Book a Week 2018 - BW31: August Trek around the Middle East

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday and welcome to week thirty-one  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.

 Time to say goodbye to July as we descend from the Alps for an August Trek around the Middle East.  We are going to wander across  the fertile crescent which curves through the Middle East from the Persian Gulf, through southern Iraq, encompasses ancient Mesopotamia between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and continues through Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, to the Nile River in Southern Egypt.

We are going to follow in the literary footsteps of two Egyptian authors:  Naguib Mahfouz who won the Nobel prize for Literature in 1988 and Nawal El Saadawi, the voice of Egyptian feminism.  

From the ancients to the present, there are plenty of literary rabbit trails to explore from Off the Shelf's Six Novels, No Packing,  Goodread's Popular Middle East Fiction and Nonfiction, to ThoughtCo's 10 Indispensable Books on the Middle East, 

Our Blossom Bookology flower of the month is Jasmine which the people of Syria consider their national flower.  There are a number of directions to go for this month's challenge.  Read one book per letter using either the title and/or the first or last name of the author.  Yes, you can mix it up.  You may read a book with the name of the flower, color of the flower in the title, or on the cover.  Another possibility is a book which takes place in the time period or flower's country of origin or has some cultural significance and/or symbolism of the flower.  The choices are unlimited.

Our Brit Trip is taking us to Leicestershire this week.  Leicestershire holds an interesting spot as being the origins of things we think of as classically English– fox hunting, Taylor’s Bell Foundry, stilton and red Leicester cheese, and pork pies. It is also where King Richard III met his Bosworth.

Rabbit trails: Abbey Pumping Station, Belvoir Castle

 Have fun exploring!  

 

What are you reading?

 

Link to Week 30

[Robin M]

Good morning.  It's a bit cooler because the entire valley is covered in smoke from wildfires in Redding, Mendocino county, and Napa valley. Not a lot of outdoor activity today  

I'm almost done with Edelweiss.  Completing the 3 e's since  I dove back into Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series and finished Bitter Bite and Unraveled.  Currently reading #16 Snared.  Still need to figure out my L book. 

Recently added to my digital shelves:  Saadawi's Memoirs of a Woman Doctor, and Mahfouz's Midaq Alley and Palace Walk plus Rachel Caine's Ink and Bone

[Loesje22000]

I finished several books this week:

t- Bonhoeffer Biography

- Vaarwel, Broer (Edwidge Danticat)

- Lauwertakken and distels (reviews about all 50 books by Couperus, a famous Dutch author)

 

in progress / hoping to start:

A love (a dutch naturalistic book)

Emotional Flexibility

Glassblowers

Diary of a bookseller.

 

[mumto2]

For my Leicestershire book I will be reading/ listening to A Daughter in Time by Josephine Tey because it’s all about Richard the 3rd.  Amy and I expected Leicester to be hard back when we were planning the Brit Trip and decided that the Tey book will fit even if we discover it doesn’t visit Leicester when I reread it.  I am going to try and convince Dh that he wants to visit the burial site museum this week https://kriii.com/about-the-centre/, since it’s new we haven’t been!  

A couple of other notes for Brit Tripping,  Taylor’s does all of our Tower Bell servicing.  Sadly they are pretty much the only choice now......it takes 6 months to get a new bell rope etc.  They are made specifically for the tower and the bell.  

A local funny, people used to ask if we had visited Beaver Castle yet.  We just said no because we couldn’t even find it.  It’s Belvoir!  Lol  I finally made someone spell it for me!

 

 

[Negin]

I read The Water is Wide - 4 Stars - Pat Conroy is one of my favorite authors now. I loved “Beach Music” so very much. His writing style is just wonderful. This book is a memoir. Conroy spent a year teaching at an all-black school on an island off South Carolina. He was faced with endless challenges. Since it was 1969, racism was a huge problem. Another challenge was the awful administration. Towards the end of the book, I realized that they made a movie based on this book. I now remember seeing it when I was about eleven (so long ago!) and it made a big impression on me.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“I learned that politicians are not supposed to help people. They simply listen to people, nod their heads painfully, commiserate at proper intervals, promise to do all they can, and then do nothing. It was very instructive. I could probably have enlisted more action from a bleached jellyfish washed ashore in a seasonal storm.”

“No man or woman has the right to humiliate children, even in the sacrosanct name of education. No one has the right to beat children with leather straps, even under the sacred auspices of all school boards in the world.”

“White guilt, that nasty little creature who rested on my left shoulder, prevented me from challenging Mrs. Brown on this or any other point. At this time of my life a black man could probably have handed me a bucket of cow piss, commanded me to drink it in order that I might rid my soul of the stench of racism, and I would have only asked for a straw. Blacks who have gone through the civil rights struggle have met a hundred white boys and girls who would dive head first in a septic tank to prove their liberation from the sins of their fathers.”

“In the fantasy of the races conceived in my mind, all blacks were noble people who had struggled against a repressive social order for years and who were finally reaping the tangible rewards of this struggle. All whites, especially myself, were guilty of heinous, extraordinarily brutal crimes against humanity.”

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.

[Matryoshka]

Finished two books this week: 

66. The Will to Battle by Ada Palmer - This was a wild ride.  Still gives a lot to chew on as there is no black and white here, just so many shades of gray.  I'll be interested to see how this wraps up in the next book.  4 stars.

67. King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild (ebook) - A piece of history that's I knew almost nothing about, and that was quite intentionally swept under the rug as much as possible.  Very well written, well researched, and very well told.  Highly recommended. 5 stars.

Currently reading (way too much at once, apparently!): 

- Miss Subways by David Duchovny (audiobook) - I am finding this very entertaining.  The general premise has similarities to American Gods, but I like this much, much better.  Too bad that David Duchovny doesn't have Neil Gaimain's voice (both authors narrate their own audiobooks...)

- The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd (ebook) - Speaking of audio, I switched to ebook form, and that was a very good decision.

- None of This is Real by Miranda Mellis - Read the first story in this short collection so far.  Reminds me of some South American authors or Kafka where what's going on doesn't really make so much sense...  well, the title should be a hint. ?  

- The Golden Days (Story of the Stone vol. 1) by Cao Xueqin - Glad I decided to (re?)read this classic of Chinese literature.  This translation (by David Hawkes) is quite good, I think.  Last time I read a heavily abridged version by a different translator.  This is the whole thing, but I'm only planning on one volume at a time, with breaks in between.

- Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon - With all that other reading, I've only read about a chapter of this so far... this one's for next months' SciFi book club.

And...

Just downloaded White Tears by Hari Kunzru on Overdrive audiobook last night, because apparently I don't have enough balls in the air.  Haven't started it yet, but probably will today.  :)

[Mothersweets]

HI everyone! I finished two books this week - one of them just this morning. ?

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah I liked this a lot. The descriptions of Alaska were wonderful. The portrayal of DV and the parents' relationship felt very real to me. The story only suffered a bit at the end-it felt kind of rushed and I could tell what was going to happen. 

I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks by Gina Sheridan Fun, quick read about all the kooky people and questions you get while working at the library. 3 and a half stars.

I just started The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz and am really liking it so far. 

Kind of off topic but has anyone "seen" Laura Corin around here lately? I saw something about Scotland on tv a day or two ago and realized I hadn't noticed her posting since the big change-over. 

[Zebra]

4 minutes ago, Mothersweets said:

?

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah I liked this a lot. The descriptions of Alaska were wonderful. The portrayal of DV and the parents' relationship felt very real to me. The story only suffered a bit at the end-it felt kind of rushed and I could tell what was going to happen. 

I read this a few weeks ago!

[Zebra]

This week I finished Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea on audio, which was meh.  Audiobooks are so much better when you like the voice reading it.  

I also finished Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah, which was ok not great.

I started reading Ready Player One this week.   A review I read said it was Hunger Games plus Willie Wonka, and that's an accurate description.

I'm still trying to read The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden but not really liking it.   And, I am 400 pages into A Suitable Boy.   I don't dislike the book, but I am still struggling with keeping the characters straight, and it's a little frustrating at this point.   It's probably me, and not the book.

[mumto2]

13 minutes ago, Mothersweets said:

HI everyone! I finished two books this week - one of them just this morning. ?

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah I liked this a lot. The descriptions of Alaska were wonderful. The portrayal of DV and the parents' relationship felt very real to me. The story only suffered a bit at the end-it felt kind of rushed and I could tell what was going to happen. 

I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks by Gina Sheridan Fun, quick read about all the kooky people and questions you get while working at the library. 3 and a half stars.

I just started The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz and am really liking it so far. 

Kind of off topic but has anyone "seen" Laura Corin around here lately? I saw something about Scotland on tv a day or two ago and realized I hadn't noticed her posting since the big change-over. 

I think I am about 50 on the wait list for the Horowitz book but with multiple copies it goes quickly occasionally .  I think I can get it quicker if I go for a paper as opposed to Kindle version.  Glad to hear it’s good.

I haven’t seen Laura either.   Creekland, who has also been missing,  posted on a thread last week.

I forgot to say that I have been listening to Dorothy Sayers Strong Poison and am almost done.  This is a book that I am really loving on audio.  I think I gave the book 5* originally so I feel a bit silly saying it is so much better when someone reads it to me, but it is!

@ZebraI really enjoyed Ready Player One.  I still need to see the movie but am a bit afraid it won’t compare well.  It was a book that I really related to at the time I read it.   I was a teenager when many of those games were out plus Ds wanted to be a game programmer at that point and was taking a class where he had to make the code for many of those basic games.  Every time he got a game to work we played his a whole lot!  Fun!

[TravelingChris]

Read three books last week. Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi **** A novel about two siblings in what is now Ghana and how their descendants lived. A very helpful feature is the genealogy list at the front of the book.

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.  **1/2 Kept me interested generally but I am kind of tired of literary tricks so that is why the low rating

Hype by Dr. Nina Shapiro with Kristin Loberg. *** Has some good information but a lot of it comes off sanctimonious. 

Haven't decided what I will read next.

[Kareni]

I read and enjoyed Becky Chamber's Record of a Spaceborn Few  which is the third in her Wayfarers series.  Of the three, I enjoyed the middle book the most but all have been good reads.

"Return to the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, as humans, artificial intelligence, aliens, and some beings yet undiscovered explore what it means to be a community in this exciting third adventure in the acclaimed and multi-award-nominated science fiction Wayfarers series, brimming with heartwarming characters and dazzling space adventure.

Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way.

But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, the birthplace of many, yet a place few outsiders have ever visited. While the Exodans take great pride in their original community and traditions, their culture has been influenced by others beyond their bulkheads. As many Exodans leave for alien cities or terrestrial colonies, those who remain are left to ponder their own lives and futures: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? Why remain in space when there are habitable worlds available to live? What is the price of sustaining their carefully balanced way of life—and is it worth saving at all?

A young apprentice, a lifelong spacer with young children, a planet-raised traveler, an alien academic, a caretaker for the dead, and an Archivist whose mission is to ensure no one’s story is forgotten, wrestle with these profound universal questions. The answers may seem small on the galactic scale, but to these individuals, it could mean everything."
**

Today I finished  All Our Wrong Todays: A Novel  by Elan Mastai.  If you like time travel novels or those dealing with alternate timelines, you might like this.  I did.

"Elan Mastai's acclaimed debut novel is a story of friendship and family, of unexpected journeys and alternate paths, and of love in its multitude of forms.

It's 2016, and in Tom Barren's world, technology has solved all of humanity's problems—there's no war, no poverty, no under-ripe avocadoes. Unfortunately, Tom isn't happy. He's lost the girl of his dreams. And what do you do when you're heartbroken and have a time machine? Something stupid.

Finding himself stranded in a terrible alternate reality—which we immediately recognize as our 2016—Tom is desperate to fix his mistake and go home. Right up until the moment he discovers wonderfully unexpected versions of his family, his career, and the woman who may just be the love of his life.

Now Tom faces an impossible choice. Go back to his perfect but loveless life. Or stay in our messy reality with a soulmate by his side. His search for the answer takes him across continents and timelines in a quest to figure out, finally, who he really is and what his future—our future—is supposed to be.

Filled with humor and heart and packed with insight, intelligence, and mind-bending invention, All Our Wrong Todays is a powerful and moving story of life, loss, and love."
**

I also finished the prequel story  Grand Master's Cat: Prequel to the Grand Master's Trilogy  by Aurora Springer.  This was pleasant read but I'm not inspired to read on.   It's currently free to Kindle readers.

Regards,
Kareni

[Mothersweets]

5 hours ago, Zebra said:

I read this a few weeks ago!

I remember! ? I have been waiting for it at the library and it finally got to me this week. 

5 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I think I am about 50 on the wait list for the Horowitz book but with multiple copies it goes quickly occasionally .  I think I can get it quicker if I go for a paper as opposed to Kindle version.  Glad to hear it’s good.

I haven’t seen Laura either.   Creekland, who has also been missing,  posted on a thread last week.

I forgot to say that I have been listening to Dorothy Sayers Strong Poison and am almost done.  This is a book that I am really loving on audio.  I think I gave the book 5* originally so I feel a bit silly saying it is so much better when someone reads it to me, but it is!

@ZebraI really enjoyed Ready Player One.  I still need to see the movie but am a bit afraid it won’t compare well.  It was a book that I really related to at the time I read it.   I was a teenager when many of those games were out plus Ds wanted to be a game programmer at that point and was taking a class where he had to make the code for many of those basic games.  Every time he got a game to work we played his a whole lot!  Fun!

I just finished the Murder book - couldn't put it down and finished it just 30 minutes ago. Loved it! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2421257774

Yes, it was nice to hear from Creekland! I hope everything is ok with Laura and that she is just busy with real life. 

Zebra and mum - I really liked Ready Player One when I listened to the audiobook a year or so ago but the movie wasn't the same experience for me. I'm interested to hear what you think of it once you see it.

[Violet Crown]

650 pages of the way through Anthony Trollope's 950-page novel He Knew He Was Right. Trollope takes on women's rights, divorce reform, marital cruelty, and the ordinary flaws of husband and wife magnified by fear into tragedy and madness. Conveniently set in Exeter, Devon, with the Cathedral Close playing a significant geographical role.

Earlier this week I read Evelyn Waugh's entertaining but very minor novel The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, or How I Took a Cruise While Doped on Bromide and Alcohol and Hallucinated the Whole Way, Then Wrote a Novel About It. While most of it takes place at sea, it embarks from, and disembarks at, Waugh's BBC-harassed home in Gloucestershire.

 My parish priest and I drew aside before Mass to discuss Trollope; he's read the Barsetshire series and is almost done with Can You Forgive Her?, the first in the Palliser series. I had felt CYFH was a little dated, with so much social opprobrium falling on the heroine for jilting her lover (cancelling her engagement), but he was raised in an insular Christian community in Pennsylvania and felt the dynamics were true to what he experienced as a young man. Anyway I recommended He Knew He Was Right, especially for the early chapters that draw a convincing portrait of how a cascade of minor failures to communicate or to let things go allow what should be a small marital conflict to escalate into disaster. Trollope sure knew his marital dynamics.

Quote

I believe I promised to listen to a Hardy the next time you were reading one.  Which one is up next so I can hopefully source an audiobook.

On 7/28/2018 at 8:18 AM, mumto2 said:

For the Brit Trippers and anyone else.....

My neighbors returned home from their holiday near Whitby and brought home a favorite treat for dd and I,  Yorkshire Bracken from a famous(in Yorkshire ?bakery).  https://www.botham.co.uk/bakery/yorkshire-brack-bothams.html. I know it’s fruited cake which many of you are cringing over but trust me it’s really good!  I looked around for the recipe and found this article with one that is close https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/lifestyle/food/overnight-yorkshire-tea-loaf and has some interesting pictures.  The loaf dd and I just ate half of if filled with dried currents but I think other fruits could work well, raisins and dates particularly.

Next Hardy will be for Dorset, either The Mayor of Casterbridge or Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I have both and am happy to read either, so feel free to pick. So is Yorkshire Bracken anything like Dundee Cake? Which I rather like, but then I would sell my soul at Christmas for a Corsicana Fruitcake.

On 7/28/2018 at 12:26 PM, Mom-ninja. said:

Anyway, how do you all combat things that take time from reading? And does anyone else here wish they had a waterproof cover for your preferred audiobook listening device so you could listen to audiobooks while in the shower? Is that just me?

Staying off the internet in all forms is my best method of maximizing reading time. Also good is carrying my book with me wherever I go. Best of all would be if these children would just homeschool themselves.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Violet Crown

[madteaparty]

I finished Song of Achilles and Circe, and both my sisters and son did also. Now three out of four of us are going through withdrawal. Is there beautiful but somewhat accessible writing anywhere else of late? 

I also read Into The Wild (I asked DS to read while away from me on vacation. I guess he needs to read more non fiction. He forgot it on a train in Japan, and I didn’t love it, so I guess we have nothing to discuss there. 

I also read the tiny Closely Watched Trains which was not as amazing as equally tiny So Loud a Solitude by same author. Now reading Dead Souls. It’s not great summer reading,  I feel like all Russian stuff should be read in winter ?

 

 

[SKL]

Howdy.  I finished the Boundaries book and I think it did have some value.  I have the Boundaries for Teens sequel, but I am reading something else in between.

I recently started Miss Manners' guide to raising perfect children.  Not that my kids aren't already perfect .... 

I took a CLE class where they gave me a book called Ballots and Bullets (by James Robenalt).  The topic sounds really interesting but I am not sure when I'll be able to actually read the book.

Not sure if I already said this, but we finished our read-aloud Spy School and have started Spy Camp.  My kids are still enjoying the series.

We recently finished the audiobook Call of the Wild.  It was OK.  I had read the book when I was probably 13 so I thought it would be fine for my kids, but it was a little more violent and sad than some tweens would like.

I thought I had the audiobook for Jane Eyre somewhere, but now I can't find it.  This would be the perfect week to start it.  ?  We don't really have another good audiobook for their age.  Unless Persuasion would work?  We tried Pride and Prejudice about a year ago, but it was not good because you couldn't tell when one person stopped talking and another person started.  So the mom and dad are going back and forth in conversation and you can't tell who is saying what.  The humor is completely lost.  I don't know if I want to try Persuasion or not after that.  We have Pocahontas by John Smith, and we listened for about the first hour and it was just on and on about what plants and animals existed in North America ... my kids could not get interested.

[Mothersweets]

32 minutes ago, SKL said:

 

I thought I had the audiobook for Jane Eyre somewhere, but now I can't find it.  This would be the perfect week to start it.  ?  We don't really have another good audiobook for their age.  Unless Persuasion would work?  We tried Pride and Prejudice about a year ago, but it was not good because you couldn't tell when one person stopped talking and another person started.  So the mom and dad are going back and forth in conversation and you can't tell who is saying what.  The humor is completely lost.  I don't know if I want to try Persuasion or not after that.  We have Pocahontas by John Smith, and we listened for about the first hour and it was just on and on about what plants and animals existed in North America ... my kids could not get interested.

I think you can download an audio version of Jane Eyre from Librovox (Librivox?) for free. The narration by Elizabeth Klett is wonderful!

Here it is: https://librivox.org/jane-eyre-version-3-by-charlotte-bronte/

Edited July 30, 2018 by Mothersweets

[JennW in SoCal]

Howdy all!  Life keeps happening this summer, keeping my busy and off the boards. I have lots of catching up to do with y'all, but here's a quick recap...

I'm currently reading 3 very different books:

In print, I've got a PD James mystery, Death in Holy Orders and a wonderful collection of articles and essays by Paul Theroux, Figures in a Landscape. The link is to a review of it in the NY Times.  On audio I've got an epic fantasy in progress, Black Pyramid by Brent Weeks. 

And I've finished a few since I last posted. On the fluffier end of things, I just finished the 4th Sebastian St Cyr historical mystery, and before that it was Warrior's Apprentice, one of the Lois McMaster Bujold space opera titles. On the literary end I finished Circe, which was quite excellent. 

My youngest ds is arriving home a couple of weeks early after living in Japan for the past 2 years. We're frantically cleaning out the spare bedroom, making space for him to move in and be comfortable over the next year while he gets ready to apply for grad school. We found out today that he arrives Friday night!!! 

And, just over a week ago I met Susan Wise Bauer and family at Comic-Con! I helped her 2 young adult kids get their bearings amidst the throngs of thousands of fans and spent most of a morning with her daughter. We even ran into each other the next day at the train station where I was meeting my oldest ds and they were heading north to meet their oldest son for dinner.

[mumto2]

16 hours ago, Robin M said:

Good morning.  It's a bit cooler because the entire valley is covered in smoke from wildfires in Redding, Mendocino county, and Napa valley. Not a lot of outdoor activity today  

I'm almost done with Edelweiss.  Completing the 3 e's since  I dove back into Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series and finished Bitter Bite and Unraveled.  Currently reading #16 Snared.  Still need to figure out my L book. 

Recently added to my digital shelves:  Saadawi's Memoirs of a Woman Doctor, and Mahfouz's Midaq Alley and Palace Walk plus Rachel Caine's Ink and Bone

I hope the smoke has died down for you today.  It rained all day yesterday, woot!  Cooler today but the heat is supposed to return later this week.  Dh is outside cleaning up my dead plants (I just can’t) and we may start replacing later today depending on what’s available.  No more high maintenance garden for me.

Btw, we loved the new Shada.  I plan to watch it again just as soon as I figure out who took the dvd.

9 hours ago, Kareni said:

I read and enjoyed Becky Chamber's Record of a Spaceborn Few  which is the third in her Wayfarers series.  Of the three, I enjoyed the middle book the most but all have been good reads.

"Return to the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, as humans, artificial intelligence, aliens, and some beings yet undiscovered explore what it means to be a community in this exciting third adventure in the acclaimed and multi-award-nominated science fiction Wayfarers series, brimming with heartwarming characters and dazzling space adventure.

Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way.

But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, the birthplace of many, yet a place few outsiders have ever visited. While the Exodans take great pride in their original community and traditions, their culture has been influenced by others beyond their bulkheads. As many Exodans leave for alien cities or terrestrial colonies, those who remain are left to ponder their own lives and futures: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? Why remain in space when there are habitable worlds available to live? What is the price of sustaining their carefully balanced way of life—and is it worth saving at all?

A young apprentice, a lifelong spacer with young children, a planet-raised traveler, an alien academic, a caretaker for the dead, and an Archivist whose mission is to ensure no one’s story is forgotten, wrestle with these profound universal questions. The answers may seem small on the galactic scale, but to these individuals, it could mean everything."
**

Today I finished  All Our Wrong Todays: A Novel  by Elan Mastai.  If you like time travel novels or those dealing with alternate timelines, you might like this.  I did.

"Elan Mastai's acclaimed debut novel is a story of friendship and family, of unexpected journeys and alternate paths, and of love in its multitude of forms.

It's 2016, and in Tom Barren's world, technology has solved all of humanity's problems—there's no war, no poverty, no under-ripe avocadoes. Unfortunately, Tom isn't happy. He's lost the girl of his dreams. And what do you do when you're heartbroken and have a time machine? Something stupid.

Finding himself stranded in a terrible alternate reality—which we immediately recognize as our 2016—Tom is desperate to fix his mistake and go home. Right up until the moment he discovers wonderfully unexpected versions of his family, his career, and the woman who may just be the love of his life.

Now Tom faces an impossible choice. Go back to his perfect but loveless life. Or stay in our messy reality with a soulmate by his side. His search for the answer takes him across continents and timelines in a quest to figure out, finally, who he really is and what his future—our future—is supposed to be.

Filled with humor and heart and packed with insight, intelligence, and mind-bending invention, All Our Wrong Todays is a powerful and moving story of life, loss, and love."
**

I also finished the prequel story  Grand Master's Cat: Prequel to the Grand Master's Trilogy  by Aurora Springer.  This was pleasant read but I'm not inspired to read on.   It's currently free to Kindle readers.

Regards,
Kareni

I have the third Becky Chamber’s book on hold so I was pleased to read your review.  The first one is my favorite so far.  I haven’t had a chance yet but I am interested in All our Wrong Today’s.  It sound like something I would enjoy.

6 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

650 pages of the way through Anthony Trollope's 950-page novel He Knew He Was Right. Trollope takes on women's rights, divorce reform, marital cruelty, and the ordinary flaws of husband and wife magnified by fear into tragedy and madness. Conveniently set in Exeter, Devon, with the Cathedral Close playing a significant geographical role.

Earlier this week I read Evelyn Waugh's entertaining but very minor novel The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, or How I Took a Cruise While Doped on Bromide and Alcohol and Hallucinated the Whole Way, Then Wrote a Novel About It. While most of it takes place at sea, it embarks from, and disembarks at, Waugh's BBC-harassed home in Gloucestershire.

 My parish priest and I drew aside before Mass to discuss Trollope; he's read the Barsetshire series and is almost done with Can You Forgive Her?, the first in the Palliser series. I had felt CYFH was a little dated, with so much social opprobrium falling on the heroine for jilting her lover (cancelling her engagement), but he was raised in an insular Christian community in Pennsylvania and felt the dynamics were true to what he experienced as a young man. Anyway I recommended He Knew He Was Right, especially for the early chapters that draw a convincing portrait of how a cascade of minor failures to communicate or to let things go allow what should be a small marital conflict to escalate into disaster. Trollope sure knew his marital dynamics.

Next Hardy will be for Dorset, either The Mayor of Casterbridge or Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I have both and am happy to read either, so feel free to pick. So is Yorkshire Bracken anything like Dundee Cake? Which I rather like, but then I would sell my soul at Christmas for a Corsicana Fruitcake.

Staying off the internet in all forms is my best method of maximizing reading time. Also good is carrying my book with me wherever I go. Best of all would be if these children would just homeschool themselves.

At this point my library picked for us because Hardy appears to be a very popular summer read and most are checked out.  I do have an audio (not Simon Vance unfortunately, but it’s on hold) and hard copy for Mayor of Casterbridge checked out. So if that’s OK........I need to listen to my Richard III for Leicester first because it will return itself at the end of the week.  I will start listening to Hardy on Wednesday or Thursday most likely.

Yorkshire Bracken is close to Dundee Cake except it doesn’t have nuts.  I also think it has more fruit in it.  Both are lovely.

5 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said:

Howdy all!  Life keeps happening this summer, keeping my busy and off the boards. I have lots of catching up to do with y'all, but here's a quick recap...

I'm currently reading 3 very different books:

In print, I've got a PD James mystery, Death in Holy Orders and a wonderful collection of articles and essays by Paul Theroux, Figures in a Landscape. The link is to a review of it in the NY Times.  On audio I've got an epic fantasy in progress, Black Pyramid by Brent Weeks. 

And I've finished a few since I last posted. On the fluffier end of things, I just finished the 4th Sebastian St Cyr historical mystery, and before that it was Warrior's Apprentice, one of the Lois McMaster Bujold space opera titles. On the literary end I finished Circe, which was quite excellent. 

My youngest ds is arriving home a couple of weeks early after living in Japan for the past 2 years. We're frantically cleaning out the spare bedroom, making space for him to move in and be comfortable over the next year while he gets ready to apply for grad school. We found out today that he arrives Friday night!!! 

And, just over a week ago I met Susan Wise Bauer and family at Comic-Con! I helped her 2 young adult kids get their bearings amidst the throngs of thousands of fans and spent most of a morning with her daughter. We even ran into each other the next day at the train station where I was meeting my oldest ds and they were heading north to meet their oldest son for dinner.

Just wow!  How cool!  What more can I say.........SWB and DC’s....She had the best tour guide ever, lucky her!

How exciting about your son!

I am glad you are enjoying St. Cyr, btw.  Obviously I need to investigate Circe which seems to be a popular read for many right now including @madteaparty.  So many positive reviews!

Off to clean up hubby’s garden work so I can hang my wash out! 

[Violet Crown]

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

At this point my library picked for us because Hardy appears to be a very popular summer read and most are checked out.  I do have an audio (not Simon Vance unfortunately, but it’s on hold) and hard copy for Mayor of Casterbridge checked out. So if that’s OK........I need to listen to my Richard III for Leicester first because it will return itself at the end of the week.  I will start listening to Hardy on Wednesday or Thursday most likely.

Mayor of Casterbridge at the end of the week it is, then.

[SKL]

11 hours ago, Mothersweets said:

I think you can download an audio version of Jane Eyre from Librovox (Librivox?) for free. The narration by Elizabeth Klett is wonderful!

Here it is: https://librivox.org/jane-eyre-version-3-by-charlotte-bronte/

Just came back to say that overnight, I caved and signed up for audible / kindle on my iphone.  Supposedly the downloads were free and the first month of audible is free.  I downloaded Jane Eyre and we've started listening to it on my iphone.  I should probably figure out how to make it play on my car's speakers.

So far so good - the narration is decent and the kids are able to follow.

[Kareni]

6 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I have the third Becky Chamber’s book on hold so I was pleased to read your review.  The first one is my favorite so far.  I haven’t had a chance yet but I am interested in All our Wrong Today’s.  It sound like something I would enjoy.

If the first was your favorite, I think you'll also like the third.  It had a large cast of characters where the second book focused primarily on a couple.

12 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said:

My youngest ds is arriving home a couple of weeks early after living in Japan for the past 2 years. We're frantically cleaning out the spare bedroom, making space for him to move in and be comfortable over the next year while he gets ready to apply for grad school. We found out today that he arrives Friday night!!! 

How nice to have your son back home for a year.  I wish him well with his grad school applications.

23 hours ago, Robin M said:

the entire valley is covered in smoke from wildfires in Redding ...

Our house guest who arrived last night is from Redding.  Seven of her friends lost their homes in the fire last week; she had some sobering stories to share.

Regards,
Kareni

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts from Tor.com:  

Five Books that Would Have Made Oscar-Worthy Films  by Will McIntosh 

Walk Beneath the Canopy of Eight Fictional Forests  by Thoraiya Dyer

Adrian Tchaikovsky's   Five Books That Find New Homes Among the Stars 

plus

A one day only free classic for Kindle readers ~ 

The Marble Faun: Or, The Romance of Monte Beni  by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Regards,
Kareni

[Kareni]

I enjoy this monthly column from the Word Wenches site: 

What We Read in July

and a similar column from the SBTB site (some language):

Whatcha Reading? July 2018 Edition

Regards,
Kareni

[Mothersweets]

17 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said:

 

My youngest ds is arriving home a couple of weeks early after living in Japan for the past 2 years. We're frantically cleaning out the spare bedroom, making space for him to move in and be comfortable over the next year while he gets ready to apply for grad school. We found out today that he arrives Friday night!!! 

And, just over a week ago I met Susan Wise Bauer and family at Comic-Con! I helped her 2 young adult kids get their bearings amidst the throngs of thousands of fans and spent most of a morning with her daughter. We even ran into each other the next day at the train station where I was meeting my oldest ds and they were heading north to meet their oldest son for dinner.

Yay! I know you'll be so happy to have him home!

And how exciting to meet SWB and be able to help out her kids!

6 hours ago, SKL said:

Just came back to say that overnight, I caved and signed up for audible / kindle on my iphone.  Supposedly the downloads were free and the first month of audible is free.  I downloaded Jane Eyre and we've started listening to it on my iphone.  I should probably figure out how to make it play on my car's speakers.

So far so good - the narration is decent and the kids are able to follow.

Ooooh - who is narrating? There are so many good ones to choose from on Audible.

[SKL]

1 hour ago, Mothersweets said:

Yay! I know you'll be so happy to have him home!

And how exciting to meet SWB and be able to help out her kids!

Ooooh - who is narrating? There are so many good ones to choose from on Audible.

The narrator is Thandie Newton.  My kids say they don't like her voice.  But I think they are getting used to it.  She isn't the best narrator, but since I have no idea how to compare, and this one was "free," I went for it.  (I did listen to a sample first, and it was good enough that you could understand the book.  I don't have time to listen to every option - as it was this was done in the middle of the night.  :P)

[Mothersweets]

If you end up hating it you can return it and try a different narrator - I've found that Audible is pretty generous about that. ?

I like Juliet Stevenson's narration but my absolute favorite is the free one with Elizabeth Klett. 

[mumto2]

Happy Yorkshire Day to all(especially the Brit Trippers)......yes, it really is a thing.  Actually a big deal. ? Here are a couple of links  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/01/yorkshire-county-day-marked-with-fanfare-probably-tea-and-wilfra-tart

Some recipes https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/celebrate-yorkshire-day-countys-best-recipes-curd-tarts-fat/

Curd tart is awesome btw.  

 

Now for books!  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77661.The_Daughter_of_Time. I finished The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey  last night.  I totally enjoyed all the drama of Richard the Third one more time......this is my second book about Richard this year.  As feared the action in this book all takes place from Inspector Grant’s hospital room in London but for Brit Tripping it is Leicester.  Not sure if we will make it to the new museum this week or not.   If I have time today I will start The Mayoe of Casterbridge........

[Violet Crown]

3 hours ago, mumto2 said:

 

Now for books!  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77661.The_Daughter_of_Time. I finished The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey  last night.  I totally enjoyed all the drama of Richard the Third one more time......this is my second book about Richard this year.  As feared the action in this book all takes place from Inspector Grant’s hospital room in London but for Brit Tripping it is Leicester.  Not sure if we will make it to the new museum this week or not.   If I have time today I will start The Mayor of Casterbridge........

I will too, then. Finished last night Trollope's super-chunkster He Knew He Was Right, and am taking a tiny Lake District break with Wordsworth & Coleridge's immortal and revolutionary collection Lyrical Ballads. Water, water everywhere.

[Loesje22000]

While dd is recovering from pulling her wisdomteeths, I am reading my way through The Glassblowers by Daphne DuMaurier. I really like the book. It is not comparable with Rebecca as this is a family chronicle along French History. The only con is  the somewhat small print..

[Robin M]

Happy August, ladies. Still smoky as heck here. More fires breaking out in different areas. 700 Acres fire about an hour's drive from here.

Mum - Happy Yorkshire day!  I have Tey's Daughter of Time in my stacks so will move it on up in the pile to read soon.  

Mothersweets - Looks like Laura hasn't been online for quite some time.  Hope she checks in soon.

Karen - Hope your friend and home is okay. Thank you for all the great links.

Jenn - Quite exciting to hear your son is coming home for a while and glad to hear your exploits with Susan's kids.

Loeseje - Hope your daughter recovers quickly from having her wisdom teeth pulled.  Lots of soup and soft foods.  

I just finished reading Rachel Caine's Ink and Bone which is excellent. Once I started reading, couldn't put it down.  Added the 2nd book Paper and Fire to my virtual stacks to continue the adventure.   Still reading Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit.  One of the exercises was go on a creative diet and do one week without.  I gave up listening to audio-books in the car  and also put away my ipad so I didn't start going online until later in the day.  My creativity has rocketed.   I rediscovered an old story and have been doing quite a bit of editing.  Yeah!  

 

 

[tuesdayschild]

Just caught up on last weeks posts, and am posting and hoping to come back and read here another day...

(From last weeks thread.....  kareni & mum2, we are planning to move 10 mins drive away - once our home is ready enough for us to move in.  We are moving all our 'stuff' into storage.   Robin M, hoping the rain stayed off your building project long enough for the contractors to get the task done? Oh my!  Just saw your latest post about fires.  That's devasting, and worrying!!)

Books.  I'm listening to so many books this year, I thought I'd take a stab at the flower challenge as well.

Flower Challenge: July - Edelweiss

• E =  The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II ~  Karen Dolby (2)   N/F
• D = To Destroy You is No Loss ~ Joan Criddle  (5)
• E = Evelina ~ Francis Burney (4)     
• L =  Latter End: Miss Silver Bk11 ~ Patricia Wentworth (4+)
• W = The Woman in White ~ Wilkie Collins  (5)
• E = And There Was Light: The Extraordinary Memoir of a Blind Hero of the French Resistance in World War II ~ Jacques Lusseyran  (3)
• I =  STILL TO READ     In the Kitchen: The New Bible of Home Cooking ~ Michele Curtis   or   The Invention of Hugo Cabret ~ Brian Selznick  or  Prince Philip: I Know I am Rude, But I Like It: The Royals and the Rest of Us as Seen By Prince Philip ~ Nigel Cawthorne
• S = Sprig Muslin ~ Georgette Heyer  (4) 
• S = Sanditon ~ Jane Austen (audio) (2)   

My current reads: 

• The Mountains Have a Secret: Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Bk12 ~ Arthur W. Upfield, narrated by Peter Hosking   Australian Golden era mystery  
• The Art of War ~ Sun Tzu (epkukapuka)  Classic   
• Miss Silver Intervenes: Miss Silver Bk 6 ~  Patricia Wentworth, narrated by Diana Bishop

Completed (incs  Brit Trip rebel bus):

• Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessions ~  Amy Stewart  (epukapuka ebook) (2.5)  Read 3/4 then skipped to the end.  I didn’t find this as engaging as others in the series.
• Food Pharmacy ~ Lina Aurell   (epukapuka ebook)  Some interesting recipes in this book which I’ve archived to try out later.  I’ll rate this book once I’ve tried them.
• Duplicate Death ~ Georgette Heyer  (3+) Repeat (night time)  listen.  (extra: some light cursing, the first murder victim is a narcissistic bisexual drug pusher.)
• The Scourge ~ Jennifer Nielsen  Audio   (3)   Y/A audiobook.   I appreciated the twist the author gave to a nation with 'leprosy'.  Clever and engaging.  The ending portion with an inexperienced teen  'leading' a cavalcade of experienced, capable, adults was just too far-fetched for me.  In my opinion, The Scourge feels more like a 'girl' friendly read with a sassy girl as the main protagonist, the romance angle and the "chaste" kiss. 

 

Edited August 1, 2018 by tuesdayschild

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, tuesdayschild said:

kareni & mum2, we are planning to move 10 mins drive away - once our home is ready enough for us to move in. 

Do you have a long wait?  I hope that the packing continues to go well.

2 hours ago, Robin M said:

Karen - Hope your friend and home is okay. Thank you for all the great links.

My friend headed home today.  Her home seems to be fine to date; I hope that the fire will soon be totally under control.  I think the last report I heard said 35% containment.  And you're quite welcome for the links!

Regards,
Kareni

[Loesje22000]

8 hours ago, Robin M said:

Happy August, ladies. Still smoky as heck here. More fires breaking out in different areas. 700 Acres fire about an hour's drive from here.

Mum - Happy Yorkshire day!  I have Tey's Daughter of Time in my stacks so will move it on up in the pile to read soon.  

Mothersweets - Looks like Laura hasn't been online for quite some time.  Hope she checks in soon.

Karen - Hope your friend and home is okay. Thank you for all the great links.

Jenn - Quite exciting to hear your son is coming home for a while and glad to hear your exploits with Susan's kids.

Loeseje - Hope your daughter recovers quickly from having her wisdom teeth pulled.  Lots of soup and soft foods.  

I just finished reading Rachel Caine's Ink and Bone which is excellent. Once I started reading, couldn't put it down.  Added the 2nd book Paper and Fire to my virtual stacks to continue the adventure.   Still reading Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit.  One of the exercises was go on a creative diet and do one week without.  I gave up listening to audio-books in the car  and also put away my ipad so I didn't start going online until later in the day.  My creativity has rocketed.   I rediscovered an old story and have been doing quite a bit of editing.  Yeah!  

 

 

 

The problem yesterday was she was SOOOOOO hungry, but not able to chew chewy things yet.

she is eating pancakes now ? she still looks like a hamster though ...

[mumto2]

2 hours ago, loesje22000 said:

 

The problem yesterday was she was SOOOOOO hungry, but not able to chew chewy things yet.

she is eating pancakes now ? she still looks like a hamster though ...

Ice cream,  lots of ice cream....... ?

@Violet Crown Since it appears to be just us reading Hardy I am wondering if it’s OK with you if I just speed through it until done.  I should be able to listen for at least 2 hours a day, looking at the  Simon Vance narration which just arrived (woot) and it’s 11 hours long so I should be done in 5 Days..... 

[Violet Crown]

3 hours ago, mumto2 said:

Ice cream,  lots of ice cream....... ?

@Violet Crown Since it appears to be just us reading Hardy I am wondering if it’s OK with you if I just speed through it until done.  I should be able to listen for at least 2 hours a day, looking at the  Simon Vance narration which just arrived (woot) and it’s 11 hours long so I should be done in 5 Days..... 

 

That works for me. I can usually read 50-100 pages/day, so I should be tracking with you.

So do you get the impression that despite the sensational wife-selling aspect, the book is really going to be about the horror of the Corn Laws? Trade protectionism is such a timely topic.

[mumto2]

2 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

 

That works for me. I can usually read 50-100 pages/day, so I should be tracking with you.

So do you get the impression that despite the sensational wife-selling aspect, the book is really going to be about the horror of the Corn Laws? Trade protectionism is such a timely topic.

I hadn’t thought of that but suspect that the Corn Laws must play a role now that it has been pointed out to me.  The story is quite good because I was surprised to discover that I was listening to chapter 18 when I stopped for the day.   I spent longer than planned while waiting for an Amazon delivery that still hasn’t arrived.   For the moment much of the sensational storyline has resolved itself and the grain business seems to be the focus.  So I will wait for the Corn Laws..........

One odd question that I can’t figure it out......Do you have any idea Donald “cleaned” the grain so it was improved for sale?  I know nothing about grain farming! 

I keep mulling over the wife’s acceptance of being sold/bought.  It just seems unreal that she took her little girl and disappeared into the greater world with a complete stranger without complaint,  although not having to listen to Michael anymore must have been appealing at that moment!

[SKL]

On 7/30/2018 at 9:58 PM, Mothersweets said:

If you end up hating it you can return it and try a different narrator - I've found that Audible is pretty generous about that. ?

I like Juliet Stevenson's narration but my absolute favorite is the free one with Elizabeth Klett. 

Decided to try the Elizabeth Klett one to see if the kids would like it better, but we all agreed to go back to the one I originally downloaded.

I just heard they are going to have a stage production nearby of Jane Eyre.  Maybe we'll try to go see it.

 

[Mom-ninja.]

18 hours ago, Robin M said:

 

I just finished reading Rachel Caine's Ink and Bone which is excellent. Once I started reading, couldn't put it down.  Added the 2nd book Paper and Fire to my virtual stacks to continue the adventure.   

 

 

 

I got sucked into that series. It was fun! I haven't checked to see if the latest book has been released. I hope the fires die down sooner than later. I know the smoke alone causes many problems.

[Kareni]

I've finished some books/stories over the past few days ~ 

I enjoyed  His Quiet Agent (The Agency Book 1)  by Ada Maria Soto though it did leave me with some questions.  I think this is a book I'll be re-reading.

"Arthur Drams works for a secret government security agency, but all he really does is spend his days in a cubical writing reports no one reads. After getting another “lateral promotion” by a supervisor who barely remembers his name, it’s suggested that Arthur try to ‘make friends’ and ‘get noticed’ in order to move up the ladder.

It’s like high school all over again: his attempts to be friendly come across as awkward and creepy, and no one wants to sit at the same table with him at lunch. In a last-ditch attempt to be seen as friendly and outgoing, he decides to make friends with The Alien, aka Agent Martin Grove, known for his strange eating habits, unusual reading choices, and the fact that no one has spoken to him in three years.

Starting with a short, surprisingly interesting conversation on sociology books, Arthur slowly begins to chip away at The Alien’s walls using home-cooked meals to lure the secretive agent out of his abrasive shell. Except Martin just might be something closer to an actual secret agent than paper-pusher Arthur is, and it might be more than hearts at risk when something more than friendship begins to develop."

**

I also enjoyed Rhys Ford's  Once Upon a Wolf (The Wayward Wolves Series Book 1) .  (Adult content)

 

"Gibson Keller’s days are fairly routine: wake up early, get some work done, drink lots of coffee, and take care of Ellis, his older brother, stuck in wolf form after coming home from the war. It’s a simple life made up of long runs on two legs—or four—and quiet evenings…. Until Ellis chases a handsome man off a cliff and into the frozen waters beside their cabin, changing Gibson’s life forever.

For Zach Thomas, buying an old B&B is a new start. Leaving behind his city life, he longs to find peace and quiet, and hiking the trails behind his property seems safe enough—right up to the moment an enormous black wolf chases him into a lake, nearly drowning him. Discovering werewolves are real astounds him, but not as much as the man who rescues him from the icy water, then walks into Zach’s heart as if he owns it.

Loving a werewolf—loving Gibson with all his secrets—has its challenges, but Zach believes their love is worth fighting for, especially since his heart knows the big bad wolf is really a prince in disguise."
**

Scrum  by P.D. Singer was an okay read, but I don't think I'll be re-reading it.  It's a short work that is currently free to Kindle readers.  (Adult content)
**

And I re-read Anne Bishop's  Lake Silence once again.

Regards,
Kareni

[ErinE]

I’m late posting (again). I haven’t been finishing books even though I have several in progress. I’ve been busy looking for a job but I’m sure my employment hiatus due to babies, homeschooling, moves, and health make me a tough candidate. In more positive news, my kids’ cousins have moved nearby, and we’re getting to see more of each other. Two are even attending the same school so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they’ll be nice to one another out in public (they snipe at each other constantly). I love seeing them together and feel grateful every day for these moments, even those filled with bickering. My oldest is entering 10th grade and my third child, kindergarten. My youngest will be Class of 2032! It seems so far away but if experience is any indication, this time will be gone in a flash.

Books finished:

• The Savage City: Race, Murder, and a Generation on the Edge by T. J. English. History - New York City (50s & 60s). The history of three New Yorkers: a black man falsely accused of murder and rape, a Black Panther convicted of shooting two cops, and a corrupt white police officer with New York City at its grittiest as the background. I thought it a well-done, heart-wrenching history but it was the last section (added after the book was first published) that made this an excellent book. The author conducted interviews with the first two people but wasn't able to contact the cop before initial publication. The officer was caught taking bribes, testified against other cops, and ended up in prison, convicted of a crime he most likely didn't commit. He spent his time imprisoned helping other prisoners navigate the legal system and overturn their convictions. His profane voice and post-prison rehabilitation made this a highly recommended read.

 

[ErinE]

On 7/29/2018 at 2:00 PM, Negin said:

I read The Water is Wide - 4 Stars - Pat Conroy is one of my favorite authors now. I loved “Beach Music” so very much. His writing style is just wonderful. This book is a memoir. Conroy spent a year teaching at an all-black school on an island off South Carolina. He was faced with endless challenges. Since it was 1969, racism was a huge problem. Another challenge was the awful administration. Towards the end of the book, I realized that they made a movie based on this book. I now remember seeing it when I was about eleven (so long ago!) and it made a big impression on me.

I think I’ve read most everything Conroy has written. His later writing felt a bit formulaic (mentally fragile woman needing rescue, long-suffering man with white-knight syndrome), but my personal favorites are:

* The Lords of Discipline - Set at a school based on the Citadel (Conroy’s alma mater), a student basketball player fights the malicious racism against the school’s first black cadet.

* The Great Santini - a young man rages against a controlling, abusive father, a fictional story based on Conroy’s own life.

* The Death of Santini - A memoir of Conroy’s father, who mirrors the larger-than-life fighter pilot in The Great Santini, but also shows his considerable charm. Conroy’s struggle to reconcile his father’s mellow old age with his abusive history is quite compelling.

[Violet Crown]

21 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I hadn’t thought of that but suspect that the Corn Laws must play a role now that it has been pointed out to me.  The story is quite good because I was surprised to discover that I was listening to chapter 18 when I stopped for the day.   I spent longer than planned while waiting for an Amazon delivery that still hasn’t arrived.   For the moment much of the sensational storyline has resolved itself and the grain business seems to be the focus.  So I will wait for the Corn Laws..........

One odd question that I can’t figure it out......Do you have any idea Donald “cleaned” the grain so it was improved for sale?  I know nothing about grain farming! 

I keep mulling over the wife’s acceptance of being sold/bought.  It just seems unreal that she took her little girl and disappeared into the greater world with a complete stranger without complaint,  although not having to listen to Michael anymore must have been appealing at that moment!

 

I'm not rural enough to know about grain farming either, but a lifetime in the cradle of Whole Foods has left me knowing something about sprouted grains, and let me tell you what Henchard really needed to do was explain to the people complaining about the poor quality of the bread--

Quote

"'Tis that growed out that ye could a'most call it malt, and there's a list at bottom o' the loaf as thick as the sole on one's shoe."

--that, in fact, sprouted grain features a variety of amino acids; it contains anti-oxidants galore, whatever those are; and the malty flavor and shoe-like quality are actually "an earthy taste and a rough, nutty texture."

(Later another villager describes the bread as tasting of mice: I'm sure John Mackey could turn that sow's ear into a silk purse, too.)

So what's going on with sprouted grain is that the embryo has started to metabolize the starch. Sprouting grains have lots of the enzyme involved in metabolism (which is a protein and so made up of amino acids). The reduced starch content makes the grain unsuitable for flour or meal, and is unfixable. You can't turn the sprout back into starch. Whatever miraculous process Farfrae came up with, it's been lost to Man and today farmers who are so negligent as to let grain in a wet season reach more than 15-20% moisture without early harvesting, just have to use it as animal fodder. I suspect there is some artistic license going on here with Hardy.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Violet Crown

[Kareni]

I'd been looking forward to reading Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver: A Novel  but gave up after some 80 pages as it wasn't speaking to me.  Drats.
**

I did enjoy JL Merrow's time travel novella  Trick of Time  which has a romance featuring two men.  (Some adult content)

"A lover from another time

When Ted Ennis steps out the doors of the Criterion Theatre for a cigarette and finds himself in Victorian London, he begins to doubt his sanity. At first he thinks it's all a film set, and is sure that the strikingly handsome young man leaning against a lamppost must be the leading man…

What starts as a sordid transaction with a beautiful rent boy quickly turns into something much deeper, drawing him back again and again as he gets to know Jem and craves meaningful encounters with him.

But Ted doesn't understand the exact conditions necessary for his trips through time—and for Jem, time may actually be running out. Now Ted has one last shot to get back to Jem and save their relationship, before it's too late…"

Regards,
Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

Erin, good luck with the job hunt. 

[tuesdayschild]

On 8/2/2018 at 1:33 PM, Kareni said:

Do you have a long wait?  I hope that the packing continues to go well.

The first builders left us 8 months behind the proposed building schedule, so we're working frantically trying to redeem some of that and are hoping to have our new house at a liveable stage so we can move into it before Christmas.  The packing is going well. Thanks ?

Once again, so many interesting titles and links shared this week.   I like how one reader shares how much they enjoy a book, and another reader states they didn't.   Grin, love the idea of Yorkshire Day.  And count me in for fruited cake or loaf.  How fun to have your Priest chat books with you VC.    Thinking of all here who are facing challenging, or changing, shifts in life - I notice as I read and then forget to quote.

Books completed update:

• The Art of War ~ Sun Tzu (4)  Classic (epkukapuka)  I appreciated this read much more than I expected to.
• Many wars are against circumstances, not people per se,  and as my ds delights in this book I was looking for the inspiration that he seems to glean from it to apply to ‘fights’ that life gifts our way.          “The wise warrior avoids the war” but if “On desperate ground fight with all your life.”
• Miss Silver Intervenes: Miss Silver Bk 6 ~  Patricia Wentworth, narrated by Diana Bishop (3)  Gifting this with a 3 as some of the supporting stories were interesting – the mystery wasn’t that good.
• The Mountains Have a Secret: Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Bk12 ~ Arthur W. Upfield, narrated by Peter Hosking  Australian Golden era mystery. (3+)  Though the story ended a little flat, I enjoyed the sheer vintage Aussie-ness of this book and the word usage Upfield gifts Inspector Bonie with. Definitely wanting to read more in this series. 

 

 

[mumto2]

4 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

The first builders left us 8 months behind the proposed building schedule, so we're working frantically trying to redeem some of that and are hoping to have our new house at a liveable stage so we can move into it before Christmas.  The packing is going well. Thanks ?

Once again, so many interesting titles and links shared this week.   I like how one reader shares how much they enjoy a book, and another reader states they didn't.   Grin, love the idea of Yorkshire Day.  And count me in for fruited cake or loaf.  How fun to have your Priest chat books with you VC.    Thinking of all here who are facing challenging, or changing, shifts in life - I notice as I read and then forget to quote.

Books completed update:

• The Art of War ~ Sun Tzu (4)  Classic (epkukapuka)  I appreciated this read much more than I expected to.
• Many wars are against circumstances, not people per se,  and as my ds delights in this book I was looking for the inspiration that he seems to glean from it to apply to ‘fights’ that life gifts our way.          “The wise warrior avoids the war” but if “On desperate ground fight with all your life.”
• Miss Silver Intervenes: Miss Silver Bk 6 ~  Patricia Wentworth, narrated by Diana Bishop (3)  Gifting this with a 3 as some of the supporting stories were interesting – the mystery wasn’t that good.
• The Mountains Have a Secret: Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Bk12 ~ Arthur W. Upfield, narrated by Peter Hosking  Australian Golden era mystery. (3+)  Though the story ended a little flat, I enjoyed the sheer vintage Aussie-ness of this book and the word usage Upfield gifts Inspector Bonie with. Definitely wanting to read more in this series. 

 

 

I am glad your packing is going well.  Have you sold your present home or are you still preparing for the sale?  I hope things work out so you can celebrate Christmas in your new house.

 In my search for Arthur Upfield I discovered that one of my libraries has Michael Inness’ Inspector Appleby series now on Overdrive.  I can’t wait!  They have been recommended to me via Goodreads etc enough for me to be quite curious.  I haven’t found Upfield yet but have a few more places to look.  It ‘s always interesting to see where rabbit trails lead.....https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1360734.Death_at_the_President_s_Lodging

I haven’t started it yet but I have the fourth Miss Silver on my Kindle. ?

 

@ErinE I want to add my good wishes to your job hunt.  Please keep us updated if you are comfortable sharing because I know I would love to be part of your cheering section!

[tuesdayschild]

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

I am glad your packing is going well.  Have you sold your present home or are you still preparing for the sale?  I hope things work out so you can celebrate Christmas in your new house.

 In my search for Arthur Upfield I discovered that one of my libraries has Michael Inness’ Inspector Appleby series now on Overdrive.  I can’t wait!  They have been recommended to me via Goodreads etc enough for me to be quite curious.  I haven’t found Upfield yet but have a few more places to look.  It ‘s always interesting to see where rabbit trails lead.....https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1360734.Death_at_the_President_s_Lodging

I haven’t started it yet but I have the fourth Miss Silver on my Kindle. ?

Still prepping for sale.   (I keep thinking of your walk over the road move and it sounds like a good way to move?)   Yes, us too.

Off to book search and link hop from your post - thank you!  ... I wanted to comment before I got lost in my own rabbit trails.    We are fortunate that we can access Upfield audio C/Ds through our local library.  (I do know that amazon 'sells' them as kindle or audible editions, it would be good if you try some free to see if they are a fit for you.)  

ETA: I haven't read the 4th Miss Silver yet (is it Danger Point?) so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

Edited August 5, 2018 by tuesdayschild

[Negin]

On 8/3/2018 at 8:57 AM, ErinE said:

I think I’ve read most everything Conroy has written. His later writing felt a bit formulaic (mentally fragile woman needing rescue, long-suffering man with white-knight syndrome), but my personal favorites are:

* The Lords of Discipline - Set at a school based on the Citadel (Conroy’s alma mater), a student basketball player fights the malicious racism against the school’s first black cadet.

* The Great Santini - a young man rages against a controlling, abusive father, a fictional story based on Conroy’s own life.

* The Death of Santini - A memoir of Conroy’s father, who mirrors the larger-than-life fighter pilot in The Great Santini, but also shows his considerable charm. Conroy’s struggle to reconcile his father’s mellow old age with his abusive history is quite compelling.

Erin, thank you for this! I plan on reading more by him. It seems that many writers are not as good after a certain point. Isabel Allende's first few books, for example, were far better than her more recent ones. Nonetheless, it is a bit disappointing. 

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, tuesdayschild said:

Still prepping for sale.   (I keep thinking of your walk over the road move and it sounds like a good way to move?)   Yes, us too.

Off to book search and link hop from your post - thank you!  ... I wanted to comment before I got lost in my own rabbit trails.    We are fortunate that we can access Upfield audio C/Ds through our local library.  (I do know that amazon 'sells' them as kindle or audible editions, it would be good if you try some free to see if they are a fit for you.)  

ETA: I haven't read the 4th Miss Silver yet (is it Danger Point?) so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

Apparently my Miss Silver is also known as Danger Point.....I checked out In the Balance but apparently it has two titles.  ?. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2886947-danger-point I am stuck reading it in my browser so haven’t started yet.  Have you read it?  The first 10 or so in the series are only available in ePub form or browser from my library.  The later ones are kindle. Too lazy to figure out how to make ePub work on my iPad.

Upfield......success,  I have an old large print copy of The Bone is Pointed coming from a local library’s archive.  Who knows what shape it will be in but I will be able to try it.  ?  Dd received a book in two pieces from that archive once and she read it very carefully sitting at the table.  ? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1350311.The_Bone_is_Pointed. They actually have several but this one is 20 years newer than all the others which seemed like a good reason to choose it.  Lots of Goodreads fans too!