Book a Week 2018 - BW26: Halfway Down

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday and welcome to week twenty-six in our Open Roads Reading Adventure. Greetings to all our readers and everyone following our progress. Mister Linky is available weekly on 52 Books in 52 Weeks  to share a link to your book reviews.

 

Halfway Down

 By

 A. A. Milne

 

Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like It.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.

Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And it isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head.
It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!

Our Brit Trip is talking us to Norfolk this week.  We end our travels on Icknield Way in Norfolk, the historic home to Boudica, Celtic queen who waged war on the Romans, and Edith Cavell, a nurse who aided prisoners escaping from the Germans during WWI.

Rabbit trails: Norwich Cathedral  St. John the Baptist Cathedral

 

 

 Can you believe we are halfway through the year already?   How are you doing?  Where have your armchair travels taken you so far?   What books are on your nightstand that you are looking forward to reading soon?   

 Link to week 25

Edited June 25, 2018 by Robin M
Freudian slip

[Robin M]

I finished Crossroads of Twilight which is book #10 in the Wheel of Time series.  Not much action and a whole lot of talking, plotting, scheming, and thinking happened.  

James is currently reading  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull which is written by my favorite author, James Rollins.  So I added Deep Fathom and Ice Hunt to our stacks which I hope he will enjoy. I know I'll enjoy rereading them as well as reading his newest in his Sigma Force series - Demon Crown.   

I'm currently reading Seanan McGuire's Midnight Blue Special, # 2 in her Incryptid series.

[Negin]

I'm catching up on reviews still. 

While on vacation, I read Beach Music - 5 Stars - Pat Conroy wrote the beautiful introduction to one of my all-time favorite books, “Gone with the Wind”. My rule with classics, not that I read them as often as I probably should, is to read the introduction after completing the book. Once I finished “Gone with the Wind” and then read Conroy’s introduction, I knew that this would be an author that I need to look into. 

“Beach Music” is the first book that I have read by him. It grabbed me right from the start and I was hooked. Even though we were on vacation, it was often pretty much all that I could think about. Part of the story takes place in Italy, specifically Rome, and I finished this book right before we arrived there. Perfect timing! 

Here's a picture that we took of the Piazza Navona in Rome. 

The writing is gorgeous. The story is riveting and had me laughing and crying. The characters are superb to the point where I missed them so very much after finishing the book. For me, that’s definitely a sign of a phenomenal book. 

While reading, I looked up Pat Conroy and was amazed at how quite a bit of the story is similar to his own life. I was reminded of a quote by P.D. James: “All fiction is largely autobiographical and much autobiography is, of course, fiction.” I can’t wait to read more books by him. How sad that he’s no longer with us. 

This is definitely my favorite book of 2018, and now one of my favorite books of all time. 

Some of my favorite quotes:

“American men are allotted just as many tears as American women. But because we are forbidden to shed them, we die long before women do, with our hearts exploding or our blood pressure rising or our livers eaten away by alcohol because that lake of grief inside us has no outlet. We, men, die because our faces were not watered enough.”

“When you have been hurt you lose your trust in the world. If the world’s mean to you when you’re a child, you spend the rest of your life being mean back.”

“I don’t know why it is that I have always been happier thinking of somewhere I have been or wanted to go, than where I am at the time. I find it difficult to be happy in the present.”

MY RATING SYSTEM
5 Stars
Fantastic, couldn't put it down
4 Stars
Really Good
3 Stars
Enjoyable 
2 Stars
Just Okay – nothing to write home about
1 Star
Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

[Kareni]

Thanks for the lovely photos, Negin, that you posted now and in last week's thread.  They make me want to go traveling!
**

Yesterday I finished a book I quite enjoyed.  I think others here would like it, too. 

Letters to the Lost: A Novel  by Iona Grey

"An accomplished novel from a talented writer, Letters to the Lost is a stunning, emotional love story. Iona Grey's prose is warm, evocative, and immediately engaging; her characters become so real you can't bear to let them go.

I promised to love you forever, in a time when I didn't know if I'd live to see the start of another week. Now it looks like forever is finally running out. I never stopped loving you. I tried, for the sake of my own sanity, but I never even got close, and I never stopped hoping either.

Late on a frozen February evening, a young woman is running through the streets of London. Having fled from her abusive boyfriend and with nowhere to go, Jess stumbles onto a forgotten lane where a small, clearly unlived in old house offers her best chance of shelter for the night. The next morning, a mysterious letter arrives and when she can't help but open it, she finds herself drawn inexorably into the story of two lovers from another time.

In London 1942, Stella meets Dan, a US airman, quite by accident, but there is no denying the impossible, unstoppable attraction that draws them together. Dan is a B-17 pilot flying his bomber into Europe from a British airbase; his odds of survival are one in five. In the midst of such uncertainty, the one thing they hold onto is the letters they write to each other. Fate is unkind and they are separated by decades and continents. In the present, Jess becomes determined to find out what happened to them. Her hope—inspired by a love so powerful it spans a lifetime—will lead her to find a startling redemption in her own life in this powerfully moving novel."

Regards,
Kareni

[Robin M]

5 hours ago, Negin said:

Here's a picture that we took of the Piazza Navona in Rome. 

 

Gorgeous shot with all the shadowing and clouds! 

[Robin M]

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

Thanks for the lovely photos, Negin, that you posted now and in last week's thread.  They make me want to go traveling!
**

Yesterday I finished a book I quite enjoyed.  I think others here would like it, too. 

Letters to the Lost: A Novel  by Iona Grey

"An accomplished novel from a talented writer, Letters to the Lost is a stunning, emotional love story. Iona Grey's prose is warm, evocative, and immediately engaging; her characters become so real you can't bear to let them go.

I promised to love you forever, in a time when I didn't know if I'd live to see the start of another week. Now it looks like forever is finally running out. I never stopped loving you. I tried, for the sake of my own sanity, but I never even got close, and I never stopped hoping either.

Late on a frozen February evening, a young woman is running through the streets of London. Having fled from her abusive boyfriend and with nowhere to go, Jess stumbles onto a forgotten lane where a small, clearly unlived in old house offers her best chance of shelter for the night. The next morning, a mysterious letter arrives and when she can't help but open it, she finds herself drawn inexorably into the story of two lovers from another time.

In London 1942, Stella meets Dan, a US airman, quite by accident, but there is no denying the impossible, unstoppable attraction that draws them together. Dan is a B-17 pilot flying his bomber into Europe from a British airbase; his odds of survival are one in five. In the midst of such uncertainty, the one thing they hold onto is the letters they write to each other. Fate is unkind and they are separated by decades and continents. In the present, Jess becomes determined to find out what happened to them. Her hope—inspired by a love so powerful it spans a lifetime—will lead her to find a startling redemption in her own life in this powerfully moving novel."

Regards,
Kareni

Yes, definitely sounds intriguing. Adding it to my want list. Thanks! 

[mumto2]

Negin,  Great photo!  ?

I will do my half-yearly summary now since I have been working on it..........

Brit Tripping..........a very unofficial 3 counties that I have not visited at all!

Alphabetical by Author........U and X to go

Alphabetical by Title..........E,J,N,X,and Z are left

Bingo.......still need

            Art

            MicroHistory....maybe a Simon Winchester

            Music.....I have Murder in Major by Alexis Gordon on hold.

            Book to Movie......I have been waiting for Murder on the Orient Express for months!  I did see the newest movie and would like to compare.

            Philosophical.....planning on Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

            Biography of Memoir........Wondering if I Was Anastasia would be OK.  My hold just arrived and I am looking forward to it.

             Feminist Author.........Margaret The First by Danielle Dutton planned

             Nobel.......Kristen Lavransdatter read along

             17th Century.....I suspect I may have already done this one!  Need to pay attention........

              Self Help............

              Ancient Civilizations Mystery Square........need to read one

              Red Shoe.........Julia Quinn

               Set on an Island......And Then There Were None

            ETA.......   Female Judge.......I need ideas!  ?

         

[Teaching3bears]

This week I read Educated by Tara Westover (which partly takes place in England at Cambridge).  I generally liked the book though it was depressing and I did not like the way she kept going back to her family at the end of the book and got so depressed she was just binge-watching tv.  After I read the book I read a few amazon reviews and I read the discussion that took place on this list a couple of months ago and I watched some interviews with her.  I strongly recommend the interview with David Runciman at Cambridge.  I think she is very intelligent and I hope she writes more in the future, and not just about her violent brother and delusional father; I think she is an intelligent person with a lot to contribute to thinking about education and history.

IMHO, her and her brothers, the ones who got PhDs, are very gifted and that's how they beat the odds and succeeded despite their upbringing.  I don't think it was just self-motivation and hard work. I think her story is sincere but maybe the abuse is played down, maybe there's more to the story.  These are things that were brought up in the discussion of this book.

 

I am still reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and still not liking it any more than I did last week.  Sigh.

Several of the books I have read over the past 6 months have taken place in Britain: My not-so-perfect life ,The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry, The Forgotten Garden, Neverwhere, The Pillars of the Earth, Tess of the D'Urbervilles and more.  

 

 

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

MicroHistory....maybe a Simon Winchester

Next month my book group will be reading the author's  The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary.

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

ETA.......   Female Judge.......I need ideas!  ?

 

I've seen good reviews of Notorious RBG  by Irin Carmon.

 

Regards,
Kareni

[Kareni]

I just finished Nora Roberts'  Shelter in Place.  While I enjoyed the story (if such can be said about a novel revolving around a mass shooting), it's not one that I see myself re-reading.

"It was a typical evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine. Three teenage friends waited for the movie to start. A boy flirted with the girl selling sunglasses. Mothers and children shopped together, and the manager at video game store tended to customers. Then the shooters arrived.

The chaos and carnage lasted only eight minutes before the killers were taken down. But for those who lived through it, the effects would last forever. In the years that followed, one would dedicate himself to a law enforcement career. Another would close herself off, trying to bury the memory of huddling in a ladies' room, helplessly clutching her cell phone--until she finally found a way to pour her emotions into her art.

But one person wasn't satisfied with the shockingly high death toll at the DownEast Mall. And as the survivors slowly heal, find shelter, and rebuild, they will discover that another conspirator is lying in wait--and this time, there might be nowhere safe to hide."

Regards,
Kareni

[tuesdayschild]

3 hours ago, Kareni said:

Next month my book group will be reading the author's  The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary.

This is a really interesting book, I read it a few years back and found it a fascinating read!   Amazingly I haven't seen anyone else mention in their reviews about  - using euphemisms on purpose -  his obsessive self-pleasuring and eventually trying to "dismember" himself.

Thank you (!!) to both  @Matryoshka and yourself for the non-fiction titles you each recommended last week. (Archived them to browse through later in the week)

[tuesdayschild]

I may not get back to chat this week, but will be following the emailed discussion.  

My current reads:

• The Silmarillion ~ J.R.R. Tolkien   Audio   
• The Woman in White ~  Wilkie Collins  (enjoying this!)
• How the Heather Looks ~ Joan Bodger (sip read)

 Completed (incs  Brit Trip rebel bus):

• The Clock Strikes Twelve: Miss Silver Bk7 ~ Patricia Wentworth, narrated by Diana Bishop  (Comparing this alongside other Wentworth titles.  4)    Extra: One of the characters in this story, a possessive, manipulative, narcissistic, mother by adoption could be a real a challenge for an IRL associate to read about.
• The Benevent Treasure: Miss Silver Bk26 ~ Patricia Wentworth, narrated by Diana Bishop. (4+)  If I’d known Wentworth was going to have people skulking around the house after dark I may not have listened to this at bed time (;D).  Wentworth really sets the reader up to dislike the abusive old lady- she thinks nothing of viciously slapping family/servants across the face if they cross her.  There is a clever twist at the very end of the story with the money. 
• All Roads Lead to Austen ~ Amy Smith  N/F  (not quite a 3)  (this is a Latin American adventure with Austen’s books on board)  My review can be found here http://tuesdaysviews.blogspot.com/2018/06/all-roads-lead-to-austen-amy-smith.html

 

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, Teaching3bears said:

This week I read Educated by Tara Westover (which partly takes place in England at Cambridge).  I generally liked the book though it was depressing and I did not like the way she kept going back to her family at the end of the book and got so depressed she was just binge-watching tv.  After I read the book I read a few amazon reviews and I read the discussion that took place on this list a couple of months ago and I watched some interviews with her.  I strongly recommend the interview with David Runciman at Cambridge.  I think she is very intelligent and I hope she writes more in the future, and not just about her violent brother and delusional father; I think she is an intelligent person with a lot to contribute to thinking about education and history.

IMHO, her and her brothers, the ones who got PhDs, are very gifted and that's how they beat the odds and succeeded despite their upbringing.  I don't think it was just self-motivation and hard work. I think her story is sincere but maybe the abuse is played down, maybe there's more to the story.  These are things that were brought up in the discussion of this book.

 

I am still reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and still not liking it any more than I did last week.  Sigh.

Several of the books I have read over the past 6 months have taken place in Britain: My not-so-perfect life ,The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry, The Forgotten Garden, Neverwhere, The Pillars of the Earth, Tess of the D'Urbervilles and more.  

 

 

Educated sounds quite interesting.  I will admit that I have been sort of ignoring all the hype about it and haven’t read any of the reviews until now.  I probably should read it as I need an E!  

Woot to Brit Tripping! ?

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

Next month my book group will be reading the author's  The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary.

 

I've seen good reviews of Notorious RBG  by Irin Carmon.

 

Regards,
Kareni

I read the Professor and the Madman back in 2013 and really enjoyed it.  Tuesday,  I know I did not share it with Dd and suspect your observations were why!

I have seen good reviews for RBG also.  I have been hoping for a fictional female judge in a mystery type book.  The square is in the Bonus Mystery part of the Bingo card,  I thought it would be easy because of the Cora Harrison series with an Irish 16th century lady judge https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1625740.My_Lady_Judge but I didn’t care for the one I tried and abandoned it.  I think there is a US based popular series with a female judge but haven’t been able to make google tell me the name!  ?. If I have to I will read Cora Harrison..........

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

Educated sounds quite interesting.

I found it rather depressing and, yes, interesting.

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

I have been hoping for a fictional female judge in a mystery type book.

Here's a romance (about which I know nothing) that features a female judge ~ Approaching the Bench  by Chantal Fernando.

Regards,
Kareni

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today. 

 

[Guest]

I am “behind” on my goal of 52 books, and also on my one-classic-per-month goal. Just have too many irons in the fire. I also mess this up sometimes by reading parts of a book but not completing it. I read parts of The Obesity Code a week ago. I think it was interesting, but I like Gary Taubes more. I have done Intermittent Fasting for a week and lost 5.8 lbs since last Sunday, but I also “found” a pound again when I made my homemade bread and ate...too many slices. The other loaf is mocking me from the kitchen counter but I am striving not to eat until after 12:00. (This is also one reason I have been reading less, because if I am busy and/or out of the house, I can avoid eating and snacking, but if I am relaxed and sitting at home, I think about food.) I read @Negin‘s Good Reads review of this book and his other book on fasting. I agree with you that one of the hard aspects of fasting is if the faster is the main person responsible for procurring and cooking the food. I realized late that going to the grocery store in a fasted state was a special kind of torture. 

I have been reading 52 Loaves by William Alexander, which is my third book by this author and is responsible for igniting my interest in making bread. I finished Flirting with French by the same author and loved it. I think William Alexander is very like me. Expect to see bread titles cropping up in my list over the next few months! 

I am still listening to The Hunchback of Notre Dame on audiobook, which is very enjoyable and so very well read by Bill Homewood. I might possibly see if he has recorded Les Miserables as well. 

I abandoned Gilead, which was my book club book; I don’t much like stream-of-consciousness writing and I just couldn’t get into that book. I have a new book club book to start but I’m forgetting the name at the moment. 

[mumto2]

What am I currently reading?  I have a stack of comfort reads in progress, The last couple of days have been stressful!  Mary Balogh, MC Beaton, and a Dorothy Sayers (audiobook) all feature in the assortment.  I also checked out a stack of Bingo books yesterday.  I finallyfound the American Lady Judge series....Margaret Maron is the author.  Thanks Kareni. 

 For Norfolk I have chosen Ian Sansom ‘s The Norfolk Mysteryhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18169472-the-norfolk-mystery because of it’s cozy appearance and I have read some of his Irish Bookmobile series which was fun.

Norfolk is a good reading county for me.  I love Elly Griffith’s Ruth Galloway series which is set there.  I also enjoyed The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett.  The Nine Taylor’s by Sayers is supposed to be set there. And finally a Charles Todd with a long hold line intrigues me......Watchers in Timehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20239.Watchers_of_Time 

 

 

[aggieamy]

13 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

I may not get back to chat this week, but will be following the emailed discussion.  

My current reads:

• The Silmarillion ~ J.R.R. Tolkien   Audio   
• The Woman in White ~  Wilkie Collins  (enjoying this!)
• How the Heather Looks ~ Joan Bodger (sip read)

 Completed (incs  Brit Trip rebel bus):

• The Clock Strikes Twelve: Miss Silver Bk7 ~ Patricia Wentworth, narrated by Diana Bishop  (Comparing this alongside other Wentworth titles.  4)    Extra: One of the characters in this story, a possessive, manipulative, narcissistic, mother by adoption could be a real a challenge for an IRL associate to read about.
• The Benevent Treasure: Miss Silver Bk26 ~ Patricia Wentworth, narrated by Diana Bishop. (4+)  If I’d known Wentworth was going to have people skulking around the house after dark I may not have listened to this at bed time (;D).  Wentworth really sets the reader up to dislike the abusive old lady- she thinks nothing of viciously slapping family/servants across the face if they cross her.  There is a clever twist at the very end of the story with the money. 
• All Roads Lead to Austen ~ Amy Smith  N/F  (not quite a 3)  (this is a Latin American adventure with Austen’s books on board)  My reveiw can be found here http://tuesdaysviews.blogspot.com/2018/06/all-roads-lead-to-austen-amy-smith.html

 

I can't wait to look back on my 2018 and see how many Miss Silver books I've read. It's probably going to be about one per month. I'm also loving the audiobooks. Very cozy like Agatha but I feel like her characters are more believable.

 

So next Monday I submit my BIG work project that I've been tied up with the last month. One week! I'm, of course, a little behind where I should be but that's okay because if I work diligently I'll be done by Monday. With that in mind this morning I've focused on the highly important tasks of:

• I got up early and cleaned DD's room by taking everything out of the closet and completely redoing it - that certainly couldn't have waited for a week!
• Planned a party for the 4th of July
• Watched a few youtube videos on roses
• Went to the library to pick up a few cookbooks on baking bread @Quill - I blame that on you!
• Went through a stack of fabric to pick out a few pieces for a quilt I'm slowly slowly working on. We all know where the blame for my interest in quilting comes from. @mumto2
• Went to the high school to register our foreign exchange student for classes - I could have done that by email and saved time but I still wasted time by going in person.

OH MY GOSH. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME! I HAVEN'T EVEN OPENED AUTOCAD THIS MORNING. I'm going to be freaking out if I don't make substantial progress on this project today.

I'm signing off now ... to go clean my fridge!

No! I'm going to work.

[aggieamy]

I'm still working on I Capture the Castle and ABC Murders. I should get lots of audiobook time in this week!

I know we were just discussing non-fiction so this is timely. Audible is having a big sale for it's members of non-fiction and Great Courses. Two books for one credit.

@ErinE - I know you're a big Great Course listener. Are there any courses on the sale list you loved?

[Kareni]

 

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

The last couple of days have been stressful!

Hoping for less stress in the days ahead.

37 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

So next Monday I submit my BIG work project that I've been tied up with the last month.

Sending good thoughts for a wonderful outcome.  [Procrastination?  No, I know absolutely nothing about that.]

21 hours ago, Robin M said:

Book a Week 2018 - BS26: Halfway Down

Are you trying to tell us something, Robin?!

Regards,
Kareni

[Matryoshka]

Finished 3 books this week:

53. Die Madonna im Pelzmantel / Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali (translated from Turkish into German) - Hailed as one of the classics of Turkish literature, it actually seemed quite European to me, especially as most of it took place in Berlin.  I also found the time period interesting, between the wars - haven't read a lot set in Germany during that period (I think the only other one was Menschen im Hotel / Grand Hotel.  I enjoyed it. 4 stars.

54. The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexeivich (audiobook) - it was good, but not as shockingly groundbreaking to me to hear that war is actually nasty and bloody and people starve and do horrible things as it was to the Soviet and just-post-Soviet audience she wrote it for.  3 stars.

55. Darktown by Thomas Mullen (ebook) - a crime procedural set in just post-WWII Atlanta; the main protagonists are two of the eight African-American police officers hired and center around solving the death of a young woman, even though they are actually forbidden to do any detective work, and most of the rest of the force is actively trying to bury any hint of the truth.  I will probably read the next book in the series. 3.5 stars.

Currently reading:

- The Earth Moved by Amy Stewart (audiobook) - a nonfiction book about earthworms!

- The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz - a dystopia set somewhere like Egypt.  Just started it and finding it hard to get into.

- The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish (ebook) - also just barely started this one, but really liking it so far.

[Matryoshka]

Mid-year wrap up...

I'm a few books ahead of halfway of my total reading goal, but I did set the goal at only 2/3 of what I read last year.  Just checked and have 12 books checked off for BaW Bingo, and do have books picked out for the rest, so fairly on-track there.  I'm not planning on doing the 'bonus' squares in the Bingo, choosing instead to focus on other challenges.

Ones I'd set for myself:

1.        6 or more Nobel prize winners - at 3 so far.

2.        10 or more books over 500 pages - actually at 6 so far... didn't think it was that many!

3.        12 books each in Spanish and German - 5 in Spanish and 6 in German so far - so a bit behind in Spanish.

4.        A-Z Title - This one's almost done... only have Q left, and I'm reading that now...

5.        A-Z Author - I've got OPQRUVX to go, and am reading an R now. :)

I've also been glancing at the Reading Women challenge and the Into the Woods challenges for inspiration, but I don't think I'll end up finishing either of those this year...

ETA: Forgot any mention of Brit-tripping or lack thereof, and it's mostly the latter!  Most books I've been reading are not set in England, and the ones that are mostly seem to be set in London or Oxford! :P

[Violet Crown]

Falling further behind on BritTripping. If I had access to my shelves, this week I'd be reading the 12th-century Life and Passion of William of Norwich by Thomas of Monmouth, a chilling book that is our earliest source for the anti-Jewish "blood libel"; a story unfortunately popular in the Middle Ages and repeated in Chaucer's "Prioresses Tale," which I recently read in my continuing slow pilgrimage through The Canterbury Tales.

Finished this week only my Penguin selection of Iain Crichton Smith's poems; continuing my previous reads, including Smith's novel of the Highland Clearances, Consider the Lilies. Mid-year wrap-up will have to wait until I have access to my records, as I write my reading in a notebook not currently with me.

[Robin M]

3 hours ago, Kareni said:

On 6/24/2018 at 11:47 AM, Robin M said:

Book a Week 2018 - BS26: Halfway Down

Are you trying to tell us something, Robin?!

Regards,
Kareni

Oh my! Almost fell on the floor laughing.  Hubby and I were talking about customer complaints or the news when I was posting the thread. Don't remember which exactly. Both are annoying. ?  Freudian slip of the fingers. 

[ErinE]

Hi all! I've been terrible about posting, because I stopped reading for awhile. I wasted my time watching television and surfing the Internet, but I was operating in a brain fog and couldn't concentrate on or enjoy any books. I've slowly started reading again so I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that I'll get back to posting regularly.

As part of my brain fog, I didn't keep track of my books read so I'll just post what I enjoyed:

• The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Urban Fantasy. A small-town waitress with telepathic powers finds herself immersed in vampire and werewolf intrigues. I've avoided reading this series for years because of the True Blood connection. Back in the day I loved Anne Rice but I stopped reading about vampires as the years passed, especially with the rise of sparkly ones. All that personal history aside, these are fun books. I worried they would descend into Laurell K. Hamilton smut-with-a-side-of-urban-fantasy but Harris does an excellent job writing urban fantasy romance. There's a love triangle (or five), a naive but somehow competent heroine, and fairytale creatures galore. I've made the series my go-to brain candy for the summer.
• The Expanse series  by James S. A. Corey. Science Fiction-Space Opera. After humans discover an ancient alien menace in the outer solar system, the various colonies must work together to defeat it. I'm up to book 4 in the series and very much enjoying it. It's reminiscent of Heinlein's best science fiction without the strange belief system or female objectification. There's a heavy dose of horror, especially in the first two books so be warned.
• The October Daye series by Seanan Maguire. Urban Fantasy. A half-human, half-elf changeling searches for lost fae children while avoiding the various enemies who want her dead. I greatly admire Maguire's writing and imagination and plan to read her entire back catalog. I found the first 7 books of the October Daye series in my library's used bookstore so I picked them all up for $3.50. The spines weren't even cracked! All were enjoyable reads.
• Courses from the Great Courses. History, Literature, Science, etc. How I miss the old Teaching Company name! At least then I wasn't forced into writing awkward sentences where I repeat the word "courses" multiple times. Anyhoo, my favorites from the sale are:
  • Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques - good advice but only if it's your first experience with the information
  • The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World - great background on everyday life across socio-economic classes but exclusively focused on the Western tradition
  • Great Mythologies of the World - *****, highly recommended, 31 hours of fascinating mythologies from all over the world
  • The Great Ideas of Philosophy - I usually have little interest in heavy philosophical discussions, but the professor made the subject engaging and educational
  • The Story of Human Language - *****, another highly recommended course on the development of language, including explanation and support for the development of pidgins, dialects, and languages. All the courses offered by the lecturer John McWhorter are on my wish list.
  • Food: A Cultural Culinary History - fantastic course on the history of cooking, with recipes. This probably would have worked better as a video series, rather than audio, but I still felt it was well-done and engaging.
  • Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals - if you like crime writing or murder mysteries this might be of interest with a heavy warning: several of the early lectures discuss crimes involving children (which is my personal no-go). I nearly stopped listening, but managed to finish the course.
• ETA: Space Opera by Catherynne Valente. Science Fiction-Space (but not Space Opera). After aliens make first contact, a washed-up rock star must save humanity by competing in a intergalactic talent competition. A lovely mashup of David Bowie, weird fiction, and Eurovision. It took me several days to finish because the prose is Valente at her verbose, but beautiful best so I could only read it in small sips. I adore this author's voice and imagination so if you're a Valente fan as well (Radiance is my go-to recommend for first-timers), I highly recommend this book!

 

Just as a personal aside, if you ever feel despair and need to talk with someone, PM me. I'm here for you.

[Kareni]

7 hours ago, ErinE said:

The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.

I enjoyed most of that series.

7 hours ago, ErinE said:

The October Daye series by Seanan Maguire

And the first few of this one, too.  I should get back to it, but then I'd need to start at the beginning again. Hmmph.

7 hours ago, ErinE said:

(Radiance is my go-to recommend for first-timers

I may have to give that a try.  Thanks for the recommendation.

Regards,
Kareni

[Kareni]

I've finished a couple more books.

Fatal Chaos (The Fatal Series) by Marie Force.  I've enjoyed all of the books in this series that I've read.  This is the most recent, but it turns out I've managed to skip one.  Don't ask me why my library has volumes one, four, and twelve of this series but is missing the rest.  This series is best read in order. (Adult content)

"First the calm. Then the storm…

Escaping DC during the dog days of summer is one of the smartest moves Washington metro police lieutenant Samantha Holland ever made. Beach walks aren’t quite as romantic with the Secret Service in tow, but Sam and her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, cherish the chance to recharge and reconnect—especially with a scandal swirling around the administration.

No sooner are they back home than a fatal drive-by shooting sets the city on edge. The teenage victim is barely older than Sam and Nick’s son, Scotty. As more deaths follow, Sam and her team play beat the clock to stop the ruthless killers. With Nick facing his greatest challenge—one that could drastically change all their lives and even end Sam’s career—will the mounting pressure deepen or damage their bond?"
**

I also enjoyed Bru Baker's contemporary male/male paranormal romance Camp H.O.W.L. (Dreamspun Beyond Book 7).  (Slight adult content)

"Moonmates exist, but getting together is going to be a beast….

When Adrian Rothschild skipped his “werewolf puberty,” he assumed he was, somehow, human. But he was wrong, and he’s about to go through his Turn with a country between him and his Pack—scared, alone, and eight years late.

Dr. Tate Lewis’s werewolf supremacist father made his Turn miserable, and now Tate works for Camp H.O.W.L. to ease the transition for young werewolves. He isn’t expecting to offer guidance to a grown man—or find his moonmate in Adrian. Tate doesn’t even believe in the legendary bond; after all, his polygamist father claimed five. But it’s clear Adrian needs him, and if Tate can let his guard down, he might discover he needs Adrian too.

A moonmate is a wolf’s missing piece, and Tate is missing a lot of pieces. But is Adrian up to the challenge?"

 

Regards,
Kareni

[Negin]

16 hours ago, Quill said:

I am “behind” on my goal of 52 books, and also on my one-classic-per-month goal. Just have too many irons in the fire. I also mess this up sometimes by reading parts of a book but not completing it. I read parts of The Obesity Code a week ago. I think it was interesting, but I like Gary Taubes more. I have done Intermittent Fasting for a week and lost 5.8 lbs since last Sunday, but I also “found” a pound again when I made my homemade bread and ate...too many slices. The other loaf is mocking me from the kitchen counter but I am striving not to eat until after 12:00. (This is also one reason I have been reading less, because if I am busy and/or out of the house, I can avoid eating and snacking, but if I am relaxed and sitting at home, I think about food.) I read @Negin‘s Good Reads review of this book and his other book on fasting. I agree with you that one of the hard aspects of fasting is if the faster is the main person responsible for procurring and cooking the food. I realized late that going to the grocery store in a fasted state was a special kind of torture. 

I have been reading 52 Loaves by William Alexander, which is my third book by this author and is responsible for igniting my interest in making bread. I finished Flirting with French by the same author and loved it. I think William Alexander is very like me. Expect to see bread titles cropping up in my list over the next few months! 

I hope that you find the best plan that works for you. It's not easy. At first, "The Obesity Code" and his fasting book made so much sense to me and I got some results as well, but that approach is not sustainable for me in the long-term. 

Thank you for reminding me to read "52 Loaves". I've only read "Flirting with French", which I loved. I need to look into his other book also. Now you have me thinking about bread ?!

[mumto2]

I  don’t  think I gave my recent read for Robin’s Belgium challenge a review here and it deserves one.  The author Pieter Aspe was recommended by both JennW and Loesje I believe and I was fortunate to be able to get the first in his Bruges series from Overdrive.  The title of the book is The Square of Revenge and I ended up using it for my Strange or Unusual Bingo square because the jewelry robbery was so different.......don’t want to spoil it.  I love Bruges and have visited many times as a tourist.........my family always stops for a couple of hours at least if we pass near to take a walk around the main tourist area.  This book had a different POV than tourist for me which was good.  It mixed my familiar with the politics of Belgium in a way that was good for me to learn about.  Politically it is a very confusing place for me.  The mystery part of the book kept me guessing always and there was a twist even after everything appeared to be wrapped up. Great book but a bit of a warning as it definitely had adult topics and incest played a role,  the events weren’t really described but discussed.  Let’s just say it’s a book Amy would be fine with (she loves Bruges too ? )but she wouldn’t want her dd to necessarily read it.

I also read a graphic novel last weekend, Patricia Briggs’ Homecoming as part of my Mercyverse reread.  Meh,  partly because it didn’t really have much new material and the format was a bit more of a comic book style than the only other graphic novel I have read (Princess of Xi) which I really enjoyed.  I still have Jenn’s suggestions on my wish list and plan to try at least one more in 2018.   For now Homecoming is being used for the Bingo Square but that may change.

[mumto2]

17 hours ago, ErinE said:

Hi all! I've been terrible about posting, because I stopped reading for awhile. I wasted my time watching television and surfing the Internet, but I was operating in a brain fog and couldn't concentrate on or enjoy any books. I've slowly started reading again so I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that I'll get back to posting regularly.

As part of my brain fog, I didn't keep track of my books read so I'll just post what I enjoyed:

• The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Urban Fantasy. A small-town waitress with telepathic powers finds herself immersed in vampire and werewolf intrigues. I've avoided reading this series for years because of the True Blood connection. Back in the day I loved Anne Rice but I stopped reading about vampires as the years passed, especially with the rise of sparkly ones. All that personal history aside, these are fun books. I worried they would descend into Laurell K. Hamilton smut-with-a-side-of-urban-fantasy but Harris does an excellent job writing urban fantasy romance. There's a love triangle (or five), a naive but somehow competent heroine, and fairytale creatures galore. I've made the series my go-to brain candy for the summer.
• The Expanse series  by James S. A. Corey. Science Fiction-Space Opera. After humans discover an ancient alien menace in the outer solar system, the various colonies must work together to defeat it. I'm up to book 4 in the series and very much enjoying it. It's reminiscent of Heinlein's best science fiction without the strange belief system or female objectification. There's a heavy dose of horror, especially in the first two books so be warned.
• The October Daye series by Seanan Maguire. Urban Fantasy. A half-human, half-elf changeling searches for lost fae children while avoiding the various enemies who want her dead. I greatly admire Maguire's writing and imagination and plan to read her entire back catalog. I found the first 7 books of the October Daye series in my library's used bookstore so I picked them all up for $3.50. The spines weren't even cracked! All were enjoyable reads.
• Courses from the Great Courses. History, Literature, Science, etc. How I miss the old Teaching Company name! At least then I wasn't forced into writing awkward sentences where I repeat the phrase "courses" multiple times. Anyhoo, my favorites from the sale are:
  • Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques - good advice but only if it's your first experience with the information
  • The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World - great background on everyday life across socio-economic classes but exclusively focused on the Western tradition
  • Great Mythologies of the World - *****, highly recommended, 31 hours of fascinating mythologies from all over the world
  • The Great Ideas of Philosophy - I usually have little interest in heavy philosophical discussions, but the professor made the subject engaging and educational
  • The Story of Human Language - *****, another highly recommended course on the development of language, including explanation and support for the development of pidgins, dialects, and languages. All the courses offered by the lecturer John McWhorter are on my wish list.
  • Food: A Cultural Culinary History - fantastic course on the history of cooking, with recipes. This probably would have worked better as a video series, rather than audio, but I still felt it was well-done and engaging.
  • Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals - if you like crime writing or murder mysteries this might be of interest with a heavy warning: several of the early lectures discuss crimes involving children (which is my personal no-go). I nearly stopped listening, but managed to finish the course.
• ETA: Space Opera by Catherynne Valente. Science Fiction-Space (but not Space Opera). After aliens make first contact, a washed-up rock star must save humanity by competing in a intergalactic talent competition. A lovely mashup of David Bowie, weird fiction, and Eurovision. It took me several days to finish because the prose is Valente at her verbose, but beautiful best so I could only read it in small sips. I adore this author's voice and imagination so if you're a Valente fan as well (Radiance is my go-to recommend for first-timers), I highly recommend this book!

 

Just as a personal aside, if you ever feel despair and need to talk with someone, PM me. I'm here for you.

Glad to have you back!

I have read all of the Sookie books and really enjoyed them.  I still can’t quite believe what they did to them on television.  It’s a series that I may reread someday.  

Have you read the latest in Maguire’s  Incryptid series?  I really enjoyed it! ? Great find on all those like new October Daye books!  I need to start reading that series again.

Thanks for the Radiance suggestion.  My overdrive has it as an audiobook only so I will give it a try as I attempt to finish my quilt.

[Loesje22000]

38 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

I  don’t  think I gave my recent read for Robin’s Belgium challenge a review here and it deserves one.  The author Pieter Aspe was recommended by both JennW and Loesje I believe and I was fortunate to be able to get the first in his Bruges series from Overdrive.  The title of the book is The Square of Revenge and I ended up using it for my Strange or Unusual Bingo square because the jewelry robbery was so different.......don’t want to spoil it.  I love Bruges and have visited many times as a tourist.........my family always stops for a couple of hours at least if we pass near to take a walk around the main tourist area.  This book had a different POV than tourist for me which was good.  It mixed my familiar with the politics of Belgium in a way that was good for me to learn about.  Politically it is a very confusing place for me.  The mystery part of the book kept me guessing always and there was a twist even after everything appeared to be wrapped up. Great book but a bit of a warning as it definitely had adult topics and incest played a role,  the events weren’t really described but discussed.  Let’s just say it’s a book Amy would be fine with (she loves Bruges too ? )but she wouldn’t want her dd to necessarily read it.

I also read a graphic novel last weekend, Patricia Briggs’ Homecoming as part of my Mercyverse reread.  Meh,  partly because it didn’t really have much new material and the format was a bit more of a comic book style than the only other graphic novel I have read (Princess of Xi) which I really enjoyed.  I still have Jenn’s suggestions on my wish list and plan to try at least one more in 2018.   For now Homecoming is being used for the Bingo Square but that may change.

 

Yes we skipped several episodes of the TV series of Aspe, while watching with dd. Belgic politics are difficult!

[Kareni]

Some currently free books for Kindle readers ~

today only: Armageddon 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan

mysteries:

Catastrophe ~ A Highland Murder Most Fowl (Scottish Wildcat's Tails Book 1)  by Lucinda Hare

The Lanvin Murders (Vintage Clothing Mysteries Book 1)  by Angela Sanders

High Strung (Glass Bead Mystery Series Book 1)  by Janice Peacock

Seashells, Spells & Caramels: A Cozy Witch Mystery  by  Erin Johnson

other:

Understanding Elizabeth  by Robin Helm

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper  by JL Bryan

Regards,
Kareni

[aggieamy]

21 hours ago, ErinE said:

Hi all! I've been terrible about posting, because I stopped reading for awhile. I wasted my time watching television and surfing the Internet, but I was operating in a brain fog and couldn't concentrate on or enjoy any books. I've slowly started reading again so I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that I'll get back to posting regularly.

As part of my brain fog, I didn't keep track of my books read so I'll just post what I enjoyed:

<snip>

• Food: A Cultural Culinary History - fantastic course on the history of cooking, with recipes. This probably would have worked better as a video series, rather than audio, but I still felt it was well-done and engaging.

<snip>

Just as a personal aside, if you ever feel despair and need to talk with someone, PM me. I'm here for you.

I'm so glad to see you post! I hope the brain fog is lifting and you'll be able to enjoy books again.

I just downloaded the Food Great Course based on your recommendation. It sounds like something I'd love. Food and history ... yes, please. I'll have second helpings of both!

[aggieamy]

Finished:

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie - This is one of her classic twist ending books and it's pretty fantastic. Poirot and Hastings are all over the place too if you're need a few locations for Brit Tripping. Unfortunately all the places they went I've already been! (London, Hampshire, Sussex, Devon)

[Kareni]

I just finished  Speak: The Graphic Novel  by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll which proved to be a poignant read.

""Speak up for yourself―we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless―an outcast―because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. Through her work on an art project, she is finally able to face what really happened that night: She was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. With powerful illustrations by Emily Carroll, Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak: The Graphic Novel comes alive for new audiences and fans of the classic novel."

Regards,
Kareni

[Robin M]

Hugs to all having stressful times and hopes things calm down for you soon.  

Amy - get back to work.  ?   

Sandy - I didn't realize how difficult it is to find fictional lady judges.  I remember reading books with a few so will have to peruse my shelves.

Erin - October Daye is a great series.  I just finished the 2nd book - Midnight Blue Light Special in her Incryptid series. Quite interesting as well.

I finished the first three books in the 7 Brides for 7 Brothers romance series written by 7 different authors - Luke, Gabe, and Hunter.  I'm all romanced out for the moment and will read the rest at slower pace.  Light fluffy romances with lots of sex.  ?

Now I'm reading Alan Alda's If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating which is very good.

Have we heard from Jenn yet or is she having too much fun on her grand adventure?

[aggieamy]

5 hours ago, Kareni said:

I just finished  Speak: The Graphic Novel  by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll which proved to be a poignant read.

""Speak up for yourself―we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless―an outcast―because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. Through her work on an art project, she is finally able to face what really happened that night: She was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. With powerful illustrations by Emily Carroll, Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak: The Graphic Novel comes alive for new audiences and fans of the classic novel."

Regards,
Kareni

What ages would you recommend this to?

[Kareni]

Regarding Speak: The Graphic Novel  by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll :

12 hours ago, aggieamy said:

What ages would you recommend this to?

The library had it shelved in the young adult section, and I believe it would be fine for most teens.  I found it a gripping read.

More details below:

There is no nudity; however, you do see the rapist holding/attacking the main character (once in a flashback and once in a real time second attack).  There is also an incident where the heroine is cutting herself.

I think it would be wise to pre-read before offering it to your fourteen year old.  Since it's a graphic novel, it only took me an hour or so to read.  It is based on an award winning novel.

Regards,
Kareni

[mumto2]

20 hours ago, Robin M said:

Hugs to all having stressful times and hopes things calm down for you soon.  

Amy - get back to work.  ?   

Sandy - I didn't realize how difficult it is to find fictional lady judges.  I remember reading books with a few so will have to peruse my shelves.

Erin - October Daye is a great series.  I just finished the 2nd book - Midnight Blue Light Special in her Incryptid series. Quite interesting as well.

I finished the first three books in the 7 Brides for 7 Brothers romance series written by 7 different authors - Luke, Gabe, and Hunter.  I'm all romanced out for the moment and will read the rest at slower pace.  Light fluffy romances with lots of sex.  ?

Now I'm reading Alan Alda's If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating which is very good.

Have we heard from Jenn yet or is she having too much fun on her grand adventure?

No worries,  I have one now. ? I think the problem is more my wanting the lady judge to be part of a mystery book.......RBG, Sandra Day O’Connor, lots of lady judges with books.  I know there are several fictional ones but can’t find them.  I am pretty sure there are a few in Grisham and Patterson books but wasn’t in the mood to sort through and find them.  I really thought they were common enough that I would just bump into one but as it’s almost July I need to start checking off those Bingo squares in a more purposeful way! 

I have settled on one in a cozy series that has been around since the nineties by Margaret Maron https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/479657.High_Country_Fall. It’s a series I have always planned to try.

oh wow,  brain flash,  the judge in Donna Andrews cozy’s is a woman!  She isn’t in the first few but after that she appears in most.  Think she starts being part of the cast of regulars in this book  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104792.Owls_Well_That_Ends_Well There are two new books in the series coming out this fall.  As I said I suspect lady judges are common just not good to google.  ?. I guess I have two now!

[TravelingChris]

I also have brain fog but I have been reading just not reporting along with watching tv a lot.  I got out of my giant flare after my vacation earlier last week but had non functional computers for a time and then lots of bureaucratic junk to do, Today I will just say that I am currently reading Rules of Civility by Amor Towles for book club not this Friday but next and Ghettoside, which I had just started reading when I figured out I need to read the book club book.  

[Kareni]

mumto2, I'm fairly confident that some female judges also show up from time to time in J.D. Robb's ... in Death series as well as in some of Julie James FBI series, but I can't name titles.
***

Some bookish posts ~  

Five Fantastical Heroines in Great Children’s Books  by Lavie Tidhar

Five Indigenous Speculative Fiction Authors You Should Be Reading  by Rebecca Roanhorse

14 Absolutely Charming Metal Bookmarks  by Dana Lee  (some of these really are enticing!)

9 Weird Literary Relics People Spent Serious Money On

Regards,
Kareni

[aggieamy]

43 minutes ago, Kareni said:

14 Absolutely Charming Metal Bookmarks  by Dana Lee  (some of these really are enticing!)

 

Oh wow. These are really cool. I'm going to order this for DD for a back to school present. She likes doing fancy planners so I think she'd like the stencils. Thanks Kareni for the link!

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, aggieamy said:

Oh wow. These are really cool. I'm going to order this for DD for a back to school present. She likes doing fancy planners so I think she'd like the stencils. Thanks Kareni for the link!

Those are indeed nifty and among my favorites from the list.  I hope that your daughter enjoys them, Amy.

Regards,
Kareni

[Penguin]

On 6/25/2018 at 5:01 PM, ErinE said:

(snip)

• ETA: Space Opera by Catherynne Valente. Science Fiction-Space (but not Space Opera). After aliens make first contact, a washed-up rock star must save humanity by competing in a intergalactic talent competition. A lovely mashup of David Bowie, weird fiction, and Eurovision. It took me several days to finish because the prose is Valente at her verbose, but beautiful best so I could only read it in small sips. I adore this author's voice and imagination so if you're a Valente fan as well (Radiance is my go-to recommend for first-timers), I highly recommend this book!

 

Just as a personal aside, if you ever feel despair and need to talk with someone, PM me. I'm here for you.

Erin, you have been missed.

---

BaW friends, do take note of Erin's recommendation for Radiance if you like that sort of book at all. I think it was ErinE who first led me to Radiance (although it might have been Matryoshka). Whoever it was, I am forever grateful! And then I introduced my DS24 to Valente, and we are now both mega fans.

I wish I could remember who it was here that suggested Miss Read's Thrush Green for my Cozy bingo square. I approached it with some trepidation as my comfort reads are normally children's books rather than cozy adult books, but I have been pleasantly surprised. I like it a lot.

Some recent reads that I don't think I have posted:

I finished the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy. There were many times that I doubted my decision to reread these books, but I am now so glad that I did so. The Cross made it worth it. 

The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam. It was adequate but I didn't love it. 3 stars. It has definitely inspired me to seek out additional books about Pakistan. Recommendations are welcome.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. Also adequate but not loved. Originally, I gave it 2 stars but I revised it to 3 stars after discussing it with my son. He gave me a bit of a different way of thinking about it. It fills North Dakota in my 50-states challenge. 

The 9/11 Report (graphic novel). I had had this on my shelves for a long time. It was a good idea: present the 9/11 Commision's report in graphic novel form. But I did not think it was well written or enlightening. 2 stars.

 

[Nan in Mass]

Just checking in to say hi to everyone.  Life has been extra busy recently so I haven't been around, but I am sure it will shift again eventually and I will be back regularly again.  (Jane, in case that worries you, Mum is fine, just needing me there every day now since her arthritis is worse. We have been doing a lot of gardening. : )  I am just working away from home for 7 days a week now, which makes things a bit complicated.)  I have been reading lots, mostly as audio books in the car or while doing chores - many rereads, Dune books, Ender's Game books, some Neizte (terribly slowly - one of the perils of homeschooling is that your adult children continue to discuss their reading with you), assorted scifi/fantasy, some running books (another peril of homeschooling is that when your adult children are learning something, you want to learn, too).  Interestingly, the coach in Chi Running kept saying the same things my ballet instructor says.  It is a book about the crossover between Tai Chi and running.  Apparently it crosses over to dance, as well.  Another peril of homeschooling is that your less booky adult children expect you to continue to supply them with reading matter, so the annual hunt for adult male reading matter is on, since some are joining us for vacation and some are shipping out soon. In order to go on vacation, I need to leave books with my mother.  Her burn rate is about a book a day, if I am not there.  Fortunately, she likes to reread, so I don't need a summer's worth of new books, but that is still a lot of books.  (Jane, she loved the books you recommended this winter!)  Life has been pretty busy.  We have had 5 clan graduations, several birthdays, and a funeral this May/June, on top of everything else. To balance spending all that time with someone moving in slow motion, I am doing nine dance classes a week.  It was hard work at first, but I feel great now.  I have now confirmed something I have been suspicious of for years - I have to move hard for two hours a day to feel ok.  I was disintegrating before I began all the dance classes.  I miss everyone. : )

Nan

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, Nan in Mass said:

Just checking in to say hi to everyone.  Life has been extra busy recently so I haven't been around, but I am sure it will shift again eventually and I will be back regularly again.  (Jane, in case that worries you, Mum is fine, just needing me there every day now since her arthritis is worse. We have been doing a lot of gardening. : )  I am just working away from home for 7 days a week now, which makes things a bit complicated.)  I have been reading lots, mostly as audio books in the car or while doing chores - many rereads, Dune books, Ender's Game books, some Neizte (terribly slowly - one of the perils of homeschooling is that your adult children continue to discuss their reading with you), assorted scifi/fantasy, some running books (another peril of homeschooling is that when your adult children are learning something, you want to learn, too).  Interestingly, the coach in Chi Running kept saying the same things my ballet instructor says.  It is a book about the crossover between Tai Chi and running.  Apparently it crosses over to dance, as well.  Another peril of homeschooling is that your less booky adult children expect you to continue to supply them with reading matter, so the annual hunt for adult male reading matter is on, since some are joining us for vacation and some are shipping out soon. In order to go on vacation, I need to leave books with my mother.  Her burn rate is about a book a day, if I am not there.  Fortunately, she likes to reread, so I don't need a summer's worth of new books, but that is still a lot of books.  (Jane, she loved the books you recommended this winter!)  Life has been pretty busy.  We have had 5 clan graduations, several birthdays, and a funeral this May/June, on top of everything else. To balance spending all that time with someone moving in slow motion, I am doing nine dance classes a week.  It was hard work at first, but I feel great now.  I have now confirmed something I have been suspicious of for years - I have to move hard for two hours a day to feel ok.  I was disintegrating before I began all the dance classes.  I miss everyone. : )

Nan

Nan, So glad to see you here.  I loved your update!  My kids are still at home doing classes online.  I recently splurged on my dream sewing machine and have been busy learning what all the buttons do. ?  I saw a beautiful sailboat the other day and thought of you!  I even shared a bit of “knowledge” with my dcs about life onboard gleaned from you and past friends who sailed extensively.  My kids were concerned about internet  ? . One could be handed a box of books and come up for online in a few months the other I fear is addicted.....he is also my computer major so I can understand his point of view.

Many of us at BaW have been wallowing in cozy mystery comfort reads set in England, which is what I think your mum enjoys.  Patricia Wentworth’s Miss Silver seems to be emerging as a new favorite. Old actually, since she was a Christie contemporary.  Robin has a handy Christie in publication order list over at 52 books.......I have been working on reading in order and have found a couple I missed.  Maybe your mum would enjoy that and I suspect you have many of those that would simply need to be found and arranged for her.  A couple of new to me series that I have enjoyed are Charles Finch’s Charle Lenox and Ariana Franklin’s Mistress of the Art of Death.  

As I remember at least one of your boys is a Sci Fi fan.  I really enjoyed The Three Body Problem by Cixin Lu,  translated from Chinese.  Dd  enjoyed it also...she is my Sci fi fan.  Seanan McGuire is a great fantasy series author, several series, maybe one of his. That’s being said more because ErinE just bought a huge stack of his books for like $3!  Since you have so many to supply you need deals.....dd has been reading Max Gladstone lately.

 

[LuvToRead]

I haven't posted this week, but I don't have much to say.  I finished "The Invention of Sarah Cummings" by Olivia Davenport for my I in tulip.  I have 5 books on hold, so I am waiting patiently.  I told DH I may do something radical and actually read a book I already own LOL.  

[Violet Crown]

Erin and Nan — so good to see you.

[Lady Florida.]

I meant to reply to last week's question about summer/winter. Summer in Florida is just a date on a calendar because we experience summer weather from April to October. While I don't want to live in a climate with actual winter, I'm not a fan of our summer heat and humidity. I stay in the air conditioning as much as possible during the worst months. As I thought about it though, I realized there is something I do like about our summers. Thunderstorms. I love to read during a thunderstorm and we get them almost daily during the summer months. As long as you plan your errands around the storm, they're wonderfully cozy.  I just took a video of today's storm to show you all. It lasted for about 45 minutes. The rain is slowing down and the thunder is getting more distant. Soon the sun will be back out. Fingers crossed the upload works. This was taken from my front porch looking across the street.

[Penguin]

@Lady Florida. I watched your video, and it was very soothing. I used to spend a lot of time in Florida, and I found those daily storms scary! But I am a total sissy when it comes to lightning. I thought your comment about timing errands was telling - it did seem like the timing of the daily storms is predictable. That is not true here (MD).