karenmarie continues to ROOT around her bookshelves in 2017

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karenmarie continues to ROOT around her bookshelves in 2017

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1karenmarie
Oct 21, 2017, 7:34 am

Welcome to my second thread of 2017!

I would like to read a minimum of 100 books total this year. I'm on target for that, with 78 read as of October 21st. Of those, I think a reasonable ROOTs goal is 40, which I define as anything on my shelves prior to 1/1/17. I'm on target with that too, having read 32 of 40 so far.

Here are most of the books in the Sunroom - all, except for Hot Guys and Kittens unread and just waiting to be picked up in 2017! There are 1,791 books I've tagged 'tbr', and 1,603 of them were acquired prior to 1/1/17. There are ROOTs everywhere. ROOTs in the Library! ROOTs in the Parlour! I am pretty sure I can find 8 more to read this year to attain my goal.

...

My take on the Pearl Rule:

Karen's Rule "If for any reason you don't want to continue reading a book, put it down. You may keep it, get rid of it, re-start it, never finish it, finish it from where you left off, but put it down." A different way of saying it is that I abandon books with glee if they're not working for me.

And my ticker. Now all I have to do is remember to keep it updated!



2karenmarie
Editado: Dic 29, 2017, 9:56 am

ROOTs read in 2017

01. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J. K. Rowling 1/1/17 1/3/17 **** 318 pages hardcover
02. The Stolen Bride by Jo Beverley 1/3/17 1/3/17 ** 269 pages trade paperback
03. The Patriotic Murders by Agatha Christie 1/8/17 1/9/17 *** 211 pages hardcover
04. Black Coffee by Agatha Christie 1/10/17 1/11/17 ***1/2 184 pages hardcover
05. The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie 1/13/17 1/14/17 ***1/2 185 pages hardcover
06. Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham 1/23/17 1/26/17 **** 378 pages Kindle 2012
07. Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie 1/29/17 1/30/17 ***1/2 201 pages hardcover 1939
08. One Good Turn by Carla Kelly 1/31/17 1/31/17 **** 215 pages mass market paperback
09. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 2/4/17 2/5/17 ***1/2 140 pages hardcover
10. The Dutiful Daughter by Vanessa Gray 2/1/17 2/5/17 ** 216 pages mass market paperback
11. The Crossing by Michael Connelly 2/8/17 2/10/17 ***1/2 388 pages hardcover
12. Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham 2/17/17 2/19/17 **** 344 pages trade paperback
13. Bleak House by Charles Dickens 2/1/17 2/27/17 Kindle 830 pages hardcover
14. The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie 3/14/17 3/18/17 **1/2 214 pages hardcover
15. His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis 3/1/17 to 4/3/17 14.75 hours audiobook, 275 pages trade paperback equivalent
16. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama 4/3/17 4/19/17 ****1/2 7.5 hours
17. The Big Year by Mark Obmascik 248 pages, 253 pages trade paperback 4/18/17 **reread**
18. Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella 5/17/17 5/22/17 ****1/2 272 pages trade paperback read as e-book on Kindle
19. The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah 5/23/17 5/25/17 *** 384 pages hardcover 2014
20. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 4/20/17 -5/8/17 and 6/10/17 - 6/22/17 **** audiobook 8.3 hours unabridged
21. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn 7/7/17 7/9/17 **** 538 pages mass market paperback
22. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling 6/23/17 7/14/17 **** audiobook 8.3 hours unabridged
23. The Blackhouse by Peter May 7/18/17 7/22/17 ****1/2 479 pages trade paperback
24. The Lewis Man by Peter May 7/22/17 7/25/17 ****1/2 418 pages trade paperback
25. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves 8/3/17 8/8/17 *** 376 pages trade paperback
26. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling 7/14/17 8/11/17 **** audiobook
27. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami 7/30/17 8/12/17 467 pages trade paperback
28. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling 8/11/17 9/29/17 **** audiobook
29. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout 9/18/17 10/7/17 **** 270 pages trade paperback
30. Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner 10/7/17 10/12/17 ***1/2 404 pages hardcover
31. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles 10/10/17 10/16/17 **** 335 pages hardcover
32. The Wyndham Case by Jill Paton Walsh 10/17/17 10/20/17 *** 223 pages hardcover
33. The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco 10/23/17 11/1/17 ***1/2 449 pages hardcover
34. Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie Mallowan 11/18/17 11/24/17 ***1/2 188 pages hardcover
35. The Secret Teachings of Jesus Translated by Marvin W. Meyer 11/30/17 12/3/17 96 pages incl Introduction hardcover
36. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling 9/30/17 12/3/17 **** audiobook
37. Out of the Blackout by Robert Barnard 12/3/17 12/5/17 *** 182 pages mass market paperback
38. The Chocolate Cobweb by Charlotte Armstrong 12/5/17 12/8/17 *** 256 pages mass market paperback
39. Marlon Brando: Portraits and Film Stills 1946-1995 edited by Lothar Shirmer with an essay by Truman Capote 12/8/17 12/8/17 ***1/2 hardcover
40. Versus by Ogden Nash 10/25/17 12/15/17 *** 164 pages hardcover
41. Jefferson's Legacy: A Brief History of the Library of Congress 12/19/17 and 12/27/17 ***1/2 103 pages oversize paperback
42. The Literary Study Bible by Leland Ryken and Philip Graham Ryken ***1/2 1894 pages hardcover

Current ROOT Reads:
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt 11/15/16 318 pages hardcover 2012

3karenmarie
Editado: Oct 21, 2017, 3:52 pm

32. The Wyndham Case by Jill Paton Walsh
10/17/17 to 10/20/17





The description from Amazon:

Philip Skellow has died as he lived - alone, and scorned by his fellow undergraduates at St Agatha's College in Cambridge. They all agree that he fell to his death while robbing the Wyndham Case, an eccentric library of seventeenth century books. However, Imogen Quy, the quietly competent college nurse, does not see things quite that way. Soon there is a second, very inconvenient corpse, and Imogen realizes that she is the only one in a position to avenge the innocent - and punish the guilty.

This book was written in 1993 and the first 50 or so pages I couldn’t tell when the events were supposed to have occurred. It could have been the 1920s or 1930s, but finally technology was introduced and I realized that it was contempotary.

It is told from Imogen Quy’s point of view. Quy rhymes with “why”. It’s a strange little conceit and one that crops up throughout the book. I’m still not sure why she has such an off-putting last name.

I was getting ready to abandon this book because it just wasn’t going anywhere, but then there was a second death. I quibble with the description above - Imogen realizes that she is the only one in a position to avenge the innocent - and punish the guilty. She does keep plugging away, though, not satisfied with the way things feel. She’s empathetic and intelligent and runs rings around the police, even her friend on the force Mike.

The deaths are both satisfactorily explained well before the end, yet the accusations of theft against Philip Skellow, even mentioned at his funeral, continue to bother Imogen. Little bits and pieces fall together and after taking a trip or two away from college, we understand why Philip was apparently stealing books from the Wyndham case. And one final act of kindness makes this book more than it appeared as I was getting ready to abandon it. The clues that lead to some interesting calendar-related events could have been better explained, the coincidence surrounding her epiphany about the meaning of the calendar-related events was laughable, and the seeming incapability of the police to ask the right questions of the witness were irritants, to be sure, but I ended up liking this book. I don’t think I’ll look for the other 3 in the series, but this was a better read than I thought it would be.

4Jackie_K
Oct 21, 2017, 7:42 am

Happy new thread, Karen! From your previous thread, just to say I'm glad your vision is improving, that's great news. All the better for reading with and all that :)

I've only read one book by Jill Paton Walsh, Fireweed (which I read in school and loved, and then reread earlier this year and thought it held up very well, although Walsh herself isn't that fussed about it any more and apparently refers to it as juvenalia). I've got one or two others on my wishlist though, following BBs taken from various other LTers.

5floremolla
Oct 21, 2017, 7:48 am

Happy new thread, Karen! And good luck with your Mt TBR which makes mine look like a molehill :)

6Tess_W
Oct 21, 2017, 11:03 am

Happy new thread!

7karenmarie
Oct 21, 2017, 3:42 pm

>4 Jackie_K: Hi Jackie! Thank you. Today is a wonderful day vision wise! Crisp clear, good distant vision, and even middle-distance much better as I can see birds more clearly in our crepe myrtle.

I'd like to like Walsh more than I do - I have a love-hate relationship with her writing Peter Wimsey/Harriet mysteries as an authorized agent of the Sayers estate.

>5 floremolla: Thank you, Donna. My Mt. TBR is totally dysfunctional. It would take me 18 years of reading at 100 books/year to get through what's here on the shelves, much less what I know I'll be buying over those same 18 years. I had a discussion about this recently with johnsimpson on his 75 Books Challenge thread and we bemoaned the fact that we'd probably have as many pages/books to read in years to come as we do now, regardless of how many ROOTs we read.

>6 Tess_W: Hi Tess and thank you!

8MissWatson
Oct 21, 2017, 4:15 pm

Happy new thread, Karen. Good to hear your eyes are improving, you'll need them for all those books. It's a strange craving, this book-buying, isn't it?

9karenmarie
Oct 21, 2017, 10:15 pm

Thank you, Birgit! Today reminded me how almost imperceptibly things had deteriorated by being crystal clear. And of course buying books is separate from actually reading them. *smile*

10Jackie_K
Oct 30, 2017, 12:47 pm

Hi Karen - I have a quick 75ers question if that's OK? I know you're particularly active in that group as you mention it a lot :)

I don't want to join the group (it's too fast-paced for me, and I think 75 books is just too much for me to realistically ever aim for and I would just find it too stressy), but I noticed recently that they do a non-fiction challenge. Is that something they do every year? And if so, how open are they to non-group members? (I know some of the Category Challenge threads have non-members participating just in those, eg the group reads or some of the specific challenges). I'm going to stay in the ROOT group (assuming it still happens next year) and the 2018 Category Challenge group, but I'm less taken with the 2018 CATs and would really like to add a non-fiction challenge to my reading next year (the bulk of this year's reading for me has come from two of the CATs this year, with the rest made up from the Jar of Fate). If there's another non-fiction monthly challenge there then it would be fun to join in, but I don't want to if it will cheese them off to have a non-member participating.

That ended up being a longer question than I meant it to! *grin*

11samuale
Oct 30, 2017, 12:52 pm

i set up to read 100 book in this year and i arrange the titel but most of the book are not there also in ebook is not available to buy in our country 3 world or east Africa Ethiopia. so my dream is stacked on this little reason. is there anyone who can help me .contact me on samualemas1234@gmail.com

12karenmarie
Editado: Oct 30, 2017, 2:55 pm

>10 Jackie_K: I wasn't quite sure how to answer you, so asked drneutron, Jim, our group administrator. Here's his answer:
We're definitely open to nonmembers/those without threads joining in specific activities. Simplest thing to do will be to star the first challenge thread - follow-on threads will automatically be starred since they use thread continuation to make the month-to-month threads. It'll be up to Suzanne, the host to decide whether she wants to host a challenge next year. It's been pretty successful, so I suspect she will or someone else will pick it up.
Go for it!! In fact, here are the January and October threads to give you a feel for how the Nonfiction Challenge works. You might even want to join in on the November thread.

75 Book Challenge Group January 2017 Nonfiction Thread
75 Book Challenge Group October 2017 Nonfiction Thread

13Jackie_K
Oct 30, 2017, 3:47 pm

Thank you very much, Karen, (and Jim too!) I really appreciate that! I am fully committed with my reading for the two CATs I am involved in at the Category Challenge for the rest of the year, so won't join in any of this year's threads, but will keep an eye on this for next year. Thanks again :)

14karenmarie
Oct 30, 2017, 10:11 pm

You're welcome, Jackie. I hope it works out for you to participate next year.

15detailmuse
Oct 31, 2017, 7:45 pm

>10 Jackie_K:, >12 karenmarie: hmm thanks for asking and answering! I read plenty of nonfiction but like the themes as prompts...and the probable number of book bullets :) I may see you over there too.

16Jackie_K
Nov 2, 2017, 6:44 am

I want to go through that entire October thread. So many BBs, so little time!

17karenmarie
Nov 2, 2017, 7:10 am

>15 detailmuse: and >16 Jackie_K: Have fun, ladies!

18connie53
Nov 12, 2017, 3:48 am

Okay, now I feel I've really neglected my LT friends. You have started a brand new thread! Love it. Happy new thread!

19karenmarie
Nov 12, 2017, 8:20 am

Hi Connie!

You've had way too much going on. Thank you re my new thread and good to see you 'out and about'.

20karenmarie
Nov 20, 2017, 7:24 am

I have finally started another ROOT. I cataloged it the year I joined LT, 2007, but my mother gave it to me for my birthday in 1994 by the inscription. Come, Tell Me How You Live is a memoir by Agatha Christie Mallowan about her adventures in Syria with her second husband, Max Mallowan.

21MissWatson
Nov 20, 2017, 11:49 am

I'm sure Dame Agatha knows about waiting patiently, having been married to an archeologist.

22karenmarie
Nov 21, 2017, 7:25 am

LOL. You're right, Birgit!

I didn't get much chance to read yesterday. A bit of Thanksgiving house straightening prep in the morning, seeing Murder on the Orient Express in the afternoon, and dinner with my friend Jan. Today's busy in a different way - my cleaning ladies are coming in half an hour, then our friend Dwain is coming over to power wash the porches and concrete pad. I need to do the Thanksgiving food shopping and get a document notarized for the Deed-in-Lieu-of-Foreclosure on my mother's house.

And read, of course.

23Jackie_K
Nov 23, 2017, 3:20 pm

Happy Thanksgiving, Karen! I hope you have a lovely day. I am thankful for you and all my other American friends on LT!

24floremolla
Nov 23, 2017, 7:13 pm

Happy Thanksgiving from me too, Karen - sounds like you put a lot of work into making it a special occasion so hope it all goes well!

25karenmarie
Nov 24, 2017, 9:13 am

>23 Jackie_K: and >24 floremolla: Thank you! We did have a lovely day. Lots of hard work, but definitely a labor of love. There were 6 of us and we had fun from 1:45 p.m. until they left around 9 p.m.

26karenmarie
Editado: Dic 3, 2017, 4:25 am

Apologies for the length of this review, but I couldn't resist putting in the poem that prefaces the book, written by Dame Agatha herself. It is clever and fun and along with the Foreward, sets the light-hearted tone.

34. Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie Mallowan
11/18/17 to 11/24/17





The description from Amazon:

Agatha Christie's memoirs about her travels to Syria and Iraq in the 1930s with her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan Agatha Christie was already well known as a crime writer when she accompanied her husband, Max Mallowan, to Syria and Iraq in the 1930s. She took enormous interest in all his excavations, and when friends asked what her strange life was like, she decided to answer their questions in this delightful book. First published in 1946, Come, Tell Me How You Live is now reissued in B format. It gives a charming picture of Agatha Christie herself, and is, as Jacquetta Hawkes concludes in her Introduction, 'a pure pleasure to read'.

Why I wanted to read it: A new movie version of Murder on the Orient Express came out this fall and I had Dame Agatha on my mind. I’ve never read this memoir before, so it seemed like the right time.
A-Sitting On A Tell
(With apologies to Lewis Caroll)

I’ll tell you everything I can
if you will listen well:
I met an erudite young man
a-sitting on a Tell.
“Who are you, sir?” to him I said,
“For what is it you look?”
His answer trickled through my head
like bloodstains in a book.

He said: “I look for aged pots
of prehistoric days
and then I measure them in lots
and lots of different ways.
And then (like you) I start to write,
my words are twice as long
as yours, and far more erudite.
They prove my colleagues wrong!”

But I was thinking of a plan
to kill a millionaire
and hide the body in a van
or some large Frigidaire.
So, having no reply to give,
and feeling rather shy,
I cried: “Come, tell me how you live!
And when, and where, and why?”

His accents mild were full of wit:
“Five thousand years ago
is really, when I think of it,
the choicest Age I know.
And once you learn to scorn A.D.
and you have got the knack,
then you could come and dig with me
and never wander back.”

But I was thinking how to thrust
some arsenic in tea,
and could not all at once adjust
my mind so far B.C.
I looked at him and softly sighed–
his face was pleasant too…
“Come, tell me how you live?” I cried,
“And what it is you do?”

He said: “I hunt for objects made
by men where’er they roam,
I photograph and catalogue
and pack and send them home.
These things we do not sell for gold
(nor yet, indeed, for copper!),
but place them on Museum shelves
as only right and proper.

“I sometimes dig up amulets
and figurines most lewd,
for in those prehistoric days
they were extremely rude!
And that’s the way we take our fun,
’tis not the way of wealth.
But archaeologists live long,
and have the finest health.”

I heard him then, for I had just
completed a design
to keep a body free from dust
by boiling it in brine.
I thanked him much for telling me
with so much erudition,
and said that I would go with him
upon an Expedition…

And now, if e’er by chance I dip
my fingers into acid,
or smash some pottery (with slip!)
because I am not placid,
or if I see a river flow,
and hear a far-off yell,
I sigh, for it reminds me so
of that young man I learned to know–

Whose look was mild, whose speech was slow,
whose thoughts were in the long ago,
whose pockets sagged with potsherds so,
who lectured learnedly and low,
who used long words I didn’t know,
whose eyes, with fervor all aglow,
upon the ground looked to and fro,
who sought conclusively to show
that there were things I ought to know
and that with him I ought to go
and dig upon a Tell!
And in the Foreward we are told It is, in fact, small beer – a very little book, full of everyday doings and happenings.

It is not grandiose, and there are no archaeological discussions or real timelines. This is simply the story of Agatha Christie Mallowan’s adventures on the archaeological digs led by her husband. There are misadventures with cars, bats, fleas, government workers, rooms, wadis, food, food poisoning, fights among workmen, heat, headaches, and stories related to health and lack of it. There are also, alas, Dame Agatha’s prejudices, but also her love of the Arab, Kurdish, and Armenian people, almost in the same sentence.

And finally, there is the love of being away from ‘civilization’, living simply, in real time, as it were, and being able to participate in her husband’s life directly and with his knowledge of his world on display and in charge. Her world of literary success is totally absent, and I think she reveled in this. She loved and commented on the stark beauty of the countryside. She was also self-depracating at her squeamishness about fleas and spiders and the rough-and-tumble of camp life.

There was a constant theme of trying to establish a relationship with the architect on the dig, Robin Macarthy, who was aloof and focused on his work and pretty much didn’t have time for Mrs. Mallowan. This really bothered her. Finally, Mac as he was called, loosened up, and they became great friends. He even designed the dust jackets for 4 of her books in subsequent years.

All in all a fun and informative read, small beer, but fun beer for all that. The only thing I can complain about from a writing perspective is her complete overuse of exclamation points. There were at least one or two per page, and it got to the point that I was on the lookout for them!

27detailmuse
Nov 30, 2017, 10:53 am

>26 karenmarie: so interesting! I think I've read one Agatha Christie but am ordering Murder on the Orient Express to give her another go and be immersed in a train journey. Reading your review brought to mind Julia Child's adventures with her husband.

28Jackie_K
Nov 30, 2017, 11:23 am

>26 karenmarie: Seriously considering wishlisting that (will bear the caveat about her prejudices in mind). It sounds like my kind of gentle read.

>27 detailmuse: I've only ever read one Agatha Christie too (The Mysterious Affair at Styles).

29karenmarie
Nov 30, 2017, 11:39 am

>27 detailmuse: Hi MJ! I re-read Murder on the Orient Express in February of last year. I was going to re-read it having just seen the movie to identify the differences, but after even having taking it down from my shelves, decided not to since it's been less than two years. Have you seen the movie?

I loved the movie Julie and Julia and have the book Julie and Julia but haven't read it yet. Julia loved her husband so much and was so full of life! I really need to read J&J soon.

>28 Jackie_K: Hi Jackie! I hope you do read it, because it is a gentle read as you put it. No earth shattering events, no murders or other crimes (except small ones within the context of an archaeological dig).

30Familyhistorian
Dic 3, 2017, 2:32 am

>26 karenmarie: Come, Tell Me How You Live looks like an interesting book, Karen. I enjoy reading about Agatha's real life as she had such an interesting one.

31karenmarie
Dic 3, 2017, 2:42 am

Hi Meg!

I unashamedly fan-girled a bit above. And yes, she did have a fascinating life. If you've read her autobiography you'll see that it wasn't all roses and cute kittens, especially with Archie Christie, but she was a survivor.

I still have Agatha Christie: The Woman and her Mysteries by Gillian Gill and The Grand Tour by Agatha Christie, edited by Mathew Prichard (her grandson and keeper of the franchise) unread on my shelves. Perhaps one of them in 2018.

32karenmarie
Dic 3, 2017, 4:25 am

I just discovered another ROOT that I read this year but didn't count over here on my ROOT thread.

33. The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco
10/23/17 to 11/1/17





The description from Amazon:

Yambo, a sixtyish rare-book dealer who lives in Milan, has suffered a loss of memory-he can remember the plot of every book he has ever read, every line of poetry, but he no longer knows his own name, doesn't recognize his wife or his daughters, and remembers nothing about his parents or his childhood. In an effort to retrieve his past, he withdraws to the family home somewhere in the hills between Milan and Turin. There, in the sprawling attic, he searches through boxes of old newspapers, comics, records, photo albums, and adolescent diaries. And so Yambo relives the story of his generation: Mussolini, Catholic education and guilt, Josephine Baker, Flash Gordon, Fred Astaire. His memories run wild, and the life racing before his eyes takes the form of a graphic novel. Yambo struggles through the frames to capture one simple, innocent image: that of his first love.

A fascinating, abundant novel-wide-ranging, nostalgic, funny, full of heart-from the incomparable Eco.


Why I wanted to read it: I’ve added this bit to my reviews starting with this one. It’s particularly appropriate here as I’ve this book on my shelves for 6 years and in the Sunroom for all of that time. The title teased me as I moved it here and there. I always said “One of these days.” 9 days ago it finally won.

In an eerie and strange way this book reminds me of the movie All That Jazz. I kept having visions of Death flirting with Yambo, his acknowledgement of Death, and the swirl and frenzy of it.

This book is detailed, intense, thought-provoking, rich, and irritating. You cannot rest on your laurels with this one, as it keeps throwing classics, popular culture, books, movies, history, philosophizing about life, yearning towards his Madonna figure, and war-time crimes at you. The writing is brilliant. Well, actually I mean the translation, as the book was written in Italian and published in 2004. It was translated by Geoffrey Brock, who seamlessly brought us stream-of-consciousness of a 60-year old Italian man as though he lives next door.

Throughout the book there are illustrations and photos - stamps, Fred Astaire, comic books, Mickey Mouse, Dick Tracy, and other little snapshots of the things he's thinking about. I liked these immensely, as they provided an additional link to the verbal ...ramblings... isn't quite right, perhaps meanderings is a better word, more in keeping with Yambo's intellectual quest to trigger his memories.

The book is divided into two parts, although this is not apparent from Amazon’s description or the description on the book itself. The first is Yambo waking up from the ‘incident’ and not being able to remember a single thing about himself personally, which you are expecting and looking forward to. The second is him NOT waking up after a second incident, physically immobile yet remembering everything about himself personally from the youngest time of his childhood.

The last 30 pages or so are a vivid build up, rambling, vibrant, with beautiful full page color images, nightmarish and highly symbolic.

33karenmarie
Dic 3, 2017, 4:42 am

35. The Secret Teachings of Jesus by Marvin W. Meyer
11/30/17 to 12/3/17





From Amazon:

In December 1945, two Egyptian fellahin, digging for natural fertilizer in the Nile River valley unearthed a sealed storage jar. The jar proved to hold treasure of an unexpected sort: a collection of some fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which reflect the teachings of a mystical religious movement we call Gnosticism (from the Greek word gnosis, "knowledge"). The texts are also, with few exceptions, Christian documents, and thus they provide us with valuable new information about the character of the early church, and about the Gnostic Christians within the church.

In this volume, Marvin W. Meyer has produced a new English translation for general readers of four of the most important and revealing of these early Christian texts -- the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thomas, and the Secret Book of John.


Why I wanted to read it: Short and sweet for my 100-book goal and to enhance my year-long Bible as Literature reading of the Bible.

This book is disturbing because it brings into focus for me what I consider to be the emotional, political, and religious questions for why some books were included in the Bible and some weren’t.

These books are vastly different from what is in the New Testament, and The Secret Book of John is a cosmological expansion of heaven and hell by many factors of 10. In fact, the implications of the Secret Book of John are that the unknowable as described in the Bible is overly simplified and the female implications and aspects of God were suppressed. It is much more mystical and mentions many layers and beings never ever mentioned in the Bible.

No answers, here, I am afraid, just more questions.

34detailmuse
Dic 3, 2017, 1:54 pm

>29 karenmarie: I haven't seen the movie. I need to acquire the book, move it to the top of my TBRs, then see the film!!

If I recall, the two threads of the film of Julie and Julia were made from Julie Powell's book and Julia Child's (co-written with her husband's nephew) My Life in France. I loved My Life in France and bet you would too.

35karenmarie
Dic 3, 2017, 2:21 pm

HI MJ!

The book is better than the movie, IMO.

I have My Life in France on my shelves. Perhaps a companion read of both next year? I'm shamelessly reading short books in order to hit both my 100-book goal and my 40-ROOT goal. I've got 9 books to go for my 100 books and 5 to go for ROOTs.

I will make both!

36Familyhistorian
Dic 5, 2017, 1:27 am

>31 karenmarie: Have you read Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie? It's a graphic novel and overview of her life. The blurb on the back:

Novelist
wife
Nurse
Tourist
Mother
Archaeologist
Playwright
Dame

Discover the real life of Agatha Christie,
a thoroughly modern woman.

37karenmarie
Dic 5, 2017, 2:58 am

Hi Meg!

No, I haven't. Haven't even heard of it, but that's probably because GNs haven't ever turned up on my radar. I'll add it to my wish list and thank you for bringing it to my attention. Have you read it yet?

38karenmarie
Dic 5, 2017, 5:44 am

37. Out of the Blackout by Robert Bernard
12/3/17 to 12/5/17





From Amazon:

With the Nazis bombing London on a nightly basis, many families sent their children to the comparative safety of the countryside. When the Blitz ended, the families came for their kids, but no one ever came for Simon Thorn. His name appears on no evacuation list, and none of his belongings offer any clues to his origins. Now an adult, Simon is puzzled by an odd sense of familiarity when he walks down certain London streets. He remembers years of screaming nightmares that would terrify his bewildered foster parents. And he resolves to find out where he originally came from, even as everything he uncovers suggests that, really, he doesn't want to know

Why I wanted to read it: Short and sweet for my 40-book ROOT goal and it was on an eye-level shelf. *smile*

This is well-written little book, full of vivid characters. Simon is raised in the country by the Cutheridges, but finds out after an accidental discovery of familiarity with a place who his birth family is/was. Interestingly, the birth family is much more vividly portrayed than his loving adoptive family. The novel starts in 1941 and ends in the early 1980s, a meandering, peaceful journey for Simon of university, a wife, children, a good job. The events in the past are full of violence, war, bombings, deception, hate, and indifference but Simon’s discovery of his past is mostly peaceful, as was his childhood with the Cutheridges. It ends satisfactorily, and Simon continues his life knowing the truth and knowing that it doesn’t particularly matter anymore.

39Familyhistorian
Dic 8, 2017, 1:26 am

>37 karenmarie: I read it and enjoyed it, Karen. Have you read any GNs? There are some very good ones out there like the March trilogy.

40karenmarie
Dic 8, 2017, 2:59 am

Hi Meg!

I've only read one, Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud for Book Club in August of 2011. I just looked up the term graphic novel, and if it's nonfiction it is properly called graphic narrative, which still gets abbreviated to GN.

41karenmarie
Dic 8, 2017, 6:38 am

38. The Chocolate Cobweb by Charlotte Armstrong
12/5/17 to 12/8/17





From the back cover:

When Amanda Garth found out that she might have been switched at birth with the son of the famous artist Tobias Garrison, she decided to go and see for herself if she was a child of the Garrison family.

And very quickly Amanda was caught in a perilous web of jealousy, suspicion and murder. For only the slim possibility that Amanda was Tobias’ child stood between his son Thone and sudden, violent death…


Why I wanted to read it: Short and sweet for my 40-book goal and it has been calling out to me for a while. *smile*

I do love Charlotte Armstrong. A Dram of Poison and The Gift Shop are my favorites, but all of the books I’ve read by her are suspenseful and tension-filled.

I must say that the back cover is deceptive and one is disabused of Thone’s Evil Intentions early on.

The beauty of Armstrong’s writing is that you pretty much know who the bad guy really is early on. The protagonist(s) might or might not know, but the action is deliberately channeled and focused toward a showdown of some sort. In The Chocolate Cobweb the focus shifts to another character quickly and convincingly and in this case Amanda and Thone quickly learn who to suspect.

It was written in 1948 and in some ways seem very dated, and the whole premise of the book is obviated by the fact of quick paternity tests now. The language is occasionally as old-fashioned as the description of the amethyst beads in the example below, and how many people know what ruching is? But as far as emotions, human relationships, and powerful descriptions go, it’s readable and intriguing.

Bold upright she sat, in a dull lavender silk frock, crisply set off by a little white ruching. Her white hair was heaped high, showing off her small ears, which wore tonight tiny amethyst buttons in the lobes. Amethyst beads, in an old-fashioned design, lay close around her soft neck, on the soft, pale, delicately wrinkled flesh that would be clean and scented. Her cheeks were pink, doll pink, on the round of the bones. Her dark eyes were pleased and sparkling in the candlelight.

So cute, she looked! Cute adorable little old Mrs. Santa Claus, with such pink, clean, brisk, and busy little hands!

Fanny, like a raddled old parrot who had fought age to a draw and now ignored the whole matter with a kind of brilliant indifference, was in shining black. She wore her diamonds.
This is vivid and bold writing. It can be seen as stereotypical, but you must agree that you can see Ione Garrison and Fanny Austin.

The love story is a bit contrived but satisfying and the young lovers so naïve and endearing.

One of her lesser books, in my opinion, yet worth reading if you’re an Armstrong fan or even a fan of romantic suspense. The title is a bit hysterical and overblown, referring to one musing by Amanda, but I must admit that it's why I bookmooched this book in 2009.

42Jackie_K
Dic 8, 2017, 4:11 pm

>40 karenmarie: I didn't know graphic non-fiction is called graphic narrative - you learn something new every day! I read a graphic biography a few months ago, Red Rosa, which was brilliant, and I have just ordered the author's new book, which is a graphic narrative set in the Jungle refugee camp in Calais, based on the time she spent there with the refugees. I can't wait to read it.

43karenmarie
Dic 8, 2017, 4:57 pm

Live and learn, eh, Jackie? I haven't taken any more forays into GN - either fiction or nonfiction!

44karenmarie
Dic 8, 2017, 6:44 pm

39. Marlon Brando: Portraits and Film Stills 1946-1995 edited by Lothar Schirmer
12/8/17 to 12/8/17





The description from Amazon:

Features film stills of Brando's movies accompanied by text based on the actor's 1956 interview with Truman Capote.

Why I wanted to read it: Short and sweet for my 40-book goal and I’ve always had a grand passion for Marlon Brando.

The 1957 Truman Capote interview of Marlon Brando in Kyoto, Japan, “The Duke in His Domain”, published in The New Yorker in November of 1957 is reprinted here, abridged, and with appalling spelling errors and even a few clear typos. It doesn’t matter, though, because it’s easy to go to The New Yorker and read the unabridged interview published in 1957.

What is important in this book is the beautiful collection of photographs of Brando with some commentary, not too much, just enough to keep the flow of the photographs moving and interesting. All his movies through the year of publication, 1995, are listed in the back, along with a brief biography through the fall of 1994.

45floremolla
Dic 9, 2017, 4:45 am

>41 karenmarie: "raddled old parrot" - what a delightful insult! Not that I'd ever use it, but I might think it ;)

46karenmarie
Dic 9, 2017, 7:45 am

Hi Donna!

I liked it, too, and so did a friend on my 75 book challenge thread. There were so many descriptive touches in The Chocolate Cobweb. Have you ever read any of her books?

47floremolla
Dic 9, 2017, 3:14 pm

Hi Karen! No, I've not read any Charlotte Armstrong, in fact, hadn't heard of her. After many years of reading crime/forensic series I've parked them to one side for a while to explore other types of fiction. But I'll definitely come back to them and add Ms Armstrong to my list - easy to remember as my maternal grandparents were Armstrongs - a good lowland Scots name!

48karenmarie
Dic 10, 2017, 10:08 am

If you can get your hands on The Gift Shop or, even better, A Dram of Poison, they are her two best, IMO.

49floremolla
Dic 11, 2017, 4:50 am

They're available on Amazon as books and for Kindle. If I had Amazon Unlimited I could get all of her books free for Kindle ('free' being a monthly subscription of £7.99!). But I don't think I want to go down that route or I'll be loading up my kindle with 'freebies' and all my ROOTing will be in vain. I'll try one and see how it goes!

50connie53
Dic 11, 2017, 7:25 am

Hi Karen

Just visiting you thread and see what you have been reading. To bad Ms. Armstrong's books are not translated. They sound interesting.

51karenmarie
Dic 11, 2017, 7:28 am

>49 floremolla: Hi Donna! I debated getting Kindle Unlimited, too, but like you already have so many books that ROOTing would be in vain. Plus, I only read 5-10% of my books on Kindle. Do you read more paper or Kindle books?

>50 connie53: Hi Connie! It is too bad, because I think you would like her books.

52floremolla
Dic 11, 2017, 5:16 pm

>51 karenmarie: reading more paper than Kindle just now - I choose ebooks if they're cheaper and I won't want to lend them on to my daughter.

My Kindle account is full of books my husband reads because he can't hold a paper book. He can use his little finger of his left hand to operate an iPad. His tastes are pretty typical 'male in his sixties' - World Wars, the Cold War, motorbiking or 1960s pop culture....I occasionally find something I think he'll like and find that it's more to my taste. I got A Gentleman in Moscow and his verdict was 'it was a bit slow', but I'm pretty sure I'll love it!

What about you? Are you more paper than Kindle?

53connie53
Dic 12, 2017, 3:48 am

I'm certainly more paper than Kindle ( in my case Kobo). I only read on my Kobo if I can't find a paper edition of the book.

54karenmarie
Dic 12, 2017, 4:05 am

>52 floremolla: Thank goodness for technology, Ella! I like my Kindle when I travel and run out of paper books, which I always do, and more and more in recent years when I'm reading chunksters and they become too heavy or are too awkward to hold.

This year I've read 12.9% of my books as e-books - 11 of 93 on my Kindle and 1 of 93 as an Adobe Digital Edition, so definitely more paper.

>53 connie53: Hi Connie! Downloading books is a snap, isn't it?

55Jackie_K
Dic 12, 2017, 6:00 am

>52 floremolla: >53 connie53: >54 karenmarie: You've all prompted me to have a look at my stats. So far this year I've read 56 books, of which 29 were ebooks, so just over half (28 on my kobo and 1 on the Kindle app on my laptop). But my acquisitions this year are just over 2/3 ebooks (67 ebooks, out of 95 books acquired). As I get older I find it easier to read ebooks, especially for chunksters (I'm not yet at the enlarging the font stage, but I'll be glad of the technology when I get to that point!). There are some exceptions of course - graphic books, and books with beautiful photos or illustrations. One of my weaknesses is TV travel series tie-ins, and they just wouldn't be the same as an ebook as they usually have so many photos.

I have more paper than ebooks still to read though - the current TBR total is 380, of which I reckon fewer than 150 are ebooks.

56connie53
Dic 12, 2017, 10:58 am

I'm at 11 ebooks/62 books

57karenmarie
Dic 12, 2017, 12:16 pm

>55 Jackie_K: Hi Jackie! Stats are fun. Wow, mostly an e-book reader. I agree about chunksters and will eventually agree about font size. I just read that gorgeous Marlon Brando book, mostly photos, so there will always be a place for paper books.

I don't even count books on my Kindle unless I've read them - I should probably add them to my catalog so I can remember that I have them. I think it's over 100.... not sure.

>56 connie53: Hi Connie! More paper, too.

58Jackie_K
Dic 12, 2017, 12:47 pm

>57 karenmarie: Yes, although the three I have on the go at the moment are all paper books, so I suspect I will finish the year about half and half but maybe one more paper book than ebook. I do really like my kobo though - I like that it tells me (for the kobo books anyway, it doesn't do it for books bought elsewhere) roughly how long I've got left to read, and how many pages in each chapter. I think I read them faster than paper books, because I get to the next chapter and think, without even having to turn the pages to count like a paper book, oh well it's only 6 more pages, so I might as well read them too!

59floremolla
Dic 12, 2017, 12:57 pm

It's just great that there's so much choice - paper, ebooks and audio - which makes it convenient for travel and accessible for people with mobility or sight issues.

And I love the stats side of LT - I'm itching to review my 2017 reading and turn it into an annual report - old work-life practices die hard.... :)

60Jackie_K
Dic 12, 2017, 1:02 pm

>59 floremolla: Haha, yes I get a real nerdy pleasure from working out my annual stats (some I do as I go along). It doesn't even matter that most people will just scroll past it, it's made me happy anyway!

61detailmuse
Dic 12, 2017, 1:09 pm

hmm not a big e-book-er ... only 3 of 76 books read so far this year, 4/67 last year.

>40 karenmarie: if it's nonfiction it is properly called graphic narrative
oh I like this much more than my "graphic memoir" tag, which makes it sound "overly descriptive" vs "illustrated" :) Just renamed my tag. GN is a format/genre I love, my favorites being Stitches by David Small, Spiegelman's Maus series about the Holocaust and Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen series about Hiroshima and afterward.

62connie53
Dic 12, 2017, 1:56 pm

>59 floremolla:, >60 Jackie_K: Love to see them. I like to see stats.

63karenmarie
Dic 12, 2017, 4:49 pm

>58 Jackie_K: Kindle has some of the same info re where you are in a book, Jackie, but nothing works as well for me as a bookmark in a book. Interesting that you think you read them faster. I’ve never made that test. Hmm….

>59 floremolla: I now use all three, Donna. And for stats, I keep a spreadsheet of my books as I go through the year. ROOTs is a subset of all my books, so I post my monthly stats on my 75 book challenge threads. I keep track of male/female, alive/dead, fiction/nonfiction, # of pages read, date added to catalog, ROOT (yes or no), Genre, New Author?, original publication date, month finished, format (hardcover, trade paper, mass market, audiobook, audiobook, audiobook hours), my library/other sourced, ARC?, re-read?, series?, US born, Foreign Born, Author’s country of birth. I love doing this.

>60 Jackie_K: I love doing the stats, Jackie. I add each book as I finish it, too. And I agree that the stats make me happy regardless of whether anybody else looks at them or not.

>61 detailmuse: Hi MJ. Re graphic narrative, glad you’ve adopted the term. I've changed tag names before and have recently been contemplating changing 'ntbr' to 'dnr' for the 807 books tagged that way.

>62 connie53: Hey Connie. It’s just one more way of understanding someone else’s reading. Like today, someone posted their 100 book stats and I noticed that only 1% of their books are by dead authors. I just found that terribly interesting.

Here are my stats through the end of November, for all books read. I’m at 93, with 4 more in process that will definitely get done by year end, so 3 more start-to-finish books by December 31. Easy peasy.

All Reading Stats Through November

64floremolla
Dic 12, 2017, 7:05 pm

Oh my, you’ve set the bar sky-high with those stats! Must give some thought to what I want to track...

I’m also aiming for 100 books read this year. I’ve 91 completed so far, with three in progress. Six will be a challenge but I’ll get there.

65karenmarie
Dic 13, 2017, 7:43 am

Good luck reaching 100, Donna! Confidence is a bit part of it, so I'm sure you'll make it.

66connie53
Dic 13, 2017, 1:56 pm

Love the stats on the 75ers, Karen. Very elaborate! I'm not sure if I can do that. I think you have to be very consistent in taking notes of each book. I tend to forget to do that. But I admire someone like you who can do that.

67karenmarie
Dic 13, 2017, 3:35 pm

Hi Connie! Thank you. I am a spreadsheet girl, so putting it in a spreadsheet that does all the summing for me is easy.

Jim, drneutron, inspired me two years ago with his statistics and I just have a procedure for each time I finish a book.

1. Change 'tbr' tag to 'read' tag if not a re-read. Record rating.
2. Update books read at top of 75 group thread and ROOT thread if it's a ROOT.
3. Update appropriate ticker(s).
4. Record book and all pertinent info in spreadsheet.
5. If writing review, post on 75 group thread and ROOT thread if it's a ROOT.
6. If writing a review for a group read, post review on that thread as a spoiler.

68floremolla
Dic 13, 2017, 6:41 pm

I will look at creating a spreadsheet in January - for now I must read....

69karenmarie
Dic 13, 2017, 6:44 pm

Of course you must read!

So must I! And here I am, hanging out on LT. Back to Blue Monday by Nicci French, the first in the Frieda Klein series.

70detailmuse
Dic 14, 2017, 12:44 pm

Love reading stats, love your stats! I too keep a spreadsheet and it's such a pleasure to keep it up when I begin and finish a book ... almost as good as adding/tagging/etc. books here on LT!

71Caramellunacy
Dic 14, 2017, 12:54 pm

Now I am super-curious what people are tracking in their spreadsheets...

72detailmuse
Dic 14, 2017, 1:23 pm

My columns are:
Title
Author
Nationality
Fiction/Nonfiction/AudioF/AudioNF (next year I think I'll also designate ebooks)
Genre
Date started reading
Date finished reading
Would I recommend?
Rating (1-5 stars)
# Pages
Original © year
© year of my edition
Year acquired

73Jackie_K
Dic 14, 2017, 3:13 pm

I don't have a spreadsheet, but I am going to look back on the year for:

fiction/non-fiction
ebook/paper book
female/male author
% of 1/2/3/4/5 stars

I'm sure as soon as I hit 'post message' I will think of loads of other things!

74karenmarie
Dic 14, 2017, 3:57 pm

>70 detailmuse: Thanks, MJ! I, too, love updating my spreadsheet.

>71 Caramellunacy: I wrote mine in a paragraph above, but will repeat them in the same format as MJ:

Counter (1 for a finished book, 0 for the year long Bible read for pages)
Title
Author
# of pages
Date Added to Catalog
ROOT y/n
Genre
New Author y/n
Original Publication Date
Month Finished
Rating
Male/Female
Living/Dead
Hardcover/Trade/Mass Market/Audiobook/ebook
# hours if audiobook
ARC y/n
reread y/n
series y/n
Fiction/Nonfiction
US/Foreign Born
Author Birth Country

Not all of those statistics make it into my Stats reports, but most of them do. I also record which is my favorite and least favorite book each month but don't report that either and I don't currently keep track of start end date and end date in the spreadsheet, but do keep it in my threads. I think I'll start keeping it in my spreadsheet too. Thanks, MJ!

75floremolla
Dic 15, 2017, 4:00 am

Inspirational stuff, Karen and MJ! I'll follow Jackie and review this year to begin with. It's not like I'm busy or anything... ;)

76karenmarie
Dic 15, 2017, 6:44 am

I think it's fun stuff, Donna, and if you make a spreadsheet or other document and keep it up book by book, it's not burdensome at all.

77avanders
Dic 15, 2017, 9:41 am

Hello... sorry for such a long absence! I kept seeing that "unread" number get higher and higher and was completely intimidated... Finally, I figured it's better to just stop by and say HI. :)
I wish I had time to go through these threads and read all about what you've all been doing and reading! But, alas, I very much do not. But I think of you often!! And my "hello" is heartfelt and repeated often in my own head ;)

I'm not sure how I will remain involved next year, but I will be around in some fashion!
xo

78karenmarie
Dic 15, 2017, 9:49 am

Hi Aletheia! It is so good to hear from you!

I perfectly understand your feelings of intimidation. Reading and participating here should be a joy not a burden. You have a huge new obligation and responsibility. I'm not sure how much I could have been online when my daughter was young, and only wish the best for you as things go forward with Malachi and your husband.

It will be lovely to see you if and when you can visit!

79avanders
Dic 15, 2017, 9:49 am

>78 karenmarie: you too!! I've missed you all so much! {{hugs}}

80karenmarie
Dic 15, 2017, 3:38 pm

Hugs back!

81Jackie_K
Dic 16, 2017, 6:36 am

I've just looked at your ticker - oh my goodness, you're so close to your goal! Hope there's a nice short one on the go to round off the year!

82Tess_W
Dic 16, 2017, 7:40 am

You've got this!

83detailmuse
Dic 16, 2017, 10:30 am

39! Enjoy the final stretch!

84connie53
Dic 23, 2017, 9:57 am

Interesting talk about the spreadsheets, Karen and MJ.

85connie53
Dic 24, 2017, 9:43 am



All good things you might wish for, Karen, for the whole family.

86Jackie_K
Dic 24, 2017, 10:39 am

Thank you for your holiday wishes over on my thread, Karen! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family, and emerge refreshed into the new year!

87karenmarie
Dic 24, 2017, 11:02 am

>81 Jackie_K: Yes, Jackie, only one more book to go! And I’m dithering and have picked up 2 and put them down. I need to find a short-and-sweet ROOT today and get it out of the way.

>82 Tess_W: Thank you for the encouragement, Tess!

>83 detailmuse: Thanks, MJ! I’m on top of it, really, with just a teensy bit of time out for Christmas. *smile*

>84 connie53: I love spreadsheets.

>85 connie53: Thank you, Connie!

>86 Jackie_K: You’re welcome, my dear, and thank you too.

88floremolla
Dic 27, 2017, 7:44 am

Belated season's greetings, Karen! I'm just catching up on your thread. See you in the 2018 ROOT group I hope :)

89karenmarie
Editado: Dic 27, 2017, 6:13 pm

Thank you, Donna!

I'll be there, with bells on (so to speak!) Being the methodical person that I am, I'll finish this year's reads and only then create my 2018 ROOT thread. I'm in a bit of a reader's slump and frenzy right now, frankly, and need another book in addition to the 3 I've got going in order to hit 100.

I will end up with 41 ROOTs this year, I think - The Literary Bible and Jefferson's Legacy, a book about the Library of Congress.

Miscounted! I'm already at 41, and will end up with 42!

I've hit my goal. I actually hit it on 12/15/17!!

90floremolla
Dic 27, 2017, 5:44 pm

I'm also trying for 100 but had to revise my reading list to shorter books and I'll carry the longer ones through to 2018. I've got four to go - thankfully one is an almost-finished audiobook!

Will also set up my new thread when I'm finished - I can only focus on so many things at one time!

91karenmarie
Dic 27, 2017, 6:14 pm

Books is books, and short ones work just as well as long ones. Witness this next review - 103 pages, and this may be one of my longest reviews in recent memory!

92karenmarie
Dic 27, 2017, 6:14 pm

41. Jefferson’s Legacy: A Brief History of the Library of Congress by John Y. Cole
12/19/17 and 12/27/17





The description from The Library of Congress website:

The Library has just published "Jefferson's Legacy: A Brief History of the Library of Congress" by John Y. Cole, the director of the Center for the Book. A well-illustrated, 103-page book aimed at the general reader, "Jefferson's Legacy" summarizes the history of the Library from 1800 to 1992. It also contains sections on the institution's collections, its buildings and the 13 Librarians of Congress, from John Beckley (1802-1807) through James H. Billington, who took office in 1987.

"If ever a library had a single founder, Thomas Jefferson is the founder of the Library of Congress," states Dr. Billington in his preface. Pointing out that the Library, "America's oldest national cultural institution," will be 200 years old in the year 2000, Dr. Billington notes that in its bicentennial decade, "the Library of Congress will honor its founder and renew its commitment to the knowledge-based society that Jefferson envisioned."

John Y. Cole, a historian and librarian, has been on the staff of the Library of Congress since 1966 and director of the Center for the Book since it was established in 1977. His many writings about the history of the Library include "For Congress and the Nation: A Chronological History of the Library of Congress" (1979) and 'The Nation's Reading Rooms' in "Washington, D.C.: A Smithsonian Book of the Nation's Capital" (1992).
The publication of "Jefferson's Legacy: A Brief History of the Library of Congress" was supported by the Madison Council, a national, private sector advisory group dedicated to helping the Library share its unique resources with the nation and the world.


Why I wanted to read it: Short and sweet, a fitting part of the end of my 2017 Book Year.

Okay, I admit it, it’s only 103 pages and I finished it in 2 days. It is informative, lavishly endowed with color plates of holdings and photos of the buildings and Librarians, and doesn’t say as much as it says. There has been quite a bit of political maneuvering and politicization of The Library of Congress since its beginnings in the approval of an Act of Congress for “the accommodation of the Government of the United States” in the new capital city of Washington and the establishment of the Library of Congress.

Books were ordered and arrived in 1801. The collection consisted of 740 volumes and 3 maps. In 1814 the British burned Washington, destroying the Library of Congress. In 1815 Madison approved the purchase of Jefferson’s personal library of 6,487 volumes at a cost of $23,950. The Library burned again in 1851, destroying 35,000 of the 55,000-volume collection, tragically including two-thirds of Jefferson's library.

So many people, over 215 years, have devoted their lives and energies to the establishment and growth of what is emphatically NEVER called The National Library of the United States. Perversely, many donations to TLoC have said that the books were for the National Library. One thing that has been constant over 215 years is the acquisitive zeal of most of the people associated with this not The National Library.

From the Library’s website: The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with more than 164 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves. The collections include more than 38 million books and other printed materials, 3.6 million recordings, 14 million photographs, 5.5 million maps, 8.1 million pieces of sheet music and 70 million manuscripts.

The Library received approximately 15,000 items each working day and catalogs 12,000.

I could go on and on – it’s about books and other cultural and historical material, after all – but here’s the link to The Library of Congress’s Fascinating Facts page: Fascinating Facts

Do you know who the current Librarian of The Library of Congress is? It’s Carla Hayden. She’s the 14th Librarian, the first woman, the first African American. She was nominated by President Obama in February of 2016 and confirmed by the Senate in July.

Learn more about The Library of Congress. Be grateful for it. It’s a stunning and continuous achievement.

93floremolla
Dic 27, 2017, 7:40 pm

Fascinating indeed, and long may this important resource continue as part of America's cultural heritage at a time when 'the arts' seem to be out of favour with government.

Short book in a short time frame > better recall of the contents (so I find anyway!)

94karenmarie
Dic 27, 2017, 10:41 pm

Shhh! Don't tell drumpf that there's an official lie-berry that might be spending money his cohorts could have in tax breaks.

Writing reviews just after finishing books helps, too. *smile*

95avanders
Dic 28, 2017, 1:08 am

Hi Karen!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas & Happy New Year!

96karenmarie
Dic 28, 2017, 7:36 am

Thank you, Aletheia!

We did. Relaxing fun, thoughtful presents. Books, too, of course. *smile*

97avanders
Dic 28, 2017, 10:23 am

Sounds wonderful!

98karenmarie
Dic 29, 2017, 10:16 am

42. The Literary Study Bible by Leland Ryken and Philip Graham Ryken
1/1/17 to 12/29/17





The description from Amazon:

Combining thousands of insightful notes with the complete ESV Bible text, the ESV Literary Study Bible helps readers understand God's Word more fully, in all its richness and beauty. It highlights the Bible's storylines, complex characters, historical settings, literary genres, motifs, theological themes, imagery, and important terms, making the Bible come alive with greater clarity and impact. This one-of-a-kind study Bible is an indispensable tool for devotional reading and in-depth study.

Why I wanted to read it: For a year-long group read of The Bible as Literature.

I started this book on January 1 last year and finished it today. I will only comment on the portions of the text by the Rykens as opposed to commenting on The Bible itself too.

Every Book of the Bible has the following introductory sections. Some have sections specific to either the OT or the NT or even to the book itself.
The book at a glance. Number of chapters and verses and general comments.
Genres. An overview of literary genres applicable to this book.
Table Outline. The book divided into sections with various ways of summarizing this book. A combination of helpful and written to make points with a professor – obtuse and a stretch.
Inferred Literary Intentions. Sometimes helpful, mostly again, written to make points with a professor. I don’t think you can infer literary intentions from the books of the Bible, as it I don’t believe it was written for a literary purpose.
Theological themes.
The book in the master story of the Bible.
The Ryken portions are in light gray blocks that easily differentiate them from the Bible itself. There are always Ryken comments at the beginning of a chapter and occasionally comments to summarize and identify actions, speeches, significant/memorable groups of verses, etc., in the middle of a chapter.

Overall I found the comments helpful if redundant, as there is interpretation of groups of verses many places in each chapter.

The one thing that bothered me was the reference to the NT in the OT sections. Having never read the Bible cover-to-cover before, I was a total newcomer and didn’t want to ‘taint’ my reading with anything else.

Glad I read it, glad I’m done. Proud I read it, proud that I completed it.

99Jackie_K
Dic 29, 2017, 11:10 am

>98 karenmarie: Well done, that's quite the achievement!

Hope you have a really happy new year, Karen, when it comes!

100floremolla
Dic 29, 2017, 5:07 pm

>98 karenmarie: I have to second Jackie on that - well done!

101karenmarie
Dic 29, 2017, 6:00 pm

Thank you Jackie and Donna!

I had the right energy for it this year. I can't ever imagine another year long read of anything else, though. Of course I may surprise myself. I was thinking about Shakespeare, but definitely not in 2018.