You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

If the two chosen group reads don't take your fancy, feel free to read a book of your choice which an unusual or unique word in the title.
A few rules on words:
- No full on made up words
- Adaptations are fine (e.g. Absolute -> Abdolutist, Confabulism -> Confabulist)
- No names or places

Please let us know what the unusual word is and why you think it's unusual as well as a quick definition of the word so we don't all have to grab for our dictionaries.

Please discuss your book in this thread.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have completed the book before or during January 2016
2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favourite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in this thread.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (including a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock.

I am reading The Confabulist. I have read the first 80 pages, and so far I love it. Chapters alternate between chapters about Houdini, starting back before 1900, and chapters about a character named Martin Strauss, beginning with a chapter in the present day. The book opens with a doctor explaining to Strauss that there is something wrong with him, and over times he will lose track of real memories and his brain will make up new memories to replace them, memories of things that did not happen. There is a lot of discussion of magic tricks--how they are done, and what factors need to be there for a trick to be effective. There is also some interesting discussion of how memory works, with comparison to magic tricks. The story really caught my attention, and I can't wait to read more. At page 80, (view spoiler)[ Martin has met Houdini in 1926, shortly before Houdini's death. (hide spoiler)]

I am going to read Anathema. Anathema is a term with several meanings. It derives from Greek ἀνάθεμα, which meant "something dedicated" and, in the Septuagint and New Testament, "something dedicated to evil and thus accursed." In the Catholic Church "anathema" signifies exclusion from the society of the faithful because of heresy.

I had never heard this word before but liked the summary of the book and wanted to read it.

I was goinf to read Confabulist if it was picked now I don't know if I will or not. Although Casceil makes it look worth my while

Last year I started reading through Iain M. Banks's The Culture series, but got distracted. I own Excession and am thinking of reading it out of order as order doesn't seem to matter in this series.

Sounds like a good book Casceil. I have downloaded it from the library but I'm pretty sure I won't get to it before the end of the month.

I am reading Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo

Since watching the movie I was very intrigued to read the book, plus I have wanted to read something by Don DeLillio for a long time but hadn't been able to get around to it yet.

Thus far I find the story quite compelling and it is very well written. A very rich young man decides to get his hair cut on the day the president is visiting the city. The ride within his limo to his barber becomes a sort of Odyssey quest in which he meats various eccentric and interesting people along the way which lead him to philosophical discussions and self-reflection.

Yes, Casceil description is temping... but I hope to be reading the two books picked by the group, so... unlikely...

I am going to read Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue.

I am quite currious about the possible symbolism and double meanimg of the use of the word yen within Cosmopolis.

As Eric makes his journey to get his hair cut he stays informed about the impending devaluation of Japanese yen.

Yen also means a strong urge/desire

Eric and many of the individuals he meets along the way are seeking to fufill varrious desires and needs.

I finished The Confabulist. I liked it, and gave it five stars. Your mileage may vary, as I think this was partly the right book at the right time for me, but I found it very engaging, and I want to reread it at some point. Here is a link to my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Casceil wrote: "I finished The Confabulist. I liked it, and gave it five stars. Your mileage may vary, as I think this was partly the right book at the right time for me, but I found it very engagi..."

Have you read The Cellist of Sarajevo by the same author? I really liked it. Sounds very different to the one you read though.

I am reading Anathema. It was on my TBR shelf.

I read Bellwether. I struggled with rating 3 or 4 stars. Would give 3.5 if I could.

Here's the short review I wrote:

It became clear pretty quickly that this was a fictional story about science, at heart actually a romance, but not remotely in the genre of science fiction. I enjoyed it and thought it was a good story. The fun, breezy writing pokes fun of popular culture, bureaucracy, business management jargon, and more.

I found the telling of the story rather disjointed. Many sequences of the text are recitations of facts about fads thru history or about scientific discoveries, especially as influenced by unplanned variables. This style wore thin about mid-way thru as did the repetition of the same jabs and jests.

However, I enjoyed this on the whole as a quick read, and found some parts quite amusing. Found the ending well done and its premise thought-provoking.


...more

Tammy wrote: "I am reading Anathema. It was on my TBR shelf."

which one? by Stephenson? (this, I meant to read for some time now..., but it's a chunkster -or are you combining it with the brick from the chinese wall, for the Y-Challenge?)

Tejas Janet wrote: "I read Bellwether. I struggled with rating 3 or 4 stars. Would give 3.5 if I could..."

Oh!, I'm glad someone read a book whith a "english" unusual word, instead of a "latin" or "greekish" word. I was looking forward to learn some truly english unusual vocables... (pardon my choices on adjectives)

Tammy wrote: "I am reading Anathema. It was on my TBR shelf."

Once I start we could discuss the book.

Jannene. That would be great

I'm thinking of reading Wingshooters for this challenge. Just wondering if that is a unique/unusual word to others, I'd never heard of it, though I know nothing about shooting.

I decided to read The Nonesuch for this month's theme.
It's by one of my favorite authors, Georgette Heyer.

A nonesuch is a person who is without equal, unrivaled, a paragon.

I think this book is one of my favorites by this author. The hero is confident, yet unassuming. I like his quiet demeanor. He doesn't get easily flustered.

And the heroine is not bad either. She is elegant, capable and is able to manage a very difficult teenager. Impressive!

The story moves along at a good pace. It's neither rushed nor does it get bogged down. A solid 4 star book.

Lanelle wrote: "I decided to read The Nonesuch for this month's theme.
It's by one of my favorite authors, Georgette Heyer.

A nonesuch is a person who is without equal, unrivaled, a ..."

Good to know! I'm also a fan of Heyer and have been thinking of reading this one.

Kerri wrote: "I'm thinking of reading Wingshooters for this challenge. Just wondering if that is a unique/unusual word to others, I'd never heard of it, though I know nothing about shooting."

Wingshooting is the shooting of birds in flight so i guess wingshooters are people who shoot birds in flight. So yes, it would fit. I've not heard of it before and you said yourself you weren't familiar with the term.

Lanelle wrote: "I decided to read The Nonesuch for this month's theme.
It's by one of my favorite authors, Georgette Heyer.

A nonesuch is a person who is without equal, unrivaled, a ..."

"Nonesuch", what a lovely word. First time I read it (a while yet), I thought, it has to do with nuns.
LOL. I plan to read it from a while now.

Lara and Mariab, do you have a favorite Heyer book?

Casceil wrote: "I am reading The Confabulist. I have read the first 80 pages, and so far I love it. Chapters alternate between chapters about Houdini, starting back before 1900, and chapters about ..."

Sounds interesting, Casceil. I am going to check out your review. I have his The Cellist of Sarajevoon my TBR list.

Cherie, see message 11 above. Sara, I have not read The Cellist of Sarajevo. I think I will add it to my TBR list.

Casceil wrote: "Cherie, see message 11 above. Sara, I have not read The Cellist of Sarajevo. I think I will add it to my TBR list."

Yep, I have yours now too. Too many good books - so little time. :o) I am trying to get into my Jan Challenge book, but the going is slow. I may start the 2nd group read tonight, if I have time. My daughter got me watching Person of Interest (TV show on Netflix.)

Lanelle wrote: "Lara and Mariab, do you have a favorite Heyer book?"

I still have a number to read, but really enjoyed The Grand Sophy, Frederica, and These Old Shades (which was the first I read of Heyer).

I just finished my book for this month's theme The Absolutist. I had it on my tbr shelf for awhile and thought it fit the theme since I never heard the word Absolutist before.

Dictionary.com lists it as a form of absolutism which means any theory holding that values, principles, etc., are absolute and not relative, dependent, or changeable. In the book they use this term (view spoiler)[as one who refuses to fight or help the war effort in any way. (hide spoiler)].

This was a very emotional read and not quite what I expected. I think the most surprising thing was the amount of betrayal throughout the story. That was also what was so devastatingly sad. I think that's why I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5. (view spoiler)[ I kept waiting for some form of redemption that never really came (hide spoiler)]. It was very well written, the characters were well-defined and even though it would jump back and forth from before the war to during to after the war it flowed very smoothly.
I'm really glad I chose it for this month's theme.

Lanelle wrote: "Lara and Mariab, do you have a favorite Heyer book?"

That would be The Grand Sophy. But I hadn't read the Nonesuch yet

After I read The Grand Sophy I read some reviews and there were a number who disliked the book solely based on the negative racial/religious characterization that appeared in a couple of scenes. To me these were authentic to how people in her situation and class considered other groups, and so was not offended. Plus, the book was written in the 1950s when cultural mores were much more accepting of such language.

I don't judge books written 50+ years ago by today's cultural norms, even while I may personally find the language uncomfortable. The fact that it was easy to forget the age of the book is to me a sign of Heyer's skill as a writer.

Lara wrote: "The fact that it was easy to forget the age of the book is to me a sign of Heyer's skill as a writer. "

I think that could be said for any writer.

My favorite Heyer book is The Unknown Ajax.

I'm thinking of reading The Vintner's Luck for this theme. Do you think 'Vintner' is an unusual enough word? It means 'wine merchant' and it is a term I hadn't come across before. I had always just called them wine merchants/makers.

I'd say Lisa - I've never heard of it before - definitely not a word used in everyday life (unless perhaps you're in the wine trade).

Sarah wrote: "I'd say Lisa - I've never heard of it before - definitely not a word used in everyday life (unless perhaps you're in the wine trade)."

Thanks Sarah!

I started reading The Vintner's Luck yesterday and am now 62% of the way through. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book and for a while, I didn't think I was going to like it at all as I found the story a bit strange and I struggled to get into it. However, it's one of those books that creeps up on you and I am quite enjoying it now.

I have been reading Leviathan Wakes with Lynda and we've been discussing it over in the buddy read thread https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The unusual word is Leviathan. I'd heard the word before and there are a couple books which have this in the title. But I didn't know what it actually meant. A Leviathan is a sea monster. Apparently it was referenced in the Old Testament and in Modern Hebrew it means "whale". So I guess the term is applied to actual creatures like our whales but also to mythical beings like the loch ness monster.

But it seems it was used for the face of Satan in Christianity. Wiki states "The Leviathan of the Middle Ages was used as an image of Satan, endangering both God's creatures—by attempting to eat them—and God's creation—by threatening it with upheaval in the waters of Chaos."

Now after reading this book (most of - I have 50 pages to go), I can see why the authors (yes this book has two authors) chose the title. It is very apt.

I had heard a lot of good things about this book and I have not been disappointed. I have found another fantastic series to get my teeth in to. It is well written with a split POV. It is fast paced and full of action. A nice combination of mystery (at the beginning at least) and science fiction.

I finished The Vintner's Luck.

The unusual word is 'Vintner' which is a term for a wine merchant.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The storyline is pretty surreal and unique, it centres around the (view spoiler)[friendship/romance between a vintner and a fallen angel, (hide spoiler)] and although I quite enjoyed it, I can't say that I really bought into it. I also found it difficult to like or care about the main character and there were several other characters who were little more than names to me by the end. I didn't feel as though I knew them at all. On the positive side, some of the writing was beautiful, it was a quick and fairly easy read and I enjoyed some of the elements of angel lore and mythology that were woven throughout the story. I also thought that the (view spoiler)[fallen angel, Xas, (hide spoiler)] was an interesting character. However, certain aspects, such as (view spoiler)[ philosophical conversations about God, the Devil, Heaven and Hell (hide spoiler)], were a bit lost on me. All in all, it was enjoyable enough but it's not a book that I would read again or go rushing out to recommend to people. I gave it 3 stars.

I started The Bloodletter's Daughter: A Novel of Old Bohemia and read the foreword and the prologue.'

When I read the author discussing her thirty years of failed attempts at getting published, and finally self-publishing through Amazaon, I groaned. The first few paragraphs of the foreword supported that groan, but soon I was pulled into the story. I hope it continues.

The story seems to be about the madness of Emperor Rudolf II's illegitimate son. He's a young teenager in the foreword and begins listening to the voices telling him to do horrible things. Already, the Emperor's favourite dog has been brutally killed. That's the 3rd book in a row about serial killers. What is going on?

I read On Basilisk Station

Basilisk-a mythical reptile with a lethal gaze or breath, hatched by a serpent from a cock's egg.

Basilisk is a word that I don't hear often. The book kind of depressed me in the beginning but I loved learning more about Honor and her crew. It definitely seemed like nothing positive would ever happen. Some of the descriptions of parts of the ship or functions of the ship were hard to grasp but that didn't really take me away from the story. I also found it hard to sometimes tell characters apart so I hope they are given more personality in later books. It was interesting trying to figure the motivations of the culprits and following the different threads to find out the big picture. All and all a good story I gave it 4 stars.

Delitealex wrote: "I read On Basilisk Station

Basilisk-a mythical reptile with a lethal gaze or breath, hatched by a serpent from a cock's egg.

Basilisk is a word that I don't hear often. The book k..."

I gave it 3 stars it just took forever for it to get rolling I thought




I startwd The Atrocity Archives. Isn't pullinh me in too quick so I hope the book os not am atrocity. I dpn't think I've ever seen a book with atrocity in it

Mariab wrote: "Tammy wrote: "I am reading Anathema. It was on my TBR shelf."

which one? by Stephenson? (this, I meant to read for some time now..., but it's a chunkster -or are you combining it with the brick fr..."
No, it's by Megg JensenAnathema

I finished Anathema.
Definitions
a : one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority
b : someone or something intensely disliked or loathed —usually used as a predicate nominative
2a : a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication
b : the denunciation of something as accursed
c : a vigorous denunciation : curse

It wan an interesting read for me as it was a little different from my usual reading. The story (view spoiler)[ is about a slave woman who is broken out of slavery. She is taken in by her rescuers and is made aware of a subset of society that has special powers. She is unaware that she herself has these powers and was the reason she was in captivity. A very interesting twist at the end of the book - was my favorite part- when the true nature of her previous captor is revealed. (hide spoiler)] This is book 1 in a series. I'm not sure I will pursue the other books as there are so many other things on my TBR list.

Which definition was your book applicable to Tammy out of interest?

I'm a little confused with The Bloodletter's Daughter: A Novel of Old Bohemia. First, there was a section labelled "Late Spring 1605". Then "Winter 1606" followed by "Late Spring 1606".

When I saw "Late Winter 1606", I was thinking it was later in the year - Nov/Dec, The section didn't clarify any particular months.

So I was thinking why would the story jump forward like that and then backward. Why wouldn't it go chronologically? But, as I was reading, it became apparent that "Late Winter" was actually Jan/Feb, maybe even March. Again, there were no months mentioned in the story. So, I'm having this huge internal dialogue which is detracting from the story.

There was another thing that confused me. I'd never heard of a girl breaking out in a burning rash wherever she had been touched during sex. The bloodletter's daughter (who was a bathhouse attendant expected to give the men an enjoyable bath) broke out in such a rash after her first liaison. Her face, her arms, wherever she had been touched. Her mother (the owner of the bathhouse) sent her off to the local witch for herbs. So was it a venereal disease? Psychosomatic? Made up by the author?

And I'm back to wondering why the author was unable to publish for 30 years except via Amazon. I really hope it improves, because I'm about ready to move on.

Could the date confusion be around the switch between Julian and Gregorian calendars? I know when researching our family history, we got to a point where January wasn't the start of the year, March was, then dates of birth, marriage and death had two years recorded for accuracy. Then add to that the seasons which overlap year start/ends, things get confusing.

Never heard of that condition. Could be a Std of some kind I guess but it's so instant. Could she be allergic to sperm? I guess that would produce an instant reaction. is it possible to be allergic to sperm?

I'm not sure whether the switch in calendars was the cause of the confusion, but it appears that Late Winter 1606 came before Late Spring 1606 based on the events that happened in the story.

As for the rash. I at first thought it was an STD, except that it was so instant. If she was allergic to semen, why would it be on her face, arms, and hands as well as her genitals? Okay, don't answer that! LOL! I wondered if there wasn't something about the bath water. Perhaps they used lye and she was reacting to it. But you'd think she'd have been exposed to the soaps and water long before the sexual encounter. It was just weird, and I wondered about the necessity of even including it in the story unless there's something about the "witch" who gave her healing herbs that comes up later in the story.

I've been thinking about this all day and I decided that I will read a couple more chapters tonight and if it doesn't pick up, I'll move on to something else.

I decided to set Bloodletter's Daughter aside for the time being. There's no point reading if I'm reluctant to pick the book up.

I don't blame you. I'll be taking it off my list.

Yikes! I don't know if I have time to read a book for this. I only just started the monthly challenge book. I hope there will be enough January-days left after I finish.