JennW in SoCal Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Kareni, you provide some of the best links. :iagree: I was amused by the book recommendations for the crew of the original Star Trek. In the creepy cover category -- that edition of The Exorcist is the one I read while babysitting the kid next door when I was 12. I might or might not have screamed out loud when lil' Junior came out asking for a glass of water after bedtime. :eek: I've not read any of the books about religion, though a few are on my radar. I've been a casual user of Goodreads, but now the value of having a group of friends on there. I just marked that I am reading Rebecca (listening, actually, til my smartphone up and died today) and appreciated Amy's comments in her review that it starts slow. I've found it slow going so far, but young Mrs. DeWinter (or as the reader says, De Wintah) has just arrived at Manderley, home of the creepy housekeeper, so I'm thinking things will perk up a bit from here. But, ewwww, Mr. DeWinter is a classic predator, totally grooming the young innocent. Imagine the horror of finding yourself at not one, but two different Apple stores in one afternoon, dealing with rush hour freeway traffic in between, and NO BOOKS. I couldn't read a kindle book while waiting for the genius at the genius bar, couldn't listen to Rebecca while sitting in So Cal freeway traffic. And the local NPR station is in full pledge drive mode. Aaaarrgghh. Friendly PSA for the day. Back up your smart phones!! I'm so glad I had a few days ago when I sensed trouble coming... 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Kareni, you provide some of the best links. Well, thank you kindly! (Hmm, that kindly initially showed up on the screen as kindle which is probably telling.) Here's another link for you: Seeking Transcendence: Five Books About the Human and the Divine by Karen Lord I have started To Kill a Mockingbird as it's this month's classic on my calendar. I feel like I am one of the very few who have not read this book. For what it's worth, I have yet to read To Kill a Mockingbird, so you need not feel alone. ** Any romance readers with time to spare/waste might wish to browse this newish site. It was started a few months ago when there was initially talk of the Amazon customer forums closing. Those forums have since closed. RomanceBookLovers Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Yay, I managed to do a Spooky October book: The Picture of Dorian Gray. Reading new-to-me-classics is such a pleasure. Kareni, were you the one recently highlighting The Ghost and Mrs. Muir? We watched it last night and 3/4 family viewers liked it, which is usually about as good as it gets around here :lol: . 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Kareni, were you the one recently highlighting The Ghost and Mrs. Muir? We watched it last night and 3/4 family viewers liked it, which is usually about as good as it gets around here :lol: . That was indeed me; I remember loving the movie as a teen. I'm glad it was a 3/4 success! ** A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~ The Battle of Dorking by George Tomkyns Chesney "Britain is under attack, and winning at Dorking is the only way the empire can be saved It is the late nineteenth century, and a country much like Germany is on the move in Europe. It has already beaten its rivals on the continent and mobilized to the Netherlands, provoking the fear of British citizens. Then the nation strikes. Its powerful weapons destroy the Royal Navy, and invasion cannot be far behind. Written as a hypothetical exercise to raise awareness among average British citizens about the potential danger that a resurgent Germany could pose, The Battle of Dorking earned its place in literary history as the forerunner to the invasion-novel genre, predating The War of the Worlds by almost twenty years. The novel’s drama, which culminates in a fight that will change the course of history forever, thrilled audiences when it was originally released as a serial, and it maintains its power today." ** Also currently free ~ A Maze & Grace: A Goode-Grace Mystery by Cyn Mackley Ghost of a Chance (Maggie Mulgrew mystery, book 1) by Cate Dean For children: The Happy Hollisters and the Scarecrow Mystery by Jerry West LGBT, coming of age: Faggit by Tedd Hawks Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Just picked up a few books from the library. A few of them were on the history of forensics because I'm trying to research how they identified bodies in the 1940's. (For a book ... heaven forbid something happens to my DH then my internet search history is going to get me the chair!) It might count for spooky October. Also gruesome. Bedtime is going to be Mr. Putter so I will be back with reviews from me and Chews on Books tomorrow morning. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 I'm making steady progress in Nicholas and Alexandra. Apparently the first book I read by Robert Massie, the author, was his most recent - a biography of Catherine the Great. Nicholas and Alexandra was his first book, and his interest in the Romanovs was apparently triggered when his own son was born with hemophilia. Before that he was a journalist. I think it's interesting how life events can lead a person in a particular direction. After his son (also named Robert Massie) was born he began to study the Romanovs and ended up making a career out of studying and writing about them. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 (edited) So I just finished up the first epilogue of W&P. I noticed on Goodreads that Loesje called it good and declared it done at that point, and skimming the second epilogue, it does seem to be a rather ranty retread of many of the themes he already went on and on and on about in some of the draggier parts of the book... So, how are we feeling about the necessity of finishing the second epilogue to having completed W&P? Edited October 15, 2017 by Matryoshka 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 (edited) 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 . . . There are two explicit descriptions of intimacy in the book: One is a character having a romantic interlude with their partner. There is a sentence or two which is more explicit than I prefer, but it is a sweet rather than steamy tone (so much so that I remembered it as the character remembering this interlude rather than actually happening in the story until I mentioned this post to my husband.) The other is more complicated (and more plot relevant) and given the plot pieces the explicitness is not unreasonable. It is a description of contact that (briefly and without any lead-in) approaches intimacy, but ends very abruptly. I have never read any steamy sex scenes with any species (I have encountered the beginnings of what might have developed into such, but have either abandoned the book or skipped forward until the characters are in a state more suitable to having an onlooker.), but I don't think either of these would qualify. There are references to in-universe works of fiction which it sounds as if might have such scenes, but, as I recall, the references aren't explicit themselves. Other than that, I am not recalling any other sexual content. This and Deerskin are the only McKinley books which even approach explicitness in either violence or intimacy. (Deerskin has incestuous rape and is a traumatic, but amazing, book.) Edited October 15, 2017 by Eliana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Eliana, I reached the scenes you are referring to in my reading (listening) last night. I don't think they meet the steamy vampire sex definition that Rose was referring to and I have read many vampire romances.....I just skip through the steamy scenes also. I have to admit I find the skipping through harder with audiobooks which is a problem! I am still enjoying Sunshine and am hoping to make a bit more progress today. As most of you probably already guessed I am giving Fat White Vampire Blues a pass. I am very grateful Stacia went first but feel a bit of quilt that I am benefiting from something she really did not enjoy! :( Still slogging through my Tanya Huff Smoke and Shadows. I should have given it up at the beginning when I realized it was not the book I intended to read. Hopefully I will finish before the new thread starts. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 So I just finished up the first epilogue of W&P. I noticed on Goodreads that Loesje called it good and declared it done at that point, and skimming the second epilogue, it does seem to be a rather ranty retread of many of the themes he already went on and on and on about in some of the draggier parts of the book... So, how are we feeling about the necessity of finishing the second epilogue to having completed W&P? I slogged through the epilogues because for me W&P would not be complete without these musings. Definitely your call. Does your edition have an appendix as well? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I slogged through the epilogues because for me W&P would not be complete without these musings. Definitely your call. Does your edition have an appendix as well? But does he add anything substantial to the musings he's already mused? Skimming, it looked like a whole lot more of 'Napoleon was not a genius but a man formed by the forces of his time, and was not the agent of history but a servant of it'. But much more wordy for 50 more pages. Is there some new insight into Tolstoy's philosophy I will gain by this slog, or is it pretty much the rehash it appears to be? My edition has an afterword about how he came to write the book, which actually looks much more interesting than the 2nd epilogue. If by Appendix you mean the extensive historical notes at the end footnoted throughout the text, yes, and I read those as I went along as they were referenced, as I thought I would get much more out of them in context. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 So, how are we feeling about the necessity of finishing the second epilogue to having completed W&P? I abandoned the audiobook at the 2nd epilogue, skimmed it in print, read some on-line summaries (researched the heck out of the opera) and called it done. but feel a bit of quilt that I am benefiting from something she really did not enjoy! :( What pattern of quilt do you feel? 9 patch? Log Cabin? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I enjoyed Tolstoy's postlude essays to the point of buying myself the Oxford edition of his Recollections and Essays. There is some deep vein of boringness in my personality. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 So I just finished up the first epilogue of W&P. I noticed on Goodreads that Loesje called it good and declared it done at that point, and skimming the second epilogue, it does seem to be a rather ranty retread of many of the themes he already went on and on and on about in some of the draggier parts of the book... So, how are we feeling about the necessity of finishing the second epilogue to having completed W&P? The first time I read it, I read both epilogues because I hadn't read it before. This time I stopped at the first one and considered it done. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 (edited) But does he add anything substantial to the musings he's already mused? Skimming, it looked like a whole lot more of 'Napoleon was not a genius but a man formed by the forces of his time, and was not the agent of history but a servant of it'. But much more wordy for 50 more pages. Is there some new insight into Tolstoy's philosophy I will gain by this slog, or is it pretty much the rehash it appears to be? The second epilogue is just more of Tolstoy playing at being an historian and an armchair general. It's up to you if you want to read it but you won't get any new insights from it imo. Edited October 15, 2017 by Lady Florida. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 My edition has an afterword about how he came to write the book, which actually looks much more interesting than the 2nd epilogue. If by Appendix you mean the extensive historical notes at the end footnoted throughout the text, yes, and I read those as I went along as they were referenced, as I thought I would get much more out of them in context. Didn't have my book in front of me. Seems what I called an "Afterword" is indeed labeled an "Appendix" (it's really an article Tolstoy wrote in Russian Archive about his motivations and process writing W&P), and what I was thinking of as "Appendices" are labeled "Explanatory Notes". So... After further musing and helpful comments here, I think I will skim 2nd Epilogue (I really do think I get his thoughts on this subject already and do not need to be hit about the head on the subject any further), read the Appendix, and call it good. :) 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 (edited) dp, oops Edited October 15, 2017 by Matryoshka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I actually enjoyed the 2nd epilogue more than the first. Shrug. Yes, the Afterward/Appendix is the article that he wrote on his motivation and process. I thought that was quite interesting. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 What pattern of quilt do you feel? 9 patch? Log Cabin? I don't know, maybe Pickle Dish or Monkey Wrench! :lol: My autocorrect is driving me nuts and I can't seem to rid myself of it. I admit that was probably not an autocorrect because I type quilt a lot. You would think that with all the words that this programming is "helpfully" changing it would fix (the computer just made that food......is it hungry?) the ones that are mistakes! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 Link to week 42 - please continue conversation in new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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