Karen (karspeak) 2017

Discussions75 Books Challenge for 2017

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Karen (karspeak) 2017

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2PaulCranswick
Déc 30, 2016, 8:20 pm

Great to see you back Karen!

3FAMeulstee
Déc 31, 2016, 6:17 am

Happy reading in 2017, Karen!

4The_Hibernator
Déc 31, 2016, 8:46 am

5PaulCranswick
Déc 31, 2016, 8:57 am



I am part of the group.
I love being part of the group.
I love the friendships bestowed upon my by dint of my membership of this wonderful fellowship.
I love that race and creed and gender and age and sexuality and nationality make absolutely no difference to our being a valued member of the group.

Thank you for also being part of the group.

6drneutron
Déc 31, 2016, 12:04 pm

Welcome back!

7ronincats
Déc 31, 2016, 8:37 pm

Happy New Year! (dropping a star)


8qebo
Jan 1, 2017, 4:47 pm

Dropping by to set a star, and wish you a happy new year!

9karspeak
Modifié : Jan 1, 2017, 6:07 pm

>3 FAMeulstee: >4 The_Hibernator:, >5 PaulCranswick:, >6 drneutron:, >7 ronincats:, >8 qebo: Thanks, everyone, Happy 2017!!

1. Don't Even Think About It
I am one of those people who is very, very concerned about global climate change, but it is not something that is easy to discuss in casual social situations. This book delved into the research of why people might remain unconvinced of climate change or avoid thinking about it (most obviously because it's depressing, very difficult to address, and we are all part of the problem). The research was moderately interesting, but I liked the author's specific recommendations at the end of the book about how to best communicate about climate change. Some of his recommendations are as follow:

--emphasize that climate change is happening here and now, and be wary of creating distance by framing climate change as a future threat for people far away, or for non-humans, even if they are very cute
--open up a conversation about long-term preparedness
--recognize moments of proximity (ie, Keystone Pipeline) and create symbolic moments
--create a narrative of positive change
--follow narrative rules, with recognizable actors, motives, causes, and effects
--ensure that a wide range of solutions is constantly under review
--resist simple framing, and never accept your opponent's frames
--be careful that enemy narratives do not fuel division
--create a heroic quest
--build a narrative of cooperation
--stress cooperation not unity
--be honest about the danger but encourage positive visions
--relate solutions to climate change to the sources of happiness
--seek a wide range of views
--invoke non-negotiable sacred values
--tell personal stories
--be emotionally honest
--we must close the partisan gap, beginning with affirming wider values (including respect for authority, personal responsibility, loyalty to one's community, reducing societal dysfunction)
--recognize people's feelings of grief and anxiety
--mourn what is lost, value what remains
--this is a very difficult issue, and we should be responding to this issue with acceptance, compassion, cooperation, and empathy, rather than aggression, competition, blame, and denial

10LovingLit
Jan 1, 2017, 5:33 pm

>1 karspeak: already?! Great...it looks fascinating. You should try Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand about how the denial it's managed to push their message into the public discourse.
Welcome to 2017!

11karspeak
Jan 1, 2017, 6:19 pm

>10 LovingLit: We cross-posted, I think, I added some comments on the book. Interesting, I read some about the agenda and push by groups backing deniers in This Changes Everything, which was new information for me.

12LovingLit
Jan 1, 2017, 6:26 pm

>11 karspeak: yes, I'm half way through that book too. I read a lot on it when I did a paper for my philosophy class. We had to pick a period in scientific history and apply a philosophical angle to it, I chose climate change science and how denialists use it against climae change. It was incredible, the technique used etc. a lot of cross over with techniques of current political soon-to-be leaders....

13karspeak
Jan 1, 2017, 6:27 pm

>12 LovingLit: That sounds fascinating.

14Donna828
Jan 1, 2017, 6:50 pm

Wow, you are speedy, Karen. I still need to open my first book for January! It is The Buried Giant and I need to be able to discuss it with my book group on Thursday. I'm glad I didn't make any resolutions regarding procrastination. In fact, I usually don't make resolutions except the general all-purpose "I want to be a better person"! I am hoping we get to meet in person the next time I get out to Denver. It will probably be sometime in late February. There are some very nice people in the Denver area…including my son, DIL, and 3-year-old granddaughter in Littleton. Happy New Year!

15karspeak
Jan 1, 2017, 9:06 pm

>14 Donna828: I'm not much for resolutions, either:)

16SandDune
Jan 2, 2017, 5:32 pm

>9 karspeak: Climate change was on my mind today when I realised that Mr SandDune was going on to mow the lawn ...

17karspeak
Jan 7, 2017, 10:22 pm

>16 SandDune: And we can't count on snow in December here (Colorado) for skiing anymore...

2. Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler--American Author Challenge)
This was my first book by Octavia Butler, and I really enjoyed it. This is a near-future post-apocalyptic book about a young woman trying to survive in California. I thought it was really well done. The first part kept reminding me of Margaret Atwood's Year of the Flood (athough Butler's book was written first), and the second part kept reminding me of the few snippets of The Walking Dead show that I have seen, minus the zombies. I am on the waitlist for the sequel, and I will definitely try some of Butler's other series in the future.

18karspeak
Jan 30, 2017, 11:44 am

3. Parable of the Talents (Octavia Butler--America Author Challenge)
This is the sequel to Parable of the Sower, and I didn't really care for it. It dragged in parts, and the main characters and many other characters are enslaved for a period of time and suffer greatly and in gristly detail. Ugh.

19karspeak
Fév 1, 2017, 1:12 pm

4. Growing Up True (LT Rec)
This is a memoir of a childhood spent in the country around Denver in the 1950s. It was really well written and very enjoyable. It reminded me of a more modern Farmer Boy. I live in Denver, so it was particularly interesting to me to hear his tales of wide open places that are now crowded with businesses and housing developments.

20karspeak
Modifié : Fév 4, 2017, 7:16 pm

Sex at Dusk

I skimmed parts of this, so I won't count it, but I did read at least the first third word for word. This is a rebuttal to Sex at Dawn, which I read last year. Briefly, Sex at Dawn suggested, using anthropological and evolutionary biological arguments, that humans were actually evolved to have lots of sex with lots of people, and not pair up or have exclusive or semi-exclusive relationships. This flies in the face of typical pair bonding, as discussed in the research, and the book caused quite a stir when it came out.

Sex at Dusk is a book written specifically to rebut the claims of Sex at Dawn, and the author Lynn Saxon succeeded and then some. She absolutely eviscerated Sex at Dawn, going through the book piece by piece and picking it apart by providing a much more in-depth, accurate, and informed summary of the research. The authors of Sex at Dusk, a psychologist and psychiatrist, had very, very frequently taken quotes from researchers out of context and completely misrepresented what the researchers were actually saying. Saxon pointed out every one of these instances, showing the quotes in their broader context. It was impressive and pretty awesome to see Saxon use science in all its detailed glory to deliver a total smack down. The term "alternative facts" did come to mind.

Sex at Dusk is a very detailed and in-depth exploration of the evolutionary biological basis for mating in humans, primates, and various species. A lot of anthropological research is also explored. I would recommend this book only for people who have a strong interest in human evolutionary biology and are ready to wade through very detailed scientific discussions.

21karspeak
Fév 6, 2017, 9:48 am

5. Dawn (more Octavia Butler, the Jan. American Author)
Ugh. This was a well-written sci-fi book, where humanity is on the brink of extinction and is offered a second chance by an alien race, but at a price. It explores themes of being a captive (ie, slavery), including sexual involvement with one's captors, relationships among the other captives when one person has special privileges from the captors, and humanity's aggressive tendencies. Disturbing.

22karspeak
Fév 20, 2017, 10:32 pm

My family and I drove through the small, picturesque town of Salida, CO this afternoon and had lunch there overlooking the Arkansas River. Salida is where the novelist Kent Haruf lived and wrote from 2000 until his death in 2014. The surrounding mountains were very striking.

I've been in a reading slump lately, picking up books and then abandoning them. I tore my ACL a few weeks ago, so that has complicated life a bit.

23ronincats
Fév 20, 2017, 10:52 pm

Sorry to hear about the torn ACL. :-(

24RBeffa
Fév 28, 2017, 11:53 am

>22 karspeak: that's a nice tidbit of info about Haruf. I've enjoyed 2 of his books so far and have "Eventide" on my shelf of TBR's for this year.

I hate injuries - I'm sorry about the ACL.

25karspeak
Mar 12, 2017, 10:20 pm

6. The Boy Who Loved Windows (autism/professional development)
This book is written by the mom of a boy who is born with very serious sensory integration disorder and "autistic tendencies." They receive very good help from a physical therapist with training in sensory integration, and then they begin doing DIR Floortime under the direction of Stanley Greenspan. They see amazing progress, and her son is developmentally appropriate in all areas, except maybe gross motor, by the age of 5 1/2. I learned more about Floortime therapy from this book, and I would like to go to a training for this model, something I've been wanting to do for several years. This book is recommended for people who specifically want to learn more about sensory integration disorder or the DIR Floortime model of treatment.

26karspeak
Mar 24, 2017, 10:23 pm

27karspeak
Avr 8, 2017, 7:14 pm

7. Culture Smart! Costa Rica
I read this over my family's recent spring break trip to Costa Rica, which was a great trip, such amazing natural beauty. This book was okay, not great. It makes me miss the Xenophobes guides to Europe and the Culture Shock guides to Asia, which were so much better.

28karspeak
Modifié : Mai 8, 2017, 12:22 am

I didn't read much in the few weeks following knee surgery, and when I did it was pretty light fare.

8. Silence Fallen
This is the tenth and most recent book in the Mercy Thompson series, and definitely not the strongest. Entertaining, but not great plotting from Briggs.

9. Trading in Danger (LT rec)
The first in the Vatta's War series, which is a space opera. This one was okay for me, not great. The author's writing was too bogged down by minutiae at times.

10. Victory Conditions
Soooo I skipped to the fifth and final book in the series. Not great, but entertaining enough. It was a bit too cutesy, and still too wordy.

29karspeak
Mai 8, 2017, 12:47 am

11. The Hanging Tree
The sixth and most recent book in the Rivers of London series. This was excellent! These books are so dang clever and funny.

30drneutron
Mai 8, 2017, 9:02 am

I need to get caught up with the Rivers of London series. They're definitely good.

31karspeak
Mai 15, 2017, 12:43 am

12. Ninefox Gambit (LT rec; Hugo and Nebula finalist)
I quite enjoyed this first book of a sci-fi trilogy. It has particularly inventive world-building, although I found the ending a little more predictable than expected.

32karspeak
Modifié : Mai 23, 2017, 4:04 pm

13. Dark Matter
This very popular sci-fi thriller was entertaining, although it probably won't stick with me. At first I was disappointed because the plot seemed to be quite predictable, but it went in an unexpected direction toward the end.

33karspeak
Modifié : Mai 23, 2017, 4:05 pm

14. Thirty Million Words (professional development)
This is a book about how important it is for parents to talk with their infant/toddler in order to develop their child's language skills. Um, you think? This particular program, based out of Chicago, teaches parents the 3 T's: Tune in, Talk more, and Take (Conversational) turns. Unfortunately, the book didn't tell how this program had actually gone about teaching parents to change their behavior in order to use the 3 T's, which is the tricky part, of course. The writing was also repetitive. Not recommended unless you have zero idea that it is important for parents to talk to their infants/toddlers.

15. Frogkisser (LT rec)
I really enjoyed the Sabriel series by this author, Garth Nix. But Frogkisser was too YA for me. It is about a princess in a fairy tale-type world who has to go on a quest to save her kingdom from her evil stepstepfather, a bad wizard. She is the practical, intelligent, can-do kind of princess who rises to the challenge, not the needs-to-be-rescued type. There were some very cute and fresh aspects to the book. The royal dogs were my favorite, followed by the magic carpet rides. Recommended if you particularly like YA fantasy.

34karspeak
Juin 3, 2017, 11:04 pm

16. Nothing Daunted (LT rec)
"The acclaimed and captivating true story of two restless society girls who left their affluent lives to "rough it” as teachers in the wilds of Colorado in 1916." I really enjoyed this glimpse, via the engaging letters of one of these women, into rural, mountainous Colorado in 1916. The author did a good job of filling in historical background and details while still keeping the story interesting. Recommended if you'd like to learn more about Colorado in that time period.

35karspeak
Juin 13, 2017, 10:09 pm

17. Off Armageddon Reef (LT rec)
I really enjoyed this sci-fi novel. The first part reminded me, plot-wise, of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and the last part was Lord Hornblower-ish. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

18. The Knife of Never Letting Go (LT rec)
This was a very gripping and creative non-traditional sci-fi at first. Unfortunately this one jumped the shark for me toward the end. And the "big reveal" at the end was disappointing, as well. I won't continue with the series.

36karspeak
Juil 4, 2017, 10:02 pm

19. By Schism Rent Asunder (sequel)
This is the sequel to Off Armageddon Reef. It turns out there are NINE books in the series, with more to come. The pace of the plot is too slow for me to hang in there for that long. As one reviewer pointed out, the books happen in "real time," which means the plot progresses slowly. The first book was fun, though, to see the plot set-up, and to see how the development of technology, particularly weapons, advances from muskets to rifles, etc.

20. Dragonsbane (LT rec)
I read a discussion somewhere on LT where several LTers said this was their favorite Barbara Hambly book. I really enjoyed it and thought it was very well done. It is classic fantasy, with magic and dragons, etc., but still stands on its own within the genre. I read that this is the first in a trilogy, and that the second and third books are very dark and depressing, so I think I will end on this one.

37ronincats
Juil 4, 2017, 11:42 pm

I'd consider Frogkisser an intermediate level book (ages 9 to 13) rather than YA. Yes, it is definitely aimed at a younger audience, but still so darn cute you have to enjoy it.

Dragonsbane is my all-time favorite dragon book. It was not originally intended to continue as a series and I have steadfastly refused to read the sequels as, imho, it ends perfectly.

I just read the new Rivers of London novella, The Furthest Station. Lots of trademark humor there!

I've got Ninefox Gambit on the wishlist, courtesy of Hugo and Nebula nominations, so I'm looking forward to it.

38karspeak
Juil 5, 2017, 12:26 am

>37 ronincats: I think I heard about Dragonsbane from you, thanks! And now you've told me about The Furthest Station, yea!

39karspeak
Juil 25, 2017, 10:26 pm

21. The Killing Moon
This is the first book in N. K. Jemisin's Dreamblood Duology. I didn't care for it. It seemed pretty dark, and I didn't connect with the characters. I really enjoyed Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy and her Broken Earth series, but I will definitely skip the second book in the Dreamblood Duology.

40karspeak
Modifié : Août 3, 2017, 9:50 pm

22. The Bourbon Thief (book club selection)
The subtitle of this book is "A Southern Gothic Novel." I would call it "Southern Gothic, the beach read version." It has a lot of grandiose family drama, very Southern settings (Kentucky mansion and a SC island), multi-generational plotting, echoes of slavery, and a bourbon dynasty. It's about a family with "bourbon in its blood, and blood on its hands." While there was a ton of drama, it wasn't as heavy and depressing as "real" southern gothic novels. It was quite gripping; I finished it in two days. So, recommended as a beach read, if it sounds fun to you. Obviously we need to have some mint juleps at book club in order to have a proper discussion.

41karspeak
Août 21, 2017, 10:42 pm

23. The Rise and Fall of DODO
This novel was a disappointment. I have loved some of Neal Stephenson's past books, such as Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, and Snow Crash. This book was co-authored with Nicole Galland, whatever that really means. The first part of the book seemed very similar to To Say Nothing of the Dog--traveling back in time to various historical periods, with a humorous tone. Then the middle part dragged on, and the ending didn't wrap things up at all, very dissatisfying.

42karspeak
Août 27, 2017, 4:08 pm

24. A Gentleman in Moscow
I agree with this line from the Wash Post's review of this novel: “How delightful that in an era as crude as ours this finely composed novel stretches out with Old World elegance.” Indeed. I quite enjoyed this novel of a Russian count confined to hotel arrest by the new Soviet regime. And perhaps it was all a bit too pleasant and charming, but I was fine with that. I plan to read Rules of Civility by the same author.

43karspeak
Sep 5, 2017, 11:29 pm

25. Sapiens (Obama rec)
I thought this NF would focus more on evolutionary biology. Instead, after a few chapters on homo sapiens versus neanderthals, etc, the author takes a very logical and scientific look at human history. For example, he talks about how religion followed the development of human society: worship of nature for hunter gatherers, polytheism for smaller, organized societies, and monotheism for large, organized societies. And how the recent, modern belief in human rights, human equality, etc, is similar to a religion, since there is actually no scientific/logical basis for that belief system, and yet people use it to determine what is "right" and "wrong." The last part of the book focuses on how biotechnology could fundamentally change homo sapiens, such as downloading a person's brain/thoughts into a computer, or gengineering certain traits. I appreciated his uber rational look at humanity, and it did shift my perspective a bit on a few issues.

26. Our Souls at Night
Apparently this novel has been made into a movie, starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, although the movie hasn't been released yet. This book would make for a great book discussion, since it has so many great themes such as aging, regrets in life, accepting one's parenting mistakes, and accepting the need for family and human intimacy. Perhaps it rings so true because the author was dying of lung cancer as he wrote it, and he wove in his end-of-life thoughts and feelings into the novel.

44karspeak
Sep 12, 2017, 11:52 pm

27. In the Woods (friend rec)
Well-written Irish police procedural. I enjoyed the writing and the characterization, but it was so dang sad!

28. The Good Girl (book club selection)
It was fun reading some of the clever, devastating reviews of this book on Goodreads. I must say, I was initially put off by the title, since it seemed to be attempting to rope in some unsuspecting readers who mistook it for Gone Girl when perusing the bookstore shelves. So, the structure of this thriller novel was slow, since it went back and forth between the "before" and the "after" of some mysterious, traumatic Big Event which caused a young woman to have amnesia. I didn't buy the epilogue, and I guessed a main "surprise" of the novel early on. And the personality of one of the main characters (Thatcher) really didn't match his narrative style. But it wasn't awful, if you didn't look at its cracks too closely. A forgettable airport thriller, just don't expect more from it.

45karspeak
Modifié : Oct 4, 2017, 11:44 pm

29. The Dry (book club selection)
I am currently in two book clubs, which apparently means reading lots of thrillers. Anyway, this started off slowly for me, but I liked it by the end. The author did a really nice job of carefully unfolding the plot, with details mentioned or revealed in just the right places. It is essentially two mysteries rolled together; an old mystery from the past and a new mystery. It is set in a fictional small town in the Australian outback. The Aussie accent on the audiobook was enjoyable, too. This is currently #6 on the Australian fiction bestseller list.

46karspeak
Oct 9, 2017, 11:04 pm

30. We Are Legion
31. For We Are Many
32. All These Worlds
The above three books comprise the "Bobiverse" trilogy. I had very mixed feelings about the series. I enjoyed the creative plotting and world building and the oft-believable projected technology. But the human aspect lacked depth and complexity, although I think the author presented himself accurately in the various "Bobs." I found the Bobs' lack of interest in physical relationships especially odd; perhaps it was just too personally daunting for the author to write about this issue.

33. The Stone Sky
This is the final book in The Broken Earth trilogy, by the Hugo Award winning author N. K. Jemisin. There is a lot of angst in this series, particularly around the themes of the exploitation of a minority for profit and the cost that society must pay for the subjugation of some of its members. Another theme is that of trying to be a good parent when difficult life circumstances intervene. This final book wraps up all of the loose ends in the series, but it is a bit angst-ier than the first two books.

47karspeak
Oct 23, 2017, 11:09 am

34. The Alice Network (book club selection)
A WWI female spy novel. It was okay. I much preferred Code Name Verity for a female spy novel.

35. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (selection by another book club)
I thought the author's characterization of Eleanor, the main character, was excellent. The rest of the novel, as Eleanor develops as a person and begins to come to terms with her past, was well done, but felt so book club-y to me.

I'm caught up on book club reads for a bit and can finally get back to my own list of books, yea!

48qebo
Oct 23, 2017, 11:25 am

>47 karspeak: felt so book club-y
And indeed it was my book club's selection for October. Generally well regarded, but comments about unevenness (to be expected from a first novel) and gimmickry (mother).

49karspeak
Oct 23, 2017, 3:25 pm

>48 qebo: Definitely agree with the gimmickry.

50karspeak
Nov 15, 2017, 10:04 pm

36. The Ladies of Mandrigyn (sister rec)
I didn't like this nearly as much as Dragonsbane, by the same author. Okay but forgettable.

37. Life and Death Along the Colorado River
Excellent book on the water issues pertaining to the Colorado River, and the western US in general. Well researched and well written. The author is a staff writer at The New Yorker.

38. Nutshell (book club #1 selection)
This short novel is a modern version of Hamlet, narrated by a very precocious fetus. Literary reviewers loved this book, using words like "brilliant, dazzlingly clever, a masterpiece." I personally found it pretentious, verbose, and contrived. There are probably some clever Hamlet references that I missed, but nevertheless, I was underwhelmed.

51karspeak
Modifié : Nov 15, 2017, 10:13 pm

I have also spent quite a bit of time perusing The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and Eat Vegan Before 6:00. I'm trying to add more vegan-ish recipes into my cooking repetoire.

52qebo
Nov 17, 2017, 8:01 am

>50 karspeak: Life and Death Along the Colorado River
Oh this looks good.

53PaulCranswick
Nov 23, 2017, 12:27 pm

This is a time of year when I as a non-American ponder over what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for this group and its ability to keep me sane during topsy-turvy times.

I am thankful that you are part of this group.

I am thankful for this opportunity to say thank you.

54karspeak
Nov 29, 2017, 11:25 pm

39. Ten Restaurants That Changed America
40. From Hardtack to Homefries
Yes, I read two books on American food history this month. I learned more from Ten Restaurants than Hardtack, but they are getting a bit mixed in my mind now. Surprisingly, there was very little overlap between the books, besides the New Orleans and African American cuisine sections. Two of my take-homes from Ten Restaurants are that high-end Italian restaurants, and to a lesser degree high-end Japanese restaurants, have usurped the "gourmet" position that French cuisine once held in America; and Chez Panisse is hugely responsible for the farm to table movement that now seems to be everywhere. And the overall most interesting thing that I learned was that canvasback duck and terrapin were widely accepted to be two of America's tastiest and most iconic dishes up until the 20th century, served to the likes of de Tocqueville and the Marquis de Lafayette.

41. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (this is 4th in the Harry Potter series)
I got bored with the third Harry Potter book and abandoned the series years ago, but my son convinced me I should pick it back up with book #4 (the second best Potter book, in his opinion, after #6). I did enjoy it and will continue on to #5.

55karspeak
Déc 18, 2017, 8:31 am

I skimmed the 5th Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Then I read the last two in the series and enjoyed them very much. I'm glad my son finally talked me into finishing the series.

42. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
43. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

56karspeak
Jan 1, 2018, 5:18 pm

This has been a crazy month, I'm not going to even bother with an annual recap. Anyway, my thread for 2018 is here. Happy New Year!!!

57RBeffa
Jan 1, 2018, 5:42 pm

I'll be watching ...

58karspeak
Modifié : Jan 2, 2018, 8:34 am

>57 RBeffa: Likewise!