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Book a Week 2017 - BW41: Bookish Notes and Birthdays


Robin M
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Finished Catch-22 tonight.

 

Quite a brilliant, biting, sarcastic, silly, sad, rebellious, & revolutionary book. Highly quotable as it examines the absurdities of life & war (even if it was a bit too long, imo).

 

Very glad to have finally read this classic & I look forward to discussing it with you, Angel.

  

 

It just came in on Monday! I'll get going on it this weekend! I haven't been reading your posts but I keep noticing the MASH references so I sure I will have that in mind 🙂

 

 

Conditions deteriorating, heavy wind. The girls and I are getting out of Dodge, heading south to stay with friends in Half Moon Bay. I'll check in when I can.[/quote

 

So glad you are headed out to a safe place!!

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Sending good thoughts, Rose, for the safety of you and yours.

***

 

I've finished two books recently.

 

Marie Lu's Warcross  was an enjoyable young adult science fiction read; it ended with an unexpected revelation and definitely leaves the door open for a sequel.  I'll likely read on when the next volume shows up.

 

"For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire."

**

 

I also finished the contemporary romance  Sledgehammer (Hard To Love Book 2)  by P. Dangelico which was a pleasant read.  I don't think that this is a book I'll be rereading though I'll likely read book three in the series when it's published.  (Adult content)

 

"Amber Jones is in a pickle. And when I say pickle, I mean deep do-do. She knew she shouldn’t have gone to her ex’s New Year’s Eve party. And she reeeaally didn’t mean to almost burn his house down. It was the chafing dish’s fault, dang it! Now she needs a good lawyer, stat. But where to find one?

All work and no play make Ethan Vaughn a very sad and lonely lawyer. Not to mention horny. He really shouldn’t have agreed to help his best friend’s wife’s bestie with her imbroglio. Now she’s remanded on bail––and living in his house. The woman is a walking, talking category five hurricane. And considering his track record with women, he needs to stay as far away from this one as possible. Problem is, he just can’t seem to make himself."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Wow! Rose, I had no idea what you were going through till I popped on here. I wish safety for you and yours. A friend of mine who recently moved to California posted on facebook this morning that her husband was in the hospital with burned feet from running outside in his flip flops to put out a flash fire. Fire trucks came through thier neighborhood to wet everything down soon afterwards.

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Conditions deteriorating, heavy wind. The girls and I are getting out of Dodge, heading south to stay with friends in Half Moon Bay. I'll check in when I can.

Have been so worried and Relieved you and the girls are heading to a safe zone. Safe travels doll. Check in when you are able. Hugs!

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Good morning, all.

 

Based on the news out of Sonoma, it appears Rose's community is still in the clear. That newspaper site has a great real time map of each fire with red dots indicating active hot spots, and of course other stories with in depth coverage. So much devastation in an exceptionally beautiful part of the country.

 

Rose -- hope you and the girls got a good night's sleep and that you are able to unplug from the news for a bit, enjoy the ocean and fresh air.

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Checking in to see if there's been any news from Rose.

 

Jane - About a million years ago (possibly it was 2016) you recommended "Big Two Hearted River" to this Hemingway un-enthusiast. I read it this morning and enjoyed it more than Old Man and the Sea. The descriptions were lovely and there was a enchantment there which I can't put into words.  I've been researching his books now to add to my to-read list.

 

 

The train went on up the track out of sight, around one of the hills of burnt timber. Nick sat down on the bundle of canvas and bedding the baggage man had pitched out of the door of the baggage car. There was no town, nothing but the rails and the burned-over country. The thirteen saloons that had lined the one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire. It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned off the ground.

 

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We are safe and sound in Half Moon Bay. The air is so much clearer here, the sun is out, it makes the last few days seem very surreal. It is smoky - my friend's kid's school is not letting the kids go outside today - but it's nothing like what we came from, so I'm relieved for Shannon.  She's still asleep this morning.

 

The best thing is being surrounded by my choice-family. The friends we are staying with have been our best friends for the last 17 years, we spend Thanksgiving together and camp together. We're friends with the whole neighborhood - the neighbors across the back fence offered Shannon a room in their house so she could have quiet and sleep as late as she wanted to. I'm so grateful, it feels so warm and so good to be loved.  When I drove up somebody put a glass of wine in my hand and later led me to a deck where I could watch the sun setting over the Pacific. Definitely a better place to be!

 

There have been some additional advisory evacuations in Healdsburg, but mostly from an abundance of caution, I think. There are several areas with just one road in and out that could get really dangerous really quickly. Most of our friends left town yesterday when we did - it was a bit of a panic there for awhile. Dh stayed, and he says things are quiet there this morning.

 

Thanks for all the good wishes, my friends. We didn't bring any school stuff with us, so my plan is to sit on the deck and read a book and chat with my best friend and just relax for a couple of days.

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I overestimated my speed at reading Danish, and got worried that I wouldn't finish Det Forsømte ForÃ¥r by Hans Scherfig in time for the discussion. So I took the English version (The Stolen Spring) out of the library - which was a quick read :) It was good. It was fiction but heavily based on Sherfig's experiences at a boys' boarding school in Denmark 1920ish. The teachers were abusive and the kids were cruel. I thought the book was at its best when it showed the grind that kids go through trying to pass exams, memorize a plethora of trivia, achieve class rank, and please their parents. 

 

I am 60 percent done with the Danish version. Adult fiction is still difficult for me. Sigh.

Edited by Penguin
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Enjoy that fresh air and friendship, Rose.

**

 

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~

 

The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams

 

"The Modern Library’s number-one nonfiction book of the twentieth century and winner of the Pulitzer Prize: The acclaimed memoir of a brilliant man reckoning with an era of profound change

The great-grandson of President John Adams and the grandson of President John Quincy Adams, Henry Adams possessed one of the most remarkable minds of his generation. Yet he believed himself fundamentally unsuited to the era in which he lived—the tumultuous period between the Civil War and World War I.
 
One of the finest autobiographies ever written, The Education of Henry Adams is a remarkable and uniquely unclassifiable work. Written in third person and originally circulated in a private edition to friends and family only, it recounts Adams’s lifelong search for self-knowledge and moral enlightenment and bears witness to some of the most significant developments in American history."

**

 

Also currently free ~

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Rose, so lovely to hear your update. May you find peace of mind in the next few days.

 

 

 

Jane - About a million years ago (possibly it was 2016) you recommended "Big Two Hearted River" to this Hemingway un-enthusiast. I read it this morning and enjoyed it more than Old Man and the Sea. The descriptions were lovely and there was a enchantment there which I can't put into words.  I've been researching his books now to add to my to-read list.

 

Grinning, Amy.  And I know that Stacia will also grin when she reads your post.

 

A Moveable Feast is fun, Amy.  I think you might like that too although the Nick Adams stories will always be dear to my heart. :001_wub:

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Grinning, Amy.  And I know that Stacia will also grin when she reads your post.

 

A Moveable Feast is fun, Amy.  I think you might like that too although the Nick Adams stories will always be dear to my heart. :001_wub:

 

Good literature gets even to this old curmudgeon.

 

I do hope Stacia pops in soon ... I remember possibly she had a bit of a literary crush on one Hemingway characters ... I don't remember the exact person ... was it also your Nick Adams?

 

Added Movable Feast to to-read list. C'mon 2018!  Wasn't it just yesterday we were trying to determine the amount of books we'd read that were prime numbers?!?!

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Rose, I was so glad to read your update. It makes me so happy to think of you and the girls enjoying the beach and the sunshine relatively smoke free!

 

Eliana, I am loving Sunshine https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25085419-sunshine. It is a very good spooky! I read a bit of it years ago in hard copy while returning my stack and have come to the conclusion that I probably would have been hooked if I had read about 2 more pages! I was so close that it makes me wonder about all thee other books I have read a bit of before returning. Since Robin McKinley is now on my radar wondering what I should try next. My overdrive has several! I think you have frequently recommended Spindle's End https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77368.Spindle_s_End but I have many to choose from.

 

Stacia, I haven't tried Fat White Vampire Blues yet. Do you think I might like it or should I cross it off the list? I definitely have a stack to try! I am still trying to finish the Tanya Huff. It does not seem to work well in my current a few pages at a time style.

 

I started reading Proof of Life by JA Jance for the Opal challenge. That one is a wonderfully easy read but not Spooky. My spooky book choices don't seem to work real well with Opal but I am making some progress on Tourmaline. Since I have always considered Opals to be my birthstone not Tourmaline I really need to spell Opal.

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Stacia, the Hemingway story is entitled A North of Italy Christmas which I failed to find online. Your googling skills led you to the following. Unfortunately I am unable to see the entire story from the link on this device. Maybe you will have better luck.

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=LF64DGwlMbgC&pg=PA542&lpg=PA542&dq=hemingway+A+North+of+Italy+Christmas&source=bl&ots=ym-gLu4CPn&sig=s0X2_kvwpQp45C7AG1elm71oE4s&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjwmu6Xnr7JAhWHWCYKHeYcDEQQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=hemingway%20A%20North%20of%20Italy%20Christmas&f=false

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Eliana, I am loving Sunshine https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25085419-sunshine. It is a very good spooky! I read a bit of it years ago in hard copy while returning my stack and have come to the conclusion that I probably would have been hooked if I had read about 2 more pages! I was so close that it makes me wonder about all thee other books I have read a bit of before returning. Since Robin McKinley is now on my radar wondering what I should try next. My overdrive has several! I think you have frequently recommended Spindle's End https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77368.Spindle_s_End but I have many to choose from.

 

 

 

My two favorite Robin McKinely books are:

 

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast  :001_wub:

 

The Blue Sword

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I finally had a little time to read last night. I started Sunshine. I like it so far, but I have to ask - is there a lot of sex in it? I'm not sure if I'm up for steamy vampire sex right now and I kinda want to know before I get to much further into it . . .

 

None so far, mentions but not descriptive about the normal human type. :lol: I'm around 50% done.

 

Amy, both of those are in overdrive. Thank you!

Edited by mumto2
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A one day only currently free classic work for Kindle readers ~

 

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu 

 

"Before Dracula, there was Carmilla—the first seductive vampire to haunt readers’ imaginations

 

This classic of Gothic horror follows Laura, a woman haunted by a girlhood dream of a beautiful visitor to her bedroom. Now, a decade later, Laura finds Carmilla, who appears to be her own age, on the side of the road after a carriage accident. The two recognize each other from the same childhood dream and become fast friends. Soon after, Laura begins to experience mysterious feelings and is once again haunted by nightmares. She finds Carmilla strangely irresistible and longs to be with her.

But as the two friends grow closer, Laura’s health begins to fail. It becomes apparent that her enchanting companion is harboring a sinister secret. To free herself from Carmilla’s grasp, Laura and her family must fight for their lives."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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So glad you're in a safe place, physically & emotionally, Rose. Fwiw, I am a not-prudish adult who even in ideal circumstances doesn't want to read about sex. The very phrase "steamy vampire sex"makes me laugh, lol.

 

Love the video, Jane. A good friend & I have Iceland on our mutual bucket list.

 

I'm another Hemingway non-enthusiast (though It's been a long while since I gave him a read), but this talk of Nick Adams stories piques my interest. Have never heard of them and for that matter, didn't even know he had a Northern MI connection. Definitely want to check it out. 

 

In response to your resounding recommendations (lol), I started my Carson McCullers reading with The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and am thoroughly enjoying it so far.  

 

Last week I put in an inter-library loan request for Afghan author Atiq Rahimi's The Patience Stone, assuming it would be some time in coming. It's already here! So I may read that soon & also watch the movie version.

 

On a personal note, I'd appreciate good thoughts for my oldest son & his classmates today & tomorrow as they finish the penultimate days of Ranger school. On Sunday they'll find if they receive the "go" to graduate on Friday. Some will have to recycle (re-do) swamp phase. Some will be dropped (sent home) after 62 days of grueling training. It's nerve-wracking to bide the hours, thinking of these soldiers and waiting for the call. Hope for the best, prepare for the, er, alternative!

 

 

 

Edited by Colleen
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I recently finished a couple of romances ~

 

The first one is The Ghost Slept Over by Marshall Thornton and featured (surprise!) a ghost.  This was not a scary book but nor was the ghost entirely benign.  (Adult content)  I enjoyed this and look forward to reading more by this author.

 

"A ghostly romantic triangle!

When failed actor Cal Parsons travels to rural New York to claim the estate of his famous and estranged ex-partner he discovers something he wasn’t expecting…the ghost of his ex! And, worse, his ex invites Cal to join him for all eternity. Now. As Cal attempts to rid himself of the ghost by any means he begins to fall for the attractive attorney representing the estate. Will Cal be able to begin a new relationship or will he be seduced into the ever after?

Runner Up 2014 Rainbow Awards - Best Romantic Comedy"

**

 

I also read and quite enjoyed Pins and Needles by A.J. Thomas which had an element of suspense.  (Adult content)  I also look forward to reading more by this author.

 

"The truth is rarely seen on the surface, and getting to it might mean digging deep….

After a devastating accident and a long stay in the hospital, the last thing petroleum engineer Sean Wilkinson wants to deal with is the settlement the oil company tries to force on him. He’ll never be able to work in his field again, his education is all but useless, and his surgeons are pessimistic about whether he’ll ever walk again. He needs someone in his corner, but most lawyers take one look at his tattoo-covered father and turn their backs. It’s just Sean’s luck that the one attorney willing to give him a chance is also the hottest guy he’s ever seen.

As a trial lawyer, Nate Delany has a lot to prove—to his father, the world, and himself. Sean intrigues Nate, and he struggles to reconcile the gifted tattoo artist he can’t stop fantasizing about with the quiet, brilliant engineer. His investigation reveals facts left out of the accident report—including an illicit affair, greedy coworkers, and a vicious corporation that will do anything to protect its bottom line. When Sean’s life is threatened, winning Sean’s case, and his heart, becomes a lot more dangerous."

 

Both of these are male/male romances.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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On a personal note, I'd appreciate good thoughts for my oldest son & his classmates today & tomorrow as they finish the penultimate days of Ranger school. On Sunday they'll find if they receive the "go" to graduate on Friday. Some will have to recycle (re-do) swamp phase. Some will be dropped (sent home) after 62 days of grueling training. It's nerve-wracking to bide the hours, thinking of these soldiers and waiting for the call. Hope for the best, prepare for the, er, alternative!

 

Wow. Now all the BaW aunties will be anxiously awaiting the results on Sunday too.

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Ah, here is something many steps beyond Kon-Mari in the decluttering department (and something I wish my relatives had read prior to my calling in the auction house and Goodwill):

 

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

 

the ultimate reminder that we can't take it with us?

This is fantastic, thank you for posting it. I think about this from time to time - what would it be like for my kids to have to go through my stuff? How can I make it easier on them? Now I have a name for it. Death Cleaning - such a clever name!

 

I am all for an open discussion about death, and I have never understood the reluctance to admit that it will come. My current town hosts Death Cafes occasionally, and I hope I can go to one at some point.

 

Per the Death Cafe website: people gather to eat cake, drink tea, and discuss death. It is a discussion, not a grief support group.

http://deathcafe.com/what/

Edited by Penguin
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Thanks for the word on Sunshine, guys, I will keep reading. I feel silly asking. I am a grownup after all, and I don't have a problem with talk of the act, I just don't feel like reading anything that's designed to turn one on. At the moment in particular, but that's generally true.

Don't feel silly. I won't read material meant to arouse the reader, either (though I will except older literature which, while perhaps having that intent, fails in its effect). I think a lot of people quietly practice that "custody of the eyes."

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Colleen, good wishes for your ds & the rest of his Ranger group.

 

 

I couldn't find it online anymore, but it is one he wrote for the Toronto Star newspaper in December of 1923 (as part of a larger/longer title of "Christmas on the Roof of the World).

 

I actually ran by the library today to pick up some holds & found a book that has this story in it: Dateline: Toronto (Hemingway's Complete Toronto Star Dispatches 1920-1924) by Ernest Hemingway & edited by William White. I picked it up so I can revisit the story sometime in the next few weeks & perhaps read some of his other stories too.

Christmas on the Roof of the World is a separate story. Redpath Press produced a slim volume with both Christmas stories in 1987.

 

https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/christmas-on-the-roof-of-the-world/author/hemingway-ernest/

 

My copy has an original price of $4.95. I also have the decorative envelope that accompanied the book as well as a sheet with the suggestion that it makes a perfect host or hostess gift.

Edited by Jane in NC
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On a personal note, I'd appreciate good thoughts for my oldest son & his classmates today & tomorrow as they finish the penultimate days of Ranger school. On Sunday they'll find if they receive the "go" to graduate on Friday. Some will have to recycle (re-do) swamp phase. Some will be dropped (sent home) after 62 days of grueling training. It's nerve-wracking to bide the hours, thinking of these soldiers and waiting for the call. Hope for the best, prepare for the, er, alternative!

 

Keeping everyone in mind and hoping for the best.

 

This is fantastic, thank you for posting it. I think about this from time to time - what would it be like for my kids to have to go through my stuff? How can I make it easier on them? Now I have a name for it. Death Cleaning - such a clever name!

 

 

After DH's aunt died and I got a feel for all the persnickety details of dealing with things properly after a death (everything from properly disposing of medications to selling real estate!) I returned home and have been getting rid of stuff since, as have MIL and FIL. It's basically Konmari and I've been ruthless. Not only do I feel better, but it really feels as if I am in service to those who will have to deal with our belongings. 

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Some bookish posts ~

 

I enjoyed this one: Book Recommendations for the Crew of the Original Star Trek Enterprise by Rah Carter

 

Some books for you, Jane?: 10 Memoirs By Women in the Culinary World

 

My husband and I still quote (correctly, one hopes) a line from one of Bill Bryson's books, "Welcome to Iowa.  This is what Death is like.": A Stranger to My State: Discovering Iowa’s Bill Bryson  by Emily Polson

 

I've read about a dozen of these.  You?: 100 Must-Read Novels About Religion  by Teresa Preston

 

Some of these are quite disconcerting.:  40 of the Creepiest Book Covers of All Time  Open if You Dare  by Emily Temple

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

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