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Book a Week 2019 - BW31: 52 Books Bingo - Bildungsroman


Robin M
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Happy Sunday and welcome to week thirty-one 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. 

Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Bildungsroman which is German for  Bildung (education) and roman (novel) and translates into a novel of education or formation. The plot of a Bildungsroman deals with a character's psychological, emotional, educational, and moral growth as they transform from youth to adulthood, beginning with a loss, their journey through conflict and personal growth until they reach maturity. 

When ever I have read a bildungsroman type novel in the past, such as Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain, James Joyce's Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, Proust's Swann's Way or even Lois Lowry's The Giver, I've had to set aside all expectations and take the time to let myself be drawn into the story. They are stories you can't read in five minute patches here and there. You have to let yourself fall into the pulse of not only the story, but the writer's style and voice. It's an adventure into a character's heart and mind and soul and you come out the other side with much to think about. 

History and Examples of Bildungsroman novels.

Eight Classic Female Bildungsroman You Should Know About If You Don’t Already

Bildungsroman Novels: The Literary Journey of Youth to Maturity

Bildungsroman Project

Goodreads Best Bildungsroman Novels


Cheers to your Bildungsroman reading adventure!

Link to week thirty

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This week I read Nora Robert's Under Currents which is as always excellent and couldn't put it down once I started. Although it contains trigger topics of domestic violence and child abuse, the story tone is hopeful, contains plenty of humor to offset the tension as there are plenty of twists and turns and excitement along with the romance. 

Last night I dove into a fluffy, yet angsty contemporary romance. Summer on Mirror Lake by Joann Rose.  Enjoying it but the characters repeat themselves alot as if you can't remember what happened the chapter before. Annoying yes, but since it's the fifth in a series I haven't read, I'm pretty much caught up with all the characters in the series. 🙂

 

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I am trying to remember what kind of Bildungsroman I have read. I am sure there were a few. During childhood I loved reading books by Magda Trott chronicling the life of a girl from 4 years into mature adulthood. Also, would Anne of Green Gables qualify? Another, much "heavier" series is a trilogy: "Stormy Times," "Wild Lupines" and "The Hour of the Heirs" written by Charlotte Link. This trilogy deals with the fate of a family and particularly a young girl in East Prussia prior to WWII and the decisions she made and situations she found herself in during the years of war and fleeing her home until her years as a grandmother and eventually her death. The characters are drawn superbly and I could not put it down.

Currently Reading:

Code of Valor by Lynette Eason

I can rely on her to deliver a tightly written crime novel with decent characters and no horrendous graphically described scenes or gratuitous violence.

Audiobook:

Hoping to download the "Miss Julia" series through Overdrive. Sometimes it's hit and miss.

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I just finished reading Resisting Throwaway Culture; How a Consistent Life Ethic Can Unite a Fractured People.  The author is a professor of ethics at Fordham University.  I thought it was excellent.  He's got me convinced!  Even though it is not a long book, because the issues are thought provoking and very serious, it took me a few weeks to read through it.  I had to be in a certain mood.  But it is a very worthwhile read.  Now I am starting on book three in the Little Britches series, The Home Ranch. I loved  Father and I were Ranchers and Man of the Family.  I'm really happy to have such a wonderful series to read through!    Hey, I just realized the whole Little Britches series is bildungsroman!  Isn't it?  

Btw, I can't believe I am actually on track with the 52 Books challenge still.  I'm on book 31 on the 31st week.  I need to celebrate this somehow.  An extremely rare occurrence that is not likely to continue for much longer!

Wait!  LOL.  I totally forgot I am more than halfway through Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer.  A piece of fluff, swashbuckler romance set in Elizabethan times.

Edited by Faithr
Needed to add something.
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I read The Rational Bible: Exodus - 4 Stars - I’ve been a Dennis Prager fan for more than two decades. I enjoy his articles, his books, as well as his You Tube videos. He has such wisdom and a knack for explaining things ever so clearly. This book is a commentary on the Book of Exodus, as well as its importance and relevance today. I can’t say that I loved this book as much as his other books. The structure was different here. Although his other books are ones that I hope to read again and again, this one which I liked just fine, will most likely not be a re-read.

It was challenging for me to pick my favorite quotes. I’ve included a few here. Other quotes are shown at the end of my review on Good Reads.

“A rabbi challenged his followers one day: “Where does God exist?” Puzzled by what almost seemed to be a heretical question, they answered: “God exists everywhere.” “No,” the rabbi responded: “God exists wherever man lets Him in.”

“That’s the great question: Who sees the miracles of daily life? And the answer is: Whoever chooses to see.”

“Gratitude takes effort; resentment is effortless.”

“Fear of God is a liberating emotion, freeing one from a disabling fear of evil, powerful people. This needs to be emphasized because many people see fear of God as onerous rather than liberating.”

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Kindle books on sale today. 

Pachinko - historical fiction/Japan

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Becoming Mrs. Lewis - historical fiction

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Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life - nonfiction/spirituality/religion

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Living a Life That Matters - nonfiction/spirituality/religion

9780385720946.jpg

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Some bookish posts ~

From Outside magazine:  Our 5 Favorite Summer Reads of 2019
https://www.outsideonline.com/2397595/best-books-summer-2019?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=True Story&utm_term=BookRiot_TrueStory_DormantSuppress

Seanan McGuire’s Personal Top Ten Urban Fantasy Books For Adults

https://www.tor.com/2019/07/23/seanan-mcguires-personal-top-ten-urban-fantasy-books-for-adults/

**
@Rosie_0801 and others with an interest in autism:

Towards a Neurodiverse Future: Writing an Autistic Heroine

https://www.tor.com/2019/07/24/writing-an-autistic-heroine/

This site is mentioned in the above post: AUTISTIC BOOK PARTY

http://www.ada-hoffmann.com/autistic-book-party/prom

Books reviewed are listed here: http://www.ada-hoffmann.com/reviews-index/

**

From Paste:

The Best Novels of 2019 (So Far)
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/07/best-novels-of-2019-leckie-oyeyemi-mccracken.html

The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 (So Far)

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/07/best-nonfiction-books-of-2019-so-far.html

Regards,

Kareni

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I finished both of my books this week. I am glad that I gave Absalom, Absalom! another try after hating it in high school. I could not get over Faulkner's run-on sentences and apparent disdain for grammar conventions then. I had less difficulty with that now--it read more like a conversation, and it pretty much is always someone talking and telling the story. It's still not an easy read, but very good. I also finished Turtles All the Way Down, a YA book told from the POV of a high school student with severe anxiety. This is a topic that interests me as I have students with anxiety (way more than I did 25 years ago). The protagonist's mom is a math teacher who tries to do everything right, but there is no "fixing" her daughter. I appreciated that the dd's bad spells were not brought on by anything anyone said or did; that's something I worry about in my job. "Are there ways to structure a class or classroom to reduce anxiety?" This book helped me see that ii is more internally driven. Mom didn't cause anxiety, school didn't cause anxiety; it's part of the girl's being. An easy read in some ways (compared to Faulkner--love YA lit for that), but hard ideas and issues. Worth reading for me.

Up next: not sure, but I might dig into my Six of Crows duology that was my Amazon gift card bday gift from my sister. But I go to the library tomorrow, so always possible something else will jump out at me!

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My finishes last week:

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - I enjoyed her style of writing, but not the story itself so much. 

Granted by John David Anderson - this was a pre-read for my girls, and I enjoyed it. Delightful writing and an engaging story. DD#1 also read and enjoyed it; I think DD#2 is in the middle of it now.

The Dark Tower and Other Stories by C. S. Lewis - these were okay. I know they were mostly unpublished manuscripts found after Lewis's death, so not as polished as his published works.

 

Currently reading Learn from the Masters, which is about using history in teaching mathematics.

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Hi everyone! Thanks for the well wishes last week - we are slowly getting settled in. I have started reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer and finding it ok.

@Faithr I love the Little Britches series! Glad you are enjoying them!

@Ali in OR Thanks for the review of Turtles All the Way Down. I've enjoyed a couple of John Green's books but haven't gotten to that one but will look for it at my library now!

@Robin M and @Kareni - Looking forward to browsing all the links! 

 

(Can ya'll tell that I've just realized how to do the @ symbol thing to tag people? lol)

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Last week, my daughter left her old Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in the bathroom.  I previously read this book around the time it came out, so I didn't remember too much about it.  So I read it again.  It was fun, and I remembered how I never wanted HP books to end.

We finished the audiobook Julie of the Wolves.  My kids found the ending unsatisfying, but it was still food for thought.  Next I found the audiobook Brown Girl Dreaming, which I thought I had seen as a recommended book for middle school kids.  We listened for a while, but none of us liked the book, and we've read several others about the civil rights movement, so we decided to drop it.  I told my kids they could go borrow another audiobook if they wanted to.  My reluctant reader went and found Resistance by Jennifer Nielsen about the Jewish resistance in Nazi-occupied Poland.  So far it looks like a pretty good choice.

I have gotten through a few more chapters of the current Spy School book; still not finished.

Other than that, I'm just re-reading stuff I have recently read.  It's a busy busy July with work / day camps all week, road trips every weekend, scout badge work, music lessons, sports, renovations, health appointments, summer bridge work, etc. 

 

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I managed to lose a post last night and was too tired to start again!  So here goes.....

I just finished reading The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson and really enjoyed it.  @JennW in SoCal recommended it a couple of weeks ago and I am glad I read it.  It was a book that managed to really engage me even though on the surface I shouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly so much........I think Jenn decided it was a Saga of sorts and it was.....It did include finding bones  in the attic! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32600726-the-almost-sisters?ac=1&from_search=true

 Still chugging along reading The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman and the fifth book in the Invisible library series.  Trying to decide how describe this book knowing several others follow this series......I like it much more than the fourth book but am not enjoying it as much I had hoped to.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39169409-the-mortal-word  At this point I am assuming there will be another book in this series and plan to do a reread before tackling book 6.😉

On that note there is a new book in Ilona Andrews Innkeeper series which is one of my favorites.  In honor of the new book I am going to do a reread and just checked Clean Sweep out https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19090384-clean-sweep?ac=1&from_search=true.

I have a large number of books that are about to be returned by Overdrive in read which is sad  Things are busy and I keep falling asleep or am just tooo hot to read.....I slept through half of Patricia Brigg’s Storm Cursed https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25026912-storm-cursed?from_search=true the other day........grrr, I hate figuring out my place in audiobooks.  

 

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I just finished a book that I quite enjoyed; I suspect that I'll be rereading this at some point. The author is Gail Carriger, but she uses this pen name for her books with significant adult content.

The 5th Gender: A Tinkered Stars Mystery by G. L. Carriger

 "A species that has no word for murder, has a murderer aboard their spaceship. 

ALIEN 

Tristol lives in exile. But he’s built a life for himself aboard a human space station. He’s even begun to understand the complex nuances of human courting rituals. 

Detective Hastion is finally flirting back! 

MURDER 

Except that Tristol’s beloved space station is unexpectedly contacted by the galoi – a xenophobic species with five genders, purple skin, and serious attitude. They need the help of a human detective because there’s a murderer aboard their spaceship. Murder is so rare, the galoi don’t even have a word for it. 

Tristol knows this because he is galoi. 

ROMANCE 

Which means that he and Detective Hastion are on the case… together. 

Delicate Sensibilities? 

Contains men who love other men in graphic detail, regardless of gender, biology, or skin color... and lots of emotively sexy tentacle hair."

Regards,

Kareni 

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I finished reading a short story collection of the works of Guy de Maupassant.  I was not impressed. 😞  He is as pessimistic as Poe without the Macabre and likes a twist ending as much as O.Henry without the Humor.  I found his writing lacking.

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Yesterday I finished Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport which I enjoyed. I'm not sure though if I will continue on with the next book in the series. (Significant violence)

This book reminded me a bit of the Murderbot stories (but with less snark). Music and (to a lesser degree) movies play a BIG role in the story. @JennW in SoCal, this might interest you.

 "My name is Oichi Angelis, and I am a worm.


They see me every day. They consider me harmless. And that's the trick, isn't it?

A generation starship can hide many secrets. When an Executive clan suspects Oichi of insurgency and discreetly shoves her out an airlock, one of those secrets finds and rescues her.

Officially dead, Oichi begins to rebalance power one assassination at a time and uncovers the shocking truth behind the generation starship and the Executive clans."

Regards,

Kareni

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Thanks for the recommendation, @Kareni.  I'm not quite ready for another starship story as I just finished the first in the Expanse series, Leviathan Wakes. I thought it was a very fun page turner, but am not motivated to jump into the rest of the series. Holden is such an annoying main character....

I never reported on my reading this week, but other than finishing Leviathan Wakes there isn't much to talk about. I'm halfway through a surreal Irish novel called Beatlebone. The premise is that John Lennon in 1978 decides he needs to escape to a tiny private island he owns off the west coast of Ireland. He wants to go for 3 days for some serious primal scream therapy, but I'm not sure he will ever make it. His driver is taking him on a magical mystery tour of Mayo county and has them hanging out with  and drinking with all sorts of colorful characters. It is good, but very stream of consciousness, with no quotation marks for dialogue and most paragraphs just being a sentence or two. 

@mumto2 I'm glad you enjoyed Almost Sisters. I've looked at other books by the author but can't bring myself to try any of them as they are all family sagas. 

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53 minutes ago, JennW in SoCal said:

Thanks for the recommendation, @Kareni.  I'm not quite ready for another starship story as I just finished the first in the Expanse series, Leviathan Wakes. I thought it was a very fun page turner, but am not motivated to jump into the rest of the series. Holden is such an annoying main character....

I never reported on my reading this week, but other than finishing Leviathan Wakes there isn't much to talk about. I'm halfway through a surreal Irish novel called Beatlebone. The premise is that John Lennon in 1978 decides he needs to escape to a tiny private island he owns off the west coast of Ireland. He wants to go for 3 days for some serious primal scream therapy, but I'm not sure he will ever make it. His driver is taking him on a magical mystery tour of Mayo county and has them hanging out with  and drinking with all sorts of colorful characters. It is good, but very stream of consciousness, with no quotation marks for dialogue and most paragraphs just being a sentence or two. 

@mumto2 I'm glad you enjoyed Almost Sisters. I've looked at other books by the author but can't bring myself to try any of them as they are all family sagas

😂I agree about the sagas but this morning when I discovered that my Overdrive had made the new books available for hold’s I noticed that Joshilyn Jackson has a new release called Never Have I Ever which appears to be a bit more of a mystery/thriller https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36679186-never-have-i-ever?ac=1&from_search=true I put a hold on it but as I am number 50 it will be a rather long wait!

Which brings me to my question for BaWer’s.........What new releases are you looking forward to?  I discovered that a new Inspector Gamache being released very soon.....also David Baldacci has a new series with a new main character that I am looking forward to......and finally a new book in the Innkeeper Chronicles which I waiting impatiently for as I reread the series.  Can’t wait! 

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8 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said:

Thanks for the recommendation, @Kareni.  I'm not quite ready for another starship story as I just finished the first in the Expanse series, Leviathan Wakes. I thought it was a very fun page turner, but am not motivated to jump into the rest of the series. Holden is such an annoying main character....

 Regarding Medusa Uploaded: 

You're welcome, Jenn. I thought of you because of the musical component of the story; I suspect you might know many of the pieces that are mentioned.

If I'm remembering Leviathan Wakes correctly, I stopped early in the book because of violence. Sometimes I'm a wimp!

Regards,

Kareni

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7 hours ago, mumto2 said:

What new releases are you looking forward to?

Curiously, there is no one book that I am anxiously awaiting though there are a number I'll happily read on arrival. I believe there is a new Acton and Doyle book that is coming in the next few months.

Regards,

Kareni

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I have joined the fandom for S.K. Dunstall's Linesman.  I finished it this morning and am totally in like with Ean, Rossi is growing on me. . Enjoyed the story and look forward to reading  more in the future.  I also finished Louise Penny's Kingdom of the Blind, and enjoyed the world of Three Pines and the mystery.  This story ran the gamut with emotions and kept me reading long into the night. Penny's afterword about her husband got me sniffling and made me appreciate the story even more. 

Books I'm looking forward to coming out are J.D. Robb's next book in her In Death series - Vendetta in Death and the third book in her Nora Roberts Chronicles of One series. There are two more books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series coming out. 

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4 hours ago, Robin M said:

I have joined the fandom for S.K. Dunstall's Linesman.  

Yay, I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Robin! (I'm now two for two as this was the other book I gave with Act Like It.) I hope you'll enjoy the series if/when you read on. And now I'm wanting to reread Linesman....

Regards,

Kareni

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17 hours ago, Kareni said:

Yay, I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Robin! (I'm now two for two as this was the other book I gave with Act Like It.) I hope you'll enjoy the series if/when you read on. And now I'm wanting to reread Linesman....

Regards,

Kareni

Thank you again.  You have the knack for picking books. You're actually five for five. 😘

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1 hour ago, Robin M said:

Thank you again.  You have the knack for picking books. You're actually five for five. 😘

Well, thank you kindly, Robin. It's fun to give books that I like; I always hope that they'll find a new fan.

Regards,

Kareni

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One rainy day last week Dh and I went exploring and headed South where it only appeared to be damp.  We ended up visiting a couple of places that we took the dc’s to frequently when little and I took lots of pictures for future Brit Tripping Saturday posts.  As some of you know I just sold my beloved little Fiesta because I feared the recent changes in the MOT standards would mean that my car that was deemed one of the most Eco friendly when purchased would no longer pass the yearly service for licensing...it was a 2014.  We replaced it for now with a much larger car on a short term lease while I figure out what I am comfortable parking and driving here.  I love riding in the new car but driving it is stressful.............Now for the Brit Tripping part of this story,  Dh and I finished our day near Derby and set the Sat Nav to come home.  Neither of us really looked at the route because we had no idea there was anything we wished to avoid during the drive home.  🥺. We learned about the Swarkstone Bridge and Ancient Causeway the hard way,  at 5pm on a weekday.  So not fun......it felt unending at 3/4 of a mile.  It was stressful and a really tight fit because the road width kept changing.  Very grateful DH was driving.  I only took one picture to show the kids but after I researched decided that it was really interesting. A good summary is here https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Swarkestone_Bridge

This youtube shows a bus driving across.  It appears to hit the curb a few times......The structure was really neat and you can see it in the first minute or so of the youtube.  

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp4UvqDbcfo

Finally the view from our car as we were stopped and waiting.........not the most thrilling but appropriate for a British Road Trip!

FD513522-7F9C-4024-9B07-75DD9AA5D5C5.jpeg

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8 hours ago, Kareni said:

Thank you!  I just ended up with 4 of these! 🤣 

The Heir is a great historical romance to all who enjoy that genre, and first in a series that was good.  I “bought” it for the collection!

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