Book a Week 2020 - BW4: Wind was on the Withered Heath

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday! Happy Australia Day to all our friends in Australia.

  "They sat long at the table with their wooden drinking bowls filled with mead. The dark night came on outside. The fires in the middle of the hall were built with fresh logs and the torches were put out, and still they sat in the light of the dancing flames with the pillars of the house standing tall behind them, and dark at the top like trees in the forest.  Whether it was magic or not, it seemed to Bilbo that he heard a sound like wind in the branches stirring in the rafters, and the hoot of owls.  Soon he began to nod with sleep and the voices seemed to grow far away, until he woke with a start.

The great door had creaked and slammed. Beorn was gone. The dwarves were sitting cross legged on the floor round the fire, and presently they began to sing.  Some of the verses were like this, but there were many more, and their singing went on for a long while: 

The wind was on the withered heath,
but in the forest stirred no leaf:
there shadows lay by night and day,
and dark things silent crept beneath.

 The wind came down from mountains cold,
and like a tide it roared and rolled;
the branches groaned, the forest moaned,
and leaves were laid upon the mould.

 The wind went on from West to East;
all movement in the forest ceased,
but shrill and harsh across the marsh
its whistling voices were released.

 The grasses hissed, their tassels bent,
the reeds were rattling—on it went
o'er shaken pool under heavens cool
where racing clouds were torn and rent.

It passed the lonely Mountain bare
and swept above the dragon's lair:
there black and dark lay boulders stark
and flying smoke was in the air.

 It left the world and took its flight
over the wide seas of the night.
The moon set sail upon the gale
and stars were fanned to leaping light."

 

 Excerpt from The Hobbit – Chapter 7: Queer Lodgings

 What are you reading? 

 Link to Week three

 

Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges, as well as share your book reviews if you like.

[Robin M]

Good morning/afternoon!!!  Still involved with The Hobbit and currently on chapter six.  Was in the mood for Seanan McGuire and read the 13th book in her October Daye series - The Unkindest Tide.   October is placed in all kinds of jeopardy whether it's on purpose or inadvertently by the Luidaeg.  Action packed and emotional.  

[Loesje22000]

35 minutes ago, Robin M said:

Good morning/afternoon!!! 

Good evening 🙂

I finished Design your Life, Cloisterwalk and Gifts of imperfection this week. 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

This is amusing!
YOUR GUIDE TO NOT GETTING MURDERED IN A QUAINT ENGLISH VILLAGE by Maureen Johnson

https://crimereads.com/your-guide-to-not-getting-murdered-in-a-quaint-english-village/

Bathroom Reading: This 18th Century Toilet Was Disguised as a Book

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/612016/18th-century-toilet-disguised-as-book?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CYS - 012420&utm_term=Suppress_Disengage_BookRiot_CheckYourShelf

Celebrating Christopher Tolkien’s Cartographic Legacy

https://www.tor.com/2020/01/22/celebrating-christopher-tolkiens-cartographic-legacy/comment-page-1/#comment-849745

5 Books That Leave You With Hope for Humanity by M.K. England

https://www.tor.com/2020/01/20/5-books-that-leave-you-with-hope-for-humanity/comment-page-1/#comment-84974

THE BEST BOOKS OF 2019: TRADITIONAL MYSTERIES

https://crimereads.com/best-books-2019-traditional-mysteries/

5 Books About Finding Hope at the End of the World by Mike Chen

https://www.tor.com/2020/01/06/5-books-about-finding-hope-at-the-end-of-the-world/

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Good afternoon everyone!

Still reading The Hobbit and 1Q84 in rather tiny sips.  Once again I managed to check out way too many books in a fit of new reading challenge enthusiasm and have been busy reading/abandoning my way through my stack.  One huge surprise was Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40385273-dragon-bound.  I will admit @Kareni told me I would probably like this series but I wasn’t expecting to seriously want to continue reading the next book instantly....it wasn’t available fortunately. 😉 I would probably place this one in the paranormal romance section but have to say it has a unique type of paranormal character which was a fun surprise.  As soon as the next one appears  on my overdrive I will be reading it.  I also finished Ilona Andrews Magic Binds more because I plan to finish that series this year and it was checked out........urban fantasy.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28550026-magic-binds

I am almost done spelling Banana Yoshimoto so am concentrating on the spelling challenge this week.  Currently Moshi, Moshi https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33021339-moshi-moshi, A Conspiracy of Faith, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16180614-a-conspiracy-of-faith and One in a Million https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27796577-one-in-a-million are all in various stages of completion for for their letters!

 

 

[Lori D.]

@Robin M -- Love that you opened this week's BaW thread with that quotation from chapter 7! Tolkien's writing is absolutely lovely. And being a gifted philologist means that he knew the word origin and connotations of all the words he was using, which is why his word choice always feels so perfect. swoon.

Also -- did anyone mention this already? -- sad news: the passing of Tolkien's son Christopher, on Jan. 16 this year, at the age of 95. Christopher spent his adult life sorting through and publishing so much of his father's unfinished works and notes, so that we could further appreciate Tolkien's vision and mythic creation of Middle-earth. What a tribute and honor for a son to do for his father.

 

Thoughts on The Hobbit -- 3rd installment

CHAPTER 7 - “Queer Lodgings”

- I’m just noticing how the chapters tend to alternate between action and recovery. But even in the recovery chapters, there is the introduction of yet more new settings, new peoples, and new cultures. Tolkien really world-builds in The Hobbit!

- BTW, Tolkien was a gifted illustrator (as well as gifted author and gifted philologist). Check out this link to the Tolkien Gateway website with Tolkien’s own illustration of the interior of Beorn’s house, envisioned much like a Norse Viking long house.

- Here we meet Beorn, who has the physique of a hero, but who lives “mostly on cream and honey”. By the way: the name “Beorn” comes from an Old English word meaning “warrior or hero”, and the sound-alike name “Bjørn” comes from an Old Norse word meaning “bear” (a honey-eating animal) — most fitting for a hero-man who shape-shifts into a bear and subsists on cream and honey! 😉  -- Quick side note, Old English (Anglo Saxon) and Old Norse were just 2 of the 20 -- yes you read that right -- 20 languages that Tolkien knew (learned or created) during his life-time

- I love how Gandalf describes Beorn as being “under no enchantment but his own” — which allows Beorn’s character to be a completely new idea, but still have echoes from those great Russian fairytales where the heroine meets a great bear who turns out to be an enchanted prince. (Or anyone reminded of the recent fairy tale novel, The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden? 😄 ) And of course, that phrasing of Gandalf's makes it clear that Beorn is a completely "free agent" (not under some sorcerer's spell), and so if he befriends them, that is indeed an honor.

- Anybody else catch the repeat of Gandalf’s trick of introducing the troop of dwarfs slowly? 😂 With Beorn, it’s because he’s suspicious of strangers and doesn’t entertain hordes at a time. With Bilbo it was because he was non-adventurous. Apparently, just keep bringing them in 2 or 3 at a time, every few minutes, and the host doesn’t have time to think about what’s happening. 😉 

- Which leads to… the theme of hospitality again. Even though Beorn is naturally rather anti-social, you just don’t turn away the stranger in need at your door. He takes them in, provides meals and security for rest, and then really bends over backwards to equip them for their coming journey and even allows them to borrow his beloved ponies! If we had doubts about his character at first, his response to the concept of hospitality should more than place him in the "good guy" circle of characters, lol.

- And Tolkien’s love of language comes through, with a poem that’s all about the mood of the wind passing over a night time landscape in Middle-earth (Robin quoted it in her first post -- ah, lovely!)

 

CHAPTER 8 - “Flies and Spiders”

- Mirkwood (literally means "mirky" or "dark" forest) is the biggest, darkest, scariest woods of any fairytale ever; Tolkien's genius descriptions make Mirkwood so easy to visualize, and he builds suspense in multiple ways, so that the spider scene becomes so horrifying. (Hope nobody has arachnophobia -- or developed it since reading this chapter!)

- Ha-ha — an ironic flip side of “hospitality” — the spiders forcibly drag the “strangers in need at their door” (the dwarves) to their “home” (a dark patch of woods) — with the intention of EATING them, rather than FEEDING them. This is the ancient requirements of hospitality abused and trampled upon, and the gods do not look on that with favor -- hence, the dispensing of justice on the spiders in the form of Bilbo, wielding Sting -- another irony there -- the "stingers" (the stinging spiders) are stung (slain with a sword) -- Side note: the goblins were also the "flip side of hospitality" -- they SAY they "invited" (lol) the dwarves and the hobbit who were on their "front porch" to come inside, but of course it was really imprisonment with the idea of enslavement... So, NOT hospitality 😉 -- and some of them pay the price for it when the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf escape.

- Another “journey to the underworld” for Bilbo. The one in chapter 5 (“Riddles in the Dark” with Gollum) triggered the start of Bilbo’s change in character, with his choice of pity (mercy) for a creature very like himself. Here, he completes that change with bravery, putting his friends' need for saving first, and he also brings justice down on the evil spiders.

- More great word origins from Tolkien applied to names -- this time, Bilbo's name-calling of the spiders -- no wonder they got mad!
“attercop” = slang for spider, literally “poison head”, from the Old English “atorcoppe” meaning poison (ator) + head (coppe); also a derogatory term for a peevish, ill-natured person -- which the spiders are, LOL
"Cob" = from the Old English “coppe” or “cobbe”, which refers to cobweb spiders that produce tangled webs (in contrast to spiders that make neat, round, orb-webs)
"Lob" = “lobbe” is the Old English (Anglo Saxon) word for “spider”
“Tomnoddy” = “noddy” is Scottish slang for “fool” or dunce, and Tom is often a name applied to "any person", so "Tomnoddy" is like saying “Tom Fool” -- similar to calling a foolish person a “Jack Pumpkinhead”


CHAPTER 9 - "Barrels Out of Bond"

- Wow, if we thought Beorn was suspicious, these elves take the cake... Although, living as a solitary people in a huge scary dark woods with evil spiders nearby, and the Dark Lord (Sauron) himself living in the tower fortress of Dol Guldur way down in the southern part of the woods... I guess I'd be suspicious too.

- By the way, the king of these wood land elves is the father of Legolas, our elf hero and one of the nine in the fellowship in The Lord of the Rings, who has a very different nature than his inward-looking/self-protective father-king. And Legolas ends up having a very different relationship with dwarves, esp. the dwarf Gimli, another of the nine companions in LotR. And -- surprise! -- Gimli is the son of Gloin, one of the 13 dwarves currently locked up by Legolas' dad. Oh snap!

- For those of you interested in more Lord of the Rings connections -- the wine that puts the steward and jailor elves to sleep comes from the southern elven woodland kingdom of Lothlorien (west of the southern end of Mirkwood, and close to the Misty Mountains), ruled by Queen Galadriel and her consort Celeborn. Some wine also comes from the southern vineyards of men -- the men who live in the fiefdoms of Gondor (almost due south of Mirkwood, by a long ways), and who are still waiting for the return of their king. 😉 

- So, was anyone else getting claustrophobic and hyperventilating at the thought of escaping the dungeons via barrels -- floating in a river!?! And then the barrels are all roped together over night, so they are trapped there -- in the water, unable to move?!! 😧

Edited January 29, 2020 by Lori D.

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

One huge surprise was Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40385273-dragon-bound.  I will admit @Kareni told me I would probably like this series but I wasn’t expecting to seriously want to continue reading the next book instantly....it wasn’t available fortunately. 😉 I would probably place this one in the paranormal romance section but have to say it has a unique type of paranormal character which was a fun surprise.  As soon as the next one appears  on my overdrive I will be reading it.  

I'm glad you enjoyed Dragon Bound; it's definitely one of my favorites. There were parts of the book that had me laughing aloud, and I appreciate an author who can do that.

I'll be interested to hear what you think as you read on. The focal characters are different in the next few books though you do encounter Pia and Dragos (autocorrect had that as Seafood!) from time to time. Plus Pia and Dragos take center stage again in book five or six. The fourth book in the series, Oracle's Moon, ties with Dragon Bound for my favorite in the series.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

37 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

Also -- did anyone mention this already? -- sad news: the passing of Tolkien's son Christopher, on Jan. 16 this year, at the age of 95. Christopher spent his adult life sorting through and publishing so much of his father's unfinished works and notes, so that we could further appreciate Tolkien's vision and mythic creation of Middle-earth. What a tribute and honor for a son to do for his father

You might be interested in one of the links I just posted above, Lori D. I'll repost it here ~

Celebrating Christopher Tolkien’s Cartographic Legacy

https://www.tor.com/2020/01/22/celebrating-christopher-tolkiens-cartographic-legacy/comment-page-1/#comment-849745

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

Some bookish posts ~

This is amusing!
YOUR GUIDE TO NOT GETTING MURDERED IN A QUAINT ENGLISH VILLAGE by Maureen Johnson

https://crimereads.com/your-guide-to-not-getting-murdered-in-a-quaint-english-village/

Bathroom Reading: This 18th Century Toilet Was Disguised as a Book

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/612016/18th-century-toilet-disguised-as-book?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CYS - 012420&utm_term=Suppress_Disengage_BookRiot_CheckYourShelf

Celebrating Christopher Tolkien’s Cartographic Legacy

https://www.tor.com/2020/01/22/celebrating-christopher-tolkiens-cartographic-legacy/comment-page-1/#comment-849745

5 Books That Leave You With Hope for Humanity by M.K. England

https://www.tor.com/2020/01/20/5-books-that-leave-you-with-hope-for-humanity/comment-page-1/#comment-84974

THE BEST BOOKS OF 2019: TRADITIONAL MYSTERIES

https://crimereads.com/best-books-2019-traditional-mysteries/

5 Books About Finding Hope at the End of the World by Mike Chen

https://www.tor.com/2020/01/06/5-books-about-finding-hope-at-the-end-of-the-world/

Regards,

Kareni

Fun links, thank you!  I have to say I was pretty disappointed when there were no examples of books for some of her categories......like I need longer “want to read” lists.  I love books with gargoyles, and can’t remember any canopy beds with snakes in British cozies where they died by snake! 

[Violet Crown]

Thank you for that Tolkien excerpt, Robin! I'm not familiar with it, but it looks like Tolkien was alluding to Bede's "Parable of the Sparrow":

Quote

Another of the king's chief men, approving of his wise words and exhortations, added thereafter: "The present life of man upon earth, O king, seems to me, in comparison with that time which is unknown to us, like to the swift flight of a sparrow through the house wherein you sit at supper in winter, with your ealdormen and thegns, while the fire blazes in the midst, and the hall is warmed, but the wintry storms of rain or snow are raging abroad. The sparrow, flying in at one door and immediately out at another, whilst he is within, is safe from the wintry tempest; but after a short space of fair weather, he immediately vanishes out of your sight, passing from winter into winter again. So this life of man appears for a little while, but of what is to follow or what went before we know nothing at all. If, therefore, this new doctrine tells us something more certain, it seems justly to deserve to be followed." The other elders and king's counsellors, by Divine prompting, spoke to the same effect.

(from The Ecclesiastical History of England)

Almost done with The Golden Goblet. A worthier book than Mara, for sure. I'm going to suggest Wee Girl read it. Then I'll try to finish my Stevenson and my modern poetry and of course David Copperfield. And then the book I had dh check out from the library, before they start whining about wanting it back. More on which, if I get to it any time soon.

[Ottakee]

This week I finished Love Does by Bob Goff  It is an absolute favorite of my sister so I picked it up.  I did finish it but personally would only give it about 3 stars.  I enjoyed the stories but I didn't agree with many of his spiritual applications.  Might just be me though as it has extremely high reviews on Amazon and Overdrive.

I also finished The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie  I give this a solid 4 stars.  It was an enjoyable listen as I drove back and forth to work.  I might even read more of them in the series...and generally I am not a big series type person.

[SKL]

Sorry for my earlier post which was meant for the tackle thread!

So yesterday I finally finished Boundaries with Teens.  I started re-reading the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.  Last time I read it all the way through, I believe was before kids, or at least before snotty middle schoolers, LOL.  I'm to the part where they say I should meditate daily.  Sounds like a great idea if I can fit it in ....

We are listening to Wuthering Heights in the car.  It is weird in the beginning but at least one of my kids is interested enough to ask questions.  I read the Reader's Digest condensed version of this book when I was their age, and I absolutely loved it.

Hoping to start back reading aloud if I could stop getting derailed by more important things ....

Edited January 27, 2020 by SKL

[Excelsior! Academy]

I'm am on chapter 95 in The Count of Monte Cristo.  For a book club I am reading What is a Family? and am continuing Black Robe Fever.

 

1. Below Stairs by Margaret Powell (Selfie, Pick Your Poison)

2. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (Soldier, Bingo)

3. 6 Day Body Makeover by Michael Thurmond (Making Stuff up, Pick Your Poison)

4. Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon (Inspirational or Quick Decisions, Pick Your Poison)

[mumto2]

2 hours ago, SKL said:

Sorry for my earlier post which was meant for the tackle thread!

So yesterday I finally finished Boundaries with Teens.  I started re-reading the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.  Last time I read it all the way through, I believe was before kids, or at least before snotty middle schoolers, LOL.  I'm to the part where they say I should meditate daily.  Sounds like a great idea if I can fit it in ....

We are listening to Wuthering Heights in the car.  It is weird in the beginning but at least one of my kids is interested enough to ask questions.  I read the Reader's Digest condensed version of this book when I was their age, and I absolutely loved it.

Hoping to start back reading aloud if I could stop getting derailed by more important things ....

Please make sure to update us on how Wurthering Heights is going.  I loved it as a teen and reread several times in my 20’s......my go to plane book as it could normally be purchased in English cheaply and easily if my book supply ran out.  In my parenting life I have found it fascinating how different mom’s and kids react to this particular book.  Some love it with all the enthusiasm I felt, others detest it.......my own daughter didn’t care for it.  One of the only books we really disagreed on........I do get why the people who dislike it do btw.  I have read it two or three times in the last decade and seem to react differently each time.  

[Carol in Cal.]

5 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

Please make sure to update us on how Wurthering Heights is going.  I loved it as a teen and reread several times in my 20’s......my go to plane book as it could normally be purchased in English cheaply and easily if my book supply ran out.  In my parenting life I have found it fascinating how different mom’s and kids react to this particular book.  Some love it with all the enthusiasm I felt, others detest it.......my own daughter didn’t care for it.  One of the only books we really disagreed on........I do get why the people who dislike it do btw.  I have read it two or three times in the last decade and seem to react differently each time.  

I’ll bite.

I loved the movie, which uncharacteristically I saw before reading the book.  I thought it was unbelievably romantic.

Then I read the book and absolutely hated it.  Reread it a couple of years ago and hated it worse.  I think that I would hate the movie now, too.  It’s the most dysfunctional, ugly, vituperative, vengeful family life I can imagine.  Everyone is miserable in the end, without exception.  And for nothing.

The main reason I reread it is that I read elsewhere that it has racial overtones that I had not previously understood but that would have been obvious to the original audience.  That part was interesting, but I still absolutely hated the book.

[Kareni]

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer

 "The novel that introduced the world to its deadliest villain

In the Burmese rainforest, an arrow steeped in the venom of the hamadryad snake, the deadliest reptile of the East, strikes colonial police commissioner Nayland Smith. His only hope is to immediately cauterize the wound using a sharp knife, a match, and a broken cartridge. For three delirious days, he lies on the forest floor, too weak to move. When the fever finally breaks, he walks out of the woods and heads straight to London, hot on the trail of the evil genius who tried to kill him.

The most brilliant villain the world has ever seen, Fu-Manchu is an expert polyglot and master chemist, adept in the manipulation of the rarest and deadliest poisons. An agent of a secret society bent on destroying the Western world, his mere gaze is enough to dull the sharpest minds of Great Britain. It is up to Smith and his loyal friend Dr. Petrie to track the devil doctor from the opium dens of the East End to the deserts of Egypt and put an end to his fiendish plans.

The first installment in Sax Rohmer’s Fu-Manchu series was one of the most popular novels of the early twentieth century. One hundred years later, it is both a fascinating piece of cultural history and a mesmerizing page-turner from start to finish. "

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

Kindle books on sale today. 

Eventide - book 2 in the Plainsong series

Russka

   

 

[Dicentra]

I'm making progress on about 4 or 5 books that I'm currently reading.  I can't just read one book at a time - what if the one book I'm reading doesn't fit my current reading "mood"? 😉

And to add to my reading distractability...  LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!!! 😄

I have GOT to settle down and finish some of my current books before I start more.  But, but... Poisons!

[Dicentra]

1 hour ago, Negin said:

Kindle books on sale today. 

Eventide - book 2 in the Plainsong series

Russka

   

 

Russka!!  Sadly, it's still over $20 for the Kindle version on Amazon Canada.  Why, oh why, are books so much more expensive in Canada than in the US?!?  (I actually do know why but it doesn't stop me from lamenting and being grouchy about it.  If anyone is interested, here's a CBC article.  It's older but I don't think the laws have changed.  https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/booksellers-blame-u-s-canada-price-gap-on-old-rules-1.1274166)

[Lori D.]

9 minutes ago, Dicentra said:

I'm making progress on about 4 or 5 books that I'm currently reading.  I can't just read one book at a time - what if the one book I'm reading doesn't fit my current reading "mood"?

Absolutely! Preach it sister! DH doesn't understand that -- but then, he doesn't read as much, and when he does, it's either nonfiction or poetry, so not too much variety. 😉 
 

 9 minutes ago, Dicentra said:

 

LOVE the Art Deco cover design! 😄

[Dicentra]

14 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

Absolutely! Preach it sister! DH doesn't understand that -- but then, he doesn't read as much, and when he does, it's either nonfiction or poetry, so not too much variety. 😉 
 

LOVE the Art Deco cover design! 😄

That's my DH, as well.  Maybe they only have one reading "mood". 😉

And I love the design, too!  I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover design.  I bought this book a few years ago based solely on the cover.  Turns out it was a pretty good book - win/win!

[Lori D.]

7 minutes ago, Dicentra said:

That's my DH, as well.  Maybe they only have one reading "mood". 😉

LOL!

And I love the design, too!  I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover design.  I bought this book a few years ago based solely on the cover.  Turns out it was a pretty good book - win/win!

Ooo... pretty pretty!

 

[mumto2]

2 hours ago, Dicentra said:

That's my DH, as well.  Maybe they only have one reading "mood". 😉

And I love the design, too!  I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover design.  I bought this book a few years ago based solely on the cover.  Turns out it was a pretty good book - win/win!

One of my favorite covers ever.....I knew the second I saw this book that I had to read it.  Yes, it was pretty good.

[Dicentra]

3 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

One of my favorite covers ever.....I knew the second I saw this book that I had to read it.  Yes, it was pretty good.

Have you read anything else by Sarah Perry?  I've got her other two on my TBR list but haven't started either one.

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, Dicentra said:

Have you read anything else by Sarah Perry?  I've got her other two on my TBR list but haven't started either one.

I  read Melmoth last year and was disappointed.  I am not sure if it failed for me in terms of in comparison to The Essex Serpent as expectations were high or on it’s own.  I believe the scenic descriptions were wonderful, cobble stone streets etc but I didn’t really become involved beyond reading it.

[Kareni]

Regarding 10 Adventure-Filled Books Like Lord of the Rings to Explore by Keith Rice

2 hours ago, Laurel-in-CA said:

Thanks for your bookish post. I found some new reading material!!

I'm glad to have helped. I look forward to hearing more in time about your reading.

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

On 1/26/2020 at 1:58 PM, loesje22000 said:

Good evening 🙂

I finished Design your Life, Cloisterwalk and Gifts of imperfection this week. 

I just picked up Gifts of Imperfection from the library this week too. There's fifteen people waiting behind me to read it so I'm either going to have to read it fast (and give it priority on my nightstand) or buy it. Did you enjoy it?

On 1/26/2020 at 2:44 PM, Kareni said:

Some bookish posts ~

<snip>

Regards,

Kareni

These links were so much fun to read through. @Kareni - that's for always finding such interesting bookish things for us to peruse. I don't comment on your bookish posts enough ... please know that I always find them so entertaining and appreciate them! 

11 hours ago, Excelsior! Academy said:

I'm am on chapter 95 in The Count of Monte Cristo.  For a book club I am reading What is a Family? and am continuing Black Robe Fever.

 

1. Below Stairs by Margaret Powell (Selfie, Pick Your Poison)

2. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (Soldier, Bingo)

3. 6 Day Body Makeover by Michael Thurmond (Making Stuff up, Pick Your Poison)

4. Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon (Inspirational or Quick Decisions, Pick Your Poison)

Here's the deal lady ... I have too many book challenges going on right now and I simply can't add the Pick Your Poison challenge to my year. BUT you're making it look like so much fun that every time you post I wander over to the website and look at the categories and think that maybe I could attempt the lowest version of the challenges. LOL. We'll see how long I can hold out.

[Kareni]

2 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

@Kareni - thanks for always finding such interesting bookish things for us to peruse. I don't comment on your bookish posts enough ... please know that I always find them so entertaining and appreciate them! 

You are quite welcome, aggieamy!

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

I finished two books this week. That brings me up to 10 books read this year. Last year I read 17. Whoa.

The Blight Way (Sheriff Bo Tully) by Patrick McManus - This was so much fun to listen to as an audiobook. If you're a fan of Patrick McManus's writing then you should read his mysteries. They have the same charm as his outdoorsy short stories. The mystery was entertaining but the real genius to his stories is the eccentric cast of characters and humor. 

Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones - My book club read this and it got mixed reviews. Lots of back story and lots of descriptions of cooking. The writing was good but there were certain topics I thought the author glossed over that made it kind of an icky read for me. Highlight to see my spoilerish thoughts: The husband of the MC died a year before the book started and early in the story the MC found out that he'd cheated on her during a business trip. The woman accepted the fact too readily and everyone seemed okay with it on a level that made me cringe. 

On a personal note - Chews on Books had been diagnosed with the flu. DH and I keep asking each other, "How are you feeling?" In preparation of being down with the flu for the rest of the week I cleaned my house, finished my laundry, did all my grocery shopping, and put clean sheets on the kids' beds. If by some miracle I don't get the flu then this was the most productive Monday I've ever had!

Chews goes to our local parochial school and there's about 800 kids there from 3 yo Preschool to 8th grade. When I picked him up at 1 o'clock the school nurse told me there were almost 70 kids out sick today with the flu. John was the tenth kid she sent home sick today and while I was in her office another ten kids came in complaining of feeling bad. Yikes! I'm wondering if the school's going to close for a few days. 

And on a funny note my 15 yo daughter told me that no matter what tomorrow she was going to school because she had too much work to do. It wasn't until she said those words that I realized ... she's never had the flu. She doesn't realize it's not like a cold. You can't just push through!

Wish us luck! I've got lots of tea and audiobooks.

 

 

[Loesje22000]

@aggieamy I liked the gifts of imperfection very much, but I can see that not everybody is in every stage of its life in need of it, and I can see that her style won’t speak to everybody.

I feel like I am in a transition stage of my life, and also want to change certain aspects of myself. This book covers some of those aspects in a way that it speaks to me.

[vmsurbat1]

Okay, fellow book lovers!   I finished The Book of Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin Jr.

I am very glad I read it.  It had been on my radar for awhile, and it is one which I will read again.  And, for @tuesdayschild, a review!

So what is this book about?  As you might guess from the title, animals are major characters in this narrative.  Even so, this story is neither fable nor parody, but a short epic depicting the struggle between good and evil.  Interwoven explorations of leading, loyalty, temptation, trust, pride, and love make this an ideal book to read, discuss, and ponder.  

I have to admit, while the author drew me along right from the start, I really didn't know what was going on story-wise until the end of the first part. (Admittedly, fantasy epics are not my typical reading genre, ymmv.)  At that point, I chose to go back and reread from the beginning; I appreciated the first part all the more for doing so.

The written word, the descriptions, the pacing of the book enriched this epic tale very much. As one who is prone to write long, complex sentences, I especially admired how often the author conveyed deep truths with simple words.  Here are but a few examples:

Quote

“…what I thought I saw in you was not there.  What I saw I should not have seen.  My seeing was not true:  the thing was not there……  I know that.  My imagination made me afraid.”

Quote

“Yet, despite these convulsions above and below him Chauntecleer the Rooster pottered through his life….   He could do that simply because he was ignorant of matters greater than his Coop.  Perhaps that was good.  Perhaps not.  In either case, that’s the way that it was.”

Quote

“Her brow knew his suffering and knew, besides that, worlds more. But the goodness was that, thought this wide brow knew so much, yet it bent over his pain alone and creased with it…..  A simple creature only, he watched—felt—the miracle take place.  Nothing changed……But there was this.  His grief had become her grief, his sorrow her own.  And though he grieved not one bit less for that….. he bore the sorrow better.”

 

The edition I read was a 25th Anniversary reprint and included the author’s afterword in which Wangerin described how and why the book came to be.  I recommend reading this edition for this glimpse into the mind of the author.

Edited January 28, 2020 by vmsurbat1

[mumto2]

For the Julia Spencer Fleming fans among us, her new book appears to be releasing thIs April!  Woot! The last book which I read years ago ended with a huge cliff hanger so this is very exciting for fans, as in I am so excited I just checked out the first book for a reread or should I say relisten.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113002.In_the_Bleak_Midwinter?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=IyBd4yP5Tq&rank=1  For those who have never heard of this series they are rather like Louise Penny......not really gentile because there is violence but infused with a community one can’t help but become involved in.  I can’t remember if I ever got @aggieamy to read these.  Good audiobooks btw.

@aggieamy  we need a status report at my house.  My kids have unfortunately had the flu and hold out their arms for the flu jab every fall rather enthusiastically.  We all hope Chews feels better soon and that your Dd never learns how bad it is.  Of course we hope it skips their parents too.

I finished  Moshi, Moshi last night which was by this month’s Ladies of Lit author Banana Yoshimoto.  It was not at all what I expected it to be.  More of a daughter’s quest to learn why her father committed suicide and her emotional recovery.   Oddly in the afterword Banana’s dad was apparently one of her Beta readers. 
 

 

[Mothersweets]

Hello everyone!

I finished a good contemporary (gasp!) murder mystery yesterday - The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths. Funnily enough, I think I requested this from the library without realizing it is the same author as the Ruth Galloway series that I just read. Here is the summary from Goodreads:

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. A high school English teacher specializing in the Gothic writer R. M. Holland, she teaches a course on it every year. But when one of Clare’s colleagues and closest friends is found dead, with a line from R. M. Holland’s most famous story, “The Stranger,” left by her body, Clare is horrified to see her life collide with the storylines of her favourite literature. 

To make matters worse, the police suspect the killer is someone Clare knows. Unsure whom to trust, she turns to her closest confidant, her diary, the only outlet she has for her darkest suspicions and fears about the case. Then one day she notices something odd. Writing that isn't hers, left on the page of an old diary: "Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me." 

So last night I started a new book, You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Pretty good so far, fingers crossed. 

I am loving The Hobbit commentary @Lori D. ! You are one smart cookie. 🙂

@Dicentra I read The Essex Serpent a year or two ago and liked it and a big part of why I picked it up was the cover - so beautifully done!

@Excelsior! Academy  Below Stairs is a good read! Ms. Powell seemed like she would have been a fun person to know. I read/listened to the CraftLit reading of The Count of Monte Cristo four or five years ago. It was fabulous! It took something like a year and a half to read through because it was just a couple chapters each week but it was so worth it. 

[Kareni]

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

Rights of Man by Thomas Paine

 "The Founding Father’s most influential work: an impassioned defense of democracy and revolution in the name of human rights.

Whatever is my right as a man is also the right of another; and it becomes my duty to guarantee as well as to possess.
 
In Rights of Man, Founding Father of the United States Thomas Paine makes a compelling case in favor of the French Revolution. Written in response to Edmund Burke’s highly critical Reflections on the Revolution in France, its forceful rebuke of aristocratic rule and persuasive endorsement of self-government made it one of the most influential political statements in history. Paine asserts that human rights are not granted by the government but inherent to man’s nature. He goes on to argue that the purpose of government is to protect these natural rights, and if a government fails to do so, its people are duty-bound to revolution.
 
Originally published in two parts, in 1791 and 1792, Rights of Man was a popular sensation in the United States, while in England, its incendiary views were seen as a threat to the Crown. For its erudite prose and rigorous argumentation, it remains a classic text of political thought. "

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

The world's largest book takes six people to turn a page

https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/26/the-world-s-largest-book-takes-six-people-to-turn-a-page?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Today in Books&utm_term=BookRiot_TodayInBooks_DormantSuppress

Five Mystery Series with Awesome Detectives by Emily Devenport

https://www.tor.com/2018/05/03/five-mystery-series-with-awesome-detectives/

A 2013 post about a Georgette Heyer novel: Three or Four Families in a Country Village: The Nonesuch by Mari Ness

https://www.tor.com/2013/10/08/three-or-four-families-in-a-country-village-the-nonesuch/

10 NOVELS THAT EVOKE A CHILDHOOD OF CURIOSITY AND SLEUTHING

Spooky adventures, mischievous tricks, and solving mysteries with your best friends by LAURA ELLIOT

https://crimereads.com/ten-novels-that-evoke-a-childhood-of-curiosity-and-sleuthing/

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I've enjoyed another work by this author of historical romance.

Likely for a short time only,  free for Kindle readers ~

The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter: A Victorian Romance by Mimi Matthews

Regards,

Kareni

[Matryoshka]

Checking in late... I've apparently finished but one book this week: 

9. Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudine Rankin (ebook) - I liked this, but was not blown away by it, sadly because I think I've read so much on this subject, that instead of being shocked, I thought... well, yeah.  Sigh.  I think I just also prefer a more journalistic or novelistic take on this kind of thing than poetic.  3 stars.

Currently reading What You Have Heard is True by Carolyn Forché, which is nonfiction but reads like a novel of intrigue so far - and she hasn't even left the US yet! And listening to Just Mercy, read by the author.  That's one that's very good but also really making me both sad and angry.  Reading the book about Thurgood Marshall's work in the South in the 50's last year was depressing enough, but by the 90's even I naively thought things had gotten better.  That those were the 'better times'..  Heck, it sounds like the same exact thing was going on then, and the baldfaced lying by public officials in the face of clear evidence seems like the cancer was there all along and it's just metastasized.... I also made a lot of progress in Cien años de soledad, which I'm finding not as daunting as I'd feared.  

 

[Matryoshka]

On 1/27/2020 at 3:20 PM, Dicentra said:

That's my DH, as well.  Maybe they only have one reading "mood". 😉

And I love the design, too!  I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover design.  I bought this book a few years ago based solely on the cover.  Turns out it was a pretty good book - win/win!

I'll be the odd one out in that while I totally agree that it's a gorgeous cover (and that might also have made me want to read it), I really didn't like the book much at all, and have no desire to read anything else by that author...

[Kareni]

I just finished a book that might be of interest to those reading with a dragon focus.

Novice Dragoneer (A Dragoneer Academy Novel Book 1)  by E.E. Knight

I enjoyed it. It started a little slow, but by about page seventy, I was engrossed. My library has this categorized as adult fantasy, but I think it would be a fine read for older teens and up. A blurb on the front cover recommends it to fans of Tamora Pierce's Alanna, and I'd concur.

 "In the first book in an exciting new coming-of-age fantasy series from the author of the Age of Fire series, an impoverished girl enters into a military order of dragonriders, but her path won't be as easy or as straightforward as she expected.

Fourteen-year-old Ileth grew up in an orphanage, and thanks to her stutter was never thought to be destined for much beyond kitchen work and cleaning. But she's dreamed of serving with the dragons ever since a childhood meeting with a glittering silver dragon and its female dragoneer. For years she waits, and as soon as she is old enough to join, Ileth runs away to become a novice dragoneer at the ancient human-dragon fortress of the Serpentine.

While most of her fellow apprentices are from rich and influential families, Ileth must fight for her place in the world, even if it includes a duel with her boss at the fish-gutting table. She's then sent off to the dragon-dancers after a foolish kiss with a famously named boy and given charge of a sickly old dragon with a mysterious past. But she finds those trials were nothing when she has to take the place of a dead dragoneer and care for his imprisoned dragon in enemy lands. . . . "

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

@loesje22000  I saw Brene Brown give an interview with Marie Forleo's and she was fascinating and made me want to read all her books.  Marie was equally interesting.  Braving the Wilderness is on my wishlist. 

@Kareni  Oh my goodness, the toilet book.  😁  Thank you for the links. More books for my wishlist. 

@Lori D. Thank you for your wonderful notes on The Hobbit. I haven't started chapter 8 yet. I'm still getting over Bilbo's encounter with Gollum, the wolves, goblins, and the harrowing flight on the eagles.  I loved how Gandalf told the story to Beorn, introducing the dwarves two at a time.

@Violet Crown   Yes, I see what you mean with the Parable of the Sparrow. Thank you!

@SKL @mumto2 and @Carol in CA  Hmm! It's been years since I've read Wuthering Heights. A revisit may be in order for me. Then compare it to the movie. That would be fun.

@Negin Oh my gosh! Russka, Sarum, Paris, The Forest. The Princes of Ireland.  They all look so good. . Just added the Princes to my wishlist. But I may be persuaded to a different book if anyone wants to do a readalong.   Must read definitely, but no time this year.  

@Dicentra  What a fabulous find.  Mood reads are always good.   Love the Essex Cover.  I always do a pick a book by its cover challenge at some point in the year.  Always fun finds when we do it. 

@aggieamy  Hope Chews on Books feels better soon.  Everyone around me got the flu - John, James, my technicians, customers.  James and my dad got viral bronchitis and took a while for them to get better.  I came out unscathed fortunately.  Hope you stay well. 

@vmsurbat1 Sounds interesting. Checked out the amazon excerpt.  Sounded so much like my hubby last night with the snore of thunder. 😁

@mumto2  We skip the flu shot because it never works with us.    My poor dad got a flu shot and they got him in a nerve which deadened his arm for a week, then made his arthritis worse. Poor guy.   Added In the Bleak Midwinter to my wishlist. Thanks! 

@Mothersweets Oh, The Stranger Diaries does look good. 

😘

 

 

[Robin M]

It's time to update our mailing list.  For our newbies and also some of our regulars who have yet to get in on the action.  We like to swap books, send postcards, notes, and whatever else comes to mind so I have a master list of names with addresses and emails.  If you'd like to get on the list, pm with your name, address, email. Birth dates would also be lovely since I always seem to forget until it's mentioned. Bad me.   If you are like me and horrible with snail mail, blue mountain ecards is my friend now.  Provide whatever you are comfortable with. The list is only shared amongst the BAWer's so no worries about spam. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by Robin M

[Liz CA]

Reading:

"When Falcons Fall" by C. S. Harris. Finishing this one up.

Trying "The only easy day" by R. J. Scott next.

Audiobook:

"The Hippopotamus Pool" by Peters. This was a repeat but is still funny the second (third or fourth) time around.

 

[Negin]

On 1/27/2020 at 4:01 PM, Dicentra said:

Russka!!  Sadly, it's still over $20 for the Kindle version on Amazon Canada.  Why, oh why, are books so much more expensive in Canada than in the US?!?  (I actually do know why but it doesn't stop me from lamenting and being grouchy about it.  If anyone is interested, here's a CBC article.  It's older but I don't think the laws have changed.  https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/booksellers-blame-u-s-canada-price-gap-on-old-rules-1.1274166)

That just blows. I'm so sorry. I go through my wish list every morning and sort the books by price (low to high). Sometimes there's a sale. Most of the times, not. Sales are something I look forward to. Can you at least sort the books that you want? Maybe the sales are different there? We live outside the U.S. I thank God that we get the U.S. version of amazon. I have noticed that the amazon from other countries are not nearly as good when it comes to sales and even with what they offer. 

[Penguin]

 I have some thread catching up to do, but for the moment I just want to congratulate you, Amy,   @aggieamy for getting your book to the finish line. I hope the flu does not derail your family, and that your little guy bounces back quickly.

Lucky you, @mumto2 for being Amy’s reader!

[aggieamy]

 I finished Moshi, Moshi too! I didn't really love it like I have with Banana's other books. She does a fantastic job with emotion but the dialogue is very stilted and oddly formal. I wonder if that's a translation thing or simply Banana's style. It made it difficult to get lost in the story because I kept thinking that nobody talks like this. Particularly not young adults on dates. 

Then there was a twist romance at the end which was a bit strange but I could buy into it. 

What really bothered me (and again maybe this is cultural) but the easy acceptance of infidelity. After a while I just wanted to shake them and tell them that they should be mad. Pissed as hell in fact. 

This is a long rambling way of saying that I recommend Kitchen instead. 

23 hours ago, mumto2 said:

For the Julia Spencer Fleming fans among us, her new book appears to be releasing thIs April!  Woot! The last book which I read years ago ended with a huge cliff hanger so this is very exciting for fans, as in I am so excited I just checked out the first book for a reread or should I say relisten.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113002.In_the_Bleak_Midwinter?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=IyBd4yP5Tq&rank=1  For those who have never heard of this series they are rather like Louise Penny......not really gentile because there is violence but infused with a community one can’t help but become involved in.  I can’t remember if I ever got @aggieamy to read these.  Good audiobooks btw.

@aggieamy  we need a status report at my house.  My kids have unfortunately had the flu and hold out their arms for the flu jab every fall rather enthusiastically.  We all hope Chews feels better soon and that your Dd never learns how bad it is.  Of course we hope it skips their parents too.

I finished  Moshi, Moshi last night which was by this month’s Ladies of Lit author Banana Yoshimoto.  It was not at all what I expected it to be.  More of a daughter’s quest to learn why her father committed suicide and her emotional recovery.   Oddly in the afterword Banana’s dad was apparently one of her Beta readers. 
 

 

Flu update. John slept all day yesterday and today he's at least out of bed and wandering around. He feels better but not good.

Kevin feels bad. He's up now but I expect he'll be heading to be before long.

Sophia had me pick her up at school yesterday morning. She doesn't have any of the traditional flu symptoms but she feels icky. I wonder if she's managed to catch a cold when everyone else has the flu? Stranger things have happened. 

I'm okay but paranoid. Every so often I wonder do I have a headache because I'm coming down with the flu or because I'm a hypochondriac? 

And I haven't read any Julia Spencer Fleming but added it to my to-read list!

18 hours ago, Kareni said:

A 2013 post about a Georgette Heyer novel: Three or Four Families in a Country Village: The Nonesuch by Mari Ness

https://www.tor.com/2013/10/08/three-or-four-families-in-a-country-village-the-nonesuch/

 

This is a splendid review of one of my all time favorite GH books.

[Violet Crown]

Amy, hope everyone feels better soon. 

[Laurel-in-CA]

On The Hobbit, maybe some folks would love a visit?

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/22525406?source_impression_id=p3_1580318679_Ne%2BO6kWsty0fJkRw

Sure looks like home. Wish we were closer/close enough to try it.

[Kareni]

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

McTeague: A Story of San Francisco by Frank Norris  

 "A couple’s life and love are destroyed when they win the lottery in this tragic tale of turn-of-the-century San Francisco.
 
McTeague and Trina are in love, and with the modest income from McTeague’s dentistry office, their needs are few. But when Trina wins a small fortune from a lottery ticket, jealousy and distrust begin to unravel their happy home. As tension erupts between McTeague and Trina’s cousin Marcus, Trina’s impulse to save her winnings slowly gives way to a pathological obsession with hoarding money. Betrayed and destitute, the couple embarks on a journey down a path of violence, theft, and murder.
 
Considered transgressive for its brutality and sordid subject matter upon first publication in 1899, McTeague has since served as the basis for the films Greed (1924) by Erich von Stroheim and Slow Burn (2000), starring Minnie Driver and James Spader. Widely acclaimed as Frank Norris’s masterpiece, the novel was hailed as “a literary masterpiece” by the New York Times."

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

18 minutes ago, Kareni said:

McTeague: A Story of San Francisco by Frank Norris  

 "A couple’s life and love are destroyed when they win the lottery in this tragic tale of turn-of-the-century San Francisco.
 
McTeague and Trina are in love, and with the modest income from McTeague’s dentistry office, their needs are few. But when Trina wins a small fortune from a lottery ticket, jealousy and distrust begin to unravel their happy home. As tension erupts between McTeague and Trina’s cousin Marcus, Trina’s impulse to save her winnings slowly gives way to a pathological obsession with hoarding money. Betrayed and destitute, the couple embarks on a journey down a path of violence, theft, and murder.
 
Considered transgressive for its brutality and sordid subject matter upon first publication in 1899, McTeague has since served as the basis for the films Greed (1924) by Erich von Stroheim and Slow Burn (2000), starring Minnie Driver and James Spader. Widely acclaimed as Frank Norris’s masterpiece, the novel was hailed as “a literary masterpiece” by the New York Times."

I liked McTeague better than The Octopus (the first in Norris's unfinished trilogy). It's a good read, if you like depressing books about the sordid lives of awful people. Which I do. The reader is somewhat distracted by amazement and wild envy as she realizes these wretches are living, ungratefully, in a San Francisco location that would now cost several million dollars.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Violet Crown

[Dicentra]

12 hours ago, Negin said:

That just blows. I'm so sorry. I go through my wish list every morning and sort the books by price (low to high). Sometimes there's a sale. Most of the times, not. Sales are something I look forward to. Can you at least sort the books that you want? Maybe the sales are different there? We live outside the U.S. I thank God that we get the U.S. version of amazon. I have noticed that the amazon from other countries are not nearly as good when it comes to sales and even with what they offer. 

Sorting the wishlist each day by price is a BRILLIANT idea.  Why had I not thought of that?!?  Thank you, Negin!!

And yeah - there are definitely things on offer on the US Amazon that are not on the Canadian one.  Ah well.  It teaches me patience and acceptance, I suppose. 😉