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Book a Week 2021 - BW34: Doing is Being by Ray Bradbury


Robin M
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Happy Sunday! Since the majority of you live in areas several hours ahead of me and I’m late to bed, late to rise on Sunday, I will post Saturday night before I go to bed.  

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Today is the anniversary of one of my favorite writers Ray Bradbury who entertains and inspires me with his writing.  


Doing is Being

By

Ray Bradbury

Doing is being.
To have done’s not enough.
To stuff yourself with doing — that’s the game.
To name yourself each hour by what’s done,
To tabulate your time at sunset’s gun
And find yourself in acts
You could not know before the facts
You wooed from secret self, which much needs wooing,
So doing brings it out,
Kills doubt by simply jumping, rushing, running
Forth to be
The new-discovered me.
To not do is to die,
Or lie about and lie about the things
You just might do some day.
Away with that!
Tomorrow empty stays
If no man plays it into being
With his motioned way of seeing.
Let your body lead your mind —
Blood the guide dog to the blind;
So then practice and rehearse
To find heart-soul’s universe,
Knowing that by moving/seeing
Proves for all time: Doing’s being!

************************
Count of Monte Cristo


Chapter 85. The Journey
Chapter 86. The Trial
Chapter 87. The Challenge


Link to week 33

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.


 

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Currently reading Hexing with a Chance of Tornados.   Think I need some heavier reads and will get back into reading the last Wheel of Time book after I'm done.  Need more meat with my fluff.   

We have a busy yet fun week coming up. Hubby and I celebrating 24 years of marriage on Monday and Wednesday is Hubby's 62nd birthday.  Party time! 

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Pardon me for going a little off topic, but Ray Bradbury and my father were friends and served together on the Academy of Motion Pictures Documentary Committee.

I often tagged along to screenings and met Mr Bradbury many times.

And interesting factlet about Mr Bradbury is that he did not drive. So on a number of occasions we'd give the author a lift home. He was a kind man.

Bill

 

 

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I finished Heather McGhee's The Sum of Us this week, which is basically about how we can't have nice things in this country (like universal healthcare, etc) because of racism. I think I stalled out in the middle because it was just so hard to read about our country holding people down. I picked up speed again as the end got a little more personal and I think hopeful, or at least focused on what we can do. I like the message that we need to be more integrated and know each other better. That's something I can apply in my classroom just by having students sit with and work with students who aren't just like them.

I am now half way through Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary which is an easier read. I think the writing style would get to me if I read too much of him, but the plot keeps me reading. And again, I'm in the section of beings unlike each other, human and alien, getting to know each other and work on solving problems together. Up next will be Stacey Abram's While Justice Sleeps and that will probably be the end of the summer reading season for me.

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15 hours ago, Spy Car said:

Pardon me for going a little off topic, but Ray Bradbury and my father were friends and served together on the Academy of Motion Pictures Documentary Committee.

I often tagged along to screenings and met Mr Bradbury many times.

And interesting factlet about Mr Bradbury is that he did not drive. So on a number of occasions we'd give the author a lift home. He was a kind man.

Bill

 

Wow, how awesome that you and your family had a personal relationship with Bradbury.  What a wonderful blessing and thank you for sharing. Anytime you want to share more stories, we'd love to hear them.    

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13 minutes ago, Robin M said:

Wow, how awesome that you and your family had a personal relationship with Bradbury.  What a wonderful blessing and thank you for sharing. Anytime you want to share more stories, we'd love to hear them.    

My dad and Mr Bradbury (who he called Ray) were really friendly. Mr Bradbury was a modest and unassuming man--not a scintilla of arrogance or egoism. Just the opposite.

Instead he was very sincere, very curious and very open to dealing in the world of ideas (as was my father). They shared ideas. At times Mr Bradbury would share advance copies of his work and my dad would share his own artwork. 

I don't think someone who met him and did not know who Mr Bradbury was would assume he was someone famous. Very down to earth.

Bill

 

 

 

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So, I've never actually read anything by Ray Bradbury.  But, I would like to!

I tried to read Fahrenheit 451 but didn't get very far.  It's not really my kind of book and I had too many other books that I was trying to get through before some of my kids went to college.  I knew they wouldn't enjoy it, so I moved on to other works.  I will most likely read Fahrenheit 451 eventually.  I enjoy reading good literature, even if it's not something that I really like.  If that makes sense.  In other words, I'm a literature nerd.

What would be some of his other works that y'all would recommend?  He is not an author that I know much about, so I'm not even sure what he's written or where I should start.

 

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Since my last post I read a contemporary romance called Talk Bookish to Me https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55004513-talk-bookish-to-me. It was an enjoyable story about a romance author who discovers her college boyfriend is also in the wedding she is standing up in.  After almost a year of writer’s block she can suddenly write again with a huge deadline approaching she decides to keep seeing him.  
 

I am almost done listening to a fantasy called The Library of the Dead https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205876-the-library-of-the-dead. It’s set in a future Edinburgh that I honestly can’t figure out the rules of but it’s an enjoyable fantasy after I just listened to the story.  It’s not going to be a favorite but I want to find out how it ends!

 

There is a library/book thread going on here as I am trying to finish up my Librarian 10 x10.  I am reading a cost called Murder at the Lakeside Library https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55717124-murder-at-the-lakeside-library which is possibly the only book that is really going to fit my category.  This is simply an OK cozy so far which takes place in a lakeside summer enclave in northern Minnesota with the main character running a library for the residents.

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I just finished The Year's Midnight (Death's Lady Book 1) by Rachel NeumeierI found this book in a Reddit thread that was asking for recommendations of fantasy books that contained a character undergoing therapy. It definitely has that, and I enjoyed the book. I'd like to read on in the series, but sadly my library does not have the sequels. 

"A gifted psychiatrist, Daniel Dodson is perfectly aware that he's in a tough place personally following the death of his wife. Then a mysterious new patient offers a welcome professional distraction.The world of swords and magic that Tenai so vividly remembers obviously can't be real. The deadly enmity and long war that left such deep emotional scars plainly symbolize something else. But perhaps Daniel can use the signposts of those confabulated memories to aid Tenai in moving forward into a new life in the real world."

(ETA: I posted this as a free book back in July, so you might already own this if you took note of that post.)

Regards,

Kareni

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@Robin M Happy Birthday to your hubby!  I hope you had a wonderful anniversary celebration.......

I finished reading the latest Lisa Klepas historical romance https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51178326-devil-in-disguise It was an enjoyable step back into several of her popular story lines with the Ravenel family. There is definately potential for a Lisa Klepas reread in the future!
 

Because I need an O to finish off my August spelling challenge I have been listening to a Department Q mystery.  The fifth book in the series The Marco Effect deals with Gypsies in Denmark and a young boy who is attempting to leave the clan but knows too many secrets.  One of his secrets is the murder of a banker who worked with government aid programs in Africa.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20821019-the-marco-effect?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=IYqdh5UM54&rank=1  

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i tried to read Bradbury several times (and several different books) but I'm just not a fan of golden age sci-fi. Golden age mystery yes, sci-fi, no. 

 

On 8/14/2021 at 8:28 PM, Robin M said:

  Enjoy Tenant of Wildfell Hall.  It's a good read.

I'm enjoying it thanks. The character just made a poor decision regarding a suitor. 😄

Updates since my last one -

I finished Klara and the Sun and really enjoyed it. It didn't ruin The Remains of the Day for me, which is why I've been afraid to read anything else by the author. I can't say I loved it but it was a good 3.5 - 4 stars for me. If I ever get caught up on Goodreads I'll probably give it a four since you can't give half stars and it was better than a three. 

I started listening to my next audio book, In the Garden of Beasts, but got side tracked by the Rex Factor podcast. I can't stop listening to the two guys who do it! They review all the kings and queens of England from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II, one monarch per episode, and then score them at the end of each show. They're about to do Elizabeth II so I got through it pretty quickly. They're just so much fun to listen to, especially for an Anglophile American like me.  Bottom line, no audio books for a while. The problem is, after they finished (it started in 2010) they then went on to a playoff series among all the monarchs who had a certain score (i.e. got the "rex factor"). After that they did Scottish monarchs with playoffs, and are currently on the consorts. I might not listen to an audio book for the rest of the year lol.  I think there's now an animated series on YouTube but I haven't gone that far. Yet. 😂

Currently reading:

 As mentioned above in reply to Robin's post - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - I've read Charlotte (Jane Eyre - didn't love it, didn't hate it), Emily (Wuthering Heights - hated it), but haven't read anything by Anne. This will complete my Bronte sisters reading as I doubt I'll want to read any of their other work. I'm liking it so far.

Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir - I got the Kindle version on sale some time ago but am only now getting to it.

The Borgias and Their Enemies by Christopher Hibbert - I came to this in a roundabout way. I've been watching the Medici series on Netflix and decided to read about them. I have a rudimentary knowledge of the family. I couldn't get any books about them from the library and put a hold on several, but recommendations popped up for this Borgia book so I figured I'd read about another powerful Italian family dynasty in the meantime.

What the Devil Knows - the most recent Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery

I have this week's Count of Monte Cristo chapters to read and I'm sure I'll be caught up before the next thread and next chapters.

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I read Battle Royal by Lucy Parker which I quite enjoyed. I look forward to reading on in the series.

"Ready…

Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere. When Sylvie's unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has used her fame to fulfill her dream of opening a bakery. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess.

Set…

Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple.

Match…

When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they fight to come out on top.

The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection.

In this royal battle, can there be room for two?"

Regards,

Kareni

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This week I've been reading Anne Perry (William Monk series of Victorian mysteries) and Anne Hillerman (Leaphorn and Chee series of mysteries on Navajo land). Really enjoying both but hate coming into the middle of a series. Anne Hillerman is following in her father Tony's footsteps and building on his characters, so it's interesting to see how another author handles the same fictional people. Anne Perry has a rather unconventional detective (with amnesia) and his female counterpart (a former nurse in the Crimea) and is definitely into looking below the surface at emotions, aspirations, motives, etc. Unfortunately, my library doesn't have the first books of the Monk series so I am having to intuit some things and I feel I am missing other things.

Earthquake here this week, a small one but centered right under my house and gave us quite a sudden jolt. I squeaked in the middle of a meeting, LOL. All good though. Praying for Afghanistan, for those able to get out and those forced to stay.

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On 8/22/2021 at 5:31 PM, Junie said:

So, I've never actually read anything by Ray Bradbury.  But, I would like to!

What would be some of his other works that y'all would recommend?  He is not an author that I know much about, so I'm not even sure what he's written or where I should start.

 

You may want to start with some of his short stories which will give you an idea of his writing style. I really liked Something Wicked This Way Comes as well as Zen and the art of Writing.  You might also want to consider The Martian Chronicles. 

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