Category: Books

Unboxing The Shepherd’s Crown

Tuesday was bittersweet. I received a package: the American release of The Shepherd’s Crown by Sir Terry Pratchett! This is also the first book I’ve ever pre-ordered – the first book I’ve ever received on the very day of its release.

However, many of you know The Shepherd’s Crown is the last Discworld novel; Sir Terry passed away 12 March, 2015.

I’m not ashamed to say it:

I took my time opening the box.

I savored the new book smell.

I read the dust jacket.

Then, I placed The Shepherd’s Crown back in the box,

closed the lid,

and cried.

No man is ever truly gone until the ripples they make in the world die away

May Sir Terry’s ripples last forever.

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His fantasies sit alongside – and are the equals of – those of Rabelais, Voltaire, Swift, Kurt Vonnegut, and Douglas Adams. . . . But whereas all these are neatly arranged on the bookshelves, my Pratchetts are strewn under the beds, in the bathrooms, the glove compartments. They have shopping lists, takeaway orders, and Scrabble scores scribbled on the fly leaves. They were part of life. – Frank Cottrell Boyce

Teaser Tuesday: Er Ist Wieder Da

Last week I made a prediction:

School is now in full swing; I suppose my 1-book lead on my Goodreads Reading Challenge won’t last long.

As I type this, Goodreads says I’m “On Track” so I my lead is gone but I also haven’t fallen behind . . . yet.

As my students get back into the school routine and as I try to schedule dedicated blogging and reading time, the Wheel of Time has come full circle to

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

This week I’m reading Er Ist Wieder Da (English Title: Look Who’s Back) by Timur Vermes.

This book requires a bit of explanation:

Berlin, Summer 2011. Adolf Hitler wakes up on a patch of open ground, alive and well. Things have changed – no Eva Braun, no Nazi party, no war. Hitler barely recognises his beloved Fatherland, filled with immigrants and run by a woman.

People certainly recognise him, albeit as a flawless impersonator who refuses to break character. The unthinkable, the inevitable happens, and the ranting Hitler goes viral, becomes a YouTube star, gets his own T.V. show, and people begin to listen. But the Führer has another programme with even greater ambition – to set the country he finds a shambles back to rights.

The Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 243:

»Wir halten also Fest«, sagt ich weiter, »der 
Judenhund ist unter den Hunden zu suchen. Das 
weitere Vorgehen ist naheliegend: Wir müssen 
nach einem kriecherischen Hund Ausschau halten, 
einschmeichelnd, einspeichelnd, aber jederzeit zum 
feigen Angriff aus dem Hinterhalt in der Lage - 
es ist selbstverstaendlich der Dackel.«
 
Approximate English Translation:
 
"So we keep strong," I continued, "the Jewish dog 
looks at the other dogs. The way forward is 
obvious: we must look out for insinuating, 
ingratiating, cowardly dogs, ready at any time for a 
cowardly attack - an ambush from any location - 
every night, we are the dachshund."

Some notes:

I’m reading this in German, but it’s been a while since I’ve read anything in German, so my translation isn’t quite accurate. Hence, I’m unsure of the exact translation of einspeichelnd.

The last phrase probably refers to the original purpose of the dachshund: hunting and catching varmints.

Native German speakers and readers, feel free to correct my rough and probable crude, inaccurate translation.

Er Ist Wieder Da cover

In Retrospect

I’m just finished reading July 1914: Countdown to War by Sam McMeekin; I gave it 3 stars – mainly because the last 80 pages or so just dragged on and on and on and on. The last three pages, though, were excellent and saved the book from a 2-star review.

Now I can start serious reading of  Chaucer’s Tale: 1386 and the Road to Canterbury by Paul Strohm.

 

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

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Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

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Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Teaser Tuesday: July 1914

School starts this Friday; I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be . . . apart from some last minute cleaning I’ll do on Thursday.

Before then, though, the Wheel of Time has turned to

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

This week I’m reading July 1914: Countdown to War by Sam McMeekin.

The Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 77:

The failure of Britain's key policymakers to pay 
mind to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand 
was understandable.  It did not bode well, however, 
for their ability to master events in case the 
Sarajevo outrage snowballed into a real crisis.

July 1914 cover

In Retrospect

I awarded The Greatest Knight four stars. The story was intriguing, but I felt too much of it was derivative.

I gave Food: A Love Story five stars. I had to read this when K wasn’t around, otherwise I kept disturbing her with my gut-busting laughs.

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Teaser Tuesday: Food (A Love Story)

Well, I’m back working in my classroom preparing it for another school year.

Inexorably, the Wheel of Time has turned to

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

This week I’m reading Food: A Love Story by comedian Jim Gaffigan

The Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 12:

I don't mean to brag or anything, but I'm 
preparing for a very big role.  Sure, it's a
cinnamon roll, but I don't want to look like I
can't finish it.

Food A Love Story cover

In Retrospect

I’m about halfway through The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, The Power Behind Five English Thrones by Thomas Asbridge.[Don’t believe my progress updates via Goodreads; the last 60 pages or so consist of family trees, glossaries, and an index.]

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Teaser Tuesday: The Greatest Knight

Being sick means that there’s little to do but curl up and feel sorry for oneself while alternating between Netflix and the TBR.

In addition to an awful summer cold, the Wheel of Time has brought around

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

This week I’m reading The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, The Power Behind Five English Thrones by Thomas Asbridge.

The Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 357:

Earl William now had to find  a way to force entry
into Lincoln.  The royalists had not come equipped
with heavy siege machinery; nor could the afford to
settle in for a prolonged investment of the town 
walls, as the resultant delay might allow Prince 
Louis time to march north and bolster the 
English-French position.

The Greatest Knight Cover

In Retrospect

Since it’s been a while since I posted any reviews [due to time or scheduling], I guess it’s about time to rectify my negligence.

 

The Casual Vacancy coverI looked forward to reading J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy with a kind of curiosity. How would the writing compare to that of Harry Potter? Could she write a novel aimed directly at adults? I almost said “a novel for adults,” but quite a few adults enjoy and identify with Harry Potter.

Yes. Yes she can. Delving into small-town politics and prejudices, The Casual Vacancy is anything but casual. However riveting it may be, I found a few things a bit far-fetched, especially at the conclusion. It left me wondering if Rowling understands how small towns work or if small-town America is that vastly different from small-town England.

Favorite Line:

Choice was dangerous: you had to forgo all other possibilities when you chose.

Rating: 4 stars

Bingo Square: Longer Than 500 Pages

 

Last Will CoverFull Disclosure: I won an autographed copy of this novel from the author’s blog.

That said, Last Will isn’t my typical reading fare in that it’s a romance. However, it’s more a study in human psychology than anything else. It is not a bodice-ripper in any way, shape or form.

The plot was well thought out, but I found the structure a bit lacking. I’m not adverse to shifting perspective, but shifting perspective in the middle of a conversation can be of-putting at times.

Thankfully, most of these shifts were indicated by page breaks denoting who, exactly, was speaking.

Favorite Line:

nothing stood out; but I’m sure I’d find a few in a second reading

Rating: 4 stars

Bingo Square: Author’s Debut Novel

 

 

The Last Hero coverThe Last Hero by Terry Pratchett was a delight to read. The “Discworld Fable” brought back many favorite characters and gave Cohen and the Silver Horde a fitting send-off.

Illustrated by the incomparable Paul Kidby, Last Hero is truly a work of art and the imagination. I was delighted to find many of the characters remarkable similar to the way I’d envisioned them in my head.

Favorite Lines:

Some people are confident because they are fools. Leonard had the look of someone who was confident because, so far, he’d never found reason not to be.

Rating: 5 stars

Bingo Square: A Protagonist over the age of 50

 

A Blink of the Screen CoverA Blink of the Screen – also by Terry Pratchett – was my first introduction to his short stories. They did not disappoint.

My favorite non-Discworld selection was “Mind the Monoliths” as it appealed to the historian and social studies teacher in me.

My favorite Discworld selection would be “The Sea and Little Fishes” as it contained Mistress Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg.

I shall have to seek out any other collections of Pratchett’s shorter works.

Favorite Line:

AND YOU ARE AWARE OF THE THEORY THAT THE STATE OF SOME TINY PARTICLES IS INDETERMINATE UNTIL THE MOMENT THEY ARE OBSERVED? A CAT IN A BOX IS OFTEN MENTIONED.

Rating: 5 stars

Bingo Square: A Collection of Essays

Now, before you start accusing me of cheating, I checked on the definition of essay:

Essays are generally scholarly pieces of writing giving the author’s own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of an article, a pamphlet and a short story.

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

In the Morning

Sunrise

 

Ding dong, dong ding
Hear the chimes ring
From the high tower
Hark to the hour

Roll over and turn off the alarm.

Westminster chimes, really?

Since when did they wake up anyone?

Oh well. Time to get up.

Head to the bathroom for morning ablutions

No shaving nicks – huzzah!

Breakfast of cereal and toast: raisin bran and rye.

Back to the bedroom to decide what to wear.

Will anyone notice yesterday’s clothes?

Walk out the door to

Wait. What?

Dress slacks and a t-shirt?

Inside, there’s cereal on the floor and bread in the microwave.

Touching a cheek to find shaving cream.

The clock reads 2:15 AM.

Sleepwalking again.

somnambulant promptThanks, Vanessa!

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

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