Book a Week 2020 - BW24: June Solstice and National Flag Week

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday! Today is Flag day, the start of National Flag Week, so please take a moment to pause for the Pledge and how the underappreciated flag provides messages of Unity and those who risked it all for old glory. The June Solstice is also upon us as of the 20th and we are beginning either summertime or winter, depending on your location.

Books to broaden your horizons, by Hilary Mantel, Simon Schama, Lisa Taddeo and more

Books Like Us: Introducing a New Own Voices Video Series

9 Books We’re Reading to Educate Ourselves on Anti-Racism

Civil Unrest, Civil War, Fantasy, Fiction | What We're Reading and Watching

Using a book as a bridge to bring people together

9 Books that Will Give You Hope in Uncertain Times

31 Books That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity

The 25 Best Beach Reads to Add to Your Summer Reading List

The 17 Must-Read Books of Winter 2020

 

 

 

“Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all.”

― Emily Dickinson

 

Happy Reading!

Link to week 23

Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges, as well as share your book reviews with other readers  around the globe.

 

Edited June 14, 2020 by Robin M

[Robin M]

Good Morning! I finished Alpha Night by Nalini Singh.  

"Alpha wolf Selenka Durev’s devotion to her pack is equaled only by her anger at anyone who would harm those under her care. That currently includes the empaths who’ve flowed into her city for a symposium that is a security nightmare, a powder keg just waiting for a match.
 
Ethan Night is an Arrow who isn’t an Arrow. Numb and disengaged from the world, he’s loyal only to himself. Assigned as part of the security force at a world-first symposium, he carries a dark agenda tied to the power-hungry and murderous Consortium. Then violence erupts and Ethan finds himself crashing into the heart and soul of an alpha wolf.
 
Mating at first sight is a myth, a fairytale. Yet Selenka’s wolf is resolute: Ethan Night, broken Arrow and a man capable of obsessive devotion, is the mate it has chosen. Even if the mating bond is full of static and not quite as it should be. Because Selenka’s new mate has a terrible secret, his mind surging with a power that is a creature of madness and death…"

 

Still reading Becky Chambers The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet

"Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe."

 

We watched Pirates of the Caribbean #5 Dead Men Tell No Tales which was really good and loved the humor. 

[mumto2]

@Robin M Whose avatars keep changing!  Is Alpha Night the Nalini Singh new release?  I have to admit it sounds good and am happy to say I will get there someday!  Pirates of Caribbean 3 was last night’s movie 😉.......I also liked the Becky Chambers books a whole lot but they were my first space operas.  I seen mixed reviews from people who have read more in the genre.....am curious what your vies will be.

My reading.......I sat down and read The Fellowship of the Ring for a couple of hours last night.  I am about to start chapter 9, At the Sign of the Prancing Pony.  After reading the Tom Bombadil discussion between @Violet Crown and @Lori D. a couple of weeks ago I paid closer attention to that section.  Totally agree he is a Green Man and think Golberry is a generic River Goddess of Celtic myths. When we first moved to England Dd and I had a bit of an obsession with Church architecture, green men, and the myths.  The notebooks are not where I am, unfortunately, because I would enjoy reviewing them right now!  We went to a great series of lectures with a historian who loved Green Men.  On a side note,   I was sort of chuckling while reading because it occurred to me what a great job Ben Aaronovitch has done with his Rivers of London characters as I could totally see bits of Tom and Goldberry in the river gods and goddesses he creates.

I started Network Effect last night and am hooked.  I never managed to do my reread but at a quarter through the new book am not regretting it too much.  I am remembering enough to make the Murderbot connections just fine.

I am listening to Death on the Nile and enjoying it.  I think it’s been at least a decade since I last read or watched this particular Christie so have forgotten enough to make it a bit fresh.    I am not positive who did it......I just knew who would be the victim!

 

[Lori D.]

You've got a terrifically fun selection of books going right now, mumto2! 😄 

Love your Green Man thoughts and connections. That would have been so fascinating to hear those lectures!

Edited June 14, 2020 by Lori D.

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

Rediscovering One of the Wittiest Books Ever Written
By Dave Eggers

https://www.newyorker.com/books/second-read/rediscovering-one-of-the-wittiest-books-ever-written

From reddit: Looking for intellectually stimulating books on weird topics.

https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/ghtpr5/looking_for_intellectually_stimulating_books_on/

10 ESSENTIAL AUSTRALIAN NOVELS

https://crimereads.com/10-essential-australian-novels/

Regards,

Kareni

[Junie]

Still reading:

Tess of the D'Ubervilles -- I'm enjoying this one.

Watership Down -- I'm not enjoying this one.

Mere Christianity -- I'm really appreciating how this book is written, although there are a few colloquialisms that are either dated or British that I am struggling to make sense of.

Jugando Con Proposito -- (Playing with Purpose) -- a series of short biographies of Christian baseball players.  I miss baseball.

Les Miserables -- I'm trying to finish this book by Christmas.  This is my first time reading it and it's like a really, really rich dessert that you should only eat a little bit at a time.

The Old Testament -- I'm making good progress in reading through the Old Testament.  I read through the Psalms this week and I'm not sure which book I'm going to next.  (I generally don't read through the Bible in order.

El Nuevo Testamento -- I'm challenging myself to read through the New Testament in Spanish this year.  I'm not understanding everything (especially the use of the vosotros form), but I am comprehending a good bit of it and improving my Spanish at the same time.

 

This week, I made good progress on most of the above books.  I also read a couple of really short books so that I could feel like I had accomplished something.

Pickles to Pittsburgh -- I really, really like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  This sequel was a bit of a disappointment.  It can't be read on it's own and it doesn't really add much to the original story.

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats -- This is the volume of poetry that is the foundation to Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS.  I liked the poems, but I found it absolutely astonishing what ALW was able to do with it.  He certainly gave life to each of the characters.

 

 

 

[Liz CA]

I am trying to get the audio or print book  "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society." Hopefully Overdrive will comply. It was listed on your link of "Books that will restore your Faith in Mankind" and I feel in need of it after semi-following the Seattle thread and the "I know better than you" attitude that seems prevalent nowadays in threads where people are bound to disagree.

I am just finishing up "Regimental Murder by Gardner. It will be snatched from me in 9 hours by Overdrive gremlins and I want to finish it.

For Audio, I have Savor by Niequist.

Edited June 14, 2020 by Liz CA

[aggieamy]

5 hours ago, Robin M said:

We watched Pirates of the Caribbean #5 Dead Men Tell No Tales which was really good and loved the humor. 

@Robin M - the new you is so cute!

We watched Pirates of the Caribbean last night with my parents (they are temporarily living with us while they fix up a rental house in town ... normally they're in Pennsylvania). I forgot about the pirate/skeletons and expected John to be freaked out but he love it. I didn't realize they made five of them!

3 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I am listening to Death on the Nile and enjoying it.  I think it’s been at least a decade since I last read or watched this particular Christie so have forgotten enough to make it a bit fresh.    I am not positive who did it......I just knew who would be the victim!

@mumto2 - I'll put my spoiler comment in white so you can come back to it when you finish the audiobook. Death on the Nile and Murder Under the Sun are my two favorite AC books. 

Comment here> This was one of the books where I wanted the murderers to get away with it. I don't remember their names but I remember finding them so sympathetic because the gal that go murdered was such a sleazy boyfriend stealer. 

2 hours ago, Liz CA said:

I am trying to get the audio or print book  "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society." Hopefully Overdrive will comply. It was listed on your link of "Books that will restore your Faith in Mankind" and I feel in need of it after semi-following the Seattle thread and the "I know better than you" attitude that seems prevalent nowadays in threads where people are bound to disagree.

I am just finishing up "Regimental Murder by Gardner. It will be snatched from me in 9 hours by Overdrive gremlins and I want to finish it.

For Audio, I have Savor by Niequist.

@Liz CA - I hope you find the Guersney book. About a million years ago I read that to my MIL when she was in the nursing home and we both enjoyed it. And I know exactly what you mean about attitudes and trying to have a good discussion. Times are wild right now.

[aggieamy]

We just hired John's kindergarten teacher to come in three mornings a week to nanny for us and it's been wonderful. Since she started last week I've actually had time to read books. Work is still super busy but I'm able to do it during the day rather than after John goes to bed. Hurrah!

FINISHED:

The Mating Season by PG Wodehouse - Highly highly recommend. It was hilarious and heartwarming is such a wonderful way. I listened to it as a audiobook and found myself laughing aloud while I did laundry like a crazy lady.

The Watersplash (Miss Silver) By Patricia Wentworth -  Another great Miss Silver book in the series. The ending was surprising which I don't normally find in cozy mysteries so that was fun. 

Wired for Story by Lisa Cron - One of the best craft books I've ever read for writers. I loved it so much I'm already rereading. So it's possible I'll forget that I already posted it and might tell y'all about it again in July. 

Jane of Lantern Hill by LM Montgomery - I might make some enemies with this opinion but ... meh. Jane was a classic Mary Sue. At thirteen years old she managed to sew and cook and keep house and befriend her father in about three days  and do it all perfectly. I should have spent my time rereading the Blue Castle. 

And for those of us with Little's to read to still ... John and I have read all the Franny K Stein books by Jim Benton and they've all been hits. Now we're making our way through Toad and Frog and he's reading them to me. 🥰

 

Edited June 14, 2020 by aggieamy

[Violet Crown]

2 hours ago, Junie said:

Watership Down -- I'm not enjoying this one.

Can't remember if I mentioned that we saw the film version for Family Movie Night. I was a little worried the cartoon wouldn't be as dark as the book. No worries there it turns out. 

2 hours ago, Junie said:

The Old Testament -- I'm making good progress in reading through the Old Testament.  I read through the Psalms this week and I'm not sure which book I'm going to next.  (I generally don't read through the Bible in order.

Do you read with a plan? I have a "Bible in one year" plan (not that at this rate it's going to be read in one year) that links the Psalms, out of order, to the Old Testament readings. One Psalm at a time is nice so they can be prayed rather than read.

This week I went out into the desert with the Holy Hermits, having finally gotten back to reading The Paradise of the Holy Fathers, from E. A. Wallis Budge's translation of the Syriac manuscript. It was actually the Chihuahuan desert, where Wee Girl, my dad and I went on multiple BLM marches, more or less permitted by the feds. No rattlesnakes this time, though my dad said last month he and his retirees-only hiking group found a three-footer lying across their path. We startled a huge barred owl near the top of one mesa, and had a very good look at it as it flew, annoyed, past our heads to another rock outcropping. 

During our trip I finished V. S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River, which was powerful and disturbing and thought-provoking; and a little paperback from the '50s, The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith by Bruce Marshall, a little Scottish novel which starts off as if it's going to be defensive Catholic propaganda but soon moves to an awfully dark place. Both books recommended, though the Naipaul is certainly easier to find.

Currently reading, besides the Desert Fathers, Milton, one of William Blake's prophetic books, the source of his famous poem / hymn "Jerusalem." I've read a lot of Blake but find his longer prophetic works incomprehensible. We'll see how this goes. It's part of a new challenge for 2020 I've set myself, to fill in the gaps in my literature timeline.

[Violet Crown]

7 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

 

And for those of us with Little's to read to still ... John and I have read all the Franny K Stein books by Jim Benton and they've all been hits. Now we're making our way through Toad and Frog and he's reading them to me. 🥰

Toad and Frog!!! Our major source for Crown Family Sayings. Hello, lunch!

[Junie]

5 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

Can't remember if I mentioned that we saw the film version for Family Movie Night. I was a little worried the cartoon wouldn't be as dark as the book. No worries there it turns out. 

Do you read with a plan? I have a "Bible in one year" plan (not that at this rate it's going to be read in one year) that links the Psalms, out of order, to the Old Testament readings. One Psalm at a time is nice so they can be prayed rather than read.

 

I'm not far enough into Watership Down yet to know that it turns dark.  Maybe there's hope for this book?  Dark is not my favorite, but it's better than hopping around in fields.  This might end up discarded.

 

I don't necessarily read with a plan, but yours sounds interesting.  I'm not good at following plans.  Just ask any of my homeschoolers...

[Kareni]

I'm continuing my Vorkosigan read and have just finished Komarr  by Lois McMaster Bujold which I enjoyed.

(I had to skip a couple of books that I could not find through the library or in local thrift stores; I imagine I'll get to them in time.)

Regards,

Kareni

[Lori D.]

2 hours ago, Junie said:

... Watership Down -- I'm not enjoying this one....
... I'm not far enough into Watership Down yet to know that it turns dark.  Maybe there's hope for this book?  Dark is not my favorite, but it's better than hopping around in fields.  This might end up discarded...

I just taught Watership Down last year in my co-op class -- it is a bit like a mix of Animal Farm + classic quest-epic. If you don't care for either of those, then you will likely not care for Watership Down. 😉 A few things that stood out to me as I prepared lessons and from class discussion on the book:

- I enjoyed (and learned a lot) looking up the epigram for each chapter; some great works of literature quoted there -- also some lesser known works, and even some nonfiction. The epigrams work to echo or foreshadow a main idea or character choice in the chapter -- occasionally they are ironic, in that they are the direct opposite of what happens in the chapter.

- The author was classically educated, and the book is a modern epic with echoes from the epic of The Aeneid which has the basic plot of "search for a new homeland" as the object of the quest, and obstacles, temptations, and misadventures happen along the way -- and then there are other challenges that must be overcome once a potential homeland is found.

- You also get the inclusion of a whole mythology to the world through the El-ahrairah folktales (which are based on Reynault the Fox and Brer Rabbit types of trickster tales).

- Author Richard Adams was writing from what he knew -- he intimately knew that landscape, the plants, the animals, the farming season, etc., as he lived all of his life in that area -- the setting is very near where he grew up, and the farm in the story is an actual farm that was near his home. A very subtle thing, but watch the plants that are described in some of the chapters -- they often foreshadow or signal what's going on in the book. In several chapters, poisonous plants are part of the description of the setting -- and not-good things happen in those chapters. In other chapters, edible plants and protective plants are described, subtly hinting that this is a safe place for the rabbits. In one late chapter, 2 plants are specifically named -- dog wood tree, and dog rose (I think) -- and a dog figures prominently in that chapter.

- Adams was also writing from what he knew first hand of England (and Europe), socially-politically-economically, as he was born in 1920, served in WW2 as a young man, and then saw the events and changes from post WW2 up through the 1960s, when he started writing Watership Down. The changes in gov't, economies, and labor were very dramatic during that period in England and Europe -- very different from the quiet fat-and-lazy post-War 2 days in the U.S. at that same time. 😉 So some of what he knew/saw echoes within Watership Down.

For example, the different warrens encountered throughout the book roughly correspond to different socio-political systems:
- the original warren = the "dying" pre-War monarchy of England
- Cowslip's warren = a dystopia that at first glance seems like a utopia (note the epigram is about the lotus-eaters from The Odyssey)
- farm hutch rabbits = socialized system of "living on the dole", necessities provided and you're secure -- but without any zest for the soul
- Efrafra warren = rigid, totalitarian dictatorship (much like the USSR that was contemporaneous to the writing of the book)
- Watership Down warren = idealized, more democratic type of monarchy with less class distinctions and more input by everyone


Totally understand if it's not your cuppa and you need to quit -- just wanted to encourage you that there more to it than just bunnies hopping around... But again, maybe talking animals just don't work for you as protagonists in a story. I know that several of my students said that after we finished the book. 😉 

Happy reading, whatever that turns out to be! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited June 14, 2020 by Lori D.

[Violet Crown]

Watership Down also provides some nice vocabulary for ideas English lacks: tharn, hrair, and silflay all get used around here. Especially with the guinea pigs, who like to silflay on the lawn at twilight, and go tharn whenever a large bird passes overhead.

[melmichigan]

8 hours ago, Robin M said:

Good Morning! I finished Alpha Night by Nalini Singh.  

"Alpha wolf Selenka Durev’s devotion to her pack is equaled only by her anger at anyone who would harm those under her care. That currently includes the empaths who’ve flowed into her city for a symposium that is a security nightmare, a powder keg just waiting for a match.
 
Ethan Night is an Arrow who isn’t an Arrow. Numb and disengaged from the world, he’s loyal only to himself. Assigned as part of the security force at a world-first symposium, he carries a dark agenda tied to the power-hungry and murderous Consortium. Then violence erupts and Ethan finds himself crashing into the heart and soul of an alpha wolf.
 
Mating at first sight is a myth, a fairytale. Yet Selenka’s wolf is resolute: Ethan Night, broken Arrow and a man capable of obsessive devotion, is the mate it has chosen. Even if the mating bond is full of static and not quite as it should be. Because Selenka’s new mate has a terrible secret, his mind surging with a power that is a creature of madness and death…"

 

 

I also finished Alpha Night.  Now I'm back to the Elemental Legacy Series.  I'm a little distracted right now so I passed on an ARC for the new book.  I'm sure I'll regret it!  

I keep forgetting that I'm reading the Lord of the Rings.  I'll have to pay attention now that everyone is commenting.

Edited June 14, 2020 by melmichigan

[Kareni]

Today only?

Shuri Vol. 1: The Search For Black Panther (Shuri (2018-2019)) by Nnedi Okorafor is FREE.

The link

Regards,

Kareni

[Junie]

Thanks @Lori D.

Your insights are really helpful. :)

I think I'm going to try to stick with Watership Down for another week or so.  If I don't make good progress on it by the end of the month I will probably abandon it.

[Robin M]

10 hours ago, mumto2 said:

Whose avatars keep changing!  Is Alpha Night the Nalini Singh new release?  I have to admit it sounds good and am happy to say I will get there someday!  Pirates of Caribbean 3 was last night’s movie 😉.......I also liked the Becky Chambers books a whole lot but they were my first space operas.  I seen mixed reviews from people who have read more in the genre.....am curious what your vies will be.

I'm having fun messing around with bitmoji.  Yes, Alpha Night is the newest book, #4 in the Pyschangling/Trinity series which continues the breaking of silence theme.   I'm enjoying Chambers world building, there are so many different species so different planets, different cultures and how they do or don't get along. There is also a lot of relationship building and its dense in details and getting brain overload quite a bit so reading a little bit at a time. 

 

6 hours ago, aggieamy said:

@Robin M - the new you is so cute!

We watched Pirates of the Caribbean last night with my parents (they are temporarily living with us while they fix up a rental house in town ... normally they're in Pennsylvania). I forgot about the pirate/skeletons and expected John to be freaked out but he love it. I didn't realize they made five of them!

Hey!  Glad you popped in and everyone is doing good.  Great minds think alike, looks like we were all in a pirate mood. 

Whelp, timer just went off for pizza. Time flies, Later loves! 

 

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today. 

 

[Lori D.]

5 hours ago, Negin said:

 

Ooo-aaahh! Winner of the pretty book cover award for the week! 😄 

[-M-]

 

Since my last post, I have finished only three books, all of which were read from the shelves:

#110 After the Fall (Arthur Miller; 1964. Drama.)
My husband and I recently saw the TimeLine Theatre production of To Master the Art, which centers on Julia Child’s years in France. That McCarthyism figures in both that play and, of course, Miller’s provided one of those moments of readerly intersection I so appreciate.

#111 Coraline (Neil Gaiman; 2002. Fiction.)
Has it really been eighteen years since this was published? Review here.

#112 Gang Leader for a Day (Sudhir Venkatesh; 2008. Non-fiction.)
Related link with excerpt here.

Edited June 15, 2020 by Melissa M

[Kareni]

I just finished A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold which I enjoyed (despite the bugs!).

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

On 6/14/2020 at 4:07 PM, aggieamy said:

We watched Pirates of the Caribbean last night with my parents (they are temporarily living with us while they fix up a rental house in town ... normally they're in Pennsylvania). I forgot about the pirate/skeletons and expected John to be freaked out but he love it. I didn't realize they made five of them!

On 6/14/2020 at 12:08 PM, mumto2 said:

I am listening to Death on the Nile and enjoying it.  I think it’s been at least a decade since I last read or watched this particular Christie so have forgotten enough to make it a bit fresh.    I am not positive who did it......I just knew who would be the victim!

@mumto2 - I'll put my spoiler comment in white so you can come back to it when you finish the audiobook. Death on the Nile and Murder Under the Sun are my two favorite AC books. 

Comment here> This was one of the books where I wanted the murderers to get away with it. I don't remember their names but I rememb

I finished Death on the Nile this afternoon and have to admit I was also a bit sad about the ending.  It was obvious, I thought too obvious.😁

😂 Lets just say we were all very impressed that Chews made it through Pirates.  As DS said “he actually made it through the night! I am impressed.”

[Kareni]

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

Bram Stoker's Dracula

**

Plus some bookish posts ~

HOW THE FLAVIA DE LUCE SERIES INVESTIGATES THE TRADITIONAL ENGLISH VILLAGE MURDER MYSTERY

https://crimereads.com/how-the-flavia-de-luce-series-investigates-the-traditional-english-village-murder-mystery/

Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book: Classic SF About Pandemics Explores Faith in Both Science and Spirituality

https://www.tor.com/2020/06/15/connie-willis-doomsday-book-classic-sf-about-pandemics-explores-faith-in-both-science-and-spirituality/

21 of the Best Biographies Ever Written

https://www.themanual.com/culture/best-biographies-ever-written/

Regards,

Kareni

[melmichigan]

I started listening to American Demon (The Hollows #14) by Kim Harrison tonight.  I quickly realized that book 14 is not the place to begin an audible series. ☺️ Morgan just doesn't sound right after creating her voice in my head for the last 13 books.  Now I will have to wait to begin reading until later this week. Bummer!

[aggieamy]

On 6/15/2020 at 8:11 PM, Kareni said:

I just finished A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold which I enjoyed (despite the bugs!).

Regards,

Kareni

This might be the dustiest book on my dusty shelves. I think it's been sitting there for ten years waiting for me to read it. Maybe it'll get read this year. 

[aggieamy]

Finished Silent Voices (Vera Stanhope) by Ann Cleeves - As I started listening I thought I'll have to recommend this series to @mumto2 and @Lady Florida. then at the halfway mark I came to my senses and realized that there was no way they didn't already know about an English mystery series this good. I was right. I know both have read a few already. But to all the rest of you dear friends ... highly recommend. It reminds me a bit of the Inspector Gamache/Three Pines mysteries before they jumped the shark. 

 

[Kareni]

Free for Kindle readers ~

Moonrise (Moonkind Series Book 1) by Ines Johnson

Psychic Undercover (With The Undead) (The SDF Paranormal Mysteries Book 1) by Amie Gibbons 

A Letter From America by Geraldine O'Neill 

The House at Greenacres: An uplifting, cosy Cornish romance

Rare Find: A Psychic Visions Novel- Dale Mayer

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I stayed up late last night and finished Brothers in Arms (Vorkosigan Saga)   by Lois McMaster Bujold. This was a somewhat tense read compared to others in the series, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Regards,

Kareni

[Penguin]

My reading time is currently diluted by podcasts, movies, YouTube, and any number of distractions. Looking at my Goodreads account, I think I finished the following since I last checked in:

The Last Shift by Philip Levine. Levine is one of my favorite poets, and this was his final book before he died. But it was not my favorite book by him. 

The Goodbye Girl by Neil Simon. I hated it! The characters, the dialogue, the storyline...yuck. LA Theatre works, as always, made a fabulous audio production but that is the only nice thing I can say. I never saw the movie, so I can't compare the two. Neil Simon is now 50/50 for me because I loved Lost in Yonkers. But he was so prolific that I don't think I can fairly judge with just two plays.

Tove Jansson: Work and Love by Tuula Karjalainen. This was a fantastic biography about the Moomin author. It is a beautiful book, filled with her paintings and sketches. And there was a lot of detail about art history in Finland from (roughly) the 1930s through the 1950s, because Tove Jansson was primarily a painter in those years. 

What's Your Pronoun: Beyond He and She by Dennis Baron. This is a great book if you are a grammar geek, or are into linguistics or the history of language. I learned SO much about pronouns! There was a section on pronoun usage within the LGBTQIA+ community, but there is way more to this book then current pronoun usage. For example: Jane Austen used the singular “ they” 75 times in Pride and Prejudice.
 

The suffragettes argued that if the inclusive HE meant both HE and SHE when a woman was charged with a crime based on a statute written with the inclusive HE, then the inclusive HE should also be applied this way with  voting laws.
 

I must temper my enthusiasm for the book by saying that it could have used A LOT of editing. Parts are repetitive and only worth skimming.

 

Edited June 17, 2020 by Penguin

[Junie]

I finally finished a book! 😉

Last night I finally finished Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Ubervilles.  I thought I would hate the book, but I started to really, really like it.  I thought that it was very similar to Jane Eyre in many ways.  But then I came to the ending.  I hated the ending!  I get it that it's a tragic story and needed a tragic ending, but not THAT tragic ending.  A different one.  :)

 

Also, I decided to put Watership Down on hold for now.   I have too many plates spinning in my life right now to try to get into this.  After reading @Lori D.'s helpful insight, I decided that this book requires more thinking than I am willing to invest right now.

[Kareni]

2 hours ago, Seasider too said:

Thanks, kareni, you know I always look at the kindle freebies you link. The description of this one had me going deja vu.... It is a copycat of the plot of one of my favorite movies, just with a wolfish twist.

If you should read it, I'd love to hear how it compares to the movie you like.

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

18 hours ago, Junie said:

Thomas Hardy

 

18 hours ago, Junie said:

tragic ending

Yep. 

When I taught The Return of the Native, we had a good discussion on whether Hardy should have stayed with his hard-stop tragic ending or was right in ceding to his publisher and writing a less-tragic alternative ending so as not to traumatize his readership too much.

[Penguin]

On 6/16/2020 at 11:02 PM, aggieamy said:

This might be the dustiest book on my dusty shelves. I think it's been sitting there for ten years waiting for me to read it. Maybe it'll get read this year. 

Only ten years? I surely have some TBRs on my shelf that have hit the twenty year mark, but I have moved so many times that they never get super dusty! Glad to read that the nanny situation is giving you more time to read. Enjoy!

[mumto2]

18 hours ago, Seasider too said:

Thanks, kareni, you know I always look at the kindle freebies you link. The description of this one had me going deja vu.... It is a copycat of the plot of one of my favorite movies, just with a wolfish.       too

M

 

Sorry for deleting a couple of words.  My iPad is having backspace issues again!  I decided to get Moonrise after your comment and am looking forward to it.

 

I finished Network Effect yesterday and quite enjoyed revisiting Murderbot’s world.  I have to admit I had worried about the length after so enjoying the novella format of the prior books but the longer story worked well.  Really well, a 5* from me!  Looking forward to Murderbot’s next adventure.......

I also finished Grace Burrowes latest historical romance.  A Duke by any Other Name was a good one.....another 5* in a very different genre.😉 @Kareni and @aggieamy this book is sort of all the ways one can become a Duke in one!😂. The one trigger warning is almost all the main characters suffered significant abuse as children.........but when the book opens with an apple orchard filled with 400 pound escapee sows on a sort of girls day out it was bound to become a favorite of mine!  There are adult scenes but very few and relatively mild.

 

[aggieamy]

Y'all if I was the type to write an angry letter to an author I would be writing one right now. 

Let me sum up a scene I just read. The setting is Regency England and our beloved detective is searching a footman's room for clues. First of all the footman has a room to himself ... which was unlikely but I'll let it slide. Then the detective goes to his CLOSET and searches it. There's no way. It was as likely that the footman had a closet as it was he had a Jaguar. 

But I shall forgive all because it's Charles Finch (Charles Lenox mysteries) and the mystery is good. 

[Lori D.]

3 hours ago, mumto2 said:

...I finished Network Effect yesterday and quite enjoyed revisiting Murderbot’s world.  I have to admit I had worried about the length after so enjoying the novella format of the prior books but the longer story worked well.  Really well, a 5* from me!  Looking forward to Murderbot’s next adventure.......

Totally agree: * * * * * !!! I LOVE Murderbot! And ART. I was SOOOOO happy to see ART again! 

Maximum thanks to whoever suggested it on these threads a year or so ago! 😄

Edited June 18, 2020 by Lori D.

[Kareni]

I've continued my read of the Vorkosigan series. I just finished reading Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold which proved to contain some rather dark events.

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

Finished Pierre Louÿs's "erotic" novel Aphrodite. Louÿs was a French Decadent writer (Wikipedia says "Symbolist" but while the distinction is vague, he clearly falls onto the Decadent side of the line). It's simultaneously over-the-top and coy, and if Louÿs's name has vanished, it's for a reason. But Aphrodite was a best-seller in its day so there's certainly some historical literary interest there.

I looked up his Wikipedia article out of a suspicion that he'd changed his last name from "Louis" in gentle suggestion of Huysmans's (better-known, and rightly so) name. He did indeed change it, but claimed it was in admiration for Greek culture. I guess the Greeks go for pretentious diaereses in their names? Anyway I stand by my suspicion.

Now reading Charles Goodnight: Cowboy and Plainsman by J. Evetts Haley, which is part of Middle Girl's American history course she and I put together earlier this summer. ("Post-Civil War US History: A Cinematic and Literary Approach." Speaking of pretentious...) Goodnight was a significant figure in the transformation of post-war Texas from devastation to wealth through cattle ranching, one of the reasons Texas pulled away from the other former Confederate states, culturally as well as economically. For those who've read Lonesome Dove, the character Captain Woodrow Call is based on Goodnight. 

Also still reading my various other things, but I have to get this one done so Middle Girl can read it.

[aggieamy]

Whoo boy. I'm going to have to add on to that angry letter I'm writing in my mind to author Charles Finch. A few more historical inaccuracies. There's no way the master of the house in a London Regency era mansion would have been hanging around the kitchen because it was warmer. And no way a footman would be corresponding about his days off with the lady of the house, all that would have been handled by the housekeeper or butler. 

And I don't know if this is a historical inaccuracy or simply poor marriage preparation but our hero and his wife of three months just got around to discussing if they wanted children. *side eye* at the book. Might be too late for that conversation. 

But I still have no idea who the murderer is so I will keep reading and keep complaining. 

@Violet Crown  - John and I are doing something very similar this summer to what you and Middle Girl have planned. "Post-1960's US History: A Cinematic comparison of modern and historical Scooby Doo." Whenever we're really bored we argue over if we're going to watch a classic good episode like I grew up with. Or a more modern and really dumb reboot episode that he votes for. He hasn't yet discovered the atrocity that is Scrappy Doo yet. I'm trying to preserve his innocence as long as possible. 

But seriously ... that sounds fascinating and like a fun class! Keep us updated on the movies/books as you go. 

[mumto2]

54 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

Whoo boy. I'm going to have to add on to that angry letter I'm writing in my mind to author Charles Finch. A few more historical inaccuracies. There's no way the master of the house in a London Regency era mansion would have been hanging around the kitchen because it was warmer. And no way a footman would be corresponding about his days off with the lady of the house, all that would have been handled by the housekeeper or butler. 

And I don't know if this is a historical inaccuracy or simply poor marriage preparation but our hero and his wife of three months just got around to discussing if they wanted children. *side eye* at the book. Might be too late for that conversation. 

But I still have no idea who the murderer is so I will keep reading and keep complaining. 

@Violet Crown  - John and I are doing something very similar this summer to what you and Middle Girl have planned. "Post-1960's US History: A Cinematic comparison of modern and historical Scooby Doo." Whenever we're really bored we argue over if we're going to watch a classic good episode like I grew up with. Or a more modern and really dumb reboot episode that he votes for. He hasn't yet discovered the atrocity that is Scrappy Doo yet. I'm trying to preserve his innocence as long as possible. 

But seriously ... that sounds fascinating and like a fun class! Keep us updated on the movies/books as you go. 

Just remember it’s Charles Lennox .......that said which book,  is it A Stranger in Mayfair?

We love Scooby Doo!❤️❤️❤️ 
 

I am trying to finish Faith Hunter’s Dark Queen today.  My allergies seem to have affected my ears and I am feeling icky so today’s plan is to lay around and read.  If I am ambitious I will listen to an audiobook and sew a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

[Robin M]

Good morning, my lovelies.  A few links from the interweb on what's on everyone's mind today. I'll admit my ignorance in that I had never heard of Juneteenth until a few days ago.  2020 has been a year of revelations and growing pains so far. May we all come out the other side into 2021 stronger, wiser and with peace in our hearts.

History of Juneteenth

A variety of 50 Black owned independent bookstores to support

Juneteenth Book Festival

Lithub - Juneteenth should be a national holiday: reading in Black history and Joy

Lorenzo Pace - Marching with Martin

Eliana's post and potpourri of thoughts and books from 2016

Edited June 19, 2020 by Robin M

[Kareni]

I've continued my read of the Vorkosigan series and just finished  Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold which I quite enjoyed. I shall happily read on.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

And now I have completed the novella Winterfair Gifts (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold which I also enjoyed.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Two romances that are currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

The Lawyer’s Luck by Piper Huguley 

 

Damaged Goods  by Talia Hibbert

And a third ~ Musical Notes by Beth Bolden

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

On 6/14/2020 at 1:39 PM, Junie said:

Still reading:

 

Les Miserables -- I'm trying to finish this book by Christmas.  This is my first time reading it and it's like a really, really rich dessert that you should only eat a little bit at a time.

 

 

 

I had a vague memory of reading that book in high school and liking it but I have a feeling we read an abridged version. I read the unabridged a few years ago and it took me six months to finish. I'm so glad I stuck with it though because it was worth it imo.

On 6/16/2020 at 11:07 PM, aggieamy said:

Finished Silent Voices (Vera Stanhope) by Ann Cleeves - As I started listening I thought I'll have to recommend this series to @mumto2 and @Lady Florida. then at the halfway mark I came to my senses and realized that there was no way they didn't already know about an English mystery series this good. I was right. I know both have read a few already. But to all the rest of you dear friends ... highly recommend. It reminds me a bit of the Inspector Gamache/Three Pines mysteries before they jumped the shark. 

 

Yes! I read the first one but for some reason have never read beyond that. I keep meaning to but other books get in the way. Thanks for the reminder. Dh and I have watched the series (up to 10 I think, or whatever is on Britbox). I read most of the Shetland series too by her, except for the last few. We also watched that series but there are a number of changes between the books and the series. It's still a good series though, with Doug Henshall playing main character Jimmy Perez.

On 6/17/2020 at 4:48 PM, Junie said:

 

Last night I finally finished Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Ubervilles.  I thought I would hate the book, but I started to really, really like it.  I thought that it was very similar to Jane Eyre in many ways.  But then I came to the ending.  I hated the ending!  I get it that it's a tragic story and needed a tragic ending, but not THAT tragic ending.  A different one.  🙂

 

 

That and Far From the Madding Crowd have been my only two Hardy novels. While Madding isn't as bad as Tess, those two books were enough to show me I'm fine not reading any more of his novels. 😄 

On 6/18/2020 at 12:41 PM, mumto2 said:

 

I finished Network Effect yesterday and quite enjoyed revisiting Murderbot’s world.  I have to admit I had worried about the length after so enjoying the novella format of the prior books but the longer story worked well.  Really well, a 5* from me!  Looking forward to Murderbot’s next adventure.......

 

 

I recently (sometime during quarantine) finished All Systems Red and have Rogue Protocol on my Kindle ready to go. I really like this series and will second Lori D.'s thanks to whomever first recommended it.

On 6/19/2020 at 11:22 AM, aggieamy said:

Whoo boy. I'm going to have to add on to that angry letter I'm writing in my mind to author Charles Finch. A few more historical inaccuracies. There's no way the master of the house in a London Regency era mansion would have been hanging around the kitchen because it was warmer. And no way a footman would be corresponding about his days off with the lady of the house, all that would have been handled by the housekeeper or butler. 

And I don't know if this is a historical inaccuracy or simply poor marriage preparation but our hero and his wife of three months just got around to discussing if they wanted children. *side eye* at the book. Might be too late for that conversation. 

But I still have no idea who the murderer is so I will keep reading and keep complaining. 

@Violet Crown  - John and I are doing something very similar this summer to what you and Middle Girl have planned. "Post-1960's US History: A Cinematic comparison of modern

It's The Inheritance isn't it? I read that one in March and yeah, it was annoying. But it was Charles Lenox. Is it me or does it seem like the inaccuracies get worse the further you go in the series?

Edited June 20, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[Lady Florida.]

My reading is still all over the place. I start books and then abandon them. Well, not really abandon. Most are books I want to read eventually but am just not in the mood for at this time. 

Finished since my last post -

Two book club books in the past two months. We had Zoom meetings for both.
American Dirt - We were aware of the controversy when it was chosen as our April book but decided to read it anyway. I admit that I liked it. I don't know how realistic what i learned about the migrant experience is, but it gave me a reason to research more.
The Hate U Give - This was chosen in early May and we had no idea how timely it would be by the time our meeting came about last week. While I felt the story and the message were both well done, the writing style was just too YA for my liking. 

We've read some pretty heavy books the past few months and are all feeling it. Our next book is I, Eliza Hamilton. It's historical fiction with a touch of romance and looks to be the kind of book that will give us a needed break from the very serious books we've been reading. We tend to read like that - heavy, heavy, heavy, light, light, heavy, etc.

Artificial Condition - Murderbot Diaries #2 that I mentioned in my previous post.
Scandal Above Stairs - Kat Holloway mystery #2. 
Death in the English Countryside, Murder on Location #1. I think it was linked here a while back (possibly by Kareni but I'm not sure). It was and still is free. It's a decent English mystery series though the main character is American. I plan to read at least the second one and will possibly read the rest. 
Much Ado About Nothing - A reread. This is my favorite Shakespeare comedy.

I've had trouble finding an audio book that holds my interest and have started and stopped several. I'm currently listening to Plutarch's Parallel Lives. I had an Audible credit to spend and wanted something expensive so I don't waste the credit, and long so I don't have to look for another audio book any time soon. This fits both at $28 and 83 hours.

Currently reading -

The Burning Land - Saxon Stories #5, aka The Last Kingdom
A People's History of the United States - my long term read
The Eighth Life - if it wasn't on my Kindle it would be a doorstopper. It definitely fits the chunky category/challenge at 944 pages

There are more but those three plus my audio book are the ones I'm actively reading. I haven't started the book club book I mentioned above just yet. It's <500 pages and we won't meet again until after the July 4th holiday so I have time.

[Robin M]

Sadly Carlos Ruiz Zafon, author of Shadow in the Wind, has passed away.  I read Shadow of the Wind years ago and enjoyed it. Need to finish the series but need to start again from the beginning again.  Since Shadow has disappeared into a book in the garage someplace,  used a audible credit to listen to the audiobook. 

For our writers in the group, four authors on Writing, Plotting, and Finishing series

The Arthur C Clarke Shortlist has been announced.

David Abulafia’s ‘The Boundless Sea’ wins Wolfson History Prize 2020

Summer is officially here! Summer Reading Challenge: 7 Recs to Kickstart Your Season

What’s the secret behind Dublin’s storytelling magic?

[Kareni]

Free for Kindle readers ~

I know some of you are reading this author's paranormal series; this is a contemporary romance: 

Cherish Hard (Hard Play Book 1) by Nalini Singh

Regards,

Kareni