Book a Week 2017 - BW34: Solar Eclipse

[Onceuponatime]

Well, folks, no job this time.

 

Ds 3 started full time college classes today. Ds 4 and I start school tomorrow. It will be my 25th year homeschooling.

 

I'm currently reading non fiction by Arthur C. Clarke called The Treasure of the Great Reef. I found it in a thrift store. I also have been dipping into a compilation of Lord Peter stories by Dorothy Sayers.

[Matryoshka]

I've been in a dark place today, lots of stress with trying to figure out next steps for Shannon and also a big work stress hit. Actually, I don't know that it's any bigger than usual, but I only have a tiny slice of my usual energy to spend on work right now, so it was enough to feel overwhelming. Plus, we're starting school tomorrow. I don't even know what that means for Shannon, exactly, or what she'll feel capable of accomplishing, but Morgan needs some structure and something to keep her busy so we need to start, ready or not. So, I spent much of the weekend researching Lyme diagnosis and making first week plans.

 

Sorry to hear you're under so much stress.  I know there's a lot of overlap between Lyme and EDS symptoms.  My dd with EDS did get tested for Lyme before we got the EDS diagnosis and it was negative (yes, I know there are false negatives...).  Meanwhile, my youngest has been diagnosed with Lyme in the past (one bar short of CDC positive on both Western Blot and ELISA, even her regular doc called that a positive - you probably have heard that the CDC positive is such a high bar that even they say it's supposed to be used for reporting, not to rule out a diagnosis).  Anyway, she'd been treated years ago, and last year started getting symptoms again.  Lyme recurrence, or EDS?  Her Lyme test came back on the high side so doc agreed to treat with more antibiotics but dd refused to finish the treatment plan.  Tried to give her alternative treatments instead, she also refused to take most of those, then refused all of them.  Stubbornest kid on the planet, I sometimes think.  She thinks now she might also have EDS because her sister does.  Maybe she has both.  But if she refuses all treatment, what am I supposed to do?  She also hasn't kept up with the PT exercises (we brought her to the EDS PT).  Sorry, got sidetracked on a little rant there... 

 

 

The HIdden Life of Trees - Peter Wohlleben. This was a wonderful book. If I had no one depending on me right now, I think I'd go back to school and study holistic forestry. That will never happen, but a girl can dream.

 

 

I read that earlier this year.  Lovely little book. :) 

 

The Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls. I see a lot of you read this book, probably when it came out and was a best-seller, but I had never heard of it till I saw a movie preview. Wow, what a story! I found much of it tremendously entertaining, but felt slightly guilty at being so entertained, because parts were truly horrifying as well. I read in the Book Review that Rose Mary, the mother, now lives in a cottage on Jeanette's farm. I don't know that I'd have been as forgiving as she is. Then I had to wonder: why do I blame the mother more than the father? Is that just internalized sexism? My own family situation's influence? Hard to say. I do think we often hold mothers more responsible than fathers for children's wellbeing. 

 

 

 

I've seen that book referenced many times, but your review has finally gotten me to add it to my TR list... :) 

 

 

Currently I'm listening to a book about autoimmunity, and reading a book about Lyme Disease and another about Craniosacral therapy. Heather, I'm glad to hear Ani has gotten benefit from it, I think we'll definitely try a few more sessions.

 

 

 

I'd love to hear what you think about the Craniosacral therapy book.  Dd tells me that one of the PTs at her EDS PT place also uses craniosacral therapy and that's her favorite PT because she says she can tell the difference.  She's disappointed that that PT doesn't work on Fridays, which is the day she'll have free to go to PT after school starts back up (she'll have to rent a Zip car and drive 1.5 hours each way, but at least she doesn't have classes that day).

 

I am currently of the mind that if someone experiences significant relief from a therapy, I don't even care anymore if I understand how or why it works.  Even if it's placebo effect, if someone is in pain and that therapy is somehow managing to get the mind to numb the pain, that's okay too.  Dd currently has a kidney infection (apparently super-common with EDS because the innards are also made of defective connective tissue), and she's had two shots of antibiotics, but a friend has also offered to come over and do some Reiki on her.  I'm not even sure what Reiki is, but you know what?  Go to it.  Can't hurt, could help.

 

(Very glad dd didn't get this infection a few weeks ago in Barcelona or a few weeks later when she's at school.  Trying to find that silver lining...) 

 

Also reading State of Wonder by Anne Patchett, Bloodchild and other stories by Octavia Butler, and reading The Elephant's Journey by Saramago.

 

I love how Saramago writes. Not what he writes about, necessarily: the subject matter doesn't always hold my interest. But how he writes: the specific style. Sort of stream-of-consciousness, sort of self-referentially postmodern, but something I can really sink into and flow with. I can't read it when there are many distractions around, I need to really be able to sink right into it and go with the flow. But when I can hit that groove, I really love it.

 

 

I've only read Blindness by Saramago.  I found it a bit.. claustrophobic?  but I think that's likely because the whole Blindness thing was that way - so perhaps that was the whole point.  I don't seem to have been put off by the lack of paragraphs and quotation marks, though.  Which Saramago have you liked best?

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

 

RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Kitchen: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Cooks Your Story

 

and an interview by author Brenda Jackson: Librarian’s Day Speech from RWA

 

http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2017/08/please-listen-brenda-jacksons-librarians-day-speech-rwa/

 

 

Also, if you join the Hero and Heartbreaker's e-book club, you can get their free monthly e-book.  This month's book is the historical romance Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas!

 

"To know the Hathaways is to love the Hathaways, and we just know you'll agree after reading (or rereading!) Amelia and Cam's story, Book 1 in the irresistible, fan-favorite series...

 

When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.

Wealthy beyond most men's dreams, Cam has tired of society's petty restrictions and longs to return to his "uncivilized" Gypsy roots. When the delectable Amelia appeals to him for help, he intends to offer only friendship--but intentions are no match for the desire that blindsides them both. But can a man who spurns tradition be tempted into that most time-honored arrangement: marriage? Life in London society is about to get a whole lot hotter...

 

Mine Till Midnight is available from August 21 until September 4, 2017. Don't miss your chance: Download your copy before 11:59 p.m. ET on September 4, 2017."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

 

 jet lag kicked my butt this trip. Both ways. I was a mess for a week in Greece and now I'm a mess at home. Tis not like it was when I traveled in my 20's and jet lag was an unknown to me. 

 

Welcome home! I'm sorry you had such a hard time trying to eat while on vacation. Re: Jet lag - When I traveled when I was in my 20s I did experience jet lag, but a few hours of sleep or forcing myself to stay up a few extra hours and I was good to go. I'm sure it would kick my butt these days.

 

 

 

A few book club friends & I went to see The Glass Castle movie last week. We read the book years & years ago. (Btw, in that still picture there, I had those.exact.same.earrings in the late 80s/early 90s. :lol:)

 

 

 

 

My old homeschool moms book club is having a reunion to see the movie on Wednesday.  We read the book years ago. I think I've posted here before that Jeannette Walls and I are related by marriage. My MIL and her MIL (current husband not the abusive one) are first cousins. Dh remembers her husband John a little but the cousins weren't close and dh is older than her dh. They came to a family reunion in Tennessee in 2008. I wondered how she felt about being in a poor mountain town very similar to the one she lived in as a child. We talked briefly but not about her book or her background. She really wanted to be there as a spouse of the family and not as a celebrity author. I meant to reread the book before seeing the movie but it's too late now.

 

 

 

Starship Grifters is in from the library (for my next SciFi bookclub), as is Wee Free Men - not sure which will come next. Erlendur #2 (Todesrosen) - the book before Jar City - is also on the short list.  I have Half a Yellow Sun on hold on Overdrive, which would be perfect for this week's challenge, but I don't think it's going to come through this week. :(  Most likely next ebook is Golem and the Jinni or maybe a book for the Mountain Climbing square - both Into Thin Air and A Woman's Place is at the Top (about an early female mountaineer) are on Overdrive - any opinions either way?  Next audio is most likely You're Never Weird on the Internet which I abandoned earlier this year but checks a bingo box, or Girl in Hyacinth Blue.  

 

All of those sound good. I'm envious that you get to read all of the Erlendur books. Not all of them have been translated into English. I loved Half of a Yellow Sun. I had some issues with The Golem and the Jinni but still liked it. I also enjoyed Into Thin Air even though I have zero interest in mountain climbing. That book is the reason I'm reading Under the Banner of Heaven. I liked the way Krakauer writes non-fiction.

 

Well, folks, no job this time.

 

 

 

I'm sorry you didn't get it.

 

:grouphug: Rose

 

Edited August 21, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Butter]

Rose & Heather, how are your dds these days? Any updates or progress? Hoping both are doing well, finding happy & pain-free days at least some of the time. :grouphug:  for you moms.

 

Thanks.  She's mostly okay, but she's had some worse days recently.  She's finally able to do stuff and really is overdoing it IMO, but she kind of needs to for herself if that makes sense.  She's on a diuretic now and it's working so well.  Her dosage needs to be increased, though, because her symptoms come back before the next dose sometimes and often are just reduced instead of gotten rid of completely.  She's doing physical therapy for her hips now.  They give her quite a bit of pain.  Work is pretty stressful because her boss is just super negative so that's not helping her overall health.

[Lady Florida.]

We are getting a few great views of eclipse here. So cool!

 

It looks kind of like a fat crescent moon.

 

There's a sliver of the sun gone. We'll get around 86% with the peak coming just before 3pm Eastern. We had a sun shower this morning and I was worried we'd have clouds. The peak time is also when we usually get thunderstorms but today the rain chance is pretty low.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Matryoshka]

 

All of those sound good. I'm envious that you get to read all of the Erlendur books. Not all of them have been translated into English. I loved Half of a Yellow Sun. I had some issues with The Golem and the Jinni but still liked it. I also enjoyed Into Thin Air even though I have zero interest in mountain climbing. That book is the reason I'm reading Under the Banner of Heaven. I liked the way Krakauer writes non-fiction.

 

I think only the first and second Erlendurs haven't been translated into English.  I was actually going to skip them for now, since I started with Jar City, but I needed a book for the "Rose on the cover" square, so Todesrosen seemed like a good idea. :)   (that translates literally to Death Roses, but I have a feeling the title may not have anything to do with the original or the eventual English translation, if the other books are any guide...)

[Lady Florida.]

So, back to books.

 

I'm about 20% into Death in a Strange Country. Still liking this series.

 

Kristin Lavransdatter was becoming tedious. So much piety. So much "I've sinned I must repent". I read that the book was controversial at the time it was published because it depicted women who like sex. What I'm seeing though is any women who enjoys even relations with her lawful husband is a sinner. Ugh. I haven't given up on it but I'm putting it aside for now. Instead I started listening to another Brother Cadfael - The Pilgrim of Hate. 

 

I said I was going to take a break from War and Peace but I couldn't stay away. I'm reading Volume Three Part Two.

[mumto2]

Are you able to share what organization (s)he worked for? Then I can check if I find another camp for German next year.

So far no news yet.

 

 

DD is with a Flemish organization on camp now.

And she is normally the only homeschooled teenager at camps.

I can try and find out because I think it was different than his main job. It was definitely a Christian camp with several families from Brussels in attendance, many American. I think it was near Ghent if that is helpful. He is French speaking and I think he speaks German but not as well.

 

Rose :grouphug:

 

OUAT Next time!!!!!

 

Fastweedpuller :grouphug: It's such a hard decision.

 

Mom Ninja :grouphug: on the food and jet lag.

 

We were going to attempt to view our teeny tiny eclipse which is happening now but due to cloud cover and rain and think it's useless! Stacia, several friend's from here happen to be in Atlanta today with another arriving shortly. How odd to fly in from England during an eclipse. Anyway I am so glad that it's great where you are.....

 

 

Eta...I forgot, I finished War and Peace!!!!

Edited August 21, 2017 by mumto2

[Chrysalis Academy]

Sorry to hear you're under so much stress.  I know there's a lot of overlap between Lyme and EDS symptoms.  My dd with EDS did get tested for Lyme before we got the EDS diagnosis and it was negative (yes, I know there are false negatives...).  Meanwhile, my youngest has been diagnosed with Lyme in the past (one bar short of CDC positive on both Western Blot and ELISA, even her regular doc called that a positive - you probably have heard that the CDC positive is such a high bar that even they say it's supposed to be used for reporting, not to rule out a diagnosis).  Anyway, she'd been treated years ago, and last year started getting symptoms again.  Lyme recurrence, or EDS?  Her Lyme test came back on the high side so doc agreed to treat with more antibiotics but dd refused to finish the treatment plan.  Tried to give her alternative treatments instead, she also refused to take most of those, then refused all of them.  Stubbornest kid on the planet, I sometimes think.  She thinks now she might also have EDS because her sister does.  Maybe she has both.  But if she refuses all treatment, what am I supposed to do?  She also hasn't kept up with the PT exercises (we brought her to the EDS PT).  Sorry, got sidetracked on a little rant there... 

 

 

 

I read that earlier this year.  Lovely little book. :) 

 

 

I've seen that book referenced many times, but your review has finally gotten me to add it to my TR list... :) 

 

 

 

I'd love to hear what you think about the Craniosacral therapy book.  Dd tells me that one of the PTs at her EDS PT place also uses craniosacral therapy and that's her favorite PT because she says she can tell the difference.  She's disappointed that that PT doesn't work on Fridays, which is the day she'll have free to go to PT after school starts back up (she'll have to rent a Zip car and drive 1.5 hours each way, but at least she doesn't have classes that day).

 

I am currently of the mind that if someone experiences significant relief from a therapy, I don't even care anymore if I understand how or why it works.  Even if it's placebo effect, if someone is in pain and that therapy is somehow managing to get the mind to numb the pain, that's okay too.  Dd currently has a kidney infection (apparently super-common with EDS because the innards are also made of defective connective tissue), and she's had two shots of antibiotics, but a friend has also offered to come over and do some Reiki on her.  I'm not even sure what Reiki is, but you know what?  Go to it.  Can't hurt, could help.

 

(Very glad dd didn't get this infection a few weeks ago in Barcelona or a few weeks later when she's at school.  Trying to find that silver lining...) 

 

 

I've only read Blindness by Saramago.  I found it a bit.. claustrophobic?  but I think that's likely because the whole Blindness thing was that way - so perhaps that was the whole point.  I don't seem to have been put off by the lack of paragraphs and quotation marks, though.  Which Saramago have you liked best?

 

Yep, I'm a huge fan of the placebo effect. Huge. I completely believe in the connection between the mind and the body and that if you think something will make you feel better, it may do so for a reason other than the actual efficacy of the actual thing. And I'm ok with that.  I used to give my kids homeopathic pills when they had gas or bellyaches as littles. I figure that either they would help - really - or they were harmless sugar pills. Either way, if the girls believed mama's magic pills would make them better, they calmed down and, for whatever reason, started to feel better. Worked for me.

 

I liked Blindness, although of course the subject matter was very dark & distrubing. Suffocating & claustrophobic are good descriptors. I also really enjoyed Cain and The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, but irreverent doesn't bother me. YMMV. The Tale of the Unknown Island was whimsical and enjoyable.  OTOH I abandoned Seeing and All the Names - they didn't grab me & suck me in the way the others did.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[idnib]

I probably should have foreseen the sun/moon theme this week and planned ahead by starting 1Q84, which IMO would have been perfect. Instead I scanned the shelves and DH has a copy of Singularity Sky by Charles Stross. It's not really my thing, but I'll give it a couple of chapters before deciding.

 

This morning we went to the library for eclipse programming and I thought I would be able to pick up my holds but they closed the rest of the library off and had us all on the patio for outside viewing or in a conference room which opens onto the patio from one side. I'll have to head back later today. We came home and found a dog on the roof of our garage! She got up there because the people on the other side left some stuff piled up and she managed to scale it and then got stuck. Still, it was hilarious because we had just been talking about how the eclipse might affect animal behavior.

 

I am still reading and enjoying Independent People. I have a particular love of the types of female characters found in the book so far.

 

 

Have you all seen the heat sensitive eclipse stamps issued by the USPS?

https://store.usps.com/store/browse/productDetailSingleSku.jsp?productId=S_475304

Let me know if you need a postcard with one of these nifty stamps.

 

Yes, if you still have any! The kids would love it.

 

 

Finished Area X  and my brain is full and it will take a while to absorb and figure out how I feel about it.  I don't want to instantly say I hated it like I did with the star wars movie - Rogue one - because spoiler alert -   everybody dies and it just seemed senseless and futile. Not to say that's what happens to everyone in this book. I just had the same sense and don't always like when there are ends left up to the imagination.  Need something light and fluffy to read now.    

 

I was in the same place when I finished which was one of the reasons I wanted to see what you think! I still haven't decided and I read it more than a year ago.

 

I've been in a dark place today, lots of stress with trying to figure out next steps for Shannon and also a big work stress hit. Actually, I don't know that it's any bigger than usual, but I only have a tiny slice of my usual energy to spend on work right now, so it was enough to feel overwhelming. Plus, we're starting school tomorrow. I don't even know what that means for Shannon, exactly, or what she'll feel capable of accomplishing, but Morgan needs some structure and something to keep her busy so we need to start, ready or not. So, I spent much of the weekend researching Lyme diagnosis and making first week plans.

 

...

 

The HIdden Life of Trees - Peter Wohlleben. This was a wonderful book. If I had no one depending on me right now, I think I'd go back to school and study holistic forestry. That will never happen, but a girl can dream.

 

Hang in there Rose.  :grouphug:  And I'm glad to hear your thoughts on The Hidden Life of Trees. I got that for FIL for his birthday and he's been raving about it as well.

 

 

Well, folks, no job this time.

 

 

I'm sorry to hear that.  :grouphug:

Edited August 21, 2017 by idnib

[Kareni]

There have been some interesting columns recently on the Word Wenches site ~

 

Ask A Wench!  "If you could sit down for tea and a comfortable tell-all “coze" with one author from history, who would it be? And what questions would you want to ask?"

 

About e-book pricing: The Price of Creativity

 

From the Garden Gnome to the Pink Flamingo!

 

What We're Reading in August

 

Where Do You Read?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[fastweedpuller]

More reading-about-reading:

The Books We Don't Understand

 

(If anything, it's about re-reading...perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to toss certain books into the Abandonded pile.)

[Kareni]

I recently finished a couple of books.

 

The Course of Honour by Avoliot

 

This is a romance that is set in space in some other time and place. It’s available free at http://archiveofourown.org/works/9720611.  Here's a link to the Goodreads entry.  While the romance features two men, the content is tame.

 

"When Jainan arrived on Iskat to represent his home planet in a diplomatic marriage to Imperial Prince Taam, he was naïve enough to hope the match would work. Taam knew better. Five years later, his confidence shattered, Jainan is released when Taam dies in an accident, only to be faced with another marriage to help salvage his treaty. Jainan understands how the real world works now; but Prince Kiem - the cheerful, scandal-prone darling of the Iskat celebrity magazines - keeps breaking all the rules he's learned."

**

 

I also read and enjoyed the urban fantasy Stolen Ink (Ink Born Book 1) by Holly Evans.  This book also had fairly tame content.  It's the first in a series, and I'd be willing to read on.

 

"I’m Dacian, a tattoo magician. Life was pretty good. All I had to worry about was finding a pretty guy to fall into bed with at the end of the week. Then everything started to fall apart around me. Maybe I cursed the gods one too many times? Whatever happened, I now have two major problems.

Number one – I’m an ink magician, the thing of myths. A lot of very powerful people would love to get their hands on me, and I have no intention of letting that happen.

Number two – A tattoo thief came to my city, and the magical community has decided that I’m the guy to stop them.

Somehow, I have to catch the thief without letting my secret out of the bag, and that’s even harder than it sounds."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

About e-book pricing: [/size]The Price of Creativity

 

I don't have a problem with the cost of ebooks. What I don't like is that you can't loan them out (well a few can be loaned but only once and for a limited time) or give them away. If I'm going to pay the same price for an ebook as I would for a paper book I should be able to use it the same way. That includes letting friends borrow it or giving it away when I no longer want it. I've read that piracy is the reason but that doesn't make sense to me. Someone who is willing to pirate a $12 ebook will do so whether or not they could loan out or give away the official version. The reason I think ebooks should be cheaper is because you don't have the same control over them as you do over a printed version.

 

 

Where Do You Read?

 

As someone who has always loved to read I can't ever remember having a specific reading spot or a favorite spot. I love to read. That means I'll read anywhere - in bed, on the couch, at the kitchen table if I'm eating alone, in the car if someone else is driving, on a plane, in the doctor's waiting room, etc. The blog author did say she'll read anywhere, but she also apparently has a favorite spot.

 

More reading-about-reading:

The Books We Don't Understand

 

(If anything, it's about re-reading...perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to toss certain books into the Abandonded pile.)

 

The only book I tried to read and truly just didn't get at all was Infinite Jest. I tried more than once and it's now on my permanently abandoned list. 

Edited August 21, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[ErinE]

Well, folks, no job this time.

 

 

:grouphug: too bad!

 

I'm late again posting my update. I went to the doctor today and I have another procedure scheduled in early September. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this will alleviate the pain. As much as it sounds nice to lay around most of the day, it gets boring really fast.

 

Books read last week:

• The Way Station by Clifford D. Simak. Science Fiction. A long-lived human monitors a inter-stellar way station on Earth. An older Hugo winner, it isn't filled with action, adventure, or space battles. It's a quiet, contemplative book about a human interacting with alien species, trying to understand humanity's role in the universe and his place as its representative.
• When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman. Historical Fiction. The granddaughter of William the Conqueror fights for the throne her cousin stole from her. I didn't consider it as good as the Sunne in Splendour, but I don't think it's the fault of the author as there was far more tragedy in the story of Richard III. I know it's fictionalized history, but as Matilda fought against and ultimately submitted to her husband's authority I was reminded of Elizabeth I's careful navigation of the marriage market and ultimate refusal to marry. Interesting read.
• A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab. Fantasy. A thief from an alternative reality decides to compete in the new world's magical games. Very entertaining, I will read the last book of the trilogy.
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. YA Horror. A teen boy visits his deceased grandfather's orphanage and discovers a secret past.

 

I'm back enjoying reading. I was forcing myself to finish certain books which probably led to my reading grumps. The new plan is to read "serious" fiction mixed with easier reads I know I'll enjoy. 

 

Right now I'm working through Italian Folktales which is filled with folktales less gritty than the Grimm versions and end with little asides, like "She starved to death which is a horrible way to die but no less than she deserved" or "I was there under the table which is why I can tell you this tale but they didn't even give me a bread crumb". I can hear the voices of my Italian college professors saying these exact things (with a quote from Dante thrown in for good measure).

 

I'm also reading Seanan McGuire's Midnight Blue-Light Special from her InCryptid series. Fun urban fantasy.

 

Oblomov is up next for my Bingo read. I've finished 20 planned bingo reads which also includes the A-Z challenge. I have L, O, Q, R, T, and U remaining.

Edited August 21, 2017 by ErinE

[Kareni]

Well, folks, no job this time.

 

I'm sorry to hear it.  It is their loss.

 

 

Twenty five years of homeschooling?  Wow!  Best wishes to you and all for this new school year.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

Several currently free books for Kindle readers ~

 

The World Beneath (Joe Tesla Series Book 1) by Rebecca Cantrell

 

Equal And Opposite Reactions by Patti Liszkay

 

Click Date Repeat by K. J. Farnham

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

Back to the eclipse for a minute...

 

...

 

My sister & dad were in a totality area today & said it was completely awesome.

 

In my case, it was my sister and husband who were each in totality areas -- one was in Oregon, one was in Tennessee.  Each had a wonderful experience; my sister also used the word awesome.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Onceuponatime]

Our eclipse viewing was about 88%. We had two pair of official NASA eclipse glasses and one homemade ceareal box pinhole projector. At the peak the atmosphere was quite eerie. It was not much darker than when a storm is brewing, but there was a palpable quiet hush. We live in a rural town, all bird sounds ceased and the crickets started chirping like they do at dusk.

 

A funny story: My oldest son lives an hour away. He ordered a pack of ten eclipse glasses minutes before a company sold out. When he got the package, there were twenty glasses inside. He gave some away to his inlaws and friends and sold the rest, making more than he had paid out. He was at work during the eclipse and had only one pair with him. It turned out he was the only one there with the glasses so he ended up sharing them with half a dozen people.

[Matryoshka]

 

I'm back enjoying reading. I was forcing myself to finish certain books which probably led to my reading grumps. The new plan is to read "serious" fiction mixed with easier reads I know I'll enjoy. 

 

Mixing up heavier reads with lighter stuff is pretty much my plan.  Too much of either gets me grumpy.  Glad you've got your mojo back!

 

Right now I'm working through Italian Folktales which is filled with folktales less gritty than the Grimm versions and end with little asides, like "She starved to death which is a horrible way to die but no less than she deserved" or "I was there under the table which is why I can tell you this tale but they didn't even give me a bread crumb". I can hear the voices of my Italian college professors saying these exact things (with a quote from Dante thrown in for good measure).

 

 

 

Ooo, is that the Italo Calvino one?  I bought it ages ago because I love fairy tales and I love Italo Calvino, but somehow I've never managed to actually read it.  Maybe I need to make it a long-term read next year.

[ErinE]

Mixing up heavier reads with lighter stuff is pretty much my plan. Too much of either gets me grumpy. Glad you've got your mojo back!

 

 

Ooo, is that the Italo Calvino one? I bought it ages ago because I love fairy tales and I love Italo Calvino, but somehow I've never managed to actually read it. Maybe I need to make it a long-term read next year.

Yes. Many of the stories are familiar, just with an Italian spin plus the ones with ending comments make me smile.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Mothersweets]

Well, folks, no job this time.

 

Ds 3 started full time college classes today. Ds 4 and I start school tomorrow. It will be my 25th year homeschooling.

 

I'm currently reading non fiction by Arthur C. Clarke called The Treasure of the Great Reef. I found it in a thrift store. I also have been dipping into a compilation of Lord Peter stories by Dorothy Sayers.

 

Well, shoot! I'm sorry it didn't work out :(

[Kareni]

I read and enjoyed this book years ago.  It's currently on sale for 99 cents.  The author more recently wrote Uprooted which many here, including me, enjoyed.

 

His Majesty's Dragon: A Novel of Temeraire by Naomi Novik

 

"Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire."

**

 

and currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

The Obituary Society  by Jessica L. Randall

 

The Air He Breathes by Brittainy Cherry

 

Embattled Hearts (Military Romantic Suspense) (Lost and Found Book 1) by JM Madden

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Nan in Mass]

I read Outlander #4 this week. I am not sure I will have time during homeschooling to continue the serie, so maybe I should finish it next summervacation.

 

I continued W&P (Tress too, she is almost done with the book)

 

elder becoming parents

.

.

.

a bad goodbye

.

.

.waiting for the first news

These phrases all hit home for me in a way that more the conventional English phrases just don't seem to manage. These are more specific, and describe a particular situation better. These are all situations I am often needing to describe, so thank you for the language expansion. : )

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

What a lot of horribleness so many of you are struggling with this summer. Or more probably it all earlier but now the struggle has really gotten underway. Ug ug ug. I am sooo sorry! Between being where there was no signal and ignoring you all to deal with my own problems, I missed a lot, apparently.

 

Tess, hugs and more hugs. The things that were said to us when dealing with similar circumstances that were the most helpful were that Isak Dinesan (sp?) quote about salt being the cure for everything - tears, sweat, or the sea, and the reminder that grief comes in waves.

 

Many hugs to everyone else, too. Holding everyone in the light. )And please forgive any inappropriate postcards - I had no idea some of you were struggling, beyond a general assumption that this is not an easy time of life for most of us, what with launching our children and hauling our parents out of the water for repairs or the long winter. )

 

We are waiting out a patch of stormy weather someplace which actually has enough signal to check in, which is good because my husband managed to get a new phone shipped to a kind harbormaster's office to be held until we could get ourselves there to pick it up, and now needs signal to get it working. He only can manage this much time away from his clients because of being able to stay in touch via phone, so although it was very restful with the phone at the bottom of the sea, it was not a good thing. Mine doesn't have his work stuff on it or connect to his laptop, so isn't very useful. Anyway, although we have had various adventures so far, we seem to be managing despite our reversed roles (I had to learn to manoevre the boat and my husband had to learn to do the line handling).

 

Hugs

Nan

[mumto2]

Nan, I just wanted to wave and say thank you while you hopefully still have a signal!

[strawberries]

I'm so sorry for your loss, Tress.

[Mom-ninja.]

Sorry you didn't get the job, ouat. 

[strawberries]

I'm on theme this week for a change! Currently reading American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World.  We got free eclipse glasses from the library and met up with some friends at a park yesterday. There was 97% totality here and it was pretty impressive. The crickets started up here too!

 

I finished Good Omens and was sad that I did, since there was nothing on hand that seemed equally entertaining. I read Matched, which DS had checked out for summer reading. That will count for my dystopian bingo square, but it was not great. It seemed like yet another YA dystopian novel that tried to be Hunger Games and fell short.  Finished The Story of Western Science and handed it off to DS. Also read Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team. I've really enjoyed everything I've read by Steve Sheinkin and this was no exception. 

 

Continuing War and Peace. I loved the drama of this last section, but my first reaction was feminist indignation. "Come on Tolstoy! Just because she's a teenage girl doesn't mean she has to be fickle and stupid!"  :crying:  

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~

 

Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana  

 

"This legendary account of a voyage around Cape Horn captures the majesty and misadventure of life at sea in the early nineteenth century

In 1834, nineteen-year-old Richard Henry Dana left Harvard University to enlist as a deckhand on a brig sailing from Boston to the California coast. For the next two years, he recorded the terrifying storms, awe-inspiring beauty, and dreadful hardships of the journey in a diary he would later expand into this riveting memoir of “the life of a common sailor at sea as it really is.â€
 
Dana spares no detail in portraying the wretched conditions he endured and the cruelty of the ship’s captain, but he also paints vivid, unforgettable pictures of natural wonders such as icebergs and schools of migrating whales. His descriptions of the missions and presidios of pre–Gold Rush California captured the imagination of the country when the book was first published in 1840, and they serve as valuable historical documentation to this day.
 
An instant classic and inspiration for contemporaries such as Herman Melville, Two Years Before the Mast is one of the most remarkable and influential adventure stories in American literature."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Loesje22000]

These phrases all hit home for me in a way that more the conventional English phrases just don't seem to manage. These are more specific, and describe a particular situation better. These are all situations I am often needing to describe, so thank you for the language expansion. : )

 

Nan

I was too tired to use Interglot to translate my thoughts properly, I am afraid.

But glad you got the message :)

 

The first camp photo's are launched, and dd seems to be not too miserable.

Even some real smiles...

[Nan in Mass]

I was too tired to use Interglot to translate my thoughts properly, I am afraid.

But glad you got the message :)

 

The first camp photo's are launched, and dd seems to be not too miserable.

Even some real smiles...

It isn't so much thw words as the compression. They are technically correct, just not the way we typically say them. "Had a hard time saying goodbye", "aging parents", "waiting to hear from her" ... I like your phrases better.

 

Good that she looks ok!

Nan

Edited August 22, 2017 by Nan in Mass

[Nan in Mass]

Nan, I just wanted to wave and say thank you while you hopefully still have a signal!

Waving madly in the right direction into the fog. : )

[LauraBeth475]

I'm reading Strangers in their Own Land (so happy this is finally on Scribd) and waiting for The Bookman's Tale to come available for the library.

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~

 

Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson 

 

"The classic story collection by a great American master

Sherwood Anderson’s unforgettable story cycle has long been considered one of the finest works of American literature. The central character is George Willard, a young artist coming of age in a quiet town in the heart of the Midwest, but his story is no more extraordinary than those of friends and neighbors such as Kate Swift, a lonely schoolteacher whose beauty inspires lust and confusion; Wing Biddlebaum, a recluse whose restless hands are the source of both his new name and the terrible secret that led him to abandon the old one; and Doctor Reefy, who hides his personal suffering by pouring it onto scraps of paper.
 
With its uncompromising realism and unique narrative structure—twenty-two short tales linked by their setting and by a large cast of recurring characters—Winesburg, Ohio inspired an entire generation of writers, including William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and forever changed the depiction of small-town life in popular American culture."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Penguin]

Tress, I am so sorry to hear about your mom  :grouphug:  :grouphug: .

 

(Loesje, please pass my condolences to Tress if you can, not sure she would be visiting the boards anytime soon)

Edited August 23, 2017 by Penguin

[Penguin]

Well, folks, no job this time.

 

 

Well, boo on that. Their loss for sure. :grouphug:

[mumto2]

I finished How the Light Gets In the 9th Inspector Gamache mystery and have to say it was awesome. Loved the ending!!! I ended up downloading the book because while sitting quietly reading is acceptable behaviour in my family listening to a book really isn't when with others! ;) I am very grateful to Overdrive because I needed to know how it ended, tonight not tomorrow or next week.

 

I will be in a car for most of tomorrow so will hopefully finish The Rise and Fall of the DODO.

[Butter]

I finished reading Real to Reel by Joyce Nance.  It's true crime about five murders in a botched robbery at a Hollywood Video in Albuquerque back in the mid-90s.  It was well written and not overly confusing in the time line and number of people involved (true crime is often confusing because of those things).

[Loesje22000]

Tress, I am so sorry to hear about your mom :grouphug: :grouphug: .

 

(Loesje, please pass my condolences to Tress if you can, not sure she would be visiting the boards anytime soon)

Done!

[Jane in NC]

There are times in life when you just need a cracking good story. Those are often times when I turn to authors like Alan Furst.

 

In 1938, Mussolini has solidified his power in Italy but it is not until the spring of '39 that the Pact of Steel, the alliance between Germany and Italy, is solidified. This is the backdrop for Furst's novel involving an Italian emigre in Paris who is employed as a journalist by Reuters--and is a writer/editor for an underground anti fascist newspaper that is smuggled about Italy. Furst's novels paint the complexity of the information gathering (i.e. spy) business. Mussolini has his secret police--but so do the Croats who are allied to that regime. France has not yet been invaded but the Surate is keeping a watchful eye. Ordinary people once again rise in these extraordinary circumstances as the winds of fascism blow around Europe. A page turner.

 

I started reading a recent Archipelago edition of a work published over a decade ago by the exquisite South African writer Ivan Vladislavic. The Exploded View contains four linked allegorical tales.

 

And for escape I turn to Andrea Camilleri's detective, Inspector Montalbano, Voice of the Violin. Confession: I read these books in part for the descriptions of food in Sicily.

[JennW in SoCal]

I've been skimming through the thread, rarely stopping long enough to click a like button. Before I get going on another busy day, thought I'd check in.

 

Onceuponatime -- If I ruled the world you would have gotten that job. Clearly they didn't recognize the brilliance sitting there in the interview!

 

Tress --  :grouphug:  I hope you and your extended family are finding comfort, love and support in each other. 

 

Nan in Mass -- Thank you for the postcard! I loved seeing the words "reefing the jib" jotted in handwriting, though am sorry the jib was ripped. It's just cool to me that someone actually has a jib to reef. I doubt if talking about rosining a bow sounds as cool.

 

Speaking of rosining a bow -- back to work for me. The coming weekend is sheer madness. What was I thinking? As a free lancer & volunteer church musician I choose my jobs, and clearly I said yes one too many times. Sanity will resume after Labor Day.

 

:seeya: Hope back to school and back to homeschooling goes well for all you still in the trenches. 

[Kareni]

TWO one day only currently free classics for Kindle readers ~

 

Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales (Puffin Classics) by Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Jan Pienkowski (Introduction)

 

"Eighteen enduring fables from one of the world’s best-loved storytellers

Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales have long delighted millions of readers, young and old, and inspired myriad film, stage, and musical adaptations. This collection, including beloved classics “The Emperor’s New Clothes,†“The Snow Queen†(the basis for the blockbuster film Frozen), and “The Little Match Girl,†is the perfect introduction to Andersen’s groundbreaking use of plain language and realistic settings to explore life’s great mysteries. Inspired by the ancient Danish legends and stories from Arabian Nights that his father told him, Andersen composed his fables to be read aloud, and approached difficult subjects and complex truths with a directness that children and adults still find refreshing nearly two centuries later.

From “The Red Shoes†to “The Dream of Little Tuk,†this selection of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales is a must-have for readers who already know his work by heart, and those discovering the singular power of his imagination for the very first time."

 

AND

 

Gunman's Reckoning by Max Brand 

 

"A gunman agrees to do a rich man’s dirty work in this classic Western from one of the genre’s early masters

Donnegan is not proud of his past. But when words ran dry and matters could only be settled with a gun, he never hesitated to make things right. Now fate has led him to The Corner, a wide-open gold-mining town in the valley where two rivers join. An invalid by the name of Colonel Macon wants Donnegan to settle a long-standing land claim that’s been taken over by outlaws. Charmed by the colonel’s beautiful daughter, the gunman agrees. But nothing is as it seems in The Corner, where the line separating good from evil is so badly blurred it might not be there at all.
 
A contemporary of Zane Grey and a major influence on Louis L’Amour, Max Brand was a true master of the Western. Gunman’s Reckoning is a fine example of the moral complexity, fluid prose, and nonstop action that defines the best of his work."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

Some book-ish posts from Tor.com ~

 

Good Idols: Terry Pratchett & the Appropriate Hug  by Lish McBride

 

Diana Wynne Jones Subverted Fantasy Even as She Celebrated It  by Leah Schnelbach

 

The Underground: Five Books Set Below London  by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley

 

Five Books About Anarchism  by Margaret Killjoy

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Penguin]

What I am reading this week:

 

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

 

Middle Son loves this book. Middle Son is also an avid sci fi reader (and writer :001_wub: ).  I am a wannabe sci fi reader who is glad that Middle Son was around to help me sort out the first few chapters. I told him that leaving me to figure this out would be akin to handing a Charles Dickens tome to someone who has only read light fluff before. I am on page 165/600 and able to manage on my own, now  :lol: Every other chapter has spiders as the main characters and I love these chapters. Did I just say that?! I pretty much loathe creepy crawlies.

 

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

 

The bedridden author is entertained by a wild snail that is living in the potted plant next to her bed. This is a lovely, contemplative, and short book. It is for my IRL non-fiction book club. Snails do not bite or sting so they do not give me the heebie jeebies. I am fine with snail slime.

 

 

Still working on the audio book of Echo. I like it but wish I were done. 11+ hours for a middle grades book, even a good one, is just too much.

Edited August 24, 2017 by Penguin