Book a Week 2020 - BW41: 41 Things

[Robin M]

Good morning, dear hearts!  And now for something completely different! Welcome to all things forty one this week.  People, places, things, dates that have something to do with 41.  

Best Books to Read For Ages 41 – 60

41 Books Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg

Read a book about the 41st President:  41 A Portrait of My Father by George W. Bush 

Authors born in 1941

Read a book with 41 in the title or 41st book in the series

Best selling and popular books in 1941 

President only for 32 days in 1841 - William Henry Harrison 

President from 1841 -1845 - John Tyler 

Literature in 1741, Books set in 1641, and Took place in 1541.

41 Best Books of 2020 to elevate your reading 

41 debut Authors over 40 

14 Female authors recommend 41 favorite female authors

41 more books worth reading

What Beatles song repeats the title in the lyrics forty-one times? Let it be.  Read a book with Let It Be in the title

 

Read the 41st book from the lists of Best 100 including Great American Read, Must Read Classics, Best Books of the 21st Century, Greatest Books, Most Influential,  BBC's Big Read, or Goodread's listopia of 100 Best.   

Have fun following rabbit trails, exploring events and people from 41BC all the way up to 2014.  

  

Link to week 40

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]

Currently reading Fiona Quinn's Survival Instinct, #1 in Cerberus Tactical K9 series.  Found it during my web wanderings and don't ask me which list of 41 I found it on. It's all a blur.  Fun blur, but a blur all the same.  😄   

"On leave from the battlefields of Afghanistan, Major Dani Addams, finds herself in the fight of her life. She leaves few clues about the dangers she’s in. Now, everything depends on a stranger and his dog.  

Tripwire’s mission: Find her.

A member of Iniquus Security’s elite tactical K9 search and rescue team, Trip and his K9 Valor are on cliff’s edge as an unprecedented storm advances.

When they get to Dani, Valor’s behavior is inexplicable. What about this woman is throwing Valor off her training? Trip always trusts his dog—something about this situation isn’t what it seems.

With his life and his heart on the line, Trip risks it all to protect her. Will it be enough?"
 

[Pen]

5 minutes ago, Robin M said:

Currently reading Fiona Quinn's Survival Instinct, #1 in Cerberus Tactical K9 series.  Found it during my web wanderings and don't ask me which list of 41 I found it on. It's all a blur.  Fun blur, but a blur all the same.  😄   

"On leave from the battlefields of Afghanistan, Major Dani Addams, finds herself in the fight of her life. She leaves few clues about the dangers she’s in. Now, everything depends on a stranger and his dog.  

Tripwire’s mission: Find her.

A member of Iniquus Security’s elite tactical K9 search and rescue team, Trip and his K9 Valor are on cliff’s edge as an unprecedented storm advances.

When they get to Dani, Valor’s behavior is inexplicable. What about this woman is throwing Valor off her training? Trip always trusts his dog—something about this situation isn’t what it seems.

With his life and his heart on the line, Trip risks it all to protect her. Will it be enough?"
 

 

I was curious to learn what series are long enough to have 41 books!  

Looks like  I could have a trip down Memory Lane with The Magic Tree House.  Or Agatha Christie. 

I may give the J.D Robb series a try.

Or from books for age 41-60, Stretching looks like a good one for me. 

But a K9 story sounds even better!!!!!  

 

 

 

This reminds me that my son had a YA thriller ish book with a dog. Can’t recall title or author. The cover was predominantly blue, 😊, and it started with an animal rights group raid on a facility in Oregon experimenting on animals which is where the dog comes from. The dog was “enhanced”.   For most of book iirc teen girl is on the run with the dog - 

 

 

I am still reading / rereading How to Have Impossible Conversations for non fiction . 

And am on another James Grippando Jack Swyteck series book for fiction. 

[Kareni]

A podcast for fans of Murderbot (there is a transcript if you'd rather read than listen) ~

All About Murderbot with Martha Wells

Some bookish posts ~

MEMORIES OF AN ACCIDENTAL MYSTERY WRITER by Sherry Thomas

https://crimereads.com/memories-of-an-accidental-mystery-writer/

MY TOP FIVE FEMALE DETECTIVES, REAL AND IMAGINED

https://crimereads.com/my-top-five-female-detectives-real-and-imagined/

Five Books About Human and Dragon Friendships by Deana Whitney

https://www.tor.com/2018/11/09/five-books-about-human-and-dragon-friendships/

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

The Battle of Dorking by George Tomkyns Chesney

"Britain is under attack, and winning at Dorking is the only way the empire can be saved

It is the late nineteenth century, and a country much like Germany is on the move in Europe. It has already beaten its rivals on the continent and mobilized to the Netherlands, provoking the fear of British citizens. Then the nation strikes. Its powerful weapons destroy the Royal Navy, and invasion cannot be far behind.
 
Written as a hypothetical exercise to raise awareness among average British citizens about the potential danger that a resurgent Germany could pose, The Battle of Dorking earned its place in literary history as the forerunner to the invasion-novel genre, predating The War of the Worlds by almost twenty years. The novel’s drama, which culminates in a fight that will change the course of history forever, thrilled audiences when it was originally released as a serial, and it maintains its power today."

Also free:

Christmas On Main Street: A Sweet Small Town Christmas Romance (Santa's Secret Helpers Book 1) by Leeanna Morgan

Deceived & Honoured: The Baron's Vexing Wife (Love's Second Chance: Tales of Lords & Ladies Book 5) by Bree Wolf

One, Two ... He is coming for you (Rebekka Franck, Book 1) by Willow Rose

The Haunting of Sunshine House (Ghosts of Los Angeles Book 1) by Dominika Best

Regards,

Kareni

[Little Green Leaves]

I love this week's topic! Especially interested in the list of authors over 40. 

I just got North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell. It's a 19th century novel about factory workers -- and factory owners -- in the north of England. I read and really liked Mary Barton by the same author, so I'm excited about this one.

[mumto2]

41.......what a great rabbit trail.  Just a bit of my search😂. What I have learned Nancy Drew’s and the whistling bagpipes sort of calls to me https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/631146.The_Clue_of_the_Whistling_Bagpipes?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=yw3jbKUgBz&rank=1.  The problem is I don’t own it and my box of Nancy Drew’s is now difficult to get to.  If I buy it I am going to need to put it in that box.  So not now........   

I am surprised (and disappointed)that Miss Silver only has 32 mysteries.  Agatha is certainly a possibility but remembered my in order challenge.  
 

Nora Roberts......If I counted right the 41st romance that she wrote does not look better than number 41 in Diana Palmer’s Long, Tall, Texan series which my overdrive actually has........so True Blue wins! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12003997-true-blue?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=sD5bGOMvjT&rank=1 

 

So......what I am actually reading

I read the first in a new to me cozy series called In the Shadow of a Glacierhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51034816-in-the-shadow-of-the-glacier?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=BBrVP4yQ5E&rank=3.    It was set in British Columbia in a small town and I did enjoy it but didn’t love it.  My library owns several more on Overdrive so I marked the next in the series and will probably read it eventually.  

I have been listening to Hidden by Benedict Jacka https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18599601-hidden?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=JUTqq6ocR2&rank=1.  It’s the fifth in his series set in a magical London which I set aside while immersed in my Rivers of London(favorite series)  reread last year.   I am slowly remembering the characters and plan to keep reading until I finish the series.  

 

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by mumto2

[Kareni]

It would appear that I am guilty of judging a book by its cover. Take a look at the cover of Written by Seline Atwood by Zai Mades. What would you guess about this book?

I thought ...  Hmmph, spoiler code issues.

I guess if you want to know more, you can send me a personal message.

 

ETA: Drats, my spoiler code no longer works. Does anyone know the new secret?

Test: [spoiler]Text goes here[/spoiler]

The above is what used to work for me. No longer.

Another test: [spoiler] Super spoiler text here [/spoiler] 

That doesn't work either.

Regards,

Kareni

[Ali in OR]

I'm doing my spooky reads for October. I finished Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House which I thought was great and I've started Susan Hill's The Woman in Black.

[Mothersweets]

Fun challenge Robin!  I haven't finished anything in a while - I seem to have 4 or 5 different books going at the moment so hopefully I will have something to chat about next week. Just wanted to pop in and say hi to everyone!

@Ali in OR The Woman in Black is one of my favorite spooky reads! The movie is pretty good, too. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Mothersweets

[The Ghost of Æthelthryth]

.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Saxony

[Shawneinfl]

Finished reading Isaac's Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson.

Meticulously researched and vividly written, Isaac's Storm is based on Cline's own letters, telegrams, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the hows and whys of great storms. Ultimately, however, it is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets nature's last great uncontrollable force. As such, Isaac's Storm carries a warning for our time.

[Violet Crown]

8 hours ago, Robin M said:

Good morning, dear hearts!  And now for something completely different! Welcome to all things forty one this week.  People, places, things, dates that have something to do with 41.  

Anthony Trollope's forty-first novel, Phineas Redux, is good. 

This week Middle Girl and I read The Great Gatsby. Again. And to complete our current chapter of US History, we watched Scarface (the 1932 version, not the Al Pacino version). So much in common: organized crime, fast cars, fast women, bootleg liquor, telephones everywhere, and nihilistic displays of destruction performed on the ash heaps of the pre-War civilization's code, as the cold dead eyes of T. J. Eckleburg -- or Will Hays -- look on in amoral judgment. Hey, I'm ready to write my paper!

Continuing this week with The Penguin Book of Satirical Verse. It's been a while since I last read any poetry, most of this collection is unfamiliar to me, and I get to discuss it with Middle Girl as we go along, so a pleasant read all around. Also Romano Amerio's Iota Unum, for the final book of my "Bad Catholic" 10x10 category from 1919.

[Kareni]

Perhaps this might interest some here ~

One of the women in my book group is on the mailing list of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and shared this from their recent mailing.

She described it as 'not light viewing.'

Regards,

Kareni

"We invite you to a free online video stream of The Carolyn Bryant Project, presented by CalArts Center for New Performance. This 2018 drama, created by OSF Artistic Director Nataki Garrett and Andrea LeBlanc and directed by Garrett, conjures the specter of Emmett Till’s murder in a nightmarish reverie on white violence and silence in America. This 90-minute streaming show will run October 9–22 and is presented free of charge.

 

 

Watch the Trailer

Watch the Show

 

---

 

Get the behind-the-scenes story on The Carolyn Bryant Project from its creators, Nataki Garrett and Andrea LeBlanc, in this wide-ranging one-hour Art Talk conversation with OSF’s Awele Makeba. "

[Penguin]

I finished three books since my last update:

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. This was my first encounter with Rebecca, and I am glad to finally know what it is all about! Somehow I managed to go into it without any spoilers. I enjoyed the atmosphere, but the plot was blatantly obvious even to me, the most inept mystery reader on the planet. I always see this on lists of spooky books, but I didn't consider it spooky. I guess I prefer a bit of supernatural in my spooky. I'm hoping to read Dracula later this month.

Our Malady: Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Diary  by historian Timothy Snyder. To sum it up in one brief phrase, health care is a human right. I already believed that, but the book did give me some new ways to think about that concept. And I will be mulling over the commentary about the demise of local journalism, and how that hurts the health of our communities.

Pirey by Petre Andreevski, translated from the Macedonian. This was one of the most relentlessly grim books I have ever read, but I am quite glad that I read it. Pirey is a type of grass that "is hardy and grows in impossible places. Hoe it as much as you like, dig it up, uproot it - it won't die...Nothing can destroy this plant" It was told in alternating chapters, husband and wife. This worked really well because the two main characters, Ion and Velika, were apart during most of their marriage. He was suffering on the battlefield while she was suffering in the village. I am eager to read more fiction from the Balkan region.

 

 

[mumto2]

16 hours ago, Æthelflæd said:

Like Mothersweets I haven't finished anything new either but wanted to say Hi!!! 👋

I was enjoying the first book, Dissolution, that Mum recommended me, but then 2020 hit and I went ADD again and couldn't keep focused and didn't want to miss things, so used the trick y'all suggested earlier in the summer and went back to a loved previous read. So I'm back in the Pillars of the Earth. 😂 I think I might just stay here until after November. 

I watched and really enjoyed Ratched on Netflix (which took away from reading time too). It almost had me want to reread Cuckoo's Nest, as it's been ages since I've read it or watched it, but then I decided that might take me out of my happy place. Ratched just has a whole different feel than Cuckoo's nest- book and movie. 

On a non-book topic, @Robin M- how's the Hemi doing? 🙂

Glad you were enjoying Dissolution!  They are my favorite historical chunky books. 😂 I get the call of the familiar right now. You just read the prequel (I think) so you are now going in proper order.  Always a good thing imo!😂. I am all about series in order in case you didn’t know. 😉

Last night I curled up with the latest in Susan Mallory’s Happily Inc. series and just enjoyed the characters.  I love that little town that specializes in bespoke weddings and an animal park filled with giraffes!  I felt sort of bad reading a Christmas themed book during Spooky Month but it was such a great escape.  I finished that and moved on to another favorite comfort author Mary Balogh......😂So I am escaping to the land of Dukes and Duchesses with an occasisional Viscount thrown in.  

[Penguin]

@Violet Crown Congrats on finishing a 10x10 category. I’d love to see the list of your 10 Bad Catholic books if you are so inclined. It does feel like we have been working on these since 10x10s since 1919, chuckle.

[Kareni]

Last night I finished an enjoyable contemporary romance; this book had me laughing aloud several times. (Adult content)

40-Love  by Olivia Dade

"This match is no game.

When a rogue wave strips Tess Dunn of her bikini top, desperate, half-naked times call for desperate, please-cover-me-kids-are-coming-closer measures. Enter Lucas Karlsson, AKA that flirty Swede in the water nearby. When he prevents her bare buoys from being exposed to fellow vacationers, even an ocean can't drown the sparks that fly.

Lucas, a former top-level tennis pro now giving lessons at the resort, fled there after the abrupt, painful end to his injury-plagued career. But he's finally ready to move on with his life--and after a few late-night, hands-on sessions with Tess, he's eager to prove he's the ace she wants.

But this match comes with challenges: She's forty, and at twenty-six, he's barely old enough to rent a car. Worse, they only have two weeks together before Tess returns to her assistant-principal life in Virginia. During that brief time, they'll have to play hard, take a few risks, and find out whether their chemistry is a one-shot wonder...or whether they're meant to be doubles partners for life."

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

1 hour ago, Penguin said:

@Violet Crown Congrats on finishing a 10x10 category. I’d love to see the list of your 10 Bad Catholic books if you are so inclined. It does feel like we have been working on these since 10x10s since 1919, chuckle.

Here we go:

Bad Catholic
1. Philip Lawler, The Smoke of Satan: How Corrupt and Cowardly Bishops Betrayed Christ, His Church, and the Faithful ... and What can Be Done About It
2. Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters
3. *St. John of the Cross, Poems
4. *St Francis & St Clare, The Complete Works
5. Andre Gide, The Vatican Cellars
6. Bruce Marshall, The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith
7. Leon Bloy, Disagreeable Tales
8. Thomas Day, Why Catholics Can't Sing: The Culture of Catholicism and the Triumph of Bad Taste
9. Anthony Cekada, Work of Human Hands: A Theological Critique of the Mass of Paul VI
10. Romano Amerio, Iota Unum: A Study of Changes in the Catholic Church in the Twentieth Century

*Not actually 'Bad Catholic' but sometimes you have to take a break

Edited October 12, 2020 by Violet Crown
hit Enter too soon

[mumto2]

Yeah VC!  Congratulations on finishing one of your 10’s!

[Violet Crown]

31 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

Yeah VC!  Congratulations on finishing one of your 10’s!

Well not technically for another 400 pages. I'm surprised that, as an academic, Amerio didn't sub-title it "A Brief Introduction to ... etc."

[Penguin]

Oops that was my fault for declaring VC at the finish line when she did indeed say she was on the last book. 
 

@mumto2Did you end up in a Christmas mood? An animal park filled with giraffes is a great image.  I also felt incongruous this week as I am at the beach. Rebecca doesn’t exactly match up with sunny and 80 degrees. 

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, Penguin said:

Oops that was my fault for declaring VC at the finish line when she did indeed say she was on the last book. 
 

@mumto2Did you end up in a Christmas mood? An animal park filled with giraffes is a great image.  I also felt incongruous this week as I am at the beach. Rebecca doesn’t exactly match up with sunny and 80 degrees. 

So......For the past few days I have been highly irritated because a spooky Halloween quilt kit I ordered is touring the US.........now it’s sitting at my local post office but no mail delivery today.  I’m on a deadline!  Days are ticking.........😂I decided thanks to all the happy Christmas vibes to get a Christmas project out and start cutting out Gnomes for a Christmas quilt for hubby.  Everyone here is thinking Christmas now.....DS was happy to hear he is getting a reindeer quilt out of the gnome fabric leftovers.  Nothing like themes......

I love Rebecca btw. But probably not perfect beach reading unless you are looking out over high cliffs with pounding waves.  Fog.....lots of fog.

 

[Penguin]

44 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

I love Rebecca btw. But probably not perfect beach reading unless you are looking out over high cliffs with pounding waves.  Fog.....lots of fog.

 

It got designated the beach read because it is one of the books I brought to my mom's place that could withstand getting sandy and wet. Nope, no fog. We are on the NC/SC border and it feels like summer. I'm here so I could see my mom, but I'm certainly not complaining about the weather 🙂 We got very lucky.

My next beach read is a history of the Greensboro sit-ins: Lunch at the 5 &10 by Miles Wolff. I bought this used and it was already a beat-up paperback, so it can withstand the beach. 

[Mothersweets]

I love Rebecca! Thanks for posting the trailer @Dreamergal - I knew it was coming out soon but hadn't seen the trailer yet. It looks good!!

[Kareni]

I finished A Death in Sheffield by Anne Cleeland. I'm a fan of the author's Acton and Doyle series, but this is the first of her historical romances that I've read. It was interesting to note parallels between this book and the series.

1. In series and book, the hero is a peer; the heroine is decidedly not.

2. There is an age difference between hero and heroine. (She's a very wise 17 in this book.)

3. In the series, the heroine can detect lies; in this book, the heroine is talented at gauging character.

4. Both book and series use a term I'd never previously encountered -- "to grass" which means to inform on someone.

I enjoyed the book and would read more of the author's historical romances. Here is the blurb:

"Artemis Merryfield has lived a soldier’s life, following the drum with her father as the British Army battled Napoleon’s forces on the Continent. But the Colonel was unexpectedly killed, and so she’s been shipped off to his nearest relative in Sheffield, England.
As she struggles to adjust to civilian life, Artemis soon discovers that there are factions from the last war who seem to be intensely interested in the silver mines she is to inherit, and equally interested in any secrets she may hold—secrets that could see her hanged for treason."

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

Happy Tuesday! I'll do my book update in a separate thread so it doesn't get lost in my replies to some posts.

 

On 10/11/2020 at 2:21 PM, Robin M said:

Good morning, dear hearts!  And now for something completely different! Welcome to all things forty one this week.  People, places, things, dates that have something to do with 41.  

 

President from 1841 -1845 - John Tyler 

 

When I saw this it reminded me of a news story I saw last week. A grandson of President John Tyler died recently. Yes, grandson, with no great-great or even one great in front of it. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/10/09/president-john-tylers-grandson-lyon-gardiner-tyler-jr-dies-95/5935788002/

 

On 10/11/2020 at 5:41 PM, Dreamergal said:

Thanks for this thread Robin.

I was trying to speed read these two books in hopes of finishing and reviewing them today 🙄.

 

Not happening and I was not enjoying them when read fast. So I will finish in leisure and review maybe tomorrow. The thread is not going anywhere. 

But read slowly the books are enjoyable. 

 

 

This looks interesting so I added it to my TBR list. I have a fascination with the history of both the British and Russian royal families. I'm not a royal watcher of today's royals, I'm just interested in their ancestors. 🙂  I'm not in any rush and I have several other books I'm currently reading, so I might just wait to read your thoughts on it. 

 

On 10/11/2020 at 2:56 PM, Kareni said:

A podcast for fans of Murderbot (there is a transcript if you'd rather read than listen) ~

All About Murderbot with Martha Wells

 

Thanks, Kareni. I started to read this but early on read that it will have spoilers. I haven't yet read the most recent one, the full length novel, so I saved this for later.

 

On 10/11/2020 at 11:01 PM, Violet Crown said:

Anthony Trollope's forty-first novel, Phineas Redux, is good. 

 

I took a look at possibly reading this but then decided that I should at least have read Phineas Finn before Phineas Redux. This was going to be the year I read or at least started the Palliser novels, but as with many things, 2020 had other plans. 

Edited October 13, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[mumto2]

19 minutes ago, Kareni said:

I finished A Death in Sheffield by Anne Cleeland. I'm a fan of the author's Acton and Doyle series, but this is the first of her historical romances that I've read. It was interesting to note parallels between this book and the series.

1. In series and book, the hero is a peer; the heroine is decidedly not.

2. There is an age difference between hero and heroine. (She's a very wise 17 in this book.)

3. In the series, the heroine can detect lies; in this book, the heroine is talented at gauging character.

4. Both book and series use a term I'd never previously encountered -- "to grass" which means to inform on someone.

I enjoyed the book and would read more of the author's historical romances. Here is the blurb:

"Artemis Merryfield has lived a soldier’s life, following the drum with her father as the British Army battled Napoleon’s forces on the Continent. But the Colonel was unexpectedly killed, and so she’s been shipped off to his nearest relative in Sheffield, England.
As she struggles to adjust to civilian life, Artemis soon discovers that there are factions from the last war who seem to be intensely interested in the silver mines she is to inherit, and equally interested in any secrets she may hold—secrets that could see her hanged for treason."

Regards,

Kareni

Thank you for doing such a great comparison for me as I have often wondered about those “other” Anne Cleeland’s.......particularly this one after living near Sheffield for so many years.  The really are a lot of really basic parallels.........

On the historical romance front I finished my Mary Balogh and have the latest Mary Jo Putney ready to read.  @DreamergalI have never tried one in Stephanie Lauren’s Cynster series.  I have read a couple books by her in the past but never really loved them so maybe The Devil’s Bride (first in the series) will be what add SL to my list of historical romance authors.  I have a few really prolific ones that I tend to rotate between........it’s hard to run out of books when you are reading authors who have all written many titles!😂

 

[Lady Florida.]

I'm at 54 books for the year so far. I missed when I hit 52 but looking at my Goodreads list for 2020 it was around the end of September. 

My most recent finished books:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - audio book. I listen to or read this series repeatedly as my comfort series and I always go in order. The next time I need a comfort read then, it will be Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. 

Midnight in Peking - also an audio book. I got this and another true crime book when Audible had a 2 books for 1 credit sale. The other is The I-5 Killer. Midnight in Peking is an interesting look at the city in the 1930s but I was disappointed in the lack of resolution. I want true crime books where the criminal is caught, tried, and convicted. I also bought The Autobiography of Malcom X with a credit that dropped a few days later, and cancelled my Audible membership this morning. I found that each month I struggle to find an audio book I actually want to own. My library has a good selection of audio books so I don't think I'll miss Audible, plus I can always buy a book now and then without having to pay a monthly fee. 

Currently reading: 

Queen Isabella - I should have finished this but got bogged down when the author spent a chapter, plus large portions of other chapters on the idea that Edward II might have escaped and someone else was buried in his place. I went on a Google Expedition trying to find out what actual historians believe, and came away with no definitive answer. I should finish soon. Roger Mortimer has been executed and since Isabella's life was mostly a gilded cage after that there isn't much left other than the author's opining.

The Night Watchman - This went back to the library after I accidentally turned on my wifi once the loan was over. Fortunately when I went back on the wait list I was at the top of the list and it came back a week later.

Lady Chatterly's Lover - I started this for banned books week but it's slow going. A friend said it was slow at the start but is worth pushing through, so that's what I plan to do. 

I planned to start the Malcom X audio book but instead went for the final Thomas Cromwell book by Hilary Mantel - The Mirror and the Light. I re-listened to the first two early in the year in anticipation of the final book's release, and when it came out I bought it with an Audible credit but I never listened to it. It came out when we were all still learning about the pandemic and like a lot of people, my reading went downhill. What I did read was all fluff. 

I'm not into spooky reads and I probably read all the spooky books I would have chosen anyway. Once I finish Queen Isabella I plan to start Black and British: A Forgotten History in honor of British Black History Month (October).  I recently found out there's a tv series on this and it's on Britbox so I plan to watch it at some point. I just can't decide if I should read the book first or if it's okay to watch while I'm still reading.

 

Edited October 13, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[Kareni]

An author interview ~

Alix Harrow ’09 Makes Literary History

 

And some bookish posts ~

COZY MYSTERIES SET AT THE BEACH

https://crimereads.com/cozy-mysteries-set-at-the-beach/

A Love Letter to Libraries

https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2020/10/a-love-letter-to-libraries.html#comments

Five SFF Novels Featuring Disabled Characters Who Know Their Own Worth by Allison Alexander

https://www.tor.com/2020/09/29/five-sff-novels-featuring-disabled-characters-who-know-their-own-worth/

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

6 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

 

 

 

 

 

 but I wanted to go to the part in history when the dynasty changed it's name to Windsor from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha for I think it could explain current events.

 

There are a lot of Americans who think that happened due to WWII and the Nazis, but it was actually due to anti-German sentiment during WWI. With William having married a commoner and Harry marrying an American, they're becoming less German but previous generations of the British royal family are more German than British. Of course if you go back in history, they were also more French than British. Really, once William the Conqueror invaded, the royals of Britain were no longer purely British. Of course there was intermarriage. The U.S. is often called a melting pot, but Europeans had that idea down long before they invaded the Americas. They just didn't admit to it. 🙂

I find history so fascinating and often more exciting and dramatic than anything a fiction author can come up with.

[Lady Florida.]

Just now, Dreamergal said:

The Crown Season 4 trailer. Out Nov 15. This was the season should be very interesting,  the Diana years and Margaret Thatcher.

For those who care about things like costume, the wedding dress designers of Princess Diana gave the original patterns to the designers to make the dress for the Crown.

OMG! I can't wat!!!

[Kareni]

My book group will be meeting in a few days to discuss The Nickel Boys: A Novel by Colson Whitehead. It was a sad read which likely means that the author did a good job writing it. (I think my book group needs to start reading some uplifting books rather than tales of war and misery month after month.) Nonetheless, I look forward to our Zoom meeting.

"In this Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling follow-up to The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.
 
When Elwood Curtis, a black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee, is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, he finds himself trapped in a grotesque chamber of horrors. Elwood’s only salvation is his friendship with fellow “delinquent” Turner, which deepens despite Turner’s conviction that Elwood is hopelessly naive, that the world is crooked, and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble. As life at the Academy becomes ever more perilous, the tension between Elwood’s ideals and Turner’s skepticism leads to a decision whose repercussions will echo down the decades.
 
Based on the real story of a reform school that operated for 111 years and warped the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative that showcases a great American novelist writing at the height of his powers and “should further cement Whitehead as one of his generation's best" (Entertainment Weekly)."

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

@Lady Florida. Congratulations on 52 books!

[Negin]

These two Kindle books are on sale. 

   

[Penguin]

Ooh, I really need to start watching The Crown, now that I see that Helena Bonham Carter is in it. I love her work.

[Lady Florida.]

54 minutes ago, Penguin said:

Ooh, I really need to start watching The Crown, now that I see that Helena Bonham Carter is in it. I love her work.

She plays wild child Princess Margaret. Well, the older Margaret. I forget who played her early on.

[Kareni]

Currently free for Kindle readers ~

Of Moths and Butterflies: Book one in the Metamorphoses series by V.R. Christensen

Fifteen Postcards: A time travel mystery (The Old Curiosity Shop Book 1) by Kirsten McKenzie

The Song of the Ash Tree: The Complete Saga

@mumto2, 

Courting Carrie in Wonderland by Carla Kelly 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

16 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Helena Bonham Carter is a fave and a scene stealer usually, but as Princess Margaret in the Crown among the two actresses who played her, I loved the younger version played by Vanessa Kirby more She had such a good story line too and the conflict between the heir and spare is shown in stark contrast. Most everyone seems obsequious to the young queen in front of her but Margaret is the one that does not show that especially during the time of the Peter Townsend affair. I do not want to add any spoilers, but there is this one phone call scene where Vanessa particularly shines and it is the time where operators can listen in. Claire Foy is in fact better of the two actresses playing the Queen too in my opinion because of the story line.

In fact, season 3 was a filler and set up for the Diana years I feel. The actors talents in that were not used as I expected. 

I really liked Claire Foy as the young queen and I agree that the story line was much better just before she became queen and early in her reign.

[Guest]

On 10/13/2020 at 1:54 PM, Lady Florida. said:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - audio book. I listen to or read this series repeatedly as my comfort series and I always go in order. The next time I need a comfort read then, it will be Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Me, too. Right now, I’m watching some of my HP movies with the language on French but English subtitles in an attempt to improve my listening comprehension of French. Not all of my HP movies have this option, though; some have only Spanish as an alternate to English spoken. It seems to me the DVDs that have a French option are the two-disc set type. The simple DVDs don’t have the option. 

Jim Dale is my favorite narrator of audiobooks. 

[Kareni]

I'm so pleased that you enjoyed Spoiler Alert, @Dreamergal. The author, Olivia Dade, has written several other books. You can see a list here.

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Robin M]

I'm sticking with what I consider fluffy reads for the time being. I'm continuing to play in Fiona Quinn's World of Iniquus paranormal action adventure romance series and currently on book 3 in her Lynx series. One picks up where the other leaves off so glad I'm finding this series now when all the books are out.  

 

On 10/11/2020 at 4:13 PM, Æthelflæd said:

Like Mothersweets I haven't finished anything new either but wanted to say Hi!!! 👋

I was enjoying the first book, Dissolution, that Mum recommended me, but then 2020 hit and I went ADD again and couldn't keep focused and didn't want to miss things, so used the trick y'all suggested earlier in the summer and went back to a loved previous read. So I'm back in the Pillars of the Earth. 😂 I think I might just stay here until after November. 

I watched and really enjoyed Ratched on Netflix (which took away from reading time too). It almost had me want to reread Cuckoo's Nest, as it's been ages since I've read it or watched it, but then I decided that might take me out of my happy place. Ratched just has a whole different feel than Cuckoo's nest- book and movie. 

On a non-book topic, @Robin M- how's the Hemi doing? 🙂

Waving hi!  We're enjoying the heck out of it, but haven't had much opportunity to really go all out. She's sleek and fast  and have to watch it because by the time I hit the highway to merge, most of the time already going 80.   And since the police use Dodge Chargers and Challengers around these parts for highway patrol,  folks just seem to slow down and glide out of my way at night.   Hee Hee!

Edited October 15, 2020 by Robin M

[mumto2]

@Pen I just finished a great dog book which you may or may not😉 have recommended to me.  Kindle and goodreads have both recommended many times while I have been waiting for my hold!   A Borrowing of Bones features a former female Marine and her inherited military sniffer dog.  The characters are both damaged and trying to figure out how to go forward when they find an abandoned crying baby and a human femur bone on a wilderness walk......I can’t wait to continue the story!  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37638044-a-borrowing-of-bones
 

My fluffy spooky cozy theme has been going really well.  I found two series so far that I fully expect to continue reading.

The Ghost and Mrs. McClure https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156510.The_Ghost_and_Mrs_McClure was great as an audio book.  Sort of a remake of my favorite movie ghost except in this one there is a Mickey Spillane type private detective haunting the bookshop where he died in the 40’s.  My library has the series on audio so definitely finishing this series. @aggieamy may have recommended these to me as I had them marked to read.

Pumpkins is Paradise https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31130648-pumpkins-in-paradise is a typical fluffy mystery filled with likable characters.  Nothing special except I liked the whole package quite a bit and already have the next one checked out.  It’s an audiobook so huge bonus points as I seem to be quilting quite a bit again.

[marbel]

Hello all, I think it's been a couple weeks since I posted but I now I feel caught up.

I recently finished Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman and All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries).  The first was... fine. Kind of fun. Really enjoyed the second and have the next in the series on hold (there is a long queue so it will be a while).

Has anyone read Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak (author of The Book Thief)? A friend suggested it for a tiny book group I'm in (3 women including me) and I'm struggling with the writing style. Frankly it surprises me that this particular woman loved this book!  I've not even made it to 10% complete and I am baffled by the story line.  We are meeting to talk about it on Monday!  

I'm also slowly reading The Hive: The Story of the Honeybee and Us by Bee Wilson. She's a food writer; I enjoy her columns in the Wall Street Journal. It's a fun and engaging book. There was a time in my life I seriously considered keeping bees, and I still daydream about it sometimes though it's completely unlikely ever to happen. 

Talk of Rebecca - I had always loved that book, and have tried to get my daughter to read it, but she is not interested. I may watch the new movie but think first I will revisit the 1940 Joan Fontaine version.  Thanks for that trailer, I had no idea a new movie was coming out!

Now I have a dilemma. I love love love Tana French and her latest, The Searcher, just came out. I put it on hold at the library months ago but the queue is months long. However... during Amazon prime day, that was one of the "buy 3 pay for 2" books, and there were two other books we wanted as Christmas gifts, so... I own it. It is here right now. But I think I should save it for my husband to give me as a Christmas gift. But it's here, in my house, right now...

Thanks for the thread and all the book talk!  

 

[Junie]

My recent reading mostly consisted of more Puppy Patrol books to give to the youngest two.  We don't have any more new ones in the house right now, so hopefully I will get a break from elementary reading.  The books are good for what they are; I'm just ready for something less juvenile.

I did finish one of my own books -- a book of Japanese short stories.  I have not read much Asian literature, and this book was recommended by someone on the Hive.  The book is organized chronologically and I definitely enjoyed the more recent stories.  Now that I'm through the book, I want to research the authors of some of the stories that I enjoyed most.  I really know nothing about any of them.  One other thing that I noticed with these stories is that nearly every one of them (maybe all of them? I'll have to check) were written in first person.  So every time I started a new story I had to mentally start over and figure out who "I" was.  Overall, I don't think I really liked this book, but it did expand my horizons a bit and I did find a few stories that I enjoyed enough to read again.

 

[Junie]

And with that, I have reached Book 100 for the year!!

I wanted to set my goal for 52, but I knew that I would be reading a lot of children's books, so doubled by goal to 104 and then rounded down to 100.  I was not expecting a global pandemic, so I've been able to read a lot more than usual.

[Violet Crown]

Congratulations @Junie!!!! You are a reading machine! And you're making steady progress on your Bible reading, too, in two languages. May some of your self-discipline and determination rub off on me.

[Kareni]

3 hours ago, marbel said:

I have a dilemma. I love love love Tana French and her latest, The Searcher, just came out. I put it on hold at the library months ago but the queue is months long. However... during Amazon prime day, that was one of the "buy 3 pay for 2" books, and there were two other books we wanted as Christmas gifts, so... I own it. It is here right now. But I think I should save it for my husband to give me as a Christmas gift. But it's here, in my house, right now...

There's no reason not to re-read it when you receive it at Christmas....

Regards,

Kareni

[Junie]

1 hour ago, Violet Crown said:

Congratulations @Junie!!!! You are a reading machine! And you're making steady progress on your Bible reading, too, in two languages. May some of your self-discipline and determination rub off on me.

Yes, I'm actually almost finished this year's Bible reading, too.

OT (in English) -- all that's left is Zechariah and Malachi

NT (in Spanish) -- I still have First, Second, and Third John; Jude; and Revelation

[Junie]

1 hour ago, Violet Crown said:

Congratulations @Junie!!!! You are a reading machine! And you're making steady progress on your Bible reading, too, in two languages. May some of your self-discipline and determination rub off on me.

Well, I think we all learn from and encourage each other.  That's what I really like about this thread.  We can each help each other grow.

I know that you have encouraged me to take another look at some classic literature -- a lot of which I didn't even know existed.