Book a Week 2022 - BW4: Bookish Birthdays and Notes

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday! Today is National Handwriting Day  Which coincidently goes hand in hand (pun intended) with those letters we could have written in week 2. Yes, I know, I didn't either. But I have been having fun writing A to Z and back again stories, all by hand, and currently working on the letter K. How about you? Ready to give it a try yet?   

A to Z and Back Again - our letter and word of the week is D - Deduction

 

Time for a round of literary birthdays and notes to tempt and amaze you:

Jan 23: French author Stendhal, American poet Louis Zukofsky, and West Indies poet Derek Walcott

Jan 24: American novelist Edith Wharton , English dramatist William Congreve, British novelist and zoologist Desmond Norris

Jan 25: Scottish poet Robert Burns, English poet William Somerset Maugham, and English novelist Virginia Woolf

Jan 26:  American author and activist Angela Davis, and American Mary Mapes Dodge

Jan 27: English author Lewis Carroll,  and  English novelist D.M. Thomas

Jan 28: American author and activist Julius Lester, and French author Colette

Jan 29: American political author Thomas Paine, Russian playwright Anton Chekov and French novelist and Nobel Prize winner Romain Rolland

 

Finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Awards

Mystery Writers of America Announces 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations

Screen grabbers: mysteries adapted for film

Nick Cave on Creativity, the Myth of Originality, and How to Find Your Voice

And Just Like That...Carrie Bradshaw's Library Card is a Must-Have Accessory

 

Have fun following rabbit trails! 

  

Link to book week three

Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges.  

[Robin M]

Still reading alphabetically and it’s so much fun. Takes all the guess work out of it, makes decision easy and helping me read all those dusty books on my shelves. Started to include alphabet by author. 

Finished Lisa Scottoline’s Eternals, a romantic triangle between three best friends, set in Italy during WWII, with Mussolini's treatment of Italian Jews. Good but could have been better.  

Also a new to me author Adam Christopher’s robot noir story Made to Kill. Unique. Alphabet by author read.  Review is up on Goodreads.

Started my alphabet by author read for the letter B – Alexandra Bracken in a science fiction time traveling story Wayfarers. 

Next up my F book – Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco who is also our February highlighted author and book. Getting an early start. 

And G for Great passages is still in progress as I’ve been avoiding my ipad lately. LOL!  

 
 

[tuesdayschild]

Thanks for another great start to our BaW thread   @Robin M   (some interesting links I'm going to fall down in to .... once I've posted.) Wow, you are well ahead with your A-Z-ing!

I'm listening to Devils by Fyodor Dostoevsky for my letter D.  I'm appreciating it way more than I thought I would: and, even though this feels like a satire laden tragedy I didn't expect to encounter a LOL moment in this book as Dostoevsky is not, usually, an author that makes me feel like laughing - for those who have read this, it was Nikolai biting that old man's ear (it shouldn't be funny, but it was).

The Goodreads' Heyer group were reading Arabella this month, not a favourite Georgette Heyer title for me with past readings, and this listen through I was in the right frame of mind to appreciate the wit and humour in this story and sidestep the bits that irritated me.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else is reading.

Edited January 23, 2022 by tuesdayschild

[Negin]

Thank you for the thread, Robin. 

I barely get any reading done these days. I hope that will change soon, but I'm not sure if it will. I am reading a few non-fiction books, all at the same time, little bits and pieces here and there throughout my day.

 

[mumto2]

Thank you for the thread Robin!
 

My official planned D book has a great title Death by Disputation by Anna Castle.   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25843064-death-by-disputationI haven’t actually started reading it but I enjoyed the first in the series so it should by a good read.  Due to library due dates and Bookchain constraints I may end up having to finish my likely E book first or simply use Death Comes to Bath which I need to read first for my Bookchain. 😂 Such a trivial problem!

I read The Kinsman Universe by Ilona Andrews https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41027235-the-kinsman-universe and didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as anticipated.  It was a trio of novellas and all could have been ............much more, I guess.  
 

It All Started with a Dog was the second in Julia London’s Lucky Dog contemporary romance series.  She is awesome at meet cute with some dogs thrown in type of romances but this book was a bit too cute in places.  I gave it 4* because I thought it was a fun concept and did the doggie concept well but there were lots of underlying prejudices that were displayed as virtues in the book that I couldn’t help but wince at....to be fair the characters did learn but I didn’t love the characters I was supposed to.  So loved the dogs but not the people.  Maybe I should switch Goodreads to a 3*!  Took care of that.😉. If it hadn’t been an audiobook I might not have finished it which for an easy read is rare! Lolhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56552935-it-started-with-a-dog

I am slightly more than halfway through Nora Roberts latest The Becoming https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56269133-the-becoming as an audiobook.  Great entertainment and I spent a couple more hours than intended planning my book chains etc last night because I didn’t want to turn it off.

Which explains why I am plodding along in my Baynard Kendrick mystery Blind Man’s Bluff https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8483455-blind-man-s-bluff  I was fortunate that my library added a Duncan MacLaine mystery into its collection last year for me to try.  This old series with its blind detective, support staff, and service dogs just plain intrigues me.  Set in NYC this book is set around a failed 1930 bank by someone who was actually living it.  Yay for golden age authors....the setting is accurate even if the detective is a bit of a super hero!  I have been checking Amazon and picking up further Kindle versions as they are discounted and have amassed 5 more in recent months.  I am looking forward to reading more by this WWI vet who because his BF was blind (war injury) spent decades working with charities for the benefit of the blind.  

 

 

 

[Kareni]

I've continued to reread and have finished Lab Rat One (Touchstone Book 2) by Andrea K Höst. I think it's safe to say that I'll go on to read book three and finish the original trilogy. The real question is whether I'll continue on and read four through six in the series.

Regards,

Kareni

[Jenny in Florida]

I started book #6 this morning, although #5 was a bit of a slog to get through. Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman is the first book in a long time that I legitimately disliked. A couple of the others I've given up on have been because I didn't like the narrator or just found the book boring, but this one . . . Well, after I finished it I looked up some reviews, and one of them said:

"I wanted to shake and maybe even slap this insipid, lame, weak, passive main character as she repeatedly allowed herself to be screwed over."

All I can say is, yep, 100% agreed.

1. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman
2. The Victorian and the Romantic: A Memoir, a Love Story, and a Friendship Across Time, Nell Stevens
3. You Have the Right to Remain Fat, Virgie Tovar
4. I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50, Annabelle Gurwitch
5. You're Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility, Annabelle Gurwitch
6. Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, Elizabeth Buchan

I am currently reading:

• Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown (Well, it's sitting on my bedside table, and I have read the intro.)
• Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen, Alison Weir

Next up will likely be:

• Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife, Alison Weir (which will finish off the Six Tudor Queens series)

 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

Winnie-the-Pooh, an Ernest Hemingway Classic and a Massive Library of Sound Recordings Will Enter the Public Domain on January 1

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/whats-entering-the-public-domain-on-january-1-winnie-pooh-ernest-hemingway-180979299/

REX PICKETT ON THE STRANGE EXPERIENCE OF DONATING HIS PAPERS TO THE ARCHIVES

https://crimereads.com/rex-pickett-on-the-strange-experience-of-donating-his-papers-to-the-archives/

Maybe Reading Goals Are Good, Actually

https://www.tor.com/2022/01/13/mark-as-read-reluctantly-accepting-reading-goals/comment-page-1/#comment-934735

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for US Kindle readers ~

Ray And Cain Mysteries - Box Set 1 by Gillian Larkin

Rings On Her Fingers: Romantic Mystery Series (Psychic Seasons Book 1) by ReGina Welling

My Perfect Life at Cornish Cottage: A funny and feel-good romantic comedy by S J Crabb

 Hitting the Wall: A Stonecut County Romance by Cate C. Wells (I enjoyed this.)

Ashes of the Dragon by Peter Cruikshank

Regards,

Kareni

[melmichigan]

I finished listening to the title To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini.  I think it was the longest audible that I've listened to.  

I also finished reading the trilogy Starship's Mage: Red Falcon, which is a spin-off parallel to the Starship Mage series that I read last month. I wish I knew enough and could have read them as they fit between the original story.

@mumto2I felt the same about the Kinsman Universe, although I realize they were a limited edition print.  I want to say they started on the blog, but I don't remember the specifics.  I'm pretty sure they self published the digital editions by request of fans.

[LaughingCat]

I finished "Where the Drowned Girls Go" by Seanan McGuire, most of whose series I have started out liking a lot and then slowly fell away from. This series started out "meh", but since they are so short I have read most of them anyway.   They are a bit dark for my liking-- and I find the premise somewhat disturbing as a parent since it is a look at what might actually happen to children who open doors into other worlds and then come back  (would have probably loved it as a tween thru young adult tho).  

It's interesting that I generally have no problem stopping reading a book I'm not enjoying -- but I find it hard to step away from authors I like who go in a direction I don't care for so I keep giving them another chance LOL

[Robin M]

Gave up on The Great Passage as well as Wayfarers.  Decided this year that if I'm not enjoying, I can give up, and move on to something else.  Placing it in my life is to short, not for me category.  Read several chapters of ebook Great Passage and felt like eternity and when checked how much had finished, expecting to see 75% and only seeing 35%, decided enough was enough.   Wayfarers is a continue of Passage and it's been a couple years since read Passage, so was completely lost as Wayfarers didn't give much explanation, expecting one to know what had happened. Don't want to read Passage again so gave up. 

On to Umberto Eco's Faucault's Pendulum and YA Fantasy Super Powereds Year 1 by Drew Hayes.  This is book one out of four and my brother sent me the 4 book series which are super chunky.  

"Knowledge is power. That would be the motto of Lander University, had it not been snatched up and used to death by others long before the school was founded. For while Lander offers a full range of courses to nearly all students, it also offers a small number of specialty classes to a very select few. Lander is home to the Hero Certification Program, a curriculum designed to develop student with superhuman capabilities, commonly known as Supers, into official Heroes.

Five of this year’s freshmen are extra special. They have a secret aside from their abilities, one that they must guard from even their classmates. Because for every one person in the world with abilities they can control, there are three who lack such skill. These lesser super beings, Powereds as they are called, have always been treated as burdens and second class citizens. Though there has been ample research in the area, no one has ever succeeded in turning a Powered into a regular human, let alone a Super.

That is, until now…"

 

[mumto2]

@Robin M I’m looking forward to hearing your opinion of the Drew Hayes series.  He writes  my Fred the Vampire Accountant books and my library already owns them.  Life is too short to read books we don’t enjoy....😉

[Storygirl]

I finished my C book, which was a feat -- 622 pages. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I did love this one. Has anyone else read it?

Doerr weaves together stories about several characters from three main time periods -- current day (including a dip into the past experiences of two of these characters), the siege of Constantinople in the 1400's (also following two characters: one inside the walls, and one of the besiegers), and a time in the future on a spaceship called the Argos. The thread tying them all together is a fragmented text in ancient Greek that tells the tale of a wandering fool who (perhaps) discovers some wisdom during his fantastic journey to the paradise Cloud Cuckoo Land at the end of the Earth.

I really enjoyed the weaving of these three tales together. Although I am mainly a mystery reader, I also love historical fiction and some science fiction, and I like folklore and generational sagas, so the book really captured my attention. But I could see why the inclusion of all of those elements might be too much of a mixture for some readers.

I loved it, though. It's been a long time since I've read a book that long in such little time.

Edited January 25, 2022 by Storygirl

[AurieD]

On 1/25/2022 at 4:57 AM, LaughingCat said:

I finished "Where the Drowned Girls Go" by Seanan McGuire, most of whose series I have started out liking a lot and then slowly fell away from. This series started out "meh", but since they are so short I have read most of them anyway.   They are a bit dark for my liking-- and I find the premise somewhat disturbing as a parent since it is a look at what might actually happen to children who open doors into other worlds and then come back  (would have probably loved it as a tween thru young adult tho).  

It's interesting that I generally have no problem stopping reading a book I'm not enjoying -- but I find it hard to step away from authors I like who go in a direction I don't care for so I keep giving them another chance LOL

I’ve read the first 4 Wayward Children, enjoyed some and not others. But as you say they are very short so I’ll probably give the rest a try.

The only other of the author’s books I’ve read is Newsflesh, I really enjoyed the first but thought it went downhill in the second and third. 

[Kareni]

2 hours ago, Storygirl said:

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I did love this one. Has anyone else read it?

My book group will be reading this later this year, so I'm happy to see your positive review.

On 1/24/2022 at 12:57 PM, LaughingCat said:

I finished "Where the Drowned Girls Go" by Seanan McGuire, most of whose series I have started out liking a lot and then slowly fell away from....

I read the first book in this series but did not feel compelled to read on. I also read the first four or five Rosemary and Rue books (wow, I see there are now 15!) when they were new but did not continue. I enjoyed that series more than the one above and might give it another try. I haven't tried the Mira Grant books that @AurieD mentioned.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I've continued my reread of the Touchstone series and have finished Caszandra and 

Gratuitous Epilogue. I enjoyed them both.

Regards,

Kareni

[Vintage81]

On 1/24/2022 at 2:57 PM, LaughingCat said:

I finished "Where the Drowned Girls Go" by Seanan McGuire, most of whose series I have started out liking a lot and then slowly fell away from. This series started out "meh", but since they are so short I have read most of them anyway.   They are a bit dark for my liking-- and I find the premise somewhat disturbing as a parent since it is a look at what might actually happen to children who open doors into other worlds and then come back  (would have probably loved it as a tween thru young adult tho).  

 

2 hours ago, AurieD said:

I’ve read the first 4 Wayward Children, enjoyed some and not others. But as you say they are very short so I’ll probably give the rest a try.

The only other of the author’s books I’ve read is Newsflesh, I really enjoyed the first but thought it went downhill in the second and third. 

 

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

I read the first book in this series but did not feel compelled to read on. I also read the first four or five Rosemary and Rue books (wow, I see there are now 15!) when they were new but did not continue. I enjoyed that series more than the one above and might give it another try. I haven't tried the Mira Grant books that @AurieD mentioned.

Regards,

Kareni

I read one of the Wayward books, but I didn’t care for it so I didn’t continue with the series. I read Middlegame by Seanan McGuire and I liked it. It was kind of weird, but pretty good. I think there’s a sequel coming out, but I’m not sure if I’ll read it. 

[LaughingCat]

Just want to mention that Seanan McGuire also has a couple other series not mentioned in previous posts,:

Incryptid Series:    I really liked this series at first. The first book is Discount Armageddon.   I made it through book 8, then tried to read book 9 and barely made it in to it (books 7 and 8 were just ok, but 9 jumped to a new main character so I had high hopes for it)   I do have it on hold again right now because I thought I'd try giving it another shot (maybe it was just bad timing after all) since book 11 is coming out in March  and looks interesting (although if I can't make it through maybe I'll just try to skip to book 11 since book 10 is a continuation of book 9's story and book 11 is moving to a new main character 😄 )

Ghost Roads:  I really liked the first book in this currently 3 book series, Sparrow Hill Road, and then couldn't get into book 2 (and I thought book 1 had high reread potential but when I've looked at it again, I find I'm not interested)

[mumto2]

10 hours ago, LaughingCat said:

Just want to mention that Seanan McGuire also has a couple other series not mentioned in previous posts,:

Incryptid Series:    I really liked this series at first. The first book is Discount Armageddon.   I made it through book 8, then tried to read book 9 and barely made it in to it (books 7 and 8 were just ok, but 9 jumped to a new main character so I had high hopes for it)   I do have it on hold again right now because I thought I'd try giving it another shot (maybe it was just bad timing after all) since book 11 is coming out in March  and looks interesting (although if I can't make it through maybe I'll just try to skip to book 11 since book 10 is a continuation of book 9's story and book 11 is moving to a new main character 😄 )

Ghost Roads:  I really liked the first book in this currently 3 book series, Sparrow Hill Road, and then couldn't get into book 2 (and I thought book 1 had high reread potential but when I've looked at it again, I find I'm not interested)

I really enjoy the Incryptid series and have read them all.  Like you I am not as fond of the last couple in the series (I don’t think I feel the connection with Sarah that I do with the others) but am looking forward to the new release. The new release sounds like it will be fun and answer some questions.

I have read most of the Wayward books.....I think I have skipped the last two.  I am done for now.  
 

I like October Daye well enough I just started that series too late and catching up never happens.  It’s much easier to series read when you just need to put the new release on hold.

Sparrow Hill just didn’t click.  I set that one aside early.

[Mothersweets]

Just realized that I have finished five books since the start of the year. And I enjoyed each one!

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Mostly a fun read but it didn't grab me like The Martian did. I ended up skimming over some of the science bits.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King. I feel as though I'm the last person to read this book, ha ha. I knew the basic story but knowing what was coming really amped up the feelings of dread the further (farther?)I got in the book. 

Taste: My Life through Food  by Stanley Tucci. I heard his interview on NPR and it was great so I put the book on hold asap. I was #81 or thereabouts and it took a couple months for my turn to come up. I liked it, Stan Tucci is a good storyteller but his pedantic beliefs on food became a bit tiring by the end.

The Late Show by Michael Connelly. My aunt recommended Connelly's Bosch series to me and after realizing how many books there are AND watching a couple episodes of the tv series, I knew it would be a struggle to get through them. So, I skipped ahead to where the series picks up with the female detective, Renee Ballard. Liked it very much and need to order the next one from the library. I accidentally ordered the large print version and now all my other books' print seems so very teeny tiny. 

and my last book - Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood  by Gary Paulsen. from GR: 
His name is synonymous with high-stakes wilderness survival stories. Now, author Gary Paulsen portrays a series of life-altering moments from his turbulent childhood as his own original survival story. If not for his summer escape from a shockingly neglectful Chicago upbringing to a North Woods homestead at age five, there never would have been a Hatchet. Without the encouragement of the librarian who handed him his first book at age thirteen, he may never have become a reader. And without his desperate teenage enlistment in the Army, he would not have discovered his true calling as a storyteller.

I've thoroughly enjoyed every book written by Paulsen and this one is no exception. All my kids liked his writing too, even the reluctant readers would look forward to his books. I was so sorry to hear that he passed away last fall. 

Thank you for the thread, Robin. I don't always post each week but I rarely miss reading through it and appreciating everyone's posts. 

[Vintage81]

57 minutes ago, Mothersweets said:

Pet Sematary by Stephen King. I feel as though I'm the last person to read this book, ha ha. I knew the basic story but knowing what was coming really amped up the feelings of dread the further (farther?)I got in the book. 

You’re not…I haven’t read it. 🤣

[Jenny in Florida]

On 1/23/2022 at 6:21 PM, Jenny in Florida said:

I am currently reading:

• Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown (Well, it's sitting on my bedside table, and I have read the intro.)
• Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen, Alison Weir

Ugh. 

I normally love Alison Weir, and this series in particular, but I'm having a hard time with this book. Katheryn Howard always feels like such a tragic figure to me, and living in her head while she makes (and fails to make) decisions that I as a reader know will lead to her downfall is really hard. 

I just checked the run time -- I have 12.5 hours of this book left.

That settles it. I'm setting this one aside for now and going in search of something more palatable.

[Laurel-in-CA]

Just finished Harry Turtledove's Guns of the South, which is an alternate history based on Afrikaners showing up in time to furnish better guns to the South (AK-57s) and turn the tide of the war. Their goal is to preserve slavery and create a future ally for South Africa by turning the South towards white supremacy, but they end up losing out to Lee's solution, which is gradual curtailing of slavery and its elimination within 20 years or so after what was termed "The Second Revolution" rather than the Civil War. It did get a bit long, but I was still reading @ 1 am, just to finish, which is the sign of a pretty good book.

And then this week a friend called me with some questions about how to present letters an ancestor had written home *during* the Civil War - she's having them transcribed because the handwriting is awful and the spelling is utterly phonetic. They'll go into a geneology book she's self-publishing and the actual letters will be donated to a museum. Fun coincidence of events!

 

[Robin M]

On 1/23/2022 at 12:31 AM, tuesdayschild said:

I'm listening to Devils by Fyodor Dostoevsky for my letter D.  I'm appreciating it way more than I thought I would: and, even though this feels like a satire laden tragedy I didn't expect to encounter a LOL moment in this book as Dostoevsky is not, usually, an author that makes me feel like laughing - for those who have read this, it was Nikolai biting that old man's ear (it shouldn't be funny, but it was).

That does sound interesting. I haven't read anything by Dostoevsky yet so this may be a good one to start. 

 

On 1/23/2022 at 1:23 AM, Negin said:

Thank you for the thread, Robin. 

I barely get any reading done these days. I hope that will change soon, but I'm not sure if it will. I am reading a few non-fiction books, all at the same time, little bits and pieces here and there throughout my day.

Love your meme! What non fiction books are you dipping into? 

 

On 1/23/2022 at 3:21 PM, Jenny in Florida said:

I am currently reading:

• Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown (Well, it's sitting on my bedside table, and I have read the intro.)
• Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen, Alison Weir

Oh, Katheryn Howard would be a great follow up to Wolf Hall. Something to think about....

 

On 1/23/2022 at 5:37 PM, melmichigan said:

I finished listening to the title To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini.  I think it was the longest audible that I've listened to.  

What did you think?

 

On 1/24/2022 at 12:57 PM, LaughingCat said:

It's interesting that I generally have no problem stopping reading a book I'm not enjoying -- but I find it hard to step away from authors I like who go in a direction I don't care for so I keep giving them another chance LOL

Me too! 

 

On 1/25/2022 at 12:44 PM, Storygirl said:

I finished my C book, which was a feat -- 622 pages. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I did love this one. Has anyone else read it?

Thanks for the great review. Added it to my wishlist. 

 

7 hours ago, Mothersweets said:

Pet Sematary by Stephen King. I feel as though I'm the last person to read this book, ha ha. I knew the basic story but knowing what was coming really amped up the feelings of dread the further (farther?)I got in the book. 

Nope, I haven't read it and don't plan too. I hate horror but like some of his psychological fiction books, so will stick with those. 

5 hours ago, Laurel-in-CA said:

Just finished Harry Turtledove's Guns of the South, which is an alternate history based on Afrikaners showing up in time to furnish better guns to the South (AK-57s) and turn the tide of the war. Their goal is to preserve slavery and create a future ally for South Africa by turning the South towards white supremacy, but they end up losing out to Lee's solution, which is gradual curtailing of slavery and its elimination within 20 years or so after what was termed "The Second Revolution" rather than the Civil War. It did get a bit long, but I was still reading @ 1 am, just to finish, which is the sign of a pretty good book.

And then this week a friend called me with some questions about how to present letters an ancestor had written home *during* the Civil War - she's having them transcribed because the handwriting is awful and the spelling is utterly phonetic. They'll go into a geneology book she's self-publishing and the actual letters will be donated to a museum. Fun coincidence of events!

Sounds like an interesting book and that is a great coincidence. 

 

@karen1Thank you for all the wonderful links.  

In regards to Seanan McGuire, I'm in love with October Daye and haven't reach much of her other books.  Read book one of Wayward Children and that was enough. Too Icky I guess.   I do have Indexing in my stacks so we'll see how that turns out. 

 

 

[Vintage81]

Thought I’d share a little book humor with y’all….

A while back one of the BookTubers I frequently watch posted this funny video….

 

Now, after having watched this video I can’t stop seeing this word in my books! 🤣 

Here’s a sentence from the last book I finished (Ariadne by Jennifer Saint):

”A high-pitched, wavering sound, undulating through the air from a distance.”

Are there any words that authors use that you despise or think are overused? 

[tuesdayschild]

2 hours ago, Robin M said:

That does sound interesting. I haven't read anything by Dostoevsky yet so this may be a good one to start. 

It is interesting  (though I've been trying to find an online chapter guide as I'm starting to get all the characters and past actions tangled up).

Adding this comment, as I can hear my Ds playing inside my head, who is a Dostoevsky fan,  suggesting Crime and Punishment for a good place to leap into F.D.  (that was a good book; well, once I matched up how many different names went with each character.)  

[Ausmumof3]

I’ve had a bit more reading time between school holidays and Covid iso. I started on some Murakami short stories and they seem to be suiting my mood plus I can skip the bits that are too explicit and cringy.

I know there’s a few Murakami fans here and I’m wondering if anyone is familiar with the story Burning Barns. I’m having a lot of thoughts and think I might have actually figured this one out maybe.  I’ve also figured that with the short stories when the name of a song or a piece of music or an opera gets mentioned it’s worth finding out more about because they seem to often hold the clue to what’s going on.

[ladydusk]

I finished Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford last week and theoretically started A Midsummer Night's Dream (but really started it yesterday - I did download it last week :p) I'm reading along with The Literary Life podcast.

I have a bunch of serious reads going right now, too, so I don't feel too badly about it as things have been really busy.  I'm quite behind on my Dante Paradiso reading for a group.  But I'm moving along with Charlotte Mason's Formation of Character (vol 5), Aristotle Poetics, and Matthew Barrett's None Greater (theology). 

Yesterday, I *finally* received my Essex Cholmondeley republished copy of The Story of Charlotte Mason that I preordered in May of last year; it may jump some current reads ... I never thought I'd get a copy of that unicorn, I'm very excited. 

Reading this thread, I'm feeling the need for a murder mystery though! Maybe The 39 Steps? I've got a copy around here ... 

[Jenny in Florida]

13 hours ago, Robin M said:

Oh, Katheryn Howard would be a great follow up to Wolf Hall. Something to think about....

It's part of the Six Tudor Queens series. I've loved most of these, but this one is just not the right book for me right now.

[mumto2]

I started reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins yesterday for my official Grandfather of crime read.  Somehow I didn’t twig to the fact it’s over 700 pages long.  I am reading it in a huge Complete Works of Wilkie Collins on my Kindle and have actually been worrying about my lack of progress.  I can’t tell how far I am beyond having marked where it should end on the bar graph thing and making little progress!  It’s a slow read in many ways.  I think I am roughly a quarter of the way through.  Not much happening and nothing so far bears any resemblance to the book description given here. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/777108.Armadale

[Kareni]

I did indeed succumb to the allure of Andrea Höst's Touchstone series and finished my reread in its entirety with In Arcadia and Snow Day.

If interested, start this series with Stray which is free for Kindle readers on the US, Australian, Canadian, and UK Amazons (perhaps more).

Regards,

Kareni

[Maus]

If I get really ahead now, that will help offset travel season, maybe?

18. "To Fetch a Thief" by Spencer Quinn.
17. "Paper Towns" by John Green.
16. "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming" by Christopher C. Horner.
15. "Death of a Gossip" by M.C. Beacon. (Audible)
14. "Unnatural Death" by Dorothy L. Sayers. (Audible)
13. "Clouds of Witness" by Dorothy L. Sayers. (Audible)
12. "Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America" by John McWhorter. 
11. "Thereby Hangs a Tail" by Spencer Quinn.
10. "Whose Body?" by Dorothy L. Sayers. (Audible)
9. "Hallowe'en Party" by Agatha Christie. (Audible)
8. "Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty. (Audible)
7. "Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn. 
6. "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis. (Audible)
5. "The Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis. (Audible)
4. "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. (Audible)
3.  "The Thirty-Nine Steps" by John Buchan. (Audible)
2. "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis. (Audible)
1. "Unsettled" by Steven E. Koonin.

[Robin M]

16 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

It is interesting  (though I've been trying to find an online chapter guide as I'm starting to get all the characters and past actions tangled up).

Adding this comment, as I can hear my Ds playing inside my head, who is a Dostoevsky fan,  suggesting Crime and Punishment for a good place to leap into F.D.  (that was a good book; well, once I matched up how many different names went with each character.)  

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.  Did a bit of internet searching and I think you need to look for Demons or The Possessed which I think is the same book. There are a few online guides out there. 

[Vintage81]

2 hours ago, Maus said:

8. "Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty. (Audible)
 

Did you enjoy this one? I’ve read two of her other books…Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and From Here to Eternity. Both were excellent (Eternity was my favorite of the two.) 

[Robin M]

23 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

Are there any words that authors use that you despise or think are overused? 

Can't think of any at the moment. But did want to thank you for the introduction to Merphy Napier. Enjoying the heck out of her videos! 

[melmichigan]

On 1/23/2022 at 8:37 PM, melmichigan said:

I finished listening to the title To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini.  I think it was the longest audible that I've listened to.  

@Robin MTo be totally honesty I'm not sure what I think. I had to stop and put it down in December when I reached the part where the blue staff came into play.  I loved the beginning, but I was frustrated with "jellies" and "nightmares" as alien characters. When I picked it up again I seemed to be in the right mindset, and finished the rest over a week.  I liked it in bits and pieces.  I do wish I had known the audible came with pdf files a lot sooner, that might have helped.  I think I'd like to read it vs listen to it, or at least parts of it before I make a final verdict. Clear as mud? 🙂

[Maus]

5 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

Did you enjoy this one? I’ve read two of her other books…Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and From Here to Eternity. Both were excellent (Eternity was my favorite of the two.) 

Yes! It's written more for children than the other two, but still very good.

[Murphy101]

Finished Arabella by Heyer. I never want to read a description of regent clothing again. 

Still reading An Exorcist Tells His story.  It’s like reading a dissertation.  And I hate that he repeatedly introduces a subject and then immediately says “but I’ll go into that some other chapter or book”.  For such a short book, it’s very tiring.

Now I’m starting Mrs Perivale and the Blue Crystal by Hoffman.  It’s free on Kindle Unlimited. 

[tuesdayschild]

On 1/28/2022 at 3:30 AM, ladydusk said:

Yesterday, I *finally* received my Essex Cholmondeley republished copy of The Story of Charlotte Mason that I preordered in May of last year; it may jump some current reads ... I never thought I'd get a copy of that unicorn, I'm very excited.

Looking forward to your thoughts on this book.

On 1/28/2022 at 6:19 AM, mumto2 said:

I started reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins yesterday for my official Grandfather of crime read.  Somehow I didn’t twig to the fact it’s over 700 pages long.  I am reading it in a huge Complete Works of Wilkie Collins on my Kindle and have actually been worrying about my lack of progress.  I can’t tell how far I am beyond having marked where it should end on the bar graph thing and making little progress!  It’s a slow read in many ways.  I think I am roughly a quarter of the way through.  Not much happening and nothing so far bears any resemblance to the book description given here. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/777108.Armadale

your response here is a classic recounting of most of my encounters with Wilkie Collins' books:  I stuck with Armadale - you may choose not to - as once Lydia Gwilt starts her shenanigans the story became more interesting, and the back story that didn't seem to be relevant is needed .....     (you must have quite a few more Wilkie Collins' titles in that hefty kindle if you do decide to jump ship though, right?)

On 1/28/2022 at 8:13 AM, Maus said:

If I get really ahead now, that will help offset travel season, maybe?

Noting you are well ahead! 🙂 

On 1/28/2022 at 9:37 AM, Robin M said:

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.  Did a bit of internet searching and I think you need to look for Demons or The Possessed which I think is the same book. There are a few online guides out there. 

I thought C&P had some hard issues in it, yet Devils is beyond those, for me. (One character commits some terrible crimes and social injustices, but none come close to his rape of very young girl.  The chapter detailing that was censored back in the day, and the edition I am listening to a censored one.  I'm reading this as a buddy read/discuss later with my Ds.)  Thanks to those search suggestions,  I found what I needed.

On 1/28/2022 at 4:45 PM, Murphy101 said:

Finished Arabella by Heyer. I never want to read a description of regent clothing again. 

This made me laugh.   

Edited January 29, 2022 by tuesdayschild

[mumto2]

@tuesdayschildI am now starting book two.  One thing in favor of continuing to read this book which I really wanted to read last November is the plot has been easy to step away from and read other things!  So a chapter or two a day is the new plan.  There is another book by Wilkie that I plan to fit in The Law and the Lady https://www.wilkie-collins.info/books_lawlady.htm.  A relisten to the Moonstone is planned also.

[Storygirl]

I finished my D book -- The Devotion of Suspect X by  Keigo Higashino. I've recently begun listening to a book-related podcast (Currently Reading), where the hosts chose this as a favorite read, so I decided to give it a shot. I enjoy mysteries but don't usually read books in translation, so this checks a new box for me, and being set in Japan seemed intriguing.

I have to admit that I am not nearly as impressed as the podcasters were. In this book, the reader knows right off the bat who the killers are, and the plot involves how the culprits work to cover up the crime. The point of view shifts between the two suspects and the two investigators (a police detective and the other his university professor friend).

So, the story has a twist that I didn't see coming, and I suspect this is what impressed other readers. Because when you start out knowing who the culprit is, what else is left to be revealed? It's an interesting premise.

However, that wasn't enough to carry the book for me. I particularly love character-driven mysteries, and this book was so plot-driven that characterization took a backseat. We know absolutely nothing about the detective and the professor, other than their thoughts about this case. No personal background is provided about them at all, except for one flashback during the college days of the professor and the suspect, who were classmates. I didn't get to know them well enough, and it's through characters that I connect with story. There is more personal exploration of the two suspects, but not enough.

For readers who look for plot over characterization, this book could be captivating, but it wasn't really my cup of tea.

[tuesdayschild]

17 hours ago, mumto2 said:

@tuesdayschildI am now starting book two.  One thing in favor of continuing to read this book which I really wanted to read last November is the plot has been easy to step away from and read other things!  So a chapter or two a day is the new plan.  There is another book by Wilkie that I plan to fit in The Law and the Lady https://www.wilkie-collins.info/books_lawlady.htm.  A relisten to the Moonstone is planned also.

I'm definitely interested to see if you think The Law and the Lady is a good read  (and may try reading it too).

[Junie]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:45 PM, Murphy101 said:

Finished Arabella by Heyer. I never want to read a description of regent clothing again. 

 

I may have to check out a couple of her books for dd17.  She wants to be a costume designer and loves clothing descriptions in books. :)

[Junie]

On 1/26/2022 at 9:23 PM, Vintage81 said:

Are there any words that authors use that you despise or think are overused? 

I recently started reading A Gentleman in Moscow, but the writing was so full of cliches that I felt that I could finish the author's sentences for him.  I put it away for now. 

[Robin M]

Link to week 5 - please continue conversation in new thread