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Book a Week 2019 - BW24: 52 Books Bingo - Ice or Snow Bound


Robin M
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Happy Sunday and welcome to week twenty-four 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. 


 

“Snow flurries began to fall and they swirled around people's legs like house cats.
It was magical, this snow globe world.” ~ Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen

 

 

Are you ready for another 52 Books Bingo adventure? Grab your backpacks and your cold weather gear because we are headed into ice and/or snow bound country. There are a number of ways to go with this category, including but not limited to: 

Read a book with 
Ice or Snow in the title.
Read a book by an author named Ice or Snow
Read a book about 
Ice or Snow
Read a book with a character who has ice or snow abilities.
Read a book about an ice or snow bound expedition
Read a book set on a snow planet 
Spell out Ice or Snow, reading one book per letter. 



Icebound: 10 Amazing Historical Abandonments of Antarctica

Top 10 Coldest Countries In The World

10 Greatest Polar Expeditions

Antarctica bound: Books for the passionate polar buff

20 Books Set in The Arctic and Antarctic (Must Reads For Cold Weather)

Dea Brøvig's top 10 Norwegian novels

Nordic Noir 101

Best Non Nordic Cold Climate Crime novels

Goodreads listopia - Ice and Snow and popular Iceberg books as well as Fatal Chill: Romantic Suspense and Books about Blizzards.


Have fun exploring!

What are you reading?

 Link to Week 23

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Hi Robin! One of the books that I've read recently took place in Alaska, so maybe that counts. 

Thank you everyone for the loving and warm wishes re: our trip. We went to Spain and it was wonderful. If you all don't mind and are interested, I may share one photo each week from our trip, until at least it gets to be too much? Here's one from the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - the unfinished cathedral designed by Gaudi that's expected to open by 2026. This is the number two top attraction in all of Spain. This church has the most amazing stained-glass windows. 

a54415fa56d96394e6173e543c1f0d1f.jpg

I read:

Forever Amber - 4 Stars -  I loved this book, even though much of it felt like waiting for a storm that’s about to happen. I felt sorry for Amber who loved a man far more than he loved her. She made one bad decision after another, leading to mayhem and self-destructiveness. Although Amber is not the most likeable of characters, I found myself caring for her, and even rooting for her at times.

I gave this four stars, because I thought that the ending was abrupt, but overall it was a fabulous story. If you enjoy historical fiction, you will probably like this. The book is set in 1600s England and is well-researched. Major events such as the Black Death/Great Plague and the Great Fire of London take place.

Finally, a bit of trivia about this book. I would not have known all this if it wasn’t for a review that I saw on Good Reads. When the musician/actor/writer Artie Shaw was married to a young and beautiful Ava Gardner, he was disappointed that instead of reading an intellectual book, she was reading “Forever Amber” which he considered to be trashy and romance. Lo and behold, just one year later, he left Ava Gardner and married the author of this book, Kathleen Winsor! Actually, he ended up being married eight times. His wives included Lana Turner. Both Lana Turner and Ava Gardner described him as being controlling and emotionally abusive. Sounds like it.

My favorite quote:

“’Oh,’ she breathed unhappily. ‘They look like gods!’ ‘Even gods, my dear, use a chamber-pot,’ said Charles Hart.’”

and

The Great Alone - 5 Stars - What an incredibly beautiful story! This was the third book that I have read by Kristin Hannah and I believe that her writing is truly improving with each one. The story is set in 1974 Alaska. A book like this that is so emotionally charged, atmospheric, and where I cared deeply for so many of the characters is a rarity.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Two kinds of folks come up to Alaska: People running to something and people running from something. The second kind -- you want to keep your eye out for them.”

“So they would try again in a new place, hoping geography would be the answer.”

“Books are the mile markers of my life. Some people have family photos or home movies to record their past. I’ve got books. Characters. For as long as I can remember, books have been my safe place.”

 “A girl was like a kite; without her mother's strong, steady hold on the string, she might just float away, be lost somewhere among the clouds.”

“Love and fear. The most destructive forces on earth. Fear had turned her inside out, love had made her stupid.”

“She loved that her grandmother was a complex mixture of optimism and practicality.”

9781556524042.jpg   9781447286035.jpg

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

The book is fantastic. It’s not perfect, since no book is, but it’s definitely a favorite of mine.

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

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Good morning.  I'm currently reading Nalini Singh's Wolf Rain, #3 in the psy/changeling/trinity series.  Very, very, very good.  

I have a few books on my nightstand for ice/snow bound including Michael Ridpath's Far North in his Magnus Iceland Mystery and Camilla Lackberg's Ice Princess, and Joan Vinge's Snow Queen. Which shall I read?.

Writing wise, reading A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves and Troubleshooting Your Novel by Steven James.

We watched the reboot of Fantastic Four last night which was really good and ended way too quickly.  Is a sequel in the works? Hopefully. Great cast. 

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4 minutes ago, Negin said:

Hi Robin! One of the books that I've read recently took place in Alaska, so maybe that counts. 

Thank you everyone for the loving and warm wishes re: our trip. We went to Spain and it was wonderful. If you all don't mind and are interested, I may share one photo each week from our trip, until at least it gets to be too much? Here's one from the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - the unfinished cathedral designed by Gaudi that's expected to open by 2026. This is the number two top attraction in all of Spain. This church has the most amazing stained-glass windows. 

a54415fa56d96394e6173e543c1f0d1f.jpg

 

9781556524042.jpg   9781447286035.jpg

 

Yes, please share as many pictures as you want.  So pretty. 

Alaska definitely counts and adding Great Alone to my wish list. Enjoy Kristin Hannah's books.

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I’ll try The Woman who Married a Bear set in Sitka Alaska.  I haven’t read it yet so not sure if there’ll be ice or snow.

I read Camilla Lackberg’s the Ice Princess not that long ago.  I liked it, but her books tend to feel depressing to me, and I want more uplift. I’ve not read the others you are choosing amongst. 

One or more Gamache book I read had ice or snow.  So did some of the Anne Cleeves Shetland Island series.

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Welcome back, Negin, and thank you for sharing that stunning picture.

***

Some bookish posts ~

@Violet Crown

the list below has a book that I think might interest you: A Burlesque Translation of Homer Thomas Bridges, 1762.

Jo Walton’s Reading List: May 2019

https://www.tor.com/2019/06/05/jo-waltons-reading-list-may-2019/

A book review from the Dear Author site: REVIEW: Scholars of Mayhem by Daniel C. Guiet and Timothy K. Smith

https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-plus-reviews/review-scholars-of-mayhem-by-daniel-c-guiet/

THE BOARD BOOKS I COULD READ ALL DAY EVERY DAY

https://bookriot.com/2019/05/29/board-books-i-could-real-all-day/

13 Books by Pacific Islanders

https://electricliterature.com/13-books-by-pacific-islanders/

Fantasy Maps Don’t Belong in the Hands of Fantasy Characters

https://www.tor.com/2019/05/28/fantasy-maps-dont-belong-in-the-hands-of-fantasy-characters/

Five Books to Read While Staring Death in the Face

https://www.tor.com/2019/05/28/five-books-to-read-while-staring-death-in-the-face/

Regards,

Kareni

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20 minutes ago, Pen said:

I’ll try The Woman who Married a Bear set in Sitka Alaska.  I haven’t read it yet so not sure if there’ll be ice or snow.

I read Camilla Lackberg’s the Ice Princess not that long ago.  I liked it, but her books tend to feel depressing to me, and I want more uplift. I’ve not read the others you are choosing amongst. 

One or more Gamache book I read had ice or snow.  So did some of the Anne Cleeves Shetland Island series.

Woman Who Married a Bear sounds interesting.   I preordered and have been waiting for #14 in the Inspector Gamache  series - Kingdom of the Blind to come out in paperback and the release date is June 25th. Yeah!   Cleeves is on my wishlist. 

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Love the challenge this week! I've been listening (off and on) to The Terror by Dan Simmons  and read by Simon Vance. I just now realized it's an abridged version - huh. Last week I finished a couple books - yay me! haha 

Thin Air (Shetland Island #6) by Ann Cleeves - good but the ending and the whodunit wasn't quite believable to me. Still loving Jimmy Perez. 💕

One Pair of Hands by Monica Dickens - Yes, THAT Dickens!! She is Charles Dickens' granddaughter. She was bored with upper class life and decided to get a real job as a cook/housekeeper, this is back in the 1930s. Funny, sarcastic, and the narrator (Carole Boyd) does a fantastic job. 

I'm almost done with Pillars of the Earth and I'm kind of forcing myself to finish. The two-dimensionalness of the characters is boring me silly but at this point I feel that I really should finish it as I'm 800 pages in and I'm starting to skim skim skim.

Negin, love hearing about your trip and would enjoy seeing more photos! Also, I read Forever Amber a couple summers ago and loved it. Amber reminds me of Scarlet O'Hara but with a heart, lol.  The Great Alone was a great read, too. 

I found a couple of neat links this morning The 'It' Books of Summers Past - The NY Times  - I've only read a few of the most recent of these. The Name of the Rose is the one I most want to read - I'm sure someone here has read it - what do you think? And how many have you read? 

and William Steig's Books Explored the Reality That Adults Don't Want Children to Know About - The New Yorker - I loved reading Steig's books aloud when my kids were young. His word choice was impeccable - his sentences rolled off the tongue easily and he didn't write down to children but lifted them up and treated them like fellow travelers in life. I never felt as though his stories were too much like the author of this article apparently did - did anyone here feel that way?

 

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10 minutes ago, Mothersweets said:

I found a couple of neat links this morning The 'It' Books of Summers Past - The NY Times  - I've only read a few of the most recent of these. The Name of the Rose is the one I most want to read - I'm sure someone here has read it - what do you think? And how many have you read? 

What a great list and brings back memories.  I've read The Passage, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Love Story,The Andromeda Strain. and The Name of the Rose.  I like Umberto Eco but he is one of those writers which you really have to be in the mood for to read. I liked The Name of the Rose as that time period and monks fascinate me.  It isn't an easy read and really makes you think.  

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Okay...the book I finished last week was set during one of the worst ice / snow winters in England referencing the "Frost Faire."

"Why Kill the Innocent" by C.S. Harris

Currently reading:

"Where the Dead Lie"  (everything takes me longer now because we are still unpacking - believe it or not)

Audiobook:

"Freedom's Light" by Colleen Coble - predictable and therefore soothing and comfortable at the moment.  🙂

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11 minutes ago, Robin M said:

What a great list and brings back memories.  I've read The Passage, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Love Story,The Andromeda Strain. and The Name of the Rose.  I like Umberto Eco but he is one of those writers which you really have to be in the mood for to read. I liked The Name of the Rose as that time period and monks fascinate me.  It isn't an easy read and really makes you think.  

I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the heads up!   I also want to read The Passage - how did you like that one? Sometimes  a good scary read is just what is needed. 

I've read The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, Eat,Pray, Love, Seabiscuit, and The Joy Luck Club.

and seen the movie adaptations of Crazy Rich Asians and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and loved both!

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41 minutes ago, Mothersweets said:

I found a couple of neat links this morning The 'It' Books of Summers Past - The NY Times  - I've only read a few of the most recent of these. The Name of the Rose is the one I most want to read - I'm sure someone here has read it - what do you think? And how many have you read

I've read four on the list, but I have indeed heard of them all. I did start The Name of the Rose when it was newly popular but I did not finish it.

The first paragraph of the article talks about seeing a book cover everywhere. I think that's less likely today with the prevalence of tablets, smart phones, and audio books.

49 minutes ago, Mothersweets said:

William Steig's Books Explored the Reality That Adults Don't Want Children to Know About - The New Yorker - I loved reading Steig's books aloud when my kids were young. His word choice was impeccable - his sentences rolled off the tongue easily and he didn't write down to children but lifted them up and treated them like fellow travelers in life. I never felt as though his stories were too much like the author of this article apparently did - did anyone here feel that way?

Thanks for pointing me to another enjoyable article. I've read most of the books mentioned in the article and remember them fondly. I don't recall feeling that Steig's stories were too much for me; however, I sometimes waited a year or three before reading them to my daughter.

Regards,

Kareni

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8 minutes ago, Mothersweets said:

I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the heads up!   I also want to read The Passage - how did you like that one? Sometimes  a good scary read is just what is needed. 

So good I read it twice.  Yes it is scary good survival story. Post apocalyptic and the vampires are different, like the monster in the closet. Great cast of characters, full of suspense and emotion.  It's a chunky book so be prepared to spend a while reading it. 

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2 hours ago, Mothersweets said:

I'm almost done with Pillars of the Earth and I'm kind of forcing myself to finish. The two-dimensionalness of the characters is boring me silly but at this point I feel that I really should finish it as I'm 800 pages in and I'm starting to skim skim skim.

Negin, love hearing about your trip and would enjoy seeing more photos! Also, I read Forever Amber a couple summers ago and loved it. Amber reminds me of Scarlet O'Hara but with a heart, lol.  The Great Alone was a great read, too. 

I found a couple of neat links this morning The 'It' Books of Summers Past - The NY Times  - I've only read a few of the most recent of these. The Name of the Rose is the one I most want to read - I'm sure someone here has read it - what do you think? And how many have you read? 

and William Steig's Books Explored the Reality That Adults Don't Want Children to Know About - The New Yorker - I loved reading Steig's books aloud when my kids were young. His word choice was impeccable - his sentences rolled off the tongue easily and he didn't write down to children but lifted them up and treated them like fellow travelers in life. I never felt as though his stories were too much like the author of this article apparently did - did anyone here feel that way?

 

Sorry that you're not loving "Pillars of the Earth". I read it years ago and loved it back then. 

Many have said that Amber and Scarlett are similar. I actually loved Scarlett and liked Amber just fine, lol! I'm not like either of them at all, however. 

I have to read that William Steig piece. We loved his books so much. I think that we still have most of them. 

30 minutes ago, Junie said:

@Negin I really enjoy your book reviews.  I feel like I should step up my game here!  Also: Only one picture a week? 😉  It sounds like you had a lovely trip.

Junie, you are too kind. Thank you. 

Thank you all for your kind words re: photos and trip. I thought to only share one a week since I don't want to overwhelm, or maybe just one from each destination? Probably the same thing. We have so many. I just don't want to overdo it. 

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4 hours ago, Robin M said:

Woman Who Married a Bear sounds interesting.   I preordered and have been waiting for #14 in the Inspector Gamache  series - Kingdom of the Blind to come out in paperback and the release date is June 25th. Yeah!   Cleeves is on my wishlist. 

 

I’ll probably use an audible credit and get Kingdom of the Blind in audio.  I haven’t decided, but have awhile since I haven’t read Glass Houses yet.  I am holding it for when I feel I need an excellent dependenably enjoyable book.  I have a few writers I do that with.  

Raven Black, 1st in Cleeves’ Shetland Island series was good and had some snow iirc.   I would like there to be more books in the Shetland Island series, I’m almost as much a fan of Jimmy Perez as of Gamache! If you like Gamache you too may like Perez. 

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4 hours ago, Robin M said:

So good I read it twice.  Yes it is scary good survival story. Post apocalyptic and the vampires are different, like the monster in the closet. Great cast of characters, full of suspense and emotion.  It's a chunky book so be prepared to spend a while reading it. 

Oooo yay! Looks like this is my year of the chunkster books! 

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Quote

 

Several of those look interesting to me including the cat massacre one

 

Quote

Five Books to Read While Staring Death in the Face

https://www.tor.com/2019/05/28/five-books-to-read-while-staring-death-in-the-face/

Regards,

Kareni

 

Intriguing .  I’m pondering that for awhile before I click it.  

When I was waiting on a biopsy report at one point I mainly wanted take my mind off of it type books.

6 hours ago, Mothersweets said:

Love the challenge this week! I've been listening (off and on) to The Terror by Dan Simmons  and read by Simon Vance. I just now realized it's an abridged version - huh. Last week I finished a couple books - yay me! haha 

 

Your snow and ice book? I don’t want to be scared how scary is it?  I sometimes choose books by narrator and very much like Vance.

Quote

Thin Air (Shetland Island #6) by Ann Cleeves - good but the ending and the whodunit wasn't quite believable to me. Still loving Jimmy Perez. 💕

 

Me too.

Quote

One Pair of Hands by Monica Dickens - Yes, THAT Dickens!! She is Charles Dickens' granddaughter. She was bored with upper class life and decided to get a real job as a cook/housekeeper, this is back in the 1930s. Funny, sarcastic, and the narrator (Carole Boyd) does a fantastic job. 

That sounds like something I might like!

 

Quote

I found a couple of neat links this morning The 'It' Books of Summers Past - The NY Times  - I've only read a few of the most recent of these. The Name of the Rose is the one I most want to read - I'm sure someone here has read it - what do you think? And how many have you read? 

 

3? Maybe 5? No very clear memories now.  I recall reading Andromeda Strain and Midnight in the Garden... and liking them at the time.  A few I started but didn’t finish. A few I think I saw movie adaption, but didn’t read. 

Quote

 

and William Steig's Books Explored the Reality That Adults Don't Want Children to Know About - The New Yorker - I loved reading Steig's books aloud when my kids were young. His word choice was impeccable - his sentences rolled off the tongue easily and he didn't write down to children but lifted them up and treated them like fellow travelers in life. I never felt as though his stories were too much like the author of this article apparently did - did anyone here feel that way?

 

 

I never really got into his books.  What did I miss?  Maybe will look again for possible future grandkids or if I foster again when Ds launches.  

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Think my last update was two weeks ago; have only finished two books in that time:

53. The Milkman by Anna Burns (audio) - I am very glad I went with the audio on this one, it was fantastic.  Interesting to compare and contrast this with Patria/Homeland that covered similar themes in a society in the grip of 'patriotic', separatist paramilitary forces.  They take very different narrative approaches, but the feeling of claustrophobia and everyone knowing your business and the 'right' way to think, and how gossip can be more important than truth in what determines you're on the 'wrong' side, the group snubbings, put-downs, and eventual violence, the young boys being sucked in to the movement and the mothers sometimes complicit and sometimes unable to stop them, and how once gossip has labeled you it's pretty much impossible to undo... so very similar.  I liked them both.  5 stars for this one.

54. Black Swan Green by David Mitchell - I am very much wondering how much of this is drawn from the author's childhood.  He's the exact age as the 13-yo poetry and classical music loving protagonist (it's set in the year he would have been 13), and it's also set in the same part of England he grew up in.  I did enjoy it, and yep, a character from Cloud Atlas showed up for a chapter, ~50 years later from when we first met her in Belgium...  4 stars.

And still reading Tirante el Blanco (alllmost finished, really!), Disappearing Earth, and A Tale for the Time Being (liking this ever more as it goes on!), and I've started Medea (the play).  Well, I've read the whole introduction, which is probably longer than the play in length and was quite interesting - it talked a lot about the social and political situation at the time it was written and first put on, and how themes in the play relate to that, and how subtleties of the Greek that speak to some of those (and would likely go over our head or be misinterpreted by our much different modern lens) are obscured or completely missed in translation.  Now on to read the actual translation, lol...

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42 minutes ago, Pen said:

 

Your snow and ice book? I don’t want to be scared how scary is it?  I sometimes choose books by narrator and very much like Vance. Not scary - suspenseful in a historical setting!

 

Me too.

That sounds like something I might like!  I believe she wrote several books - the next one is about her nurse training during WWII.

 

 

I never really got into his books.  What did I miss?  Maybe will look again for possible future grandkids or if I foster again when Ds launches.  

Our favorite Steig books are Doctor De Soto and The Amazing Bone.  Sylvester and the Magic Pebble was good, too. There are a bunch that we never got around to and a couple that we just didn't care for. 

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7 hours ago, Robin M said:

Are you ready for another 52 Books Bingo adventure? Grab your backpacks and your cold weather gear because we are headed into ice and/or snow bound country. There are a number of ways to go with this category, including but not limited to: 


I read my Ice and Snowbound quota back in the winter, lol - The Snow Child, Smilla's Sense of Snow, and The Winter of the Witch...  and I just read two Icelandic crime novels last month... 

7 hours ago, Kareni said:


I realize I haven't picked any 'summer' type reads this year, though - this list makes me think I should maybe choose something set on a Pacific island!  Some of the books on this list will also help me check off some more countries on my round-the-world challenge...

7 hours ago, Mothersweets said:

I found a couple of neat links this morning The 'It' Books of Summers Past - The NY Times  - I've only read a few of the most recent of these. The Name of the Rose is the one I most want to read - I'm sure someone here has read it - what do you think? And how many have you read? 


I usually don't especially try to read "It" books, but I have read a few of these... Into Thin Air, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Like Water for Chocolate (in Spanish :wink:), and The Joy Luck Club.  I've seen the movie versions of Bridget Jones and Crazy Rich Asians, but am in no rush to read the books...

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I got seriously distracted with all the links.  Fun.  Thank you  (added Mothersweets Monica Dickens audio to my wishlist, and one of Kareni's Board books, love Mem Fox, to want to own list).  I'm with Pen, and quietly sidestepping the "before you die' link ..... and the scare yourself spitless book recommendation 😜   Looking forward to you continuing to share your (amazing) trip pictures Negin.  And Robin ......... the kittens from last week??😍

I'm still reading Donna Leon's book about bees https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33129809-earthly-remains  and enjoying it.  Hoping to complete some other books this week that I've been in start and stop mode with.

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I read a Kathi Daley mystery set in Alaska with a number of snow/blizzard rescues in it. Finding Justice - free with Kindle unlimited.

Currently reading Doing Justice by Preet Bharara and another in the Rescue Alaska series I mentioned above.

I have three books pre-ordered for kindle, an Alyssa Maxwell murder mystery, Jenny Colgan's newest and the new Gamache book. 

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@Negin Beautiful travel photo!  I love stained glass.  Share as many as you want, we would love to see them

@Robin M I been wondering about the Kitten(s) too!

@Mothersweets Another huge fan of The Passage.

I am too lazy to quote the past summer reads link that @Kareni posted......I think I have read 5.  I have been waiting for months for Crazy Rich Asians on Overdrive.  I loved the movie!  From the board books link I am so curious about the coding book for toddlers........

Recent finishes.......

Twisted by Laura Griffin was very good.  I am enjoying my reread of this series that I read ages ago. I plan to jump ahead and read some of the more recent releases soon.  

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting was a great romance novel.  She appears to be one of the genre’s popular authors right now and I picked this book because I was curious. An easy read without too many explicit adult scenes.  I am requesting another of her books😉  As a bonus I discovered that the title wasn’t a typo on my kindle.😂

No Exit by Taylor Adams, was a book that was advertised on my kindle so much that when I saw it available in my Overdrive I checked it out.  I think it was compared to Gone Girl in a review and was like Gone Girl in many ways.  I didn’t love it but will give it credit for being quite a page turner.

Currently reading.......David Baldacci’s The Forgotten.  Really enjoying this one.

Thanks to @Angelaboord recommendation I am going to give Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft a try on audio this week.  I abandoned the book last year but actually remember what I read so I think I may have been more intrigued then I thought.

 

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I didn't get much reading done, but I did finish another book in my Written Too Late category -- children's literature that was published after I grew up.

Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons won the Newbery award in 1995 -- I was in college.  A 13-year-old girl is dealing with the realization that her mother left her and is never coming back.  She takes a road trip with her grandparents and while telling them stories about a new friend, she learns a lot about herself.

This wasn't my favorite book and I don't think my girls will like it (if they even decide to read it).  I'm glad I read it, and I might read it again someday, but it is not a book that I am planning to buy.

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15 hours ago, Pen said:

I changed to this: Avalanche: A Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery, Book 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074B2S5RW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-8A.CbR7P18C3

 

 

I switched only because the other book would not play properly, not due to dislike.

However, I am very much enjoying Avalanche.  I’m about to go listen while doing some clean up.

It’s irreverent and funny.  A couple murders so far, but not a noir tone.  Seems more like a cheerful summer book with snow.

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Sorry to be late, again, and I'll go back and read. Yesterday was filled with excitement: Middle Girl was confirmed at long last, and had a lovely reception for which she made and decorated the cakes. The Bishop's Pentecost/Confirmation sermon was on the Holy Spirit coming into our lives as a great wind that renews us. In the evening we cowered in the central hallway with the cat and two guinea pigs, as the tornado-level winds ripped up our neighbor's big ash tree and dropped it on our roof.  Thanks, Bishop.

Dh got back home Saturday, so my reading should pick up a bit now that I'm not single-momming. Meanwhile last week all I got finished was Gide's The Vatican Cellars, which was good French farce. Trigger warning for those triggered by bedbugs, fleas, and/or mosquitoes; but the Hapless Traveler passage on its own made the book worth reading. Currently reading some Nathanael West and Dostoevski's The Idiot. With chainsaws in the background.

 

Edited by Violet Crown
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One of the tiny ferocious beasts allowed me to hold it today. Jealousy reared it's little head with a hiss and swat when I tried to pick up one of its other siblings.  We are feeding momma and animal control will be by tomorrow with a trap. 

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Edited by Robin M
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1 hour ago, Violet Crown said:

Sorry to be late, again, and I'll go back and read. Yesterday was filled with excitement: Middle Girl was confirmed at long last, and had a lovely reception for which she made and decorated the cakes. The Bishop's Pentecost/Confirmation sermon was on the Holy Spirit coming into our lives as a great wind that renews us. In the evening we cowered in the central hallway with the cat and two guinea pigs, as the tornado-level winds ripped up our neighbor's big ash tree and dropped it on our roof.  Thanks, Bishop.

Oh my goodness!  Congratulations to your daughter.  I'm glad you all are okay and you'll have to share your story with the Bishop and/or your priest. They'll probably get a kick out it.  

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I stayed up late last night finishing a book that was recommended by both @mumto2 and @Jane in NC. It was dark, but I enjoyed it and expect to read on in the series.

The Keeper of Lost Causes: The First Department Q Novel  by Jussi Adler-Olsen

"Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl—who didn’t draw his weapon—blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: a liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet."

 Were you aware, mumto2, that these books have been filmed?  Department Q Trilogy

Regards,

Kareni

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17 minutes ago, Kareni said:

I stayed up late last night finishing a book that was recommended by both @mumto2 and @Jane in NC. It was dark, but I enjoyed it and expect to read on in the series.

The Keeper of Lost Causes: The First Department Q Novel  by Jussi Adler-Olsen

"Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl—who didn’t draw his weapon—blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: a liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet."

 Were you aware, mumto2, that these books have been filmed?  Department Q Trilogy

Regards,

Kareni

 

Sounds interesting!  Do any of you know if the series gains a lot by reading it in order?  Some of the later books are easily available to me with Graeme Malcolm (a favorite narrator of mine) reading. 

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8 minutes ago, Pen said:

Do any of you know if the series gains a lot by reading it in order?  Some of the later books are easily available to me with Graeme Malcolm (a favorite narrator of mine) reading. 

I've only read the first one so can't speak to your question, Pen. 

I did just read this review which makes me think the series is best read in order.   Something Rotten in Denmark

Regards,

Kareni

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1 hour ago, Kareni said:

I stayed up late last night finishing a book that was recommended by both @mumto2 and @Jane in NC. It was dark, but I enjoyed it and expect to read on in the series.

The Keeper of Lost Causes: The First Department Q Novel  by Jussi Adler-Olsen

"Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl—who didn’t draw his weapon—blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: a liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet."

 Were you aware, mumto2, that these books have been filmed?  Department Q Trilogy

Regards,

Kareni

 

1 hour ago, Pen said:

 

Sounds interesting!  Do any of you know if the series gains a lot by reading it in order?  Some of the later books are easily available to me with Graeme Malcolm (a favorite narrator of mine) reading. 

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

I've only read the first one so can't speak to your question, Pen. 

I did just read this review which makes me think the series is best read in order.   Something Rotten in Denmark

Regards,

Kareni

Kareni,  I am so glad you enjoyed it!😀 I had a vague idea that there might be a film version out there  but I didn’t think it was in English.  Maybe someday I will try it after I read all the books!  

@Pen,  Like Kareni I have only read the first book which could be a bit foundational.  But I do think they are going to have to recap much of the first book in later books so just make sure you go in order.  The narrator is different for the first but I did like him.....he did a couple of Expanse novellas.  I actually looked to make sure he did all the books and was slightly disappointed!😂

I am busy trying to spell Guido Brunetti and happened to have many of the needed letters already in the stack of Overdrive.  When I am done with Guido I have every intention of listening to more Department Q.  

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3 hours ago, Kareni said:

I stayed up late last night finishing a book that was recommended by both @mumto2 and @Jane in NC. It was dark, but I enjoyed it and expect to read on in the series

Me too! I'm glad we are in different library systems. 

 

2 hours ago, Pen said:

 

Sounds interesting!  Do any of you know if the series gains a lot by reading it in order?  Some of the later books are easily available to me with Graeme Malcolm (a favorite narrator of mine) reading. 

I started the second today and it picks up where the previous left off. I doubt that you MUST read them in order, there has been a touch of orientation as necessary, but the (wacky) interpersonal relationships will make more sense in order.

I am not far enough into the series to say for sure, but I'm wondering if the books will follow the pattern of Inspector Mørck solving a side case upstairs with casual comments while he works his "main" case downstairs over the course of the book, with an even larger mystery arcing over multiple books...

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I finished a short book called Fruits of Diversity by Timothy R. Falb.  It's a few pages short of 150, but I'm counting it anyway.  :)

This book is a history of a Mennonite church in Ohio that was founded by my step-great-great-great-great grandfather.  My grandpa grew up in this church.  An appendix in the back of the book lists an extensive (albeit incomplete) genealogy.  I was able to add about 150 names to our family tree.  Even more importantly, all of the information that I already had on my tree lined up with what was published in the book.  Confirmation from another genealogy source is always a good thing.

 

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I entered a Goodreads drawing and won a book which I just finished; it's a collection of some twenty stories that feature family members of two girls that meet prior to world war I. The stories contain magic, the inexplicable, Death and the God of Cancer, concentration camp survivors, ghosts, pigeons, seders, and more. Many of the stories were quite moving, and I enjoyed the book.

The History of Soul 2065 by Barbara Krasnoff

 "Months before World War I breaks out, two young Jewish girls just on the edge of adolescence—one from a bustling Russian city, the other from a German estate—meet in an eerie, magical forest glade. They are immediately drawn to one another and swear an oath to meet again. Though war and an ocean will separate the two for the rest of their lives, the promise that they made to each other continues through the intertwined lives of their descendants.

 This epic tale of the supernatural follows their families from the turn of the 20th Century through the terrors of the Holocaust and ultimately to the wonders of a future they never could have imagined. The History of Soul 2065 encompasses accounts of sorcery, ghosts, time travel, virtual reality, alien contact, and elemental confrontations between good and evil. Understated and epic, cathartic and bittersweet, the twenty connected stories in Nebula Award finalist Barbara Krasnoff’s debut form a mosaic narrative even greater than its finely crafted parts.

 Jane Yolen, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Grand Master, says in her introduction: “If you, like me, love quirky and original fantasy stories, I advise you to dive right in. If you, like me, admire tough writing that’s not afraid of the grit, dive right in. If you, like me, want to hang out a while with characters rich in their own traditions, dive right in. This is storytelling at the top of the heap.” "  

Regards,

Kareni

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On 6/10/2019 at 3:46 PM, Violet Crown said:

Sorry to be late, again, and I'll go back and read. Yesterday was filled with excitement: Middle Girl was confirmed at long last, and had a lovely reception for which she made and decorated the cakes. The Bishop's Pentecost/Confirmation sermon was on the Holy Spirit coming into our lives as a great wind that renews us. In the evening we cowered in the central hallway with the cat and two guinea pigs, as the tornado-level winds ripped up our neighbor's big ash tree and dropped it on our roof.  Thanks, Bishop.

<snip>

 

Us, too, minus the ash tree on the roof. We had an old oak across the drive. Glad y’all are ok. 

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Good to read that you and your families are okay after the wind storm @brehon and  @Violet Crown  (Thanks Bishop, indeed 😋. Congratulations on a happy day for your daughter!)

@Kareni adding your recommendation to my wishlist.  It sounds good, and the sample reads well  (and for others in  Aust or NZ, Amazon will "allow" us to purchase the kindle edition).

I'm with mumto2 and trying to work on my whodunit spelling challenge.  I'm spelling Donna Leon, and am in a ho-hum mood over some of the titles I selected as possibilities.  ( I'm rereading Gaudy Night ~ Dorothy Sayers, and, a Ngaio Marsh title which will get me over a temporary can't- be- bothered- with- my- reading- challenge hump -   and knock off a few letter 'n's.)

**

I've completed my first ever Donna Leon (Thanks for including her in the whodunit Booklogy challenge Robin, otherwise I wouldn't have spent time with her Brunetti.)

Earthly Remains: Commissario Guido Brunetti Bk26 ~ Donna Leon, narrated by David Rintoul  (4)   .... as I have no other books in the series to compare it with I enjoyed the environmental focus and a take away thought of “Bees are the canary in the mine”.  This is a mystery surrounding an oil company’s illegal dumping of toxic waste.  For those that like a mystery with the case-completely-solved and all loose ends tied up, this is not one of those: still, I found it to be a satisfying end to an interesting story.   I really appreciate it that the Brunetti family is a loving and functional one and will be trying another of Leon's books at some stage.     (my full review is here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2844030892 )

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