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[Reed]

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

[Donnally]

I am reading A Treatise On Universal Algebra: With Applications, Volume 1 by Alred North Whitehead. Whitehead has fallen somewhat in esteem lately, but I think he is one of the premier philosophers of the 20th century. I've read a couple of his later works: An Introduction to Mathematics and Science and the Modern World and gotten a lot out of them. They were written for the general public. This book was written for other specialists in the field. It is harder reading. I've found a few parts I've had to skim, but I'm in the third book and I feel like I'm keeping up with the work and finding it interesting. It was written during the 1890's and published in 1898. His goal is to find a universal structure underlying all the laws of thought expressible as a calculus. Our conventional algebra is only one special example of universal algebra. As he says in the preface to the book: "The ideal of mathematics should be to erect a calculus to facilitate reasoning in connection with every province of thought, or of external experience, in which the succession of thoughts, or of events can be definitely ascertained and precisely stated. So that all serious thought which is not philosophy, or inductive reasoning, or imaginative literature, shall be mathematics developed by means of a calculus." This is monumentally ambitious, which is probably why, though he called this book Vol. 1, planning to write a second volume, he was never able to complete it and all we have is this book.
Since I always like reading two things at a time, I am also reading the historical books of the Old Testament. I am currently in Joshua.
I'm also slowly working my way through The Complete Essays of Montaigne and the early minor English poems of John Milton.

[Reggia]

I've recently started Sunflowers, a novel about Vincent Van Gogh. Besides my love of sunflowers, I've taken an especial interest in him since attending one of the immersive shows going around the country last year.

[Reggia]

Sunflowers was a very interesting read. It had me doubting the choice of historical fiction, but at some point won me over.

I'm just about done a quick read of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe as a companion read with Once Upon a Wardrobe that my book group is doing.

[Patti]

I'm reading Elizabeth Berg's "The Year of Pleasures" and John Steinbeck's "The Moon is down"

[Donnally]

Reggia wrote: "Sunflowers was a very interesting read. It had me doubting the choice of historical fiction, but at some point won me over.

I'm just about done a quick read of The Lion, The Witch and the ..."</i>

I enjoyed [book:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when I first read it at the age of 12. I was living in Oxford, England that year and got it out of the Oxford public libary, which seemed very appropriate. I've reread it since with enjoyment. I've tried the other Narnia books, but given up on them because they strike me as boring.

[Reggia]

It seems I never did finish The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe whenever I last read it (with my children when they were young and had them finish it themselves). Anyway, I know the story is written as an allegory and I can clearly make out each character; however, I was most enchanted with the notion of going into and out of the wardrobe itself. That is what I found the most intriguing... as well as delighted by Lewis's input as narrator, and their uncle/professor giving them advice about getting back to Narnia and discussing it amongst themselves -- just priceless!

"...of course you'll get back to Narnia some day. Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia. But don't go trying to use the same route twice. Indeed, don't try to get there at all. It'll happen when you're not looking for it. And don't talk too much about it even among yourselves. And don't mention it to anyone else unless you find that they've had adventures of the same sort themselves."

[Werner]

I can't believe that back on Feb. 2, when I started my current read, I totally forgot to mention it here! Mea culpa! I'm reading Pride's Children : Netherworld by my Goodreads friend Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt, the second book in her Pride's Children trilogy. (It's a library check-out rather than a review copy, but she did generously donate the paperback edition to the BU library.) The first book earned five stars from me back in 2018.

[Patti]

I just finished "The Year of the Hare" and am now reading "The Red Notebook" by Antoine Lauraine.
The odd thing about "The Year of the Hare" was that when I went to log it, I found that I read in in 2014. But though I didn't remember any of it, I gave it exactly the same rating as I did 9 years ago!

[Bionic Jean]

When that happens Patti I feel quite pleased! It kind of affirms something ... though it could be just that my likes have stayed the same! Sometimes I have a completely different opinion of a book years later though.

I seem to be in a spate of rereads! They are all for different groups, and none of them are ones I voted for. I've just finished Brick Lane by Monica Ali and A Nice Class of Corpse by Simon Brett, and am about to start The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

Happily I'm enjoying them as much as I did before, but feel my next read after this should really be a new-to-me book! (I do have some others on the go though ...)

[Werner]

Yesterday, I started reading a short story anthology, The Haunted Train: Creepy Tales from the Railways: Gothic Ghost and Horror Stories. it's not a review copy as such; but my friend Andrew Seddon has a story included, and I'm reading it from cover to cover rather than dipping into it intermittently as I often do with short story collections.

[Werner]

In recent days, I've started on two new books, very different from each other. One I'm reading to myself, and one I'm reading to my wife.

The former is a Victorian classic, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. I'm reading this as a participant in a common read in another group; but though I didn't anticipate it in my reading plans for the year, it's been on my to-read shelf for forever, so I'm very glad to have the motivation for reading it now.

Barb and I are reading the second book in the Avenging Angels series, Avenging Angels: Sinners' Gold. The nominal "author," A.W. Hart, is a house pen name used by Wolfpack Publishing for all of the authors of books in this series (and at least one other series). In this case, the actual author (credited in the back of the book) is one who's new to both of us, Wayne D. Dundee. (We're not planning to read the whole series; but last year, we read the seventh book, Avenging Angels: The Wine of Violence just because my Goodreads friend Charles Gramlich wrote it, and we liked it so well that when I had a chance to buy this one for a modest price, I took the chance. :-) )

[Reggia]

I just finished Once Upon a Wardrobe which is a fictional account that takes place just after CS Lewis has The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe published.

I'm now reading Slaughterhouse-Five in memory of my brother-in-law who suddenly passed a few years ago (Vonnegut was his favorite author, and my niece is eager to discuss it with me), and have re-begun Adam Bede which Werner challenged me to a few years ago but I got distracted.

[Werner]

Reggia wrote: "...have re-begun Adam Bede which Werner challenged me to a few years ago but I got distracted."

Reggia, I've completely forgotten that (and was kind of surprised by it, since I don't typically challenge people to read any particular book!). I do think it's a great novel, though (even though I've never gotten around to reviewing it --it was a pre-Goodreads read); and now that you're reading it, I hope you like it! :-)

[Reggia]

I hope I like it more than you liked Sound of Music, lol! :-D But if I like it even a quarter as much as I love Sound of Music, then we shall deem it a success. :-)

[Werner]

Reggia wrote: "I hope I like it more than you liked Sound of Music, lol! :-D But if I like it even a quarter as much as I love Sound of Music, then we shall deem it a success. :-)"

Since I watched The Sound of Music for the first and only time back in 2018, I had to check back on the movies thread to see what I'd said about it at the time. (My memories of it were more favorable than unfavorable!) I hadn't intended to create the impression that I didn't like it (though I can see why you might have taken it that way!). What I said was that, being tone-deaf, I'm not really the target audience for musicals, and that the filmmakers did take some significant liberties with the facts. But my concluding comment was, "...if you take this on its own terms and see it as highly fictionalized rather than as a documentary, it has a good storyline, constructive messages, strong performances from Andrews and her co-star, and some breathtaking Alpine cinematography." If I were going to give it a star rating on the scale Goodreads uses for books, I would give it at least three and a half stars, and possibly four.

[Werner]

I'm continuing my reading of K. W. Jeter's Kim Oh series with the next installment, Real Dangerous Place.

[Patti]

Just discovered " Madrid Again" by Soledad Maura- can't put it down!

[Reggia]

I'm sorry, Werner, I didn't intend for that to sound so negative... I actually smile when remembering. But it is nice to know that you would give it a good rating! Although I've read the actual account by Maria, I still thoroughly enjoy the movie.

I remember my mother dragging us around the TV to watch when it first became televised. Then I did the same to my kids, but it wasn't until, er, decade-and-a-half ago that it's come to mean so very much to me. I find the story enjoyable, but the songs themselves have proven very therapeutic to me... lifting me up again and again.

Nice to hear of a good page-turner, Patti -- enjoy!

I've still got a handful of books going, and making better progress with Adam Bede this time around.

[Werner]

The book I started reading in electronic format last night, House Blend, a short (11-chapter) novel in my Goodreads friend Heather Day Gilbert's Barks and Beans "cozy' mystery series, isn't in the Goodreads database yet, since it's not expected to be published until October. Heather kindly shared an advance e-copy with me earlier this year, in a format compatible with my Kindle app; and since my Internet access was messed up for some reason last night, I got a good start on reading it.

[Donnally]

I am reading The Analects of Confucius, and also working my way through The Principles of Psychology: Volume 1. I am continuing to try to learn more about Eastern philosophy and religion.

[Patti]

Taking a break from more intense literary books in translation, I'm really enjoying "Coronation Year" by Robson. It flows well, it's relaxing, and it's interesting to be immersed in the era.

[Werner]

Even though Mexico is a contiguous country to my own, until now I've never read any book set in Mexico, nor by a Mexican author. But now that I'm joining in another group's common read of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, that lapse is being corrected. (The author has lived in Canada since 2004; but she was born and raised in Mexico and sets her fiction there, so I think I can fairly count her as a Mexican writer.)

[Werner]

I've just added The Complete Poetry by John Milton to my "currently reading" shelf, but that's a bit misleading. The edition of his collected poetry that I'm actually reading from is the one edited by James Holly Hanford (Ronald Press, 1953); and besides Handford's introductory matter, I only plan to read Paradise Lost. But once I finish that, I will have read Milton's entire poetic corpus (spread over a 56-year period).

[Donnally]

Werner, I think this is the edition you're looking for: The Poems of John Milton.
I'm reading The Poems of John Milton. I've read Samson Agonistes and Paradise Lost in the past, and I am currently working my way through his minor English poems.
Goodreads hasn't made it easy to find the edition one wants; the descriptions of the different editions are all the same and reference an editor named Claire Tomalin.

[Werner]

Yes, Donnally, that is the edition I'm reading; thanks for tracking it down! It is hard to find a specific edition of Milton's poetry in the Goodreads database, because there are so many; and Goodreads uses (very inaccurately!) the description for the Tomalin edition as its "default description" for editions that don't have one of their own. I've now shelved this one instead of the one I linked to in my post above; and as a Goodreads librarian, I've provided it with an accurate description, and corrected the original publication date.

Earlier, I wrote: "...besides Handford's introductory matter, I only plan to read Paradise Lost.

That was my plan, at the time I wrote that. However, after reading the biographical and some of the introductory material, I've re-thought that, and decided to read the whole volume. That will take a lot longer, and much of it will be a reread. However, none of my prior reading is more recent than the 90s, and much of it didn't make a deep impression on me, even though I do have some notes from that period. A fresh read will enable me to do the entire corpus much more justice in a review.

[Patti]

Reading all the Tony Award best plays from 2000-2022. Just finished Oslo which is astounding. Next up, The Inheritance

[Werner]

Having invested so much time and effort over the years in reading Milton, and having a lot of will power, on this final read I stuck with the collection for five days. But at the age of 70, my tolerance for sinking time into eye-glazingly tedious books just because they're touted as "Great Classics That Everyone Must Read!" is no longer what it once was; so I finally bailed. I won't presume to rate his poetry; but I do have some thoughts on it that might be of interest to some readers, and I hope to post them this coming weekend.

What I'm reading now is a marked change of pace: Real Dangerous Fun by K.W. Jeter, the fourth book in his Kim Oh series. When I finish it, I'll be caught up with all of the series volumes that are currently available in paper format.

[Werner]

Moving from fiction to nonfiction, I've just started reading Highbrow/Lowbrow: The Emergence of Cultural Hierarchy in America by Lawrence W. Levine. Last year, I realized that I've never made a serious study of the history and ideology of so-called "high" culture, to give substance and context to my impressionistic observations; so that's what put this book on my radar.

[Werner]

This afternoon, Barb and I started on the second book of the Barks and Beans "cozy" mystery series, Iced Over, by my Goodreads friend Heather Day Gilbert. (I've mentioned the series before on this thread.) We're both fans of the author, though my favorite part of her work is actually her Viking-themed historical fiction (which is a genre that Barb doesn't get into). This particular series will particularly appeal to dog lovers.

[Reggia]

Werner wrote: "... at the age of 70, my tolerance for sinking time into eye-glazingly tedious books just because they're touted as "Great Classics That Everyone Must Read!" is no longer what it once was; so I finally bailed."

This gave me a giggle, for sure. My niece was in town a few months ago, and tried to convince me to give up reading one of the classics that I keep putting down partly for that reason. I will be very careful what I pick up in the future, but determined to finish what I've started, lol! ;-)

[Werner]

I hear ya, Reggia! :-)

In his comments on my review, our fellow group member Donnally actually convinced me that I should give Paradise Lost another chance, and at least read it in full; so I plan to try to do that next year, Lord willing. But I'm not going to try another read of Milton's whole corpus!

[JenniferAustin]

Werner wrote: "I hear ya, Reggia! :-)

In his comments on my review, our fellow group member Donnally actually convinced me that I should give Paradise Lost another chance, and at least read it in full; so I plan..."

Paradise Lost is a great piece, if you read it slowly. At least it was, for me. Milton may have started with the biblical story, but the poem has a life if its own.

[Werner]

Thanks, Jennifer! Before I read it, I'm planning to read A Preface to Paradise Lost by C. S. Lewis; I'm thinking that might be helpful.

[JenniferAustin]

Werner wrote: "Thanks, Jennifer! Before I read it, I'm planning to read A Preface to Paradise Lost by C. S. Lewis; I'm thinking that might be helpful."

Philip Pullman has an essay on it, too! Pullman references the C.S. Lewis piece, which I have not (yet?) read, but might be worthwhile just for the enthusiasm:
https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/...

Have fun, I hope!

[Werner]

Thanks for the link, Jennifer!

[JenniferAustin]

I am listening to an audiobook edition of The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form by Cormac McCarthy, narrated by Austin Pendleton, Ezra Knight and Tom Stechschulte. It's a bravura performance by Pendleton and Knight, and an excellent short piece of literature.

I may look up the 2011 film, as it seems likely the film will have been quite faithful to the book.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1510938/

[Donnally]

I am reading Rare Antique William Buck / Mahabharata / First Edition, 1973 and Capital by Karl Marx

[Werner]

It's unusual for me to start reading four different books within days of each other. But last week was such a time!

Last Monday evening, I wasn't able to log on to Goodreads because the site was down. I decided to read on my Kindle app instead, but had nothing new to read at the time; so I went looking for a promising freebie to download. The one I picked, after reading the teaser, was Assassin's Vow: An Espionage Thriller Novella by the team of David Bruns and J.R. Olson. So I'll be reading that one sporadically, as I get time to do so. :-)

Barb and I are now continuing our read of the Barks and Beans Cafe' mystery series, by Heather Day Gilbert, with the third book, Fair Trade.

Although Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott didn't win the poll to become a common read this year in a group where I nominated it, it was still high on my agenda to reread. When I discovered a copy of it in the public library in Harrisonburg, VA earlier this week, while passing time there, I realized that (since it's a relatively short read), I could get a good start on it there and then finish it fairly quickly by checking out the BU library's copy here in Bluefield. So I'm in the process of doing that!

Finally, I'm also taking part this month in another group's common read of a short collection of stories by G.K. Chesterton, The Club of Queer Trades. (I'm expecting the last three books on this list to be fairly quick reads.

[Reggia]

After finishing Slaughterhouse-5, I find myself in need of something lighthearted so-o Alexander McCall Smith to the rescue with another installation of the gentle wit and good-naturedness of the very helpful #1 Ladies Detective Agency The Colors of All the Cattle.

Still intermittently reading everything else on my Currently Reading shelf.

[Werner]

Jt, is the Weird Texas book you're reading one of these two: Weird Texas: Very Odd and Weird Stuff to Wonder About! or Weird Texas: Your travel guide to Texas's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets?

[Werner]

Jt wrote: "Yes, I apologise for any paranormal confusion here. Weird Texas: Your travel guide to Texas's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets is the one I am reading now."

Sounds interesting, Jt!

[Werner]

The Covert Guardian: The Unsanctioned Guardians #1, by Liane Zane, is the opening novel of a projected prequel trilogy that spins off from her Elioud Legacy series. She's a Goodreads friend of mine (whom I've mentioned here before) and recently gifted me with a paperback ARC; I started on it yesterday. The book is a short one (155 p.), so I'm expecting it to be a relatively quick read.

[Reggia]

...just added The Covert Guardian to my to-read list.

Weird Texas? Must include Austin, right? At my last job location, someone had posted Austin's motto, "Keep it weird," in my department. Fun town to visit, and I should read the book so I can explore more if I should be so fortunate as to visit again.

[Werner]

Jt wrote: "I reside in the lower Hudson Valley of NY state. There's weirdness here too. Spectrals, apparitions, ghost lights, ufos, etc etc."

Jt, you might be interested in this book: Legends of Sleepy Hollow. The scary stories in this collection, which are set in the lower Hudson Valley (especially around Sleepy Hollow) are fictional, but they often draw on the folklore and other macabre background of the area, just as Irving himself did. (My five-star review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... .)

[Werner]

Francine Rivers is an evangelical author of serious Christian fiction, about whom I've been hearing good things for decades; but though I've had titles by her on my to-read shelf for as long as I've had one, I've never read any of her work until now. This morning, Barb and I started on her historical novel Redeeming Love, a retelling of the biblical book of Hosea in the context of the 19th-century U.S. (mainly California). I'm excited at finally encountering this new-to-me author!

[Werner]

Well, Barb bailed fairly quickly (in the Prologue) on our joint read of Redeeming Love, and I understood why. Rivers chose to start the story with the female protagonist's unhappy very young childhood, as an out-of-wedlock daughter to a married father who doesn't love her and never wanted her, and who made her feel that she has to compete with him for her mother's love. That makes the beginning of the book unremittingly bleak and painful. However, I intend to continue reading it on my own.

As out next book to read together, Barb and I are trying out Girls of Silver Spur Ranch (1913), by the writing team of Grace MacGowan Cooke and Anne McQueen. This is a novel for younger readers, set in Texas in the time of the Spanish-American War; it's a reread for me (although I was just a kid when I read it), but a brand-new read for Barb.

[Reggia]

I suspect this Francine Rivers' book is very unlike her others. It was her Mark of the Lion series that got me back into reading fiction (after the early years of child-rearing). The first in that series had me the most captivated, I enjoyed some of her others, too, to varying degrees. I liked her Lineage of Grace series very much, too.

[Werner]

Reggia wrote: "I suspect this Francine Rivers' book is very unlike her others. It was her Mark of the Lion series that got me back into reading fiction (after the early years of child-rearing). The first in that ..."

The BU library has at least some of the books in those series. I've had her stand-alone novels The Atonement Child and And the Shofar Blew on my to-read shelf for years, and a Goodreads friend also recently recommended her The Last Sin Eater, so I've added that one as well.

[Werner]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is currently on my "read" shelf (my shelving decision for it has varied over the years); but my encounter with it was as a pre-teen kid, and I honestly don't think I actually finished it, though I skimmed the ending. My reaction to it at the time, and my memories of it, was and are pretty negative; but I have to wonder if that's because I experienced it at a time when I was WAY too young for it. So just now, I added it to my "to reread" shelf. A reread will be the only way to assess it fairly.