Book Challenge 2005: January - Page 3

[Mom2baldie]

#2 - The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst

This was another idea I got from the book challenge 2004 thread and I really liked it. A fast, easy read.

Here is the amazon synopsis:

After his wife Lexy dies after falling from a tree, linguistics professor Paul Iverson becomes obsessed with teaching their dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Lorelei (the sole witness to the tragedy), to speak so he can find out the truth about Lexy's death--was it accidental or did Lexy commit suicide?

[isosmom]

I'm in!
I'll set a goal of 52 books for 2005, which is realistic for me. I love to read, but I always forget how much until I pick up a book.
Now this is what I've got to do, say it with me ladies, get off of MDC and pick up a book!

[isosmom]

I got so excited I had to finish my first book tonight!
#1 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

Blurb from the back of the book:
The Professor and the Madman, masterfully researched and eloquently written, is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary - and literary history. The compilation of the OED, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W.C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committe insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.

What I thought: History, interesting, specifically if you're *into* words. Interesting history of dictionaries in general and how difficult they are (were) to produce. Intertwined with the story of the two men aforementioned makes for a good read.

[member]

Count me in for 100 books for 2005. Do books required for school count?

Ladybug we seem to have similar taste in fluff. I am anxious to read the new Enoch, as I loved her last book so much that it's on my keeper shelf. I've read the 2 previous to McLean's newest but I've not picked up the new release. If you read Liz Carlyle, her new book is due out very soon, if not already, and looks awesome; it got an excellent review at this site.

Right now I am reading To Ascend Into the Shining World Again and The Overspent American. The first is for my HBSE class and the second is for fun.

[MamaBug]

I think text books should definetly count. Reading is reading right!

[Indigo73]

I totally agree on including textbooks, especially since I plan on including craft and cookbooks. :LOL

#2 Your Yarn Dyeing by Elsie G. Davenport

No blurb, but it is about dyeing yarn so...

[broodymama]

#3 for LB

yet another trashy romance novel for me...

"My Own Private Hero" by Julianne Maclean

*****
from Amazon:
Could this love nonsense really be worth the trouble?


To Adele Wilson the answer is clear: of course not!


She has seen her two sisters dragged through scandal and heartbreak (not to mention every ballroom in London) to find the husbands of their dreams. And that's why she said yes to the first British lord who requested her hand. And why shouldn't she marry him? He is kind, honest, and not sentimental in the least. Unlike his wilder, taller, more mysterious cousin Damien Renshaw, Baron Alcester. Ignoring Damien altogether would be easy if he were the sort of man intent on seducing his cousin's betrothed. But he is clearly trying to resist her, and his suddenly proper behavior only makes him more tempting to the usually well-behaved Adele.


Indeed, Damien seems to be bringing out another side of Adele, a heady, passionate, exhilarating side. It seems that fate is contriving to teach her -- against her best intentions -- exactly what this love nonsense is all about ...
*****

Selu Gigage - thanks for the tip! I'll keep an eye out for the new Liz Carlyle.

I picked up a few books from the library yesterday - only one is romance so I'll have a little more variety in my next few books.

[grumo]

# 1 The Rule of Four - It is a DaVinci Code like book, but the writing is much much better. It wasn't great, but enjoyable enough. From Powells.com:
The topics may seem esoteric, but the outcome is a detailed and nuanced adventure story, complete with rich character development. Caldwell and Thomason make it easy to root for the protagonists, two college students bombarded with day-to-day life but driven to unlock the many secrets of the mysteries at hand.

[mpeel]

Ok, I am in. But, I have no idea how many books I read. A can read a fluff book in a couple of hours. I read Harry Potter 5 in less than two days. How about I just list what I read and 1-1-06 we can tally up how many that turned out to be. Say minimum 104.

[JenLove]

I want in. I don't know where to set my goal, so I'll just take a guess at 52 books in 2005. With school and work, I don't want to make it just another thing to get done.

I started The Stepford Wives tonight.
Synopsis from Amazon: "For Joanna, her husband, Walter, and their children, the move to beautiful Stepford seems almost too good to be true. It is. For behind the town's idyllic facade lies a terrible secret -- a secret so shattering that no one who encounters it will ever be the same.

At once a masterpiece of psychological suspense and a savage commentary on a media-driven society that values the pursuit of youth and beauty at all costs, The Stepford Wives is a novel so frightening in its final implications that the title itself has earned a place in the American lexicon."

[jayayenay]

.

[Nosy]

I'm in also. I'll say 52 books. We just moved to a town with a decent library. Think I'll go tomorrow!

[loftmama]

Hmmm, may I join you? I'm trying not to hang out on the internet too much and read instead. I think a book a week is a really comfortable pace. Maybe I'll try for 2 a week this year. Okay, I'm in for 100. At least I'll see how close I can get!

Just finished Dan Brown's Deception Point.

I'm now reading Anne Garrel's book: Naked in Baghdad.

Someone mentioned The Handmaid's Tale - LOVED IT!

The Rule of Four sounds good. I think I'll go ahead and request that from the library.

Okay, what's proper here: Do we underline, italicize or use a bold font for the title?

Alright, I'm off to read!

[MamaBug]

loftmama, do whatever floats your boat. I have seen that alot of ppl bold the title so it stands out in the post. I have started to do that as well. Also if you can post a synopsis either your own or the amazon one, and also if you liked it or not.

I am so stoked this thread and the pervious one make up for all the other threads I have started and ppl ignored! :LOL And I just love to read so this is wonderful!

[phathui5]

#3- With Love From Bliss by Ruth Glover

From amazon.com:

"This is the second installment in the Saskatchewan Saga series...I was ready to hear more about my favorite characters from the first book, A Place Called Bliss, but the majority of the book dealt with new characters and it dawned on me, the common thread in these books was the town of Bliss...eventually the story touched on some of the prior characters...
Kerry was a precosious child orphaned by her father's death. She had a penchant for spouting Biblical quotes when she could not verbally express her feelings. Her Aunt Charlotte comes and takes her in and brings her to a whole new world of elegance and sophistication...Kerry (Keren, with TWO e's!) becomes fast friends with Franny, her cousin, who being sickly, is sheltered by the rest of the family...As the two girls grow up, they become inseparable until tragedy strikes Franny. In her grief, Kerry plans to pay back what she considered an unforgiveable deed, by going out west and finding the man who broke Franny's heart and spirit...along the way Kerry will find herself challenged to really understand the Bible in ways she never did before."

[Indigo73]

#3 The Complete Idiots Guide to Creating a Web Page (Fourth Edition) - Paul McFedries

More people are overcoming their digital fears and producing Internet content rather than just absorbing it. Whether their product is a collection of essays, stories, reviews, jokes, or shopping lists, they want to share it with everyone—from family and friends to strangers across the globe. How do they do it? By starting right here. The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Creating a Web Page and Blog—the only book of its kind— will help anyone build and maintain an Internet website or blog. (This blurb is for the newer version that came out in September, while the library's copy which I sucked up is from 1999 - the fourth edition. But it had what I needed to get my new page sorta started.)

#4 The Christmas That Changed Everything - Maggie Lynn Baxter, et al.

This exciting collection has it all--in three brand-new stories by three beloved authors! Days before Christmas, a storm sweeps a small Colorado town.... Shocking secrets are revealed. Couples are united. Families and futures are made.

In Mary Lynn Baxter's A Pregnant Pause, a wealthy rancher delivers the baby of the vulnerable beauty he has always loved. In Holiday Reunion, by Marilyn Pappano, a doctor husband comes to the rescue of his estranged wife--and discovers the secrets that once tore his bride from his loving arms. Finally, in Christine Flynn's Christmas Bonus, a sexy CEO pursues his single-and-pregnant secretary all the way to the altar when he learns she is in need of his passionate protection.

[Patchfire]

Ooh, may I join in? Another place to talk about books!

My goal this year is 100 books... I read over 160 last year, and over 150 the year before that, but with another babe arriving in March, I don't think I'll get that high. We'll see...

I've already read one book this year!

001. Earthways, Carol Petrash. From the back cover:

Earthways is filled with hands-on nature crafts and seasonal activities to enhance environmental awareness. The activities are carefully written and beautifully illustrated. Children play with the elements of earth, air, and water. They develop a respect for nature, for the earth and for all living creatures. They experience the awe and wonder of the world around them.

Children learn firsthand about their dependence on the earth. They can learn how to take stalks of wheat and turn them into flour for making bread, how to be a creator and not just a consumer by making gifts, how to make butter and grow food (even in the city), and how to make outdoor playhouses.

Seasonal suggestions for creating a more earth-friendly home and classroom are also included, in addition to a comprehensive resource list.

[Queen Gwen]

Hey, I finally finished a book -- The Food of Love by Anthony Capella. It's Cyrano de Bergerac-type tale, using food as the "messages" to the beloved. The setting is present-day Rome. Very sensuous, lots of food description, lots of idiomatic Italian (my personal favorite: "Si nonnema teneva 'o cazzo, 'a chiammavamo nonno" -- if my grandmother had a dick, we would have called her Grandpa), a few recipes. If you like to eat while you read, make sure you have something wonderful on hand. I had some Niederegger Lubeck marzipan -- not Italian, but somehow fit the mood.

[Meli65]

Finished one!

#1 "Things I Want My Daughters to Know : A Small Book About the Big Issues in Life" by Alexandra Stoddard

I am a sucker for self-help books and this was a pretty good one -- same old stuff you know (think positive, be disciplined, be kind, etc.) but it's always a good reminder.

[member]

I finished The Overspent American and will begin something new this evening. I am still working on the memoir for my HBSE class.