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Book a Week 2019 - BW13: Happy Birthday Lawrence Ferlinghetti


Robin M
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Happy Sunday and welcome to week thirteen in our 52 Books rambling roads reading adventure. Greetings to all our readers, welcome to all who are joining in for the first time and everyone following our progress. Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges, as well as the central spot to share links to your book reviews. 

Happy 100th Birthday to Lawrence Ferlinghetti, beat poet and cofounder of City Lights Book Store in San Francisco. 

Constantly Risking Absurdity (#15)

By

Lawrence Ferlinghetti 

 Constantly risking absurdity
                                             and death
            whenever he performs
                                        above the heads
                                                            of his audience
   the poet like an acrobat
                                 climbs on rime
                                          to a high wire of his own making
and balancing on eyebeams
                                     above a sea of faces
             paces his way
                               to the other side of day
    performing entrechats
                               and sleight-of-foot tricks
and other high theatrics
                               and all without mistaking
                     any thing
                               for what it may not be  

        For he's the super realist
                                     who must perforce perceive
                   taut truth
                                 before the taking of each stance or step
in his supposed advance
                                  toward that still higher perch
where Beauty stands and waits
                                     with gravity
                                                to start her death-defying leap

       And he
             a little charley chaplin man
                                           who may or may not catch
               her fair eternal form
                                     spreadeagled in the empty air
                  of existence

 

 

What are you reading?

 Link to week twelve

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Morning!

Having fun with Dad. Saw Drifter's tribute last night and tonight we get to see ABBA Tribute which mom and we kids all danced to cleaning house when we were young.  Loads of family and catching up.  Will check in later.

 

😘

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59 minutes ago, Robin M said:

Morning!

Having fun with Dad. Saw Drifter's tribute last night and tonight we get to see ABBA Tribute which mom and we kids all danced to cleaning house when we were young.  Loads of family and catching up.  Will check in later.

 

😘

Glad you are having a great time!

I have had a great week as far as reading goes........I finished:

My reread of Glass Houses (Inspector Gamache) and am rather impatiently waiting for my Overdrive to appear.  I am first in line for both the audiobook and the Kindle so one of them should appear any moment.  I keep checking.....😜

I also finished Vita Nostra https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38633526-vita-nostra and have to say it was quite an experience.  I LOVED it but it is a love like I feel for Murakami not Harry Potter. 😉  Dd wants to try it and I am hoping she does, partly because maybe she can explain a few things to me that I simply don’t understand but think she might grasp if it is possible.  The authors are Ukrainian so it is a translation.

I also finished the Murderbot series last night...I read two in one day, they were that good.  Cannot wait for the novel!  These could easily be one long book so reading in order is a must.  

I also read the latest in the Wayward Children novella series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38244358-in-an-absent-dream which I believe @ErinE has also been reading.  I really liked this one except for the ending.  This book clarified the rules surrounding the travel between the worlds for these children.

I have several books in progress:

The Gown by Jennifer Robson is a book I just started on the way to church this morning.  I am going to have problems setting it aside for books with due dates this week I think.  It was surprisingly engaging.

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths is not the Ruth Galloway mystery I expected!  It seems to be very good but I can’t help but be disappointed.  I really need to read the synopsis first for favorite authors.  I have now read some reviews and some say it’s similar to the Magpie Murders so it could be great........

My audiobook is the third book in the Fred, the Vampire Accountant series.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33980680-the-fangs-of-freelance I think I requested they purchase the rest of this series several years ago so it was a really pleasant surprise when they appeared in my Overdrive account last week.  These books are funny, a series of short stories in each book by possibly the worlds most unexpected vampire.  🤣 

I still need the pick a paper book out of my stack.  I have been working on getting back in the habit of reading paper books again after shifting to kindle almost exclusively.

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I finished John Bunyan's Prayer. It was...fine? I definitely learned things and was edified. The second work (the book is two works in one volume) is about coming boldly before the throne of grace, and I found the exposition very instructive; he presented a number of things in ways I hadn't thought about them before.

However, the writing was particularly dense, and some sentences just really didn't parse well. And I say this as someone who has very much enjoyed reading works by other Puritans (Edwards, Owen, Flavel). I know I found Pilgrim's Progress much more readable than this (though of course that was narrative), so maybe if I read a different work of his I'd enjoy it more? Don't know, and I don't have any other Bunyan on my shelves at the moment, so it'll be a while before I attempt another of his works, if I ever do.

Also, I've just realized that the first names of the Puritans I've read are John, Jonathan, John, and John.

Anyway, setting Puritans aside for the moment: I started a re-read of Black Beauty as a pre-read for DD#1 (trying to select "school books" for next year for her). I think it may have to wait another year, if I end up having her read it at all. There's a lot of sad in that book.

I'll finish Black Beauty, and then I'm not sure what I'll pick up next. Likely either another pre-read for DD or something by J. Gresham Machen.

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3 hours ago, Robin M said:

Morning!

Having fun with Dad. Saw Drifter's tribute last night and tonight we get to see ABBA Tribute which mom and we kids all danced to cleaning house when we were young. 

I have been a huge ABBA fan since I was a kid. Robin, have fun! I wish I could be there with you. 

I read Evergreen - 5 Stars - I never gave it much thought, but I now realize how much I love family sagas and a good story. This one completely enveloped me. I cared about the characters and felt that I knew them. Now that I’ve finished this book, I’m already missing the characters. Whatever I read next, will likely pale in comparison. 

If you decide to read this, two words of caution: do not get the Kindle version. The grammatical errors are annoying. Do yourself a favor and get the hard copy. 

Also, the protagonist/s are not perfect. I'm talking about their values, here and there. It's a wonderful book, but if you get bothered by a bit of immorality, this may not be for you. Nothing graphic, however. 

Some of my favorite quotes:
“Look out there at that sky, at that world with all the sparkle! It’s gorgeous, and you sit closed in here, mourning because it’s not exactly what you wanted! Do you think even lucky people ever get all of what they want? Who are you that you shouldn’t have a burden of some sort to carry, even one of your own making? So many of our burdens are of our own making, anyway.”

“I owe everything I am to this country that took me in. Fools like you who were lucky enough to have been born here don’t know how lucky you are.” 

“It struck me funny that when we are poor in Europe we think only about getting to America so we can get rich enough to go back to Europe.”

“I stand and listen to people speaking French in the stores and on the street. It’s such a pert, crisp language, elegant as rustling taffeta. I wish I could speak it. Another one of my many wishes!”

“Do you know, if I could be reincarnated for a few days, I would like to be a countess or a princess in Vienna and go whirling in a marvelous white lace dress, waltzing under the crystal chandeliers. But only for a day or two. It must have been a very silly, useless life.”

9780440132783.jpg

MY RATING SYSTEM
5 Stars
The book is fantastic. It’s not perfect, since no book is, but it’s definitely a favorite of mine. 
4 Stars
Really Good
3 Stars
Enjoyable 
2 Stars
Just Okay – nothing to write home about
1 Star
Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

 

 

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Last week I finished two books!

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. This was good but I think contemporary novels just aren't my thing.

Notes From My Captivity by Kathy Parks. And to contradict myself, I really liked this one, lol. This book is YA and has a fluffier overall feel than Little Fires Everywhere, so that must be the difference. It starts out quickly and just really pulled me in with its humor and compelling storyline. 

Still working on Strange & Co; Poisonwood Bible had to go back to the library but after everyone's encouragement last week, I do plan on finishing it. 🙂

Okay, now I'll go back and read the thread.

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Love the poem! 

I have had a good reading week.  This week I finished

  • The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, which I mentioned on last week's thread.  I have a hard time with contemporary stories, too, mostly due to explicit s**. I found the story of Indian immigrants fascinating, but a few explicit scenes almost ruined it for me. I'm glad I finished it, but it gives me pause about reading something else by her.
  • News of the World by Paulette Jiles audiobook--WOW! I bought this one sometime during an Audible sale after seeing so many rave reviews, and they were all right! I LOVED it, and the narration made it that much better.  HOWEVER, I started another audiobook by Jiles (The Color of Lightning, I think), and two chapters in and I had to give it up. Another thing I can't stand is explicit violence, and that one--WHEW! By the second chapter I had heard more truly terrible stuff (a Comanche and Kiowa raid on a Texas ranch) than I think I've ever read in my entire life.  (Apparently, I'm just a baby when it comes to adult books. :blush:
  • The Maid by Stephanie Land--I really enjoy memoirs and personal narratives. This one is about a single mother's struggle to care for her child and keep her head above the water financially (and even just to keep her and her daughter housed and fed) while working as a maid in the Pacific NW. By the end of the book I was wowed by her perseverance and just how much she survived through dogged determination.  If you like this sort of thing, I recommend this one.

Still reading: The Penderwicks in Spring (aloud), The Chosen, and Farewell to Manzanar--all with and for my children. I'm also still slowly reading A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Peterson. 

New this weekend: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (print book) and Beneath a Scarlet Sky (Kindle) by Mark Sullivan. I still need to decide on an audiobook. After finishing one Jiles and rejecting the second one, I opted for catching up on a few podcasts instead of starting a new one. I also blogged! I reviewed (more of a personal reaction, really) The Most They Ever Had by Rick Bragg, and I continued my chapter-by-chapter blogging of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.

Thus far I've read twenty-seven books in 2019! That's quite a record for me at this point in the year, I think. I set my Goodreads challenge goal at sixty books for the year, but at the rate I'm going, I'll far surpass that. I think I read something like eighty books last year, but in January I didn't want to overshoot.  Maybe I should've set it at 100! LOL

Have a great week, fellow BaWers!

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I am still in my rut but enjoying it nevertheless. I did add some new audiobooks and since I will be commuting more days of the week, there should be plenty of time to listen.

Reading:

"The End Game" by Coulter / Ellison
Still reading some of the stories in "Out on the deep blue." These are collection of stories so I am reading a bit here and there.

Audiobooks:

"Venetia" by Heyer
"12 Christian Beliefs that will drive you crazy" by Cloud / Townsend


I am looking forward to listening to "The Year of Living Danishly" by Helen Russell. Read an excerpt on Amazon and loved what I read so far. Also, Quill recommended it so it must be good. 

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I finished Frankenstein.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  The story was actually quite a bit different than what I expected.  I didn't expect to feel sympathy for Frankenstein or his monster, yet I found myself hoping for a happy ending for either or both of them.  Alas.

I also read Home by Julie Andrews.  It was an enjoyable read.  If there is an audiobook read by Julie Andrews I'm sure it would be lovely.

 

Hoping to finish this week:

Story of the World Volume 3

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

The Penderwicks

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I haven't checked in for a while so here goes.  (I confess I am behind with reading this year and actually went most of January without reading anything at all. ) 

I finished off some last in series: Summoned to Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones was a bittersweet ending to this series arc.  Free by Kristen Ashley finished up the Chaos series for those that like sexy motorcycle club members.

I read a few favorite authors: Circle of the Moon (Soulwood #4) by Faith Hunter released, and even though I'd already read the ARC I went back and listened to the audible version. The narrator is awesome!  Crucible (Sigma Force #14) by James Rollins was another fast paced story with some scary implications for AI that I don't want to think to much about.  Connections in Death (In Death #48) by J.D. Robb was awesome as always. I went back and reread this entire series after my fall because I couldn't remember the good stuff!  Eve just grows on you.

I have Wild Country (World of the Others #2) by Anne Bishop on audible, but I'm having some trouble getting into the story with all the new, or only slightly known characters. Instead, I've gotten sidetracked doing a reread of Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling Series (disregard the first link from another author that shouldn't be there).  I'm currently on Shield of Winter.  The next in the series, Wolf Rain comes out in June, so I should be prepared.

 

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2 hours ago, Liz CA said:

I am looking forward to listening to listening to "The Year of Living Danishly" By Helen Russell. Read an excerpt on Amazon and loved what I read so far. Also, Quill recommended it so it must be good. 

I read it last year and also enjoyed it.

29 minutes ago, melmichigan said:

I haven't checked in for a while so here goes....

Welcome back!

Regards,

Kareni

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I just finishedThe Stars Down Under: Sandra McDonald. It was different from the first book in the series but proved to be an intriguing story. I'll have to see if I can get the third book through inter-library loan.

 "Chief Terry Myell and Lieutenant Commander Jodenny Scott are in that most precarious of military situations, a mixed marriage. Enlisted and officer. It’s unnatural. 
 
Terry and Jodenny have been assigned to duty on the planet Fortune, away from the huge ships that carry colonists from the wreckage of polluted Earth to clean new worlds across the galaxy. 
 
But there’s another way besides spaceships to travel from world to world. A group within Team Space is exploring the Wondjina Spheres, a set of ancient alien artifacts that link places and times. Now those spheres have shut down and Team Space thinks that Terry and Jodenny are part of the key to make them work again —no matter how the two of them feel about it. They can volunteer, or be “volunteered.” 
 
What the researchers can’t anticipate is that the status quo, in which Team Space holds the monopoly on travel between worlds, is about to change. And as a result, Terry and Jodenny will be tested to their limits and beyond…"

**

 Yesterday I finished author Marie Force's first historical romance.  While I enjoy the author's contemporary romantic suspense Fatal series, I'll admit that I found this book less satisfying. (Adult content)

 
 "Derek Eagan, the dashing Duke of Westwood, is well aware of his looming deadline. But weary of tiresome debutantes, he seeks a respite at his country home in Essex—and encounters a man digging on his property. Except he’s not a man. He’s a very lovely woman. Who suddenly faints at his feet.
 
Catherine McCabe’s disdain for the aristocracy has already led her to flee an arranged marriage with a boorish Viscount. The last thing she wants is to be waylaid in a Duke’s home. Yet, she is compelled to stay by the handsome, thoughtful man who introduces himself as the Duke’s estate manager.
 
Derek realizes two things immediately: he is captivated by her delicate beauty, and to figure out what she was up to, Catherine must not know he is the Duke. But as they fall passionately in love, Derek’s lie spins out of control. Will their bond survive his deception, not to mention the scorned Viscount’s pursuit? Most important, can Catherine fall in love all over again—this time with the Duke? "
**
 I also read an enjoyable short story. It can be purchased independently here A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark or it is available for FREE as part of this large collection Some of the Best from Tor.com: 2016: A Tor.com Original
 
 "Egypt, 1912. In an alternate Cairo infused with the otherworldly, the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities investigate disturbances between the mortal and the (possibly) divine. What starts off as an odd suicide case for Special Investigator Fatma el-Sha’arawi leads her through the city’s underbelly as she encounters rampaging ghouls, saucy assassins, clockwork angels, and plot that could unravel time itself."
 
Regards,
Kareni
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 Today I rushed through the last few chapters of Love of Country: A Journey Through the Hebrides as it is due back at the library tomorrow. What an exceptional book! Part travelogue, part political and cultural history always tied in with modern politics and realities. Great writing, too. I wish good photographs weren't so expensive to print -- the black and white photos in this volume are barely helpful. But thanks to google I've been virtually traveling the islands and filling in all the huge gaps in my knowledge of Scottish history.

The author made a point of visiting the mills and the individual weavers on Lewis who make Harris Tweed. I had no idea it is still created by hand and created on just a handful of islands in the outer Hebrides. She visits a retired dentist who took up weaving with his uncle's old loom, housed in a shed, which is powered only by his pedaling! "As he wove and his feet pedaled, one hand checked the shuttle while the other smoothed and felt the cloth for imperfections."   The final paragraph in this chapter

  Quote

The shuttle flashed back and forth, and there was something almost magical as the cloth slowly appeared. I watched Norman's hands smooth, pluck, knot and pull stray threads; it was a labour of touch, his fingertips sensitized to feel for every knot and unevenness. The fragile filaments bound together in spun thread, and then woven into a dense fabric with strength, utility and beauty. In the shed amid its distinctive smells of peat fire and wool, Norman's beautiful cloth reflected not just the colours of the moor, but the history of these townships and how they have survived against all the odds.


My other reading this week was a repeat, but this time an audio version of a print book. I adore the Rivers of London series -- part police procedural, part urban fantasy, all written with a very funny yet understated satirical snark. I listened to the first one, which has the American title Midnight Riot. I loved the narrator so much I figured I should just get the most recent title, Lies Sleeping, in audio, too. 

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I’ve been making good progress through audiobooks during late (!) nighttime listens, and my daytime reading and listening have mostly just been snatches of sip reading.   

Completed: 

  • 42:  The Last Moriarty:  Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Bk1 ~ Charles Veley and Anna  Elliott narrated by  Edward Petherbridge  (3)
  • 43:  Don't Stop Believin' ~  Olivia Newton-John (narrated by the author)  (3-)  N/F  Australian Memoir    I think fans would love this, especially since Olivia reads it herself.  The author states at the beginning that she’s only going to tell the stories she wants to; the result is an easy listen, though rather sanitised version of events in her life – almost like a damage control memoir …. not sure against what though (?).  I found the last few chapters about Olivia’s journey through repeated bouts of, that evil monster, cancer very interesting (care and recovery wise) heartening, and, informative.
  • 44:   U=  A Name Unknown:  Shadows Over England Bk1 ~ Roseanna M. White, narrated by Liz Pearce  (3)  15hrs 18m   Christian historical fiction/mystery/romance    The reality didn’t quite meet up to my initial expectation of this story.  The drawing out of the main characters’  secrets got wearying after a while so I jumped a few chapters and didn’t seem to miss anything key to the story.  Some romancey-schmancey kissing towards the end, no bedroom scenes.
  • 45:  The Walnut Tree ~ Charles Todd, narrated by Fiona Hardingham  (3) Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh)/  France/  England  (Dover/ Kent/ West Sussex/ Hampshire)  Fiona Hardingham’s narration of The Walnut Tree made this book a delight to listen to ….   well, bar the voice she gifts Bess Crawford with 😉    ( I wrote a longish review here  complete with spoilers).    I rather liked this book, as an audio - I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it much as a story to read myself–   I also liked it's Scottish focus and the location hopping helped to keep me interested; and, I do like quite a few of the books from the series the Todd’s have set in WWI.  I find them good sources for lite relief, fairly predictable, reading.

 Currently reading/listening to:

  • Crime and Punishment ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett – translator, narrated by George Guidall  (audio 25hrs 1m)  Classic/ Chunkster/ Russia     only 10% through (book & audio) and Ds has finished this and is now on to reading The Idiot ~ Dostoevsky … I’m supposed to be buddy reading that one too 😄
  • The Titian Committee:  Jonathan Argyll Bk2 ~ Iain Pears  pub 1999  230pgs   (epukapuka ebook)  

***

News of the World was my hands down favourite book for 2017 @hopeistheword  (So good to see you loved it too!)  I also tried another of Jiles books, the one with the girl on a horse on the cover, and it was a resounding flop. 

From last week..... loved the link to the wonky donkey reading Nana @mumto2  (It's a rather loved book in NZ, and makes for a fun kids song  - the lyrics get stuck in your head 😉 ) Happy donkey quilting!

Happy celebrating with your dad @Robin M  (looking forward to hearing how your paint choosing episodes ended up.  We are also painting our exterior grey-blue, and would not have chosen the shade we did until we tried it in situ; it looks greenish-grey everywhere else.)

Edited by tuesdayschild
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@tuesdayschild, so interesting that Olivia Newton-John's autobiography was sanitized while Julie Andrews' was just the opposite.  JA had some miserable years of childhood, what with an alcoholic stepfatherand her stage beginnings in vaudeville.  She also talks about how her career was such a surprise gift that she never wanted to take for granted.  Home covers her life from birth up until flying to the US to begin filming Mary Poppins.  I found myself wanting to read more.  

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8 hours ago, melmichigan said:

I haven't checked in for a while so here goes.  (I confess I am behind with reading this year and actually went most of January without reading anything at all. ) 

I finished off some last in series: Summoned to Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones was a bittersweet ending to this series arc.  Free by Kristen Ashley finished up the Chaos series for those that like sexy motorcycle club members.

I read a few favorite authors: Circle of the Moon (Soulwood #4) by Faith Hunter released, and even though I'd already read the ARC I went back and listened to the audible version. The narrator is awesome!  Crucible (Sigma Force #14) by James Rollins was another fast paced story with some scary implications for AI that I don't want to think to much about.  Connections in Death (In Death #48) by J.D. Robb was awesome as always. I went back and reread this entire series after my fall because I couldn't remember the good stuff!  Eve just grows on you.

I have Wild Country (World of the Others #2) by Anne Bishop on audible, but I'm having some trouble getting into the story with all the new, or only slightly known characters. Instead, I've gotten sidetracked doing a reread of Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling Series (disregard the first link from another author that shouldn't be there).  I'm currently on Shield of Winter.  The next in the series, Wolf Rain comes out in June, so I should be prepared.

 

Welcome back!  My recent reread of The Others really helped with Wild Country because I actually knew the backstory on the slightly known characters!  I haven’t started it yet but I have Nalini Singh’s third Guild Hunter on audio waiting for me.......

7 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said:

 Today I rushed through the last few chapters of Love of Country: A Journey Through the Hebrides as it is due back at the library tomorrow. What an exceptional book! Part travelogue, part political and cultural history always tied in with modern politics and realities. Great writing, too. I wish good photographs weren't so expensive to print -- the black and white photos in this volume are barely helpful. But thanks to google I've been virtually traveling the islands and filling in all the huge gaps in my knowledge of Scottish history.

The author made a point of visiting the mills and the individual weavers on Lewis who make Harris Tweed. I had no idea it is still created by hand and created on just a handful of islands in the outer Hebrides. She visits a retired dentist who took up weaving with his uncle's old loom, housed in a shed, which is powered only by his pedaling! "As he wove and his feet pedaled, one hand checked the shuttle while the other smoothed and felt the cloth for imperfections."   The final paragraph in this chapter

  Quote

The shuttle flashed back and forth, and there was something almost magical as the cloth slowly appeared. I watched Norman's hands smooth, pluck, knot and pull stray threads; it was a labour of touch, his fingertips sensitized to feel for every knot and unevenness. The fragile filaments bound together in spun thread, and then woven into a dense fabric with strength, utility and beauty. In the shed amid its distinctive smells of peat fire and wool, Norman's beautiful cloth reflected not just the colours of the moor, but the history of these townships and how they have survived against all the odds.


My other reading this week was a repeat, but this time an audio version of a print book. I adore the Rivers of London series -- part police procedural, part urban fantasy, all written with a very funny yet understated satirical snark. I listened to the first one, which has the American title Midnight Riot. I loved the narrator so much I figured I should just get the most recent title, Lies Sleeping, in audio, too. 

I know I have watched something about 5 years ago ,probably BBC,  on the making of Harris Tweed where they visited different locations (maybe Countryfile) and it was fascinating and wonderful scenery.  I like the Peter Grant narrator too....he is perfect for the character.

@Kareni  Thanks for letting me know about the Marie Force historical.  I plan to look for it.

@tuesdayschild I have looked at the Olivia Newton John book a number of times but something held me back.  I am glad to know it won’t make me disappointed in a favorite.  I need to see about the audio...... Also thank you for the reminder regarding some of my favorite Brit Tripping series and Scotland.  I stopped reading several because the next in the series had a Scotland setting and am now in need of Scotland settings so need to pull those lists out again!

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5 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

I’ve been making good progress through audiobooks during late (!) nighttime listens, and my daytime reading and listening have mostly just been snatches of sip reading.   

Completed: 

  • 42:  The Last Moriarty:  Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Bk1 ~ Charles Veley and Anna  Elliott narrated by  Edward Petherbridge  (3)
  • 43:  Don't Stop Believin' ~  Olivia Newton-John (narrated by the author)  (3-)  N/F  Australian Memoir    I think fans would love this, especially since Olivia reads it herself.  The author states at the beginning that she’s only going to tell the stories she wants to; the result is an easy listen, though rather sanitised version of events in her life – almost like a damage control memoir …. not sure against what though (?).  I found the last few chapters about Olivia’s journey through repeated bouts of, that evil monster, cancer very interesting (care and recovery wise) heartening, and, informative.
  • 44:   U=  A Name Unknown:  Shadows Over England Bk1 ~ Roseanna M. White, narrated by Liz Pearce  (3)  15hrs 18m   Christian historical fiction/mystery/romance    The reality didn’t quite meet up to my initial expectation of this story.  The drawing out of the main characters’  secrets got wearying after a while so I jumped a few chapters and didn’t seem to miss anything key to the story.  Some romancey-schmancey kissing towards the end, no bedroom scenes.
  • 45:  The Walnut Tree ~ Charles Todd, narrated by Fiona Hardingham  (3) Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh)/  France/  England  (Dover/ Kent/ West Sussex/ Hampshire)  Fiona Hardingham’s narration of The Walnut Tree made this book a delight to listen to ….   well, bar the voice she gifts Bess Crawford with 😉    ( I wrote a longish review here  complete with spoilers).    I rather liked this book, as an audio - I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it much as a story to read myself–   I also liked it's Scottish focus and the location hopping helped to keep me interested; and, I do like quite a few of the books from the series the Todd’s have set in WWI.  I find them good sources for lite relief, fairly predictable, reading.

 Currently reading/listening to:

  • Crime and Punishment ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett – translator, narrated by George Guidall  (audio 25hrs 1m)  Classic/ Chunkster/ Russia     only 10% through (book & audio) and Ds has finished this and is now on to reading The Idiot ~ Dostoevsky … I’m supposed to be buddy reading that one too 😄
  • The Titian Committee:  Jonathan Argyll Bk2 ~ Iain Pears  pub 1999  230pgs   (epukapuka ebook)  

***

News of the World was my hands down favourite book for 2017 @hopeistheword  (So good to see you loved it too!)  I also tried another of Jiles books, the one with the girl on a horse on the cover, and it was a resounding flop. 

From last week..... loved the link to the wonky donkey reading Nana @mumto2  (It's a rather loved book in NZ, and makes for a fun kids song  - the lyrics get stuck in your head 😉 ) Happy donkey quilting!

Happy celebrating with your dad @Robin M  (looking forward to hearing how your paint choosing episodes ended up.  We are also painting our exterior grey-blue, and would not have chosen the shade we did until we tried it in situ; it looks greenish-grey everywhere else.)

Your keeping-up-with-school-reading sounds like mine! 😝. My girls are always ahead of me!

I was really disappointed that I couldn’t stomach the other Jiles book.  I wanted another story like News of the World!

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5 hours ago, mumto2 said:

@Kareni  Thanks for letting me know about the Marie Force historical.  I plan to look for it.

I'll be interested to hear what you think, mumto2. As I mentioned above, I found it less satisfying than her Fatal series. (Significantly less satisfying to be frank!)

Regards,

Kareni

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I love Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poetry!

i have not been reading as much as I want to lately. Too much time spent on the internet. I hope to fonish Atomic Habits this week and maybe read some junk food for my mind, too. A mystery novel? A western? My shelves are full of things I haven’t read yet.

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On 3/24/2019 at 12:16 PM, Robin M said:

Morning!

Having fun with Dad. Saw Drifter's tribute last night and tonight we get to see ABBA Tribute which mom and we kids all danced to cleaning house when we were young.  Loads of family and catching up.  Will check in later.

 

😘

Aw, sounds like a nice time. Many years ago I took my mom to see Frank Sinatra in concert. It was near the end of his life and he forgot more than a few lyrics but she loved it anyway. During intermission I noticed a lot of people around my age accompanied by people around my mom's age. Apparently I wasn't the only adult child who took or went with their parent to see Old Blue Eyes. 

Will try to catch up with my reading reports later or tomorrow. 

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I was a bit surprised at how events in ON-J's life were mentioned in passing, sanitised snippets ie:  amidst paragraphs about struggling with trying travelling/work circumstances Olivia mentions she was also going through a divorce at the time.  That's it.  Not even a mention of to, or from,  whom, just single sentence toss-ins and then back to details on her 'working' life.  The book as a whole is a charming, entertaining listing, and,  with Olivia as a favourite @mumto2, I'm sure you'll enjoy it immensely: no bubbles will be burst 🙂  My library had it on Overdrive, so I snatched it up to count towards my 10 Downunder (NZ/Australia) reading challenge.    

 (Thank you @JunieI've added Home to my WTR list.  I don't mind some trimming/sanitising of events in memoirs - ones with graphic/violent details are not for me.    ETA:   I had to delete your quote, TWTM forum turned it into a giant!  :huh:)

12 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I have looked at the Olivia Newton John book a number of times but something held me back.  I am glad to know it won’t make me disappointed in a favorite.  I need to see about the audio...... Also thank you for the reminder regarding some of my favorite Brit Tripping series and Scotland.  I stopped reading several because the next in the series had a Scotland setting and am now in need of Scotland settings so need to pull those lists out again!

 

@hopeistheword    Grin.  Too many books, such short days?  (that's my excuse anyway.) Yes. Nodding. Just that.  I wanted another NotW book from her - I don't think there is, for me.

***

Finished this months whodunnit bookology spelling challenge, which I wondered if I'd achieve it during March. 

Mar:  Armand Gamache – Louise Penny (Canada)

  •  L=   Starry River of the Sky ~ Grace Lin, narrated by Kim Mai Guest  (4)     Juvenile fict 
  • O=  A Grief Observed ~ C.S. Lewis  (5) 
  • U=  A Name Unknown:  Shadows Over England Bk1 ~ Roseanna M. White, narrated by Liz Pearce  (3)    
  • I=  I Will Repay: The Scarlet Pimpernel Bk3 ~ Baroness Emma Orczy, narrated by Johanna Ward  (3)
  • S=  Closed Casket ~ Sophie Hannah, narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt  (3)  
  • E=   The Tech-Wise Family:  Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place ~ Andy Crouch  (4)   

 

Edited by tuesdayschild
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Read Among Others by Jo Walton, which was compared to The Goblin Emperor in one of Tor's links this month (https://www.tor.com/2019/02/27/how-jo-waltons-among-others-and-katherine-addisons-the-goblin-emperor-tell-stories-of-trauma-and-recovery/) -- Don't really agree with Ms Schnelbach 🙂

Among Others does have a LOT of references to old sci fi books many of which I read in my own teenage years (70's ish - -not the super old stuff), which is about the only thing that kept me going in the book.  Otherwise it felt quite slow and I didn't care for the end, whereas I LOvED the Goblin Emperor. 

Finished listening to Clean Sweep (ilona Andrews)  -- I've been listening to more audio books lately and it's funny how some of them I do not like to listen to at all even though I love the book -- this one was very enjoyable though and I"ve started into Sweep in Peace now. 

 

 

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Yesterday I started but did not finish three new books; I ultimately decided to reread a favorite. I just finished reading Michelle Diener's Dark Horse (Class 5 Series Book 1).

 "Some secrets carry the weight of the world.

Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.

Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.

She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.

In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse. "

Regards,

Kareni

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On 3/25/2019 at 8:55 PM, tuesdayschild said:

 

***

Finished this months whodunnit bookology spelling challenge, which I wondered if I'd achieve it during March. 

Mar:  Armand Gamache – Louise Penny (Canada)

  •  L=   Starry River of the Sky ~ Grace Lin, narrated by Kim Mai Guest  (4)     Juvenile fict 
  • O=  A Grief Observed ~ C.S. Lewis  (5) 
  • U=  A Name Unknown:  Shadows Over England Bk1 ~ Roseanna M. White, narrated by Liz Pearce  (3)    
  • I=  I Will Repay: The Scarlet Pimpernel Bk3 ~ Baroness Emma Orczy, narrated by Johanna Ward  (3)
  • S=  Closed Casket ~ Sophie Hannah, narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt  (3)  
  • E=   The Tech-Wise Family:  Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place ~ Andy Crouch  (4)   

 

I enjoyed your list!

This was my month in the Whodunit Bookology,  complete with an immersion in Inspector Gamache audiobooks before listening to the most recent Kingdom of the Blind.  Has anyone else read Kingdom?....... I am so curious what someone else thought of this book.......I won’t do spoilers but please don’t start this wonderful series with this book.  I am still somewhat upset over it and this is the next day. It was not the book I was expecting or wanted it to be.  Yesterday I gave it a five on Goodreads because the ending could have been much worse but may go back and give it a three......just changed the Goodreads.

I finished my spelling also........

A........The Day Before Forever by Anna  Caltabiano

R.......The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

M......All Systems Red by Martha Wells

A......Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

N......The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny

D......Not the Duke’s Darling by Elizabeth Hoyt

 

G.......A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny

A.......Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith

M.......The Duke that I Marry by Cathy Maxwell

A........Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch

C........The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

H.......Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper

E........Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

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56 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

I enjoyed your list!

This was my month in the Whodunit Bookology,  complete with an immersion in Inspector Gamache audiobooks before listening to the most recent Kingdom of the Blind.  Has anyone else read Kingdom?....... I am so curious what someone else thought of this book.......I won’t do spoilers but please don’t start this wonderful series with this book.  I am still somewhat upset over it and this is the next day. It was not the book I was expecting or wanted it to be.  Yesterday I gave it a five on Goodreads because the ending could have been much worse but may go back and give it a three......just changed the Goodreads.

 

 

So ... I loved the series so much and I ended with book #12. Everything was getting so dark and stressful. She finished one of the arcs up happily enough but I was really anxious getting there. I don't trust her not to kill a character or two that I love so I'm avoiding reading any of the rest of the series and skipping book descriptions. And as I write that out I sound like a sissy. But there you are! I wish she would start another series and be done with Three Pines because I love her writing but I don't like where she's taking that series. 

I also didn't read the last three in the Cat Who series for the same reason. In my mind that's not how it ends. If the author and I have differing views on how it should end then we'll just have to go separate ways. 

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I've been away for a while... not for any particular reason.  Well, maybe because though I have been reading, it hasn't been much worth noting, till yesterday when I finished In Paradise by Peter Matthiessen.  I loved this book, though it is not a book I would expect to love.  The storyline seems simple:  a group of people meet at Auschwitz for an ecumenical retreat; the main character is ostensibly there for research, but... it's complicated.   I think my reason for loving it is the writing; I had never read anything by Mattheissen before and I think of him primarily as a travel/nature writer, not fiction.  I will be reading more of his books.

Haven't been doing too well with my quest to read more nonfiction.  I am keeping up with my general reading goal. While on a brief family trip I read the latest Tana French novel, The Witch Elm, which is a stunner, and The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, a Lord Peter Wimsey novel. I'm starting to enjoy them more and more.  

My kindle sip read is Deep South by Paul Theroux (nonfiction/travel), which is good but doesn't call to me to read when I have reading time.

Good to be back here and catching up with everyone!

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44 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

 

So ... I loved the series so much and I ended with book #12. Everything was getting so dark and stressful. She finished one of the arcs up happily enough but I was really anxious getting there. I don't trust her not to kill a character or two that I love so I'm avoiding reading any of the rest of the series and skipping book descriptions. And as I write that out I sound like a sissy. But there you are! I wish she would start another series and be done with Three Pines because I love her writing but I don't like where she's taking that series. 

I also didn't read the last three in the Cat Who series for the same reason. In my mind that's not how it ends. If the author and I have differing views on how it should end then we'll just have to go separate ways. 

That was probably the place to stop, so very wise.  In the last two books some huge character flaws have appeared that I can’t forgive.  I would not be altogether surprised if that book is not the end of the series btw.  It needs to be and could easily be.  It will be interesting to see if she lets it end.

I NEED to go back to The Cat Who books........just started something new The Body Under the Bridge by Paul McCusker.  So far the bell tower description is accurate so I am off to a good start......

@marbel waving,  I still need to read The Witch Elm.  Have you tried The Ruin by McTiernan?  Reminded me of a Tana French.

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Waving hi! I'm back. I crashed yesterday, exhausted from all the family fun and travel.   Had a blast with my family.  When my sisters and hubbies went to bed, I stayed up with my nieces and nephews having drinks, talking and playing the slots.  They played Roulette which was fun watching.  My dad's lady friend is beautiful, charming, and I enjoyed getting to know her.  But along with the fun, came a barrel of trouble when his computer and finances were hacked. He's so discombobulated by the mess with his eye, he got caught by the pay us by gift certificate scam.  They got into his computer and made him think they had refunded him $4000.00 for a program he paid $299.00 for and could only reimburse them by gift certificate.  Sneaky B*#*#rds. He lost $1000.00 but it could have been worse.  Spent first day there working on financial issues. His computer is pretty much toast its so slow and we are in process of getting him a new computer and changing all his accounts.  My oldest sister stayed to help, otherwise I would have stayed.  He's also having eye surgery on the 28th to replace the lens and is extremely stressed right now.   Please keep him in your thoughts and lift him up in prayer this week.

The only book I read this past week is Debbie Macomber's Changing Habits which was a sweet read. "A powerful novel of faith and self-discovery follows three very different women--all of whom join an order of nuns, and then leave--as they each embark on extraordinary and emotional journeys to discover their true place in this world and experience the wonders of love. "

 

 

 

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Let’s see...I’m not being a very good finisher here lately. Several books partially read, including Chesapeake Requium, Poor Economics and Where Good Ideas Come From. Still have not finished Becoming by M. Obama on Audible. I am not far from finished that one, but my opportunities to listen to audio are less regular than my visual reading opportuntities. 

I did finish French Kids Eat Everything because I just really wanted another living-abroad type memoir, but I rated that book two stars. I may have judged it harshly because The Year of Living Danishly was so much funnier, better organized and - oh, yeah - the author of Danishly is not a nutjob. I found the French Kids author whiny, self-centered and ruled by her constant terror of what people think. Not likeable at all. The best part of the book was the recipes in the back. I do agree with the majority of what she determines as the French “food rules” and they mesh with how I raised my kids who did, in fact, turn out to be unpicky eaters with good habits. But I don’t think her correct identification of the helpful French food rules gives her much claim to anything more than a star. So - two stars: one for correctly identifying French food rules, one for the good recipes at the end. 

Chesapeake Requium is an important book with beautiful prose and, given my ancestry of Chesapeake Bay waterman on my mother’s side, it’s super relevant. But man, it’s no break-neck rollercoaster read. I guess reading about a tiny, shrinking island where nothing much beyond crabbing and church happens is unlikely to make for a thrilling page-turner. I hope I finish it before it has to go back, but I have set it aside for the moment. 

I love Poor Economics. It’s fascinating. However, it also made me interested in a book it referenced: Nudge, about how to design systems to encourage people to choose well and I also find that book fascinating. I have always found it interesting to understand why people make the decisions they make. When I was in middle school, I used to make surveys for my classmates just for fun. Seriously! I don’t think I ever get tired of reading about decision psychology. 

 

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I'm very late checking in this week!  Finished 3 books this week, including my two chunksters which I'd been working on for quite a while...

26. Patria/Homeland by Fernando Aramburu - There is much here about the history and mood of the Basque country during the period of ETA through the present, but it is also full of complex and interesting characters.  The story focuses on two families from a small town, where the Basque nationalism I think was at its most virulent, and if one were even accused of not being 'with' them, it made you a target, and people would stop talking to you in fear of being associated with you.  The two families had been the closest of friends, but after the father of one of the families has negative graffiti posted about him, from one day to the next he is a pariah.  The story wends back and forth in time over a span of 30 or so years and has many different points of view - both sets of parents (one of whom is assassinated), and the 5 children, one of whom joins ETA and ends up in jail.  This didn't bother or confuse me at all, I think like El said about the Dirty Dust, I think I've read enough like this that I've been 'trained', lol.  4 stars.

27. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (audio) - Even after almost 25 hours of audio, I was almost sad to come to the end of this.  I can't believe I loved Moby-Dick!  The audio narration has to be a big part of it - this won an Audie, and I say well-deserved.  I did also have a  print edition that I did actually go through, look at all the beautiful illustrations, read the preface that wasn't included in the narration, and even re-read some bits, so it wasn't all the narration, I guess.   But I do very, very highly recommend the William Hootkins narration to anyone who'd like to get through this book - he brought personality and a unique voice to each character, and brought out some humor and snark (quite a bit, actually) that I may have missed just reading it, I think.  5 stars.

28. The Door by Magda Szabó (ebook) - I really enjoyed this, even if the characters are some difficult people - including the narrator, who is quite honest about her own shortcomings.  4.5 stars.

Currently reading: 

- How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan (audio) - Very interesting, and also interesting how much overlap there is with Why Buddhism is True (glad I read that first).  Also interesting to read about brain research that isn't about cutting things out (just read that lobotomy book a couple of weeks ago...) 

 Die Wand/ The Wall by Marlen Haushofer - a kind of post-apocalyptic story, where the protagonist goes for a weekend with her cousin and husband to a cabin in the mountains, they leave to have supper, and never come back.  In the morning she finds she's cut off from the world by a huge transparent wall, and on the other side everything seems to be dead - just frozen in place doing whatever they were doing.  Somehow reminds me a bit of Z for Zachariah, a YA book I read way back when, where a younger girl survives a nuclear apocalypse in a valley that is somehow saved from the fallout, and her family leaves the first day to look for survivors and she is left alone.  This woman is in her 40's, though, and has a lot less resources - no electricity or other houses to raid for food, for example.  She does find a cow, though...

- The Warning Voice (Story of the Stone #3) by Cao Xueqin - finally started this now that I'm done with the other chunksters.  Happy to be back with these characters. This book concludes the 80 chapters written by the original author and also translated by this translator.  The next two volumes (comprising 40 more chapters) were apparently written by someone else to conclude the story after the author died.  I have the fourth volume; guess I'll decide if/when to continue after I'm done with this one...

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@Robin M  Welcome back!  Sounds like you had a great time with your family overall.  😠😮😞Eek to getting hacked!  We are still waiting to get our refund from our debit card hacking.  So stressful and it makes you feel really vulnerable.  I am so glad your sister stayed to help him with his computer.  At least he had lots of support when it happened.  Sending prayers for the surgery tomorrow and for a successful recovery.

 

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I've been hit and miss with the BaW threads lately but I always follow each week's thread and try to keep up. I have a new dslr camera that's been taking up a good deal of my time - mostly learning how to use it. Serious photographers would call it an entry level camera but to me as a hobby photographer it's a big deal. I've been reading a lot of beginner websites, signing up for free online classes and facebook groups, and everything else that will help me get the camera off the auto setting. Late last year I started collecting my teacher's pension checks (I had to wait until I reached a certain age or the penalty for collecting would be pretty high). Bill (dh) and I both agree that for the most part we're going to act like the money doesn't exist and just add the monthly checks (which aren't huge) to our retirement funds. However, now that I'm officially a retired teacher I wanted to treat myself and used the first few checks to get the camera and some accessories, including one inexpensive extra lens.

All that was to say it's why I haven't been finishing many books. I'm glad I got ahead of my Goodreads goal early on because I've really slowed down. My reading has been mostly online photography sites plus two books I bought - one specifically for my camera, a Nikon D5600 and a DK (yes DK lol) beginner's dlsr book. When I'm not reading about how to use the camera I'm out and about practicing with it. 

I did manage to get some other reading done -

I finished The Lost Girls of Paris, a book club book. When we met all felt like the characters weren't well developed and that some of the decisions these supposedly trained female agents made were downright foolish. It could have been an interesting historical fiction but it fell way short of that. I also finally finished The Small House at Allington, which took me longer than expected. According to Goodreads it took about a month, but I actually started quite a while before I added it on GR. 

I also finished Milkman and have to say I really didn't like it though I started out loving it. It got two stars from me on Goodreads but I haven't yet taken the time to write a review. I listened to the audio book and I think the narrator's Irish lilt is the only thing that kept me going, and by the end even her lovely accent was starting to get on my nerves. The pace was torturous, tedious, and it went nowhere slowly. There wasn't even a payoff at the end imo. The lack of names didn't bother me at all (then again, I'm one of the few who wasn't bothered by all the pronouns in Wolf Hall). It was just the nothing story that I disliked so much.  Also, the main character annoyed the heck out of me. I don't think it's necessary to like characters in order to like a book but this wasn't about liking or disliking her. She was just plain annoying. I did finish it, partly because of the aforementioned Irish accent and partly because I didn't have anything else to listen to. I'm 100% sure that if I had been reading it either in a printed book or on my Kindle I would have abandoned it.

I'm still working on the non-fiction Devil in the Grove. I didn't know much about Thurgood Marshall other than that he argued Brown vs. Board of Education and he was the first black Supreme Court Justice. This book, in addition to telling about the case, also gives a good bit of history about his life and career. 

For a while I was having trouble settling on something so I decided to read The Winter of Our Discontent I like Steinbeck's early work - The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden are two of my all time favorite novels - but I've never read any of his later work. I've read that much of his later stuff isn't worth the time, but supposedly this one redeems him. There was and still is quite a bit of controversy surrounding his Nobel Prize for this book. As for me, I like it so far, and the style seems pretty typical Steinbeck. 

I also started reading Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day. I don't have any interest in mountain climbing but a few years ago I was fascinated by Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, a non-fiction account of a tragedy on Mt. Everest. This book gives a voice to the Sherpas (both small s and capital S) who usually get pushed to the background while the climbers from the outside world get all the attention. It's interesting because it also covers a good bit of history and background of the area. I confess to not knowing much about that part of the world. For example, I had no idea that in 2001 the crown prince of Nepal murdered nearly his entire family (and therefore nearly everyone in line for the throne) then turned a gun on himself. 

 I don't currently have an audio book but I downloaded one of this month's free Audible Originals called A Mind of Her Own. It's a brief bio of the love story between Marie and Pierre Curie. I haven't started it yet. 

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14 hours ago, mumto2 said:
 
 
 
14 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I enjoyed your list!

I finished my spelling also........

C........The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

Thanks.  It's not very focused on whodunits.  We'll done one that long spelling list!!!!!    Did you enjoy that AG title?

13 hours ago, aggieamy said:

I also didn't read the last three in the Cat Who series for the same reason. In my mind that's not how it ends. If the author and I have differing views on how it should end then we'll just have to go separate ways. 

Thanks for the warning in advance .... I'm just at the toddling stages with that series.

6 hours ago, Robin M said:

 Please keep him in your thoughts and lift him up in prayer this week.

Definitely will do that.  (Your poor dad!  to have a fun filled few days end with that.  Praying over his re-surgery too!)  Welcome back.

5 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Even after almost 25 hours of audio, I was almost sad to come to the end of this.  I can't believe I loved Moby-Dick

So satisfying that you came to love the epic Moby-Dick: he's immensely appreciated in our home too ... via audio.

@Lady Florida.  Good to read your books read, catch up, post!  Hope the new camera gifts you with hours of joy..... and, gorgeous photos of your grandies.  (May I ask here how Emma is doing?)

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Sending good wishes for your father's surgery, Robin. 

**

Some bookish posts ~

For those with an interest in writing:

One Free Trick: How to Use the Writing Skills You Have to Learn the Ones You Don’t by Arkady Martine

https://www.tor.com/2019/03/25/one-free-trick-how-to-use-the-writing-skills-you-have-to-learn-the-ones-you-dont/

TEN THINGS FOR WRITERS: MORE TIPS FROM JOANNE HARRIS

https://bookriot.com/2019/03/21/more-ten-things-for-writers/

 

I had to share this with my adult daughter who has a serious aversion to tomatoes. (She told me not to get my hopes up!)

How One Book Convinced Me Tomatoes Weren’t Actually My Mortal Enemies (As Previously Thought) by Sarah Pinsker

https://www.tor.com/2019/03/26/how-one-book-convinced-me-tomatoes-werent-actually-my-mortal-enemies-as-previously-thought/

Regards,

Kareni

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Book update:

I'm currently at 28% with my first go through of Crime and Punishment:  it is rather depressing but it's such a good read!   Yep, I'm a late starter with reading many of the Classics unabridged.

Overdrive tossed The Black Ascot ~ Charles Todd into my basket; yay!  Enjoyable listening so far: and, if you haven't read it yet mumto2 the counties so far are Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, London, Worcestershire, Hampshire,  Leicestershire,  Lancashire, (Ullswater) Cumbria, ....

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4 minutes ago, tuesdayschild said:

Thanks.  It's not very focused on whodunits.  We'll done one that long spelling list!!!!!    Did you enjoy that AG title?

Pretty sure you mean AC.   The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie was a Miss Marple collection of short stories and I found it rather uneven in terms of quality but somewhat charming.  Her nephew was entertaining a group of friends at her house and they played a game of telling real mysteries that they knew the answer to and the rest of the group tried to solve and the sweet knitting old lady in the corner kept solving them.  One of my long term goals is to read a majority of the AC’s in order, aiming for 10 this year.

I actually listened to Lord Edgeware Dies today while quilting.  I vaguely remembered it either from the book or production (Poirot) but found it quite good.

I will take a look for Black Ascot.  I am still rather obsessed by the county’s.  I abandoned a time travel book set in Cumbria last night and really hated to because I could use Cumbria.....then I remembered the Beatrix Potter cozy series!  😂

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@mumto2 blush n grin, yes I did mean AC - typos are abounding from my keyboard today.  Thanks for the review.

I can't remember much about Lord Edgeware Dies - nice choice if you enjoyed it, and, got quilting done too! - I rated it as 3/5  in 2016 and notated it with content issues , not for DD yet...... 😉 can't remember why I wrote that either.  

Thanks to Brit Tripping I keep noticing all the places mentioned in books set in the UK.  (i think I will definitely be doing another round of Brit Tripping in my reading future.)

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7 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

Book update:

I'm currently at 28% with my first go through of Crime and Punishment:  it is rather depressing but it's such a good read!   Yep, I'm a late starter with reading many of the Classics unabridged.

Overdrive tossed The Black Ascot ~ Charles Todd into my basket; yay!  Enjoyable listening so far: and, if you haven't read it yet mumto2 the counties so far are Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, London, Worcestershire, Hampshire,  Leicestershire,  Lancashire, (Ullswater) Cumbria, ....

This is me, too.  And I was an English major!  Crime and Punishment is on my To Be Read shelf.

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11 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

 

@Lady Florida.  Good to read your books read, catch up, post!  Hope the new camera gifts you with hours of joy..... and, gorgeous photos of your grandies.  (May I ask here how Emma is doing?)

Emma is doing really well. She has so much energy since her surgery and is such a happy, smiley baby. She's still on the feeding tube because she never learned to suckle (suck?) after being put on it so early in life. Normally she could probably go straight to solid food at 7 months old but because of her Down's Syndrome her muscle tone is still not good and she still has trouble holding her head up. Her OT said she shouldn't eat solid food until she can hold her head better than she does now. Her 7 yo brother is such a sweetheart to her. He and his younger brother (2-1/2 year difference) are constantly battling each other but are really sweet to their sister.

11 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:


I'm currently at 28% with my first go through of Crime and Punishment:  it is rather depressing but it's such a good read!   Yep, I'm a late starter with reading many of the Classics unabridged.

 

Crime and Punishment was the only Dostoyevsky I could get through and actually thought was good.Weird though. I tried several times to read The Brothers Karamazov but just couldn't. I prefer Tolstoy when it comes to the Russians. At least C&P is fairly short. 

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14 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

I'm currently at 28% with my first go through of Crime and Punishment:  it is rather depressing but it's such a good read!   Yep, I'm a late starter with reading many of the Classics unabridged.


LOL, I think that's many of us.  I started trying to 'catch up' years ago, but I wasn't reading that much for quite a while, and I've still a long way to go.  This was why I just tackled Moby-Dick - I'd made a couple of earlier attempts that didn't get anywhere - I really thought it was going to be a dutiful slog, and was happily surprised.  I had to read Billy Budd in high school and it ranked with one of my most-hated reads ever, so I went into it with much trepidation.  I still haven't read any Dostoyevksy except The Idiot that I read in my 20's and wasn't all that impressed by.  I should get to C&P someday, but after The Idiot I haven't felt in a hurry...  I finally got to Tolstoy just a few years ago - I'll agree I think I prefer him.  Even so, I'm not sure I would have gotten through W&P without the readalong - I liked Anna Karenina better.

Edited by Matryoshka
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My anxiety and stress level finally went down. My sister kept giving me updates throughout the day.  Just got to talk to dad and he’s happy now. Earlier, not so much. His eye surgery was successful but He had a scary time at first because he thought he was completely blind in that eye afterwards. They used extra numbing agent in his eye because he has high tolerance when it comes to drugs.  They sent him to the retina specialist immediately and while he was there was able to see his hand.  The specialist said it was a reaction to the numbing agent on his eyeball.  Took a while for it to wear off but he can see albeit a bit fuzzy which is normal right now.  It will take two to three weeks to clear up totally.  Thank you for all your prayers and continue keeping dad in your thoughts and prayers as he goes through the healing process.  Love, hugs, and thanks!

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5 hours ago, Robin M said:

My anxiety and stress level finally went down. My sister kept giving me updates throughout the day.  Just got to talk to dad and he’s happy now. Earlier, not so much. His eye surgery was successful but He had a scary time at first because he thought he was completely blind in that eye afterwards. They used extra numbing agent in his eye because he has high tolerance when it comes to drugs.  They sent him to the retina specialist immediately and while he was there was able to see his hand.  The specialist said it was a reaction to the numbing agent on his eyeball.  Took a while for it to wear off but he can see albeit a bit fuzzy which is normal right now.  It will take two to three weeks to clear up totally.  Thank you for all your prayers and continue keeping dad in your thoughts and prayers as he goes through the healing process.  Love, hugs, and thanks!

Robin, just seeing this. Keeping you all in my prayers. 

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