Book a Week 2020 - BW34: Our Singing Strength

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, my lovelies.  This week is be kind to humankind week and today is ride the wind day, plus the flower of the day is strawberry.  Join me in the garden, for strawberry daiquiris or margaritas, maybe some strawberry pie, a fruit salad, or even some decadent chocolate covered strawberries, while we laze away the day, reading whatever our hearts fancy.  ~Cheers!

 

 

 

Our Singing Strength

by 

 Robert Frost

It snowed in spring on earth so dry and warm
The flakes could find no landing place to form.
Hordes spent themselves to make it wet and cold,
And still they failed of any lasting hold.
They made no white impression on the black.
They disappeared as if earth sent them back.
Not till from separate flakes they changed at night
To almost strips and tapes of ragged white
Did grass and garden ground confess it snowed,
And all go back to winter but the road.
Next day the scene was piled and puffed and dead.
The grass lay flattened under one great tread.
Borne down until the end almost took root,
The rangey bough anticipated fruit
With snowball cupped in every opening bud.
The road alone maintained itself in mud,
Whatever its secret was of greater heat
From inward fires or brush of passing feet.

 

In spring more mortal singers than belong
To any one place cover us with song.
Thrush, bluebird, blackbird, sparrow, and robin throng;
Some to go further north to Hudson's Bay,
Some that have come too far north back away,
Really a very few to build and stay.
Now was seen how these liked belated snow.
the field had nowhere left for them to go;
They'd soon exhausted all there was in flying;
The trees they'd had enough of with once trying
And setting off their heavy powder load.
They could find nothing open but the road.
So there they let their lives be narrowed in
By thousands the bad weather made akin.
The road became a channel running flocks
Of glossy birds like ripples over rocks.
I drove them under foot in bits of flight
That kept the ground, almost disputing right
Of way with me from apathy of wing,
A talking twitter all they had to sing.
A few I must have driven to despair
Made quick asides, but having done in air
A whir among white branches great and small
As in some too much carven marble hall
Where one false wing beat would have brought down all,
Came tamely back in front of me, the Drover,
To suffer the same driven nightmare over.
One such storm in a lifetime couldn't teach them
That back behind pursuit it couldn't reach them;
None flew behind me to be left alone.

 

Well, something for a snowstorm to have shown
The country's singing strength thus brought together,
That though repressed and moody with the weather
Was none the less there ready to be freed
And sing the wildflowers up from root and seed.

 

Link to week 33

 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]

Making a strawberry bouquet to share with my hubby as we are celebrating our 23rd anniversary today.  I also bought some of the Rock's (Dwayne Johnson) Teremana, a special sipping tequila to try. Wonder how it will taste in a margarita.  Hmm! 

I'm currently reading a sweet contemporary romance - Repeat by Kylie Scott  which is available on Kindle Unlimited.  

"When a vicious attack leaves 25-year-old Clementine Johns with no memory, she's forced to start over. Now she has to figure out who she was and why she made the choices she did - which includes leaving the supposed love of her life, tattoo artist Ed Larsen, only a month before.

Ed can hardly believe it when his ex shows up at his tattoo parlor with no memory of their past, asking about the breakup that nearly destroyed him. The last thing he needs is more heartache, but he can't seem to let her go again. Should they walk away for good, or does their love deserve a repeat performance?"

Also on my nightstand is James Rollin's Last Odyssey. 

~Cheers~

 

[aggieamy]

4 minutes ago, Robin M said:

Making a strawberry bouquet to share with my hubby as we are celebrating our 23rd anniversary today.  I also bought some of the Rock's (Dwayne Johnson) Teremana, a special sipping tequila to try. Wonder how it will taste in a margarita.  Hmm! 

 

Happy anniversary! I love the strawberry bouquet idea. How fun.

Kevin and I had our anniversary yesterday. Can't believe he's put up with my bossing him around for so long. 🥰 We drank some wine and played board games with the kids. 

[Robin M]

10 minutes ago, aggieamy said:

Happy anniversary! I love the strawberry bouquet idea. How fun.

Kevin and I had our anniversary yesterday. Can't believe he's put up with my bossing him around for so long. 🥰 We drank some wine and played board games with the kids. 

Happy Anniversary to you as well.  Isn't it grand having hubbys' who appreciate and love us no matter what.  Cheers~ 

Edited August 23, 2020 by Robin M

[Kareni]

Happy 💖 💖  anniversary 💖 💖 to you both, Robin and Amy!

1 hour ago, Robin M said:

the flower of the day is strawberry...

There was a post recently on the Word Wenches site that you might enjoy:

A Taste of Summer

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

From the Word Wenches: Childhood Reads and Influences

https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2020/08/childhood-reads-and-influences.html#comment-6a00d8341c84c753ef026bde8ae5a3200c

8 CHILDREN’S MYSTERY NOVELS THAT ARE ENJOYABLE FOR ALL AGES

https://crimereads.com/8-childrens-mystery-novels-that-are-enjoyable-for-all-ages/

Cree LeFavour on the Pleasures of the Limitless Reread

https://lithub.com/cree-lefavour-on-the-pleasures-of-the-limitless-reread/

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Happy Anniversary to Robin and Amy!  The strawberry bouquet looks yummy!

Almost done with Donna Andrews latest The Falcon Always Wings Twice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51169311-the-falcon-always-wings-twice. I love this series!  This one is set at a renaissance fair and is quite funny........
 

[Kareni]

Free for Kindle readers ~

The Marquess (Regency Nobles Book 2) by Patricia Rice

Cards of Love: The Empress by Rochelle Paige

The Knight's Journal I: Descendent . Ardent . Evident (King Arthur Origins Book 1) by Brian J Lang

Regards,

Kareni

[Ali in OR]

The library delivers any holds that have arrived once a week. I've only had a couple of deliveries, but Friday, all the good stuff came at once! I'm glad I have 6 weeks instead of the old 3 weeks to get through it all. First we watched the DVD of Yesterday, a cute movie I had seen at my brother's house last December and had on my hold list since January or February. Then the books: The Bear and the Nightingale, Catch and Kill, Spinning Silver, and Genesis Begins Again. Lots of good reading ahead!

I made myself finish Me and White Supremacy yesterday so I could start the new books. Of course it's a challenging read--I was expecting that--but there are also things that rub me the wrong way, and it's presented as "oh, if you don't agree that's just the white supremacist in you." I saw the title paired with White Fragility; the two were being read over the summer by a group of teachers from another school in our district. So I thought I would read them too. Turns out this one is more of a workbook, and doing it with a discussion group would be ideal. I just wanted to read it, but the author goes on about if you're not doing the writing you're not trying to change your white supremacy, etc. No, I just want to read it at this time. I'm also disagreeing with the idea that you have to give up your white privilege to be antiracist. Some of the things that are white privilege are things like I never have to think I'm being pulled over by the police because of the color of my skin. That's not something I want to give up; that's something that I want extended to everybody. So anyway, lots of good stuff in the book, lots of challenging ideas, and some stuff that I don't know if my problem with it is something I need to work on or if it's really okay to view the world a little differently.

Now on to my library pile!

[Violet Crown]

Happy Anniversary to Amy and Robin! 

No books finished this week. I'm so behind on my homeschooling prep; reading constantly but not getting any BaW credit for it, alas. I'm going to introduce the girls to Robert Herrick and Shirley Jackson this week. 

[Penguin]

Happy Anniversary, Robin and Amy! 

[Little Green Leaves]

Happy anniversary to Robin and Amy!

I finished Age of Innocence. I liked the second half a lot more than the first. Even the writing felt better. The way she writes about people and their homes is pretty stunning.

A lot of my requested books arrived suddenly at the library, and I had a hard time choosing what to read next. I've settled on a biography of Dorothy Day --- Dorothy Day, dissenting voice of the American century. 

[Pen]

5 hours ago, Robin M said:

Making a strawberry bouquet to share with my hubby as we are celebrating our 23rd anniversary today.  I also bought some of the Rock's (Dwayne Johnson) Teremana, a special sipping tequila to try. Wonder how it will taste in a margarita.  Hmm! 

I'm currently reading a sweet contemporary romance - Repeat by Kylie Scott  which is available on Kindle Unlimited.  

"When a vicious attack leaves 25-year-old Clementine Johns with no memory, she's forced to start over. Now she has to figure out who she was and why she made the choices she did - which includes leaving the supposed love of her life, tattoo artist Ed Larsen, only a month before.

Ed can hardly believe it when his ex shows up at his tattoo parlor with no memory of their past, asking about the breakup that nearly destroyed him. The last thing he needs is more heartache, but he can't seem to let her go again. Should they walk away for good, or does their love deserve a repeat performance?"

Also on my nightstand is James Rollin's Last Odyssey. 

~Cheers~

 

 

How lovely!!!

Happy Anniversary!!!

 

[Pen]

5 hours ago, aggieamy said:

Happy anniversary! I love the strawberry bouquet idea. How fun.

Kevin and I had our anniversary yesterday. Can't believe he's put up with my bossing him around for so long. 🥰 We drank some wine and played board games with the kids. 

 

Happy Anniversary to you too!!! 💐 🥂  

[Pen]

Now reading:

 

The Great Influenza by John Barry

and

The Maze in the Heart Of the Castle by Dorothy Gilman (I almost wrote by Mrs Pollifax 😄)

and

LA Requium by Robert Crais 

[Junie]

Last week's reading:

The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children by Stormi Omartian -- This book is set up like most of the others in her Praying series.  Each chapter gives a different topic to pray about, in this case for adult children.  I really like having a topic to pray about so that I don't get in the "God bless my children" rut.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead -- I really liked this one!  When I finished the book and understood the ending, I immediately wanted to re-read it so that I could see it from an enlightened perspective.  

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck -- This book (actually 4 short stories that are connected by the same character) was ok.  Just ok.  The writing is mostly excellent, but the stories are bleak.

 

     

[Violet Crown]

3 hours ago, Little Green Leaves said:

I finished Age of Innocence. I liked the second half a lot more than the first. Even the writing felt better. The way she writes about people and their homes is pretty stunning.

I was delighted to learn that Wharton was, in fact, an interior designer. I keep meaning to get hold of her book ("The Decoration of Houses").

[Little Green Leaves]

2 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

I was delighted to learn that Wharton was, in fact, an interior designer. I keep meaning to get hold of her book ("The Decoration of Houses").

I would never have expected that, but it makes so much sense.

[Kareni]

I just finished a contemporary romance which I quite enjoyed: Heated Rivalry (Game Changers) by Rachel Reid. I can imagine rereading this. (Significant adult content)

 "Nothing interferes with Shane Hollander’s game—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate.

Pro hockey star Shane Hollander isn’t just crazy talented, he’s got a spotless reputation. Hockey is his life. Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that, especially the sexy Russian whose hard body keeps him awake at night.

Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him—except Shane. They’ve made a career on their legendary rivalry, but when the skates come off, the heat between them is undeniable. When Ilya realizes he wants more than a few secret hookups, he knows he must walk away. The risk is too great.

As their attraction intensifies, they struggle to keep their relationship out of the public eye. If the truth comes out, it could ruin them both. But when their need for each other rivals their ambition on the ice, secrecy is no longer an option…"

* * *

And some more free books for Kindle readers ~

The Fearless Highlander  by Amy Jarecki

Telegram For Mrs. Mooney

Gabriella (Hiatt Regency Classics Book 1)

When We Were Strangers: YA Gay Romance

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I just finished Faith Hunter’s newest Soulwood book Spells for the Dead and really loved it.  I have to say it was a really satisfying conclusion for the Faith Hunter reread I have been working through for the past year.  I know both @Robin M and @melmichigan have already read it but am not sure if there are other BaWer’s waiting to read this book so let me just say I loved the book’s conclusion and what happened with the vampire tree.....so cool!   

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

FIVE BOOKS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR CHILD A FUTURE CRIME WRITER

https://crimereads.com/five-books-that-will-make-your-child-a-future-crime-writer/

11 One-hit Wonder Science Fiction Books

https://best-sci-fi-books.com/11-one-hit-wonder-science-fiction-books/amp/

SEVEN MYSTERIES FEATURING STANDOUT SENIORS AS SECONDARY CHARACTERS

https://crimereads.com/seven-mysteries-featuring-standout-seniors-as-secondary-characters/

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I just spent way too long looking over some upcoming releases lists thanks to Goodreads.  I thought I would share a few unexpected highlights.......as in I wasn’t expecting more in these series😉and yes I will be reading them!😂  There are many other new releases that I am interested in but I picked these to share.

Ready Player Two........yes two, no description really but the comments are pretty funny https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26082916-ready-player-two

The Awakening by Nora Roberts.........not mor of The One but I didn’t expect her to continue writing urban fantasy type books https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49127421-the-awakening

Inspector Gamache........I thought it was over but........https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49127539-all-the-devils-are-here  Yes, @aggieamy I plan to read another one.......make sure you read the description.😉

Finally, Texas I cannot believe it but Pillars continues .....prequel edition.......https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49018093-the-evening-and-the-morning

 

 

 

 

[aggieamy]

 

8 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

Inspector Gamache........I thought it was over but........https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49127539-all-the-devils-are-here  Yes, @aggieamy I plan to read another one.......make sure you read the description.😉

*eye roll*

Jumped.

The. 

Shark.

[marbel]

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

I just spent way too long looking over some upcoming releases lists thanks to Goodreads.  
<snip>

This is me lately. I spend more time reading about books, and messing around in Overdrive finding books to add to my wish list, than I do settling down to actually read.

Recent reading:

Catherine House, by Elisabeth Thomas, a moody novel set in a 3-year residential college - and by residential, I mean that the students don't leave the ground for 3 years. Ines  wonders how she got into this school for exceptional students, and senses an odd secret....  It was an odd book. I loved the writing and the descriptions of student life - the lovely meals, the study sessions in beautiful rooms with big fireplaces, surrounded by tea trays and wrapped in blankets. But the story itself was kind of meh. This was the author's first book and writers usually get better, so I will look for more from her.

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. I had recently read and loved his Ordinary Grace, so went right for this one. It was not as good - a bit overlong, with too many precocious children and so many coincidences. Still a solid and satisfying read! A big, old-fashioned, sprawling novel. Nothing modern or ground-breaking about it, just good story-telling. 

The Guest List by Lucy Foley. This was pretty meh for me too. It seemed pretty hyped, and I waited a long time for it from the library, but at the end I just felt like... "huh." One of my pet peeves: written in present tense, so maybe that turned me off the book from the start.

Currently alternating between two:

The Widows of Malabar Hill which I have tried twice but keep setting aside, this time inspired by a post here a couple weeks back. I've gotten further along this time, and am enjoying it. Timing is important for reading, so maybe it just wasn't the right time for that one. And, How Much of These Hills is Gold, which has an interesting premise, but I'm finding the writing style difficult.  So we'll see how that goes.

 

[Pen]

 

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

Inspector Gamache........I thought it was over but........https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49127539-all-the-devils-are-here  Yes, @aggieamy I plan to read another one.......make sure you read the description.😉

 

Spoiler alert - in clicking on the link a reader comment I saw gave away something from book that might be just as well not known in advance perhaps. 

 

[vmsurbat1]

All right.  I've just updated my goodreads and am doing very well with the 52BinaY challenge.  So, thank you all for this thread which encouraged me to join it!  I read the posts in this thread but rarely post myself.  However, I just finished The Warmth of Other Suns  and wrote a mini-review at Goodreads.

Quote

I suspect this will be my "most important" book read in 2020. I learned a great deal about the Great Migration and its ongoing effects across the USA today. I particularly appreciated the focus on three real families as illustrative of many others rather than a dreaming up of composite families. The background chapters (on politics, commissions, Jim Crow laws, historical incidents recounted by others) aided my contextual understanding of the experiences of the families detailed without diluting their stories. Bravo to the author for an engaging narrative history with both breadth and depth. I'm recommending this book to everyone.....

I *am* recommending this book to everyone, but particularly for someone (me, me!) who didn't grow up in either the South or urban city (although I'd consider myself quite cosmopolitan as I've lived many places including internationally since childhood (non-military).  My mind is blown with new insights into life as it was in the South and why cities, particularly certain cities, are in the news today.  The roots and cause go deep.  Hear the story from those who lived it.....

[Matryoshka]

9 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

 

This book is the predecessor of Caste: The Origins of our discontent by Isabella Wilkerson, the author of the above.

Thanks for this review.

I have no idea of much of American history, so the great migration has no reference to my experience of what she refers to as Caste. But I do have experience of caste in my native country where it defines every day life in many places and certainly education, marriage for most if not all people. Even religion is not immune to it. 

My understanding has always been America does not have it. In England you have the class system which could be held up as a parallel. Reading the Caste book is unsettling. I do not know if reading the Warmth of other Suns would have given me a context, but I am reading the Caste book from my experiences and boy do I have a lifetime of experiences to draw from. 

I have a pretty good background in US History, but this piece of it is usually glossed over, and that's why I wanted to read it (The Warmth of Other Suns).  The Great Migration is usually mentioned in maybe a passing paragraph in US history books, and usually limited to "Many Black people moved north after the Civil War".  I learned a lot from this book; I'd agree that really, everyone should read it.  It put so many puzzle pieces together, and in a very readable and relatable way.

I just finished The New Jim Crow, which is about mass incarceration, but it also talks quite a bit about caste in America.  I'm looking forward to reading Isabel Wilkerson's next book.

Edited August 26, 2020 by Matryoshka

[mumto2]

2 hours ago, marbel said:

This is me lately. I spend more time reading about books, and messing around in Overdrive finding books to add to my wish list, than I do settling down to actually read.

Recent reading:

Catherine House, by Elisabeth Thomas, a moody novel set in a 3-year residential college - and by residential, I mean that the students don't leave the ground for 3 years. Ines  wonders how she got into this school for exceptional students, and senses an odd secret....  It was an odd book. I loved the writing and the descriptions of student life - the lovely meals, the study sessions in beautiful rooms with big fireplaces, surrounded by tea trays and wrapped in blankets. But the story itself was kind of meh. This was the author's first book and writers usually get better, so I will look for more from her.

 

I remember seeing Catherine House on a list recently and will probably try it eventually.  My hold list (I even filled DS’s hold list) is full after this morning.  I have a soft spot for Down a Dark  Hall https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/538757.Down_a_Dark_Hall?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=o2L6EMWvMx&rank=2 and have loved gothic boarding school type books every since I read that as a preteen.

1 hour ago, Pen said:

 

 

Spoiler alert - in clicking on the link a reader comment I saw gave away something from book that might be just as well not known in advance perhaps. 

 

Sorry, I didn’t read beyond the location........now, I am wondering if I want to know.😂

[Kareni]

I just finished the contemporary romance, Game Changer: A Gay Sports Romance by Rachel Reid, which I enjoyed. (Significant adult content)

 "Pro hockey star Scott Hunter knows a good thing when he sees it. So, when a smoothie made by juice bar barista Kip Grady precedes Scott breaking his on-ice slump, he’s desperate to recreate the magic...and to get to know the sexy, funny guy behind the counter.

Kip knew there was more to Scott’s frequent visits than blended fruit, but he never let himself imagine being invited back to Scott’s penthouse. Or kissed with reckless abandon, never mind touched everywhere all at once. When it happens it’s red-hot, incredible and frequent, but also only on Scott’s terms and always behind his closed apartment doors.

Scott needs Kip in his life, but with playoff season approaching, the spotlight on him is suddenly brighter than ever. He can’t afford to do anything that might derail his career…like introducing the world to his boyfriend. Kip is ready to go all-in with Scott—but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?"

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some free books for Kindle readers ~

My Wild Heart (Regency Shakespeare Book 2)

No Tomorrows by Doris Rangel

Sealed With a Kiss (Small Town Swains Book 4) by Pamela Morsi

Panic at the Pier (A Whodunit Pet Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)  by Mel McCoy

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I am currently reading the second book in the Lane Winslow cozy series that I recently recommended to @aggieamy.  I am learning so much about Canadian history and spending a great deal of time with Google..........Doukhobor communities in NW Canada are fascinating. Death in a Darkening Mist.   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32202653-death-in-a-darkening-mist   

[Kareni]

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

Patricia Wentworth's A Marriage Under the Terror

 "The award-winning debut from one of Britain’s most cherished crime writers
Before she created the iconic Miss Silver, Patricia Wentworth found acclaim as an author of page-turning romances. Set during the French Revolution, A Marriage Under the Terror is a gripping tale of love blossoming in the ashes of betrayal, and a fascinating first step from a master storyteller.
Nineteen-year-old orphan Aline de Rochambeau is horrified at the prospect of an arranged marriage to the foppish Vicomte Selincourt. But when Selincourt and Madame de Montargis, Aline’s married aunt, are unmasked as lovers and arrested for treason, the young noblewoman’s situation grows even more drastic. Alone in a Paris engulfed in revolt, Aline has no chance of survival—until she meets the dashing freedom fighter Jacques Dangeau. Torn between his vow to liberate France and his passion for Aline, Jacques makes a choice that could doom both of them forever.
Published in 1910, A Marriage Under the Terror won the Melrose Prize for best first novel. "

Regards,

Kareni

[bookbard]

Re-reading the entire "Eyre Affair" series by Jasper Fforde. If you haven't read it, and you're a lover of books (esp classics), go grab it. It's just so clever, and definitely fits into the 'hopepunk' category. I realised all my copies are first editions because I bought them as soon as they came out. I found most of his other book series missed the mark, but this series has really lasted.

[Robin M]

Bookish wanderings today:

Ray Bradbury readathon

August 26 is International Dog Day -- best dogs in comics

Five SFF Books With Dogs (and Dog-Adjacent Beings) as Key Characters

Must Love Dogs! Authors Share Their Canine Companions

Poetry Foundation Announces 2020 Pegasus Awards Winners, Marilyn Chin Awarded Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize

2020 Booker International Prize Winner

[Violet Crown]

Checking in mid-week because I actually finished Querelle of Brest. It seems influenced by Billy Budd. Particularly, the relationship between Querelle and Lieutenant Seblon seems parallel to Billy's relationship to Claggart, but not so much as to be clear that Genet read Melville (we only know that someone gave him a copy of the book).

I should be reading more early 20th century US history textbook but instead I've started Léon Bloy's Disagreeable Tales (Histoires désobligeantes). Bloy was a Decadent (he hung out with J.-K. Huysmans) and something of a crazed Catholic, so good for two of last year's 10x10 categories. This 2015 translation seems to be the first time the Histoires désobligeantes have been translated into English, so I actually had to pay the cover price for a new book. 😱 So far it's like Lemony Snicket for adults. 

 

Edited August 27, 2020 by Violet Crown

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, bookbard said:

Re-reading the entire "Eyre Affair" series by Jasper Fforde. If you haven't read it, and you're a lover of books (esp classics), go grab it. It's just so clever, and definitely fits into the 'hopepunk' category. I realised all my copies are first editions because I bought them as soon as they came out. I found most of his other book series missed the mark, but this series has really lasted.

I love The Eyre Affair ❤️.............during my lengthy perusal of the GR new release lists yesterday I discovered he has a new book coming out called The Constant Rabbit https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51801337-the-constant-rabbit.  I am rather looking forward to it.......I really like rabbits fortunately! 😉

 

Edited August 27, 2020 by mumto2

[Violet Crown]

Quote

 

In 1869, during my radiant youth, I met the poet at the residence of Barbey d'Aurevilly. His wild hair and ranting mouth captured my interest right away....  His chronic irritation astounded even him:

"I am the Parlor of Tarantulas!" he cried in a voice destined for the straitjacket, making the little factory women hasten their steps on the street.

 

I'm really not sure, from what I've read so far, how much Bloy was in fact a Decadent, and how much he was just putting it on. Fun either way!

[Little Green Leaves]

2 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

I'm really not sure, from what I've read so far, how much Bloy was in fact a Decadent, and how much he was just putting it on. Fun either way!

I love "his chronic irritation astounded even him."

I had never in my life heard of Leon Bloy before this week. Now, suddenly, he's everywhere. He got a mention in my biography of Dorothy Day, and now in your post...funny how that happens.

[Violet Crown]

47 minutes ago, Little Green Leaves said:

I love "his chronic irritation astounded even him."

I had never in my life heard of Leon Bloy before this week. Now, suddenly, he's everywhere. He got a mention in my biography of Dorothy Day, and now in your post...funny how that happens.

I'm not even sure why he was on my radar.  I keep a list of books or authors I'm interested in, so I can remember to check occasionally for availability/affordability, but I've got no memory of how Bloy made it on the list. Possibly through Arthur Symons.

[Penguin]

5 hours ago, Little Green Leaves said:

I love "his chronic irritation astounded even him."

I had never in my life heard of Leon Bloy before this week. Now, suddenly, he's everywhere. He got a mention in my biography of Dorothy Day, and now in your post...funny how that happens.

Which Dorothy Day biography are you reading? Over the decades,  I’ve read a lot by and about her. I have her granddaughter’s book in my TBR pile.

[Pen]

In looking to download a Robert Crais book called The Last Detective, I ended up with 

The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey. It is more detective book starting with a body and need to find who done it.  I greatly enjoyed this, and will deliberately seek out more by same author.   He is apparently very well known, just new to me. 

 

Ime Simon Prebble 

narrates well

 

and there was some subtle humor that I liked also

 

 

Has anyone else found a new series due to an accident of same title  like this? 

Edited August 27, 2020 by Pen

[Little Green Leaves]

33 minutes ago, Penguin said:

Which Dorothy Day biography are you reading? Over the decades,  I’ve read a lot by and about her. I have her granddaughter’s book in my TBR pile.

I'm reading Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century.

https://www.amazon.com/Dorothy-Day-Dissenting-American-Century/dp/1982103493

It's very good and thorough; it's full of anecdotes about people she knew, places she went, and books she read. Although I still don't feel like I really understand her. Which books have you liked the most, by and about her?

[Pen]

I Finished John Barry’s The Great Influenza.  I think I had seen a documentary based on it possibly in past.   Or some was familiar from other similar books I have read.  

I give it 5 stars, I think I would anyway, but it seems especially meaningful during a pandemic.

 

So far my top 2 pandemic non fiction books this year have been it and Spillover. 

 

[Penguin]

28 minutes ago, Little Green Leaves said:

I'm reading Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century.

https://www.amazon.com/Dorothy-Day-Dissenting-American-Century/dp/1982103493

It's very good and thorough; it's full of anecdotes about people she knew, places she went, and books she read. Although I still don't feel like I really understand her. Which books have you liked the most, by and about her?

Ooh so there is a new biography out. I didn't know that! Added to my TBR. I'll get back to you on the ones I have read. I have to look through the internet and the corners of my memory first . I will probably discover that I have not read as much by and about her as I think I have 🙂 

Edited August 27, 2020 by Penguin

[marbel]

So yesterday while picking  up a hold at the library, I inadvertently rented a book, $1 for one week, not renewable. I have it on my overdrive holds list at 2 libraries; it's got a long queue; and when I saw it on the shelf I just grabbed it. I never noticed the "rental" sticker on it or the sign on the shelf! So next thing I knew I have a $1 charge on my card and one week to finish The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett. Totally my fault, and when I expressed surprise the librarian said I didn't have to take it, but I wasn't going to send that book into quarantine where no one can read it, just because I am the least observant person in the world. 

Anyone read it? I can be a book-a-week person, but it's going to be a stretch!

[Penguin]

@marbel Your signature made me smile just now. I also have a son majoring in History, and likewise I could have predicted it when he was five. 

@Little Green Leaves The Dorothy Day books that I distinctly remember reading are Love is the Measure: A Biography of Dorothy Day by Jim Forest and The Long Loneliness, Dorothy Day's autobiography. I was deeply impacted by The Long Loneliness, but that was 20-some years ago so all I remember now is the feeling of loving the book. I also watched the movie Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996) and feeling very moved by it. I don't dare recommend something that I haven't read or watched for 20-some years, but these are the primary pieces that set me on the path of learning about Dorothy Day. I'm definitely overdue for a revisit of her life and thoughts. 

Edited August 28, 2020 by Penguin

[aggieamy]

On 8/26/2020 at 7:15 PM, Kareni said:

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

Patricia Wentworth's A Marriage Under the Terror

 "The award-winning debut from one of Britain’s most cherished crime writers
Before she created the iconic Miss Silver, Patricia Wentworth found acclaim as an author of page-turning romances. Set during the French Revolution, A Marriage Under the Terror is a gripping tale of love blossoming in the ashes of betrayal, and a fascinating first step from a master storyteller.
Nineteen-year-old orphan Aline de Rochambeau is horrified at the prospect of an arranged marriage to the foppish Vicomte Selincourt. But when Selincourt and Madame de Montargis, Aline’s married aunt, are unmasked as lovers and arrested for treason, the young noblewoman’s situation grows even more drastic. Alone in a Paris engulfed in revolt, Aline has no chance of survival—until she meets the dashing freedom fighter Jacques Dangeau. Torn between his vow to liberate France and his passion for Aline, Jacques makes a choice that could doom both of them forever.
Published in 1910, A Marriage Under the Terror won the Melrose Prize for best first novel. "

Regards,

Kareni

Thank you! I picked this one up!

 

[Little Green Leaves]

46 minutes ago, Penguin said:

@marbel Your signature made me smile just now. I also have a son majoring in History, and likewise I could have predicted it when he was five. 

@Little Green Leaves The Dorothy Day books that I distinctly remember reading are Love is the Measure: A Biography of Dorothy Day by Jim Forest and The Long Loneliness, Dorothy Day's autobiography. I was deeply impacted by The Long Loneliness, but that was 20-some years ago so all I remember now is the feeling of loving the book. I also watched the movie Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996) and feeling very moved by it. I don't dare recommend something that I haven't read or watched for 20-some years, but these are the primary pieces that set me on the path of learning about Dorothy Day. I'm definitely overdue for a revisit of her life and thoughts. 

Thank you!! I just realized that I actually saw Entertaining Angels recently -- it is either free or very cheap on Amazon Prime. I loved it. (I was also very impressed by Martin Sheen as Peter Maurin; I thought he did a wonderful job.) 

The biography that I'm reading now is good, but it is not WARM in the way that Entertaining Angels is. I just put a hold on the Long Loneliness. 

 

[Little Green Leaves]

double post : ) 

Edited August 28, 2020 by Little Green Leaves

[Kareni]

22 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Finished Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer, the EPOV...

I'm trying to figure out EPOV and am drawing a blank.

22 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

I don't read detective fiction, scifi , non-fiction a lot and you can only do so many pulpy romances....

I'm fortunate that I have yet to reach my limit of romances, pulpy or otherwise!

22 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Reading this book was like visiting an old neighborhood. It does not feel the same, yet parts of it are familiar, your favorite parts stay the same and it puts a smile on your face. For all the criticisms about Twilight, it has always put a smile on my face and so did Midnight Sun. I don't think you can ask more of any book.

That's a lovely sentiment, Dreamergal; I'm glad you enjoyed the book.

Regards,

Kareni