Book a week in 2009 - Week 2 update

[JennW in SoCal]

I finished a really enjoyable biography of Joseph Needham called The Man Who Loved China, by Simon Winchester. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of China or who is fascinated by stories of quirky, brilliant academics.

 

If you already know who Joseph Needham is, you get extra brownie points!!

[Shawneinfl]

Mindless Eating this week.

[Liz CA]

Last week I read O'Nan's Songs for the Missing and Chesterton's The Man Who was Thursday. This week I am reading Anne Tyler's Ladder of Years. I'll post to the blog when I return home this weekend.

 

Still working on "Beekeeper's Apprentice" by Laurie King.

[FloridaLisa]

Continuing in the vein of religious allegory from Week 1 (Pilgrim's Progress), I'll be reading Hind's Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard for Week 3.

 

I'm reading this to my children. They love it!

 

Can't find my current read (#@*$)%!#*) The Hidden Hand (a Lamplighter book), so I skimmed/read So Much More by the Botkin sisters. Glad I skimmed.

 

Lisa

[Robin M]

I finished book # 3 pretty quickly and posted review here on the 52 books blog. Don't ever start a murder mystery just before you are supposed to go to bed. :) Any books I read for the rest of the week will just be gravy and reviewed on my blog.

 

I caused some confusion when posting the update and apologize for that. Clarified with Kay and the start day for the new book week is Thursday. The book update post will be going up on Wednesday's just as an end of the week wrap-up. Wednesday is the day to finish your week's book choice. Plus to let us know what books you'll be reading for the next week. Sorry if my wording confused anyone.

 

The important thing is to have fun reading. If you have a moment, check to make sure I have you listed correctly on the 52 books blog and email me with any corrections or additions. Also, if you haven't joined in yet, feel free to anytime.

[Desert Rat]

Just finished The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies. It's a really good WWII book from the Welsh perspective. I wasn't sure if I'd like it but ended up loving it!

[Sahamamama]

I don't get it. Why 52? Why read anything, just to say we've read it? Why not simply read what's meaningful, and not be concerned with keeping up a book count? I don't get it. I must have missed something somewhere. :001_huh:

[Sahamamama]

Anyone else struggling with the ease of reading junk in order to get a book a week done? I need to be reading Dante and Canterbury Tales, but they require a lot more time and energy. Kwim?

 

Sorry, I forgot to quote Michele! I guess that's what I mean -- "struggling with reading junk in order to get a book a week done." It doesn't make sense to me, with personal/private reading time so limited.

 

If Canterbury Tales is what you WANT/NEED to read, then why not read it, and not worry about how much time it takes to absorb/ponder/progress through it? Does anyone KWIM?

[Robin M]

I don't get it. Why 52? Why read anything, just to say we've read it? Why not simply read what's meaningful, and not be concerned with keeping up a book count? I don't get it. I must have missed something somewhere. :001_huh:

 

The challenge is for fun! The challenge is to challenge yourself to read one book a week. The challenge is to have a goal and work toward it. The challenge it to say you are going to read something and have accountability for it. The challenge brings together a community of readers to talk about what they are reading. Some are challenging themselves to read more classics or different genre's that they normally wouldn't read. But most of all, we come back round to its for fun.

Edited January 16, 2009 by Mytwoblessings
correction - too snarky

[lovemywhirlygirls]

Finished A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson and have started The Moffats by Eleanor Estes per the request of my 8 year old. This works nicely as it gives me time to figure out what's next up on my list.

[Robin M]

Anyone else struggling with the ease of reading junk in order to get a book a week done? I need to be reading Dante and Canterbury Tales, but they require a lot more time and energy. Kwim?

 

I know what you mean. When I start to read war and peace, that will take me a while and will probably only read a few chapter a day while reading something else for pleasure in between. If they are super long, you can always count as two books. There are no hard and fast rules. Even though the goal is to read at least one book a week, read what you want and how you want. You may be surprised to see what you have accomplished by the end of the year.

 

Robin

Edited January 16, 2009 by Mytwoblessings
corrections

[cillakat]

In 9 days I read the whole outlander series:

Outlander (800 pages in like a 6 pt font) LOVED IT

Dragonfly in Amber - eh, not so much

Voyager - loved it

Drums of Autumn - loved it

Fiery Cross - not so much

A Breath of Snow and Ashes - MY FAVORITE

 

 

When I told one of my friends about my reading adventure over my vacation she replied 'so....did you see about your children?' a most appropriate response might have been 'children? oh *shoot*, I knew I forgot something!!!!' I ate, drank and and breathed Outlander for those days. The descriptive writing, esp in ABOSAA was heartbreakingly good, for that alone it would be worth reading. And I'm always a sucker for historical fiction so for that alone it would be worth reading.....the character development and relationship development would have been worth it.....ditto for the perspective of a modern medical practicitioner 'making do' in the 1700's....ditto for the love story (which I actually generally try to avoid).

 

I love it.

 

So what am I reading now? I'm rereading them. Whichever book happens to be handy when I have a moment is the one I read. I'm now marking the pages that are worth reading and rereading....and rereading and rereading. Like the scene at Lallybroch when Jamie tells Claire that he wanted to marry her b/c he *wanted* her....that for all he knew 'she might have been the size of a good draught horse' or may have 'had the face of a sh-sh-sheep' (he was laughing) the descriptors went on and on all of them HILARIOUS.....but none of her physical appearance mattered. It was his way of saying that he loved her from the start, even though he couldn't see her (b/c it was dark), the things she did for him and the way she handled herself and the difficulties they faced were the factors that 'sealed the deal' for him.

 

ahhhhh.

 

so I'll just keep reading them over and over b/c quite frankly, nothing else will do instead. This combination of meticulous research in so many fields and using the information gathered in that research to tell stories and to create characters is *really* working for me.

 

Now I'm listening to the audio books. I actually like them even though they're abridged. Even though it's a woman's voice doing the scots accent, I like it.

 

:)

K

[Nakia]

In 9 days I read the whole outlander series:

Outlander (800 pages in like a 6 pt font) LOVED IT

Dragonfly in Amber - eh, not so much

Voyager - loved it

Drums of Autumn - loved it

Fiery Cross - not so much

A Breath of Snow and Ashes - MY FAVORITE

 

 

When I told one of my friends about my reading adventure over my vacation she replied 'so....did you see about your children?' a most appropriate response might have been 'children? oh *shoot*, I knew I forgot something!!!!' I ate, drank and and breathed Outlander for those days. The descriptive writing, esp in ABOSAA was heartbreakingly good, for that alone it would be worth reading. And I'm always a sucker for historical fiction so for that alone it would be worth reading.....the character development and relationship development would have been worth it.....ditto for the perspective of a modern medical practicitioner 'making do' in the 1700's....ditto for the love story (which I actually generally try to avoid).

 

I love it.

 

So what am I reading now? I'm rereading them. Whichever book happens to be handy when I have a moment is the one I read. I'm now marking the pages that are worth reading and rereading....and rereading and rereading. Like the scene at Lallybroch when Jamie tells Claire that he wanted to marry her b/c he *wanted* her....that for all he knew 'she might have been the size of a good draught horse' or may have 'had the face of a sh-sh-sheep' (he was laughing) the descriptors went on and on all of them HILARIOUS.....but none of her physical appearance mattered. It was his way of saying that he loved her from the start, even though he couldn't see her (b/c it was dark), the things she did for him and the way she handled herself and the difficulties they faced were the factors that 'sealed the deal' for him.

 

ahhhhh.

 

so I'll just keep reading them over and over b/c quite frankly, nothing else will do instead. This combination of meticulous research in so many fields and using the information gathered in that research to tell stories and to create characters is *really* working for me.

 

Now I'm listening to the audio books. I actually like them even though they're abridged. Even though it's a woman's voice doing the scots accent, I like it.

 

:)

K

 

 

Wow! That's amazing! When I read them, it took me a week to read each one. I am planning to reread each of them this year because the next book is supposed to be released this fall.

 

BTW, I love the scene you referred to as well.

[Jane in NC]

I see that I was not alone in reading My Antonia this past week! My next book is a series of essays by travel writers entitled I Should Have Stayed Home: The Worst Trips of the Great Writers. It was passed on to me by a friend with a mixed review. I may jump ship before the week is over!

[cathmom]

this past week I read three books: Princess Diaries, Princess in the Spotlight, and Love Story. I am currently reading The Last Letter Home by Vilhelm Moberg.

[RoughCollie]

This month, I have read:

 

1. Hot Mahogany, by Stuart Woods

2. Sweet Lorraine, by Penelope Dyan

3. The Front, by Patricia Cornwell

 

I am currently reading:

 

4. The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, by Kao Kalia Yang

 

5. The Bodies Left Behind, by Jeffery Deaver

 

My abbreviated opinions:

 

I enjoyed the Stuart Woods book, as I have all of his others, so reading it was not a waste of time. Sweet Lorraine is set during WWII, which is how I happened to read it. I thought it was so-so, more of a time filler than a time waster. The Patricia Cornwell book was a waste of time.

[Mothering7]

Week 1: Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver

 

Week 2: The Spiderwick Chronicles Books 1-4

 

Week 3: A Mercy by Toni Morrison

 

 

Kelli

[Amie]

Well I'm a bit late, but I completed All Your Worth by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi for my week 2 book.

[mcconnellboys]

I finished Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell.

 

Next week is God in the Dock, C. S. Lewis....

[Crissy]

I see that I was not alone in reading My Antonia this past week!

 

I didn't read My Antonia, but I did read Lucy Gayheart. It was my first Willa Cather, it was wonderful, and I cannot wait to read more of her work.

[eaglei]

Finished book 3 on Wednesday - My Antonia, by Willa Cather.

Finished book 4 on Sunday - O Pioneers! by Willa Cather.

Enjoyed both!

 

Have been SO sick these past several days so am not in the mood to start my next selection. Have decided to read some fluff next - The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks.

 

I have never read Lucy Gayheart, by Willa Cather. When Crissy mentioned it, my immediate thought was that I'd check the library for that book next (when I'm feeling better)!

 

I know I keep saying this, but I really am delighted that someone started this thread! I've thought for a long time that I should keep track of what I read each year, but never have. With this thread, I am finally doing that. Also, I love reading what others are reading and their thoughts - gives me ideas for future reading.

 

I really need to lay back down . . . guess I won't be starting any book just yet . . .

[laylamcb]

I am struggling to get into Foucault's Pendulum. It's my first Umberto Eco, and I thought that it would be a good introduction because I read a review of Iain Pears' An Instance of the Fingerpost, one of my faves EVER, that compared it to Eco.

 

Um, I don't get the similarity at ALL. So far, this novel is so--what's the right phrase?--self-consciously intellectual. It's like with every sentence, Eco is trying to convince me that he's just so dang smart. Which I'm sure he is. The book just seems so full of itself.

 

Or maybe it's just me. I don't like books/authors with 'tudes. :001_smile:

 

What are the rules here? Can I ditch this one and pick up something else if I still come up with 52 books by the end of the year??

[Robin M]

 

What are the rules here? Can I ditch this one and pick up something else if I still come up with 52 books by the end of the year??

 

Yes, definitely. Why finish a book if you can't stand it.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

..

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

The Eco book that they are referring to is The Name of the Rose, one of the all time great historical mysteries. Think Sherlock Holmes and Watson in an 11th century monastery. Hmm ... I've not read it in a long time. I guess I'll put it on the TBR pile!

 

And The Name of the Rose contains a bit of Latin! In fact, I was so frustrated not to be able to understand the conclusion (although it doesn't really spoil the book if you can't get it), that I got determined to read Latin ..

[Zoraida]

Week 1: The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch

Week 2: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Week 3: The Book and the Brotherhood by Iris Murdoch

Blessings

 

Zoraida

[WTMindy]

Sorry, I forgot to quote Michele! I guess that's what I mean -- "struggling with reading junk in order to get a book a week done." It doesn't make sense to me, with personal/private reading time so limited.

 

If Canterbury Tales is what you WANT/NEED to read, then why not read it, and not worry about how much time it takes to absorb/ponder/progress through it? Does anyone KWIM?

 

No need to choose junk! I read Plato's Republic as my choice for the week.

[Kay in Cal]

This is one of my favorite books, so I thought I'd post my Amazon review. Maybe it'll help you through it, or perhaps convince you to throw it across the room! He is a professor of semiotics, and I think that informs all his writing to a certain extent. Plus he's Italian.

_______________________________

I first read Foucoult's Pendulum back in college when it was first published. It was recommended by my boyfriend, and I spent half of Spring Break plowing through it. Hard work. One of the few books that absolutely necessitates having a dictionary at hand to really absorb it, and it better be the OED because Webster's doesn't have all the words. Seriously. And in the end, I was floored, absorbed, and used the remaining days of vacation to read it again. I had found a new "Favorite Book Ever!"

 

 

I guess I understand why so many are so full of vitriolic loathing when they discuss "Foucault's Pendulum". It isn't really a thriller, nor a consipiracy theory text, nor a philosophical treatise, nor an easy read. If you really want some brain candy (and I certainly do a lot of the time--PG Wodehouse forever!) this is not the book to pick up.

 

It was, however, probably the first work of fiction I had ever read that made me think about the nature of reality... what is real, what is knowledge, how do we know and who decides. I loved the historical mind games, the twisted conspiracy plots, the flights of fanciful speculation. I found the language dense, yes, but dense like the best kind of rich, dark, brownies--intense and flavorful. For me the climax of the novel had nothing to do with the plot, it was the moment when I went "ah-ha!" and actually "Got It!" An intellectual pleasure in the extreme, but a genuine joy nonetheless.

Twelve years later I own three copies of this book (my tattered original paperback, a hardcover I've read once because I felt this was a book I wanted to own in hardcover, and another paperback for lending out). I've read "Foucault" three additional times... it would be more, but, as I said, it's a tough read and you have to be in the right mood. Every time I've experienced again that first wonderful "Ah-ha!" moment, though perhaps a little less intense since I know it is coming. The boyfriend who recommended it is now my husband. And hundreds of books later, it's still my favorite book.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Week 1: Chagrin d'école

Week 2: Un animal doué de raison

Week 3: Comme un roman

 

Details on http://read52booksin52weeks.blogspot.com/

[Susan Wise Bauer]

I read fluffy girl books this week. :-) Review posted on http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog and on http://read52booksin52weeks.blogspot.com.

 

SWB

[Nan in Mass]

Another McKillip - In the Forests of Serre. This one borrows from known fairytales (Russian in this case) more than some of the other, more original McKillips. I liked the ambiguousness of the bad character. She is an illustration of what my mother always says, that good and bad are inseperable.

 

Coffe, Tea, and Me - Yuk. I continued reading it because I found it sort of fascinating in a horrid sort of way. Another reason I am glad I was too young to be aware of what was going on in the sixties.

 

And back to McKillips again - The Tower at Stony Wood.

 

-Nan