I am still one book behind on my Goodreads’ challenge, but I’m making progress. I vowed to finish both Chaucer’s Tale and Rubicon by today; that did not happen. However, at least I’m not spiraling out of control.

Like students returning from a field trip, the Wheel of Time has returned to

Just 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.

Along with Rubicon by Tom Holland, I’m reading Death in Florence: The Medici, Savonarola, and the Battle for the Soul of a Renaissance City by Paul Strathern.

The Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 15:

This last was a mission of the utmost importance, 
for Lorenzo was expected to persuade Pope Paul II
to grant to the Medici bank the monopoly on 
operating and distribution rights for the highly 
lucrative Tolfa alum mines owned by the papacy.

At the time alum was the mineral salt used to fix 
dyes on cloth, making it an essential ingredient in 
the thriving textile industries of Florence and 
Venice, as well as those in the Low Countries and 
England. 

In Retrospect

I gave Chaucer’s Tale: 1386 and the Road to Canterbury by Paul Strohm 4 stars. It was good, but not great. The first half offered a decent look at Chaucer’s London, but not Chaucer himself.

What have you been reading?

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

Drop a note in the prompt box!

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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

Just 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.

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?

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.