aggieamy Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 On 7/19/2020 at 10:33 PM, Junie said: I do love a bizarre old book cover! And that one qualifies! Especially since I know the plot of the book and that doesn't go ... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 Ok ladies ... here's my Covid garden. I'm not really an outside person but I have loved planting things this year. Also we're home all the time so I don't have to worry about plants dying because I'm not here to water them. These two window are to my living room and the far left is my "chair". In theory I can sit at read and look at my roses but mostly I end up reading at night in my bedroom. Also notice the canvas box full of toys in the window. My living room has hardwood floors which are perfect for little boys to turn into the grandest railroad network of all times. This is the other side of my house and the view out our breakfast room. Ignore the trellis stacked there. It's supposed to be behind the patio but John tried to climb that section and it broke so it sits there until my husband fixes it. My lantanas are attracting butterflies! (And Tonka trucks.) 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 What a lovely garden, @aggieamy! It looks peaceful and inviting. ** I finished yet another Penric novella last night, The Prisoner of Limnos (Penric & Desdemona Book 6) by Lois McMaster Bujold, which I enjoyed. Regards, Kareni 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 58 minutes ago, aggieamy said: I do love a bizarre old book cover! And that one qualifies! Especially since I know the plot of the book and that doesn't go ... I know. I finished the book and looked at the cover again to see if I missed something, and I was just perplexed. I mean, there isn't even a real mirror involved in the murder. It's just a symbol. And yet this cover... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 Ds has downloaded a few books........per Dd several old Sci Fi and Middlemarch are the contenders. So War and Peace is out. Trying to encourage Island of Doctor Moreau as he will like that one! Mom only contributed one comment.......”you might like Dr. Moreau!” Yeah, me. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 My art group will be having another outdoor gathering on Monday...yay! For artistic inspiration, I enjoyed reading/admiring Draw Your Day: An Inspiring Guide to Keeping a Sketch Journal by Samantha Dion Baker. "Samantha Dion Baker is a widely admired and followed artist on Instagram, where she shares her "sketch journal," an illustrated daily record of her life, drawn in a fresh, modern style. In Draw Your Day, Baker guides you through her inspirational practice and provides guidance for starting your own. Part instructional guide and part encouraging manifesto about how making art--even art that's not museum-worthy--can make your life more mindful and meaningful, Draw Your Day is ideal for both seasoned artists looking for fresh inspiration, as well as aspiring artists who need a friendly nudge to get started. " Regards, Kareni 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 (edited) @aggieamy Thank you for the garden tour! It is very lovely. I currently live in a city apartment with a small deck. I planted pots of herbs, and my basil and mint are doing great. The dill and the cilantro got leggy and I more-or-less them die. I don’t usually bother with gardening so this definitely a because-COVID garden. Edited July 25, 2020 by Penguin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 Today only, free for Kindle readers ~ The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison "With the arrival of a Witchland envoy making demands of Demonland’s chief lords, peace between the two lands is irrevocably shattered. The chief lords Juss and Spitfire send their brother Goldry to defeat the witch king. Though he is initially victorious, Goldry ultimately gets captured, leaving it up to his brothers to rescue him. So begins a fantasy adventure whose influence has endured for nearly a century. The Worm Ouroboros is an undisputed classic of fantasy literature, and has been an avowed influence on the likes of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Entirely immersive and written in near-Elizabethan tongue, the novel takes readers on an unforgettable ride across the plane of Mercury, flanked by soaring hippogriffs, with an unforgettable finish that impresses as much now as it did nearly a century ago." Regards, Kareni 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 On 7/24/2020 at 12:17 PM, Æthelthryth the Texan said: I can only have things that are drought proof and "I am too scattered to remember to water" proof, so I only have Plumbago. I should add some lantana though. I think I might be able to not kill that. Beautiful garden, @aggieamy! @Æthelthryth the Texan, besides the standbys of plumbago and lantana, we've had good luck with Mexican heather. And purple heart, which thrives on abuse. Of course nandina grows fine, but once you have it you'll never get rid of it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 4 hours ago, Seasider too said: I am still loaded with things-not-reading but did finish Hadlow’s The Other Bennet Sister. I enjoyed it so much! The book immediately felt like an old friend, with its familiar setting and cast of characters. Just when I was beginning to feel that the plot might be too predictable, Mary’s story took on a life of its own. The author did a wonderful job of replicating Austen’s style with language, and though I could feel the trademark commentary on unfairness in social issues, there seemed a more modern tone to it. Not sure how to better express that. ...Still in the mood for that sort of story... Big happy sigh -- everything you said was exactly what I loved about it too! The Other Bennet Sister is still at the top of my favorite new book of the year list. 😍 My adult niece, with whom I share a lot of books, recommended it to me. 😄 I can't think of anything else just like The Other Bennett that is, but you might enjoy one or more of these that very slightly are similar: - Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery series A continuation of Austin's most famous pair -- solving mysteries! Done credibly, for the most part. Each book solves an individual mystery and involves characters from a different Austen story, but there is an overall story arc, so it might be best to read them in order... BTW -- book #5 (The Intrigue of Highbury) is based on Emma and is probably the strongest book of the series. 😄 ? Book #2 (Suspense and Sensibility) verges into the supernatural with big influences from The Picture of Dorian Gray -- also, we see more of Bennett sister Kitty in that book... - Sorcery and Celia: Or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Wrede) Set in the 1800s. Jane Austen meets Harry Potter, lol. This is really a short YA book, and not as well-written as the other suggestions here, but very fun. - The Little White Horse (Goudge) Set in the 1800s. Another YA title, and a little poignant, but the reconciliation is very satisfying, and the just-bordering-on-fantastical-edge to the world is lovely. - Enchanted April (Von Arnim) Set in the 1920s. The one time where I think the film version surpasses the book, esp. the different twist right at the very end with the Carolyn Desta character... But, this is a lovely and lightly humorous read. - Cold Comfort Farm (Gibbons) Set in the 1920s. So much fun! 😄 And the film version (also very fun) stars a young Kate Beckinsale! - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (Watson) Set in the 1930s (?) A bit uneven and a bit improbably at times, but humorous and frothy fun. This quotation from Amazon sums it very nicely: "Miss Pettigrew is about a governess sent by an employment agency to the wrong address, where she encounters a glamorous night-club singer, Miss LaFosse. 'The sheer fun, the light-heartedness' in this wonderful 1938 book 'feels closer to a Fred Astaire film than anything else' comments the Preface-writer Henrietta Twycross-Martin" - something by Barbara Pym Set in the 1950s. Some are more poignant/sombre, others are lighter/funnier, but all are beautifully, subtly written tales of women struggling to find their way in post-WW2 England. 7 hours ago, Seasider too said: ... I watched the newest Emma film last night. I have to say I didn’t love it. Cinematically it was beautiful. But it seemed that the comedy was over exaggerated. Mr. Elton was a copycat of Mr. Collins. Emma’s sister was overplayed. And though Emma was spoiled and thought she was an expert at matchmaking, I never sensed she was a mean girl. This film had me wondering why Knightley would ever think highly of her apart from her good looks and social standing. I was surprised at their dance together a sensuous thing - made me think of that last “you have bewitched me” scene in the latest P&P - added to make moviegoers happy. And what’s up with the nosebleed out of nowhere? I did like Harriett & Mr Martin, they were just right. Anyway, I am obviously going to have to read the book again and then watch my preferred Kate Beckinsale version to set my mind at ease... Thanks for that review! I've been wavering whether or not to watch the new Emma. I like the Kate Beckinsale Emma, too. Sounds like I can pass on the new version... Speaking of versions of Austen movies, the Amanda Root version of Persuasion has grown to be my favorite of all the versions I've seen of all the Austen. So quietly understated, so rich in characterizations, and such a lovely story -- the idea of a second chance at love. 😍 I see Persuasion as the Austen love story for older women 😉 , as the others are all definitely late-teenage girls falling in love for the first time. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted July 26, 2020 Author Share Posted July 26, 2020 Week 30 is live -please join me in the new thread 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.