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Book a Week 2018 - BW28: 52 Books Bingo - Cartography

Robin M

By Robin M,
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Matryoshka

Matryoshka

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52 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

My quotes are turned around........regarding Mists of Avalon

This series is on my list of to be tried soon.  I had hoped to start it when the buses hit Cornwall but am in a Flufferton cozy mood so these could be pushed into next year for me.  The anti Christian comment surprised me because I hadn’t heard it before, the steamy does not. ?   I went off on a rabbit trail and found this explanation by the author http://faculty.winthrop.edu/kosterj/engl320/bradleyessay.htm.  I haven’t read Malory either which is referred to as a reference point. 

I have to say I am working to fill my Bingo squares and that Bradley letter made me think that the Mists of Avalon could work for my Feminist Square. ? I just checked my previous choice of Margaret the First out from Overdrive yesterday because that square is on my list to complete.  

 

I read Mists of Avalon years and years ago, and really liked it.  I had no idea it was part of a series (might be because most of the books in the series appear to have been written 15 years or so after the first one... may not have been out when I read it).   Mists of Avalon is the Arthur story from Morgaine (Morgana/Morgan Le Fay)'s point of view, with some reweaving of the story - definitely a more feminist point of view.  The rest of the books seem to be mostly prequels about Avalon itself?

Since the whole point of view of the book is of a pagan woman during the encroachment of Christianity in Britain, she naturally isn't bullish on the Christians, but it is of course her point of view.  I don't think it's necessarily down on Christianity except that she and her people are of course threatened by the spread of it.  I actually don't remember the book being 'steamy', and I'm one who feels like blushing sometimes just reading Kareni's synopses of what she's reading.  Yes, there are some sex scenes, but I don't remember them being told in a particularly steamy way, iykwim, nor do I remember there being very many of them...  But it has been years and years...

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JennW in SoCal

JennW in SoCal

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I loved Mists of Avalon when I read it many years ago. I think Matroyshka summed up the anti-Christian label quite nicely. I loved the female perspective of the Arthurian story, and the book hit me in my sweet spot. I read the other titles in the series but they just weren't as good. 

I keep wondering about Lady Florida and Magpie Murders. Kathy -- did you abandon it? I would recommend skipping or skimming ahead to the 2nd mystery.

Started an Ian Rankin mystery last night. Decided to be a little wild and NOT start at the beginning, so picked a title towards the middle of the series. 

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mumto2

mumto2

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29 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

 

I read Mists of Avalon years and years ago, and really liked it.  I had no idea it was part of a series (might be because most of the books in the series appear to have been written 15 years or so after the first one... may not have been out when I read it).   Mists of Avalon is the Arthur story from Morgaine (Morgana/Morgan Le Fay)'s point of view, with some reweaving of the story - definitely a more feminist point of view.  The rest of the books seem to be mostly prequels about Avalon itself?

Since the whole point of view of the book is of a pagan woman during the encroachment of Christianity in Britain, she naturally isn't bullish on the Christians, but it is of course her point of view.  I don't think it's necessarily down on Christianity except that she and her people are of course threatened by the spread of it.  I actually don't remember the book being 'steamy', and I'm one who feels like blushing sometimes just reading Kareni's synopses of what she's reading.  Yes, there are some sex scenes, but I don't remember them being told in a particularly steamy way, iykwim, nor do I remember there being very many of them...  But it has been years and years...

There appear to be many books in this series.  Fantasy is really hit or miss for me so I will be amazed if I manage to read them all.  Honestly I will be impressed if I make it through the first but now really want to try.  ?

Btw, Regarding the feeling it had anti Christian sentiment, this appears to be a rather common feeling.  Lots of blog posts out there.  I always like to read what the author has to say.  From the comments here it certainly appears to be appropriate for the time in which the book is set.

Totally off track but  ........ At one point I was suffering tons of criticism from a mom “friend” for reading HP with my dc.  Rowling happened to do an interview talking about her use of Christian symbolism in HP during this time.   I LOVED that interview!  I want to add my reading it meant her kids were pressuring her, so I did get it.  After the interview they all finally read......the mom still didn’t like it.  ? 

Regarding steamy,  I am one of those people whose eyes move right over content that might make me uncomfortable. I try really hard to prewarn for adult content on BaW but sometimes I forget because I skipped it!  I think it stems from years of reading aloud extensively to the dc, this included much editing on the fly also. I used to read aloud about 4 hours a day when they were little.......Sonlight plus a couple of books of my choosing.  Not much time for my own reading life but I love children’s literature!

Jenn, can’t wait to hear what you think of Rankin.  I think I have only read the first but liked it.  Like you I am waiting to hear what Kathy decided about the Magpie Murders. ?

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Matryoshka

Matryoshka

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34 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

There appear to be many books in this series.  Fantasy is really hit or miss for me so I will be amazed if I manage to read them all.  Honestly I will be impressed if I make it through the first but now really want to try.  ?


I wouldn't worry about having to commit to the series.  It works well as a standalone - heck, I thought it was a standalone!  :)  

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Lady Florida.

Lady Florida.

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3 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said:

 

 

I keep wondering about Lady Florida and Magpie Murders. Kathy -- did you abandon it? I would recommend skipping or skimming ahead to the 2nd mystery.

 

 

Yes, I''m officially abandoning it. Maybe I'll try again another time but for now I'm not even interested enough to skip ahead. Besides I couldn't bring myself to do that. I have no problem abandoning a book but if I read a book I have to read the whole book. I even read the whole Paris sewers section of Les Miserables, which I know a lot of people skip.  ? 

As for Mists of Avalon, it was a book club book many years ago and I couldn't finish that one either. I was so bored. Then again, I'm not a fan of fantasy and very much not a fan of any thing Arthurian. Neither genre interests me in the least.

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Mothersweets

Mothersweets

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On 7/10/2018 at 3:28 PM, Kareni said:

I'm guessing that those are the mango lassies.  (I'm not familiar with that spelling having only seen it spelled lassi at Indian restaurants.)

Regards,
Kareni

Thanks - it looks good!

23 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

I'm just not feeling the love for Magpie Murders and that's disappointing because I was expecting to love it from the start. The beginning has a great hook but now I'm five chapters in and wondering why I should even continue. There's just way too much backstory as we meet everyone in the village. Didn't Horowitz read the chapter in his how to write mysteries book on how you should sprinkle backstory in as you go along?

Am I alone here? is there anyone else who tried to read it and couldn't finish or who did finish but didn't like it?

I loved it - I'm sorry you're not enjoying  it! ?

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ErinE

ErinE

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On 7/11/2018 at 10:14 AM, Violet Crown said:

I've never read The Mists of Avalon (though I did read Malory earlier this year for Hampshire); but I remember vaguely that there was some controversy regarding Bradley. Too lazy to google.

I read the book many years ago and wasn't a big fan. As far as the controversy, Bradley's second husband was convicted of child molestation and Bradley indicated she knew about the incidents. Bradley's own daughter accused her of abuse, physical, mental, and s*xual. Here's an article from the Washington Post that contains a brief summary. Warning, the last line is gross.

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Violet Crown

Violet Crown

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32 minutes ago, ErinE said:

I read the book many years ago and wasn't a big fan. As far as the controversy, Bradley's second husband was convicted of child molestation and Bradley indicated she knew about the incidents. Bradley's own daughter accused her of abuse, physical, mental, and s*xual. Here's an article from the Washington Post that contains a brief summary. Warning, the last line is gross.

Okay then. Well at least the excerpt from the book is enough to let me know it's not for me. Thanks.

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ErinE

ErinE

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I failed to post a weekly update last week. I promise I'm working on posting more regularly!

We're on our annual trek to Montana to visit family. I keep meaning to find postcards, but we've been traveling to the state (even lived there briefly) for over 15 years. I don't spend much time in shops with touristy items. I'm hoping today I can locate some.

Books read:

  • Sailing Made Easy and Coastal Cruising Made Easy from the American Sailing Association (ASA). Nonfiction-Skills. When I was a tween, my family's income stabilized after years of financial hardship so my father would rent a sailboat once a year and cruise the Gulf of Mexico. We were only able to do it a few times, but I've always loved sailing. DS15 is attending a sailing camp in a few weeks so we decided to earn our first two ASA certifications. I'd forgotten everything I ever learned about sailing yet managed to pass the written test. I guess I haven't forgotten my study skills!
  • Abaddon's Gate (The Expanse #3) by James S.A. Corey. Science Fiction - Space Opera. After an alien intelligence forms a mysterious ring around the solar system, a spaceship captain finds himself drawn into political intrigues while a new enemy seeks his destruction. Another satisfying addition to the series.
  • Ilium (Ilium #1) by Dan Simmons. Science Fiction. In the future, humans on Earth discover there's something sinister behind the eternal youth promised through technology while elsewhere human observers travel to the events described in The Iliad and report their observations to the Greek Gods. An interesting mash-up of H.G. Wells The Time Machine, Shakespeare's The Tempest, and the Homeric epics The Illiad and The Odyssey. No verdict yet as like Simmons' Hyperion Cantos, the story spans two books. I plan on reading the second book Olympos.
  • Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Science Fiction - Second World. A generation ship and human evolution experiment clash on a distant planet. I'm not doing justice to the book with a one-sentence summary. Humans have created a virus to simulate evolutionary pressure and sent it out in a spaceship filled with monkeys to populate an Earth-like planet. In the initial landing, all the monkeys die so other creatures benefit from the virus. The evolution story parallels a generation ship's struggle to stay alive between the harshness of space travel and the madness of human psychology. A fantastic book if you like science fiction.
  • Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. History - Weather Catastrophe. In the budding field of weather prediction, a meteorologist finds himself caught up in the deadliest natural disaster in US history. A history of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Larson recreates the time period and the experience in an engaging story. It is a very tragic one - best estimates are that 6,000 people died. The book would have benefited from photos and maps since as much as I found the physical descriptions fascinating, I prefer to see the photographs and land myself. On a personal note, I had a relative, visiting friends, who survived the storm and documented her experience in her diary. 

I'm currently working on the fourth book in The Expanse series plus Robert Fitzgerald's translation of The Aeneid.

 

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Penguin

Penguin

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I didn’t see this mentioned for cartography, sorry if I missed it:

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child. The story involves mapping the Alaskan territory. I loved The Snow Child, and am hoping this one is on par with it. 

@Violet Crown Laurus was one of my top reads last summer. 

@Negin Regardless whether I agree with your POV or not, I am glad that you chose to mention the book and post your thoughts about it. I have previously dropped out of IRL book clubs because everybody just seemed to agree with each other, or were too afraid to be contrary. Yawn. 

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ErinE

ErinE

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On 7/9/2018 at 10:42 PM, JennW in SoCal said:

Love this week's theme, Robin! Have you read Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings?  It is a favorite book of mine. I'd love to read each of the the 3 books you highlighted in that first post!! I love maps! Took lots of geography courses in college, and I often want maps in the books I'm reading.

 

I loved that book! When he describes looking at maps and reading all the little details, I related. I thought I was the only one who loved doing that. A silly notion, I know, otherwise who would create maps? As part of our sailing course, DS and I read a coastal map. DS found it boring; I thought, “You mean we get to read maps as part of sailing?!?! Yay!”

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mumto2

mumto2

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I can cross Lady Judge off my Bingo list. ?. I just finished my very first book in the Deborah Knott cozy series by Margaret Maron.  I had to start with the 10th book because that was the earliest I could find but it was no problem for me........since I am saying this series really can be started in the middle. ?. I can’t believe I missed these is all I really can say.......High Country Fall had lots of great descriptions of the Carolina mountains.  The food, no recipes, made me hungry......... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/479657.High_Country_Fall

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mumto2

mumto2

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1 hour ago, Kareni said:

Some books that are currently free to Kindle readers ~ 

Nocturne for a Widow (Sybil Ingram Victorian Mysteries Book 1)  by Amanda DeWees

No Less Days  by Amanda G Stevens
 
They Called Me Margaret  by Florence Osmund
 
 
Regards,
Kareni
 

What a great list today.  I “bought” only two in an effort not to stuff my kindle.  I have to say I am very intrigued by No Less Days, an immortal who isn’t a vampire is generally a storyline I like.  Obviously I downloaded that one and Nocturne for a Widow.  

Ok, I just added the cozy mystery author one (They called Me Margaret) to the stack,  I love your freebies.  Thank you!

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Robin M

Robin M

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Happy Friday the 13th.   I thoroughly enjoyed the Mists of Avalon.  As a Arthurian historical fantasy, it was well done. I don't remember the sex scenes as being steamy. The characters completely pulled me into the story.  I have Forest House on my virtual shelves which I'll be reading at some point this year. 

I've been reading M.L. Buchman's Pike Place Market series and one of the characters is an Italian chef who makes a lot of dishes from the Tuscan region. I'm craving something with artichoke hearts, mushrooms and garlic right now. Will have to get creative in the kitchen.  ?

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Kareni

Kareni

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2 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I love your freebies.  Thank you!

You are quite welcome, mumto2.  I hope that at least one will prove to be a good read.

2 hours ago, Robin M said:

I'm craving something with artichoke hearts, mushrooms and garlic right now.

And now you're making me hungry! 

I'm taking a break from washing blueberries that my husband picked this morning.  I might have eaten a blueberry or twelve while washing ....

Regards,
Kareni

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mumto2

mumto2

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So I have moved on to my music square for the Bingo card.......Murder in G Major https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30255243-murder-in-g-major is almost a Ghost and Mrs. Muir for me at the 20% mark.  I checked Goodreads and can’t tell if @JennW in SoCal has read this or not......the main character is a Violinist. ?. So far it’s good ......

I am also secretly jumping up and down because my other attempts at tagging people have failed,  and it certainly appears to have worked!  I thought I was going to have to ask my kids for help which is only slightly less humiliating than asking Dh.

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JennW in SoCal

JennW in SoCal

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40 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

So I have moved on to my music square for the Bingo card.......Murder in G Major https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30255243-murder-in-g-major is almost a Ghost and Mrs. Muir for me at the 20% mark.  I checked Goodreads and can’t tell if @JennW in SoCal has read this or not......the main character is a Violinist. ?. So far it’s good ......

I am also secretly jumping up and down because my other attempts at tagging people have failed,  and it certainly appears to have worked!  I thought I was going to have to ask my kids for help which is only slightly less humiliating than asking Dh.

 

Nice job tagging. Now, how do you do that?!

I have not read that book, by the way. Let me know what you think. I'm enjoying the Rebus book, though I do wish there wasn't a psychopath serial killer.

I'm watching the BBC adaptation of JK Rowlings (writing as Robert Galbraith) Cormoran Strike mysteries. Seems very spot on so far.

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mumto2

mumto2

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16 minutes ago, JennW in SoCal said:

 

Nice job tagging. Now, how do you do that?!

I have not read that book, by the way. Let me know what you think. I'm enjoying the Rebus book, though I do wish there wasn't a psychopath serial killer.

I'm watching the BBC adaptation of JK Rowlings (writing as Robert Galbraith) Cormoran Strike mysteries. Seems very spot on so far.

I read someone’s  instructions a month ago and they didn’t work for me at that time........basically when I type in @Jenn and I receive choices.  When I add the W I go down to 3 choices and so click on you.  I never managed to receive the menu, for lack of a better description, on past attempts.  It’s easy apparently, at least my tagging you is now.  I just received choices again, go figure, this really does work!  I had several @ post attempts awhile ago that were useless and I gave up.

I haven’t watched Cormaron Strike but know quite a few fans.  I missed the first couple because I forgot to set the dvr and haven’t attempted to watch.  Glad to know you are enjoying it.  I probably should......currently working on filling in the Scott and Bailey episodes I have missed over the years thanks to prime.

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Robin M

Robin M

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On 7/10/2018 at 8:30 PM, Violet Crown said:

While out of town I passed the 52 books mark; hurrah for me. Book 48 was David Wilson's The Anglo-Saxons (an old Pelican, slightly out of date due to later archaeological discoveries but very useful for the inexpert reader), prominently discussing the Sutton Hoo ship burial hoard, thus counting for Suffolk. The hoard is at the British Museum, where we also saw the Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone, and most of the nifty Mesopotamian artifacts that show up in homeschooling history texts.

Right, this is my first attempt at including photos in a post. Here goes:

The Anglo-Saxon helmet

1528682700_2018-07-0411_43_45.thumb.jpg.818ecc3b8fd38fe3614d655e99bf5095.jpg

 

(If anyone knows how to reduce the photos, let me know.)

 

I have been saving to picture file, then use paint program to resize from 100 to 50% or 25% depending on the size of the photo. Then copy and paste into the thread.   Just make sure you save in same file folder and rename if you want to keep the original as is. 

Violet Crown anglo saxon helmet.jpg

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