the weather gods in Southern Japan. My ds texted yesterday that the streets were beginning to flood around him, but haven't heard from him since --  though we aren't worried as he isn't in the specific towns mentioned so far in the news stories. It was just a surprise to see a news story then realize, oh, that is where my son lives!!

 

Sending good thoughts to those weather gods.  Let us know when you hear from your son.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Penguin]

Stopping by to ask all the BaW aunties to send good thoughts to the weather gods in Southern Japan. My ds texted yesterday that the streets were beginning to flood around him, but haven't heard from him since -- though we aren't worried as he isn't in the specific towns mentioned so far in the news stories. It was just a surprise to see a news story then realize, oh, that is where my son lives!!

 

At the half way point in War and Peace and otherwise busy with life. Will check in later!

Dear weather gods, please bring some sunny and calm weather to Southern Japan. I hope you hear good news from him soon, Jenn W.

[theelfqueen]

I love this! What a great idea!

 

Where did you get the star rating stamp?

 

It's a stamp from Kelly Purkey stamps but I think it's discontinued.

[theelfqueen]

Rose, I keep meaning to say congratulations to Shannon! What a fun read that was.

 

 

 

I've often heard that if you want to read HP but can't seem to get into it, start with the 4th book. That seems strange to me because as you said, it's the first one that doesn't give you all the backstory, but apparently it works for many. 

 

Mermaids - While she can't swim in it, I crocheted a mermaid tail blanket for my then 7.5 yo great-niece the Christmas before last. It was a special request as she was really into mermaids at the time.

 

I only ever made it into the third one LOL

[Kareni]

I stumbled across this 2013 post from Tor.com that some here may enjoy given the Harry Potter discussion ~

 

Everyone Should Want to Be A Hufflepuff, Or, Stop the Hogwarts House-Hate  by Emily Asher-Perrin

 

"In a rare annotated copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling commented that she wondered if people would have thought differently of Hufflepuff House had she gone with her original instinct and made their mascot a bear rather than a badger. It’s an interesting thought, sure, but probably would have only led to droves of Winnie the Pooh comparisons, with pictures of Hufflepuffs holding their hands to their heads and shouting “Think!†over and over.

 

While Slytherin and Hufflepuff both have their share of intensely dedicated fans, it’s no secret that among the general Potter-reading population, most would prefer to be a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw. Why? Do people prefer lions and ravens? Red and blue? Or is it something a little less obvious… perhaps something to do with the attributes awarded to each house, and the values we place on them as a culture?..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[strawberries]

That's fun. I will have to show the article to my ds.

 

On Pottermore, they have quizzes to sort you into your house & such. My ds is a Hufflepuff (which fits him immensely well), but he was much happier when he recently found out that The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) is also apparently a Hufflepuff. :lol:

 

DD is a proud Hufflepuff. She'll be pleased to hear that the voice of Maui is in her house. :)

[JennW in SoCal]

Sounds like it is still raining hard but no floods or evacuations in the area where my ds lives. School is in session, too. Not sure my ds was aware of the international press coverage, which is why his parents and brother were texting things like "Holy cow! Are you ok?!"

 

My fiddle and I are off on an adventure over the weekend, so I'll be lurking when I can but might not post. I've got the second half of War and Peace on audible, socks on my knitting needles, and in case neither of those keeps me entertained, I found News of the World at Costco last week and bought it since I'm about #2,436 on the library wait list. Might be a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea. 

[Penguin]

As I was packing for my month-long trip to NC, I had to make a decision about W&P. It did not make the cut, so I suppose this is my official withdrawal notice from the read-a-long. It goes back on my TBR list. I realized that reading it "behind schedule" was going to just frustrate me and possibly subject me to spoilers. This way, I can just scroll past the discussion and by the time I get around to reading it, I will have forgotten any spoilers. 

 

Right now, I want to focus on finishing my Bingo card /Goodreads challenge and foreign language studies. And start reading for the 2017-2018 school year. 

 

In the bag:

 

Laurus by Evgenij Vodolazkin (which continues to delight - review will follow)

Ronja Røverdatter (Danish version of Astrid Lindgren's Ronia the Robber's Daughter)

Brødrene Løvehjerte (Danish version of Astrid Lindgren's The Brother's Lionheart)

History of Danish Dreams by Peter Høeg (in English)

Walden

 

Learning Russian 

Lingua Latina

Grammatik i Brug (Danish grammar workbook)

DS's Algebra II textbook TM (because we are still finishing up math for this year)

DS's 2017-2018 Precalc textbook

 

Various and sundry notebooks and preferred writing instruments

 

 

All of the above are physical books. So obviously, I am driving not flying. Now that the important stuff has been decided, I will see if there is room in the car for anything else of mine. :lol:

 

Edited July 6, 2017 by Penguin

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic mystery for Kindle readers ~

 

The Chase of the Golden Plate by Jacques Futrelle 

 

"Mistaken identity and intrigue abound in this classic mystery tale

In the midst of a high-society masquerade ball, someone pulls off a daring heist. Several gold plates have been stolen, their value estimated at $15,000. Even more shocking is the fact that the crime seems to have been committed by a guest attired as a burglar, the costume complete with a loaded revolver! Hiding in plain sight, the thief escapes with his loot and drives off with his beautiful blond accomplice. What follows is a gripping tale of romance, honor, and mystery featuring the beloved Professor Van Dusen, better known as “the Thinking Machine.â€"

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

Here's a fascinating list that I believe a number of you will find of interest ~

 

22 Ambassadors Recommend the One Book to Read Before Visiting Their Country

 

"Preparing for a visit to a foreign country can often be overwhelming, with no shortage of things to learn before you go. Where should you eat? Where should you stay? What do you tip? More so than this service information, though, is a sense of cultural understanding that’s hard to put your finger on. With this in mind, language learning app Babbel asked foreign ambassadors to the U.S. to pick the book they believe first-time visitors to their country should read before they arrive. Their answers may surprise you." – Condé Nast Traveler (h/t The Digital Reader)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I just finished book two in a fantasy trilogy, and now I want to read book three.  My library owns only the first two volumes.  Drats!  The book I just read is Gail Dayton's The Barbed Rose.  If interested, you should definitely begin with the first book in the series, The Compass Rose. 

 

Here's the description for The Barbed Rose:

 

"Demons are coming. One woman has been chosen to face them…

 

Demon hordes still threaten the Kingdom while open rebellion has broken out within its cities, separating Kallista from her new family.

 

Assassination attempts, magical attacks—she's surrounded by devastation unlike anything she's ever known, and her unique magic power no longer works as it should. Yet her own pain must yield to the needs of her country, for this military mage is charged with searching the four directions of the world for the other "Godmarked"—the only ones who can help her keep demon invaders from shattering her world. But can she find them in time?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

Here's a fascinating list that I believe a number of you will find of interest ~

 

22 Ambassadors Recommend the One Book to Read Before Visiting Their Country

 

"Preparing for a visit to a foreign country can often be overwhelming, with no shortage of things to learn before you go. Where should you eat? Where should you stay? What do you tip? More so than this service information, though, is a sense of cultural understanding that’s hard to put your finger on. With this in mind, language learning app Babbel asked foreign ambassadors to the U.S. to pick the book they believe first-time visitors to their country should read before they arrive. Their answers may surprise you." – Condé Nast Traveler (h/t The Digital Reader)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

That was awesome!

[Butter]

I ran out of likes somewhere on the second page.  Consider yourselves liked :)

 

This week I've finished 3 books so far.

 

I read Young Marian's Adventures in Sherwood Forest by Stephen Mooser to the boys.  Marian was supposed to be this amazing kick butt role model, but I found her to be utterly annoying.  My husband heard me reading it to the boys several evenings.  Sometimes he's in the room when I'm putting them to be, sometimes he's not.  After I finished, he said he didn't like it because it was so far off the actual Robin Hood stories and would actually make it so the Robin Hood stories could never happen.  Maybe that's just reading way too much into them, but I was quite disappointed with the book.

 

I read Bundle of Trouble by Diana Orgain.  It's part of the maternal instincts series (cozy mysteries).  I've read several of the series but never had gotten around to the first one where the baby was born and the mom started to become a PI.  It was cute, but I kept thinking that she really should go buy some breast pads.  It was actually kind of distracting just how often her leaking breasts were mentioned.  Otherwise, it was very cute just like all the others in the series.

 

Yesterday I read The Roman and the Runaway by AJ Braithwaite.  It's a short book.  Judging by the content (one person pregnant due to a one night stand and another running away because her mother's boyfriend touches her inappropriately) it's aimed at teens/young adults.  The Roman is a boy at a boarding school in England (his house is the Romans - do schools in England really have houses and names like that? very Harry Potter-esque).  He gets to know the runaway.  The ending is very sweet, mostly happily ever after.

 

Random thought.  At our church's 4th of July picnic, I was thinking how it's kind of unfair to be an adult and have all these etiquette rules.  I don't enjoy crowds.  I much prefer small groups.  When there are tons of people it's a little overwhelming to me and I need some recharge time after (can you say: introvert lol).  In group situations inevitably there will be a kid/teen sitting and reading.  And I'm kind of jealous because I can't do that because I'm an adult and it would look rude.  But I'd really rather be reading.

 

What are you reading this week?

 

I'm reading Ultraviolet by RJ Anderson.  I just started it last night so I'm only a couple chapters in.  It sucked me in right away.  Someone on here recommended it some time ago.  Having a daughter with synesthesia, it is extra interesting to me.  I suspect she'd like this book, too.  She got rather excited when I said the chapters are labeled by number and color.  Numbers don't have colors for her, though, they have personalities.

 

I am also reading Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner to the boys for their bedtime story.  The chapters are SOOOO long.  Literally 10% of the book and taking over an hour each to read out loud.  I'm having to break them up for reading each night.  Fritz is not impressed with the long chapters.  He said authors should know not to do that lol

 

I had great great grandparents who emigrated from Bohemia in the 1860's or 70's and I really know very little about Bohemia, but I'm curious to learn more through reading. I really need to find a history book or something from or about 19th century Bohemia,

 

My husband's great-grandfather immigrated from Bohemia in 1905.  He was VERY adamant that he was from Bohemia and there is one record we've found where he crossed out Austria and replaced it with Bohemia (many people who were actually from Bohemia were mislabeled as being from Austria).  He was born in Turnov which is now in the Czech Republic.  We have a very unique last name.  There just aren't many in the world with this last name (and, yet, two sports stars and a famous architect have it!).  Most are still in the Czech Republic in the same general area.  Jamie's great-grandfather's WWI draft card gives the reason he could not serve in the US military as he is subject to the kind of Bohemia.  He was naturalized in the 20s.  I'd love to go visit the area some time.  I've heard it's beautiful.

 

The William Tell Overture (Lone Ranger theme to some of you) and our big finale was to be the 1812. I was stoked. There were no canons in the park, no fireworks planned, but the conductor said not to worry, he had a brilliant plan to create the sound of a firing canon. Yeah, right. His brilliant plan???

 

 

 

--wait for it ---

 

 

 

 

 

Using a handgun to fire blanks into a metal trash can!!!! :lol:  :smilielol5:  :rofl:     And guess what it sounded like??  Someone shooting into to a metal trash can!  We got "CLANK!" instead of boom!  

 

Oh. My.

 

Though this post prompted me to have Alexa play the William Tell Overture and the 1812 Overture and then I asked her for Bolero and now she's just playing me random classical music.  It's quite pleasant.

 

I need to get started on A Separate Peace by John Knowles, for my bookclub meeting on Thursday.

 

I HATED that book when I read it in 9th grade.  BUT, I was 14.  I often wonder if I just simply didn't understand it and if I would like it better today.  Or if it was like The Red Badge of Courage which the best I could say for it reading it as an adult was it was short.

[Butter]

Apparently, I quoted too many people so the forum made me split my post LOL

 

Here's the deal, guys, I now have over 15 print books and 8 Kindle books sitting in my queue. I have four started. I am not the type of person who can have multiple books going at the same time. I simply must follow the story to the conclusion. How do you handle having so many books waiting for your attention? Each book has unique aspects that make me want to read THAT one right now.  It's a tad overwhelming (but what a pleasant overwhelm it is).

 

I usually read one book at a time, but sometimes I don't.  It really depends on my mood.  Well, I guess I do have more than one going at a time all the time, but that's because one is whatever I'm reading to myself and one is whatever I am reading to the boys for their bedtime story.  Then if I am reading a book that takes a little extra brain power and ends in reading fatigue or is just really, really long (some classics, deep non-fiction, anything by Michener), I'll read a little at a time in that one as well.  Like right now I also have Don Quixote and Texas (by Michener) on my Kindle part-way through them both.  So while I am reading them currently, I'm not really actively reading them.  But then, sometimes, I just feel like reading multiple books at a time.  So I'll read a chapter or two of one book, then the next, then the next, and so on in a cycle.  Eventually, I'll get to a point where I want to finish one book so I will.  I really have no rhyme or reason to how I read I guess.  I'm all over the place.  Maybe it really depends on how ADD I'm feeling at the time.

 

I finished the first book of my 2017 reading journal, now working in the second:

 

https://goo.gl/photos/q98phMnDvPuQcFdX8

 

That is amazing!  I love it!

 

Remember that reading fiction is *good* for you!

 

I go through periods of time where I read a whole lot of non-fiction and then I'll read a whole ton of fiction.  The truth is, though, sometimes we really need a mind vacation.  I actually find I read more overall if I allow myself a few no need to think at all books in there every now and again.

 

True confession time: I can't listen to audio books as I fall asleep every. single. time. I also find that I crave fiction as a sort of palate cleanse between heavier books.

 

Same.  On both counts.  When I was a little kid I learned to read at age 3 (taught by my 6-year-old sister using an old from the late 60s/early 70s Hooked on Phonics!).  I was reading chapter books by 4.  Yes, I am weird.  But my mom still read to me because she liked to (she still reads aloud to my dad regularly).  I'm the youngest, so it was just me and maybe my older sister she was reading to.  I HATED it.  So I'd sit next to her on the couch and read over her shoulder and we both got what we wanted.  So I figure it's just the way I was made that makes me hate audio books.  The exception to the fall asleep listening to audio books thing is if I have something else occupying my time.  My daughter's room has multi-colored triangles on the walls.  Because of the texture of the walls, I had to edge each triangle by hand.  And she's got a big room.  So it took about 40 hours and the majority of that time was spent listening to the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix audiobook.  It made finishing her walls much more bearable.

 

Happy 4th of July to those in the US!

 

One time I asked my MIL, who is British, what she learned about the American Revolution in school.  She thought about it and said it was just another war in a long list of wars.  Such a lesson on perspective.  To us in United States the Revolution is so important, but to the guys we fought, well, it was just another colonial loss.

 

In all of my reading of classic and historic fiction, this may be the first time I read of "the creaking of her corset". 

 

That sounds painful lol

 

I finished Economics Through Everday Life. I think Butter was the one who mentioned it here? I don't love Economics as a subject, but I've finally embraced the fact that it's probably worth spending a semester on. This is a clear, serviceable introduction to the major topics that doesn't lean either left or right - it tries to present definition and let you make up your own mind. I think we'll use it along with Crash Course videos and Economix.

 

Yes!  Glad you enjoyed it!

 

Between last night & most of today, I finished the 4th Harry Potter book. While I loved the first three, I enjoyed this one the most. 

 

I'll be interested to see what you think of the remaining 3.  #5 is my favorite, but #4 is my *least* favorite.  Until I read Order of the Phoenix, Azkaban was my favorite.  I just didn't really enjoy Goblet.

 

My first crochet project: Hygge

https://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Loesje22000/457037507/IMG_1161_medium2.JPG

 

Your FIRST?  Wow!  Great job!

 

While Slytherin and Hufflepuff both have their share of intensely dedicated fans, it’s no secret that among the general Potter-reading population, most would prefer to be a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw. Why? Do people prefer lions and ravens? Red and blue? Or is it something a little less obvious… perhaps something to do with the attributes awarded to each house, and the values we place on them as a culture?..."

 

It's all about the attributes, IMO.  Gryffindor are strong and brave.  Ravenclaw are very intelligent.  Slytherin tend toward the nasty.  Hufflepuff are a little loosey goosey and flighty.  My best friend and I took a whole bunch of Which House Are You? quizzes like you do and she always got Hufflepuff and I always got Ravenclaw.  She has never read the books or seen the movies, but I told her that even though people often laugh at Hufflepuff, in the end, when it mattered, they were there behind Harry fighting, too.  They were brave and they were smart even if those aren't the first things you think of when you think of Hufflepuff.

 

Eddie Redmayne and Newt Scamander are Hufflepuff and he did a PSA. https://www.bustle.com/articles/195370-eddie-redmaynes-hufflepuff-psa-will-break-your-hufflepuff-heart-video  I figure we should listen to Eddie Redmayne because he did, after all, almost make me like Marius (until I read the actual book and went back to hating him again).

[Jane in NC]

Here's a fascinating list that I believe a number of you will find of interest ~

 

22 Ambassadors Recommend the One Book to Read Before Visiting Their Country

 

"Preparing for a visit to a foreign country can often be overwhelming, with no shortage of things to learn before you go. Where should you eat? Where should you stay? What do you tip? More so than this service information, though, is a sense of cultural understanding that’s hard to put your finger on. With this in mind, language learning app Babbel asked foreign ambassadors to the U.S. to pick the book they believe first-time visitors to their country should read before they arrive. Their answers may surprise you." – Condé Nast Traveler (h/t The Digital Reader)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Thank you--that was interesting.

 

One of our hiking guides in Iceland also highly recommended Independent People by Laxness, coupled with the advice, "Don't give up.  The book is worth it."

 

This is another in my TBR pile.

[mumto2]

Heather, Before I forget schools in England do have houses for Secondary. Not all but some both government funded and private. That being said since I home educated both my kids I have very little understanding of it but the names are odd, the Romans sounds totally possible.

 

Years ago one of dd's friends who was a year older started secondary at the government school which is our catchment, so very probably where my kids would have gone. It was brand new (that meant new building with a new name) and first year open. I remember asking lots of questions because of a vague potential to put dd in school and she was divided into a multiyear house with a cute name. She also agreed it was rather like HP without the hat. ;) She was thrilled with her house and had an assigned big sister to help her adjust.

 

I finished That Summer by Lauren Willig on audio. I ended up enjoying the story but it had several pretty glaring things wrong in terms of living in England which irritated me greatly at the start. I would rate it as reasonably good fluff. A woman inherits a home in London from an unknown Aunt. She had been raised in New York after her mother's death when she was five. Goes to London to sell the house and becomes immersed in the mystery of her ancestors and a work of Pre Raphaelite artist. Totally fictional but entertaining after I got used to it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21556708-that-summer

[Butter]

Heather, Before I forget schools in England do have houses for Secondary. Not all but some both government funded and private. That being said since I home educated both my kids I have very little understanding of it but the names are odd, the Romans sounds totally possible.

 

That is so cool!  I figured JK Rowling must not have invented it, but you never know.  In The Roman and the Runaway, the four houses are Romans, Vikings, Saxons, and Normans.  Their common rooms were the Forum, Longhouse, Stockade, and Keep.

[Matryoshka]

Here's a fascinating list that I believe a number of you will find of interest ~

 

22 Ambassadors Recommend the One Book to Read Before Visiting Their Country

 

"Preparing for a visit to a foreign country can often be overwhelming, with no shortage of things to learn before you go. Where should you eat? Where should you stay? What do you tip? More so than this service information, though, is a sense of cultural understanding that’s hard to put your finger on. With this in mind, language learning app Babbel asked foreign ambassadors to the U.S. to pick the book they believe first-time visitors to their country should read before they arrive. Their answers may surprise you." – Condé Nast Traveler (h/t The Digital Reader)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

That is indeed a great list, Kareni!  I've read a couple, and a couple more were already on my TR list, but I've now gone and added most of the rest to it. :)

 

ETA: And I'm totally using that Estonian one for my "Translated from a language you have not previously read in translation" Big Bingo square. :D

Edited July 6, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

...  The Roman is a boy at a boarding school in England (his house is the Romans - do schools in England really have houses and names like that? very Harry Potter-esque).  ...

 

I attended a day school in Jamaica for one year in the seventies.  The school was modeled after the British system; there were prefects and the school had a Head Boy and Head Girl.  There was even a set of steps that, according to the school rules, only the Head Boy and Girl were permitted to use -- ha!  I was in fourth form, and studied for O-levels.  And, yes, we were sorted into houses.  Since it was a day school, my strongest recollection of the houses is that we competed against each other on Sports Day.  Given that I came in last in the walking race, I do not think I was a benefit to my house!  I have a vague memory that the houses were named after famous colleges; I think I was in McGill.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Onceuponatime]

 

I HATED that book when I read it in 9th grade. BUT, I was 14. I often wonder if I just simply didn't understand it and if I would like it better today. Or if it was like The Red Badge of Courage which the best I could say for it reading it as an adult was it was short.

I finished today and I wasn't very fond of it either. After the pivotal event, I kept waiting for something to redeem it. No such luck. I also was grateful it was over fairly quickly.

 

 

 

I'm currently reading Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz and enjoying it so far.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I finished The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs. I loved this book (5 stars) and highly recommend it if you are looking for an emotional read. Nina was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and chose to write about her experience with 'one small spot'. The memoir is a humorous look at cancer, cancer treatment, living, and dying. I went through every conceivable emotion while reading Bright. I'm going back through the book and writing down a few of her more poignant insights. I'm also giving it to my DD to read.

[Butter]

I attended a day school in Jamaica for one year in the seventies.  The school was modeled after the British system; there were prefects and the school had a Head Boy and Head Girl.  There was even a set of steps that, according to the school rules, only the Head Boy and Girl were permitted to use -- ha!  I was in fourth form, and studied for O-levels.  And, yes, we were sorted into houses.  Since it was a day school, my strongest recollection of the houses is that we competed against each other on Sports Day.  Given that I came in last in the walking race, I do not think I was a benefit to my house!  I have a vague memory that the houses were named after famous colleges; I think I was in McGill.

 

Oh!  This reminds me of another question.  In the book, the boy was in Year 9.  It was an all boys school, but girls were permitted to attend in Sixth Form.  A girl who was also Year 9, after moving to the village, would have to attend the local high school for a couple years before she could attend the boarding school.  Can someone translate what Year 9 and what Sixth Form is equivalent to in the American educational system of kindergarten through twelfth grade?

[mumto2]

I finished today and I wasn't very fond of it either. After the pivotal event, I kept waiting for something to redeem it. No such luck. I also was grateful it was over fairly quickly.

I'm currently reading Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz and enjoying it so far.

Magpie Murders is a book I have on hold so I am glad to hear you are enjoying it!

 

Oh! This reminds me of another question. In the book, the boy was in Year 9. It was an all boys school, but girls were permitted to attend in Sixth Form. A girl who was also Year 9, after moving to the village, would have to attend the local high school for a couple years before she could attend the boarding school. Can someone translate what Year 9 and what Sixth Form is equivalent to in the American educational system of kindergarten through twelfth grade?

As I said we never quite moved into the system and have always needed help to fill out paperwork for contests so I wouldn't somehow mess them up. Pretty sure I have this right, my kids are in bed already. ;) Years are very determined by birthdate. No holding back, skipping years etc. Pretty much you tell someone your child's birthday and they know which year.

 

Sixth form means in College so US equivalent of grades 11 and 12. Grade 11 is the AS level exams and Grade 12 A level. Year 9 would be grade 8, basically the year before they start prepping for GCSE exams, which is year 10 and 11.

 

Eta....This is how confused I was when we first moved....We saw Colleges all over and I thought they had an incredible number of Community Colleges. No, I just kept seeing high schools. :lol: Now some offer what in the US might be a degree like a Community College might offer many are your run of the mill high school. In many cases Secondary and College are in one school.

Edited July 6, 2017 by mumto2

[Kareni]

Oh!  This reminds me of another question.  In the book, the boy was in Year 9.  It was an all boys school, but girls were permitted to attend in Sixth Form.  A girl who was also Year 9, after moving to the village, would have to attend the local high school for a couple years before she could attend the boarding school.  Can someone translate what Year 9 and what Sixth Form is equivalent to in the American educational system of kindergarten through twelfth grade?

 

When I went to Jamaica, I'd just finished 10th grade in the US.  The Jamaican school deliberated whether to put me in fourth or fifth form.  They ultimately decided on fourth form because students could choose to leave school after taking their O-levels in fifth form.  O-levels stands for, I believe, Ordinary levels.  Studying for O-levels was a two year process so being put into fifth form would have had me being put into the middle of a two year program.  The school's logic was to put me into the class that might have me doing two additional years of study (akin to 11th and 12th grades).

 

If students continued on for their A- (Advanced levels) that would require an additional two years of study in the sixth form. 

 

Fourth form was the fourth year of study after six years at the lower school.  So, in one sense it was year ten of school.  Adding fifth form and two years of sixth form would make for thirteen years of study.

 

It's possible that the Jamaican system is not quite analogous to the British system, so I'll be interested to hear what others may say.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

When I went to Jamaica, I'd just finished 10th grade in the US. The Jamaican school deliberated whether to put me in fourth or fifth form. They ultimately decided on fourth form because students could choose to leave school after taking their O-levels in fifth form. O-levels stands for, I believe, Ordinary levels. Studying for O-levels was a two year process so being put into fifth form would have had me being put into the middle of a two year program. The school's logic was to put me into the class that might have me doing two additional years of study (akin to 11th and 12th grades).

 

If students continued on for their A- (Advanced levels) that would require an additional two years of study in the sixth form.

 

Fourth form was the fourth year of study after six years at the lower school. So, in one sense it was year ten of school. Adding fifth form and two years of sixth form would make for thirteen years of study.

 

It's possible that the Jamaican system is not quite analogous to the British system, so I'll be interested to hear what others may say.

 

Regards,

Kareni

Let me do a bit of translation......O levels (old name, think these phased out in the 80's) equal Gcse essentially. The exam system is undergoing a major change with the phase in for the new gcse being this year. Dd's bf is very panicked about the new numerical system.....1 to 10 with 9 being the highest in the preliminary year. These new exams keep being referred to as bringing back the O levels because they were much more harder.

 

Key Stages I believe translate to 4th and 5th forms. In year 9 I think they do KS 3.....it definitely comes right before gcse work.

 

I need to go to bed. Will check in tomorrow! :)

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Chrysalis Academy]

Btw, if anyone wants my copy of Snow Crash, let me know & I'll put it in the mail for you.

 

I'm in, if nobody else wants it - your review didn't make me take it off my TR list, in any event!  ;)  It's one of the titles in the Great Course Utopian/Dystopian Lit class that we are doing for English next year, so I will definitely plan on taking a stab at it, and I have noted that I need to persist past the first 200 pages. The graphic violence is offputting, but the concept sounds really fascinating.

[Mothersweets]

Rose, congratulations to Shannon!  Such a fun read, and so encouraging.

 

Regarding reading serially, multiply, or monogamously...I am in the middle camp usually, not even caring if I have many plates of the same genre spinning in the air at once.  I think it's how I (have been but not lately) put so many in the "read" camp in the last few years.  But now?  I am TRYING very hard to just have TWO books going. It's so hard because I get distracted...

 

Squirrel!

 

...by leaping between all. the. good. books. 

 

So it's just me, Middlemarch, and 1491.  Middlemarch: think this is my 3rd time through it...it is such a different book at each reading.  Could be the place I am in my life when I'm reading it, but characters I had no patience for previously have my sympathy now.  I thought this with W&P too of course, especially since it's much bigger in scope, but...Pierre always had my ear and my affection, each time.

 

:001_wub: Middlemarch! It's so nice to find another Middlemarchian, haha. You've read My Life in Middlemarch , right?  https://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Middlemarch-Rebecca-Mead/dp/030798477X

[Mothersweets]

Thanks to mumof2 and Tress:

 

My first crochet project: Hygge

 

https://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Loesje22000/457037507/IMG_1161_medium2.JPG

 

How beautiful! You are so talented!

 

Stopping by to ask all the BaW aunties to send good thoughts to the weather gods in Southern Japan. My ds texted yesterday that the streets were beginning to flood around him, but haven't heard from him since --  though we aren't worried as he isn't in the specific towns mentioned so far in the news stories. It was just a surprise to see a news story then realize, oh, that is where my son lives!!

 

At the half way point in War and Peace and otherwise busy with life. Will check in later!

 

 

Sending good thoughts for better weather! 

And you are halfway through W&P?! I need to get crackin' :)

[Mothersweets]

It's a stamp from Kelly Purkey stamps but I think it's discontinued.

 

Thank you! I'll look around and if I find it or something close I will let everyone know. 

[NoseInABook]

I love that I haven't had much time to dip my toes into this thread lately but when I return, you're all still in alignment with what I'm doing too. I'm rereading Harry Potter. ;)

 

I recently read Kevin Wilson's  Perfect Little World which I thought I was going to love based on the plot but his writing style didn't thrill me. It was about a teen who gets pregnant with her art teacher's child and choses to raise the baby in a commune. I felt I kept waiting for the story to come alive and it never really did. 

[Kareni]

Today I read the young adult novel Things I Should Have Known  by Claire LaZebnik which I found to be an enjoyable read.

 

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—LaZebnik's latest novel, following Epic Fail, takes the meddling matchmaker trope and gives it a charming modern-day twist. Chloe Mitchell's life isn't perfect, but it sure looks like it is from a distance: she's popular and beautiful, and she's got a gorgeous boyfriend wrapped around her finger. At home, things are much messier. When she decides that her older sister, Ivy, who is on the autism spectrum, might be feeling romantic urges, Chloe decides to take up the challenge of finding Ivy's soul mate. If only her reviled classmate David Fields weren't inserting himself into Chloe's life. Like Jane Austen's classic character Emma Woodhouse, Chloe is inclined to act first and ask questions later, and the chain of events unleashed by her actions end up in a disaster that exposes truths about her sister and Chloe herself. Although the Los Angeles setting occasionally seems generic, the adult characters could have used some fleshing out, and some plot twists aren't as surprising as one might desire, the dialogue has a snappy, realistic quality that will keep readers engaged. Best of all, Chloe and her sister are so authentically portrayed, they nearly leap off the page. VERDICT This story about a girl who upends her own life by trying to help someone else is a winning read for young people ready for a realistic romance about life's challenges. Suggest to fans of Clueless, also inspired by Austen's Emma.—Sara Scribner, Marshall Fundamental School, Pasadena, CA

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

I've been totally distracted this week with Louise Penny and Inspector Gamache. I picked up Beautiful Mystery and upon finishing, immediately had to read How the Light Gets In. Le sigh! Now I want to read them all over again. Both delightful. Heart wrenching as well as heart warming.

[fastweedpuller]

Loesje, wonderful first project!!  I have been knitting for years and I avoid colorwork like the plague! 

 

Here's a fascinating list that I believe a number of you will find of interest ~

 

22 Ambassadors Recommend the One Book to Read Before Visiting Their Country

Thank you for yet again clogging my TBR list, Kareni; between your sussing out all the free classical stuff and then links like these...! I also plan to use some of the books to fill my BINGO lists.  And I was heartened to see Laxness' book as the Iceland pick because heart~!  Interesting that Atonement was picked for GB, though. 

 

I finished The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs. I loved this book (5 stars) and highly recommend it if you are looking for an emotional read. Nina was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and chose to write about her experience with 'one small spot'. The memoir is a humorous look at cancer, cancer treatment, living, and dying. I went through every conceivable emotion while reading Bright. I'm going back through the book and writing down a few of her more poignant insights. I'm also giving it to my DD to read.

Thank you, it's popped up in my consideration...though I seem to have a thing for death-and-dying-happily examples lately.  Scratching an itch.  I heard the writing is beautiful too.

 

:001_wub: Middlemarch! It's so nice to find another Middlemarchian, haha. You've read My Life in Middlemarch , right?  https://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Middlemarch-Rebecca-Mead/dp/030798477X

I know...!  I may hold off until the fall to read it, when the fog of the characters wears off a bit.  I had decided to re-read a classic whilst the lot of you are reading W&P, and it was Middlemarch or Moby-Dick :)  And!! DD is currently reading When Dimple Met Rishi right now and is enjoying it!

 

Angela, we had longwinded discussions about A Separate Peace in high school that I still remember these what 35 years on.  One boy in particular just could not conceive of the turning event's being one of intent and not accident...which is recommendation enough for any book really (my remembering it; the vividness of discussion about it) and it's one which I wonder if I should subject DD to read in her high school years.  Hmm.  Considering all she knows about frontal-lobe development and the lack of a shutoff teens sometimes have toward their impulses...maybe it wouldn't be as surprising to her as it was to my classmate (or me).

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~

 

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini  

 

"Retired soldier Peter Blood lives a happy, comfortable life as a physician in seventeenth-century England. Yet everything changes one fateful evening when he saves the life of the wrong patient: a young rebel involved in an uprising against King James II. For doing his job and obeying the Hippocratic oath, the shell-shocked Blood is convicted of treason and sentenced to ten years in Barbados, toiling as a slave.
 
Once in the Caribbean, however, Blood has other plans. The daring doctor wins over his peers with his courage and skill, falls in love with the plantation owner’s niece, and begins to plot his escape. When a Spanish privateer attacks the plantation town, Blood seizes his chance, and with the help of his fellow slaves, pulls off a daring heist of the pirates’ ship. Based on a true story, Captain Blood is an immensely satisfying high-seas adventure for the ages."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Maus]

Oh, I caught up!  

 

27.  "Life Skills 101: A Practical Guide to Leaving Home and Living on Your Own" by Tina Pestalozzi.  Saw this recommended on the board, and I'm trying to put together a Life Skills/Financial Literacy type credit for DS14.  This looks great!  I'll probably supplement some of the topics he needs right now, like nutrition and job skills to make sure he has hands-on practice.

 

26.  "Utah Curiousities:  Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Offbeat Fun" by Brandon Griggs.  We need to Staycation this year for financial reasons, but I'm tired of the same old, same old.  We've seen some of these, and knew of some others, but there are a pretty significant number of things I'd never heard of.  I didn't know we had a Donner-Reed museum here, for instance.

 

25.  "Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism" by Dawn Prince-Hughes.  Mature audience warning.  She gives pretty detailed descriptions her life experiences, including working as an exotic dancer and her intimate relationships.  With that caveat, she is a skilled writer, and I had several "aha" moments regarding time management skills and interpersonal skills and too much stimuli and others things I know my kids struggle with.  (She was able to express them in ways that let me experience them.)

 

24.  "Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor" by Jon Scieszka.

23.  "Counseling with Our Councils" by M. Russell Ballard (LDS).

22. "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi

21. "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright.

20. "QB: My Life Behind the Spiral" by Steve Young.

19. "Batneezer: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

18. "Lord of the Hat: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

17.  "Beyond Belief" by Jenna Miscavige Hill.

16. "Ruthless" by Ron Miscavige.

15. "Katfish: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

14. "Pinocula: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

13. "Potterwookiee: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

12. "Worth the Wrestle" by Sheri Dew (LDS).

11.  "Wonkenstein: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

10. "Cub Scout Wolf Handbook". 

9. "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

8. "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Sue Klebold

7. "Columbine" by Dave Cullen.

6. "Changed through His Grace" by Brad Wilcox (LDS)>

5. "The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida.

4. "No Doubt About It" by Sheri Dew.

3. "Amazed by Grace" by Sheri Dew.

2. "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown.

1. "Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake" by Frank W. Abagnale.

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

<snip>

Thank you, it's popped up in my consideration...though I seem to have a thing for death-and-dying-happily examples lately.  Scratching an itch.  I heard the writing is beautiful too.

 

<Snip>

It is beautifully written. Nina was a poet and that certainly influenced her writing style. She quotes Emerson and Montaigne quite a bit. I am having to add more books (Emerson's & Montaigne's essays) to my Want To Read list so I can gain a deeper understanding of her perspective. The philosophies are interwoven with humor and presented not as dry this-is-how-I -view-life-and-death quips but more of "oh yeah, this is what I'm talkin' 'bout."

[-M-]

Hello, BaWers!

 

How about a mid-year review? By June 30, I had completed ninety-one books. My participation in the “Shakespeare in a Year†project accounts for twenty of those titles, and my affection for graphic works, twenty-one. Twenty-four of the ninety-one books I’ve read were published this year, and twenty-four are novels. My two perennial goals — read at least one non-fiction work every two weeks and read more poetry — usually result in much spluttering and excuse-making, but I have already finished nineteen non-fiction books this year and read ninety of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets.

 

Ten mid-year recommendations:

â–  So Long, See You Tomorrow (William Maxwell; 1980. Fiction.)
As much a meditation on loss and grief as it is an exploration of memory and how memory shapes (and haunts and robs from) the present, William Maxwell’s 1980 novel is as perfect a book as A Good School or Revolutionary Road (both by Richard Yates) or Olive Kitteridge (Elizabeth Strout).

 

â–  Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Matthew Desmond; 2016. Non-fiction.)
This is the sort of book everyone talks about and shares articles about but never reads. I recommend that you actually read it.

 

â–  Rhinoceros (Eugene Ionesco; 1959. Drama.)
If you only remember this from high school, you haven’t really read it yet. Pull your tattered copy from the shelves and see if it isn’t something more, much more, than you recall.

 

â–  World of Trouble (Ben H. Winters; 2014. Fiction.)
I’m cheating here because this is the final book in the Last Policeman trilogy, which means, yes, I am actually recommending three books. They’re not heavy, though, and Henry Palace is not simply another quirky detective; he is a character who will roam the rooms of your imagination for a long time.

 

â–  Before the Fall (Noah Hawley; 2016. Fiction.)
It’s unsurprising that the flow of this “thumping good read†is reminiscent of great television; Hawley is a television writer and producer. Pack this one in your vacation bag.

 

â–  Briggs Land, Volume 1: State of Grace (Brian Wood; 2017. Graphic fiction.)
I thought I was going to recommend Wood’s The Massive, Volumes 1-5, and then I remembered how strong the opening to his new series is… and how annoyed I was by the resolution of The Massive.

 

â–  Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders; 2017. Fiction.)
Whether or not you ordinarily like audiobooks, you must hear Saunders’ first novel to appreciate how original and remarkable it is. My husband and I listened during trips to and from the University and in and out of Chicago, and we are still talking about this beautiful book. (Related article here.) Neither of us were surprised to learn that it will be a film.

 

â–  Reclaiming Conversation (Sherry Turkle; 2015. Non-fiction.)
“They decide there should be a rule: A good friend should keep you off your phone when you are together.†(p. 157) Don’t miss this thought-provoking exploration of what has been lost since people turned away from each other to connect via phone.

 

â–  Fatale (Jean-Paul Manchette; 1977 (2011, English). Fiction.)
In the “slim book you can finish in a day†category, I will shake things up by recommending this dark, odd character study over the other contender, News of the World (Paulette Giles), which doesn’t need my recommendation, anyway, as it has already been touted by everyone and her mother.

 

â–  American War (Omar El Akkad; 2017. Fiction.)
This is my entry in the “best post-apocalypse / dystopia / it’s a mad, mad world fiction read this year (so far)†category. I know others would choose The Power (Naomi Alderman) or The Book of Joan (Lidia Yuknavitch)… but I think I’m right on this one.

[-M-]

...

 

I know...!  I may hold off until the fall to read it, when the fog of the characters wears off a bit.  I had decided to re-read a classic whilst the lot of you are reading W&P, and it was Middlemarch or Moby-Dick :)  And!! DD is currently reading When Dimple Met Rishi right now and is enjoying it!

 

...

 

How I loved Middlemarch! My daughters (who have not yet read it) and I are hoping to make that next summer's project.

 

And Moby Dick... That's a book that gets better and better with rereading.

[-M-]

I am not the type of person who can have multiple books going at the same time. I simply must follow the story to the conclusion. How do you handle having so many books waiting for your attention? Each book has unique aspects that make me want to read THAT one right now.  It's a tad overwhelming (but what a pleasant overwhelm it is).

 

I'm an unapologetically promiscuous reader, so I usually have many (many, many) books in various states of read. It only becomes overwhelming when the pile becomes precarious -- then I shelve a lot of them, leaving the bookmarks in place, so I can pick up the relationship where we left off. Some day. Heh, heh, heh.

 

When I'm feeling a little angsty (and I do, not often, but I do) about the gap between my rate of acquisition and my rate of completion, I remember this bit from Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable:

 

The writer Umberto Eco belongs to that small class of scholars who are encyclopedic, insightful, and nondull. He is the owner of a large personal library (containing thirty thousand books), and separates visitors into two categories: those who react with “Wow! Signore professore dottore Eco, what a library you have! How many of these books have you read?†and the others — a very small minority — who get the point that a private library is not an ego-boosting appendage but a research tool. Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The library should contain as much of what you do not know as your financial means, mortgage rates, and the currently tight real-estate market allows you to put there. You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly. Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary.

 

An antilibrary! Isn't that a neat idea?

 

To more pragmatically answer your question, certain times of day lend themselves to certain types of reading. These last few weeks, I've been reading Shakespeare's sonnets and War and Peace in the mornings, for example. If for some reason, I'm on my own for a meal, I tend to read non-fiction, but I don't know why. Wait! Yes, I do. I read non-fiction much more slowly than fiction, so I don't need to turn the pages as often, which makes it easier to eat and read. Huh. I just figured that out.

 

Usually -- not always but usually -- I read from a novel before going to sleep, and I like reading plays and graphic works when I have short bursts of time, say, waiting for an appointment to begin or between two errands. When I work early voting, I toggle between a couple of novels and a couple of graphic works.

 

And so on.

 

Welcome to the group, by the way! And happy reading!

[-M-]

No spoilers but I can't wait until Sunday to comment on the following from Volume I, Part 3:

 

 

In all of my reading of classic and historic fiction, this may be the first time I read of "the creaking of her corset". 

 

Jane (who reads for details and not plot :D )

 

That description put me rightthere with the characters.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I'm an unapologetically promiscuous reader, so I usually have many (many, many) books in various states of read. It only becomes overwhelming when the pile becomes precarious -- then I shelve a lot of them, leaving the bookmarks in place, so I can pick up the relationship where we left off. Some day. Heh, heh, heh.

 

<snip>

Welcome to the group, by the way! And happy reading!

I didn't want to take up space by quoting your entire post but I wanted to say that I found it to be quite beautiful in and of itself. 

 

I believe having a stack, shelf, or room of unread books is the epitome of optimism.

 

Cheers for a wonderful update and happy reading to you as well!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

DP

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Scoutermom

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

So it's just me, Middlemarch, and 1491.  Middlemarch: think this is my 3rd time through it...it is such a different book at each reading.  

 

Middlemarch is another book I keep meaning to reread. I have several I want to reread and have been thinking of making 2018 The Year of the Reread. Of course not all of my reading would be books I've already read, but I'm thinking of one reread a month until I get through all of them.

 

How nerdy is it to be planning what to read next year when next year is still half a year away? :D

Edited July 7, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Kareni]

How nerdy is it to be planning what to read next year when next year is still half a year away? :D

 

You're our kind of nerd!

 

Regards,

Kareni