Reading 2011 - Clam's Calamities & Captivating Conquests

Working on The Weird Sisters right now.

I sure hope to read more this year than I did last. :o/

Don't we all? I'm working on multiple books and reading all the threads I have starred in the groups. Cheezzzze!

#2... I understand, me too. Why aren't more folks reading rather than posting, whine.... Me excepted, of course!

#3 - Because this is easier... ;o)

That's my new year's resolution - to read more books. It'll be interesting to see if I can do it, I always seem to get distracted by this lovely little pub I visit!

I should have added that 'buying less' was another one of my resolutions. I am not as hopeful about that one. ;o)

I'm now safe! I've broken all three of my New Year's resolutions so I can now stop worrying!

#7 - Go you!!!
:oD

#7 I'm proud of you! Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. :-)

The only resolution I've ever kept was the one I made in 1976, which was never to make another New Year's resolution.

#9 - That sounds good to me. I did tell the family I was going to try to read more this year than last, but never actually called it a resolution, to be honest. ;o)

For the members of my family "they're more like guidelines" anyway.

I've always thought a goal or two each day is good enough.

Ooops. Forgot to post that I finished The Weird Sisters and started that book that everyone on the planet has appeared to have read but me, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I usually shy away from bestsellers like this, but many people who's taste I trust have recommended this one. So far, so good. It's very much like a John Grisham, set in Sweden. Not what I was expecting at all, to be honest.

I hope you enjoy it. I listened to the Tattoo book so I don't know how long it would have taken me to "get into" it but hang in there...the mystery definitely builds.

Oh, I'm 'in there'... LOL Had trouble putting it down last night! My comment about it being like a Grisham book was not meant as a negative.

I mostly sort of enjoyed it. I was surprised my mum liked it though! It's a bit gruesome in places, sometime gratutitously which I dislike, and as I commented in my review, very exagerated in most aspects. If you like swedish mysteries theres a few about to choose from. The sequels are ok - no better, but not much worse either.

Yes, I liked the sequels, maybe even a little more than the first one.

#12 - That's one of those trilogies I know I will read someday, but will have to be in just the right mood for.

Okay. Finished Dragon Tattoo yesterday. I have mixed feelings about this book. While it was a quick mostly enjoyable read, I found some of the more gruesome crime details nauseating. Also, it seemed a lot like a Swedish Grisham novel. So, while I did enjoy it, I can't see what has people so excited about these books. I won't be racing out to get the 2nd and 3rd. If I see them for $1 like I did this one I'll buy them, but I won't be paying full price, that's for sure.

Last night I started Persepolis for my library book group. I have seen the movie, so it's familiar to me, though this seems darker in tone, for some reason.

Finished Persepolis yesterday and loved it so much that I ordered the second part through the inter-library loan system.

Now I'm working on finishing off a book started a few months ago and had to put aside, A Long Way Down.

I just added Persepolis to my Must Check list. The Must Check graphic novel list just became long enough that I'll schedule a trip to the graphic novel bookshop. Considering my upcoming dentist's bill I don't know if that's madness or not (one of the items I'm looking for is listed at US$74...) ;-)

Sheesh! That's outrageous!

Edited to add: You all know I love books, but I have limits. LOL

Yeah, that item (Inkalen) has been on my list for ages, precisely for that reason. But it is a HUGE volume, an omnibus.
It is available through my local library as well, but whenever I thumb it there I think "no, I want to own this...". Then I think at the price and think "hmnn...".

Persepolis was more reasonably priced, though.

I understand. Some things I want to own, as well.

Was that $74 for a new copy?

Yep, new.
Lots of money, still...

Putting aside A Long Way Down. Only made it about 10 pages into The Ice Storm before I put that down as well. I decided I was hankering after something BIG and swashbuckly, so, at my daughter's suggestion, I picked up the first Mistborn by our old buddy Brandon Sanderson.

Oh, I really liked Mistborn #1!

I enjoyed Well of Ascension (#2) too, but sadly the last part, Hero of Ages, but me off his writing indefinitely :(

Sad, as I enjoy his writing style but that one was just too over the top 1000% message and no character development or story worth talking about. And I so disagree with his message.

Interesting. I think littlegeek felt the same way, but my daughter loved them all, so we shall see. She just finished The Way of Kings and had nothing but praise for that as well. Her tastes have matured quite a bit, so it's not like her (now lost) love of the Eragon books. :oD

#27 - The thing with #3 is that it essentially is a 400-page rant on why atheism is illogical. Lots of placards waved at the reader. I'm pretty sure his other books aren't like that and I intend to try one out again, sometime when I've gotten over the disappointment...

Yech... I didn't know that. I'm surprised my daughter didn't let it bother her. Interestingly enough, she keeps sending me quotes from the main character in The Way of Kings. Here's one, "It strikes me that religion -- in its essence -- seeks to take natural events and ascribe supernatural causes to them. I, however, seek to take supernatural events and find the natural meaning behind them. Perhaps that is the final dividing line between science and religion." (page 979)

Perhaps he had to get some things out before he could proceed, and that was what Hero of Ages was all about? I hadn't pegged him as an missionary - rather, I thought him tolerant and respectful, and open minded. Perhaps Hero of Ages was as great a disappointment as it was to me largely because of that - it jarred with my (admittedly rather high) expectations.

Or it's possible he's had a change of heart in the interim. Who knows?

Very possibly. I know others who haven't reacted as hard as I did on this, so it's also a possibility that I over-reacted. But I tried and tried and tried to find something redeeming with the book and I just couldn't...

Being the polar opposite of Busifer in my religious views, I was also put off by Hero of the Ages, not because of the belief, but because of the very clumsy way it ended and it did feel like preaching. I'm not put off of his writing though, Mistborn goes a long way to make up for anything else in my opinion. I also think that Mr. Sanderson is growing as an author, so I'll continue to read him. I have The Way of Kings beside my chair and the only thing which is holding me back is its thickness and the commitment required to read it. That and the fact that I'm hungering for mysteries lately.

*Ponders* I wonder if I like to read mysteries in the winter and fantasy in the summer? Hmmm.

Thanks, MrsLee. With my reading history* I probably won't make it to book three for a couple of decades anyway, and by then I won't remember any of this.

* I read the first in The Bartimaeus Trilogy, the first in The Abhorsen Trilogy and the first of the A Song Ice and Fire series, and LOVED them, and yet I still haven't made it to any of the second books yet... Plus there are probably more I am forgetting about!

The Abhorsen trilogy is very worth it. A Song of Ice and Fire will take a lot of time, so I can easily see putting that off.

I loved Sanderson's Warbreaker, which is pretty recent, but I haven't read a lot of his other stuff. Maybe try that one?

#35 - I do plan on getting to the rest of those series, at some point. LOL

I think I'm already hooked by the beginning of Mistborn.

Books #1 and, to some extent, #2 was awesome. Based on this discussion I might try The way of kings eventually, because I do think he's a very talented author.

No laughing, but I finished off my current 'bathroom book,' Uppity Women of Ancient Times and started another Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses. I know we have a 'reading in the bathroom' thread here somewhere... In fact, I think there's more than one.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/45544

http://www.librarything.com/topic/32394

Bathroom reads are a good thing. Mine is The Daily Book of Art.

Well, I finished Mistborn. I almost bailed out before I hit the 100 pages mark, but I am really glad I stuck with it. Loved it. It's not without flaw, but what is? I still can't get over Brandon's world building & systems of 'magic.' Damn. I can't get to the rest of the series for quite a while, but this was wonderful. Now I have to find that old discussion thread.

Clam, my cat's name is Vin. :)

I have Warbreaker, but have not read it. It's in that pile on the floor beside the sofa.

Great name for a cat! What color is she?

Come to think of it I dreamed I found a black & white kitten last night. It was all wet and in need of some TLC.

She is a dark tortoise shell. I had recently read Mistborn when I got her.

Does she leap around the house? Mine used to do some seemingly impossible things! Looked like they were defying the laws of gravity.

Glad you stuck with it and ended up enjoying it! If I ever get a grey kitty, I am so naming it Vin.

#44 - Does she ever! Vin makes the Energizer Bunny look lazy! The name certainly fits.

Finished Persepolis II! Loved it as much as the first one. Now I'll be starting Depths by Henning Mankell, for my library book group.

Just because of your raves I bought Persepolis 1-4 (all in one volume); now I just need to read it ;-)

(...have to finish present read first, and then the group read... and THEN!)

Uh oh. :o) Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I saw the movie (it won an Oscar, I think) a couple of years back and loved that, too.

It was cheap so no loss if I don't like it ;-)

US cheap or Sweden cheap? ;o)

Sweden cheap - the equivalent of about US$12. It was listed as almost twice that so when I found it half I jumped at it ;-)

clammy come back to us in a few years when you get around to Hero of Ages and we can talk. The good thing about those books is there's a synopsis in the back in case you forget some of the plot of the eariler books. That really helped me.

Will do, lg.

Hi Clammy! :)

Saw that you read the first Abhorsen in the series by Garth Nix. I absolutely loved those books, and if you listen to the audiobook versions at all, you get TIM CURRY reading them!! He does such a wonderful job of doing the voice of Moggit, the cat.

Really can't picture anyone else's voice matching Moggit's personality now! Lol. What a CAT, eh? :P

#55 - Oh! Oh! I am going to go request the CDs from inter-library loan now! I am almost done with my Wolf Hall audio, and I want another English accent. :o)
THANK YOU!!!

"Oh! Oh! I am going to go request the CDs from inter-library loan now! "

ROFL. You are so cute when you get excited like that, Clam! :P I can just see you jumping up and down in glee about another English Accent. Lol. :)

I am a HUGE fan of Tim Curry's desultory and mischievous nature myself; in film as well as in linguistic nature. Really he is so distinctive and does such a varied and incredible job giving color and flair to each character! -takes a moment to squee!- MAN, what I wouldn't give to have HIM read me bed stories everynight!!! LOL.

Ok, sorry to kidnap your thread with overt and obvious Tim Curry love. I just know how delighted you will be when you start listening to him reading the other 2 Abhorsens! :)

Makes me wish I hadn't read the trilogy twice now and, therefore, have no interest in hearing the story.

Tim Curry? Dang. He's a hottie, voice-wise.

There's something about a man in a bustier...

Anyway, I found them for free download on my library's audio files link. A couple of things I downloaded from there and put directly on to my iPod played themselves out of order. So I may just put them in iTunes and check them out, first.

Thanks for the heads up!!! And yes, I did get all excited about Tim. Love his voice. *blush*

And what do you do?

I buttle, Sir.

#60: HAhahaha.

Which means what?

The butler is the head of the kitchen and diningroom.
I like to keep everything... Tidy.

Just finished, Depths*. Off the top of my head I cannot think of a single book read in recent memory that I have hated more. I only finished it because I wanted a certain character to face a miserable death. Yes, it was that painful a read. Sheesh. :o/ I need something well written to take my mind off this quickly.

My TBR Soon stack looks like this right now:

Look Again
The Shadow of the Wind
The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus

St00pid bleeping touchstones...

* Here's my cranky review: http://www.librarything.com/work/961804/reviews/69347275

I vote that you start The Shadow of the Wind. I think I might reread that one soon. I also read The Angel's Game by Zafon and liked it.

Bah! LT hiccuped.

It's a possibility. Hunchback of Neiman Marcus is an ER book, and Look Again is for my other book group, but I'm feeling the need for something light. The Shadow of the Wind doesn't look light...

No, it is not light. It pulls you in and won't let you go.

Happy Heart Day Clammy! :)

Ooh... I agree completely about Shadow of the Wind, it really is an engrossing read! You just have to let yourself become transfixed with books like that... And realize that once you start you can't stop!

Well, I picked out something that wasn't even on my 'soon' pile - Year of Wonders about the great plague in England, circa 1666. Not light, no, but short and totally absorbing so far. Might do wind after it, because I don't need to have Look Again read for another month.

I loved Year of Wonders. It's not light at all, but very well done.

Me, too - great book.

Done! Loved it. Got nothing done this morning because of it, though. LOL

As per MerryMary's suggestion I'm a good 50 pages into Below the Salt. Good so far!

I love the title!

Well, Below the Salt may have temporarily cured my 'British Itch.' LOL It's set quite a bit (500-600 years) earlier than the period I was reading about before it. I have set it aside to read Neil DeGrasse Tyson's autobiography The Sky is Not the Limit and I am enjoying that. I'll decide whether I'm going back to Salt afterward.

Edited to give the freaking touchstones a second chance. GRRR!

clam, did you see Neil tweeted that he prefers Kirk to Picard?

ROFL! No, I didn't. But I have noticed that sometimes he tweets in verse. ♥

I forgot to post that I finished off the Neil deGrasse Tyson autobiography and started A Discovery of Witches. *sigh* I haven't been online much because I can't seem to put the damn book DOWN!

oh, a good one!

I put Discovery on reserve at the library, but I'm number 85 or so on the list. I probably won't get it until April... :( I suppose I could get an ebook version for the iPad.

Yes, it's good, but it must be the first in a series!
*kicks self HARD*
:o(
And considering the length of it my guess is I'll be waiting a while for the next book.

Edited to add: Oh, and now I have to read a not very highly rated mystery for a book group. :o( It's like having to drink a Lite beer after a fine Belgian ale.
:o(

Bah. Finished Look Again for my book group. This kind of book is just not my cup of tea. :o/ I thought the story was contrived, the characters two dimensional and the writing kind of lame. At least I didn't buy it!

Finished The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus on Tuesday night. I loved it. Really, I did!

Started Daughter of the Forest yesterday morning, but then realized that Dissolution is due back to the library before that, so I started reading it last night. Loving it to bits so far. I'm on a Tudor kick with my audio books lately anyway, so this just sucked me right in.

Why aren't the BLEEPING touchstones loading?
:o(
I'll have to come back later and try again.

Dissolution was great! I've read the 1st 3 in the series. #4 is waiting on my TBR pile. They certainly aren't 'light' mysteries though. They also really high light that I much rather be living in this day and age.

#83 - Yeah, it's awesome so far. Scary times, indeed! I found out about the book here on LT when I was looking for books tagged 'Thomas Cromwell' as I had just finished listening to Wolf Hall. (Another book that made me happy to be living 'now' but reading about 'then.') :oD

The Shardlake mysteries are all superior as historical mysteries go (IMHO), but they're so long that you have to wait at least a year for the man to write them! And then another year for the publisher to push it out the door. Most distressing.

Can't believe it took me 11 days to get through Dissolution, but then again my daughter was home for Spring Break for most of those days so I didn't get to read much. Loved it. The mystery was secondary to the history for me. I will definitely read more of these.

Not sure what to pick up next.

How about the 'Next' book? ;)

First Among Sequels perhaps... I've got like 15 pages left of it and then on to my review book One of our Thursdays is missing. It's pretty good, a couple decent twists, but mostly status quo.

It's a possibility. I might go non-fic, though. It's been a while!

I've started this:



http://www.librarything.com/work/1070881

I thought you already read that already.

*big hugs for my dear friend Clammy!*

#86:
I'm glad you enjoyed Dissolution. I started it awhile ago (before the onset of the Madness of the Move) and put it down about 100 pages in... Can't quite recall why ATM, but now that I know that YOU loved it I am inspired to go find it and read it! :O)

Oh BTW, I've been wondering how you are liking Tim Curry's languid voice reading you The Abhorsen series?

#90 - I think I got through the Introduction last year at some point and then had to put it down for a couple of ER books, and it got pushed to the back of the pile.

#91 - Haven't loaded them yet because I have been having trouble with the audio files I download directly to my iPod from the library website*, so I picked up a few on CD from the 'brary instead.

* The chapters play out of order for some reason, or, not at all.

Hmm. The audiobook I have was from audible.com; IDK if that helps at all? The first in the series is Sabriel, and is also the best IMO. I loved it so much that after I had finished all 3 books I immediately started to listen to it again!
I *do* hope you get your version straightened out soon! How very frustrating to not have the chapters in order.

Don't give up on Tim, Clammy! His reading is truly intoxicating and I would hate for you to miss out on the experience! Keep at it, I guarantee it will be worth it! :O)

Thanks, Pandora. I do plan to get them, just not sure how to proceed. I may put them in my iTunes first and then transfer them and see if that helps. Maybe I'll start with Sabriel, though I have read it. That way if it plays out of order it won't ruin anything for me. LOL

So, these 18 discs of evolutionary linguistics goodness just showed up for me through inter-library loan: The Story of Human Language
*insert joyful squee-ing sounds here*

I probably won't be doing any audio fiction for a while.

clammy, that McWhorter lecture is one of the best things I have ever listened to ever in history of listening to things.

YAY! When I added it I saw your name on the LT listy of people I know who had it listed! Then I saw that you gave it a high rating, which I was glad to note! (Tim Spalding has it listed as well, but he appears to have watched the DVDs.)

I really dislike that the Teaching Company lectures aren't available in Sweden, except to buy, which as you might know isn't exactly on the cheap side of the wallet.

This isn't the first series I'd loved to listen to, either.

*sigh*

ETA - this one IS on sale, though, so the download is only US$49.95 (ordinarily US$199.95). I just might get it. How many GB is it? The page doesn't list that value and I want to listen on the run without needing to get another 'pod!

I have a simple question: how do you listen to the discs? Are you washing dishes and listening, or sitting and listening, or walking? Do you have a portable disc player or is it stationary? I want to do more of that (listening to books) but I need to assembly a system so it is easy to do. I used to do it during my commute to the kidlets house in the morning and afternoon, now my commute is only about 5 minutes and it is not worth it. I need a new system. I need inspiration.

Here's my review:

No holds barred set of linguistics lectures from author and linguist John McWhorter.

These lectures are different from other TTC language offerings in that McWhorter spends as much time in the present as he does dealing with the history of human languages.

Creoles (his specialty), pidgins, artificial languages, and even sign languages all get their due in this series.

Throughout, McWhorter delivers dense information with honesty, forsaking "political correctness", and with wit, making what could be a dry subject into an engrossing listening experience.

There are twelve lectures in all, dealing with subjects ranging from proto-languages, language acquisition, and unnatural grammar rules. A detailed and thorough study guide accompanies the audio portion of this set.

>98 Busifer:
The cost of these things is unbelievable!

#100 - Another question - you say 12 lectures, the course web page says 36?
http://www.teach12.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1600#

(and a repeat of the first question, because I took too long to edit it in ;-) - how many GB is the whole suite? The page doesn't say!)

The actual number of tracks on the CDs is 36; some of the lectures take up more than one track.

It's about 250 MB for audio, 5 GB for video.

OK, thanks, but I think the download is audio only? Perhaps I'll just take a chance and see what turns up on the download ;-)

Oh yes, sorry, the official download (cough) is audio only. And I found this in their FAQ: Entire audio courses vary in size from 300 to 650 MB

I found it there, too, but wasn't entirely sure what they referred to as "audio only". Or maybe I just read too fast. I've been know to do just that ;-)

#99 - They go on my iPod, though they have to be loaded one disc at a time into my iTunes first. I listen to them mostly when walking, but also when cleaning and gardening, etc.

Anyone know if any of the new free online file-storage systems let you share something as large as 250 MB? I used to use you-sent-it, but it's not free any more.

Thanks, Clam. You are a peach!

Well, I took a break from Collapse. (It's great but kind of depressing that every society seems to end up turning to cannibalism as dies.) What's a better pick-me-up than a post-apocalyptic vampire novel? :oP I got The Passage from the library, and damned if I didn't love it. I wish I didn't have to wait a year for the sequel, though. :o/ Now, I am going to try to polish off an ER book called Miss Timmins' School for Girls before I go back to Collapse.

I know for a fact, thanks to my History Buffiness, that a lot of societies do end up turning to cannibalism. The one that I can list on the top of my head, is the society on Easter Island. I think how it went like that is that the over-abundance of birds and fish dissapeared and since they cut down the many, many trees to transport their huge heads, they had no way to escape with no food, so the only food was...themselves.

#111 - Yeah, Easter Island is one of the sections of Collapse I've made it through. It's tough to be so fascinated and horrified at the same time.

Have you read the Haiti/Dominican Republic section yet? I think the contrasts between how the two countries have dealt with their ecologies, while sharing the same island, are striking.

No, not yet. That was covered in Mountains Beyond Mountains though. I agree, what a contrast there.

Wow. I guess I've let this thread languish a bit. I did finish Miss Timmon's when we had the Do Nothing But Read Day. It has taken me since then to finish off The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I'm such a slacker. LOL I have been a little busy, though, getting my daughter settled and spending time catching up with her. :o)

And the touchstones are d-e-d, as we say in our house.

Edited to allow touchstones to work, and to add another book that I forgot I had finished, Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses? by David Feldman. Touchstones still not cooperating. :oP

I've been spending too much time digging around in the dirt, but I did manage to finish off an ER book that I thoroughly enjoyed, Dolci di Love, and an audio book from The Teaching Company, The Story of Human Language. Just loved the audio, but found myself having to re-listen to many bits. Seems I can't multitask as well as I would like, especially if one of those tasks is running a rechargeable cultivator.

Edited to add: I started A Clash of Kings and I was completely enthralled, but I had to put it aside to get to a book group read, The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

(Edited for horrendous error.)

WB. My reading group is going to read Elegance, too. Did you see Morphidae's review... I assume I'll have a different conclusion.

Have a great Monday!

#117 - I didn't, though I'll probably wait until I'm done to read it now. Don't want to taint my thoughts. LOL I'm enjoying it so far, though I DO NOT LIKE the anti-cat sentiment. Heh heh.

Edited to add: I'm not tempted to sneak off and read Hedgehog like I am with Kings.

#116 - I too am listening to Story of Human Language. Only on lecture 18, though - some days I manage two lectures; then days pass without one single listen-in. Mainly because I never find time outside commuting, and then only on one special commute which I only do a couple of times a week...
I have lots of issues with it but I do think he do the area justice, as in trying to be open about conflicts within the field.

It's hilarious when he tries to pronounce Swedish, though. Some of our sounds are very unlike "standard english" ;-)

I'll bet! He does freely admit he butchers most pronunciations*. I find him charming and I particularly love when he goes on a hyperbolic jag. It's hard to speed walk to, though!

*Love the story about him being in Russia and asking for the apricots he can plainly see, and being handed a cup of coffee instead.

Yes, I like those jags too - it's part of what makes it such an enjoyable series :)

I can see how it's hard to speed walk to - sometimes the underground railway I need to take on those special commutes have noisy old carriages, or are jam packed with people talking very loud to each other, and then it's very hard to hear. I guess I look ridiculous when I sit there, staring at nothing, pressing the earpiece as far into my ear as it can go ;-)

When it's like that I too have needed to re-listen.

I have just listened to the part of the series where he handles the dialect vs language issue. It's fun when someone from outside says Swedish, Danish and Norwegian are dialects of the same language. I can see how anyone can view it that way, the languages are, in written form, not dissimilar. But in reality we have a pretty hard time understanding each other and I have it specially stated in my CV that I manage Norwegian. On the other hand - a language (English) that treats Scottish and Texan as dialects of the same language is destined to view the Scandinavian languages as very similar ;-)

I do the same thing with the ear buds, especially if a plane goes over.

I wondered about the Scandinavian thing, myself. And I can barely understand people from parts of my own country, so yes, from a purely mechanical point of view I can see that the languages vs. dialects differentiation is a gradual one.

Reading The Discovery of France I learned that French, and several other small, obscure languages, once was so differently spoken in different parts of France that no one could travel within the country and be understood, and understand, all the people. This is probably why after the French Revolution there was such a huge emphasis on speaking French correctly and that point of view to some extent lives even today.

The thing with France was rather the same as that of any diverse "nation" - you need one official language in which to record official proceedings and such. This "french" language wasn't widely spoken but became important with the emergence of the nation state, which is a relatively recent thing. It's much the same as in Sweden, were multiple regional languages were spoken, all of them annihilated, by way of law and punishment where nothing else succeeded, in the quest for the nation state.

"all of them annihilated, by way of law and punishment where nothing else succeeded"

ACK!!!

Yes, I believe the French were equally harsh as the Swedish were. The strictures of class and status were also used to segregate those who did not speak "standard French". There is some of that movement alive and well today in the US of A as some people think English should be made the "official" language, relegating Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and other non-English tongues to some "inferior" status. ACK! Indeed.

Yes - "ack!!!" indeed. Now, of course, four of those languages are recognised as official minority languages, meaning governmental agencies and such has to provide information in them. A wee bit late, perhaps, now when they are all but extinct...

Some of those official minority languages are immigrants, though - like Yiddish ;-)

Hey, I know some Yiddish through osmosis! :oD

Finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog yesterday. Sheesh. Had a hard time rating it because I truly loved parts of it, but other bits were torture. LOL I think I'll take a pass on anything else by Barbery after this.

Now I can can dive back into A Clash of Kings. w00t!

#123-128

France's attitude to Breton and Breton speaking schools is a disgrace. Just don't get me started on minority language politics! Seriously I'm Welsh!

It's awful what people in 'power' do sometimes, isn't it? Bad enough to kill the subjects, but then to willfully seek to obliterate bits of a culture like language. In some ways it seems even worse...

So I finally finished listening to Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin. I thought it was the last of the Mistress of the Art of Death series, but I am told there is a fourth one that she finished before she passed away called A Murderous Procession.

I didn't realize she wrote non-fic primarily, under her real name Diana Norman. Might have to check some of that out!

Well, I almost feel like I gave birth, but I finally finished A Clash of Kings. Loved it. It only took so long because I have too much on plate these days. I'll be started one of the 2 ER books I have staring at me. Also, I finished listening to Grave Goods a while back and am about 1/3rd of the way through Outlander. Didn't know the Scots were such a randy bunch! ;o)

My mother's take on Outlander and the multitudinous sex scenes and perfection of Jamie: "Talk about fantasy!"

This after I was complaining that it was classified as fantasy and aside from time travel, I couldn't see why.

Yep. I agree. He's perfect. Except they don't seem to bathe or brush their teeth much. ;o) Is the whole series like this, because I'll probably listen instead of read them then. I don't mind being distracted by such stuff when I'm covered in topsoil and weeding, sorting laundry or cleaning floors.

Clam, I'm working my way, slowly, through The Elegance of the Hedgehog and I agree it is difficult to talk about. Funny how I found spots where I identified with the concierge and sometimes with the teenager. Proof positive that I have multiple faces in my psyche! hahaha

#135 - Yeah, it's a mixed bag of goods, that book. There are some passages about books I just adored.

134- I don't know, I quit reading Outlander about halfway through. I think GeorgiaDawn has read them all. My sister-in-law, and several others I know, adore them. I think it's one of those love it or hate it things. :)

I quite Outlander about halfway through as well. Couldn't stand it any longer.

#137 - I thought Georgia said she's struggling through the second one now on the recommendation of a friend. But yeah, I hear you. One of my friends here in CT said the series is a 'must read.' I'll keep listening to this first one, because it's kind of fun. Won't make any decision about the second one for a while.

I am now listening to the 4th book in the Outlander series, Drums of Autumn, and enjoying it. The second one was tough to get through, but the 3rd one, Voyager, was good.

I do find them easier to listen to than to read.

I finished off Take Time for Paradise: Americans and their Games (which was an ER book) and The Full Cupboard of Life. I started Half a Life which is another ER book, and another non-fic. Good so far! Am still listening to Outlander on my iPod, and I am really not sure I will continue after this. I am enjoying it, but it seems rather rambling at times. And I never thought I'd say this, but all the sex is getting boring. LOL

Finished another ER book called Half a Life. Glad I read it, but would only recommend this under rare circumstances. What to read next? I want something light and fluffy after this rather dark read.

#14 hahahaha Outlander had nothing going for it IMHO. As you say, even the stupid sex was boring as was worshipping at Jamie's feet.

So Half A Life really was as depressing as my first impression of it suggested? Go read one of Mercedes Lackey's literary fairytales or something by Patricia McKillip. I favor The Book of Atrix Wolfe for its descriptions of the medieval kitchens.

I started Ireland by Frank Delaney. It's okay but I'm not riveted yet. Only 15 pages in, so I will give it a wee bit more time.

Well, the Outlander audio now has me thoroughly hooked. Once you pass the middle of the book Claire seems to stop reaching under Jamie kilt every other page. I already picked up all the discs for Dragonfly in Amber to load on my iPod. :oD

I've never read any Patricia McKillip, but I see they have a few of her books at the library. Maybe I'll give one a shot at some point, or request The Book of Atrix Wolfe through inter-library loan. (HMM, the touchstones do not like the Wolfe book.)

None of those are GRRM books.

*taps foot impatiently*

I'm one of those kids who made her Halloween candy last until February... I need some unread Martin books dangling before me to give me a reason to live. ;o)

I always sold my candy to my parents for cold hard cash...then bought books with the money.

#148 - ROFL!!! Well, there were already books in my house growing up, and I got taken to the library. But in all honesty, I do not recall ever even seeing the inside of a bookstore until I was 13*. There was no turning back after that, of course!!!

*And the chains didn't start to appear in my area until I was in my mid-20s.

We were very very poor when I was growing up, so there was no thought of buying books. But I did manage to drive the librarian crazy.

And as I had to walk quite a way, about three miles, taking a shortcut down the railroad tracks, to get there (ah for the good old days when little kids could walk most anywhere and be safe), she'd let me take out a pile of books. She also let me hit the adult shelves but insisted she approve of what I chose.

She was great.

We had Waldenbooks and B. Dalton in the mall when I was little. In grade school I think a lot of my books came from the little 4-5 page 'catalogs' our English teacher would hand out. And there were the library sales that kept me stocked in lots of nonfiction titles. Then in 11th grade the B&N opened up and my parents' wallets wept.

The summer after TNG first aired, I read every single Star Trek book our little library carried. I memorized my library card barcode number that summer too since I was constantly at the terminal requesting books from other branches. And when I could finally drive to the main branch...IT WAS FOUR FLOORS OF BOOKS!

I smell a new thread topic here... do you?

Aye!

Huh. I must have accidentally hit the ignore button on this thread way back in January. Just found it again from the link in the Book Store memories thread. I was wondering why you weren't journalling your reads any more Clam!

#154 - A likely story. ;o) And I do go for months at a time without updating, so you haven't missed much. :oD

You've been reading lots of books on my TBR pile. I keep telling them 'soon, I'll be reading you soon', but with 7+ years worth of unread books I don't think they believe me anymore.

*goes off to see if there's anyone else she's accidentally ignored*

Someone recently suggested to me that I count how many unread, but TBR, books I have in my house (ignoring the TBRs on my Nook and Kindle): I refused. Denial is a wonderful salve for a guilty conscience.

Works for me.

LOL. I counted up my TBRs yesterday - over 350 (not counting my Kindle!). Even at 50 books a year, I think I have enough to keep me busy for awhile, don't you? And yet, the call of bookstores, bookstalls, Amazon, the Folio Society... still beckons *sigh*.

clam, I'm like sandragon, you've read or are reading so many of my TBRs or wishlisted books. I've got to get reading more!

Katylit, I bow to your courage at actually counting those TBRs. Good for you. Still not doing it. hahahahaha

#157 - 159 - That was me. We have a thread here from a couple of months ago. Mine would take me MANY years, IF I didn't buy more. Bwaa haa haa.....

I think our TBR lists have morphed and merged due to LibraryThing, don't you?

There does seem to be some unauthorized, and perhaps illegal, coupling going on somewhere. Where do all these new baby books come from?

#162 - OH, that has to be the GD quotation of the month... maybe the year. LOLOL

#161 - Mine definitely have, anyway. And I'm the happier for it :)

#162 - How could anything going on with books be illegal?! ;-)

LOLOL. Good one maggie!!

Yes, definitely! Thanks to LT I know that my library has grown by at least 500 books - in 5 years!! Ouch!! But it's heavenly, all these wonderful books waiting to be read, always finding out about more books to read. Yup, heaven.

#165 - Couldn't agree more! THE main reason I stayed with LT in the first place was because how many new books I found to read. I got the tip about LT from a colleague who never even registered, to my knowledge, and when I had catalogued a few books I started to find recommendations for new reads.
Heaven!

The I found the GD, and the rest is, as they say, history :D

More GD love here. When I think about my lonely little book loving self before I found LT, and how it is now when I can tell sympathetic ears my woes and joys of books and authors; I almost want to weep with joy and thankfulness. :)

Nope. Not counting. I know I have three BOOKCASES full of unread books, if you add in the set of classic authors and all the science/history/reference books from our schooldays, well, I'm not counting. :)

I didn't have to count. I have most of my TBRs in a 'To read' collection here on LT. See, in that respect at least, maybe LT isn't that great. ;o) But I second (or third or forth) all the love others are expressing. :o)

When I was growing up, buying books was something you did with birthday money. We used the local library a lot because my father was in the military. With all that moving around, you didn't want to acquire anything as heavy as books. Buying books was SPECIAL.

I haven't counted my TBRs because I feel so guilty acquiring books when I haven't finished the ones I have now. My husband is so much more restrained in his purchases. He finishes what he buys.

#157, 159 - Hehehe. I haven't been counting the TBRs I have on the eReader either. Kind of embarrassed how quickly those multiplied. Definitely no safe book sex being practiced at my house!

I completely sympathise with everyone here I have HUNDREDS of bought and not yet read books staring down accusingly at me from my shelves (especially when I am reading books from the library instead of them) but I always tell myself how awful it would be to look around my house and think 'I have read everything here there is NOTHING new to read'.
I say accept that there is not going to be time enough in your life to read all the books you want to read and rejoice in this fact because if you did somehow manage to read everything worth reading what would be the point of going on living? :)

I wish I had room on my shelves for all my unread books; instead they are in piles all over my floor. But the problem is not too many books - there is no such thing. It's just lack of bookshelf space ;-)

#172 which is why I read ebooks. :) I have no more room! Well, I could chuck out all the full size decoys the hubby's collected. But then he'd kill me...

And is why I have a TBR LIST rather than a pile. Otherwise I would have no room in my home to move.

>174 Morphidae:: Alas! I lack willpower when it comes to books!

And I guess I should switch to an ereader, but right now can't afford the initial cost of the device; and am put off by my friend who is currently on her 3rd kindle (1 dropped, 1 stolen so far).

But I love LT because I know I am not alone with my problems . . .

Yes, it does help to know there are so many of us. There is strength in numbers, as they say!

I finished listening to Outlander last night on my walk, and today I will start importing the files from the 33 discs of Dragonfly in Amber to iTunes. Might take a few days, as I can't just sit and load. I'll plop it in, click in all the right places and run away... 33 times. My biggest complaint about audio books on CD is that the info is never consistent for the discs and iTunes will mess up the sorting if it's not, so importing like this can be painful. But it is FREE, so I shouldn't complain too much.

I agree about the pain of importing cds. But, as you say, it is free. Still...
*grumble grumble*

clamairy, scaifea: do you join the tracks for each disc? I haven't had any problems with importing CDs onto iTunes once I figured out how to join CD tracks and then import the whole as one track. Now I only have to make sure the disc names are consistant, ie. 'Title (Disc #_)'. It's soooo much easier.

"Now I only have to make sure the disc names are consistant"

That's what I'm complaining about. I have learned to update the info before I import each disc. I used to import them all and then have to hunt down each disc in my iTunes. (Hard when there is no artist or album name!)

I don't import that as one track, but when I play a book I hit 'play all.'

For my player, it's a hassle when I switch from listening to one book to another, or switch from book to music. When I go back to a book I have to hunt down a list to find the track I was on. That could be a couple hundred tracks! The player remembers where I am for the track I'm on, but not which track of the book. It's a pain in the butt. For me, being able to import a disc as one track and have the player remember my position for that track is a godsend. Then I only have to hunt through a few tracks to find the one I'm on.

Got yah. I'm using a stone-age video iPod. (Got it for Christmas of '06!) If I can bookmark anything I have yet to figure out how, though I update it faithfully on command.

Edited to add: I'd give my eyeteeth to be able to bookmark. As it is I can't even charge the thing if it's off because I'll lose my place. I have to turn it on before I plug it into my wall charger.

No option to 'remember position' using iTunes?

In iTunes, select all your audiobook tracks, right click, get info, options tab, make sure media type is audiobook, make sure "remember playback position" is checked.

Also, go get an ipod touch. You know you want to play scrabble with me.

I just got an iPod touch. Dangerous thing! Soooo addictive. I used to just listen to audiobooks on my old, classic iPod, now I listen, watch movies & tv, read and play. I love it!

"Do not tempt me! I would wish to turn it to good, and it cannot be used so!"

Yes, I know. I'm due...

I will try to change my setting when the boy and his friends vacate the room with PC containing my iTunes. (Which will be around noon tomorrow, I'm guessing...)

I have an ITouch and love the app Words with Friends. I play it as often as I can.

Ohohohoh! Words with Friends is definitely addictive!

Oh Noooo! Another addictive app! ;-)

My WWF username is DaynaRT if anyone wants to start a game with me.

I had to delete Words With Friends. My phone kept shutting down. :(

Finished Ireland this morning. Am going to tackle my last unread ER book Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die and then *drum roll* I should be able to read A Storm of Swords.

Finished Going Home so now I get to return to Westeros. Heh heh. Good thing the boys don't mind eating leftovers and pizza...

Every time I see the Captivating Conquests part of this thread's title, I imagine you wooing young men across the country.

Hadn't thought of that... but I will now! Might stick to baseball players to start. ;o)

Or maybe check out some of the up and coming young golfers. Had lots of them at our hotel the beginning of this week. Darling boys, but their mammas are something to contend with, let me tell you!

Their mamas come with them to the hotel? 0.0 How old are we talking here?

We're talking over 21 and some of the mammas who didn't come, called every night, several times! One of them even asking our FD clerk to go open her son's door because he wasn't answering his phone! No kidding, mom! He just needs a break from you. No, our clerk would not do it. She offered to call the police if the mother was that worried, but the mom declined. These were Pro golfers by the way.

MrsLee - That's insane! Probably says a lot about really successful young sportsmen/women and their pushy parents though.

#198 - Yipes! 0.0
#199- No kidding! I had not thought about that, but it makes perfect sense. A Golf Mom!

What #199 and #200 says.

Finally finished A Storm of Swords last night. It only took me 2 months and 15 days. :oP~
(Lots of unfortunate and time consuming events occurred in those two and a half months... but still.)

Now I'm reading an ER book titled In a Dog's Heart and I am loving it so far.

My mom just finished reading Marley and Me, she wanted me to read it, but I told her not in this life. Can't handle sentimental doggy stories right now. Is that what yours is?

I do not read or watch movies/books about dogs or horses. Cannot do it.

It's a 'what do dogs really want and how can we give it to them' book. The author is a trainer of service dogs, and it's more about the dynamics of the human - dog bond than anything else. Not a Marley & Me kind of thing at all.

Reminds me of the YA book No More Dead Dogs! by Gordon Korman.

I'm not familiar with that MerryMary, but I love the cover. The one I'm reading is non-fiction, and it's by the woman who wrote Through a Dog's Eyes, which I believe was a best-seller.

#207 - Now those I like, if they are sensible. :)

#207 and #208 - have either of you read Merle's Door? I thought that was a wonderful (and incredibly educational) read.

I liked Merle's Door, too, and agree it was very informative as well as enjoyable.

#209 & # 210 - Another one for my wishlist, eh?

Read some reviews, first, it is an unusual dog story, I think. Although I enjoyed it, in the main, I did have one "complaint". The author's life style was one very few people could duplicate, and because of that the dog's life style was also one few people could provide. Let me know what you decide: to read or not to read.

Agree with #212. His lifestyle isn't your standard urban or even suburban experience.