Monthly Group Reads: Monthly Group Reads Polls and Voting Showing 501-550 of 1,359

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

And just to make everyone's evening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQrKZ...

[Jane]

C.P. wrote: "Curious: why do you think 11th-century Byzantium is ancient? It was called the Eastern Roman Empire, but it was a distinct entity, a continuation but not a replica of Classical Greece or Rome. Rath..."

Wasn't their big sport chariot racing rather than gladiators? Think of the Nika Riots.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

A few hours to go but these will no doubt be our September Group Reads.



I know a good book lost in the Medieval Poll, but I think these two books will be another great couple of reads. Especially for people who want to read both with the group in September.

I'll be reading both. :)

[Lia]

I'll be reading one winner and one loser. Strategos - Born in the Borderlands and When Christ and His Saints Slept

[Bryn]

Lia wrote: "I'll be reading one winner and one loser. Strategos - Born in the Borderlands and When Christ and His Saints Slept"

I'm definite on Strategos and I-hope-so on Christ and His Saints. I got a copy for the group read, but don't know if fitting in 800 pages in Sept is a realistic proposition, either...

[Lia]

Bryn wrote: "... I'm definite on Strategos and I-hope-so on Christ and His Saints. I got a copy for the group read, but don't know if fitting in 800 pages in Sept is a realistic proposition, either. ..."

I didn't realized how thick this tome is until I pulled it out from the pile under the table. My edition "only" contains 746 pages, but it is still a wrist killer. :)


BTW, excellent interview there Bryn. It made me curious to check some of your writing out. :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Lia wrote: "BTW, excellent interview there Bryn. It made me curious to check some of your writing out. :)..."

Oh, that's wonderful. :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Not sure which I will be reading first. but yeah, as mentioned, I will be reading both in September.

I did get scared of the Penman one when I saw the size. :[ I doubted my ability to get both Group reads done when the Penman was that big and I want to be involved in both group read discussions. (I hate missing out on the fun...:D..)

[Bryn]

Lia wrote: "...My edition "only" contains 746 pages, but it is still a wrist killer. :)..."

Mine hasn't come in the mail, and they didn't even display the cover (2ndhand)... I hope it's good!

Glad you're curious, Lia. As always, sample and see if it suits. :)

[Nate]

Lia wrote: "Bryn wrote: "... I'm definite on Strategos and I-hope-so on Christ and His Saints. I got a copy for the group read, but don't know if fitting in 800 pages in Sept is a realistic proposition, either..."

You have my edition! Is your little cloth bookmark still in good condition?

[Darcy]

I'll be reading the same two as Lia. If I can fit it in, I'll read the other poll loser too

Strategos - Born in the Borderlands
When Christ and His Saints Slept
Cleopatra's Heir

[Jane]

I already have out from the library The Road to Jerusalem and it's rarin' to go.

[Lia]

Bryn wrote: "... As always, sample and see if it suits. ..."

Will do... :)

[Lia]

Nate wrote: "... You have my edition! Is your little cloth bookmark still in good condition? ..."

Yes it is, the ribbon still in good condition except for one loose strand of thread at the end.

[Daniel]

probably swap Gates of Fire for the 'Ancient read' I have had it for a while, and been meaning to get to it

[Eileen]

I've already read The Sunne in Splendor and Strategos, so I guess I will have to try The Road to Jerusalem. Sounds interesting.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Will be good to see some familiar faces on both September Group Reads. :-)

[Nick]

Ordered Strategos, only because I saw the Arn films in Swedish years ago, so know what happens :(

Byzantine history does fascinate me. My wife is Turkish, and we spent the summer looking around Byzantine and crusader ruins around Silifke, South Turkey. In the past we've also gone hunting for the sites around Istanbul. Awesome stuff!

[Nick]

Also, I've never done a group read before... I'm sort of excited!

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Nick wrote: "Ordered Strategos, only because I saw the Arn films in Swedish years ago, so know what happens :(

Byzantine history does fascinate me. My wife is Turkish, and we spent the summer looking around By..."

Your wife's Turkish. You must eat well. I love the freshness of the Turk's food culture.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Nick wrote: "Also, I've never done a group read before... I'm sort of excited!"


Hehe. :-) I still get excited when a group read starts. Fun reading with others.

[Nick]

Terri wrote: "Your wife's Turkish. You must eat well. I love the freshness of the Turk's food culture.."

You'd think so wouldn't you? But I do all the cooking!

I love it when we visit the in-laws though, my word, that is not a country that likes to see a skinny man!

Incidentally, we both worked together in a Turkish restaurant in Randwick, Sydney. She was the waitress and I was in the kitchens as the grill chef.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Really? Well isn't it a small world. I live in Queensland, so not super small, if you had said a town or suburb in Queensland it would have been smaller. :-)

I am now craving some Turkish food....*eye lids droop*.....

[Nick]

Terri wrote: "Really? Well isn't it a small world. I live in Queensland, so not super small, if you had said a town or suburb in Queensland it would have been smaller. :-)

I am now craving some Turkish food......"

We didn't get to Queensland. Tried twice. First time there were the massive floods and the highway was under water, second time the car we were living in died at a place called John's River. We saw a lot of the country though, drove from Perth to NSW.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

This is recent then? Last three years? QLD and NSW have flooding every wet season, but in the last three/four years Northern NSW and most of QLD have had some record flooding.

[Nick]

January / February 2011 we were just below QLD, we met loads of families living in their cars / camper vans because the creeks had risen cutting them off from their homes, or else their homes had been destroyed.

They kept asking us if we had lost our homes too.

"No - we're just tramps."

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Apologies to everyone that the group read polls are three days late. You would not believe how busy my last three days were. Super hectic.

I will release the polls in a few hours. I had settles on three of the four books a week ago, but I am still uncertain about one of them and want to check some other books out first before I commit.

Be patient, my dears. :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Polls are up!!!

[Simona]

Thank you Terri for The Name of the Rose. I'll re-read it with you, for the third or fourth time now..I hope that you'll like it.
(it's an "all-of-us>you")

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I am glad that you will read it with me if it wins. :D

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Sorry folks. Slight screw up on the polls. I put the wrong end date on the Ancient poll and it closed while I slept last night.

I have now reopened it. It was supposed to end on the 15th.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Two close races again.

Don't worry. If there is a tie break, I will jump off whatever I voted for and break it at the last minute if I have to.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I meant to say...I am in love with this Name of the Rose cover.
Simply stunning!!!



I need to check to see if that edition is still available for purchase.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

yeehaa! It is still available and it is the cheapest edition. If it wins the poll I will buy it.

[Nick]

I loved the film as a child. Suitably disturbing for a minor...

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I am not sure how old I was. A young teen I think. Will have to double check.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Goodness. Yes. I was twelve or thirteen when it was released.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I think we are giving away our ages.....;)...I am not sure us ladies should be doing that.

[Simona]

Yes we should. So everybody will say:"Really? You seem ten years younger!"

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

That would be nice. :)

[Dawn]

Oh, definitely. Cookie Monster only looks about 21, very young looking!! ;)

[Simona]

It's the blue fur, you know, very girly.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

And the bulging eyes. No botox or brow lifts there! Those lids stay up on their own baby.

[Simona]

And don't forget they're slightly crossed. Just like Venus, they say.

[Dawn]

It must be the diet that keeps cookie monster looking so young, I wish it worked for the rest of us!! :)

[Simona]

Of course. Fat, carbo and chocolate: all the major food groups are covered. ;)

[Dawn]

Definitely....especially chocolate!!

Which according to my family is actually a vegetable and thus a very important food.
We do argue whether it's a fruit or vegetable but the outcome is the same.....eating lots of chocolate. :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Dawn wrote: "Definitely....especially chocolate!!

Which according to my family is actually a vegetable and thus a very important food.
We do argue whether it's a fruit or vegetable but the outcome is the same...."


Well I can go you one better. It is a seed. And dieticians or specialists are always saying we should incorporate more seeds and grains in our diet.

[Dawn]

Ah-ha, but it's not a bread....so a veggie seed or a fruit seed?? :)

[Darcy]

It's neither, it's kind of like sunflower seeds - edible but neither fruit nor veg.