You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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So, Tell Us About Yourself
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Cherie
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Aug 16, 2015 06:40AM
Good morning fellow readers. I didn't sleep well - my aches have aches from the yard work, but since I'm awake, I decided to read some more. Holmes and Watson are on their way to Scotland and are meeting with Sherlock's brother, Mycroft on the train.
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Rusalka wrote: "I've been reading Jar City out in the sunshine today (yay almost spring!).I picked this one, as it's set in Iceland, and I've wanted to go to Iceland as long I can remember. My Mum ..."
Rus, there is an excellent movie made of that book. I believe it is an Icelandic production, and both DH and I really enjoyed it.
I've not read through this thread yet. Will catch up later. I chose a book but I still haven't had chance to start it so it looks like it's going to be a toppler fail for me.
Berit wrote: "Susan, is your daughter in this group??? I only ask that because I think somebody else was reading that as a mother daughter read and it wasn't you :-)"Good catch, Berit. Yes! My daughter is a member of this group. She recommended GR to me last December as a way to keep track of what I read and get some recommendations for what to read next as a change from wandering the library and local book stores. I found YLTO right away and have been absolutely raving about all of you and the challenges, topplers, monthly book choices and buddy reads - so she joined the group recently.
My mom and I do a couple book clubs together, and always discuss similar books we read, but we have very different taste from one another, but we do get at least 2 books in a month we can talk about, because of the bookclub :-)
Thanks Lara! I cover talks about a movie but I didn't really pay attention. I will have to loo it up now! I noticed that Iceland has less people in it than my city now. We have 356 000, they have 323 000, but they have a film industry. Constantly surprised by that little island.NAwww Susan. There are a few mother daughter teams circulating around in here.
Oh and bed time for me. I will check in tomorrow at work. But happy end of topplering to everyone.
OK. Since I was up early I finished up another book for the toppler - Taking the Lead: Lessons from a Life in Motion by Derek Hough. True confession time --- watching Dancing with the Stars is a guilty pleasure of mine. I particularly love watching Derek dance and am in awe of his choreography and the way he brings out the most in his partners.I have always loved to dance and to watch dance. I wanted to be a ballerina when I was a little girl and can still remember the magic of watching The Nutcracker in Frankfurt as a child. Another treasured set of memories is going to The Nutcracker with my daughter, mother and grandmother every Christmas. It's become a family tradition for us.
My husband bought tickets to see Rudolph Nuryev for my birthday when we had just started dating telling me that he figured I'd at least keep dating him until the performance which was in six months. Since we've been married 27 years now, I guess it worked. He and I have taken ballroom dance classes several times since we've been married and I've gotten him hooked. My favorite dance to do is the tango and his is the jive.
And while I love ballet and ballroom, I have been known to burst out into spontaneous dancing when disco comes on, heehee. Disco was quite a part of my formative years growing up and still brings back great memories. So if there's music on, chances are I'm dancing even if only on the inside.
Berit wrote: "My mom and I do a couple book clubs together, and always discuss similar books we read, but we have very different taste from one another, but we do get at least 2 books in a month we can talk abou..."This is a first for us so I'm looking forward to it. My mom and I have fairly similar tastes in books and have always recommended books back and forth to each other. Now that my daughter is finished with school and actually has time to read for pleasure we are looking forward to reading the same things together now and then for fun.
Stopped last night at 40 pages left. Finished this morning.
Too funny, TJ! My hubby and I took our dog to the beach yesterday!! Blake decided it would be a good idea to roll around in the sand after being in the water :pHe got sprayed down before getting in the car and then a bath when we got home. It was a semi-stinky wet dog smell for a just over 3 hour car ride home :) enjoy the beach!!!!
Casceil wrote: "To continue my story, here is Episode 4.I got married in 1989. My husband Peter and I had two children, Jenny and Alex. We had a number of cats over the years. We adopted a mother cat and youn..."
I'm always so afraid of a house fire. I work out of my own home and do have an add-on to my insurance called "Entrepreneurial Package", but how would I replace all those source documents? Just yesterday, I was concerned because I thought I smelled smoke in the building.
I finished my second book! This must be a toppler first for me. I finished Sixth Grave on the Edge. I figured out how to justify it. The main character, Charley, shares her moniker with my father, only he spells it Charlie.
Janice wrote: "I finished my second book! This must be a toppler first for me. I finished Sixth Grave on the Edge. I figured out how to justify it. The main character, Charley, shares her moni..."Good going Janice!
I've also finished my second book with Reading Women: How the Great Books of Feminism Changed My Life, which will undoubtedly be resulting in more books being added to my wish list.
It's a fallacy that we are toppling books from our TBR's, isn't it? I've added more books to my wishlist than the two I toppled off my TBR.
OK, I lied before when I said I was going to catch up on the posts. I caught up on sleep instead :) So now I'm going to read all the posts I've missed.
I'd say, I'm trying to resist adding any but I just know I'm going to give in!
I've finished my second book, Pinball, 1973, which is one of the earliest works by Haruki Murakami. It's also book #2 of his series, The Rat. So what am I doing now? Downloading books #3 and #4 to complete the series - one a library audiobook and the other from Audible.My TBR list has also grown this weekend. Great Toppler!
Almeta wrote: "Finally I read Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and Mary Roach convinced me to commit. She says we shouldn't expect our lives to be saved or bettered, because of someone's donated loved one, if we are not willing to do so ourselves.Have you read any Jefferson Bass novels?"
Stiff is one of my favorite books. It's a good thing gross stuff doesn't affect my appetite - I was eating rice during one section and (view spoiler)
I haven't read any of their books, but I'll have to give one a try.
Janice wrote: "Just what are you reading? I may have to add it. ..."I'm reading Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints: A Brothers Grimm Mystery. So far it looks like a trilogy, although the third book is not due out until 2016, so there could be more after that I suppose.
It is a silly book about Gretel and her brother Hansel (who after having eaten the gingerbread house is now addicted to sugar.) It's all the witches fault! At thirty-five Gretel is working as a Private Investigator.
I am fond of most types of mysteries. Ones that feature personalities who are known in some other endeavor and are written as crime solvers are fun to me. It's why I am fond of Jasper Fforde and his Nursery Crime series. For light entertainment, how can you beat Jack Spratt as a detective pursuing the evil Gingerbread Man? "Catch me if you can!" Shallow, I know.
Gretel .... was fun too, but not written as well as Fforde.
I am also fond of fairy tales, folklore and fables. The ones that really appeal to me are Asian stories featuring talking koi, magic shoes, monkey kings, etc.
It looks like I won't finish my second book, but I am finding it interesting. How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics is about how math is a way of simplifying and approximating the real world. She talks not just about mathematical concepts, but also about the fact that certain assumptions and rules have to be made, otherwise the concepts wouldn't be consistent in reality.The author has some really interesting anecdotes--I just read a section in which she related some odd conversations she's had when meeting people (men) at parties and telling them she's a mathematician. There are also a couple of recipes I want to try as well.
15 minutes to go and I know that I won't finish my book. I have been busy rescuing baby bird from the "paws" of death. I did not know that my 15 year old kitty still had it in her. I am usually not taken by surprise in a book, but a scene in my book Eveless Eden took me completely off guard and has left me wondering how an I ever going to like this character again? I have 70 pages to find out - I am looking at a 5 star read here.
Happy Toppler everyone.
Finished Scents and Sensibility and, as usual, Chet and Bernie got in a heap of trouble. (view spoiler)As always I like a good thrilling mystery. Although, horror is my favorite. But I can't get enough of Chet and Bernie. I can't think of any human or dog who wouldn't enjoy this series.
Janice wrote: "My favourite horror movie was Ghost Story..."Ghost Story was really good!
Can you guess what line I vividly remember?
(view spoiler)
Well, I think this was my least productive Toppler yet. I only read one book. A lot of that is my fault, as I got distracted from my second book and started doing other things.
Casceil wrote: "...My toppler book is The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret by Leann Sweeney. ..."HAD to look at the synopsis of your book. In it is : "the tortoiseshell kitty is a notorious kleptomaniac."
This reminded of a neighbor's cat who would grab shoes and winter boots off the porches of people who kicked their shoes off outside. At first my neighbor tried to find the owner of footwear that arrived at her home. Eventually she just quit trying to keep up. By then, the shoe-less neighborhood knew exactly what house to visit for retrieval!
Lisa wrote: "I am halfway through Strange Meeting and I love it so far. It's quite slow paced but I think it works well here as it is allowing the central relationship to really build and develop. The scenes in the trenches are also suitably realistic and hard-hitting and I like the two main characters a lot. The only complaint I have so far is about the size of the print. It's tiny!"I've added Strange Meeting to my tbr, and a few others from your WWI shelf. The Maisie Dobbs and Bess Crawford series got me interested in WWI, not the military aspects, but the physical and emotional impacts on the men and women. That led me to Toby's Room which was fascinating. I'm looking forward to Regeneration.
Were the classes you took part of a curriculum, or are they available online to anyone with an interest? I'd be interested in looking into them.
I couldn't even open my book. This weekend turned to be crazy busy. Glad to see you all had fun.
Great toppler even though I only finished one book. Hope everyone had fun
Great Toppler idea. YLTO! has several interesting characters of our own!
jaxnsmom wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I am halfway through Strange Meeting and I love it so far. It's quite slow paced but I think it works well here as it is allowing the central relationship to really build and develop. ..."The Regeneration Trilogy is wonderful Jmom. I think you will really enjoy it if you are interested in the physical and emotional impacts of WW1.
The courses I do are online (MOOCs) and are available to anyone. They are provided by a company called FutureLearn and are all free. They offer courses run by universities and other institutions on all sorts of different subjects which usually last between 3 and 8 weeks. I have done several courses so far, usually historical ones but I have done a couple of literature ones as well, and really enjoyed them all. They are good fun. Here is the link to the website if you want to check it out: https://www.futurelearn.com
I failed to finish my book, Jmom. I did get another 50 pages read and will finish it sooner than later. The Ibuprophin kicked in and I got a couple good hours of sleep too. I feel better than I did earlier this morning. I guess there are a couple of hours still left in me to get back outside and tackle more blackberry bushes. I have had some coffee and a bowl of cereal. My nose looks like Rudolph's but I have my hat on and plenty of sunscreen. No weed whacking today so I may listen to a book while I work. Off to Overdrive to see if any of my holds have come through or Armada if not.
Sam wrote: "Oh and I've now started Reading Women: How the Great Books of Feminism Changed My Life just to continue with my ever growing passion and interest in feminism and equality."Oh! I'm into it aswell...
(and share your concern about privacy, sensible data and internet. Sure You know, but I'm going to mention it just in case: the EF Foundation has allways interesting news and tips about the subject)
jaxnsmom wrote: "...Were the classes you took part of a curriculum, or are they available online to anyone with an interest? I'd be interested in looking into them. ..."Lisa wrote: "...The courses I do are online (MOOCs) and are available to anyone. They are provided by a company called FutureLearn and are all free...https://www.futurelearn.com .."
In the USA there's Coursera
I didn't finish my second book so just one completed. I enjoyed my first 24 hour toppler. I went with books I already had from the library. The length was probably a bit much for this toppler. I will have to be more strategic next time.
Tasha☺ wrote: "M&m's one of my favorite snacks and also a favourite snack of my character E.T."Did you know that other labels were given the chance to place their products in the film (E.T.), but only Hershey's accepted? From that point Hershey's recovered her status in the market and her sales rocketed to the sky
That is fascinating, Mariab. : )I love these 24 hour topplers--just enough time to visit with friends and read a little. So much fun!
It has been great fun!
I could not take part in this 1-day toppler (again). But it was fun to read everybody's reasons to pick a certain book and the explanation of the life-link to it.
I read The Chocolate Bridal Bash and finished it about 3 o'clock this morning. This book relates to me because:
1. I'm a chocoholic. People at work know if they want a favor from me, to accompany the request with chocolate, lol.
2. It's a cozy mystery, which is one of my favorite genres. I love how most of them are set in a small town. I grew up in a small town and thought it was great, such a feeling of community and comraderie. I also like how you can pretty much find a cozy about any subject that may interest you. Plus since they're mostly series, it feels like visiting old friends every time you continue a series.
3. The author JoAnna Carl is from Oklahoma which is where I live. She also went to the University of Oklahoma which is where my daughter and my money went.
This was a great idea for a toppler, Jmom, I really enjoyed getting to know everyone better.
Lori Z wrote: "The author JoAnna Carl is from Oklahoma which is where I live. She also went to the University of Oklahoma which is where my daughter and my money went...."
Rusalka wrote: "Hey Jmom! Jmom! JAYYYYYMOOOOMMMMM!I finished a book.
I know!!
Finished Jar City. Good little nordic noir book."
Hooray Rusalka! I've added Jar City to my tbr. That's a great connection with your mom. I got my love of mysteries from my mom. My sister and I were always trying to be the next one to read her Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.
Casceil wrote: "To continue my story, here is Episode 4.I got married in 1989. My husband Peter and I had two children, Jenny and Alex. We had a number of cats over the years. We adopted a mother cat and youn..."
I love your family's connection with cats and I'm so glad you shared your story. I could imagine those cats feeling so grateful that they chose the right people to trust.
Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "Good morning! I got up later than planned, but still with enough time to finish Pinball, 1973 before the Toppler ends, so I will have two finishes.My face is healing so much faster..."
Glad to hear you're healing so well! Where in Virginia are you going?
Wow Lynn. I knew you were in a choir, but not the extent to which music played a role in your life. How wonderful to have something that you love and that brings you so much joy.
I'm exhausted! I went to my sewing group today and packed up around 3:00. I had fizzled out. I guess reading till 2:00 in the morning is a bad idea if you want to be productive the next day.Great toppler as usual, j'mom. You have some great ideas.
Loved all the frogs, Almeta.
I think I'm headed to bed early tonight.
Janice wrote: "I finished my second book! This must be a toppler first for me. I finished Sixth Grave on the Edge. I figured out how to justify it. The main character, Charley, shares her moni..."I think admitting a strong attraction to Reyes might be a better connection?
jaxnsmom wrote: "Glad to hear you're healing so well! Where in Virginia are you going?"We're going to Norfolk for my niece's wedding. It will be a quick trip - Thursday to Sunday - but I'll see 6 of my 9 brothers and sisters, plus my daughter's coming from California.
Thanks for a great Toppler!
Lisa wrote: "The courses I do are online (MOOCs) and are available to anyone. They are provided by a company called FutureLearn and are all free. They offer courses run by universities and other institutions on all sorts of different subjects which usually last between 3 and 8 weeks. I have done several courses so far, usually historical ones but I have done a couple of literature ones as well, and really enjoyed them all. They are good fun. Here is the link to the website if you want to check it out: https://www.futurelearn.com"Thanks, I'll check it out. I was hoping it was through a MOOC. I've taken a few courses from Coursera, which works the same way.
Yes, I was later than I planned on catching up here. I totally blame Janice for turning this into more of a Nappler than a Toppler. At least I read one book, and enjoyed it.It was interesting to see everyone's connections to their books, and to learn more about each other. I loved seeing all the family stories and the childhood memories, plus all the other stories. Thanks to everyone for sharing part of themselves!!
jaxnsmom wrote: "Janice wrote: "I finished my second book! This must be a toppler first for me. I finished Sixth Grave on the Edge. I figured out how to justify it. The main character, Charley, ..."I admit nothing.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
The Italian Secretary (other topics)Pinball, 1973 (other topics)
Sixth Grave on the Edge (other topics)
Sixth Grave on the Edge (other topics)
Sixth Grave on the Edge (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Haruki Murakami (other topics)Jasper Fforde (other topics)
Haruki Murakami (other topics)
Meg Elison (other topics)
Susan Scarf Merrell (other topics)
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