Book a Week 2016 - BW 18: Mediterranean May

[mumto2]

This is really early for me to be totally awake but I just saw my guys off for the first AP exam. Fingers crossed. We were exposed to the flu Sunday, as in spent the entire evening with friends who all became very ill within an hour of our departure. Dh and I keep joking it may have been kinder not to tell us. Ds has another exam Thursday so we have a stressful week ahead.

 

I finished the new Faith Hunterhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25759452-shadow-rites Shadow Rites yesterday. I think Robin has already read it. I really enjoyed this one. I will be honest and say I probably liked it because it was a bit milder than some in this series and seemed to concentrate on characters I already know and like.

 

I also finished my first audiobook Elizabeth Peter's Crocodile on the Sandbank. I was glad to be able to enjoy a book other people love but I had been unable to manage to read. I have already checked another mystery out that my best friend loves but I keep abandoning to listen to while I quilt. Overall I enjoyed listening but the last hour or so was so boring. I knew the ending and just wanted it over with. I am considering checking an ebook out to go with audiobooks in the future, certainly if I listen to more in the Amelia Peabody series!

[Lady Florida.]

This is really early for me to be totally awake but I just saw my guys off for the first AP exam. Fingers crossed. We were exposed to the flu Sunday, as in spent the entire evening with friends who all became very ill within an hour of our departure. Dh and I keep joking it may have been kinder not to tell us. Ds has another exam Thursday so we have a stressful week ahead.

 

 

 

Fingers crossed for the AP and other exams, and for flu-free family. 

 

[Kareni]

I am almost positive that NONE of you can identify with the sentiment printed on this pillow

 

or this one.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

This afternoon I finished some Thea Harrison novellas that I'd been re-reading.  All of these could stand alone, but I think you'd get more pleasure from them if you've read any of the author's Elder Races novels.

 

Divine Tarot (Elder Races)

 

and

 

Destiny's Tarot (Elder Races)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

I am almost positive that NONE of you can identify with the sentiment printed on this pillow

 

or this one.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

You're so right. Why, I can't identify with either of them.  :leaving:

[Mom-ninja.]

I am almost positive that NONE of you can identify with the sentiment printed on this pillow

 

or this one.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

I must have that

[Mom-ninja.]

Kareni, I'm supposed to be doing my classwork. Instead I'm browsing this person's merchandise. 

 

For all you Kindle/Nook people

 

 

And we all need this pillow

 

I found more...

 

HP fans

 

for Stacia

Edited May 4, 2016 by Mom-ninja.

[Nan in Mass]

I am LOVING having an hour and a half to read first thing in the morning! This is awesome!

I have read Steam, The Wintersmith, I Shall Wear Midnight, Tied Up in Tinsel, Lip-smackin' Vegetarian Backpacin', a book on lightweight backpacking and one about diets whose names escape me, started and gave up on a book whose title was something like The Girls Upstairs (while I waited for one of the Terry Pratchetts from the library), and am in the middle of Dragonquest, Deep Work, Miss Mapp, Making Things Stick, and Pride and Prejudice. : ) This is working so so well! I am not looking forward to having to quit when it gets hot.

 

Nan

[Mom-ninja.]

Nan, how did you carve out this magical and elusive hour and a half of reading time? 

 

 

 

[Nan in Mass]

I am disguising it as excersize. I hop in the car when my husband goes to work, he drops me after 5 miles, and I walk home "reading" an audiobook. It takes me about an hour and 20 minutes, a bit more if I do part of it on trails rather than tar. I make a big mug of real cocoa when I get home and since I am well ensconced in the book by then, putter around picking up, switching laundry, watering plants, and other stuff like that, and get more reading done. I discovered I can belong to the Boston Public Library. They have lots of audiobooks that I can download. The funny part is that it doesn,t impact my day much at all. It turns out that since I retired from homeschooling, I haven,t gotten much done during the first hour or so of the day anyway. I just sort of meandered aimlessly for awhile. I just replaced that with reading, excersize, and being outdoors - a win/win/win situation. Depending on the day, I arrive home at 8:30 or 9:30.

 

Nan

 

Eta - The one down side is that I ran low on magnesium and started having to take a magnesium supplement. Fortunately it worked quickly.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Nan in Mass

[HRAAB]

Yesterday I finished And So To Murder by Carter Dickson, AKA John Dickson Carr. A few years ago I read as many of his books as I could find, and just recently realized I hadn't checked our latest library. This was the only one they had that I hadn't read. It was a quick, amusing cozy. (It always feels odd to call murder cozy.)

 

I just checked my stacks and couldn't find anything Mediterranean. I'm going to finish Don't Look Now, which no longer feels depressing after Catcher in the Rye.

 

I rarely ever find anyone who reads Carter Dickson.  Our library doesn't have many of his books, but I've enjoyed every mystery of his that I can find.  As it is, I just finished Behind the Crimson Blind the other day.  Since it takes place in Tangier, it ties in with the Mediterranean theme.

 

I'm always on the lookout for new (to me) authors from the golden age of mysteries and just came across John Bude. I'm almost done with Death on the Riviera (Mediterranean  :001_smile:)  and will be looking for more of his books.

[Mom-ninja.]

Nan, that sounds like a wonderful way to start your days. 

 

By the way, all of you retired homeschoolers....if you ever feel the desire to teach something I have some boys I can loan out. 

 

 

I finished Author's Britain last night. Thank goodness. What a slog. I read this for the Author square on the BINGO. Yes, Rose, some of us are still working on it. ;) I think this book is on the WEM list which is why I requested it a few years ago. It's been sitting on my shelf, and I finally used the BINGO as motivation to read it. What a boring, dry, and technical (way too technical for my taste) book. It really wasn't what I expected. Basically, I wanted to know if Author was a real person and if so what his life had been like. I could have skipped to the last chapter of the book for that answer. A very short and incomplete answer. A historian or archaeologist I am not. 

[Onceuponatime]

I'm always on the lookout for new (to me) authors from the golden age of mysteries and just came across John Bude. .

Would you happen to have a list of other authors that you have enjoyed? I am on the lookout for the same thing. 😊

 

 

Added: I Just finished No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer. I loved a passage spoken by one of the main characters when discussing Chekov's plays. "When I go to the theater," said Ermyntrude flatly, "I don't want to be crushed by gloom."

 

I'm currently reading First Impressions by Charlie Lovett, another meta book. This time it includes Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice. The first impression I got right away is that the writing style is not as good as Ms. Heyer's.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Onceuponatime

[HRAAB]

Would you happen to have a list of other authors that you have enjoyed? I am on the lookout for the same thing. 😊

 

 

Added: I Just finished No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer. I loved a passage spoken by one of the main characters when discussing Chekov's plays. "When I go to the theater," said Ermyntrude flatly, "I don't want to be crushed by gloom."

 

I'm currently reading First Impressions by Charlie Lovett, another meta book. This time it includes Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice. The first impression I got right away is that the writing style is not as good as Ms. Heyer's.

 

Besides the best known authors - Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, Josephine Tey (my favorite), Georgette Heyer - I have a hard time finding other authors through my library system.  A few others I've read (but can't find many locally) are Cyril Hare (really enjoyed his), Gladys Mitchell, Patricia Wentworth, Heron Carvic.  Oh, and Michael Innis, Rex Stout, Chesterton.  I don't really have many recommendations since I limit myself to what my library has available (trying to curb my book buying addiction).  If you have authors to suggest, I would appreciate that, too.

 

I recently read all of Her Royal Spyness and Veronica Black's Sr. Joan mysteries.

 

I sat up last night and finished Death on the Riviera.  Interesting plot twist and enjoyable characters kept me reading.  

[Onceuponatime]

Besides the best known authors - Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, Josephine Tey (my favorite), Georgette Heyer - I have a hard time finding other authors through my library system. A few others I've read (but can't find many locally) are Cyril Hare (really enjoyed his), Gladys Mitchell, Patricia Wentworth, Heron Carvic. Oh, and Michael Innis, Rex Stout, Chesterton. I don't really have many recommendations since I limit myself to what my library has available (trying to curb my book buying addiction). If you have authors to suggest, I would appreciate that, too.

 

I recently read all of Her Royal Spyness and Veronica Black's Sr. Joan mysteries.

 

I sat up last night and finished Death on the Riviera. Interesting plot twist and enjoyable characters kept me reading.

Besides the best known authors - Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, Josephine Tey (my favorite), Georgette Heyer - I have a hard time finding other authors through my library system. A few others I've read (but can't find many locally) are Cyril Hare (really enjoyed his), Gladys Mitchell, Patricia Wentworth, Heron Carvic. Oh, and Michael Innis, Rex Stout, Chesterton. I don't really have many recommendations since I limit myself to what my library has available (trying to curb my book buying addiction). If you have authors to suggest, I would appreciate that, too.

 

I recently read all of Her Royal Spyness and Veronica Black's Sr. Joan mysteries.

 

I sat up last night and finished Death on the Riviera. Interesting plot twist and enjoyable characters kept me reading.

I've enjoyed almost all the authors you've mentioned, but I've never heard of Michael Innis or Cyril Hare. I'll have to check them out. Her Royal Spyness has been sitting on my list of books to try. I too try to limit myself to what the library or thrift stores have. (But once a year I get an Amazon gift card from my mother. 😊) It is difficult to find older authors, probably because they get culled when they aren't read. Recently, I've discovered Patricia Moyes and M.M. Kaye. Elspeth Huxley also has a few mysteries.

[HRAAB]

Oh yes! M. M. Kaye.  I remember reading The Far Pavilions while home sick totally unaware that she had written mysteries.  Later I found her Death In books.  You know, I might just reread some of those.

 

I was hunting around trying to find recommendations for authors similar to Mary Stewart and saw a recommendation for Susanna Kearsley. The next book in my TBR pile from the library is Season of Storms.  I'm anxious to start it.

 

I can't remember the last time I posted in this thread, but I think I was in the middle of All the Light We Cannot See. I was anxious to read it ever since I heard the author interviewed.  It was a slow start for me since I didn't care for the constant changing perspective and extremely short chapters plus the timey-wimey time hopping.  However, once I got into it, I fell in love with the story.  One negative for me was I didn't feel I ever got to know Werner very well.  Even so, I liked the book.  Then I picked up a short biography of Hitler, and that led to In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.  By that time I was pretty well done with Hitler and Nazis, but on my next trip to the library I found the newest Maisie Dobbs' book, Journey to Munich, waiting for me.  Apparently I put it on hold before I started reading any of the others.  I have to say I was very disappointed with the last book, A Dangerous Place.  If I stick with a series, it's because the characters have become very personal and intimate to me.  I'm totally involved in their lives.  That book left me feeling cheated, betrayed, and angry.  I wish she would never have had Maisie and James marry if she was just going to kill him off.  In fact, Maisie being married never felt right to me.  Anyway, my hope was restored with this last book; it felt like Maisie was back again, more or less.  But I am now definitely done with Nazi Germany.

 

I also finished The Dalemark Quartet with The Crown of Dalemark, A Hat Full of Sky (love Tiffany Aching), A Wizard of Earthsea, The Life and Times of Hercule Poirot, and The Incorrigibles and the Unmapped Sea.  

 

My dd and I are reading The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate (happy to find out there are going to be more of these) and Journey to the Center of Earth, which has been slow going.  I think we do better if we weren't reading it aloud.

 

And....The Portrait of Lady is still sitting by my bed with the bookmark sticking out about a third of the way in.  My brain is just too fogged right now.  If I can get to the end of school, see my older dd through finals and get her on her plane to Germany, and dh's broken ankle healing, then I'll be ready to pick it up again.  Funny, I was enjoying it very much, but it takes much more attention than my easy reading, and my brain is not cooperating.

[marbel]

I can't settle on any reading this week!

 

First I started listening to Rebecca, which I found quite thrilling as a young woman.  Well, it, or rather she (the 2nd Mrs DeWinter) just annoyed me this time around. I get that she was supposed to be child-like, but she was so childish.  And, it never occurred to her husband that she might need some help adjusting to life in his home with his servants and routines?  Apologies to those who love the book. I have loved the book! 

 

So then I started listening to The Paris Wife and don't like it.  Some of it is the narrator, I think.  But, I ended up reading a Wikipedia article on Hemingway and his first wife, and... not sure I care to spend 10 hours on them.  So, I'm quitting that, I think.

 

I also started listening to 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, which I thought at first was about music.  Well no; it's about all the events of that tumultuous year.  It is interesting but I'm not sure nonfiction is good for listening while I drive.  If I get distracted by, you know, the driving, it's not as easy to get back into what's being said.

 

I also started (and will finish today) Of Mice and Men, which I thought I would give to my daughter to read.  I had read it but forgotten most of it.  But no, there is a dog death and we are still finding ourselves tearing up over our own recently deceased dog, so... forget that one for her. 

 

Maybe tomorrow I'll figure it out...  :-)

[Mothersweets]

I can't settle on any reading this week!

 

First I started listening to Rebecca, which I found quite thrilling as a young woman.  Well, it, or rather she (the 2nd Mrs DeWinter) just annoyed me this time around. I get that she was supposed to be child-like, but she was so childish.  And, it never occurred to her husband that she might need some help adjusting to life in his home with his servants and routines?  Apologies to those who love the book. I have loved the book! 

 

So then I started listening to The Paris Wife and don't like it.  Some of it is the narrator, I think.  But, I ended up reading a Wikipedia article on Hemingway and his first wife, and... not sure I care to spend 10 hours on them.  So, I'm quitting that, I think.

 

I also started listening to 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, which I thought at first was about music.  Well no; it's about all the events of that tumultuous year.  It is interesting but I'm not sure nonfiction is good for listening while I drive.  If I get distracted by, you know, the driving, it's not as easy to get back into what's being said.

 

I also started (and will finish today) Of Mice and Men, which I thought I would give to my daughter to read.  I had read it but forgotten most of it.  But no, there is a dog death and we are still finding ourselves tearing up over our own recently deceased dog, so... forget that one for her. 

 

Maybe tomorrow I'll figure it out...  :-)

 

I agree with what you are saying about Rebecca. The last time I read it, I wanted the new Mrs. DeWinter to buck up and stand up for herself!

 

My sister sent me The Paris Wife on audio for Christmas - I still haven't started it.  Hemingway has never particularly interested me in the first place so I don't now how I will make myself listen to this!

 

[Kareni]

Yesterday I read a book that I had won in a giveaway some months ago.  I enjoyed it -- hmm, enjoyed seems the wrong word given the content dealt with trafficking of children for sexual purposes; I'll say instead that I found it a rather gripping book, and it's one I'll likely re-read at some later date.  I'd describe it as a suspense novel first and a romance second. (Adult content)

 

A Solitary Man by Shira Anthony and Aisling Mancy

 

"Sparks fly when Chance meets tall, sexy Xav at a Wilmington bar and they have the hottest one-nighter of their lives. But Chance doesn’t do repeats, Xav seems detached, and they go their separate ways without a word. Later, when closeted Assistant District Attorney C. Evan “Chance†Fairchild meets Dare's Landing's newest deputy sheriff, Xavier “Xav†Constantine, Evan isn’t only wary. He’s irritated as hell.

Xavier is a former FBI agent turned deputy sheriff who is hot on the trail of a South American child prostitution ring. Evan is fighting to put an end to rampant cocaine trafficking and chafing under the thumb of an election-hungry boss. When someone tries to kill the eleven-year-old witness who holds the key to both their investigations, they’re forced to work together as they put their lives on the line to protect him. As Chance and Xav collide in the heat of a sweltering North Carolina summer, dodging bullets and chasing bad guys isn’t the only action going on."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

Just about finished with my biography of Sam Houston. We've been through the Alamo, Goliad, San Jacinto, the refusal of the United States to annex Texas, and the accession of risen-from-the-ranks Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar to the presidency of the Republic. Here's Lamar fixing to transfer the capital from Washington-on-the-Brazos to a campsite in the middle of nowhere:

The site of the new capital was on the upper Colorado, beyond the remotest settlements, but with the maturity of the President's projects destined to be the hub of the greater Republic. The location was an inspiring one amid a collection of hills crowned by a violet haze, which long years before Stephen Austin had picked for his dream university.

From earlier in the story, as the Texian army and civilian refugees retreat before Santa Anna's overwhelming forces, all wondering whether Houston will take them over the Sabine to safety, or turn toward Harrisburg to stand and fight:

 

Next morning a torrential rain failed to extinguish the excitement in the ranks. Which road would Houston take? The menacing Baker thundered warnings, but the Sabine route had its partizans among the troops. All of the refugees favored it. The Commander-in-Chief treated the commotion as if it did not exist and without comment sent the advance-guard over the Harrisburg Road.

 

A wail arose from the refugees. There was a halt and a wrangle which Houston terminated by ordering Wily Martin to escort the refugees and watch for Indian hostilities to the eastward. The Commander-in-Chief thought this cleared the path for his pursuit of Santa Anna, but he had reckoned without Mrs. Mann [a civilian]. She demanded the return of her oxen. Wagon Master Rohrer, a giant in buckskin with a voice like a bull, brushed the protest aside as too trivial for the attention of a man of affairs, and cracking his long whip, addressed the oxen in the sparkling idiom of the trail. Whereupon, Mrs. Mann produced from beneath her apron a pistol, and, if rightly overheard, addressed Mr. Rohrer in terms equally exhilirating. General Houston arrived in time to compose the difficulty with his usual courtly deference to the wishes of a lady.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Violet Crown

[Robin M]

I'm not visiting, I live in the Bay Area. :-) We should definitely get together! And thank you for emailing Eliana. I only have an address and was thinking I would send a letter to check in but this is much faster.

Well, I thought I had her email address but don't.  Snail mail will have to be the way to go.  

[idnib]

Well, I thought I had her email address but don't.  Snail mail will have to be the way to go.  

 

I'll send her a PM. I just looked and there's an option to receive notification of a PM by email. I'll try that first in case she has the option box checked.

[Kareni]

Here's a hodgepodge of books that are currently free to Kindle readers ~

 

These first two are inspirational romances by Jen Turano.  I haven't read them, but I've read and enjoyed other works of hers.

A Change of Fortune (Ladies of Distinction Book #1)

 

"Set in New York City circa 1880, Turano's historical romance has witty dialogue, a spunky heroine, a bounty of humor, and a fast-paced plot. There are wonderful secondary characters, too, including an ankle-biting boy, a relentlessly matchmaking mother, and a full cast of despicable villains. A Change of Fortune will make a delightful addition to any library." --Booklist (starred review)

 

and

Gentleman of Her Dreams (A Ladies of Distinction novella)

 

This novella is a companion to A Change of Fortune, Jen Turano's full-length debut novel.

 

**

 

Yesterday's Thief: An Eric Beckman Paranormal Sci-Fi Thriller by Al Macy

 

"It’s the year 2020, and Eric Beckman is a mind-reading detective.

Although he reads only the conscious thoughts of the people he interviews, it usually gives him enough of an edge to overcome his inexperience as a PI. But mind reading is hell on relationships. Trusting comes hard when you know what people are really thinking.

The case of his life lands in his lap when a beautiful woman materializes during a televised baseball game. She floats in midair, then drops to the ground, comatose.

Beckman is at her bedside when she wakes up. From the moment she opens her eyes, she has him under her spell. He vows to figure out where—or when—she came from, even if it kills him.

The stakes increase when she disappears without a trace. Worse, she holds the key to a worldwide energy catastrophe. If Beckman can’t find her and unlock her secrets, economies will collapse, and the world will spiral down into chaos."

 

**

 

a Southern cozy mystery: Louisiana Longshot (A Miss Fortune Mystery)  by Jana DeLeon

 

"CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever—in Sinful, Louisiana. With a leak at the CIA and a price placed on her head by one of the world's largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off-grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play. Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard."

 

**

 

a novel: The Illegal Gardener  by Sara Alexi

 

"Sara Alexi weaves this entrancing story of the burgeoning relationship that develops between two people from very different backgrounds and cultures; an English woman living in Greece and the Pakistani illegal immigrant who becomes her gardener and house boy.

Each brings their own problems, their own past baggage, and she approaches these with sympathy and understanding as well as exploring the nuances and differences in therir cultures as they become more and more dependent on each other. "

 

 

**

 

a male/male sports romance: Playing for Keeps (Glasgow Lads Book 1)  by Avery Cockburn

 

"Fergus Taylor is damaged goods. Reeling from a brutal breakup, he’s determined to captain his LGBT soccer team out of scandal and into a winning season. For that, he needs strict rules and careful plans. He does NOT need a brash, muscle-bound lad messing with his head and setting his body afire.

John Burns has a rule of his own: Don’t get attached. Boyfriends are for guys with nothing to hide. Nobody—not his university mates, not the men he beds—knows his family’s shame. Now his double life is starting to unravel, thanks to a certain Highlander whose storm-riddled eyes turn John inside out, who wears a kilt like he was born in it.

Fergus is the first man John wants to share his secret with—but he’s the last man who could handle it. John knows the truth would shatter Fergus’s still-fragile heart. But how can he live a lie when he’s falling in love?"

 

**

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I just lost an almost finished post.grr

 

Once again I am up bright and early after having sent my guys off to another AP exam. Really glad that we are all still healthy. Dd turns 18 today so we have a girly day planned until they get home. Planning to surprise her with lunch at a local favourite carvery of hers before the guys return.

 

I finished the second Hazel Holt/Mrs. Malory cozy. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9393849-the-cruellest-month are good cozy mysteries that were written in the nineties. In this one Mrs. Malory returns to Oxford to use Bodleian Library to research a literary article she is writing. One of the librarians has been killed, crushed beneath the stacks and it wasn't an accident. Several Sayers references for fans. I liked the first one a bit better but it may just be my mood.....

 

Reading a Kareni recommend, My Sweet Folly by Kinsdale. Good but different so far. About halfwat through.

Edited May 5, 2016 by mumto2

[Jane in NC]

I just lost an almost finished post.grr

 

Once again I am up bright and early after having sent my guys off to another AP exam. Really glad that we are all still healthy. Dd turns 18 today so we have a girly day planned until they get home. Planning to surprise her with lunch at a local favourite carvery of hers before the guys return.

 

I finished the second Hazel Holt/Mrs. Malory cozy. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9393849-the-cruellest-month are good cozy mysteries that were written in the nineties. In this one Mrs. Malory returns to Oxford to use Bodleian Library to research a literary article she is writing. One of the librarians has been killed, crushed beneath the stacks and it wasn't an accident. Several Sayers references for fans. I liked the first one a bit better but it may just be my mood.....

 

Reading a Kareni recommend, My Sweet Folly by Kinsdale. Good but different so far. About halfwat through.

Good luck to your kids!

 

Hazel Holt was Barbara Pym's biographer. I didn't realize that she wrote mysteries. Hmmm...

[Rosie_0801]

Another interesting story re charlotte's web.  We watched the bonus features of the live movie version. Most of the crew thought the helicoptering baby spiders was made up. During the filming, they happened to catch the real thing occurring over the barn. So touching seeing a bunch of men getting misty eyed, choked up and awed over the sight.  Think it was the one with Dakota Fanning playing the little girl. 

 

Parts of that movie were filmed locally to where I was living at the time. :)

 

I wonder why an American farm story was filmed in Oz. It's not like you haven't plenty of your own. 

 

They all wanted to claim a holiday on tax, I bet.  :glare:  :P

[Violet Crown]

Parts of that movie were filmed locally to where I was living at the time. :)

 

 

Yeah I've seen footage of those masses of parachuting Australian spiders. I like Australia, it reminds me there are places where mother nature is even more out to get you than here.

[Kareni]

Once again I am up bright and early after having sent my guys off to another AP exam. Really glad that we are all still healthy. Dd turns 18 today so we have a girly day planned until they get home. Planning to surprise her with lunch at a local favourite carvery of hers before the guys return.

 

...

 

Reading a Kareni recommend, My Sweet Folly by Kinsdale. Good but different so far. About halfwat through.

 

I hope those AP exams go well!

 

Happy 18th birthday to your daughter; I hope she has a fine day and a wonderful year.  (And I don't believe I've ever seen the word carvery though it's clear what it is.)

 

My Sweet Folly is a curious story.  I liked the epistolary aspect but the rest of the story was ... different. Flowers from the Storm is by far my favorite of Kinsale's books.  And a better epistolary romance (in my opinion) is Connie Brockway's My Dearest Enemy.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Those who like reading fantasy, particularly urban fantasy, will probably enjoy this post from the Tor site by Charlaine Harris ~ 

Five Literary Worlds That Smacked Me in the Face

 

I was already familiar with four of her suggestions and have put a hold on the fifth.  It's so nice when my library already owns what I'm interested in reading!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

And a couple more Five Books About columns from the Tor site ~

 

For fans of short stories:

 

Five Books (of Short Stories) That’ll Make You Rethink Reality by Fred Strydom

 

I'll admit that I enjoyed the quote with which this column began.

 

"Stephen King once said a novel is a love affair, while a short story is a kiss in the dark."

 

 

and

 

Five Books with Unusual Methods of Travel by Martha Wells

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Robin, I know that you've enjoyed M. L. Buchman's books.  You and others might enjoy this post in which he recommends travel books that have inspired him.

 

The Word Made... Travel Plans?  5 Books That Will Give You the Travel Bug  by M.L. Buchman

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[idnib]

I'll send her a PM. I just looked and there's an option to receive notification of a PM by email. I'll try that first in case she has the option box checked.

 

Quoting myself to say I didn't hear back from the PM I sent Eliana so I'm dropping a note to her in the mail today.

[NoseInABook]

Swinging by to say hi! Miss you ladies! I'm not getting enough reading done... I finished Holiness For Housewives today. Almost done with Anne Bishop's Marked In Flesh. I have Patricia Briggs' latest one waiting and I hope to get to it tonight! 

[Violet Crown]

Swinging by to say hi! Miss you ladies! I'm not getting enough reading done... I finished Holiness For Housewives today.

Is that the same book that was originally Praying While You Work? I keep meaning to re-read it. What were your thoughts?

[Kareni]

It's clearly my day to post links today ....

 

I recall that some here (aggieamy, Ali in OR, Eliana) enjoy reading books by Sheri Cobb South; I've enjoyed a couple myself. On a different site, someone linked to a book series that she recommended on her blog.  It looks like a fun series; it's by Gary Corby and takes place in ancient Greece.

 

An Interview with Gary Corby

 

Here's a snippet from the interview:

 

"Can you tell me a little about how you created Nicolaos?

 

Poor Nico!  He’s the dumbest guy in the room.

 

At the time Nico’s alive and detecting, there are about a dozen world-class geniuses walking around Athens.  There’s Pericles the famous statesman; Socrates the world’s greatest philosopher, but at this point he’s only twelve years old; Diotima the priestess-philosopher; Aspasia the brilliant speech writer; Hippocrates the Father of Medicine; the playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides; Herodotus the Father of History…the list goes on.

 

Even Sherlock Holmes would struggle against this lot.  It meant that my detective couldn’t be the smartest guy in the room.  Since he couldn’t be the smartest, he had to be the dumbest.

 

So Nico’s little brother is a genius.  His girlfriend is a genius.  His boss is a genius.   But Nico’s the one expected to solve all the puzzles."

 

 

Here's the Amazon link to the first book: 

The Pericles Commission (Mysteries of Ancient Greece Book 1) by Gary Corby From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. "Those who like their historicals with a touch of humor will welcome Australian author Corby's promising debut, set in fifth-century B.C.E. Greece. When the arrow-pierced body of Ephialtes, the main force behind democratic reform in Athens, literally falls at the feet of Nicolaos, a sculptor's son expected to follow in his father's footsteps, fate hands Nicolaos another career. Ephialtes's politician friend, Pericles, who appears on the scene moments after the murder, is impressed enough by Nicolaos's preliminary conclusions to hire him to solve the crime. Members of the Areopagus, the city's ruling council, had the most to lose from Ephialtes's policies, but the neophyte detective finds that not even his exalted employer is above suspicion. The bodies pile up as the investigation continues, leading to a dramatic climax in which Nicolaos's survival hinges on his cracking the mystery. Corby displays a real gift for pacing and plotting."
Copyright © Reed Business Information

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

And more links ~

 

 

The article below discusses "historical mysteries that include strong romantic elements."

Romance Unlaced: Exploring the slow burn in historical mysteries

 

One of the authors featured in the above article is Sherri Cobb South.  She posted her more complete interview on her blog.  You can read that here: USA Today: The Complete Interview.

 

**

 

And here's another interview with M. L. Buchman:

Interview: M.L. Buchman, author of ‘Flash of Fire’

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Posting this time about a book I read (gasp!) ~

 

I finished Anne Bishop's Queen of the Darkness (Black Jewels, Book 3); this is definitely a series that must be read in order.  As with book two, I had decided to return the book to the library before reading it.  I started it yesterday while en route to the library and then kept reading it last night and today.  It was an engrossing read, but I still far prefer the author's more recent Novel of the Others series.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

 

Robin, I know that you've enjoyed M. L. Buchman's books.  You and others might enjoy this post in which he recommends travel books that have inspired him.

 

The Word Made... Travel Plans?  5 Books That Will Give You the Travel Bug  by M.L. Buchman

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

 

And more links ~

 

 

The article below discusses "historical mysteries that include strong romantic elements."

Romance Unlaced: Exploring the slow burn in historical mysteries

 

One of the authors featured in the above article is Sherri Cobb South.  She posted her more complete interview on her blog.  You can read that here: USA Today: The Complete Interview.

 

**

 

And here's another interview with M. L. Buchman:

Interview: M.L. Buchman, author of ‘Flash of Fire’

 

Regards,

Kareni

Awesome - great links and I probably will end up adding a couple of the travel books to my want list.

 

Thank you idnib for contacting Eliana!  

 

Finished reading J.R. Ward's The Beast - more of Mary and Rhage's story in the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  Buchman's Flash Fire is up next. 

[Stacia]

I don't often read crime fiction, but have started A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez, published by Europa Editions. It's definitely pulling me in so far....

 

 

We first meet Jack Carrigan as a promising young musician on a post graduation holiday in Africa with three friends. Driving at night in Uganda, unsure of their route, they encounter a rebel force drunk on drugs and their own cruelty. We next see Jack, years later, now an inspector with the Metropolitan police. The two survivors of the incident meet regularly but are unable to discuss what occurred until Jack begins to investigate the murder of a renowned African woman who was studying at the London School of African and Oriental Studies. Carrigan has become a loner, unpopular with his colleagues because he is an expert at being the first detective at a crime scene to ensure that he will run the investigation. His work on this case takes on a terrible immediacy, pulling him into a London diaspora of rough communities, a largely invisible cauldron of illegal immigrants and fugitives. He discovers that the victim was researching the rise of African rebel groups and had discovered the hidden complicity of the current Ugandan government in a brutal campaign to silence dissent. Carrigan is soon caught between his obligation to follow the evidence wherever it leads and his superiors, concern that justice will not compensate for the potential costs to the British government. This combination of a bruising crime investigation competing against the hidden forces of powerful political and social interests makes for superior entertainment. The deeply satisfying mixture of memorable characters and urgent subject matter showcase a much-admired writer dancing deftly between the demands of a well composed procedural and artistic storytelling.

 

 

 

 

[Loesje22000]

I was very glad last month as I discovered a Dutch Publisher with Austen and Bronte Titles in Dutch, I had never read.

I was more glad when this week 2 books arrived, and I decided to read one:

'The Professor' From Charlotte Bronte in Dutch Translated as 'Life and Love'

 

At first I liked the book, enjoyed myself reading it, and was looking forward to my eveningly? bed reading :)

But then, when the Professor arrives in Brussel Bronte starts to describe the students...

 

ugh

 

all bad attitudes of the students are linked to being catholic,

all lovely students are linked to being protestant...

 

I had honestly no idea...

 

Is this just a common opinion of that era, how people thought?

Is this Bronte herself speaking, or just her imagination?

 

I am not Catholic, but I was shocked and ashamed reading this.

 

Are more of the Bronte books like this?

[Violet Crown]

Is this just a common opinion of that era, how people thought?

Is this Bronte herself speaking, or just her imagination?

 

It's in part a phenomenon of Brontë's moment in English history. As official toleration for Catholics in England gradually increased, and was reflected in legal relief, there was anti-Catholic reaction socially. In the mid-nineteenth century, when Brontë was growing up, the Catholic Church had just been permitted to reestablish its hierarchy in England, which touched off a wave of rioting, effigy-burning, and the like. The sort of attitude you see in The Professor is really pretty mild (Charles Kingsley's Hypatia makes for quite a read, in contrast). As a lover of English literature of the anti-Catholic periods I would say to not let it spoil your enjoyment of the story. :)

 

Edit: It occurs to me that you can even think of those passages positively as evidence that a culturally despised minority is acquiring legal rights ... with the inevitable social backlash.

Edited May 6, 2016 by Violet Crown

[mumto2]

It's clearly my day to post links today ....

 

I recall that some here (aggieamy, Ali in OR, Eliana) enjoy reading books by Sheri Cobb South; I've enjoyed a couple myself. On a different site, someone linked to a book series that she recommended on her blog. It looks like a fun series; it's by Gary Corby and takes place in ancient Greece.

An Interview with Gary Corby

 

 

 

Here's a snippet from the interview:

 

"Can you tell me a little about how you created Nicolaos?

 

Poor Nico! He’s the dumbest guy in the room.

 

At the time Nico’s alive and detecting, there are about a dozen world-class geniuses walking around Athens. There’s Pericles the famous statesman; Socrates the world’s greatest philosopher, but at this point he’s only twelve years old; Diotima the priestess-philosopher; Aspasia the brilliant speech writer; Hippocrates the Father of Medicine; the playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides; Herodotus the Father of History…the list goes on.

 

Even Sherlock Holmes would struggle against this lot. It meant that my detective couldn’t be the smartest guy in the room. Since he couldn’t be the smartest, he had to be the dumbest.

 

So Nico’s little brother is a genius. His girlfriend is a genius. His boss is a genius. But Nico’s the one expected to solve all the puzzles."

 

 

Here's the Amazon link to the first book: The Pericles Commission (Mysteries of Ancient Greece Book 1) by Gary Corby From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. "Those who like their historicals with a touch of humor will welcome Australian author Corby's promising debut, set in fifth-century B.C.E. Greece. When the arrow-pierced body of Ephialtes, the main force behind democratic reform in Athens, literally falls at the feet of Nicolaos, a sculptor's son expected to follow in his father's footsteps, fate hands Nicolaos another career. Ephialtes's politician friend, Pericles, who appears on the scene moments after the murder, is impressed enough by Nicolaos's preliminary conclusions to hire him to solve the crime. Members of the Areopagus, the city's ruling council, had the most to lose from Ephialtes's policies, but the neophyte detective finds that not even his exalted employer is above suspicion. The bodies pile up as the investigation continues, leading to a dramatic climax in which Nicolaos's survival hinges on his cracking the mystery. Corby displays a real gift for pacing and plotting."

Copyright © Reed Business Information

 

Regards,

Kareni

After a long search I managed to find the second book in Corby's series on audio no written copies. These look good. Has anyone read them?

 

I finished My Sweet Follyhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21951914-my-sweet-folly. It was interesting and rather different. Because some of the bok is in letter form it did bring to mind a book suggestion for Amy's dd....or other Dd's

 

Amy, has your dd read Daddy Long Legs? Huge favorite....

[Jane in NC]

Like many others who normally participate in this thread, I too have been busy.

 

This week I went to Raleigh to advocate for one of my organizations.  I expected things to be really noisy around the Capitol but I guess that was last week.  Maybe the rain kept people away.  Who knows.

 

Before leaving Raleigh, I stopped by the new location of an independent bookstore, Quail Ridge Books. Or rather their temporary location across from what will be the new location.  The new store is not yet ready and they could not come to terms with their former landlord.  My husband asked me to pick up Strugatsky Brother books for him but they only had one which DH already owns.  I reminded DH that he had an unused Barnes and Noble gift card so he placed an order.

 

I did find two books for She Who Needs No More Books at Quail Ridge.  They carry imports so I was able to buy another of Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope books--the third although I was hoping for the second.  As I always told my son when he was growing up, "You get what you get."  I also bought the sequel to Wendy Jones' Wilfred Price book, The World is a Wedding. This was another import.

 

My favorite line from The Thoughts and Happenings of Wildred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals ;) :

 

Being unhappily married might feel a lot like the dread of doing hours of prep--mathematics prep--algebra and logarithms, inescapable problems with no obvious answer, no solution he could ever find, every day for the rest of his life.

 

 

I have started reading The Dead Mountaineer's Inn, an atypical Strugatsky book.

 

 

[Ethel Mertz]

I finished a few more books this week.

 

70.     Falcon Finale (Bob White Murder Mystery #4) – Jan Dunlap – My spouse and I are enjoying these birder mysteries. They are really fast, enjoyable reads.

71.      They Do It With Mirrors (Miss Marple #6) – Agatha Christie – Totally unexpected ending, in typical Christie fashion.

72.      Patterns of Grace – Tom F. Driver – A great re-read of a book that was published nearly 40 years ago.

73.      This Organic Life – Joan Dye Gussow – Not as good as Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, & Miracle, but helpful with great recipes!

74.      Home – Toni Morrison – Poignant, as usual. Important story of an African American Korean-War vet returning home and the nightmares with which he copes.

75.      Back to School Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #4) – Leslie Meier - Another quick read, surprise ending.

 

I'm currently reading the Miss Julia series by Ann Ross and have just started Daniel Berrigan's autobiography - To Dwell in Peace. I've also requested Wild from the library, along with a couple of other books that I can't remember at the moment (I'll just be surprised when they come in. Nothing like having blacked out on my late night library requests...).

[Kareni]

I did find two books for She Who Needs No More Books at Quail Ridge. ...

 

I'll be looking forward to their arrival. 

 

Oh, wait, you meant they're for you.

 

 

...I've also requested Wild from the library, along with a couple of other books that I can't remember at the moment (I'll just be surprised when they come in. Nothing like having blacked out on my late night library requests...).

 

I find all manner of curious books on the hold shelf with my name attached.  It keeps life interesting!

 

 

Regards,

Kareni aka She Who (Also) Needs No More Books

[Loesje22000]

It's in part a phenomenon of Brontë's moment in English history. As official toleration for Catholics in England gradually increased, and was reflected in legal relief, there was anti-Catholic reaction socially. In the mid-nineteenth century, when Brontë was growing up, the Catholic Church had just been permitted to reestablish its hierarchy in England, which touched off a wave of rioting, effigy-burning, and the like. The sort of attitude you see in The Professor is really pretty mild (Charles Kingsley's Hypatia makes for quite a read, in contrast). As a lover of English literature of the anti-Catholic periods I would say to not let it spoil your enjoyment of the story. :)

 

Edit: It occurs to me that you can even think of those passages positively as evidence that a culturally despised minority is acquiring legal rights ... with the inevitable social backlash.

 

Thank you for the back ground information!!

The more I read the less I seem to know.... :)

 

This publisher also translated Vilette so I can read that too, now.

 

It also might a translation error, but in Dutch the proffesor says something like ' girls and women in papist countries are mentally degenerated'.

These are strong words...

[Maus]

I'm behind again!  I have three books halfway through, but can't seem to finish one....

 

15. ""Flying Too High: A Phyrne Fisher Mystery" by Kerry Greenwood.

 

14. "Cocaine Blues: A Phyrne Fisher Mystery" by Kerry Greenwood.  DH and I have been watching the TV series on Netflix, and I've read one of Ms. Greenwood's Corinna stories, so I thought I'd give it a go.  Deep and meaningful it was not, but a nice diversion.

13. "Let It Go" by Chris Williams.  True story of how Mr. Williams was able to forgive the drunk teenager who t-boned them in Salt Lake City, killing his pregnant wife and two of their children.  This story was recently turned into a movie called "Just Let Go." but I haven't seen it yet.

12. "Writing From Personal Experience" by Nancy Davidoff Kelton.

11. "Writing the Memoir" by Judith Barrington.

10.  "Boys Adrift" by Leonard Sax.

9. "Girls on the Edge" by Leonard Sax.  

8. "Christ and the Inner Life" by Truman G. Madsen. (LDS)  

7. "Gaze into Heaven" by Marlene Bateman Sullivan. (LDS)

6. "To Heaven and Back" by Mary C. Neal, MD.

5. "When Will the Heaven Begin?" by Ally Breedlove.

4. "Four" by Virginia Roth.

3. "Allegiant" by Virgina Roth.

2. " Insurgent" by Virginia Roth.

1. "Divergent" by Virginia Roth.

[Kareni]

I'll be traveling next week for a family wedding and will be staying with my sister who invited me to accompany her to her book group.  They will be discussing The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel by Gabrielle Zevin which a number of you have already read.  Several years ago I enjoyed the author's young adult novel, Elsewhere, so I was happy to read this book also.  It was a lovely book, and I quite enjoyed it.  I recommend it.

 

"A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over--and see everything anew."

 

 

Here's an author interview from NPR:

In 'Storied Life,' Characters Come With A Reading List

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

Back home from a wonderful trip to Hawaii. We aren't your average Hawaii tourists as we are going home to be with family. We haven't lived there in 30 years, but it still feels like home. Dh lived there from middle school through college, which is where we met. His mom is still living in the same house, too, which adds to the "coming home" feeling. Aside from being with family, we do make a point of being tourists for a few days each trip because, well, Hawaii! Whether it is with family or playing tourist, though, our main goal is to eat lots of good local food. And this trip I tried some island versions of standard drinks, with the stand out being a lilikoi (passion fruit) mojito!

 

Thought you all would enjoy some photos from the Hawaii Book and Music Festival, where I posted from last Sunday.

 

 

It was spread out over a large park in downtown Honolulu.

 

                                               

 

This is author Julie Checkoway signing copies of her new book, The Three-Year Swim Club about the Olympic swimmers from the Maui sugar plantations in the 1930s.  I'm about 1/3 of the way through the book, which is your standard underdog athletic trope, but I'm loving it as the places and history are so familiar to me. 

 

OK, so this may not look appetizing, but it was sooooo good!  This is standard Island style "plate lunch" with "2 scoop rice", mac salad and corn. The meat I chose was Korean style kal-bi.  You can get kalua pork instead or a "loco moco" which is a hamburger patty, friend egg and brown sauce over the rice. Usually you eat the whole mess with chop sticks, but all they had were plastic forks.

 

                                        

 

I sat in the main tent and enjoyed a few hours of local entertainment.  This is traditional hula, or hula kahiko, which is more rhythmic than the more familiar modern hula as it is danced to a chant, and with both chant and dance movements telling a story.  I also watched some modern hula (hula 'auana) and a local master of slack-key guitar.

 

And I bought books!  Aside from The Three-year Swim Club, I bought a few books at the tent of the Sisters in Crime writing group. I've already finished The Death of Aloha, a light novel about overcoming ethnic conflict in Honolulu, which wasn't great but certainly didn't suck. How's that for an endorsement?!  I haven't started the cozy mystery yet, Another Day in Paradise, which features a female mail carrier as the sleuth!  I asked the author which of her series she was most proud of and she recommended this one. The Sisters in Crime authors also gave me a collection of short stories, Mystery in Paradise: 13 Tales of Suspense.

 

 And.... one more photo from our few days playing tourists: poolside with a lilikoi margarita!

  

Edited May 6, 2016 by JennW in SoCal

[JennW in SoCal]

 

 

And I totally am rocking William Finnegan's Barbarian Days.  Maybe I can finish that before Overdrive sucks it back.  

 

 

Welcome fastweedpuller!  Barbarian Days was one of my absolute favorite books last year!  I listened to it in fact, and listen to many audiobooks. I totally count those in my official 52 Books list!

 

Since I'm posting pics from Hawaii, here's a surfer dude starting the long hike down to the surfing spot in Diamond Head where Finnegan started surfing: