Anna Begins

I totally missed Eiger Dreams, thanks for bringing it to my attention. I was going for Buried In The Sky (Peter Zuckerman) about another K2 climb, but I may just go with Eiger. I saw Into the Wild and loved it (but I love Sean Penn) but never truly read any of his work until Under the Banner of Heaven. Wow. Again!

I know how hard it's been for you, I'm glad it went well with these rereads I'll be curious to know what's next!

114F, which is over 38C, I believe. Hopefully, that will be a bit more inland than we are. Edit: it's 42C

I just thought I'd give a few short reviews on some of the books I read in July and this month so far. In July, I did rereads except for Into Thin Air. 5/5 Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer- Perhaps best known for Into the Wild about Chris McCandless nomadically roaming the US, this is Krakauer's experience climbing Mt. Everest in 1996. Sponsored by Outside magazine, which he was writing for at the time, Krakauer has few discussions with himself about why he is a mountain climber (news to me, I love Krakauer but didn't know that. This was a new book for me, but was released before Into the Wild). However, you can't help but wonder why in the h-e-l-l would someone want to do this? The book though, is AMAZING and I was NEVER bored, ever. It was a joy to Immersion Read each morning while crocheting. It also made me wild about mountain climbing books. Totally not me! 5/5 Decision Points by George W. Bush- Yes, it was definitely a 5/5. This man is extraordinary in his explanations and outrageous in his justification for his most hideous mistakes and judgements. My mouth literally hung open. There is an abridged audio version read by him, it's on the TBR- most definitely. I do have to say though, in the world of Trump, I could almost miss Bush II. 5/5 A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold- Sue Klebold is Dylan Klebold's mother. Dylan Klebold was one of the shooters of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. She attempts to answer the question we all have: How could you not have known your son was hiding guns and making bombs in your home? I'll leave judgement up to you, but I have to say, I was a hard sell and never felt sorry for Sue Klebold. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher; 24 additional were wounded in Littleton, Colorado. 5/5 K2: The Savage Mountain by Charles Houston and Robert Bates- This stunning story is told by the expedition leader and one other member of the climbing team from a 1953 American expedition of K2, the second highest mountain in the world (just topped by Everest by 800 feet), but the most deadly. K2 is in Pakistan and is part of the "eight thousanders", 14 of the world's highest mountains, all above 8000 meters (26,000 feet). Just for reference, passenger airplanes fly at 39,000 feet. K2 is 28,251 feet. Ya. 4/5 Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright- I just finished this yesterday. It was an informative and entertaining book on the diseases and treatments civilization has experienced since The Antonine Plague hit Rome in 160. She deals with it all (covering among others, the Spanish Flu, Syphilis, lobotomies, and vaccines) in a Mary Roach style (Stiff, Spook, etc). It was an easy read.

Nope- that's true, it's a vicious activity to do in school. Expensive too, you have to pay for everything, the school pays for nothing. I hear it's just as bad in professional sports. Today, we are still dealing with a hurricane near Houston, Texas. Trump brought his entourage yesterday to "visit the people" and made a big fool out of himself- but what else is new? I love Melania's 5 inch high heels getting on Air Force One and the super new, white "trainers" she wore in Houston- after social media called her out on the heels. How appropriate, 5 inch heels for a disaster zone. Of course, they never set foot in an actual "disaster zone"

Thanks for the warm welcome back girls- it's great to be back

Thank you! It's nice to be back and good to see you I think I'm in the minority but I like Catcher in the Rye! I'll have to look up the footage- I am obsessed with mountain climbing now. Into Thin Air is a really good book. Have you read anything else by Krakauer?

I have to agree about PG vs AW. I have never liked AW's historical fiction. As a historian, she is amazing. But PG is great with the historical fiction. Hi everyone! I've missed you all! I am back to reading and with Athena's encouragement, I decided to come back Recently, I have finished a few re reads, like Memiors of a Geisha and Only Ever Yours by Louise O'neil. Some new ones I enjoyed were Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, which I read as an Immersion Reading book. That got me interested in mountain climbing books- this is totally NOT me at all lol- and I also enjoyed K2: The Savage Mountain by Charles Houston and Robert Bates. One of my next reads will also be about a K2 climb (one of the worlds 14, 8,000 meter mountains (28,000 feet). They are the highest in the world- topped by Everest- but K2 is more deadly. It is in Pakistan). Right now I am reading No god, But God by Reza Aslan, about the Muslim faith and also Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright, about plagues and illnesses that have afflicted civilization. Good to "see" everyone again

I've been wondering how your quilt was going We just got back from vacation in a small town in Oregon, there was a material/ quilting shop we stopped in and met the kindest labradoodle. He was the shop greeter. We went in everyday we were there

It's absolutely amazing anyone would even think that! I am amazed she survived. Wow, just WOW. It's great "seeing" you again That's sweet, I missed everyone here too I missed you Shirer is amazing and I loved The Rise and Fall, his experiences of actually living in Nazi Germany and seeing the whole history unfold. Luckily, he got out- early too, it's amazing what he would have seen/ witnessed had he stayed any longer. I haven't read any westerns! I have tried to read The Cold Dish, part of the Walt Longmire series. It's by Craig Johnson, it's sort of a "modern" western... Muggle recommended it. I have thought of you in my absence I hope all is well. I read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, I think you'd really like it and also I was wondering if you had read Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari? It sounds like something we would like I read the first 13%, but then HAD to start something else, but it wasn't the books fault For Vonnegut, I sugest Breakfast of Champions over Slaughterhouse- Five. It's been so nice getting to "talk" with you again and I am so thankful for your lovely concern It's been really sweet, Muggle, thank you. I've been trying to read The Cold Dish, as I just mentioned to pontalba. It just hasn't caught my interest yet, maybe you can recommend a different one in the series?

I have I liked it, but liked the second one less and didn't read the third!

It will be interesting to compare notes!

Congratulations on directing! I remember when you started stage managing! Happy anniversary and have fun at the book fair, it's good to see you

A ton of salt accidentally poured out of the shaker into my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup I had eggs over medium and toast Edit: my 4,300th post!

I didn't know Midwives by Chris Bohjalian was a Gilmore book! I liked it a lot. Happy reading and welcome

I have 100 pages left of The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer. I still have Roots and 1984 (reread) to finish up.

I had only read Slaughterhouse Five as well (I thought it was weird, but that was a long time ago ), and I read about Mother Night in an article about how everyone in the US is freaking out and reading 1984. The article had 10 more books to read "now that you've read 1984" I just tend to like books that have dual realities or play with my head I'm hoping The Cold Dish will excite me Sort of a Western Jack Reacher

I'm so happy to see a review of Trainspotting! For someone not accustomed to the language, I can tell you it was such a problem I did Immersion Reading with it! I can understand the spoken word, but not read it! I loved the movie (McGregor, hubba hubba ) but loved the book even more. Have you read Fight Club by any chance?

I read about someone that's been buying hundreds of copies of 1984 from an indie bookstore in San Francisco and just leaving them on the corner. Two other people have done similar with The Handmaid's Tale and Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts. All were gone within the days they were left.

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut (270 pages) I just can't believe how much I enjoyed this book. I am formally in love with Kurt Vonnegut and aim to read most of his 40 novels. Howard Campbell Jr is a former Nazi imprisoned in Israel. Writing his memiors ahead of his certain death sentence, Campbell tells the story of how he worked in the Propaganda Ministry and became a spy for the United States. There is only one contact he had, the only one who can save his life. If this all seem straightforward, I've deleted details that could jeopardize your experience A background story that includes his dead wife and an elderly white supremacist makes quite a story, with a great ending. It led me straight to more Vonnegut, which led to Breakfast of Champions. 6/5 *Amazon's synopsis gives the book away. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut (303 pages) In his seventh novel, Vonnegut's Creator of the Universe aims to make all of his characters major ones, weaving such a tale, I'm not sure which I liked more, Breakfast of Champions or Mother Night. This is the story of a second rate science fiction author named Kilgore Trout. He is invited to an arts convention in the small town of Midland City, Indiana. The parallel story is of a man with schizophrenia who owns a car dealership in Midland City. He is going insane. When the two meet up, the story rapidly makes a memorable ending after quite the head trip. Funny hand drawn pictures are delight throughout. 6/5

Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum (736 pages) An epic history of Russia's gulag prison system, Anne Applebaum gives details of those that survived and of the lives of those who didn't. From the famous to the peasant, 10- 12 million people died in the gulags of the frozen North and the deserts of the South. About 80% of the book deals with experiences and lives of those imprisoned in what was simply hell. A reread for me, 5/5 A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn (208 pages) A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich was a reread also, which began my interest in the history of the gulag system and branched out into overall Soviet history. I took four years of the Russian language in High School, so I've always been interested in Russian history. Work is called off when the thermometer hits -40 below, unfortunately for Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it's only -37 and after trying to get admitted to the infirmary, he's off to work. I often read comments that Ivan Denisovich tries to get out of work all day, is lazy and sneaky. Even in my rereading of this novel, I see Ivan Denisovich as a survivor, an intelligent man and one who works just as hard as his team. Which is unimaginable. Ivan Denisovich has worked his way to this desolate, frozen tundra, which is harsh but not like the previous camps he'd been incarcerated in. For doing nothing to be in the gulag system, Ivan Denisovich spends his day just trying to be... alive at the end of the day. Alas, just to start a new one. 5/5

How is she liking her Christmas cat tree? Our cats love theirs, we even put some catnip on it

I started The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer this morning (thanks Vodkafan! I read your post about it in the Military thread last night). I'm continuing reading Roots and I haven't abandoned 1984. I also have Sho Gun on the list for this month, probably in a week or so. 10 days probably. And I now have 4 review's to post from January!

I plan on reading The Cold Dish this year too! Please post your thoughts You've been reading a lot!

Jeopardy tonight had a category of "Books By Their Endings" and proceeded in giving away the end of The Scarlet Letter, Gone Girl (both of which I hope to read) and to Lolita (which I'm set to read this year). I was so upset. Also, Amazon gives a lot of the storylines away, especially to Kurt Vonnegut's novels. I'm sick of Amazon ruining books I consider, I only read the first part of their synopis, to the part where they start giving away the whole plot.