Robin M Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 Happy Sunday and welcome to week twenty-nine 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. Sonnet by Alice Moore Dunbar Nelson July 19, 1875 - September 18, 1935 I had not thought of violets late, The wild, shy kind that spring beneath your feet In wistful April days, when lovers mate And wander through the fields in raptures sweet. The thought of violets meant florists' shops, And bows and pins, and perfumed papers fine; And garish lights, and mincing little fops And cabarets and soaps, and deadening wines. So far from sweet real things my thoughts had strayed, I had forgot wide fields; and clear brown streams; The perfect loveliness that God has made,— Wild violets shy and Heaven-mounting dreams. And now—unwittingly, you've made me dream Of violets, and my soul's forgotten gleam. *********************************** This week our Brit Trip is taking us for second visit to Dorset. During WWII its location allowed it to be involved in the preparations for the Normandy Beach invasion. Rabbit trails: Exercise Tiger What are you reading? Link to week 28 10 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted July 15, 2018 Author Share Posted July 15, 2018 I'm currently reading John Sandford's Secret Prey, #9 in his prey series as well as Melissa Olson's Trail of Dead in her Scarlet Bernard series. Kindle's deal of the day are books to screen for $3.99 books so get them while it's hot for 52 Books bingo category book to movie adaptation. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 I finished my re-read of Anne Bishop's the Others quintet with Etched in Bone (A Novel of the Others). And now I'm on the hold list at the library so that I can re-read Lake Silence. Robin (and others who like the series), are you aware that the next book is coming out in March of 2019? Here's the information ~ Wild Country (The World of the Others). I see from the blurb (posted below) that it is set in Bennett and that the policewoman, Jana, is one of the characters. "There are ghost towns in the world—places where the humans were annihilated in retaliation for the slaughter of the shape-shifting Others. One of those places is Bennett, a town at the northern end of the Elder Hills—a town surrounded by the wild country. Now efforts are being made to resettle Bennett as a community where humans and Others live and work together. A young female police officer has been hired as the deputy to a Wolfgard sheriff. A deadly type of Other wants to run a human-style saloon. And a couple with four foster children—one of whom is a blood prophet—hope to find acceptance. But as they reopen the stores and the professional offices and start to make lives for themselves, the town of Bennett attracts the attention of other humans looking for profit. And the arrival of the Blackstone Clan, outlaws and gamblers all, will uncover secrets…or bury them." Regards, Kareni 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 This week I finished the novel On Turpentine Lane which was just a fun mindless novel. I also finished Clean Meat by Paul Shapiro. I have to say, the book was fairly biased towards an animal rights angle, maybe wasn't the world's greatest book, but the topic was still fascinating no matter your particular views on slaughtering animals for meat. The more I got into the book, the more things I thought about. We've all seen the documentaries how about how gross factory farming can be. We all know that the scale of animals we slaughter is unsustainable for the planet, particularly when there are countries like India and China eating more meat than ever before. So, instead of telling everyone they have to stop eating meat, what if it was possible to create animal products in a lab from one animal cell? Actual meat, not a meat substitute. There are actually companies doing this right now. It's just a matter of getting production costs down enough, getting it approved for public consumption, and getting people used to the idea. I could go on for pages, but I'll spare you all ?! I honestly went into this book thinking, "Eww gross!" but I finished the book thinking, "Hmm, this really is the future of meat production..." I'm still listening to The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman, and reading A Suitable Boy which will probably take me a year to finish. The other day I was waiting in line at the library and picked up How Hard Can it Be? which is the sequel to I Don't Know How She Does It by Alison Pearson. (These books remind me of the Bridget Jones Diary series.) In the sequel, the main character is approaching age 50, and trying to get back into full-time work after taking some time off to raise kids. The first book she was raising little kids and trying to work full-time. Happy reading everyone! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 I am still waiting for my Devonshire book (the third in the Pillars of the Earth series) and I have been entertaining myself reading for Bingo Squares and some beloved series reading. I have returned to one of my new favorite series discoveries from Brit Tripping with the fourth Shardlake book Revelation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/820480.Revelation. These books are chunky at a minimum of 500 pages but the characters and the rich fascinating history that is woven into this Tudor series is just incredible. I am less than a hundred pages in and this book is not just telling the story of Henry 8 courting Catherine Parr but also delving into the history and conditions of Bedlam. In the last couple of books the problems with the foundation (for lack of a better description) of the C of E are discussed. I love this series! I am also almost done with a book by a favorite romance author, Brooklyn Ann, in what can only honestly be described as a Vampire Romance. Total fluffy escapism with quite a bit of adult content. This one is simply OK. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36216179-the-highwayman-s-bite I did finish and enjoy Murder on G Major https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30255243-murder-in-g-major for my Music Bingo square. It was a light fluffy cozy that I really enjoyed. It could also work for the ghost bingo square if anyone is looking........ @JennW in SoCal I am not sure if the music element is strong enough for you to search for this book but it does make a good cozy set in Ireland (Cork) with a musical competition as part. My overdrive has the second one on audio and I have it marked to listen to eventually. ? 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 I finished Sand for the science fiction square, I really liked it ? the bingo field is quite becoming filled with titles, still thinking about feminist author and art squares, the hangman book is harder then expected or I am just terrible tired, so hesitating about continuig or abandoning for now... 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 2 hours ago, Robin M said: I'm currently reading John Sandford's Secret Prey, #9 in his prey series Dh is reading this series. I think he's on #11 or 12 so he's not far ahead of you. Our daughter-in-law's sister recommended the series. I keep meaning to try it but other books keep getting in the way. In the meantime dh is flying through them. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 Good Sunday morning everyone! Robin, what a lovely poem! The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny #8 in the Inspector Gamache series, super interesting premise with a monk being the murder victim in an isolated monastery in northern Quebec with the only possible suspect being one of the other 23 monks. While the actual mystery and setting were turning pages for me, the author had to throw in the irritating story arc about Gamache feuding with his boss. I gave this one 3 and a half stars, mostly for the setting. The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey I loved the author's writing in Brat Farrar but this one just didn't grab me. The solving of the mystery felt like a deus ex machina to me and I was disappointed. 2 stars @mumto2 - Last week I read that you live in the same city as the rock band I had the biggest crush on as a teen - Def Leppard! I saw them in concert once (1983? 84?) and listened to their music all. the. time. Brought back a lot of good memories and just wanted to say thanks for the memory jog (and I'm also somewhat jealous - haha). ? 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 Heading out the door so will post more later, but wanted to thank Robin for the sonnet as serendipitously I'm teaching the sonnet form to Middle Girl this week. She's analyzing Shakespeare's 71st. She tried composing her own, and it wasn't bad but she seemed unable to fix a line that was a syllable short; turned out she thought "pale" was two syllables. #texanproblems Sonnet quiz for the poetry nerds: In Shelley's "Ozymandias," in the line "the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed" ... Whose hand? Mocked whom? And fed what? (We spent two days on "Ozymandias" and banged our heads against that line for a while.) 9 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 I read The Private World of Tasha Tudor - 3 Stars - Tasha Tudor lived a simple, country life on a farm in Vermont. When I say simple, I mean back to the 1800’s simple. This book is a delightful collection of photos and illustrations. Some of her words are included, but not as many as I would have liked. There really isn’t that much to read. I bought it used and the sellers included a few news clippings about her children and the fight over her estate after her death. What a nightmare. Some of my favorite quotes: “I always wanted to live in Vermont, and because I always get my own way, this is where I settled. The first thing I did was plant daffodils – over a thousand. The road was impassable, so I carried them in by backpack.” “I enjoy solitude. It's probably selfish, but why bother about it. Life is much too important, as Oscar Wilde said, to be taken seriously. I feel so sorry for those mothers who are devastated by loneliness when their children fly the coop and don't want to live at home anymore. They feel lost, but look what exciting things can be done. Life isn't long enough to do all you could accomplish. And what a privilege to be alive. In spite of all the pollutions and horrors, how beautiful this world is. Supposing you only saw the stars once every year. Think what you would think. The wonder of it!” “I enjoy doing housework, ironing, washing, cooking, dishwashing. Whenever I get one of those questionnaires and they ask what is your profession, I always put down housewife. It's an admirable profession, why apologize for it. You aren't stupid because you're a housewife. When you're stirring the jam you can read Shakespeare.” “When I'm working in the barn or house I often think of all the errors I've made in my life. But then I quickly put that behind me and think of water lilies. They will always eradicate unpleasant thoughts. Or goslings are equally comforting in their own way.” “You should see my corgis at sunset in the snow. It's their finest hour. About five o'clock they glow like copper. Then they come in and lie in front of the fire like a string of sausages.” MY RATING SYSTEM5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down4 Stars Really Good3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about1 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. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 Finished Dead Souls, the 10th Inspector Rebus mystery by Ian Rankin, and my first. I did enjoy it and will read others in the series, but have to make sure the next title or two doesn't have that smirking psychopathic serial killer. I skimmed or skipped some sections with that guy, otherwise I would have had nightmares! But, like any real police officer, Rebus had other cases to work on, so the book didn't center on the psychopath, so it was still a good mystery. I have about 5 more chapters left in Circe. Just when I think the book is getting too long, the author pulls me right back in and another hour of listening has quickly passed. Not sure what to choose for my my next read from my teetering piles of books, both physical and electronic... 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 35 minutes ago, JennW in SoCal said: Finished Dead Souls, ... Not sure what to choose for my my next read from my teetering piles of books, both physical and electronic... Oh please choose Nikolai Gogol’s Dead Souls, I’ve been wanting to read it with someone! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 2 hours ago, Violet Crown said: Oh please choose Nikolai Gogol’s Dead Souls, I’ve been wanting to read it with someone! Not sure if I am up for 500 pages of Russian satire this summer. I will cheer you on, however! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 24 minutes ago, JennW in SoCal said: Not sure if I am up for 500 pages of Russian satire this summer. I will cheer you on, however! Sure ... after finishing the big fat trollop, I mean Trollope, I just started. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Dorset! So far behind. Since I missed the half-year round-up, I'll just do that now for the BritTrip reading.Ermine Street George Gissing, New Grub Street (London) C. P. Snow, The Masters (Cambridgeshire) T. S. Eliot, Four Quarters (Huntingdonshire) John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress (Bedfordshire) John Clare, Selected Poems (Northamptonshire) Francis James Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads (Nottinghamshire) Snorri Sturlason, Harald's Saga (East Riding of Yorkshire) Laurence Sterne, The Life and Adventures of Tristram Shandy (York)Dere Street Aelred of Rievaulx, Spiritual Friendship (North Yorkshire) Anonymous, The Life of St. Cuthbert/ Venerable Bede, The Life of St. Cuthbert (Durham) Geraldine Jewsbury, The Half Sisters (Tyne and Wear) Robert Fergusson, Selected Poems (Northumbria)Ichnield Way John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids (Isle of Wight) Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd (Dorset) Thomas Malory, Le Morte D'Arthur (Hampshire) William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Berkshire) *Robert Louis Stevenson, Essays of Travel (Buckinghamshire) [held up indefinitely in customs] Graham Greene, A Sort of Life (Hertfordshire) Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret (Essex) David Wilson, The Anglo-Saxons (Suffolk) Thomas of Monmouth, The Life and Passion of William of Norwich (Norfolk)Fosse Way *Thomas Hardy, A Pair of Blue Eyes (Cornwall) [getting from library tomorrow] *Anthony Trollope, He Knew He Was Right (Devon) [currently reading] *Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge (Dorset) [any day now] * = not yet read actually Ranks earned! 21 BritTrip books, 5 (almost) ranks Wilfred Owen: plus WWI book (All Quiet on the Western Front) & WWI poem (var. Wilfrid Owen) J. K. Rowling: plus Robin Hood dispensation (Robin Hood ballads in Child's Ballads) Jane Austen: plus anonymous book (Life of St. Cuthbert) *Bram Stoker: plus participation in Spooky October (*M. R. James ghost stories) Geoffrey Chaucer: plus pre-1600 book (Canterbury Tales) 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Hello all! This week I read The New Rabbi, by Stephen Fried. It is a journalist's account of a large Philadelphia area synagogue's search for a new rabbi to succeed a much-beloved and very influential rabbi who had led the congregation for thirty years. Predictably, the process was a nightmare, but the book is just terrific. While I'm not familiar with church dynamics, I have to imagine that at least some (much?) of what the book describes is relevant to non-Jewish religious institutions as well -- I'd recommend it to anyone interested in that sort of thing. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Thanks for the sonnet, Robin M! I just finished for my IRL book club Tell the Wolves I’m Home. That was a no for me; two stars. It was a debut novel for the author, but I thought it lacked craftsmanship in several areas. I brought the book selections for this month’s book club and my group chose to read The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, by Jonas Jonasson. I have begun reading it and I do love this author’s Roald Dahl-esq combination of wit and preposterousness. His phrasing is hillarious. Check out this segment: Quote “Henrietta wanted to have children, preferably as many as possible. Ingmar thought this was basically a good idea, not least because he appreciated the method of production.” (p. 29) ? I am a little concerned, though, because many GRers compare this book quite unfavorably next to The 100-Year-Old Man..which was rollickingly funny. The book I really desired to read for book club, though, was the memoir The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande. I hope to read this before the book is required back at the library because it looks very good to me and so timely. This book would have made for far better book club discussion, IMO. Too bad it did not win the vote. I am also reading The Geography of Genius by Eric Weiner. His writing style is not quite as funny as William Alexander, whom I have recently been reading. It falls a little flat. Still listening to Bill Homewood narrating The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and am coming to the last ten percent of the book. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 @loesje22000 I read Hangman’s Blind earlier this year and really enjoyed it. This was my second try at it because I definitely abandoned it a few years ago and even think I gave away a paper copy of it. It has a slow start. After I got to know the main character I really like her, so much I seriously contemplated checking the third book out of overdrive a couple of days ago. Don’t feel bad if you abandon it now but I think you might enjoy it someday because I know you have visited the area around York. For the Feminist Bingo square I am reading Margaret the First. I actually read a few pages earlier today and am pretty sure I will enjoy it. For the Art square I am hunting for ideas........... 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Finished two books this week: 63. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (audiobook) - Book-length interior monologue of a repressed and unselfaware man looking back at his life. Has to be well-written for me to enjoy that! Which I did, and it is of course very well-written - in lesser hands I would've chucked a book that was entirely a navel-gaze, like I did A Heart so Whiteby Javier Marías . :) 3.5 stars. 64. Laurus by Evgenij Vodolazkin - This is another book that had to be well-written for me to like it as much as I did! Medieval ascetic spends his life healing plague victims and self-flagellating for something really bad that happened in his teens that he blames himself for, and feels he must spend his life atoning for. The language was really interesting, riffing between somewhat fakey-seeming olde tymey speech and modern slang. Must have been quite the challenge to translate (well, it was - the translator's note is quite interesting too! She said the olde tyme speech patterns she did get from studying Middle English texts and then updating it a bit so modern readers could understand it, which seems to be a similar process to what Vodolazkin did in the original Russian). There are also some modern flash-forwards - in this book, time is not always linear. 3.5 stars. Currently Reading: - King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild (ebook) - About King Leopold's colonization of the Congo. Really interesting, I always love learning about bits of history that I previously knew nothing (or next to nothing) about. :) - Kältezone / The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indriðason - #6 in the Erlendur series (#4 in the English translations). Enjoying it so far! I'm #1 on the list for THREE audios on Overdrive, and they all refuse to show up. ? So I took an audio on CD out of the library to hold me over - Miss Subways by David Duchovny. Someone said the audio was good, so that's why I got it - it's like a family affair - Duchovny himself, his wife Téa Leone, and their daughter Madelaine West narrate. I've only gotten a very tiny bit in, and although I was a bit skeptical of a book written by an actor, I'm really enjoying the language and descriptions so far. A character describes Giuliani as "that lispy, hissy, death's head of a mayor". LOL, sorry... I think I've laughed out loud a couple of times less than a chapter in. And apparently it's got mythological stuff mixed in later... 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 57 minutes ago, Quill said: I just finished for my IRL book club Tell the Wolves I’m Home. That was a no for me; two stars. It was a debut novel for the author, but I thought it lacked craftsmanship in several areas. I read that last year (not for my book group). I found it a moving read and seem to recall sniffling at points. I even remember a good bit of the book which is rare since I haven't re-read it. Regards, Kareni 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 1 hour ago, Quill said: I brought the book selections for this month’s book club and my group chose to read The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, by Jonas Jonasson. I have begun reading it and I do love this author’s Roald Dahl-esq combination of wit and preposterousness. His phrasing is hillarious. Check out this segment: ? I am a little concerned, though, because many GRers compare this book quite unfavorably next to The 100-Year-Old Man..which was rollickingly funny. I've had this book sitting in my TR stack for quite a while, so I'll be very interested to hear what you think! I've never read The 100-year-old Man or anything else by this author... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 My TBR list seems to expand every week thanks to you all. ? (Much appreciated) I haven't allocated a final slot to some of these books yet, I may need them for another location. Books I've read that visited Dorset were: The Remains of the Day ~ Kazuo Ishiguro (4) Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall Three Men in a Boat ~ Jerome St. Jerome (3) London/ Cheshire/ Buckinghamshire/ Surrey/ Berkshire/ Dorset/ Oxfordshire A Fine Summer’s Day: Ian Rutledge Bk17 ~ Charles Todd (3) London/ Kent/ Surrey/ Wiltshire/ Dorset /Cumbria /Yorkshire/ York/ Somerset/ Buckinghamshire/ Devon/ “wildcard” = Beecham The Red Door: Inspector Rutledge Bk12 ~ Charles Todd (3) (epukapuka) Lancashire/ Suffolk/ Essex/ London/ Lincolnshire/ Kent/ Durham/ Cambridgeshire/ Dorset/ Worcestershire/ Cheshire/ Hertfordshire Evelina ~ Francis Burney (pub. 1778 p.455) (4) Classic Dorset/London/ Bristol My current reads: Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon ~ Robert Kurson, narrated by Ray Porter & Robert Kurson N/F science memoir. Enjoying this book so much. (Extra: Contains some swearing, hard to skip on audio.) The Kingmaker's Daughter: Cousins' War Bk 4 ~ Philippa Gregory, narrated by Bianca Amato (epkukapuka audio) Northumberland The Mountains Have a Secret: Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Bk12 ~ Arthur W. Upfield, narrated by Peter Hosking Australian Golden era mystery Completed (incs Brit Trip rebel bus): A Fearsome Doubt: Ian Rutledge Bk6 ~ Charles Todd (ebook) (3-) Kent/ London 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 I just finished The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester which my book group will be meeting to discuss later this week. I enjoyed it. I think this is the first Simon Winchester book I've read, but I'd happily read more by this author. "The making of the Oxford English Dictionary was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, was stunned to discover that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. But their surprise would pale in comparison to what they were about to discover when the committee insisted on honoring him. For Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane. Masterfully researched and eloquently written, The Professor and the Madman is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary—and literary history." and "...soon to be a major motion picture starring Sean Penn and Mel Gibson." Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 1 hour ago, tuesdayschild said: The Mountains Have a Secret: Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Bk12 ~ Arthur W. Upfield, narrated by Peter Hosking Australian Golden era mystery My husband has enjoyed a number of titles by Arthur Upfield, so it was fun to see his name mentioned here. Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 3 hours ago, mumto2 said: @loesje22000 I read Hangman’s Blind earlier this year and really enjoyed it. This was my second try at it because I definitely abandoned it a few years ago and even think I gave away a paper copy of it. It has a slow start. After I got to know the main character I really like her, so much I seriously contemplated checking the third book out of overdrive a couple of days ago. Don’t feel bad if you abandon it now but I think you might enjoy it someday because I know you have visited the area around York. For the Feminist Bingo square I am reading Margaret the First. I actually read a few pages earlier today and am pretty sure I will enjoy it. For the Art square I am hunting for ideas........... I think I should try another moment of the day then. When my brains are not melting away. We know some people with African roots, and they assured me it is just like Africa now here... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Glass blazing is an art isn’t it? so the book from Daphne du Maurier would count? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 6 hours ago, loesje22000 said: Glass blazing is an art isn’t it? so the book from Daphne du Maurier would count? Ok, I give up, which du Maurier has glass blowing? ? I looked at many lists last night. Iain Pears art theft mystery books https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/875109.The_Raphael_Affair are great and really popular but I have read most. Dan Brown is done. There seem to be several older mystery books on the lists I found but they aren’t kindle. I finally remembered I have a Kindle freebie from years ago, Chasing Mona Lisa https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11745238-chasing-mona-lisa that I have always planned to read. Sorted as long as I actually like my book.....I have actually kept it actually on my kindle reader as an emergency book all these years.......... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 9 minutes ago, mumto2 said: Ok, I give up, which du Maurier has glass blowing? ? I looked at many lists last night. Iain Pears art theft mystery books https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/875109.The_Raphael_Affair are great and really popular but I have read most. Dan Brown is done. There seem to be several older mystery books on the lists I found but they aren’t kindle. I finally remembered I have a Kindle freebie from years ago, Chasing Mona Lisa https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11745238-chasing-mona-lisa that I have always planned to read. Sorted as long as I actually like my book.....I have actually kept it actually on my kindle reader as an emergency book all these years.......... ? The Glass Blowers: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10012048-de-glasblazers Last year I read a book about DuMaurier, and it described a lot of her books, so I made a list with wich ones I would like to read. This one she wrote in France and is partly about her ancestors if I recall it correctly. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 :banghead: of course one translates duMauriers ‘The Birds and other stories’ as ‘Kiss me again, Stranger’... long live Goodreads to find translations! sorry, a little frustration here... 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 15 minutes ago, loesje22000 said: ? The Glass Blowers: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10012048-de-glasblazers Last year I read a book about DuMaurier, and it described a lot of her books, so I made a list with wich ones I would like to read. This one she wrote in France and is partly about her ancestors if I recall it correctly. This isn’t a translation problem it’s totally a me problem. There is definitely a book called the Glass Blowers on my second Goodreads page! I am embarrassed to say that I just looked at the first page and tried to remember a glass blower in any of the books I have read. I couldn’t so I asked! I didn’t even see there was a second page...... 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 10 hours ago, loesje22000 said: I think I should try another moment of the day then. When my brains are not melting away. We know some people with African roots, and they assured me it is just like Africa now here... I had to go look up current weather in Belgium. I'd imagine you all are not accustomed to 30 degrees (Celsius, which is mid 80s) nor would your buildings have ceiling fans and air conditioning. It's a good excuse for eating ice cream! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 3 minutes ago, JennW in SoCal said: I had to go look up current weather in Belgium. I'd imagine you all are not accustomed to 30 degrees (Celsius, which is mid 80s) nor would your buildings have ceiling fans and air conditioning. It's a good excuse for eating ice cream! We currently have a guest from the Netherlands - it's been high 90's many days while she's been here. At least we finally installed some air conditioning a few years ago! Much ice cream has been eaten. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 I'm closer to the end of the general Boundaries book (Cloud / Townsend). It really doesn't seem to be doing much for me so far. I took a break to read a book my kid had accidentally borrowed from school over the summer - Catherine, Called Birdy. It says it's for ages 10-12, but somehow I had to know how it ended, LOL. It has some stuff in it that I don't think all 10-12yos are ready for, but whatever. (A lot of talk about unmarried people rolling in the hay and stuff.) Anyhoo, I guess I needed a mental break so I took one. Closer to the end of our read-aloud, Spy School. We just started The Call of the Wild audiobook, as I'll be driving the kids more than usual this week. We went to Iceland a couple weeks ago, and I had bought some books to get us into the mood and all that, but work was crazy up to the day we left, so the books are still sitting unopened on my dresser. I think I will just do an intro and read some parts and then give them to the kids. 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 43 minutes ago, JennW in SoCal said: I had to go look up current weather in Belgium. I'd imagine you all are not accustomed to 30 degrees (Celsius, which is mid 80s) nor would your buildings have ceiling fans and air conditioning. It's a good excuse for eating ice cream! Is this more standard to you? I think it is a terrible temperature we have some fans, airco’s are build in cars here, not homes. Our current living place has large and many windows, which is lovely to catch light during the other seasons, but it also makes this house very warm now... 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 43 minutes ago, Matryoshka said: We currently have a guest from the Netherlands - it's been high 90's many days while she's been here. At least we finally installed some air conditioning a few years ago! Much ice cream has been eaten. High 90 equals 35 :fained: 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 2 minutes ago, loesje22000 said: High 90 equals 35 :fained: Yep. Today's high will be 'only' 90 - that's 32C. We used to get just about a week or so of these temps every summer, but it seems to be increasing - which is why I got the AC. It's also really humid here, which is almost worse. Dd said 40C in Barcelona didn't seem as bad as 30's here... 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Books finished last week: Cibola Burn (The Expanse#4) by James S. A. Corey. Science Fiction-Space Opera. A space captain finds himself trapped on a planet where the life forms and alien technology are trying to kill the human colonists. Another good addition to the series. I’m slowing working through The Aeneid, a book every few days. I’ve decided I’m going to cull my physical TBR pile by my bed so no more physical books until the pile is much smaller (my e-books tend to be brain candy which help me get ready to sleep). I picked up The Girls of Atomic City which feels like a huge list of names thus far and I started Into the Drowning Deep, a mermaid book written by Seanan Maguire under her horror pen name Mira Grant. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 3 minutes ago, Matryoshka said: Yep. Today's high will be 'only' 90 - that's 32C. We used to get just about a week or so of these temps every summer, but it seems to be increasing - which is why I got the AC. It's also really humid here, which is almost worse. Dd said 40C in Barcelona didn't seem as bad as 30's here... We notice the increasing here too. But our former houses were cold (as in still wearing socks to keep my feet warm) Humid is a bigger problem indeed. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 It’s 40 (105) in Texas which is why I’m glad we’re visiting friends in North Carolina. 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 It's currently 94 (about 35 C) here and it's shortly after noon. The humidity is only 62% so that helps a little, but not much. 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Loesje -- I thought of you and your melting brain when I saw this news article. Those of us in hot climates didn't need science to prove our minds aren't too nimble in high heat... Heat....can slow your brain 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 11 minutes ago, JennW in SoCal said: Heat....can slow your brain That was quite interesting, Jenn; thanks for posting the link. Today it will be 97F here (36C); I'm ready for some cooler weather after a string of days with temperatures in the upper 90s. Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 1 hour ago, ErinE said: It’s 40 (105) in Texas which is why I’m glad we’re visiting friends in North Carolina. To think that just a few weeks ago we wore warm hats and extra layers against the North Sea breeze. At least it dissuades some of the Californians from moving in. ? We love you Texas! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Some bookish posts ~ Those who are Brit tripping might enjoy this ~ Romance Wanderlust: Newstead Abbey by Carrie S A Collection of Romantic Memoirs by SB Sarah Five Novels Dealing With Time Travel by Prentis Rollins (the comments include many suggested titles) The Book That Taught Me Magic is Real, But Not Without Consequences by Jeremy Finley a book review: Two Steps Forward by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist and a one day only free book for Kindle readers: H. B. Irving's A Book of Remarkable Criminals Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 I just finished a graphic novel for the Bingo. DH recommended : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33142287-irmina to me. A very thick graphic novel with good drawing and a good story. I liked it very much ? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 5 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said: Loesje -- I thought of you and your melting brain when I saw this news article. Those of us in hot climates didn't need science to prove our minds aren't too nimble in high heat... Heat....can slow your brain Interesting article! I'm in Arizona - it's 105 (40C) here today. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 21 hours ago, Kareni said: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester which my book group will be meeting to discuss later this week. I enjoyed it. I think this is the first Simon Winchester book I've read, but I'd happily read more by this author. I enjoyed his writing in that book too - he pens a good story, doesn't he! I'm keen to try his Exactly book (perfect reading for those who are engineers or are married to one ? ) 21 hours ago, Kareni said: My husband has enjoyed a number of titles by Arthur Upfield, so it was fun to see his name mentioned here. That's kinda fun to know that Kareni, from my perspective too. For anyone else reading this: Upfield's writing reflects the era he lived in - for those who are very PC Upfield will offend - and his stories are filled with old Australian colloquialisms those outside Australia are often not au fait with. The kindle books do have a glossary at the back to help with that. Interesting comments, and @JennW in SoCal link, about weather and temps where you all are: This winter has been beyond wet - floods constantly - and so cold. The last few days have gifted us with sun filled highs of 19+ C (67F) which is such a welcome relief from daytime highs of 8C (46F) and bone-chilling rain, (for us?). Our region is supposed to have a temperate climate, it seems to have misplaced that fact. Books. I'm getting quite a lot of listening time in this week as we're clearing, culling, and packing things away into storage as our home of 20 years goes on the market in about 6weeks. Oh my! So much homeschooling stuff and books - eek! - to sort through. My bookcat program says we have about 5,000 books though it sure feels like more than that. Pictured, is one of the children's books bookshelves. (I have at least 6 other assorted books/bookshelves to sort and pack. Guess that's the price for being a book collector/appreciator ?) Anyway, I've listened to Appointment With Death ~ Agatha Christie (3+) and have just started The Art of War ~ Sun Tzu while I pack; and, Charity Girl ~ Georgette Heyer is now one of my night time listens. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Regarding Simon Winchester: 1 hour ago, tuesdayschild said: ...he pens a good story, doesn't he! He does indeed! 1 hour ago, tuesdayschild said: I'm keen to try his Exactly book (perfect reading for those who are engineers or are married to one ? ) That sounds like one that my husband might also enjoy. 1 hour ago, tuesdayschild said: ...we're clearing, culling, and packing things away into storage as our home of 20 years goes on the market in about 6weeks. Oh my! Packing and moving is always a tremendous undertaking. I hope all will go smoothly for you, and that you'll soon be settled comfortably in your new abode. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 8 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said: Heat....can slow your brain I was thinking more about this article, Jenn. It made me wonder what the results might be if people from a warm climate (some regions in India, for example) were tested under the same conditions. They might find 80 degrees to be more comfortable than 70 degrees and perform better at the higher temperature. Food for thought. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 4 hours ago, Kareni said: Packing and moving is always a tremendous undertaking. I hope all will go smoothly for you, and that you'll soon be settled comfortably in your new abode. Thank you! (We've had to take over the building of our new abode, builder related issues, and so we're now about 8months behind where we hoped we might be ....... fun times ?) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.