Book a Week 2017 - BW39: Freedom to read

[ErinE]

That's an interesting perspective. I recently re-read Orange for the first time since college, and I read the same version you did this time, with the last chapter included. I guess that I sappily appreciated it, because it offered some hope, that Alex grew out of his youthful nihilism. Otherwise that story is just so damn bleak.  I think that bleakness feeds something hopeless and scary inside of us (is it just inside of Americans? apparently Kubrik & the American editors thought so . . . ) It reminds me of the scene in Tomorrowland where the Hugh Laurie character berates us for wallowing in the negative misery of dystopia because it negates our responsibility to act, to make the world better.

 

Dystopia is interesting because it always has to address hope. One way or the other. Is there, or isn't there? I'm starting to lean toward finding hope despite/amidst catastrophe the more interesting solution, when an author pulls it off well. I actually think it's the more difficult resolution.

 

My issue came with the lack of arc. It felt wrong to me then and now with a few more years of analyzing writing mechanics, I think I can pinpoint why. A character can change, but doesn't do a 180, especially one so drastic, without revealing some form of that change to the reader over the course of the story. In The Road, the father makes clear he's relying on "fire" to save his son. The son's fate isn't resolved at the story's end, but McCarthy has built up that hopeful expectation. In the movie Children of Men (I haven't read the book though I intend to), the hope is the pregnant refugee reaches safety and at the end, when the mother and baby's fate are uncertain, the watcher has some expectation things will be better for them. So I think dystopias can have hope; the story just needs to build that feeling in the reader.

 

Had Burgess woven in some measure of self-reflection in Alex's character through out the story, the change wouldn't be so abrupt and discordant to me.

 

I don't know if you've watched Breaking Bad, but I think the series through Jesse captures well a terrible character changing and finding some measure of hope for, if not redemption, at least a better life than the one he'd led previously. 

[Violet Crown]

I'd always assumed the alternative endings were due (crudely speaking) to a British reading of the book as a parable for adolescence, and the American preference for reading it as dystopian fiction.

[idnib]

I struggle with whether I should read Mein Kampf or not. On the one hand, I think he should not get any recognition for writing a book. I would feel weird reading his book. However, I think it's important to understand the mind of such evil people so we can prevent such people from gaining power and/or causing harm now and in the future. At times I feel like we have learned nothing from the past. 

 

I completely understand the ban, and even so it feels funny to think of supporting a ban. It is such a catch-22. (Like my use of the phrase made popular by the book of the same title I am currently reading?)  There are things I truly feel should be illegal, and I also realize this changes with society and the culture of the time. It was acceptable for Lewis Carrol to possess certain photographs that today would land him in prison. Conversely, I wear clothing, own books, and participate in behavior that would have landed me in jail in the past.  

 

My relatives from Germany stopped dead in their tracks in a B&N store here when they saw a display of Maus. The swastika is illegal in Germany so it blew their mind to see it openly displayed even though it's an anti-nazis book series. 

 

 

I understand the ban and disagree with the ban. I don't think there's anything wrong with reading Mein Kampf. I've never read it myself, but I think there's value in reading about the lives of all kinds of people, whether we like them or not. 

 

I can't judge the Germans for having a law like they do because they're coming to it with a very different experience. But I do think if a nation chooses to ban something altogether they have to be aware that in addition to the desired reduction in exposure, it can have an undesirable fetishistic effect. 

Edited September 27, 2017 by idnib

[Lady Florida.]

I feel like I'm already behind on this thread!

 

Banned Books Week - I don't usually plan to read a banned book for this week because I read them throughout the year, often without realizing it. So far this year I read Song of Solomon  (frequently challenged and often banned in schools) and Doctor Zhivago (banned in the former Soviet Union). Though I didn't plan it for Banned Books Week, I was listening to I Am Malala  and finished today. That book is banned in Pakistani schools. 

 

Ninja - I feel the way you do about Mein Kampf. I think it's important to read it for understanding but I don't want to. The idea of reading it makes me feel unclean. 

 

Stacia (from HP last week) - Yes! I cried over the scene with Neville at the hospital too. He is one of my favorite characters and though you get a sense of his growth by seeing the movies, you really only understand it by reading the books. He has such a great character arc throughout the series. I think some of it is foreshadowed in the first book when he stands up to Harry, Ron, and Hermoine.

 

Matryoshka - I really liked Half of a Yellow Sun. I do remember hearing about Biafra when it happened but was at an age where what was happening in the world wasn't really on my radar. I didn't know much about it until I read the book and followed rabbit trails to learn more. 

 

Jenn - I hadn't thought about Pierre and the fires. I've not been around fires much. We do have a wildfire season in Florida but it's nothing like out west. As for him on the battlefield I kept thinking he was the original embedded civilian. :)

 

 

 

I gave in to the mystery novel temptation and read Voice of the Violin, an Inspector Montalbano mystery but I only read it at night so I could keep my days for War and Peace. Speaking of War and Peace I'm still behind but not by much. I have about 20 minutes left in Part Four Volume Two, so I should hopefully be able to finish Volume Three this week and finally be caught up.

 

Next audio book - Hamilton, The Revolution

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Kareni]

I'm continuing to enjoy Anne Cleeland's New Scotland Yard Mystery series having just finished the third book.  Fortunately, book four is waiting for me on the hold shelf at the library.  This is definitely a series to read in order.

 

Murder in Hindsight (A New Scotland Yard Mystery Book 3)  by Anne Cleeland

 

"While Acton and Doyle, two of Scotland Yard’s finest, pursue a self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner, Acton’s own questionable methods may prove their undoing…

 

The victims are all criminals who eluded justice—until they ran afoul of an avenger whose modus operandi is a bullet to the back of the head. The key to the vigilante’s identity lies in connecting the cold cases to an event that may have triggered retribution after all these years.

 

Meanwhile, Doyle finds herself shadowed by a mysterious figure. After the man steps forward to rescue her from harm, she wonders why he is invested in protecting her. But when she learns he’s in contact with Acton’s nemesis, she fears she’s being used in a plot against her husband.

 

The stakes are high, and both Doyle and Acton must work independently to outwit the players—before their lives are brought crashing down like a house of cards…"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I read a rather disappointing book In His Majesty's Service  by Elizabeth Silver and Jenny Urban; I persevered and finished it because it was lent to me by an online acquaintance.  I will not be in a hurry to read more by these authors.  (Significant adult content ... and too little story.)

 

"Everyone in the Drion Collective knows that finding your match—the one person in existence with the same soul mark as yours—is the best thing that could ever happen. But the last thing Lord Anders Hawthorne is thinking about when he boards a ship to Drion for the king’s funeral is finding his soul mate.

Captain Zachary O’Connell has the perfect life—his ship, the stars, and no emotional entanglements. When heat sparks between him and Lord Hawthorne, Zach gleefully dives into a no-strings arrangement. He doesn't expect it to last beyond arrival at Drion, any more than he expects trouble along the way.

Trouble quickly finds them, however, and it soon becomes clear that Lord Hawthorne is not only not who he says he is, but also that he's the target of a deadly plot. With danger all around them, Zach and Anders must work together to save the Collective. Meanwhile, Zach must come to grips with losing everything he always thought he wanted, to have the one thing he never dreamed he needed."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

I read a rather disappointing book In His Majesty's Service  by Elizabeth Silver and Jenny Urban; I persevered and finished it because it was lent to me by an online acquaintance.  I will not be in a hurry to read more by these authors.  (Significant adult content ... and too little story.)

 

 

 

I heard of this book recently possibly because you mentioned it in a past thread (did you?). I was considering it so thank you for your review. I'll skip it.

[Maus]

Has it really been since July since I updated my reading?

 

32.  "I'll Push You" by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck.  The documentary is coming out, and they did a Ted talk a couple of years ago.  The story of their trek on the Camino de Santiago, and what they learned about friendship, asking for help, and vulnerability.  Justin has a degenerative disease and is wheel-chair bound, so Patrick volunteered to push him.

 

31.  "Summerlost" by Ally Condie.  This is part of the [Our city] Reads at our local library.  This is a middle-school book that deals with loss and autism.  It's set at a summer Shakespeare Festival.  I liked it, and DD12 is going to read it next.

 

30.  "Braving the Wilderness" by Brene Brown.  Daring Greatly is probably my favorite, but this was good, too.

 

29.  "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling.  Listened to this in the car with DH on a mini-road trip (without the kids).

 

28.  "Guitar Zero: the New Musician and the Science of Learning" by Gary Marcus.  The author challenges the idea that you have to start young to learn to play a musical instrument.  He read the "10,000 hours" theory, and decided, at age 38, to learn to play guitar.  The book combines that journey with interviews with various experts about how the brain works.

27.  "Life Skills 101: A Practical Guide to Leaving Home and Living on Your Own" by Tina Pestalozzi. 

26.  "Utah Curiousities:  Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Offbeat Fun" by Brandon Griggs.

25.  "Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism" by Dawn Prince-Hughes.

24.  "Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor" by Jon Scieszka.

23.  "Counseling with Our Councils" by M. Russell Ballard (LDS).

22. "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi

21. "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright.

20. "QB: My Life Behind the Spiral" by Steve Young.

19. "Batneezer: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

18. "Lord of the Hat: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

17.  "Beyond Belief" by Jenna Miscavige Hill.

16. "Ruthless" by Ron Miscavige.

15. "Katfish: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

14. "Pinocula: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

13. "Potterwookiee: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

12. "Worth the Wrestle" by Sheri Dew (LDS).

11.  "Wonkenstein: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye.

10. "Cub Scout Wolf Handbook". 

9. "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

8. "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Sue Klebold

7. "Columbine" by Dave Cullen.

6. "Changed through His Grace" by Brad Wilcox (LDS)>

5. "The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida.

4. "No Doubt About It" by Sheri Dew.

3. "Amazed by Grace" by Sheri Dew.

2. "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown.

1. "Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake" by Frank W. Abagnale.

 

[Kareni]

Regarding In His Majesty's Service  by Elizabeth Silver and Jenny Urban ~

 

I heard of this book recently possibly because you mentioned it in a past thread (did you?). I was considering it so thank you for your review. I'll skip it.

 

I don't believe I mentioned it; however, given that I have a mind like a sieve ....  In any event, I agree with your decision to skip it.

**

 

A decidedly unusual romance that is currently free.  I read and enjoyed this one years ago.

 

Painted Faces  by L.H. Cosway

 

"Come forth with an open mind, for an unconventional tale of love..

Dublin native Freda Wilson considers herself to be an acquired taste. She has a habit of making offensive jokes and speaking her mind too often. She doesn't have the best track record with first impressions, which is why she gets a surprise when her new neighbour Nicholas takes a shine to her.

Nicholas is darkly handsome, funny and magnetic, and Freda feels like her black and white existence is plunged into a rainbow of colour when she's around him. When he walks into a room he lights it up, with his quick wit and charisma. He is a travelling cabaret performer, but Freda doesn't know exactly what that entails until the curtains pull back on his opening night.

She is gob-smacked and entirely intrigued to see him take to the stage in drag. Later on, Nicholas asks her if she would like to become his show assistant. Excited by the idea, she jumps at the chance. Soon she finds herself immersed in a world of wigs, make-up and high heels, surrounded by pretty men and the temptation of falling for her incredibly beautiful employer.

In this story of passion and sexual discovery, Nicholas and Freda will contend with jealousy, emotional highs and lows, and the kind of love that only comes around once in a lifetime."

**

 

And I've seen good reviews of this currently free romance ~  Imperfect Chemistry  by Mary Frame

 

"Perfectly imperfect characters and situations make Frame's debut novel sparkle...there's a very real sense of character growth, brought to life by an evolving narrative style that parallels Lucy's metamorphosis. The blend of humor and heart makes for a thoughtful, highly entertaining read." --Publishers Weekly

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

Regarding In His Majesty's Service  by Elizabeth Silver and Jenny Urban ~

 

 

I don't believe I mentioned it; however, given that I have a mind like a sieve ....  In any event, I agree with your decision to skip it.

**

 

 

 

It's possible I heard about it somewhere else. Usually my first thought when a book title sounds familiar is that someone on BaW must have mentioned it. :D

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Thank you to those who have sent/written recommendations for me.

 

I needed a new audiobook quickly an (as always) opened the Kindle to the books with narration to select one. The first book had 5 stars and over 10,000 reviews so I quickly downloaded it and jumped in the car. I didn't have time to read the description but the cover was engaging so I had high hopes. I was a bit disappointed when the book began and I discovered it is based on WWII. I dislike reading about war (I don't watch movies about war either) - yes, I read War & Peace, but I struggled with it - and will continue the book with caution. With over 10,000 reviews and a 5 star rating, the book has to be good, correct?

 

I also downloaded a book to read. It also had 1000s of reviews and a 5 star rating. Again, I did not read the description but just downloaded it on faith.

 

My current reads: 

 

Audiobook - Beneath a Scarlett Sky by Mark Sullivan

Fiction book - To Dance With the White Dog:  A Novel of Life, Loss, Mystery and Hope by Terry Kay

Nonfiction - 7 on Court Strategies to Experience Your Play State by Styrling Strother

[Kareni]

A classic that is currently free for one day for Kindle readers; it's by the author of Frankenstein but was not published until 1959 ~

 

Mathilda by Mary Shelley

 

"Mary Shelley’s shocking, tragic, and some say autobiographical tale of incestuous love.

Confined to her deathbed, Mathilda narrates the story of her life. It is a tale of sweeping emotion, shameful secrets, and wretched love.
 
Her mother having died in childbirth, Mathilda is raised by her aunt until the age of sixteen, at which point she happily returns home to live with her father. But he turns deeply melancholic when a young suitor begins to visit Mathilda at their London home, and the idyllic life parent and child once shared turns sour.
 
Pushed to confess his all-consuming love for his own daughter, Mathilda’s father bids her farewell before shame drives him to drown himself. Finally, after years of solitude and grief, Mathilda’s hope for happiness is renewed in the form of a gifted young poet named Woodville. But while his genius is transcendent, and he loves Mathilda dearly, the specter of her father still lingers.
 
Though Mary Shelley wrote Mathilda in 1819, directly after the publication of Frankenstein, her father and publisher, William Godwin, refused to print it. Nearly a century and a half later, in 1959, the manuscript was finally published and has become one of Shelley’s best-known works."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

 

Dystopia is interesting because it always has to address hope. One way or the other. Is there, or isn't there? I'm starting to lean toward finding hope despite/amidst catastrophe the more interesting solution, when an author pulls it off well. I actually think it's the more difficult resolution.

 

Your words about finding hope came to mind as I read this article about a family who survived a true dystopian world in Mosul under ISIS. They had to make some excruciating choices about their book collection when Mosul fell, then survived 3 years without those books, the internet or music. 

 

Burn or Bury?

 

The article reminds me of the legend of Fu Sheng, a Confucian scholar who hid copies of the Confucian Analects during the massive book burning and scholar killing campaign of Qin Shih Huang Di (the famous first emperor with the terra cotta army).  Legend has it that with the help of his daughter and a Han scholar, those texts were recovered and translated, which is how we have them today. Here is a painting depicting a Han dynasty scholar transcribing the saved texts.

 

Fu Sheng 

[aggieamy]

@ banned books week:

 

In the Netherlands it is forbidden to buy or sell 'Mein Kampf' by Hitler.

It is not forbidden to own it or to borrow or heritate it.

Belgium registers who buys a copy.

 

So I was surprized to discover it is in the USA on several highschool readinglists.

 

I am reading now a book about Mein Kampf and why the (neo) nazism might be attractive to some people.

I think it is the closest I can get to without becoming on obscure lists :)

Its title: the forbidden book and contains fragments of the original book

(Author has been asked to write and read about the book)

 

That is fascinating. I've never read it and probably won't but I wouldn't be surprised if my DH attempts it at some point. He's made of tougher stuff than I am and finds history fascinating. Are there many people that read it? I don't think I know anyone personally that has read it though I know a a lot of prolific readers and here in the US even though it appears to be easy to get. I can get it on Amazon but my library doesn't stock it.

 

Thanks, Robin, for your great post & links reminding us of Banned Books Week.

 

Wow. The massive list really is massive (over 3,000 pages). I just opened it & have to wonder why on earth AAA road maps would have been banned in Texas. :confused1:

 

There has got to be a good story behind that. I'd like to know it!

 

 

Amy, now that your ds is listening to chapter books (awwww!!!!) he might enjoy the free My Father's Dragon that Kareni has linked. I remember reading it to my Ds and he liked it but I can't remember how old. Free kindle is good! ;)

 

 

 

We just started it last night. The chapter lengths are perfect for him since they are only about 4 or 5 pages and it moves fast.

 

Kareni - thanks for keeping us updated on the free books. That's so helpful.

 

 

 

29.  "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling.  Listened to this in the car with DH on a mini-road trip (without the kids).

 

I love that you and your husband listened to it together without kids! We have good friends in their 60's and they listen to Richard Peck books on their trips.

[aggieamy]

Banned Books Week has led me on many rabbit trails about Mein Kampf.

 

I don't know why this is disturbing to me but look at the author biography.

 

https://smile.amazon.com/Mein-Kampf/dp/0395925037/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506540134&sr=8-1&keywords=mien+kampf+in+english

 

I don't know if it seems to be glorifying and that's what's bothering me or that I have such a feeling of disgust for the man that the "just the facts" biography doesn't seem appropriate. I don't know.

[aggieamy]

You know how sometimes we think book covers are so awful and we laugh over how they have nothing do to with the plot? I just found the best blurb example of "that's not really what this book is about".

 

An Unlikely Duchess by Mary Balogh.

 

Josephine Middleton runs away from her husband to the lustful Duke of Mitford. But even if she can entrust her virtue to the Duke, she might not be able to trust herself.

 

Um ... that's not at all the plot of this book. It's so different that it's absurd. I'm glad I didn't read it before I started the book because it would have turned me off of it. Who is writing these things?  Read it last night and was up until 2 am because I had to know what happened next. It was charming and silly and Flufferton.

[Lady Florida.]

Banned Books Week has led me on many rabbit trails about Mein Kampf.

 

I don't know why this is disturbing to me but look at the author biography.

 

https://smile.amazon.com/Mein-Kampf/dp/0395925037/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506540134&sr=8-1&keywords=mien+kampf+in+english

 

I don't know if it seems to be glorifying and that's what's bothering me or that I have such a feeling of disgust for the man that the "just the facts" biography doesn't seem appropriate. I don't know.

 

That looks to me like something worth complaining to Amazon about. I don't believe the book should be banned or pulled from Amazon, but that bio is just...I can't even.

 

That biography just makes him sound like any other author whose books are sold on Amazon.

Edited September 27, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Angel]

Angel!?! Just wondering if you are around at all since it is Banned Books week? And, if so, are we reading a book this year?

 

Hi!  I just started getting back to the board last week!  I assumed I had missed Banned Books week.  I have only managed to read 4 books this summer (from June - Aug) and listen to 3 others  :eek:  I can't remember the last summer I read so little...I don't think that's ever happened.  Not only was I in charge of a lot this summer for our church but we traveled a lot this summer and when we were finally done I was tired and way behind in everything!  Also Skye is babysitting for a new family.  The little guy she has been watching for 5 years went to K this year.  This time she is babysitting out of our home, and we are all adjusting to having a 3 month old little girl in the house  :)  Our fluffy cat is sure that she is a tiny cat eater and is here to destroy him  :willy_nilly:  :lol:

 

Did you have a book in mind?  I can promise to try and read it  ;)  :D

 

And the 4 books I read June - August

 

Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn - weird, choppy, and unrealistic

First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen by Charlie Lovett- great book

Close to You by Kara Isaac - LOVED!  Can't wait to read her next one!

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth van Arnim - been on my TBR list since years ago when we were talking about it here on the boards.  Enjoyed it!  We actually read it for Book Club.  

 

Book read in September - Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal - story was fine, and I learned quite a bit, but thought some elements were forced into the story and were not period correct.

 

Listened to 2 - 4 of Twilight Saga.  

[aggieamy]

That looks to me like something worth complaining to Amazon about. I don't believe the book should be banned or pulled from Amazon, but that bio is just...I can't even.

 

That biography just makes him sound like any other author whose books are sold on Amazon.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought so. It just seems so insensitive and awful to just write his biography as if he were Stephen King or James Patterson.

 

 

Book read in September - Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal - story was fine, and I learned quite a bit, but thought some elements were forced into the story and were not period correct.

 

 

 

I tried reading that a few years ago and felt the same way. I couldn't finish it actually because the historical anachronisms took me out of the story too much. 

[Jane in NC]

John Pollock's book Cork Boat proved to be a fun diversion.  When Pollock was a kid, he thought it would be nifty to make a boat out of wine corks.  Then life happened. After 9/11, he decided he needed to be a boy again, pulling in friends, family and a cork manufacturer into his dream.  The crazy idea was to make this boat and then float around from vineyard to vineyard in France.  But cork trees are in Portugal and so the Douro River calls.

 

Pollock can be a little exasperating at times.  Not everyone embraced his childhood fantasy with his level of enthusiasm and he can be critical.  But overall this tale is fun.  I enjoyed the audio version of the book.

[Jane in NC]

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth van Arnim - been on my TBR list since years ago when we were talking about it here on the boards.  Enjoyed it!  We actually read it for Book Club.  

 

 

The movie is totally delightful if you can find it. A visual feast!

[Jane in NC]

Your words about finding hope came to mind as I read this article about a family who survived a true dystopian world in Mosul under ISIS. They had to make some excruciating choices about their book collection when Mosul fell, then survived 3 years without those books, the internet or music.

 

Burn or Bury?

 

The article reminds me of the legend of Fu Sheng, a Confucian scholar who hid copies of the Confucian Analects during the massive book burning and scholar killing campaign of Qin Shih Huang Di (the famous first emperor with the terra cotta army). Legend has it that with the help of his daughter and a Han scholar, those texts were recovered and translated, which is how we have them today. Here is a painting depicting a Han dynasty scholar transcribing the saved texts.

 

Fu Sheng

That article brought tears, Jenn. Thank you!

[Kareni]

Kareni - thanks for keeping us updated on the free books. That's so helpful.

 

You are quite welcome!  I'm glad that your son is enjoying My Father's Dragon.  Be aware that there are two sequels.

 

You know how sometimes we think book covers are so awful and we laugh over how they have nothing do to with the plot? I just found the best blurb example of "that's not really what this book is about".

 

An Unlikely Duchess by Mary Balogh.

 

Josephine Middleton runs away from her husband to the lustful Duke of Mitford. But even if she can entrust her virtue to the Duke, she might not be able to trust herself.

 

Um ... that's not at all the plot of this book. It's so different that it's absurd. I'm glad I didn't read it before I started the book because it would have turned me off of it. Who is writing these things?  Read it last night and was up until 2 am because I had to know what happened next. It was charming and silly and Flufferton.

 

I read that one, too, and also found it enjoyable.

 

Here's the book blurb for An Unlikely Duchess from the author's website ~

 

"A very proper aristocrat, who always does his duty and never sets a foot wrong, the young Duke of Mitford is on his way into the country to propose marriage, sight unseen, to a young lady of equal virtue and propriety chosen for him by his grandfather and hers. For once in his life, Paul decides to have a little adventure by traveling there incognito and without his usual ducal entourage. He finds the experience disappointing until at an inn one evening he rescues a female from certain ravishment and then learns that she is fleeing from the dreadful fate of having to marry the Duke of Mitford. Before Josephine Middleton discovers the true identity of her rescuer, the two of them are embroiled in a very big, mad adventure after she finds that her would-be abductor has stolen her jewels."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

That is fascinating. I've never read it and probably won't but I wouldn't be surprised if my DH attempts it at some point. He's made of tougher stuff than I am and finds history fascinating. Are there many people that read it? I don't think I know anyone personally that has read it though I know a a lot of prolific readers and here in the US even though it appears to be easy to get. I can get it on Amazon but my library doesn't stock it.

 

.

 

 

 

You do know someone IRL who has read it, DH. He has also read the little red book.....

 

 

 

 

You are quite welcome!  I'm glad that your son is enjoying My Father's Dragon.  Be aware that there are two sequels.

 

.

 

And both were enjoyed here. The first was the best but both were happy to keep going.

 

 

I read the Mary Jo Putney that Kareni recently reviewed this afternoon. Once a Rebel https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29860118-once-a-rebel was not her best but it was a bit different because it was set partially in America. A bit too much name dropping which I think was Kareni's comment too. The good news is it gave me an O for my alphabetical title challenge, I think I have 3 letters to go.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[ErinE]

:hurray:

 

I think I feel more able to aim above picture books (unlike last year). :lol:

 

How about one of the following banned classics?

• Beloved or Song of Solomon, both by Toni Morrison
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

I have read (eons ago) The Catcher in the Rye but none of the others.

 

Or, if we want something from the most challenged list from 2016, there are some young adult books on there:

• This One Summer written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
• Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
• Two Boys Kissing written by David Levithan
• or other YA ones on the list

So, select one of the above & that's what we'll tackle this year.

I read Song of Solomon last year (twice, back to back) and absolutely loved it. It competes with The Remains of the Day for my all time favorite book.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

Two bookish posts from Tor.com ~

 

Gears are Magic: Five Books that Rock Engineering by Fran Wilde

 

"When author Max Gladstone first read Updraft, he contacted me, saying “You know, there’s no magic in your book, only engineering.â€

 

He had no idea how much I was going to use that phrase. I think I owe him lunch or something.

 

But he was exactly right, except that he was also wrong. There IS magic in the Bone Universe series—all the way through from Updraft to Horizon. And—from the bridges to the wings and more, to the understanding of the wind around the towers—the magic is all engineering...."

 

AND

 

Five SFF Worlds Tied Together by String Theory by Ryan Graudin

 

"I’ve always been enraptured by the thought that there are other worlds out there. No, I’m not talking about poor, shunted Pluto or any of the planets. The worlds that seized my imagination lay just beyond the wardrobe. Parallel universes: places that could mirror our existence or turn the laws of physics on its head. Somewhere, somehow, there might be another you with blonde hair. Weird, right? Even weirder? Your other you could have wings.

 

The craziest part is that this isn’t outside the realm of science. According to String Theory a multiverse could exist. Some theoretical physicists even posit that every choice we make births a universe where the opposite action was taken, thereby making the number of worlds—and their possibilities—infinite. This concept is a treasure hoard for storytellers such as myself. Invictus—my novel about a crew of time-traveling thieves who fence antiquities on the future black market—couldn’t resist the opportunity to utilize the multiverse. In this book, time travelers who cause a large enough change to the fabric of history actually create a “pivot point,†where the altered future splits off into a new world. This is a big whoopsie-daisy to be avoided at all costs...."

**

 

A host of currently free books for Kindle readers ~

 

Spider Woman - The Story of Navajo Weavers and Chanters by Gladys A. Reichard

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice: A Revised and Expanded Edition by Jane Austen

 

The Secret of the Night by Gaston Leroux

The Silent Bullet by Arthur Reeve

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot Book 1) by Agatha Christie

The Island Mystery by G. A. Birmingham

The Wilkie Collins Omnibus by Wilkie Collins

 

A Short History of the World by H.G. Wells

A Short History of Portugal by H. Morse Stephens

A Struggle for Rome by Felix Dahn

A Son of the Gods by Ambrose Bierce

A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain

Cosmic Consciousness by Ali Nomad

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

The Anton Chekov Omnibus by Anton Chekov (150 stories)

The Dostoyevsky Omnibus by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (8 novels)

Bram Stoker: 12 Novels in One Volume by Bram Stoker

 

The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Emma Orczy

 

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers

Twilight in Italy by D.H Lawrence

Night and Day by Virginia Woolf

A Tale of Negative Gravity by Frank R. Stockton

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Loesje22000]

I don't think every body should read Mein Kampf!

 

But I think the Dutch law in this case is symptom for the way the people talk about Hitler and nazism.

I don agree with Hitlers thoughts and acts.

But some people are still attracted to his thoughts.

Some people think the Shoah is a fictional fact.

These people are part of my society (not in my direct environment)

I don't think it helps to push them in a corner, and say 'only idiots would think like that'

During my highschool history lessons we only laughed about Hitlers appearence and the sounds of his voice, we did not learn to think critically about the content he said.

 

I worry about some of the current European election results.

I think new generations should know more about Hitler and nazisme, not less.

I am not convinced reading Mein Kampf would help, but I think it is time to take people who agree with nazism seriously.

Why do they think like they think?

What appeals to them in nazism?

 

 

Just some thoughts of me :)

[Jane in NC]

I have a copy based on your recommendation when you read it & loved it. Soon afterward, I saw a copy in our library booksale shop, so I grabbed it.

 

Jane, here's an article about a fairly recently book that might appeal to the foodie & historian in you. The NY Times article: A Powerful, and Provocative, Voice for Southern Food. Wasn't sure if you had read/seen the book yet or not. (The book is The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South by John T. Edge.)

 

ETA: And a book Rose & Eliana might like. NY Times article: A Father and Son Sail Through Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ Together.

Thanks for the NYT link, Stacia. I was aware of Edge's book but have yet to read it.

 

I am more interested in social justice through food systems than food history but I should give the book a closer look. The magazine Gravy that is mentioned in the article is very good.

 

Michael Twitty's book The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South is fabulous.

[Kareni]

A one day only classic that is currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

A Prince of Sinners by E. Phillips Oppenheim

 

"The sins of the father are visited on the son twofold in this classic mystery from one of the early twentieth century’s most popular authors

Kingston Brooks has just made his debut on the speaker’s platform at the local party headquarters when a stranger brings word that the young lawyer’s father has died on the far side of the world, where he was spreading the gospel as a missionary. Brooks has heard nothing from the old man since he disappeared decades earlier, and even this sad news is a balm. As he digs deeper into the stranger’s story, however, Brooks discovers that his father was no saint, and that his friends are not to be trusted.
 
The truth is that all those years ago Brooks’s father fled to Canada to impersonate a French nobleman. There he committed a series of crimes too terrible for his son to contemplate—except that they must all be made right if Brooks hopes to clear his name."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I've now finished the fourth book in Anne Cleeland's mystery series.  I enjoyed this one, too, and want to read on; unfortunately, someone has checked book five out of the library ... the nerve!

 

Murder in Containment: A Doyle and Acton Mystery by Anne Cleeland

 

"In this fourth installment of the Doyle & Acton mystery series, Detective Sergeant Kathleen Doyle realizes that several apparently unrelated murders are actually "containment" murders--murders to contain an ominous scandal that could reach into the highest levels of Scotland Yard's CID. In the process of tracking down the killers, however, she comes to the unsettling realization that Chief Inspector Acton has committed a containment murder or two of his own."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Penguin]

It is a good thing that I finished that Bingo card already, because I am finding time to read to be in short supply lately. Homeschooling is taking a lot more of my time than I anticipated this year. I thought I had pretty much outsourced myself out of a job - not at all, folks. Not at all lol.

 

I got bogged down with Radiance. To call the novel non-linear is an understatement. I got to page 259/429 and was so darned confused, I was tempted to give up. But I like the world that Catherynne Valente has created, and I really didn't want to let the book defeat me. Anyway, DS23 and I are reading it together, and I certainly wasn't going to give up. DS and I had a long discussion about the book last night, and he gave me some insight. He is much smarter than I am :) And this morning I spent an hour re-reading selected parts. Well, hallelujah, I think I now know what the heck is going on and can move forward. Whew.

 

I am also in the midst of:

 

Angela's Ashes: This is a re-read of a favorite. I am reading along with DS16 as he reads it for AP Lang.

 

Between the World and Me: I think that Ta-Nehisi Coates is brilliant. The book is short, but I am not rushing through this one. It is for savoring.

 

Lies My Teacher Told Me: It is interesting and I am learning some new things, and that is good. I think he should have chosen a different title for the book. It is really about how the textbooks lie, not the teachers. But, geez, that title must antagonize teachers or push them away - and aren't teachers the target audience?

 

Ronja Røverdatter: Danish version of Ronia the Robber's Daughter. This is taking me F-O-R-E-V-E-R :( The only thin defense I have is that I do not have access to an English version, nor have I ever read the English version.

 

American Indian Myths and Legends (Part of the Pantheon Folklore and Fairy Tale Series): I just started this, and I am aiming for two stories per day.

 

ETA: I have two additional books on my Goodreads Currently Reading List  that I haven't touched for ages. That is starting to bug me.

Edited September 28, 2017 by Penguin

[Negin]

The Physician is $1.99 today on Kindle. 

 

[Ali in OR]

A host of currently free books for Kindle readers ~

 

Spider Woman - The Story of Navajo Weavers and Chanters by Gladys A. Reichard

 

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

 

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice: A Revised and Expanded Edition by Jane Austen

 

The Secret of the Night by Gaston Leroux

 

The Silent Bullet by Arthur Reeve

 

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot Book 1) by Agatha Christie

 

The Island Mystery by G. A. Birmingham

 

The Wilkie Collins Omnibus by Wilkie Collins

 

A Short History of the World by H.G. Wells

 

A Short History of Portugal by H. Morse Stephens

 

A Struggle for Rome by Felix Dahn

 

A Son of the Gods by Ambrose Bierce

 

A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain

 

Cosmic Consciousness by Ali Nomad

 

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

 

The Anton Chekov Omnibus by Anton Chekov (150 stories)

 

The Dostoyevsky Omnibus by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (8 novels)

 

Bram Stoker: 12 Novels in One Volume by Bram Stoker

 

The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Emma Orczy

 

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

 

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers

 

Twilight in Italy by D.H Lawrence

 

Night and Day by Virginia Woolf

 

A Tale of Negative Gravity by Frank R. Stockton

 

Regards,

Kareni

Thanks Kareni. I had to get a couple I remember fondly. We assigned Flatland to our honors geometry kids where I taught oh so many years ago. And I vaguely remember A Doll's House from high school. The Woman in White has been on my mental TBR list for awhile so I got that one too. I think I picked up a paper copy at the library book sale but I'm finding with W&P that it's nice to have both paper and kindle--it gets read faster. And if the kindle version is free...

[ErinE]

It is a good thing that I finished that Bingo card already, because I am finding time to read to be in short supply lately. Homeschooling is taking a lot more of my time than I anticipated this year. I thought I had pretty much outsourced myself out of a job - not at all, folks. Not at all lol.

 

I got bogged down with Radiance. To call the novel non-linear is an understatement. I got to page 259/429 and was so darned confused, I was tempted to give up. But I like the world that Catherynne Valente has created, and I really didn't want to let the book defeat me. Anyway, DS23 and I are reading it together, and I certainly wasn't going to give up. DS and I had a long discussion about the book last night, and he gave me some insight. He is much smarter than I am :) And this morning I spent an hour re-reading selected parts. Well, hallelujah, I think I now know what the heck is going on and can move forward. Whew.

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy Radiance, which was my first Valente book. I felt like her writing was crazy, wild, and imaginative, and I loved it. Her Labyrinth is even more confusing, but showcases her early raw, but gorgeous writing. I also liked Deathless, a dark Russian fairy tale set during the years before and during World War II.

[Penguin]

I hope you enjoy Radiance, which was my first Valente book. I felt like her writing was crazy, wild, and imaginative, and I loved it. Her Labyrinth is even more confusing, but showcases her early raw, but gorgeous writing. I also liked Deathless, a dark Russian fairy tale set during the years before and during World War II.

ErinE, I do like Radiance, even though I might not have sounded like it in my post :) Here is an apt quote from a reviewer on Tor:

 

"But hearts aren’t the only parts Radiance puts through the wringer. Brains, too, will be broken by this book, not least because its narrative is wilfully non-linear. "

https://www.tor.com/2016/03/03/the-light-fantastic-radiance-by-catherynne-m-valente/

 

Glad to know I am not the only one who gets a broken brain while reading Radiance, lol. I am definitely planning to read Deathless at some point.

[Penguin]

dp

 

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by Penguin

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[mumto2]

Stacia, you always pick good Vampire books so I have to ask if you have any already selected?

 

I am looking through previous years scribblings in search of vampire books. I found Strange Bodies but that one appears to be more Frankenstein. I know I had a vampire one from the library that I had to return unread last year and can't find the title.....I think the cover was red. Really helpful ;). No notes anywhere!!!! Driving me a bit nuts! I think it was a Stacia find. I did find Stoker's Manuscript on audio which is now in my overdrive which was a scribble from back in 2013. My old notes are fun, happy to say I have actually read or tried several of the books that I have learned about thanks to this group.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

My adult daughter also liked the Historian.  Another book she very much enjoyed (not on Stacia's list) is Barbara Hambly's Renfield: Slave of Dracula.

 

"An imaginative novel that puts a fresh and frightening new spin on Bram Stoker's Dracula.

The servant Renfield was the most enigmatic character to stalk in the shadows of Dracula. Now he takes center stage in an ingenious re-imagining of Bram Stoker's classic novel that explores the chilling circumstances of his insane devotion to the Vampire Prince. An inmate of Rushbrook Aylum, the obsessive Renfield's personal mission is to hunt and kill Van Helsing and his companions, setting the stage for a battle between the living and the dead that takes him from Dracula's castle to the darkness of his own madness, and the truth of where it all began. Featuring characters and situations from Dracula, yet filled with new twists, Renfield is a rich, frightening, and astonishing alternate view of Stoker's legendary work."

 

From Booklist

"Hambly has retold Bram Stoker's Dracula in the voice of a minor character, Renfield, the madman who becomes the vampire's slave-agent in England. In Stoker's original, Renfield is a harbinger, extremely strong and violent, given to an unnatural diet of flies. When Dracula occupies the estate next to the asylum in which he is confined, Renfield attempts several escapes, claiming that his master is calling him. Hambly creates a past for this possessed man via his diaries and letters to his wife and gives him occasional lucid moments. When Dracula imposes himself on Renfield's deteriorated mind, he, bound to an active purpose, becomes yet more lucid. When Dracula orders him to kill Van Helsing, he isn't strong enough to refuse, but on the journey from London to Transylvania, he develops the strength to resist the count, find allies, and eventually retrace his journey back from lunacy to sanity. Hambly superbly weaves Stoker's plot and style with her own, producing one of the best recent vampire yarns." Frieda Murray  Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

 

 

Some years ago, I read with pleasure Tanya Huff's Blood books series.  You can find some information in this review.  The series starts with Blood Price and Blood Trail.

Regards,
Kareni

[Guest]

Stacia, you always pick good Vampire books so I have to ask if you have any already selected?

 

I am looking through previous years scribblings in search of vampire books. I found Strange Bodies but that one appears to be more Frankenstein. I know I had a vampire one from the library that I had to return unread last year and can't find the title.....I think the cover was red. Really helpful ;). No notes anywhere!!!! Driving me a bit nuts! I think it was a Stacia find. I did find Stoker's Manuscript on audio which is now in my overdrive which was a scribble from back in 2013. My old notes are fun, happy to say I have actually read or tried several of the books that I have learned about thanks to this group.

 

I am not Stacia and read very, very few vampire books or anything that shades into horror..but there is a vampire book I love: Sunshine by Robin McKinley.  It isn't as rosy a world as her other books, but the prose style is similar. It is *not* child friendly.  There are a couple of (very short) very explicit intimacy moments and several graphic moments of violence.  I am a prude and wimp and still love the book.  (The two explicit moments are easy for me to skip and the tone of the violence, despite the more graphic nature, stays inside my comfort zone, ymmv)

[mumto2]

I am not Stacia and read very, very few vampire books or anything that shades into horror..but there is a vampire book I love: Sunshine by Robin McKinley. It isn't as rosy a world as her other books, but the prose style is similar. It is *not* child friendly. There are a couple of (very short) very explicit intimacy moments and several graphic moments of violence. I am a prude and wimp and still love the book. (The two explicit moments are easy for me to skip and the tone of the violence, despite the more graphic nature, stays inside my comfort zone, ymmv)

I remember having Sunshine in my stack many years ago and having to return it to the library. It one that I have always planed to request again......it is now available in Overdrive so is in my October line up. :). Thank you!

 

 

 

My adult daughter also liked the Historian. Another book she very much enjoyed (not on Stacia's list) is Barbara Hambly's Renfield: Slave of Dracula.

 

"An imaginative novel that puts a fresh and frightening new spin on Bram Stoker's Dracula.

The servant Renfield was the most enigmatic character to stalk in the shadows of Dracula. Now he takes center stage in an ingenious re-imagining of Bram Stoker's classic novel that explores the chilling circumstances of his insane devotion to the Vampire Prince. An inmate of Rushbrook Aylum, the obsessive Renfield's personal mission is to hunt and kill Van Helsing and his companions, setting the stage for a battle between the living and the dead that takes him from Dracula's castle to the darkness of his own madness, and the truth of where it all began. Featuring characters and situations from Dracula, yet filled with new twists, Renfield is a rich, frightening, and astonishing alternate view of Stoker's legendary work."

 

From Booklist

"Hambly has retold Bram Stoker's Dracula in the voice of a minor character, Renfield, the madman who becomes the vampire's slave-agent in England. In Stoker's original, Renfield is a harbinger, extremely strong and violent, given to an unnatural diet of flies. When Dracula occupies the estate next to the asylum in which he is confined, Renfield attempts several escapes, claiming that his master is calling him. Hambly creates a past for this possessed man via his diaries and letters to his wife and gives him occasional lucid moments. When Dracula imposes himself on Renfield's deteriorated mind, he, bound to an active purpose, becomes yet more lucid. When Dracula orders him to kill Van Helsing, he isn't strong enough to refuse, but on the journey from London to Transylvania, he develops the strength to resist the count, find allies, and eventually retrace his journey back from lunacy to sanity. Hambly superbly weaves Stoker's plot and style with her own, producing one of the best recent vampire yarns." Frieda Murray Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

 

 

Some years ago, I read with pleasure Tanya Huff's Blood books series. You can find some information in this review. The series starts with Blood Price and Blood Trail.

Regards,

Kareni

 

I have read at least one of Tana Huff's Vampire books a very long time ago. Also in Overdrive so I hope to read these too. The list is growing. Yeah!

 

I have spent the last couple of hours clicking links and doing searches for my red covered book and ran across another series by Barbara Hambly which I marked, Those who Hunt in thee Nighthttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176261.Those_Who_Hunt_the_Night?ac=1&from_search=true. Has your dd tried those?

 

Mumto2, the ones I have on my shelf for this year are:

Amish Vampires in Space :lol: by Kerry Nietz

Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula by Bram Stoker & Valdimar Ãsmundsson (translation of an Icelandic version of Stoker's Dracula)

 

Some vampire books I've read in the past:

Dracula The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker

Judgement of Tears by Kim Newman (part of a larger series called Anno Dracula)

The Merciful Women by Federico Andahazi (mash-up of Frankenstein, Dracula, & The Gold Bug)

The Vampyre by John Polidori

Stoker's Manuscript by Royce Prouty

In Search of Dracula by Raymond T. McNally & Radu Florescu (non-fiction)

The Finno-Ugrian Vampire by Szécsi Noémi

The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers (not just vampires, but many other folklore creatures of horror)

The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen (fun rebuttal of the Dracula story as told from Dracula's viewpoint)

Mosquito by Dan James (graphic novel which is all woodprints, no words)

The Vampire of New York by Lee Hunt

 

And, of course, Dracula (the original) as well as Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian (one of my favorite spin-offs of Dracula).

 

All of those are reviewed & listed on my Goodreads gothic/spooky/creepy list.

. Thanks for the great list an links. I did find my red cover,

An Unattractive Vampire https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26494476-an-unattractive-vampire?ac=1&from_search=true. Definitely an October goal. I went through and found a few others too! Thanks!

 

I love Spooky month. Just because I found my mystery book doesn't mean I am not willing to try others. So if someone else has a favourite please let me know. I plan to immerse myself in spooky! ;)

Edited September 28, 2017 by mumto2

[Kareni]

I ... ran across another series by Barbara Hambly which I marked, Those who Hunt the Night

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176261.Those_Who_Hunt_the_Night?ac=1&from_search=true. Has your dd tried those?

 

I don't believe she has read those.  Barbara Hambly has written in a number of genres.  My daughter and I both very much like her Star Trek novel ~ Ishmael  by Barbara Hambly.  There are no vampires, but I do recommend it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[aggieamy]

Ladies, thanks for the mentions of additional vampire books. I think I will be able to get them through the library.

 

Mumto2, since you love spooky October too, you may have read these, but some of my favorites:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by R.L. Stevenson

The Elementals by Michael McDowell

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen

The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers

Stoker's Manuscript by Royce Prouty

John Dies at the End by David Wong

World War Z by Max Brooks

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe

Hyde by Daniel Levine (but it is very dark)

The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe

 

And those of us that are big scaredy cats appreciate you warning us books to avoid for Spooky October.

 

Every October DD has a friend over and they watch "the classics". Adams Family. Ghostbusters. Corpse Bride. Hocus Pocus. That's our level of spooky. Any recommendations for people like us for a not-so-spooky-but-delightfully-thematic book?

[mumto2]

And those of us that are big scaredy cats appreciate you warning us books to avoid for Spooky October.

 

Every October DD has a friend over and they watch "the classics". Adams Family. Ghostbusters. Corpse Bride. Hocus Pocus. That's our level of spooky. Any recommendations for people like us for a not-so-spooky-but-delightfully-thematic book?

Well I think you might want to add an episode or two of The Munsters to dd's line line up. ;) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8TTIqK9nFH8. I love this old show!

 

I'm working on the Spooky books for Amy topic.

 

What came immediately to mind were the ones my Bf started me with back in the 90's, Linda Label Miller's Forever and the Night. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/641637.Forever_and_the_Night?ac=1&from_search=true. I did a reread in 2016 and still enjoyed it but am a bit sentimental about it so who knows! Lol. It is a free with Prime so probably easy for you to get. Most likely contains an adult scene or two but 90's Harlequin style.

 

Another milder series I have enjoyed was Jane Fairfax https://www.goodreads.com/series/47186-jane-fairfax. This is a somewhat humerus take on the recently popular theme of famous historical figures returning as vampires. This series features Jane Austen but Charlotte Bronte and Lord Byron also appear. Jane Takes Vengeance was the first one I read which I remember as a pretty hilarious tour of the UK with recognizable tourist spots. I'll be honest and say it was read a few years ago but think they are Amy Safe!

 

For ghosts I have enjoyed Carolyn Hart's Bailey Ruth https://www.goodreads.com/series/45549-bailey-ruth. That's a series I had to stop due to a lack of availability. I think a few more are on my overdrive now. Basically a ghost returns to help people she loved who are in trouble. Set in Oklahoma I think. Cozy.

 

Also for ghosts there is Aunt Dimity https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6372680-aunt-dimity-s-death. The first one Aunt Dimity's Death is my favorite so far. Progress is slow with these because they have to be put on hold. Very popular. A word of warning, I can't remember specifics but in each one of these there is always a scene that makes me question the coziness of this really popular series.