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Book a Week 2019 - BW19: 52 Books Bingo - Machiavellian


Robin M
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Happy Sunday and welcome to week nineteen 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. 

Our next 52 Books Bingo adventure is to read something about or considered to be Machiavellian. Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat and the father of modern political theory. His most famous work, The Prince, was written in an attempt to win the attention of Lorenzo De Medici and earn a position within his government. The short work is a treatise on how to win and maintain political power in which the ruler is not bound by ethical norms.

If someone is said to be Machiavellian, they are characterized as being unscrupulously cunning. Psychologists see Machiavellianism as a person so focused on their own interests they will manipulate, deceive, and exploit others to achieve their goals.

It is also defined as "being or acting in accordance with the principles of government analyzed in Machiavelli's The Prince, in which political expediency is placed above morality and the use of craft and deceit to maintain the authority and carry out the policies of a ruler is described."

Some believe the book to be satire and equate it with Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal. Check out Yale Insights What Can You Learn From Machiavelli? 

There are a number of ways to go with this category, including but not limited to reading morality plays, history or political thrillers, historical treatises, psychological mysteries. 

Need a few ideas? 

Explore Goodreads Popular Machiavellianism Books and Popular Political Satire, 23 Books every House of Cards Fan should read, What Would Machiavelli Read, or Game of Thrones: a Study in Machiavellianism.

Have fun following rabbit trails! 

What are you reading?

Link to week eighteen

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I'm currently reading Steven James Story Trumps Structure and enjoying the heck out of it.  More my style of writing, just never had the proper name for it.  Organic writing sounds so much better than pantster.   Still rereading pyschangeling series and currently on #12 Heart of Obsidian which is Kaleb Krychek.  Didn't particularly like Riaz and Adria in Tangle of Need, but within the context of the war between the psy and the changelings, they served a purpose. I think they are the only couple I haven't liked throughout the whole series. 

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The Prince is short and very readable in modern translations, for anyone who wants a literary selection this week. However I personally am all full up of late medieval/ early Renaissance Italian political intricacies, having spent this week reading Dante's Purgatorio in the Sayers translation (previously read the Ciardi). Lots and lots of notes, geared to the nonspecialist (which would be me). Better in maturity, as so many of these things are.

Next up: William James.

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Since we are packing for a quickly upcoming move, I am not expecting to get much done. I am currently still working on these:

Reading:

"When Gods Die" by C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr series) I love what I read so far (finished "Shadows" last week).

Audiobooks:

"The Anatomist's Wife" by Huber. I think I have to read this one. The narrator is so bland - I find it difficult to focus and keep up instead of daydreaming. Maybe other books in the Lady Darby series are being read by someone else.

"The Heir" by Coulter. One of her earlier works and very different than what I am used to from more recent books. The narrator is much better than the one for Huber's book, therefore I'll stick with it for now. Have a lot of driving to do for work so it should be a "fast" listen.

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1 hour ago, Violet Crown said:

The Prince is short and very readable in modern translations, for anyone who wants a literary selection this week. However I personally am all full up of late medieval/ early Renaissance Italian political intricacies, having spent this week reading Dante's Purgatorio in the Sayers translation (previously read the Ciardi). Lots and lots of notes, geared to the nonspecialist (which would be me). Better in maturity, as so many of these things are.

Next up: William James.

 

Sayers' Dante is still on my list...

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Have only finished one book since I posted mid-last week:

45. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (audio) - I think I've ranted about how much I hated this book enough already.  Let's just say it made me want to lay down and die.  Good riddance.  I think no more Faulkner for me.  1 star.

Currently reading:

- A Memory of Empire by Arkady Martine - this is recently released and I can't remember how it came across my radar, but I'm glad it did.  Weird reading it almost back-to-back with Barrayar, as there are multiple similarities.  The protagonist is from a fairly democratic place scarce in resources where everyone is born from artificial wombs (in this case a space station devoted to mining rather than a colony on an arid planet where they have to live mostly? underground), and ends up living among an imperialistic and militaristic civilization on an earth-like planet with what seems to our protagonist abundant natural resources (though rather than marrying in like in Barrayar, our protagonist is there as an ambassador).  And the Emperor has succession problems which she's caught up in.  There's also a bunch of differences - no romance, and the culture has shades of Aztec (the language seems Nahuatal-y, and there are Sun Temples and even a human sacrifice - supposedly self-offered), but mixed with something Chinese-ish that's weirdly reminding me of Story of the Stone (big-time obsession with poetry and poetic allusion, writing is glyphs, also lots of flower symbolism and references).  Anyhow, fun.  Speaking of Machiavellian, I had planned on using Barraryar for that square, but this would work as well - in case anyone else wants to branch out of Renaissance Italy for that square. :wink:

- The Lowells of Massachusetts: An American Family by Nina Sankovitch (ebook) - I really only knew about Francis Cabot Lowell, who founded the city of Lowell (the first company mill town kicking off the industrial revolution) in the early 1800's - this covers both his ancestors going back to the early 1600's and his decendants through the 1920's - the author seems to think most of us only know about the Lowell family because of some poet she was enamored of but I've never heard of (methinks she didn't know about Francis Cabot till she wrote this - not even sure how much of a mention he'll get). 

- The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (audio) - Needed an audio and all of my Overdrive stuff was stubbornly not coming in, and - lo and behold - this is the newest "Always Available" audio on our Overdrive - so getting to this much sooner than I thought I would!

And still reading A Warning Voice (Story of the Stone #3) and Atemschaukel.

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Hi everyone! Haven't quite finished reading anything but in my defense the Rosamunde Pilcher that I'm reading has almost 1,000 pages. I'm about halfway through Coming Home - it follows a young girl in pre WWII Cornwall who spends her teen years at a boarding school. She becomes friends with the daughter of the local high mucky-mucks but they're super nice to her and become her 2nd family as her parents are living in Bangladesh. Nice, fairly gentle coming of age story but with enough realism to keeps things interesting. 

The other one I'm reading is Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan. Memoir of the author as a  young woman is traveling to Australia with her best friend but they run out of money and both need jobs. Kelly gets one being a live-in nanny for the next 5 months to a family that has recently lost their mother to cancer. Excellent writing in this one - she links the struggles she had (and many girls) with her mother and with what this family needs from her.  I need to hurry and finish as it's due back at the library in a day or so.

 

Matryoshka, I have The 7 1/2 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle checked out from the library but haven't gotten to it yet. Are you liking the audio? 

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I am still reading through Classics That I Should Have Read Before.

Last week I picked up Dickens' Oliver Twist.  I'm not very far into the book yet, but I am enjoying it.

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7 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

Who's next up to the plate after Dickens?

I have 3 stacks of classics (15-20 books each) that I would like to get through by the end of next year.

I currently have a stack of American Lit, British Lit, and World Lit.  I'm trying to rotate through them.

Next up is probably something from the American Lit stack.  Maybe The Virginian by Owen Wister (which I know nothing about), Uncle Tom's Cabin or The House of Seven Gables.

 

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3 hours ago, Mothersweets said:

Matryoshka, I have The 7 1/2 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle checked out from the library but haven't gotten to it yet. Are you liking the audio? 


I'm only on the first of the 7.5 deaths (in fact, Evelyn Hardcastle hasn't even died once yet), but I am liking it.  The narrator's voice is a bit hoity-toity upperclass British, but not when he reads other characters; I think that's because of the character he's reading.  From blurbs, I get the feeling the whole plot's going to go sideways once she dies once and we're on to the next time, so waiting for that...  it starts off in the familiar 'posh guests are meeting at remote manor cut off from civilization, someone has died... or have they?' vein.

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1 hour ago, melmichigan said:

I finished rereading the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.  It took me way to long to remember the river otters when they were mentioned a few weeks back, so this was a good time to get ready for the new release, Storm Cursed, which comes out on Tuesday.  I'm still working my way through the audible of Wild Country. 

My reread seems to be taking much longer! đŸ˜‚. Looking forward to your review of Storm Cursed......ummmm I still have the last new one Burn Bright (I think) to read because that is supposed to me my treat at the end o f the reread!

8 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:


I'm only on the first of the 7.5 deaths (in fact, Evelyn Hardcastle hasn't even died once yet), but I am liking it.  The narrator's voice is a bit hoity-toity upperclass British, but not when he reads other characters; I think that's because of the character he's reading.  From blurbs, I get the feeling the whole plot's going to go sideways once she dies once and we're on to the next time, so waiting for that...  it starts off in the familiar 'posh guests are meeting at remote manor cut off from civilization, someone has died... or have they?' vein.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it did a good job of making the multiple life concept a bit different,  at least different from any of the others I have read.

I fell asleep very early last night so didn’t manage to read much of Amnesia but enough to be intrigued.  Looking forward to reading more but maybe not tonight as I am tired again!

For my audio I am in the middle of Corey’s Nemesis Games.  I love this world!

I am rereading Why Kill the Innocent by CS Harris before starting the new St. Cyr Who Slays the Wicked which I am waiting rather impatiently for.

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1 hour ago, Junie said:

I have 3 stacks of classics (15-20 books each) that I would like to get through by the end of next year.

I currently have a stack of American Lit, British Lit, and World Lit.  I'm trying to rotate through them.

Next up is probably something from the American Lit stack.  Maybe The Virginian by Owen Wister (which I know nothing about), Uncle Tom's Cabin or The House of Seven Gables.

 

Sounds like you should be the one giving us your lists! Hint. đŸ˜‰

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41 minutes ago, purpleowl said:

We were on vacation last week and I didn't get as much reading time as a vacation ought to have, lol! So I didn't finish anything. I did start two books though: H. D. F. Kitto's The Greeks and Archibald Alexander's Thoughts on Religious Experience. 

Will you say what you think of the Kitto when you're done? I was disappointed in the last Pelican history I read but maybe The Greeks is better.

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8 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

Will you say what you think of the Kitto when you're done? I was disappointed in the last Pelican history I read but maybe The Greeks is better.

Will do! I'm enjoying it so far. (I probably should have enjoyed it back when it was assigned reading for a class on Ancient Greece back in college. đŸ˜‰Â )

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12 hours ago, Matryoshka said:


I'm only on the first of the 7.5 deaths (in fact, Evelyn Hardcastle hasn't even died once yet), but I am liking it.  The narrator's voice is a bit hoity-toity upperclass British, but not when he reads other characters; I think that's because of the character he's reading.  From blurbs, I get the feeling the whole plot's going to go sideways once she dies once and we're on to the next time, so waiting for that...  it starts off in the familiar 'posh guests are meeting at remote manor cut off from civilization, someone has died... or have they?' vein.

Thanks! I'll put it next in my tbr pile. 

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Today I finished Carla Kelly's The Unlikely Master Genius (St. Brendan Book 1) which I quite enjoyed. I think others here might also enjoy it. It stands alone, but there is a prequel novella THE CHRISTMAS ANGLE which appeared in the collection A Country Christmas. I look forward to reading more in this series.

"Sailing Master Able Six, Royal Navy, is a man like no other. To call him a mere polymath is to sell him short. Someone with his extraordinary gifts should rise to the top, unless it is the 1800s, where pedigree and money govern Regency society, as sure as Napoleon seeks world domination. A bastard raised in a Scottish workhouse with nothing in his favor except his amazing mind, Able must navigate life ashore on half-pay during the uneasy Truce of Amiens, and find a way to provide for his charming bride Meridee Bonfort, a gentlewoman to be sure, but lacking a dowry. 

Assisted by two sea captains acquainted with his startling abilities, Able finds himself teaching mathematics and seamanship at St. Brendan the Navigator School, which is itself an experiment, taking boys like Able from workhouses and training them to serve the fleet in wartime. Meridee has agreed to invite four lads who need extra attention into their home in raffish, unsavory Portsmouth. Calling themselves the Gunwharf Rats, these St. Brendan lads show promise in an unpromising world. Can a sailing master-turned-teacher uncover their potential? Can Meridee find a way to nurture young hearts bruised too soon by life? What will happen when war breaks out again? And what is it about Able Six, the unlikely master genius? "

Regards,

Kareni

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If you have graduated a homeschooler, please comment in the thread I started Our homeschool graduates

**

Some bookish posts ~

Jo Walton’s Reading List: April 2019
https://www.tor.com/2019/05/06/jo-waltons-reading-list-april-2019/

5 of the Best Books Ever Written by Fictional Characters

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/5-of-the-best-books-ever-written-by-fictional-characters/

From the Word Wenches site:  Fantastic History

https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2019/05/fantastic-history.html

Our 6 Favorite Sentient Spaceships

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/our-6-favorite-sentient-spaceships/

8 Instances of SFF Hyper-Worldbuilding That Truly Go Above and Beyond

Regards,

Kareni

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On 5/4/2019 at 2:46 AM, Violet Crown said:

 

Don't feel dumb about Gulliver's Travels! You probably don't need a better translation but better notes. It makes little sense in English if you don't know whom Swift is poking in the eye with his satire. Also, his satire is very dry, so it can be hard to tell when he's being serious and when he means the opposite of what he says. 

Can you list some books you'd have available in Dutch? In fact, what are some classics of Dutch literature? All I can think of is Thyl Ulenspiegel, if I even have that spelled right.

 

I needed some time to check, but it seems your whole list has been translated and is available through my library.

Tijl Uilenspiegel is a classic but different languages are thinking it is a classic of their language.

Max Havelaar is a classic, so is The Good Hope they are not really old but Dutch before 1800 is hard to read. I don’t know how well Couperus has been translated into English but he also part of the dutch classics imo.

 

sometimes a different translation helps as the idea of a good translation changed during the year. The one I own is a mid 60-70 one: solid but dry and close to the original. A more current translation would be more accessible and would have probably more footnotes to explain stuff đŸ™‚

 

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19 hours ago, Kareni said:

If you have graduated a homeschooler, please comment in the thread I started Our homeschool graduates

**

Some bookish posts ~

Jo Walton’s Reading List: April 2019
https://www.tor.com/2019/05/06/jo-waltons-reading-list-april-2019/

5 of the Best Books Ever Written by Fictional Characters

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/5-of-the-best-books-ever-written-by-fictional-characters/

From the Word Wenches site:  Fantastic History

https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2019/05/fantastic-history.html

Our 6 Favorite Sentient Spaceships

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/our-6-favorite-sentient-spaceships/

8 Instances of SFF Hyper-Worldbuilding That Truly Go Above and Beyond

Regards,

Kareni

Fun links! 

I got several recs from the fantastic history link - thanks!

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22 hours ago, loesje22000 said:

 

I needed some time to check, but it seems your whole list has been translated and is available through my library.

Tijl Uilenspiegel is a classic but different languages are thinking it is a classic of their language.

Max Havelaar is a classic, so is The Good Hope they are not really old but Dutch before 1800 is hard to read. I don’t know how well Couperus has been translated into English but he also part of the dutch classics imo.

 

sometimes a different translation helps as the idea of a good translation changed during the year. The one I own is a mid 60-70 one: solid but dry and close to the original. A more current translation would be more accessible and would have probably more footnotes to explain stuff đŸ™‚

 

I'm going to make a yeoman effort to find Couperus. University Interlibrary Loan, here we come.

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First, I finished my very first Peter Zak mystery Amnesia https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/415186.Amnesiawhich had an excellent ending.  Like most mystery readers I have read my fair share of books that centered around a victim who has amnesia with this being the first in memory with the psychiatrist as the detective.  Bingo .......medical thriller btw.   Interesting info about memory which I have to assume is accurate since one of the authors is a psychiatrist who teaches at Harvard.  I stopped at the library and picked up a couple more in this series this morning.

I am also going to admit to reading a fluffy romance or chic lit with an embarrassing title because it was pretty good.   This is a genre I am trying to find my way back to, for most of my life my mom handed me Harlequins she had enjoyed and I need to find my own now and think maybe I want them to be a bit different then her Harlequins.   Knocked Up Cinderella  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41392889-knocked-up-cinderella put a modern spin on the Harlequin Romances I grew up reading.......a 40 yo principal has an one night stand with an ad executive and finds herself pregnant......so no 19 yo secretary with a Greek Tycoon.  Some swearing (but not nearly as much as many of the modern romances I have been trying to read)  and adult content but it had older characters who used Lyft and watched Killing Eve.  This book is by an indie publisher and I plan to look for more by that publisher as this was about the level I like to keep on my kindle for light, middle of the night and a couple of pages when I have to wait someplace.  I totally think the title could be better but the story was pretty good. Â đŸ˜‰

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Middle Girl took her AP English Literature exam today. After spending an hour telling me every detail of the exams (she took the French also), the school, the other students, and every facet of every moment of her mental processes through the long day, she said how excited she was that now we could just read and study literature together without worrying about preparing for the AP. Yes! I'm excited, too! Let's see, what's up next? Mutiny on the Bounty, since she loves sea adventures? Romantic poetry? Wee Girl and I did a close reading of "Daffodils" today.... Wait, how about the English satiric tradition? Gulliver's Travels, after all.

(Of course, if she bombed, it's toiling through Gatsby and The Scarlet Letter for her.)

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On 3/18/2019 at 10:24 PM, Junie said:

Last week someone mentioned the Moby Dick audiobook.  I actually got to listen to the whole thing this weekend.  My dad is in the hospital in another state and I went (alone) to go visit him.  I needed something to listen to on a long car ride, so Moby Dick was perfect.  (The version I have is abridged and about 6 hours.)

I started Frankenstein and an Agatha Christie book (it's still packed -- I don't remember the title.)

I also read Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton .  I had never read this before.  I'm probably going to give it to dd16 tomorrow.  It is a beautifully written story about race relations in South Africa in the 1940s.  It very much reminded me of Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth, just in another time and another place.

 

 

Back in Week 12 I mentioned that I was visiting my dad in the hospital.

I just wanted to update my BaW friends that he passed away and was buried last week.

He had Parkinson's and I've known since last summer that he wouldn't live more than a couple of years at most.  I am thankful for the peace that I have, knowing that he was a Christian and is now in Heaven, no longer suffering.

 

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53 minutes ago, Junie said:

Back in Week 12 I mentioned that I was visiting my dad in the hospital.

I just wanted to update my BaW friends that he passed away and was buried last week.

He had Parkinson's and I've known since last summer that he wouldn't live more than a couple of years at most.  I am thankful for the peace that I have, knowing that he was a Christian and is now in Heaven, no longer suffering.

 

I'm so sorry for your loss.

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12 hours ago, Junie said:

Back in Week 12 I mentioned that I was visiting my dad in the hospital.

I just wanted to update my BaW friends that he passed away and was buried last week.

He had Parkinson's and I've known since last summer that he wouldn't live more than a couple of years at most.  I am thankful for the peace that I have, knowing that he was a Christian and is now in Heaven, no longer suffering.

 

I'm very sorry, Junie. May the Lord bless him and keep him.

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12 hours ago, Junie said:

Back in Week 12 I mentioned that I was visiting my dad in the hospital.

I just wanted to update my BaW friends that he passed away and was buried last week.

He had Parkinson's and I've known since last summer that he wouldn't live more than a couple of years at most.  I am thankful for the peace that I have, knowing that he was a Christian and is now in Heaven, no longer suffering.

 

Hugs, sweetie. I'm so sorry and lots of warm comforting thoughts and love winging your way.Â Â đŸ˜˜

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Did y'all decide on what you wanted to do for a readalong?  Various choices include 

Violet Crown suggestions:

1. Dickens, Great Expectations
2. Euripides, Medea
3. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
4. Homer, The Iliad
5. Swift, Gulliver's Travels
6. Sartre, No Exit
7. James, The Portrait of a Lady
8. Shakespeare, King Lear
9. Faulkner, As I Lay Dying
10. Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado"
11. James, The Turn of the Screw
12. Shakespeare, Hamlet
 

a Modern Classic

 a short brit trip adventure,

a mystery golden oldie, 

Harry Potter vs Great Expectations 

Book vs film 

James Bond 

Nonfiction such as In the Heart of the Sea which was the inspiration for Moby Dick since we've previously completed a Moby Dick readalong.

 

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Yesterday I finished  The Chosen: A Novella of the Elder Races by Thea Harrison.  It was a pleasant read but not stellar.

"A Wolf on the hunt...
Wulfgar Hahn, better known as the Wolf of Braugne, is a man on a mission. Determined to avenge the murder of his brother, he stops at Camaeline Abbey to meet with the Chosen of Camael, goddess of the Hearth. Unfortunately, it appears the Chosen wants nothing to do with him.

A leader in disguise...
Captivated by the Wolf of Braugne despite herself, Lily poses as an unassuming priestess in order to learn more about this ruthless man. But things are not as they seem, and after foiling an assassination attempt, Lily must decide if Wulf is the destroyer from her visions, or the hero of her dreams. 

A choice to be made...
As war looms on the horizon, passion sparks between them, but an enduring relationship between a soldier on the march and a leader who reveres hearth and home is impossible—or is it? Among the swirling snows of the winter Masque, the gods and goddesses of the Elder Races dance, and love will find a way.."

Regards,

Kareni

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8 hours ago, Robin M said:

Did y'all decide on what you wanted to do for a readalong?  Various choices include 

Violet Crown suggestions:

1. Dickens, Great Expectations
2. Euripides, Medea
3. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
4. Homer, The Iliad
5. Swift, Gulliver's Travels
6. Sartre, No Exit
7. James, The Portrait of a Lady
8. Shakespeare, King Lear
9. Faulkner, As I Lay Dying
10. Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado"
11. James, The Turn of the Screw
12. Shakespeare, Hamlet
 

a Modern Classic

 a short brit trip adventure,

a mystery golden oldie, 

Harry Potter vs Great Expectations 

Book vs film 

James Bond 

Nonfiction such as In the Heart of the Sea which was the inspiration for Moby Dick since we've previously completed a Moby Dick readalong.

 

I would be happy to participate with pretty much any of those choices,  including the modern classics (fun ideas Robin).  I sort of hate to pick a couple out somewhat randomly and perhaps pick something that prevents someone else from joining in.  I think we need the people who would like to participate but have serious preferences to narrow things down a bit for the rest of us.  So please speak up guys! đŸ˜‰

I am still lost in my audiobook listen of The Expanse.  I have to say the series is really good and I find the story development fascinating because the author has managed to keep major events down to perhaps a dozen characters so the main story is incredibly easy to follow.  I am getting near the end and will be sad to finish! 

In other reading I have been trying to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but can’t seem to like it.  It doesn’t strike me as my typical Nordic Noir.   I am not far,  less than 50 pages,  and am wondering if I should continue..........Somewhat irritated because this was one of the planned books for this year!

 

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I've got Machiavelli's The Prince, and I want to read it this week, but I haven't started it yet.

I don't know that I'm the right person to help select the new challenge since I'm trying to keep up...  Maybe if something short is chosen...

1. Dickens, Great Expectations
2. Euripides, Medea
3. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby -- I really don't like this book, but I feel like I should read it again.
4. Homer, The Iliad
5. Swift, Gulliver's Travels
6. Sartre, No Exit
7. James, The Portrait of a Lady
8. Shakespeare, King Lear -- Maybe my favorite Shakespeare.  I haven't read it since my Shakespeare class in college.
9. Faulkner, As I Lay Dying
10. Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" -- I actually read this earlier this year.  I don't like horror anything, but for some reason I like Poe.Â đŸ˜‰Â 
11. James, The Turn of the Screw
12. Shakespeare, Hamlet

 

 

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2 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

Junie,

If you like Poe but not horror, maybe Arthur Gordon Pym, if you haven't read it already?

Thanks!  I have a book of Poe's works (from the Barnes and Noble list).  Arthur Gordon Pym is the only work in the volume that I haven't yet read.  I'll put it in the queue.

For some reason I kind of like Poe's horror.  I have no idea why.  Although it did cause me at least one sleepless night while I was in college.  I lived in an attic apartment in a big house.  One weekend I was home alone -- the very first time I was the only person around overnight.  And of course I had a research paper that I had to write on The Fall of the House of Usher.  I try not to read Poe at night anymore. đŸ˜‰

 

Edited by Junie
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6 hours ago, mumto2 said:

In other reading I have been trying to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but can’t seem to like it.  It doesn’t strike me as my typical Nordic Noir.   I am not far,  less than 50 pages,  and am wondering if I should continue..........Somewhat irritated because this was one of the planned books for this year!

It's a rough read and I really didn't like Lizbeth all that much but she grew on me after a while.  It took me a couple starts to really get into it and given the length, I had to give it a 100 pages and by then I was hooked.   If you aren't enjoying it, set it aside and try another time. It's really one of those gotta be in the mood since it can be quite dark at times.

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During our garage clean, Hubby sorted through some of his mom's book boxes and started pulling out books. Found Poe's short stories as well as collected poems of Bertolt Brecht along with several English historicals so Poe is a good option to consider.

Did I tell you I found one of the rat's nests.  Pulled out a box and one jumped right over my hand.  I did the female thing, squealed and danced away.  Gave hubby a heart attack.  We made the cats smell the box and every single one hightailed into the back yard or the house.  đŸ˜„Â 

The rats are winning and managing to eat the peanut butter without tripping the traps. I'm the only one who got snapped. Ouch my poor finger. Thankfully I was wearing a heavy glove. Nor are they getting stuck in the sticky ones.  Cute little paw prints taunt us from the middle of the black sticky paper.  I think they may be getting tired of us bugging them because they've disappeared which makes James happy because he was trying to talk us into doing the catch and release thing.  *facepalm*   Hubby's closing up holes in the roof eaves today.  Still have more cleaning to do though.  So much fun... 

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