Book a Week 2020 - BW31: Ladies of Fiction - Nalini Singh

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, my lovelies.  Welcome to August and the dog days of Summer and Admit Your Happy Month, Peach Month, and National Picnic month. It's also Romance Awareness Month and a great time to dive into the fictional and not so fictional world of Romance which is vast and varied, from Flufferton Abbey (Thank you Amy) to  Pawsitively cute to the Funny to Outer Space. Or explore the world of Romanticism or contemporary poets or why we love.

One of my favorite paranormal romance authors is Nalini Singh who just happens to be our Ladies of Fiction author of the month.  She was born in 1977 in Fiji and has lived the majority of her life in New Zealand. At the age of 25, she sold her first novel and has gone on to write multi novel paranormal romance series including Psy/Changeling, PsyChangeling/Trinity, and Guild Hunter as well as contemporary romance and thriller novels.  

There are several ways to complete the bookology challenge, including but not limited to:

• Spell out the author's name - one book per letter from the title on the cover.
• Read one or more books written by the author.
• Read a book written in the country or time period of the author.

I've read and reread her series several times and currently reading A Madness of Sunshine: 

"On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is more than just a town where people live. The adults are more than neighbors; the children, more than schoolmates. 

That is until one fateful summer—and several vanished bodies—shatters the trust holding Golden Cove together. All that’s left are whispers behind closed doors, broken friendships, and a silent agreement to not look back. But they can’t run from the past forever. 

Eight years later, a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if their home shelters something far more dangerous than an unforgiving landscape.  

It’s not long before the dark past collides with the haunting present and deadly secrets come to light."

Learn more about Nalini Singh through  khalia Strong's NZ Newsroom interview, Coffeetime Romance, and Entertainment Weekly. 

~Cheers and happy reading! 

 

Link to Week 30

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.

 

[Robin M]

In the midst of reading A Madness of Sunshine which I'm enjoying so far and don't want to put it down.  Also dove back into Steve Berry's Venetian Betrayal which is equally good.

Last night it was my night to choose the movie so watched one from Amazon Prime I stumbled upon which was really good: The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box. 

 

Three books I've added to my stacks from the links above:  Space - Edge of Eon (kindle unlimited), Pawsitively - Troublemaker by Linda Howard, and Funny: Kat French's Bed and Breakfast on the Beach. 

Edited August 2, 2020 by Robin M

[Negin]

Happy Sunday to you also, Robin,. and thank you, as always, for this lovely thread!

I read Twisted : The Collected Stories of Jeffery Deaver - 3 Stars - This is not the type of book that I read much anymore. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a collection of short stories all of which have a twist at the end. Most of those twists are the type that you really don’t see coming, or at least I didn’t, and I am usually good at that sort of thing. I love books like that! I love anything that gets my mind off all the news and recent events. This is the first book that I have read by this author. I’m going to look up more of his books.

My favorite quote:

“What good is it to perform anyway? The audience sits there like logs, they cough and sneeze, they don’t dress up anymore. Do you know what it’s like playing Brahms for people wearing blue jeans and T-shirts?”

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.

[Kareni]

Today only, a free classic for Kindle readers ~

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

 "Thomas Hardy’s final novel: A passionate and tragic story of the follies of Victorian England’s most rigid institutions: class, marriage, and higher education

Growing up in southern England, Jude Fawley dreams of one day transcending his country life and becoming a scholar at Christminster’s most prestigious college. It’s the driving focus of his young life, leading him to rigorous study of classical Greek and Latin after spending long days working as a stonemason.
 
But everything changes when Jude meets Arabella Donn, a calculating local girl who ensnares him in marriage. As his dreams of Christminster recede into the background, Jude finds himself trapped in one unhappy marriage while the woman he loves, his free-thinking cousin Sue Bridehead, is trapped in another.
 
Though Jude and Sue are able to escape their first spouses, their new life together proves to be no simpler. With two young children born out of wedlock, Jude and Sue’s unconventional relationship is burdened by the judgments of society. But it isn’t until the unexpected arrival of Jude’s first son, born of his troubled relationship with Arabella, that the accumulation of Jude’s misfortunes reaches its final, shattering crescendo. "

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

IF YOU LIKE THE GOBLIN EMPEROR (this is a post of recommendations collected by Katherine Addison, the author of The Goblin Emperor)

https://truepenny.dreamwidth.org/883608.html

From the Word Wenches: What We're Reading — July 2020

https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2020/07/what-were-reading-july-2020.html

25 Best Star Trek Books (ETA: numbers 21, 14, and 2 are amongst my favorites!)

https://best-sci-fi-books.com/25-best-star-trek-books/amp/SHOOTING

A TIDE OF MURDER: DETECTIVE NOVELS SET ON NEW ENGLAND'S CAPE AND ISLANDS

https://crimereads.com/a-tide-of-murder-detective-novels-set-on-new-englands-cape-and-islands/

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

26 minutes ago, Kareni said:

Some bookish posts ~

A TIDE OF MURDER: DETECTIVE NOVELS SET ON NEW ENGLAND'S CAPE AND ISLANDS

https://crimereads.com/a-tide-of-murder-detective-novels-set-on-new-englands-cape-and-islands/

Regards,

Kareni

Sometimes I feel like you post this threads just for me! 

Has anyone read any of this author? I've never heard of her before but sounds interesting.

I'm always on the lookout for new Golden Age mystery writers.

[Kareni]

11 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

Sometimes I feel like you post this threads just for me! 

Of course I do!

Regards,

Kareni

[Liz CA]

Audio:

"Murder at Gramercy Park" by Thompson. I am on a roll here. These are fun, a little suspenseful and easy listening for my commute.

Reading:

"The Black Widow" by Silva. I have been at this one for a while as I don't have as much time for reading anymore. I try every night until the phone (Overdrive) hits me in the face as I fall asleep. But it's not the book that puts me asleep!!! It's a page turner and I read a good portion this weekend. 

[mumto2]

Thanks for the new thread Robin!  I read A Madness in Sunshine before ever reading a Psy Changling and have to say really different styles.  I am ready to start spelling the authors name.  I normally plan the letters at the start of the month from my book shelves and check out a book or two extra for odd letters.  I don’t think about it again until the end of the month.......well, this month I abandoned so many books I ended up way short on letters and had to really scramble to finish probably the shortest author name of the year!
 

 I will post the MM Kaye  books later but I read Husband Material by Emily Beldon for an E.  Husband Material was a contemporary Romance that is on some beach read type lists this summer......it may appear fluffy but it wasn’t a peaceful read......rather depressing.  It kept me up late to finish it because all of the trauma relating to the main character’s five year dead husband just seemed to keep coming.  I decided to read to the conclusion and get it over with.  I thought the writing style to be confusing..........it was really hard to figure out what was foreshadowing and what I was supposed to know.  Sort of a  “Not a favorite “ but I had to finish it after I started in order not to have bad dreams..🤷‍♀️so a really odd page turner!  😂  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42867785-husband-material

I also finished listening to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes which was the prequel for The Hunger Games.  I loved the first half and was OK with most of the second half.  I found the ending pretty disenchanting if I am honest........I am not saying I hated the book just that the ending wasn’t what I wanted. This book did explain a great deal to me about the fictional world of the Hunger Games, the setting was in what I would class as the nearish future after the war that turned North America into PanAm......my kids still want to read it and I want them to!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51901147-the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes

[Matryoshka]

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

Some bookish posts ~

IF YOU LIKE THE GOBLIN EMPEROR (this is a post of recommendations collected by Katherine Addison, the author of The Goblin Emperor)

https://truepenny.dreamwidth.org/883608.html

The books recommended there that I've read, while I liked them, didn't hit me the same way as The Goblin Emperor (although I also love Martha Wells' Murderbots, it's not 'like' TGE).

But then someone else recommended something that sounded interesting with this description and caveats:

I might add Andrea Höst's Touchstone trilogy (Stray, Lab Rat One, Caszandra) to the list, as they also feature a sensible, conscientious protagonist dealing with a culture she isn't fully part of, and a narrative which rewards collaboration and following protocol. (Also like TGE and the Foreigner books, I've seen this trilogy criticized as boring, but all of these books satisfy if you like watching people do their best, find allies, and file the right paperwork.) 

And then I thought of another one that I'd recommend highly to lovers of The Goblin Emperor if any of this is what you liked about it - Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire, which just won the Hugo, and which was also a 5 star read for me -  really loved it.  It also has a sensible, conscientious protagonist dealing with a culture she isn't part of, and it also has people doing their best, finding allies, and filing the right paperwork.  LOL, I love that description. 😂  Especially since it doesn't sound at all appealing, yet it rather accurately describes both those books, both of which were wonderful... 

And now I have to go find this Höst trilogy, apparently....

 

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Junie]

I only finished one book this week: Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.  I was so disappointed.  Hemingway was a brilliant writer, but this wasn't a real story.  I kind of get the impression that this was how he experienced Spain -- a lot of drinking with a little bit of fishing and bull-fighting.  I was hoping this book would be a mini-vacation to a country I would love to visit, but it wasn't.   Maybe I'll get to go to Spain someday and maybe I'll write my own book. :)

[Miss Tick]

36 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire, which just won the Hugo, and which was also a 5 star read for me -  really loved it.

I'm in! I added it to my holds list for mid-September. Trying to be realistic.

I finished the Aeneid, then had a little book discussion with myself about similarities and differences between it and Iliad/Odyssey. Overall I didn't think it quite reached the mark, and then I had a nice chat about why that was and if I was biased. I should probably try to find a book club with other, actual people

I also finished The Pale Horseman which is my current historical fiction book about the history time period we are studying. I liked it, although I was a bit staggered to discover that there are 9 more books in the series, with a last one, #13, to be published soon. Whoo. Not sure I'll be able to squeeze them in before I need to move on. That's ok, just means I'll have too many books going at once for the rest of the calendar year. Cornwell is a bit formulaic, and still not terribly good with women characters, but I'm a fan. It's like a cozy war story for me.

I read Lee Child's nonfiction book The Hero. It was a longish essay published as a hardback. It was a nice overview of the history of the hero character since the human race began. I'm thinking I will have my DS read this in the fall semester as part of an elective in putting together for him on heroes and heroines.

On Saturday I read Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett. It was a sweet story about grieving. The main character is Elvis (no relation) and her mother drowns while sleepswimming. This leaves Elvis, her sister, and her father to try to put their life back together. It is a very messy process, but I was happy that not everybody who could have been terrible was terrible.

Next week our semester slowly begins so my reading pace will drop back down from lightning (no housework, no school work, minimal cooking and a couple of reading days) to regular (do all the things that need to be done regularly and just read after 10 until I hit myself in the face with the book as I fall asleep).

[Lori D.]

In Week 27 of the Book a Week threads, Robin provided our “third quarter of the year challenge” -- The Two Towers, 2nd volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (1st quarter challenge = The Hobbit; 2nd quarter challenge = The Fellowship of the Ring, the 1st volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy).

Below are a few of my reflections as I start to read through this “challenge” book. (I posted my thoughts of the other 2 challenge books in spurts in earlier 2020 Book a Week threads, in case anyone has any interest... 😉 ). Looking forward to hearing the thoughts of anyone else who is continuing the year-long Tolkien challenge into the third quarter! 😄 Warmly, Lori D.
____________________
 

THE TWO TOWERS - BOOK 3
____________________

CHAP. 1: “The Departure of Boromir”
This chapter always undoes me -- grief for the tragic epic hero. (A tragic epic hero is one who is strong and brave, but along the way of his quest, a fatal flaw brings about his downfall, and while there is a moment of epiphany and his eyes are opened, it is usually too late, as he dies after his revelation.)
__________

Confession, Forgiveness, Redemption 
Tears falling as I read this section. The first thing Boromir does is confess his sin — what strength of character that takes!!

• “[Boromir]... was sitting with his back to a great tree, as if he was resting. But Aragorn saw that he was pierced with many black-feathered arrows; his sword was still in his hand, but it was broken near the hilt; his horn cloven in two was at his side. Many Orcs lay slain, piled all about him and at his feet. Aragorn knelt beside him. Boromir opened his eyes and strove to speak. At last slow words came. 'I tried to take the Ring from Frodo ' he said. 'I am sorry. I have paid.' “

And with his confession, Boromir gives his dying commission: he passes his torch to Aragorn — a sign of belief in who Aragorn is, and great trust and confidence by Boromir in Aragorn and his character. And, Aragorn’s forgiveness and blessing, which confirms Boromir's redemption through dying in defense of the hobbits: 

• Boromir: “'Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed."
• Aragorn: " 'No!' said Aragorn, taking his hand and kissing his brow. 'You have conquered. Few have gained such a victory. Be at peace! Minas Tirith shall not fall!' "
• Boromir smiled.

__________

The Power of Names 
A frequent idea in literature is the idea of the power in names. For example, consider how in the Bible, with a new purpose comes a new God-given name that shows the new nature or purpose of the person (Abram --> Abraham; and, Simon --> Peter). The idea of power of a name also appears in Literature as the idea of having control over someone if you know their true name. In a Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula LeGuin), you only tell someone your true name if you're absolutely sure you can totally trust them with your life. Here, there is the sense that your name capturse a part of who you are, and those who wield magic can use your name to control you — at least, that is the “fear” I sense behind these words when the companions see the "S" rune in the white hand as the symbol on the helms of the dead orcs:

• Legolas: "Sauron does not use the Elf-runes."
• Aragorn: "Neither does he use his right name, nor permit it to be spelt or spoken."

__________

The Theme of Choice
Choice shows character, and in the last chapters of book 2, after the fall of Gandalf in Moria, Aragorn has really suffered taking on the burden of leadership before he believed it was his time to do so. He feels personally responsible, even though all of the events of the last chapter of book 2 were out of his hands and happened as the result of the choices of others. Here, we see him struggling to "right the capsized boat", and get the quest back on track, by making the best choice as leader:

• Gimli: “Our choice then,' said Gimli, 'is either to take the remaining boat and follow Frodo, or else to follow the Orcs on foot. There is little hope either way."
• Aragorn: "'Let me think!... And now may I make a right choice and change the evil fate of this unhappy day!" He stood silent for a moment... I would have guided Frodo to Mordor and gone with him to the end; but if I seek him now in the wilderness, I must abandon the captives to torment and death. My heart speaks clearly at last: the fate of the [Ring]Bearer is in my hands no longer. The Company has played its part. Yet we that remain cannot forsake our companions while we have strength left."

And once Aragorn has made the choice, he commits to it fully:

• “But come! With hope or without hope we will follow the trail of our enemies. And woe to them, if we prove the swifter! We will make such a chase as shall be accounted a marvel among the Three Kindreds: Elves. Dwarves, and Men. Forth the Three Hunters!"

____________________

CHAP. 2: “The Riders of Rohan”
Aragorn the Ranger shines in his skill of tracking and deducing clues in this chapter. And the steadfastness committee of Legolas and Gimli to Aragorn as their leader, and to their captured companions, the hobbits.

And, oh by the way: Legolas is the son of the King of the elven woodland realm in Mirkwood, and Gimli is the son of Glóin, one of the 12 companions of Bilbo in The Hobbit, who rose in fame and wealth and high position in the restored dwarf kingdom of the Lonely Mountain. These characters are powerful in their own right -- and clearly recognize Aragorn's even higher power and purpose, and have pledged to follow him and have put themselves under his leadership...

____________________

chasing the orcs

• Go Pippin! Using his wits and the resources he has at hand in hopes of rescue: the 3 companions find his footprints dashing off the main orc trail, and also the leaf-shaped brooch given to Pippin by Galadriel, that he let drop "...as a token to any that might follow."
• Ultra-marathoning of Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli:
  “Now twice twelve leagues they had passed over the plains of Rohan…” — a league is 3 miles, so they’ve run 36 miles .... that's 72 miles in 2 days!
  And then when Éomer exclaims that they've traveled "... Forty leagues and five you have measured ere the fourth day is ended!" — that’s a total of 135 miles in 3.5 days!

____________________

Legolas
Ah, the joy of green growing things had by Legolas:

• “...they came with a strange suddenness on the grass of Rohan… Legolas took a deep breath, like one that drinks a great draught after long thirst in barren places. 'Ah! the green smell!' he said. 'It is better than much sleep. Let us run!' “

And his compassion for the captive hobbits:

• "Come! Let us go on! The thought of those merry young folk driven like cattle burns my heart."

And his "got your back" deep friendship with Gimli, when Éomer threatens Gimli with his sword when they first meet:

• Legolas, to Éomer: "He [Gimli] stands not alone," said Legolas, bending his bow and fitting an arrow with hands that moved quicker than sight. "You would die before your stroke fell."

And his helping hand to his now dear friend Gimli, who wants nothing to do with horses:

• Gimli: "I would sooner walk than sit on the back of any beast so great, free or begrudged."
• Legolas: "Come, you shall sit behind me, friend Gimli... Then all will be well, and you need neither borrow a horse nor be troubled by one.“

____________________

Gimli
Good old Gimli! Straight talking and to the point! You always know exactly what's on his mind and where you stand with him -- and that he will hold you accountable to your spoken word. 😉

In meeting Éomer, who does not honor Galadriel, the Lady of the Wood, and Gimli, who has pledged himself to defend her honor:

• “[Éomer] turned a cold glance suddenly upon Legolas and Gimli. 'Why do you not speak, silent ones?' he demanded. Gimli rose and planted his feet firmly apart: his hand gripped the handle of his axe, and his dark eyes flashed.
• 'Give me your name, horse-master, and I will give you mine, and more besides,' he said.
• 'As for that,' said the Rider, staring down at the Dwarf, 'the stranger should declare himself first. Yet I am named Éomer son of Éomund, and am called the Third Marshal of Riddermark.'
• 'Then Éomer son of Éomund, Third Marshal of Riddermark, let Gimli the Dwarf Glóin's son warn you against foolish words. You speak evil of that which is fair beyond the reach of your thought, and only little wit can excuse you.' “

And as they part from Éomer:

• Gimli: “The matter of the Lady Galadriel lies still between us. I have yet to teach you gentle speech."
• Éomer: “So many strange things have chanced that to learn the praise of a fair lady under the loving strokes of a Dwarf's axe will seem no great wonder.” 😂

____________________

Aragorn
Aragorn, revealing his strength and nobility of character, claiming his rightful heritage, moving closer to his ancestors, the direct line of Kings of the Men of Westernesse:

• Éomer: "Come! Who are you? Whom do you serve? At whose command do you hunt Orcs in our land?"
• Aragorn: "I serve no man... but the servants of Sauron I pursue into whatever land they may go...I am not weaponless." 
• Aragorn threw back his cloak. The elven-sheath glittered as he grasped it, and the bright blade of Andúril shone like a sudden flame as he swept it out. "Elendil!" he cried. "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn and am called Elessar, the Elfstone, Dúnadan, the heir of Isildur Elendil's son of Gondor. Here is the Sword that was Broken and is forged again! Will you aid me or thwart me? Choose swiftly!"

____________________

Making Choices, again
Two powerful Christian ideas here:

The importance of choosing what is good and right, even if you know you may not live to see the end results. Here, Aragorn's answer to Gimli's statement that Gandalf chose to come with them, and was the first “to be lost”:

• “The counsel of Gandalf was not founded on foreknowledge of safety, for himself or for others… There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.”

And, a refutation of the idea of moral relativism:

• Éomer: “It is hard to be sure of anything among so many marvels. The world is all grown strange. Elf and Dwarf in company walk in our daily fields; and folk speak with the Lady of the Wood and yet live; and the Sword comes back to war that was broken in the long ages ere the fathers of our fathers rode into the Mark! How shall a man judge what to do in such times?”
• Aragorn: “As he ever has judged… Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves µ and another among Men. It is a man's part to discern them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house.”

Edited August 3, 2020 by Lori D.

[Kareni]

I just finished Burn by Patrick Ness . This was a book that went in directions that I did not anticipate. It's a new book, but if a sequel were to magically appear, I'd read it. @mumto2 and @Robin M, if you are looking for more dragon books, you might consider this young adult novel.

 "On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron gas station for the dragon he’d hired to help on the farm…

Sarah Dewhurst and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to.

The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye, though. Sarah can’t help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn’t have a soul but who is seemingly intent on keeping her safe.

Because the dragon knows something she doesn’t. He has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit—and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself. "

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

6 hours ago, aggieamy said:

Sometimes I feel like you post this threads just for me! 

Has anyone read any of this author? I've never heard of her before but sounds interesting.

I'm always on the lookout for new Golden Age mystery writers.

I don’t think I have ever read them but have to say they look really good.  A few are availiable on Kindle......let me know if you try them.

3 hours ago, Kareni said:

I just finished Burn by Patrick Ness . This was a book that went in directions that I did not anticipate. It's a new book, but if a sequel were to magically appear, I'd read it. @mumto2 and @Robin M, if you are looking for more dragon books, you might consider this young adult novel.

 "On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron gas station for the dragon he’d hired to help on the farm…

Sarah Dewhurst and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to.

The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye, though. Sarah can’t help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn’t have a soul but who is seemingly intent on keeping her safe.

Because the dragon knows something she doesn’t. He has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit—and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself. "

Regards,

Kareni

Yeah!  Availiable via my Overdrive so I am on hold for it.  I am trying really hard to get back to my 10 x 10 challenges.

[mumto2]

@Lori D.  I haven’t started The Two Towers yet but definitely plan to.  Thank you so much for your wonderful notes!

[Mothersweets]

Hello all! Hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday. 

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke. I loved this! Each story was unique and clever and just right. 

No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith by Fawn Brodie.  After reading a jillion pol*gamy memoirs I just had to read a biography of the man who started all of it, ha. Very well written and in-depth without being a slog to read. 

I'm also listening along on Craftlit to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte and I had no idea this story touched on so many issues  - alcoholism, drug use, infidelity, women's rights, child custody laws, etc. I've never read it before so can't wait to see what happens.

@Kareni Burn sounds intriguing! I'll look for it at the library - thanks!

 

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today. 

Plainsong

[marbel]

I had a good start to August reading.  Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger is lovely book, a big family story told by a 13-year-old boy who overhears way too much. 

I read it in a day; I was so happy to find something good as the last 3 books I read (one even went unfinished) were losers for me. Next up is The Other Bennett Sister.

[mumto2]

9 hours ago, Mothersweets said:

Hello all! Hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday. 

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke. I loved this! Each story was unique and clever and just right. 

No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith by Fawn Brodie.  After reading a jillion pol*gamy memoirs I just had to read a biography of the man who started all of it, ha. Very well written and in-depth without being a slog to read. 

I'm also listening along on Craftlit to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte and I had no idea this story touched on so many issues  - alcoholism, drug use, infidelity, women's rights, child custody laws, etc. I've never read it before so can't wait to see what happens.

@Kareni Burn sounds intriguing! I'll look for it at the library - thanks!

 

I just saw The Ladies of Grace Adieu yesterday when trying to figure out how to recommend Susannah Clarke’s up coming book release for purchase.  I loved Jonathan Strange and will have to try this book now that I know someone who has read it.  I often hesitate over story collections because I often dislike many of the stories and feel disappointed even if a couple were great!  So glad to hear these are all enjoyable!

@Negin, Plainsong sounds like something I would enjoy.  It’s now on the list......I am fortunate my library has it!

[Kareni]

@Mothersweets and @mumto2, I was also going to mention 

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke which comes out next month.

**

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

The Filigree Ball by Anna Katharine Green

 "A police detective investigates a death in a historic Washington, DC, mansion in this novel whose author “revolutionized mystery fiction” (The New York Times).

For two weeks Washington has been abuzz with talk about what happened at the Moore house. The historic old building, dating back to colonial times, has long been a subject of unease as the site of multiple deaths. But pretty young Veronica Moore decides to defy superstition and hold her lavish wedding at the ancestral property—an event that turns tragic when a guest’s lifeless body is discovered.

Now, a man has reported to the police that he spotted a light coming from within the supposedly empty house on an all but deserted block, and a detective must enter the mansion to unravel the secrets within . . .

Published near the turn of the twentieth century, The Filigree Ball was written by Anna Katharine Green, a woman whose detective fiction, praised for its realism and accuracy, predated the creation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous investigator, Sherlock Holmes. Indeed, Green was one of the most accomplished mystery writers of her era. "

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

23 hours ago, Kareni said:

 

https://crimereads.com/a-tide-of-murder-detective-novels-set-on-new-englands-cape-and-islands/

 

 

23 hours ago, aggieamy said:

Sometimes I feel like you post this threads just for me! 

Has anyone read any of this author? I've never heard of her before but sounds interesting.

I'm always on the lookout for new Golden Age mystery writers.

I haven't heard of the series or even the author but look at the price of some non-Kindle versions!

 

Edited August 3, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[Lady Florida.]

I finished Why Kill the Innocent, a Sebastian St. Cyr mystery but am floundering trying to find something else to read. I started The Other Bennet Sister and it looks like I'll enjoy it but I can't seem to keep reading it. I can't really seem to keep reading anything. I thought I was over this weird pandemic reading slump but maybe not. 

I did start reading Mansfield Park. Usually I read Jane Austen about every other year, or when I just feel like I need a comfort read. It's been a long time since I read this one. It's my least favorite of all her work, even including her juvenilia.

[Lori D.]

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

Mansfield park is my least favorite Jane Austen too. But she is my go to comfort read English author and Pride and Prejudice is the book. I can practically recite it from memory. Emma is a close second. 

You might enjoy the sweet satirical movie, Austenland, about a modern American woman who adores Austen's books and goes to an English mansion for an "immersive Austen experience" and meets her own Mr. Darcy. Or, Bride and Prejudice, a light and fun Bollywood musical retelling of Pride and Prejudice, set in modern northern India.

Also, my niece recommended The Other Bennet Sister (Hadlow) to me this year -- so lovely! It's like getting to read a sequel to Pride and Prejudice, following the forgotten sister, Mary Bennett, both before, and then mostly after, her sisters Lizzie and Jane marry.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Lori D.

[LaughingCat]

On 8/2/2020 at 2:33 PM, Matryoshka said:

The books recommended there that I've read, while I liked them, didn't hit me the same way as The Goblin Emperor (although I also love Martha Wells' Murderbots, it's not 'like' TGE).

But then someone else recommended something that sounded interesting with this description and caveats:

I might add Andrea Höst's Touchstone trilogy (Stray, Lab Rat One, Caszandra) to the list, as they also feature a sensible, conscientious protagonist dealing with a culture she isn't fully part of, and a narrative which rewards collaboration and following protocol. (Also like TGE and the Foreigner books, I've seen this trilogy criticized as boring, but all of these books satisfy if you like watching people do their best, find allies, and file the right paperwork.) 

And then I thought of another one that I'd recommend highly to lovers of The Goblin Emperor if any of this is what you liked about it - Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire, which just won the Hugo, and which was also a 5 star read for me -  really loved it.  It also has a sensible, conscientious protagonist dealing with a culture she isn't part of, and it also has people doing their best, finding allies, and filing the right paperwork.  LOL, I love that description. 😂  Especially since it doesn't sound at all appealing, yet it rather accurately describes both those books, both of which were wonderful... 

And now I have to go find this Höst trilogy, apparently....

 I agree with Matryoshka, the books on this link that I've read were nothing like The Goblin Emperor

However I did not realize that Katherine Addison was a pen name -- looking at her books as Sarah Monette, I have read A Companion to Wolves (written with Elizabeth Bear), and The Tempering of Men and enjoyed them (although they are not like The Goblin Emperor either), but I hadn't heard of any of the others. My library only has Mélusine so I guess I'll be trying that first 🙂

And I have put A Memory Called Empire on hold based on that recommendation 💛

Also wanted to quote a different part of the same comment as Matryoshka includes above:

I initially picked up TGE because I saw it compared to the Foreigner books, which I had just finished rereading and wanted more of, and I agree that it was a good rec. They have the same appreciation for crunchy procedural matters, the same feeling of characters acting from within the constraints placed on the political class of an interesting world, and the same basic decency on the part of the main characters who are a bit out of their depth but who seek out other competent people as allies. Decidedly fewer explosions in TGE, though.

The comparison to Cherryh's Foreigner books is the most interesting to me -- because there are SO many similarities as far as being 'a stranger in a strange land'.  Ms. Cherryh portrays being lost and confused and going on anyway extremely well but that is not the feeling I get from The Goblin Emperor -- whose protagonist does not have that 'lost and confused' vibe even though everything is strange and different to him.  Perhaps the difference is The Goblin Emperor feels less about being lost and more about being alone?  Anyway it is interesting to ponder. 

And let me add that CJ Cherryh was my favorite author up until the Foreigner series, which I gave up on after about 4 books (the biggest reason was probably that i didn't love them enough to re-read them, and I started losing track of who was who and why I would care -- I have lately thought that I should give them another try now that she has so many of them out )

For my own reading, I have been slogging through The Other Bennet Sister, which may make me the odd man out here since everyone  else seems to be loving it.  At this point I feel like it is 2 books -- one with Mary from Pride and Prejudice, and another with her body double -- apparently she was abducted by aliens and they left this changeling who is socially competent in her place.  Since this other Mary jumped into the book unexpectedly, I'm not all that invested in her or her romances (I guess I just don't buy that she would have learned this via the methods shown in the story).  Plus there's been a few smaller plot devices that have also pulled me out of the story ... spoiler in white: (somehow I doubt that after MONTHS living with Lizzy with no mention of anger or upset, she would suddenly be so wroth with her over something that happened YEARS before that she would be unwilling to accept her 'charity' --not to mention I find it extremely doubtful that Lizzy would even remember the incident much less divine that this would be the holdup -- plus why wasn't Lizzy offering to do this WHILE Mary was living with her! at least a couple simple dresses!)

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today. 

[marbel]

12 hours ago, LaughingCat said:

 <snip>

For my own reading, I have been slogging through The Other Bennet Sister, which may make me the odd man out here since everyone  else seems to be loving it.  At this point I feel like it is 2 books -- one with Mary from Pride and Prejudice, and another with her body double -- apparently she was abducted by aliens and they left this changeling who is socially competent in her place.  Since this other Mary jumped into the book unexpectedly, I'm not all that invested in her or her romances (I guess I just don't buy that she would have learned this via the methods shown in the story).  Plus there's been a few smaller plot devices that have also pulled me out of the story ... spoiler in white: (somehow I doubt that after MONTHS living with Lizzy with no mention of anger or upset, she would suddenly be so wroth with her over something that happened YEARS before that she would be unwilling to accept her 'charity' --not to mention I find it extremely doubtful that Lizzy would even remember the incident much less divine that this would be the holdup -- plus why wasn't Lizzy offering to do this WHILE Mary was living with her! at least a couple simple dresses!)

You're not the only one; I'm also struggling with The Other Bennett Sister. Not very far into it (7%, or page 33 of 467), it's already frustrating me.  All the characters seem so much more than they were in P&P: Mrs Bennett is meaner, Mr Bennett seems more detached, Lydia seems sillier but also nastier (well, could she be sillier? not sure).  I don't mind a long book but I'm not sure I will manage another 434 pages of this one.  Which is too bad, because I really want to like it as everyone else does!

[mumto2]

21 minutes ago, marbel said:

You're not the only one; I'm also struggling with The Other Bennett Sister. Not very far into it (7%, or page 33 of 467), it's already frustrating me.  All the characters seem so much more than they were in P&P: Mrs Bennett is meaner, Mr Bennett seems more detached, Lydia seems sillier but also nastier (well, could she be sillier? not sure).  I don't mind a long book but I'm not sure I will manage another 434 pages of this one.  Which is too bad, because I really want to like it as everyone else does!

I gave up early.............you aren’t alone.  So early I don’t even think it made the abandoned shelf on Goodreads.

[marbel]

27 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

I third the struggling with 'The Other Bennet sister' @marbel and @LaughingCat. I returned it on kindle. I have a Mary in my head and while I am willing to re-think it, I am not willing to go where the author went with Lizzie especially. 

Is there a good Jane Fairfax book ? She is more mysterious than Mary for me. I mean, why Frank Churchill ? Did she have second thoughts ? Else was it a Charlotte Lucas and Mr.Collins situation which it always was to me though he was more to be more rich, titled and handsome. 

I had to look up Jane Fairfax, could not remember who she was. So many Janes... 🙂

I came across this: Jane Fairfax by Joan Aiken. I enjoyed reading my kids Joan Aiken's series starting with The Wolves of Willougby Chase but haven't read anything else by her. Worth a look, maybe. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6736021-jane-fairfax

Edited August 4, 2020 by marbel

[Matryoshka]

1 hour ago, marbel said:

You're not the only one; I'm also struggling with The Other Bennett Sister. Not very far into it (7%, or page 33 of 467), it's already frustrating me.  All the characters seem so much more than they were in P&P: Mrs Bennett is meaner, Mr Bennett seems more detached, Lydia seems sillier but also nastier (well, could she be sillier? not sure).  I don't mind a long book but I'm not sure I will manage another 434 pages of this one.  Which is too bad, because I really want to like it as everyone else does!

I have to admit that I haven't been tempted by the vast quantities of Austen fanfic - though I will admit finding the movie riffs fun (loved both Bride and Prejudice and Austenland, and I'm fairly sure I've enjoyed at least one more whose title isn't coming to me... a mystery set after Lizzie's marriage, I think...).   I think the difference is that for a movie I'm committing at most 2 hours of my time, and if it's not great, that's just a couple of hours of my life.  Books take a lot more commitment and time for me - 2 hours of frothy reimagining of a character is doesn't really affect my feelings on the source material, over 400 pages of reading, otoh - I just don't feel like putting that much time into it, especially as there'd be a high likelihood of my having a reaction like yours above.

ETA: Now that I'm thinking about it, I have read and enjoyed books that echo P&P a bit, but aren't such direct retellings of the actual characters.  I absolutely loved Together Tea, which had some echoes of P&P, but they were subtle and it was a wonderful book in its own right.  Ayesha at Last was supposed to be a modern Muslim riff on P&P (right in the book blurb), but it was very meh for me - on the one hand it had a lot that was very different, but then it straight up lifted lines from P&P in some of the critical parts of the book - like, word for word, 'flashing lights, it's a P&P reference in case you didn't realize it'!  🙄

Edited August 4, 2020 by Matryoshka

[mumto2]

56 minutes ago, marbel said:

I had to look up Jane Fairfax, could not remember who she was. So many Janes... 🙂

I came across this: Jane Fairfax by Joan Aiken. I enjoyed reading my kids Joan Aiken's series starting with The Wolves of Willougby Chase but haven't read anything else by her. Worth a look, maybe. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6736021-jane-fairfax

I hesitate to mention this but there is also this Jane Fairfax  bit of fan fiction which I will admit to reading.......  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6570140-jane-bites-back?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=uPu8bkeXdA&rank=1

 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

From reddit:

What are your favorite 3 books you've read in the first half of 2020?

https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/hqrt50/what_are_your_favorite_3_books_youve_read_in_the/

 

Books like "Surely you're joking Mr Feynman" and more books on Science and History with a bit of humour.

https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/hsvjyq/books_like_surely_youre_joking_mr_feyman_and_more/

 

r/Fantasy's Unofficial List of Books for 10-12 year old years

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/huop85/rfantasys_unofficial_list_of_books_for_1012_year/

 

Book that makes you feel like a Studio Ghibli movie?

https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/hu8aoi/book_that_makes_you_feel_like_a_studio_ghibli/

**

And, today only, free for Kindle readers ~

The Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Series: Book 1-3 by Willow Rose

Regards,

Kareni

[Junie]

54 minutes ago, Kareni said:

Some bookish posts ~

From reddit:

What are your favorite 3 books you've read in the first half of 2020?

https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/hqrt50/what_are_your_favorite_3_books_youve_read_in_the/

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

Top 3 Favorites for the first half of 2020:

Children's Books:

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Carry on Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

 

Adult Books:

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

 

 

[Matryoshka]

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

This is a book I would have loved to read in the original German especially because the choice of character names is intriguing. 

I have, but it was yeeeears ago, and I honestly don't remember being all that impressed by it.  Seemed to me some 19th century German guy read a book or two about Buddhism and wrote a story with his riff on it?  Those who have read more recently, or really loved it, want to weigh in?  I honestly only have vague memories of it.

Edited August 4, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Lori D.]

On 8/3/2020 at 2:41 PM, Dreamergal said:

...I did not like Bride and Prejudice because both Lizzie and Darcy seemed to have prejudices about what each other's countries and people...

...Kiera Knightley... is my favorite Lizzie and how I imagined her to be... [and] Their home is also a bit shabby, worn out, rambling with books just like I pictured it...

Totally understand not liking it if you don't like the Lizzie/Darcy actors and writing. 😉

While Bride and Prejudice is certainly NOT a perfect film -- only a B-grade level movie in my mind, with some weak acting in places, and light in the writing in other places -- I did like it. I enjoyed the director applying Bollywood filmmaking techniques -- not only the song/dance/musical aspect, but also the aspect of increasing the emotional/drama aspect by decreasing the depth/realism. I also really enjoyed the glimpses of Northern India (and the Golden Temple), and the gorgeous colors and costuming. But I especially thought it was clever to show the similarities between modern India and Austen's Regency-era England -- the social castes; duty owed by young adults to their parents' decisions; matchmaking; and the struggles of a family at the low end of the upper class to try and keep from slipping down out of their financial/social class by trying to "marry upwards". All of that worked together to make the story feel "fresh". 

But, that's just how it struck me, and it helped that I wasn't expecting Bride and Prejudice to be completely faithful in tone and details to the novel. 😉 

Like you, the 2005 Keira Knightley film is my favorite version of Pride and Prejudice, as the portrayals of all the people, and family relationships all felt very real. Also, Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins in the 2005 film are not cartoonish-caricatures, in the way they are in the 1995 mini-series version. I love that quite moment in the Keira Knightly film when Mr. Collins is proposing to Lizzie, and he has this little pause when he is saying that such a marriage would suit everyone -- that pause catches his unspoken awkwardness and understanding that the Bennet home will be taken from the family at Mr. Bennet's death, and go to Mr. Collins because of the entailment, and Mr. Collins is trying to do the right thing here by coming to first seek a wife from the Bennet girls, as a protection for their family. It is a tiny redeeming moment for Mr. Collins, for me.

Of the film/TV versions of Austen, I have come to best love the 1995 film of Persuasion. So subtle, so quietly humorous, so poignant. And beautifully shot, scripted, and acted. The theme of a "second chance" resonates more and more with me as I grow older -- the grace that is extended by receiving, unexpectedly, a second chance to re-do something correctly or differently or better -- what a lovely idea! I also very much enjoy the beautifully made 1995 film and 2008 TV-mini series versions of Sense and Sensibility, and the 2007 TV movie of Northanger Abby is very fun and charming.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Lori D.

[Mothersweets]

On 8/3/2020 at 10:04 AM, Kareni said:

@Mothersweets and @mumto2, I was also going to mention 

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke which comes out next month.

**

 

I'd forgotten about this! Thanks for the reminder 🙂

[Kareni]

I read and enjoyed Beyond the Sea  by Keira Andrews which is a contemporary romance. (Adult content)

 "Troy Tanner walks out on his boy band’s world tour rather than watching his little brother snort his life away. Screw it. He’ll take a private jet home and figure out his life away from the spotlight.

But Troy doesn’t make it home.

The plane crashes on a jungle island in the South Pacific. Forget dodging the paparazzi—now Troy’s desperate for food and water. The turquoise ocean and white sand beach looks like paradise, but danger lurks everywhere. Thank God the pilot survived too. At least Troy’s not alone. He has Brian.

Brian’s smart and brave and strong. He doesn’t care that Troy’s famous. Brian’s real. As days turn into weeks with no sign of rescue, Troy and Brian rely on each other. They make each other laugh despite being stranded. They go from strangers to friends...."

Regards,

Kareni

[Matryoshka]

42 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Mine are vague too, except the names. What intrigued me was the title which is the birth name of the Buddha, I picked up a Hindi translation and it was by a German author. So that alone was different for me. But more so the names. I remember a Vasudeva and a Govinda which are the names of the Hindu God Krishna (author of the Hindu Holy book Bhagvad Gita). Krishna himself is an avatar (rebirth) of the supreme God Vishnu and Vasudeva was his father. I also remember the character Siddhartha rejecting Gautama which was ironic since the Buddha's full name after enlightenment was Gautama Buddha. Also remember a Kamala which is Lotus. 

So I saw more of Hinduism subtly than the overt Buddhism because of the title and the content. I guess I missed what the author was trying to convey or got hung up on the symbolism of names which may or may not have existed. I did not read the English version. 

Yeah, I have a vague feeling that he had no actual idea what he was talking about, and that the names were ones he'd come upon in his readings but didn't really understand the meanings of.  I know all the references you give above, but did Hesse?  It smacked to me of a westerner fascinated with the exotic - writing a supposedly 'deep' book based on cursory knowledge of the 'exotic' doesn't impress me that much...  those 19th century European men... talk about cultural appropriation...

What I'd really like to read are good translations of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.  I pretty much know the overall story arcs of both, and I've read most of the Gita but that was a long time ago as well.  I know the full stories are looooong.  Maybe one with a bit of judicious editing, especially of battle scenes lol.  I loved The Palace of Illusions, which was a retelling of the Mahabharata from Panchaali's point of view.  I read a judiciously battle-scene edited translation of Monkey (Journey to the West), which was a lot of fun (that one is Buddhist, not Hindu, though the Taoists keep showing up as well...).

Edited August 4, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Kareni]

Free for Kindle readers ~

@mumto2, the first book contains a story by Carla Kelly!

All Regency Collection (A Timeless Romance Anthology Book 10) by various authors

Christmas with the Cookes (Matchmakers in Time Book 1) by Kit Morgan

Nora Roberts Land (Dare Valley Series, Book 1) by Ava Miles

Regards,

Kareni

[Matryoshka]

7 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

There are multiple versions so I look for who translated it. I go for the one which is an abridged version by C.Rajagopalachari. He was the last governor general of India, a freedom fighter and most importantly an accomplished writer himself who wrote and translated in English. He also translated other Hindu epics like the Upanishads. 

The conundrum though is the epic version. Now there are versions direct from the Sanskrit manuscripts which are still there and what you want. The BORI version (an institute tasked with translating from the original epic). I think it is a huge 12 volume translation of the Mahabharata, but they did omit certain incidents and they gave an explanation. This was in the 1930s.

The original Sanskrit version was first translated by K.M.Ganguly in the 1800s. It is on Project Gutenberg. 

I am not sure of the best original Ramayana as I do not like the story because of what was done to Sita. I know the story of course, read the RajaGopalachari version in English which is abridged, in Hindi, a version of it was written by a poet in my mother tongue. But not my favorite epic.  

Mahabharata though has Draupadi (Panchali) and she is magnificent. I just love her. She is my favorite Indian heroine. 

Thanks!

Have you read Palace of Illusions?  Draupadi/Panchali is wonderful in that.  I'll have to admit to liking women-oriented retellings of epics...  I actually listened to an audio version, which was wonderfully narrated.

Edited August 4, 2020 by Matryoshka

[mumto2]

I read the first in a new to me cozy series last night........yes, it was capable of holding my attention for essentially a one sitting read which does not happen often these days!  A Killer in King’s Cove https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29467155-a-killer-in-king-s-cove  features a woman who is so traumatized from her wartime service behind enemy lines she emigrates to a tiny community in British Columbia to start a new life among a small group of expats.  She is content until she finds a body...............this is a newish series and my library has several if not all of them which I plan to read!  @aggieamy you would like these!

 

 

[Kareni]

Last night I read a lovely historical romance story, 'The Mender' by Carla Kelly. You can find it in the still free  anthology All Regency Collection (A Timeless Romance Anthology Book 10) by various authors.

"In THE MENDER, a captivating story by Carla Kelly, Thankful Winnings takes a sea voyage with her cousin on the Ann Alexander, in a last adventure before she settles down to marry one of her beaus. Unexpectedly they come upon the aftermath of a fierce ship battle, and Thankful is commissioned to help in the place of an injured surgeon on one of the Royal Navy ships. Adam Farnsworth, surgeon, has been at sea for years. Tired of war, but devoted to his post, it takes a resourceful lady such as Thankful to give him the hope of love and help heal his own wounds, the ones that show and the ones that don’t."

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

41 minutes ago, Kareni said:

Last night I read a lovely historical romance story, 'The Mender' by Carla Kelly. You can find it in the still free  anthology All Regency Collection (A Timeless Romance Anthology Book 10) by various authors.

"In THE MENDER, a captivating story by Carla Kelly, Thankful Winnings takes a sea voyage with her cousin on the Ann Alexander, in a last adventure before she settles down to marry one of her beaus. Unexpectedly they come upon the aftermath of a fierce ship battle, and Thankful is commissioned to help in the place of an injured surgeon on one of the Royal Navy ships. Adam Farnsworth, surgeon, has been at sea for years. Tired of war, but devoted to his post, it takes a resourceful lady such as Thankful to give him the hope of love and help heal his own wounds, the ones that show and the ones that don’t."

Regards,

Kareni

Thanks for the review!  I have downloaded the anthology and hope to tackle my Carla Kelley stack soon!

I am spending the afternoon with another Kim Harrison on audio while I attempt to get my quilt top assembled.  

[aggieamy]

On 8/4/2020 at 12:05 PM, Junie said:

Top 3 Favorites for the first half of 2020:

Children's Books:

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Carry on Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

 

Adult Books:

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

 

 

This was one of the best read alouds DD and I did. I was sobbing at multiple times in the book!

And I'm going to have to look at my read lists and post my three favorites too!

6 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I read the first in a new to me cozy series last night........yes, it was capable of holding my attention for essentially a one sitting read which does not happen often these days!  A Killer in King’s Cove https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29467155-a-killer-in-king-s-cove  features a woman who is so traumatized from her wartime service behind enemy lines she emigrates to a tiny community in British Columbia to start a new life among a small group of expats.  She is content until she finds a body...............this is a newish series and my library has several if not all of them which I plan to read!  @aggieamy you would like these!

 

You betcha that looks like something I'd love! Just reserved it at my library. And I got word that A Most Novel Revenge by Ashley Wheeler is available so I really need to get myself in the car and get to the library. 

[Lady Florida.]

4 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

One of the best sites for book recs from authors all around the world is wordswithoutborders.com

A recent recommendation

https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/dispatches/article/an-immigrant-like-an-automobile-ellis-island-a-peoples-history-szjenert-bye

It is a book a translation of a book in Polish by Poland's greatest living journalist according to the blurb. It deals with Ellis Island. It was released yesterday. Going into my TBR pile.

https://www.amazon.com/Ellis-Island-Peoples-Malgorzata-Szejnert/dp/1950354059/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QU333ROVKZW0&dchild=1&keywords=ellis+island+a+people's+history+hardcover&qid=1596651027&sprefix=ellis+island+a+%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1

Ooh, thanks for these links. I'm especially interested in the second one. My mother's Italian grandparents on both sides came through Ellis Island in the late 19th century and I actually have the immigration papers from her father's maternal side. That place has always fascinated me and is on my list of places to visit before I die. One of my relatives has his name on the wall there (or wherever it is they have those names of immigrants).

[-M-]

With The Good Soldier, I reached 151 books read this year, 120 of which were from my shelves. Over on Goodreads, I had selected 104 as my original challenge goal but eventually updated that to 120. More recently, I changed it to 156, but now I wonder: Is 208 a realistic goal?

■ Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life (Ruth Franklin; 2016. Non-fiction.)
My unplanned Jackson unit began in May with We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which I read and then watched. In June, after reading Sheila’s review of Shirley, I promptly grabbed Merrell’s novel from the shelves, then watched the film. What am I waiting for? I asked myself in late June and pulled Franklin’s tome from the shelves. I finished this meticulous and engaging biography in July and followed it with The Haunting of Hill House.

p. 172
Writing in the interstices — the hours between morning kindergarten and lunch, while the baby napped, or after the children had gone to bed — demanded a discipline that suited her. She was constantly thinking of stories while cleaning, cooking, or doing just about anything else.

■ Richard II (William Shakespeare; 1595. Drama.)
To complement this excellent programming. One of my favorite lines of Shakespeare:

For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings….

■ The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson; 1959. Fiction.)
See above.

■ Say, Say, Say (Lila Savage; 2019. Fiction.)
Review here.

■ Ajax (Sophocles; 442 B.C. Trans. Bryan Doerries; 2015. Drama.)
In anticipation of this excellent presentation.

■ Gideon Falls, Vol. 4: The Pentoculus (Jeff Lemire; 2020. Graphic fiction.)

■ Grief Is the Thing with Feathers (Max Porter; 2015. Fiction.)
Reviews here and here. Remarkable. Two passages for the commonplace book:

BOYS
She told us that men are rarely truly
kind, but they were often funny, which
is better. ‘You would do well to prepare
yourselves for disappointment’ she said,
‘in your dealings with men. Women are on
the whole much stronger, usually cleverer’
she said, ‘but less funny, which is a shame.
Have babies, if you can’ she said ‘because
you’ll be good at it. Help yourselves to
anything you find in this house. I want to
give you everything I have because you
are the most precious and beautiful boys.
You remind me of everything I have ever
been interested in’ she said.

DAD
Moving on, as a concept, is for stupid people, because any sensible person knows grief is a long-term project. I refuse to rush. The pain that is thrust upon us let no man slow or speed or fix.

■ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling; 2005. Fiction.)
Revisiting these books that my son and I so enjoyed has been sweetly nostalgic, but with this, the penultimate volume in the beloved series, the flaws have become too big to hide under a long sweater of sentiment. They’re just not particularly well-stitched, are they?

■ Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster(Adam Higginbotham; 2019. Non-fiction.)
I watched the HBO series and thought, Why haven’t I read Midnight yet? For the record, the non-fiction account is many, many times more frightening than the cable program.

■ In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration (Shane O’Mara; 2020. Non-fiction.)
Related link here. A quick read, O’Mara’s survey of the brain-body connection complemented my own experience: as my mileage increased, so did my active and engaged reading and practicing.

An aside: When I tendered my resignation from my tutoring gig, I was asked — so many, many times — what I planned to do with myself. To most, I said, “Oh, I’m sure I’ll find something.” To those closest to me, though, I confided that I wanted nothing more from re-retirement than the time to read more, write more, study more, practice more, and walk more. And, boy, have I had the time, eh? That’s what happens, I suppose, when one’s re-retirement begins exactly twelve days before the world presses the PAUSE button.

■ Crow (Ted Hughes; 1970. Poetry.)
Of course, after reading Porter’s novel, I had to read the poetry that inspired it.

An aside: Each New Year’s Day, my family engages in the bird of the year game outlined in Lyanda Lynn Haupt’s Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds. (Related link here.) To mix things up a bit this year, we decided to move the date of our game to the first day back to work after the winter holiday, January 6. We could choose a bird from our respective backyards or a bird we saw at work. That morning, I awoke to the sound of crows conversing loudly beneath our bird feeders. My favorite bird! Finally, the year of the crow!

Speaking of backyard birding, a rock dove landed in the yard the day before yesterday. I’ve never seen a pigeon at our feeders; it dwarfed the mourning doves and blue jays. How capacious they are! A second pigeon made a few passes over the yard but didn’t touch down. Later, I saw both on my neighbor’s roof. This is a wooded neighborhood, so the pigeons looked quaintly out of place. 

■ The Good Soldier (Ford Madox Ford; 1915. Fiction.)
Related link here. How did I arrive at (mumble) years of age without reading this book?

Edited August 5, 2020 by Melissa M

[Matryoshka]

On 8/2/2020 at 5:38 PM, SusanC said:

On Saturday I read Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett. It was a sweet story about grieving. The main character is Elvis (no relation) and her mother drowns while sleepswimming. This leaves Elvis, her sister, and her father to try to put their life back together. It is a very messy process, but I was happy that not everybody who could have been terrible was terrible.

I read that book a couple of years ago; I went into it with zero expectations and didn't even know what it would be about (can't remember why I picked it up - someone here liked it?).  At any rate, I was utterly charmed.  I still find it hard to categorize, but I loved it.

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, Melissa M said:

An aside: When I tendered my resignation from my tutoring gig, I was asked — so many, many times — what I planned to do with myself. To most, I said, “Oh, I’m sure I’ll find something.” To those closest to me, though, I confided that I wanted nothing more from re-retirement than the time to read more, write more, study more, practice more, and walk more. And, boy, have I had the time, eh? That’s what happens, I suppose, when one’s re-retirement begins exactly twelve days before the world presses the PAUSE button.

It's that 'be careful what you ask for' syndrome! I hope you'll enjoy your re-retirement, Melissa.

Regards,

Kareni

[Liz CA]

On 8/2/2020 at 6:54 PM, mumto2 said:

I don’t think I have ever read them but have to say they look really good.  A few are availiable on Kindle......let me know if you try them.

Yeah!  Availiable via my Overdrive so I am on hold for it.  I am trying really hard to get back to my 10 x 10 challenges.

 

Could you please pre-read this for me and tell me if you liked it?  😊 I have the title and author written down but I am still working through Daniel Silva right now. I wish work would not take up so much of my time.  ☺️

[mumto2]

10 hours ago, Liz CA said:

 

Could you please pre-read this for me and tell me if you liked it?  😊 I have the title and author written down but I am still working through Daniel Silva right now. I wish work would not take up so much of my time.  ☺️

As both books ( The Cape Cod Mystery which I bought for “only” $2.99 and Burn) are on my list I will let you know after I read them!😉😂

I’ve been contemplating my top three so far this year......

I) Darcie Wilde’s Rosalind Thorne series has been a happy discovery.  I really enjoy the audiobooks........https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067944-a-useful-woman Light fluffy stuff......a slightly different take on the normal cozy detectives.  Supposedly a Jane Austin spin off.............😉

2) Running with Sherman https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43834684-running-with-sherman. I loved this book!  I love donkeys in general so I might be prejudiced!
 

3) Network Effect https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52381770-network-effect more Murderbot!  That sort of says it all.......

Finallally The Hobbit......it was a reread but I still really enjoyed it!