Book a Week 2018 - BW49: Frosty December

[Robin M]

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate. Welcome to week forty-nine in our reading quest. Greetings to all our readers and everyone following our progress. Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you will find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges, as well as the central spot to share links to your book reviews.

Welcome to Frosty December!  In our case it's rainy and chilly at the moment which means curling up with a nice soft blanket, a cup of hot cocoa, and a good book or two or three.  *Grin*   

"The holly and the ivy,

When they are both full grown,

Of all trees that are in the wood,

The holly bears the crown:

O, the rising of the sun,

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir."

 --- English Folk-Carols
H. Wadsworth, Birmingham,
1814-1818

 

Our Blossom Bookology flower of the month is Holly. 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.

This month is full of celebrations beginning with Hanukkah, Advent, St. Nicholas Day, St. Lucia Day, Christmas and Boxing Day, the arrival of Winter as well as Festivus for the rest of us.  And we can't forget the wonderful reading tradition in Iceland - Jólabókaflóð.   

Time to update your Amazon and Goodreads wish lists for the coming holidays as well as next year.  Or pay it forward and send a few reads to new homes.  

 

Brit Tripping

We're traveling on Watling way down through Manchester.  In the early 1800’s Manchester grew substantially as people immigrated there from Scotland, Wales, and Ireland to work in the growing textile industry. The large influx of working class people gave rise to poverty and discontent and has an interesting history as the meeting place of Marx and Engles. 

Rabbit trails: Quarry Bank Mill  Peterloo Massacre  Chetham’s Library  Manchester Blitz  Anthony Burgess  Literary Manchester  Elizabeth Gaskell

 

Tell us about your favorite comfort read authors or books for rainy or chilly days. Share some of your reading, writing, or crafty goals for the new year.

Link to week 48

Edited December 2, 2018 by Robin M

[Robin M]

I finally dove into Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and like it so far.

"With effortless grace, celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illuminates a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra's impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s. We experience this tumultuous decade alongside five unforgettable characters: Ugwu, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works for Odenigbo, a university professor full of revolutionary zeal; Olanna, the professor’s beautiful young mistress who has abandoned her life in Lagos for a dusty town and her lover’s charm; and Richard, a shy young Englishman infatuated with Olanna’s willful twin sister Kainene. Half of a Yellow Sun is a tremendously evocative novel of the promise, hope, and disappointment of the Biafran war."

[Violet Crown]

Righty right, O my brothers, I viddy that it's another Sabbath of some good govoreeting about books and veshches with my starry droogies.

Erm, sorry. I mean, here we are again and this week I read Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, set in a future city which Burgess described as "a sort of compound of my native Manchester, Leningrad and New York." Which is good enough to count for set-in-Manchester in my book. I haven't read it in (counts fingers) thirty-five years -- since I was the narrator Alex's age, though not so much given to the old Ultra-Violence as he -- and it took a while to remember the Slavicized English that is his "nadsat" (teen) dialect sufficiently to read the book with any speed. Finishing Manchester early gave me time to get going on The Lancashire Witches for next week, which is six hundred pages of Victorian potboiler.

In-between finishing Redburn and Burgess I re-read Aphra Behn's Oroonoko: Or, The Royal Slave for Middle Girl's English course. I'm up to 92 books for the year completed, which will fall short of my hopeful but unrealistic goal of two books a week.

[Loesje22000]

I finished this week several books I was reading the last few weeks. They are all over the plate... 🙂

- The Song at the Scaffold + watching opera ‘Dialogues of the Carmelitessens’

- Untrue (about female sexuality)

- Van de koele meren des doods ( yes he can write beautiful sentences, yes I disliked the book although it is a Dutch Classic)

- I finished the Servo Arbitio in Dutch, I am impressed how readable the book was, but I think most people would need some more background to be able to follow the thought lines.

- Gold Mountain Blues a thick book about Chinese Immigrants in Canada. Very well writtten, but just a little too thick...

 

Struggling with the December season as always, so I hope others have a more joyful season.

•  

[Robin M]

5 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

The Lancashire Witches

Is this the one?   It's free on Kindle today 

 

4 hours ago, loesje22000 said:

I finished this week several books I was reading the last few weeks. They are all over the plate... 🙂

- The Song at the Scaffold + watching opera ‘Dialogues of the Carmelitessens’

- Untrue (about female sexuality)

- Van de koele meren des doods ( yes he can write beautiful sentences, yes I disliked the book although it is a Dutch Classic)

- I finished the Servo Arbitio in Dutch, I am impressed how readable the book was, but I think most people would need some more background to be able to follow the thought lines.

- Gold Mountain Blues a thick book about Chinese Immigrants in Canada. Very well writtten, but just a little too thick...

 

Struggling with the December season as always, so I hope others have a more joyful season.

 Hugs doll!   All your books sound so interesting. Have added The Song at the Scaffold and Gold Mountain Blues to my wishlist.

[Robin M]

The Best lists are starting to pop up.  Bookriot has posted The Best Audiobooks for 2018 and Guardian's Best Books for 2018.    

For our ladies who like Jeeves and Wooster, NPR's Jeeves And Wooster, But Make It A Modern Spy Novel

This one looks interesting -- Adding it to my want list. The Golden Rhinoceros: Histories of the African Middle Ages

[Mothersweets]

Hi everyone! 

Part of the Furniture by Mary Wesley - This was disappointing. Set during WWII, it follows a young girl who is super naive, unmarried, pregnant, kind-of orphaned, and alone. She leaves London and finds a loving home on a farm in Cornwall.Sounds like a gentle, cozy story, right? Nope. The writing didn't charm and it was surprisingly vulgar at times. I gave it 2 stars. 

Haven't picked up Kristin Lavransdatter this week but have been reading The Diary of Anne Frank for the first time. My 14yo is reading it for school and I couldn't believe I STILL haven't ever read it so I got it on my kindle and have been reading before bed. Another nudge to read it came from the THe History Chicks episode of Anne Frank - they are always so interesting.

My favorite type of comfort reads are fluffy romances.  💕 I also will re-read a favorite like Jane Eyre or Wives and Daughters. 

As far as crafting goals, I would like to finish all my wips(works-in-progress) of which I have at least 8 or 9. I'd also like to get my  Ravelry project page up to date - I have so many projects that need a picture of the finished object. 

[mumto2]

I am going to start with the easy bit first........Currently reading/just finished......

Man Card by Sarina Bowen was a quick read that I finished very late last night.  As I said before this series seems to be pretty outrageous with bad language and adult scenes but it’s fun.  Waiting for the third.  I have several books on hold by another romance/chic lit author who I am curious about, Jackie Lau.  These also appear to be humorous romances....Recently cozy mysteries have been my comfort reads but I seem to be regaining my love for romances.

The Cross......Kristin Lavransdatter......The last book for my official Bingo.  I actually like this section better than the second book.

Treacherous is the Night by Anna Lee Huber.....This is the second Verity Kent and it is really good so far, actually addictive and I don’t want to abandon all other books for this book.  I want to read it when I am sitting in the middle of noise and confusion because it is the type of book that is easy to follow and my main books just aren’t.

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami which is very good.  According to the reviews it has many of the typical Murakami traits, cats, magical realism etc.  I guess I am finishing the year with Murakami as opposed to starting mainly because my hold appeared in my account.  😂

For my audiobook I just started Lamentation by CJ Sansom.......I love these! 🙂

Now for the hard question.....Share my reading goals for the new year.  I am intrigued by the 10 chains and plan to sit down with my various wish lists and try to pre-plan some of these chains.  I also plan to complete my usual A to Z’s and Bingo.  The spelling challenge which has me really excited because of the added bonus of new to me mystery authors.  More Sci Fi and Fantasy exploration.  Continue my Agatha Christie rereads.  I will continue keeping track of Brit Tripping but only as a side result of finishing some series.  Beyond that it probably depends hugely on where Robin and rabbit trails lead.....

Now crafting.....I would love to get my Lucy Boston quilt assembled and done!  Beyond that I plan to play with my sewing and not get so caught up in the need to complete things for the fall quilt show.

[Violet Crown]

1 hour ago, Robin M said:

Is this the one?   It's free on Kindle today 

Well! And here I had to wait for my battered 1976 edition (it's been OOP since 1980) to arrive by slow boat and mule train from the UK!

[mumto2]

I finished my A to Z by Book Title this week............

A.......The Affair of the Blood Stained Egg Cosy by James Anderso

B......Bednob and Broomstick by Mary Norton

C......The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves

D......Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami 

E......Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear 

F.......Folly by Stella Cameron

G......A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo

H......The Highwayman’s Bite by Ann Brooklyn

I........It Devours! By Joseph Fink

J.......Justice Hall by Laurie R. King

K.......Kissed a Sad Goodbye by Deborah Crombie

L........Lake Silence by Anne Bishop

M.......Moonshadow by Thea Harrison

N.......A NorfolkMystery byIan Sansom

O.......Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

P........The Primrose Convention by Jo Bannister

Q........Queen of Ambition by Fiona Buckley

R........The Red Velvet Turnshoe by Cassandra Clark

S.........Silence of the Grave by Arnalder Indridoason

T..........A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson

U.........The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan

V.........The Virgin Queen’s Daughter by Ella March Chase

W........A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

X........XO by Jeffery Deaver

Y.........Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin

Z.........Zero Hour by Megan Erickson

 

[Kareni]

5 hours ago, loesje22000 said:

Struggling with the December season as always, so I hope others have a more joyful season.

Sending good thoughts your way, loesje.
**

Yesterday I finished David Weber's  Echoes of Honor (Honor Harrington Series, Book 8).  I'm enjoying this military science fiction series, but I'm not sure if it will be a series I reread.  I rather hope not as many of the 19 books are upwards of 500 pages!  Only time will tell.

Regards,
Kareni

[tuesdayschild]

After an absolute dearth of books set in Shropshire I then read three in close succession that visit there, Royal Escape ~ Georgette Heyer and two of the titles beneath.

Robin, the 10 Train and Scavenger Hunt look doable options for me next year.  (Thanks for all the work you put in to organise and ‘host’ the BaW threads!).

Completed:

• Out of the Past: Miss Silver Bk 23 ~ Patricia Wentworth  (4) wildcard.  
• 203: The Kingmaker's Daughter: Cousins' War Bk 4 ~ Philippa Gregory, narrated by Bianca Amato  (4.5)   Historical fict   Northumberland (relating to the house of Neville / North Yorkshire/ Kent / London / Warwickshire / Dorset / Gloucestershire / (Berkhamsted Castle) Hertfordshire / (Ludlow Castle) Shropshire / York / Durham Somerset / Nottinghamshire. 
• 204:  The Raphael Affair: Jonathan Argyll Bk1 ~ Iain Pears (epukapuka) (4)  A slow, cautious, clever book: a nice introduction to Jonathan Argyll and his cohorts.  It took me a while to find my reading groove and to muddle through all the Italian names. Nice ending! I'll definitely be reading the next book  (thanks, mumto2).        Extra: clean read, romance-wise, no bed hopping or sensual scenes.
• 205:  A Lonely Death: Ian Rutledge Bk13 ~ Charles Todd (epukapuka) (4) London, Sussex, Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, (Belton … which County?) Hampshire, Shropshire, Dover.     I think this is the best of Ian Rutledge’s books I’ve read so far -  I'm not reading in order, and, I do skip over all retro references to Hamish in these books – the ending was much better than in other books, not as abrupt. 
  I'm glad the authors had Mrs. Channing honour her marriage vows to her newly located, severely war-damaged, husband, and not have her running off with Ian.  Tough times ahead for her, and him, and Ian. Poor Ian, will he ever be lucky in love?

Still reading (not including sip reads):

• Envious Casca ~ Georgette Heyer   repeat listen.  Christmastime who-dunnit.  Wildcard
• The Courts of the Morning ~ John Buchan  (Peter Hannay’s appearance in this book is cameo at best)
•  A Picture of Murder (A Lady Hardcastle Mystery Book 4) ~ T.E. Kinsey  dragging my heals with this
• The Illustrated Guide to Cows ~ Celia Lewis  N/F
• The Mission Walker ~ Edie Littlefield Sundby, narrated by Jaimee Paul  N/F   Whew!  The first quarter was an emotive listen: swallow, blink hard, and continue tomorrow….  I need the map to able to appreciate the actual walk portion of the story, it’s interesting but not riveting.

[mumto2]

12 minutes ago, tuesdayschild said:

205:  A Lonely Death: Ian Rutledge Bk13 ~ Charles Todd (epukapuka) (4) London, Sussex, Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, (Belton … which County?) Hampshire, Shropshire, Dover.     I think this is the best of Ian Rutledge’s books I’ve read so far -  I'm not reading in order, and, I do skip over all retro references to Hamish in these books – the ending was much better than in other books, not as abrupt. 

😂. OK, I just googled and I get two  Belton’s but there could be more.  I wouldn’t worry about it.  When I turn on the sat nav and am just going by village name things get messy pretty often.  There is always something by each in parenthesis but I frequently don’t know where that is either!  Our first sat nav could not do postal codes and my newer one is wonderful because it does.

[tuesdayschild]

10 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

😂. OK, I just googled and I get two  Belton’s but there could be more.  I wouldn’t worry about it.  When I turn on the sat nav and am just going by village name things get messy pretty often.  There is always something by each in parenthesis but I frequently don’t know where that is either!  Our first sat nav could not do postal codes and my newer one is wonderful because it does.

I ended up confused after google maps gifted me with three Beltons 😋   Thanks for taking a stab at it.. ..  Well done on your A-Z challenge, going back to rebrowse the titles

@loesje22000  Sorry that the December season is a struggle.     Are you finished with school things for your Dd?

 

Edited December 3, 2018 by tuesdayschild

[tuesdayschild]

9 hours ago, Robin M said:

Tell us about your favorite comfort read authors or books for rainy or chilly days. Share some of your reading, writing, or crafty goals for the new year.

This year's comfort books have been gentle rereads, or new reads,  by authors like Georgette Heyer, Patricia Wentworth, D.E Stevenson.    (We're heading for heat and swelter and I like to try and find a series to enjoy over summer/Christmas break.)

In 2019 I'd like to try and make my way through a list of books I haven't got to this year and see if I can't make them fit into 10 Train and Scavenger Hunt.  I won't be reading as voraciously next year. To be able to help Dh & Ds with our house build again - that's my crafting goal for 2019  🙃   

Dd just finished her correspondence schooling courses for the year - and so, as of today, she is card crafting, big time, and listening to Bess Crawford mysteries.  (Next year will be her last year of highschool.)

@Violet Crown reading (!) 92 books is amazing. Especially with the titles you select.

 

Edited December 3, 2018 by tuesdayschild
typo

[Loesje22000]

4 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

 

@loesje22000  Sorry that the December season is a struggle.     Are you finished with school things for your Dd?

 

 

Thank you.

We have no exams this month, as dd loves christmas and thinks exams are not unitable with that 🙂

The next exam will be at the end of january so we will have some breathing space. But we still have our regular lessons, as we hope to attempt German Written, Math & Science during March - June

[Loesje22000]

6 hours ago, Robin M said:

Is this the one?   It's free on Kindle today 

 

 Hugs doll!   All your books sound so interesting. Have added The Song at the Scaffold and Gold Mountain Blues to my wishlist.

 

Thank you!

The song at the Scaffold is a thin book. The opera based on the play of the book has a very impressive ending in music (I think):

 

With the Ladys Choir we sing a different song of it.

[Kareni]

2 hours ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

I had a slight diversion and jumped to The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher, on Friday and finished it last night. I'm going to have to put that down in the Seriously Impactful personal booklist. So much so that I bought the hard copy for dd last night and Dh is going to listen on Audible. I'm thinking of giving it two weeks to process and then reading it, or at least parts of it, again. 

This was a book that my husband enjoyed as well.

Regards,
Kareni

[Kareni]

A fun bookish post (any cat lovers should certainly take a look) ~

How to Build a Bookmas Tree (With Commentary by Fisher) by Elyse at SBTB

Plus some currently free books for Kindle readers ~

Urban fantasy set in Victorian era Nairobi:  Ghosts of Tsavo (Society for Paranormals Book 1)  by Vered Ehsani

"Where African myth meets Victorian manners: Armed with Victorian etiquette, a fully loaded walking stick and a dead husband, Beatrice Knight arrives in the small colonial town of Nairobi desperate for a pot of tea and a pinch of cinnamon. But she’ll need more than that if she’s to unravel the mystery of the Ghosts of Tsavo without being eaten in the process. She must endure all manner of inconveniences while surviving the machinations of her best friend’s dashing godfather and the efforts of her safari guide to feed her to any lion willing to drag her away. What is a ghost-chasing widow to do?

Ghosts of Tsavo is the first case in “Society for Paranormals”, in which a paranormal detective refuses to let danger, death and unwanted suitors inconvenience her in colonial Kenya. Welcome to a cozy mystery series concerning Victorian etiquette, African mythology and the search for a perfect spot of tea. If you enjoy historical mysteries, adore Victorian steampunk, appreciate British humor, or would love to experience adventure in colonial Africa, download Ghosts of Tsavo to start your supernatural safari today. "

also

Christian fiction:  Flags Out Fron   by Douglas Wilson

romance:  Sparrow  by L.J. Shen 

Claus (Legend of the Fat Man): A Science Fiction Holiday Adventure (Claus Series Book 1)  by Tony Bertauski

 

classics:  Leo Tolstoy: The Complete Novels and Novellas   and  Fyodor Dostoyevsky: The Complete Novels  and  Virginia Woolf: The Complete Works

LGBT: In Case of Emergency: Gay Christmas Romance  by Keira Andrews

Regards,
Kareni

[Violet Crown]

TexasMom/Aethelthryth,

I'd love to hear your thoughts on The Benedict Option. I've only heard descriptions of it, but it sounds much like what my little faith community is doing, and I keep thinking I'll have to read it ... if I find it cheap. 🙂

[Kareni]

7 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

I'd love to hear your thoughts on The Benedict Option. I've only heard descriptions of it, but it sounds much like what my little faith community is doing, and I keep thinking I'll have to read it ... if I find it cheap. 🙂

I asked my library to purchase it, and they did. 

It was published in March 2017, so you might also be able to request it through inter-library loan.

Regards,
Kareni

 

[Violet Crown]

2 minutes ago, Kareni said:

I asked my library to purchase it, and they did. 

It was published in March 2017, so you might also be able to request it through inter-library loan.

Regards,
Kareni

 

Good plan!

[mumto2]

45 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

TexasMom/Aethelthryth,

I'd love to hear your thoughts on The Benedict Option. I've only heard descriptions of it, but it sounds much like what my little faith community is doing, and I keep thinking I'll have to read it ... if I find it cheap. 🙂

It's one that my whole family should read.  That being said I just looked in my Overdrive and they have it but it appears not to be on Kindle.  I will read a bit in the browser..............

[Lady Florida.]

4 hours ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

 

I read it on Kindle. Is it possible to loan Kindle books to people? If so I would happily do so if you tell me how! I ordered the hard copy for dd because she doesn't like to read e-books if given a choice. 

 

 

I'm not interested in the book but I've done Kindle lending and borrowing so I thought I'd reply to this aspect. In this case, no, you can't lend it. If you go to the product details of any Kindle book it will tell you if lending is enabled. Scroll down to that section for The Benedict Option and you'll see "Lending: Not Enabled". You should also be able to see from within your Kindle or app. When pressing on the options it will say "Lend (or loan?) this book" Lending decisions are made by the publisher, so Amazon (and Kobo, Nook, etc.) have no choice in the matter. 

When you do have a book that can be loaned out, both parties have to be "friends" on Amazon. Or, I think you might just need the address the person uses for Amazon/Kindle. It's been a while so I don't remember the details of that part. A book can be loaned for up to 2 weeks and during that time it's not available to the owner. I think it automatically poofs from the borrower's device after the loan period but they can also send it back early if they finish. You can borrow lend and borrow as many books as you have the option for, but each book can only be loaned one time, ever. 

Anyway, that's my Kindle lesson for the day. 🙂 

Edited December 3, 2018 by Lady Florida.

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

 

I read it on Kindle. Is it possible to loan Kindle books to people? If so I would happily do so if you tell me how! I ordered the hard copy for dd because she doesn't like to read e-books if given a choice. 

I guess I don't have to sorry about spoilers with this type of book! Basically he outlines his case at the start, of how and why the battle of Christianity versus the larger culture has largely been lost in the West. He runs through a brief history/overview of important historical transitions when it comes to religious thought/belief. That section left me wanting more, and there were a few concepts I struggled with. For instance the medieval view of God and the universe- realism, versus the development of the concept of nominalism. I'm not going to even try and define either one, because I clearly do NOT have a grasp on either. I felt like realism much more accurately described my views of God and The Divine, better than the supposed modern way, which left me thinking either I didn't understand what he was saying there exactly, or else I'm completely on a different planet from most modern day people. I'm not sure what the answer is there- I'm going to try and read more for sure. 

He's pretty blunt, but not in an all is lost sort of way. And I think he's largely correct. He urges Christians to redirect their efforts into families and local community at this point, rather than exerting efforts on National efforts of say, let's turn back the clock sort of efforts. He does a fantastic job of pointing out that politics and politicians will never ever be the saviors of Christianity and its a foolish hope to think they will do so, which makes it clearly not a "put your faith in this political side at all costs" sort of book. He refers to The Rule of St. Benedict and the Benedictine monks (present day) to weave the differences between present day life for most/many Christians versus how we could live, incorporating those principles and rules in a realistic way, even as laypersons. 

I think one of the more impressive concepts/feats he accomplishes, is that while he outlines all of the doom and gloom, he doesn't encourage any reaction based on fear. There is no "hide away from the world here". There is more of an "if you're going to be salt and light, you better be disciplined and diligent, and either are no good if you aren't acting for the better of your local community." sort of message. He does of course outline the importance of guarding yourself, your family, and most importantly you faith, from the corruption of secular, and often contaminated "Christian" influence- but none of it is in a way that screamed hide the children, we're all going to die, and let's prepare for the Apocalypse. It was very much a book to me about being grounded. Ground yourself. Discipline yourself. Guard yourself. But go out, be kind, and do good. Use your energies locally. Guard the faith so that it will remain for the darker days, because if you don't, it's going to burn out in the West. It will remain in the world of course- he points out other countries in less developed nations are certainly doing a much better job than we are of being true to the faith and living it out. So it's not that God will lose. Rather, don't get cocky, because God won't lose, but you just might. He points out that US Christians are rather weak when it comes to dealing with discomfort or true sacrifice. He discusses frequently how the West has largely fallen into what he describes as Moral Therapeutic Deism (MTD) which is basically a pop psychology, sort of feel good religion that serves us as a way of feeling good, but not much else. There is no deep rooted spirituality with MTD. God is diminished. 

Now to be fair, he does advocate removing kids from public school. But as a homeschooler that didn't strike me as alarmist in the least. Perhaps someone else might find him extreme on that front, but I didn't for obvious reasons!  His first encouragement though is to go and form Classical Christian schools for the community to be able to turn to as the public schools stray further and further off any rational course. 

What this book did most for me was bring together a lot of realizations/thoughts/concepts that have been floating around in my head for the last 10 years. Honestly my biggest life shift has been stopping my career to stay home with my kids and homeschooling. It somehow brought together my religious and spiritual side that had been compartmentalized, and placed them smack in the middle of our whole life. Once that happened, it's just been this non-stop ride in a tumbler it feels like. Once I found the educational theories that aligned with the spiritual side- like with Classical Christian Education, Circe, and starting to read with understanding, so many great books, everything was on the verge of clicking and I feel like this book was the "!" at the end of it all. Click. It's all the same thing. It's not religion/marriage/kids/home/work/school/church as separate categories. It's not neat boxes. It's ALL. And it must be all. You don't get to compartmentalize. Or it all fails. That is a light that has slowly been dawning the last decade, and this book simply for me was like YES. Yes. That it is. It wasn't exactly the most profound book I've ever read. But it managed to speak to me at the right time in the right place and it couldn't have been more perfect for that. 

So sorry for the lengthy post- but there are my thoughts. 🙂 If anyone else wants to read it and do a book "club" sort of group or something I'm totally game! 

 

Thanks for the detailed review!  🙂  It looks like just the type of book that I will find helpful and useful!

I just went into another Overdrive library that I can use and found the Benedict Option as an audio so I will read it that way.  The book was only ePub there too.  I have so many craft projects to finish so being able to listen is great!   Thank you so much for the offer to loan the Kindle version,  I believe you can loan a Kindle book but no experience.

For my family,  I need to read it then we buy a hard cover for Dh and family.  Somehow I have became the book reviewer for Dh.  The kids will pick it up if it sits on a coffee table.  DH actually works in Church planting so has many opinions on this subject.  Our family spends a great deal of time in what I privately nickname his fledgling churches which means I am always in need of conversation.  A good book to recommend is a wonderful thing!  I like the books I talk about to have a bit more of a broad appeal than those written by just people within our denomination.  Lots of conversation starters needed...........😉

[Violet Crown]

3 hours ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

If anyone else wants to read it and do a book "club" sort of group or something I'm totally game! 

Now I feel like I need to get a copy yesterday! Off to Half Price, and failing that, see if our library can get it for me. (I rarely use libraries, in part because I'm very hard on books; they disintegrate in my hands.)

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

 I like the books I talk about to have a bit more of a broad appeal than those written by just people within our denomination.  Lots of conversation starters needed......

You two should start an Advent reading thread. I'd join in.

[Matryoshka]

Finished two books this week:

123. Gun Love by Jennifer Clement (audiobook) -  The first person protagonist is a girl being raised in a car parked in a trailer park in upper Florida by her mother, who ran away from her wealthy family after she secretly gave birth to the baby and has been living with her in the car ever since.  As the title suggests, there are also many guns.  The girl goes to school, registered with a forged birth certificate, while her mother works as a janitor at the VA hospital.  She's reasonably happy until her mother falls for a new guy who moves into the trailer park, and things go sideways. I feel like it ended without a strong resolution, though.  3.5 stars

124. Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks -  A lovely book.  I had to read it in shorter chunks, though, as I needed to take a break from so much chemistry at once.  Kind of like his parents when he spent two hours in a car telling them about the wonders of thallium.    But engaging and informative. 3.5 stars.

Currently reading:

- La fiesta del chivo/ The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa (ebook) - I'm finding this quite readable, which is good because it's around 600 pages and I have to finish - ebooks have a hard deadline of 21 days to return them before they go *poof* off my phone.

- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (audiobook) - for my next SciFi book club.  I took a suggestion to get the audio so as to avoid the fragments. So far only mildly choppy. 

And still reading The Crab-Flower Club.  

[Robin M]

6 hours ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

So sorry for the lengthy post- but there are my thoughts. 🙂 If anyone else wants to read it and do a book "club" sort of group or something I'm totally game! 

Thank you for the insightful comments and I ordered a copy of the book which should be arrive Thursday. 

2 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

Now I feel like I need to get a copy yesterday! Off to Half Price, and failing that, see if our library can get it for me. (I rarely use libraries, in part because I'm very hard on books; they disintegrate in my hands.)

You two should start an Advent reading thread. I'd join in.

Me too!  I was looking for an advent read plus I already read Rod Dreher's How Dante can save your life which was quite good. I like his writing. Which also means moving Purgatorio up in the stacks to read sooner than later next year. 

Edited December 4, 2018 by Robin M

[aggieamy]

On 11/20/2018 at 4:30 PM, Robin M said:

IMy sweetheart of a FIL has bailed us out and provided a short term loan for the overages for our building project so we don't have to dip into our IRA's early.  Of course we could have put everything on hold and waited six months until we're 59 1/2.  That would have been a disaster. Happy dance and a lot of stress relieved. 

 

I'm happy to hear that things are moving along. Somehow when ever you post updates I picture you and John a bit like Tom Hanks and Shelly Long in the Money Pit. How much longer do they think the renovations will take?

And Happy Belated Birthday!

 

On 11/17/2018 at 7:33 PM, Robin M said:

I'm going to leave Brit Trip info up on the blog for next year. There are so many counties that the same path can be followed and be totally different each time depending on what books choose to read. @mumto2 Sandy and @aggieamy Amy put a lot of work into it, so I think it should be a perpetual challenge for anyone who wants to continue.  Thank you both, you're awesome.  

Oh geez. You're welcome. I'm glad it's been a fun adventure!

On 11/18/2018 at 2:27 PM, texasmom33 said:

I don't have anything to report either. Still reading Dracul and listening to Uthred #9 on Audible. I did start The Wise Men Know What Wicked Things Are Written on the Sky by Russell Kirk on Audible as well. But we've been on a fall break and I spent way too much time here on Chat this week and then listening to podcasts while I cleaned. I'll get back on track this week hopefully since Thanksgiving should be nice and laid back for the most part. Oh, well my first Professional Organizer is coming Tuesday and w'ere going to tackle the playroom, so I guess that could distract a bit as maybe I'll just sit in there and gaze in awe at the resulting organization. ? At least I hope that is the result! 

How did it go with the professional organizer?!?!

On 11/26/2018 at 5:08 PM, Angelaboord said:

I didn't finish anything last week, and the only thing I finished the week before was a romance novella by Meredith Duran, Your Wicked Heart. It was lighter than her usual angsty full-length novels. I think romance novellas are hard to pull off, but this one was good, only a few bumps where it felt like the relationship should have gotten more development but there wasn't room. The blurb is completely wrong, though; I'm not sure which story they were writing about, but it wasn't the one I read.

 

I find that frequently with romances but not with other genres. It seems like the ones I've read that weren't quite right were when the publisher tried to make the story angsty but it was instead just cozy. I've gotten to the point that I'll just read by author rather than by blurb.

On 11/28/2018 at 6:22 PM, Robin M said:

Which lead to idea for the 2019 spelling challenge.  I figured each month we could spell out either the first or last name of the character or the author of the series  Let me know if this is too complicated or too many choices. 

Bookish Detectives, Sleuths, and Private Eyes, Oh My!

Hercule Poirot –Agatha Christie (Uk)
Chen Cao – Qiu Xiaolong  (Chinese)
Kinsey Millhone – Sue Grafton (US)
Brother Cadfael – Ellis Peters (UK)
Peter Zak – G.H. Ephron (US)
Guido Brunetti -  Donna Leon  (italian)
Rabbi David Small – Harry Kemelman  (US)
Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg -  Fred Vargas (French) 
Darko Dawson – Kwei Quartey (Ghana mysteries)
Toby Peters – Stuart Kaminsky (U.S.) 
Phryne Fisher – Kerry Greenwood (Australia)
Gabriel Allon – Daniel Silva  (Israel)
 

Oh wow. I'm so so excited about all of this. Words fail me ... This is going to be a great year.

On 11/28/2018 at 9:47 PM, mumto2 said:

Looks great to me!   Your list is made up of series already on my read/reread list and a few that are new to me.  So great mixture imo.  I probably will try to read a book in each series as we spell.  Personally I like the idea of choices because it’s easy to get completely stuck on a letter,  recently N and R have been difficult and I have no idea why.  😀. Your book purchases look like fun and very useful for next year!  

 

Me too. As another mystery lover most are ones I've read but there are a few new names on the list that I'm super excited about trying.

On 11/29/2018 at 6:53 PM, Kareni said:

Since there are some Georgette Heyer fans here:

From the Word Wenches site, an interview with the author of this book ~ Heyer Society: Insights About an Icon

Regards,
Kareni

Thanks for posting this!

[mumto2]

@Matryoshka said (my quote via copy and paste didn’t work this time)- La fiesta del chivo/ The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa (ebook) - I'm finding this quite readable, which is good because it's around 600 pages and I have to finish - ebooks have a hard deadline of 21 days to return them before they go *poof* off my phone.

Can you put it on a Kindle too and turn the Kindle’s WiFi off?  I have never checked a book out for a phone so I know I am clueless but I just made sure my kindle reader has all the long books I have started and turned the WiFi off for the next who knows how long!  I download on multiple devices with no problems.

[Kareni]

 

5 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

When you do have a book that can be loaned out, both parties have to be "friends" on Amazon. Or, I think you might just need the address the person uses for Amazon/Kindle.

It is the latter. I've loaned out Kindle books, and all I've needed is the person's email address.  

Regards,
Kareni

[tuesdayschild]

23 hours ago, loesje22000 said:

We have no exams this month, as dd loves christmas and thinks exams are not unitable with that 🙂

The next exam will be at the end of january so we will have some breathing space. But we still have our regular lessons, as we hope to attempt German Written, Math & Science during March - June

What a relief for your dd (and you) to have an exam free month.  May Christmas be the blessing and joy she's anticipating.    (Whew, your dd has been tackling a pile of exams!    Well done to you both for all the work, study, and effort to get these final exams completed.) 

15 hours ago, Kareni said:

I asked my library to purchase it, and they did. 

Nice!  (and adding here, that book Christmas tree is a.mazing.... my 3 cats would love it 😋) and joy for me one of the freebies you linked was available for me to "purchase", usually they aren't)

9 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

124. Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks -  A lovely book.  I had to read it in shorter chunks, though, as I needed to take a break from so much chemistry at once.  Kind of like his parents when he spent two hours in a car telling them about the wonders of thallium.    But engaging and informative. 3.5 stars.

Sounds so interesting!

[Robin M]

19 hours ago, aggieamy said:

I'm happy to hear that things are moving along. Somehow when ever you post updates I picture you and John a bit like Tom Hanks and Shelly Long in the Money Pit. How much longer do they think the renovations will take?

And Happy Belated Birthday!

Oh geez. You're welcome. I'm glad it's been a fun adventure!

Oh wow. I'm so so excited about all of this. Words fail me ... This is going to be a great year.

Me too. As another mystery lover most are ones I've read but there are a few new names on the list that I'm super excited about trying.

Thank you and  where have you been, missy?  😘   Yep, John and I have been likening this house to the Money Pit with what seem like an endless amount of issues. The roof is being replaced as we speak. Remaining windows and stucco is next. Still quite a bit to be done inside. Contractor and others have advised subcontractors and extra hands are hard to find these days given past fires and natural events that have wiped out whole cities.  His steady little crew is getting the work done, albeit slowly since he is a perfectionist which is actually to our benefit.  Fingers crossed it will be done in the next couple months.  

On 12/2/2018 at 11:49 AM, Robin M said:

Tell us about your favorite comfort read authors or books for rainy or chilly days. Share some of your reading, writing, or crafty goals for the new year

Feels strange quoting myself. 😁   My comfort read authors are Nora Roberts and Faith Hunter. Urban fantasies, paranormal and fluffy romances fill the bill for when need something light to read.   Still figuring out goals for next year.  I was just reading Cleo's Classical list for the next five years as well as what she accomplished for her first five years which is quite inspiring and thinking of putting together something similar.  My yearly plans always get blown out of the water somewhere in the middle of the year and fall by the wayside.  I do want to read more from my physical shelves rather than ebooks so thinking I'll extend my buying ban (not including new releases from my favorite authors). for a longer period of time.  My reading has slowed way down for various reasons so think I'll be a bit more picky in what I choose to read. Along with the mysteries, I'll be dipping more into historical and classical reads.  Clear a few more chunky books off my shelves, diving into a few more Agatha Christie books, (The Man in the Brown Suit, Sparkling Cyanide and a couple others are $1.99 today on Kindle by the way) as well as finish the last three books in the Wheel of Time series.  Devotion wise, studying the psalms. Writing wise, I'm determined to finish rewriting and editing my current WIP.   

 

Speaking of Advent - I also added Magrey deVega's Awaiting the Already to my virtual shelves which I started reading today.

Edited December 4, 2018 by Robin M

[Robin M]

A few interesting internet finds

11 Novels with Older Characters You’re Sure to Love

The Penguin Hotline Recommends: Gifts for the Lit Lover

10 Places to Donate Books This Holiday Season

Audible's new releases

 

[Lady Florida.]

1 hour ago, Robin M said:

A few interesting internet finds

11 Novels with Older Characters You’re Sure to Love

The Penguin Hotline Recommends: Gifts for the Lit Lover

 

 

Thank you Robin. The above two links gave me some additions to my TBR list. 

28 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

I finished Uhtred #9- Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell yesterday and started #10, The Flame Bearer thing morning on Audible. Only one book left in the series after this! 😞 Write quickly Mr. Cornwell! 

 

Well, you're way ahead of me as I'm only in the second book. I hope he's not like George R.R. Martin or Hilary Mantel, and takes forever to finish each novel. BTW, I only read the first of Martin's books. I love the show but just can't get into the books. Dh OTOH, is still waiting for that elusive next book in the series. 

[Lady Florida.]

Today I finished the audio version of Twain's Feast, a book about creating the fantasy American food menu Mark Twain wrote while on tour in Europe and missing food from home. I'm not sure how different the print version is, so here's a link to the print. The descriptions seem a bit different. I'm not doing bingo this year but this short book would probably be a good one for those who still need the foodie square. It was pretty interesting and included both food history and some interesting bits about the life of Samuel Clemens. Nothing earth shattering or new about him, but still interesting.

My audiobook hold for Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI came in yesterday so now that I finished the above audio book I'll start this one. I've been having trouble finding audio books I like or in some cases it was the narrator I didn't like, so I'm hoping my dry spell is over. I really like listening to books while working around the house and I was running out of podcasts I like that I'd been listening to in place of a book.

Nothing new on my other reading front. My Kindle seems to be losing its charge more quickly than usual and I'm not sure why. I'll probably need to call CS. I've never had this happen before with a Kindle Paperwhite and this is my 2nd or 3rd Paperwhite. It's not critical but it loses a percentage or two per day when it used to take several days for that to happen. 

Edited December 4, 2018 by Lady Florida.

[tuesdayschild]

I'm making a rebel readers move and am waving goodbye, a bit early, to the Brit Trip Bus, ...

My aim was to achieve Rebel Rank, Georgette Heyer with the Challenge (even though we read Charles Dickens’ requirements too).  This has been a really fun (!) challenge, even if cashing in early, mean techincally I didn't nail down the Christmas in/at London read  🙂    I’m not sure what the weeks leading up to Christmas and afterwards may have for us so I celebrated my Christmas (read) early.

Schedule for  Just for fun:

• 05  Poetry by Wilfred Owen   (Cramped in That Funnelled Hole, and, The Last Laugh)
• Book set in WWI   A Pattern of Lies: Bess Crawford Mystery #7 ~ Charles Todd  (3) (Kent)
• 10   Published Anon   Evelina ~ Francis Burney  (pub. 1778) (4)
• 15   Spooky October  The Graveyard Book ~ Neil Gaiman (epukapuka ) Juvenile Fiction
• 20   olde list book before 1600 (I’ve counting The Book of Psalms, (5) (in a standard KJV bible)  as my ye olde “book” written before 1600 - technically it was 😉 , though it was translated and then published inside the English KJV bible in 1611.
• 25   movie or play based on a play The Madness of King George III    
• A 1994 film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own play.  The copy we saw had had the bedroom scenes edited out – which made it a good choice for a family movie.  We all enjoyed the movie adaptation of the play.
• 35   book set in Regency era   The Reluctant Widow ~ Georgette Heyer  (5)
• 45   Chunkster   Elizabeth the Queen ~ Sally Bedell Smith  (N/F  Chunkster 663pgs) 

Counties covered 45 of 45

1. London (Scotland Yard)  Death in A White Tie ~ Ngaio March (3)
2. Cambridgeshire Sidney Chambers & the Shadow of Death: Bk1 ~ James Runcie (2)
3. Huntingdonshire Persons of Interest: DC Smith, Bk4 ~ Peter Grainger (4)
4. Bedfordshire    The Case is Closed:  Miss Silver Bk2 ~ Patricia Wentworth (4)   
5. Northamptonshire and Rutland A Long Shadow: Ian Rutledge #8 ~ Charles Todd  
6. Nottinghamshire Miss Silver Comes to Stay: Bk16 ~ Patricia Wentworth (4)    
7. East and West Riding of Yorkshire Clouds of Witness ~  Dorothy L. Sayers  (4) 
8. York  Venetia ~ Georgette Heyer     (Yorkshire, York) (3)    
9. North Yorkshire  A Death in the Dales: Kate Shackleton Bk7 ~ Frances Brody  (3)
10. Durham   Murder on the Flying Scotman: Daisy Bk4 ~ Carola Dunn (3) 
11. Tyne and Wear  Alice in Wonderland, and, Through the Looking Glass ~ Lewis Caroll (2)
12. Northumbria The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ~ Rachel Joyce (-)
13. Isle of Wight  First Lady ~ Sonia Purnell  (4.5)
14. Dorset   The Remains of the Day ~ Kazuo Ishiguro  (4) 
15. Hampshire    An Impartial Witness: Bess Crawford Bk2 ~ Charles Todd (3)
16. Berkshire   Elizabeth the Queen ~ Sally Bedell Smith  (4)
17. Buckinghamshire  Death in the Stocks ~ Georgette Heyer (3)
18. Hertfordshire  Frederica ~ Georgette Heyer (5)  
19. Essex    Proof of Guilt: Ian Rutledge Bk15 ~ Charles Todd  (2.5)
20. Suffolk   A Casualty of War:  Bess Crawford #9 ~ Charles Todd (3.5)
21. Norfolk   An Accidental Death: Bk1 ~ ~ Peter Grainger (4)
22. Cornwall  A Colourful Death: A Cornish Mystery Bk 2 ~ Carola Dunn (4) 
23. Devon  The Labour of Hercules: Hercule Poirot ~ Agatha Christie (2.5)
24. Dorset  Three Men in a Boat: Bk1 ~ Jerome K. Jerome  (3)     
25. Gloucestershire   Battles at Thrush Green: Bk4 ~ Miss Read (3.5) 
26. Derbyshire  The Toll-gate ~ Georgette Heyer  (4.5)       
27. Lincolnshire  Anna, Where are You? Bk: 20 ~ Patricia Wentworth  (3) 
28. London  Hickory Dickory Dock ~ Agatha Christie  (3)    
29. Oxfordshire   The Confession: Ian Rutledge Bk14 ~ Charles Todd  (3) 
30. Wiltshire   Dead Man’s Mirror ~ Agatha Christie  (3)   
31. Somerset  An Unmarked Grave: Bess Crawford #4 ~ Charles Todd (4)
32. Kent  A Duty to the Dead: Bess Crawford Bk1 ~ Charles Todd (4)
33. Sussex  A Bitter Truth: Bess Crawford Bk3 ~ Charles Todd  (2) 
34. Surrey  The Gate Keeper  (Ian Rutledge #20) ~ Charles Todd  (4) 
35. Spooky London  The Graveyard Book ~ Neil Gaiman (review)   
36. Worcestershire  Damsel in Distress. Bk 5 ~ Carola Dunn (3)  1923, post WWI.
37. Warwickshire  Tom Brown’s School Days ~ Thomas Hughes  (5)
38. West Midlands   Dominion ~ C.J. Sansom (2-)  Lots of profanity
39. Staffordshire   The Card ~ Arnold Bennett, narrated by Peter Joyce (3)  
40. Shropshire  Royal Escape ~ Georgette Heyer, narrated by Cornelius Garrett (4)    
41. Cheshire   The Red Door: Inspector Rutledge Bk12 ~ Charles Todd  (3)
42. Merseyside   The Listerdale Mystery ~ Agatha Christie (3)    
43. Manchester  North and South ~ Elizabeth Gaskell  (5)
44. Lancashire  The Foundling ~ Georgette Heyer  (4) 
45. Cumbria  The Woman in White ~ Wilkie Collins  (5)

Christmas (in/or) London       Envious Casca ~ Georgette Heyer   repeat listen. (3.5)  Christmas. Wildcard

[Robin M]

2 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

I'm making a rebel readers move and am waving goodbye, a bit early, to the Brit Trip Bus, ...

My aim was to achieve Rebel Rank, Georgette Heyer with the Challenge (even though we read Charles Dickens’ requirements too).  This has been a really fun (!) challenge, even if cashing in early, mean techincally I didn't nail down the Christmas in/at London read  🙂    I’m not sure what the weeks leading up to Christmas and afterwards may have for us so I celebrated my Christmas (read) early.

Oh my gosh, you are amazing and congratulations on accomplishing so much of the trip.  Lots of interesting books and I'll be taking notes. 😘  You know what. I just checked  my 52 books chick list and realized I don't have an email or address for you for snail mail, book swaps, postcards, feel better cards, bingo prezzies, etc.   Bad me.  PM me if you want to be added. It's totally confidential.

I'm pretty sure I have everyone else, except for you and Æthelthryth so if you don't think you are on the swap and card list, let me know. 

[aggieamy]

3 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

 

My audiobook hold for Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI came in yesterday so now that I finished the above audio book I'll start this one. I've been having trouble finding audio books I like or in some cases it was the narrator I didn't like, so I'm hoping my dry spell is over. I really like listening to books while working around the house and I was running out of podcasts I like that I'd been listening to in place of a book.

 

What podcasts have you been listening too? I like those too for laundry. Normally my laundry takes me two podcasts to get through.

And hurry up and "read" the Flower Moon book. I read it earlier this year and would like to discuss it.

2 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

I'm making a rebel readers move and am waving goodbye, a bit early, to the Brit Trip Bus, ...

My aim was to achieve Rebel Rank, Georgette Heyer with the Challenge (even though we read Charles Dickens’ requirements too).  This has been a really fun (!) challenge, even if cashing in early, mean techincally I didn't nail down the Christmas in/at London read  🙂    I’m not sure what the weeks leading up to Christmas and afterwards may have for us so I celebrated my Christmas (read) early.

Schedule for  Just for fun:

• 05  Poetry by Wilfred Owen   (Cramped in That Funnelled Hole, and, The Last Laugh)
• Book set in WWI   A Pattern of Lies: Bess Crawford Mystery #7 ~ Charles Todd  (3) (Kent)
• 10   Published Anon   Evelina ~ Francis Burney  (pub. 1778) (4)
• 15   Spooky October  The Graveyard Book ~ Neil Gaiman (epukapuka ) Juvenile Fiction
• 20   olde list book before 1600 (I’ve counting The Book of Psalms, (5) (in a standard KJV bible)  as my ye olde “book” written before 1600 - technically it was 😉 , though it was translated and then published inside the English KJV bible in 1611.
• 25   movie or play based on a play The Madness of King George III    
• A 1994 film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own play.  The copy we saw had had the bedroom scenes edited out – which made it a good choice for a family movie.  We all enjoyed the movie adaptation of the play.
• 35   book set in Regency era   The Reluctant Widow ~ Georgette Heyer  (5)
• 45   Chunkster   Elizabeth the Queen ~ Sally Bedell Smith  (N/F  Chunkster 663pgs) 

Counties covered 45 of 45

1. London (Scotland Yard)  Death in A White Tie ~ Ngaio March (3)
2. Cambridgeshire Sidney Chambers & the Shadow of Death: Bk1 ~ James Runcie (2)
3. Huntingdonshire Persons of Interest: DC Smith, Bk4 ~ Peter Grainger (4)
4. Bedfordshire    The Case is Closed:  Miss Silver Bk2 ~ Patricia Wentworth (4)   
5. Northamptonshire and Rutland A Long Shadow: Ian Rutledge #8 ~ Charles Todd  
6. Nottinghamshire Miss Silver Comes to Stay: Bk16 ~ Patricia Wentworth (4)    
7. East and West Riding of Yorkshire Clouds of Witness ~  Dorothy L. Sayers  (4) 
8. York  Venetia ~ Georgette Heyer     (Yorkshire, York) (3)    
9. North Yorkshire  A Death in the Dales: Kate Shackleton Bk7 ~ Frances Brody  (3)
10. Durham   Murder on the Flying Scotman: Daisy Bk4 ~ Carola Dunn (3) 
11. Tyne and Wear  Alice in Wonderland, and, Through the Looking Glass ~ Lewis Caroll (2)
12. Northumbria The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ~ Rachel Joyce (-)
13. Isle of Wight  First Lady ~ Sonia Purnell  (4.5)
14. Dorset   The Remains of the Day ~ Kazuo Ishiguro  (4) 
15. Hampshire    An Impartial Witness: Bess Crawford Bk2 ~ Charles Todd (3)
16. Berkshire   Elizabeth the Queen ~ Sally Bedell Smith  (4)
17. Buckinghamshire  Death in the Stocks ~ Georgette Heyer (3)
18. Hertfordshire  Frederica ~ Georgette Heyer (5)  
19. Essex    Proof of Guilt: Ian Rutledge Bk15 ~ Charles Todd  (2.5)
20. Suffolk   A Casualty of War:  Bess Crawford #9 ~ Charles Todd (3.5)
21. Norfolk   An Accidental Death: Bk1 ~ ~ Peter Grainger (4)
22. Cornwall  A Colourful Death: A Cornish Mystery Bk 2 ~ Carola Dunn (4) 
23. Devon  The Labour of Hercules: Hercule Poirot ~ Agatha Christie (2.5)
24. Dorset  Three Men in a Boat: Bk1 ~ Jerome K. Jerome  (3)     
25. Gloucestershire   Battles at Thrush Green: Bk4 ~ Miss Read (3.5) 
26. Derbyshire  The Toll-gate ~ Georgette Heyer  (4.5)       
27. Lincolnshire  Anna, Where are You? Bk: 20 ~ Patricia Wentworth  (3) 
28. London  Hickory Dickory Dock ~ Agatha Christie  (3)    
29. Oxfordshire   The Confession: Ian Rutledge Bk14 ~ Charles Todd  (3) 
30. Wiltshire   Dead Man’s Mirror ~ Agatha Christie  (3)   
31. Somerset  An Unmarked Grave: Bess Crawford #4 ~ Charles Todd (4)
32. Kent  A Duty to the Dead: Bess Crawford Bk1 ~ Charles Todd (4)
33. Sussex  A Bitter Truth: Bess Crawford Bk3 ~ Charles Todd  (2) 
34. Surrey  The Gate Keeper  (Ian Rutledge #20) ~ Charles Todd  (4) 
35. Spooky London  The Graveyard Book ~ Neil Gaiman (review)   
36. Worcestershire  Damsel in Distress. Bk 5 ~ Carola Dunn (3)  1923, post WWI.
37. Warwickshire  Tom Brown’s School Days ~ Thomas Hughes  (5)
38. West Midlands   Dominion ~ C.J. Sansom (2-)  Lots of profanity
39. Staffordshire   The Card ~ Arnold Bennett, narrated by Peter Joyce (3)  
40. Shropshire  Royal Escape ~ Georgette Heyer, narrated by Cornelius Garrett (4)    
41. Cheshire   The Red Door: Inspector Rutledge Bk12 ~ Charles Todd  (3)
42. Merseyside   The Listerdale Mystery ~ Agatha Christie (3)    
43. Manchester  North and South ~ Elizabeth Gaskell  (5)
44. Lancashire  The Foundling ~ Georgette Heyer  (4) 
45. Cumbria  The Woman in White ~ Wilkie Collins  (5)

Christmas (in/or) London       Envious Casca ~ Georgette Heyer   repeat listen. (3.5)  Christmas. Wildcard

 

Wow. That's awesome.

Um ... there will be some sort of prize. Um ... let me coordinate with Sandy and get back to you!

[aggieamy]

Has this already been posted? The brouhaha between Nora Roberts and Tomi Adeyemi?

https://www.bellanaija.com/2018/11/nora-roberts-tomi-adeyemi-statement/?fbclid=IwAR06ReFj29c5ywb-28o1itAtSCOMoWCGJxv3jo0Mpi_UMV1u2ucq9qm3iro

[mumto2]

2 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

I'm making a rebel readers move and am waving goodbye, a bit early, to the Brit Trip Bus, ...

My aim was to achieve Rebel Rank, Georgette Heyer with the Challenge (even though we read Charles Dickens’ requirements too).  This has been a really fun (!) challenge, even if cashing in early, mean techincally I didn't nail down the Christmas in/at London read  🙂    I’m not sure what the weeks leading up to Christmas and afterwards may have for us so I celebrated my Christmas (read) early.

Schedule for  Just for fun:

• 05  Poetry by Wilfred Owen   (Cramped in That Funnelled Hole, and, The Last Laugh)
• Book set in WWI   A Pattern of Lies: Bess Crawford Mystery #7 ~ Charles Todd  (3) (Kent)
• 10   Published Anon   Evelina ~ Francis Burney  (pub. 1778) (4)
• 15   Spooky October  The Graveyard Book ~ Neil Gaiman (epukapuka ) Juvenile Fiction
• 20   olde list book before 1600 (I’ve counting The Book of Psalms, (5) (in a standard KJV bible)  as my ye olde “book” written before 1600 - technically it was 😉 , though it was translated and then published inside the English KJV bible in 1611.
• 25   movie or play based on a play The Madness of King George III    
• A 1994 film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own play.  The copy we saw had had the bedroom scenes edited out – which made it a good choice for a family movie.  We all enjoyed the movie adaptation of the play.
• 35   book set in Regency era   The Reluctant Widow ~ Georgette Heyer  (5)
• 45   Chunkster   Elizabeth the Queen ~ Sally Bedell Smith  (N/F  Chunkster 663pgs) 

Counties covered 45 of 45

1. London (Scotland Yard)  Death in A White Tie ~ Ngaio March (3)
2. Cambridgeshire Sidney Chambers & the Shadow of Death: Bk1 ~ James Runcie (2)
3. Huntingdonshire Persons of Interest: DC Smith, Bk4 ~ Peter Grainger (4)
4. Bedfordshire    The Case is Closed:  Miss Silver Bk2 ~ Patricia Wentworth (4)   
5. Northamptonshire and Rutland A Long Shadow: Ian Rutledge #8 ~ Charles Todd  
6. Nottinghamshire Miss Silver Comes to Stay: Bk16 ~ Patricia Wentworth (4)    
7. East and West Riding of Yorkshire Clouds of Witness ~  Dorothy L. Sayers  (4) 
8. York  Venetia ~ Georgette Heyer     (Yorkshire, York) (3)    
9. North Yorkshire  A Death in the Dales: Kate Shackleton Bk7 ~ Frances Brody  (3)
10. Durham   Murder on the Flying Scotman: Daisy Bk4 ~ Carola Dunn (3) 
11. Tyne and Wear  Alice in Wonderland, and, Through the Looking Glass ~ Lewis Caroll (2)
12. Northumbria The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ~ Rachel Joyce (-)
13. Isle of Wight  First Lady ~ Sonia Purnell  (4.5)
14. Dorset   The Remains of the Day ~ Kazuo Ishiguro  (4) 
15. Hampshire    An Impartial Witness: Bess Crawford Bk2 ~ Charles Todd (3)
16. Berkshire   Elizabeth the Queen ~ Sally Bedell Smith  (4)
17. Buckinghamshire  Death in the Stocks ~ Georgette Heyer (3)
18. Hertfordshire  Frederica ~ Georgette Heyer (5)  
19. Essex    Proof of Guilt: Ian Rutledge Bk15 ~ Charles Todd  (2.5)
20. Suffolk   A Casualty of War:  Bess Crawford #9 ~ Charles Todd (3.5)
21. Norfolk   An Accidental Death: Bk1 ~ ~ Peter Grainger (4)
22. Cornwall  A Colourful Death: A Cornish Mystery Bk 2 ~ Carola Dunn (4) 
23. Devon  The Labour of Hercules: Hercule Poirot ~ Agatha Christie (2.5)
24. Dorset  Three Men in a Boat: Bk1 ~ Jerome K. Jerome  (3)     
25. Gloucestershire   Battles at Thrush Green: Bk4 ~ Miss Read (3.5) 
26. Derbyshire  The Toll-gate ~ Georgette Heyer  (4.5)       
27. Lincolnshire  Anna, Where are You? Bk: 20 ~ Patricia Wentworth  (3) 
28. London  Hickory Dickory Dock ~ Agatha Christie  (3)    
29. Oxfordshire   The Confession: Ian Rutledge Bk14 ~ Charles Todd  (3) 
30. Wiltshire   Dead Man’s Mirror ~ Agatha Christie  (3)   
31. Somerset  An Unmarked Grave: Bess Crawford #4 ~ Charles Todd (4)
32. Kent  A Duty to the Dead: Bess Crawford Bk1 ~ Charles Todd (4)
33. Sussex  A Bitter Truth: Bess Crawford Bk3 ~ Charles Todd  (2) 
34. Surrey  The Gate Keeper  (Ian Rutledge #20) ~ Charles Todd  (4) 
35. Spooky London  The Graveyard Book ~ Neil Gaiman (review)   
36. Worcestershire  Damsel in Distress. Bk 5 ~ Carola Dunn (3)  1923, post WWI.
37. Warwickshire  Tom Brown’s School Days ~ Thomas Hughes  (5)
38. West Midlands   Dominion ~ C.J. Sansom (2-)  Lots of profanity
39. Staffordshire   The Card ~ Arnold Bennett, narrated by Peter Joyce (3)  
40. Shropshire  Royal Escape ~ Georgette Heyer, narrated by Cornelius Garrett (4)    
41. Cheshire   The Red Door: Inspector Rutledge Bk12 ~ Charles Todd  (3)
42. Merseyside   The Listerdale Mystery ~ Agatha Christie (3)    
43. Manchester  North and South ~ Elizabeth Gaskell  (5)
44. Lancashire  The Foundling ~ Georgette Heyer  (4) 
45. Cumbria  The Woman in White ~ Wilkie Collins  (5)

Christmas (in/or) London       Envious Casca ~ Georgette Heyer   repeat listen. (3.5)  Christmas. Wildcard

Woot!  The first to be done!  I love looking at your list.......such fun.  😘.  Yes, Amy and I are consulting......we didn’t get that far with planning!  😎

 I still have the first in the Beatrix Potter series by Susan Wittig Albert to read for Cumbria which I have been looking forward to.   I figure a cozy will be the perfect way to end my time on the Dectective bus.........

I will try and update the list tonight.  I am exhausted and sore because Dh and I have started walking serveral miles a day again after almost two years of very sporadic walking due to a foot injury (me).  I know I have to do this but it is making me feel ancient!  It might be an early night but I just drank a cup of coffee to try and stay awake another couple of hours so I don’t shift my sleep schedule accidentally .

18 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

Has this already been posted? The brouhaha between Nora Roberts and Tomi Adeyemi?

https://www.bellanaija.com/2018/11/nora-roberts-tomi-adeyemi-statement/?fbclid=IwAR06ReFj29c5ywb-28o1itAtSCOMoWCGJxv3jo0Mpi_UMV1u2ucq9qm3iro

Thanks for posting.  Interestingly,  I remember thinking from when I put Roberts book on hold that there were lots of other books in my Overdrive with Blood and Bone in the title......like 5 at the library I picked.  I guess I was timely in my observation.  🤔

[Robin M]

31 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

Has this already been posted? The brouhaha between Nora Roberts and Tomi Adeyemi?

https://www.bellanaija.com/2018/11/nora-roberts-tomi-adeyemi-statement/?fbclid=IwAR06ReFj29c5ywb-28o1itAtSCOMoWCGJxv3jo0Mpi_UMV1u2ucq9qm3iro

Isn't that horrible. I follow Nora's blog and she very nicely didn't even name the woman in her post. So I did a little digging and read all the twitter posts.  I think she was trying to ride on Robert's coattail or she was just ignorant and had never heard of her.  Either way, she was totally in the wrong.  Of course, she got her 15 minutes of fame, but guaranteed that there will be a lot of people who won't read her book now because of what she did.  

[tuesdayschild]

39 minutes ago, Robin M said:

 I don't have an email or address for you for snail mail, book swaps, postcards, feel better cards, bingo prezzies, etc.   Bad me.  PM me if you want to be added. It's totally confidential.

I'm pretty sure I have everyone else, except for you and Æthelthryth so if you don't think you are on the swap and card list, let me know. 

 

It's not your bad ... I didn't send you our snail mail addi - postage to NZ is brutal: a better use for that is for you to buy books and influence us  suggest we read them 😉  

38 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

Um ... there will be some sort of prize. Um ... let me coordinate with Sandy and get back to you!

I think Sandy and yourself should note I "rebelled" it, and my prize is to read a few more books for fun.

9 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

Woot!  The first to be done!  I love looking at your list.......such fun.  😘.  Yes, Amy and I are consulting......we didn’t get that far with planning!  😎

 I still have the first in the Beatrix Potter series by Susan Wittig Albert to read for Cumbria which I have been looking forward to.   I figure a cozy will be the perfect way to end my time on the Dectective bus.........

I will try and update the list tonight.  I am exhausted and sore because Dh and I have started walking serveral miles a day again after almost two years of very sporadic walking due to a foot injury (me).  I know I have to do this but it is making me feel ancient!  It might be an early night but I just drank a cup of coffee to try and stay awake another couple of hours so I don’t shift my sleep schedule accidentally .

5

My dd and I flat out enjoyed that series a few summers back.

Ouch!  Well done.  Pushing through the pain sounds brave to type, but the doing is pain filled.

[Robin M]

7 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

I will try and update the list tonight.  I am exhausted and sore because Dh and I have started walking serveral miles a day again after almost two years of very sporadic walking due to a foot injury (me).  I know I have to do this but it is making me feel ancient!  It might be an early night but I just drank a cup of coffee to try and stay awake another couple of hours so I don’t shift my sleep schedule accidentally .

I can imagine how sore you are.  Work your way up gradually each week which is what we did.  John's up to 25k a day and I can barely manage 2.5 miles a day. I'm a wimp though and refuse to walk in the rain or when it gets down below 40.  Do you know what he just did. He decided to do a million steps for the month of November. Called it his million megaman march and stuck to it, everyday walking 33,000+ steps for the entire month.   Yes, it took up an incredible amount of time and was late for dinner several times, but he did it and lost five pounds in the process.  Have fun with your walks which provides lots of time for interesting conversations and introspection. 

[tuesdayschild]

41 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

Has this already been posted? The brouhaha between Nora Roberts and Tomi Adeyemi?

https://www.bellanaija.com/2018/11/nora-roberts-tomi-adeyemi-statement/?fbclid=IwAR06ReFj29c5ywb-28o1itAtSCOMoWCGJxv3jo0Mpi_UMV1u2ucq9qm3iro

There are so many books that have the same / similar titles, and usage of these two words is just one of them,  Not very professional to create a dust storm with an already respected writer.   Bad move. 

[mumto2]

49 minutes ago, Robin M said:

I can imagine how sore you are.  Work your way up gradually each week which is what we did.  John's up to 25k a day and I can barely manage 2.5 miles a day. I'm a wimp though and refuse to walk in the rain or when it gets down below 40.  Do you know what he just did. He decided to do a million steps for the month of November. Called it his million megaman march and stuck to it, everyday walking 33,000+ steps for the entire month.   Yes, it took up an incredible amount of time and was late for dinner several times, but he did it and lost five pounds in the process.  Have fun with your walks which provides lots of time for interesting conversations and introspection. 

Just Wow!!!  So impressed.  I hope I lose five pounds from this!!!   I think we are hovering close to the five mile a day mark.   We are varying routes but all under two hours. Not measuring officially because it will become an obsession for us.

 I am not a speed walker.....Dh has been very patient.  I started very slowly, very slowly as in a block,  over the past few months but decided to leap from the mile or so up to the four or so level because I wanted to do circular walks.  Plan to stay at this level until it no longer exhausts me. 

48 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

I am sore and achey with you on the picking up the walking and trying weights again with my cranky shoulder! 

Oh, do I understand!  Dh has the bad shoulder.  He is trying the resting it strategy finally (after much nagging) and it might just be working.  We have been dealing with this for about a decade and he refuses to have the surgery.   Yesterday he loaded us all in the car and went shopping at Costco for all the things that are too heavy us (parents)to lift....cases of water etc.  The kids had to push the cart and load and unload it.  We managed to go when none of the sample people were out which made our kids really sad......seriously one sample person in a place that normally has about 15!  They could not believe it!😂. 

[Kareni]

2 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

... went shopping at Costco .... We managed to go when none of the sample people were out which made our kids really sad......seriously one sample person in a place that normally has about 15!  They could not believe it!😂. 

I can tell you that even the Costco in Seoul, South Korea, gives out samples.  My daughter was happily enjoying some yesterday.

Regards,
Kareni

[Kareni]

I finished two books ~

I quite enjoyed Courtney Milan's historical romance The Suffragette Scandal (The Brothers Sinister Book 4).  While this is the fourth book in a series, it could be read as a stand alone.  The author has a lovely style while also writing with humor.  She had me laughing aloud at one point... puppy cannons! (Some adult content)

Hmm, as I went to Amazon to copy the description of this book, I learned that I had purchased a Kindle copy of this book sometime ago.  I guess I didn't need to check out that library copy after all.  Oops!

"An idealistic suffragette...

Miss Frederica "Free" Marshall has put her heart and soul into her newspaper, known for its outspoken support of women's rights. Naturally, her enemies are intent on destroying her business and silencing her for good. Free refuses to be at the end of her rope...but she needs more rope, and she needs it now.

...a jaded scoundrel...

Edward Clark's aristocratic family abandoned him to die in a war-torn land, so he survived the only way he could: by becoming a rogue and a first-class forger. When the same family that left him for dead vows to ruin Miss Marshall, he offers his help. So what if he has to lie to her? She's only a pawn to use in his revenge.

...and a scandal seven years in the making.

But the irrepressible Miss Marshall soon enchants Edward. By the time he realizes that his cynical heart is hers, it's too late. The only way to thwart her enemies is to reveal his scandalous past...and once the woman he loves realizes how much he's lied to her, he'll lose her forever."
***

I also read and enjoyed David Weber's Ashes of Victory (Honor Harrington Book 9).  I won't post the blurb as this is a series that should be read in order.

Regards,
Kareni

[mumto2]

23 minutes ago, Kareni said:

I can tell you that even the Costco in Seoul, South Korea, gives out samples.  My daughter was happily enjoying some yesterday.

Regards,
Kareni

My good friend lived in Seoul several years ago and going to Costco was a big deal.....peanut butter among other delicacies.  Actually real good peanut butter is one of the highlights of Costco in England too.  Anyway I hope your daughter lives near enough to go regularly.  My friend lived about 90 minutes away.  I wondered if everyone had the day off, post Thanksgiving and pre Christmas.  Someone had samples of antibacterial wipes......🤣 The horror!

So books.........I am now in the second section of The Cross.  I will finish KL this year!  So happy to be back to reading on the Kindle.  Chunky paper books and I do not mix well.

Killing Commendatore https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38820047-killing-commendatore is really long but getting interesting. I am around 20% done.  This could have been my art Bingo square.  Since I don’t want to do spoilers I am going to say there seems to be an owl but no cat yet.  I feel a bit cheated.  At least the owl is cute!  😋

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today.