![]() ![]() ![]() Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments are provided.įor more information or to reserve a spot please email: on-street parking is available, as well as paid lots adjacent to Kingside Diner and at the Schlafly branch of the St. The item The chess machine, Robert Lhr translated from the German by Anthea Bell represents a specific, individual, material embodiment. ![]() We’ll discuss this narrative, filled with period details and brimming with lust and deception, and share some of the questions and ideas that were generated by our readings. Lohr’s brilliant storytelling explores issues of illusion and reality, the mind and machines, and the roles of God and man. : The Chess Machine: A Novel (9781594201264) by Lohr, Robert and a great selection of similar New, Used and Collectible Books available now at great prices. When a beautiful and seductive countess dies in the presence of the automaton, the Mechanical Turk falls under a cloud of suspicion, and the machine and his inventor become the target of espionage, persecution, and aristocratic intrigue. But what the Hapsburg court hails as the greatest innovation of the century is really nothing more than a brilliant illusion. Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen unveils an amazing invention, the Mechanical Turk, an unbeatable chess-playing automaton. The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous 19th Century Chess-Playing Machine. ![]() Join us for the latest WCHOF Book Group, The Chess Machine by Robert Lohr-an engaging narrative set in 18th Century Vienna at the height of the Enlightenment. Minding the Machine: Languages of Class in Early Industrial America. ![]()
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![]() ![]() I don't want to comment to much, because I don't want to ruin the story, but he was "real". What sold me on the story though, was Charlie. As I realized that her dreams and her love for her father fueled her I began to realize that perhaps there was more to this character than I had realized. There were several points in the book where she frustrated me. When I first started reading this book I wasn't sure that I would connect with Lucy. Back into the never ending queue of books to read. If I get bored, or don't really care about the story and it gets pushed back onto the bookshelf. If I cannot connect with a character on some level then I'm not invested in what happens to them. ![]() My Thoughts: To be interested and engaged with a book, the two most important things for me are a believable story line and relatable characters. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Place your baby in their crib, drowsy but awake, at a set bedtime.By then, babies' sleep cycles are more regular and predictable, and they may be able to go through the night without a feeding. They conclude that sleep training methods that involve crying aren't necessary in the longer term.Īs with all sleep training methods, it's best to start gentle sleep training when your baby is physically and emotionally ready to sleep through the night, usually between 4 and 6 months old. ![]() They point out that while research suggests that extinction methods may result in better sleep in the short-term, all babies have similar sleep patterns at around 1 year of age regardless of the sleep training method their parents used. Gentle sleep training advocates believe that it's natural for babies to want to be close to their parents, and that cry it out (also called extinction sleep training) doesn't teach babies to self-soothe as advertised. Those who favor a no-tears approach believe that bedtime offers an opportunity to connect with your child by developing quiet, cozy nighttime rituals and by quickly responding to your baby's requests for food and comfort. ![]() ![]() ![]() I developed compassion for Joe as he faced the heartaches and rock bottoms that ultimately catalyze one to search for meaning and purpose. I loved this insightful & witty story of a journey that reflects what it means to be human. ![]() Now I can't go to Starbucks without chuckling or getting emotional." -Lonnie Millsap (bacön, Cartoonist) "If a sentient cup of coffee can find friendship, there's hope for all of us!" -Elizabeth Pich (Fun Girl, Cartoonist) "Dan is a wildly creative, funny & prolific comic. This charming book is the transformative tale of how even a weak cup of coffee can become strong." -Patrick McDonnell (Mutts, Cartoonist) "Dan Misdea's The Book of Joe made me laugh, and feel sympathetic towards a cup of coffee. "Wake up and smell the coffee! Dan Misdea's The Book of Joe is an exciting debut from a fresh and funny voice. ![]() ![]() Despite a few unprofitable digressions, Diamant succeeds admirably in depicting the lives of women in the age that engendered our civilization and our most enduring values. ![]() After several nonfiction works on Judaism (Living a Jewish Life, etc.), Diamant's fiction debut links the passions of the early Israelites to the ongoing traditions of modern Jews, while the red tent of her title (where women retreat for menstruation, childbirth and illness) becomes a resonant symbol of womanly strength, love and wisdom. Familiar passages from the Bible come alive as Dinah fills in what the Bible leaves out concerning Jacob's courtship of Rachel and Leah, her own ill-fated sojourn in the city of Sechem and her half-brother Joseph's rise to fame and fortune in Egypt. Most important, Dinah learns and preserves the stories and traditions of her family, which she shares with the reader in touchingly intimate detail. ![]() She learns from her Aunt Rachel the mysteries of midwifery and from her other aunts the art of homemaking. The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant To distinguish between Bible and Midrash (a task that requires us to turn again and again to the biblical text) To examine and. ![]() The only surviving daughter of Jacob and Leah, Dinah occupies a far different world from the flocks and business deals of her brothers. A minor character from the book of Genesis tells her life story in this vivid evocation of the world of Old Testament women. ![]() ![]() ![]() The French are trying to build a tower into space, and Matt and Kate are called home to Canada, to be part of Canada's attempt. It is also the story of the race to space. This story is part of the saga of Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries, two young people in love and pursuing higher education to realize their dreams - Matt of becoming a captain on an airship and Kate of becoming a world-class scientist and researcher, especially zoology in the stratosphere. It stands strong on its own and left me wanting to read the first two. ![]() The interesting thing is, this was the first book in this series to come across my desk and was read as an independent story. They have won 26 awards and been nominated for another 7. ![]() Combined they have won: Governor General's Award, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award ( twice), Red Maple Award (twice), Michael L Printz Honor Book (ALA). ![]() The first two books Airborn and Skybreaker have won almost every Canadian children's literary award. In this book, the airplane has not been developed but flying machines, gliders, blimps and balloons are the mode of air transportation. This is the third book in an alternate reality created by world-renowned Kenneth Oppel. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Kalovaxian Kaiser decided to keep Theodosia alive as a pawn in his game against the remaining Astrean rebels. Kalovaxians invaded the kingdom and killed the Queen-Theodosia’s mother-in front of her when she was only six. ![]() But Laura Sebastian weaves the characters’ personalities so well that you want to get to know them all, even the antagonist- because really, what kind of childhood must he have had to make him so brutal and twisted?Īsh Princess follows the life of Theodosia, aka Thora, the last remaining member of Astrea’s royal family. I wanted to remain in Astrea with Ash Princess Theodosia Eirene Houzzara.Īs far as young adult fantasy novels go, the premise of the novel isn’t a particularly new concept (nothing really is these days). This was the type of book that had to be stretched out for a couple of days, not because it was difficult to get into, but because I wanted to extend the experience as long as possible. It’s no surprise that Ash Princess reached top five in The New York Times Bestseller list shortly after I finished reading it. ![]() ![]() ![]() Even though I didn't grow up to be a composer, I like to think that my picture books are almost songs because the sound of words and the poetry of my style are so important in the texts that I write. Writing picture books came much later-after studying history in college, getting married, and raising three children. (This was before mountain bikes!) Pedaling slowly up my street may be where I learned perseverance, something all writers need when they are working alone at their desks. ![]() But coming home, we had to pedal up our long hill. My two sisters and I used to ride our bikes down, down our street, and then to the local dimestore to buy candy bars or meet up with our friends. I grew up in a house at the top of a steep street in Cincinnati, Ohio, the kind of street that is a big challenge when you are pedaling uphill on your bicycle. Kempczinski was a natural thing for me to do. Names and their pronunciations have always interested me, so writing about a teacher named Mrs. Leezie is also tough for people to spell. Sometimes my mail is addressed to Louisa, or Louisie, or Lewis, or Lois. Then there were four of us with the same name! Louise is a fine name to have except that people often spell it incorrectly. Years later, my niece was born and also named Louise. This is a name that my family still calls me. So early on, I was given the name Leezie. There were already two Louises in my family when I was born: my mother and my grandmother, Nana, who lived with us when I was growing up. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() As befits a regular of the international festival circuit with the occasional byline in the Guardian opinion page, his treatment of issues such as the Iraq War, climate change, euthanasia, artificial intelligence and Brexit could be described as narrativized punditry. With the exception of On Chesil Beach (2007) and Sweet Tooth (2012) – set in the early 60s and the mid-70s respectively – McEwan’s post- Atonement subject matter has been ripped from the headlines. ![]() Starting with the critical success of his Booker Prize-winning Amsterdam (1998) and the commercial success of Atonement (2001), which was adapted into an Oscar- and BAFTA-winning film starring James MacAvoy and Kiera Knightley, McEwan’s plots have slackened into melodrama, and, starting with Saturday (2005), the cool reserve of his narration has succumbed to the temptations of intrusive and unenlightening commentary. Few under the age of fifty remember him as the author of the short story collection First Love, Last Rites (1975), the novella The Cement Garden (1978), or the Cold War spy thriller The Innocent (1990) whose taut, gothic explorations of sexual taboo and violence earned him a reputation as a provocateur and the moniker ‘Ian Macabre’. ![]() Fame has been kind to Ian McEwan, but not to his writing. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Hockey Sweater is Carrier's most famous work and is considered an iconic piece of Canadian literature. Carrier faces the persecution of his peers and his coach prevents him from playing. When his mother orders a new sweater from the Eaton's department store in the big city after the old one has worn out, he is mistakenly sent a sweater of Montreal's bitter rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, instead. Carrier and his friends all wear Canadiens' sweaters with Richard's number 9 on the back. The story is based on a real experience Carrier had as a child in Sainte-Justine, Quebec, in 1946 as a fan of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team and its star player, Maurice Richard. ![]() It was adapted into an animated short called The Sweater (Le Chandail) by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in 1980 and illustrated by Sheldon Cohen. ![]() It was originally published in 1979 under the title "Une abominable feuille d'érable sur la glace" ("An abominable maple leaf on the ice"). The Hockey Sweater ( Le chandail de hockey in the original French) is a short story by Canadian author Roch Carrier and translated to English by Sheila Fischman. ![]() |