Robin M Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Happy Sunday and welcome to week twenty-three in our 52 Books rambling roads reading adventure. Greetings to all our readers, welcome to all who are joining in for the first time and everyone following our progress. Visit 52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges, as well as the central spot to share links to your book reviews. Welcome to June and our newest Whodunit Bookology Detective - Commissario Guido Brunetti, created by Donna Leon. The 28 book detective series takes place in Venice, where Leon resided for thirty years before moving to Switzerland. There are a number of ways to complete the bookology challenge, including but not limited, to the suggestions below: Read the first book in the series. Read one book per letter in the character's first or last name. Read one book per letter in the author's first or last name. If you're really ambitious, one book per letter in the character's first and last name. Follow in a character's footsteps and read a book set in the country or time period of the character. Follow in the author's footsteps and read a book set in their place or time of birth. Learn more about Donna Leon and why she became an Eco-Detective writer, an American in Venice, her deadly fascination with Venice, and Discovering Venice with Donna Leon. What are you reading? Link to week 22 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 Finished the last three books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series #15, The Chosen, #16 The Thief, and #17 The Savior. Love the characters and storyline. Have to wait until 2020 for the next one. Will give me plenty of time to reread the series next year. Currently reading Roxanne St. Claire's newest novel in the spin off from her Dogfather series in the Dogmothers series with Hot under the Collar. Waiting in the wings is Death in La Fenice as well as an art history thriller Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo by Stephanie Storey set in 16th Century Italy. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 I have been looking forward to this month’s detective as I have only read one of the Guido Brunetti books (the first) and enjoyed it. I never continued because I was Brit Tripping so it’s sort of fun to be traveling the world a bit more. 😉 I have been trying to plan ahead for the detectives by placing a hold the month before on the detective’s book and my timing was perfect this month, just downloaded my hold before checking in here. Death in a Strange Country has just joined my virtual stack. I am still reading my Expanse book, this one took me awhile to get into but enjoying it now. Persepolis Rising takes place 30 years after the last installment in the series, the characters age and several are either new or playing a larger role. @melmichigan I am looking forward to your reaction when you reach this book! My other book is my audiobook, The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen. It’s for my Nordic Noir category and I really like it at the halfway point. Planning to read the rest in the series kind of “like”. 😉 It’s book one in a Danish series called Department Q.............the main character is a detective who is sort of a has been......Carl was the leader in a 3 man team that was ambushed on a routine investigation. One member murdered, one a quadriplegic who wants to die, and this character who survived to return to work. No one wants to be his partner. Parliament coincidentally provides a huge amount of funding to form a cold case squad which the police chief wants financially although he doesn’t want his detectives doing the boring work.........Department Q is created with one lone detective and the station’s basement receives a bit of a remodel so they can put Carl away from the main department. When Carl discovers the extent of his funding he demands a car and driver and the new detective team is formed. A rather charming pair.......curious case, although I think I have it solved! I am probably so very wrong! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 I haven’t usually followed these threads, but I have loved many of the Guido Brunetti books! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 3 minutes ago, Pen said: I haven’t usually followed these threads, but I have loved many of the Guido Brunetti books! Please feel free to join us! This year Robin is featuring a detective each month and has a great assortment if you want to look had her list over at 52 books. Several are new to me and I read a lot of detective fiction. 😉 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Two more weeks of school which means hopefully more time to read in two more weeks. I'm on my third week of Notes on a Foreign Country which is good, but I'm ready to return to fiction and lighter reading. I can only do about 10 pages a day on the treadmill. Up next will be Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine which is our book club book for June. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Last night I finished a science fiction novel with an unusual premise; I was kept guessing and often did not foresee where the story would go. I enjoyed it. Expendable (League of Peoples) by James Alan Gardner "Under the benevolent leadership of the League of Peoples, there is no war, little crime, and life is sacred... unless you're an Explorer. The ugly, the flawed, the misfit, the deformed--they are the unwanted, flung to the furthest corners of the galaxy to investigate hostile planets and strange, vicious creatures. Out there, there are a thousand different--and terrible--ways to die. Festina Ramos belongs to the well-trained, always-dwindling ranks of ECMs (Expendable Crew Members). Now she and her partner, Yarrum Derigha, have been ordered to escort the unstable Admiral Chee to Melaquin--the feared "Planet of No Return"--which has swallowed up countless Explorers before them without a trace. Obviously, this is meant to be the last mission for Ramos and Derigha. But it won't be if Festina can help it." Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Some bookish posts ~ 5 FICTION BOOKS TO CURE YOUR WANDERLUST…AT LEAST FOR A WHILE https://bookriot.com/2019/05/26/fiction-for-wanderlust/ FIND THE PERFECT OWL BOOKS FOR EVERY READING MOOD https://bookriot.com/2018/07/23/awesome-owl-books/ Books like Wild, the Salt Path, Hovel in the Hills? https://ask.metafilter.com/332693/Books-like-Wild-the-Salt-Path-Hovel-in-the-Hills The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 So Far http://time.com/5587502/best-nonfiction-books-2019-so-far/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=today in books&utm_term=BookRiot_TodayInBooks_DormantSuppress The Uncertain Future of Sweden’s Floating Libraries https://lithub.com/the-uncertain-future-of-swedens-floating-libraries/ From the Word Wenches site: What We're Reading in May https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2019/05/what-were-reading-in-may-.html#comment-6a00d8341c84c753ef0240a4af8718200b Regards, Kareni 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) Good to see your post yesterday @Negin Welcome home!! @mumto2 , thanks for the “summer” reading list, I’ve added The Unquiet Bones to my wishlist. @Robin M Appreciate the links you provide each week to help whet our appetites for the reading challenges; and, I keep wondering about the titles of those books in the boot (trunk?) of your car 😉 @Kareni thanks, in advance, for the links ...coming back to enjoy them later. Q: This months reading challenge: for those who have read either or both of these books, which would you recommend - I can get just two titles through my libraries overdrive, and only have time, this month, to read one - The Girl of His Dreams: Bk17, or, Earthly Remains: Bk26 ~ narrated by David Rintoul ? What is your favourite book in this series so far? Edited June 3, 2019 by tuesdayschild extra ? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 3 minutes ago, tuesdayschild said: Q: This months reading challenge: for those who have read either of both of these books, which would you recommend - I can get just two titles through my libraries overdrive, and only have time, this month, to read one - The Girl of His Dreams: Bk17, or, Earthly Remains: Bk26 ~ narrated by David Rintoul ? I liked both, but can’t speak to the narrator. I’d probably suggest #17 just because I like to go as much in series order as I can. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 My reading update. Completed a sip read I started in April, The Luminaries ~ Eleanor Catton (4-) (NZ) Chunkster (848pgs). I absolutely loved the first three-quarters of the book, then like the waning moon, my love for this book just seemed to diminish to “mostly liked”. If anyone wanted to read my longer-winded review I post that here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2792497023 Still reading/listening to: The Wilhelm Conspiracy: Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Bk2 ~ Charles Veley and Anna Elliott narrated by Edward Petherbridge The narrator on this is rather ponderous: I don’t have time for him to pause and reflect so I tried to speed the audio pace up, but haven’t been able to get it read much faster, as he starts to sounds like Chip or Dale. Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel ~ Matti Friedman, narrated by Simon Vance (NF) Update on sip reads: The Life Application: KJV Bible Esther (with Dd), Zephaniah (I’ve been reading all the books starting with H or Z of late ….. just because ( 😋 ) started 2018 A Year With C.S. Lewis: 365 Daily Readings From His Classic Works ~ C.S. Lewis, edited by Patricia Klein (pub 2003 397pgs) I have not done doing too well at keeping up with reading this daily. Started Jan 2019 A Child’s Anthology of Poetry ~ Edited by Elizabeth Hauge Sword Dd and I are sharing the reading aloud of this together, we’re coming up to half of the way through. Started in Feb How the Heather Looks ~ Joan Bodger Still chipping away at this. Started 2018 Wives and Daughters ~ Elizabeth Gaskell I wanted to have read three of Gaskell’s books, 2018-2019, this is my third one. Started this at the beginning of May. The Brothers Karamazov ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky, narrated by Constantine Gregory 37.05 Hrs. – Unabridged (Penguin Classics, 1013pgs) My second, and last, Dostoyevsky for this year. Buddy reading this with DS. (Started end of Feb) 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, Pen said: I liked both, but can’t speak to the narrator. I’d probably suggest #17 just because I like to go as much in series order as I can. Thanks Pen. Do you have a favourite book in this series? (I'm a series rebel, and have no problem reading out of order) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 For this challenge I’ll read Unto Us a Son is Given by Donna Leon which I’ve not yet read. I have recently read some Vera Stanhope (by Anne Cleeves) mysteries, having run out of her Shetland Island series—I liked the Shetland Island series more, but the Vera Stanhope ones are growing on me. Before that most of Inspector Gamache series . 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) 41 minutes ago, tuesdayschild said: Thanks Pen. Do you have a favourite book in this series? (I'm a series rebel, and have no problem reading out of order) Unfortunately I find it hard to match her titles with the stories. I know I liked (my personal favorite of series so far) Beastly Things, which seems to be either particularly liked or the opposite depending on the reader. (Animals and environmental issues in it and I related to those issues more than to the ones featuring opera and arts world) I particularly liked one set in glass blowing factories, but can’t recall title. I liked the second book which also had environmental themes quite well. Eta: of the arts world ones I like Acqua Alta a lot because the weather of Venice was done so well. Edited June 3, 2019 by Pen 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 38 minutes ago, Pen said: For this challenge I’ll read Unto Us a Son is Given by Donna Leon which I’ve not yet read. I have recently read some Vera Stanhope (by Anne Cleeves) mysteries, having run out of her Shetland Island series—I liked the Shetland Island series more, but the Vera Stanhope ones are growing on me. Before that most of Inspector Gamache series . So far I like Vera better but reading this series slowly. I love Gamache............just discovered another one is coming this fall. @tuesdayschild How the Heather Looks is sitting on my nightstand too........and has been for over a year. My intentions are clear I just don’t seem to read it! 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 In addition to trying to get through my TBR stacks, I am also trying to catch up on children's literature that didn't exist when I was a child. Last week I read Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This was an excellent book, one that I borrowed from the library but hope to add to my own library. The book is a series of blank verse poems, each one a different memory of her growing up years as an African American girl growing up in the 1960s in South Carolina and New York City. Her experiences were so different from mine, but yet so much the same. I was able to relate to so much of her writing. Brown Girl Dreaming was an enjoyable and fast read, though I found myself trying to slow down so that I could savor it. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 13 hours ago, mumto2 said: So far I like Vera better but reading this series slowly. I love Gamache............just discovered another one is coming this fall. For someone who loves Gamache, likes Vera, (also love Bruno, like Bunetti, like Barnaby—starting to wonder if B names are relevant) what other detective series might be liked? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 13 hours ago, tuesdayschild said: My reading update. Wives and Daughters ~ Elizabeth Gaskell I wanted to have read three of Gaskell’s books, 2018-2019, this is my third one. Started this at the beginning of May. This is in my top 5 of all-time favorites!! The 1999 mini series was very good, too - great acting and the costuming and hair were spot on for the time period! I hope you end up enjoying the book! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 14 hours ago, tuesdayschild said: The Life Application: KJV Bible Esther (with Dd), Zephaniah (I’ve been reading all the books starting with H or Z of late ….. just because ( 😋 ) started 2018 A Year With C.S. Lewis: 365 Daily Readings From His Classic Works ~ C.S. Lewis, edited by Patricia Klein (pub 2003 397pgs) I have not done doing too well at keeping up with reading this daily. Started Jan 2019 A Child’s Anthology of Poetry ~ Edited by Elizabeth Hauge Sword Dd and I are sharing the reading aloud of this together, we’re coming up to half of the way through. Started in Feb How the Heather Looks ~ Joan Bodger Still chipping away at this. Started 2018 Wives and Daughters ~ Elizabeth Gaskell I wanted to have read three of Gaskell’s books, 2018-2019, this is my third one. Started this at the beginning of May. The Brothers Karamazov ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky, narrated by Constantine Gregory 37.05 Hrs. – Unabridged (Penguin Classics, 1013pgs) My second, and last, Dostoyevsky for this year. Buddy reading this with DS. (Started end of Feb) I love "Wives and Daughters" and the BBC movie was very well done. Currently numbing myself with (after effects of moving): "Why Kill the Innocent" - Sebastian St. Cyr series by CS Harris Next one will be "Where the Dead Lie" - also a St. Cyr Audiobook: "The Homecoming" by Colleen Coble I needed something soothing for my commute. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 14 hours ago, tuesdayschild said: narrated by David Rintoul ? W David Colacci? He’s pretty good. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Pen said: For someone who loves Gamache, likes Vera, (also love Bruno, like Bunetti, like Barnaby—starting to wonder if B names are relevant) what other detective series might be liked? 🤣 Well there are the books featuring Kate Burkholder https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6115138-sworn-to-silence, Brooklyn in the Bibliophile cozies https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6115138-sworn-to-silence, and Jack Barek https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/138685.Dissolution. Those are some B characters that are favorites........ I really enjoy Julia Spencer Fleming https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113002.In_the_Bleak_Midwinter?ac=1&from_search=true. She is supposedly working on another in the series finally. C.S. Harris with Sebastian St. Cyr is one of my all time favorite if you like historical mysteries. @Liz CA is currently binge reading those. The latest was recently released and I am waiting for it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39149.What_Angels_Fear?ac=1&from_search=true Have you tried Nordic Noir? I have found that I like several of those authors and settings. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) 11 minutes ago, mumto2 said: 🤣 Well there are the books featuring Kate Burkholder https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6115138-sworn-to-silence, Oh yeah. I read and liked one of those too! I forgot about looking for others. Quote Brooklyn in the Bibliophile cozies https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6115138-sworn-to-silence, and Jack Barek https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/138685.Dissolution. Those are some B characters that are favorites........ I’ll take a look. Probably the B aspect was just chance, but who knows Quote I really enjoy Julia Spencer Fleming https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113002.In_the_Bleak_Midwinter?ac=1&from_search=true. She is supposedly working on another in the series finally. I’ll try it! Description sounds like a series I’ll like a lot! Quote C.S. Harris with Sebastian St. Cyr is one of my all time favorite if you like historical mysteries. @Liz CA is currently binge reading those. The latest was recently released and I am waiting for it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39149.What_Angels_Fear?ac=1&from_search=true Usually not historical, but I have liked Charles Todd Quote Have you tried Nordic Noir? I have found that I like several of those authors and settings. Havent heard term. Is that subgenre like Fjallbacka murder series by Camilla Lackberg? Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is in my audiobooks collection, but my mood or attention level never seems suitable. Edited June 3, 2019 by Pen 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, Pen said: Havent heard term. Is that subgenre like Fjallbacka murder series by Camilla Lackberg? Yes, Camilla Lackberg is one of my authors for Nordic Noir. Basically the term as I understand it refers to mysteries set in Scandinavia. It’s a good term to use for googling for more books.😉 It’s one of my areas that I am trying to concentrate on a bit more this year and find a few less well known authors, my problem is I need them translated. I am not a Harry Hole fan and finally gave up on Jo Nesbo. I stopped partway through Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. So popular Nordic Noir may not be my thing.🤔 I do like Indridason in general https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35011768-the-shadow-district who is pretty popular. The Ragner Johansson series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25067569-snowblind are good. Just started reading the Department Q series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12575824-the-keeper-of-lost-causesand am really enjoying it. Btw, the CJ Sansom’s with JackBarek are historical chunksters but wonderful if you like Tudor history. He does a great job with lesser known parts of history.....makes it come alive. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) Late late late. Last week I finished Miguel de Cervantes' Exemplary Stories, the last of which was a strange dialogue between two dogs suddenly gifted one night with speech and reason. One tells his picaresque adventures, while the other waits impatiently and tries to cut off his friend's frequent digressions into social and political philosophy, in the forlorn hope of getting his own turn before the sun comes up. 10x10 categories: Brexit Special (Spain); Plucked From the Air. This week Great Girl is visiting for a few days, having accompanied Middle Girl to an out-of-state math camp (GG coached), so not so much reading. In spare moments, André Gide's novel The Vatican Cellars, which so far is a bit like "what if Dostoevski had been a French Symbolist?" 10x10 category: Bad Catholic. Edited June 3, 2019 by Violet Crown spelling incompetence 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 30 minutes ago, Violet Crown said: Late late late. Last week I finished Miguel de Cervantes' Exemplary Stories, the last of which was a strange dialogue between two dogs suddenly gifted one night with speech and reason. One tells his picaresque adventures, while the other waits impatiently and tries to cut off his friend's frequent digressions into social and political philosophy, in the forlorn hope of getting his own turn before the sun comes up. 10x10 categories: Brexit Special (Spain); Plucked From the Air. This week Great Girl is visiting for a few days, having accompanied Middle Girl to an out-of-state math camp (GG coached), so not so much reading. In spare moments, André Gide's novel The Vatican Cellars, which so far is a bit like "what if Dostoevski had been a French Symbolist?" 10x10 category: Bad Catholic. How is the Gide? I read The Immoralist in honor of Macron’s, uh, coronation, and I don’t know, something must be missing in translation. I abandoned and started new books this week instead of finishing, so I will be back when I have sth to say 🙂 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 hour ago, madteaparty said: How is the Gide? I read The Immoralist in honor of Macron’s, uh, coronation, and I don’t know, something must be missing in translation. I abandoned and started new books this week instead of finishing, so I will be back when I have sth to say 🙂 "Coronation." <snort> So glad I wasn't the only one with that reaction to The Immoralist. However now I'm wondering if I wasn't being sufficiently sensitive to Gide's understated satire, as that's definitely a thing going on with The Vatican Cellars. Will report back.... 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Are any of you Dr Siri Paiboun (not sure spelling) series readers? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 3 hours ago, Violet Crown said: Late late late. Last week I finished Miguel de Cervantes' Exemplary Stories, the last of which was a strange dialogue between two dogs suddenly gifted one night with speech and reason. One tells his picaresque adventures, while the other waits impatiently and tries to cut off his friend's frequent digressions into social and political philosophy, in the forlorn hope of getting his own turn before the sun comes up. Gotta find that! 3 hours ago, Violet Crown said: 10x10 categories: Brexit Special (Spain); Plucked From the Air. Newbie stupid question: What are 10x10 categories? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 2 hours ago, Pen said: Are any of you Dr Siri Paiboun (not sure spelling) series readers? Me for one......I recently finished Disco for the Departed. I read it for one of my 10x10 which is Asian Detectives. I know others have read some of this series. I plan to try the author’s other series too. So the 10x10’s are one of this year’s challenges that Robin figured out for us. For this one people picked out 10 (or less) categories to read 10 books in. I am loving this one because I get to fit my own personal goals into the BaW group “games”............mine include a Brexit Express like VC, set in Scotland, Nordic Noir, but I also have some personalized ones like finishing 10 of the series I have started titled “last book in”. The books can overlap categories btw so you don’t have to read a100 books to complete the challenge. You could also do 5 in 5 for instance. This is all about BaWers enjoying their reading. I tend to get more out of it if I do the challenges because I stretch myself a bit. To find Robin’s challenges go to her blog “52 books in 52 weeks”. The link is always in her siggy. 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 5 hours ago, Pen said: Newbie stupid question: What are 10x10 categories? Sandy gave a description and link, so I'll just give, as an example, my ten categories in which I hope to read 10 books. Possibly someone will add some extra months to the year so I can do that. The Brexit Special: 10 European countries, not including the UK (7 books so far) Scots Wha' Hae: Scottish books (3) Don't Mess With Texas: Texas, cowboys, or both (3) Plucked From the Air: chosen via the atmospheric noise Truly Random generator (4) Little Oval on the Spine: published by New York Review of Books (2) A is for Amy who...: cover art by Edward Gorey (2) Bad Catholic: the sort of books they read at that parish you don't go to (3) Dramatic, Lyric & Epic: all the poetry (7) Crime & Punishment: mostly noir (6) The Hollow Crown: Tudor and Jacobite chronicle plays (4) 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 (edited) 17 hours ago, Mothersweets said: This is in my top 5 of all-time favorites!! The 1999 mini series was very good, too - great acting and the costuming and hair were spot on for the time period! I hope you end up enjoying the book! 17 hours ago, Liz CA said: I love "Wives and Daughters" and the BBC movie was very well done. Appreciate your encouragement, I'm not enjoying the thought of that awful woman becoming the step-mama. (Must read the book first, and then I'm definitely going looking for those delight-filled visuals. Thank you. Love the costuming and hair link ) 14 hours ago, Violet Crown said: Miguel de Cervantes' Exemplary Stories I adore Don Quixote! Would I, perhaps, like this? Or is it too 'strange' ? 18 hours ago, Junie said: I am also trying to catch up on children's literature that didn't exist when I was a child. me too ❤️ 10 hours ago, Pen said: What are 10x10 categories? 7 hours ago, mumto2 said: For this one people picked out 10 (or less) categories to read 10 books in As mumto2 mentioned some of us pick less than 10 categories to read 10 books in. I halved that number for some, and doubled it for others: Scotland (read a min of 10 books) New Zealand/Australia (country or Authors) (10 books) Christian Content (15 books) twenty books are too many for this category, as I prefer Christian N/F but not, most, Christian fiction. Chunkster (500+ pages) (5 books) Classics (10 books) Non-fiction (20 books) WWII (20 books) Edited June 4, 2019 by tuesdayschild 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 A free collection from Tor.com~, Regards, Kareni "In celebration of Pride, the Tor.com eBook Club is offering a special bundle of FOUR FREE critically acclaimed novellas featuring LGBTQ+ characters and reflections of queer identity by queer authors! Download In Our Own Worlds now, featuring: The Lamb Will Slaughter The Lion by Margaret Killjoy Passing Strange by Ellen Klages A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang In Our Own Worlds is available from June 4 16, 12:01 AM ET to June 7, 11:59 PM ET Download before 11:59 PM ET, June 7, 2019." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 Some more bookish posts ~ From the Word Wenches site: By the Numbers—A Regency magazine for Smart Ladies!https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2019/06/-by-the-numbersa-regency-magazine-for-smart-ladies.html#comment-6a00d8341c84c753ef0240a462251b200c A WHOLE NEW WORLD: 7 DAZZLING DJINN BOOKS YOU NEVER KNEW (YOU NEEDED) https://bookriot.com/2019/05/30/djinn-books/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Swords and Spaceships Jun 4&utm_term=BookRiot_SwordsAndSpaceships LOVE, DEATH, AND MAGIC: 22 GORGEOUS VICTORIAN POEMS https://bookriot.com/2019/05/24/gorgeous-victorian-poems/ Want To Write Poetry? Start With These 9 Books https://www.bustle.com/p/want-to-write-poetry-start-with-these-9-books-17143579 Regards, Kareni 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 I’m listening to the Donna Leon book I chose — it’s narrated by David Colacci, and for whomever asked, I like his narration. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 @Penguin Wondering if you have read any of the Department Q mysteries by Jussi Adler-Olsen ?https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10822858-the-keeper-of-lost-causes. I just finished listening to the first one and loved it!😀. Regarding my earlier comment about having figured in out, I did in very broad terms. Shortly after I guessed the read is let in on the secret so it is a book where you are supposed to know. Great action packed ending! @loesje22000 I think you would like this one. Currently reading an Agatha Christie favorite Why Didn’t They Ask Evens? So good! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 I recently finished two books. His Steadfast Love and Other Stories by Paul Brownsey is a collection of stories by one author. I enjoyed some of the stories, others left me unmoved. "In the world of Paul Brownsey, God is a camp old queen trying to split up a gay couple. Judy Garland did not die in 1969 and instead ended up wowing her fellow residents in a Scottish care home on karaoke night. A fan of musical theatre steals an Irving Berlin lyric as a Valentine's poem and spends decades contriving to hide the theft from his lover. After a one-night stand, two men maintain a distant awareness of each other's lives for a quarter of a century and then face the question: are we in love? A couple find that over the twelve days of Christmas they experience everything that could possibly happen in a love affair, at least as recorded in popular songs from Some Enchanted Evening to For the Good Times. A gay couple discover Queen Elizabeth II injured on a hillside near her Balmoral castle and are torn between star-struck fawning and lecturing her on gay rights. Often playful, Scottish author Paul Brownsey's stories in His Steadfast Love and Other Stories cast an imaginative eye on gay life-but, make no mistake, they deal with the life most gay men will recognise, in which meeting lovers and sustaining relationships go alongside the uneasy terrain of acceptance, both internal and external. And as a former philosophy professor at Glasgow University, Brownsey knows how our everyday lives embody the big questions, but he shows this with a light touch and dark humour. " ** I also read and enjoyed the short work Skybound by Aleksandr Voinov. I found its setting and characters unusual for a romance which added to my enjoyment. "Love soars.Germany, 1945. The Third Reich is on its knees as Allied forces bomb Berlin to break the last resistance. Yet on an airfield near Berlin, the battle is far from over for a young mechanic, Felix, who’s attached to a squadron of fighter pilots. He’s especially attached to fighter ace Baldur Vogt, a man he admires and secretly loves. But there’s no room for love at the end of the world, never mind in Nazi Germany. When Baldur narrowly cheats death, Felix pulls him from his plane, and the pilot makes his riskiest move yet. He takes a few days’ leave to recover, and he takes Felix with him. Away from the pressures of the airfield, their bond deepens, and Baldur shows Felix the kind of brotherhood he’d only ever dreamed of before. But there’s no escaping the war, and when they return, Baldur joins the fray again in the skies over Berlin. As the Allies close in on the airfield where Felix waits for his lover, Baldur must face the truth that he is no longer the only one in mortal danger. " Regards, Kareni 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Down to the last 100 pages of the Mahabharata. We are maybe 1/4 done with the audiobook To Kill a Mockingbird. Sissy Spacek does a great job as reader. The funny thing is, that I am now reading Mahabharata with a southern US twang. (I hear the words as I silently read.) My kids started out like "I don't understand this book [Mockingbird] at all," but they are really getting into it now. Myself, I read this book 30+ years ago (possibly a RD condensed version), and did not remember many scenes in it. So I am really enjoying the re-read. I am about a third of the way through Parenting in the Eye of the Storm. It is a pretty easy read. I hope I learn something from it. So far it confirms my beliefs for the most part. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 On 6/4/2019 at 3:49 AM, tuesdayschild said: I adore Don Quixote! Would I, perhaps, like this? Or is it too 'strange' ? Not too strange. But a reader should set aside modern expectations for short fiction. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Free for Kindle readers ~ Out of Time: The Dream Traveler Book One Sign Off (Caught Dead in Wyoming Series Book 1) by Patricia McLinn A Berry Deadly Welcome (Kylie Berry Mystery Series Book 1) by A.R. Winters The Deal (Off-Campus Book 1) by Elle Kennedy The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells MARiiMO Regards, Kareni 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 (edited) On 6/2/2019 at 2:42 PM, mumto2 said: II am still reading my Expanse book, this one took me awhile to get into but enjoying it now. Persepolis Rising takes place 30 years after the last installment in the series, the characters age and several are either new or playing a larger role. @melmichigan I am looking forward to your reaction when you reach this book! I'm currently reading Persepolis Rising. 😉 Edited June 5, 2019 by melmichigan 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 This afternoon I finished Ben Aaronovitch's Lies Sleeping. This is number seven in the Rivers of London series and would not stand alone well. Readers of the series might be interested to know that the author recently published a spin-off novella featuring a different main character and set in Germany. It's The October Man. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 On 6/4/2019 at 6:02 PM, Pen said: I’m listening to the Donna Leon book I chose — it’s narrated by David Colacci, and for whomever asked, I like his narration. Finished it! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 @mumto2 I finished Persepolis Rising. Not knowing where you are I won't say to much. I do realize that this series is written as a set of trilogies, so with this being the beginning of the last trilogy I'm not surprised that we had to spend a large amount of time learning new characters and figuring out what has happened over the last thirty years, but it was slow going for the first half of the book. While we learned about Laconia and it's development, we didn't learn much of anything about the main characters, which was very disappointing. It didn't feel like thirty years had passed among the crew. Once we finally got to some action the book moved quickly. I was supposed to be reading Wolf Rain, that just came out (I finished my reread in anticipation), but I won the book and am waiting impatiently for it to arrive by mail. The reviews look very good, so it's going to be hard to wait. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 (edited) On 6/5/2019 at 2:21 PM, mumto2 said: Currently reading an Agatha Christie favorite Why Didn’t They Ask Evens? So good! I really enjoyed that is 2013 gave it 4-*, in 2018 I gifted it a measly 2.5* and I can't remember why 😋 @Kareni appreciate the free kindle links, I now own have HG Wells book 🙂 *** Just completed an Audible production, Zero G ~ Dan Wells (3) Typical juvenile level space fiction, and one I think my son may have enjoyed having played/read aloud to him at age 6-7. (Though he never did enjoy stories where a group of adults are idiots and easily hoodwinked by kids.) Audible studios have crafted a rather fun listen. Extra: I wish the author hadn't felt the need to ensure the siblings had a nasty, bullying edge to their sib rivalry. Spoiler beneath.... Some children may struggle with Nix's dysfunctional family, and her decision to irrevocably abandon them, at age 13. The Other Woman ~ Daniel Silva has been added to my iPod and I'm enjoying it so far. Edited June 6, 2019 by tuesdayschild spoiler alert 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 6 hours ago, melmichigan said: @mumto2 I finished Persepolis Rising. Not knowing where you are I won't say to much. I do realize that this series is written as a set of trilogies, so with this being the beginning of the last trilogy I'm not surprised that we had to spend a large amount of time learning new characters and figuring out what has happened over the last thirty years, but it was slow going for the first half of the book. While we learned about Laconia and it's development, we didn't learn much of anything about the main characters, which was very disappointing. It didn't feel like thirty years had passed among the crew. Once we finally got to some action the book moved quickly. I was supposed to be reading Wolf Rain, that just came out (I finished my reread in anticipation), but I won the book and am waiting impatiently for it to arrive by mail. The reviews look very good, so it's going to be hard to wait. I have finished Persepolis Rising too. When the action finally started I really enjoyed it. I have Tiamet’s Wrath on hold.......I am about 6 weeks from it being mine so it’s very popular as I recommended it’s purchase quite awhile ago! I hope your copy of Wolf Rain arrives quickly! 5 hours ago, tuesdayschild said: I really enjoyed that is 2013 gave it 4-*, in 2018 I gifted it a measly 2.5* and I can't remember why 😋 @Kareni appreciate the free kindle links, I now own have HG Wells book 🙂 *** Just completed an Audible production, Zero G ~ Dan Wells (3) Typical juvenile level space fiction, and one I think my son may have enjoyed having played/read aloud to him at age 6-7. (Though he never did enjoy stories where a group of adults are idiots and easily hoodwinked by kids.) Audible studios have crafted a rather fun listen. Extra: I wish the author hadn't felt the need to ensure the siblings had a nasty, bullying edge to their sib rivalry. Spoiler beneath.... Reveal hidden contents Some children may struggle with Nix's dysfunctional family, and her decision to irrevocably abandon them, at age 13. The Other Woman ~ Daniel Silva has been added to my iPod and I'm enjoying it so far. Overdrive was about to take Why Didn’t Ask Evans away so I had to finish that book also. I enjoyed it overall. I thought the ending was a bit too convenient but I still quite liked it overall. I considered downgrading it from it’s 5* status on my Goodreads but as I don’t write reviews there I left it because it is one I make sure I recommend to new Christie readers. I am currently reading Laura Griffin’s Unspeakable which is the second in her Tracers series. I know I have read a few of this long running series about a specialized forensic agency in Texas over the years but cannot remember much about them. I will probably work my way through the series in order (although I don’t think in order is needed with these) over the next couple of years. This particular book is just so so but I like forensic science books so will continue and I need the U. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7252256-unspeakable?from_search=true On Overdrive I am finishing the latest release in the Blue Ridge Library cozy series called Past Due for Murder which I am enjoying. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40234625-past-due-for-murder?ac=1&from_search=true 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 (edited) On 6/4/2019 at 10:21 PM, mumto2 said: @Penguin Wondering if you have read any of the Department Q mysteries by Jussi Adler-Olsen ?https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10822858-the-keeper-of-lost-causes. I just finished listening to the first one and loved it!😀. Regarding my earlier comment about having figured in out, I did in very broad terms. Shortly after I guessed the read is let in on the secret so it is a book where you are supposed to know. Great action packed ending! @loesje22000 I think you would like this one. Currently reading an Agatha Christie favorite Why Didn’t They Ask Evens? So good! Well, funny enough, I have never read a Danish crime novel. They are called Krimi in Danish, and they take up a sizeable chunk of the real estate in mainstream Danish bookstores! But I have in fact begun to feel a slight urge to venture in to the realm... I just looked at my subscription to a Danish streaming service (which is like Kindle Unlimted but 1000X better) and, unfortunately, only one of his books are in there. It is a Christmas book. -- Here is an update on my 10X10 categories. My volume of reading has not been great this year, but I have loved most of the books that I have read. I allow overlaps in my challenge. At the moment, it appears that Digte by Yahya Hassan managed to tick the most boxes for me: In Danish, Nordic, Poetry, and Politics. 1960s (3) In Danish In a Foreign Language (4). I am now counting Dutch and Latin, too. Non Tropical Islands (2) Good Catholic / Bad Catholic (0) Fantasy (4) Nordic (4) Poetry (1) The American South (5) Around the World (2) A perpetual challenge. New countries only (added Canada and the Netherlands) Politics (2) Edited June 6, 2019 by Penguin 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 59 minutes ago, Penguin said: Well, funny enough, I have never read a Danish crime novel. They are called Krimi in Danish, and they take up a sizeable chunk of the real estate in mainstream Danish bookstores! But I have in fact begun to feel a slight urge to venture in to the realm... I just looked at my subscription to a Danish streaming service (which is like Kindle Unlimted but 1000X better) and, unfortunately, only one of his books are in there. It is a Christmas book. -- Here is an update on my 10X10 categories. My volume of reading has not been great this year, but I have loved most of the books that I have read. I allow overlaps in my challenge. At the moment, it appears that Digte by Yahya Hassan managed to tick the most boxes for me: In Danish, Nordic, Poetry, and Politics. 1960s (3) In Danish In a Foreign Language (4). I am now counting Dutch and Latin, too. Non Tropical Islands (2) Good Catholic / Bad Catholic (0) Fantasy (4) Nordic (4) Poetry (1) The American South (5) Around the World (2) A perpetual challenge. New countries only (added Canada and the Netherlands) Politics (2) I think my favorite country of origin? 😂for Nordic Noir is probably Denmark, although I like them all! It might be because The Dinosaur Feather was my first. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910827-the-dinosaur-feather?from_search=true It’s rather chunky as I remember but I loved it. Another idea for krimi (Thank you for that term!) is Lotte Hammer. I liked The Night Ferry https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36875684-the-night-ferry slightly more than the other book I read in that series. Of course there is Jo Nesbo and Harry Hole......the ones I finished were not set in Denmark so I would skip the first two. Also tackling books in Latin and Dutch Is awesome! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 20 minutes ago, mumto2 said: Also tackling books in Latin and Dutch Is awesome! Well, the Latin book is just the Cambridge textbook but I read the whole thing, so by golly I am counting it! I will look at my streaming app for a Danish Krimi to try out. I forgot to say what I am currently reading: Absalom, Absalom (Faulkner) and Mumitroldene in Danish (The Moomins). I love both books to the moon. I want to visit Oxford, Mississippi and Moomin Valley! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Penguin said: Well, the Latin book is just the Cambridge textbook but I read the whole thing, so by golly I am counting it! I will look at my streaming app for a Danish Krimi to try out. I forgot to say what I am currently reading: Absalom, Absalom (Faulkner) and Mumitroldene in Danish (The Moomins). I love both books to the moon. I want to visit Oxford, Mississippi and Moomin Valley! I have never read the Moomins and need to. I would definitely count the Textbook! There is another Latin course with a rather readable text that we used to own.....I even did a few lessons. If I remember it I will post it. Dd has a copy of Winnie the Pooh in Latin which was bought used cheaply. My Latin is not great but that appears easier to tackle then the parts Latin Harry Potter she has.......some of her HP are in French and I believe German. The French and German ones were found used and given as presents over the years. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, mumto2 said: I have never read the Moomins and need to. Yes, you do 🙂 You will love them. The place to start is with The Great Flood. That is their "origin story" and tells how they came to reside in Moomin Valley. Edited June 7, 2019 by Penguin 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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