Robin M Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Happy Sunday and welcome to week twenty-seven 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. Welcome to our July Whodunit Bookology detective of the month, Rabbi David Small. Our fictional sleuth and the Rabbi Small mystery series was created an American mystery writer, Harry Kemelman. The series began in 1964 with Friday the Rabbi Slept Late and introduces Rabbi Small who is the new leader of Barnard Crossing's Jewish community in Massachusetts. The last novel in the 12 book series was published in 1996 with The Day the Rabbi Left Town prior to Kemelman's death on December 16 at the age of 88. There are a number of ways to complete the bookology challenge, including but not limited, to the suggestions below: Read the first book in the series. Read one book per letter in the character's first or last name. Read one book per letter in the author's first or last name. If you're really ambitious, one book per letter in the character's first and last name. Follow in a character's footsteps and read a book set in the country or time period of the character. Follow in the author's footsteps and read a book set in their place or time of birth. Learn more about Harry Kemelman and Rabbi David Small and have fun following rabbit trails. What are you reading? Link to Week 26 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Still on my rabbit trails related to Lyme disease and Gut microbiome! For some light fiction mixed in for fun, Rabbi David Small should do nicely. 👍 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 On my nightstand is Friday the Rabbi Slept Late as well as Louise Penny's Kingdom of the Blind which just arrived. Yeah! James and I are reading Nick of Time together. Writing Wise - A Writer's Book of Days and Troubleshooting Your Novel which I hope will help with my current WIP. Diligently typing up hand written rough draft. Yippee! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 3 minutes ago, Pen said: Still on my rabbit trails related to Lyme disease and Gut microbiome! For some light fiction mixed in for fun, Rabbi David Small should do nicely. 👍 Oh my! I'm so sorry. Did I miss that you or one of your family has Lyme? My sister and my father in law both have had it so know what going through. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 5 minutes ago, Robin M said: Oh my! I'm so sorry. Did I miss that you or one of your family has Lyme? My sister and my father in law both have had it so know what going through. Been dealing with “chronic Lyme” for years. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 13 minutes ago, Pen said: Been dealing with “chronic Lyme” for years. Hugs! My sister too. She's been dealing with chronic fatigue and memory issues for a long time. 1 1 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 A few free books for Kindle readers ~ The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine H. P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness A favorite when my daughter was young: Ruth Stiles Gannett's My Father's Dragon Regards, Kareni 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 (edited) Reading: Still working through "Hour of the Heirs" by Link. It's a deeper book than I thought. I will have to renew "Twenty-One Days" by Perry since I won't be able to finish this one on Overdrive. Audio: I am listening to "Shadow of a Doubt" by Blackstock and have "Death at La Fenice" by Donna Leon on tap (that was a topic of this thread several weeks ago :)) I will now scroll through past book posts and select something else for audio. So many good suggestions; so many books; so little time! Edited July 1, 2019 by Liz CA 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Some bookish posts ~ Here's a very interesting volunteer opportunity: Transcribe documents for the Library of Congress https://crowd.loc.gov DO CRIME LIKE AN EDWARDIAN: 11 NONFICTION RECOMMENDATIONS https://bookriot.com/2019/06/18/edwardian-true-crime/ 13 FASCINATING AND READABLE HISTORY BOOKS https://bookriot.com/2019/06/14/readable-history-books/ No luxury: book containing tampons is runaway hit https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/21/no-luxury-book-containing-tampons-is-runaway-hit A book review from the Dear Author site: REVIEW: Ronnie and Hilda’s Romance by Wendy Williams https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/review-ronnie-and-hildas-romance-by-wendy-williams/comment-page-1/#comment-897448 Regards, Kareni 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Thank you all so much for your prayers and kind thoughts re: my brother from last week's thread. Reading all your posts warmed my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Seriously. Well, in a nutshell. My dd and I were gone to NYC for four nights. NYC was nice, as it always is. His family was not nice, as is often the case. We didn't get to see him for more than about five minutes total. My parents are there and, poor things, they're not doing well at all. Our focus and thoughts are all on them at the moment. Okay ... books. I read Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland - 3 Stars - I have read a few Dave Barry books – most of them had me laughing out loud, almost to the point of crying. When we were at Miami International Airport recently, my daughter and I headed to the bookstore as soon as we could. We were waiting to board our flight back to the small island where we live, an island where there are no proper bookstores. Whenever we get to travel, we shop as much as we can and crave bookstores like you wouldn’t believe. Anyway, I digress. I saw this book and knowing that it’s about Florida and that Dave Barry lives there, well, I just had to get it. I love associating books with specific bookshops and traveling. I started reading it while on the plane back home. It was a quick and fun read. It was funniest at the beginning of the book, yet I found it enjoyable throughout. I don’t think that this book was intended to be a humor book, probably more of a travel guide. As for Florida, I have only visited Orlando and Miami, but reading this makes me want to visit the state further, even though there are certainly some odd tourist attractions! My favorite description: “Cassadaga’s nickname is The Psychic Capital of the World. As you drive into town on Cassadaga Road, you pass house after house with signs that say PSYCHIC. This is a place where you might have trouble getting a plumber on the weekend, but if you need an emergency tarot card reading, help is only seconds away.” 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. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Today will be a quick check in, but I'll be back later in the week. I can't remember when I last checked in, but I finished The Expanse Series. It was awesome! I took a detour to a familiar favorite author and read Wolf Rain (Psy/Changeling/Trinity #3), which I gave five stars. Now I'm on the third book of the The Linesman by S.K. Dunstall, which I am also enjoying. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Negin, ((hugs)) I'm sorry you weren't able to see your brother for longer. Robin, this is the first I've heard of the Rabbi series - I'll be sure to look for it. Thanks! I read Spring Magic by D. E. Stevenson last week. Enjoyable, I liked the main character but had a hard time getting into the story. 3 stars. I'm about halfway through a YA that my 12yo recommended to me - Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram and liking it. Also still listening to J. Strange & Mr. Norrell - so good! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 14 minutes ago, melmichigan said: Now I'm on the third book of the The Linesman by S.K. Dunstall, which I am also enjoying. Woohoo! I'm glad that others here are now reading and enjoying this series. It's one that I've read and reread. Regards, Kareni 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 @NeginSending more hugs and prayers to you and your family. I am so glad you were able to go and support your parents who I feel so terribly bad for. I wish you had been able to actually visit longer with your brother........ I haven’t gotten much reading done this week as the great clean out continues. Dh has made many trips to the tip, which is a giant council ran recycling center. We also finally had some sunny days and have been out enjoying them. Today was Whitby..... everyone went and we were able to go on a short boat tour. I loved looking at one of my favorite book location from the water......reminded me of Dracula. 😉 The Rumor https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43168384-the-rumor was a the type of book that after you are hooked reads very easily. It’s been on some summer beach reading type lists.......the rumor starts that someone in their very small town is the notorious murderer x who committed a horrible murder as a child and only served time as a juvenile. The town goes a bit crazy a that point trying to figure out who is the murderer. My other finished book is the latest in a favorite Seanan McGuire series, The Incriptids. That Ain’t Witchcraft wasn’t my favorite in the series but I did enjoy it. There was a novella on the end that I loved that is also part of the series. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39077187-that-ain-t-witchcraft 7 hours ago, Pen said: I listened to Gut by Giulia Enders yesterday/ last night. I found it a surprisingly “couldn’t put it down” book . I’ll probably now immediately start to relisten to it in rotation with my other relisten books. My Ds loved that book at about 13. I want to add I somehow missed the fact that you have Lyme so sending hugs your way. 3 hours ago, Pen said: btw how long do the flowers etc stay pretty in the well dressings? Is it sort of a one day only event before petals go brownish or do they last a while? And what is done with the whole clay thing between dressings? The well dressings are actually displayed quite awhile, the ones in Bakewell went on display last Friday and are scheduled to be there until next Sunday I believe. Who knows how long they took to create. They are done on trays of damp clay so things stay moist. I imagine they mist the display daily if the weather is warm. Dd and I were on the flower arranging team for the village church for several years and proper care meant we could keep arrangements going for close to a month if the weather cooperated. I took a short class with the kids years ago where we worked on a pretend well dressing and I remember it as fun, reminded me of cross stitch in terms of type of detail work and the filling in. One thing to remember is the majority of these displays are done by village experts.....their families have been doing these for centuries. I suspect their gardens are planted so they have the perfect purple in bloom when they will want it for the well dressing etc Each village has it’s own traditional week end and it is possible to go around viewing many well dressings over the summer. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 31 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said: I read Wonder thanks to @Junie's post a couple of weeks ago. It was one of those books that reaches in and grabs your heart- especially from a mother's perspective. I really enjoyed it. I've now returned to The Bonfire of the Vanities which is one of those trainwreck types of books where you can see everything coming, feel sympathy for no one, and can't stop reading it. @Negin still praying for you and your family. And glad to have another Dave Barry fan here! Negin's post just motivated me to look for something on audio by Dave Barry. 🙂 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) Finished Théophile Gautier's life of Charles Baudelaire, the literary father of both the Decadent and Symbolist movements, with translations of selected poems and prose poems, as well as his letters to Sainte-Beuve and Flaubert, and some reflections on Baudelaire's influence on English literature from the translator/editor, Guy Thorne, from which we learn that the French got Verlaine, Huysmans, Rimbaud, and Mallarmé, while the English got the overrated Oscar Wilde and the unreadable Swinburne. Some things just don't cross the Channel well. Finishing up Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. Very readable, though it feels somewhat loose; in the past I've used a literal translation as an aid to reading the Anglo-Saxon. A particularly expressive bit: "Him se yldesta andswarode,/ werodes wisa, word-hord onleac" -- "The leader of the troop unlocked his word-hoard;/ the distinguished one delivered this answer" (Heaney). At first "unlocked his word-hoard" seems like a bit of overwrought figurative speech. But Beowulf and his men are in a delicate situation: they've just arrived, fully armed and uninvited, at Hrothgar's land, and are being challenged by the justifiably wary coast warden, armed himself and able to summon many more men. A good chief was defined by his gift-giving; his ability to choose exactly the right pieces of treasure, carefully weighed and judged, to distribute. So the image here is Beowulf, the naturally able leader, at this moment of high tension competently choosing precisely the right words and tone to navigate his meeting with the warden, and later Hrothgar, diplomatically. Beowulf has brought to completion one of my 10x10 categories: "Dramatic, Lyric, & Epic" (poetry), if I raid "The Hollow Crown" (chronicle plays) for a title, which I might as well because I could not read one more life of an English king in dramatic verse if the fate of the universe hinged on it. Sorry, dh. Which unfortunately leaves me short a category. Dramatic, Lyric, & Epic 1. Christopher Marlowe, Edward II 2. E. E. Cummings, 50 Poems 3. Dante Alighieri, Purgatorio 4. The Wanderer: Elegies, Epics, Riddles 5. Edwin Brock, from Penguin Modern Poets vol. 8 6. Gérard de Nerval, from An Anthology of French Poetry 7. St. John of the Cross, Poems 8. T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets 9. Théophile Gautier/ Guy Thorne, Charles Baudelaire 10. Seamus Heaney (trans.), Beowulf Edited July 1, 2019 by Violet Crown 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) I ended up with a Rabbi David Small book called: Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red . I am enjoying it hugely. It seems surprisingly “relevant” in the philosophical and political issues under discussion between the Rabbi and students of his— despite the book being around half a century old. I recommend it, if you aren’t committed to starting at first in series or find that first book is checked out already. Edited July 1, 2019 by Pen 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 I finished Brideshead Revisited on audio (and a good one it was, again), Wuthering Heights with DS literally the day before he left for summer, and am now slogging through Proust (whispers: possibly overrated?) and almost done with A Gentleman in Moscow (okay. A bit uneven. Readable though). I will be looking for pretty audiobooks again as soon as my credits drop, in the meantime it’s Dante’s Inferno just because it was in there for some reason (likely for school). I have about an hour of solo driving a day. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts. It was probably a good thing that I didn't get to see my brother for longer. The whole family is woven from the same cloth. I don't want to there if my presence is that upsetting to them. They're that way with most of our side of the family. I wish them all the best and will continue to pray, but I have to move on. 3 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Hello to each one reading here, Thanks @Robin M I have been looking forward to this month Bookology Challenge, and having George Guidall read The Day the Rabbi Resigned: Rabbi Small Bk11 ~ Harry Kemelman. Dh and I have listened to all the Rabbi Small audibooks audible has had available to date, bar that one. Congratulations @Violet Crown I love the title of your completed 10x10; and the list is amazing! ((@Negin )) ❤️🙏 ** To books….. (I'd better post this before I run out of time, hope to come back and chat later....) Completed: The Last Year of the War ~ Susan Meissner (3+) WWII (Christian fiction is a genre that is challenging for me to find authors/ characters/situations that interest me enough to want to continuing reading.) Made it through this one 😜 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2869194314 The Note Through the Wire ~ Doug Gold (4.5) NZ mature content/ swearing, including f bombs. The story was by turns very gritty, sobering, and, humorous, and was one I really wanted to read – the voice relaying this story is Kiwi through and through - so I endeavoured to glide over the swearing as best as I could. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2876109914 Still reading/listening to: A Seaside Practice ~ Dr Tom Smith, Elon Musk ~ Ashlee Vance, The Moonstone ~ Wilkie Collins, The Little Grey Men ~ ‘BB’, The Problem of Pain ~ C.S. Lewis 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Some bookish posts ~ A small gift tucked into a book sets off a chain of random acts of kindness 26 BEAUTIFUL FANTASY BOOK COVERS FROM 2019 https://bookriot.com/2019/06/26/2019-fantasy-book-covers/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Swords and Spaceships Jun 28&utm_term=BookRiot_SwordsAndSpaceships_DormantSuppress From the Word Wenches site: What We're Reading! https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2019/06/junes-what-were-reading.html Regards, Kareni 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 I read a book yesterday that had me laughing aloud several times from some witty banter. I've read several books by this author pair, and I look forward to their next book. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren "Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . . . she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas.Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo.Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is . . . Olive doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be. " Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~ Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos Admiral Halsey's Story by William Frederick Halsey My People, the Amish: The True Story of an Amish Father and Son by Joe Keim Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 👏 @Violet Crown Great list! @tuesdayschild and @Pen Glad to see the Rabbi Small love. I have the first one checked out because I need to read in order........ @Kareni Our stacks seem to be looking pretty similar these days as The Unhoneymooners is in my Overdrive too. The Kiss Quotient actually showed up this morning so I will stop there. @Liz CA I have another potential author for you Elly Griffiths. She has two series that I enjoy........the first starts with The Zig Zag Girl https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22838934-the-zig-zag-girl?ac=1&from_search=true I listen to these on audio, the other is the Ruth Galloway series which I actually love but realize the main character has some major character flaws that I normally would dislike (ongoing adulterous relationship is the basis for the ongoing storyline). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6688087-the-crossing-places I just started reading the latest in the Ruth Galloway series and loving it. The Stone Circle is an awesome follow up book (10 books later) to the first in the series. I clicked on the book on my kindle by accident and read a couple of sentences, totally hooked. I actually set St. Cyr aside for this book....🤣 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 (edited) On 7/3/2019 at 5:53 AM, mumto2 said: @tuesdayschild and @Pen Glad to see the Rabbi Small love. I have the first one checked out because I need to read in order........ A few of my reading associates avoid Rabbi Small due to the dated, from that era, chauvinistic mindset of some of the characters. There are less than characters who make racist remarks: From memory one book was so racist, and, derogatory, really bad, that we, Dh & I, and I ditched it. I stopped listening to the drug taking teens one too. Hope you enjoy the first Rabbi Small book, I did. @Kareni the book covers are amazing. ** Though book 11 is titled The Day the Rabbi Resigned, Rabbi Small's presence seems rather scarce 😕 This one seems to be focusing on a few of those chauvinistic characters, which is a- perfect set up by the author to have me really dislike them. Vincent is just asking to be eliminated! I do feel sorry for the ‘poor plain' emotionally neglected orphan Margaret. One of my 10x10 challenges this year became During and post-WWII and thanks to @Negin's review I’m now listening to Forty Autumns and enjoying it ( "enjoying" seems like the wrong word for the sober topics in the WWII books I’m reading through). I thought I had completed one of my 10x10 challenges but have such anti feelings about one of the books on the list - it gets worse every time I look at the title and has became a less that 1* read - that I'm not done until I replace that nasty book on the list with a better title. 😋 Edited July 3, 2019 by tuesdayschild 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 1 hour ago, tuesdayschild said: A few of my reading associates avoid Rabbi Small due to the dated, from that era, chauvinistic mindset of some of the characters. There are less than characters who make racist remarks: From memory one book was so racist, and, derogatory, really bad, that we, Dh & I, and I ditched it. I stopped listening to the drug taking teens one too. Hope you enjoy the first Rabbi Small book, I did. @Kareni the book covers are amazing. ** Though book 11 is titled The Day the Rabbi Resigned, Rabbi Small's presence seems rather scarce 😕 This one seems to be focusing on a few of those chauvinistic characters, which is a- perfect set up by the author to have me really dislike them. Vincent is just asking to be eliminated! I do feel sorry for the ‘poor plain' emotionally neglected orphan Margaret. One of my 10x10 challenges this year became During and post-WWII and thanks to @Negin's review I’m now listening to Forty Autumns and enjoying it ( "enjoying" seems like the wrong word for the sober topics in the WWII books I’m reading through). I thought I had completed one of my 10x10 challenges but have such anti feelings about one of the books on the list - it gets worse every time I look at the title and has became a less that 1* read - that I'm not done until I replace that nasty book on the list with a better title. 😋 There is a trilogy by Charlotte Link - "Stormy Season," "Wild Lupines" and "The Heritage." These three books span the life of one woman growing up in East Prussia, fleeing the Russians during WWII and the "Heritage" book is about her granddaughter taking over her business long after WWII. I have to say I usually avoid WWII stuff (have been saturated in years past) but this trilogy sucked me right in. Ack, wanted to link it and couldn't find it in English...and here I was certain I had seen it translated somewhere. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Liz CA said: There is a trilogy by Charlotte Link - "Stormy Season," "Wild Lupines" and "The Heritage." <snip> couldn't find it in English...and here I was certain I had seen it translated somewhere. I've hunted through the possibilities that might gift it to me in English..... and couldn't find anything either; so, now I really want to know what that series is like😄 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 1 minute ago, tuesdayschild said: I've hunted through the possibilities that might gift it to me in English..... and couldn't find anything either; so, now I really want to know what that series is like😄 Sorry. I wasted a whole post on making you curious and now we cannot find it in English. I am very surprised it's so hard to find because it's not a new series, came out in the late nineties if I remember correctly. I will keep an eye out. I may not sleep tonight; it bothers me so much. 🤣 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 18 minutes ago, Liz CA said: Sorry. I wasted a whole post on making you curious and now we cannot find it in English. I am very surprised it's so hard to find because it's not a new series, came out in the late nineties if I remember correctly. I will keep an eye out. I may not sleep tonight; it bothers me so much. 🤣 I enjoyed the hunt, and found some, other, distracting titles along the way. If I had only learnt to read German, you could have slept peacefully tonight. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 I'm super-late updating - I think it's been two weeks, too... 58. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (audio) - I loved this book, especially all the characters and they way they grew and interacted. The audio, read by the author, was well done. 5 stars. 59. The Turquoise Table: Finding Community and Connection in Your Own Front Yard by Kristin Schell (audio) - not my typical fare, but it was really short and hey, I'd like to find more community and connection in my own front yard - which I read as 'community', but turns out she literally meant your front yard. Apparently I just have to put a turquoise picnic table there. and people will start coming by to hang out. What I'm supposed to do in New England where 10 months of the year it's either freezing, too humid to live, or infested with mosquitoes is not covered (author is in Texas). She did have a couple of interesting and encouraging thoughts, but this was mostly a lot of the same stuff on repeat, with recipes that I fast-forwarded through. 2.5 stars. 60. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (audio) - I really liked this book. It doesn't hold back on the issues, but I really liked all the characters, their relationships, and I loved Tish's voice. The audio was very well done. 4.5 stars. 61. Griftopia by Matt Taibbi (ebook) - This was rage-inducing. It also is very well researched and lays things out in an understandable way (which is a feat in itself). My only quibble is well summed up by another GR reviewer, who put what I was thinking so well I'll quote: "My one gripe with the book is Taibbi’s fondness for the foul. For example, while one may sympathize with Taibbi’s view ... it does his argument no service to call them “jerk-offs.” While such heartfelt expression may be satisfying, and might be standard fare for his Rollingstone readers, it makes his book inaccessible to any who are not already on board with his analysis. Once readers from an alternate view come across Taibbi’s merry profanity, they have an easy excuse to dismiss him." 4.5 stars; I only take the half-star off because of this last quibble. He actually addresses this in one chapter where he mentions the public reaction to his RS article on the same topic - he was indeed dismissed because off "his tone" - but he points out that no one ever disputed his facts. The Overstory finally came in on Overdrive. So that means I'm going to be reading three chunksters at once 😱- I've just started Catherine the Great by Robert Massie on audio (very good so far!), and I'm chugging along with La catedral del mar. I'm also enjoying that one very much - it's sometimes obvious that some of the action in the plot is there to highlight some historical facts about life in 14th century Barcelona, but I actually like the historical aspects a lot. It's a love letter to medieval Barcelona. And I'm still reading Belle by Paula Byrne. My mom loooved this book, but honestly it's not that well written. In fact, it's mostly speculation - this could have happened this way, although we don't know for sure. And repeat. Bleh. It's short and plainly written, so I'll just get it done. And I read a short story type thing on Tor.com because someone on Goodreads piqued my interest in The Haunting of Tram Car 015 and one of the reviews linked to the short story A Dead Djinn in Cairo set the same universe free online, so I read it to see if I'd like it. I did. This was too short to count as a book, though. I also have the last Bobiverse book and Slave Old Man out of the library, and my SciFi book group chose Good Omens for next month, so I'm waiting for it on audio - I may fold those shorter books in so I get something finished - these chunksters will take longer! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 (edited) 13 hours ago, Liz CA said: Sorry. I wasted a whole post on making you curious and now we cannot find it in English. I am very surprised it's so hard to find because it's not a new series, came out in the late nineties if I remember correctly. I will keep an eye out. I may not sleep tonight; it bothers me so much. 🤣 13 hours ago, tuesdayschild said: I enjoyed the hunt, and found some, other, distracting titles along the way. If I had only learnt to read German, you could have slept peacefully tonight. LOL, well, I do read German, so I was excited to see a German book recommended - no post wasted! From the GR reviews, it might be a bit romancey for me, but I added it to my TR list anyway. I'm always looking for something good written in German, and also I lived for a year with a family that fled East Prussia (not just Russians shooting them from behind, but also the Nazis shooting at them not to flee), so this particular storyline is interesting to me. Any other recommendations welcome! 😀 Edited July 4, 2019 by Matryoshka 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 On 6/27/2019 at 10:02 PM, Violet Crown said: Finished The Idiot, at last. The critical essay I read on it charitably suggested that Prince Myshkin was Dostoevsky's practice run for the saintly Alyosha in The Brothers Karamazov. Which latter I may re-read; but I don't think I'll re-read The Idiot. 10x10 category: Brexit Special (Russia). Didn't get around to commenting on this last week - I'm actually relieved to hear others weren't enthralled with The Idiot. It's the only Dostoevsky I've read, years ago on a friend's enthusiastic recommendation, and it was a big fat 'meh' for me. Am I remembering correctly that this was yet another novel of the period who had one or more too-sensitive-for-this-world characters dying slowly of consumption? So that kind of put me off of Dostoevsky. Should I still give Bros. Karamazov or C&P a try sometime? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 TODAY ONLY, a free book for Kindle readers ~ Paramhansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi also free ~ Satellites in the High Country: Searching for the Wild in the Age of Man by Jason Mark The Hardest Ride by Gordon L. Rotten Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Happy fourth of July to those celebrating Independence Day! ** Yesterday I read Surreal Estate by Jesi Lea Ryan which I enjoyed. If you have an interest, it's on sale for 99 cents for Kindle readers. (Adult content) "Sasha Michaels is a psychic with an affinity for houses. And he’s homeless. Go figure. After months of sleeping rough, he stumbles upon an abandoned house, and the lonely place beckons him inside. He’s finally safe . . . until someone comes blundering in to his hideaway.House-flipper Nick Cooper lost everything in the recession. Desperate to revive his business, he turns to a loan shark to fund his comeback project: flipping an abandoned house full of potential. But it turns out the house has an unexpected occupant.Nick and Sasha make a deal: Sasha can stay in exchange for helping with the renovation. To both of their surprise, the closer they get to the loan shark’s due date, the stronger their feelings for each other grow. Problem is, Nick isn’t the only one with feelings for Sasha, and now the house doesn’t want to let Sasha go." Regards, Kareni 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Hey, wait! 27 on week 27 means I caught up! (I don't really worry about that. I participate so that I have a searchable record of what I've read, to stay motivated in my own reading, and to see what other people are enjoying.) 27. "Personal, Career, and Financial Security" by Richard J. Maybury. I don't know if his model is a model I would advise my kids to follow, necessarily, but I like the idea of teaching that we can understand the world based on models. I think DS16, with his Aspie thinking, could grasp the ideas of cognitive dissonance and paradigm shifts by reading this. 26. "Rascal" by Sterling North. I read a description of this book on a "don't let your kids read this" list, and had to give it a try! Now DD9 and I are listening to the audio version, so obviously I disagree with the list author. 25. "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?" by Richard J. Maybury. Saw this on the shelf at the library while looking for something else, and recognized the title as one that was mentioned on the High School Board. I don't know enough about economics to know whether I share his bias or not, but I appreciate how easy to understand his explanation is. 24. "Joy in the Covenant" by Julie B. Beck. (LDS) 23. "The Essential 55" by Ron Clark. 22. "How to Tutor Your Own Child" by Marina Koestler Ruben. 21. "Faith is Not Blind" by Bruce and Marie Hafen. (LDS) 20. "Silent Souls Weeping: Depression, Sharing Stories, Finding Hope" by Jane Clayson Johnson. (LDS) 19. "Leap of Faith" by Bob Bennett. (LDS) 18. "Covenant Keepers" by Wendy Watson Nelson. (LDS) 17. "Manga Classics: MacBeth" adapted by Crystal S. Chan. 16. "One Dead Spy" by Nathan Hale. 15. "Stellar Science Projects About Earth's Sky" and "Wild Science Projects About Earth's Weather" by Robert Gardner. 14. "Stuff Matters" by Mark Miodownik. 13. "Led by Divine Design" by Ronald A. Rasband. (LDS) 12. "Forensic Science Projects with a Crime Lab" by Robert Gardner. 11. "Manga Classics: The Jungle Book" adapted by Crystal S. Chan 10. "Donner Dinner Party" by Nathan Hale. 9. "Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe" adapted by Stacy King. 8. "Bodies We've Buried" by Jarrett Hallcox and Amy Welch. 7. "The Forensic Casebook" by N.E. Genge. 6. "Shaken Faith Syndrome" by MIchael R. Ash. (LDS) 5. "Fingerprints: Crime-Solving Science Experiments" by Kenneth G. Rainis. 4. "Forensic Investigations" (6) by Leela Burnscott. & ("Bones Speak" by Richard Spilsbury) 3. "A Reason for Faith" edited by Laura Harris Hales. (LDS) 2. "Left Standing" by Mason Wells, et al. (LDS) 1. "Camino Easy" by B. G. Preston. 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Matryoshka said: Didn't get around to commenting on this last week - I'm actually relieved to hear others weren't enthralled with The Idiot. It's the only Dostoevsky I've read, years ago on a friend's enthusiastic recommendation, and it was a big fat 'meh' for me. Am I remembering correctly that this was yet another novel of the period who had one or more too-sensitive-for-this-world characters dying slowly of consumption? So that kind of put me off of Dostoevsky. Should I still give Bros. Karamazov or C&P a try sometime? I much preferred Bros K to C&P . Bros K was a fairly long book that went pretty quickly. CP a fairly short book that to me drug on and on . I found the philosophy/religion discussion and characters in Bros K more interesting. 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Not sure if this Rakuten Kobo code RQU7U6 for 90% off aselect titles (audio or ebook) is good in the US? Adding it here on the off chance it does (expires 11 July '19). Freebie from AudioFile this week: The Canterville Ghost ~ Oscar Wilde 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Matryoshka said: Dostoevsky. Should I still give Bros. Karamazov or C&P a try sometime? My Ds is a huge (!) Dostoyevsky appreciator and asked me to read some of his books with him this year. I agreed to two of his works and have purposely been dodging The Idiot (@Violet Crowns take on it, and now yours, makes me glad I picked the two Dostoyevsky's I did) . I think @Pen has the right of it, B.K does feel like it is moving at a quicker, more interesting, though darker, pace than C&P. (B.K is one of my sip reads and has more side plots and characters.) Yet I'm glad that I read (book and audio) C&P first and would recommend it too. Keeping the characters in both books straight has been/is interesting😋 so being able to reference those has helped. Whispersync audios have made the reading much more enjoyable, and generated an easier way for me to learn to pronounce all the Russian names: Crime & Punishment The Brothers Karamazov 2 hours ago, Maus said: "Rascal" by Sterling North. I read a description of this book on a "don't let your kids read this" list, and had to give it a try! Now DD9 and I are listening to the audio version, so obviously I disagree with the list author. This is an absolute family favourite! The audio version made it a keeper for us. Edited July 4, 2019 by tuesdayschild weird spacing 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 22 hours ago, Matryoshka said: Didn't get around to commenting on this last week - I'm actually relieved to hear others weren't enthralled with The Idiot. It's the only Dostoevsky I've read, years ago on a friend's enthusiastic recommendation, and it was a big fat 'meh' for me. Am I remembering correctly that this was yet another novel of the period who had one or more too-sensitive-for-this-world characters dying slowly of consumption? So that kind of put me off of Dostoevsky. Should I still give Bros. Karamazov or C&P a try sometime? Yes on the consumption, though since the character is a publican, I mean nihilist, whose stony soul is softened by the sanctifying presence of Je- I mean, Prince Myshkin- I think it’s not so much the too-sensitive-for-the-world death but the nowhere-to-go-but-dead death. Similarly, Mary Mag... no sorry Nastasya’s fate won’t come as a surprise to anyone who read Clarissa. At least Dickens just shipped Little Emily off to Australia. You can’t go wrong with Karamazov or C&P. I also thought The Possessed (aka Demons) was good. 4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 On 7/4/2019 at 12:16 AM, tuesdayschild said: A few of my reading associates avoid Rabbi Small due to the dated, from that era, chauvinistic mindset of some of the characters. There are less than characters who make racist remarks: From memory one book was so racist, and, derogatory, really bad, that we, Dh & I, and I ditched it. I stopped listening to the drug taking teens one too. Hope you enjoy the first Rabbi Small book, I did. @Kareni the book covers are amazing. ** Though book 11 is titled The Day the Rabbi Resigned, Rabbi Small's presence seems rather scarce 😕 This one seems to be focusing on a few of those chauvinistic characters, which is a- perfect set up by the author to have me really dislike them. Vincent is just asking to be eliminated! I do feel sorry for the ‘poor plain' emotionally neglected orphan Margaret. One of my 10x10 challenges this year became During and post-WWII and thanks to @Negin's review I’m now listening to Forty Autumns and enjoying it ( "enjoying" seems like the wrong word for the sober topics in the WWII books I’m reading through). I thought I had completed one of my 10x10 challenges but have such anti feelings about one of the books on the list - it gets worse every time I look at the title and has became a less that 1* read - that I'm not done until I replace that nasty book on the list with a better title. 😋 I seem to be feeling rather particular about the quality of my 10x10’s too. I have completed a couple technically but because of rereading or binge reading refuse to call them done.😉 I have finished a couple of good books by favorite authors this week. Why Slay the Wicked by CS Harris was great in the context of the entire storyline but I suspect if someone here starts with that book they will be disappointed. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40786920-who-slays-the-wicked I also read The Scholar https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42482181-the-scholar which I found very different from the first book in the series. In the first book the main character didn’t feel like the detective to me so I wasn’t really ready to read this book where the detective was the focus. I liked the story and it could definitely stand alone. Set in Galway it was sort of big pharma meets university campus. I hate to say more because it was quite good and I can’t remember what was known at the start of the book! I am listening to the second in the Department Q........not loving it quite as much. Trying to remember if people liked it better? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 17 minutes ago, mumto2 said: I am listening to the second in the Department Q........not loving it quite as much. Trying to remember if people liked it better? Shortly after finishing book one a few weeks ago, I read the first few chapters of book two and then stalled. The book has been sitting on my coffee table ever since. So, I hear you. In the first book, I sympathized with the victim throughout the book and only learned the identity of the villain(s) near the end. Thus far with book two, the villains are known from the first, and I find their sheer nastiness to be offputting. AND there hasn't been much time with Department Q to add balance. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Hello fellow readers! I've been doing a marathon read of all of Georgette Heyer's murder mysteries this summer. She wrote 12 in all and I just finished #11. Starting now on 12. I'm pretty stinkin' happy with myself, because I finally caught up with the Read 52 Books challenge! That hardly ever happens. Here's a link to all the Heyer mysteries if anyone is interested. https://www.cozy-mystery.com/georgette-heyer.html 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Earlier this evening I finishedBoundary Broken (Boundary Magic) by Melissa F. Olson. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author. This is definitely not a book to begin with as it builds on the author's previous books. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 6 hours ago, Faithr said: Hello fellow readers! I've been doing a marathon read of all of Georgette Heyer's murder mysteries this summer. She wrote 12 in all and I just finished #11. Starting now on 12. I'm pretty stinkin' happy with myself, because I finally caught up with the Read 52 Books challenge! That hardly ever happens. Here's a link to all the Heyer mysteries if anyone is interested. https://www.cozy-mystery.com/georgette-heyer.html Well done on the catch up: and, the reading! (I've never physically read a Heyer mystery, but have been through them via audio, enjoying some more than others.) 7 hours ago, mumto2 said: I seem to be feeling rather particular about the quality of my 10x10’s too. I have completed a couple technically but because of rereading or binge reading refuse to call them done.😉 This! Exactly 😄 I've just finished adjusting titles so that there is as little cross over (sharing) of titles across the categories as possible. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 TODAY ONLY, a free book for Kindle readers ~ The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill "In the very first locked-room mystery, a wealthy man dedicated to helping London’s working classes is brutally murderedOn a gloomy December morning in the East End, a landlady asks former police inspector George Grodman to help rouse her unresponsive tenant, Arthur Constant. Forced to break down the labor activist’s door, Grodman discovers Constant’s body, his throat gruesomely slit. With every window securely latched and the front door locked from the inside, no one could have entered or exited the room. But the instrument that did the bloody deed is nowhere to be found. Reluctantly joining forces with his rival, Edward Wimp of Scotland Yard, Grodman quickly becomes tangled in a sticky mess of lies, betrayals, and political chicanery.The Big Bow Mystery’s conclusion is shockingly unexpected and fiendishly clever, and it served as an inspiration to such masters of the locked-room mystery as Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr." Regards, Kareni 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 29 minutes ago, Kareni said: TODAY ONLY, a free book for Kindle readers ~ The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill "In the very first locked-room mystery, a wealthy man dedicated to helping London’s working classes is brutally murderedOn a gloomy December morning in the East End, a landlady asks former police inspector George Grodman to help rouse her unresponsive tenant, Arthur Constant. Forced to break down the labor activist’s door, Grodman discovers Constant’s body, his throat gruesomely slit. With every window securely latched and the front door locked from the inside, no one could have entered or exited the room. But the instrument that did the bloody deed is nowhere to be found. Reluctantly joining forces with his rival, Edward Wimp of Scotland Yard, Grodman quickly becomes tangled in a sticky mess of lies, betrayals, and political chicanery.The Big Bow Mystery’s conclusion is shockingly unexpected and fiendishly clever, and it served as an inspiration to such masters of the locked-room mystery as Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr." Regards, Karen Thanks! Looks like a fun book—I’m getting it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Pen said: Thanks! Looks like a fun book—I’m getting it. I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts, Pen. It was first serialized in the 1890s, and some of the reviewers describe it as Dickensian. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 17 hours ago, Kareni said: Earlier this evening I finishedBoundary Broken (Boundary Magic) by Melissa F. Olson. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author. This is definitely not a book to begin with as it builds on the author's previous books. Regards, Kareni Also in the stack! I finished a few romances in the car today including The Bride Test and The Kiss Quotient which were enjoyable and different. Both books had main characters on the spectrum and quite a bit of blush worthy adult scenes. I also read a new one called Fix Her Up which was also good. 22 hours ago, Faithr said: Hello fellow readers! I've been doing a marathon read of all of Georgette Heyer's murder mysteries this summer. She wrote 12 in all and I just finished #11. Starting now on 12. I'm pretty stinkin' happy with myself, because I finally caught up with the Read 52 Books challenge! That hardly ever happens. Here's a link to all the Heyer mysteries if anyone is interested. https://www.cozy-mystery.com/georgette-heyer.html I read a couple of these during Brit Tripping and enjoyed them. I set them aside because of the unidentifiable county locations. Thanks for the reminder....... 23 hours ago, Kareni said: Shortly after finishing book one a few weeks ago, I read the first few chapters of book two and then stalled. The book has been sitting on my coffee table ever since. So, I hear you. In the first book, I sympathized with the victim throughout the book and only learned the identity of the villain(s) near the end. Thus far with book two, the villains are known from the first, and I find their sheer nastiness to be offputting. AND there hasn't been much time with Department Q to add balance. Regards, Kareni I think that might be my problem with the book also. I only have a couple of days before it returns itself and 9 hours to go. I think I may let it go for now and concentrate on other audio books that I am a bit more excited about. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Since I have photos from last week with a Brit Tripping BaW connection I am going to post them at the end of the week again. Last Sunday we visited Whitby with all it’s Bram Stoker connections............in the first picture at the foot of the hill under the church you can see a small beach. According to local lore Bram Stoker got the idea for Dracula while sitting on that beach. In the second picture you can see the Abbey and St. Mary’s Church on top of the hill. The third picture is a small portion of the 199 steps to the top of the hill and St Mary’s......one point of confusion in the book has always been how Lucy, in a trance, went down the West Cliff steps and up those. 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 How very neat, mumto2! Thanks for sharing your pictures. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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