AlcottAcre's 2009 Reads, Take 6

Yes, another month has rolled around and since my May thread was at 300+ posts, I decided I had better start another on for June. If you care to take a look at the previous threads, here are the links:

My January thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/51105

My February thread is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/56421

My March thread is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/58749

My April thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/61444

My May thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/63947

My memorable reads for 2009 thus far are:

Nonfiction
Bound for the Promised Land by Kate Clifford Larson
Crazy Horse by Mari Sandoz
The Plays and Poems of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Volume 1
The Cobra's Heart by Ryszard Kapuscinski
The Eaves of Heaven by Andrew X. Pham
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
Love Letters from Cell 92 by Ruth-Alice von Bismarck and Ulrich Kabitz, editors
The Diary of Mary Berg by S.L. Shneiderman, editor
Lighthouse by Tony Parker
The Good Doctors by John Dittmer

Fiction
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Tethered by Amy MacKinnon
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegelman
The Girls by Lori Lansens
The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge
The Hummingbird's Daughter - Luis Alberto Urrea

Young Adult
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Treasure of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

A note about my memorable reads: I am not a book critic. My memorable reads list is just that: books that are memorable to me - that for some reason or other resonate with me. I do not rate books as many people here do for the simple reason that I am a terrible book reviewer! lol

My Must Read List for 2009: (Being
updated as I go along)

The Search for Modern China
A River Running West
The Adventure of English
Moonheart
Rediscovering America: John Muir in His Time and Ours
The Proud Tower
The 900 Days
Fatal Justice
Modern Times
The Fortress of Solitude
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - currently reading
Coming out of the Ice
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Arms of Nemesis
The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft
Black Swan Green
Bard
In the Shadows of War
Penmarric
Clockers
The Heaven Tree Trilogy - Parts 2 and 3
I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company
Shadow of the Silk Road
Galileo’s Daughter
The Namesake
My Faraway Home
Christine Falls
Intimate Kill
Job, a Comedy of Justice
Keeper of the Light
Cultural Literacy
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
A Separate Peace
Cryptonomicon
And the Dead Shall Rise
Shutter Island
Dog Man

I have officially given up on Tears of the Giraffe. I got to the end of disc 3 and thought "Why am I still listening? I am not even enjoying this book!" and so have decided to ditch it. I am just resigning myself to the fact that I do not care for that series.

gotcha!

*waves* I haven't been able to keep up with you the past couple of months, but I'm joining in early for June to see what you're reading!

>4 alcottacre: Good on ya, Stasia! I just hollered at Rachael over on her thread about giving up on books...it's a Good Thing, to quote Saint Martha. There are a finite number of eyeblinks in this life, too few to waste any on things that aren't gripping you.

And, if you PROMISE not to tell a soul, I will let you in on a secret...I wasn't all that bowled over by these books, either, though I liked them a lot better than you have. Precious Ramotswe appeals to me, but I think McCall Smith's writing in the series is merely serviceable. And here lately his writing is not even serviceable!

Hi, Stasia!
You have so many wonderful choices on your must read list, and I haven't read any of them! So I can't wait to see what you think of them. Have a great day!
--BJ

For what it is worth, I dumped both Book 1 and Book 2 in this series as well. Just not my thing. Good on you for quitting something you weren't enjoying. With a TBR Continent the size of yours, it makes much more sense to move right along!

oh no...........another thread. I'm painfully behind!

Gotha starred again! Six different threads, WOW!

Have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of Precious either... enjoyed the first one well enough, but not anything like sufficiently to warrant reading the rest. My mum likes them though :)

Richard, now I'm scared to read my own thread... I have a splitting headache and am not sure I can take a hollering....

I had the same reaction to Alexander McCall Smith. I remember taking The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency on a vacation with high hopes, and although I finished it, I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. Glad it's not just me.

Since it is now past June 1st, the Continent has now been officially renamed 'The Prodigious Planet of Prose Productions' (thank you, TT) - otherwise known as Planet TBR.

I am heartily glad to hear that I am not the only one who had a difficult time with the Alexander McCall Smith series. I thought it was just me!

I'll join in to say that I only read the first book The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and never had any desire to continue.

> Stasia, sorry that the Giraffe caused you tears, I plan to try one more and that will probably be it for me too. This morning I picked up The Eyre Affair after dropping it after reading 190 pages. Foolishly trying to clock up another one on my thread, OK , so I have my little vanities! I still don't like it, so O.U.T. it's out!

Now, to make up for my last recommendation, I can definately recommend two books on your list above, both of which are excellent. Penmarric is pretty good, as Susan Howatch is a good writer. I have read about ten books by her. One was awful, admittedly, but the others were worth reading.
I rate it as four stars, but for a really excellent 5 star read I thoroughly recommend Galileo 's Daughter. It is a lovely book, which I am sure you will add to your memorable reads. (Please let it be true, he prays, or Stasia will lose faith in me!)

~ TT

#16: Thanks for the input on Howatch, TT. I have never read anything of hers, but have heard good things about her books, which is why Penmarric is on the list.

I loved Longitude by Sobel and hope that I enjoy Galileo's Daughter just as much!

I would still have faith in your recommendations, TT, no matter what. It is just that on some books, we will have to agree to disagree :)

> 17 Stasia, I can recommend the Starbridge novels; there are six in the series. They are set in England of the 1930s and the 1960’s in the Church of England in the imaginary cathedral city of Starbridge. They are books about people and their motivations but set within the church so have a spiritual and moral dimension.

The first three books of the series (Glittering Images, Glamorous Powers, Ultimate Prizes) begin in the 1930s, and continue through the World War II. The second three (Scandalous Risks, Mystical Paths, Absolute Truths) take place in the 1960s.

This is a brief review of Glittering Images:
An outstanding storyteller, Susan Howatch has created a novel of spirituality and morality where the loyalties and passions of four people are played out against their dedication to religion and the path of right.
"Passionately eloquent...A tale of God, sex, love, self-analysis and forgiveness."
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

~ TT

#18: Thanks, TT. I will look for them.

Stasia

Chiming in on books that we give up on....
I'm currently reading Jellicoe Road. I've read about 100 pages and it is so darn confusing that I'm tempted to give it up, yet the reviews here on LT have a consistent comment -- that it is confusing at first but worth the read...........

I'll keep with it for another 25 or so pages and then decide...Some of the writing is very good and it may be worth hanging in there.

I guess sometimes the 50 page rule doesn't apply.

Your new thread is starred...And, as always, I am impressed by your reading.

#20: And, as always, I am impressed by your reading

I have not even posted any reads on this thread yet - you must be very easy to impress, Linda! :)

# 16, 17, I also loved Longitude. I now have The planets and Galileo's daughter waiting on the shelf.

#22: I have already read The Planets, which was bit of a disappoint me to me. It was not nearly as good as Longitude, IMHO.

Stasia -

I watched the DVD of Longitude. Got it from Netflix. It was terrific. See review from Netflix below:

"In the 18th century, the British Parliament offers a substantial sum to anyone who can devise a means for calculating longitude at sea. Soon clockmaker John Harrison (Michael Gambon) begins experiments to build an accurate timepiece unaffected by sea travel. In a parallel story, a retired World War I naval officer (Jeremy Irons) attempts to locate and restore Harrison's clocks. The two men's struggles are linked across a span of 200 years."

Look for it if you are interested - Longitude (2-Disc Series) (2000)

I've added the book to my Cyber TBR Stack. I love science. Thank you for the reminder.

womansheart aka Ruth

Edited to add DVD title

I loved Galileo's Daughter and I know you will enjoy the book, so if you've got it further down your TBR pile, I'd move it up a little. Totally fascinating read.

cameling...I've added Galileo's Daughter to my list.

#24: I appreciate the mention of the DVD, Ruth, but doubt I will ever watch it. I watch very little television, movies, etc (the only major exception being baseball season!). I much prefer books.

#25: I am not sure when I will be getting to Galileo's Daughter, but I will get to it before the year's end. Thanks for the input!

#18 TT, I added these books by Susan Howatch to my wishlist. Thanks for mentioning them!
--BJ

Still trying to catch up on threads ... you

#29: Thanks for dropping by, Kath. I hope you catch up soon!

womansheart

Thanks for the note about Longitude on Netflix.

Found your new thread in the sea of postings - you get a *star* - great reading list! I've gotten myself in a lot of trouble since joining LT - so many great books out there I never heard of! You guys rock :)
Glad to hear you Continent has grown into a Planet - I think mine is a large state at the moment...but growing everyday.

#32: Give it time, Emily, and your TBR stack will achieve planetary status, too!

Thanks for dropping by.

ha! Willow, you are in deep trouble if you keep visiting the threads here, especially this one! Your internet connection to Amazon will be red hot!

ok, nobody say anything...frantically trying to catch up here.

Stasia, I petered out on the McCall Smith's Mma Ramotswe (sp?) series too after three and a half of them. But re #17, I loved Galileo's Daughter by Sobel. Fascinating story.

>34 mckait:
Oh - I'm in more trouble then that - I WORK in a bookstore. A small graduate school bookstore mind you, but I am in charge of ordering our non-text books...hehehe

Emily
You are a VERY brave soul. Working in a book store would be dangerous for me. Alas, my salary would stay right at my job.

That would have to be my dream, being surrounded all day by books. Not sure I would get much work done though.

Work in a bookstore? They should say play in a bookstore!!

>38 dianestm:, 39 -- I totally agree!

One day y'all should rent "Black Books", a BBC comedy series set in a bookshop with the world's nastiest (in every sense of the word) proprietor.

I suspect this is what inspired elliepotten of LT to start her bookshop....

>41 richardderus: Rich, I have the first three series. I can only watch it occasionally because it is so black and anarchic, but very funny.

~ TT

Milord, it is indeed black and anarchic, but somehow the good-heartedness of the people is more evident than their seemingly boundless capability to screw up everything they touch would seem to indicate.

When the bookshop proprietor says he dislikes women so much that he considered being gay, but then found out about the personal hygiene requirements, and figured what the hell...well, that about slayed me. It's not for everyone, this series, but it's a hoot and a holler for the right audience.

Oh, I LOVE Black Books so much!!!!!! You have to buy the DVD box set and watch the extras - Bernard Black's monologues are hysterical.

I work FOR a bookshop (although not IN it, much of the time) and it is a very, very dangerous thing. My book-buying has exploded in the last 2 years. Not a disaster financially, since I have discovered things like BookMooch, but it is not good for clutter. Our house is small.

Finally caught up with your thread! Finished the last one--thanks for the link to this one!

I read the Starbridge novels by Susan Howatch many years ago and agree with TT they are worth reading. Although I found them a little uneven in execution the stories were interesting and thought provoking. This is the kind of fiction about Christianity that you won't find labeled "Christian Fiction." This is Christianity in "real life"--warts and all-- and IMO very well done.

Thanks for the "memorable" list at the top of the thread. In a -- probably futile--effort to curb my spending on books the rest of this year I have listed the 9 books on that list that I own and haven't read yet (I've read six on your list). Most of them I will have no trouble fitting into my 999 challenge--in fact 3 of them were already on my list.

I'm also adding Galileo's Daughter to my list for this year--I bought that as soon as it came out because I had loved Longitude so much. It's time to finally read it!

As usual, Stasia, you have helped me organize my thinking and helped me get back into reading again. Your suggestions are always inspire me.

addendum:

I also finally had to give up on Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies' Detective Agency series. I enjoyed it at first because I was so interested in Africa and I loved his description of life in Botswana, but after awhile they just seemed to be repetitious. I tried some of his other stuff but couldn't even finish a book except the first one in the Scotland Street series which I read for a book club. He just doesn't seem to be the author for me. However, I do highly recommend one of his books:

The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa

I suggest the audio version--here's the comment I wrote when I listened to it a few years ago:

These are folk tales from Africa that Smith collected and “rewrote.” I love folk tales and they are even better to listen to than to read. The readers on this disk were all excellent and you could imagine these stories being told at family gatherings in Africa for generations. One thing I noticed—almost all of these stories have “happy endings,” especially those about humans. They seem to be “kinder and gentler” than many of the folktales from Europe or America.

Enough! See what happens when I haven't had a chance to comment on the threads for awhile? I talk too much!

#44 FlossieT

Oh, come on, Flossie. Most houses have a "clutter" problem, but surely you don't consider books to be clutter! Use them as decoration rather than curios or potted plants. They can adorn any flat surface, stack them for door stops, and if necessary try using them for making mobiles a la Alexander Calder.

>46 MusicMom41: MusicMom41, no, books are not clutter, but on top of all the other rubbish they are the last straw as far as presentability goes. I quailed with embarrassment when I saw all the beautiful pictures everyone posted in this group of their shelves, with lovely tidy rooms! Mine are all higgledy-piggledy double-stacked, and there are stacks of books small and large tottering all over the house. We have no curios (although we do have a smattering of the kids' certificates, school photos and trophies for various extra-curricular activities), and at present only one potted plant (a bee orchid).

Actually, there are probably plenty of spaces we could colonise with shelves, but neither my husband nor I is any good at DIY...

edit for typo

Flossie--

I was teasing and forgot to put the smiley face. :-) I forget you can't "hear" the laughter in my voicce when I try to make a joke.

I know what you mean about piles and clutter. I'm always complaining to my husband about his clutter--a flat surface is a drop off point for him. Bless him, he never retaliates about my books and--except for the Alexander Calder mobile--I have "all of the above" and even more places I stash books!

I am lucky that my wife lets me have a room, somewhat inaccessible where I can keep a clutter of piles of books. The bookcases are filled and then some.

#47: One of these days, Rachael, I will post pictures of the room my books are in - it is the very definition of higgledy-piggledy, lol.

#45: Glad I could help with your organization! Wish some one would help me - I have to be the most unorganized reader I know :)

I will look for the McCall Smith book that you recommended. I agree with you - I just think as an author he is not for me.

A final word on McCall Smith: I absolutely loved the TV series, well, the first three I managed to watch before the BBC took them off i-player (Boo-Hoo), because the voices were so seductive and the actresses playing the lead parts were so wonderful. My first wife was South African and her voice was as seductive as cream, I loved it so much (and her!) that when she called me at work, it didn't matter what I was doing or how important it was, she always got top priority so I could enjoy that wonderfully seductive and oh so charming voice. She was charismatic and had more sex-appeal in her little finger than some women have in their entire bodies! I miss her!

I agree with Carolyn that the Starbridge novels are unevenly executed, but they are intelligent and thought-provoking and enjoyable. What more could you want!

~ TT

I have not seen any of the TV series, TT. My TV watching is practically nonexistent - if I were not married I probably not even have one.

I have already put the Starbridge novels on The Prodigious Planet of Prose Productions. I will give them a try after Penmarric. Thanks for the input on them.

I've been slowly losing interest in the #1 Ladies Detective books. They were pleasant at first, but have all come to seem the same. I saw the latest one in the bookstore and didn't have the slightest desire to pick up a copy...an unusual feeling when I'm reading a series as my OCD tendencies insist on "completeness".

This week's reads:

229 - The Virginian by Owen Wister - this book was on Planet TBR for approximately 5 or so years before Blackdogbooks (thanks Mac!) reminded me of it and I finally got around to reading it; highly recommended for fans of the genre

230 - The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke - Richard loved this story collection (his review is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/61978), The Tortoise was more lukewarm about it (see here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/63322) and I fall somewhere in between

231 - The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister - I liked this book a lot, but I am a sucker for both books and cooking, so if you like those things, you might like this; highly recommended

232 - The 8th Confession by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - to my mind, the weakest entry in the Woman's Murder Club series

233 - Alfred and Emily by Doris Lessing - I was disappointed in this book expecting so much more from a writer of Lessing's magnitude

234a - Rocannon's World by Ursula LeGuin - I really enjoyed this book, but do not look for a lot of depth of character in it; still, I would recommend it just for the story

234b - The Word for World is Forest by Ursula LeGuin - I did not care for the main character in this short book, but I thought the story was stronger than that of Rocannon's World; recommended

235 - Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie - I have decided that prize winners are just not for me - this one won the Pulitzer and I kept asking myself why? I would have expected the book to bowl me over, knock my socks off and then some, but this did nothing like that for me. I guess my taste in books is too pedestrian, pedantic, or something because I have not cared for the few Booker prize winners I have read either (with the exception of Coetzee's Life and Times of Michael K)

236 - City of Fire by Robert Ellis - I enjoyed this thriller a lot; highly recommended for fans of Michael Connelly and/or James Patterson and writers of that ilk

Not a good reading week at all. I hope next week improves!

>55 alcottacre:: Rocannon's World was either her first or second novel (I can't remember whether it or Planet of Exile came first) and I think it shows. However, as you say, the reader can see her story-telling ability even in these early works.

The Word for World is Forest somehow never managed to capture me.

Since she probably won't produce too many more books, I think my absolute favorites will always be the first three Earthsea books, followed extremely closely by The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed.

#55 - The School of Essential Ingredients - Here is another one of those books, that if it wasn't for LT, might have passed under the radar. Thanks! On the list it goes :)

>55 alcottacre: & 57: I have a whole stack of books that are about this theme waiting to be read, including this one. They were going to be part of my 999 Challenge...which I ended up not doing. The only one I've gotten to so far is The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry, but I hope to get through them all this year even if I didn't do the challenge.

>55 alcottacre: Stasia, I acquired a copy of The Virginian when Black Dog recommended it. I keep on thinking about it, so I will move it up to the top of my Mini Mountain of Magnificent Minds.

~ TT

#57/58: The School of Essential Ingredients is a work of fiction, guys, so if you are looking for something along the line of more traditional cookery, this is not the book for you. It is set in a cooking school, which is why my comment on cooking. Not to dissuade you, but I do not want to mislead you either, so you may want to look at the reviews before you hunt up the book. It rather reminded me of Chocolat in tone for some reason.

#56: I will be reading Left Hand in mid-June. The only other LeGuin I have read prior to this week was the first book in the Earthsea series. I really need to complete that series :)

#59: TT, I will anxiously await your review! I hope you enjoy the book.

Another good list, Stasia! Someone mentioned Galileo's Daughter..
I found that one used.. it must have been you that sent me looking..
oh, and I love LeGuin!

#63: It probably was me, Kath, even though I still have not read it yet. I am thinking it will probably be August or so before I get to it.

If only we didn't have that tempting link to Amazon!
I click, then click on used, and that's the end of it. Since
I received 100$ of gift cards for Amazon, it is even easier..
:P

#65: I guess the good news is that you have $100 in gift cards. My problem would be that my wish list is much greater than $100!

Stasia, all of your books are just in one room? I'm assuming it's a *huge* room! :o)

I saw the audiobook version of The Ladies of Grace Adieu at the library yesterday, but I passed it by because I didn't care for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell -- should I give Clarke another shot?

Dear one
Seven days into this thread and already there are 66 posts. A thread for each month may not be enough.

You are the one we all come to visit. You create such a warm, wonderful atmosphere that it is analogous to sitting at the kitchen table with you, freshly baked chocolate cookie in hand, hot tea on the place mat and a pot of vegetable soup cooking on the stove.

---------------
I know you haven't felt well this week, so I'm impressed with the amount of reading you accomplished. Sorry though that you felt you didn't have a week of good reads.

>60 alcottacre:: No, I knew it was fiction. My category was going to be "Books with a Food Theme"...both fiction and non-fiction would be fine.

#67: Missy, I found the short stories to be much easier to read than Strange & Norrell - not all those footnotes to wade through (although they do get a brief mention in the first of the stories). I did enjoy Strange & Norrell, but you might give the stories a shot. The book itself is not that long.

#68: Well, I do not know about the chocolate cookie part, but I am glad everyone is comfortable hanging out at Stasia's place :)

#69: OK, Tad. I just wanted to make sure that I was not misleading you. I hope you get a chance to read and enjoy the book.

Thanks, Stasia -- I may give it a shot!

So I take a week off (due to some surgery -- reading on pain meds so does NOT work!) and I come back and not only did the last thread end but I am 71!!!! behind on the new one?! Whew! Stasia, you are so loved!

Give up on the McCall Smith's The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I have read far too many and refuse to waste any more precious reading time on them. They are completely formulaic after book three. I, too, loved Galileo's Daughter by Sobel. Great story.

Would also recommend Inkheart, a great YA adventure. All the (good) main characters simply adore books and I loved all the quotes at the beginning of chapters.

Thanks for your thread.

Catch Up Haiku

I garden one day
Stasia's thread grows faster
Than the weeds I pull

tiffin

I love your Haiku--and so appropriate! :-D

#71: I look forward to seeing what you think of it!

#72: Hope the surgery went well and that you are recovering nicely. I have already read the first 2 books in the Inkheart trilogy, I just have not gotten to the last one yet. Thanks for the recommendation, though.

#73: Love the haiku, Tui!

Stasia - Have you read Le Guin's YA trilogy Annals of the Western Shore. The first book Gifts was a really good fantasy and I'm keen to read the next two books. Powers won the Nebula Award.

#76: No, I have not gotten to those yet. Thanks for the recommendation, Kerry. I will see if I can locate copies of them.

I have no idea who the 'zire' person is, but I have evidently unintentionally goaded him/her on, to the point of distraction. I apologize for the problem in everyone's threads.

Not to worry; he's done, he's gone, he's toast!~! I'm sure we all have more important things on our minds----like books n stuff.

I#78 - I didn't see any of the messages, but I can't seem to post after his deleted messages in anyone else's threads. Huh. Anyone else having that problem?

#80: I did not have any problems posting after zire last night, Luxx, but I will give it a try this morning and see what happens.

Thanks. The message box just won't show up, although the two probably aren't connected.

Luxx--

You posted!

>68 Whisper1: Linda, I am not too sure about the chocolate cookie and vegetable soup mix, but you painted a lovely picture anyway! :)

>62 alcottacre: Stasia, I am going to read The Virginian this week.

~ TT

#84: I hope you enjoy The Virginian, TT. Mac did a great review of the book on his first thread of the year, which spurred me to pull it off the TBR Planet.

I completely agree with you about Booker Prize winners (and in many cases, prize winners in general). I'm currently reading (re: slogging) through Vernon God Little which won the Booker Prize and I'm SO disappointed. Ugh.

I'm adding Rocannon, et al. to my TBR :) I like Ursula Le Guin, but have only read her later books. It'll be interesting to see the difference!

Linda... I am even further behind.. I just posted in Stasia's old thread...
I just can't keep up!

ditto mckait; know the feeling. Aw, it's only 5:30 here -- I think I will go back to bed!

>86 Ambrosia4: Ambrosia, your name reminds me of a product from my childhood: Amrosia Creamed Rice, it was delicious, but I bet I would not like it so much now!

Anyway, back to books: The panel that chooses Booker winners or other prize winners seem to have different criteria than we book lovers have. My impression is that they try to choose books that are "worthy". Ugh! What a way to choose books. I rate books on whether they have pleased me, entertained me, given me pleasure. If they happen to be worthy, as well, that is a bonus. I have read or tried to read many worthy books, but unless they are well written and give me aesthetic pleasure as well, then I dump them or rate them according to their merits or demerits. "Worthiness" is not a standard to judge books by. There must also be the X factor, that provides the intellectual pleasure.

~ TT

>89 TheTortoise: TT, what please constitutes "worthy" in your estimation? I submit that your criteria for rating books are the proper ones to determine "worthiness" as well, not some artsy-fartsy standards that compare giraffes to bananas and find bananas wanting.

Awards panels are made up of people, with divergent tastes and standards; outside the Nobels, which are specifically intended to honor a body of work, the awards go to specific books for their perceived merits. A consensus of well-read people is usually a good place to start determining the shape of one's future reading, but it's not a good way to determine what books of worth and merit will make history's cut. Look at Moby-Dick...popular writer of adventure stories breaks the mold, writes a weird book, it's the Great Flop of 1851-2.

Still readin' it today.

And Milord...rice has only been a staple food crop for 4000 years...how could creamed rice (which sounds revolting BTW) be a product from YOUR childhood...?
;->

#89> I've never heard of Ambrosia Creamed Rice, but I do like Ambrosia Fruit Salad as long as it's not too sweet :) Generally it's supposed to be the "nectar of the gods" though! It's one of my nicknames.

Anyways, I agree with TT about choosing "worthy" books, but I also think they actually like some of the books we hate. For example, Vernon God Little has a comment on the back that says "Reading his book made me think of how the English language was in Shakespeare's day..." by the Chair of the Booker Judges. I couldn't see that at all whilst reading...

>90 richardderus: Rich, My idea of worthy is pretty much a la Oscar Wilde: there is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book just badly written or well-written. Paraphrased from my forgettery!

My take on the prize-givers estimation of "worthy" is a book that has a "message", not necesarily in a religious sense, but one that has some social undertone or even overtone! Like your Bete Noir Dickens. I may be misrepresenting them, for which, I apologise humbly, I am sure they look for literary merit also. It's just that it is often dreary and dire.

I am sure there are exceptions. I have seen Coetze well spoken of on these threads, for example.

~ TT

>92 TheTortoise: Milord, I'm agreeing with you, honestly I am...I just wonder if the dire-ness and dreariness of the choices don't stem from some internal compass error (of the judges, not you!) that confuses seriousness of purpose with merit. I still think your standards as expressed above are the right ones to gauge merit.

>93 richardderus: Rich, that was the phrase I was looking for! "seriousness of purpose." Not a prize winner but for some reason that absolutely dire and awful book springs to mind: The Shack. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the perpetrators of this tosh should be taken out and shot, but if Moses was around, stoning might not be good enough! :)

~ TT

#94: I wholeheartedly agree with your opinion of The Shack, TT.

Interesting discussion, BTW, about the Prize winners. I do wonder sometimes when struggling to read the winners, if the judges bear the general public in mind at all. I am not a stupid person (at least I do not think I am, even if I am uneducated), but the Prize winners that I have tried make me feel like a bumbling idiot - 'What am I missing here? This book won the Booke/Pulitzer/whatever Prize.'

>94 TheTortoise: I wouldn't go so far as to say that the perpetrators of this tosh should be taken out and shot

Then I will: The perpetrators and perpitratrixes of this tosh should be taken out and shot. In some painful-but-not-lethal location (eg, butt, calf, shoulder). And then allowed to bleed.

Inexcusably awful codswallop.

>95 alcottacre: Stasia, I know someone will take me out and shoot me, but I just could not "get" Midnight's Children, the Booker of Booker's. Is it me? Definately not, it's them!

>96 richardderus: Rich, the sad thing is it has sold over a million copies and deluded sad souls are being encouraged to get other people to read it. They are laughing all the way to the bank, but maybe they really think it is "worthy!"

Enough ranting about rubbish!

~ TT

95: I'm not a wholehearted supporter of the book prizes in general and I don't make a point of reading them, but I still don't feel that the judges should bear the general public's opinion in mind when choosing winners. They may be flawed, but that's not what critical prizes are for. I would recommend some kind of People's Choice award for books, but do we really need it? The wildly popular books are wildly popular without the help of an award (I'm thinking Twilight here).

I'm biased from past reading experience though--I'm more often disappointed when I read a book that is really popular than when I read a book that the critics liked. Not that there haven't been critically-recommended clunkers (e.g., Amsterdam).

ETA--Case in point, The Shack: critically ignored, popularly acclaimed.

Hard to fathom but I have spoken to more than one reader who found The Shack to be one of the pivotal books of their life.... reading it 3 and 4 times to mine its "depths."

AAARGH!!!! My inclination is to toss it into the same bin as Eat, Pray, Love, that whining, self-absorbed gruel of a book; unfortunately The Shack needs its own ignominious category, because a great many of its readers don't seem to realize that it is fiction!

Can you tell I have strong feelings about this?? ;-)

At the risk of being shot in places I'd rather not be, and then bleeding profusely...I loved The Shack. I thought the personifications of the Trinity were a hoot! Of course, I followed it up with Lamb, by Christopher Moore just to balance things out.

re The Shack

Now I'm really concerned. I had read about Shack when it first came out and had no trouble deciding "that's not for me," but a couple of weeks ago a dear friend who has been going through a series of life threatening medical crises for the past year gave me a copy of the book because she had just read it and really wanted someone to talk with about it. (I get that a lot! Doesn't anybody else talk about books--especially one with religious overtones?) I promised her I would read it in June so I plan to read it this weekend--and I've been trying keep an open mind.

Now I'm worried -- doesn't it have any redeeming features? I read one review that seemed to say that for some people it could be helpful--will I be able to offer any comfort to my friend with this book? I have shared with her passages from the Bible that helped me when I had a life threatening experience several years ago but she seems to need other reassurance. Any suggestions would be welcome.

#101: I am afraid I cannot help, Carolyn. At page 25, I threw the book against the well, lol. Hopefully, someone who liked it more than I did can give you the suggestions you need.

I do know that somewhere on line is a much talked about forum with the author, William Young and faculty members at Regent College discussing points from the book and his intentions for the story. I am sorry I do not have the link, but perhaps a little investigation could dig it up and it might give you a framework.

Okay, now, ever'body...to be completely reasonable about this, books like The Shack (I shudder as I see the touchstone come up) or The Celestine Prophecy come into people's lives at the point they need to hear these concepts expressed or they inflict agonizing damage on the ocular units.

Room for everyone in this tent. But let's not forget that, for us in the ocular-unit-damaged contingent, the book in question fills a hole for SOMEone, and that doesn't make them a bad person.

The authors, however, should be SHOT! *ahem* So sorry.

Look, it's a quick read; I enjoyed seeing a new, not so male-oriented take on the Holy Trinity, and I used several place holders because there are actually passages that really touched me. If your friend wants to discuss it, even if the book doesn't float your boat, the religious discussion will be interesting and your friendship will certainly mean a lot to her. Best wishes to your friend.

#103 orangeena

Thanks! I'll get my son to "google" it for me!

#104

Gee, thanks Richard. Now I feel better. I have had two other books that people begged me to read in order to discuss with them--the 2nd worse book I ever read, Da Vinci Code and the absolute worse book I ever read, Celestine Prophecy. Pope Joan is another one--but I avoided actually having to read it. I managed to find a synopsis and my friend didn't require an in depth discussion--just an opinion, which I managed to give without actually lying and without offending her (she loved the book--and thought it was true.)

If Shack is in that category, I am in trouble! It's too late to plead illiteracy as an excuse. :-)

This goes way back, but I'm glad to see you enjoyed (mostly) LeGuin's books!

Stasia
I went away to the New Jersey shore for two days and came back to 36 unread messages on your thread. You are amazing in your ability to generate discussion.

Message #106. I agree with you on both the Da Vinci Code and Celestine Prophecy.

#106: I have never read Celestine Prophecy, but Da Vinci Code I did read. I never did understand what all the hoopla was about - the book was an OK read for me, but certainly not worthy of all that controversy.

#107: Thanks, RebeccaAnn. Glad you dropped by!

#104 - Nonsense, Richard - off with their heads!

Of course, you're right. The Shack seems to be a deeply meaningful and satisfying allegory for many.

Never heard of The Shack but are enjoying the conversation. Thanks everyone for the giggles.

>106 MusicMom41: Carolyn, I have found that, when directed to do some odious task by The Divine Miss (eg, mix the weedkiller), it pays to say, "Que? Lo siento, senora, no hablo ingles" and walk away. Since she doesn't speak Spanish, I'm home free. Try it!

>110 orangeena:, oh now don't tempt me....

> #101 - MusicMom41

Been there, done that on the life-threatening illness circuit. There are many ways for us to get what we need during these periods of our lives. Most all of you may realize that the book is not the crux of this matter, your friendship, intelligence and presence in her life are what does it for her.

My favorite thing whilst recovering was my best friend popping by after work, creeping quietly down the hallway to my bedroom, then bursting in laughing her head off and bellowing out the question, " How are you, Ruthie?" loudly enough for the whole neighborhood to hear her words.

I'm not advocating leaping in sick people's beds here ... just saying ... like we do so often on these threads ... whatever floats your boat. There is no obligation, in my book (clears throat, here; pedantically) for anyone to read or do anything they don't decide on their own that they want to do.

The book is just an excuse for your caring attention, IMHO.

Sorry for butting into your thread, Stasia.

Thanks for letting me do a shout out here. Friends and family can be/are the best medicine in the whole world, especially when they have the gift of keeping "it" lighthearted without denial creeping in.

WH

I agree WH..

I also believe that aside form Kathleen McGowan's books...
No book should be judged as "unworthy".

The Shack was one of those books where people all got something different from it. Ruby, by Mary Summer Rain is the same.

Message #113
Ruth
What a special story! You are spot on in saying that it is friends that help to pull us through difficult times.

I have a birth defect called an Arnold Chiari Malformation. Basically, it creates nasty, nasty headaches, vision problems, slurred speech and balance issues. About ten years ago I had a shunt inserted to relieve the pressure of too much cerebral spinal fluid on the brain....
The shunt over drained and I temporarily developed sixth nerve palsey which meant my eyes could not focus and I saw double, extreme blurred vision...basically, my sight was very limited.

While in the hospital, through challenged eye sight, I was able to discern that when I awoke, I found my wonderful friend sitting in the dark room, under a hospital blanket with a flashlight grading her student's papers. It brought tears and laughter to me.

It was the end of college semester and she had work to do..BUT she balanced this with wanting to be present with me.

I often think of this memory and her love.

wow Linda...

That sounds dreadful.. but what a loving friend!

>113 womansheart: Woofie, that is the sort of friend you have to BE to GET. How cool that you get to receive what you so generously give.

>114 mckait: Queen of the GIFs, untrue. Sons and Lovers is unworthy, and all who claim otherwise are defective. So is Manservant and Maidservant, and For Whom the Bell Tolls, and the entire ouevre of Chuckles Dick-ens. Unworthy. And not a pixel more shall I waste upon them.

>115 Whisper1: Linda, what a touching lovely thing to do! See my note to Ruth above, though...you're getting back what you give.

#113: Ruth, if you do not know by now, everyone butts into my thread (and I love it, BTW). Thanks for sharing a wonderful story.

#115: Linda, I can see you doing that for someone. You are a special lady and I know why your friend would do that for you!

#117: Richard, you have to be nice to Mr. Dickens on my thread :)

Personally, I think every book has something for someone if they are willing to take the time to find it. Not necessarily for everyone you understand, but for some lucky one (or two . . .)

>117 richardderus:: I'd be interested to know your criteria for telling the difference between a book that is bad and one that you just don't like. You seem so sure of your opinion when it comes to such definitions.

Don't Like: subjects that bore me, characters that never change, plotless books in general, experimental narrative techniques.

Bad: craft failures such as unresolved plot lines, wooden or poorly presented dialogue, characters with voices that can't be distinguished from one another, erratic or idiosyncratic changes in a character's actions or vocabulary.

The list is, of necessity, partial.

erratic or idiosyncratic changes in a character's actions or vocabulary
well I can see why you wouldn't like Dickens, the man's characters often did things "out of character" for no reason at all - and they were most of them caricatures, stereotypes (or caricatures of stereotypes). Dickens was not really interested in psychology and so I think, he wouldn't have thought it necessary to give a character a motive to perform an action. But I have always enjoyed his stories and characters anyway because you can picture them and hear them. Even deprived of psychological depth as they are, they are still memorable, you can imagine exactly how they are, how they speak, what they wear etc.

Aaaanyway. In the case of Mr. Dickens I don't mind actions without motive or reason. But if you take Camus, for instance *shudders* - I hate the way he does that. "Oh yeah sure a person can just wake up one day and KILL someone with no reason at all, why not? Life is so surreal that everything is possible!!" Eugh. Hate hate hate that.

>121 girlunderglass: GUG, not a big Camusite myonself. I feel so...disrespected...by his pointless pyrotechnics. It's like my presence, as the reader, is of incidental importance to The Great Author, and I should simply take what's given and lump it.

Contrast this feeling with the feeling Faulkner evokes in me...the author brilliantly fragments his prose into shards of bright light, sparkling against the deadness of a black, black unknowing that is the rest of the story. Or Beckett...absurdity, pointlessness, nonsense even, and all calculated to a fare-thee-well to create a specific, unique picture, often just one flashing moment, with a fractal geometry of words that is stunning.

Experimental techniques can offer pleasures. Too bad they most often don't.

characters with voices that can't be distinguished from one another: Was that your problem with the Compton-Burnett novel? I started to read one of hers (can't remember which) and that was definitely an issue.

>123 wunderkind: wunder, it was indeed...servants indistinguishable from masters, children indistinguishable from adults; it was a dreadful mash-up. Then came the father's Nicene conversion, which frankly I did not buy at all.

Bad bad bad.

Here I was wondering why I didn't see any posts from Miss Acre and I totally lost here newest thread. And you guys were talking about The Virginian and I missed it!!! Now I'm back.

#113 WH

Thank you so much for reminding me about why I promised her I would read it. Many years ago when my children were in early elementary school I was diagnosed with cancer and given a 25% chance to survive. For 2 years I was so surrounded by loving, caring friends who did so much for me and my family there is no way I can describe what it meant to me. I'm am sure that all that love and their prayers are one of the reasons I'm still here.

You have really helped me. You are another "angel of mercy." I will read the book because she really wants to talk about it and I also know I will find the right words to say--because you are right. At this time she needs my love, concern and my "listening heart" more than she needs my intellectual opinion.

#112

Richard, you forget I live in Central California--the Spanish speaking capitol of the USA--almost everyone here has enough "Spanish" to get understand "no hablo ingles." After all--the rest of us are expert at saying "no hablo espanol!" :-D

>127 MusicMom41: Carolyn, Well, dear Ruthie has solved the problem for all of us, though my next suggestion would have been French: "Je suis desolee, madame, mais je ne pas parle l'anglais."

#128 richard

I am amazed at your linguistic ability--can deny the ability to speak English in every language? :-)

Unfortunately the ability to pronounce French is beyond my meager skills. Hubby says my life would be easier if I just learned to say "NO!" ;-)

Support bilingualism: speak Gaelic!

Speak garlic? I already do! Use a head or two of the stuff a week!

#125: Welcome to my newest thread, Mac! Glad to see you could join in the fun.

# 128

Bien sur, Reeeshard! Mais je pense que tu as oublie l'accent au-dessus
le "e" dans "desolee." Ou peut-etre tu n'as pas la cle corrigee pour ca, comme moi!

For all you non-Parisians, I'm giving Reeeshard grief about his accents...as my French is rusty...I expect I'll get some (expletive) back!

I have modest French skills:

"Bonjour. Come and tie my shoe."

I speak a bit of Spanish:

" 'Allo. My name is Inigo Montoya. You kill my father. Prepare to die."

It's not so useful for everyday conversation, but hey, you never know when you'll meet a six-fingered man. 8^}

Touche! (With an accent on the end.)

desolée = alt 130 for the accent
touché = same thing

mais, vous êtes tous les pois fous!

ETfix tupo

I love this place. Just sayin'.

¡™£¢∞§¶•ªº–≠œ§´¶•ªº–≠®†¥¨‘åß∂ƒ©˙∆˚¬…æΩ≈ç√∫˜µ≤≥÷

Still e without an accent....and I am not a crazy pea! LOL
Wait...I found it. Alt e and then hit e again. Whoohoo! ééé!!!
Merci Tiffin. Ditto 138.

#138: Only because I have the silliest thread!

140: I'd say that's something to be proud of :)

#141: Believe me, I am firmly in Richard's camp, Eliza. I love this place and am proud of my silly little thread(s).

#138 - That's pretty much what I was thinking. ;)

#135 drneutron

" 'Allo. My name is Inigo Montoya. You kill my father. Prepare to die."

LOL--one of my favorite "quotes!" Also one of my favorite movies--and one of the few where I love the book and movie equally. I alternate years--read one year then watch the next. Reminds me--this will be a good summer to watch the movie. (Princess Bride for those who don't know what I'm talking about.)

#138 et al

Yo tambien! (me too--wish I knew how to make a heart. :-) ) (neither alt 'e' or alt 130 works for me :-( )

>144 MusicMom41:: Type: ♥

♥

LOL! Someone sent me a picture once of Mandy Patinkin in his Inigo Montoya garb, wearing one of those sticky name tags that say "Hello, My Name Is..." and scribbled under it was "Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Guess you had to see it. I was in stitches for hours.

One of the best things about that movie is that Rob Reiner resisted the temptation to "make it better" and stuck to the story. I liked the book better because there was so much more detail than could be fit into the movie, but both were great.

I was lucky enough to find a first edition of The Princess Bride. I absolutely love it.

I agree about liking more detail in the book--but I saw the movie before I knew about the book and Mandy Patinkin just made the movie unforgettable.

I am finally free to get caught up on threads and find you on the 6th one and 150 in! WOW!

I have to agree with you about the Ladies Detective Agency. I tried to read it twice and couldn't get passed page 50. I saw that it was a miniseries on HBO and thought I'll watch it and then I get to the book. Nada....couldn't get pass the first 1/2 hour. Guess it's just not one for me either.

Oh, how fabulous. Princess Bride talk - exactly what I needed right now!! Thank you, Dr N. Although - not to be a pedant but - I remember it more as: "Khhhhhhhhhhallo" than "'allo". Lots of Castillian glottal there.

Having studied several European languages over the years, and achieved conversational competency in only one (now lost, forgotten, rusty), I find it has been very useful to learn the following approximate phrase in the relevant tongues:

"I'm sorry, I can understand much more that you say than I can speak. Please be patient with me."

I am not good with graphics and "stuffs" on the computer, but I really think we should go with sign language!~!

Hey Richard;
Read this!~!

belva

Lo siento, pero yo puede hablar más que puedo entender. Especialmente si la otra persona está hablando rápidamente. Hay un problema a veces!

hey! I know some sign language!!

¡Más despacio, por favor! ¡No puedo leer español tan rápido!

Y yo tambien.

I can say "I am the bathroom" in french. It's never been particularly helpful.

I can also order an "omelette avec fromage", but again, not really helpful. Unless I end up starving in France someday.

This week's reads (in English unfortunately - I am sure they would all sound better in one of the Romance languages):

237. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin - I own a copy of this book but could not find it and had to check it out of the library and so finished ahead of the Highly Rated Books group, but even if these circumstances were not in place, I would have rushed to finish it! Very good book. SPOILER: My only quibble with the book is the romance - I wish the author would have done without it; highly recommended

238. Don't Look Now by Daphne Du Maurier - this collection of short stories was pretty good, but I understand that there are several collections of Du Maurier's with the same title, and unfortunately this one did not include 'The Birds'; recommended

239. Love Letters from Cell 92 by Ruth-Alice von Bismarck and Ulrich Kabitz - nonfiction; this collection of letters between Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his fiance was very moving; the editors of the book placed footnotes for each letter which took a bit of getting used to, but once I did there was no problem; I think the single thing that stands out to me is that despite all that was going on, these people never lost their faith - this book is going to stick with me for a long while; highly recommended

240. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede - young adult; I did not care for this book as much as I liked the first book in the series, but it was still good enough that I will continue on reading the series

241. Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier - I really liked this book - a great Gothic; highly recommended

242. The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee - I expected to like this book a lot more than I did - on a scale of 1-5, I give it 3.5 stars

243. The Postman by David Brin - a post-apocalyptic book (I really like books in that subgenre) that I enjoyed reading, only the second of Brin's books that I have read (the other being Kiln People); recommended

244. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland - another 3.5 star book for me; I enjoyed the historical detail a lot, but thought the book too long for the content and really did not care about the characters

245. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull - juvenile; my daughter Catey (who has now discovered boys and abandoned books) mentioned this book on her thread and gave it 5 stars; I do not think I liked it that much, but it was very good fun and rates a solid 4 stars from me; highly recommended

246. Four Frightened People by E. Arnot Robertson - this is the first Virago Modern Classic that I have read and if they are all this quality, I will be reading many more; this book is part adventure story, part philosophical musings, all good; my only reservation with this book is that, due to the time it was written, it is mildly racist; highly recommended

247. The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea - a HUGE thank you to Kath (mckait) for this one - an absolute must-read - My review (and I did actually post this one, something I rarely do): "I loved this book. I can give it no higher recommendation than once finished with it, I immediately wanted to begin it again. You owe it to yourself to read it."; go - get thee gone now and read this book!!; highly recommended, in case you could not tell :)

It dawned on me that I never did a summary at the end of May, so I am not going to do one until the end of June at this point. Oh, well.

I forgot to mention that The Hummingbird's Daughter has a new favorite quote for me in it: "Sometimes, while she was asleep, she read books in distant libraries."

I only wish I slept enough to read books in distant libraries!

My favourite quote from The Princess Bride is: You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is "Never get involved in a land war in Asia," but only slightly less well known is this: "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!"

I was quite proud to shout out (usefully) this quote when I was explaining to Mr. Cauterize how Napoleon did not heed this advice when he invaded Russia.

Fablehaven is on my wish list, Stasia.. one of these days I will get to it. I think my niece owns it, and if not, I will buy it for her, and then she will have to find shelf space for it, and she will let me read it :)

and I agree. Hummingbird's Daughter is a must read. I did something I had never done before, and on my book blog, I made it into a "gadget" so that anyone looking at my blog will see it . That and the info that it will have a sequel next year. (After doing that I put up one more for the next book by Amy McKay. )

I felt the same way about wanting to start it over as soon as I finished it.
Fantastic book!

edit to add link

Fablehaven is a quick read, Kath. I think there are at least 2 sequels to it as well.

Just ordered The Hummingbird's Daughter for the Kindle. I can't wait!

#164: I hope you think as highly of it as Kath and I do, Luxx!

Stasia, I think I was the one who recommended "The Birds"; it is in the NYRB edition of Don't Look Now which was released last year. Worth reading if you can find it - super-creepy!

Miss Acre,
I've always suspected that the Kevin Costner movie of The Postman came from a book but never researched it. I enjoyed the movie and may be one of three people who did but I love post-apocalyptic stories. I am glad to have found the book now thanks to you!!

I also have The Hummingbird's Daughter on my lookout list thanks to you.

And you are encouraging a foray into my unread Du Maurier which I purchased because of her place on one of my lists but have not gotten to yet.

Good reading week.

Thanks for the note on my thread about The 6th Lamentation. I thought of you in reading it because it seemed like a book you would enjoy!

>159 alcottacre:: Stasia, since you seem to be liking Brin, you should try his Uplift stuff.

If you read them in order, the first one is Sundiver. This isn't my favorite of the series, but most people would tell you to start there. Personally, I had never read any Brin and started with the second, Startide Rising, because I'll try anything that wins both the Hugo and the Nebula. I loved it and went on to The Uplift War (good, but a slight notch down), then filled in Sundiver.

The series stalled there for a while and then Brin added another trilogy that picked up and finished the story. I thought them weaker.

So, I recommend you read at least Startide Rising, whether solo or in company with the rest of the series, as you prefer.

I read Company of Liars a while ago and agreed: the characters simply weren't that likable.

>161 Cauterize:: Cauterize, around the office (all Princess Bride fans), two phrases are heard almost daily:

"Am I going mad, or did the word 'think' escape your lips?"

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Stasia
I'm adding books #237, 239, 246 and 247 to the tbr pile.

With such a great recommendation from you and Kath, I really need to read The Hummingbird's Daughter quite soon.

Thanks again for such a wonderful Sunday morning list!

I agree with Company of Liars in that none of the characters ever appealed! And thank you for the update on Catey, I was wondering where she had gone to. Trust me, as a 23year old girl, she'll come back to the books. Boys are fleeting but books are there forever ;)

very well said lunacat!

Linda, I really do think you will like it..

I trust your judgment and thus will read this book asap. I'm heading to the library mid-week.

Stasia, Mull's Fablehaven books get better with each one, and the fourth book, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, is truly light years ahead of the first with regard to writing, plot, and character development. I highly recommend the rest of the series! I believe the fifth book will be the last, and I'll be very sorry to see it end.

Just added Hummingbird's daughter to my wishlist!

Btw isn't it cool that now we can see each other's wishlist on LT? Did you get a chance to enter your massive Continent of TBr and wishlists yet?

Eliza

Love, love, love my Sunday mornings here. Coffee and book talk, wonderful.

>#160:
"Sometimes, while she was asleep, she read books in distant libraries."

"I only wish I slept enough to read books in distant libraries!"

The medications I take occasionally make me quite groggy so I will take my book and go have a lay-down and read. Many times I have fallen asleep while reading and when I wake up, I realize that I was dreaming and the dream began where I was in the book when I fell asleep and my brain adds dialogue and action and it becomes a totally different story. It makes it quite interesting when I take the book up again and have to figure out what was in the dream and what was in the book. The first time it happened, I just went: "Whoah!~! Man!~!" It makes me feel like I am back in the '70s tripping out.

Eliza
I'm ignorant regarding the new features on LT. Can you please tell me how we can see each other's wishlist?

Thanks.

Sheesh, I'm AFK for one day and there's 25 messages to catch up on. I've also added The Hummingbird's Daughter to my wishlist!

Re the Princess Bride quotations, around our house when anyone mumbles incoherently, someone will roar: "he said true bleve, I heard him".

#166: I knew someone had recommended the edition with 'The Birds', Rebecca, I just could not remember who. I am going to have to look for that edition.

#167: Mac, as I am pulling books off your thread by leaps and bounds this year, I am glad I can finally repay the favor!

#168: Tad, thanks for the recommendations. I will look for them. I just picked up another Brin book recently (the name escapes me at the moment), but I will look for that series as soon as I have finished the new book.

#170: Well, 4 out of 11 is not even 50% of them, so not too bad. I really think you will enjoy The Hummingbird's Daughter, Linda, and look forward to seeing your review!

#171: I really think she is too young for boys, lol. I am sure she will get back to the books eventually, but he really is a nice boy (even if he is named Lake).

#175: I am glad to hear that the series gets better since I enjoyed the first one so much. Thanks for the input!

#176: Eliza, I have 2328 books on the Planet already listed on Goodreads and do not see myself moving them all over to Collections here on LT, especially when I know I have so many more yet to add. What I do like about Collections here on LT is the ability to put in the library books I am reading since 98% of my reading comes from that source.

#177: Belva, glad you take your Sunday morning coffee here with me on LT (even if I never touch the stuff). Interesting about the dreams because I do the same thing: even when I get home from work at 8am, I always read before laying down and sometimes my subconscious goes to town with what I am reading.

#178: Linda, in order to see someone's Wishlist, click over to their profile page. You will see a line that says Collections. You can click on the Wishlist on that line and LT will bring up all the books on that person's Wishlist.

#179: I hope you enjoy it!

#184: *Caut is about to click Stasia's wishlist... and is frightened to see how big Planet TBR might be!*

ETA: 16 books? Pffftttttttt!!! Hehe, j/k

#185: Caut, see message 183 above . . .

#186: Oops! You caught me... I admit I can skim comments that are specifically responding to the posts of others ;) I'm glad you're adding your library books, I know that you borrow a lot (as do I). I had always just tagged them differently so I could keep track of everything I read and how much I read.

I might upload some of my wishlist I had on Amazon. I think I read somewhere that LT made sure this was an option.

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm

You're probably in the final stages of a Ph.D. or otherwise finding a way to make your living out of reading. You are one of the literati. Other people's grammatical mistakes make you insane.

Dedicated Reader Literate Good Citizen Book Snob Non-Reader Fad Reader What Kind of Reader Are You?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

This quiz was rather fun! I pulled it off Cauterize's profile and it got me pretty dead on: Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm, lol.

>188 alcottacre:: I came up Dedicated Reader. Not sure about their criteria, but it was interesting to see what they asked.

I guess I have a new title- Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
I'm n the same category as Stasia .... how amazing in that?

>Good fun. Found this on Cauterize's profile page also. Thanks for linking it here, Stasia.

The quiz results for me say: Dedicated Reader

WH

I came up an obsessive-compulsive bookworm too! But I didn't really need a quiz to tell me that. That's what family's for ;)

i'm a dedicated reader! not surprised though. maybe when i'm done child rearing, i'll get back to obsessive-compulsive, lol.

that was a fun mini break, back to homeschooling...

Dedicated Reader: "You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more."

Amen to that.

Somehow, I do not think we are going to come across a NonReader on this website :)

I am glad you guys are enjoying the quiz!

>193 browngirl: - It's amazing to me how having a kid changed my reading habits. My first was born in January of 2008, and I only managed to read 61 books the whole year. Now that he's started entertaining himself I have more time to read - I've already read ten more than my 2008 list in the first six months of this year!

>195 alcottacre::
Perhaps not, but we just hit on the 1st "literary snob".
What Kind of Reader Are You?
Your Result: Book Snob

You like to think you're one of the literati, but actually you're just a snob who can read. You read mostly for the social credit you can get out of it.

I am crushed!~! And I have no idea how that happened. Maybe I had better go take that quiz again.
belva

Stop it with the laughter Richard. I can just see you rolling on the floor ROLFing!~!

I am down on the floor with Richard, Belva . . .lol

Without changing one answer upon my 2nd taking of the quiz this is what happened:
What Kind of Reader Are You?
Your Result: Dedicated Reader


You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
belva

Nope, sorry, does not count Belva. You are stuck being a Literary Snob - I am sure you are a very nice one, though :)

*itch!~!

Now, now, play nicely . . .

Great little quiz, I'm a dedicated reader.

Again not a surprise there. Will be interested to see what my friends are.

okay, if I must.

I know it will be tough, Belva, but you must :)

BTW - Did you get the info I posted on your profile page the other day about the graphics? Have you tried? Any questions?

Good job - even if you are sticking out your tongue at me!

Stasia;
I have not had this much fun since the last time I was having sex and got a cramp in the arch of my foot!~!

I'm not sure I needed to know that :)

Glad you are having fun though. Isn't that what LT is for?

I am also an obsessive-compulsive bookworm (again, not news).

I had to wait until I got home from work to take the quiz because of the filter at work! But I'm a Dedicated Reader as well.

Stasia,
Can I get the same info you gave Belva about the graphics?

Pleaseeeeee!

#213: I am posting to your profile page now.

glitter-graphics.com

I'm a dedicated reader. Stasia and Rebecca, what did you do in the post office lineup? hehe

tiffin;
I know you didn't ask me, but I "grumbled and cursed" and still got called a "literary snob"!~!
Doesn't that beat all?
belva

P.S. Personally, I think it is a random quiz. Mmmm Hmmmm.

Hello to all who post here.
Stasia, since so many of the 75 challenge group visit here, I thought I would simply send one message on you thread!


Thanks for the quiz. I'm a dedicated reader, though literary snob has a ring to it.

I'm coming "out of the closet"--since I will be in such good company! :-) I took the test last week on another thread and discovered I'm also a literary snob. :-(

Is their a recovery group available? LS anonymous?

Well, there is a group for literary snobs:

http://www.librarything.com/groups/literarysnobs :)

I just joined it, even though I'm a dedicated reader, according to the quiz! (Great quiz, by the way!)

#220: I am glad everyone is enjoying the quiz, even the literary snobs among you. All of the thanks goes to Steph (Cauterize) since I found it on her profile page.

#215: You are quite welcome, Cheli!

Do literary snobs sit on the wide veranda overlooking the acres of newly mowed grass and meticulously planted gardens , sipping mint juleps or "sweet tea", wearing white gloves, holding dainty pastries and reading Gone With the Wind? If so, I'm doing the test again and making sure I can change and be a member of this group.


glitter-graphics.com

#223: If all the literary snobs are on the veranda, I know where all the obsessive-compulsives are: in the huge library with shelves to the ceiling, climbing the library ladders to pick up a book they are sure they have never read before and then snuggling up cozily next to the fireplace.

tiffin, #216, I pulled one of several books out of my bag (this is stretching the truth, since I usually have only one book, a newspaper, a magazine, and work reading, but was closer than the others).

#216: Tui, I never go to the post office, but if I were stuck there, I would have at least 4 books with me, since I carry them everywhere!

ETA: I had a lady come into my office weekend before last and she asked me what I did all night long when nothing was going on. I told her that I read and she asked what I read, and I proceeded to pull out the 4 books I was carrying around and showed her :) She is a reader as well and I sang the praises of LT to the high heavens to her. I hope she shows up one day!

What always amazes me at the PO is that almost nobody else has anything to read or do -- I can't believe that none of them ever went to the PO before!

Turns out I'm a Literary Snob too! I took the test twice and got the same result both times. I can't understand it. (There must be something the matter with that test!)

We still love you, Charlotte!

#225 & 226: ok, that didn't make you OC then, because I did the same thing. hmmm Ok, wonder what the defining choice is between being a dedicated reader (with my red line nearly at the end of the graph) and an Obsessive Compulsive Bookworm (whose red lines are also at the end of their graphs)?

I really should be reading.

Fourpawz2 & MusicMom41;
As "literary snobs" we shall hold our heads high and proudly be the very best that we can be!~!



belva

#230 tiffin

I'm with you. I had those 3 red lines also --all so close to the end that they looked indistinguishable. I thought it might be because of my aversion to Cliff Notes type of material. Even school assignments I much preferred to read the original--unabridged if possible. Does that make me a snob?

BTW I also always have a book with me in case I have to wait for anyone or anything at any time. It keeps me calm--I get very impatient without it.

Thanks, Belva--It feels good not to have to "hide" anymore! :-)

I'm glad everyone thinks the book quiz is fun! I'm a Dedicated Reader and I think it got me dead on. My friend who let me know about the quiz got the Literate Good Citizen which I haven't seen anyone in the group get, yet...

Your friend did not know what he/she started, Steph!

#234 I took the same quiz on mckait's (Kath's) thread and I am a literate good citizen. I thought it to be pretty accurate but I have read the major great works after I had graduated and was a much wiser person. o.k, o.k older!

I finally had time to do this (I've been too busy reading).
I am an obsessive-compulsive bookworm.

Haven't had a chance to read until now, but added a bunch of your last weeks reads to my TBR whatever (I'm not sure what to call it anymore...). What I love about your thread is the recommendations don't just come from your own list, but all the other people eager to recommend things to you :)

Hey, literary snobs make sure the rest of us get a share of good literature ;) I was a dedicated reader however.

#238: Amber, when I started out on LT I had a Mount TBR which soon became Continent TBR and has now morphed into Planet TBR. I understand the difficulties in figuring out what to call your TBR whatever!

Thanks for the compliment about my thread. I figure I just have to post once a week and then let everyone else take over:) It's great fun!

Stasia, a question for you...

Your To Read collection is 649 books - do you have all those or are those the books that you WISH to read? What makes your WISHLIST?

The reason I ask, my WISHLIST is the books that I want to read, whether sometime in the future I borrow them from the library or buy them. I'm just trying to figure out if your planet is the same as my mountain range.
If it is, then I think my volcanic range erupted into a solar system! (OMG!)

#240: Cheli, the books on my Wishlist are in 2 varieties: books that I have already read but wish to purchase for my personal library or books that I cannot put on my Goodreads list, which is where the Planet is currently residing.

My To Read list is books that I own that eventually I will get around to reading, lol.

I think everyone is going to do the same thing with collections that they do with their libraries - set them up they way they want them :) Isn't LT great that way?

Whew....That makes me feel a bit better that your planet is not on LT. I was thinking that I had more books on my list that I wanted to read than you did. I really glad to find out that my mountain range hasn't erupted.

Thanks for the clarification..... Just out of curiousity, how big is the planet? (Just so I know when to watch for eruptions.)

The Planet is over 5000 books now (how far over I am not sure). I do not have them all on Goodreads yet, but have 2500+ of them out there at this point.

Update:

Dad left the rehab facility today. He is doing much better although is certainly not back to 100% (although trying to convince him of that is a major chore - he thinks he is ready to drive!). He will have to have outpatient therapy 3 days a week. We are hoping for a full recovery soon. Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes.

That's great news about your Dad!

My TBR pile (owned but unread) is catching yours up at 420 or so... I have no idea how it got that big! All I did was buy a few books occasionally... I blame all of you here!!

#245: Your TBR has a ways to catch up to mine, but I am sure you will be there in no time at all, Cushla. You are right - it is all the fault of the LT community!

This week's reads:

248a. Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton - kind of a blah read to me

248b. Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien - I liked these 2 short stories which rather reminded me of folk tales; recommended

249. The Diary of Mary Berg edited by S.L. Shneiderman - nonfiction; Mary Berg and her family were trapped in the Warsaw Ghetto from its inception during WWII until they were freed, because of her mother's American birth, along with other non-Polish Jews; this diary was actually originally published before WWII was over in an effort to spur worldwide awareness of the tragedies of European Jews; highly recommended - on my memorable reads list for the year

250. Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris - nonfiction; as an old movie fan, I was interested in reading this book about the changing of the guard in Hollywood; highly recommended

251. The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley - juvenile; this is the first book in the 'Sisters Grimm' series and I enjoyed it quite a bit; recommended

252. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman - nonfiction; the ultimate dystopian book - every human being on the face of the earth is gone - so what happens to what is remaining?; recommended

253. The Sorceror of the North by John Flanagan - juvenile; this is the 5th book in the 'Ranger's Apprentice' series, a series I have greatly enjoyed, but I'll tell you, this book was so frustrating - it literally ends in the middle of the story! and since my local library does not have book 6, I do not know how everything turns out - Arggghhh!!; recommended (but only if you have access to book 6!)

254. Lighthouse by Tony Parker - nonfiction; I will be the first to say that this book is not for everyone, but I absolutely loved it; Parker captures the struggles and isolation of a now-defunct (at least I think so - the lighthouses in the US are now all automated, so I would presume they are in England as well) way of life; highly recommended, and on my list of memorable reads for the year

255. Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope - the more of Trollope I read, the better I like him, although I did not care too much for the main character in this one, who was a bit of a goober, but I have discovered with Trollope you pretty much know how it is going to end, it is the journey that is the fun; I have to mention that there is a character named Griselda Grantly in this book and every time her name was mentioned, I thought she should have been a witch in a Disney picture; highly recommended, although I would suggest starting with book 1 in the Barsetshire Chronicles and reading from there as so many of the characters overlap between books

256. Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami - this was a quick read, but I had really hoped for me - there really was not enough fleshing out of the characters for me; guardedly recommended

Next weekend, I will be out of town (my hubby and I are celebrating our 21st anniversary), so my posting may be late - I will try and get it done before we go out of town, though.

Is anyone else having trouble with collections? I cannot seem to get rid of the 'Currently Reading' status when I have finished a book!

I am happy to hear that your dad is well enough to go home. I have a feeling that he will get better faster there. Have a Happy Anniversary week!

*slips off to add Lighthouse to list*

Thanks, Kath!

I hope you enjoy Lighthouse

Collections are working fine for me. I did sort of expect it to automatically remove Currently Reading when I changed the status to Read by not owned or something like that, but once I realized I had to add a new collection and then go and remove the Currently Reading collection designation it works fine.

You've convinced me to add Anthony Trollope later this year.
Laura

#250: I do not know why I would have to add another Collection just to get it to abandon the Currently Reading status once I have finished the book. I tried unchecking the box, but I do, and it puts the book right back into the Currently Reading collection, even if I have another designation like Read but Unowned already assigned to the book.

I'm so glad that your father's health has improved so much. Adding The Diary of Mary Berg to my TBR list.

I always enjoy your Sunday morning lists.
I'm adding #249 and 254. If you note them as memorable reads, then that is a very high recommendation given the amount of books you read thus far this year.

Do you remember the total amount you read last year compared to this year? Thanks to you and others here on LT, I'm ahead from last yaer.

Congratulations on your father's continuing recovery and your upcoming anniversary!

Happy Anniversary and continued best wishes for your Dad!

Here's my method for deleting Currently Reading: Go into edit book, unclick the "currently reading" circle under collections and then hit save. Poof! I am no longer reading. Hope that helps, Stasia!

>255 Berly: - Berly -

Deleting (currently reading, TBR, etc) in Collections works just as you said. It also works when I am adding new books to All Collections. The drop down list of the collections is offered on the left hand side of the display of that "add books" page somewhat below the title/author of the book being added. One may be checked/ticked already at this point. When the drop down list is showing, one is able to chose more collections and tick/check them also. I have added TBR as a custom collection for myself as LT is where I maintain my Cyber TBR Stack.

To delete, I open the drop down menu and click on the item that is checked and, voila, it is removed from the current book or collection.

I am sure there will be more tricks to learn re: how to use collections as I go along. It is currently in early beta for this user, who has NO background in XHTML or writing code for software. I will be on the lookout for other tips as I go along.

So far, I really like Collections. It's kewl, as my granddaughter would say. She is a thirteen year-old whiz at website design.

> Stasia - Glad to know that your Dad is recovering. Nice to have him out of Rehab for Father's Day.

Enjoy your up-coming anniversary. Sounds like you both deserve a time to relax and savor the fruits of successfully negotiating a long-term relationship. Have fun.

Ruth aka WH

Stasia

Interesting list this week. I've put The Diary of Mary Berg on my wish list for this year. I'm going to try to hunt down a copy of Lighthouse--I've always been fascinated by them. Early in his US Coast Guard career my Dad was stationed at the light house at Point Reyes, California. (before he was married and so before I was born!)

The Barsetshire Chronicles and Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham are two of my favorites and are due for a reread--it's been several years. I'll add them to my list for next year since I own them. Thanks for the nudge. I also have a couple of Anthony Trollope books I haven't read yet--and I need something for my classics and fiction category this year. See how you keep adding to my TBR pile! And with collections it is so easy to keep a list now.

I'm delighted your Dad is getting to go home. I hope he will have someone to help take care of him, but he will probably be happier in his familiar surroundings. I'm still keeping him in my thoughts.

Have a wonderful Anniversary Weekend. Ours on the 26th.

Gotta go pack up--we hit the road to go home in a couple of hours.

#255: Kim, that will not work. I have gone in and unchecked the box, but evidently because I have the book in another Collection as well, I cannot get rid of the Currently Reading designation. I finally disabled the Currently Reading category since it was not right anyway.

I am also irritated that the books in my Wishlist are showing up in my library. Again, if I try and take them out of my library, even after I save them that way, the 'My Library' designation shows up on them again.

I have no idea why I cannot get the books saved the way I want them.

#253: Linda, last year I read 490 books, but that included a move. I am ahead of that pace this year.

I hope you enjoy the books that you chose off this week's list.

Thanks everyone for the good wishes about Dad as well as my anniversary!

#258 I also would like to have a TBR list that doesn't show up on my library. I want to keep track of them, but my library is for books I've read. GRRRR!

#256 And yet another way! Thanks.

#258 -

My wishlist books are only showing up in the wishlist collection as they're supposed to. When I first put them, they defaulted to Your Library, but I moved 'em out of there and into Wishlist with no problems. You may want to email or comment Tim to let him know something funky is going on.

I'm glad you enjoyed Pictures at a Revolution; I'm adding The Diary of Mary Berg to by TBR. Have a great week!!

Great news about your dad - and happy anniversary! It's ours tomorrow :)

First congrats on your special occasions, secondly, here's what I did with currently reading that wouldn't go away for the longest time. On the page which you view all of your currently reading books there is a little file folder w/a drop down menu. Some of those drop downs are highlighted. Usually, my library and currently reading. Click on the highlighted currently reading until it is no longer highlighted. Then briefly go to another tab when you come back to your currently reading page it should be gone. Adios, bye, bye. Good luck and sorry if I'm being redundant but I'm was so excited when I did it that I didn't take the time to read all of your posts lest I forget what I just did. Have a great getaway!

I tried to post here hours ago and I don't know what happened...
Anyway...Happy Anniversary!!!!!
And, I've added The Lighthouse to my wishlist. It looks like one I might enjoy.

Stasia,
Enjoy your anniversary next week and congratulations! I've added Barsetshire Chronicles and The Diary of Mary Berg to my list. Thanks for the recommendations.

Stasia,
You are blessed that your Dad is doing better. Cherish this time.
Happy Anniversary!

Again, thanks to everyone for the good wishes regarding Dad and my anniversary!

I hope you all enjoy the books that you were able to pull off my reads for the week.

Glad to hear that your dad is doing better.

258> My understanding is that any book entered in any Collection is automatically added to Your Library. That's why I haven't bothered to move a Wish List to LT--too much trouble to have to remember to move them.

Again :) Happy Anniversary! Happy to hear about yur Dad.

#271: Thanks, Deborah!

I am not adding Planet TBR from Goodreads over to LT and from the sounds of it, that may be a good thing. I did not realize when I started putting books into it that the books on my Wish List were going to be added to my library. Thanks for letting me know.

#272: Thanks, Horus!

Stasia

You don't have to add them to your library. After you click Wishlist you just unclick Your Library. Not that you would want to take the time to transfer a planet--but yu need another excuse. :-)

#275: Carolyn, I have tried unclicking 'Your Library'. After I have edited the book and go in and look at it again, it is right back in My Library. It is really very irritating - if I had the book in my library, I would not need it on my wishlist!

ETA: It does appear that some of the books on my wishlist are just showing up there and not also in my library. Why some are appearing on both the Wishlist and My Library I do not know and cannot seem to correct.

Stasia

Are you sure you weren't looking at "All Collections" which lists everything instead of "Your Library" which won't list your other collections unless you have you the name of the collection and Your Library checked. This confused me at first, especially when I was working on "Read but unowned." I really wanted to get them out of "Your library" but without losing the reviews I've done.

Now I'm toying with the idea of moving the "To read" books that I don't own to the "Wishlist' so I can easily find a TBR book that I already own when I need to get some Personal Library pages read! From the Wishlist I can decide if I want to buy it or get it from the library.

I think collections is such a great idea to keep everything organized in one place--but it will take a while to decide how to organize it to best fit individual needs. I think I'll search to see if someone has started a discussion thread on this topic. I'd like to see what others are doing.

One reason I don't want to do too much before I "have a plan" is because I don't want collections to become as big a mess as my tags are! It will take me years to get my tags in a functional order.

Carolyn,

If you pull up my Wish List, you will notice that several of the books are just there. The problem I have is books like Concord Quartet which show up both on my Wish List and in my library despite the fact that I do not own the book. I cannot seem to get it corrected to where the book is only showing up on my Wish List. I have no idea why it is like that.

I understand about the tags problem, believe me! And yes, I agree Collections is going to be just the same as the rest of LT - everyone will use it differently according to their needs.

I see what you mean. Some of them are Wishlist only but some also have Your library. How odd. I think I'll go check mine and see if that has happened to me, too.

Let me know what you find out, would you?

This also happened to me when I first added my wish list to collections...it corrected itself after a few days though.

I had to close out of the tabs and then reopen my library to see that they were not there. I don't know if this matters - have you closed LT and re-logged into it?

after sifting through the really long thread about collections problems, I believe that this is a common problem and that there was a bug that TPTB were fixing. And that the collections program will correct itself and put the books into the right collections. I could have totally misunderstood. I think there is a 24 hour wait period. How many days has yours been incorrect?

I found it very frustrating at first as well, hopefully yours will be corrected soon

#280

I checked and none of my "Wishlist" books are in the "Your library" collection. I do remember having that problem, though, with my "Read but unowned" collection--it just occurred to me this moment (not as "good" a day today as yesterday, alas). I'll go check on that.

I just check on the "Read but unowned" and I did have to redo that list. So far they have stayed out this time, but I will check again tomorrow--after I log off and then back on again. Hopefully they have fixed that problem now. I really wanted to get those "Read but unowned" books separated out so I could keep track of how many books I actually physically have on hand.

Hi There Stasia
I'm simply breezing by to tell you that I hope you have a wonderful trip and I also hope that your father's transition from managed care does not mean lots of added stress for you.

Hugs
Linda

Incredible. I check your thread after one week (I'm still in the middle of exams) and there are 62 new messages!

Happy anniversary from me as well!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO BOTH OF YOU! Enjoy your day and enjoy your trip this weekend! :-)

Thanks Linda, Eliza, and Carolyn!

#285: I hope exams are going well, Eliza.

Hi! Just catching up on posts. Thanks for the mention of the Wrede Dragon books. I bought a boxed set of the books at a dollar store near my mom about a month ago. I'd never heard of them but I'll read anything with dragons. Hopefully I'll get to them soon.

Happy Anniversary !

#288: Thanks for the good wishes, Kelly.

I hope you enjoy the Dragon books. They were recommended to me by several people here in the group, so I am very happy to be able to recommend them to others. I have only read the first two, but hope to get to the rest of the series soon.

287: They're going fine, thank you! Although I still have two more weeks (!) :(
I already had an exam on American Theatre (Our Town, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Mourning Becomes Electra, A Streetcar Named Desire) and tomorrow I have one on Victorian Novel (Oliver Twist, Wuthering Heights, Mary Barton). So at least I'm reading books I maybe wouldn't have otherwise - I generally prefer more recent books :)

#290: I am glad to hear that the exams are going well, but my goodness, 2 more weeks worth! I do not remember my exams every lasting that long :)

Ok, I'm trying to at least pretend to catch up on the threads after a week's holiday (skim reading: If anyone who knows me thinks I have missed something important, please tell me).

I really want to read The World Without Us every time I see it mentioned and yet I've picked it up in a couple of bookshops and never got it. I really must make the leap.

>292 lunacat:: If anyone who knows me thinks I have missed something important, please tell me

What? You're not hanging on every syllable of deathless prose I write?

;-D

#293

Well of course I am! I meant everyone else's posts, obviously ;-)

>247 alcottacre: I know, where have I been? Can't use the internet at work any more so I started writing my new book, At The World's End, instead (anyone who wants to follow my progress, I have put a ticker on my profile page) but what I actually wanted to do, Stasia, was to comment on Trollope.

I read somewhere that Trollope is a cumulative thing -the more you read of him, the more enjoyable he becomes. I have read all the Barsetshire novels and all the Palliser novels ( I have actually read an abridged version of these). I would love to read some of his other books as well, because he always tells a good story with interesting characters and I just think his style is delicious.

Glad your Dad was well enough to return home.

Enjoy your anniversary. And congrats!

~ TT

#295: Thanks for the update on the new book, TT! I will check the status every day waiting for my favorite two words, lol.

I agree about Trollope. I am finding that with each book of his that I read (although only 4 at this point), my appreciation grows. I can see myself one day having read all of his books and starting over again (which may take some time since he was so prolific).

Thanks for the congrats on the anniversary.

>296 alcottacre: Stasia, I have just remembered that I have also read The Way We Live Now. I recommend that, it has got a really spunky young girl in it, I absolutely love her! It's also got lots of other good things in it as well. A great lead character and a cracking story. P.S. Like you I plan to reread Trollope (probably when I retire, in 2 years, 6 months and 6 days! But whose counting? I am!) :)

~ TT

The Way We Live Now was the first book I read by Trollope. I liked it, so I started reading the Barsetshire series. I agree with you that the more I read Trollope's books the more I like his writing. I am almost done with The Small House at Allington now, and I am excited to start the last book. I even have the 1st Palliser book waiting for me.

I will not be starting any more Trollope until all my day trips are done after July 16, but The Small House at Allington is up next.

I want to finish up the Barsetshire series before I start any of his other books, TT, but I will keep The Way We Live Now in mind for when that series is completed.

good grief alcottacre I've just been reading through your threads (some very good books by the way, as usual, I've been making notes and adding 'must buys' to my list :), but I have to ask ... HOW many books do you read a month??? you must never sleep!

#300: I have really never looked to see how many books I read in a month, but I think it must be somewhere around 40-45. If you ask Richard, he will tell you I only sleep 45 minutes a day - not true, I average between 4-5 hours.

I hope you found some books to your liking off of my lists. Thanks for dropping by!

Congratulations on your anniversary Stasia. Have fun on your trip.

Thanks, Deborah!

Happy Anniversary Stasia!~!
I hope you have many, many more!~!
belva

Thank you, Belva!

#297, 298, & 299

All the talk about Trollope the last couple of weeks has made me really read one--but I''m trying not to do rereads and I've read Barsetshire Chronicles and the Paliser novels. I forgot that I own The Way We Live Now and haven't read it yet! And it will be a good classic for my challenge.

#306: Carolyn, glad you were able to get some help on my thread. Trollope was very prolific so I think it will be a while before I even begin to contemplate rereads!

Just trying to catch up on threads, which somehow keep growing longer behind my back.. wanted to say hello!

Thanks for dropping by, Kath. I know you have a lot on your plate right now.

45 books per month? hoo-boy, that's a lot. I'm lucky I ever get to about 15 or so. In a truly outstanding month, maybe 20.

I got the Good Doctors book from ER but haven't gotten to it yet. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

#310 Linda, I will be interested in seeing your thoughts on The Good Doctors when you have a chance to read it.

>307 alcottacre: Stasia, I have over 200 books on my re-read list. But as I have about 500 on my TBR list I am wondering when, if ever I will actually get around to re-reading them! :) I bought another four books this last week, one of which is a comple works! I got some Father's day vouchers from my lovely daughters. So my re-reading plan keeps on expanding into the future, a bit like the ever expanding universe!

~ TT

#312: As Planet TBR is over 5000 books high right now, TT, I can certainly empathize. If I never added another book it would take me at least 10 years to conquer.

Unfortunately, I cannot seem to keep myself from adding more books to it! :)

#312 An ever-expanding universe of books...that's heaven!

Amen and Amen.

>313 alcottacre: Let's face it Stasia, you are a hopeless adict.
It's my drug of choice too! However, I can give it up anytime. But not anytime soon!

I have only read 50 books this year so far. :)

~ TT

#316 TT- I resemble your remark (53 so far), but I think you have the tone all wrong and you have to lose the "only." Try: "Heh! Guess what? I have already breezed through 50 books this year!!!!" It also helps if you say this to some schmoe you know who is a non-reader. Saying it to Stasia? Not so much. ;)

#316: Yes, TT, I know there is no possible hope for me.

I agree with Berly - take the 'only' out of your statement. 50 books is quite an accomplishment!

Since I am heading out of town for the weekend and unlikely to get any more reading done soon, I am posting my weekly list early:

257. Terrier by Tamora Pierce - young adult; I thought this book was very good, the first Tamora Pierce I have read, she created a believable world; recommended

258. The Good Doctors by John Dittmer - nonfiction; this was an Early Reviewers book (yes, I did do a review!) and an excellent one; Highly recommended (on my memorable reads list for the year), especially to those with an interest in the Civil Rights movement or health care in the US

259. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell - nonfiction; I enjoyed this one so much I stayed up all night reading it through!; highly recommended

260. Necropolis: London and Its Dead by Catharine Arnold - nonfiction; this one was recommended by Luxx (thanks!); recommended

261a. Selected Poems by Mark Strand - I am not a big lover of poetry, so when I saw this book recommended on Carolyn's(?) thread, I thought I would give it a try; I enjoyed a couple of the poems very much, one positively creeped me out; Strand's poems seem to me to be very short stories in poem form; guardedly recommended

261b. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - this one was a re-read of a book first discovered here on LT last year that someone (sorry, cannot remember who) mentioned on their thread, so I decided to do a quick re-read - I still love it!; highly recommended

262. Four Queens by Nancy Goldstone - nonfiction; this is a very well-written account of four sisters who came to power (which they did indeed wield) through their marriages; highly recommended, especially for lovers of early European history

263. We Die Alone by David Howarth - nonfiction; Tad recommended this on his thread (thanks!) and did a terrific review here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/58868&work=555512#1197226; I think I liked it slightly better than he did although the writing is not the best; recommended

264. Midnight Assassin by Patricia Bryan and Thomas Wolf - nonfiction; I found this book by fortuitous accident while doing a search of my local library's catalog, looking for books by Susan Glaspell; she was a reporter covering a murder in Iowa and this is an excellent book about the case; highly recommended, especially for true crime buffs

I seem to have been on a nonfiction tear this past week, but next week I will be reading more fiction.

ETA: I have given up on trying to fix the Touchstone for the Mark Strand book. Sorry!

The Hero with a Thousand Faces is one of my favourite reference books, Stasia. I used it a lot when I was specialising in myth. Have you read any of his Masks of God series? Occidental Mythology from that series is another treasured reference.

Have a great weekend out-of-town!! :)

Have a nice weekend :)

The Hero with a Thousand Faces sounds very good, its gone onto the wishlist.

Ooh, I have the audiobook of Four Queens on my iPod. I'll have to bump that one up.

>319 alcottacre: - I hope you enjoyed Necropolis! I thought there were some pretty interesting facts in there...

Enjoy your weekend.

No fair reading all that nonfiction. I have now added five more books to the wishNotebook in less than 5. 2 minutes!

>319 alcottacre: I hope you have a safe trip and a good time, Stasia! I generally like Joseph Campbell so I'll have to give The Hero With a Thousand Faces a try. Necropolis: London and Its Dead is now on my list--sounds right up my alley! And although The Uncommon Reader has been on my list since the first of the year, I'm hearing so much about it lately that I guess I'll have to break down and get that one too. I've even put Midnight Assassin on my list of "ones to look out for & give to my son." Thanks for the recommendations!

>317 Berly: & 318 I am planning to read fewer books in the second half of this year. What! No, I am not going to be reading less. I have several large tomes that I am just longing to read. I feel that shorter books just whizz by the little grey cells without making much of an impression. I want to immerse myself in some good long fiction and biographies where I really get to know the characters or subject of the book.

I will probably read some short books in between. But the body count will proabably be less overall.

~ TT

I have a few of those myself TT. I keep wanting to read one or three but, newer quicker reads keep distracting me. I keep thinking that I will read this one first then THAT one.. but another must read first keeps getting in my way.

#327: I agree with you, TT; I'm planning to read at least two tomes (my definition: >500 pp) every month for the remainder of the year. This month I've completed two: Conversation in the Cathedral, (>600 pp), and Pilcrow (524 pp).

>329 kidzdoc:: I find I have to switch back and forth between long and short books. Several of the books on my pile are 500+ pagers, but I have to have breaks between them.

I just finished Battle Cry of Freedom (850+ pages) and have War and Peace (1000+ pages) going, so now I enjoy a couple quick hits.

I'm about ready to dive into some longer works myself; you're right about shorter works whizzing by. It just doesn't feel as satisfying.

Udolfo and my giant nonfiction stack, here I come.

I agree with you, Tad; I need to interject shorter works between the tomes. Next month I plan to read Seven Ages of Paris (422 pp) and either Darkmans by Nicola Barker (838 pp) or The World Is What it Is: The Authorized Biography of V.S. Naipaul (499 pp), both of which I've put off for months.

Edited to correct touchstones.

I have The Remembrance of Things Past sitting here in a beautiful boxed set, waiting for me to get at it, Tortu. I think I need a cool rainy spell of a week to get me going. Hard to get at the big ones in gardening season. Agree too, Tad, re big/small. Also heavy/light.

>330 TadAD: Tad, I agree, I will probably go that route. Good solid meaty tomes interspersed with some light snacks. :)

~ TT

Tiffin, when I read Remembrance of Things Past, I broke it up with other books, so it took me close to a year to read the whole thing. You might want to consider this too.

I think I am just going to reread the whole Nancy Drew series from beginning to end. Nice short books with formulaic plot and dependable main characters. Should nicely balance my signing up for a group read of Pillars of the Earth! LOL (And I don't really want to trash my favorite detective from childhood. I used to save my allowance and spend $1.25 to get the hardbacks.)

I have wonderful childhood memories of spending time with Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. Nancy Drew was in my public library, but the Trixie Beldens I had to buy.

>337 profilerSR::
profilerSR;
same here, but as we had no public library, the school library sufficed. I spent all my allowance & babysitting money on Trixie Beldens but the library had all the Nancy Drews. So throughout the school year I read Nancy Drew and in the summer I bought and read Trixie Belden.

You girls are really bringing back memories from long, long ago. We could buy hardback books at the five and dime back then.

Berly, a very good idea to break up the heavy reading that I hear Pillars of the Earth is going to be. I think I will do the same thing, but with a different series. I will have to think of something. I don't think Anne of Green Gables has enough books to do the trick, but there are enough to start. Yeah, good idea. Thanx,
Good night girls.
belva

I'm with you Nannybebette I spent all my pocket money on Trixie Belden books. I thought they were great. Was never into Nancy Drew so can't compare them.

All three of past, present, and likely future female Supreme Court Justices (O"Connor, Ginsburg, and Sotomayor) share a common love for Nancy Drew as part of their background. And ,of course, their three lives as young girls were otherwise very diverse.

I adored all her books as a girl - liked Trixie B. as well. Nancy is an icon for women of a certain age, I think because she was a heroine with courage and independence who had an exciting life and always found the answer. I still feel a little tingle of excitement to see one of those old Nancy book covers, because I recall how much I loved reading them growing up.

OK, so how about Cherry Ames? Anybody remember her?

When I was about nine or ten, I loved a series that my mom had read when she was young: Little Maida. I sure wish that I had kept them! I also read the Honeybunch series when I was five or six.

I LOVE Nancy Drew. When I was in elementary school I ripped through those books like there was no tomorrow. Last year I read Girl Sleuth, a great book about the creators of the series. I recommend it for anyone who loves the series!

Loved Cherry Ames. She was the nurse, right? Yup, loved her too. That began my interest in boys, I think, or perhaps just romance.

OOH! I am going to have to read Girl Sleuth! I still have some of my collection from when I was a little girl. My Nancys are housed at my parent's and whenever I visit it makes me happy to see them. But I never read Trixie Beldon books or Cherry Ames. Now I feel like I had a deprived childhood. (JK)

Book read of Pillars of the Earth? When? Where? Tell me more!!!!!!!

Am I allowed to join in if I've read it already?

When: mid July
Where: 50 book gig
Am I allowed to join in if I've read it already? Please do.

msf59 is working on the rest.
We do have a thread started but under the advisement of the St. (I believe), we need to do some reassessment of that and set it up somewhat differently. Hopefully Mark knows something about how to do that because I certainly do not.

current thread is here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/67664

I'm ba-ack! We got in late Monday afternoon after a wonderful (if all too short trip).

OK, so chiming in on the topic of the large vs small books: I never look at the number of pages in a book before I read it. If I want to read it, I do - no matter the number of pages.

I was never a Nancy Drew fan growing up, but I absolutely loved the Hardy Boys! I went through all of their books in the school library.

Hello, alcottacre,
I am reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle right now, too, and very interesting reading it is. And by some odd coincidence I just read The Clue of the Broken Locket, though I've not read any Nancy Drews since I was a kid.

#348: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes me want to dig up my back yard and plant corn or something, lol. I really wish I had a green thumb!

Not a big Kingsolver fan, but I loved Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - got my book club to go for it last year.

Welcome back Stasia. I hope you had an amazing time :)

On "large vs small books" - I'm with you 100%. In June, my longest book, Gallipoli, was about 550 pages, and the shortest, The Traveler, was a mere 48 pages (and only took 5 minutes to read!).

I loved Cherry Ames too (in addition to Nancy Drew), but I remember being terribly disturbed by the one in which she was an army flight nurse during WW II.

Welcome home Stasia. I too, hope you had a wonderfully refreshing time.

aruba; that one bothered me too as my much older brother was in the navy at the time I was reading it and I really got sucked in.

What was Nancy Drew's sidekick's name? I think there were two of them, but one of them was kind of a tomboy and I really liked her.

This is too cool; here we are all these years later taking about Nancy Drew. Bring on the vanilla cokes. I think they started making those at the soda fountains about that time.
belva

337
I always liked Trixie Beldon. She had very curly blond hair and I thought we looked alike. No one else I knew had curly hair. Mine was a sore trial to me. I used to go to catholic school.. wore a uniform and a "beanie" for church. It always popped off my head and enraged the nuns. Nightmare. Trixie helped me cope.

I liked Nancy Drew as well.. Cherry Ames.. :)

>353 rainpebble: wasn't the tomboy one called George..? Or am I just amalgamating nancy Drew with Famous Five?

I LOVED Nancy Drew. Always wanted Titian hair. Fortunately have produced 2 out of 3 children in shades of Titian so can appreciate vicariously :)

Yes!~! That was it Flossie. Her name was George. Thank you so much. That was driving me nuts!~!
What for goodness sake is Titian hair? That is a new one for me.
belva

"Titian" = essentially, red - after the Renaissance painter that had a penchant for painting women with red hair. Nancy's forever being described as "tossing her Titian hair back from her face" etc etc.

Ohhh, gotcha. And you got 2 out of 3. Good on you.

#355 - You are correct... George was the tomboy in Enid Blyton's Famous Five. There was Julian, Dick and Anne (who were siblings), and George and Timmy the dog. George (her real name Georgina) was the cousin who lived in Kirrin Cottage in Cornwall, with her parents - referred to as Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin in the series. Overall, 21 books were published between 1942 and 1963. And I have them all!

But, there was also a George in the Nancy Drew series. Nancy's sidekicks were her best friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin, and boyfriend, Ned Nickerson. George Fayne was female, and a full run down of the character can be found HERE

I only have a small collection of the Nancy Drew series, but when talking of Nancy Drew we are faced with a slight conundrum. Unlike the Famous Five, the Nancy Drew series was not created by a single author. It was in fact created by the same man who created the Hardy Boys, a fellow named Edward Stratemeyer who owned a book packaging firm called the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Various ghostwriters were then employed to write the stories under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, although for many years the stories were initially outlined by Stratemeyer and his daughters.

The upshot of all of this is, to cut a long story short, the character evolves and changes through time, and people generally identify with the character according to the era they became familiar with. Personally, I prefer the Nancy Drew of the '30s and '40s.

Thanks for reading :)

>359 petermc: wow. What a fantastic piece of Nancy Drew lore! Although I'm in some small way gutted to discover that Carolyn Keene was not a real person.

I also have only a small collection, in a totally random set of editions - some of those yellow-jacketed hardcovers, some Piccolo paperbacks (many far from intact through over-reading), whatever they were published under in New Zealand in the 1980s... And I think the numbering changed with the editions too - I seem to recall trying to read them in number order and then being dismayed to discover that some books with the same title appeared to have different numbers according to where I bought them.

My Nancy Drews are all at my mum's and not in my LT library. Will have to correct that on next visit home.

Sorry Stasia! All this Nancy Drew talk & you're not even a particular fan...

I read all the Nancy Drew's as a kid, but this was mostly because my stepmother owned old copies of the first 100 or so of the original series books. Her name is Nancy, so it was her favorite thing to read as a kid :) We lived out in the country and couldn't go to the library very often, so Nancy Drew was my staple when I ran out of library books. I still have some of my favorites but most are still at my dad's house. Now I miss them!

Stasia, glad to hear your trip was good, albeit short. Hope you get a longer break soon!

I added a bunch from your reads last week and was glad to see all the discussion on Trollope! One of my recent reads, Solos, had a main character who loved Trollope and went to a Trollope reading group, so I've considered adding him to my TBR. It was nice to get an idea of where to start from the discussion :)

HHMMM A Nancy Drew challenge? Like I don't have enough to read now!

July's thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/67964

There you go, Richard!