Jump to content

Menu

Book a Week 2020 - BW42: October by Paul Laurence Dunbar


Robin M
 Share

Recommended Posts

Happy Sunday, my lovelies. Today is National Meatloaf Appreciation day so join me in making meatloaf for dinner. Do you like to bake traditional or jazz it up in different ways?  Do you like ketchup or glaze on the top? Do you use milk or cheese instead, like me?  Yes, I’m odd that way. Do you stuff or wrap it?  Or perhaps prefer turkey or chicken or vegan style instead.   Hmm! Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and marinated mushrooms. The trifecta. Now I’m starving.

 

October 

By 

Paul Laurence Dunbar 

 

October is the treasurer of the year,
And all the months pay bounty to her store;
The fields and orchards still their tribute bear,
And fill her brimming coffers more and more.
But she, with youthful lavishness,
Spends all her wealth in gaudy dress,
And decks herself in garments bold
Of scarlet, purple, red, and gold.
She heedeth not how swift the hours fly,
But smiles and sings her happy life along;
She only sees above a shining sky;
She only hears the breezes' voice in song.
Her garments trail the woodlands through,
And gather pearls of early dew
That sparkle, till the roguish Sun
Creeps up and steals them every one.
But what cares she that jewels should be lost,
When all of Nature's bounteous wealth is hers?
Though princely fortunes may have been their cost,
Not one regret her calm demeanor stirs.
Whole-hearted, happy, careless, free,
She lives her life out joyously,
Nor cares when Frost stalks o'er her way
And turns her auburn locks to gray.

 

Maybe I should have found an ode to meatloaf, instead of October. *grin*

 A History of Meatloaf, Long May It Reign or  Binding the Nation in Its Love of Meatloaf

 

  

Link to week 41

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.

Edited by Robin M
  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The lynx series is addictive. Continuing with Gulf Lynx:

"Almost a decade ago, Prescott, an ex-special forces operator, was boots on the ground in his new role with the FBI’s Critical Incidence Response Group, searching for his childhood friend Kaylie after she disappeared from her research camp in Nigeria without a trace.

Now, the NSA thinks they’ve identified Kaylie’s image in Syria. Prescott turns to Iniquus Puzzler, Lynx, to help him prove that the picture and the missing scientist are one and the same. If the NSA is right, this woman has days to live. The clock is ticking.

Lynx struggles to make progress finding Kaylie who may well be alive but is in a region where women are invisible behind their veils. Complicating the search, Lynx is fighting her own crisis. A psychic maelstrom thunders through her system. Her husband, Ranger Angel Sobado, killed by an IED two years ago, has gone to Hell and is begging Lynx to save him. Before she can marry Striker, Lynx needs her husband to rest in peace."

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Junie said:

I finally finished Les Miserables.  What a beautiful story.

I began reading this last November and just slowly, slowly worked my way through the story.  I already had an idea of where it was going, having seen the movie, so I didn't feel rushed to find.out.what.happens.  It was so, so enjoyable!

 

 

I love that book! I also love the musical but it leaves so much out that anyone who only sees the musical misses a lot. There's a PBS Masterpiece series that's very good and gives you more background than the musical. It's worth watching imo. 

https://www.pbs.org/show/les-miserables/

10 minutes ago, Robin M said:

Happy Sunday, my lovelies. Today is National Meatloaf Appreciation day so join me in making meatloaf for dinner. Do you like to bake traditional or jazz it up in different ways?  Do you like ketchup or glaze on the top? Do you use milk or cheese instead, like me?  Yes, I’m odd that way. Do you stuff or wrap it?  Or perhaps prefer turkey or chicken or vegan style instead.   Hmm! Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and marinated mushrooms. The trifecta. Now I’m starving.

 

 

I haven't made meatloaf in ages but I use my mother's "recipe" which is basically a loaf of her Italian meatballs. There's no actual recipe but I use the same ingredients as in our family's Italian meatballs. We've never done any kind of glaze or added things like shredded carrots or other hidden veggies, but I like it that way if I eat someone else's recipe. I just never felt a need to change the way I make it because we all like it. We add ketchup to our individual slices. 

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today only, free for Kindle readers ~

The Marvelous Land of Oz (The Oz Series Book 2) by L. Frank Baum

"New characters mix with old favorites in a dazzling adventure that continues the epic fantasy begun in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
 
Dorothy may have defeated the Wicked Witch of the West and returned home to Kansas, but all is not well for those who remain in the Land of Oz. In L. Frank Baum’s second Oz novel, readers are introduced to poor orphan boy Tip, who has been raised by nasty Wicked Witch Mombi. Finally escaping Mombi’s clutches after years of cruelty, Tip is joined by his enchanted companions, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Saw-Horse, on an adventure unlike anything they’ve ever experienced—and more dangerous than they could’ve imagined.
 
The Emerald City—once ruled by the kindly Scarecrow—has been taken over by the mean General Jinjur and her all-girl Army of Revolt. Fleeing the fallen city, Scarecrow and Tip’s band venture off to ask the Tin Woodman and Glinda the Good Witch for help. But they soon learn that the only one who can truly save the Emerald City is the last rightful heir to the throne of Oz: a princess who was hidden away long ago.
 
Now Tip and his loyal friends must find the lost princess before all of Oz is lost . . ."

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some bookish posts ~

17 CRIME FICTION SERIES THAT USE REAL HISTORICAL FIGURES AS SLEUTHS

https://crimereads.com/17-crime-fiction-series-that-use-real-historical-figures-as-sleuths/

EIGHT DAZZLING HISTORICAL THRILLERS FEATURING REAL LIFE JEWELS AND PAINTINGS

https://crimereads.com/eight-dazzling-historical-thrillers-featuring-real-life-jewels-and-paintings/

Epic Fantasy that Explores Prehistory Through the Eyes of a Woman

https://www.tor.com/2018/02/09/prehistoric-fantasy-ranger-women/

Jo Walton’s Reading List: September 2020

https://www.tor.com/2020/10/08/jo-waltons-reading-list-september-2020/#comment-887120

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/16/2020 at 3:20 PM, Little Green Leaves said:

Congratulations @Junieand @Lady Florida.! This thread is very inspiring and has gotten me to read more than I had in a long time. I'm really enjoying it. Thanks to all of you.

I had a busy start to my week, with a little too much work and not enough time to read. I just came here to say that I started North and South and it's wonderful. Especially after my struggles with Balzac, this novel feels so cozy and warm. So much emotion, so much inner life, and so many likable characters. It's the story of a pastor's daughter whose family is uprooted from their home in the south of England after the father has a crisis of faith; they relocate to the industrial North. So it's a social novel as well as (I think) a romance.

Even the footnotes are fun to read and I find myself learning a lot from them. I really recommend this book.

[Re-posting since I managed to post right before last week's thread closed.]

If you like the Victorian "crisis of faith" novels, you should* add to your reading list Mrs Humphry Ward's Robert Elsmere (Anglicanism to Unitarianism), John Henry Newman's Loss and Gain (Anglicanism to Catholicism), J. A. Froude's The Nemesis of Faith (Anglicanism to atheism), and Charlotte Yonge's The Daisy Chain (Anglicanism to better Anglicanism). I haven't read the last two but will when I can find them. As novels qua novels, the Gaskell and the Ward are probably the best of the lot (though Ward and Froude wrote in reaction to Newman, one doesn't have to read Newman first).

*In, of course, your copious free time. 😉

  • Like 4
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Meatloaf is not on tonight’s menu.  Hubby is not a fan of meatloaf which I understand because his mother’s was not good at all.  My mil was known for giving us food poisoning........she cooked on Saturday for the entire next week.  All day Saturday and every dish for the week sat on the counter cooling until all was done before she refrigerated things.   Hubby whispering in my ear not to eat anything she made and to keep the kids away was part of every visit there....... Anyway I haven’t made it in years but my mom’s was pretty basic with both a bit of milk beaten with the eggs and some ketchup inside. No glaze.  I like it with gravy.  My husband has fond memories of MY mother’s cooking.😂

Books......I finally caught up on my China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert and am trying to get my 2020 bookchain completed before year end.  So 20 books all interconnected by Titles and authors names.  A Plain Vanilla Murder and Queen Anne’s Lace bring my total to 15 so I need to get moving!  I enjoyed both........After moving to England I was surprised that Queen Anne’s Lace was a common weed there too as my horticultual landscape tended to be slightly different regarding many plants.  The Queens Anne’s Lace book explained why........parts of the plant has contraceptive properties so women carried the seeds and spread the plant as they migrated in order to always have access.  Fascinating historical tidbit.  The book also had a ghost (unexpected) so I added it to my Spooky List while counting the ghost as my artist for Bingo!😂  The ghost owned her own lace business in post civil war Texas.  I love bobbin lace........Dd used to take lessons and is quite good at it.  I also learned there is a rare breed of black chicken that even has a black heart.........I love it when my cozy mysteries have interesting extras added in!
 

My next book in the bookchain will be Witch Way to Murder which was already in my spooky stack.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/229132.Witch_Way_to_Murder    After that I have a couple words to play with.  Susanna Clark’s Piranesi has joined the stack.  I peeked, the first couple of pages are interesting.😉https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50202953-piranesi?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=owg23hpvrm&rank=2

 

Last week I listened to Christie’s Appointment with Death and have placed the books needed to complete this year’s 10 Christie’s in order personal challenge on hold.  @Violet Crowninspired me to try to try finish some of the planned challenges and kick a couple to the side.  So my reading will hopefully become a bit more intentional!  I remembered Appointment with Death but enjoyed listening.

Currently listening to a space opera called Fortuna https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43879093-fortuna.  No idea how I will feel about the book at the end as I really dislike one of the main characters.  As something to listen to while I sew it’s fine.  I started listening because I saw a blurb about the soon to be released second in the series and was intrigued.

 

 

 

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

[Re-posting since I managed to post right before last week's thread closed.]

If you like the Victorian "crisis of faith" novels, you should* add to your reading list Mrs Humphry Ward's Robert Elsmere (Anglicanism to Unitarianism), John Henry Newman's Loss and Gain (Anglicanism to Catholicism), J. A. Froude's The Nemesis of Faith (Anglicanism to atheism), and Charlotte Yonge's The Daisy Chain (Anglicanism to better Anglicanism). I haven't read the last two but will when I can find them. As novels qua novels, the Gaskell and the Ward are probably the best of the lot (though Ward and Froude wrote in reaction to Newman, one doesn't have to read Newman first).

*In, of course, your copious free time. 😉

Thank you! I look forward to exploring these. I didn't know any of these names -- well Charlotte Yonge, but I only knew her as a children's author. I've been reading her Little Duke to my kids.

I couldn't stop reading North and South and finally finished it very very late last night. What a joy of a book. I won't say it's perfect and there's plenty of fantasia there, but it's so rich and full. There were even some interesting bits and pieces about education, including a brief discussion of the merits of home schooling vs sending kids to the village school. (The downside of homeschooling, at least in the little southern village, is that kids end up believing in some disturbing superstition; the downside of the village school is the smarmy, unimaginative vicar's wife.) In all, a lovely book.

Next week...I've ordered a few books and am waiting to see what arrives first.

 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, I knew I'd not updated in a while due to little to report, but it's been longer than I thought!  I'd been doing well and starting to subtract how many books 'behind' GR kept telling me I was, and then I wasn't finishing anything again... so, I think this brings us back to my last update, but this is everything I've finished from Sept. 19-now.  🙄

69. The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai - Another generational family saga, this time about Vietnam.  It is told in alternating chapters by a teenage girl (about the present in the book, which is during the Vietnam war through shortly thereafter) and her grandmother (telling her granddaughter her own story from childhood on).  This story is set in North Vietnam, and tells the story of those times mostly from the perspective of people who weren't involved in the fighting but just trying to stay alive, but we also get the perspectives of the teen's uncles and mother (a doctor) who come back with various levels of PTSD.  The blurb compares it to Pachinko and Homegoing, but I liked it quite a bit better than either of those books.  4 stars.

70. El cielo llora por mí / The Heavens Weep for Me by Sergio Ramírez (audio) - Hardboiled Nicaraguan detective Dolores Morales and Lord Dixon try to solve the mystery of an abandoned yacht that has been abandoned, where it looks like someone was murdered (no body) and is likely wrapped up narcotrafficking.  I was thinking Dolores was a woman, because that's normally a woman's name in Spanish too, but no, a dude, who is never called Dolores once in the novel - he goes by his nickname from his days in the Sandinistas, Artemio.  So why give him that name other than to confuse me, lol.  My two favorite characters were Doña Sofía and Morales' married lover, Fanny.  Doña Sofía did much more to solve this than either of the male leads.  3 stars.

71. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - A reread, supposed to be one of 10 I was aiming for and will fall far short!  Hadn't read this since high school, and surprised how much I remembered.  What stuck with me the most from this book was how obsessed the governess is with the absolute and utter moral failing and depravity of anyone who ventures out of doors without a hat. Like, describe the woman you saw: "she was utterly terrifying and evil, and what is worse, she wasn't wearing a hat!"  Which is why I can't watch the P&P with Kiera Knightley, as she's constantly brazenly out of doors without a hat, which makes me want to scream 'you wanton floozy' at her. LOL.  3.5 stars.

72. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhouse - Climate change has flooded most of North America, the Sixth World (according to Navajo tradition) has now arrived and the Navajo gods and supernatural clan powers are back and have helped build a protective wall around the Dinétah (Navajo lands).  Maggie was apprenticed to the immortal Monsterslayer, who has now abandoned her.  Coyote (the Coyote) comes into the story and, as he is wont to do, stirs up trouble.  Monsters abound, and Maggie and her new partner Kai need to find the witch that's making them.  For SciFi book group. 3.5 stars.

73. White Fragility by Robyn DiAngelo - read this for a book club.  It made a lot of good points, but all ones I've heard before and read about in much more depth, so mostly nodded along.  A good book for its intended purpose, a 101 course for white people who have never really though about racism, no less where they fit in to the whole thing and to start them down that road.  3 stars.

74. The Bear by Andrew Krivak (ebook) - sometime in the future, the last two humans, a father and daughter, live their lives.  No explanation is given for the disappearance of the rest of humanity, and the world in the meantime has rewilded.  The two are pretty much back to hunting/gathering, using a bow and arrow to hunt.  Some relics of civilization remain - they have some old books, the daughter does learn to read, and some metal tools.  It's a peaceful book; a lot about their connection with and dependence on nature (and how it sustains them), and the world continues on just fine without humanity.  4 stars.

Still plugging along in The Magic Mountain - still enjoying it, but I don't seem to be able to get through more than about 10-15 pages a day (and it's got 650+ total, so it's going to take me a while...).  It's also dense, with small type and little white space on very old yellowed pages.  And loooong sentences.  Getting to the end of rereading Frankenstein this time via audio; I am liking it a bit better this way, but not a huge ton better.  Rebecca is my next audio.  I also started one more spooky, Kwaidan, Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn, which are collected Japanese Buddhist ghost stories, and I'm finding entertaining.  Haven't read any Buddhist ghost stories since my college Chinese Lit class. Thanks to @Kareni for brining this to my attention - it was one of the Free Kindle books she often posts about - I don't have a Kindle but it interested me enough to see if I could find it elsewhere, and yay, also free at Gutenberg Press!

This makes me realize that all of the books I'm currently reading were written before 1925!  Plus I just finished Henry James.  Do I get a Violet Crown award? 🤓

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

Wow, I knew I'd not updated in a while due to little to report, but it's been longer than I thought!  I'd been doing well and starting to subtract how many books 'behind' GR kept telling me I was, and then I wasn't finishing anything again... so, I think this brings us back to my last update, but this is everything I've finished from Sept. 19-now.  🙄

69. The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai - Another generational family saga, this time about Vietnam.  It is told in alternating chapters by a teenage girl (about the present in the book, which is during the Vietnam war through shortly thereafter) and her grandmother (telling her granddaughter her own story from childhood on).  This story is set in North Vietnam, and tells the story of those times mostly from the perspective of people who weren't involved in the fighting but just trying to stay alive, but we also get the perspectives of the teen's uncles and mother (a doctor) who come back with various levels of PTSD.  The blurb compares it to Pachinko and Homegoing, but I liked it quite a bit better than either of those books.  4 stars.

70. El cielo llora por mí / The Heavens Weep for Me by Sergio Ramírez (audio) - Hardboiled Nicaraguan detective Dolores Morales and Lord Dixon try to solve the mystery of an abandoned yacht that has been abandoned, where it looks like someone was murdered (no body) and is likely wrapped up narcotrafficking.  I was thinking Dolores was a woman, because that's normally a woman's name in Spanish too, but no, a dude, who is never called Dolores once in the novel - he goes by his nickname from his days in the Sandinistas, Artemio.  So why give him that name other than to confuse me, lol.  My two favorite characters were Doña Sofía and Morales' married lover, Fanny.  Doña Sofía did much more to solve this than either of the male leads.  3 stars.

71. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - A reread, supposed to be one of 10 I was aiming for and will fall far short!  Hadn't read this since high school, and surprised how much I remembered.  What stuck with me the most from this book was how obsessed the governess is with the absolute and utter moral failing and depravity of anyone who ventures out of doors without a hat. Like, describe the woman you saw: "she was utterly terrifying and evil, and what is worse, she wasn't wearing a hat!"  Which is why I can't watch the P&P with Kiera Knightley, as she's constantly brazenly out of doors without a hat, which makes me want to scream 'you wanton floozy' at her. LOL.  3.5 stars.

72. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhouse - Climate change has flooded most of North America, the Sixth World (according to Navajo tradition) has now arrived and the Navajo gods and supernatural clan powers are back and have helped build a protective wall around the Dinétah (Navajo lands).  Maggie was apprenticed to the immortal Monsterslayer, who has now abandoned her.  Coyote (the Coyote) comes into the story and, as he is wont to do, stirs up trouble.  Monsters abound, and Maggie and her new partner Kai need to find the witch that's making them.  For SciFi book group. 3.5 stars.

73. White Fragility by Robyn DiAngelo - read this for a book club.  It made a lot of good points, but all ones I've heard before and read about in much more depth, so mostly nodded along.  A good book for its intended purpose, a 101 course for white people who have never really though about racism, no less where they fit in to the whole thing and to start them down that road.  3 stars.

74. The Bear by Andrew Krivak (ebook) - sometime in the future, the last two humans, a father and daughter, live their lives.  No explanation is given for the disappearance of the rest of humanity, and the world in the meantime has rewilded.  The two are pretty much back to hunting/gathering, using a bow and arrow to hunt.  Some relics of civilization remain - they have some old books, the daughter does learn to read, and some metal tools.  It's a peaceful book; a lot about their connection with and dependence on nature (and how it sustains them), and the world continues on just fine without humanity.  4 stars.

Still plugging along in The Magic Mountain - still enjoying it, but I don't seem to be able to get through more than about 10-15 pages a day (and it's got 650+ total, so it's going to take me a while...).  It's also dense, with small type and little white space on very old yellowed pages.  And loooong sentences.  Getting to the end of rereading Frankenstein this time via audio; I am liking it a bit better this way, but not a huge ton better.  Rebecca is my next audio.  I also started one more spooky, Kwaidan, Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn, which are collected Japanese Buddhist ghost stories, and I'm finding entertaining.  Haven't read any Buddhist ghost stories since my college Chinese Lit class. Thanks to @Kareni for brining this to my attention - it was one of the Free Kindle books she often posts about - I don't have a Kindle but it interested me enough to see if I could find it elsewhere, and yay, also free at Gutenberg Press!

This makes me realize that all of the books I'm currently reading were written before 1925!  Plus I just finished Henry James.  Do I get a Violet Crown award? 🤓

I was just thinking about Magic Mountain! I never finished it but the part I read really stuck with me. At least, if I'm thinking of the right book...I remember a lot of analysis of Beethoven and how it works on our emotions? That's on my long- term list.

  • Like 4
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Little Green Leaves said:

I was just thinking about Magic Mountain! I never finished it but the part I read really stuck with me. At least, if I'm thinking of the right book...I remember a lot of analysis of Beethoven and how it works on our emotions? That's on my long- term list.

I haven't gotten to any Beethoven yet, but I could see it coming up!  A young man goes to visit his cousin at a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients in the Alps for 3 weeks, and apparently then stays for 7 years (I'm assuming he has it too?  At about 130 pages in, I'm still in the 3-week visit part, but the longer stay is mentioned on the first page, and there is lots of foreshadowing of his heart racing, going hot and cold, not being able to catch his breath... but as of yet no one seems to have noticed and he's blaming it on adjusting to the higher altitude...)  But also lots of long philosophical ruminations...

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

I haven't gotten to any Beethoven yet, but I could see it coming up!  A young man goes to visit his cousin at a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients in the Alps for 3 weeks, and apparently then stays for 7 years (I'm assuming he has it too?  At about 130 pages in, I'm still in the 3-week visit part, but the longer stay is mentioned on the first page, and there is lots of foreshadowing of his heart racing, going hot and cold, not being able to catch his breath... but as of yet no one seems to have noticed and he's blaming it on adjusting to the higher altitude...)  But also lots of long philosophical ruminations...

That's the one! I dont remember when exactly Beethoven came in but it did. One day I'll go back and finish it. One day...

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, Spudater said:

That was a lovely poem, Robin. I read it to my girls.

Dreamergal, your review of George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm was so interesting that in a fit of optimism I put a hold on it. (I struggle with finding time to read and with using what time I do manage to get well...but it would be so much better for me to read books instead of the news!  I guess we will see if I manage to last on this thread. 😉). 

I am reading The Odyssey with my 14yo and A Little Princess with my 12yo. I don't remember if I've ever read A Little Princess before, but I'm enjoying it very much. Her thoughts on suffering are deep, but the characters are still well done and Ermengarde is so dear and funny. I just started re-reading The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge, one of my favorites.  Do you get a pass on not finishing a book a week if you're reading three at once?  I know I won't be able to keep up, but is it enough to tag along?

Welcome to the group!  You are welcome here no matter how many books you finish!  The purpose of this thread is to share our enjoyment of books no matter how many we finish.  
 

@DreamergalExcerpts from Battle of Brothers were serialized in the Daily Mail a couple of weeks ago..........I suspect I have already read the best bits!😉

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always put hard boiled eggs inside the meatloaf. When ds was little he was ever so surprised at my magic.

Currently reading The Secret Servant which will be followed by The Defector - both by Silva.

Almost done listening to Murder in Little Italy and now have to cast about on Overdrive to find something for the work week since I listen on my commute.

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some family news ~

Below you'll find a link of my daughter making some happy music. She has been playing samulnori, Korean traditional percussion, since shortly after arriving in Korea in 2013.

She's sitting front and center in the introduction. During the performance, she's sitting slightly right of center playing the kkwaenggwari, a small, handheld gong. The other instruments are the Jing, a larger gong; Janggu, an hourglass-shaped drum; and Buk, a barrel drum.


She and the expat samulnori team are competing in a virtual competition in which number of viewers determines the winners. So, please watch this three minute video and share the video with others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGqP6KC22gk

Regards,
Kareni
  • Like 4
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I moved to my current location some eighteen years ago; one group of people I was sorry to leave was my book group which was then eight years old. The group has been going strong now for some twenty six years! Since they are currently meeting on Zoom, I've been invited to join this month's meeting which makes me happy.

We meet tomorrow to discuss Little Fires Everywhere: A Novel by Celeste Ng. It was an interesting read which presented some thought provoking scenarios; I suspect the conversation will be lively.

"In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned—from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren—an enigmatic artist and single mother—who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town—and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides.  Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs."

**

I also recently read the Australian set contemporary mystery romance Tallowwood by N.R. Walker which I quite enjoyed. (Adult content)

"Cold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth.

Sydney Detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone—and that’s exactly how he likes it. His work is his entire life, and he’s convinced a string of unsolved cold-case suicides are linked to what could be Australia’s worst ever serial killer. Problem is, no one believes him. Senior Constable Jacob Porter loves his life in the small town of Tallowwood in the middle of the rainforests in northern New South Wales. He runs summer camps for the local Indigenous kids, plays rugby with his mates, has a close family, and he’s the local LGBTQIA+ Liaison and the Indigenous Liaison Officer.  When human remains are found in the camping grounds at Tallowwood Reserve, Jake’s new case turns out to be linked to August’s cold cases, and Jake agrees they’re not suicides at all. With Jacob now firmly in August’s corner, they face one hurdle after another. Even when more remains are found, they can’t seem to gain ground. But when the body of a fellow police officer turns up under the same MO, it can’t be ignored anymore. August and Jake must trace the untraceable before the killer takes his next victim or before he stops one of them, permanently."

**

And I enjoyed yet another reread of Linesman (A Linesman Novel Book 1) by SK Dunstall.

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some bookish posts ~

THE WESTING GAME MAY BE A MURDER MYSTERY—BUT IT’S ALSO A GHOST STORY.

https://crimereads.com/the-westing-game-may-be-a-murder-mystery-but-its-also-a-ghost-story/

Andre Norton Gives Romantic Suspense a Whirl in Snow Shadow

https://www.tor.com/2020/10/13/andre-norton-gives-romantic-suspense-a-whirl-in-snow-shadow/

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, Kareni said:

I moved to my current location some eighteen years ago; one group of people I was sorry to leave was my book group which was then eight years old. The group has been going strong now for some twenty six years! Since they are currently meeting on Zoom, I've been invited to join this month's meeting which makes me happy.

I think situations like your zooming into your previous  book club is one of the blessings of the past few months.  Our whole family gathers weekly for a bible study with members from our first church in England.......which we left because of distance.  On of the group is zooming in from Spain.  It’s comforting to spend time with our old friends.  Plus the minister is great!😉
 

I finished Witch Way to Murder which I mentioned above.......3 stars.  There are more in the series, no rush to read.  I also finished Mary Jo Putney’s Once Dishonored and loved it as it revisited a minor character that I have a soft spot for in a previous book of hers.  
 

Finally Fortuna https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43879093-fortuna. My opinion has wavered all over the place while reading this one......parts are a bit of an Expanse copycat.  This doesn’t mean if you like the Expanse you will like Fortuna,  more of some situations are really close.  I am 20 minutes from the end and at this moment looking forward to the release of the second book.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

I think situations like your zooming into your previous  book club is one of the blessings of the past few months.  Our whole family gathers weekly for a bible study with members from our first church in England.......which we left because of distance.  On of the group is zooming in from Spain.  It’s comforting to spend time with our old friends.  Plus the minister is great!😉

When our congregation was able again to meet in person, we discovered that our numbers had nearly doubled. People who had been interested in attending but had been uncertain about it, had felt free to "attend" internet services in our Rite, and made the jump to showing up in person when the churches in town reopened. 

Haven't yet finished any proper books this week, but I finished another one of the 60-page history booklets I'm reading with Middle Girl: A. Hunter Dupree, "Science and the Emergence of Modern America, 1865-1916." It's just as exciting as it sounds. I'm not counting it toward my book-a-week total, but I wanted to put it on the record. 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

When our congregation was able again to meet in person, we discovered that our numbers had nearly doubled. People who had been interested in attending but had been uncertain about it, had felt free to "attend" internet services in our Rite, and made the jump to showing up in person when the churches in town reopened. 

That’s great!  The church we are zooming with has actually lost it’s long term rental of a parish hall during Covid because it failed an inspection and the diocese is closing rather than repairing it.  They have been allowed to meet with lots of restrictions on Sunday mornings in a local park.  They seem to have picked up some potential members among the dog walkers who are listening from nearby benches......of course they can’t introduce themselves.  But are making the online presence known! 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

Our whole family gathers weekly for a bible study with members from our first church in England.......which we left because of distance.  On of the group is zooming in from Spain.  It’s comforting to spend time with our old friends.  Plus the minister is great!😉

That does sound wonderful, mumto2. It's definitely a silver lining in a challenging time.

49 minutes ago, Violet Crown said:

When our congregation was able again to meet in person, we discovered that our numbers had nearly doubled. People who had been interested in attending but had been uncertain about it, had felt free to "attend" internet services in our Rite, and made the jump to showing up in person when the churches in town reopened. 

That's a significant jump in attendance, Violet Crown! I can well imagine that people are hungry for fellowship.

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Free for Kindle readers ~

I liked this historical romance. For those unfamiliar with the author, she is LDS and her books are not explicit. @mumto2 likes her books, too.

Doing No Harm by Carla Kelly

The following books I have not read:

Enchanted by the Mysterious Marquess: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance by Fanny Finch (KU)

All A Woman Wants (Regency Love and Laughter Book 4) by Patricia Rice

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Free book offer from Tor.com ~

P. Djèlí Clark returns to the historical fantasy universe of “A Dead Djinn in Cairo”, with the otherworldly adventure novella The Haunting of Tram Car 015.

Already signed up? Click here

 

Finalist for the 2020 Hugo Award

Finalist for the 2020 Nebula Award

Finalist for the 2020 Locus Award

 

Cairo, 1912: The case started as a simple one for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities — handling a possessed tram car.

Soon, however, Agent Hamed Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi Youssef are exposed to a new side of Cairo stirring with suffragettes, secret societies, and sentient automatons in a race against time to protect the city from an encroaching danger that crosses the line between the magical and the mundane.


Download before 11:59 PM ET, October 23rd, 2020.

 

If you already receive the Tor.com newsletter, you still need to sign up for this program to get your free eBook.

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

. I have started the book about the infamous brothers. Wow is all I will say !  I am ploughing through it. Reads better than fiction I will say that.

Enjoy!  I suspect there is quite a bit of fiction thrown in to connect the facts.   One thing mentioned in the excerpts I read regarding their large regular dinner parties while at St. Andrews I have confirmation on.  😂 Friends were attending at the same time and frequently spotted Kate and William buying huge amounts of groceries at Tesco(?).  Their table sat like 14 and they filled it with friends frequently.  I read that and was like that’s why they had overflowing carts all the time! 😂  From what I read Charles came off really poorly, same for the book?

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to @Kareni I am going to have to have a Carla Kelly readathon very soon!  She keeps finding wonderful titles for free.......and I keep downloading them and saving them for emergencies.  Since we aren’t traveling emergencies aren’t happening with internet fortunately!  Btw, I want to make it clear I love Kareni finding all these great freebies for me!

I started rereading an urban fantasy that I remember fondly from a few years ago which now is a series with 4 books......I need to read the rest and couldn’t really remember the first.  Libriomancer https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12844699-libriomancer is a fun read for Sci Fi fans because he has the ability to reach into his book and extract objects......ummmm weapons.  My list of classic and current Sci Fi to read is growing as I read this.  

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just remembered we're in the 4th quarter. Is anyone still reading Lord of the Rings Trilogy and moving on to Return of the King?  All my plans kind of fell by the wayside this year so sorry for having dropped the ball on this one.   I'm currently immersed in the Wheel of Time series with The Gathering Storm. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Robin M said:

I just remembered we're in the 4th quarter. Is anyone still reading Lord of the Rings Trilogy and moving on to Return of the King?  All my plans kind of fell by the wayside this year so sorry for having dropped the ball on this one.   I'm currently immersed in the Wheel of Time series with The Gathering Storm. 

I ended up listening to The Two Towers and enjoyed the production so will finish up by listening to the Return of the King.

@DreamergalThere wasn’t an intervention in the excepts I read........guessing the book is saying Di’s sister.  The one who worked for the Queen.  I think I heard that......I find the uncle improbable and a bad choice.  So am I right or wrong?  I am going to end up reading the book aren’t I? 😂

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started reading Catherine of Siena, a biography of Saint Catherine by Sigrid Undset. I bought this book by mistake. I'd meant to order Kristin Lavransdatter, by the same author, after @Penguinhad recommended it on a different thread. But here I am with Catherine.

This book appeals to me enormously but also leaves me feeling like I'm on strange territory. I am not religious and in fact I was raised by pretty committed atheists. I am not an atheist at all, but a book like this one still makes me feel how much of the world I dont know about. It's hard to explain! I'll read more 🙂

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Little Green Leaves said:

I started reading Catherine of Siena, a biography of Saint Catherine by Sigrid Undset. I bought this book by mistake. I'd meant to order Kristin Lavransdatter, by the same author, after @Penguinhad recommended it on a different thread. But here I am with Catherine.

This book appeals to me enormously but also leaves me feeling like I'm on strange territory. I am not religious and in fact I was raised by pretty committed atheists. I am not an atheist at all, but a book like this one still makes me feel how much of the world I dont know about. It's hard to explain! I'll read more 🙂

Well now I'm going to have to get a copy of it. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/21/2020 at 1:31 PM, Dreamergal said:

@Violet Crown So lovely that attendance in your congregation has nearly doubled. We too are church prodigals hoping to find a home and this pandemic has broadened our church "visits". Praying we find our church home too.

May you find fertile soil for flourishing! I do think the closures will prove to have accelerated the movement of people from, to, and within religious traditions. 

On 10/20/2020 at 9:25 PM, Kareni said:

That's a significant jump in attendance, Violet Crown! I can well imagine that people are hungry for fellowship.

I agree. Our pastor's first response was to add a second service time -- a development we'd been requesting and praying for before Corona! -- because the bishop required churches to limit congregants to every other pew in order to socially distance. But soon both services were overflowing, and people who came late had to be turned away. Services in our Rite were begun in a town to the south, and recently in another town to the north, in an attempt to absorb the numbers. And this is with some of our regulars (especially the elderly) not yet attending.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/21/2020 at 12:25 PM, mumto2 said:

Thanks to @Kareni I am going to have to have a Carla Kelly readathon very soon!  She keeps finding wonderful titles for free.......and I keep downloading them and saving them for emergencies.  

It may be time to schedule that Carla Kelly readathon as I've found one more!

FREE for Kindle readers ~

Marian's Christmas Wish by Carla Kelly

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Kareni said:

It may be time to schedule that Carla Kelly readathon as I've found one more!

FREE for Kindle readers ~

Marian's Christmas Wish by Carla Kelly

Regards,

Kareni

I counted last night.......this makes 11 free Carla Kelly’s in my Kindle library.  How awesome is that?  Thank you Kareni!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all! My older is in college and younger in public, so I havenn't been on the forums in ages, but was just told about this thread and would love to join in on occasion. I have not been reading as much as usual due to anxiety about the election, and this might encourage me. 

Right now, I am about to begin American Prison by Shane Bauer. He's a journalist who wrote a FANTASTIC article a few years ago for Mother Jones about his experience going undercover as a guard in one of the worst private prisons in America. I had hoped he would write a full length book about his experience, and he has, but until now I just havent had the inclination to read it. Will let you know how it goes!

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@HalcyonWelcome!  
 

@KareniThose freebies by CK are already in my stack!  
 

I just started A Few Right Thinking Men which is the first in the Rowland Sinclair cozy series and was sort of surprised when the housekeeper declared ghosts murdered her employer!😉  When I decided to read a couple of ghost/which cozies and consider my Spooky done this year I didn’t expect ghosts to keep appearing in unexpected books.........one appeared in my Chaina Bayles series too!   I have had A Few Right Thinking Men on hold since last spring and am hoping to use it for my 10 x10 Worldwide Dectective Category........it’s set in Australia.  I spent a couple of hours going through my reading challenges for 2020 and hope to finish a couple more by the end of the year.......I need to at least finish my 10 Agatha Christie’s in order!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36568063-a-few-right-thinking-men

 

eta........I just found this article about the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries.  https://www.betterreading.com.au/news/isolated-aristocrat-witty-detective-the-rowland-sinclair-mysteries-series-by-sulari-gentill/

Edited by mumto2
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Halcyon said:

Hi all! My older is in college and younger in public, so I havenn't been on the forums in ages, but was just told about this thread and would love to join in on occasion. I have not been reading as much as usual due to anxiety about the election, and this might encourage me. 

Right now, I am about to begin American Prison by Shane Bauer. He's a journalist who wrote a FANTASTIC article a few years ago for Mother Jones about his experience going undercover as a guard in one of the worst private prisons in America. I had hoped he would write a full length book about his experience, and he has, but until now I just havent had the inclination to read it. Will let you know how it goes!

 

Hi Halcyon!

My Guy is in public, but I’ve been hanging out here a lot.   Especially with CV19. 

Are you thinking of get your mind off things type books or put things in perspective books? 

 

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/23/2020 at 11:24 AM, Halcyon said:

Hi all! My older is in college and younger in public, so I havenn't been on the forums in ages, but was just told about this thread and would love to join in on occasion. I have not been reading as much as usual due to anxiety about the election, and this might encourage me. 

Right now, I am about to begin American Prison by Shane Bauer. He's a journalist who wrote a FANTASTIC article a few years ago for Mother Jones about his experience going undercover as a guard in one of the worst private prisons in America. I had hoped he would write a full length book about his experience, and he has, but until now I just havent had the inclination to read it. Will let you know how it goes!

Welcome and look forward to hearing about your reads! 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...