Robin M Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 (edited) “She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.” ~ Annie Dillard Happy Solstice, my lovelies. Please join me for a cup of tea, a glass of wine or your favorite beverage as we reflect on our 52 Books rambling reading adventures the past year. Can you believe we are not only winding up 2019, but the end of a decade? We have traveled around the world and the universe. We wandered the deep blue sea and climbed the highest mountains and even explored the limitlessness of outer space. Our armchair travels have taken us through different time periods, through fictional, magical and historical journeys along with pioneers and astronauts, historians and time travelers, villains and sleuths. Ah books, the spice of life! Where did your armchair travels take you? Which books stood out, made an impression and/or stayed with you the longest? What did you learn from them? Which book had the most original, most unique story? Which book made you laugh? Which one made you cry? Which book did you like the least and why? Which new to you authors did you discover and would you read another book by this author? Did you try any of the main or mini challenges? If so, which Bingo category did you like the most and the least and what did you read? Which authors and/or detectives would you like to continue exploring from Whodunit Bookology? How’d the 10 x 10 categories work out? Please share your book lists, stats for the year, favorite quotes, and/or favorite book covers. Neil Gaiman once said "Read. Read anything. Read the things they say are good for you, and the things they claim are junk. You’ll find what you need to find. Just read.” Whether you read fast or slow, listen to audio books; read fluffy, light romances or heavy classics, comedy to drama, urban fantasies to thrillers, or nonfiction to comics, the most essential thing is reading. I appreciate each and every one of you and hope you had fun along the way. I have enjoyed sharing our reading journey and look forward to more bookish adventures. Many wishes for a happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Jolabokaflod, Christmas or Festivus to you all and cheers to a happy, enlightening, and inspiring reading new year! Visit 52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the new 52 Books Bingo, Ladies of Fiction Bookology, all our perpetual challenges. Link to week 51 Edited December 22, 2019 by Robin M 7 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Robin, I love your post and that Neil Gaiman quote. Thank you again for everything and wishing you all the best during this holiday season. I'll get back to all the books of the year, etc. I read Stories from the Delight of Hearts - 5 Stars - I read this over two decades ago and loved it as much this time around as I did back then. This is a book that’s most suitable for Baha’is. It’s made up of short vignettes of Haji Mirza Haydar-Ali, one of the early Persian Baha’is, who became known as the Angel of Carmel. I absolutely love this man. As another reviewer said so perfectly, I would be happy just to be “a slug in his garden”. His faith, steadfastness, dedication, and of course his wonderful sense of humor, inspire me to hopefully try to be a better person. Here are some of my favorite quotes: “For God has promised in His Book to be compassionate and forgiving to anyone who approaches Him in remorse and repentance. However, if he had wrongly charged by his enemies, he must remain happy and contented and surrender his will and his affairs into the hands of the All-Merciful.” “His bounties are endless and our words of praise totally inadequate.” “God is the greatest of all helpers; we surrender our affairs into His hands. We must be occupied with our own work and tread the path of servitude, detached from all else but God. Whoever walks this path will surely reap the fruits of his patience and forbearance, and will be counted as my companion in the service of His Threshold. Those who deviate from this path will surely find regret.” A Fire Story - 3 Stars - The author of this book lost his home in the California wildfire of 2017. This graphic memoir tells that story. The artwork was incredible. The story felt personal detailing all the trauma of losing one’s possessions. Having experienced two hurricanes, one of which was extremely devastating, I could relate to much of that. Some pictures from our time in Cordoba. 12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 I'm almost halfway through Robert Jordan's WOT Knife of Dreams and also reading ebook Silence by Michelle Sagara. In our continuing MCU movie marathon, we watched The Avengers last night. Exciting movie! Now that we've been watching chronologically, understanding more of the plotline. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I don't pay attention to reading goals or any of that. Here are my favorite books of the year. 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Robin, thank you for all you do to make this weekly thread happen; it is much appreciated. ** Today only, a free book for Kindle readers ~ Mathilda by Mary Shelley Regards, Kareni 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 25 minutes ago, Negin said: A Fire Story - 3 Stars - The author of this book lost his home in the California wildfire of 2017. This graphic memoir tells that story. The artwork was incredible. The story felt personal detailing all the trauma of losing one’s possessions. Having experienced two hurricanes, one of which was extremely devastating, I could relate to much of that. Curiously, I also read the graphic work A Fire Story by Brian Fies this week. It makes me feel fortunate that I have not suffered a devasting loss. "Early morning on Monday, October 9, 2017, wildfires burned through Northern California, resulting in 44 fatalities. In addition, 6,200 homes and 8,900 structures and were destroyed. Author Brian Fies’s firsthand account of this tragic event is an honest, unflinching depiction of his personal experiences, including losing his house and every possession he and his wife had that didn’t fit into the back of their car. In the days that followed, as the fires continued to burn through the area, Brian hastily pulled together A Fire Story and posted it online—it immediately went viral. He is now expanding his original webcomic to include environmental insight and the fire stories of his neighbors and others in his community. A Fire Story is an honest account of the wildfires that left homes destroyed, families broken, and a community determined to rebuild." * * I also read and enjoyed the novella Get Lit by Kim Fielding which has a Hanukkah focus. "Uri Kessler is a bit of a klutz. Recently divorced from a guy he married too quickly and yearning to have a holiday that feels special, he decides to make Hanukkah candles. The results are literally a blazing disaster. But Uri’s mishap helps him get to know Oscar Cortez, his sexy new neighbor, and the two men instantly hit it off. While Uri finds himself drawn to Oscar, he’s also afraid to make a mess of their budding relationship. It’ll take a small miracle to make things work between them." Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Thank you Robin for faithfully creating a wonderful thread for us each week. You're an amazing lady. Love! the photos @Negin I may not get back here again until after Christmas: For those here who celebrate this season wishing you a blessed, and lovely day; and, for those that Christmas time is difficult one ( so many reasons for that (hug)) may you find a portion of comfort and peace amongst it all. **** I will endeavour to come back at some point and share favourite books: just trying to regroup after a herculean moving home run - feeling for @Lady Florida. - and shifting 22 years of 'life' in a few days. It went as well as moving can, seriously thanking God. Taking a wee breather before we gear up to continue working on our partially completed home ( no need to respond to any of that, just giving an update as @mumto2 suggested one 🙂 a few threads back... I did get to listen to quite a few audio books so that was good!! Posting those next. 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 December's bookolgy challenge completed. S= Mrs. Tim ~ D.E. Stevenson. I= Parker Payne investigates ~ Agatha Christie. L= D.L Moody: A Life ~ Kevin Belmonte. V= Murder at the Vicarage ~ Agatha Christie A= A Christmas Visitor ~ Anne Perry. ( absolutely recommend this as a Christmas time listen for Agatha Christie appreciators) D= Rules of Murder ~ julianna Deering A= Artists in Crime ~ Marsh N= The Nursing Home Murder ~ Ngaio Marsh I= By its Cover ~ Donna Leon E= Mrs Jeffries Takes Stock, Bk4 ~ Emily Brightwell L= Light Thickens ~ Ngaio Marsh Other books: More Cases of Miss Marple (bbc radio drama.) Fun listen 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 Quote @Junie 4 hours ago, Robin M said: With the above post in mind, I have decided to alter my 10x10 for 2020. On 12/16/2019 at 7:09 AM, Junie said: My (tentative)10x10 categories: 1. American Classics I Haven't Read Before 2. British Classics I Haven't Read Before -- try to incorporate Brit Tripping 3. World Classics I Haven't Read Before 4. High School Repeats -- books I haven't read since high school -- Family History (see note below) 5. Pre-reading for the Kids 6. Books Recommended by BAWers 🙂 7. Books in Another Language -- including reading The Hobbit in Spanish (probably not up to tackling LOTR trilogy in Spanish). 8. Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs 9. Mystery and Suspense -- include at least 3 Agatha Christie works 10. Junkfood I was challenged by Robin's post to try to align my 2020 books to some of the other challenges. 🙂 I decided to get rid of my High School Repeats category because I realized that there really aren't that many left. Instead, I decided to try to add more history books. I have several on my list of Books To Be Read that are related to my family history. And since I am related to many of the passengers from the Mayflower, it probably won't be hard to fill out this category. I do have at least two other (non-pilgrim) titls to start with. One book is The Monitor Boys by John V. Quarstein. John Lorimer Worden, the captain of the U.S.S. Monitor was a first cousin to one of my 5th-great grandmothers. Another book that will fit this category is A Paradise of Blood: The Creek War of 1813-1814. My father always said that we were part Cherokee Indian, but as he sometimes had a not-quite-accurate view of the past, I always doubted this claim. I was pleasantly surprised several years ago when I was researching my genealogy that I am actually part Creek Indian. My dad was (almost) right this time! Another of my 5th-great grandmothers was Creek and her brother fought in the Creek War. Junie, how neat that you were able to trace your ancestors to the mayflower. Love how you are incorporating the Brit Trip and Agatha into your 10 x 10 challenge. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 2019 Book List: 1. Isak Dinesen, Anecdotes of Destiny 2. Philip Lawler, The Smoke of Satan 3. George Peele, King Edward the First 4. Owen Wister, The Virginian 5. Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People 6. James Hadley Chase, No Orchids for Miss Blandish7. Christoper Marlowe, Edward II8. E. E. Cummings, 50 Poems 9, Bertolt Brecht, Edward II 10. William Gresham, Nightmare Alley 11. (various Anonymous), The Wanderer: Elegies, Epics, Riddles 12. Sir Walter Scott, Guy Mannering 13. Thomas Szasz, The Age of Madness 14. (Anonymous), Edward III 15. Nikolai Gogol, Diary of a Madman and Other Stories 16. Henry James, Watch and Ward 17. Edwin Brock, [from Penguin Modern Poets 8] 18. Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters 19. Larry McMurtry, In a Narrow Grave 20. Henry James, In the Cage and Other Tales 21. Edward Anderson, Thieves Like Us 22. James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner 23. Emma Tennant, The Bad Sister 24. Kenneth Fearing, The Big Clock25. Gérard de Nerval, Selected Poems 26. Elaine Dundy, The Old Man and Me 27. S. T. Bindoff, Tudor England 28. Honoré de Balzac, Cousin Bette29. St. John of the Cross, Poems 30. Anthony Trollope, Is He Popenjoy? 31. Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels32. T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets33. Dante Alighieri, Purgatorio 34. Plautus, Amphitryo 35. William James, Psychology: Briefer Course 36. Evelyn Waugh, Decline and Fall 37. Cornell Woolrich, I Married a Dead Man 38. Willam Bligh, The Mutiny On Board H.M.S. Bounty 39. Miguel de Cervantes, Exemplary Stories 40. André Gide, The Vatican Cellars 41. Nathanael West, Miss Lonelyhearts 42. Charles Edwards, Up To My Armpits: Adventures of a West Texas Veterinarian 43. Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot 44. Théophile Gautier, Charles Baudelaire45. (Anonymous; Seamus Heaney, trans.), Beowulf 46. Perry Miller, ed., The American Puritans 47. Terence, Phormio 48. Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent 49. William Perry, ed., 21 Texas Short Stories 50. Arthur Symons, The Art of Aubrey Beardsley 51. Oscar Wilde, Salomé 52. Arthur Symons, The Symbolist Movement in Literature 53. L. P. Hartley, The Go-Between 54. Ben Jonson, Volpone 55. Sophocles, Philoctetes 56. David Lindsay, A Voyage to Arcturus 57. Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely58. (Anonymous; Ciaran Carson, trans.), The Táin 59. St. Francis & St. Clare, The Complete Works 60. Thomas de Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater 61. William M. Thackeray, Vanity Fair 62. Robert Louis Stevenson, The Dynamiter 63. John Updike, Rabbit, Run 64. Guillaume Apollinaire, Selected Writings 65. Thomas Tryon, The Other 66. E. T. A. Hoffmann, The Golden Pot and Other Tales 67. Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights 68. Hugh MacDiarmid, Anthology: Poems in Scots and English 69. Gilbert Seldes, The Stammering Century 70. Edgar Allan Poe, The Unknown Poe 71. Molière, Tartuffe Bold indicates my sole completed 10x10 category, Dramatic, Lyric, & Epic: Poetry of all kinds. 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Currently free for Kindle readers ~ Fatal Boarding by E.R. Mason Regards, Kareni 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, Robin M said: (Not included above, as I refused to put them on my list: André Norton, Shadow Hawk Eloise McGraw, Mara, Daughter of the Nile (a) Where did your armchair travels take you? (b) Which books stood out, made an impression and/or stayed with you the longest? (c) What did you learn from them? (a) Through much of Europe, though I'm still working through The Brexit Deal 10x10. (b &c) The most valuable book was Arthur Symons' The Symbolist Movement in Literature. I'd been dimly aware of the existence of the Symbolist poets, with only a vague idea of what "Symbolism" meant (and, to be fair, it's a kind of catch-all term), and enjoying the Decadents, and a little afraid of the Surrealists. But Symons put together the pieces of the various movements for me, gave me a firmer idea of what he meant by Symbollism, and I now have a useful mental "family tree" of those (mostly French, some English) poets, writers, and artists. I was most startled to realize the American Edgar Allan Poe was the grandfather sitting at the top of it. As Poe would have been.Which book had the most original, most unique story? That would be the Táin Bó Cúailnge, Ireland's national epic. The Wikipedia description doesn't do justice to the experience of reading the thing. Points also to James Hogg's classic Scottish novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, and even more to its hallucinatory Scottish feminist reworking, Emma Tennant's The Bad Sister. (a) Which book made you laugh? (b) Which one made you cry? (a) Vanity Fair is one of the funniest books in the English canon. Oh how I love Becky Sharp. (b) I don't cry for books, but some of the Anglo-Saxon poetry was awfully touching.Which book did you like the least and why? Mara, Daughter of the Nile. Let me count the ways. How about how Mara falls in love with the roguish Sheftu only when he roughs her up a little? More than once, too. How about the part where she realizes that Sheftu loves her when he threatens to kill a palace guard she flirts with as part of her spy mission? Violent jealousy is a sure guide to true love, gals. And the whipping scene is more than a little disturbing. Also you could make a drinking game of how many times you're reminded that she has blue eyes. Sometimes a couple times a page. Honorable Mention to Henry James for his unfortunate first novel, Watch and Ward. In later life, James left it off the list of his novels and pretended it had never happened.Which new to you authors did you discover and would you read another book by this author? Best New to Me writers: Kenneth Fearing, a poet turned noir writer; William Gresham, first husband of C.S. Lewis's wife and a writer I'd rather read than Lewis; also Cornell Woolrich and Edward Anderson. Hmm, all crime/noir.How’d the 10 x 10 categories work out? 9 out of 10 are in progress, and will be continued into the new year. Liking all my categories, but especially "Plucked From the Air," which is books randomly chosen from our collection by Middle Girl via the Atmospheric Random Number Generator. It's given me the push I need to get through the Dusties. Please share your book lists, stats for the year, favorite quotes, and/or favorite book covers. Forthcoming, hopefully. Edited December 23, 2019 by Violet Crown 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 At the risk of over-posting ... This week I finished, forever, Mara, Daughter of the Nile. Also a collection of Edgar Allan Poe's "fugitive" writings, titled The Unknown Poe, which included homages to Poe from his weirdly obsessive French Symbolist and Decadent and Surrealist admirers. And Molière's Tartuffe. 10x10 categories Literary Duress (thank you Junie), Enfants de Baudelaire, and Plucked From the Air, respectively. Currently reading Søren Kierkegaard's Either/Or (both Plucked From the Air and A is for Amy) and William James's What Maisie Knew (A is for Amy). 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 @tuesdayschild Glad the move went well! Good job on Daniel Silva.....I decided to do Gabriel Allon and still need A and I. I am also hoping to read the second in the series An English Assassin before year end for the A. @Junie Great categories for you 10x10. @Negin I love the pictures. Cannot imagine the time it must take to water those flower pots! @Violet Crown Wonderful list! I am totally impressed. Great reading summary also. So I have two squares remaining for Bingo and am trying to finish To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf for the Modern Literature category. It’s a odd book for me as I relate to main character which should mean I like the book......this is the first and probably last time I read a book by Virginia Woolf. I also have the Road Trip category and have been saving How the Heather Looks. It’s a Literary trip around England featuring children’s authors but back in the 50’s. I spend a lot of time wondering if this building or that still remains. I still have one Asian Detective book for my 10 by 10 left and have decided to try Colin Cotterill’s other series so Killed at the Whim of a Hat is on my Kindle. A few pages have been read but no option yet. I am listening to my last Nordic Noir.......The Fire Dance by Helene Tursten. It is really good so far, set in Sweden. I have been reading Faith Hunter’s Have Stakes Will Travel when I just have a couple of minutes to read and have to say the short stories featuring Molly and Evan at the start of their friendship with Jane Yellowrock have been great. I am glad I am reading this. I also listened to Pygmalion last week both to use for my Bingo and as preparation for a cozy mystery series starring Eliza and Henry that I want to try. I read a few pages and decided that I needed a bit of a review! Smilla’s Sense of Snow is finished. Parts of it were fascinating but the character was very hard to relate to. I read it in smallish chunks. I also listened to The Caller by Karin Fossum for Norway which I really enjoyed. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Thank you! And happy all those holidays and more! the four books with the most impact for me in 2019 were Atomic Habits and Happiness is a Choice and Autoimmune Fix and Matthew Walker book on sleep — all non fiction. Also several good child and teen related books nonfiction were important this year and ongoing. I also read some other nonfiction books books that were very good, but on more somber or controversial subjects. I’ve most enjoyed my fiction however! And particularly the detective type genre. And so have loved this thread! Thanks Robin! (Also thanks to others for suggestions, lists, reviews and photos!) Some of My most recent fiction books listened to have included Heart of Barkness by Spencer Quinn a Chet (dog) and Bernie (human) mystery —most of the books in which series including this one I have found funny along with having The Who dun-it part to enjoy. I also listened to every Bo Tully mystery I could find on audio. I find them funny too. I also have recently been reading some Faye Kellerman Decker / Lazarus books out of order which I think I wandered into from the Rabbi David Small series books. I had come to the Kellerman books before, but seem at a life stage to better enjoy them now. Plus my religious education via Rabbi Small character possibly helped. I’m especially liking the home part of the story dealing with teen kids, as I deal with teens in my own irl world. I also liked this aspect of Guido Brunetti books. I very much enjoyed many.. books with Inspector Gamache Jimmy Perez as detectives Though not sure I learned about them here. Also Rhys Bowen books with Evan Evans as detective, are a mix of funny and serious that I like and I finished that series in 2019, I think. Liked it enough to write to author and try to encourage her to continue them, but I guess other series and characters have been more calling to her (or more profitable.? One author I never heard of before at all though, but for this thread, Daniel Silva, I greatly enjoyed and am now on my third book of the Gabriel Allon series!!! I expect I’ll listen to all I can get as audio. A favorite detective series of mine not mentioned here afaik is Chief of Police Bruno. There’s apparently a new one available on audio, but I’m waiting as I like to have a couple of books to look forward to, similarly am waiting on the newest Louise Penny mentioned here, and have 2 Mrs Pollifax in reserve in case of need (like having a bit of chocolate for just in case). Putting together the rest of the Allon series to go and these other reserved books in waiting, This is probably the biggest group of books to look forward to that I’ve had in a long time!!! From Kareni post on cozies with dogs, I think it was, I read some Susan Conant dog mysteries which was pretty funny. not dog related but pretty cozy read some Cleo Coyle bookshop ghost mysteries which were also fairly amusing! Also possibly not even mentioned on here several Cleo Coyle coffee shop mysteries, though I tired of that series part way through available audiobooks. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 (edited) 19 minutes ago, mumto2 said: .this is the first and probably last time I read a book by Virginia Woolf. I have never successfully finished a book by Woolf. To the Lighthouse got literally thrown across the room. Are you sure there's not some other modern literature you'd rather read? Edited December 23, 2019 by Violet Crown 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 9 minutes ago, Violet Crown said: I have never successfully finished a book by Woolf. To the Lighthouse got literally thrown across the room. Are you sure there's not some other modern literature you'd rather read? I am certain there probably is something I would rather read, I am 50% done which is a plus considering I seem to be taking these challenges down to the last. I will admit I could care less it that kid ever gets to the lighthouse. Any ideas.......something short and available. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, mumto2 said: Any ideas.......something short and available. How about A Room of One's Own? It's non-fiction; I don't recall it being too onerous a read. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 8 minutes ago, mumto2 said: I am certain there probably is something I would rather read, I am 50% done which is a plus considering I seem to be taking these challenges down to the last. I will admit I could care less it that kid ever gets to the lighthouse. Any ideas.......something short and available. Literary, 20th century, available, short/readable, eh? John Updike, Graham Greene, Eudora Welty, Kingsley Amis, Evelyn Waugh, Muriel Spark, Ernest Hemingway come to mind. For really short, maybe some modern drama? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 10 minutes ago, mumto2 said: I am certain there probably is something I would rather read, I am 50% done which is a plus considering I seem to be taking these challenges down to the last. I will admit I could care less it that kid ever gets to the lighthouse. Any ideas.......something short and available. This is for the "Modern" square? I know that, narrowly defined, "Modern Literature" is well, old now (so, no longer modern 😉 ). The square just said "Modern", so I got a bit more expansive with my definition. I used Milkman, which is newly released, so modern in that sense, but also stream of consciousness, which is at least in the "Modern literature" wheelhouse... the audio of that book is great, btw... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 15 minutes ago, Matryoshka said: This is for the "Modern" square? I know that, narrowly defined, "Modern Literature" is well, old now (so, no longer modern 😉 ). The square just said "Modern", so I got a bit more expansive with my definition. I used Milkman, which is newly released, so modern in that sense, but also stream of consciousness, which is at least in the "Modern literature" wheelhouse... the audio of that book is great, btw... The Milkman was good and is already sitting on my Bingo Card as Bildungsroman. I decided coming of age in 1970’s Northern Ireland worked there, honestly never thought of modern. 19 minutes ago, Violet Crown said: Literary, 20th century, available, short/readable, eh? John Updike, Graham Greene, Eudora Welty, Kingsley Amis, Evelyn Waugh, Muriel Spark, Ernest Hemingway come to mind. For really short, maybe some modern drama? The winner is Graham Greene’s The Third Man on audio. Cannot find it in book form but at 3 hours long I am pretty confident I can find time. 29 minutes ago, Kareni said: How about A Room of One's Own? It's non-fiction; I don't recall it being too onerous a read. Regards, Kareni I think I ended up with To the Lighthouse because there were waiting lists for A Room of One’s Own. 😉 Thank you everybody. I had been dreading today’s 10 or so pages........ The Third Man looks enjoyable and I am pretty sure I have seen the movie but don’t remember it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 7 minutes ago, mumto2 said: Graham Greene’s The Third Man Excellent choice! And watch the movie if you can. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 @Pen Have you tried the Laurien Berenson series with Poodles? One of my favorites. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48058.A_Pedigree_to_Die_For?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=pejgucTMMy&rank=1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, Robin M said: Where did your armchair travels take you? Which books stood out, made an impression and/or stayed with you the longest? What did you learn from them? I have done a fair bit of armchair traveling this year. It's going to take me a while to map it all out... Which book made you laugh? Which one made you cry? Cary Elwes' As You Wish was a really fun read about the making of the movie The Princess Bride. I also really enjoyed Trevor Noah's Born a Crime. So, so funny. Because the language was really rough -- more than I wanted my children exposed to -- I also bought the young reader's edition, It's Trevor Noah, but I haven't read it yet. The Hunchback of Notre Dame made me cry, but I think it was mostly because I had just started reading it a few days before the fire broke out. I'm so glad the cathedral was not completely destroyed. Sharon Creech's Newbery winner Walk Two Moons made me cry, but virtually any children's book dealing with loss makes me cry. Which book did you like the least and why? I really didn't like Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. I place it in the same vein as two books I read in 2018 -- Kate Chopin's The Awakening and E.M. Forster's A Room with a View. I guess they remind me a lot of teenage angst in grown women who should know better. I also didn't like Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground or Crane's The Red Badge of Courage. I actually went into these thinking that they wouldn't be enjoyable. I just thought it was only fair to give them a shot before declaring that I don't like them. :) They were both short enough that I decided to finish them instead of bailing. Which new to you authors did you discover and would you read another book by this author? A new-to-me author was Alan Paton -- Cry, the Beloved Country. It was a well-written book and I would be interested in reading more. Did you try any of the main or mini challenges? If so, which Bingo category did you like the most and the least and what did you read? Which authors and/or detectives would you like to continue exploring from Whodunit Bookology? How’d the 10 x 10 categories work out?I didn't try any challenges this year, but I am planning a few for next year. Edited December 23, 2019 by Junie 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 2019 book list: Wuthering Heights Notes from the Underground Kennedy’s Last Days Speak: the Graphic Novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Speak Love Anne Bradstreet The Princess Diaries The Red Badge of Courage How Bible Stories Work The Man in the Iron Mask Emma A Doll’s House And Then There Were None Cry, the Beloved Country Home – Julie Andrews Frankenstein Born a Crime Dead Man’s Mirror – Agatha Christie The Fairy Ring Moby Dick (audio) The Witness for the Prosecution The Hunchback of Notre Dame As You Wish Moonlight Becomes You The Song of Roland Fruits of Diversity Cyrano de Bergerac Mary Shelley: The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein’s Creator Poirot Investigates Oliver Twist Passionate Parenting The Collected Works of Guy deMaupassant The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym – Poe Sense and Sensibility Inferno The Scarlet Letter The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Great Expectations Just Friends children's books (mostly pre-reading) Tenney Tenney in the Key of Friendship Tenney Shares the Stage Tenney: A Song for the Season Luciana The Little Gymnast Cul-de-sac Kids: Tree House Trouble Chineasy for Children Ruby Slippers School: Adventure in the Caribbean Ruby Slippers School: The Belgium Book Mystery Ruby Slippers School: Escape from Egypt Ruby Slippers School: The British Bear Caper Ruby Slippers School: Journey to Japan Ruby Slippers School: New Zealand Shake-up Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion Trixie Belden: The Red Trailer Mystery Trixie Belden: The Mystery of the Emeralds The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Carlos Gets the Sneezes The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Sink or Swim The Story of the World Volume 3 Nancy Drew Notebooks: Slumber Party Secret Nancy Drew Notebooks: The Lost Locket America in the 1960s America in the 1970s Isabel: Taking Wing The Hundred Dresses Brown Girl Dreaming The Egypt Game Walk Two Moons Story of the World Volume 4 La Gallanita Roja (in Spanish) Guacamole (in Spanish) Tea with Milk Blaire 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 16 minutes ago, mumto2 said: @Pen Have you tried the Laurien Berenson series with Poodles? One of my favorites. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48058.A_Pedigree_to_Die_For?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=pejgucTMMy&rank=1 Nope! I Will give it a try! Thanks! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 (edited) My favorite books from this year: Edited December 23, 2019 by Junie 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Today only, free for Kindle readers ~ Bleak House by Charles Dickens, Also free, this short historical romance which I read a couple of years ago and recommend. There are reviews here and here. Let it Shine by Alyssa Cole "Sofronia Wallis knows that proper Black women don’t court trouble by upending the status quo, but it’s 1961 and the Civil Rights movement is in full swing. Sofie’s spent half her life being prim, proper, and reserved—as if that could bring her mother back—but the nonviolent protests happening across the South bring out her inner agitator.Ivan Friedman has devoted his life to boxing, loving the finesse of a well-delivered punch and the penance of receiving one. His family escaped from Europe before the horrors of WWII, and Ivan decides to help fight injustice in their new country, even if it goes against all his instincts as a fighter.When Ivan and Sofie meet, they realize that their pasts are intertwined and—with the sparks that fly between them—perhaps their futures will be too. With everything in their society lined up against them, will Sofie and Ivan be able to beat the odds? Or will their chance at love be destroyed by the tumultuous times they live in?" Regards, Kareni 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 @Negin Thank you, darlin. Wishing you sweet goodness and happiness as well. Oh my goodness, all those flowers and plants are beautiful. Love the quotes from Delights of the Heart. I haven't read The Fire Story and don't know if I can. One of those too close to the heart deals. The fires here have been horrible the past couple years. We know quite a few people who lost everything. One friend who lives in Paradise barely escaped with just the clothes he was wearing. Oh man, those covers. Makes me want to read every one of them. 😘 @Kareni Really appreciate all the links! Keep adding to my virtual stacks. Just added Let It Shine, which led to another freebie Sins of the Angels by Lydia Hawke. @tuesdayschild Thank you and hugs, my dear. Glad everything went smoothly for you. Enjoy decorating your new home. Awesome job on the bookology challenge. Lots of fun and interesting books. Which reminds me, @Lady Florida. Please pm your new address. @Violet Crown You have an amazing book list. I can just imagine the conversations you and the girls have. I'll have to share it with my father in law to see which one's he has read. I know he loved Vanity Fair. He's been encouraging me to read it as well as anything by Trollope. Love that MG used the random generator for you to read dusty books 'plucked from the air.' I may have to try that. @mumto2 I had to read To the Lighthouse for a literature class some years ago and though it was a slog, learned to enjoy stream of consciousness stories. Sartre's Nausea was so much worse, it made Wolfe an enjoyable read. I was going to recommend Old Man and the Sea which is a short read. Graham Green's The Third Man is a much better option. Enjoy! @Pen Yeah for detective books. 🙂 Happy to hear you are enjoying the Faye Kellerman. Hubby picked up her Street Dreams and three of her husband's books for me at a garage sell and I haven't had a chance to read them yet. I'll have to move it up in my stacks. Added Heart of Barkness to my wish list. I love Cleo Coyle's Coffeeshop Mysteries. Recently got #18 Brewed Awakening. @Junie What an awesome list of reads and really good books you preread for the kids as well. It's been ages since I read Trixie Belden or Nancy Drew. I never heard of the Ruby Slippers School series. I have yet to read Cry, The Beloved Country and have been meaning to. Added it and Trevor Noah's book to my wish list. Loves the covers, so enticing. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Robin M said: @Junie What an awesome list of reads and really good books you preread for the kids as well. It's been ages since I read Trixie Belden or Nancy Drew. I never heard of the Ruby Slippers School series. I have yet to read Cry, The Beloved Country and have been meaning to. Added it and Trevor Noah's book to my wish list. Loves the covers, so enticing. The Ruby Slippers School series (I think we read the whole set) is a Christian family that travels to other countries -- something related to their dad's jobs. The two sisters are homeschooled, so they are able to travel with their Mom and Dad. It really isn't my favorite series, but my little girls seem to like the books well enough. Cry, The Beloved Country reminds me a lot of Pearl Buck's The Good Earth. I thought that Trevor Noah's book was a really good addition to it because they are both set in South Africa. I learned far more about Apartheid from these two books than I ever did in a history class. Edited to add: I should look into reading something by Nelson Mandela. If anyone has a good recommendation, please let me know! Edited December 23, 2019 by Junie 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Robin M said: @Pen Yeah for detective books. 🙂 Happy to hear you are enjoying the Faye Kellerman. Hubby picked up her Street Dreams and three of her husband's books for me at a garage sell and I haven't had a chance to read them yet. I'll have to move it up in my stacks. Added Heart of Barkness to my wish list. I love Cleo Coyle's Coffeeshop Mysteries. Recently got #18 Brewed Awakening. If you haven’t already read an earlier Chet and Bernie series book, I suggest starting earlier in series. The number 1 book- can’t recall title, or maybe The Sound and the Furry which I think was my first. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Robin M said: Kareni Really appreciate all the links! Keep adding to my virtual stacks. Just added Let It Shine, which led to another freebie Sins of the Angels by Lydia Hawke. You are welcome, Robin. And thank you for the link to the free book. Here's another free book I just encountered ~ Beard Science (Winston Brothers Book 3) by Penny Reid Also, the first two books in a mystery series that I enjoyed are currently free ~ Ice Blue (Lord and Lady Hetheridge Mystery Series Book 1) by Emma Jameson Blue Murder (Lord and Lady Hetheridge Mystery Series Book 2) by Emma Jameson Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Junie said: Cry, The Beloved Country reminds me a lot of Pearl Buck's The Good Earth. I thought that Trevor Noah's book was a really good addition to it because they are both set in South Africa. I learned far more about Apartheid from these two books than I ever did in a history class. Edited to add: I should look into reading something by Nelson Mandela. If anyone has a good recommendation, please let me know! I read (well, listened to) Nelson Mandela's autobiography a couple years ago, the same year I also listened to Trevor Noah's book. I'd recommend it -very good. I just finished Disgrace, set in post-apartheid SA, this afternoon. I think it's the first one I've read set there since the other two. I have yet to read Cry, the Beloved Country, which I should remedy... Edited December 24, 2019 by Matryoshka 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 9 hours ago, Robin M said: @Negin Thank you, darlin. Wishing you sweet goodness and happiness as well. Oh my goodness, all those flowers and plants are beautiful. Love the quotes from Delights of the Heart. I haven't read The Fire Story and don't know if I can. One of those too close to the heart deals. The fires here have been horrible the past couple years. We know quite a few people who lost everything. One friend who lives in Paradise barely escaped with just the clothes he was wearing. Robin, I understand about not being able to read "A Fire Story". Losing everything and going through anything like that is so painful. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate. I really should be getting ready for tonight's festivities, so I have skimmed the thread and will come back later with some of my own wrap-up data. My 10x10 did not fare well. I thought about ditching it instead of carrying it over, but now I think I will continue. I'll probably flip-flop that decision a few times between now and the beginning of 2020. I did more traveling this week. I had a drizzly weekday alone in DC and three crazy-fun days in NYC with my family. For now, I will just share my photos from the day in Washington. I do want to share some more photos from both New York and Denmark, but I have to clear out my attachments first. First photo: The big Christmas tree in Union Station. If you look closely, you will see that its decorations include Norwegian flags. The tree is a gift from Norway to the USA. Second: A model of the Capitol building in the Botanical Gardens Third: The Rotunda at the National Gallery of Art Surprisingly, I practically had the Botanical Gardens and the art museum to myself. I can only imagine how crowded they will be next week! 7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 (edited) I will be back for the wrap up, but in case anyone hasn't read the All Souls Trilogy, it's $1.99 for all three books on kindle today as a holiday gift from the author. Edited December 24, 2019 by melmichigan 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 24, 2019 Author Share Posted December 24, 2019 @Penguin Gorgeous pictures. The Christmas tree is beautiful and I didn't know Norway had been gifting a tree every year since 1997. @melmichigan Perfect, thank you so much. I didn't have the 2nd and 3rd book in the series. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Kindle book on sale. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Book that left an imprint: The Great Alone I work in a field where I deal with people who come from various traumatic backgrounds and yet it still shook me, provided a unique view to the "inside" of such a situation, the pain and the hope until there is no more hope. Book I liked the least: Out on the Great Blue I thought I would like it because I love stories about the ocean and the fishing industry but these (or the few I read, didn't finish the book) were so slow and the "fishing" part seems to have been an afterthought. I think I may pick it up again and give it another try. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Recently I finished Sapphire Flames: A Hidden Legacy Novel by Ilona Andrews. I think that this book would be difficult to understand if you have not read the authors' earlier books in the series. While I enjoyed the book, it definitely leaves me feeling that the story is not complete. I'll read on, but I doubt this is a series I'll reread. "From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power, and family bloodlines are the new currency of society… In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery. But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame. To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart. " Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 46 minutes ago, Kareni said: Recently I finished Sapphire Flames: A Hidden Legacy Novel by Ilona Andrews. I think that this book would be difficult to understand if you have not read the authors' earlier books in the series. While I enjoyed the book, it definitely leaves me feeling that the story is not complete. I'll read on, but I doubt this is a series I'll reread. "From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power, and family bloodlines are the new currency of society… In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery. But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame. To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart. " Regards, Kareni I recently reread the series leading up to this book and far prefer the older sister as a main character. I have probably done my only reread for this series. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 25, 2019 Author Share Posted December 25, 2019 1 hour ago, Kareni said: Recently I finished Sapphire Flames: A Hidden Legacy Novel by Ilona Andrews. I think that this book would be difficult to understand if you have not read the authors' earlier books in the series. While I enjoyed the book, it definitely leaves me feeling that the story is not complete. I'll read on, but I doubt this is a series I'll reread. 28 minutes ago, mumto2 said: I recently reread the series leading up to this book and far prefer the older sister as a main character. I have probably done my only reread for this series I recently read Diamond Fire: A Hidden Legacy novella which I think is set before Sapphire Flames. It was pretty good, but I still like Nevada so much better. I finished Silence by Michelle Sagara, a YA paranormal story which was pretty good and heartbreaking in some ways as the main character is grieving the death of her boyfriend as well as her father and suddenly has to deal with seeing the dead. "It began in the graveyard… Ever since her boyfriend Nathan had died in a tragic accident, Emma had been coming to the graveyard at night. During the day she went through the motions at her prep school, in class, with her friends, but that’s all it was. For Emma, life had stopped with Nathan’s death. But tonight was different. Tonight Emma and her dog were not alone in the cemetery. There were two others there—Eric, who had just started at her school, and an ancient woman who looked as though she were made of rags. And when they saw Emma there, the old woman reached out to her with a grip as chilling as death.... Emma was not quite like other girls. It was true that other girls had experienced grief. Other girls had also lost their fathers, or had their boyfriends die in senseless accidents. But though she hadn’t known it till that night in the graveyard, unlike those other girls, she could see, touch, and speak with the dead...." 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teaching3bears Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 I read only 16 books in 2019 (not including homeschooling). I had read 35 in 2018. Life got in the way last year. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (made me cry) was my absolute favorite followed by The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden were two books that really stuck with me but in a disturbing way. I felt bad for the characters who had a sealed fate but seemed to accept their lives because they had no choice. None of the books really made me laugh a lot but The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel were unique, each in its own way and are worth mentioning. I read DH Lawrence for the first time and would read him again because he writes really well. I did not do any challenges but tried to read a mix of best sellers, classics and current books. I will try the same thing next year. I ended up being low this year in classics. Here are the books I read: 1. Never Let Me Go. By Kazuo Ishiguro 2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 3. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 4. The Europeans. By Henry James 5. The Healing: One Woman's Journey from Poverty to Inner Riches. By Saeeda Hafiz 6.The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 7. Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin 8. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 9. I'm Supposed to Protect You from All This by Nadja Spiegelman 10. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 11. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 12. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 13. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb 14. The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel 15. Talking to Strangers by Makcolm Gladwell 16. Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 1 hour ago, Teaching3bears said: I read DH Lawrence for the first time and would read him again because he writes really well. I should read more Lawrence, too. Send up a flare if there's one you're considering? Back from Christmas services, stockings emptied, presents opened and being enjoyed, potato soup and tamales warming ... time to enter the new books into LibraryThing and plan upcoming reads. Wee Girl got a selection of Puffin Abridged Dickens and a set of corresponding (more or less) BBC Dickens DVDs, and we're all committing to family reading of Dickens novels and then watching the BBC version. Also dh got me a NYRB book-of-the-month subscription. He is currently holed up on the bedroom, gazing at his new Compton-Burnett novels of dysfunctional English family life. Middle Girl read us Martial from her new book of Roman Satire until we made her quit. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 (edited) Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! Many of you are probably with your families today, at least those in North America. Those on other continents might be relaxing at the end of a busy day. I have all day to relax because we celebrated yesterday. When you have a first responder in the family you adjust your schedule as needed. Jason (dss) is working today so we did Christmas with extended family on Christmas Eve day. We did save a few gifts for the three of us to open this morning but for the most part we're just hanging around the house today. That's the reason I have some time to post today - I decided to come up for air. For the first two weeks of December we had workers here doing fix-ups we couldn't do ourselves or didn't have time to learn. We've spent most of our time making runs to the thrift shop or the dump. listing things on facebook marketplace, and packing stuff we won't need for the next few months. We have a POD storage unit in our driveway but have yet to fill it. Also, with Bill home all month I spend less time on the computer than when he's working. I'm going to have to find him a hobby for when he retires lol. I managed to finish one book on my Kindle - The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende. I liked it but reading it was kind of exhausting. The words just kept tumbling onto the pages. If you've read any Gabriel Marcia Marquez you'll know what I mean. There were few stopping points, even the chapters ran into one another. Still, I liked it quite a bit. On audio I finished a few more Agatha Raisin books. They're easy to listen to while I'm going through stuff to decide if we're keeping it or while painting baseboards, which has been my job lately. Currently reading: The Tiger's Wife - this was my choice for book club and our next meeting is Jan. 7th. So far I like it.King Leopold's GhostOh, Florida! - I think this one was mentioned here quite a few weeks ago, possibly by @Negin Current audio books are a biography of Ulysses S Grant by Ron Chernow and a true crime called Death in the City of Light. I have the next Agatha Raisin on hold. Last year I was scrambling to meet my goal of 100 books so this year I lowered it to 75. When I saw that I'd meet it by early fall I upped it to 90. I'm at 94 currently and might finish one or two more by the end of the year. I won't make 100 though. On 12/22/2019 at 4:16 PM, tuesdayschild said: Thank you Robin for faithfully creating a wonderful thread for us each week. You're an amazing lady. I will endeavour to come back at some point and share favourite books: just trying to regroup after a herculean moving home run - feeling for @Lady Florida. - and shifting 22 years of 'life' in a few days. It went as well as moving can, seriously thanking God. Taking a wee breather before we gear up to continue working on our partially completed home ( no need to respond to any of that, just giving an update as @mumto2 suggested one 🙂 a few threads back... I did get to listen to quite a few audio books so that was good!! I was thinking of you as I work on our planned move. Glad it went well hope the next phase goes well too. I agree about getting through a lot of audio books! On 12/23/2019 at 6:26 PM, Robin M said: Which reminds me, @Lady Florida. Please pm your new address. I will when the time comes. I'm not sure what the actual address is yet, just lot 5B for now. 😂 My address in the BaW list is still the right one, and will be for at least 2 more months. ETA: We signed a contract a few weeks ago and had our design meeting last week. So we do actually have a house being built, not just a plan for one. On 12/22/2019 at 9:35 PM, Violet Crown said: I have never successfully finished a book by Woolf. To the Lighthouse got literally thrown across the room. The only one I finished was Mrs. Dalloway and though I wasn't impressed I wanted to try more. I just couldn't get through any others so I gave up. I tried To the Lighthouse, Orlando, and A Room of One's Own. I couldn't finish any of them. Edited December 25, 2019 by Lady Florida. Because I keep finding mistakes to fix 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! Our packages have been opened, cinnamon rolls consumed, and we are off enjoying the sun poolside for a few hours! I plan to cook later, more like warming an easy feast! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 25, 2019 Author Share Posted December 25, 2019 Merry Christmas! ~Cheers~ 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 Currently free for Kindle readers ~ These are from an award winning author well known for her science fiction and fantasy; these are Civil war fiction/westerns. Ride Proud, Rebel! (The Drew Rennie Series Book 1) by Andre Norton, Rebel Spurs (The Drew Rennie Series Book 2) by Andre Norton Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 25, 2019 Author Share Posted December 25, 2019 (edited) 23 hours ago, Liz CA said: Book that left an imprint: The Great Alone I work in a field where I deal with people who come from various traumatic backgrounds and yet it still shook me, provided a unique view to the "inside" of such a situation, the pain and the hope until there is no more hope Is that Kristin Hannah's book. I love her writing! 4 hours ago, Teaching3bears said: I read only 16 books in 2019 (not including homeschooling). I had read 35 in 2018. Life got in the way last year. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (made me cry) was my absolute favorite followed by The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden were two books that really stuck with me but in a disturbing way. I felt bad for the characters who had a sealed fate but seemed to accept their lives because they had no choice. None of the books really made me laugh a lot but The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel were unique, each in its own way and are worth mentioning. I read DH Lawrence for the first time and would read him again because he writes really well. I did not do any challenges but tried to read a mix of best sellers, classics and current books. I will try the same thing next year. I ended up being low this year in classics. Here are the books I read: 1. Never Let Me Go. By Kazuo Ishiguro 2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 3. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 4. The Europeans. By Henry James 5. The Healing: One Woman's Journey from Poverty to Inner Riches. By Saeeda Hafiz 6.The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 7. Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin 8. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 9. I'm Supposed to Protect You from All This by Nadja Spiegelman 10. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 11. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 12. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 13. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb 14. The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel 15. Talking to Strangers by Makcolm Gladwell 16. Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence I loved The Poisonwood Bible and I have to agree, The Girl on the Train was a unique story. Hope 2020 is less hectic and more peaceful. 2 hours ago, Violet Crown said: Back from Christmas services, stockings emptied, presents opened and being enjoyed, potato soup and tamales warming ... time to enter the new books into LibraryThing and plan upcoming reads. Wee Girl got a selection of Puffin Abridged Dickens and a set of corresponding (more or less) BBC Dickens DVDs, and we're all committing to family reading of Dickens novels and then watching the BBC version. Also dh got me a NYRB book-of-the-month subscription. He is currently holed up on the bedroom, gazing at his new Compton-Burnett novels of dysfunctional English family life. Middle Girl read us Martial from her new book of Roman Satire until we made her quit. Love that your entire family has committed to reading Dickens. 1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said: ETA: We signed a contract a few weeks ago and had our design meeting last week. So we do actually have a house being built, not just a plan for one. How wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the design process during our business building project. So much fun seeing ideas come to life. Edited December 25, 2019 by Robin M 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 (edited) Oh, one of my Christmas gifts from Jason, Sarah, and the grandkids was Hamilton: The Revolution in hardcover! I'm 99% sure this was ddil Sarah's idea. She knows me. Edited December 25, 2019 by Lady Florida. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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