Book a Week 2017 - BW43: Prime Time Reading Fun

[JennW in SoCal]

Good to hear that Grand Hotel is continuing to please. I share your feelings about Rebecca; if Hitchcock hadn't made a movie better than the book, I wonder if it'd have lasted so long. Middle Girl didn't care for it either, so youth probably wouldn't have saved it for you.

 

This reminds me of a cartoon in a little book, Baking with Kafka, which I bought in Belgium. Tom Gauld is a cartoonist with a clean style whose subject is often literary. One cartoon is of two books, one consoling the other by saying "what's so bad about being adapted? We've all suffered bad tv adaptations."  The other book replies that it is much worse than that, and holds up a review that says "Masterpiece!  Much better than the original book!"  

 

Here is a sample of his work, from Instagram, which made me think of the earlier conversation among you budding mystery writers in our group: Some Murder Methods for Modern Mystery Writers. 

 

Yes, credit where credit is due! Say, why didn't we sign the inside cover? We could see how many BaW signatures we could collect.

 

Indeed!

 

The book is well traveled. A friend from Michigan gave it to me in Savannah, GA.  I then mailed it from NC to TX and now it is in CA.  Where to next?

 

Who would like to be the next to read Grand Hotel?  I'll sign our BaW names inside the front cover and send it on!

[fastweedpuller]

So as I finished my Goodreads challenge last week, I figured I am now free to flesh out whatever categories of BINGO that my 61 books did not otherwise fit.  And I have a couple stumbling blocks, which as usual I try to kill 2 birds with one stone (i.e., it's a classic I have not read) and ONLY YESTERDAY I downloaded Rebecca to fill my...Mystery category. 

 

(ducking all the shoes flying my way)

 

Any other quick and easy mystery then that may perhaps be in the "classics you should read" category?

[Violet Crown]

This reminds me of a cartoon in a little book, Baking with Kafka, which I bought in Belgium. Tom Gauld is a cartoonist with a clean style whose subject is often literary. One cartoon is of two books, one consoling the other by saying "what's so bad about being adapted? We've all suffered bad tv adaptations." The other book replies that it is much worse than that, and holds up a review that says "Masterpiece! Much better than the original book!"

 

Here is a sample of his work, from Instagram, which made me think of the earlier conversation among you budding mystery writers in our group: Some Murder Methods for Modern Mystery Writers.

 

Ha! We could add "doxed and SWATted."

[Chrysalis Academy]

So as I finished my Goodreads challenge last week, I figured I am now free to flesh out whatever categories of BINGO that my 61 books did not otherwise fit.  And I have a couple stumbling blocks, which as usual I try to kill 2 birds with one stone (i.e., it's a classic I have not read) and ONLY YESTERDAY I downloaded Rebecca to fill my...Mystery category. 

 

(ducking all the shoes flying my way)

 

Any other quick and easy mystery then that may perhaps be in the "classics you should read" category?

 

Poe's Murder's in the Rue Morgue? Sherlock Holmes? There are lots of short stories that would give you the flavor if you didn't want to tackle a long book, although for 25-Bingo I think they have to be over 200 pp. The Hound of the Baskervilles would work, and I enjoy that one more than most.

 

I'm listening to The Moonstone right now, which fits both the "classics you should read", mystery, and birthstone categories, but it's not a quick and easy mystery by any stretch.

 

Murder on the Orient Express is about to be made into a movie, so if you haven't read that it might be a fun one. I don't think all of Christie's mysteries are classic must-reads by any stretch, but the other ones I like enough to suggest in this category are And Then There Were None and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

[mumto2]

It's like Flat Stanley. Except literary.

ETA: We all ought to have posted selfies of reading War & Peace in front of local landmarks. Oh why do the best ideas come too late?

 

 

I vote we do that next year!

 

 

 

So as I finished my Goodreads challenge last week, I figured I am now free to flesh out whatever categories of BINGO that my 61 books did not otherwise fit.  And I have a couple stumbling blocks, which as usual I try to kill 2 birds with one stone (i.e., it's a classic I have not read) and ONLY YESTERDAY I downloaded Rebecca to fill my...Mystery category. 

 

(ducking all the shoes flying my way)

 

Any other quick and easy mystery then that may perhaps be in the "classics you should read" category?

I actually like Rebecca but I like Wuthering Heights too! :lol: On a recent reread of Rebecca I will admit to being a bit bored at the start but still enjoyed the second half.

 

Classic mysteries..... Tey's Daughter of Time maybe? I just saw it on the middle ages link from Erin so it popped into my mind instantly. ;). I love that book!

 

I am currently listening to The Devotion of Suspect X (a Stacia recommendation for x). Very good and a bit different. Our aspiring mystery writers might want to give it a try. All I could think of in one part is this author obviously decided a mother and daughter could not handle a body by themselves! :lol:

[ErinE]

I vote we do that next year!

 

 

I agree Edited October 27, 2017 by ErinE

[ErinE]

Who would like to be the next to read Grand Hotel? I'll sign our BaW names inside the front cover and send it on!

If no ones claimed it, can I be next?

[JennW in SoCal]

Speaking of War and Peace, here are some paintings I found at the Louvre featuring Napoleon:

 

I thought at first this painting depicted a scene from the 1812 Russian campaign, due to the cold and snow, but no, it is of the 1808 Prussian battle d'Eylau. The second photo is a detail of Napoleon in the painting-- I think he looks rather infantile here, very much like the odd looking babies found in Renaissance paintings.

 

              

 

 

 

This isn't Napoleon, but is of our 1812 Russian campaign: "Marshal Ney at the Redoubt at Kovno"

 

   

 

And finally, this very flattering image, a study for a portrait commissioned after his victory in Italy in 1796.         

                                                                                                                           

 

 

I didn't take a photo of the huge painting where he is crowning the Empress Josephine as she wasn't part of our epic War and Peace read along....

 

And, speaking of Renaissance paintings, I was a Donatello short of a complete Ninja Turtle sweep of famous Renaissance painters :lol:

[JennW in SoCal]

If no ones claimed it, can I be next?

 

 

Yes! I should be sending it off next week.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

Classic mysteries..... Tey's Daughter of Time maybe? I just saw it on the middle ages link from Erin so it popped into my mind instantly. ;). I love that book!

 

 

Oh yeah, that's a good one!

 

Speaking of passing along books, one of you lovely people sent me Jar City. Dh and I have both read and enjoyed it and I'd be happy to pass it on.  I also have Horrorstor, read and reviewed by Stacia, which I'd be glad to share. I'm going to hang on to Snow Crash b/c Shannon says she might want to read it.  Let me know if you want either of these books.

[Matryoshka]

Here's a list of fiction books on the Middle Ages:

 

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/301.Best_Middle_Ages_Books

 

I've read a few, like The Sunne in Splendour, The Name of the Rose, and Pillars of the Earth, but they're long books. Michael Crichton's Timeline is shorter, but not as good as the the thicker books.

 

Thanks!  I've actually read a fair number of those already, but obviously far from all (long list!).  I have La catedral del mar, the only Spanish entry, sitting on my shelf upstairs waiting to be read, but that one's also almost 700 pages.  I saw Die Niebelungenlied on the list - I should attempt that in German sometime, but not right now... ;)

 

I've realized that none of my easy-to-finish BigBingo rows have anything Spanish or German on them, and that's also driving my casting about.  In spite of having the Spanish book above, I've been thinking of maybe reading En busca del unicornio (In Search of the Unicorn) for the MIddle Ages square.  It takes place in 1471 and it's about some squadron Henry IV the Impotent sent on a boondoggle expedition to Africa to find a unicorn whose horn he hoped would solve his 'problem'.   Even sent a virgin along for bait.  It's got quite good reviews on Goodreads, and won some literary prize - and is only 304pp long. 

 

And my Icelandic square remains empty even though I've read around 5 Icelandic books this year, because I managed to sort them all into other categories, and the row with Icelandic didn't have critical mass.  But I'm having a yen to read Independent People (which I have in German) after all the rave reviews here.  Which is also long (over 500pp in German), and not a particularly fast read.  Or I have one more Erlendur on the shelf.  

 

 I also haven't filled the Set in South America square in spite of all the Spanish I've read (again, sorted elsewhere). It's in the same row as Middle Ages, so if I have time maybe I'll try for the row after all.  I'm thinking of El olvido que seremos (cherrily titles Oblivion: A Memoir in English) which is a memoir about the author's father who was murdered by paramilitaries in Colombia in 1987.  My library actually has both the Spanish books.

[Matryoshka]

Indeed!

 

The book is well traveled. A friend from Michigan gave it to me in Savannah, GA.  I then mailed it from NC to TX and now it is in CA.  Where to next?

 

The German copy of Grand Hotel is also making the rounds.  When I finished it, I sent it on to Mom-ninja. :)

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers; I've posted this one before ~

 

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell 

 

"Welcome to Cranford, where everyone knows one another and a cow wears pajamas. It’s a community built on friendship and kindness, where women hold court and most of the houses—and men—are rarely seen. Two colorful spinster sisters at the heart of Cranford, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah Jenkyns, are daughters of the former rector, and when they’re not playing cards or drinking tea, they’re feeding an endless appetite for scandal and weathering commotions to their peaceful lives, from financial troubles to thieves to an unexpected face from the past.

 
First published in installments in Household Words, a magazine edited by Charles Dickens, Cranford was a hit of its time and today offers modern readers a glimpse into a small English town during the mid-nineteenth century."

**

 

The Mysterious Island  by Jules Verne

 

Star Nomad: Fallen Empire, Book 1  by Lindsay Buroker

 

For children: Thomas Holland and the Prophecy of Elfhaven  by K. M. Doherty

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Matryoshka]

Have finished up a bunch of short reads this week, some of which I wasn't sure how I'd like (and one reason why I chose short selections).

 

I read (listened to) Of Mice and Men.  Can you believe I've never read Steinbeck?  Unless we had to read The Pearl in high school?  In which case it didn't stick with me.  On the one hand I've heard he's great, and on the other hand, there are many reviews of how bleak and depressing he is.  So, I thought I'd try the short one.  And I quite liked it!  Considering some of my other reading choices, maybe I should have realized that what others deem bleak and depressing is not a deal-breaker for me.  The audio also had a fantastic narrator, so that didn't hurt.

 

Then I read Die Verwandlung / The Metamorphosis.  This was for the "Author I think I hate" square.  I had bought a 'collected works' book of his a number of years ago and attempted to read them - but looking back at it, it did not collect any of his more known stuff.  It all seemed like ramblings from his bedside dream-journal, or stuff he had lying around his bedroom floor.  I couldn't take the random unconnected events and inexplicable scene changes (like in a dream, but when it's your dream it makes sense at the time... this sure didn't).  So, with some trepidation, I decided to try his best-known (and nice and short) story.  And I liked it.  Absurd, yes, but didn't seem written while on a magic mushroom trip or fever dream, perhaps just inspired by one.

 

So, I think I will try more Steinbeck and Kafka in the future.  Definitely Grapes of Wrath.  I think Kafka's other two best-known books are The Castle and The Trial.  Any recommendations as to which first?

 

I also read Perfect Happiness, which was for the Basque square.  If anyone's looking for a Basque book for either BigBingo or the round-the-world read, I'd recommend this (it's not easy to find books translated from Basque...).  It's about a 16-yo girl who unwittingly witnesses an assassination, and what happens after.   

 

I've also just started the chunky Cloud Atlas to counterbalance all these short reads, which I convinced my SciFi book club to pick so I could also use it for my Clouds on the Cover square.  :ph34r:   I'm liking it so far, although I'm wondering if my book club peeps are going to.  So far we've hung about with a pretentious American in the South Pacific in the mid-1800's, and now we've moved on to a pretentious Brit musician in the 1930's.  We're going to get to some SciFi at some point, right? ;)

Edited October 27, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Violet Crown]

I read The Trial recently and would certainly recommend it; one of my favorite reads of the year. But then I enjoyed Gregor Samsa the giant bedbug, too; it was the only thing we were made to read in high school that I really liked.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

I've also just started the chunky Cloud Atlas to counterbalance all these short reads, which I convinced my SciFi book club to pick so I could also use it for my Clouds on the Cover square.  :ph34r:   I'm liking it so far, although I'm wondering if my book club peeps are going to.  So far we've hung about with a pretentious American in the South Pacific in the mid-1800's, and now we've moved on to a pretentious Brit musician in the 1930's.  We're going to get to some SciFi at some point, right? ;)

 

Yep. You cycle through the timelines once, from mid-1800s to the far future, then back in reverse order. The last two scenarios (in the time sequence) have more of a sci-fi flavor - the first kind of cyberpunk and the second post-apocalyptic. It's a very unexpected novel in many ways, but I definitely think you guys should stick with it. It rewards the attention you give it. I'm definitely planning to re-read it next year in the context of my Dystopian project.  As you were one of my fellow admirers of the Ada Palmer series, I especially think you'll enjoy Cloud Atlas.

[Violet Crown]

I'm reading The Old Man and the Sea *again*. I'd thought of A Farewell to Arms for Great Girl's Hemingway instead but on re-reading realized it has way too much sex and discussions she doesn't want to have with her mom. If only there were a bingo category for Unwilling Re-read.

[Matryoshka]

Yep. You cycle through the timelines once, from mid-1800s to the far future, then back in reverse order. The last two scenarios (in the time sequence) have more of a sci-fi flavor - the first kind of cyberpunk and the second post-apocalyptic. It's a very unexpected novel in many ways, but I definitely think you guys should stick with it. It rewards the attention you give it. I'm definitely planning to re-read it next year in the context of my Dystopian project.  As you were one of my fellow admirers of the Ada Palmer series, I especially think you'll enjoy Cloud Atlas.

 

I'm definitely seeing some echoes of the Ada Palmer books in the language, which for some reason I enjoy (I highly suspect it was reading too many 19th century works at a young age ;) ) although I fear others may not as much.  Hope they let me continue to recommend books - I think I was the only one in SciFi book club that liked the Ada Palmer.  But I suggested Empress of Mars last month and all of us loved it, so that's good at least. :)

[Matryoshka]

I read The Trial recently and would certainly recommend it; one of my favorite reads of the year. But then I enjoyed Gregor Samsa the giant bedbug, too; it was the only thing we were made to read in high school that I really liked.

 

Well, I did also enjoy the giant bug. :D It was his 'collected stories' which I suspect were collected from notebooks under his bed that I wasn't at all fond of...

[Violet Crown]

Well, I did also enjoy the giant bug. :D It was his 'collected stories' which I suspect were collected from notebooks under his bed that I wasn't at all fond of...

 

Pretty much. Kafka left instructions to his friend Max Brod to destroy all his work; fortunately, Brod published them instead.

[Kareni]

... If only there were a bingo category for Unwilling Re-read.

 

Are you taking note, Robin?

 

Perhaps there should be a Robin category on the bingo, too, in your honor!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mothersweets]

So as I finished my Goodreads challenge last week, I figured I am now free to flesh out whatever categories of BINGO that my 61 books did not otherwise fit.  And I have a couple stumbling blocks, which as usual I try to kill 2 birds with one stone (i.e., it's a classic I have not read) and ONLY YESTERDAY I downloaded Rebecca to fill my...Mystery category. 

 

(ducking all the shoes flying my way)

 

Any other quick and easy mystery then that may perhaps be in the "classics you should read" category?

 

 

I loved Rebecca! I've read it several times and am even listening to the audio version. 

 

I don't know what is wrong with everyone else who doesn't like it  :laugh:

[Violet Crown]

I loved Rebecca! I've read it several times and am even listening to the audio version.

 

I don't know what is wrong with everyone else who doesn't like it :laugh:

Moral turpitude, probably. :D

[Butter]

I finished reading The Ember Gods (Rewrite) by Andrea Pearson.  It was so good!  I loved the changes she made.  It made the book so much more exciting.  (The book will be released, along with the entire rest of the series, on Tuesday.)

[Robin M]

Are you taking note, Robin?

 

Perhaps there should be a Robin category on the bingo, too, in your honor!

 

Regards,

Kareni

Noted and thank you.  I have no idea what a Robin category would entail.  Comedy or drama, depending on the month.  :lol:

[Kareni]

Several bookish posts ~

 

The Seventy-Four Best Entries in The Devil’s Dictionary  by Anthony Madrid  

 

“Audiobooks Don’t Countâ€: A Suggestion of Extreme Privilege  by Sarah Nicolas

 

12 Books to Get You Through NaNoWriMo  by Sarah Nicolas

 

7 Fantastic Remixed Fairy Tales  by S. Zainab Williams

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

Some recently finished books ~

 

the alien romance The E.T. Guy (Office Aliens Book 1)  by V.C. Lancaster (I don't believe this is by Violet Crown) This was a pleasant read but not a book I expect to re-read.  (Adult content)

 

"It's 2266, and Lois Kennedy is an Intake Officer for DETI, the Department of Extra-Terrestrial Immigration.

Zir is a refugee from the planet Teiss, working in DETI's I.T. department.

Lois and Zir just can't get along. As far as she's concerned, he's rude, abrasive, and condescending. She wants nothing to do with him. So why does he never leave her alone? He must be crazy if he thinks there could ever be anything between them... right?"

**

 

another alien romance  STOLEN BY AN ALIEN: An Alien Mate Romance  by Amanda Milo.  Once again, this was a pleasant read but not a book I expect to re-read.  (Adult content)

 

"AROKH
I broke the rules and stole an auction item from her buyers.
Because somehow, they’d managed to abduct a Gryfala princess.
Though… she doesn’t look, or act, or sound quite like I thought one of her kind would.
But I’m merely a Rakhii gladiator; this is the closest I’ve actually ever been to a princess.
I’d be considered lucky indeed if she chose me to guard her.
Instead, I want more.
I need her to claim me.
Because she doesn’t know it, but now I can’t let her go.


ANGIE
Woke up in a freaking auction pen.
With no coffee.
But there were aliens. And they didn’t bid on me out of the goodness of their hearts.
FML.
Then this nice alien showed up in the nick of time, but he keeps referring to me as “Princess†and I’m starting to worry what he’ll do when he finds out that there’s been a little case of mistaken identity, that I’m not royalty - see, I’m not even whatever alien he mistook me for…
I’m just a human."

**

 

And A Forbidden Rumspringa by Keira Andrews which was a very enjoyable re-read.  (Adult content)

 

"When two young Amish men find love, will they risk losing everything?

In a world where every detail of life—down to the width of a hat brim—is dictated by God and the all-powerful rules of the community, two men dare to imagine a different way. At 18, Isaac Byler knows little outside the strict Amish settlement of Zebulon, Minnesota, where there is no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world. Isaac knows he’ll have to officially join the church and find a wife before too long, but he yearns for something else—something he can’t name.

Dark tragedy has left carpenter David Lantz alone to support his mother and sisters, and he can’t put off joining the church any longer. But when he takes on Isaac as an apprentice, their attraction grows amid the sweat and sawdust. David shares his sinful secrets, and he and Isaac struggle to reconcile their shocking desires with their commitment to faith, family and community.

Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

Two Kindle books on sale today. 

 

The Cellist of Sarajevo

 

Led by Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide

 

     

 

 

[Angel]

Stacia, I'm going to have to bail on Catch-22 for now.  I'm so sorry.   :unsure:  I'll try to make a long story short.  Basically Aly has been having chest pains for two weeks.  Been to the ER, EKG and Chest xrays were fine.  Have now followed up with pediatrician and this week the chiropractor.  She is finally getting some relief with the chiro.  ER Dr was no help, just said muscular and sent her home when tests were fine.  Pediatrician was a little stumped and thought it might be a little plueritic pain.  Chrio thinks its a nerve or possibly a pec muscle.  The thing that's throwing everyone was that the pain was constant, always  just above her heart going up and down in intensity, no matter what she was doing.  She is having more stretches without pain now but it's been a long two weeks with lots of appointments.  We are behind in everything.  

 

I'm sorry to not hold up my end but I am low on brain power and I think I'm going to need that to get caught up. I'll try and peek in over the next few weeks if I can!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Angel,  :grouphug:  to you and Aly. I can relate, so much. I hope you get answers and she gets relief soon.

[Penguin]

Angel,  :grouphug:  :grouphug: I hope that Aly being pain-free is about to become the norm.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[mumto2]

Angel :grouphug: How scary! I hope she continues to improve with the chiro.

 

I did finish the Devotion of Suspect X https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8736719-the-devotion-of-suspect-x which I really enjoyed. I found another translated book by this author and plan to try it soon on audio. I even gave it 5 stars which is saying much considering I disliked the ending.

 

Which leads me to Kareni's link https://bookriot.com/2017/10/24/audiobooks-dont-count/ regarding audio books not counting. I definitely think they do! :). The article did remind me of the fact that I am a very auditory learner. As long as I attended lectures school was easy which might be why I love the audio books so much.

 

The other thing I wanted to mention is how I have ended up using the Good reads rating system. I totally agree that a three is a perfectly good rating but I tend to take the books genre into account. If the book simply does it's job for lack of a better description it gets a three. So a perfectly good cozy that is in no way exceptional....perhaps a decent story but I knew from page 1 who did it a 3. Same book with characters that made me laugh and I didn't know until halfway through a 4. Finally fun story and I wasn't completely sure a 5. Because so many rate so generously on Good reads I hate to bring the average down for a "good read" because unless someone here recommended a book if I check Good reads first I generally only read things that hover around a 4.

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers; I've posted this one before ~

 

Dubliners by James Joyce  

 

"Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914."

**

 

Also currently free ~

 

The Magic Sleigh Bell  by W. Peter Elliott

 

I like some different books by this author:  Mistress of the Wind by Michelle Diener

 

The Shadow Priest  by D.C. Alexander

 

Crushing on Cooper (Camp Firefly Falls Book 3)  by Violet Vaughn

 

Clovenhoof  by Heide Goody  and Iain Grant

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ErinE]

:grouphug: Angel. I hope you find answers soon for Aly's pain. That's so scary!

[Lady Florida.]

:grouphug: Angel

[aggieamy]

Stacia, I'm going to have to bail on Catch-22 for now.  I'm so sorry.   :unsure:  I'll try to make a long story short.  Basically Aly has been having chest pains for two weeks.  Been to the ER, EKG and Chest xrays were fine.  Have now followed up with pediatrician and this week the chiropractor.  She is finally getting some relief with the chiro.  ER Dr was no help, just said muscular and sent her home when tests were fine.  Pediatrician was a little stumped and thought it might be a little plueritic pain.  Chrio thinks its a nerve or possibly a pec muscle.  The thing that's throwing everyone was that the pain was constant, always  just above her heart going up and down in intensity, no matter what she was doing.  She is having more stretches without pain now but it's been a long two weeks with lots of appointments.  We are behind in everything.  

 

I'm sorry to not hold up my end but I am low on brain power and I think I'm going to need that to get caught up. I'll try and peek in over the next few weeks if I can!

 

I've got lots on here I want to respond to but don't have much time so I'll just respond to this for now. Little Librarian (13 1/2 yo) was having consistent chest pains and her doctor ran all sorts of tests and recommended us to a pediatric cardiologist. It ended up being anxiety. I was shocked because she's such a level-headed easy kid. It's become a common thing for young teens to have this high level of anxiety now.  :crying:  I hope you get answers soon. It's scary not knowing.

[Robin M]

Link to week 44 - please continue conversation in new thread