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pixilated_momma
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| Posted: Jan 15 2008 at 1:28pm | IP Logged
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Rumpleteazer wrote:
I also finished this just recently! I tried to read it a couple years back, but halfway through the book I got a bit overwhelmed by one of those union discussions which really went right over my head... very different from Gaskell's Wives and Daughters! However, I got the BBC adaption for Christmas and after seeing that I was inspired to give it another try, and I really did enjoy the book.
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Ha, I know! The union discussions had to be reread two, three, seven times ...  for me. I kept thinking that I liked (so very much) the stuff in between the heavy union talks ... I didn't mind the talk to it at all, but the pages and pages worth of it was hard. Sigh. But the other stuff was just such good, good writing and great characterizations. .... Hm, so "Wives and Daughters" is pretty good? Should I try it out? What's your opinion on that?
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Veronica Maria
Paper Dali, my art blog
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Rumpleteazer
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I just loved Wives and Daughters... definitely one of my favourite books, and I'd certainly recommend it!
The only thing to keep in mind is that Elizabeth Gaskell died before finishing it. However, I wouldn't say that anything is really left unresolved... the book was very close to being finished and you could already see what the outcome was going to be. It was just a little frustrating not being able to actually read those final pages.
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~~Clare
A Maiden's Wreath -- for young Catholic ladies
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pixilated_momma
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| Posted: Jan 30 2008 at 10:03am | IP Logged
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Rumpleteazer wrote:
I just loved Wives and Daughters... definitely one of my favourite books, and I'd certainly recommend it!
The only thing to keep in mind is that Elizabeth Gaskell died before finishing it. |
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So it was left like that? Or did someone try and finish it up for her?
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Veronica Maria
Paper Dali, my art blog
Sometimes Bailey, my creativity blog
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Rumpleteazer
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| Posted: Jan 30 2008 at 8:41pm | IP Logged
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Quote:
| So it was left like that? Or did someone try and finish it up for her? |
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Well, I looked it up on Wikipedia and it said there that a Frederick Greenwood wrote an ending for it. However, I've never read that addition. The edition I read (Penguin, I believe) had an afterword which speculated on how the novel would have ended, based off of what had actually been written.
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~~Clare
A Maiden's Wreath -- for young Catholic ladies
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Michaela
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jdostalik wrote:
| I just finished My Grandfather's Son by SC Justice Clarence Thomas. This is not a typical book for me to read, I actually bought it after seeing him interviewed on Raymond Arroyo's news show on EWTN. Thomas was so erudite and smart and humble and faith-filled--nothing like the press portrayed him during his confirmation process. The book is extremely well-written and very nostalgic. Thomas writes frankly and honestly about his childhood as a poor black in the South and the love and respect he had for his grandparents who raised him. Fascinating reading! |
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Jennifer, thank you for posting your thoughts on this book & Raymond Arroyo's interview with Justice Thomas.
I saw the interview, for the first time this morning, and came away feeling exactly as you expressed. Justice Thomas came across nothing like how I perceived him after watching the confirmation process. Of course, having very little knowledge of him, I was very surprised to hear that he reverted back to the Catholic Church. He spoke so highly of his Catholic school experience....the nuns.
I had never even heard of the book before seeing the interview this morning, but there are hundreds of reviews at Amazon, a majority positive.
I plan to purchase the book this afternoon since I am on a long waiting list a my library!
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Michaela
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insegnante
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I skipped or skimmed a few things here and there, but otherwise I just "finished" Class Warfare: Besieged Schools, Bewildered Parents, Betrayed Kids and the Attack on Excellence by J. Martin Rochester. There were probably some areas where board members would strongly disagree with the author, for example, his take on "multiple intelligences" and the value of testing, and I'm still not sure whether I agree with him or not about a lot, but he was rarely if ever particularly obnoxious about them, in my opinion.
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Theresa
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insegnante
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Finished my third book of the year: Our School by Joanne Jacobs, whose education blog I sometimes read. The book is about a San Jose public charter school meant to prepare kids who probably wouldn't even be successful at a typical high school to enter and do well at 4-year colleges. Most of the students were (and probably still are) from Mexican backgrounds and many were on the low-income side. Jacobs' writing was very readable, maybe because she's a former newspaper columnist and I've gotten used to reading a lot more online articles (including blog posts) than book-style writing, so this was a pretty quick and easy read for me. I'm not a fan of the public school system, but it was still somewhat uplifting to read about the adults at the school who clearly cared about their students, and the progress that many of them were able to make in this challenging but supportive academic environment.
I'm not mentioning the second book I finished as I'm not even sure it was a good idea to read it. With three books completed through February 17, I'm now on track to read about 24 books this year compared to last year's 6!
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Theresa
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Chari
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insegnante wrote:
I'm not mentioning the second book I finished as I'm not even sure it was a good idea to read it. With three books completed through February 17, I'm now on track to read about 24 books this year compared to last year's 6! |
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Good for you Theresa! Keep it up!
I read a book at the beginning of the year I am not posting either......I saw there was a movie.....and I wanted to read the book. Yuck.......yet I needed to know the ending.
Speaking of YUCK.........I just read Kate: the Woman Who Was Hepburn by William J Mann........by the time I got invested in it.....I realized too late the author was constantly interested in who had a gay relationship with who...........all the way to the end. I decided to ignore that part and take in the bio part.........it is supposed to be the REAL story, not the legend. That part was kind of fun..........but it seemed the above comment was almost the goal of the writer. Who has written a book in the past about gay relationships in Hollywood.........should have had a heads-up. My ONLY point for mentioning it, is to say...........don't bother. It is only a fairly written book anyway.
I am glad you posted, Theresa. I was planning to come here and ask if anybody read anything in January to add to our list. We are off to a slower start this year. I think I have only read two or three books.
Oh, I know why........I have been reading lots of CS Lewis to prepare for my Literature Evenings. I LOVE reading CS Lewis.........and while I have not read any whole books........I have read so much of his writing, I have read at least 2-3 books!
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Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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Rumpleteazer
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Chari,
Ugh... it's so hard to find good biographies of old movie stars. Too many authors seem to find scandal (even when it's all made up) more interesting than the edifying qualities. I really want to read a biography of Grace Kelly, who I've always admired, but I'm scared of ending up with an author who focuses on her less-than-perfect moments rather than her class and devotion to her husband.
Honestly, even if the scandal side of the story is most true, I don't want to know. It just makes me uncomfortable when I watch their films, having that background knowledge, and isn't inspiring in the least.
But I did really enjoy Forever Young : The Life, Loves, and Enduring Faith of a Hollywood Legend by Joan Wester Anderson, about Loretta Young... after reading it, I have a new favourite actress! But I know that your family knows all about Loretta Young... and they explained why they got all starry-eyed when I mentioned her name. 
As for what I've been reading... I'm on the verge of finishing The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill, first volume of The Second World War. A very intriguing read, for the history... and Churchill is one spectacular fellow!
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~~Clare
A Maiden's Wreath -- for young Catholic ladies
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teachingmom
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I mentioned here that we recently watched the movie The Inn of the Sixth Happiness as a family. That made me want to read the book that the movie was based on, The Small Woman by Alan Burgess. I highly recommend this book - it was wonderful! For those unfamiliar with the movie, it is about a Protestant Englishwoman, Gladys Aylward, who feels called to go to China as a missionary in the 1920s/1930s. She ends up going on her own, without the support of a typical missionary society. It is an amazing story. And I was surprised that the movie was very faithful to the real story in general. There were some differences, but if anything, the book is more inspiring than the movie.
I also just finished The Quiet Light: A Novel of Saint Thomas Aquinas by Louis de Wohl. Another great read. I have really enjoyed the two de Wohl saint novels that I have read. I realize that he embellishes the story, but it's a great way to get a biographical sketch of a saint while enjoying the fictional story. I found that de Wohl painted an inspiring picture of fervent Catholic faith in the Middle Ages. Too often that is not the case in books set in that period.
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Stephanie_Q
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Most of my reading is with the kids...but it's for me, too. I've never read the Little House books as a child, so in reading them aloud to my girls, I'm reading them for myself, too.
I've finished The Virtue Driven Life by Benedict Groeschel. It is a very easy read , written in Father Groeschel's typical conversational style. It was chosen for the first year of our "One Book - One Diocese" program for parishes and small groups to study.
I also read It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh...motivation to get rid of stuff.
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dd 6.02, dd 8.03, ds 3.05, ds 12.06 at Catholic school.
dd 12.09 at home.
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mama251ders
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I am almost finished with My Antonia by Willa Cather. I just put Audrey Hepburn on hold at the library. I feel the need for some exposure to femininity after reading Fancy Nancy with my daughters! I think Wives and Daughters looks good too and I think I'll put it on my list.
Blessings,
Betsie
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Benny, Braidon, Olivia, Anna and Saragh
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Stephanie_Q
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Our library finally got Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza. I read it cover to cover on Sunday (my DH took the kids outside to play all afternoon and let me finish it after dinner; he even put the kids to bed!)
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Stephaniedh 6.01
dd 6.02, dd 8.03, ds 3.05, ds 12.06 at Catholic school.
dd 12.09 at home.
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insegnante
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Finally finished my fourth book of 2008 -- Danielle Bean's Mom to Mom, Day to Day: Advice and Support for Catholic Living. Many of you have probably already read this or at least descriptions of it. With its short chapters it read to me a lot like a compilation of newspaper columns or one of those commentless blogs by a professional or just talented and confident writer, which was a good match for my powers of concentration lately. Funny in places as honest descriptions of real life often are but definitely overall a "gentle encouragement" sort of book as the title suggests. Certainly a "Catholic" book but other Christian mothers might appreciate it too.
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Theresa
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Karen T
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I just finished Lenten Lands, by Douglas Gresham, who is the stepson of CS Lewis. I had recently watched Shadowlands, the movie about Lewis and his wife Joy Gresham, and wanted to know more about them. The book was very good, and showed how much the movie left out.
I am currently re-reading Northanger Abbey (JA) for a book club, and trying to get through Chesterton's What's Wrong with the World for another book club, and also working through Chesterton's Complete Father Brown mysteries, which I enjoy.
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teachingmom
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I've finished a few more books in the past few months. I read Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon. It's part of her new Father Tim series that picks up where the Mitford series ended. It was different than the previous books, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
During Lent I read The Spear: A Novel of the Crucifixion by Louis de Wohl. It's historical fiction surrounding the people involved in the Christ's ministry years, death, and resurrection. I highly recommend it.
And this week I finally finished a book that has been on my "to read" list for quite some time, mostly due to recommendations here. (Thanks, Kelly!) It's Rumer Godden's Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy. Honestly, it's one of my very favorite books now. Parts of the book were a bit rough to get through because Godden spares nothing in her description of the hellish life some of her characters are living. But it is such a beautiful story of faith, redemption, and the mercy of God! And her descriptions of the rhythm of religious life in the convent were wonderful. I loved it.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Chari
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Keep posting, ladies! I am not sure if I have finished anything since my last post...........I keep starting things but not finishing them .........I will have to think on it.......
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Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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Karen T
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Irene,
I also love that Rumor Godden book; it was the second of her novels that I've read and I agree - it's a little brutal in some places but a terrific read. Have you read any of her others? The only other one I've read is House of Brede which is very good also.
I also liked The Spear - I've liked all the deWohl books I've read.
However, I tried to read the first Mitford book and just couldn't get into it. I liked the supposedly similar series by Katherine Valentine but for some reason the Mitford book seemed "fluffier" if that makes sense. Maybe b/c I was listening to it as an audio book - our library didn't have the print form. In print I can skip over boring or fluffy parts and enjoy the main plot; can't do that with audio!
karen
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teachingmom
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| Posted: April 25 2008 at 11:41am | IP Logged
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Karen,
Yes, I read In This House of Brede a few years ago and loved that one as well. That's exactly why I've had Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy on my list to read. I think when I mentioned here how much I loved Brede, Kelly (and maybe some others) recommended the other.
You might enjoy Godden's An Episode of Sparrows. It's written for older children, but I enjoyed reading it for myself too. She's a great author. I liked one or two of Godden's other novels, but not nearly as much as those with themes of faith.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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stephanie
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I'm new to 4Real so hopefully, it's okay if I jump in...
I'm about to finish Austenland by Shannon Hale. I'm enjoying it ~ a story about a woman who travels to England to get Mr. Darcy out of her system once and for all.  Prior to that, I read through the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer ~ young adult/early teen/tween series about a boy genius and his relationship with the fairy world. (That isn't a very good description, but it's hard to describe). I started reading them to check them out as a possible gift idea for my neice but got sucked in by them. 
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Topic: Our 2008 Book List
