Connie ’s
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(group member since Nov 11, 2013)
Connie ’s
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from the Reading with Style group.
Showing 1,401-1,420 of 1,905
10.3 English LanguageOn The Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin
Twin boys, Lewis and Benjamin Jones, were born in 1900 on a farm on the border of Radnorshire, Wales and Herefordshire, England. The identical Welsh twins spent more than eighty years together with the stronger Lewis doing the heavier work on the farm, while Benjamin handled the finances and birthing the lambs. Their one push into the modern world was buying a tractor. They had a telepathic relationship, knowing the other's thoughts and feeling the other's pain.
The book is composed of experiences of the twins, their parents, and their neighbors in a small village. It does not have much of a plot, but has a marvelous sense of place, occasional humor, and lovely writing. It immerses the reader in the rural life of a Welsh village where the residents live close to the land in what is often a bleak existence. Lewis died first, but Benjamin cannot be separated from his twin. He spends time every day sitting on the tomb, "a block of shiny black granite one half with an inscription, the other left blank."
+10 task
+ 5 combo 10.2
+10 review
Task total: 25
Grand total: 75
10.2 3,4,5Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
"Lady Cop Makes Trouble" is the second in a series of historical mysteries featuring Constance Kopp. The author, Amy Stewart, has researched 1915 New York and New Jersey newspapers to create a fictional story that includes some actual events that happened to the real Constance Kopp. She works for the sheriff which was an unusual, modern job for a woman at that time. Constance is a tall, strong woman who can be both stubborn and vulnerable. When she makes mistakes, she tries to put things right. Her job requires compassion for the unfortunate, and toughness for hardened criminals. The book's plot involves Constance tracking and capturing a criminal who escaped from a hospital. Humor and attention to historical detail help make this an entertaining read.
+10 task
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 50
10.7 Dead Poet's SocietyAn Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
"An Inspector Calls" has themes of responsibility, class structure, and social duty. Set in 1912, Arthur Birling, a wealthy factory owner, is celebrating his daughter's engagement to the son of another industrialist. The celebration is interrupted by Inspector Goole who is conducting an investigation of the suicide of a working class woman. As the Inspector questions the family members in the dining room, it becomes obvious that each person had a connection to the young woman and had treated her badly. A chain of events led to her despair. The drama is thought-provoking with interesting psychological profiles and a strong moral message. Written soon after the conclusion of World War II in 1945, during a difficult economic time in Great Britain, it also has political and social interpretations.
+10 task
+10 combo (10.2, 10.3)
+10 review
Task total: 30
Grand total: 30
Would Longbourn by Jo Baker work? It has characters from Pride and Prejudice, but the book is told from the servants' point of view.
Here are some physician writers that I am checking out:Anton Chekhov
Arthur Conan Doyle
Khaled Hosseini
W. Somerset Maugham
Michael Crichton
Mikhail Bulgakov
Atul Gawande
Ethan Canin
Oliver Sacks
Sherwin B. Nuland
Tess Gerritsen
Michael Palmer
Robin Cook
Siddhartha Mukherjee
I also loved the three books that Anika recommended.
Beth wrote: "I was able to go to my favorite used bookstore last weekend and had trade-in credit, which is always fun. Free books! (No cash outlay = close enough) I picked up a handful of modern canon books I w..."Sounds like a perfect day to me, Beth!
I hope you recover quickly, Bea.
Wonderful! I would hate to have someone feel too stressed when you mods are trying to plan some extra fun for us. Thanks for the change.
20.1 Carson McCullersNo Time for Sergeants by Mac Hyman
+20 task (8/25/23-7/17/63)
+ 5 oldie (pub 1954)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 540
Tien wrote: "oh, there will be planning & strategising! I think my former Bingo team members can bear witness to my obsession in having everything mapped out just right ha ha ha I think I may just find that p..."
You certainly know how to whip a team into shape, Tien! (My kids always teased me about being a list maker too. So I completely understand your obsession!)
Karin wrote: "Connie wrote: "I love the light, airy look of your library, Elizabeth.Karin, is that the Boston Public Library? I've been there with my daughter because they have concerts in the courtyard on Fri..."
What a lovely performance hall! I hope you get a chance to visit the Museum of Fine Arts sometime while you wait for your son. My younger daughter went to Northeastern University and Boston College so the MFA was my place to hang out when I went to pick her up.
I love the light, airy look of your library, Elizabeth.Karin, is that the Boston Public Library? I've been there with my daughter because they have concerts in the courtyard on Fridays in the summer.
I'm with you, Karin. I've got some books set in Wales that I would like to read, as well as a play set in England.
I would like to join, but would be a slow reader in March due to some family obligations.It would be great if you could tell us more about how you are going to handle the 15 point tasks. Are we going to be able to use the books in our own plans?
