Book a Week 2020 - BW36: 52 Books Bingo - Antebellum

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, my lovelies.  Today is National Read a Book day which I don’t think will be too hard for any of us.  *grin*  Our next 52 Books Bingo category is taking us back to the Antebellum period which took place after the war of 1812 (1812-1815) and before the civil war (1861-1865). A period of time in which American writers wrote about American themes and created the short story genre and the penny press.    

Views through Pen and Ink: North Carolina's Antebellum Literature Records an Era

American Literature-American Romantic or Antebellum Era: 1800-60

Women in Antebellum America

Antebellum Era Books

Antebellum Books 

North American Slave Narratives 

American Literature before 1865

Library of Southern Literature - Antebellum period

Historical Romance Antebellum Books

Read about one or more Presidents who served from 1816 to 1861 from James Madison (1809-1817), James Monroe (1817-1825),  John Quincy Adams (1825-1829),  Andrew Jackson (1829 - 1837),  Martin Van Buren (1837-1841), William Henry Harrison (1841), John Tyler (1841-1845), James Polk (1845-1849), Zachary Taylor (1849-1850), Millard Fillmore (1850-1853), Franklin Pierce (1853-1857), to James Buchanan (1857 - 1861).  

Take some time to armchair travel through history this year! 

  

Link to week 35

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]

Faith Hunter's Junkyard Cats came out in ebook format which I enjoyed reading after listening to it a couple times. Picked up on things I didn't catch while listening. 

looking forward to J.D.Robb's Shadows in Death arriving on Tuesday.  

Between books at the moment.  I really need to turn off my ipad for a while and read a few physical books and try to clear a few more books off my shelves. Off to peruse my shelves and see what pops out.

We watched Guardians of the Galaxy (next movie in our mcu watch) which was really good and had me giggling at some of the lines which went completely over James head. 

Edited September 6, 2020 by Robin M

[mumto2]

I actually picked out my Antebellum bingo book a few weeks ago and am waiting for my hold to appear.  I have been wanting to read (listen to 😉) The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevelier https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15705011-the-last-runaway?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=6dvMZ9hVb1&rank=4 for awhile and it seems to fit this square.  The cover is pretty too!

I finished both Ready Player One and my quilt!  This time through I didn’t spend nearly as much time geeking out over the references to Pac Man etc and more time listening to the story of the world that was being described.  One where all children learn online thanks to learning apps and virtual schools.  Huge portions of the US have been abandoned in order to be near big cities............somehow it now feels more like a pandemic survival bool than before.  Still looking forward to Ready Player Two........

I have started listening to the next Psy Changling and am enjoying it.  I abandoned more books and am sticking with The Operator for now. It isn’t great but it is bringing back stories from my mom etc.  The book is set in Wooster Ohio back in the 1950’s when telephone operators controlled who you actually got to talk to and listened to your conversations.  The main character, an operator, listened to a conversation she never should have.............let’s just say she is a woman of action!  No idea where this book is going but decided to stick with it......it’s probably either going to be a 2* or a 5*.  😂 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50808622-the-operator 

 

 

[Kareni]

To those celebrating, enjoy the Labor Day holiday!

**

I'm participating in a reading challenge on another site. This week's challenge is to read a self-published book.

Boy Shattered by Eli Easton -- this was a poignant story that dealt primarily with the relationship that develops between two highschoolers in the aftermath of a school shooting. Landon, out and proud senior, saves the life of Brian (hmmm, inadvertent Monty Python humor!), popular quarterback/jock. I appreciated the tenderness that is shown in the boys' relationship as well as the fact that individuals are shown to process trauma in different ways. The identity of the shooters is also a mystery through much of the book; my solution was only 50% correct. I recommend this book.

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic -- many trigger warnings for this book (past abuse/torture by a parent; drugging). This is the first of a trilogy; the series might prove to contain a romance but this book did not. I was admittedly confused much of the time I was reading, but the story kept my interest. Neil has spent years on the run from his criminal father. His senior year he joins the Exy team (a sport created by the author) at his high school and ends up being enlisted to play with the Foxes as a college freshman. The story covers about four months of training (with many dysfunctional teammates) and the start of the school year. This book is FREE for Kindle readers and the sequels are each 99 cents. I don't believe I'll continue as reviews indicate that the follow on books are very dark; the series as a whole has an average rating of 4+ on Amazon and has many fans.

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

15 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

Is there a release date yet for Ready Player Two? I’d like to dust off and reread that first. 

It’s supposed to be released at the end of November.  I reread a bit early because it was availiable and I have a feeling the first book might become really popular as the release date approaches.

[Little Green Leaves]

I am listening to a reading of City of Dreadful Night, by James Thomson (it's on YouTube). I'd never read or heard this before but I have friends who love it, much the way I have friends who love Morrissey. I think this poem is much more interesting than I expected. It's hugely self-indulgent and repetitive -- I laughed a few times -- but it is also so closely-observed in unexpected places. There are sudden pockets of detaii which make me pause and sit up. And then actually, he uses repetition very cleverly in places, for the sake of creating a pattern and then twisting it. This is the excerpt that the Poetry Foundation put up, for anyone interested:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45407/the-city-of-dreadful-night

This week I want to read Bread and Wine (Ignazio Silone). 

Edited September 6, 2020 by Little Green Leaves

[Violet Crown]

I just finished Henry James's Washington Square in preparation for the Olivia de Havilland/ Montgomery Clift version on Criterion. It's been several years and I'd misremembered some of it. It's a good starter James for those not feeling up to tackling his less accessible later work (The Spoils of Poynton is also good for that). Hard to imagine a Hollywood version succeeding, but I'm up to being surprised. The fact that it featured major stars and yet I'd never heard of it isn't encouraging.

... And that brings me to 52 books for 2020!

Next up: While I recover from my James daze -- he always leaves me wondering what complex meanings I should be gleaning in innocuous chat and silences in conversations -- I'll put The Ambassadors on hold and finish Work of Human Hands (for the Bad Catholic 10x10).

[Shawneinfl]

I finished Sea Wife  on my Kindle this week. I gave it five stars but I understood how others could like it less. It was more of a story about marriage than a sea adventure and I think those married for more than a couple of decades could identify with the characters. I'd love to see what others in this group think. I'm listening to All the Light We Cannot See.  I know I owned this for a while but it has disappeared from my shelves. Oh well, I'm enjoying the audible version.

"Sea Wife is a gripping tale of survival at sea—but that’s just the beginning.  Amity Gaige also manages, before she’s done, to probe the underpinnings of romantic love, marriage, literary ambition, political inclinations in the Trump age, parenthood, and finally, the nature of survival itself in our broken world.  Gaige is thrillingly talented, and her novel enchants."
—Jennifer Egan

Edited September 6, 2020 by Shawneinfl

[Little Green Leaves]

1 hour ago, Violet Crown said:

I just finished Henry James's Washington Square in preparation for the Olivia de Havilland/ Montgomery Clift version on Criterion. It's been several years and I'd misremembered some of it. It's a good starter James for those not feeling up to tackling his less accessible later work (The Spoils of Poynton is also good for that). Hard to imagine a Hollywood version succeeding, but I'm up to being surprised. The fact that it featured major stars and yet I'd never heard of it isn't encouraging.

... And that brings me to 52 books for 2020!

Next up: While I recover from my James daze -- he always leaves me wondering what complex meanings I should be gleaning in innocuous chat and silences in conversations -- I'll put The Ambassadors on hold and finish Work of Human Hands (for the Bad Catholic 10x10).

We read Washington Square in high school, which may have been too young. I remember finding it crushingly pessimistic, but that may have been partly because I was so young. I have mostly avoided him since then, but maybe I will try him again -- thanks for suggesting Spoils of Poynton, I hadn't heard of it.

Edited September 6, 2020 by Little Green Leaves

[mumto2]

@Violet Crown Congratulations on 52 books!

24 minutes ago, Shawneinfl said:

I finished Sea Wife  on my Kindle this week. I gave it five stars but I understood how others could like it less. It was more of a story about marriage than a sea adventure and I think those married for more than a couple of decades could identify with the characters. I'd love to see what others in this group think. I'm listening to All the Light We Cannot See.  I know I owned this for a while but it has disappeared from my shelves. Oh well, I'm enjoying the audible version.

"Sea Wife is a gripping tale of survival at sea—but that’s just the beginning.  Amity Gaige also manages, before she’s done, to probe the underpinnings of romantic love, marriage, literary ambition, political inclinations in the Trump age, parenthood, and finally, the nature of survival itself in our broken world.  Gaige is thrillingly talented, and her novel enchants."
—Jennifer Egan

I just put a hold on Sea Wife!

[Junie]

Yay! I'm actually ahead of the game this week.  I read an antebellum book last week. :)

The House of the Seven Gables -- Nathaniel Hawthorne -- This book was not what I expected.  It had faint echoes of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher.  The ending of this book is not nearly as tragic, though.  

Rules -- Cynthia Lord -- I read the author's bio after I read the book.  I wish I had read it before.  I am always distrustful of characters with autism.  However, this author has a son with autism.  Finally!  A book with an autistic character that I can believe.  I don't have a lot of experience with autism, but I know that most fictional portrayals are not accurate and sometimes even harmful.  This book had good characters that feel authentic.

Bud, Not Buddy -- Christopher Paul Curtis --  I have heard this book recommended over and over; and after finally reading it, my opinion is that it didn't live up to the hype.  I liked it well enough, but it isn't going to be on my 2020 favorites list.

 

  

Edited September 6, 2020 by Junie

[Liz CA]

@mumto2 I just downloaded "The Operator" by Gretchen Berg on Overdrive. It sounded like a nice little break from all the hair raising adventures of Gabriel Allon.  Besides I have to wait for the next Daniel Silva book to become available.  :)  I am contemplating the "Sea Wife" as well. Let me know what you think!

Reading:

Finishing up "Moscow Rules" by Silva. The whole cast feels like old friends now that I have read several books.

Audio:

"Murder at Lenox Hill" by Thompson. Her books have been a nice companion on my interminable, daily commute. 

[Kareni]

Congratulations, @Violet Crown, on reading 52 books!

**

Some bookish posts ~

These are incredible!

19 UNBELIEVABLY REALISTIC BOOK CAKES THAT WILL HAVE YOU SIDE-EYEING YOUR BOOKSHELVES

https://bookriot.com/realistic-book-cakes/amp/

**

15 PERFECT THROW PILLOWS FOR YOUR READING NOOK

https://bookriot.com/literary-throw-pillows/amp/

DIVERSE, WOMEN-AUTHORED NOVELS SET IN REMOTE AND FORGOTTEN PLACES

https://crimereads.com/diverse-women-authored-novels-set-in-remote-and-forgotten-places/

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

All by Andrew Rowe:

Forging Divinity (The War of Broken Mirrors Book 1)

Sufficiently Advanced Magic (Arcane Ascension Book 1)

Six Sacred Swords (Weapons and Wielders Book 1)

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Also currently free for Kindle readers ~

This first one has an amusing description: Starfish: A Billionaire RomCom (Unexpected Lovers) by JB Heller

Winn's Fall: Common Elements Romance Project by Clair Brett

Kiss Me Not Emma Hart

Claimed in Shadows: A Midnight Breed Novel (The Midnight Breed Series) Kindle Edition by Lara Adrian
 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ali in OR]

I finished and very much enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale--waiting for the next one from the library. Then I started Ronan Farrow's Catch and Kill which is fast reading, compelling, and infuriating. After that, the last in my library pile is Spinning Silver. And I have a bunch of heart health books coming from the library this week too. Back to work this week, but not quite full time yet--Friday is the first full school day.

[Little Green Leaves]

10 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Happy Sunday ! 

Genghis and me are still taking a walk through history together, a round about way of saying I am still stuck reading this book.

But I did learn a thing or two about him and his descendants. For instance, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, Babur was a descendant of good old Genghis. This was not something I remember from history class. Babur's most famous descendant of course is Shahjahan who built the Taj Mahal though I would argue not the best emperor. I have really had only time for a cursory read and I want to sit and read it to kind of absorb it and connect it to what I know and what I learn.

Since my twaddle part of the brain demanded satisfaction, I did manage to finish this book. 

It is the prequel to Hunger Games, President Snow's POV. Worth a read if you are really a Hunger Games fan. It was not a great or bad read, more 3 stars I would say.

If all goes well and I finish with Genghis, my plan is to start Absalom, Absalom by Faulkner thanks to @Little Green Leaves recommendation. 

 

The Genghis Khan book sounds really interesting and dense -- it makes sense that it would take more than a week to read it! Looking forward to your review when you get done with it : )

[Violet Crown]

19 hours ago, Little Green Leaves said:

I am listening to a reading of City of Dreadful Night, by James Thomson (it's on YouTube). I'd never read or heard this before but I have friends who love it, much the way I have friends who love Morrissey. I think this poem is much more interesting than I expected. It's hugely self-indulgent and repetitive -- I laughed a few times -- but it is also so closely-observed in unexpected places. There are sudden pockets of detaii which make me pause and sit up. And then actually, he uses repetition very cleverly in places, for the sake of creating a pattern and then twisting it. This is the excerpt that the Poetry Foundation put up, for anyone interested:

You cost me some bad moments of fearing for my sanity: amazement that James Thomson has again found his moment in the sun -- stunned amazement that somebody has friends, plural, who read Thomson -- bewilderment that any Thomson besides The Seasons has been read by anybody, and that a poem I've never heard of -- confusion as my Oxford Complete James Thomson yielded no such poem as "City of Dreadful Night" -- recourse at last to Wikipedia's disambiguation page, and the discovery that there were two Scottish poets named James Thomson. Yours is perhaps rather more readable.

[Matryoshka]

12 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Happy Sunday ! 

Genghis and me are still taking a walk through history together, a round about way of saying I am still stuck reading this book.

But I did learn a thing or two about him and his descendants. For instance, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, Babur was a descendant of good old Genghis. This was not something I remember from history class. Babur's most famous descendant of course is Shahjahan who built the Taj Mahal though I would argue not the best emperor. I have really had only time for a cursory read and I want to sit and read it to kind of absorb it and connect it to what I know and what I learn.

I read that book a few years ago and absolutely loved it.  Who'd think a book on Genghis Khan would be so compelling?  I learned a lot.

I liked it so much that I read the other book he wrote on the Mongol Queens, but there just wasn't as much info on them, and it unfortunately was not as riveting.

Quote

If all goes well and I finish with Genghis, my plan is to start Absalom, Absalom by Faulkner thanks to @Little Green Leaves recommendation. 

I'll be interested to hear what you think!  I'm determined to get through one more Faulkner before giving up. 😉 

And speaking of Absalom, I thought of your love of that name as I just finished another book where one of the main characters was Absalom!  About 17th century witch trials in Norway...

 

[Matryoshka]

Haven't updated my reading in a few weeks... and I read stuff!  Okay, a bunch of it was short.   

53. The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley - for last month's SciFi book group, set in a dystopian future.  3.5 stars

54. Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad (ebook) - interesting and hard to classify book.  At first I thought it was just short stories, then I realized many were interconnected, then new characters were added and it moved into a speculative future, while also having stories from the farther past.  Reminded me a little of David Mitchell in that.  4 stars.

55. The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy (audiobook) - short little book.  I enjoyed the first half better than the second. 3 stars.

56. Die neuen Leiden des jungen W./ The New Sorrows of Young Werther by Ulrich Plenzdorf - a reread.  I find the hero of this book so much more sympathetic than his two heroes (Werther and Holden Caulfield). Or maybe I just find it fun because it's poking fun at those books...

57. El libro de los abrazos/ The Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano - a book of poetic musings about all sorts of things.  4 stars.

58. The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark (ebook) - one of two selections for this month's SciFi book group, this novella was a fun ride through an alternate history steampunk New Orleans. 4 stars.

59. Tracks by Louise Erdrich - This book follows a number of the characters from her earlier book Love Medicine, giving more backstory and in a more linear fashion. 4 stars.

60. The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (audiobook) - based on real events (a freak storm that killed 40 men, subsequent witch trials) on a small Norwegian island in the 17th century.  Enjoyed some of the historical stuff and some interesting characters, but the romantic story felt anachronistic and tacked on. 3 stars.

61. The Shadow King by Maaza Mengitse (ebook) - set in Ethiopia during the Italian invasion; tells the story of the women who fought alongside the men to keep the country independent.  Learned more about a piece of history I knew little about.  4 stars.

62. Split Tooth by Tanya Taraq - set in an Inuit village, this was another book of poetic musings that might have had a thread of a story, but this was hard to read; lots of trigger warnings here.  Toward the end it wasn't clear if it was going for full-on magic realism of a quite disturbing sort, or if the character had completely lost her mind.  2.5 stars.

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Little Green Leaves]

2 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

You cost me some bad moments of fearing for my sanity: amazement that James Thomson has again found his moment in the sun -- stunned amazement that somebody has friends, plural, who read Thomson -- bewilderment that any Thomson besides The Seasons has been read by anybody, and that a poem I've never heard of -- confusion as my Oxford Complete James Thomson yielded no such poem as "City of Dreadful Night" -- recourse at last to Wikipedia's disambiguation page, and the discovery that there were two Scottish poets named James Thomson. Yours is perhaps rather more readable.

I did not know about your James Thomson! Thank you.

I just looked up "my" JT in Peter Ackroyd's London: a Biography. Apparently he lived in London and wrote other gloomy poems about it. I think the Peter Ackroyd book is terrific. Every time I look in it I find something interesting. In this case, he notes JT's use of desert imagery and says that the 19th century is when writers stopped describing London as a primeval wilderness and started calling it a barren desert.

 

[Violet Crown]

Right, now I have to find Peter Ackroyd's book. 

[Kareni]

Plumbess Seg by Jude Fawley is one of the most unique fantasies I've read. Select female orphans are raised together and trained to become plumbesses. They learn about toilets, sewers, and pipes of all kinds; they deliver babies, too (you know, from human pipes!). At a certain point in their training, they begin carrying a plunger (it's akin to a wand). The novel focuses on Seg and Eck as they grow and train and go out into the world (with pipelords and peasants) where a plumbess is a woman of high status. I will likely reread this story and would like to read on in the series.

 

Here's the blurb from the book:

 

"For as long as she can remember, Seg has lived in the Orphanage. She was brought there by her spiteful mentor, Plumbess Roc, to learn the art and danger of Plumbing—to become a Plumbess. But when Seg struggles, when she finds nightmares in Plumbing’s dark recesses, she always turns to another Plumbess—the warm, caring Plumbess Zag—for solace.

Until Zag dies.

Seg blames Eck for Zag’s death—Eck who was raised by snakes, Eck who left a scar on Seg’s neck when they were children. When Seg finally leaves the Orphanage, to find a Pipe Lord and do her work, she's weighed down by loss, hatred, and the heavy Lead around her neck, which reopens her old scar. But she takes her plunger in hand and follows the pipes, even though they lead back to her nightmares—and back to Eck."

Regards,

Kareni

[Laurel-in-CA]

17 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Happy Sunday ! 

Genghis and me are still taking a walk through history together, a round about way of saying I am still stuck reading this book.

But I did learn a thing or two about him and his descendants. For instance, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, Babur was a descendant of good old Genghis. This was not something I remember from history class. Babur's most famous descendant of course is Shahjahan who built the Taj Mahal though I would argue not the best emperor. I have really had only time for a cursory read and I want to sit and read it to kind of absorb it and connect it to what I know and what I learn.

If all goes well and I finish with Genghis, my plan is to start Absalom, Absalom by Faulkner thanks to @Little Green Leaves recommendation. 

 

When I was in high school I read Harold Lamb's biographies of Genghis and Babur the Tiger through several times. I was fascinated with them, and talk about escapism as I sat up in our mulberry tree dreaming of other worlds! Now that I look that author up I see that he wrote quite a number of books about asia/central asia, including cossacks and tamerlane. If you ever feel like an old book hunt, I'd love to hear what you think of him as a historian and writer. Most of his work now is OOP.

 

[mumto2]

@Liz CA I finished The Operator this morning and decided it probably deserves a 4*.  It was quite the romp and parts of it were just plain nostalgic.  Sort of a cozy mystery meets how the world has changed.

I also read the next Timber Creek K-9 Mystery last night instead of TV.  I’m hooked, as in I have the third one and it could end up being tonight’s entertainment!  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28256230-stalking-ground

[Kareni]

Currently free for Kindle readers ~

Waiting for Gary Cooper: Historical novel by Gabriel Bensimhon

Fallen Snow: Book 1 (Whispering Willows)

A Lively Companion (An Austen Ensemble Book 1) by Corrie Garrett

Spring Always Comes by Emilie Loring

 

One Kindle Deal might interest some here ~

The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life by Julie Bogart is $1.99

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

For inspiration for my next art gathering, I enjoyed reading

Making an Impression: Designing & Creating Artful Stamps by Genuine D. Zlatkis.

"Popular illustrator and stamper Geninne Zlatkis has a passion for nature and color that distinguishes her work. These 20 beautiful projects--including cards, an embellished journal and tote, and decorative wall pieces--provide the keys to Geninne's creative process and image-making process. In addition to technique-specific primers with step-by-step photos of the essentials, Making an Impression includes 50 motifs showcasing Geninne's signature designs that crafters can copy and use for image transfers, stamp designs, and collages."

Regards,

Kareni

[Matryoshka]

7 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Thus I don't know much of his genealogy . I also never realized Genghis had this much influence in the east and the west. This book is very eye opening and makes him quite civilized when my idea of him was at the head of a  horse riding Mongol horde. 

Yeah, that book is very eye-opening. I had no idea how wide and long-lasting his influence was.  I was also surprised that there were many Christians among the Mongols, including many/most of his wives.  I had no idea it had reached so far so long ago (though it seems the Western Christians of the time also had no idea there were Christians so far east...)

Quote

No clue about Mongol Queens. If you want to learn about some Indian Queens, I can recommend books for you. Boy are there some good ones especially among the Mughals. This woman is just amazing. She was one of  wives of Shahjahan's father Jehangir and her niece was Mumtaz Mahal who became the favorite wife of Shahjahan for whom he built the Taj. In an age of patriarchy and when she was not even a senior wife , the power she wielded was astonishing just as a consort.

https://www.amazon.com/Empress-Astonishing-Reign-Nur-Jahan/dp/0393239349

This one is slightly embellished and is a work of fiction based on a real person,  absolutely one of my favorite Indian Queens. For one, she is always depicted on a horse leading her army with her child tied to her back to fight the British.

https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Queen-Novel-Michelle-Moran/dp/1476716366/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=rani+of+jhansi&qid=1599508783&s=books&sr=1-4

Adding to the TR list... 🙂 
 

Quote

Name of the book please. I have an irrational love for that name which horrified my mom 🤣

That was The Mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.  He was kind of the villain of that story, though, so that might be disappointing...

Edited September 8, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

10 BOOKS LIKE THE DRESDEN FILES

https://bookriot.com/books-like-the-dresden-files/amp/?fbclid=IwAR1dzrtHBN5eDpLWqEfYrn6ayNs3kSTHORiNVdRL1ov5oN7urD2R98h8gFI&__twitter_impression=true

Walk Beneath the Canopy of 8 Fictional Forests

https://www.tor.com/2020/07/31/walk-beneath-the-canopy-of-8-fictional-forests/

Still stuck at home? Read these 7 books in which . . . very little happens.

https://lithub.com/still-stuck-at-home-read-these-7-books-in-which-very-little-happens/

IN THE NEW ERA OF SOCIAL DISTANCING, IT'S TIME TO REVISIT THE GENIUS OF MONK

https://crimereads.com/in-the-new-era-of-social-distancing-its-time-to-revisit-the-genius-of-monk/

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today. 

[mumto2]

8 hours ago, Kareni said:

Some bookish posts ~

10 BOOKS LIKE THE DRESDEN FILES

https://bookriot.com/books-like-the-dresden-files/amp/?fbclid=IwAR1dzrtHBN5eDpLWqEfYrn6ayNs3kSTHORiNVdRL1ov5oN7urD2R98h8gFI&__twitter_impression=true

Walk Beneath the Canopy of 8 Fictional Forests

https://www.tor.com/2020/07/31/walk-beneath-the-canopy-of-8-fictional-forests/

Still stuck at home? Read these 7 books in which . . . very little happens.

https://lithub.com/still-stuck-at-home-read-these-7-books-in-which-very-little-happens/

IN THE NEW ERA OF SOCIAL DISTANCING, IT'S TIME TO REVISIT THE GENIUS OF MONK

https://crimereads.com/in-the-new-era-of-social-distancing-its-time-to-revisit-the-genius-of-monk/

Regards,

Kareni

 Great links..........I need to give Dresden another chance.  It’s a series that I listen to one every couple of years but never get hooked.  So I need to mark the next in series so I can grab it when I need an audio book.  Many of the recommended links are either series I love or series that I plan to read.

I have heard great things about Monk and never have watched a single episode.  I am almost done with my Chuck series.......yes, that series is all I have gotten through since Covid.  I really don’t watch much tv.😂. I just found Monk is on Prime so might try it next or I might finish Grantchester.

[vmsurbat1]

Another Kindle book on sale that may interest some of you:  The Reading Life: The Joy of Seeing New Worlds through Others' Eyes by CS Lewis is on sale right now for $1.99....  I picked it up!

[Robin M]

Good morning from smoky California. We washed our cars last night and an hour later they were covered in ash from the fresno county fire.  My sister is vacationing in Utah and texted a picture of their smoky, hazy, skies, courtesy of CA fires.  Once again, the smoke cooled our latest 100 + heat wave.   

Amazon has messed up orders for Shadow in Death and delaying shipping for a month. Cancelled the order and will pick up at Barnes and Noble tomorrow.   

Currently reading Louise Penny's latest Armand Gamache story, All the Devils are Here.  Excellent so far

 "On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather as a family for a bistro dinner with Armand’s godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. Walking home together after the meal, they watch in horror as Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Gamache knows is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on the elderly man’s life.  When a strange key is found in Stephen’s possession it sends Armand, his wife Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the Sûreté, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, from the top of the Tour d’Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives, from luxury hotels to odd, coded, works of art. 

It sends them deep into the secrets Armand’s godfather has kept for decades.

A gruesome discovery in Stephen’s Paris apartment makes it clear the secrets are more rancid, the danger far greater and more imminent, than they realized. Soon the whole family is caught up in a web of lies and deceit. In order to find the truth, Gamache will have to decide whether he can trust his friends, his colleagues, his instincts, his own past. His own family.

For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide."

[Kareni]

I just finished the most recent book in an enjoyable series,   Death at Brighton Pavilion (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Book 14) by Ashley Gardner.  I see that the next book comes out later this year. Hmmm...

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some free books for Kindle readers ~

Against Time (Seeders Universe Book 1)

Pilot Error: A Galactic Cold War Story

Blue Guardian (Hybrid Book 1)

Showdown: A Galactic Cold War Story

Forbidden Promises (Jackson Falls)

Regards,

Kareni

[Dicentra]

Hi all! 🙂

I know - I disappeared.  Things have been crazy.  Books have been read (but I haven't kept track and so don't have an updated list - will try to do that soon).  House/farm were cared for.  Gardens were planted, harvested, and now need to be cleaned out since we had our first hard frost last night.  Child was home from university for almost 6 months but went back on Monday.  She's 5 hours away.  In a city where COVID cases are climbing.  I can do this.  Breathe.

I just wanted to say that the fact that this thread was here each week and I could pop in and read a bit whenever I had a moment made me happy.  Thank you for continuing to talk about and share books. 🙂

[Kareni]

Welcome back, @Dicentra! I look forward to hearing about your reading.

I hope that your daughter will have a healthy and happy school year.

Regards,

Kareni

[Laurel-in-CA]

2 hours ago, Dicentra said:

Hi all! 🙂

I know - I disappeared.  Things have been crazy.  Books have been read (but I haven't kept track and so don't have an updated list - will try to do that soon).  House/farm were cared for.  Gardens were planted, harvested, and now need to be cleaned out since we had our first hard frost last night.  Child was home from university for almost 6 months but went back on Monday.  She's 5 hours away.  In a city where COVID cases are climbing.  I can do this.  Breathe.

I just wanted to say that the fact that this thread was here each week and I could pop in and read a bit whenever I had a moment made me happy.  Thank you for continuing to talk about and share books. 🙂

This is sort of my weekly relief, too -- from unemployment, fires and smoky skies, covid and bickering young adults. We're thankful to be down in the low 80s now rather than the triple digits we got for labor day!

[Kareni]

Today only, a free classic for Kindle readers ~

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

"A groundbreaking feminist masterpiece and one of the most exquisite horror stories in American literature

Diagnosed by her physician husband with a “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency” after the birth of her child, a woman is urged to rest for the summer in an old colonial mansion. Forbidden from doing work of any kind, she spends her days in the house’s former nursery, with its barred windows, scratched floor, and peeling yellow wallpaper.
 
In a private journal, the woman records her growing obsession with the “horrid” wallpaper. Its strange pattern mutates in the moonlight, revealing what appears to be a human figure in the design. With nothing else to occupy her mind, the woman resolves to unlock the mystery of the wallpaper. Her quest, however, leads not to the truth, but into the darkest depths of madness.
 
A masterly use of the unreliable narrator and a scathing indictment of patriarchal medical practices, The Yellow Wallpaper is a true American classic."

Regards,

Kareni

[Laurel-in-CA]

I've been having a blast this week with three fantasy books by Rachel Hartman: Seraphina, Shadow Scale, and Tess of the Road.

Vaguely late medieval with dragons who can look like humans if they wish, saints with special powers (who turn out to be half dragon), and multiple cultures and creatures. Well written, much about the difference between cold logic (the dragons) and feeling (humans and....other critters) and lots about social expectations and what happens when you outgrow them or never fit them to begin with.

I watched the new Netflix short series "Unorthodox" and was fascinated, so found the book at the library for my kindle. That and Finding Dorothy (recommended here, I think) are on the list for next week.

[Kareni]

Earlier today, I finished White Chrysanthemum  by Mary Lynn Bracht which my book group will be discussing next week. It was a sad read dealing as it did, in alternating chapters, with the life of a Korean comfort woman during World War II and with the life of her sister in 2011. It was a quick and gripping story that I read in two days.

"Korea, 1943. Hana has lived her entire life under Japanese occupation. As a haenyeo, a female diver of the sea, she enjoys an independence that few other Koreans can still claim. Until the day Hana saves her younger sister from a Japanese soldier and is herself captured and transported to Manchuria. There she is forced to become a “comfort woman” in a Japanese military brothel. But haenyeo are women of power and strength. She will find her way home.

South Korea, 2011. Emi has spent more than sixty years trying to forget the sacrifice her sister made, but she must confront the past to discover peace. Seeing the healing of her children and her country, can Emi move beyond the legacy of war to find forgiveness?

Suspenseful, hopeful, and ultimately redemptive, White Chrysanthemum tells a story of two sisters whose love for each other is strong enough to triumph over the grim evils of war."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some free books for Kindle readers ~

The Look of Love (Book of Love 1) by Meara Platt

LGBT: Tigers and Devils Sean Kennedy. (I liked this one.)

Hard Target (Cobra Elite Book 1) by Pamela Clare

First in an enjoyable series: In Milady's chamber (John Pickett Mysteries #1) by Sheri Cobb South

SHORT TERM SALES... DOUBLE CHECK THAT THEY ARE STILL FREE!

A Match Made for Thanksgiving (Holidays with the Wongs Book 1)

Black In White: A Quentin Black Paranormal Mystery (Quentin Black Mystery Book 1) by JC Andrijeski

Haunted on Bourbon Street (The Jade Calhoun Series Book 1)

Hungry Like a Wolf (Claws Clause Book 1)

Who Shot the Serif? (Hand Lettering Mystery Book 1)

The Baron's Malady: A Smithfield Market Regency Romance:

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Today only, a free classic for Kindle readers ~

Swift Thoughts by George Zebrowski

"This collection of stories showcases the work of George Zebrowski, one of science fiction’s masters and a writer Hugo and Nebula Award winner Robert J. Sawyer has called “one of the most philosophically astute writers in science fiction.” Like the writers Olaf Stapledon, Arthur C. Clarke, and Stanislaw Lem, Zebrowski explores the “big questions”—the expansion of human horizons, and the growth of power over our lives and the world in which we live.

In the title story, scientists push the boundaries of human mentality to keep pace with ever-evolving AIs. In “The Eichmann Variations,” a finalist for the Nebula Award, exact copies of captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann stand trial for his crimes against humanity, while in “The Word Sweep,” all speech must be rationed because spoken words take on physical form. In “Wound the Wind,” another Nebula Award finalist, unchanged humans roam freely until captured by those who know what’s best for them, and in “Stooges,” a visiting alien hijacks the persona of Curly Howard. From hard science fiction (“Gödel’s Doom”) to alternate history (“Lenin in Odessa”) to first alien contact (“Bridge of Silence”), and with an introduction by renowned physicist/writer Gregory Benford, this collection presents one of the most distinctive voices writing in the field of science fiction today."

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

On 9/6/2020 at 12:15 PM, Violet Crown said:

... And that brings me to 52 books for 2020!

 

Congrats on reaching 52!

On 9/9/2020 at 5:18 PM, Dicentra said:

Hi all! 🙂

I know - I disappeared.  Things have been crazy.  Books have been read (but I haven't kept track and so don't have an updated list - will try to do that soon).  House/farm were cared for.  Gardens were planted, harvested, and now need to be cleaned out since we had our first hard frost last night.  Child was home from university for almost 6 months but went back on Monday.  She's 5 hours away.  In a city where COVID cases are climbing.  I can do this.  Breathe.

I just wanted to say that the fact that this thread was here each week and I could pop in and read a bit whenever I had a moment made me happy.  Thank you for continuing to talk about and share books. 🙂

Hi darlin, great to hear from you.  Keeping breathing, mom. It will be okay.

On 9/10/2020 at 3:41 PM, Laurel-in-CA said:

I've been having a blast this week with three fantasy books by Rachel Hartman: Seraphina, Shadow Scale, and Tess of the Road.

Vaguely late medieval with dragons who can look like humans if they wish, saints with special powers (who turn out to be half dragon), and multiple cultures and creatures. Well written, much about the difference between cold logic (the dragons) and feeling (humans and....other critters) and lots about social expectations and what happens when you outgrow them or never fit them to begin with.

I watched the new Netflix short series "Unorthodox" and was fascinated, so found the book at the library for my kindle. That and Finding Dorothy (recommended here, I think) are on the list for next week.

I thoroughly enjoyed Seraphina and Shadow Scale.  Tess is in my stacks. 

[Robin M]

We're hibernating for the weekend. Poor hubby going stir crazy unable to do his 10k so cleaned all our windows yesterday while I was at work. And thank God for the folks at Instacart. Decided I wasn't going to the store after work, went on instacart, and groceries delivered two hours later. Big tip and appreciation for delivery drivers.  Picked up Shadows in Death at B&N and reading now.  Big thumbs up to J.D. Robb aka Nora for another great read. 

In my web wanderings this week:

Of Owls and Roses: Mary Oliver on Happiness, Terror, and the Sublime Interconnectedness of Life

My Favorite Badass Heroines in Epic Fantasy

Alka Joshi on the Surprise of Becoming a Debut Novelist at 62 - The Henna Artist added to my want list.

Dune trailer -  great cast which makes me want to see it all the more.   Now I feel like I should read the book and watch the original movie again. 

 

[Kareni]

33 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

Today I started The Goblin Emperor....

I count this as a favorite book. Enjoy!

Regards,

Kareni

[Junie]

1 hour ago, Seasider too said:

Well I’m squeaking in at the end of the week here, I did manage to complete Emily Henry’s Beach Read. It was fun. A little more sizzle than my usual preference, but the story line was a bit more serious than I expected it would be. There were also parts that made me laugh out loud (“purse-wine”😂). It was just the right book for this week, I am still not back in a great reading groove, and it was both engaging and not too challenging. 
 

Today I started The Goblin Emperor. Just a chapter in, but so far so good. We also saw the trailer for the new Dune, and seeing that Timothee Chalamet is featured, my girls are going to demand to see it. I’m going to make them read the book first, and it’s in my library queue now. 

I just bought this to give to my sister for Christmas.  I should read it first, right?  To make sure it's something she would like? 😉

[Kareni]

2 hours ago, Seasider too said:

Today I started The Goblin Emperor.

 

1 hour ago, Junie said:

I just bought this to give to my sister for Christmas.  I should read it first, right?  To make sure it's something she would like? 😉

You should definitely read it first. Think of it as quality control!

Regards,

Kareni

[Junie]

I also bought her A Gentleman in Moscow. :)  

Both of these books were chosen because of the recommendations here.

[Kareni]

2 minutes ago, Junie said:

I also bought her A Gentleman in Moscow. 🙂

Both of these books were chosen because of the recommendations here.

And that's another excellent book! I think you have a fortunate sister.

Regards,

Kareni