The Clam Before the Storm - Reading in 2014

I've started The Light Between Oceans for one of my book groups and I am thoroughly enjoying it so far.

Happy New Year! I hope you read lots of good books. But no more history. Because every time you read a history book I want to read it too. The pile's not getting any smaller, you know!

Haa haa. Yeah, my piles just keep growing as well. :o)

Happy New Year, Ms. Clam. I loved The Light Between Oceans. Even though I read it way back in 2012 I wanted to list it as my best fiction of this last year. Silly me!

I am starring your thread and look forward to much chit-chatting!

Looking forward to following your reading this year even though it is bound to cause my wishlist to grown out of all proportion ...

Thanks, you two. My goal isn't as much more books read as it is more time on LT. (Which usually leads to more books on Mount Tooby.)

I loved The Light Between Oceans as well. It was one of my favorites last year.

Starring your thread as well.

I will be keeping an eye on this thread also. I'll just be back here, lurking.

Lurk away. The more the merrier.

I have you starred, too!

Let's get this thread moving! Go read something, clam!

LOL, Jill I am trying. Problem is that I just got my oldest launched on her Japan jaunt, and my youngest and his girlfriend are still around. Plus I am in the process of De-Yulifying my home! :o)

GeorgiaDawn, are you staying warm?

De-Yulifying - love that word :D

De-Yulifying?

Taking down my decorations. :o)

Ah! De-Yule! Got it.

Clammy, I'm finally somewhat warm! Walking the dog (I'm keeping my son's dog for a while) in 14 degree weather is not something I'm used to doing. We are beginning to thaw out here in the deep south. It's finally above freezing!

How about you? Staying bundled, drinking lots of hot tea?

Yeah, and sitting by the heater. It was better today than it was yesterday. Hopefully we'll stay above 0 F tonight. We're already down to single digits again.

I know many of you are dealing with much worse than this. You all have my sympathies.

And I can only chime in with pathetic whining because it is in the low 40s, high 30s, and raining like we were in a rain forest. Oh, yeah, we kind of are... in a rain forest of the cold kind.

I must say the week in Hawaii makes me a good deal less tolerant of the cold here, now. But I know I've really got it soft compared with the large majority of the country. So just tell me to "Shut Up".

No don't shut up Maggie, come here for a visit, then when you go back home you'll think you're in a heat wave! ;)

I will be reluctantly lurking clammy. Lurking 'cause I love to read about what you're reading, reluctant 'cause I really have no will-power and it's just so darn easy to get that fabulous sounding book for my Kindle. *sigh*

My resolution is to practice more restraint and whittle down my TBRs. Luckily, The Light Between the Oceans is already on my heap. :)

#19 -No need to stifle yourself, maggie. We've all got comfort ranges and when it's colder (or hotter) we're not happy. I didn't even want to have a fire because that means I have to go to bed leaving the flu open all night, and when I wake up it's even colder! :o(

#20 - Glad to have you here! I'll try to show some restraint for once this year, katylit. Ahh, who am I kidding... LOL

Ok, whah, whah, whah! Big rain storm predicted for today, plus chilly temps.

Yay. I finally finished a book. Yay. It was The Light Between Oceans, and I read it for one* of my book groups. I enjoyed this one thoroughly, once I got into it. Didn't really grab me at first. I'm so glad I stuck with it. In fact I ended up so emotionally invested in the outcome that I didn't want to finish it last night because I was afraid it would end badly. :o/ So I waited for the light of day. Thought things would be easier to face then.



I've just started The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England. I picked up a copy from the library because the Kindle price was a bit steep for my blood. ($11.76!)

*The one I actually attend. I only made it to the one at the library once last year, sadly.

I find that The Light Between Oceans has stayed with me for a long, long time. Quite a memorable read for me.

I'm sad to see she hasn't written anything else.

The Time Traveller's Guide is my next nonfiction book. I just have to finish The Secret Life of Dust first.

Sylvia, I wish you lived nearer by. Then I could borrow books from you!

You have a few books I wouldn't mind borrowing too, Hugh. Actually it probably wouldn't be a good thing if I got hold of some of your Giles books.

Same here. Can you imagined a pooled GD library?
0.0

That would be so huge! and fun. But just imagine - how many copies of the Harry Potter books we might shelve?

Lol! I imagine there would be quite a few duplicates Maggie, or rather multitudes of duplicates! Sure would be fun though.

>29 clamairy: I'm hyperventilating at the thought, clam!

Wow, the Green Dragon must be really BIG to hold all those books.

I've always imagined an upper storey about the size of a small town, looking a bit like the library of Trinity College, Dublin, and with the atmosphere of the Reform Club in the first few minutes of the 1958 movie of Around the World in 80 Days -- sheer bliss! (And the ground floor a fragrant blend of the Mended Drum and the ground floor of the Munich Hofbrähaus.)

That would be one amazing place!

#34 - You've given this some serious thought, haven't you? I had to do some googling, but those images all fit together nicely.

Clam, my favourite line in the movie is and always has been the crusty clubman saying "Get that d****d animal out of here! Stamping its feet up and down the room!", whereupon the camera pans to a cat sidling along the wall in total silence. Do I need to add links to Trinity College and the Hofbräuhaus?

Dare I admit I've never seen the film?

Well, if you want to save people some work, that would be nice. (I've actually been to Trinity, but I didn't go into the library, sadly.)

LOL. I saw it 4 times when it first came to Johannesburg, before my teens, when picture palaces really were palatial. (Sadly, the last time I looked the palace in question had turned into a discount furniture place -- one tiny step better than being demolished, I suppose)

Trinity College Library in LT: Here

Hofbräuhaus on Youtube here
and their own site here

In the spirit of old-fashioned clubs for men, I remember reading in Enchanted April about the club there (for women) who had come up to London for some shopping and needed a place to land briefly. Whether due to the weather outside or the internal decor, the one in London was described with a certain dreariness. So what I'm looking for would be something a bit nicer -- a club environment (comfy chairs, writing desks, chintz pillows and curtains, pots of tea, etc.) with the kind of massive upstairs library that is always there at one's disposal. Oh, and a table available where we could gather round and have a good gossip. (Current society doesn't adequately value the common sense and intelligence to be gathered via a good gossip.)

We need something the size of the Tardis library.

And The Enchanted April just found its way to my Kindle. (I'm pretty sure I saw the move 15 years ago or so.)

#40 Tea-and-gossip downstairs off the Bierstübe please, so that the upstairs library can be kept quiet?

Well, of course! That will be covered by appropriate signage in the affected areas. Because no librarian worth her salt wants to be heard shushing patrons. It's such an unfortunate stereotype. (Nor will she have sensible shoes, a bun or eyeglasses.) Think rather someone on the order of Giles in the television show, Buffy

On a somewhat off note a public library branch not far from here has signs saying "if disturbed by noise, please ask the at the desk for ear plugs". No shushing!

The public library here is concerned that people read too little so is trying to find new ways to entice the populace into finding its way to books. This particular branch is situated in the entry hall of a major tube station - it's small but very nice.

That library sounds wonderful, Busifer.

And I agree. I spend a lot of time at our library, jillmwo, and I can't remember the last time I heard 'shushing.'

Our local train station also has a book shelf that is used as one of those "contribute one, borrow one" libraries. The key thing as many libraries recognize is to be available at the point of need. As Busifer points out, getting on any kind of train (commuter, subway, etc.) is one of those situations where people tend to want something to read so it makes sense to put books within easy reach.

I wonder if Thursday Next could arrange a visit to the book worlds library...
I suspect many of us would be found as skeletons many years from now...

We weren't literally shushed, but a couple months ago a patron complained my study group was, well, studying too loudly, so the librarian asked us to keep it down. We moved to the kids' section where it was naturally noisier, and the kids prefer to do their reading sprawled on the floor anyhow so it was no problem finding an empty table.

#48 readafew, that's what I thought of as well! When we need a break, we could take side trips to see Mr. Toad outracing Ms. Havisham.

#50 that could be fun!

I finished Soy Sauce for Beginners, which was fast decent read, but not great. It's a 'Kindle First' book. They let you pick one of four freebies each month. They're books that have yet to be officially released.



I'm currently enjoying both The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England and The Enchanted April, both of which came to be on my TBR pile because of other people's reading journals, or comments made in this very thread. ;o)

I just finished wallowing in The Enchanted April.



I really needed this luscious floral-scented escape from the arctic blasts. Oh, to leave January in New England and flee to a seaside Italian castle in April, in the previous century, no less... What could be better than that?

Yes, that is definitely the right book for this weather. I think I'll hold out for another month or so to reread it--when I'm really desperate to escape.

There are others that would do in a pinch, like A Room with a View, yes? There are some Forster's I haven't read yet, though, like Howard's End. I promised myself I'd read those first before I reread View.

Ooops, forgot to mention that I am currently listening to Lords and Ladies, still reading The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England and I have started Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.

What a lovely group of books to be reading! Looking forward to hearing what you think of Mr. Penumbra.

I loved A Room With a View, both book and movie. I haven't read any other Forster's; I think I'm worried they won't meet the high expectations I have now. But I do have Where Angels Fear to Tread and A Passage to India on the shelves. Someday I'll be in the right mood for them.

I loved A Passage to India, but it's a bit darker than View. Haven't read Angels yet, but I did watch the movie, and that is also a bit darker.

ETA: I am loving Mr. Penumbra so far!

Heheh. Yeah. My expectations include shallow ones. View was such a feel good movie/book (they're jumbled in my memories. I really need to reread it to separate it from the movie), the comparable darkness of the other two is one reason I haven't read them yet.

My memory was that the book was also 'feel good.' I saw the movie first, then read the book years later, then watched the movie again with my daughter. She was amused to see Daniel Day Lewis playing the guy who doesn't get the girl. :o)

I'm sure I'm not alone in that sometimes I am just in the mood for feel good, and so The Enchanted April really fit the bill right now. Who needs reality when it's almost too cold to leave the house. ;o)

I really liked the movie Room with a View, I have yet to read the book. It is on my list of want to read. Maybe I'll move it up on the list.

Well, consider doing so, at the very least. :o)

Another good winter book, similar to The enchanted April, is Illyrian spring by Ann Bridge. It was difficult to get hold of for a while but it has been reprinted by a small UK press recently. It's about a middle-aged Englishwoman who suddenly leaves her husband and daughter behind and goes to what was then Yugoslavia to paint. It's gorgeous.

I read The Enchanted April last April, and found it perfect for the time of year :oD
Plus, it was incentive for getting out in the garden. I'd been meaning to find Illyrian Spring but forgot about it. Maybe I'll be able to find it for this coming April.

I'm done with Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Very enjoyable. It's a bit lighter in tone than I was expecting, which is not a bad thing. Thanks to all of you who recommended it. :o)



Now it's onto The Stars My Destination (AKA Tiger! Tiger!.) I also need to finish The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England.

I think I'm giving up on The Stars my Destination. I got the Kindle version of The Lady in the Tower: Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir on loan for three weeks, so I've already started that instead. Goes better with the Time Traveler's Guide anyway, even though it's the wrong century. :o)

Uh oh, I was just going to start The Stars my Destination. :(

I think you have more sticktoitiveness than I. I'm taking a break for now. I might go back. I think my dislike is compounded by the fact there are format errors in my kindle copy. Little stuff like that can make me nuts.

Hmm, yeah, but I bought the Kindle version. :/

#69 #70

There were no format problems with my physical book version.

;-) ...oozing smugness!

#70 - I'll give it another go to keep you company, MrsLee. :o) Maybe it was more me and not so much the book.

#71 - I can smell your smug across the ocean. ;o)

I can smell your smug across the ocean.

That's because he doesn't just ooze, he radiates.

Thank you, Sylvia, ...I think...maybe.

Ahem, not to take anything away from @pgmcc, but it is possible that may be *my* smugness you're sensing. I own the Gregg edition of The Stars My Destination which dates back to the time when science fiction was suddenly fashionable in academic circles and the Gregg editions were the only editions suitable to library collections as they had acid-free paper in heavy duty bindings. I also have three of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series in Gregg editions. So there's my geek street cred.

I think there is a certain aura of smugness that naturally radiates from really impressive book collections.

I must bow down to the superior stench of Jill's smugness.

Oh, my, you all are cracking me up! I just am set up with wifi in my house again, thank goodness, and geekiness, too! And so I'm trying to catch up. Swinging past here...seeing all is good. Happy February!

Does smug smell anything like chicken?

Wasn't there a whole South Park episode dedicated to 'smug.' LOL I don't believe it smelled anything like chicken, but it was blocking the sunlight. :o)

Isn't smug the main character in the second hobbit movie?

Bwaa haa haa....

Sittin' here after a hard day at work with wine glass (half empty, yes, it was that kind of day), and enjoying the conversations in the pub. Carry on.

As luck would have it, well... my version of luck anyway, all four of the Kindle books I had on hold with OverDrive became available for download in the space of four days. One I just let expire without downloading. I had already started the Alison Weir, but I downloaded Divergent yesterday and The Ocean at the End of the Lane today. I'm kind of POed, because OverDrive stopped showing how many people were in the queue for a download. Now I can't judge how long I'll be waiting anymore. Hence the "cluster&%#$." I'm going to take a break from the The Lady in the Tower and dive into the Gaiman, since I think I've been waiting since September for this one. I'm pretty sure I only waited about two days for the Weir book.
I guess I shouldn't be complaining, right? Better that it's raining books than that I can't get my hands on any.

we can always find something, eh?

I hope you enjoy The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I did. I think the author is very clever.

Ahhh. That was just so wonderful. I can't even begin to describe why or how it was, but it was. Just amazing really.



Just... wow.

I suspect you have a crush on Neil Gaiman. 'Fess up.

Oh, I am glad you liked it. I thought it was very special, too.

#86 - Jill, the first thing of his I read was American Gods, and I was not impressed at all. That was a GD group read back in 2006. I think it might have been our second shared read in here. I swore off all Gaiman after that. I couldn't understand what everyone was raving about. But then the following Summer I got a free copy of Stardust and I decided it give it another go. I was blown away. Then I read Good Omens and laughed so hard I couldn't barely breathe, though I still suspect the funniest bits were Terry Pratchett's handiwork. So I've just kept going, and it's been a very rewarding (if one-sided) relationship so far.

#87 - I'm glad I'm not alone, maggie. :o)

#85 - Yep, that about describes it! :)

88> I'm with you - some Gaiman blows me away, just speaks straight to the right part of my imagination / heart - and other (including American Gods for me) does pretty much nothing for me at all. But I loved The Ocean at the End of the Lane - it's earned a place up next to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen on my shelf of I-intend-to-reread-these-until-I-die books.

Uh oh, another for my wishlist, imyril. :o)

The only thing that bothers me about Ocean is my inability to articulate what I loved about it. All I can say is that it reminded me of Stephen King at his absolute best mixed up with a bit of the Brothers Grimm perhaps.

91> Ahem, oops :)

For me it plays to my cultural roots - I am younger than Gaiman, but I recognise his England / childhood, and have read and lived and loved the archetypes and older stories that he's weaving in and making his own. It borrows from and builds on a mishmash of ancient legends and then makes them feel real.

This is where Weirdstone fits for me too (Garner later criticised himself for borrowing too freely from too many different traditions, but I never questioned that as a child; it just worked for me) - I read it when I was about the age of Ocean's narrator, and it introduced me to not only those legends, but to adventure and loss and responsibility and conflicted heroics (in its more complex sequel, The Moon of Gomrath, it becomes almost impossible to tell what the right action is, which is - or was - unusual for a children's book).

Where I see Weirdstone and Ocean crossing over - and I think this probably plays in to Stephen King too - is the trait of adding the magic without losing the sense of reality, and writing in a way that doesn't pull punches or make easy exceptions. The children must wriggle their way into these stories (even though Weirdstone is a children's book!); there are no magical kingdoms that children can naturally enter, conquer and rule - it's the real world, where school and parents and well-meaning adults that care what's best for you will all work against them; and having wriggled in, they're far from safe.

But that's me and my literary baggage :)

Ack. Just took a bullet! I'm off to investigate the Garner...

I've just tracked down copies of Weirdstone of Brisingamen and Moon of Gomrath because I remembered loving them as a young thing and because I'd just seen a copy of Boneland in the library which reading the blurb on the back said it was the third part of the trilogy begun with Weirdstone but was written for adults. Figured I'd need to revisit the earlier ones before trying that. Now it's just a matter of having the time...

This post makes me curious about Neil Gaiman's works - I've got Fragile Things on my list for this year but probably won't get to it for a little while yet - should I move it up the list, I wonder?

Peace2, I listened to Fragile Things last year, read by Neil himself *wink* and I can't recommend it enough. A couple of the stories are disturbing, but in a thrilling way. :o)

Yes, I especially loved the archetypes in this one, imyril. Now that I'm entering the crone phase of my own life I appreciated the Hempstocks and their chosen lifestyle.

I became a Gaiman convert with The Graveyard Book and now Good Omens, Ocean at the end of the Lane, and Stardust are all up there in the "keep this forever, re-read often" category. Wonderful.

88 - Why that no-good-philandering-SOB! He's been having the very same relationship with me!

#97 - I'll bet he's having that relationship with quite a few of us, that dawg.

(I've come to terms with it. I'll be content as long as he keeps writing.)

Ok, now my curiousity is peaked. I read American Gods a few years ago and didn't like it. But listening to you all, I think I'll give him another go, I'll put him on my TBR list.

You really should give him another try, catzteach. I am so glad I did.

I forgot to mention that I'm already almost halfway through Divergent. I got seriously hooked.

Now, I found American Gods challenging but interesting in terms of tracking down the various deities. I was charmed by Stardust and by Good Omens but I don't think I've read anything else of his. I wasn't sufficiently intrigued by The Graveyard Book to pick that one up. But what I really enjoyed reading last year was the collection of Rudyard Kipling stories that Gaiman edited. (See Rudyard Kipling's Tales of Horror and Fantasy. Gaiman picked up some nice ones that I hadn't read before.

By the way (#92, 93, 94) if you like folklore, go look up Alan Garner's Collected Folk Tales. Very nice set of stories and not just the commonly familiar set of tales either. Good enough that I'm looking for it in hardcover for my own collection!

101> ooh thanks for the tip!

I have to jump in on the side of those people who are not terribly impressed with Gaiman's work. My first experience of anything to do with Gaiman was Good Omens and I laughed out loud. It is a great book but having been written in collaboration with Terry Pratchett I cannot regard it as pure Gaiman.

Next I read The Graveyard Book. I though it was a well written children's story, but nothing else.

I watched the Coraline film but was not impressed.

Then I read Neverwhere as everyone told me it was amazing. Again I thought it was a well written children's story with a few bits of sex thrown in to qualify it as a young adult book

Recently I watched the stardust film and found it funny and a good fairy-tale, but who couldn't like it with such good performances from Robert de Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer?

I do intend reading American Gods to see if I can find the thing I am missing that millions of others appear to see.

Most of the Gaiman fans I know in person first became captivated by him with his graphic novels. Would that be true of the Gaimanophiles here? Perhaps I am missing something because I didn't read the comics.

Do not get me wrong. I find his work good, but I do not find it great. Those of you who have indicated you are having a relationship with him need not be jealous of me.

101> That sounds interesting - thanks for the tip. I shall keep my eyes open for that (well when I'm a little further down Mt TBR and I allow myself to start looking again!)

#103 - Not true of me. I've never read any of his graphic novels. (My daughter adores them, though.) Also, if you're looking for a Gaiman to love please don't look to American Gods. I would recommend Anansi Boys, Stardust or The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

#101 - Thanks, Jill. :o) But oh, my poor wishlist...

I have Anansi Boys so I will follow your advice and try that before American Gods. Thank you.
Having seen Stardust I would findmyself biased. I thought the princes very funny as they observed the living.

#106 - It's one of the few films that stays true to the book.

103> I've never read any of his comic work. I think I started with Good Omens, then read The Graveyard Book. I didn't start fanatically searching out everything he's written until after The Ocean at the End of the Lane, however.

I really liked American Gods and gave it 8 out of 10 stars, as I did Stardust. I wasn't impressed by The Graveyard Book and disliked Neverwhere. You'll find there are many varied opinions about what are Gaiman's good books and not-so-good books. It really shows that he can write for a varied audience. If you don't like American Gods, do not read Anansi Boys. It's set in the same world.

LOL But I loved Anansi Boys and wasn't crazy about American Gods. They may be set in the same world but I thought the writing style was completely different. In fact I'm pretty sure that when we discussed Gods in here someone pointed out that Gaiman said that he deliberately tried to write that one with an 'American' writing style.

I'll have to bow to your knowledge on that one then. I haven't read Anansi Boys yet. Though I will be for a book club read this month.

I think you'll enjoy it. I seem to recall there was a lot more humor in that one than in most of his others. (Not including Good Omens, of course.)

I thought I was the only person who liked Anansi Boys better than American Gods, but now I see I am not alone! I did like American Gods, though, and have given it to several people. It's certainly not everyone's cup of tea though.

I also like The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish.

Now I am in a quandry. I have conflicting advice about which book to read first: American Gods or Anansi Boys.
Reading neither is an option.

True. Or ignore us all, and read the first few pages of each and see which grabs you.

Clam, that would just confuse the issue. Remember, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
:-)

#116 - Yeah, what good are enablers if they don't enable?

#115 & 117 I have the solution. I will read both of them in totality and then I will know which one I should read first.

One more opinion here, I don't remember how I first came across Gaiman. My daughter loved his graphic novels and introduced me to them in a selected way, I also watched the Neverwhere TV series, then purchased Neverwhere on CD read by Gaiman. I read Anansi Boys and loved it, but have shied away from American Gods. I will be reading that in March. I heard Gaiman read The Graveyard Book and my love was sealed. That is, by far, my favorite story of his yet. After I heard it, I purchased it in hardcover. I also enjoyed The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but not as much as Graveyard. I do love children's tales, as much or more than adult fantasy. I watched Coraline, then read it and much preferred the book. I have Stardust on my shelves, as well as a collection of his short stories.

So what I think of him is this; I don't love everything he writes, but when I pick up a book of his, I know I am in for a unique adventure.

103> I'm another who hasn't read any of the graphic novels. I first met Gaiman in Neverwhere (on TV, where it was butchered by a low budget but the humour still caught me) - and having lived in London for years, I love the way it mythologises the city. I didn't like Anansi Boys OR American Gods, just to blur the lines on that debate even further ;)

I found the quote in our old discussion thread from an interview with Neil Gaiman:

"I wanted to write American Gods in what I thought was an American style - clean, simple, uncluttered - and push the narrator further into the background than I had on previous books."

I didn't like American Gods but enjoyed Anansi Boys on audio, read by Lenny Henry (he does some wonderful voices). I don't know if it was his reading or if it was just the different styles between the books, but I found Anansi Boys very funny.

And I love The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish. I'm going to get a copy for my brother's little girl next Christmas :oD

I was just reminded of one other title by Neil Gaiman that I enjoyed -- Odd and the Frost Giants. It's a particularly apt title for this winter because it's all about how the 12-year-old Odd manages to get spring to return to the earth. (Some years it takes more effort. We're getting more snow this week so I'm ready to reread the book to see if I can get any useful tips.)

#123 - I listened to the audio for that one, and really enjoyed it.

Ask twelve readers which is their favorite Gaiman and you'll get thirteen different answers!

Yup. Does that hold true for most prolific authors, or is he a special case? I'm leaning towards the special case answer, myself.

I'm gonna start a thread for that question, clammy.

Great idea, MrsLee!

I polished off Divergent this morning.



I certainly got sucked into this one. Nothing like distopian/post-apocalyptic YA to keep one's attention. The writing was unremarkable, but the story-telling was nice and even. In fact it might actually have been too even. It was as if all of the tension points were plotted on a chart first, and then the story was fleshed out. Also I'm not used to such slowly built sexual tension with no pay off. LOL But it was YA, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. At some point I'll continue with the series, no doubt.

There are two more in the Divergent series now. I would recommend reading them fairly close together. When I started reading Insurgent I had forgotten character names and details from Divergent and it made the book confusing. I have yet to dive into Allegiant even though I've owned it for months.

The ratings here on LT and what I've heard from friends who have read them indicate that the second book is as good as the first but that the third one is not up to snuff. :o/

I've only read the first, which I enjoyed, but it didn't leave me with any desire to read the next two (or to see the upcoming movie).

I'll probably watch the movie when it shows up on HBO, but I won't pay to see it. It looked pretty predictable.

Finished off The Stars My Destination after shoveling, and snowshoeing down to my feeders so I could fill them. It was okay, but not great. I'll save my whining for the discussion thread.



Now I have to decide if I want to finish off that Anne Boleyn tome or move on to something else.

I enjoyed the Divergent series. I too ranked the last one lower, primarily because I didn't like the ending.

Yeah, I think the third one is rated lower because people don't like the ending. All I'll say is that it's not what one usually expects from a YA.

Uh oh... see that just intrigues more than it dissuades me. LOL

I tried to get back into the Bolelyn book but it wasn't working for me. So I started Parable of the Talents, which is the sequel to Parable of the Sower. (Another book I loved so much last year.) It's a distopian tale with a strong female protagonist. See a pattern? LOL

I finished Parable of the Talents. I didn't love it as much as I did the first one, but it was still quite good. I guess I found it a little more depressing than Parable of the Sower. I think Octavia Butler was brilliant, and I'll definitively be reading more of her work.

I'm done with the audio for Lords and Ladies. Loved it! It was not quite as good as Wyrd Sisters but it was very close. Much better than Witches Abroad, in my humble opinion. Not sure what I'm listening to next. I think there's an audiobook waiting for me at the library. I'll probably snag it tomorrow.



I've started reading A Study in Scarlet and I am really enjoying it. I must have read it before, perhaps in college.

I picked up the audio disc for Maskerade at the library, so that will be my next audiobook. Yay, more Pratchett!

(Luckily for me one library in the state bought quite a few Pratchett audiobooks in single disc MP3 format. Makes them so much easier to load on my iPod.)

Here is a quote which brought you to mind, clamairy, from my recent book, An Everlasting Meal. She is quoting from Clams: How to Find, Catch, and Cook Them by Curtis J. Badger, "clams have two goals in life-to eat and have sex. That they are dedicated wholly to those aspirations is, I imagine, why we describe happiness as clamlike."

Bwaa haa haa! Aren't those the aspirations of all mollusks?

Who doesn't want to be 'Happy as a Clam'? ;)

Maybe I should think about getting my hands on this:

Happy As a Clam: And 9,999 Other Similes

Or one of these:

Eaten by a Giant Clam: Great Adventures in Natural Science
Clam-I-Am!: All About the Beach

I will admit I am intrigued by this one, which is tagged as graphic novel and philosophy: The Angry Clam

:)

After reading the recent postings on this thread I'm inclined to consider seafood chowder positively pornographic.

;)

#146 - I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed or amused. ;o)

#147 Clam, I was intending amusement but embarrassment would be a bonus.
;-)

The two so often go hand-in-hand for me anyway, pgmcc. :o)

You are double value, Clam. :-)

>150 pgmcc:
Do you mean bi-valve?

Bwaa haa haa! Very clever, suitable1! :o)

And here I am reading this.

#151 Nice one, @suitable1.

Rats, I missed it! :o(

I finished A Study in Scarlet last night. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. I'm sure I read the first half before, but the second seemed unfamiliar. Maybe I skipped that part in school. LOL



Anyway, I'll be taking a break from the Holmes thing for a bit because I just got the Kindle version of The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene through OverDrive and it's not renewable.

I hadn't remembered the second part either! It seemed like such a departure from Doyle's writing, almost as if someone else had written it.

So we live in a quilted multiverse. Who knew? Not me. Still slogging away on The Hidden Reality and it's rather slow going, too. I understand it while I'm reading it, but not a lot of it is sticking I'm afraid.

Started Maskerade on my iPod yesterday, and I've already had a few good belly laughs. :o)

>158 MrsLee: It was very odd!

I'm enjoying The Hidden Reality but I can't read more than a few pages at a time because I have to stop and digest it. I picked up A Feast for Crows, so I can get up to speed before season 4 of the HBO series Game of Thrones starts next month. I have not read this yet. I've been pacing myself on these books because Martin writes this series soooooo slowly.

I know what you mean about slow! I have almost lost all of my interest in the story. I did not get to watch a good part of the last season's TV shows, so I don't even know if I care enough to order HBO for this season.

The Greene sounds really interesting. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that my public library has a lot of his stuff. Have you read others? Any recommendations on reading order, or ones you wouldn't recommend?

His writing style is quite good. I have two of his others, but haven't read them yet. I don't think they need to be read in any order. But when I finally do read The Elegant Universe I'm going to visit @drneutron's thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/137545

>161 maggie1944: Oh, that's too bad that you didn't get to see all of season three. It was pretty awesome. If you do get HBO you should be able to watch them all on HBO's On Demand channel. They've got all three seasons there.

Ah, that is an interesting tid bit of information. Game of Thrones marathon......

I finished listening to Terry Pratchett's Maskerade. What a hoot. I didn't pay any attention to what this one was about before I started listening. I have to admit I was tickled pink when I realized it's a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera with Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg thrown into the mix. Much hilarity ensued, for my part. Kind of embarrassing for me because I was walking outside when listening to most of this one.

:) Glad you liked this. It's also one of my favorites, but then I say that about so many of Pratchett's books!

>167 MrsLee: I adore his sense of humor.

I just ordered a couple more Pratchett audiobooks through ILL. I had planned to listen to the end of A Breath of Snow and Ashes, but I must have deleted it from my iPod, so I found The Virgin's Lover on there and started that instead. It's okay. Not great. It's something to occupy my mind while I walk outside or while I force myself to clean. (Something I thoroughly detest.)

I'm about 3/4th of the way through A Feast for Crows, and it's my least favorite of the Game of Thrones books so far. There are too many new characters I just don't care about. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's not. It's not as highly rated here on LT as any of the first three.

I reached about the same attitude with Feast of Crows. I like the TV show but I keep missing episodes. I don't know if I'll bother this year.

>169 maggie1944: Did you read A Dance with Dragons?

yup

LOL A woman of few words. :o) Did you like it more or less than you liked Crows?

I have to admit I found Feast and Dance both disappointing - there are whole storylines / perspectives that did nothing for me and/or felt like they could have happened offscreen and been related by anecdote. Book 6 will have some work to do to make it all relevant and not just seem like author indulgence for my money... I do think they'll work better on tv - by virtue of the necessary editing down and limiting to 10 hours ;)

>173 imyril: Yes, that's exactly how I've been feeling. I really don't care much about the Seastone Chair, or who's sitting in it. (Though I do like Asha Greyjoy.) And I'm not terribly interesting in the shenanigans of Sand Snakes of Dorne either. And there's been much too much Cersei in this book for my taste.

I don't really have much more to add. It has been a long time since I read the last book, and I'm in the middle of debating whether I want to watch the show.... hmmmm ..... I just don't know.

I'm enjoying having a little extra money (no mortgage now) but I'm supposed to be saving up for my retirement home. I need to sit myself down and have a serious talk. Maybe GOT would be too much of a distraction for too little reward.

>175 maggie1944: You can always watch them at some future point, right? No need to fork over the dough for HBO now.

#166 - Maskerade is in my TBR pile. I might have to move it up the list :)

>177 Narilka: If you're in need of some laughs that will do the trick. :o)

Finally finished A Feast for Crows and it was a bit of a mixed bag. Perhaps I need to learn to skim the chapters about the people I hate. *cough* Cersei *cough* I'm terrified I'll miss some important tidbits, though. I have a love-hate relationship with Martin. When he's on his game he's top notch. He does like to kill off characters, though. :o(



It's onto The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle for me. It's my first Murakami, and though I'm not terribly far along I have been sucked in pretty hard already.

Ooh, I've had Wind-Up on my list for a long time, will be interested to see your reaction.

>179 clamairy: I am glad you are enjoying The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Murakami hooked me last year and has found his way onto my favourite authors list. (I think the word favourite being applied to a list is a bit dubious from a grammar point of view, but hey, you know what I mean.)

>180 Jim53: Take the plunge.

Eek. Wind up bird was my most hated book a year or so ago. I hope you enjoy it, but I'll never read him again.

Hmmm, what did I think of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle? *digs in her database*

Um, too spoilerific. I'll wait until you finish.

>184 Morphidae: Just tell me how many stars you gave it! :o)

>183 Bookmarque: Hmmm Well, we can't agree on everything. LOL

>181 pgmcc: I'm not that far into it, but yeah. I like it.

>180 Jim53: Do it!

7 out of 10! But I waffled between 6 and 7 for quite a bit.

Well, maybe not spoilerific, more spoilerish. More of a general plot ending style. But some would call it spoilerish. So I'll wait.

So Clam, how are you doing with Mr. Wind-Up Bird? I'm almost at the midpoint, down in the well, and getting stuck a bit.

>185 clamairy: I hope you are still enjoying The Wind-up Bird
Chronicle.

>187 Jim53: Does this mean you are experiencing the same things as Murakami's character?

I am! But I had a long and crazy weekend* so I am not that far into the book. I'd say I'm only 1/4th of the way through.

I ended up ferrying both kids home and then back to their colleges, and we had the Walk MS fundraiser early Sunday. The last two night's I've stayed up watching NCAA basketball because the men's and women's teams from my son's school (University of Connecticut) took both national championships!

I'll bet all you U. Conn. fans are quite over the moon with excitement. What an awesome season for both men and women. Congratulations.

ETA: Congrats on a successful MS walk, too!!

Congrats to the Huskies. Their women's team reminds me of the local soccer players.

>192 Jim53: Thank you! :o)

I'm close to halfway through Wind-up Bird, and my digital loan expired. LOL Not to worry. I turned off the Kindle's wireless connection so the book will stay in place until I turn it back on. It was gorgeous here yesterday so I was outside pruning branches and picking up small limbs to use in the firepit. :o) Not a lot of reading time, though.

I finished listening to The Virgin's Lover this week. Meh. I have a hard time when male readers give their female character's a simpering voice. I just want to reach into the iPod and smack them upside the head. I just cannot for the life of me imagine Elizabeth I simpering. LOL



It's back to Pratchett heaven for me, with The Wee Free Men! :o)

193 - I'm pretty sure Philippa Gregory is not for me, but I was considering trying her audible books. Thank you for saving me that!

>193 clamairy: I did enjoy reading The Other Boleyn Girl, though it's not particularly well written, IMHO. And I enjoyed listening to The White Queen. I blame my dislike of this one primarily on the narrator.

Done. *phew* That was a tougher slog than I was expecting. I'll come back with more concise thoughts when I have a bigger chunk of time.



I think it's Garlic and Sapphires for me now. Something... anything to cleanse my brain's palate.

>196 clamairy: Well done! Murakami does take it out of one. I have just started Kafka on the Shore and it is full of things that are making me think. I love his work, but I could not read one after the other. I find them very dense with ideas and they take a bit of thought and effort to absorb. Not everyone's cup of tea.

>197 pgmcc: I think I would have enjoyed it more were it not for the graphic violence. Those parts were too realistic and detailed for my taste.

>198 clamairy: I agree. I agree so much that I will not refer to any of them in detail. They did have a function in the story but that does not make them any easier to read.

In spite of, or perhaps because of its name, Garlic and Sapphires is a good palate cleanser. :)

>200 MrsLee: "Groan!"

:-)

Congrats on winding up the Bird Chronicle. I understand the need for a palate cleanser, and I agree with your complaint about the detailed depictions of violence. There were a number of other things that received overly detailed descriptions too, IMHO.

>202 Jim53: Yup. Like you I am glad I read it, but I have no plans to read anything else of his. I feel like there were two great books there and one not-so-great one all mashed together. I still don't have a big enough chunk of time to write out everything I felt about it.

Ack! My digital loan of Insurgent showed up, so I'm diving into that. I already renewed Garlic and Sapphires so I can take my time with that one.

Okay, here are my thoughts on the Murakami. I honestly did not mind the loose ends at the conclusion of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. In fact I felt it allowed me to imagine things winding up just the way I wanted them to. I didn't mind the sexual content, either. Though I will admit to being thrown by that first phone call. I felt a real bond for Toru Okada. I also liked Cinnamon, May and Creta. I wasn't crazy about anyone else. I was troubled by the graphic depictions of torture and violence. By the time I got to the Chinese prisoners of war in the baseball jerseys I knew enough to skim quickly. :o( I tried not to attach much significance to any of the many limbs, branches and twigs of the tale, but to instead take them all in as a whole. As a person with what I like to call Adult Onset Attention Deficit Disorder (aka aging) I found certain parts of it seemed to drift on much longer than I would have liked, especially the various letters. As @Jim53 said in his thread "I wasn't continually eager to get back to it." I did enjoy much of the writing and the details of everyday life. Even the cooking of the spaghetti. LOL Though I will admit to being surprised at how much Western food Toru was eating. I found myself wondering if that was all in the original version of the book or if the translator added it for the palates of the Western readers. Overall I liked it more than not. If something I'm reading doesn't please me on some level I will rarely finish it. So, there you have it. i won't be rushing off to borrow more Murakami soon, but that doesn't mean I'm placing a ban on him either.

>204 clamairy: Nice summary.

i won't be rushing off to borrow more Murakami soon, but that doesn't mean I'm placing a ban on him either. I do think Murakami books cannot be read one after the other. One does need time to recover from one of his novels before starting another.


...wondering...if the translator added it for the palates of the Western readers.
I do not know. I will ask someone I know who reads the books in Japanese when I next see him.

I read recently that Murakami reads his translators' versions and makes adjustments if he feels things could be put a better way. He speaks English but writes in Japanese. While reading Kafka on the Shore there was some word play and I doubt it would work in every language so I suspect there is a degree of tailoring. With word play adjustment would be necessary.

...graphic depictions of torture and violence. Yes, he does not tend to leave out any detail.

I really don't think Murakami is my cup of tea (because of some of the things hidden behind the spoiler tag). And I gather from both of you that those same aspects are a bit off-putting to you as well. So what is the socially-redeeming aspect of Murakami that makes you say you aren't placing a ban on him? Hypothetically speaking, were a brand-new Murakami to be offered here as an Early Reviewer title, what would induce you to request it?

>206 jillmwo: Right now I'd pass. Nothing would induce me. I'm not placing a ban because I rarely, if ever, do. Also, much of the blame for my discomfort with this book belongs on my shoulders. I should not have read it right after having finished off A Feast for Crows, because I had some similar issues with that, believe it it not. There were chapters of that that were torturous to read, but for some different reasons than the Murakami. I was worried that it was me, but I'm not having any problems with my current read.

>206 jillmwo: ...I gather from both of you that those same aspects are a bit off-putting to you as well.

The aspects do not put me off. I can see how they could put others off. In relation to the violence, it is graphic, but I believe it is graphic for a purpose and I see it as part of the story, not gratuitous. The events I recall were intended to show the reader how sadistic a particular character was, or to make a point about how horrendous a war incident was, or to explain the reaction of another character to a violent event. As for the graphic sex, that didn't put me off in the slightest.

What I enjoy about Murakami is his ability to get me thinking about different aspects of life from a different angle.

I feel the need to have time between Murakami reads because they are so rich and intense. I find them easy to read, but I am prone to start thinking about things in a new way when I am reading them, and I also start an internal debate about where the book is going and what the various allusions are. I find his books very rewarding reads, but not light entertainment. Unlike @clamairy, I would snatch up any Murakami available on Early Readers. I am contemplating pre-ordering the English translation of his latest book that becomes available here in August. I think I will pre-order it through a local independent bookshop.

I finished listening to The Wee Free Men the other day and I am now a huge fan of Pratchett's character Tiffany Aching. She just plain rocks. Now Granny Weatherwax has some competition for favorite Pratchett creation. :o)



I started listening to The Long Earth and I'm enjoying it so far.

I need to read Wee Free Men. I borrowed my son's copy, but I think he took it back. He was quite enthusiastic about it.

>210 SylviaC: I can't believe I managed to evade Pratchett for so many years.

>210 SylviaC: Me too. But I'm not catching up nearly as fast as you are.

I'll be interested to hear what you think of The Long Earth. I liked it, but with reservations.

>211 clamairy: - Now I want you to meet Susan, Death's granddaughter. :) I think, although I may be wrong, but I think she makes her first appearance in Soul Music, but I love her in Hogfather.

There's a discussion just beginning on The Long Earth in the Science Fiction Fans group, btw...
http://www.librarything.com/topic/173111

>210 SylviaC: I've been able to find most of these audiobooks through inter-library loan. I did just load A Hat Full of Sky directly from OverDrive onto my iPod. I've done that before with mixed results. Not sure if it's because my iPod is older or what.

>214 MrsLee: I think she was in one of the Rincewind books I listened too. There was a poker game she was part of, I think.

>215 Marissa_Doyle: Thanks. I might go in and read when I'm done, but I mostly likely won't participate. I'm assuming that group has improved over the years since I left. It used to be a bit scary. LOL

Finished Insurgent. Not bad for post-apocalyptic YA. Not awesome either. I noticed the first two in this series have a much higher LT rating than the third, so I'm conflicted about whether I should even bother finishing the series or if I should just find out how it ends on Wikipedia. :o/



It's back to Garlic and Sapphires for me. I'm really enjoying it so far, but my stomach was growling last night in bed after reading about all the yummy foods she'd been eating. :o(

>217 clamairy: I did have to deal with restaurant envy while I was reading that book. In my town we have 3 or 4 Chinese, 5 or 6 Mexican, 5 or 6 pizza places, lots of fast food places and a couple of homogeneous chain restaurants. Also, paid to eat out. sigh

>217 clamairy: Most of the complaints about the third book are about how it ended rather than how it was written, if that helps your decision at all.

>218 MrsLee: You're way ahead of us. But then this town is so small that we don't even have a grocery store. We have two Italian places and one Chinese place. And a nice little cafe that only serves breakfast and lunch. Other than that there is only a Subway, a Dunkin' Donuts and a 'deli.' *begins rant* The 'deli' won't sell sliced meat or cheese, they only make sandwiches. I've never gone in. Growing up on LI we only had to walk a half a block in one direction to a German deli, or a half a block in the other direction to an Italian one. Any place that doesn't sell sliced cold cuts shouldn't be allowed to call itself a deli. It should be a sandwich shop. *ends rant*

>219 Morphidae: Okay, I'm leaving it in my OverDrive queue then. I did enjoy the first two. Thank you. :o)

>220 clamairy: Agree on your definition of deli! After living in Oakland and having real delis around, it is so disappointing to walk into anything less. We had a shop here calle "Mr. Pickles" and they didn't even sell whole pickles. Looked at me like I was insane when I asked. :/ It pleased me when they went out of business.

>221 MrsLee: Didn't sell whole pickles? The nerve!

>221 MrsLee: Pesky partial pickle peddlers!

>221 MrsLee: Not so much as a peck of pickled peppers to pick pieces of?

ah, pickles!

>223 pgmcc: Sounds like a great name for a band.

I'm partial to Peter's perspicacious pickle pronouncement!

I knew there was a reason I had to catch up on LT before work this morning.

Peppy Pickle Ponderings Preparing me for Pushy People at our Posh Public Pad.

Soused cucumbers

I always liked the saying that once a cucumber has been pickled there's no going back to being a cucumber (heard in various AA meetings). {-:

Finally had a chance to finish Garlic and Sapphires. I really enjoyed this one. Many thanks to @MrsLee for the recommendation. I had left the NYC area only a few years before Ruth Reichl moved back, so this was fun in many ways. I never could afford to eat in any the high-end restaurants she did, but I did eat in a few great places. I copied a few of her recipes. I realized I own Tender at the Bone. so I'll move that one up the TBR stacks.

Forgot to mention that I'm really enjoying The Rosie Project on my Kindle now.

Isn't Don great?

Bedtime reading: Rupetta, putting me yet another month behind on my Lightspeed subscription.
Lunchtime: Parable of the Sower which was a bit of a mistake since it's the fourth dystopia novel in a row for lunch.

>233 SylviaC: He is!

>234 CBrachyrhynchos: I really enjoyed Parable of the Sower. Might not be a great book to read with lunch, though. I think you're right about that.

I finished listening to The Long Earth. It was okay, but I doubt that I'll continue with the series. There are too many series out there that I have started, truly enjoyed and need to continue on with. This series can wait.



Also some of the narration was annoying. Every American sounded like s/he was from Brooklyn, especially the ones from Madison Wisconsin. *sigh*

Forget to mention that I'm listening to A Breath of Snow and Ashes now.

I finished The Rosie Project and enjoyed it immensely. There's nothing too deep about it. It's just pure fun. It will make a great movie as long as they cast the right person as Professor Don Tillman.



Edited to add: I started The Eternal Wonder last night, but I was so tired that it wasn't making much sense. I might go back to the first page and start over again.

My only problem with The Rosie Project was that I didn't really connect with Rosie, so just couldn't get too interested in her search. Maybe it says something about me that I could relate far more to Don than to Rosie.

>238 SylviaC: I think you're supposed to. I didn't connect to anyone but Don.

Reading The Eternal Wonder was not going well. I think this unfinished manuscript should have been left unpublished. I might give it another go at some other time, but I just wasn't enjoying it at all. I tried diving into The Sea Around Us. That also didn't go well. So much has been learned since this was first published that it is chock full of misinformation. It's not good to have insomnia and be yelling at your book at 3:00 AM. There are a few added added footnotes with updated info (such as the age of the world) but it was rough going for me when there weren't. My head spun around 360º when I hit the part about the continents always being in their current locations and there was no footnote with an update to correct it. *sigh* So I gave up on that one, too. Now I'm working on The Master by Colm Tóibín. I really loved Brooklyn when I read it for my library book group a few years ago, so I have high expectations for this one. So far so good.

***sending you the Good Luck whammie, hoping the current book breaks the streak of losers***

I am still working on Gone Girl and had to take a break. My book group convinced me to finish it, but I think I'm just about done with convoluted fiction. I need to head back to my preferred popular history genre I think

>241 maggie1944: Thank you, maggie. I'm really enjoying this one so far. I understand completely about Gone Girl. That was not one of my favorites.

So I am loving The Master, but I'm not sure I could even begin to explain why. It's about Henry James and written in his style, but not enough to be annoying. The only problem so far has been that each time I read a description of him getting ideas for and/or beginning one of his books I run to Amazon and snag that book for my Kindle. Plus I even snagged Phineas Finn because the book describes him discussing with a friend at dinner.

I finished off The Master and though I have a favorable opinion of it as a whole it did not end up pleasing me as much towards the end as it did during the first half of the book. It just seemed to drag and I wanted it to be over. Not a good thing. So it goes...



I've already started Legion and I'm very amused so far.

Moved onto The Goblin Emperor for lunch. Also trying to catch up with my Lightspeed Magazine subscription.

>245 CBrachyrhynchos: That book has a very high rating here on LT. Another for the ever-growing wishlist. :o)

I'm glad you're trying Legion. It took me a bit to get into it, but by the end, it was way too short.

I really want to get my hands on a copy of Legion.

Finished Legion. A bit uneven, but overall a good read.



>247 MrsLee: I loved how you-know-who (not Voldemort) was staring right at a camera that wouldn't be there for another 2000 years.

On to Little Brother. I'm flying by the seat of my pants these days, obviously.

>249 clamairy: :)

Well, I wasn't enjoying Little Brother for some reason. I'll try it again at some point. So it's on to Cranford for me. This will be my first time reading anything by Elizabeth Gaskell. Only 10 pages in, but I am chuckling quite a bit.

Ooh, Cranford. Happy sigh.

>252 Marissa_Doyle: I'm pretty sure I was told by @jillmwo I should read Cranford and then An Old-Fashioned Girl, and I have a hankering for them right now. (Maybe because it's almost Summer, and I've been outside gardening a bunch and leaving most of my gadgets inside and barely used of late. Also, I think The Master helped put me into the perfect frame of mind for this.)

>253 clamairy: I did indeed tell you to read those two titles and in that order. I read An Old-Fashioned Girl when I got it as a birthday gift when I was ten or thereabouts and there was a reference in it to Cranford that I never got until I was an adult and read Cranford. Both are rather soothing reads so seems like you are in the right mood for both.

Finished Cranford. Loved it, but it did rather pizzle away a bit towards the end.



I'll be starting both An Old-Fashioned Girl and Tolkien's translation of Beowulf.

(Edited to allow touchstones to actually load.)

It shouldn't have taken me so long to read An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott. It was relatively short and rather light of tone, but it didn't call to me to pick it up as much as Cranford did. I did enjoy it, but Polly seemed like too much of a goody two-shoes, especially as a child. I think I've had enough Alcott for a while.



On to The Fault in Our Stars! (And a bit more of the Beowulf, which is rather chewy.)

An Old-Fashioned Girl is just a trifle moralistic. It's been quite a while since I last read it, because I'm afraid the suck fairy might be hovering. At one time it was my favourite Alcott book.

You do realize that by this time, there is no way that The Fault in Our Stars can possibly live up to all the hype, and you'll probably hate it, right?

>257 SylviaC: Yes, moralistic is a good word for it.

And I have skillfully avoided most of the hype, so I actually have no expectations... other than that I'm going to need a lot of tissues. :o)

Not having much of a chance to read as my husband isn't doing well. :o(

Spent a good chunk of time at the ER yesterday, and forgot to bring reading material. Sadly, it seems like there a good chance I'll be taking him back again this evening, as he's still not doing well. This time I'll be prepared. Also, decent sleep would be good for all of us.

Sorry things aren't going well, Clam. I hope your husband improves soon. Good wishes to you both.

Strength to you both.

Holding you and hubby in the light.

That's sad to hear, clam. I hope he pulls out of it quickly.

Thanks you, all.

Each time this happens he ends up weaker in the long run. Very hard on the whole family.

Oh, Clam, I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. I will keep you and yours in my heart, holding you in Light, and seeing the best possible outcome, soon.

Sorry to hear your husband is not well, Clam. I'll be thinking of you.

I'm so sorry to hear your husband isn't doing well. I'll be thinking of you both and hoping for the best.

Here's hoping that things are better.

Hugs, clam. I'm so sorry. :(

Thanks so much, all. It's finally reached the point where I'm admitting to myself I can't do this alone any more, no matter what he says. I'm calling an agency tomorrow to get an aid. Even if it's just for a few days a week to start.

Sorry things aren't going well for you both and hope you get the help to make things improve soon.

I'm glad you are getting help and taking care of yourself even though the reason isn't the best. *hugs*

I hope you get all the help you need, and I hope that your husband doesn't lose too much ground this time. Thinking of you.

Keeping you and your husband in my thoughts. I hope things get better soon.

((Hugs)) Wishing strength to both you and your husband.

I had to take him back to the ER this morning. Looks like an intestinal blockage. They admitted him and I guess they'll decide how best to treat it tomorrow morning.

I did get a chance to read because he wasn't talking at all today. He didn't even want the TV on, which is NOT like him at all. :o/

Holding you and Peter in my heart.

I, too, am holding you in my heart. I hope your husband is able to recover some comfort and well being. And I hope you are able to find precisely the type and amount of help that you need. **hugs**

(((((Clam)))))

Clamairy, thinking of you both, and hoping your husband recovers well and quickly.

*lurking*

I'm silently sending my support!

I think he's made some progress, if his cranky meter is anything to judge by. They still won't let him eat or drink anything, but I think the greatest hurdle has been overcome. Once he can eat and drink without incident they'll have to decide if he needs to go to a rehab facility for a bit. Of course he wants to come straight home, which means more work & stress for us. Maybe he'll rebound quickly from this and come straight home.

I hope he is much better very soon!

Glad to hear things are looking up Clam! Hope they continue in that direction.

I hope things are holding up alright at home. Good wishes to you both.

He came home yesterday, and he really shouldn't have. They wanted him to go to a rehab facility for a week to work on regaining his strength, and he talked them into letting him come home and having a physical therapist come in. The problem is that the therapist won't start coming in until Monday, but right now he can't even stand up on his own. I'm left scrambling here because he's not a small man, and I am a basically a shrimp. I'm angry, to be quite honest. I understand why he wanted the comfort of home, but I think he's been a bit selfish.

Any chance of getting a home health aide in on an emergency basis, clam? Or is it possible that after a day, he'll see that you just can't do it without wearing yourself into a frazzle, and agree to try rehab?

Of course you're angry. I completely understand, though we aren't there yet.

What Marissa said. I know doctors want to empower patients, let the have choices and so forth, but it can be very hard on those who have to live with those decisions. I'm not sure the patient is always in the right frame of mind to make these choices.
Speak up, clammy. You have to be heard as well. It might be unpopular, but usually, when they have healed more, they understand the right of it. I'm thinking of my mother now. She says some terrible things, and thinks we are all against her, but when she gets some distance and realizes what the situation truly was, she recognizes the need for our actions.
Strength, luck, patience and love to you.

I'm sorry, I have no words of wisdom. I've never been in such a situation, but I agree with Marissa and MrsLee. I can understand your anger and frustration. I hope your husband is able to see how hard the situation is on you as well. *hugs*

What @MrsLee said. You need to be taken care of as well. I'm so sorry for this to be loaded onto your plate (which was quite full as it was already.)

I hope you get all of the help that you both need. Ask friends and family for assistance—most people want to help, but don't know what to do. Hopefully you can also get some professional homecare, too. Friends, family and homecare were how we coped when my father refused to stay in the hospital. But it was still frustrating. ((Hugs))

Clammy, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this on your own. I know how frustrating these things can be. Maybe you and the therapist can talk about this Monday and make some adjustments.

:(

Strength to you, my friend. I'm hoping your dear partner regains strength as soon as humanly possible. And I hope that in the meantime you have the strength needed to support him. And the strength to take good care of yourself as well!

I hope you are able to get the help you need. My dad was also resistant to having help come into the home or going anywhere for his health care. He finally started being ok with it when they told him he needed to do it for Mom. I'll be keeping you guys in my thoughts.

((((((Hugs, Clam!))))))

Catching up on threads today, just saw your difficult times. Hope things look brighter soon for you both.

Now that I've caught up with this thread as well, first of all - HUGS CLAM! - and I hope everything gets better quickly.

>88 clamairy: I had a recommendation long after the sandman series was over that I would like it - and the recommendation was correct. This was right after American Gods came out so I thought I would try that as well, and uhhhhh, not for me. So I tried an audiobook of Anansi Boys a bit later and oooooh no it wasn't for me either (although the reading of it was just driving me nuts with all the fake jamaican accents... ughhhhhhh). So I thought that maybe I just didn't like the novelisations that he did... But I loved Day of the Dead, MirrorMask and Stardust... so then I wasn't sure what to think anymore.

So now that everyone has come out and said that American Gods wasn't quite their cup of tea, maybe I'll give Ocean and Omens a go...

>220 clamairy: The problem I had with that series (Divergent, etc.) is that I figured out the 'whole deal' by about page 7 (17 maybe? something like that) or so and thought "Nah, it couldn't possibly be.. let me check Wikipedia...well crap, it's exactly like I thought." I thought it was *very* predictable, in every way, almost like it was meant to be used to show pre-teens how to diagram plot lines and character arcs. The overall story is also very much like many japanese 'light' novels and such spanning at least the last ten years (down to the ending, actually), so I might have also worn out on that kind of story.

Thanks, everyone. Took him back to the ER. They think he has a UTI, but even after a day of IV antibiotics he still feels poorly. Must be something else going on. Possibly an MS flair-up. The guy is only 54, and has stayed relatively independent, but at a cost to the rest of the family. (Especially me.) We just can't do it any more.

Clam, I'm so sorry. I hope things are better very soon.

I decided to read The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman next based on your words in #85. Thanks!

Oh (((Clam))) - I've just been catching up after time away and missing lots of threads - so sorry to hear your news! I suspect from recent absence that things are still tough, so sending very best wishes to you and your family. I hope things improve for you all soon.

I hope things get better for you as well, best wishes that it's soon.

Thank you! Yes, well things have improved for us because he's been in an acute rehab facility since last Thursday. I'm hoping he's there for at least another week. He's gained back a little strength, so that a big thing. :o)

That's good to hear. Here's winging some strength and peace in both your directions!

>305 imyril: yes, to that! And more strength coming through the ether to you both, and all the hugs you need or want!

Thanks again, all of you. He's coming home Thursday, and still not feeling great. Hope we get the help they've promised us. In the meantime I am taking my kids for a quick trip to visit extended family. Been five years since we've been able to do this.

Also, time to continue this thread!