Book a Week 2017 - BW30: Bookish Notes and Birthdays

[aggieamy]

A few San Francisco book notes:

 

The Contemporary Jewish Museum is featuring a Roz Chast retrospective which in turn has all of the drawings from her memoir Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? Many of us in the BaW community found this graphic tribute to her parents and their last years to be heartwarming and heartbreaking.  I loved it when I read the book a year or two ago.  Reading it again on the walls of the CJM, seeing the layered corrections on her original drawings, was a thrill. 

 

Many of you are aware that I am a fiber freak, i.e. a sewist, knitter, textile crafter.  Imagine my delight in seeing Chast's hooked rugs that she has made of her cartoons!

 

The exhibit also had sketches from her children's books and a number of original New Yorker cartoons.  What fun to be in a room of giggling people. 

 

The City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco has been a beacon for decades.  This was my fifth trip to San Francisco but the first time I stepped into City Lights thanks to dearest Idnib.  BaWers would have enjoyed the conversation we had at the fiction shelves, pulling out books that we have enjoyed or have wanted to read.  It was great to see so may independent publishers represented!

 

Idnib graciously offered to pick me up at my hotel and drive north to wine country for our tapas lunch with Rose.  No surprise to BaWers that Rose and I immediately handed each other a book after that first hug.

 

And about Shukriyya who has not been seen in the BaW group for a little bit.  She is busy living her life but she took time out to meet me at Golden Gate Park where we strolled around Stow Lake.  At a bench we paused for conversation and tea--Shukriyya had packed a thermos and pottery cups. 

 

This trip was amazing for so many reasons.  Among them was seeing my 90 year old uncle and his 88 year old wife who live at Lake Tahoe.  What hearty souls!  They spent this winter with its record snowfall in their home, living their independent lives.  This is the uncle I resemble.  I hope I have his resilience.

 

And speaking of independent...I am currently reading Independent People by Halldor Laxness.  Obviously not over my Iceland obsession. More importantly, this book is *not* being passed along. Wow, what a novel--about sheep!

 

Sounds like such a fun trip. I love it when BAW gals get to meet up!

 

If anyone ever ends up in the KC area - let me know!

 

 

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers; I've posted this before but perhaps it's new for some here ~

 

Ivanhoe by Walter Scott 

 

"A young Saxon knight proves his worth in Sir Walter Scott’s immortal classic blending history and romance

 

In the twelfth century, England is in ruins. The tension between the Saxons and Normans are at an all-time high. While King Richard the Lion Heart is away, his brother Prince John sits on the throne, allowing the Norman nobles to ravage the Saxon countryside further. There is no one to protect them. Their land is repossessed. They are made to flee into the forests as outlaws, leaving behind the stand-in king who has forsaken them.

 

Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, disowned by his father after pledging allegiance to King Richard, has returned from the Crusades eager to win the love of Lady Rowena. The young knight, eager to prove himself worthy of her affections, sets out to demonstrate his merit—fighting his enemies with aid from the likes of Robin Hood.

 

A classic of historical fiction, Sir Walter Scott’s masterpiece brims with romance, adventure, and action."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

DH just read this and highly recommends it. It's on my kindle but we'll see when I actually manage to get to it.

 

Hmmm on the Mary Roach book.  I've got a couple of other of her books lying around the house (Stiff and Gulp), but I haven't read them (they're dd's).  But I hear she's great. 

 

 

I've read a few of her books and I think they start off great and have such a wonderful premise but by the halfway point I'm done with the off-color humor that seems to be throughout the book.

 

 

[aggieamy]

Eliana! Welcome back! We missed you lady!

 

I still have a bookshelf full of read alouds you recommended to get through with my DD. :laugh:

[Robin M]

A few San Francisco book notes:

 

The Contemporary Jewish Museum is featuring a Roz Chast retrospective which in turn has all of the drawings from her memoir Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? Many of us in the BaW community found this graphic tribute to her parents and their last years to be heartwarming and heartbreaking.  I loved it when I read the book a year or two ago.  Reading it again on the walls of the CJM, seeing the layered corrections on her original drawings, was a thrill. 

 

Many of you are aware that I am a fiber freak, i.e. a sewist, knitter, textile crafter.  Imagine my delight in seeing Chast's hooked rugs that she has made of her cartoons!

 

The exhibit also had sketches from her children's books and a number of original New Yorker cartoons.  What fun to be in a room of giggling people. 

 

The City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco has been a beacon for decades.  This was my fifth trip to San Francisco but the first time I stepped into City Lights thanks to dearest Idnib.  BaWers would have enjoyed the conversation we had at the fiction shelves, pulling out books that we have enjoyed or have wanted to read.  It was great to see so may independent publishers represented!

 

Idnib graciously offered to pick me up at my hotel and drive north to wine country for our tapas lunch with Rose.  No surprise to BaWers that Rose and I immediately handed each other a book after that first hug.

 

And about Shukriyya who has not been seen in the BaW group for a little bit.  She is busy living her life but she took time out to meet me at Golden Gate Park where we strolled around Stow Lake.  At a bench we paused for conversation and tea--Shukriyya had packed a thermos and pottery cups. 

 

This trip was amazing for so many reasons.  Among them was seeing my 90 year old uncle and his 88 year old wife who live at Lake Tahoe.  What hearty souls!  They spent this winter with its record snowfall in their home, living their independent lives.  This is the uncle I resemble.  I hope I have his resilience.

:toetap05:   Nary a wave, a hello, a bip of the horn as you passed through.  What's a girl to think?  :svengo:

 

No worries and no explanations needed.  I'm glad you all had fun and you got to see your relatives. 

[Jane in NC]

I've read a few of her books and I think they start off great and have such a wonderful premise but by the halfway point I'm done with the off-color humor that seems to be throughout the book.

 

I too tire of Mary Roach's snark (sophomoric humor?)  Her interviews on Public Radio fascinate me though.

 

:toetap05:   Nary a wave, a hello, a bip of the horn as you passed through.  What's a girl to think?  :svengo:

 

No worries and no explanations needed.  I'm glad you all had fun and you got to see your relatives. 

 

We were on a mission to cross the Bay Bridge and return our rental car.  I'd add that it was 104 when we passed by your fair city.  Yikes girl!  Is that a normal July day for you?

[Robin M]

I too tire of Mary Roach's snark (sophomoric humor?)  Her interviews on Public Radio fascinate me though.

 

 

We were on a mission to cross the Bay Bridge and return our rental car.  I'd add that it was 104 when we passed by your fair city.  Yikes girl!  Is that a normal July day for you?

it's typically in the 90's. However, been having a series of mini heat waves for the past month. We got spoiled the last two years with really mild summers. 

[LaughingCat]

Missed the jump too --- except a full day/ 2pages behind  :scared:  

 

Stacia, on 21 Jul 2017 - 5:20 PM, said:

 

Re: my own reading. I finally started Ready Player one yesterday. I actually had a hard time slogging through about the first 75-100 pages. I almost gave up but kept sticking it out because my ds really wants me to read it, plus I've heard great reviews from friends. Finally, around page 100, the story/action kicked in, so it's a bit better now. Hoping I'll like it better from this point forward. (Ds seems to think I will.)

I found the whole first section of the 3 hard going and came so close to giving up -- but I ended up really enjoying it even though it is clearly 'written to be made into a movie'   (there was only 1 spot where that threw me 'out' of the story though)

 

Matryoshka, on 23 Jul 2017 - 08:17 AM, said:

Perhaps, but it's 232 (same as two books already on my TR list)...  Nope, I'm just going to have to learn how to be a medieval monk.  :lol:

 

It would be really interesting to know what books are actually in 240, or even anywhere else in the 240's...

Here's some at 241  (my library's 'old' catalog allows you to see what books are on the shelf next to the book you are looking at -- and the first book I found trying to google 240's was at 241)

 

 

• Title 241.4 FOST 2005 Author Freedom of simplicity : finding harmony in a complex world / Richard J. Foster. Foster, Richard J. Pub date
• Title 241.4 FRAN Author The name of God is mercy : a conversation with Andrea Tornielli / Pope Francis ; translated from the Italian by Oonagh Stransky. Francis, Pope, 1936- Pub date
• Title 241.4 FRAN 3-DISCS Author The name of God is mercy [sound recording] / Pope Francis. Francis, Pope, 1936- Pub date
• Title 241.4 H659S 2000 Author Standing for something [text (large print)] : ten neglected virtues that will heal our hearts and homes / Gordon B. Hinckley, forward by Mike Wallace. Hinckley, Gordon Bitner, 1910-2008. Pub date
• Title 241.4 HARR Author Living virtuously : a wife's complete guide to keeping her heart and home / Erin Harrison. Harrison, Erin. Pub date
• Title 241.4 M283R Author Ruthless trust : the ragamuffin's path to God / Brennan Manning. Manning, Brennan. Pub date
• Title 241.4 M612A Author The approval fix : how to break free from people pleasing / Joyce Meyer. Meyer, Joyce, 1943- Pub date
• Title 241.4 M612E Author Eat the cookie-- buy the shoes : giving yourself permission to lighten up / Joyce Meyer. Meyer, Joyce, 1943- Pub date
• Title 241.4 M821B Author Breaking free : making liberty in Christ a reality in life / Beth Moore with Dale McCleskey. Moore, Beth, 1957- Pub date
• Title 241.4 O85E Author Every day a Friday : how to be happier 7 days a week / Joel Osteen. Osteen, Joel. Pub date
• Title 241.4 O85EV 8-CDS Author Every day a Friday [sound recording] : how to be happier 7 days a week / Joel Osteen. Osteen, Joel. Pub date
• Title 241.4 P617R Author The rewards of simplicity : a practical and spiritual approach / Pam & Chuck D. Pierce. Pierce, Pam. Pub date
• Title 241.4 S193E Author Enough : contentment in an age of excess / Will Samson. Samson, Will, 1964-

 

(edited to remove a bunch of trash that looked like nice pics before I posted  :)  )

Edited July 25, 2017 by LaughingCat

[ErinE]

[*]Title 241.4 M612E Author Eat the cookie-- buy the shoes : giving yourself permission to lighten up / Joyce Meyer. Meyer, Joyce, 1943- Pub date

 

This looks like my kind of book. My library got rid of the Dewey Decimal system just as I started searching for the 240 book.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Angel]

My favorite fantasy books/authors have already been listed....David Eddings, Robert Jordan, Narnia, Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, Harry Potter... but I thought I'd mention Dragonlace Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. That trilogy as well as the follow up, Dragonlance Legends, are favorites around our house too. Also, Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles is another favorite.

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free novel for Kindle readers ~

 

The Pit: A Story of Chicago by Frank Norris 

 

"The bestselling novel of financial speculation in the Progressive Era from the author of McTeague.
 
Curtis Jadwin had to compete with other suitors to secure his wife’s hand in marriage, but after a year of marital bliss, he finds himself captivated by another: the high-stakes competition at the Chicago Board of Trade. At first merely dabbling in wheat speculation, Jadwin soon becomes obsessed with making deals and the roaring excitement of the trading pit.
 
In pursuit of ever greater wealth and power, Jadwin devotes his days and nights to the pit, recklessly gambling with the livelihoods of farmers he will never meet. Meanwhile, his wife is increasingly neglected and resorts to the companionship of a former suitor. But while his marriage is on the precipice of ruin, Jadwin is on the verge of his greatest win: cornering the wheat market. And while his play destroys the fortunes of many men, including his best friend, it is only when his own fortune crumbles that Jadwin will finally take stock of his life.
 
The second standalone novel in Norris’s planned Epic of the Wheat Trilogy, The Pit was published posthumously in 1902. A runaway bestseller and critical success, it was adapted into a Broadway play as well as the film A Corner in Wheat, directed by D. W. Griffith."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Mothersweets]

Laura, I hope all went well for your dds as well as you! :grouphug:

 

It's tough & is a weird transition, but can also be a good one. I kwym about missing the kids.

 

Hang in there!!!

 

 

Thanks :) Both girls are really loving it so far. 

[Kareni]

I've read a number of books lately ~

 

P.S. I Spook You by S.E. Harmon.  I enjoyed this non-scary ghost story; it's a book I'll be re-reading.  (Adult content)

 

"SSA Rain Christiansen used to be the agency’s golden boy. It just takes one moment of weakness, one slight, tiny, itty-bitty paranormal sighting, and all of a sudden he’s the agency’s embarrassment. His boss gives him one last chance to redeem himself—go down to Brickell Bay, play nice with the local police, and leave the ghost sightings behind. Rain is determined to do exactly that, even if it kills him.

Cold-case detective Daniel McKenna’s latest investigation is going nowhere fast. Five years earlier, high school student Amy Greene went missing after leaving her part-time job and was never seen again. Daniel is glad to finally have the FBI help that his department requested, even if it does come in the form of his ex.

It doesn’t help that Rain is pretty sure he’s falling in love with Danny all over again—if he ever stopped. Add to that the frustration of seeing ghosts at every turn while he works a case that’s stalled in its tracks, and Rain is starting to wonder if second chances and happy endings are just for fairy tales."

**

 

Wrecked (Blind Man's Alibi Book 1) by Sarah Grimm.  I thought this was a romance, but it's not quite. It had me crying for the last ten pages which is always fun when you're riding the bus.  (Adult content)  While I might not re-read this book, I'd like to read the next book in this series.

 

"She was destined to show him the joy and pain of living.

Joe Campbell has it all: money, success, and fame. As lead singer of British alternative rock band Blind Man’s Alibi, he holds the vague conviction that life on the road, and nights filled with meaningless sexual encounters, is enough. Until her – Emma Travers. She is a breath of fresh air. Sunshine to his darkness. The one who changes him, pushes him, and teaches him to truly live. He never imagines she is hiding a devastating secret. Or that the same emotion that could steal his heart, would ultimately break it."

**

 

I've also re-read Anne Bishop's Written In Red (A Novel of the Others Book 1)

 

and Lyn Gala's  Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts plus Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

I finished Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution. I tried hard to understand all of it. I think I did. ;)

[Kareni]

Any crafters here who are also fans of Wonder Woman?  If so, take a look at this column,  Despite the name of the column, it is not only about stitching. ~

 

Stuff You Should Be Stitching: Wonder Woman

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

Well, I am going through a disappointment. An author whose books I like has seriously disappointed me. I can no longer read her books or blog. I hate it when that happens. 

Edited July 26, 2017 by Mom-ninja.

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers; I've posted this before but perhaps it's new for some here ~

 

Penrod by Booth Tarkington 

 

"Booth Tarkington’s humorous take on youth, imagination, and the seemingly endless font of adult foolishness

Penrod Schofield is the epitome of a precocious twelve-year-old: crafty in his dealings developing a business and mischievous in his interactions at the local grammar school. He is neither a rascal nor a paragon of virtue, but rather an ordinary boy growing up in a rural early-nineteenth-century Indiana town. In these comic sketches by Booth Tarkington, it is up to Penrod, along with his dog, Duke, and friends Sam, Herman, and Verman, to rescue themselves from countless scrapes and humiliations—usually of the adults’ making.  
 
Penrod is deliriously effective in its evocation both of an earlier era and of the unfettered joy of being a young man in a world of bikes, cap guns, and cranky authority figures. Tarkington’s heartwarming story highlights the naiveté of youth—and the hypocrisy of adulthood."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[aggieamy]

I'm halfway with my Campion mystery. I've been working on it for about two weeks. Ugh. Goal - TODAY I FINISH IT. Then tomorrow I start another book.

 

My family is taking a long weekend to go to Pigeon Forge and I'm hoping to get a bunch of reading done then. The kid's "grandparents" (really just older family friends and my family all love audiobooks so we'll at least listen to something there and back. I'm thinking a Patrick McManus or a Richard Peck book.

[TravelingChris]

I just finished  A Loyal Character Dance by Qui Xialong.  It is a mystery set mostly in early 1990's Shanghai.  I am interested in reading more of the author's books.  Last week I finished Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey.  That is the fourth book in the Expanse series- a science fiction series set in the 23rd century. 

[JennW in SoCal]

I just finished  A Loyal Character Dance by Qui Xialong.  It is a mystery set mostly in early 1990's Shanghai.  I am interested in reading more of the author's books.  Last week I finished Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey.  That is the fourth book in the Expanse series- a science fiction series set in the 23rd century. 

 

The Shanghai mystery sounds really interesting -- I'll have to check it out.

 

James S.A. Corey is actually two men -- they were on the sci-fi based in space panel that I attended at Comic-Con. I wasn't sure if Expanse was a book or the tv series (is it on SyFy? Netflix??).  Perhaps the tv show is based on the book?  Anyway they would talk about a specific science problem they'd run into in writing and how they'd turn to experts  with those specific problems. Andy Weir, of The Martian, was sitting there calculating the answers as they were talking! 

[Robin M]

I just finished  A Loyal Character Dance by Qui Xialong.  It is a mystery set mostly in early 1990's Shanghai.  I am interested in reading more of the author's books.  Last week I finished Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey.  That is the fourth book in the Expanse series- a science fiction series set in the 23rd century. 

I enjoy Qui Xialong's books and have the first four books in the series. All are good.  Red Mandarin Dress is up next on my want list.

 

 

 

 

More sci fi award nominees have been announced:

 

2017 World Fantasy as well as 2016 Shirley Jackson Awards

 

The Whitby Steampunk Weekend is coming up

 

Why read non english fantasy books? 

 

How much of science fiction is fueled by nostalgia 

[Violet Crown]

Well, I am going through a disappointment. An author whose books I like has seriously disappointed me. I can no longer read her books or blog. I hate it when that happens.

 

What happened?

[Violet Crown]

I just read Voltaire's Candide, which I hadn't read since my high school French class. It's quicker in English.

 

Just to show I can read modern books, too, I'm halfway through Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. What's next, Violet, Tom Wolfe?

[Kareni]

Some currently free classics for Kindle readers ~

 

 Twelve Years a Slave (+Bonus Content) (Illustrated) by Solomon Northup
Les Misérables (Special Illustrated Edition) by Victor Hugo
The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp (The life of William Henry Davies) by William Henry Davies
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

 

**

 

A couple of bookish posts from Tor.com ~

 

Five Books About Extreme Worlds  by Michael Johnston

 

"The essence of a great science fiction or fantasy novel is the world. There, I said it. Feel free to disagree. But I haven’t fallen in love with a novel without first falling deep into the author’s imaginary world. So naturally it was the most extreme worlds that became my favorites. And in the hands of the best authors those unique worlds produced not only memorable places and stories, but fertile ground for things like social and political commentary as well. There is something to be said for taking things to their limits. In each of these novels the author has taken ideas about our humdrum world and pushed them to the extreme (as if I hadn’t already overused that word). In doing this, in seeing these exaggerated versions of our world, we are allowed glimpses of possible futures or of alternate versions of the present or even the past...."

 

AND 

 

With this column, I actually guessed one of the books:

Five Books About Strange Cities  by Adam Christopher

 

"There are lots of rules about writing, but few worth paying any heed. But one concept I would argue for is that character is everything—without character you have no story, you have no plot, you have no consequences, no changes, no desires, no obstacles, no goals. Everything—and I mean everything—in a great novel comes from great character.

 

And character doesn’t need to be limited to those who walk and talk and have their adventures between the pages of your favourite novel. Some of the best books use setting as character—the place in which the action unfolds can be just as important as the people (or robots or aliens or super-intelligent shades of the colour blue) whose trials and tribulation we follow.

 

Here are five books where the setting—in this case, strange cities—is key...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Kareni]

Just to show I can read modern books, too, I'm halfway through Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

 

GASP!  (Is that a pig I see flying?)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

The Whitby Steampunk Weekend is coming up

 

 

Oh good, I just picked up 3 candidate steampunk books from the library today. I don't think I like Steampunk. Though I did like The Golden Compass . . . 

 

I just read Voltaire's Candide, which I hadn't read since my high school French class. It's quicker in English.

 

Just to show I can read modern books, too, I'm halfway through Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. What's next, Violet, Tom Wolfe?

 

Tee hee hee.  Only our dearest VC would display her Modern Book cred with a book by an author who's been dead for 16 years . . . and who published said book 10 years before I was born . . .  ;)

 

:cheers2:  VC, I'm just teasing, of course!!! Maybe one of these days you will tackle Updike or Vonnegut or Vidal or one of the other masters of the '70s?   :D

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

A couple of bookish posts from Tor.com ~

 

Five Books About Extreme Worlds  by Michael Johnston

 

"The essence of a great science fiction or fantasy novel is the world. There, I said it. Feel free to disagree. But I haven’t fallen in love with a novel without first falling deep into the author’s imaginary world. So naturally it was the most extreme worlds that became my favorites. And in the hands of the best authors those unique worlds produced not only memorable places and stories, but fertile ground for things like social and political commentary as well. There is something to be said for taking things to their limits. In each of these novels the author has taken ideas about our humdrum world and pushed them to the extreme (as if I hadn’t already overused that word). In doing this, in seeing these exaggerated versions of our world, we are allowed glimpses of possible futures or of alternate versions of the present or even the past...."

 

AND 

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

I totally agree with this - and I've read 4/5 of the books, with the 5th on my TR list. This is one of the things I love about SFF.

[Violet Crown]

I have read some Vonnegut and some Updike - quite a lot of Vonnegut in high school, though some of it is hazy now - and at some point will read Vidal.

 

But dh just checked some Athanasius out of the library for me, so I've got 4th-century reading to take care of first.

[Violet Crown]

All right, I had recourse to my book timeline, and since 2013 I've read no fewer than eleven books published since 1970! Nine from the 1970s, one each from the '80s and '90s.

 

There.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

I finished Tournament of Losers by Megan Derr which was a pleasant fantasy read.  I'd heard such good things about this book though that I was left feeling a tad shortchanged.

 

"All Rath wants is a quiet, peaceful life. Unfortunately, his father brings him too much trouble—and too many debts to pay—for that to ever be possible. When the local crime lord drags Rath out of bed and tells him he has three days to pay his father's latest debt, Rath doesn't know what to do. There's no way to come up with so much money in so little time.

Then a friend poses an idea just ridiculous enough to work: enter the Tournament of Losers, where every seventy-five years, peasants compete for the chance to marry into the noble and royal houses. All competitors are given a stipend to live on for the duration of the tournament—funds enough to cover his father's debt.

All he has to do is win the first few rounds, collect his stipend, and then it's back to trying to live a quiet life..."

**

 

I also re-read with pleasure the third book in the series I've lately enjoyed.  (It was loaned to me so it will soon disappear from my Kindle. ) Affiliations, Aliens & Other Profitable Pursuits  by Lyn Gala

**

 

My husband read a brand new book that might interest some here.  It had him ranting and raving as well as laughing periodically; he also shared frequent excerpts with me.  I'm curious to see if the title will make it through the board censor.  ETA: I see it did.

 

The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives  by Jesse Eisinger

 

"From Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jesse Eisinger, a blistering account of corporate greed and impunity, and the reckless, often anemic response from the Department of Justice.

Why were no bankers put in prison after the financial crisis of 2008? Why do CEOs seem to commit wrongdoing with impunity? The problem goes beyond banks deemed “Too Big to Fail†to almost every large corporation in America—to pharmaceutical companies and auto manufacturers and beyond.

The Chickenshit Club—an inside reference to prosecutors too scared of failure and too daunted by legal impediments to do their jobs—explains why. A character-driven narrative, the book tells the story from inside the Department of Justice. The complex and richly reported story spans the last decade and a half of prosecutorial fiascos, corporate lobbying, trial losses, and culture shifts that have stripped the government of the will and ability to prosecute top corporate executives.

The book begins in the 1970s, when the government pioneered the notion that top corporate executives, not just seedy crooks, could commit heinous crimes and go to prison. The book travels to trading desks on Wall Street, to corporate boardrooms and the offices of prosecutors and F.B.I agents. These revealing looks provide context for the evolution of the Justice Department’s approach to pursuing corporate criminals through the early aughts and into the Justice Department of today.

Exposing one of the most important scandals of our time, The Chickenshit Club provides a clear, detailed explanation as to how our Justice Department has come to avoid, bungle, and mismanage the fight to bring these alleged criminals to justice."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I have far too many books in progress to actually finish anything! ;) A couple are moving into must finish due to due dates.....The Last Templar and Midnight Curse(Scarlett Bernard new to me series).

 

My War and Peace audiobook was taken away by Overdrive yesterday. I am actually looking forward to a break as I was getting a bit irritated with many of the characters due to far too much time in their company I believe. I did manage to get through VC's beehive .....truly wonderful. I was becoming afraid I had missed it.

 

I have a Flufferton Abbey by Julia Quinn to entertain me for a few days on audio. So will return to quilting hopefully with a new attitude. I am in panic mode projectwise.

 

I was looking through upcoming releases on Overdrive and ran into this https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34020019-the-salt-line?ac=1&from_search=true. Dystopian but with ticks. I actually think it looks interesting but am afraid I could never leave my home if I read it. Creepy Crawling Creatures, nightmares. Anybody want to go first!??????

 

Amy, Hope you have a great holiday! :)

Edited July 27, 2017 by mumto2

[Mom-ninja.]

What happened?

She showed herself to not be the best example of politeness. Her continued responses turned me off completely. I found it to be quite the example of hypocrisy.  

 

 

VC, be careful with your modern ways. You may find yourself reading this year's New York Times Bestseller. You read up to the 90's and it's a slippery slope from there. 

 

 

I am listening to The Rosie Effect  and it is quite fun. This will be my Set in North America book. I finally (!) finished Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens. I am counting this as my Translated book. 

 

Still trying to decide what book to take with on vacation. I don't think I will read too much. At least that's the plan. I will be doing a lot of sight seeing. However, I have a long fight there and a long flight back. Plus, I have to read tidbits daily. Gah! Decisions! I am not taking my kindle for various reasons. So it's a harder decision when you are taking hard copy books. We leave Tuesday. Not that I'm counting..... I still have so much to do. Order my ds's textbooks, fill out his SAT paperwork, go to the lab for a repeat test cause they messed it up the first time, get money from bank, make copies of all  my papers, buy last minute items for the trip that somehow always seem to creep up, buy enough cat/dog food to last 2 weeks, buy food for kids to take to my parents, get them packed, 2 birthday parties this weekend so I need to get together an animal donation for one party and a side dish/dessert/drinks for the other, make a list for my sister of things to do with the kids and their meds, call doctor's office, buy gifts for the friends we are meeting, drive kids to my parents, pick up rental car, and finally pack. I haven't listed everything like get gas for mower and mow yard right before leaving, but ya'll get the idea. 

 

Oh yeah, throw in daily reading and math for my little one. Cause if he goes 2 days without either he loses the ability to do both. I swear his little brain is like a sieve. 

[Violet Crown]

The sky is falling!

 

The sky is falling!

 

I see it as keeping up with the modern moment and Today's Youth. I hear Ken and his merry friends will be driving cross-country in a painted bus?

[Violet Crown]

She showed herself to not be the best example of politeness. Her continued responses turned me off completely. I found it to be quite the example of hypocrisy.

 

How annoying. One more reason to wait until they're safely dead.

 

VC, be careful with your modern ways. You may find yourself reading this year's New York Times Bestseller. You read up to the 90's and it's a slippery slope from there.

It was only a Saramago, to please dh. Lightning rarely strikes twice.

 

Btw I'm always envious of those of you who can read comfortably in a second language. If I could live my life over...

[Jane in NC]

I see it as keeping up with the modern moment and Today's Youth. I hear Ken and his merry friends will be driving cross-country in a painted bus?

Indeed, it is the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. 

 

Slippery slope, my dear.  A crown of flowers may soon appear in the hair of your charming avatar.

 

Peace.

Jane

[fastweedpuller]

I see it as keeping up with the modern moment and Today's Youth. I hear Ken and his merry friends will be driving cross-country in a painted bus?

Indeed, it is the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. 

 

Slippery slope, my dear.  A crown of flowers may soon appear in the hair of your charming avatar.

 

Peace.

Jane

Both of these led me to laugh out loud; a rare thing in this girl.  "with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair"

[fastweedpuller]

dp

 

 

Edited July 27, 2017 by fastweedpuller

[Jane in NC]

 

dp

 

 

 

And what is our "fastweedpuller" smoking?

 

[aggieamy]

She showed herself to not be the best example of politeness. Her continued responses turned me off completely. I found it to be quite the example of hypocrisy.  

 

 

I feel that way about movie stars sometimes. With the exception of some truly classic movies from the 80's - you know the kind that defined all the hopes, triumphs, and struggles of our generation like Ghostbusters and Stripes - I only really like old movies when the actors are dead. Marx brothers, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart. Classics.

 

Sometimes I get irritated by too much (any!) politics or bad behavior with actors. What I really get annoyed with is the politics of politicians too. That's the worse. :huh: :laugh:  And that's as political as I'll get anywhere. 

 

I haven't found it too much with authors yet but I purposefully avoid reading biographies of some people for that reason. I don't really want to find out PG Wodehouse was a racists. Or that Robin McKinley's been married twelve times.

 

(These are made up examples. Not trying to slander any favorite author.)

Edited July 27, 2017 by aggieamy

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers; I've posted this before but perhaps it's new for some here ~

 

The Lady with the Dog: And Other Stories by Anton Chekhov

 

"Nine deeply moving and exquisitely crafted tales from a master of the short story

After a fortnight in Yalta, Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov has grown tired of the seaside. He is looking for a more interesting way to pass his vacation when a woman with a Pomeranian catches his eye. Gurov loathes his wife, and has spent his marriage chasing women, even though the affairs always end in disappointment. But Anna Sergeyevna will be different. For the first time in his life, Gurov will know love—and he will find it a very harsh mistress.
 
Widely recognized as one of literature’s sharpest observers of human nature, Anton Chekhov has influenced generations of writers. Including such heartbreaking gems as “A Doctor’s Visit,†“The Head of the Family,†and “The Black Monk,†this sparkling collection showcases a brilliant craftsman at the top of his form."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[aggieamy]

All right, I had recourse to my book timeline, and since 2013 I've read no fewer than eleven books published since 1970! Nine from the 1970s, one each from the '80s and '90s.

 

There.

 

Was it from the early 90's? I'm just wondering if the oldest book you've read in the last four years was 25+ years old?

 

 

 

Just for fun everybody - What's the most recent book read on your read shelf this year? If you are on Goodreads then you can go to Settings and turn on "date pub" to make it easier.

[Violet Crown]

Was it from the early 90's? I'm just wondering if the oldest book you've read in the last four years was 25+ years old?

 

 

 

Just for fun everybody - What's the most recent book read on your read shelf this year? If you are on Goodreads then you can go to Settings and turn on "date pub" to make it easier.

Blindness, 1995.

 

I've cheated a bit -- I've bought and consulted recent books on childhood anxiety, phobias, and mutism -- but it doesn't feel like reading a book.

[Matryoshka]

Was it from the early 90's? I'm just wondering if the oldest book you've read in the last four years was 25+ years old?

 

 

LOL, I'm pretty sure you meant to say 'most recent' there...  although for anyone else 'oldest' would probably make more sense there...

 

Just for fun everybody - What's the most recent book read on your read shelf this year? If you are on Goodreads then you can go to Settings and turn on "date pub" to make it easier.

 

 

I'm actually surprised by how recent my reading has been.  Almost everything has been published since 2000.  But my surprise might have something to do that, in my head, the 90's were still last week...

 

Most recent is something published this year.  I think I've read at least two books in that category?  Wait, I just checked, it's FIVE.  And a bunch more from last year.  Even more surprising.

 

Looks like 24 from the 20th century, only 14 of those pre-1990's, one from the 19th century (that's not counting W&P in progress!), and one from the 15th century.  If I end up finishing Imitation of Christ, I'll get to add one from the 16th. :D

 

 

Blindness, 1995.

 

That's one of the ones I've read this year, although being from the 20th century, is one of the older, rather than newer ones I've read... ;)

[Jane in NC]

I always feel that I read "old* books and am always surprised how modern my reading actually is.

 

So far this year, I have completed 43 books with 30 being published in the 21st century!  But what really astounded me was how many books I read that were published in 2016:  The Underground Railway, News of the World, By Gaslight, Kill 'em and Leave, Born a Crime, and The Summer Before the War.

 

But here are the numbers that matter to me: 40% of the books I have read were translated.  I have read books originally published in ten other languages, from Bulgarian to Portuguese.  No surprise that there are five books from the Icelandic.

[mumto2]

Most recently published.....Down Among the Sticks and Bones has a published date of June 13, 2017. I am embarrassed to say 25 books on my read shelf have been published in 2017. Mainly books by authors I enjoy and follow.

[aggieamy]

Just for fun everybody - What's the most recent book read on your read shelf this year? If you are on Goodreads then you can go to Settings and turn on "date pub" to make it easier.

 

I've read a bunch of non-fiction from the teens. Makes sense ... who wants to read a health book from 1982? Margarine=good. Eggs=bad.

 

With the exception of a ARC from a book to be published this year the most recent fiction book I read was 1991.  My oldest is 1928. There's probably somewhat of a bell curve between there.

[Matryoshka]

But here are the numbers that matter to me: 40% of the books I have read were translated.  I have read books originally published in ten other languages, from Bulgarian to Portuguese.  No surprise that there are five books from the Icelandic.

 

That is impressive!  

 

Only 19 out of 79 books I've read so far have been written in languages other than English, a paltry 21.5%.  I can't say translated, as two German and four Spanish I've read in the original.  I've read four more books in German, but three were originally Icelandic and another Swedish, and I've read one additional book in Spanish translated form the Portuguese.

 

I've also read eight more books in English translated from five other languages, the most common being Russian (not including W&P that I'm not yet done with).  It feels like I've read more than two from Korean, but The Vegetarian and Pachinko were apparently written in English.  There's also a bunch of books I've read written by emigrants from various countries that ended up writing about their home countries but in English - I had to check a bunch to see if they were translated or not.

[Jane in NC]

That is impressive!  

 

Only 19 out of 79 books I've read so far have been written in languages other than English, a paltry 21.5%.  I can't say translated, as two German and four Spanish I've read in the original.  I've read four more books in German, but three were originally Icelandic and another Swedish, and I've read one additional book in Spanish translated form the Portuguese.

 

I've also read eight more books in English translated from five other languages, the most common being Russian (not including W&P that I'm not yet done with).  It feels like I've read more than two from Korean, but The Vegetarian and Pachinko were apparently written in English.  There's also a bunch of books I've read written by emigrants from various countries that ended up writing about their home countries but in English - I had to check a bunch to see if they were translated or not.

 

It is far more impressive that you read in languages other than English.  Not the case for me.  Sigh.

 

My list includes a book of 11th century poetry translated from the Hebrew as well as books by African authors originally written in French (In Praise of Defeat, the poetry of Abdellatif Laabi; Cockroaches by Mukasonga; Tram 83 by DRC writer Fiston Mwanza Mujila). 

 

Oops, I just realized that I failed to list another of my books:  Good Morning Comrades by Angolan author Ondjaki, translated from the Portuguese.  That makes two books from the Portuguese so far this year, the other being A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa.

 

Jane who cannot count is up to 45 books, still maintaining 40 percent translated from other languages (a total of ten different languages).

 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Jane in NC

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Loesje22000]

Was it from the early 90's? I'm just wondering if the oldest book you've read in the last four years was 25+ years old?

 

 

 

Just for fun everybody - What's the most recent book read on your read shelf this year? If you are on Goodreads then you can go to Settings and turn on "date pub" to make it easier.

Wow,

I read something from 2017:

https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/49487343-the-chilbury-ladies-choir

It has been already translated in to Dutch, and the Ebook edition was for sale just before we left, so I put it on the Ipad.

I have never done so much ereading as this vacation.