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

[Little Green Leaves]

Can I join you all?

I am reading Gilead, by Marilyn Robinson. I'd never read anything by her before. It's gorgeous, and engrossing, and very easy to read. I like it but I don't like it. It's awfully muted and writerly and restrained, and I find myself wanting storms and immediacy. There are dramatic characters and incidents, but they are all set way in the past so that they're safely distant from the action. 

It reminds me a little bit of The Overstory, by Richard Powers, which also felt beautiful but frustratingly distant to me. I never finished Overstory; I plan to finish this one. I'd love to hear from anyone else who's read Gilead!

[Kareni]

8 minutes ago, Little Green Leaves said:

Can I join you all?

The more the merrier, Little Green Leaves -- welcome!

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Today only ... and strangely timely ... free for Kindle readers ~

A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe

 "Defoe’s gripping fictionalized account of the plague that racked seventeenth-century London

The year is 1665 and the plague has come to London. The air is heavy with death, the body count is rising, and the death carts are filling quickly. Our unflinching eyewitness narrator, HF, recounts the gruesome realities of life in a city overrun by the Black Death. Terror and hysteria seize the city as disease runs rampant.

Blending fiction with journalism, Defoe re-creates the plague in all its horrifying detail. First published in 1722, A Journal of the Plague Year is one of the most chilling accounts of the plague ever written."

Regards ,

Kareni

[Junie]

Welcome, @Little Green Leaves !

[Little Green Leaves]

2 minutes ago, Junie said:

Welcome, @Little Green Leaves !

Thank you! Happy to be here.

[Kareni]

A fun bookish infographic for Jane Austen fans ~

Jane Austen with a Twist (From the Austin Public Library)

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

1 hour ago, Little Green Leaves said:

Can I join you all?

I am reading Gilead, by Marilyn Robinson. I'd never read anything by her before. It's gorgeous, and engrossing, and very easy to read. I like it but I don't like it. It's awfully muted and writerly and restrained, and I find myself wanting storms and immediacy. There are dramatic characters and incidents, but they are all set way in the past so that they're safely distant from the action. 

It reminds me a little bit of The Overstory, by Richard Powers, which also felt beautiful but frustratingly distant to me. I never finished Overstory; I plan to finish this one. I'd love to hear from anyone else who's read Gilead!

Welcome. We're glad you're here! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

 

[Little Green Leaves]

5 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

Welcome. We're glad you're here! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

 

Thank you! I'm glad to be here.

Hm, a little bit about myself. In another lifetime I studied literature and thought about going into academia, but it wasn't a good fit for me. Nowadays, I work as a freelance writer and I home school my two kids. I don't read very much any more and I'd really like to change that.

[Robin M]

Good morning! It's been an eventful week.  James turned 21 yesterday.  I took him to the comic book store and along with several comic books, I bought him another Godzilla figure, the 1985 one I think.  We watched Blade Runner last night and he really enjoyed it.  I hardly remembered any of it so felt like I was watching it again for the first time.  I told him he needed to read Philip Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep now to compare.   I test drove a Dodge Charger (V8 - Zoom zoom) over the weekend and fell in love so  looks like we'll buying a new car soon.  Finished revising another chapter in my latest WIP.  Hubby's keeping me on track with his feedback and request for more, I want to read more. 

 And I actually finished three books this week.  

Nalini's Singh's A Madness of Sunshine is excellent. Flawed characters dealings with death, grief, anger, adultery,  and murder, magnified by the fact everyone knows each other so well and  the small town microcosm magnifies everything.  The almost constant rain and fury of the ocean plays a big role as well.  It could have been angsty but it was so well written it captured me.

Steve Berry's thriller Venetian Betrayal (#3 Cotton Malone) is a chunkster so took me a while. Deals with history of Alexander the great and the mystery of where his body ended up, A ruthless leader mad enough to use  biological warfare to take over large territories in Asia and the Middle East, murder and betrayal, double agents, mad scientists.  Really, really good.

Faith Hunter's Spells for the Dead.   I'm mixed as I love the characters but this story, not so much.  Waiting to see what you gals think. 

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by Robin M

[Robin M]

Arrg!  I just responded to everyone and lost the whole dang thing. Sigh! I'll be back later.

[Lady Florida.]

Fortunately my reading funk didn't last long. I'm making progress in The Romanovs and Mansfield Park, and recently started the third book in the Murderbot series, Rogue Protocol. I went to my library yesterday for the first time since they reopened (actually my new branch but in the same library system). I was pleased with their curbside pickup service. I picked up The Island of Lost Maps in hardcover. It's been on my TBR list but I haven't been able to find a Kindle version to borrow, and it's not a book I want to own in any edition. So far it's pretty good. 

I just realized that I named 4 books that are getting me out of my slump. Any time I have less than 2 books going at a time I consider that a slump lol.

I too gave up on The Other Bennet Sister in exchange for an actual Austen novel. I'm not big on fan fiction of any kind. I read Midnight in Austenland but not the first one, which I think was just called Austenland. I thought it was just okay, and mainly read it for the mystery. I tried to watch Death Comes to Pemberley but didn't care for it. One series I really enjoy though is the very silly Lost in Austen. It's a guilty pleasure I watch often. A young woman in London is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, both the novel and the Colin Firth movie version. She finds a door in her bathroom that leads to the Bennet house and their time. She and Lizzie change places and while she's there she tries to make sure everything happens like it's supposed to in the book. Of course the characters don't know they're characters. Mix-ups happen. Hilarity ensues. It's on Hulu if anyone is interested. 

 

On 8/2/2020 at 3:17 PM, Kareni said:

 

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

The reviews don't look good but I downloaded the set only because the MC is from Cocoa Beach and apparently that's the setting of the first book. I want to read it just for the local flavor and to see what she gets right or wrong.

 

5 hours ago, Little Green Leaves said:

Can I join you all?

 

Of course you can! We're always happy when new people join. New people = new recommendations to add to our TBR lists. 😄 
Seriously though - Welcome!

 

2 hours ago, Robin M said:

Arrg!  I just responded to everyone and lost the whole dang thing. Sigh! I'll be back later.

Ugh. I hate that. It's so frustrating. 

[Robin M]

7 hours ago, Little Green Leaves said:

Thank you! I'm glad to be here.

Hm, a little bit about myself. In another lifetime I studied literature and thought about going into academia, but it wasn't a good fit for me. Nowadays, I work as a freelance writer and I home school my two kids. I don't read very much any more and I'd really like to change that.

Welcome to our book party, so glad you decided to dive in.  We have a few writers here as well so you are in good company.

 

On 8/5/2020 at 4:36 PM, Melissa M said:

■ 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?

Hugs!  Yes, I would have to agree. James and I have been watching Harry Potter Theory (youtuber) and he's been analyzing Snape and his actions which has been quite interesting.

 

On 8/5/2020 at 4:36 PM, Melissa M said:

■ Grief Is the Thing with Feathers (Max Porter; 2015. Fiction.)
Reviews here and here. Remarkable.

 Wow, thank you for this. Missing my mom today as it's her birthday so strikes a chord.  Funnily enough one of James video games which he is playing, Majora's Mask goes through all the stages which is remarkable for a kid's game.

 

@Negin and @Kareni  Thank you for all the links. Adding to my ever growing virtual stacks. 

[Robin M]

On 8/2/2020 at 1:08 PM, mumto2 said:

I read A Madness in Sunshine before ever reading a Psy Changling and have to say really different styles.

Definitely different styles but well done. We have to wait until 2021 for her next thriller Quiet in her Bones. Have you read her other series - Rock Kiss or Hard Play? Wondering if they are good.

 

On 8/2/2020 at 3:31 PM, Lori D. said:

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.

You are awesome and love all your reflections on The Two Towers. I'll get there eventually and you're thoughts will add to the story and make it even better.

 

On 8/4/2020 at 8:57 AM, Kareni said:

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/

Have to give it some thought and will get back with my favorite three. If I can narrow it down. 

 

On 8/4/2020 at 9:03 AM, Dreamergal said:

I will admit to reading fan fiction and I fell down that particular rabbit hole during the height of HP and Twilight. I've heard the Mortal Instruments series started as HP fan fiction which I cannot verify. I will however verify and admit that I read 'Master of the Universe' which is the infamous Fifty Shades in it's original fan fiction form.

Please don't ban me from this thread. ☺️

No banning needed.  My son has been writing fan fiction for ages writing stories with a mixture of characters from comic books and movies. He posts them on DeviantArt and recently started a fanfiction account.  

[Robin M]

On 8/5/2020 at 4:36 PM, Melissa M said:

■ 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.

Hubby just finished reading this one and it is excellent. He kept stopping to tell me all about it.

 

 

 

Okay my three that stand out 

Class Series by Michelle Diener (see couldn't keep it down to three. 🙃

Ten Thousand Doors of January 

Priory of the Orange Tree

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, Robin M said:

Definitely different styles but well done. We have to wait until 2021 for her next thriller Quiet in her Bones. Have you read her other series - Rock Kiss or Hard Play? Wondering if they are good.

I read some of the Rock Kiss books several years ago. I may go back and read/reread again.  If the first one is the book I am thinking of it was better than the rating I gave it on Goodreads 3* as I remember liking it and well,  I remember it years later!😉

Happy Birthday to James!  🥳🎉🍰
 

 

 

[Penguin]

Checking in late this week and there was a lot to catch up on!

Regarding Jane Austen, I have read all of her novels and have read most of them more than once. But I'm not sure that I have ever seen any of the movies. And for some unknown reason I can't drum up any interest in the spin-offs/retellings. I did go to Bath in the late 1980s and did all the Jane Austen stuff so I hope I can still consider myself a fan 🙂 

@Little Green Leaves Welcome! 

@Dreamergal Your insight into literature from India is much appreciated. I really should be taking notes, and will have to go back through the threads and add some of your recommendations to my TBR.

For new and nearly-new BaW posters, my Goodreads account is here. I would love to be GR friends with anyone who posts in this thread. If your WTM name is different from your GR name, please tell me in a message. It makes it easier to keep track of who-is-who 🙂 

@Melissa M Thanks to you, I am reading Antigone this week and have signed up to watch the Antigone in Ferguson production on Sunday. I am eagerly anticipating it.

Very late notice, but Busboys and Poets (a fantastic bookstore and cafe with multiple DC locations) is hosting a free Zoom dinner party with Alice Walker tonight 6 pm EST. I am hoping to catch at least part of it. Registration link.

[Matryoshka]

9 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Thanks. There are so many books I have got suggestions from here as well in my brief time. My TBR pile is increasing. 

I owe you two videos on Rabindra Sangeet and Ghazals. I apologize, just a bit busy today, will post them by tomorrow.

 

Yep.  It's dangerous here.  This is how my TR list blew up to over 1500 books... 😱

[Penguin]

Don't feel compelled to rush, Dreamergal.

I finished two books this week:

Stonewall: The Definitive Story of the LGBTQ Rights Uprising that Changed America by Martin Duberman. This was my first book of LGBTQ history, and I plan to read several more. I don't think this was a particularly good book to start with. I lost focus when it went into details about various organizations. 

I have a myriad of complaints about it, the most important being the title. The Stonewall riots were not even mentioned until after page 200! Talk about a misleading title. Sheesh. And the writing style was irksome. But it wasn't a bad book. It was an adequate book.

California Dreamin': Cass Elliot Before the Mamas and the Papas was a thoroughly enjoyable graphic novel. Thank you @Kareni for the recommendation. I discovered that Cass Elliot and I share Baltimore as our hometown region, and I was somehow unaware of that fun fact. 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Penguin

[Kareni]

I read The Fantastic Fluke by Sam Burns; this is a contemporary paranormal romance which I enjoyed. (Adult content)

 "A lost fox. A gorgeous ghost. And an unlikely partnership to stop a murderer.

Since his mother's murder, Sage McKinley doesn’t live, he exists. His weak magic has made him an outcast, shadowing his life with self-doubt. All that changes when the spirit of a gunslinger appears in his bookstore with a message that will flip Sage’s world upside down. According to the mesmerizing apparition, a powerful magic lies within Sage... if he can find a way to tap into it.

But dastardly threats accompany this untapped power. Bodies are piling high as a killer hunts for the secrets of the mage that now course through Sage’s veins. Can Sage find the confidence to embrace all he’s capable of? Or will the next life snuffed out be his own?"

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Today only for Kindle readers, a free American classic ~

Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt

 "Sinclair Lewis’s Nobel Prize–winning satire of the American middle class

Zenith is like many American cities in the wake of the First World War: midsize, industrial, booming with opportunities for enterprising capitalists. But Zenith is unique as a middling metropolis; within its wandering streets walks one George Babbitt, world-class realtor, American dreamer, social climber, and civic booster.
 
But unexpectedly, dark clouds appear on Babbitt’s horizon: his best friend, a convicted murderer? His eldest daughter, a wretched socialist? Coddled by the trappings of his professional and personal success, how can Babbitt become stricken with loneliness, dissatisfaction, and frustration?
 
First published in 1922, Lewis Sinclair’s contentious bestselling satire of middle-class America is more relevant than ever."

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Web wonderings:

Patti Smith Reads Emily Dickinson’s Pre-Particle Physics Ode to the Science and Splendor of How the World Holds Together

Fuel Your Inner Ms. Frizzle with These Inquisitive Literary Heroines

August’s Most-Anticipated Books

New Spanish Literature: 10 of 30 [#WITMonth]

The ‘Cancelling’ of Flannery O’Connor?

[Robin M]

Week 32 is live - please join me in the new thread

[Laurel-in-CA]

On 8/6/2020 at 9:44 AM, Little Green Leaves said:

Thank you! I'm glad to be here.

Hm, a little bit about myself. In another lifetime I studied literature and thought about going into academia, but it wasn't a good fit for me. Nowadays, I work as a freelance writer and I home school my two kids. I don't read very much any more and I'd really like to change that.

Hello from another freelance writer -- I write proposals and technical stuff, though. I am generally awful at fiction due to lack of practice and lack of will.