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Chari
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| Posted: May 06 2006 at 1:26pm | IP Logged
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I forgot to mention:
I LOVE this thread! It is fun! Now, keep up the posting!!
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Chari...Take Up & Read
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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Kelly
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"Kite Runner" quite disturbing, but insightful, story about one man's troubled youth, and problems with modern-day Afghanistan/Middle East
"Zorro" by Isabel Allende. Loved it! Allende's version of how the Masked Marauder came to be.
"Cod" by Kurlansky. Really interesting and well-written. Who'd think a book about fish would be so riveting????
"Man-Eaters of Tsavo" about two marauding lions during the construction of the East African railway (I believe those lions are now stuffed and residing in the Field Museum). Along the same lines as "Maneaters of Kumaon". Good, turn-of-the-(previous)-century read.
"A Long Way to a Tomato" by Keith Stewart, about a fellow who quit the corporate NYC life and starts an organic farm in NY state. Very interesting and well-written (though I always get irked by people, like Stewart, who use "BCE"-Before Common Era- instead of "BC! Grrrr!!) Still, it's a pleasant, thought-provoking read, and articulate.
"City of Fallen Angels" by John Berendt. Though he takes himself 'way too seriously, Berendt writes an entertaining book about Venice, and the trouble-fraught reconstruction of the Fenice Opera House a few years back.
I've enjoyed getting inspired by these posts, too, Chari, and have picked up lots of good reading suggestions. Lots of fun! 
Kelly in FL
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Chari
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| Posted: May 07 2006 at 12:35am | IP Logged
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Kelly wrote:
I've enjoyed getting inspired by these posts, too, Chari, and have picked up lots of good reading suggestions. Lots of fun!
Kelly in FL |
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WOW, Kelly! I am pretty sure this is the first time any of your books made the list! 
Very unique! They look fun! I cannot wait to someday walk into the library and read whatever I can find while browsing, and just read, just for the fun of it. Just like I did before kids :)
Ever since my first pregnancy......it has been one decided-a-head-of-time book after another!
I just can't wait!
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Chari...Take Up & Read
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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Kelly
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Chari wrote:
I cannot wait to someday walk into the library and read whatever I can find while browsing, and just read, just for the fun of it. Just like I did before kids :)
Ever since my first pregnancy......it has been one decided-a-head-of-time book after another!
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I know what you mean! As a step in that direction, what I started doing years ago is amassing books that appealed to me as I found them in garage sales, used book stores, presents, etc. and piling them on a table next to our bed or in our sitting area by the fireplace. Then, when I finish a book, I extract whatever book strikes my fancy---as you know, you've got to be in the "right" mood for a book! Though I haven't arrived at the "read whatever I want, when I want" nirvana state you mentioned, Chari,  , this Book Tower method definitely means I can plow through a lot more books. Of course, sometimes a book sits there for years, collecting dust until the Right Mood strikes. My super favorite series, the Patrick O'Brien's "Master and Commander" volumes, languished on my table for over two years before I took the plunge! Oh well, dust and all, at least I'm seldom at a loss for a good book
Keep up the great "leads", ladies!
Kelly in FL
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teachingmom
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I finished The School at the Chalet yesterday. It's the first one in the Chalet School series. I really enjoyed it. I am "pre-reading" a few of the books for my older girls. (But I am thoroughly enjoying them too!)
Thanks to Kelly, Kathryn, and Leonie for their enthusiastic recommendation of this series. If not for them, I wouldn't have taken the trouble to find and purchase the first three books from a bookseller in England.
I just found this site, which describes a woman's visit to the Austrian Tyrol in search of the real Chalet School surroundings. She includes quite a few pictures. It makes me want to visit there someday!
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Chari
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Kelly wrote:
.........and piling them on a table next to our bed ............ this Book Tower method definitely means I can plow through a lot more books. Of course, sometimes a book sits there for years, collecting dust until the Right Mood strikes. ..............at least I'm seldom at a loss for a good book
Kelly in FL |
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Hmmmmmmm, Kelly.....I have a Book Tower by my bed, too ....only thing is..........I rarely read anything from it  ........I always find something somewhere else to read........since I am seldom at a loss, too
I am going to paint my room, and pretty it up.........the Book Tower is going to find a new home  .........dust and all............most of my books have been there for over two years......and I am tired of looking at them
I FINALLY finished Middlemarch by George Eliot. It took me over two months! Don't get me wrong........I am sure it would have been a fun and quick read.............IF my dd had not made us all watch the movie with her..........The movie was SO accurate,,,,,,,,,,that there were no surprises in the book. So, I ploughed through it.........and now, I can say I READ it! I highly recommend it!.....but BEFORE the movie! Now, I had found off of Lissa's and Alice' blog..........a link to a bolg discussion about Middlemarch.......and now I cannot find it.......anyone able to help???
Also, I will mention now, I will be finishing the last few pages of a re-read of To Kill a Mockingbird tonight. I had not read it since I was 15yrs old. I wanted to re-watch the movie with Gregory Peck.........so, I thought I would re-read the book first. I sure enjoyed it.......though I had forgot the crime Tom was accused of was rape..........not murder. So, for anyone planning to share this with their kids........just a heads-up. Of course, it is hardly what the story is about. What a great read........if you have never read it..............do so!
And now, I have a sad  announcement: I am giving up reading until after June 13th. I have to take a test on that day for a certification at work. I think I better focus on studying for the test.....and, I REALLY, REALLY need prayers for passing, as do all of us in my dept. They sprung this on us in January. Quite a surprise. So, I BEG your prayers.
Irene, I have always wanted to read those books........no wonder I could never find them at my library! Glad you get to enjoy them! Did you get all of Jane Austen's books read? Maybe it is time to start on the mysteries??? Hmmm........I think I will need to reward myself after this test with the last JA mystery book! I hope I remember!
Good night!
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Chari...Take Up & Read
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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Molly Smith
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Oh, it's so timely that I should pop over here this morning! I just got rid of my Book Tower and I couldn't be happier. My nightstand has a lovely framed picture on it, a lamp, and two books.
I just finished The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Terrific! I loved it. The short description on the cover is truly the best and most accurate: "Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, The Age of Innocence is a brilliant portrayal of New York Society in the 1870s--conventional, curcumscribed, unimaginative--where money, though not to be despised, counted for less than manners and morals." I was surprised that it was also a pretty steamy love story!
But, Chari, the funny thing about reading your post, is that Middlemarch is referred to in this book so I was considering picking it up next. However, since it wasn't in my book box, I started To Kill a Mockingbird instead!
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Molly Smith in VA
Mom to seven beautiful children, ages 1-14
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Kelly
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I know, I know...sometimes my Book Tower starts to look a little bit too much like a dusty version of the Leaning (Book) Tower of Pisa, and I have to move it out,let my nightstand breathe a bit. But I do love having those potential reads close by, waiting, for The Right Mood
Irene, I'm so glad you enjoyed "The School at the Chalet"! Isn't it a pleasant, enjoyable read? When I first read "The School at the Chalet", I got so enthused that I, too, went ISO the real Tiernsee, and the real Chalet School terrain...and found it! Promptly carted our children and three of my brother's kids off to the locale and spent a truly wonderful month there. Just this morning, my ds was talking about waking up to the sound of cow bells, and walking up to the neighboring farm to buy our daily ration of fresh, warm milk straight from the barn where the cows were milked. Sigh. Great memories, all inspired by our Elinor Brent Dyer Read-A-Thon!!!
Who says books don't have the power to move!?
Kelly in FL
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JennGM
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Kelly wrote:
| I know, I know...sometimes my Book Tower starts to look a little bit too much like a dusty version of the Leaning (Book) Tower of Pisa, and I have to move it out,let my nightstand breathe a bit. But I do love having those potential reads close by, waiting, for The Right Mood |
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I solved my book tower problem! My husband's aunt gave us her extra bedroom furniture which included a nightstand with 1 drawer and then a cabinet with doors...roomy space to put tons of books and no mess! I love it!!!
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Natalia
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Kelly wrote:
| ""Zorro" by Isabel Allende. Loved it! Allende's version of how the Masked Marauder came to be. |
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I loved Isabel Allende's first books but then she started to get too weird for my taste. I'll have to check Zorro. Did you read in English or Spanish?
Natalia
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teachingmom
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Kelly wrote:
| Irene, I'm so glad you enjoyed "The School at the Chalet"! Isn't it a pleasant, enjoyable read? When I first read "The School at the Chalet", I got so enthused that I, too, went ISO the real Tiernsee, and the real Chalet School terrain...and found it! Promptly carted our children and three of my brother's kids off to the locale and spent a truly wonderful month there. Just this morning, my ds was talking about waking up to the sound of cow bells, and walking up to the neighboring farm to buy our daily ration of fresh, warm milk straight from the barn where the cows were milked. Sigh. Great memories, all inspired by our Elinor Brent Dyer Read-A-Thon!!! |
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Boy, someone needs to invent an emoticon for "green with envy". OK, I know it's not very Christian, but . . . .
Seriously, that is an amazing trip to take after reading about that area of the world, Kelly. Were you already living in Europe, or did you just up and move there for a month?
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Kelly
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No, I just followed the Nike commercial's advice to "Just Do It!" My father's family is Swiss/German/Austrian, though, so we'd been over to that neck of the woods a bunch of times before.
Natalia, I hope you like "Zorro". I definitely felt, with "Zorro", that Allende is at last returning from the wierd zone. I loved her earlier stuff, too, but some of that later stuff, yuck. She still doesn't treat the Catholic Church very well in "Zorro", but there's not LOTS that touches on the Church, so I was able to ignore it pretty successfully. No, I was a lazy bones and read it in English, but I'm just starting Arturo Perez-Riverte's Capt. Alatriste sequel, "Limpieza de Sangre". If you enjoy 16th century Spanish history and literature, you'll enjoy the Capt. Alatriste series. Sort of a "Musketeers Meet Madrid" kinda thing.
Kelly in FL
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Natalia
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Kelly wrote:
| Arturo Perez-Riverte's Capt. Alatriste sequel, "Limpieza de Sangre". If you enjoy 16th century Spanish history and literature, you'll enjoy the Capt. Alatriste series. Sort of a "Musketeers Meet Madrid" kinda thing.Kelly in FL |
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My dh listened to Capt. Alatriste on audio and really liked it. I didn't know it there was sequel. I'll have to tell him.
Do you enjoy any other Spanish or Latin American authors?
Natalia
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Kelly
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AND there's a sequel to "Limpieza" called, I believe, "El Oro del Rey" ! I think the English title is "Sunrise at Breda".
Though he's a little strange, I really love Garcia Marquez, especially "100 Years of Solitude", though it's been many moons since I read it and I never read the English translation. I also like Oscar Hijuelos, especially the "14 Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien". I used to enjoy Alfonso Becquer, and Manuel Delibes, two very different types of writers, but I haven't read either of them in years. How 'bout you, any recommendations for my Book Tower ?
Kelly in FL
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Natalia
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Kelly wrote:
Though he's a little strange, I really love Garcia Marquez, especially "100 Years of Solitude", though it's been many moons since I read it and I never read the English translation. I also like Oscar Hijuelos, especially the "14 Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien". I used to enjoy Alfonso Becquer, and Manuel Delibes, two very different types of writers, but I haven't read either of them in years. How 'bout you, any recommendations for my Book Tower ? |
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I really like Garcia Marquez's Cronica de una Muerte Anunciada (short and very descriptive). It is true that he is strange but I think his prose flows so easily. I like almost everything i have read by him except one book about Bolivar that I don't remember its name.
Alfonso Becquer? Are you talking about Gustavo Adolfo Becquer the Spanish poet? Manuel Delibes? I haven't heard of him. What does he write?
Have you read Gironella? His trilogy about the Spanish Civil War is great.
There is another Spanish author I really like also,Torcuato Luca de Tena.
Latin American authors tend to be on the weird side and not very moral. That said I have enjoyed Mario Vargas Llosa, Jose Donoso, Julio Cortazar, Carlos Fuentes.
I don't read much in Spanish anymore. I am out of the loop when it comes to new books in Spanish. I really should make an effort to keep up with the Spanish- Latin book scene.
Natalia
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Rachel May
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I finally finished Mommy Wars which I found thought provoking and frustrating and full of women who were nothing like me and a lot like me. I was all set to write my own essay to solidify my own views of being a wife and mother at home when out of the blue a friend emailed me an article of Elizabeth's that says what I think but much more eloquently.
Next book is Morning by Morning....
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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Kelly
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Aaagh...why do I always write Alfonso Becquer when I mean Adolfo ...I've been doing that for twenty years! Anyway, yes, Gustavo ADOLFO Becquer! I loved "Rimas y leyendas".
I've never read any of the Civil War trilogy by Gironella. Will have to look into that.
Oops, I found out that the sequel to "Limpieza de Sangre" is "Sol de Breda", followed by "El Oro del Rey"...so now your dh, Natalia, has several Alatriste novels to look forward to reading
Has anyone out there read any of the education commentaries by John Taylor Gatto?
Kelly in FL
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momwise
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Kelly wrote:
Has anyone out there read any of the education commentaries by John Taylor Gatto?
Kelly in FL |
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I've read a couple of them plus we saw him speak here a few years ago. His books are interesting and very imformative but I thought in The History of Underground Education he went off on a few tangents that were a little distracting. He's well worth reading though.
I just tonight finished Eats, Shoots and Leaves which is about the history and usage of punctuation. I saw this book on the best seller list forever and never figured I could sit still for it but it is really well written and a quick read. Besides, it is very funny. The most hilarious parts are the chapters about apostrophes; the book is fast moving with side splitting examples. I read a lot of it out loud while laughing to my dc. I'd really love for them to read it for school but it repeats a vulgar reference in the history of the exclamation point. I may buy my own copy and snip it out.
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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aussieannie
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I have finally made my way to this 'sanctuary' and thought I would share some that I have just finished, in the middle of, or my trusty, pick-me-up-every-once-in-a-while books!
My personal book reading is done in my special 'sanctuary' in the home, my bath! It is private, relaxing and peaceful. (plus something I get to do on a daily basis - not spasmodically!)
I am re-reading JRR Tolkien's Sanctifiying Myth- Understanding Middle-earth by Bradley J Birzer. He makes a fine study of Tolkien, and his work, Lord of the Rings looking at the Catholic theology and religious symbolism that permeate it. Not only is it a wonderful and enlightening read for adults it would be good as part of an older teenager's study of Lord of the Rings.
The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur- The woman whose goodness changed her husband from atheist to priest. Wow! Doesn't that title say it all! How intriguing and tantalizing! Well it was worth the read, one to pick up over and over again! Anyone out there whose dear husbands do not share completely their faith? Well this is a definate then. She is also described as the 'married St Therese'. After her death her husband was SHOCKED that she had suffered and prayed and ultimately sacrificed her life for his conversion, never preaching, just ever loving and suffering physical illness and the spiritual pain of that lack of spiritual unity with each other in silence - he then went on to become a priest no less and started her cause for canonization.
St Laurence and the Holy Grail- The Story of The Holy Chalice of Valencia by Janice Bennett. I was SO excited when I first saw Raymond Arroyo interview this author recently. When I came across it very soon afterwards I bought and 'devoured' this book within a few days! For anyone who thought that the true chalice of Christ was lost will also be excited by this! I just think that in a world where we have fictional movies and the talk of ancient quests for this relic it is unusual that the Church has not come out publicly and put it all to rest! (Yet while I write this I know that the Holy Grail's most recent history is probably why the Church is so prudent in not loudly 'proclaiming' such things.)
Married Saints and Blesseds Through the Centuries by Ferdinand Holbock This is a fabulous book and believe me there is a different 'type' of marriage for nearly early couple listed in this lovely, thick book! Some a bizarre, some are beautiful, some full of suffering and horror, some that will inspire everyone or anyone upon reading! The one I love the most is Ernst and Hedwig Kronsteiner parents of 11 children where I think every child except one became a religious. Hedwig would rise at 4am every morning for an hour uninterrupted prayer time followed by Mass and then the came the cares of the day. This type of book is a great pick-me-up-put-me-down when you want a brief but enjoyable read as you read one story at a time. There are 119 marriages written about in this lovely book.
Revelations of Divine Mercy- Daily Readings from the Diary of Blessed Faustina Kowalska by George W Kosicki CBS This is perfect for daily meditation! It is broken into months, and every month has a particular virtue to focus on, including a certain "practise", "prayer" and "promise" that you focus daily on in that month. It doesn't take up alot of time to do this. Each day has a small daily reading printed from St Faustina's Diary - this is perfect for Mum's in developing a strong mediative prayer life!
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Under Her Starry Mantle
Spiritual Motherhood for Priests
Blessed with 3 boys & 3 girls!
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organiclilac
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I've recently finished Crunchy Cons, which is a nice take on what conservative politics should be about. I also read To Kill a Mockingbird, as I try to catch up on all the classics I've missed. Next up: David Copperfield.
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Tracy, wife to Shawn, mama to Samuel (4/01) and Joseph (11/11), and Thomas (2/15)
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4Real Forums : Book Club
Topic: Our 2006 Book List
