Book a Week 2020 - BW25: Happy Father's Day

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday my loves and Happy Father’s Day to all our dads.  Do you all remember the comic strip, Family Circle? Stumbled across this picture in my interweb wanderings and it took me way back to earlier days of when there were two whole pages of comics in in the newspaper and fighting, err negotiating,  with my sisters over who got to read them first. 

Exhibit of Bil Keane in the McCormick-Stillman Railroad park in Scottsdale, Az

 

My Dad

 By

 Vicky Frye

 If I could write a story,
It would be the greatest ever told.
I’d write about my daddy,
For he had a heart of gold.
My dad, he was no hero
Known around this world.
He was everything to me,
For I was his baby girl.
I’d write about the lessons.
He taught me right from wrong.
He instilled in me the values
That one day I’d be strong.
He taught me to face my fears,
Take each day as it comes,
For there are things that we can’t change.
He would say what’s done is done.
He would say hold your head up high,
Carry yourself with pride.
Thanks to him, I am somebody,
I will never run and hide.
If I could write a story,
It would be the greatest ever told.
I’d write about my daddy,
For he had a heart of gold.

 

History of Father's Day , Lesser-known ways dads improve children’s lives, Fatherly Advice Given From Famous Dads in Literature, 30 most memorable literary fathers, and 20 Father’s Day Books That Cover All of Your Dad’s Interests

 

Happy Reading!

Link to week 24

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 with other readers  around the globe.

 

[SereneHome]

I am just randomly jumping in. I finished Night Circus - if anyone read it, I would love to discuss it.

I started Just Mercy and thought it was very.....childishly written but then I realized it was an adopted version, so I requested the original one from the library - can't wait to get it!!!

[Robin M]

This past week I finished a Christian Fantasy No Less Days by Amanda Stevens which was interesting with the main character struggling with life and death.

"How many lifetimes can God expect one man to live? Over a century old, David Galloway isolates himself from the mortal humans who die or desert him by making a quiet life as a used bookstore owner in Northern Michigan. But then he spots a news article about a man who, like him, should be dead.

Daredevil celebrity Zachary Wilson walked away unscathed from what should have been a deadly fall. David tracks the man down, needing answers. Soon David discovers a close-knit group of individuals as old as he is who offer the sort of kinship and community he hasn’t experienced for decades—but at what cost?  

David finds himself keeping secrets other than his own. . .protecting more than himself alone. He’ll have to decide what’s worth the most to him—security or community. When crimes come to light that are older than any mortal, he fears the pressure is more than he can stand. What does God require of him, and is David strong enough to see it through?"

Also finished Nalini Singh's Alpha Night which I definitely need to read again:

"Alpha wolf Selenka Durev’s devotion to her pack is equaled only by her anger at anyone who would harm those under her care. That currently includes the empaths who’ve flowed into her city for a symposium that is a security nightmare, a powder keg just waiting for a match.
 
Ethan Night is an Arrow who isn’t an Arrow. Numb and disengaged from the world, he’s loyal only to himself. Assigned as part of the security force at a world-first symposium, he carries a dark agenda tied to the power-hungry and murderous Consortium. Then violence erupts and Ethan finds himself crashing into the heart and soul of an alpha wolf.
 
Mating at first sight is a myth, a fairytale. Yet Selenka’s wolf is resolute: Ethan Night, broken Arrow and a man capable of obsessive devotion, is the mate it has chosen. Even if the mating bond is full of static and not quite as it should be. Because Selenka’s new mate has a terrible secret, his mind surging with a power that is a creature of madness and death…"

 

Currently reading the 2nd book in Becky Chamber's Wayfarer series - A Closed and Common Orbit

"Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together."

I gave up on Charlie Jane Anders The City in the Middle of the Night.   Dark, morbid, takes too long to get to the point, and most of all hated the characters. Felt like a slog. Shame because liked the premise of the story. 

Listening to Patricia Brigg's Masques and  Zafon's Shadow of the Wind waiting in the wings

 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

This is a few months old: 20 LONG ROMANCE NOVELS TO COZY UP WITH THIS WINTER

https://bookriot.com/2020/02/27/best-long-romance-novels/

The Works of Robin McKinley and Why Fantasy Should Seem Real

https://www.tor.com/2019/03/20/the-ordinary-extraordinary-why-fantasy-should-seem-real/#comment-864990

From reddit: Sheltered teenager transitioning into adulthood, any books out there that would help me with basic life skills I need to know?

https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/gwfnv6/sheltered_teenager_transitioning_into_adulthood/

Regards,

Kareni

[Acorn]

45 minutes ago, SereneHome said:

I am just randomly jumping in. I finished Night Circus - if anyone read it, I would love to discuss it.

I started Just Mercy and thought it was very.....childishly written but then I realized it was an adopted version, so I requested the original one from the library - can't wait to get it!!!

What grade level would you say the adapted version is at?

[SereneHome]

22 minutes ago, Acorn said:

What grade level would you say the adapted version is at?

Arghhhh I don't know. I just didn't like the book at all, which pains me bc the subject matter is so important. But it has a LOT of info, too many "facts", in my opinion and presented not in a way that I liked. I don't think I am explaining this well, but I was SO SO happy to find out that there is an "original" version.

Sorry, I know you didn't ask for my opinion on the book just grade level.  I guess middle school child should be able to read it, but I think I am going to wait for my kids tor ead the original.

 

[Matryoshka]

11 minutes ago, SereneHome said:

Arghhhh I don't know. I just didn't like the book at all, which pains me bc the subject matter is so important. But it has a LOT of info, too many "facts", in my opinion and presented not in a way that I liked. I don't think I am explaining this well, but I was SO SO happy to find out that there is an "original" version.

Sorry, I know you didn't ask for my opinion on the book just grade level.  I guess middle school child should be able to read it, but I think I am going to wait for my kids tor ead the original.

 

I thought the original was excellent. Certainly not a bunch of 'facts', but the lived experiences of the author. I'm not a fan of adaptations...  I listened to the audio read by the author, which was very well done.

[Violet Crown]

Almost done with Charles Goodnight: Cowman and Plainsman. Also, sorry to say, abandoning Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Wee Girl and I were halfway through and bored to tears. WG couldn't take one more list of polysyllabic fish species that Mommy struggled to pronounce. I couldn't take one more list of pointless figures, measurements, and factoids. I'd started replacing (e.g.) "we were then at 154 degrees 15 minutes west longitude, 33 degrees 47 minutes south latitude" with "we were somewhere in the ocean." Even the promise of a giant squid to come wasn't enough to make us go on.

Can we talk about "soft" book banning? Various Things (I say nebulously), which seem to be accelerating, have made me increasingly glad to have most of my books on paper and at home, and reluctant to let go of books that might not, shall we say, be in tune with the times, for fear they not be obtainable in the future. I was going to say that the most recent such Thing was an article in a prominent publication attempting to cancel Flannery O'Connor, which made me double-check that my copy of The Habit of Being was securely on the shelf. But instead the most recent Thing was chatting with a friend after church this morning, whom I haven't seen since start of lockdown. She works in a publishing-related industry, and the employees were all just told -- apparently on account of books seen on their home bookshelves in Zoom meetings -- that they needed to de-colonize their bookshelves. As an implied condition of their continued employment. They were sent extensive instructions, not just on adding Correct books, but on disposing of Incorrect books. She's looking for another job but they aren't exactly hanging from trees right now. I'm giving serious though to deleting my LibraryThing account, despite its usefulness and the time investment. There are things in my Charles Goodnight book -- bits of interviews the author had with Goodnight, excerpts from his letters -- that you would expect from a 19th-century Texan cattle baron, but which would definitely get his statue pulled down (if he has one). And I think about the electronic trail I've left behind by buying books on-line so much. Anyone else have similar paranoid thoughts? What about those of you whose books are electronically stored? Any worries?

Edited June 21, 2020 by Violet Crown

[SereneHome]

@Violet Crown - can you elaborate?? What kind of books are now considered "incorrect"??

[Violet Crown]

Just now, SereneHome said:

@Violet Crown - can you elaborate?? What kind of books are now considered "incorrect"??

She said it wasn't entirely clear, other than white, male, out of date, wrong values. The very vagueness was part of what worried her. 

[Robin M]

17 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

Almost done with Charles Goodnight: Cowman and Plainsman. Also, sorry to say, abandoning Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Wee Girl and I were halfway through and bored to tears. WG couldn't take one more list of polysyllabic fish species that Mommy struggled to pronounce. I couldn't take one more list of pointless figures, measurements, and factoids. I'd started replacing (e.g.) "we were then at 154 degrees 15 minutes west longitude, 33 degrees 47 minutes south latitude" with "we were somewhere in the ocean." Even the promise of a giant squid to come wasn't enough to make us go on.

Can we talk about "soft" book banning? Various Things (I say nebulously), which seem to be accelerating, have made me increasingly glad to have most of my books on paper and at home, and reluctant to let go of books that might not, shall we say, be in tune with the times, for fear they not be obtainable in the future. I was going to say that the most recent such Thing was an article in a prominent publication attempting to cancel Flannery O'Connor, which made me double-check that my copy of The Habit of Being was securely on the shelf. But instead the most recent Thing was chatting with a friend after church this morning, whom I haven't seen since start of lockdown. She works in a publishing-related industry, and the employees were all just told -- apparently on account of books seen on their home bookshelves in Zoom meetings -- that they needed to de-colonize their bookshelves. As an implied condition of their continued employment. They were sent extensive instructions, not just on adding Correct books, but on disposing of Incorrect books. She's looking for another job but they aren't exactly hanging from trees right now. I'm giving serious though to deleting my LibraryThing account, despite its usefulness and the time investment. There are things in my Charles Goodnight book -- bits of interviews the author had with Goodnight, excerpts from his letters -- that you would expect from a 19th-century Texan cattle baron, but which would definitely get his statue pulled down (if he has one). And I think about the electronic trail I've left behind by buying books on-line so much. Anyone else have similar paranoid thoughts? What about those of you whose books are electronically stored? Any worries?

I'm having a hard time with the 'censoring' of things that may make other people uncomfortable, with eliminating that which is historical or may have inappropriate language which if used in context of the time the book was written, is a learning tool.  We learn from history, we learn from our differences, we learn from diversity.   I'm not going to remove anything from my shelves or my kindle, but now that you mention it, with all the corporations going crazy, I may download all my books off kindle on to my hard drive.  I can see a snowball affect from every culture suddenly wanting to eliminate that which they consider incorrect, insulting, etc.   Shades of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.   

I'm glad your friend is looking for a new job if her employer is now dictating what employees can have in the privacy of their own home and expect the employee to dispose of personal books and buy with their own money, replacements just to make the employer happy.  I see lots of legal issues with that as the company is crossing the line.  I just mentioned it to hubby and getting an earful. 🤯

Edited June 21, 2020 by Robin M

[Shawneinfl]

11 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

Almost done with Charles Goodnight: Cowman and Plainsman. Also, sorry to say, abandoning Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Wee Girl and I were halfway through and bored to tears. WG couldn't take one more list of polysyllabic fish species that Mommy struggled to pronounce. I couldn't take one more list of pointless figures, measurements, and factoids. I'd started replacing (e.g.) "we were then at 154 degrees 15 minutes west longitude, 33 degrees 47 minutes south latitude" with "we were somewhere in the ocean." Even the promise of a giant squid to come wasn't enough to make us go on.

Can we talk about "soft" book banning? Various Things (I say nebulously), which seem to be accelerating, have made me increasingly glad to have most of my books on paper and at home, and reluctant to let go of books that might not, shall we say, be in tune with the times, for fear they not be obtainable in the future. I was going to say that the most recent such Thing was an article in a prominent publication attempting to cancel Flannery O'Connor, which made me double-check that my copy of The Habit of Being was securely on the shelf. But instead the most recent Thing was chatting with a friend after church this morning, whom I haven't seen since start of lockdown. She works in a publishing-related industry, and the employees were all just told -- apparently on account of books seen on their home bookshelves in Zoom meetings -- that they needed to de-colonize their bookshelves. As an implied condition of their continued employment. They were sent extensive instructions, not just on adding Correct books, but on disposing of Incorrect books. She's looking for another job but they aren't exactly hanging from trees right now. I'm giving serious though to deleting my LibraryThing account, despite its usefulness and the time investment. There are things in my Charles Goodnight book -- bits of interviews the author had with Goodnight, excerpts from his letters -- that you would expect from a 19th-century Texan cattle baron, but which would definitely get his statue pulled down (if he has one). And I think about the electronic trail I've left behind by buying books on-line so much. Anyone else have similar paranoid thoughts? What about those of you whose books are electronically stored? Any worries?

 

So, I should NOT be reducing my shelves as planned??? I hate the thought that someone else can try to control what I'm allowed to read or not. What's wrong with Flannery O'Connor, btw?

Edited June 21, 2020 by Shawneinfl

[mumto2]

@Violet Crown said 

And I think about the electronic trail I've left behind by buying books on-line so much. Anyone else have similar paranoid thoughts? What about those of you whose books are electronically stored? Any worries?

 

I hadn’t thought to worry.......now thinking about my kids insisting that I keep the old VHS tapes of Star Wars trilogy a couple of years ago because the DVDs are all reworked with scenes removed.  Yeah, on my kindle unless I have it actively downloaded they can edit my book and I will never know.  On some of my devices things can be edited even if downloaded I suspect if the device goes online.  The urge to go on a paper book buying spree is huge at this moment but I go back to the issue of needing a bigger house.....😂. This is definitely something to pay attention to.

[Shawneinfl]

Perhaps we should start a list of things that could end up on the chopping block.

[Ottakee]

This is an excellent read that would also speak to banning books from the past that are not politically correct now.

There are times you need to read, discuss, and digest books that go against your own moral standards to help understand the past, the viewpoints of others, etc.  

[Negin]

I read The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe - 4 Stars - here is my review.

 

[SereneHome]

Oh what a dangerous dangerous road this is - take it from someone who grew up in a country where you could be picked up by cops in the middle of the night and never seen again for much less than the "wrong" book. 

I don't read anything digitally, but of course, purchased so many books on-line - amazon, bookoutlet, ebay. Also, anytime I request book from the library, I am sure it's stored somewhere....

[Lady Florida.]

1 hour ago, SereneHome said:

Arghhhh I don't know. I just didn't like the book at all, which pains me bc the subject matter is so important. But it has a LOT of info, too many "facts", in my opinion and presented not in a way that I liked. I don't think I am explaining this well, but I was SO SO happy to find out that there is an "original" version.

 

 

That's how I felt about The Hate U Give as I posted in the last thread. My book club avoids YA books so I'm not quite sure why the person chose this book (chosen before the George Floyd murder). I felt bad because the subject matter is important like you said, and I thought I *should* like the book. I just don't like the writing of YA books. I'm planning to read Just Mercy. I saw the movie but someone said if you don't read the book you miss out on a lot. I will make sure I pay attention and get the right version when I do read it.

I felt similarly about my book club's very first book when we started many years ago - Man's Search for Meaning. I really really dislike philosophy but I read it anyway because the person who chose it said it was an important book. I felt bad about not liking a book written by a holocaust survivor. But he survived the holocaust! I should like his book! Nope. Hated it.

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[Shawneinfl]

4 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

That's how I felt about The Hate U Give as I posted in the last thread. My book club avoids YA books so I'm not quite sure why the person chose this book (chosen before the George Floyd murder). I felt bad because the subject matter is important like you said, and I thought I *should* like the book. I just don't like the writing of YA books. I'm planning to read Just Mercy. I saw the movie but someone said if you don't read the book you miss out on a lot. I will make sure I pay attention and get the right version when I do read it.

I felt similarly about my book club's very first book when we started many years ago - Man's Search for Meaning. I really really dislike philosophy but I read it anyway because the person who chose it said it was an important book. I felt bad about not liking a book written by a holocaust survivor. But he survived the holocaust! I should like his book! Nope. Hated it.

 

I just watched "The Hate U Give" last night and I thought it was excellent. I am in the middle of watching "Just Mercy" today.  I may order both books.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Shawneinfl

[Lady Florida.]

1 minute ago, Shawneinfl said:

I just watched "The Hate U Give" last night and I thought it was excellent. Based on your comment, I may go ahead and order the book.

And I will likely watch the movie soon. 🙂 

Honestly the topic was well done. It's important and I liked that it was all seen through the POV of a teenage girl. I just generally don't like YA books and this one turned out to NOT be an exception. Anyone who likes, or doesn't mind YA, and is looking for a book on this subject will probably like this book

[Violet Crown]

2 hours ago, Robin M said:

what employees can have in the privacy of their own home

Yes. People are going to start being very careful about what appears in the background of their meetings (a carefulness that in itself demonstrates a deep societal problem). What astonishes me is that an employer would so easily inform its employees that it had been looking carefully at the books visible in their homes.

2 hours ago, Shawneinfl said:

What's wrong with Flannery O'Connor, btw?

How Racist Was Flannery O'Connor?

2 hours ago, mumto2 said:

The urge to go on a paper book buying spree is huge at this moment but I go back to the issue of needing a bigger house.

Yes. I'm facing this dilemma recently as I pack up or discard Wee Girl's outgrown children's books, some of which I've seen homeschoolers on this board condemn as inappropriate for today's children. Will these books be available again? I never was able to find the unabridged Richard Scarry What Do People Do All Day? that I remembered from my childhood.

2 hours ago, Shawneinfl said:

Perhaps we should start a list of things that could end up on the chopping block.

But it's so unpredictable. If O'Connor, with her scalpel-edge ironic critique of Southern race dynamics, is unsuitable, what's predictable? My friend's employer was apparently more concerned about authorial identity than about content. And even the greatest English writers are easy targets. Milton? Misogynist. Shakespeare? Anti-woman, anti-Semitic. Chaucer? Rapist. All of them? White males.

2 hours ago, Ottakee said:

There are times you need to read, discuss, and digest books that go against your own moral standards to help understand the past, the viewpoints of others, etc. 

Indeed. And sometimes you need to read them because they're excellent literature, and ignore their failings. I love Spenser, and The Faerie Queene is part of our homeschool reading list. Here's what he thought about my ancestors and my religion. But I don't have a "conversation" when we read the anti-Catholic parts of Book 1. Literature isn't talismanic; children don't need interventions to prevent contamination from old, or new, ideas or attitudes.

1 hour ago, SereneHome said:

Oh what a dangerous dangerous road this is - take it from someone who grew up in a country where you could be picked up by cops in the middle of the night and never seen again for much less than the "wrong" book. 

You should tell us more about this. 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Violet Crown

[mumto2]

Before I forget to update my reading I finished listening to The Island by Ragnar Johansson which is the second in his Hidden Iceland series and a rather short (6 ish hours to listen to) example of Nordic Noir.  It stands alone just fine even though there are some interesting rather sad references to the past and future of the detective.......which the reader knows the answer to if they have read the first book.  The main crime is that of a murder occurring on a remote Icelandic island where four friends are staying for the weekend........who did it and why.   They are there to remember a friend who was murdered 10 years before....the old murder must be investigated to solve the case.

  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41150509-the-island

I also finally finished my Jane Yellowrock reread and was able to finally start Shattered Bonds.  I was so glad I had Shattered Bonds ready to go on my Kindle when I finished the rather devastating conclusion to Dark Queen late Friday night.  I was happy to stay up even later and get the first couple of chapters read in the new book.  I was able to sleep after that at least......
 

I am back to listening to my Kim Harrison reread and reading a small stack in sort of a grazing way.  

[vmsurbat1]

3 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

Also, sorry to say, abandoning Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Wee Girl and I were halfway through and bored to tears. WG couldn't take one more list of polysyllabic fish species that Mommy struggled to pronounce. I couldn't take one more list of pointless figures, measurements, and factoids. I'd started replacing (e.g.) "we were then at 154 degrees 15 minutes west longitude, 33 degrees 47 minutes south latitude" with "we were somewhere in the ocean." Even the promise of a giant squid to come wasn't enough to make us go on.

This brought back happy memories for me!  For all the reasons you don't like Verne's book, my ASD son (now age 28) devoured them.  He's the kid who would come in and excitedly tell me about the big truck 17 and 2/3 feet long that just whizzed by. 🙂

[Violet Crown]

9 minutes ago, vmsurbat1 said:

This brought back happy memories for me!  For all the reasons you don't like Verne's book, my ASD son (now age 28) devoured them.  He's the kid who would come in and excitedly tell me about the big truck 17 and 2/3 feet long that just whizzed by. 🙂

😄 Dh loved the book for similar reasons. And my boat-crazy, fish-loving Middle Girl. I feel like Verne is somehow the knife that divides humanity into two important sets.

[SereneHome]

3 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

That's how I felt about The Hate U Give as I posted in the last thread. My book club avoids YA books so I'm not quite sure why the person chose this book (chosen before the George Floyd murder). I felt bad because the subject matter is important like you said, and I thought I *should* like the book. I just don't like the writing of YA books. I'm planning to read Just Mercy. I saw the movie but someone said if you don't read the book you miss out on a lot. I will make sure I pay attention and get the right version when I do read it.

I felt similarly about my book club's very first book when we started many years ago - Man's Search for Meaning. I really really dislike philosophy but I read it anyway because the person who chose it said it was an important book. I felt bad about not liking a book written by a holocaust survivor. But he survived the holocaust! I should like his book! Nope. Hated it.

 

I don't like YA either. But I did like Tiffany D Jacson's Monday's not coming and Allegedly. I thought it was well written and not "simplified" at all.

[Miss Tick]

1 hour ago, Violet Crown said:

😄 Dh loved the book for similar reasons. And my boat-crazy, fish-loving Middle Girl. I feel like Verne is somehow the knife that divides humanity into two important sets.

Well, I'm happy to be part of an important set with you, Violet. 😁

[SereneHome]

I don't remember hating Verne, so I wonder if translation makes a difference. I read it in Russian

[Kareni]

I've continued my read of the Vorkosigan series.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold.  Well, this book is actually set two hundred years prior to the others and thus features no Vorkosigans at all; I enjoyed it anyway.

I just finished Diplomatic Immunity  by Lois McMaster Bujold which I also enjoyed.

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

1 hour ago, SereneHome said:

I don't remember hating Verne, so I wonder if translation makes a difference. I read it in Russian

I didn't hate it; it just made for a boring read-aloud. I quite liked Verne's Mistress Branican, which I read a few weeks ago.

[Kareni]

Currently free for Kindle readers ~

Orley Farm - Anthony Trollope

A Grand Gesture: A Traditional Regency Romance by Holly Newman

Regards,

Kareni

[SereneHome]

45 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

I didn't hate it; it just made for a boring read-aloud. I quite liked Verne's Mistress Branican, which I read a few weeks ago.

You right, I should have said "boring", hate is way too strong of a word.

although, I do strongly dislike books that are boring 🙂

[aggieamy]

I'm attempting to post on my phone because VC brings up an important topic and when smart women are discussing important topics I like to listen to the conversation. 

When the Thing started happening I realized that my bookshelves are 95% white European authors and by European I mean English. (My reading tastes haven't even discovered the American colonies yet.) I will claim some diversity in that most are written by women but it seems feminism is on the back shelf for now so nobody cares. So as any good Millennial I decided to expand my reading and to give myself an easy win I picked a romance between a woman of color and a sexy librarian that was on one of those million lists circulating on books you simply must read. 

I got 35% in and gave up but forced myself to read another 10% out of guilt. I hated it. And I felt so incredibly guilty for hating it. So I tried again. But the plot was basically "friends with benefits" and I hated that concept even in high school so I'm certainly not going to be impressed with it at 38 years old. 

And I secretly went in and took the book off my Goodreads shelf without mentioning to anyone because I'm a coward and don't want to admit that I didn't like the book. And then I read a PG Wodehouse book and loved everything about it. And I contemplated not even posting that I read it because it seemed so insensitive but PG Wodehouse was and still is a master of comedy and he deserves that credit. 

Maybe I'm a bad person but I can read a book and recognize outdated ideas but still enjoy the story or characters. And I'm going to make a trip to my used book store tomorrow to swoop in and buy a few more English mysteries or comedies before they disappear from the shelves. It'll be okay. Nobody will recognize me because I'll be wearing a mask. 

(And I will go fist to cuffs with anyone that claims I shouldn't read PG Wodehouse because of the blatant classism because everyone in the book is an idiot with the exception of the valet. He was an equal opportunity satirist.)

[aggieamy]

6 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

But it's so unpredictable. If O'Connor, with her scalpel-edge ironic critique of Southern race dynamics, is unsuitable, what's predictable? My friend's employer was apparently more concerned about authorial identity than about content. And even the greatest English writers are easy targets. Milton? Misogynist. Shakespeare? Anti-woman, anti-Semitic. Chaucer? Rapist. All of them? White males.

 

So much of society and culture will disappear if we decide to ignore the authors of the past and while it's unfair that most of the authors of the past have been white and male that's a product of the fact life has been incredibly unfair and not only were they the educated ones but they were also the ones with free time to write. Possibly Mrs. Chaucer and Mrs. Milton had fantastic stories inside them to but with keeping house and raising children that didn't happen. (I don't know if they were married or not so please excuse my lack of fact checking. Give me credit for not mentioning Mrs. Wilde... because I know she was a writer.) Life has been historically unfair and I hope that changes but I'm not going to burn my pre-1960's copies of the Boxcar Children because of it.

[Kareni]

Does your library (assuming it is open in some fashion) have a summer reading program for adults? 

Mine does. (And my library has arranged curbside pickup of holds, so I feel fortunate.)

One of the challenges in my summer reading program is to read a book of poetry, thus I read with pleasure 

The Apple That Astonished Paris: Poems by Billy Collins

My favorite poem, in its entirety, is:

ETYMOLOGY

They call Basque an orphan language.
Linguists do not know
what other languages gave it birth.

From the high window of the orphanage
it watches English walking alone to the cemetery
to visit the graves of its parents,
Latin and Ango-Saxon.

Regards,

Kareni

[SereneHome]

I would love nothing more than to read books from all kinds of diverse authors. The problem is that either I am a horrible picker of books or it really is hard to find well written contemporary fiction. It almost feels like there are boxes that are being checked off by publishers and I think it's creating an era of literary crap.

Another thing that bothers me is that when I read reviews on Amazon or Goodreads it seems that I am in a minority. People would be raving about a book and I get all excited and then can't get through the first 50 pages. Either I became even more of a snob in my "old" age or I have become completely unable to recognize good literature.....

[vmsurbat1]

3 hours ago, SereneHome said:

Either I became even more of a snob in my "old" age or I have become completely unable to recognize good literature.....

Neither! Being of more mature years myself, I think it is a combo of gained wisdom & critiquing ability plus the growing realization that life is too short to waste reading "literary crap," as you state so well....

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today. 

[Negin]

And this. 

[mumto2]

Lately I have been treating myself to reading many contemporary romances.....the quick easy kind my mother loved and I grew  up reading with her.  I have my   giant box of red covers that Dh gave me for Valentines Day❤️ but I have also been grabbing a few author’s books that I remember liking from reading my mom’s books off of  Overdrive.     These are generally my before bed books as they make it easier for me to sleep peacefully.......these books don’t contribute to any weird nightmares !   And yes when I remember I am keeping them off my Goodreads feed @aggieamy!
 

This morning I finished one by RaeAnne Thayne and I have to tell everyone about it simply because it was clean,  as in no adult scenes.......  beyond a description of a French kiss.  A couple other kisses........I know many have said over the years that they just want a good story and no adult scenes and these may be the author for you!😉. After I downloaded it and started reading I noticed that the title on the top of the page said Snow Angel Cove ( a clean a wholesome romance) which does not seem to be indicated on Goodreads.  Not sure if this is a new Harlequin line....https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20821540-snow-angel-cove

It’s the first in a series of books so it did have the normal series set up nods.  I can pretty much guess who the women are who will find love in the future!😉 speaking of the future........overdrive had the second one so I am set!   A very rich computer genius buys a huge house(and accidentally most of a struggling small town) when he wants to spend Christmas with his extended family ( as you do😂).  This book is how he fell in love with the woman he accidentally hits with his rental car.........nothing incredible just a nice easy romance like my mom loved!  

 

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by mumto2

[Violet Crown]

10 hours ago, SereneHome said:

I would love nothing more than to read books from all kinds of diverse authors. The problem is that either I am a horrible picker of books or it really is hard to find well written contemporary fiction. It almost feels like there are boxes that are being checked off by publishers and I think it's creating an era of literary crap.

This has always been true. Bulwer-Lytton was crazy popular in his day. Nobody would have heard of him today if there weren't a humorous writing competition named after him, in honor of the lugubrious opening sentence of his novel Paul Clifford. (I read Paul Clifford so you don't have to. It's as bad as everything else he wrote.) Dickens, Stendhal, and Poe published novels the same year that are considered classics, but the average reader of 1830 was more likely to have read the Bulwer-Lytton. He knew how to check the boxes, as you put it.

ETA: Specifically, it was a time of intense interest in reform of the draconian English judicial system. Dickens and Hugo tackled the topic, not always to the lasting benefit of their work, but Bulwer-Lytton made it the propagandistic focus of Paul Clifford. Readers were ready and willing to sacrifice every literary value on the altar of confirming popular opinion.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Violet Crown

[aggieamy]

10 hours ago, Kareni said:

Does your library (assuming it is open in some fashion) have a summer reading program for adults? 

Mine does. (And my library has arranged curbside pickup of holds, so I feel fortunate.)

One of the challenges in my summer reading program is to read a book of poetry, thus I read with pleasure 

The Apple That Astonished Paris: Poems by Billy Collins

My favorite poem, in its entirety, is:

ETYMOLOGY

They call Basque an orphan language.
Linguists do not know
what other languages gave it birth.

From the high window of the orphanage
it watches English walking alone to the cemetery
to visit the graves of its parents,
Latin and Ango-Saxon.

Regards,

Kareni

Our libraries are just now opening up but I haven't heard of any adult summer reading programs ... or even kids programs. I guess that's okay because it means I won't have to secretly hide the Paw Patrol book Chews picks out.

And thank you for sharing that poem. It's lovely...

10 hours ago, SereneHome said:

I would love nothing more than to read books from all kinds of diverse authors. The problem is that either I am a horrible picker of books or it really is hard to find well written contemporary fiction. It almost feels like there are boxes that are being checked off by publishers and I think it's creating an era of literary crap.

Another thing that bothers me is that when I read reviews on Amazon or Goodreads it seems that I am in a minority. People would be raving about a book and I get all excited and then can't get through the first 50 pages. Either I became even more of a snob in my "old" age or I have become completely unable to recognize good literature.....

As I get older I've given myself permission to put books away that I don't like. Back in my younger days I would push on and be miserable but I've got too many books I do want to read to put the time and effort into something that doesn't catch my attention. 

[SereneHome]

2 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

This has always been true. Bulwer-Lytton was crazy popular in his day. Nobody would have heard of him today if there weren't a humorous writing competition named after him, in honor of the lugubrious opening sentence of his novel Paul Clifford. (I read Paul Clifford so you don't have to. It's as bad as everything else he wrote.) Dickens, Stendhal, and Poe published novels the same year that are considered classics, but the average reader of 1830 was more likely to have read the Bulwer-Lytton. He knew how to check the boxes, as you put it.

ETA: Specifically, it was a time of intense interest in reform of the draconian English judicial system. Dickens and Hugo tackled the topic, not always to the lasting benefit of their work, but Bulwer-Lytton made it the propagandistic focus of Paul Clifford. Readers were ready and willing to sacrifice every literary value on the altar of confirming popular opinion.

It would be so cool to have lunch with you and talk about books.

[Kareni]

One of the challenges in my summer reading program is to read a biography or autobiography. I read a children's book, Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings by Matthew Burgess.

Here are three things that I learned ~ E. E. was for Edward Estlin; he was an American (I'd thought he was British); and he liked elephants.

 "Enormous Smallness is a nonfiction picture book about the poet E.E. Cummings. Here E.E.'s life is presented in a way that will make children curious about him and will lead them to play with words and ask plenty of questions as well. Lively and informative, the book also presents some of Cummings's most wonderful poems, integrating them seamlessly into the story to give the reader the music of his voice and a spirited, sensitive introduction to his poetry.

In keeping with the epigraph of the book -- "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are," Matthew Burgess's narrative emphasizes the bravery it takes to follow one's own vision and the encouragement E.E. received to do just that. "

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

4 hours ago, SereneHome said:

It would be so cool to have lunch with you and talk about books.

I wish we could all have an IRL book group!

[Ottakee]

1 minute ago, Violet Crown said:

I wish we could all have an IRL book group!

I am really missing good, adult (non Covid) conversation.  Where we can talk about books, ideas, have friendly debates on ideas, etc.

[mumto2]

22 hours ago, Kareni said:

Does your library (assuming it is open in some fashion) have a summer reading program for adults? 

Mine does. (And my library has arranged curbside pickup of holds, so I feel fortunate.)

One of the challenges in my summer reading program is to read a book of poetry, thus I read with pleasure 

The Apple That Astonished Paris: Poems by Billy Collins

My favorite poem, in its entirety, is:

ETYMOLOGY

They call Basque an orphan language.
Linguists do not know
what other languages gave it birth.

From the high window of the orphanage
it watches English walking alone to the cemetery
to visit the graves of its parents,
Latin and Ango-Saxon.

Regards,

Kareni

My library has been open for curbside for about a month.  They originally were allowing people in by appointment but now have a 25% cap.  Not sure how that works as I have not tried to enter but it is by our bike path.....I have never seen more than5 cars in the customer lot since reopening and the lot holds around 40 easily.

I haven’t seen a summer reading program of any sort mentioned......that said I am probably not on the proper online page.  I did look at the window fliers recently when cutting through the parking lot while the library was closed.

[LaughingCat]

On 6/21/2020 at 11:32 AM, Violet Crown said:

. Also, sorry to say, abandoning Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Wee Girl and I were halfway through and bored to tears. WG couldn't take one more list of polysyllabic fish species that Mommy struggled to pronounce. I couldn't take one more list of pointless figures, measurements, and factoids. I'd started replacing (e.g.) "we were then at 154 degrees 15 minutes west longitude, 33 degrees 47 minutes south latitude" with "we were somewhere in the ocean." Even the promise of a giant squid to come wasn't enough to make us go on.

 

What I found is that reading boring parts to myself is FAR different than reading them aloud.  I skim-read all the boring parts -- and only realized this when I tried to read certain books aloud to my kids -and we're talking books I'd read many, many times to myself and loved!  (Swallows and Amazons, I'm looking at you).  

[Negin]

On 6/21/2020 at 2:32 PM, Violet Crown said:

Can we talk about "soft" book banning? Various Things (I say nebulously), which seem to be accelerating, have made me increasingly glad to have most of my books on paper and at home, and reluctant to let go of books that might not, shall we say, be in tune with the times, for fear they not be obtainable in the future. I was going to say that the most recent such Thing was an article in a prominent publication attempting to cancel Flannery O'Connor, which made me double-check that my copy of The Habit of Being was securely on the shelf. But instead the most recent Thing was chatting with a friend after church this morning, whom I haven't seen since start of lockdown. She works in a publishing-related industry, and the employees were all just told -- apparently on account of books seen on their home bookshelves in Zoom meetings -- that they needed to de-colonize their bookshelves. As an implied condition of their continued employment. They were sent extensive instructions, not just on adding Correct books, but on disposing of Incorrect books. She's looking for another job but they aren't exactly hanging from trees right now. I'm giving serious though to deleting my LibraryThing account, despite its usefulness and the time investment. There are things in my Charles Goodnight book -- bits of interviews the author had with Goodnight, excerpts from his letters -- that you would expect from a 19th-century Texan cattle baron, but which would definitely get his statue pulled down (if he has one). And I think about the electronic trail I've left behind by buying books on-line so much. Anyone else have similar paranoid thoughts? What about those of you whose books are electronically stored? Any worries?

I have nothing much to add, but ever since I saw your post, I have been quite concerned. I wish that I had hoarded more books. It's expensive and difficult to ship books here. Banning books is bad enough. The cancel culture is just another extreme example of a thirst for control over other people's lives and thoughts. It gives me scary thoughts of life in Iran. 

[mumto2]

6 hours ago, Negin said:

I have nothing much to add, but ever since I saw your post, I have been quite concerned. I wish that I had hoarded more books. It's expensive and difficult to ship books here. Banning books is bad enough. The cancel culture is just another extreme example of a thirst for control over other people's lives and thoughts. It gives me scary thoughts of life in Iran. 

It’s been on my mind also........the fact that the employer feels they have the right to mandate what a person has in their home just scares me.  I could see a only zoom with a blank wall in the background .  That’s relatively easy and possibly pretty sensible in the long term. The we want you to destroy you personal property, not just don’t put your belongings  on  display is so frightening.

[Shawneinfl]

6 hours ago, Negin said:

I have nothing much to add, but ever since I saw your post, I have been quite concerned. I wish that I had hoarded more books. It's expensive and difficult to ship books here. Banning books is bad enough. The cancel culture is just another extreme example of a thirst for control over other people's lives and thoughts. It gives me scary thoughts of life in Iran. 

Negin, I am happy to send you any books you like. I frequently grab up classics at the Goodwill Store that are in mint condition. I think it's time for me to make another book buying expedition soon, virus or no virus.