Athena Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Yay for bookshelf pictures ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 (edited) Oooh, thanks for that recommendation, Frankie, that looks like something I'd enjoy! I've added it to my Wish List at Amazon. I really enjoy stories told from different perspectives. Though not suspenseful-type reads, 2 of my top 10 books are like that, The Instance of the Fingerpost and The Lady and the Unicorn. You're most welcome! I googled TIofF, sounds mighty intriguing! I might have to add it to my wishlist The Lady and the Unicorn is by Tracy Chevalier, right? I've read Girl with a Pearl Earring (after having watched the movie with Colin Firth ) years and years ago and while I liked it, I never felt keen on reading her other books... I don't even know why, but there you go. This idea of stories told from different perspectives is starting to get dangerous because I'm coming up with loads of titles for you (well, at least three now, off the top of my head That's not really a load is it?) but I wouldn't want to just dump them on you, unsolicited... I'll just leave this one here: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. That's the first one that came to mind. I haven't read it myself yet, but I own a copy. Ought to be controversial and interesting! Not all the reviews have been favorable, though... Did you hear that they're making a film of GotT? Emily Blunt is apparently going to be playing Rachel. I've not heard of the director but he did The Help, which I loved, so hopefully that's a good sign. I don't think I've heard that, no! But I'm very interested Especially now that I know Emily Blunt will be playing Rachel. I adore Emily Blunt I promise I'm going to start my own blog/thread this weekend and feature my chair collection! I think I have a free hour or two Where did they go, or have I just missed the new thread? I haven't seen it around.... Ahem ahem!! Can't wait to see the after pictures of the bookshelves! I see you have a lot of albums taking space from books... You need to acquire an album case, too! Edit: I went to check something on Blunt's IMDB page and found out she's married to John Krasinski. Oh my freaking god If that's not a gorgeous couple I wish everything good honest and true in life, I don't know what is Edited November 3, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Oh man, how is it already Thursday?? Between work and the gym, this week has been nuts. At night I haven't been in the mood to do anything that required great concentration and focus, so I've been watching a lot of Midsomer Murders and not reading my book . I did, however, rearrange my bookshelves last weekend like I promised so below are the 'after' photos. It struck me that they don't look too awfully different from the 'before,' but it still felt good to change things up a bit. Frankie, you'll notice I took out all the records I had on the bottom shelf. I DO have a record cabinet, and it's full. I also have records in my closet in addition to the ones on my book shelf . I have a lot to say the least. Some of them are mine, but most of them belonged to my dad. He had a massive jazz collection that I love to peruse and play. I decided one of my winter projects would be to catalog all the records in a spreadsheet so I've got them in the dining room waiting to be looked at. Oh my god, Frankie, TIotF is the BEST! You seriously cannot get any better than a book like that. To say I would highly recommend it is a huge understatement. And yes, TLatU is a Tracy Chevalier. She is another one of my favorite authors. She writes lovely historical fiction and I've read everything of hers. She has a new one coming out in the spring of 2016 called At the Edge of the Orchard and I can't wait! Her most recent one before this was The Last Runaway and was about runaway slaves in Ohio in 1850. Fascinating and another one I'd highly recommend. Thanks for The Slap recommendation! I thought I saw this advertised on TV awhile ago but I didn't know it was a book first. Creating a blog/thread for myself is on my to-do list this weekend . Rest assured I'll post a photo of my chair collection! The top shelf on this one is dedicated to my TBR books (disappointingly sparse compared to most of your guys'!). The bottom shelf is for my art/design books and other movie/music titles. The rest of the shelves house fiction/poetry that I love and cherish. This is my little shelf strictly for United States and Minnesota history . The rest of my book collection, which are mostly fiction paperbacks, are in 4 plastic bins under my bed. Hopefully one of these days I'll move into a house that will hold many more shelves on which I can put them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 (edited) Oh man, how is it already Thursday?? Between work and the gym, this week has been nuts. At night I haven't been in the mood to do anything that required great concentration and focus, so I've been watching a lot of Midsomer Murders and not reading my book . I did, however, rearrange my bookshelves last weekend like I promised so below are the 'after' photos. It struck me that they don't look too awfully different from the 'before,' but it still felt good to change things up a bit. This weekend's the monthly read-a-thon on the forum, and I think you mentioned earlier that you've never taken part? If you have time this weekend, why don't you join us! Frankie, you'll notice I took out all the records I had on the bottom shelf. I DO have a record cabinet, and it's full. I also have records in my closet in addition to the ones on my book shelf . I have a lot to say the least. Some of them are mine, but most of them belonged to my dad. He had a massive jazz collection that I love to peruse and play. I decided one of my winter projects would be to catalog all the records in a spreadsheet so I've got them in the dining room waiting to be looked at. I knew you must have another stash of records because it did seem like a very small collection, the one on the bookshelf, seeing as how you've told us how you have plenty and plenty of records. I guess I meant you need another record cabinet Cataloging them all will be a really nice winter project Oh my god, Frankie, TIotF is the BEST! You seriously cannot get any better than a book like that. To say I would highly recommend it is a huge understatement. And yes, TLatU is a Tracy Chevalier. She is another one of my favorite authors. She writes lovely historical fiction and I've read everything of hers. She has a new one coming out in the spring of 2016 called At the Edge of the Orchard and I can't wait! Her most recent one before this was The Last Runaway and was about runaway slaves in Ohio in 1850. Fascinating and another one I'd highly recommend. TIotF sounds really intriguing but I have to admit, also a bit intimidating. I fear it might be one of those difficult reads? I guess I worry because these days I can only deal with very clear cut novels, nothing too complicated. Brain has turned into mush I had to wiki Chevalier, because I wanted to know if all her books are set in different countries. I thought, wow, she's written a novel set in the States, even though she's European! And then I found out that she's actually from the States I had no idea! She seems like a very versatile author, and one who does a lot of research. Creating a blog/thread for myself is on my to-do list this weekend . Rest assured I'll post a photo of my chair collection! Wohoo! Looking forward to it The top shelf on this one is dedicated to my TBR books (disappointingly sparse compared to most of your guys'!). The bottom shelf is for my art/design books and other movie/music titles. The rest of the shelves house fiction/poetry that I love and cherish. Thanks for posting the pictures! It was a very organized bookcase even before, but now it just makes more sense, now that it's just for books (and memorabilia). I love how you've put it together. I couldn't help but notice the other things visible in the pictures, too, and I've come to think you are one of those people who are actually very careful about what they bring into their homes, and have an eye for interior design and nice pieces. It would be great to see more pictures of your home! Edit: Oh and I couldn't help but notice the van Gogh book. Beautiful! Which book is it exactly? Edited November 6, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 I'll just leave this one here: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. That's the first one that came to mind. I haven't read it myself yet, but I own a copy. Ought to be controversial and interesting! Not all the reviews have been favorable, though... Yeah, mine wasn't very favourable. That book irritated the hell out of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Yeah, mine wasn't very favourable. That book irritated the hell out of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 Yeah, mine wasn't very favourable. That book irritated the hell out of me. Such are the skills of certain books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 Great shelves ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 I'm sorry I couldn't partake in this weekend's read-a-thon, Frankie! I curse my brain sometimes since I have so many things I like/need to do, and reading sometimes takes a back seat I'm about to go start my own blog and will fill you in on some details. I hope you all got a lot of reading in yourselves! I think you might want to wait to read TIotF, as it's pretty involved and intense. I just had a friend in fact who had to quit because it was too much for her. But honestly if you can make it through the 2nd part, you're home free and will be SO glad you stuck with it! Funnily enough, Frankie, I have a degree in Interior Design. So yes, I love putting things together to look just so, and I'm very attached to the things I buy or that get handed down to me. Or gifts I receive, for that matter! I even have a tiny chunk of the Berlin wall, which I received from a foreign exchange student friend of mine while we were in high school. The van Gogh book isn't a book, it's a box but made to look like a book . I got it this past May when I was in California. Bobbly, it's interesting to hear your opinion on The Slap! Did you all get the TV show over there? I think Zachary Quinto was in it. Thanks, Athena! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Bobbly, it's interesting to hear your opinion on The Slap! Did you all get the TV show over there? I think Zachary Quinto was in it. I haven't seen the TV show but a co-worker mentioned it to me which prompted me to get the book. Actually, thinking about it, I do remember watching a few of the episodes, but I either lost interest or they took it off the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 I'm sorry I couldn't partake in this weekend's read-a-thon, Frankie! I curse my brain sometimes since I have so many things I like/need to do, and reading sometimes takes a back seat I'm about to go start my own blog and will fill you in on some details. I hope you all got a lot of reading in yourselves! I know how life can get in the way of reading sometimes (I particularly dislike it when sometimes one's reading the forum more than an actual novel! ) But there will be other read-a-thons I think you might want to wait to read TIotF, as it's pretty involved and intense. I just had a friend in fact who had to quit because it was too much for her. But honestly if you can make it through the 2nd part, you're home free and will be SO glad you stuck with it! Oh dear I think it's safe to say I'll have to leave the book for a time when my brain's smarter than at the moment Funnily enough, Frankie, I have a degree in Interior Design. So yes, I love putting things together to look just so, and I'm very attached to the things I buy or that get handed down to me. Or gifts I receive, for that matter! I even have a tiny chunk of the Berlin wall, which I received from a foreign exchange student friend of mine while we were in high school. The van Gogh book isn't a book, it's a box but made to look like a book . I got it this past May when I was in California. It would explain a lot of things, the Interior Design degree I wonder if I knew about it but had forgotten Sorry if that's the case! Very cool about owning a piece of the Berlin wall Where do you keep it? I did wonder if the van Gogh 'book' was a book or something that was only meant to look like a book It's so beautiful, I can't get over it! Do you keep anything in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 Frankie, I keep the wee chunk of Berlin wall in a little jar on my bookshelf. Next to my other little jar of sand from a beach I visited in Maine many years ago . I keep a few photos inside the van Gogh book/box, but that's it for now. They also had a Monet box and a Klimt so it was hard to decide which one I wanted! I started and finished Boundary Waters over my long weekend. It was the second in the 'Cork O'Connor' series by William Kent Krueger and I loved it. It kept the pace and I honestly couldn't put it down. Plus with this series all being set in northern Minnesota, everything seemed very familiar to me which made me love it more. I'm looking forward to book 3! I don't own it, so until I do I decided to start up The Last Bookaneer again by Matthew Pearl. Hopefully my brain gets on board this time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Frankie, I keep the wee chunk of Berlin wall in a little jar on my bookshelf. Next to my other little jar of sand from a beach I visited in Maine many years ago . I keep a few photos inside the van Gogh book/box, but that's it for now. They also had a Monet box and a Klimt so it was hard to decide which one I wanted! I like how you have all these mementos of places visited Well and historical places. I collect pebbles. I got quite a collection of them from Denmark. They have the oddest pebbles ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 I love looking at little pebbles, Frankie! They can have such interesting shapes and colors . After finishing Boundary Waters I have to admit that my reading mojo hit the wall and I didn't so much as crack a book. It wasn't until today that I decided to start The Last Bookaneer and now I am well and truly into it. Hopefully my mojo will hang on for the ride! I just posted over in the 'Books You're Looking Forward to in 2016' thread about Tracy Chevalier's new one, At the Edge of the Orchard, which is due out in March. I'm so excited for this as Chevalier is one of my favorite authors. I feel like I used to feel as a little kid at one of my siblings' band concerts or sitting in church, not being able to sit still and so very squirmy . I would open up my mom's bag and dig around for a pen and scrap paper to doodle on so I could keep myself occupied. Here is the synopsis from Amazon: 1838: James and Sadie Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck – in the muddy, stagnant swamps of northwest Ohio. They and their five children work relentlessly to tame their patch of land, buying saplings from a local tree man known as John Appleseed so they can cultivate the fifty apple trees required to stake their claim on the property. But the orchard they plant sows the seeds of a long battle. James loves the apples, reminders of an easier life back in Connecticut; while Sadie prefers the applejack they make, an alcoholic refuge from brutal frontier life. 1853: Their youngest child Robert is wandering through Gold Rush California. Restless and haunted by the broken family he left behind, he has made his way alone across the country. In the redwood and giant sequoia groves he finds some solace, collecting seeds for a naturalist who sells plants from the new world to the gardeners of England. But you can run only so far, even in America, and when Robert’s past makes an unexpected appearance he must decide whether to strike out again or stake his own claim to a home at last. Chevalier tells a fierce, beautifully crafted story in At the Edge of the Orchard, her most graceful and richly imagined work yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 That sounds like one to look forward to. I've enjoyed all the Tracy Chevalier's books that I have read. I have another one on my TBR while I should get around to reading sooner rather than later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Which Chevalier do you have on your TBR pile, Bobbly? Do you have a favorite of hers that you've read? I can never decide which one I love most, but it's probably safe to say it's a tie between The Lady and the Unicorn and Girl with a Pearl Earring. I'm almost halfway through The Last Bookaneer, although I didn't get a TON of reading in over the holidays. I also received for Christmas Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel from Weave, and a Barnes & Noble gift card from my sister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Glad you're doing better with The Last Bookaneer this time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 (edited) Should William Kent Krueger's books be read in sequence. Our library has 9 of his books but Iron Lake (#1 in the series) is not immediately available but probably will be soon as I am next in line for it. Books #2 and #3 in the series are available currently. I didn't look any further. Edited December 30, 2015 by muggle not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 Should William Kent Krueger's books be read in sequence. Our library has 9 of his books but Iron Lake (#1 in the series) is not immediately available but probably will be soon as I am next in line for it. Books #2 and #3 in the series are available currently. I didn't look any further. It's not unthinkable to start the Cork O'Connor series out of order, Muggle Not, but I wouldn't recommend it. The first book introduces characters that are in the rest of the series and it's good to have details like that when you start book #2. At least that's how I felt. I've only read the first 2 though so I may not be the biggest expert . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 6, 2016 Author Share Posted January 6, 2016 I was looking around a little bit online this morning, trying to see if there was any book news about Elizabeth Kostova. Her latest book, The Swan Thieves (a book I so enjoyed), was released in 2010 so it's been awhile! I found an old article written in 2012 where she said this: Yes, I am working on a third novel. This one again involves a lot of history, mostly 20th-century, Eastern European history. It's something of a family saga set again the backdrop of communism. I've been working on it for about two years now, and I think it's going to end up being a big, long book. It must truly be a big, long book since it's three years later and I still can't seem to find any news on when her third book will be released I'll survive - I wanted 10 years in between each of Donna Tartt's books so this is nothing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 So happy to see this thread Hope you have a great reading year Peace! You have some outstanding books on your TBR .. The Night Circus, The Girl on the Train and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in particular. What delights you have in store Good luck xx PS: I have a little chunk of Berlin wall too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Thanks, Poppy, and I hope you have a fab 2016 reading year as well! And it's nice having that little bit of history, isn't it? Over the weekend I finished The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl and have started Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, which was a gift from Weave. I don't know if it's my general state of mind or frequent coming and going of my reading mojo, but it took me forever to get through Bookaneer and TBH it was a struggle. I normally love Pearl's books but this one did not catch my interest and frankly it bored me, which is something I really hate to say when it comes to a favorite author . I have high hopes for Station Eleven, so I'll keep you posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I miss Weave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I loved Station Eleven when I read it last year...it was one of my favourites of the year. I hope you enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 I miss her too, Anna! She said her laptop is broken, which is why she hasn't been posting. I'm glad you loved Station Eleven, Bobbly! That bodes well for me . I'm enjoying it immensely. I had a belated birthday dinner last night with some friends and I received Arcadia by Iain Pears and I cannot wait to read it! I'm so excited. Pears is definitely one of my most favorite authors so this one I was really wanting to read. It'll be my next read! Today I went to Half Price Books and found the third book in the Cork O'Connor series by William Kent Krueger, called Purgatory Ridge. I'm excited about that one too because his books are so lovely and un-put-down-able . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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