Like a child riding a carousel reaching for the coveted brass ring, the Wheel of Time has spun ’round to Teaser Tuesday. Continue reading “Teaser Tuesday: Anna Karenina”
Teaser Tuesday: Anna Karenina
Teaser Tuesday: Henri Matisse: Rooms with a View
Like the cycling of thousands of heating and a/c units in the South during winter, the Wheel of Time has spun ’round to Teaser Tuesday. Continue reading “Teaser Tuesday: Henri Matisse: Rooms with a View”
Teaser Tuesday: Disciples
Like a baseball card snapping in the spokes of a bicycle wheel, the Wheel of Time has spun ’round to Teaser Tuesday. Continue reading “Teaser Tuesday: Disciples”
Teaser Tuesday: Jacksonland
The school year and basketball season have hit their stride and should remain there until sometime in mid-March.
With that in mind, the Wheel of Time has turned 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’s book is Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross. and A Great American Land Grab written by NPR’s Steve Inskeep. For those that listen to him on a daily basis, one can’t help but hear him narrate his own words.
The Truly Random Number Generator send us to page 199:
But in the summer of 1829, Evarts was exactly what
Ross needed: a genuine ally who was willing to fight
alongside him as an equal. Evarts was different than
Henry Clay, who supported Indian rights but also
thought Indians were doomed. While Clay thought
Indians' "disappearance from the human family would
be no great loss to the world," Evarts placed them
on the same level as white men.
In Retrospect
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
Author: Joseph J. Ellis.
Although this book adds little new (if anything at all) to the historical record, it is both enjoyable and mostly readable – two qualities which may have helped it win the Pulitzer Prize.
My only fault is the author’s overuse of adjectives and certain phrases – after some time it felt I was reading a fluffed-up report.
4 Stars
Author: Terry Pratchett
This is both the first published Discworld novel & the first novel in the “Rincewind Cycle” – the series of Discworld books detailing the misadventures of the “wizzard” Rincewind.
If you picked up this book after seeing the film The Color of Magic, be aware that this book only covers the first part of the film; for the complete story, you’ll also want The Light Fantastic.
As this is the first book in the series, Pratchett spends a good deal more time (comparatively) discussing the actual mechanics of the Disc. Some may find this dull, while the more science-and-math minded may find such discussion downright enjoyable.
I personally find the Discworld series both witty and funny, but such accolades depend greatly on the individual. Much of Pratchett’s humor is dry and his wit relies on the readers’ knowledge of Earth’s workings and/or mythology.
The Color of Magic is fun as pure fantasy, but also contains splendid nuggets of joy for the more cerebral-minded.
5 Stars
Coming Soon
Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan by Douglas C. Waller
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: Founding Brothers
Winter break has ended and school has started again.
The New Year hit the ground running, and the Wheel of Time has turned 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.
I’ve currently read six books out of the 100 in my Goodreads Challenge.
I’ve actually settled down a bit, and [gasp] I’m only reading one book this week – that’s right, I’m not reading multiple titles at the same time. What is this New Year coming to?
This week’s book is Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis. The Truly Random Number Generator send us to page 37:
But the looming threat of possible injury and
perhaps even death did tend to focus [Hamilton's]
mind on the downside of his swashbuckling style.
He was less suicidal than regretful, less fatalistic
than meditative.
In Retrospect
Since I read quite a few books this week and wrote a review for each one (part of my goal for 2016, remember?) I won’t waste space by repeating it here. Simply follow the link to see my rating and review.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Lee Miller in Fashion by Becky E. Conekin
Heretics and Heroes: How Renaissance Artists and Reformation Priests Created Our World by Thomas Cahill
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Mouse Muse: The Mouse in Art by Lorna Owen
Graphic: Inside the Sketchbooks of the World’s Great Graphic Designers by Steven Heller
Coming Soon
Jacksonland, by Steve Inskeep.
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: Mouse Muse
I’m on my second day of the second week of Winter Break, and although my To-Do list is just about as long as it was when break began, I’m ready to start second semester.
As books have helped keep my sanity, it seems only fitting the Wheel of Time has turned 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.
In terms of reading, this screenshot of Goodreads updates will suffice:
Remember how I decided to read but not finish several books during the break, only finishing them after the 2016 Goodreads challenge starts? This is my progress.
Since I’m reading several books this week, let’s go with Mouse Muse: The Mouse in Art by Lorna Owen. The book is unique, with a different artist and work per spread with no artists repeated. She highlights paintings, sculpture, photography, and even modern art installations.
I’ve abandoned the Truly Random Number Generator for this week, choosing instead to highlight one of my favorite passages. From page 7:
Painters and stained-glass makers honored Saint
Gertrude of Nivelles - who had expunged the rodents
from seventh-century Francia, earning herself the
awkward moniker Patron Saint of the Fear of Mice -
with numerous portraits that included a mischief of
penitent mice at her feet ("mischief" being a
collective noun for mice.)
Those poor, poor mice; hopefully they will find redemption through humanity’s great artists.
In Retrospect
Although I’d intended The Relic Master to be the first book I finished in 2016, I didn’t realize the last few pages were acknowledgments. Thus, I finished it earlier than intended. However, Relic Master was such an engrossing tale I don’t mind the slight disappointment at all. Five stars and added to my “To Purchase” list.
Coming Soon
I’m reading quite a bit [see above] so it could be any one of those – – except Er Ist Wieder Da, with which I’m taking my time [it being in German and all].
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.
Running In My Head 