Book a Week 2019 - BW9: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

[aggieamy]

@Kareni and other gamer girls - Have you played Marrying Mr. Darcy? It's a fun game and is super thematic to the books.

[Kidlit]

2 hours ago, aggieamy said:

 

 

That was my first of her books and still my favorite. 

 

The only other Morton book I've read is The Distant Hours way back in 2013 (my review here).  My review tells me I didn't love it, but I think my taste in books has shifted enough over the past five years to now tolerate and even appreciate Morton's style a bit more.  I've never been one for creepiness, but something about The Clockmaker's Daughter is very appealing to me, even though it's similar in atmosphere to the The Distant Hours.  

[Guest]

Hi, all. I haven’t updated in a few weeks. For my IRL book club, I finished Tracy Chevalier’s The Lady and The Unicorn. I did not think as much of this story as I did the Pearl Earring book I read a couple years ago. I like the way she creates stories surrounding an historical work of art. This story, though...geez. Nicholas des Innocents and his horn-doggin’ after every female he encounters, be they blind weaver daughter, 14-year old Lady, domestic help where he paints, fun-for-hire ladies...it wasn’t as clever as the other book. I could only get a “meh” feeling for the story itself. It was well-written, though, and she certainly does seem to do her research. 

I read The Little Book of Stoicism and got mad at the author for plagiarizing Stephen Covey’s story about having a change of heart on public transport when he realized a man had lost his wife moments ago. I enjoyed the Stoic philosophy. I did not enjoy the writing. 

I just started reading The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell, which immediately made me think of our very own @Penguin. 🐧 So far, I am really liking this book. It’s funny and full of interesting bits of knowledge. More questions I will answer correctly as we watch Jeopardy! Lol. 

I’m still listening to Michelle Obama Becoming on audio. It’s fine but I’m a little bit bored about the book as it just seems interminable and I wish I was making headway on Les Miserables considering the length. I’m listening at time and a half speed. This makes it a bit better. I think I just lack the gene that enjoys celebrity autobiographies. 

 

[Kareni]

4 hours ago, aggieamy said:

@Kareni and other gamer girls - Have you played Marrying Mr. Darcy? It's a fun game and is super thematic to the books.

I have not. Thanks for the recommendation; I'm always happy to hear about a good game.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I mentioned earlier about a new book by a favorite author. I just spent a happy few hours reading 

Anne Cleeland's  Murder in Just Cause (The Doyle & Acton Mystery Series Book 9)

 "Doyle was back at Scotland Yard after taking maternity leave, and the powers-that-be had decided they’d ease her way by assigning her to assist DS Isabella Munoz, which was a fate only slightly worse than death.
Annoying, it was, that she had to answer to Munoz; not to mention that Munoz wasn’t given many high-quality homicide assignments in the first place.
As a case in point, the first assignment out of the box was a possible suicide at the housing projects, something that happened with such regularity that it was a wonder the responding officer had even thought it worthy of a detective’s notice. . . . "

 Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

4 hours ago, Kareni said:

I mentioned earlier about a new book by a favorite author. I just spent a happy few hours reading 

Anne Cleeland's  Murder in Just Cause (The Doyle & Acton Mystery Series Book 9)

 "Doyle was back at Scotland Yard after taking maternity leave, and the powers-that-be had decided they’d ease her way by assigning her to assist DS Isabella Munoz, which was a fate only slightly worse than death.
Annoying, it was, that she had to answer to Munoz; not to mention that Munoz wasn’t given many high-quality homicide assignments in the first place.
As a case in point, the first assignment out of the box was a possible suicide at the housing projects, something that happened with such regularity that it was a wonder the responding officer had even thought it worthy of a detective’s notice. . . . "

 Regards,

Kareni

Glad the new one is good!  I am going very slowly through this series but do enjoy it!  

I just finished the third book in the Elementals series that I have been rereading/reading the first time.  The Force of the Wind was definitely a new to me read https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24375316-the-force-of-wind and I am off to get the fourth.  This series is probably best categorized as paranormal romance but is just enough different in terms of mythology to be interesting.  Glad some BaWers reminded me to get back to reading it with their year end summaries!

[Penguin]

@Robin M Thanks for the Nora Roberts link. I am a bit lost, as the blog assumes one knows what happened. But I am very interested in the story. Nora Roberts sounds like a force to be reckoned with. It also seems like she is willing to stand up for victimized writers who don’t have her financial resources. I have yet to read any of her books or visit her bookstore yet, and I feel remiss about that.

@Quill I liked The Year of Living Danishly, too. Glad you are enjoying it! Maybe we need to take a day trip to Nora Robert’s bookstore someday! It is near Antietam.

—

I just finished News at Thrush Green (Thrush Green #3) by Miss Read. Wow, what a shocker that was. I was blissfully enjoying my comfort read and tthen at the very very end Miss Read hit me with an ending that I HATED. I can’t remember the last time an ending made me so angry!

Edited February 27, 2019 by Penguin

[Kidlit]

9 hours ago, Kareni said:

I have not. Thanks for the recommendation; I'm always happy to hear about a good game.

Regards,

Kareni

 

13 hours ago, aggieamy said:

@Kareni and other gamer girls - Have you played Marrying Mr. Darcy? It's a fun game and is super thematic to the books.

Count me intrigued, too. I wonder if my teen girls would like this?

[Kidlit]

2 hours ago, Penguin said:

@Robin M Thanks for the Nora Roberts link. I am a bit lost, as the blog assumes one knows what happened. But I am very interested in the story. Nora Roberts sounds like a force to be reckoned with. It also seems like she is willing to stand up for victimized writers who don’t have her financial resources. I have yet to read any of her books or visit her bookstore yet, and I feel remiss about that.

@Quill I liked The Year of Living Danishly, too. Glad you are enjoying it! Maybe we need to take a day trip to Nora Robert’s bookstore someday! It is near Antietam.

—

I just finished News at Thrush Green (Thrush Green #3) by Miss Read. Wow, what a shocker that was. I was blissfully enjoying my comfort read and tthen at the very very end Miss Read hit me with an ending that I HATED. I can’t remember the last time an ending made me so angry!

Isn’t it the worst feeling to HATE a book’s ending?  I always feel cheated.

[aggieamy]

1 hour ago, hopeistheword said:

 

Count me intrigued, too. I wonder if my teen girls would like this?

Mine did! It was fun particularly since we all love the book.

3 hours ago, Penguin said:

I just finished News at Thrush Green (Thrush Green #3) by Miss Read. Wow, what a shocker that was. I was blissfully enjoying my comfort read and tthen at the very very end Miss Read hit me with an ending that I HATED. I can’t remember the last time an ending made me so angry!

Oh I can think of the last time I hated the ending of a book.

Let me just pause to say that normally I don't commit violence against books...

It was the second or third book in a cozy mystery serious set in England. A blind judge and his plucky scamp of a helper were poking around and solving crimes. The judge and helper had a charming father/son relationship. There was a tiniest bit of mystery. Then the ending was such a travesty of justice that I finished the book, threw it against the wall, and then lay in bed and cried. I was so mad. There are certain genre expectations in a cozy mystery and an innocent man being executed is not one of them. 

Still angry thinking about it. 

[Penguin]

@aggieamy I probably would have thrown the book if it hadn’t been a library book! And you are absolutely correct about the genre expectations. This ending blew it.

[Kidlit]

4 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

Mine did! It was fun particularly since we all love the book.

Oh I can think of the last time I hated the ending of a book.

Let me just pause to say that normally I don't commit violence against books...

It was the second or third book in a cozy mystery serious set in England. A blind judge and his plucky scamp of a helper were poking around and solving crimes. The judge and helper had a charming father/son relationship. There was a tiniest bit of mystery. Then the ending was such a travesty of justice that I finished the book, threw it against the wall, and then lay in bed and cried. I was so mad. There are certain genre expectations in a cozy mystery and an innocent man being executed is not one of them. 

Still angry thinking about it. 

The last book that I wanted to throw against the wall was a Newbery winner a few years back—Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos.  The father is such a jerk throughout the book, and then he does something that even makes him even more despicable at the very end.  It didn’t help that my pick for the Newbery (and one with similar themes but a wee bit of redemption and so wonderfully written) was bested by this one.  I’m still not over it. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, hopeistheword said:

Isn’t it the worst feeling to HATE a book’s ending?  I always feel cheated.

I also get furious when that happens. Or when a character does something SO base, so awful and justice doesn’t get served on the character and the book ends with the character having gotten away with their deviance... oh, that is the worst. I felt this way about Career of Evil and the dreadful troll of a fiancé. 

I haven’t even read Lethal White because I was so mad about the fiancé. 

I felt that way a little, too, when Sirius Black died and then Harry finds the two-way mirror in the bottom of his trunk. So sad! He could have used the damn mirror! 

[Guest]

Quote

I liked The Year of Living Danishly, too. Glad you are enjoying it! Maybe we need to take a day trip to Nora Robert’s bookstore someday! It is near Antietam.

That would be fun! 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

A Quiet Hero’s Journey: Processing Trauma in Fantasy

( @JennW in SoCal, One of the books discussed is The Goblin Emperor.)

6 Badass Female Time Travelers Who Get the Job Done

https://www.tor.com/2019/02/20/female-time-travelers-methods-sci-fi-fantasy/comment-page-1/#comment-791394Adult

A History of the American Public Library

https://www.citylab.com/design/2019/02/american-public-library-history-cities-visual-journalism/582991/?utm_source=twb

10 “FROM THE LIBRARY OF” STAMPS FOR YOUR HOME BOOK COLLECTION

https://bookriot.com/2019/02/22/from-the-library-of-stamps/

CORSETS AND CARRIAGES: 15 MUST-READ REGENCY ROMANCE NOVELS

https://bookriot.com/2019/02/22/best-regency-romance-novels/

AN ATHEIST READS NARNIA

https://bookriot.com/2019/02/22/an-atheist-reads-narnia/

10 TERRIFIC DINOSAUR BOOKS FOR ADULTS

https://bookriot.com/2019/02/23/dinosaur-books-for-adults/

Regards,

Kareni

[tuesdayschild]

On 2/26/2019 at 2:05 AM, Mothersweets said:

And tuesdayschild, you've inspired me to reserve Jonathan Strange at my library sooner rather than later!

I'm honoured to pass the baton forward, penguin unknowingly handed it to me.  I  may have run out of listening steam - the audiobook, gorgeously crafted narration by Simon Prebble, is over 32 hours long - if she hadn't shared how the story took off towards the end.  Hoping you enjoy your journey through it too!   (I think you did a really good job with your first painting, shared in last weeks thread.)

On 2/26/2019 at 6:00 AM, Liz CA said:

I am on a Georgette Heyer kick.

So fun to see that you're enjoying your first go through of her books!  I Love GH and usually listen to, or read, at least one Heyer a month.  

On 2/26/2019 at 7:03 AM, KathyBC said:

Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth. My teenage self would have enjoyed these safe books.

Me too!   Grey Mask is one book I haven't listened to as so many others gave it the thumbs down ..... when I run out of new to me Wentworth titles I may have to cave in and hear it

On 2/26/2019 at 11:10 AM, mumto2 said:

Julia Spencer Fleming fans......she is one of my favorite authors

Thanks mumto2 ... I'll try and hunt her down.

On 2/26/2019 at 11:21 AM, Robin M said:

We lit a fire under his butt and told him he needs to done by the end of March because we are running out of money. Paying double utilities, rent, and mortgage has drained any extra funds.  He has other jobs coming up as well so we are all on the same page.  Went over yesterday  to check things out. All the windows were uncovered and with the dry wall up the rooms looked so much bigger.  Next phase is tape and texture.

 Praying and hoping your page and his continue to align, and get the task finished!!   Builds definitely feel like the compulsory wishing well.  ( i love your phrasing, the money pit, and my Dh nods in wry agreement - we have one too).  It is fun, for me, to see where you are with your building project.

On 2/27/2019 at 1:03 AM, hopeistheword said:

If you have a book blog, will you link it here so I can put a "name with a face"? 

https://tuesdaysviews.blogspot.com/   

 

On 2/27/2019 at 11:51 AM, aggieamy said:

'm reading The Great Gatsby with my teen girls. I've only read it about fifteen times but they've never read it. 

I'm listening to Madam, Will You Talk?

FINISHED: The Case is Closed by Patricia Wentworth. I'd recommend it. Good cozy mystery. 

So good to see you here aggieamy,  I was starting to wonder if you were okay.  (I enjoyed The Case is Closed too!)

 

On 2/27/2019 at 12:37 PM, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

I don't think I posted last week..........I'm feeling foggy and maybe crazy due to myriad distractions!  We've had a February where one thing after another happens- illness, injury and now dental stuff- not super conducive to my attention span functioning well! I'm a little foggy headed today, so if I did already report this, I apologize! 

Sorry to read that your February has been so ragged.

On 2/27/2019 at 12:37 PM, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

I finished Crazy Love by Francis Chan about a week ago. I gave it 4 out 5 stars. I really liked the chords he struck and his general tone. I'll continue to read the other works that came in the collection at some point- he definitely stretched my thinking and challenged me quite bit in areas. He's very much on the fear and reverence side, which is what I'm all about, so it was a comfortable read, even if it stretched me,  if that makes sense? 

2

Makes perfect sense!   Appreciate your review.

Edited February 28, 2019 by tuesdayschild
emojis

[tuesdayschild]

23 hours ago, aggieamy said:

Have you played Marrying Mr. Darcy? It's a fun game and is super thematic to the books.

I keep eyeing it for Dd & I.....  appreciate the recommendation!!

19 hours ago, Kareni said:

I'm always happy to hear about a good game.

Me too.  Your yearly game threads are much appreciated in our home.

8 hours ago, Penguin said:

you are absolutely correct about the genre expectations. This ending blew it.

That is upsetting and sad.  Can you gift us with a typed in white spoiler?  No need to though, if you'd rather not.  🙂    Mill on the Floss' ending was grrr, tears hair, slap the ipod off for me.  

[tuesdayschild]

I’ve, amazingly, managed to complete the spelling challenge for February  Chen Cao – Qiu.  And, I think this is the first time in my reading history I’ve read three books in one month that I gifted 5 stars to. (Must have been in the frame of mind to enjoy them; 😉  and, I do really, really like fairy tale influenced stories.) 

•   C=  Carnegie's Maid ~ Marie Benedict, narrated by Alana Kerr Collins (epukapuka audio) (3)
• H=  The Church Planting Wife: Help and Hope for Her Heart ~ Christine Hoover (4.5) N/F
• E=   Stories I Love to Tell ~ Gene Edwards,  narrated by Milton Bagby  (Christian) (3) 
• N=  Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell ~  Susanna Clarke, narrated by Simon Prebble (5)
•   C=  Seven Dials Mystery:  Superintendent Battle Bk2: ~ Agatha Christie, narrated by Emilia Fox  (3+)
• A=   Sweep ~ Jonathan Auxier (epukapuka)  Juvenile Fiction (5) 
• O=   One Child:  The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment ~ Mei Fong, narrated by Janet Song (epukapuka) (5)   N/F China  
•  Q=  Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives ~ Richard Wiseman   N/F  (3)
• I=   Being Maori Chinese: Mixed Identities ~ Manying Ip  N/F  New Zealand (epukapuka) (3+)
• U=  Wings Above Diamantina: Inspector Bonaparte Bk 3 ~ Arthur Upfield (library CD) (Australia) (3)

***

Books completed in the last few days:

• Coming Home to Tibet:  A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Belonging ~  Tsering Wangmo Dhompa  N/F  Memoir  Tibet/China      I'm 50% done with Coming Home to Tibet and have run out of overdrive, library loan, reading time.  I don't know when I'll get another shot at this book, so, with what I have read, I’m currently rating this book at 3.5 stars.  Dhompa has a very poetic style of writing and this book gifted me with a window into her Buddhist beliefs.
• Sip read.  The Church Planting Wife: Help and Hope for Her Heart ~ Christine Hoover (4.5)  https://tuesdaysviews.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-church-planting-wife-help-and-hope.html  

I’ve just started,  Closed Casket ~ Sophie Hannah, narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt  so far, so good.    I'll only be working on three books for March's reading challenge, "Sue" , as I want to read to the beat of my own drum for a bit.

Edited February 28, 2019 by tuesdayschild
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[Kareni]

53 minutes ago, tuesdayschild said:

Your yearly game threads are much appreciated in our home.

You are quite welcome! I enjoy them, too.

I thought of the Heyer mentions here when I saw this review today on the Dear Author site: 

REVIEW: Frederica by Georgette Heyer

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

9 hours ago, Quill said:

Or when a character does something SO base, so awful and justice doesn’t get served on the character and the book ends with the character having gotten away with their deviance... oh, that is the worst.

*Crosses Bel-Ami off Quill Recommendation List*

[Kareni]

Recently I decided to resume adult literacy tutoring after a 16 year hiatus when one of my local libraries decided to begin a program. I need to start the sixteen hour online training. In the meantime I read New Readers Press' Teaching Adults: A Literacy Resource Book. While I wouldn't describe it as a scintillating read, it had some worthwhile information.

Regards,

Kareni

[tuesdayschild]

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

Recently I decided to resume adult literacy tutoring after a 16 year hiatus when one of my local libraries decided to begin a program.

Love this!  Wishing you the very best.

**

ETA:  I nearly didn't go and read the Frederica review..... just in case the reviewer was going to brutally dismember a favourite literary friend 😉 

Edited February 28, 2019 by tuesdayschild

[Kidlit]

I just finished Puddn’head  Wilson, which is book seventeen for the year for me.  I hope I can share some thoughts on my blog about it this weekend. 

[Kareni]

50 minutes ago, tuesdayschild said:

Love this!  Wishing you the very best.

**

ETA:  I nearly didn't go and read the Frederica review..... just in case the reviewer was going to brutally dismember a favourite literary friend 😉 

Thank you for the kind wishes, tuesdayschild.

And I'm glad the review did not disappoint!

Regards,

Kareni

[Junie]

8 hours ago, hopeistheword said:

I just finished Puddn’head  Wilson, which is book seventeen for the year for me.  I hope I can share some thoughts on my blog about it this weekend. 

Of the Twain books I have read, this one is my favorite.

[Kidlit]

2 hours ago, Junie said:

Of the Twain books I have read, this one is my favorite.

I'm a definite Twain fan.  I haven't read everything by him, but everything I've read, I've enjoyed.

[Penguin]

15 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

I keep eyeing it for Dd & I.....  appreciate the recommendation!!

Me too.  Your yearly game threads are much appreciated in our home.

That is upsetting and sad.  Can you gift us with a typed in white spoiler?  No need to though, if you'd rather not.  🙂    Mill on the Floss' ending was grrr, tears hair, slap the ipod off for me.  

Can you (or someone) tell me how to type with the spolier tag? 

[Liz CA]

I need permission to abandon 100 Years of Solitude. (Running to the corner to hide). Such a famous piece of work...and I cannot get into it. I just find it depressing and I do not like depressing reads. I am about 1/4 in. Is it getting any better???

[Junie]

26 minutes ago, Penguin said:

Can you (or someone) tell me how to type with the spolier tag? 

I think that you just change the font color of the spoiler text to white before posting.  People can then highlight over it (or not) to see the hidden text.

[Junie]

20 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

I need permission to abandon 100 Years of Solitude. (Running to the corner to hide). Such a famous piece of work...and I cannot get into it. I just find it depressing and I do not like depressing reads. I am about 1/4 in. Is it getting any better???

I didn't get that far...  :already hiding in the corner:  

[Matryoshka]

16 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

I need permission to abandon 100 Years of Solitude. (Running to the corner to hide). Such a famous piece of work...and I cannot get into it. I just find it depressing and I do not like depressing reads. I am about 1/4 in. Is it getting any better???

I wouldn't know, because I've never gotten past the first page...  :returns to corner where I've been hiding from it glowering at me from the shelf:

[Matryoshka]

Yoikes, as I just posted I realized I'd totally neglected to post my reading in this week's thread!  I must've been distracted by the giant emojis...

So, finished 3 books last week: 

19. Irgendwo in Deutschland / Somewhere in Germany by Stefanie Zweig - enjoyed this story about a Jewish family who decides to return to Germany (because the father's law license only allows him to practice there) from Kenya just after WWII.  An interesting perspective.  I don't think I've ever read anything else set in Germany in this period - I get the feeling the Germans don't like to dwell on it...  4 stars.

20. Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick - A short book that is about half made up of quotes from the book it refers to.  Philbrick is very enthusiastic.  I'm not sure it has made me any more enthusiastic about reading the book, but maybe will give me some things to ponder as I listen to it (although not quite yet; another book cut in line in the Overdrive queue...)  3 stars.

21. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (audio) - didn't make me love Achilles, but I did enjoy this take in the Iliad and Achilles/Patroclus' lives before it.  I do love Madeline Miller's writing.  4 stars.

Currently reading:

- Patria by Fernanado Aramburu - Set in the Basque Country just after ETA (Basque terrorist separatist movement) declares a cease-fire, and is about two families who had been affected by the conflict in different ways.  Not far in yet - it's a doorstopper (almost 650 pages), but the chapters are very short and alternate perspectives. 

- Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister (audio) - also just started this, but I know at least a couple of people here liked it, so hope I will too!

And still reading Flights, which is an odd little collection of musings and half-stories.  I've got David Mitchell's Number9Dream out of the library, and the Three Body Problem is on the way (I did get my SciFi book club to pick it for next month!).  I'm also hoping to start on the next installment of Story of the Stone soon...

[Matryoshka]

On 2/25/2019 at 8:49 AM, madteaparty said:

I’ve had lots of alone hiking and so am finishing the audiobook of Steffan Zweig’s autobiography “World of yesterday” which at 17 hours could be considered a maybe-chunkster? It’s an astonishing book, very hard to read/hear at times (like when he talks about the naïveté of the learned classes before WWI, and again before the other one. I’ve been inspired to look at some other books of friends he mentions, and of his, only to find them out of print. So I’ve been ordering used out of print books and feeling very adult.

At @violet crown’s suggestion I started Magic Mountain again but the hotel room had a copy of SPQR by Mary Beard which is far more readible, so I’m going with that. 

Finished MilkMan, I don’t know what to think of that one. Was on the verge of abandoning many times (as I tend to do) but then it got into my skin somehow. Would love to see someone else’s reaction.

reading Paradise Lost with DS, we’ve landed on the Norton critical edition, we need all the footnotes 😂

Both the Stefan Zweig book you mention and Mann's Magic Mountain are on my TR list, and hopefully for this year.

Milkman I'm waiting for on audio...

But no plans for Paradise Lost!  

[Kareni]

57 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

I need permission to abandon 100 Years of Solitude. (Running to the corner to hide). Such a famous piece of work...and I cannot get into it. I just find it depressing and I do not like depressing reads. I am about 1/4 in. Is it getting any better???

I believe I read this for a book group years ago (it feels like 100 Years ago....) My recollection is that it remained depressing. You have my permission to abandon it with abandon!

Given that you read a quarter of the book, you can tell everyone you read 25 Years of Solitude.

Regards,

Kareni

[Liz CA]

3 minutes ago, Kareni said:

I believe I read this for a book group years ago (it feels like 100 Years ago....) My recollection is that it remained depressing. You have my permission to abandon it with abandon!

Given that you read a quarter of the book, you can tell everyone you read 25 Years of Solitude.

Regards,

Kareni

 

Laughing emoji here (are the emojis fixed yet?) Thank you. I will send it back to the library without any guilt or shame. 25 years was quite enough....

[Penguin]

@tuesdayschild

Let's hope I did this right. Wow, I feel much better now just typing that out. Awful ending revealed below. It is in white text. Can you read it?

News from Thrush Green (Thrush Green #3)

Phil (a female) is an attractive single mom. She is in her early 30s. Her husband has abandoned her for another woman. She starts to put her life together by moving to the cozy village of Thrush Green. Her son is six years old. At about the 75% mark, her estranged husband dies in an auto accident. So now she is REALLY eligible, and two men are smitten with her. The classic love triangle.

Richard is about her age, but they are not really compatible. Richard is a bit of an annoying guy, but he is not a jerk, so if Phil had ended up with Richard, that would have been OK.

Harold is about 60 years old and has never been married. He lived an exciting life in Africa and has retired to the cozy village of Thrush Green. It is no secret to the reader that Harold is in love with Phil. Harold just isn't sure of himself. What about the age difference - would that be fair to Phil? Has he been a bachelor too long to be a good husband? Harold is a great guy in all regards.

Page 215: Enter Frank. Frank is Harold's friend. Frank is 55 . Harold introduces Phil to Frank, because Frank is an editor and Phil is a writer. Frank and Harold have an intimate talk, and Harold admits to Frank that he is in love with Phil. He asks for Frank's advice. Frank says "Try your luck." Harold is still hesitant. Frank suggests that Harold put the whole affair out of his mind for a month or two, and then maybe his feelings will be clear. 

Page 231: Richard tries his luck with Phil, but is gently rejected.

Page 237: Harold has reluctantly decided that marriage is not for him. Perhaps, as Frank had once suggested, his own feelings were actually "a compound of pity and protectiveness."

Page 238: Phil tells Harold that "Frank has asked me to marry him." And then she asks Harold if he will give her away!

Page 239: Phil and Harold have a conversation that breaks my heart.

THE END

What cozy world permits a back-stabbing friend to get the girl?

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by Penguin

[Kidlit]

36 minutes ago, Penguin said:

@tuesdayschild

Let's hope I did this right. Wow, I feel much better now just typing that out. Awful ending revealed below. It is in white text. Can you read it?

News from Thrush Green (Thrush Green #3)

Phil (a female) is an attractive single mom. She is in her early 30s. Her husband has abandoned her for another woman. She starts to put her life together by moving to the cozy village of Thrush Green. Her son is six years old. At about the 75% mark, her estranged husband dies in an auto accident. So now she is REALLY eligible, and two men are smitten with her. The classic love triangle.

Richard is about her age, but they are not really compatible. Richard is a bit of an annoying guy, but he is not a jerk, so if Phil had ended up with Richard, that would have been OK.

 Harold is about 60 years old and has never been married. He lived an exciting life in Africa and has retired to the cozy village of Thrush Green. It is no secret to the reader that Harold is in love with Phil. Harold just isn't sure of himself. What about the age difference - would that be fair to Phil? Has he been a bachelor too long to be a good husband? Harold is a great guy in all regards.

Page 215: Enter Frank. Frank is Harold's friend. Frank is 55 . Harold introduces Phil to Frank, because Frank is an editor and Phil is a writer. Frank and Harold have an intimate talk, and Harold admits to Frank that he is in love with Phil. He asks for Frank's advice. Frank says "Try your luck." Harold is still hesitant. Frank suggests that Harold put the whole affair out of his mind for a month or two, and then maybe his feelings will be clear. 

Page 231: Richard tries his luck with Phil, but is gently rejected.

Page 237: Harold has reluctantly decided that marriage is not for him. Perhaps, as Frank had once suggested, his own feelings were actually "a compound of pity and protectiveness."

Page 238: Phil tells Harold that "Frank has asked me to marry him." And then she asks Harold if he will give her away!

Page 239: Phil and Harold have a conversation that breaks my heart.

THE END

What cozy world permits a back-stabbing friend to get the girl?

 

 

 

I highlighted the space but don’t see anything.  🤔. Maybe it’s because I’m on my phone?

[Junie]

It worked for me on my PC.

[Kidlit]

@PenguinUgh!  I remember this series of books from when I worked as a library aide back twenty-five years ago.  I always thought I'd like them.  Just UGH!   (I guess I should say that I got on my computer and was able to read the spoiler.  LOL)

[Ravin]

I got really busy and missed the thread for week eight. Phooey.

My overall reading goals are to take in a mix of fiction and nonfiction, spiritually enriching, informative, and fun selections; to keep up with the Druid book discussion/study group I'm in, to put eyes on words not related directly to work more often than last year, and to read books that I bought ages ago and still haven't read.

My currently reading list:

The Stand (unabridged) by Stephen King (on audiobook; it's over 48 hours long, so this will definitely take me more than a week, as I listen to audiobooks on my commute and when driving for work, about 6-10 hours a week). Update: I'm now on Chapter 59, with 10 hours left on the audio book.

The Táin translated by Ciaran Carson Update: I've finished through chapter seven. I'm reading the end-notes as I go, too.

Odin: Ecstasy, Runes & Norse Magic by Diana L. Paxson (this is one of those "bought ages ago and still haven't read" books) Reading on Kindle. I haven't made progress on this one in the last couple of weeks.

Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor On Chapter 30.

George Carlin Reads to You by George Carlin. Started this one riding in the car with my co-worker. There's 3 hours and 25 minutes left on the audiobook.

Next Up:

I think I have one of Kamala Harris' books on hold from the library on audiobook. I picked up The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin on Audible (not available on audiobook from my local library).

I still feel like I need to finish some more of my current reading list before I go looking for more, but the following have been added to my "want to read" list:

The Uninhabitable Earth by Davis Wallace-Wells (This will fit the "science" category of my 10x10 challenge).

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport 

My 10x10 challenge categories:

1. humor

2. science (nonfiction)

3. fantasy & science fiction by new-to-me authors (Thank you to those who made suggestions, I'll be going back to refer to them later!)

4. LGBT

5. classic fiction

6. folklore (The Táin will satisfy this)

7. religion (nonfiction) (Odin: Ecstasy, Runes & Norse Magic by Diana L. Paxson will satisfy this)

8. law (nonfiction)

9. modern fiction in translation (i.e., originally published in a language other than English)

10. books by women of color (Stone Sky met this requirement)

The books must of course all be separate selections, though they may fit into more than one category, they cannot be used for more than one, so that I read 10 books for it.

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, Penguin said:

@tuesdayschild

Let's hope I did this right. Wow, I feel much better now just typing that out. Awful ending revealed below. It is in white text. Can you read it?

News from Thrush Green (Thrush Green #3)

Phil (a female) is an attractive single mom. She is in her early 30s. Her husband has abandoned her for another woman. She starts to put her life together by moving to the cozy village of Thrush Green. Her son is six years old. At about the 75% mark, her estranged husband dies in an auto accident. So now she is REALLY eligible, and two men are smitten with her. The classic love triangle.

Richard is about her age, but they are not really compatible. Richard is a bit of an annoying guy, but he is not a jerk, so if Phil had ended up with Richard, that would have been OK.

Harold is about 60 years old and has never been married. He lived an exciting life in Africa and has retired to the cozy village of Thrush Green. It is no secret to the reader that Harold is in love with Phil. Harold just isn't sure of himself. What about the age difference - would that be fair to Phil? Has he been a bachelor too long to be a good husband? Harold is a great guy in all regards.

Page 215: Enter Frank. Frank is Harold's friend. Frank is 55 . Harold introduces Phil to Frank, because Frank is an editor and Phil is a writer. Frank and Harold have an intimate talk, and Harold admits to Frank that he is in love with Phil. He asks for Frank's advice. Frank says "Try your luck." Harold is still hesitant. Frank suggests that Harold put the whole affair out of his mind for a month or two, and then maybe his feelings will be clear. 

Page 231: Richard tries his luck with Phil, but is gently rejected.

Page 237: Harold has reluctantly decided that marriage is not for him. Perhaps, as Frank had once suggested, his own feelings were actually "a compound of pity and protectiveness."

Page 238: Phil tells Harold that "Frank has asked me to marry him." And then she asks Harold if he will give her away!

Page 239: Phil and Harold have a conversation that breaks my heart.

THE END

What cozy world permits a back-stabbing friend to get the girl?

 

 

 

If anyone is having problems seeing the white area my Dd helped me awhile ago......her advice was to copy it and paste it somewhere.  I read them in my email because it’s easy to delete.

Thank you for typing that out Penguin!  If you did it all in white as you were typing you deserve an award.  I whited a sentence and couldn’t check it awhile ago......enter Dd.  😉  I read a couple of these many years ago.

I have been reading Nora Robert’s  Shelter in Place.  I think a couple people here read in when it first came out and I have came to the top of the hold’s list a couple of times and didn’t check it out because I wasn’t sure how healthy mentally reading about a terrorist attack at a shopping mall would be for me.  I actually thought most of the book took place in the mall as a hostage situation.  It doesn’t, and is a less frightening read than anticipated because of that.  It is mainly about living life after..........I still have quite a bit to go but will finish it.  This is for my Ten Book Chain.

[tuesdayschild]

3 hours ago, Penguin said:

@tuesdayschild

Let's hope I did this right. Wow, I feel much better now just typing that out. Awful ending revealed below. It is in white text. Can you read it?

N

 

Yes, I was able to read it.  Thank you.  I'm glad that typing it out was a good exercise 🙂

That portion bugged me too - obviously not as much as it did you though - and for a few weeks after was seriously annoyed at Miss Read for doing that to a character I liked and was so engaged with.  Interestingly enough, in later books, you can see that it works out best for Henry.  (Doesn't help in this book though.)

With spoilers, Kareni shared this tip last year... so we can type all in black   eta: ha! I can't get it to allow me to share how to do it... I'll have another try

 

 [1  ]thoughts go in here [/spoiler]  type      spoiler      inside bracket 1, so that the word spoiler replaces the 1    

 

 

 

 

 

 

  your book thoughts go in there between the bars, and pull them in closed aroundthem 

 

 

3

Edited February 28, 2019 by tuesdayschild

[tuesdayschild]

5 hours ago, Liz CA said:

I need permission to abandon 100 Years of Solitude. (Running to the corner to hide). Such a famous piece of work...and I cannot get into it. I just find it depressing and I do not like depressing reads. I am about 1/4 in. Is it getting any better???

Glad to see you made the decision to emerge from Solitude.... and for me to see that others here also only read a few years of Solitude before escaping.  Heyer is a good palate cleanser 😉 

4 hours ago, Kareni said:

Given that you read a quarter of the book, you can tell everyone you read 25 Years of Solitude.

That is so witty and LOL funny!!  (Using your reckoning I read approx 5 years

2 hours ago, hopeistheword said:

Maybe it’s because I’m on my phone?

So many of the nifty board features don't work on my phone either.  

 

[moonflower]

I've just finished Postern of Fate, the last Agatha Christie book I will ever read (because now I have read them all). Tommy and Tuppence are my favorite Christie characters, with Poirot a close second, and this is their last book when they are elderly so I thought it would be a good one to save for the end.

Well, let's just say that I think Christie was well beyond her best days by the time she wrote it.  It's the most meandering, confusing, over-obvious-why-don't-they-just-break-the-second-swan-already(spoiler) book of hers that I've read.  But it was nice to end with Tommy and Tuppence, anyway 🙂

 

Longfellow is one of my favorite poets because I understand 100% of what he is saying without having to puzzle it out.  Poetry that I have to puzzle out, which is like 95% of poetry for me, I find frustrating.

 

Now that we're done with Christie we're kind of out of books, which is not good.  I am not sure where to go from here.  I've in the past let my mom, who is a librarian, recommend a lot of my reading but her tastes and mine have seriously diverged and also a lot of the stuff she recommends for the kids (I'm looking at you, Tamora Pierce) is outside our comfort zone sociologically speaking.  We've recently reread through Tolkien, the HP books, Susan Cooper, Rosemary Sutcliffe, Heinlein (still might have some early Heinlein left to read but he is so iffy), Mull, LM Montgomery, and Twain.  

I need like a magical list of books that are interesting, traditional as far as men's and women's social roles (generally speaking), and well-written.  

[Kidlit]

39 minutes ago, moonflower said:

I've just finished Postern of Fate, the last Agatha Christie book I will ever read (because now I have read them all). Tommy and Tuppence are my favorite Christie characters, with Poirot a close second, and this is their last book when they are elderly so I thought it would be a good one to save for the end.

Well, let's just say that I think Christie was well beyond her best days by the time she wrote it.  It's the most meandering, confusing, over-obvious-why-don't-they-just-break-the-second-swan-already(spoiler) book of hers that I've read.  But it was nice to end with Tommy and Tuppence, anyway 🙂

 

Longfellow is one of my favorite poets because I understand 100% of what he is saying without having to puzzle it out.  Poetry that I have to puzzle out, which is like 95% of poetry for me, I find frustrating.

 

Now that we're done with Christie we're kind of out of books, which is not good.  I am not sure where to go from here.  I've in the past let my mom, who is a librarian, recommend a lot of my reading but her tastes and mine have seriously diverged and also a lot of the stuff she recommends for the kids (I'm looking at you, Tamora Pierce) is outside our comfort zone sociologically speaking.  We've recently reread through Tolkien, the HP books, Susan Cooper, Rosemary Sutcliffe, Heinlein (still might have some early Heinlein left to read but he is so iffy), Mull, LM Montgomery, and Twain.  

I need like a magical list of books that are interesting, traditional as far as men's and women's social roles (generally speaking), and well-written.  

How old are your children?  

[moonflower]

the readers for whom I am looking are 13 and 10, both reading high school level. (ETA but willing to read all the way down to the first HP or Little House if the books are good, fwiw) 13F and 10M.  I am 34 - we all sort of read the same books, except the 10 year old was not interested in Anne of Green Gables or Anne of Anything Else.  

Edited March 1, 2019 by moonflower

[Kareni]

I just finished a young adult novel (which you need not add to your list, @moonflower); I almost gave up on the book but persevered and ultimately found it an intriguing read. 

Matthew Quick's Every Exquisite Thing

 "Nanette O'Hare has played the quintessential privileged star athlete and straight-A student for as long as she can remember. But when a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy of The Bubblegum Reaper--a mysterious, out-of-print cult classic--the rebel within Nanette awakens.

As the new and outspoken Nanette attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, she learns that rebellion can sometimes come at a high price...and with devastating consequences. "

Regards,

Kareni

[Kidlit]

16 minutes ago, moonflower said:

the readers for whom I am looking are 13 and 10, both reading high school level. (ETA but willing to read all the way down to the first HP or Little House if the books are good, fwiw) 13F and 10M.  I am 34 - we all sort of read the same books, except the 10 year old was not interested in Anne of Green Gables or Anne of Anything Else.  

You probably have read almost everything I /we have already, but I must recommend the Melendy Quartet by Elizabeth Enright.  Delightful!

[moonflower]

Will look for it! Thanks 🙂

[Kareni]

3 hours ago, moonflower said:

I need like a magical list of books that are interesting, traditional as far as men's and women's social roles (generally speaking), and well-written.  

I wonder if The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy might be a good possibility for you and your daughter. There are a host of sequels that my daughter sought out when she was a teenager.

Others who have read The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, please weigh in on this as a choice for moonflower if not for her daughter.  (There is some pressing against social roles so perhaps not.)  My daughter would have loved it at 13, but we're not at all conservative readers.

Regards,

Kareni