Matryoshka Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 (edited) Matryoshka, I guess I didn't see the overall message as grimly or as depressingly as you did. I think the message I took away was that the dead still want to be remembered & loved, so I saw it as an exhortation to remember your loved ones who have passed. Yeah, it was sort-of dark & grim & sad in places, but the ending message to me was one of care & love. I think it also addresses the universal reality of death & its impact on individuals, families, communities, countries, & the world (because it addressed a single child's death but also made points about the huge number of deaths related to war). I'm not sure how 'care and love' and 'you should remember your loved ones who have passed' can be a message of a book that purports that (spoilers in white) - unless your life has been somehow perfect, all you have left is eternal torture. Even for the preacher, who sacrifices himself for the girl who's already been tortured for years, knowing that in doing so he's himself going to eternal torture. The picture he saw through the door is clear. And it is never mentioned anywhere that he did anything in his life to deserve that - he wasn't a hypocrite or anything. It was never implied that he'd been anything but a good man in life, as he was also as a ghost. - You get to choose between that and eternity in the Bardo - Innocent scared kids get tortured eternally if they stay. Do they at least get to go to paradise if they move on? Unclear. - Lincoln's grief and remembering his son are what make him not want to move on, which without the intervention of the other ghosts would directly have resulted in his being tortured for eternity. So remembering and grieving your dead child may cause him eternal torment. The more I think about all that, the more it bothers me. If the book had not been rather explicit in what happens to them after they 'move on', if it had left it unclear or implied that it was good and right for them to move on and that things would (or even might) be better there (rather than giving us the scene with the preacher); if grief and remembrance of a dead child made him feel comforted instead of conflicted and (literally) tortured, I'd have felt differently... In fact, especially with the last point, it seems to say that remembering the dead is harmful to them. I found the whole thing odd. I don't ever listen to audio books but this is one I've considered revistiting in audio format since it has one of the largest (or the largest?) audio casts ever. 166 audio/voice actors. https://www.wired.com/2017/02/george-saunders-bardo-white-house-audiobook/ Well, I did listen to the audio, and it was well done. :) ETA: And perhaps I should make it clear that I didn't think all this while I was listening to the book, which did have many warm and funny moments. It was more after it ended and I thought about it all together and I realized the implications of all the stuff in white above that it started to really annoy me... Edited October 18, 2017 by Matryoshka 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Looking for another book recommendation to finish off a BigBingo row. ;) "A Cozy Mystery set in the 1960's" - I didn't think I was going to finish this row, but it looks like I'll end up easily checking off 4/5 and so might as well finish. I know there are a lot of mystery lovers here - any awesome suggestions? I found this list at my favorite cozy website http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/HistoryCats/1960s.html. I suspect the easiest to find is Carola Dunn's Cornish series. I have read the first and it wasn't bad. It's a recent release. I think some Christie's are set in the 60's. She pretty much set them in the current time as she wrote them. I am not a fan of her later works but that is another thought. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 We're home :001_wub: Although we do have to turn around and drive to Oakland tomorrow for doctor's appointments. But it's nice to be back. Sky is blue and air is clear at our house, though it was horrific from Petaluma to Windsor. Here's hoping for rain. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 (edited) Just finished The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie - I was trying to get a twofer by reading one that might have something to do with an Opal, so I had just googled 'Agatha Christie Opal' and this one came up. But apparently that was a red herring; there is no mention of an opal anywhere in the book. So, got done with the Christie square with a silly, frothy read (it was like a thriller/mystery where all the characters seemed like they were of Wooster's set in Jeeves and Wooster. Were useless, dunder-headed fops so widespread in Britain around that time?) But now I have to figure out something else for an Opal read. I've gotten this far, not abandoning the birthstone challenge now! ;) I've rather randomly picked a book called... drumroll... Opal by Kristina Wojtaszek - based on the fact that it's slim (too many other things on my list), and has overall very good reviews (though I've been steered wrong on those before...). It's a reimagining/retelling of Snow White. It wasn't in any library system, so I ordered it with Prime. I've been trying very hard not to buy books except when absolutely necessary, but it means the ones I do end up buying are an odd assortment as their only common feature is that I can't get them at the library! It was available on Kindle, but my phone is out of space. I keep meaning to get an SD card to make more room... Edited October 18, 2017 by Matryoshka 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Looking for another book recommendation to finish off a BigBingo row. ;) "A Cozy Mystery set in the 1960's" - I didn't think I was going to finish this row, but it looks like I'll end up easily checking off 4/5 and so might as well finish. I know there are a lot of mystery lovers here - any awesome suggestions? I know nothing about this book, but the cover and title certainly scream sixties! It's A Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod Murder (A Murder A-Go-Go Mystery Book 1) by Rosemary Stevens "By ROSEMARY STEVENS, Winner of the Agatha Award and Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award! In the era of MAD MEN, there's a lighter side to NYC, one with go-go boots, miniskirts, and murder! Series description: Wow! Here am I, Bebe Bennett, in New York City in 1964, with my very own apartment, my fun-loving roommate, Darlene--she's a stewardess--and the coolest job a girl could want as a secretary to my dreamy boss, Bradley...I mean, Mr. Williams, vice president of talent for Rip City Records. Checkered cabs, the Peppermint Lounge, London fashions- I want to try it all! Book One: Now that the Beatles are topping the charts, Bebe's boss has signed up the British group Philip Royal and the Beefeaters for his record label. But when Bebe and Darlene go to the Legends Hotel to meet two members of the band for a fab night out, they find Philip dead--electrocuted with his own guitar. Even worse, the fuzz suspect Darlene and ground her from flying. So, it's up to Bebe to abandon her Jackie Kennedy-inspired suits and venture into the smoky nightclubs of Greenwich Village, delving into the dark side of the swinging city to expose a killer..." "Bebe's charming naivete...her gusto for the singles life, and her considerable intellect make her an unusually appealing sleuth. Add this to the plethora of sixties details, and the result is a clever mystery that's also a trip back to a time when things were groovier." Publisher's Weekly "Toss a fresh-faced secretary-school graduate (and her flight attendant roomie), a hip British-invasion band, and a hotel room together in the blender that is 1960s New York City, and what do you get? Murder (with the roommate a prime suspect)--and the ensuing undercover investigation. That's what happens in Rosemary Martin's quirky novel..." The New York Post "A groovy trip back in time." Romantic Times Regards, Kareni 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Looking for another book recommendation to finish off a BigBingo row. ;) "A Cozy Mystery set in the 1960's" - I didn't think I was going to finish this row, but it looks like I'll end up easily checking off 4/5 and so might as well finish. I know there are a lot of mystery lovers here - any awesome suggestions? Oooh. PIck me! Pick me! *raises hand* I know the right answer! The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lillian Jackson Braun. Published in 1966. It had a nice 60's feeling without being over the top and The Cat Who books are essentially the epitome of cozy mysteries. I think some Christie's are set in the 60's. She pretty much set them in the current time as she wrote them. I am not a fan of her later works but that is another thought. "Not a fan" would be a phrase I would use also in reference to the great Agatha's later works if I was being kind. If I was being harsh I would call them ... well ... let's just say I now check publish dates on her books before reading them. :ph34r: 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Some bookish posts ~ From a fellow WTMer on BookRiot: What a Lost Book Taught Me about Parenting, Airplanes, and Passion by Nicole Mulhausen From the Word Wenches site: How Youghal, Ireland Put the Facts and the Woo Woo in The Dead Shall Live From Heroes and Heartbreakers: Enter if You Dare: 8 Spooky Historical Houses for Your Halloween More from BookRiot: Snacking on The Past: 5 Books about Food History Graphic Novels for People Who Like Literary Fiction Scoring the Scrabble Games of 6 Famous Authors Regards, Kareni 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Oooh. PIck me! Pick me! *raises hand* I know the right answer! The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lillian Jackson Braun. Published in 1966. It had a nice 60's feeling without being over the top and The Cat Who books are essentially the epitome of cozy mysteries. "Not a fan" would be a phrase I would use also in reference to the great Agatha's later works if I was being kind. If I was being harsh I would call them ... well ... let's just say I now check publish dates on her books before reading them. :ph34r: I knew I had read one set I the 60's recently, as in the past year. I love The Cat Who series, definitely cozy and your library should have it, mine even has it in overdrive :). The first three should work in terms of the library as all 3 were written in the 60's.https://www.goodreads.com/series/41015-cat-who 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 A one day only currently free work for Kindle readers ~ The Council of Justice by Edgar Wallace "Her rise through the ranks of the Red Hundred was swift and inexorable. From scraps of conversation overheard in her father’s kitchen, she crafted speeches that brought men to tears. When the time came for bloodshed, she did not hesitate—generals and princes died by her hand. As her beauty grew, so did her influence. Now the Woman of Gratz and the anarchist horde in her thrall are ready to declare war—on London, whose streets and tube stations they want to sow with fear, and on the Four Just Men, the only organization powerful enough to stop them.Of course, Manfred, Gonsalez, and Poiccart—aided in this adventure by the mysterious and wealthy Bernard Courtlander—are still wanted by Scotland Yard for the assassination of the foreign secretary. Recognizing her advantage, the Woman of Gratz pounces—even though it means betraying her ideals, and her heart. To the gallows goes one of the four, a smile on his face.The second installment in the Four Just Men series established Edgar Wallace as one of the most dedicated and popular thriller writers of the early twentieth century." ** Also currently free ~ Quail Crossings also Jar of Pickles: A Short Story by Jennifer McMurrain First Contact (In Her Name, Book 1) also Empire (In Her Name Book 4) by Michael R. Hicks Shutter speed: Snapshot, #0.5 also Freeze Frame: Snapshot, #1 by Freya Barker Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Some bookish posts ~ How to Tell If You’re Living In a Dystopia — And Why It Matters by Erin Roberts 9 Space Opera Books Featuring Powerful Heroines by Olivia Mason Interview: Victoria Schwab on Why Fantasy Is More Important Than Ever by Carolyn Cox Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberries Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Rose, glad you were able to return home safely. I finished War and Peace! :hurray: I'm really glad I read it. It was much more enjoyable than I ever would have suspected, musings on the nature of history aside. Now I just need a Western to complete the top bingo row. DH is trying to convince me to read Lonesome Dove, but I don't really want to tackle another near-1000 page book right now. I may go with True Grit instead. In the meantime, I've started Into the Water. This has been sitting around for a while but I think I originally chose it for "bestseller from a genre you don't usually read" in the PopSugar challenge. Seems like it will be a good suspenseful read for spooky October. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 This book is on sale for the rather curious price of seven cents! (This sale will likely not last for long.) ETA: NOW 99 cents! Wings of Fire edited by Jonathan Strahan "Dragons: Fearsome fire-breathing foes, scaled adversaries, legendary lizards, ancient hoarders of priceless treasures, serpentine sages with the ages' wisdom, and winged weapons of war... Wings of Fire brings you all these dragons, and more, seen clearly through the eyes of many of today's most popular authors, including Peter Beagle, Holly Black, Orson Scott Card, Charles De Lint, Diana Wynne Jones, Mercedes Lackey, Ursula K Le Guin, Dean R Koontz, George R. R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Moon, Garth Nix, and many others." Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 For my book group this evening, I just finished reading Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. This was a collection of stories all of which (perhaps save one) featured to some extent the title character. It was a fairly quick read that won the Pulitzer Prize; I found it rather morose. I look forward to tonight's discussion to learn how the other group members felt. "In a voice more powerful and compassionate than ever before, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout binds together thirteen rich, luminous narratives into a book with the heft of a novel, through the presence of one larger-than-life, unforgettable character: Olive Kitteridge.At the edge of the continent, Crosby, Maine, may seem like nowhere, but seen through this brilliant writer’s eyes, it’s in essence the whole world, and the lives that are lived there are filled with all of the grand human drama–desire, despair, jealousy, hope, and love.At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance: a former student who has lost the will to live: Olive’s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life–sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition–its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires."NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BYPeople • USA Today • The Atlantic • The Washington Post Book World • Seattle Post-Intelligencer • Entertainment Weekly • The Christian Science Monitor • San Francisco Chronicle • Salon • San Antonio Express-News • Chicago Tribune • The Wall Street Journal ** Yesterday, I finished the fantasy romanceThe Undying King by Grace Draven which I enjoyed; it had something of a fairytale vibe. (Some adult content) "The stories are told in whispers, even after so long: of a man whose fair rule soured when he attained eternal youth. Imprisoned by a sorceress wife in a city out of time and place, he has passed into legend. Few believe in him, and fewer would set their hopes on his mercy. But Imogen has no choice. To break the curse that's isolated her since birth, she'll find the Undying King--and answer his secrets with her own..." ** I also recently reread Wray (Tornians Book 2) by M.K. Eidem which I enjoyed once more. Regards, Kareni 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 I finished The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury with my kids. I liked it. Haven't read a Bradbury book I haven't liked. Rose, glad you are home and good luck at the clinic. Collen, congrats to your son. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 This book is on sale for the rather curious price of seven cents! (This sale will likely not last for long.) Wings of Fire edited by Jonathan Strahan "Dragons: Fearsome fire-breathing foes, scaled adversaries, legendary lizards, ancient hoarders of priceless treasures, serpentine sages with the ages' wisdom, and winged weapons of war... Wings of Fire brings you all these dragons, and more, seen clearly through the eyes of many of today's most popular authors, including Peter Beagle, Holly Black, Orson Scott Card, Charles De Lint, Diana Wynne Jones, Mercedes Lackey, Ursula K Le Guin, Dean R Koontz, George R. R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Moon, Garth Nix, and many others." Regards, Kareni Wow! Thanks for the link as the price was too good to pass up! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Pale Fire is exceedingly good but Nabokov's word-play is exhausting. Strawberry, True Grit is a good choice; if you want to try McMurtry but Lonesome Dove is too lengthy, you might try Horseman, Pass By. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastweedpuller Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 (edited) VC, I wondered why the obsession w/ Pale Fire but I saw our movie last night and now I get it...! Movie btw met my expectations. Will need to see it again. Did not know it was the last showing, so glad to sneak in under the gun. Will have to snag myself a copy of the book. Kareni, "morose" is spot-on for that book. Same with My Name is Lucy Barton. Congrats Strawberry and everyone else who plowed through W&P. Every time I read it I pick something else up, but geez I was not a knitter during my last reading so the magic 2 at a time inside each other sock thing? oh boy. And Larry McMurtry is a fave of mine. But if you want something short, Western and bodice-rippy, go with Hondo. Edited October 20, 2017 by fastweedpuller 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I finished reading Wifey by Judy Blume. That was a weird book. Probably one of the books that gave her her reputation as rather inappropriate. The book was filled with masturbation, sexual affairs, etc. all because the 32yo main character was bored. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I finished War and Peace! :hurray: I'm really glad I read it. It was much more enjoyable than I ever would have suspected, musings on the nature of history aside. Congratulations! Re the bolded: I've had a few people IRL ask me why on earth I'm reading War and Peace. I tell them because it's a good story. When you take away everything else - the length, the history, the fact that it's a classic - it's just a good story. To be sure the war parts can get boring, but then I imagine someone else reading it and thinking, "All this who likes who stuff is boring. I wish it would get back to the exciting war stuff." It has something for everyone and is worth reading. :) Now I just need a Western to complete the top bingo row. DH is trying to convince me to read Lonesome Dove, but I don't really want to tackle another near-1000 page book right now. I may go with True Grit instead. I read True Grit for the Female Adventurer square but it would be good for the Western square too. I really enjoyed it. I don't know if you like westerns, but if you don't care for them (I don't) this is a good choice. It doesn't feel so much like a western. Also, if you aren't one of the BaWers who read News of the World, it's excellent. That one was my choice for the Western square. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 VC, I wondered why the obsession w/ Pale Fire but I saw our movie last night and now I get it...! Movie btw met my expectations. Will need to see it again. Did not know it was the last showing, so glad to sneak in under the gun. Will have to snag myself a copy of the book. I was surprised by how much I liked the movie. I am really not a science fiction enthusiast. You'll quickly get why a Replicant would be reading Pale Fire. It's all about the authenticity of memory and whether your past is your own or the property of whoever is making use of it. Reading it, you will soon be far off baseline. ;) 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Those looking for a western might take a look at this offer. A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~ The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains by Owen Wister "The novel that introduced the first great American hero: the cowboy The Virginian cuts an impressive figure when the unnamed narrator of Owen Wister’s groundbreaking novel first encounters him in Medicine Bow, Wyoming. Dark-haired and physically imposing, the charismatic Virginian quickly befriends the narrator, whom he nicknames “the tenderfoot,†and the two embark on a three-hundred-mile journey to the ranch where the Virginian works. Life on the frontier is unforgiving—filled with hardship and violence—and as they travel together, the tenderfoot recognizes all the ways in which the stoic and principled Virginian exemplifies the heroism and romance of life in the Wild West. Published in 1902 and considered to be the first true Western, The Virginian broke the trail for every great poet of the frontier, from Zane Grey to Louis L’Amour to John Ford." ** Also currently free ~ The Elusive Miss Ellison (Regency Brides: A Legacy of Grace) by Carolyn Miller The Bohemian and the Businessman: The Story Sisters #1 (The Blueberry Lane Series) by Katy Regnery Pause to Rewind: A Novel by Aimee Alexander New York Deep by Andrew J. Morgan Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I just finished listening to The Patience Stone, an Afghan novel about a woman taking care of her comatose husband in the middle of a war zone, written by an Afghani poet in French and translated. It was dark, harsh and disturbing. But I didn't hate it till the end. Now I do. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 (edited) I enjoyed Denise Kiernan's talk about her Biltmore book. She seems like a nice person :) Finished yesterday: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. I gave it four stars. The ended was kind of cheesy, or I would have given it five. I loooove his writing style. Det Forsømte Forår by Hans Scherfig. You might recall that I raced through the English version before reading the Danish version. Now that I have read the book twice in as many weeks, it has really grown on me. I think it is an excellent commentary on how school can crush the love of learning right out of a kid. The English translation (The Stolen Spring) is a good translation. ETA: I couldn't decide if I wanted to count it once or twice for Books-Read-in-2017. Oh the dilemmas of Goodreads...I decided just to count it once. So now I am at 50 for the year. Edited October 20, 2017 by Penguin 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I finished listening to The Rose Rent, a Brother Cadfael mystery. I also finished reading Nicholas and Alexandra. Although there were a few parts that dragged on, I enjoyed it. I felt the same way about his biography of Catherine the Great. I'm not sure I'll read his Peter the Great bio. Someone I know recently read it and thought it was a bit long - and it's the longest of these three. Back to Nicholas and Alexandra - It was published in early 1967 so Communism and the Soviet Union were still going strong. There was probably a lot of information about the murders still being suppressed. I read that he's written an update with some of the recent discoveries (including the dna evidence that Anastasia definitely died with the rest of them) but I also read that it's not a compelling read. I'd do just as well looking up the most recent information online. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 In today's episode of There's Nothing New Under the Sun, we have some quotes from Willa Cather's One of Ours. published in 1922. Claude, the main character is trying to tell his mother he should go to the state university instead of the small Christian college he's been attending. She, like the rest of his family, is against it. In one of her arguments she says, talking about the state university - "But how can there be any serious study where they give so much time to athletics and frivolity? They pay their football coach a larger salary than their president." Later, Claude's father is telling his older son that his brother has "got some notion he wants to go to the State University this winter." The brother knows that his father wants him to take his side and replies - "If he gets in with some fast football crowd at the State there'll be no holding him. This athletic business is a good deal over-done." If we think the worship of football is a late 20th-early 21st century thing, we're wrong. It's been around a while plus the issue of over-paying college coaches is not a new one. :) 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 This looks interesting, though not at the hardcover price of almost $40. I can't remember if it was mentioned in one of our threads. Frankenstein: The First Two Hundred Years Release date is Oct. 24th (Tuesday). I don't see an ebook version listed on any book sites, so maybe once it's available for Kindle I'll consider it. Or if my library gets a print copy. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 I am still mesmerized by Draw Your Weapons by Sarah Sentilles. One artist she discusses is quilt artist Anna Von Mertens. (I thought some of the quilters on here would like this.) The Art of Sewing Science Into Beautiful Quilts Anna Von Mertens: As The Stars Go By Thanks for the links! Now pondering...... :) Ray Bradbury. I read Fahrenheit 451 in high school & loved it. My dc have had to read it for school so we have a copy here. Awhile ago, I picked it up & started reading but it felt clunky to me. I didn't want to see it that way, so I stopped. Perhaps I will try again in the future. My book club read a short story collection by him a few months ago. Ugh. I really did not enjoy his writing. It seems so stilted. What am I missing? P.S. Years ago, I had a Ray Bradbury book & I think this was the author photo on the book. I think that somehow that kind of tainted me too. :tongue_smilie: :lol: Dd read a whole bunch of Sci fi at around 13. I thought she loved Bradbury but after a recent conversation I think it may have been tolerated. Yesterday I spent a lot of time in the car and cleaned up my stack of kindle books. Several spooky books were tried and rejected but that stack was huge! ? I made progress on my birthstone reading with The Only Way Out by Susan Mallery https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/658443.The_Only_Way_Out. It's a rerelease of one from the 90's. I though I loved her fluff but this one was not great at all. I also finished Don't Let Go by Harlan Cohen. I normally love his stand alones and this one started off well. Single cop who never quite recovered from the mysterious death of his twin which was combined with his high school girlfriend's disappearance is informed girlfriend's fingerprints are part of a crime scene. A bit much but done pretty well then things just went all over the place. I swear every idea the author had was incorporated! It's my L, what more can I say! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Thought of a book for your older DD ... The Book Thief. I think there's some swear words but not the ones that are really offensive. Plus they are mostly in German 😂 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Ray Bradbury. I read Fahrenheit 451 in high school & loved it. My dc have had to read it for school so we have a copy here. Awhile ago, I picked it up & started reading but it felt clunky to me. I didn't want to see it that way, so I stopped. Perhaps I will try again in the future. My book club read a short story collection by him a few months ago. Ugh. I really did not enjoy his writing. It seems so stilted. What am I missing? P.S. Years ago, I had a Ray Bradbury book & I think this was the author photo on the book. I think that somehow that kind of tainted me too. :tongue_smilie: :lol: I will confess to being another who does not love Ray Bradbury. F451 has its place among major dystopian novels but I don't actually enjoy reading it. And I've tried a couple of the short story collections and liked one or two, but not most of them. 'There Will Come Soft Rains' from The Martian Chronicles is a standout for me, I love that story. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 (edited) Ray Bradbury. I read Fahrenheit 451 in high school & loved it. My dc have had to read it for school so we have a copy here. Awhile ago, I picked it up & started reading but it felt clunky to me. I didn't want to see it that way, so I stopped. Perhaps I will try again in the future. My book club read a short story collection by him a few months ago. Ugh. I really did not enjoy his writing. It seems so stilted. What am I missing? P.S. Years ago, I had a Ray Bradbury book & I think this was the author photo on the book. I think that somehow that kind of tainted me too. :tongue_smilie: :lol: Stacia, that photo is just :ack2: :ack2: . Pass me some brain bleach, please :lol: . We may not share R. Bradbury fandom, AND I like Wuthering Heights...HOWEVER...I do share your love of decluttering books and I picked up a few brutal TBRs from you :lol:. Oh, and I love Slaughterhouse Five . So we do share some book love :wub: . (And with this post, I have used up my emoji quota for the day) ETA I suppose I do not even qualify as a proper Bradbury fan since I didn’t like Fahrenheit 451. Edited October 21, 2017 by Penguin 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 I met Jennifer today :) 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Ok, in my efforts to communicate why I love Jose Saramago (as if anyone was questioning it) may I offer this quote from Death With Interruptions. So the setup is that death has written a letter that was published in the paper, but published with "corrected" grammar, punctuation, syntax, etc. Those of you who have read Saramago will appreciate that this may very well be his own response to the grammar police he has no doubt encountered: "According to the authorized opinion of a grammarian consulted by the newspaper, death had simply failed to master even the first rudiments of the art of writing. And then, he said, there's the calligraphy, which is strangely irregular, it's as if it combined all the known ways, both possible and aberrant, of forming the letters of the latin alphabet, as if each had been written by a different person, but that could be forgiven, one could even consider it a minor defect given the chaotic syntax, the absence of full stops, the complete lack of very necessary parentheses, the obsessive elimination of paragraphs, the random use of commas and, most unforgivable sin of all, the intentional and almost diabolical abolition of the capital letter, which, can you imagine, is even omitted from the actual signature of the letter and replaced by a lower-case d. It was a disgrace, an insult, the grammarian went on, asking, If death, who has had the priceless privilege of seeing the great literary geniuses of the past, writes like this, what of our children if they choose to imitate such a philological monstrosity, on the excuse that, considering how long death has been around, she should know everything there is to know about all branches of knowledge." This is one page of a 5-page long paragraph. I can only imagine Saramago had tongue firmly planted in cheek as he wrote it. Anyway, it made me giggle. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 A one day only currently free work for Kindle readers ~ Contamination Boxed Set (Books 0-3 in the series) by T.W. Piperbrook Also currently free ~ The Matriarch Matrix by Maxime Trencavel The Garment Maker's Daughter by Hillary Stern The Hungarian by Victoria Dougherty Snowed by Pamela Burford Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 (edited) I met Jennifer today :)That is awesome! How lucky for both of you! Edited October 21, 2017 by Penguin 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted October 22, 2017 Share Posted October 22, 2017 That is awesome! How lucky for both of you! It was my first BaW meeting :) It was good to meet someone IRL It motivated me to leave the house / town more often :) 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted October 22, 2017 Author Share Posted October 22, 2017 Link to week 43 - please continue conversation in new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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