Book a Week 2021 - BW5: Fictional Librarian bookology - Aurora Teagarden

[Robin M]

Happy February, my lovelies. Continuing our year long celebration of librarians, this month's fictional librarian is Aurora Teagarden. Created by Charlaine Harris,  the cozy mystery series stars Aurora, a small-town librarian in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She is involved in the Real Murders society, a group of crime buffs who love to study and discuss historical murders. 

There are a variety of ways to complete this challenge with plenty of rabbit trails. Read a book with one or more of the following (but not limited to) and have fun exploring:

 ·         Spell out the first and/or last name of the character's name - one book per letter from the title on the cover

·         Spell out the first and/or last name of the author - one book per letter 

·         Read one or more books in the series.

·         Read any book written by the author

·         Follow in a character's footsteps and read a book set in the country or time period of the story.

·         Follow in the author's footsteps and read a book set in their place or time of birth.

·         Read a book with the first or last name of the character or author in the title.

The series was also adapted into a tv series for Hallmark with Candace Cameron Bure portraying Aurora Teagarden.  Charlaine Harris is best known for her Sookie Stackhouse series and has written other series including Lily Bard Shakespeare, Harper Connelly, Midnight Texas, and her latest Gunnie Rose. 

  

****************

Count of Monte Cristo readalong:

 

·         I Marseille - Arrival

·         II Father and Son 

·         III The Catalans

 

Things to think about while reading the story and the first three chapters: 

• The setting and context of French history and politics when the story begins. 
• How the setting plays a role in the story.
• How the narrator's description of events and imagery and references to literature, history, myth, politics, art, and religion provides foreshadowing and subtext. 

Have fun checking out rabbit trails along the way. 

 

**********************

 

Link to week four

 

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]

Good afternoon! We were up until 2 last night watching another spider man movie, this one animated - Spiderman into the Spider Verse which turned out to be pretty good. Then reading until really late.

It's amazing how much reading gets down when you go on a news diet and unplug from the internet. I decided at the beginning of the year to declare 2021 the year of Nora. After I organized and reorganized my shelves, bringing Nora and her alter ego J.D. Robb's books front and center, I began by rereading the Key trilogy, then dove into her Ireland Trilogies Gallaghers of Ardmore and Born in. What is it about Robert's books? Her writing, the unique characters,  the world building, and stories all work together to entertain and pull me in.  Every time I sit down to study her writing, to help improve my own, I get drawn in, and forget about the world at large. Every time I read one of her stories, I get something new out of it.  Which is what I hope to do with my story writing some day.  Make the reader forget about the world and dive into the story world.  Now I just need to remind myself to slow down and make note of the parts of the story that stand out and why. 

Amidst the rereads, I recently finished Amanda Quick's, (Aka Jayne Ann Krentz) Second Sight, #1 in her Arcane Society series which spans from the Victoria era to the future.  Second Sight is set in the Victoria Era and introduces us to Gabriel Jones and how the Arcane Society came about.  Venetia, a female photographer with arcane gifts of her own, is hired to take pictures of artifacts Gabriel and the society have collected over the years.  While at his home, enemies arrive and Gabriel sends Venetia away for her safety. Thinking he was killed in the attack, she passes herself off as Mrs. Jones to help her photography business, but little does she realize he's still alive and has now put herself in the cross hairs of his enemies.  Victorian era culture, psychic elements, and the two characters themselves create a delightful as well as suspenseful story of murder, mystery, and romance. 

I've set aside Sharon Kay Penman's When Christ and Her Saints Slept as well as Harry Potter to finish later in the year in order to concentrate on our 52 Books read of The Count of Monte Cristo.  I'm ready to jump in with both feet and get absorbed by the story.  I'm come to the conclusion that splitting my time on more than one physical and one ebook at a time is not altogether wise.  They deserve my undivided attention.  

I'm almost done with Real Murders with our fictional librarian of the month.  Something is lacking and I'm not enjoying it as much as I did Sookie.  I'm not connecting with any of the characters and there seems to be more telling, than showing.  

  

 

[Ali in OR]

I finished The Winter of the Witch this week which completes The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy (read The Girl in the Tower the week before). Loved it. Up next I have The Switch which I believe is lighter fiction and I'll also start Caste and try to read it over February.

[mumto2]

Thank you Robin!  I loved the Aurora Teagarden series which was probably my first exposure to Charlaine Harris and probably read the first book back in 1990 when it was released!  That said I never finished the reread if the series I had going on a few years ago so perhaps the series hasn’t aged particularly well.  🤷‍♀️  I plotted my spelling challenge for Aurora last night and need to post last month’s librarian spelling later.  I also need to find the Amanda Quick series you are reading.........

I am down to 3 hours left in Pillars of the Earth. Woot! Hopefully I will finish today. I have other audiobooks waiting for me and need to move on before any need to be returned unread. Next up is A Murder in Time about an FBI agent that finds herself fighting crime in Victorian England thanks to a mysterious staircase. This book has a wonderful cover that I can’t get to link. This is the first in a series that I am hopeful about. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25790952-a-murder-in-time?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=VcGFfecAdQ&rank=1

I am also almost done with The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes which I have been meaning to read for years. It’s light and enjoyable but not so great that I going to read the rest in the series right away. This may be a spoiler since I picked it up mainly to find out how she was the Dd..... the premise of the Doctors Watson (father and son) somewhat accidentedly teaming up with Sherlock’s love child who Sherlock had placed with a good family to be raised to solve crime.

 

 

 

 

[Kareni]

I enjoyed the Aurora Teagarden mysteries some years ago. I also liked the Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

This is a lengthy post with a huge number of worthy comments: SFF IN CONVERSATION: WOMEN WRITE SFF (ANDREA K HÖST’S KEEPER BOOKSHELF)

http://www.thebooksmugglers.com/2014/01/sff-in-conversation-women-write-sff-andrea-k-hosts-keeper-bookshelf.html

 

From the Word Wenches: What We're Reading in January

https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2021/01/what-were-reading-in-january.html#comment-6a00d8341c84c753ef026bdeb99292200c

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Junie]

I decided to give up on the abridged Count of Monte Cristo and bought the Penguin edition.  It's massive.  I'm going to try to keep up with the readalong.  

I've been reading through the Harry Potter books and am currently on Book 4. 

So I've got lots of thick books going on right now.  

[Kareni]

I just finished reading The Dutch House: A Novel by Ann Patchett which my book group will be discussing on Tuesday.

Had I not been reading this for the group, I'd have put it aside early on. However, by the halfway point, I was quite invested and overall I enjoyed it.

"At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested."

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

I finished Book # 10 in The Gaslight Mysteries series, Murder on Bank Street. This one wasn't as good as some of the others but it was necessary. It finally solves the murder of Tom Brandt, the husband of one of the main characters (he was murdered before the series begins). The solution was kind of odd and the mystery wasn't that great but another of the characters got her chance to shine, which was nice. I look forward to continuing the series but will hold off on the next one because I have too many other books to read at the moment. 

I'm so excited to start our read-along of The Count of Monte Cristo and have downloaded my Penguin Classics copy to my Kindle. I plan to start tonight.

I chose my February books from my TBR Jar - one fiction and one nonfiction. Next up will be Winter Counts and King Leopold's Ghost. I remember putting the first one on my list when I was looking for more Native American writers. Since I like crime fiction and this is one written by an NA author and set on a reservation I thought it would be what I'm looking for. It sounds like a crime thriller with a mystery. As for the second one, I started reading it about a year ago but got sidetracked. I do want to read it and just have to decide if I should start over or if I can pick up where I left off. I think I'll start where I left off and if it doesn't seem familiar enough I'll go back to the beginning. 

I'm kind of stuck on Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China because I'm so used to reading on my Kindle that when I have a physical book I forget to pick it up. I need to actually schedule some time to read it. If I put it on my calendar/to do list I know I'll take it off the shelf and read it. 

Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley - I'm really loving this one.

 

4 hours ago, Robin M said:

It's amazing how much reading gets down when you go on a news diet and unplug from the internet.

I noticed that too. I haven't completely unplugged but I've pulled back enough to notice a difference in the amount of reading I've been getting done. 

[mumto2]

5 hours ago, Robin M said:

Amidst the rereads, I recently finished Amanda Quick's, (Aka Jayne Ann Krentz) Second Sight, #1 in her Arcane Society series which spans from the Victoria era to the future.  Second Sight is set in the Victoria Era and introduces us to Gabriel Jones and how the Arcane Society came about.  Venetia, a female photographer with arcane gifts of her own, is hired to take pictures of artifacts Gabriel and the society have collected over the years.  While at his home, enemies arrive and Gabriel sends Venetia away for her safety. Thinking he was killed in the attack, she passes herself off as Mrs. Jones to help her photography business, but little does she realize he's still alive and has now put herself in the cross hairs of his enemies.  Victorian era culture, psychic elements, and the two characters themselves create a delightful as well as suspenseful story of murder, mystery, and romance. 

I just had a chance to do a library search for Second Sight which is now on hold.  I noticed that JayneAnn Krentz and Amanda Quick  pen names seem to switch back and forth when you look at the whole roughly ten book series.  I don’t think I have seen many pen name switches like that

[mumto2]

4 hours ago, Kareni said:

I enjoyed the Aurora Teagarden mysteries some years ago. I also liked the Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris.

Regards,

Kareni

I think I have read all of Charlaine Harris’s series and Harper Connelly is probably tied with Aurora in terms of favorite.

Just looked at GR......I didn’t like Gunnie Rose at all, abandoned it.  So I haven’t read them all!😂

[Arctic Bunny]

Just finished Real Murders (Book 1, Aurora Teagarden) by Charlaine Harris. I enjoyed a quick, easy read! I will keep the series in mind for the next time I need that.

On to Chapter 2 of CMC!

[Kareni]

Currently FREE books for Kindle readers ~

Caught Looking by Jody Holford

LGBT: Team Phison (also the sequel) by Chace Verity

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I recently finished a prequel novella  A Haunting at Midwinter (San Amaro Investigations #0.5) by Kai Butler which I enjoyed. I hope, at some point, to read on in the series.

**

I also read  Chuffed (Finnshifters Book 1) by Tia Fielding; this was a pleasant contemporary romance, but I'm not inclined to read on in the series. (Adult content)

"Mikael Jarvela may only be a half shifter, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be alpha of the eastern Finland farm-turned-sanctuary his father founded. Six wolves, a red fox, a black jaguar, and a lynx all think of him as the head of the family. But Mikael doesn’t have anyone to call his own until he comes across an injured Siberian tiger in the woods.

From the moment the newcomer recovers and Mikael and Maxim meet face to human face, the attraction between them is undeniable. They strike up a tentative relationship, but they’re both proud men, and their egos keep getting in the way.

Just when it looks like their romance is doomed, an outside threat to the farm family—to Mikael—forces Maxim to choose between the life of solitude he knows and the love and companionship that could be his if he stays."

Regards,

Kareni

[Mothersweets]

@Kareni I received the postcards today! They're so pretty - thank you!

[Kareni]

12 minutes ago, Mothersweets said:

@Kareni I received the postcards today! They're so pretty - thank you!

That was quick! You are quite welcome.

Kareni

[Robin M]

Once upon a time I wouldn't have noticed the writing style or the voice of the character and would have just enjoyed the cozy mystery, thinking the character was slightly weird or missing a few brain cells or just young for her age. I couldn't make up my mind whether I disliked Aurora or the writing which drove me crazy with all the telling vs showing. There were several times I almost quit reading because Aurora annoyed me, but liked the premise and didn't have a clue who committed the murder, so was pleasantly surprised. Written mostly in passive voice with many begin's, began's, was's, and seemed, had me rewriting the sentences in my head and throwing me out of the story.

However I have to cut Charlaine some slack since Real Murders is her debut novel written back in 1990 and she's since grown in style and substance. I read the Sookie Stackhouse series a few years ago, plus Midnight Crossroads more recently which were both excellent.

The funniest exchange which had me giggling.
 

Spoiler

 

“If you want him to notice you as a woman, just lust after him.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t mean lick your lips or pant. Keep conversation normal. Don’t do anything obvious. You have to keep it so you don’t lose anything if he decides he’s not interested.” Amina was interested in saving face.

“So what do I do?

“Just lust. Keep everything going like normal, but sort of concentrate on the area below your waist and above your knees, right? And send out waves. You can do it. It’s like the Kegel exercise. You can’t show anyone how to do it, but if you describe it to a woman, she can pick it up.”

 

And this was just out kinda out there. Chicken Pox?

 

Spoiler

"It was such a nice little morning I decided to go to church. I often did. I sometimes enjoyed it and felt better for going, but I felt no spiritual compulsion. I went because I hoped I’d “catch it,” like deliberately exposing myself to the chicken pox. Sometimes I even wore a hat and gloves, though that was bordering on parody and gloves were not so easy to find anymore. It wasn’t a hat-and-gloves day, today, too dark and rainy, and I wasn’t in a role-playing mood, anyway."

I guess I didn't get her humor. 

Loved the premise and the ending so it was worth the read. It may behoove Harris to give the series an editing upgrade at some point to freshen up the story for new readers as some authors have done with their backlists

Edited February 3, 2021 by Robin M

[Robin M]

On 1/31/2021 at 5:50 PM, mumto2 said:

I just had a chance to do a library search for Second Sight which is now on hold.  I noticed that JayneAnn Krentz and Amanda Quick  pen names seem to switch back and forth when you look at the whole roughly ten book series.  I don’t think I have seen many pen name switches like that

I know. She has a helpful chronology book list as well as books by series on her website as she writes under a variety of pen names which is explained as Krentz for her contemporary books, Quick for historical fiction, and Castle for futuristic paranormal. Also wrote harlequin romances as Stephanie James.  She has a huge backlist. 

[mumto2]

51 minutes ago, Robin M said:

I know. She has a helpful chronology book list as well as books by series on her website as she writes under a variety of pen names which is explained as Krentz for her contemporary books, Quick for historical fiction, and Castle for futuristic paranormal. Also wrote harlequin romances as Stephanie James.  She has a huge backlist. 

Stephanie James was a favorite way back when.  She also wrote romances as Jayne Castle for a different publisher.....

[Kareni]

17 hours ago, Robin M said:

She [Krentz] has a huge backlist. 

 

16 hours ago, mumto2 said:

Stephanie James was a favorite way back when.  She also wrote romances as Jayne Castle for a different publisher.....

And I still have some books she wrote as Amanda Glass.

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Last night I stayed up really late to finish Lost Boys https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50496863-the-lost-boys which is the latest In the Peter Decker/ Rina Lazaros series.  I definately have some minor quibbles with this book which left me with two cliff hangers.  Two!  Overall good. 😉 It was lovely to read a long running series where the characters have aged and changed in totally believable ways.  Their marriage is strong and they behave like people who have been together a very long time.  This is another favorite series where I am someplace in the middle of a reread.........I like the first books in the series the best as they are so interesting as they explain many Orthadox Jewish traditions.

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

A modern classic: Love by Elizabeth von Arnim

The House of Closed Doors by Jane Steen

House Without Lies (Lily's House Book 1) and Tell Me No Lies (Lily's House Book 2) by Rachel Branton

A Deadly Delivery: A Psychic Cafe Mystery by April Fernsby

Regards,

Kareni

[melmichigan]

I'm still lost in the In Death Series by J.D. Robb.  I'm currently listening to book 11.

I'll confess I haven't touched anything from Charlaine Harris since the last book of the Sookie Stackhouse series, so I'll probably pass on this months librarian.

 

[Kareni]

I just finished a book which I quite enjoyed; I'll recommend it to others who enjoy books with time travel or similar themes. I found it a quick read finishing it in one evening. It's a very new book and even mentions COVID-19 in passing. I also found it interesting that one of the cover blurbs was from Salman Rushdie.

Fifty in Reverse: A Novel by Bill Flanagan

"If you had the chance to live your life over again, knowing everything that you know now, would you take it? Would you still take it if it meant losing everything you had today? Would a second chance to correct every mistake and missed opportunity be worth giving up the world you know and the life you have built? In Fifty in Reverse, fifteen-year-old Peter Wyatt does just that.

In the spring of 1970, Harvard psychologist Terry Canyon is introduced to Peter, a quiet kid from a wealthy family who has been suspended from ninth grade for stripping off his clothes in Algebra class. When Terry asks Peter why he did, the boy explains that he was trying to “shock myself awake.” It turns out that Peter believes he is a sixty-five-year-old man who went to sleep in his home in New York in the year 2020 and woke up in his childhood bedroom fifty years earlier.

Hilariously depicting Peter’s attempts to fit in as a fifteen-year-old in 1970 and to cope with the tedium, foolishness, and sexual temptations of high school as he tries to retain the sense of himself as a sixty-five-year-old man, Fifty in Reverse is a thought-provoking and enlightening novel about second chances and appreciating where you are in life."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

THE DELICATE ART OF THE ENGLISH TEA SET: A HISTORICAL MYSTERY WRITER'S APPRECIATION

https://crimereads.com/the-delicate-art-of-the-english-tea-set-a-historical-mystery-writers-appreciation/

A SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR'S POINTERS FOR WORLDBUILDING WITH NEGATIVE SPACE

https://crimereads.com/a-science-fiction-authors-pointers-for-worldbuilding-with-negative-space/

We’ve Got This: A Message from TJ Klune

https://www.torforgeblog.com/2021/01/18/37953/

Regards,

Kareni

[Excelsior! Academy]

I just finished book 7 of the year, The Dutch House by Ann Panchett.  My review is here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3109113923

[Excelsior! Academy]

.

Edited February 5, 2021 by Excelsior! Academy

[VickiMNE]

I've been steadily reading this year (7!) so am tracking just fine for 52BinY.  I recently finished Grann's well-written Killers of the Flower Moon. I'm glad I read it but it is heartbreaking.  My review is here:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3802472503

After two heavy books (I read Caste before this), I've taken a breather from hard-hitting books in order to process it all and have been enjoying Wodehouse's Carry On, Jeeves which was a kindle freebie a couple of weeks ago.  This is actually a reread for me; I probably last read Wodehouse 10+ years ago, so it has been a delight to immerse myself in the preposterous lives of Bertie and Jeeves once more.

Quote

Ignore this.  I accidentally hit the quote button and don't know how to delete this box.  Do any of you know?

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I finished the first three chapter of CMC. Dumas didn't hesitate to set the conflict, did he? I already have a wonderful 'feel' for the characters. It was a cozy read as DH had lit a fire in the fireplace for me and the wind was howling through the trees and blowing snow.

I finished two books this week - Unplugged by Gordon Kormon and Ziggy, Stardust, and Me by James Brandon.

Unplugged was a good Young Adult book but not my favorite Gordon Kormon story. The humor I remember in his other books wasn't present and the book ended so soon after the climax/resolution, I was left wondering if I had missed a chapter or two. I read it on my Kindle and honestly thought I had had 'flipped' over a couple of chapters. Alas, I did not.  This was a 3 star read.

Ziggy was an interesting book from the YA LGBTQ+ genre. I chose it due its David Bowie references; right now, I am all things Bowie. The author's writing style was difficult to read; way too many ellipses, interjections, and incomplete thoughts. I switched to the audiobook early on, hoping the narrator would be able to provide much needed clarity in the odd writing. He did a better job than I was doing but the book remained awkward. This is all unfortunate because I believe it could have been so much better. The idea of his mother and grandmother moving in their portraits, of Ziggy Stardust/David Bowie talking to him from the Alladin Sane album cover, of his daydreams of flying to and through stars - all could have been beautiful if the writing wouldn't have been so jerky and, well, odd.  The references to shock/aversion therapy and how homosexuality was treated was heartbreaking. But even then, so much was left unsaid or unfinished. I gave this one 2.5 stars.
 

I am doing really well with my 52 book challenge this year. I am usually behind already but am killing it with 9/52. Granted, 4 of those are YA novels and were easy reads but... 😊 I don't mind counting the YA novels as my TBR for the year include the CMC, the two volume Dickens biography, and a Dickens novel. I need the easier reads in order to maintain the stamina for those three reads.

My sister sent me a box of books and hopes I'll read what she sent. We have different tastes so it will be a real challenge. I have created a TBR bingo card and had one remaining box. I added "Sister's Book Box" as the final category. I do have an Aurora Teagarden category so maybe I'll see if I can find one for the Kindle or as an audiobook for driving.

DS is on the sixth book of the Wheel of Time series. He has finished the prequel and books 1-4 and is halfway through book 5. 

 

Current reads:

CMC (print)
The Screwtape Letters (print)

Need to find a Kindle book and an audiobook.

 

 

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

13 minutes ago, VickiMNE said:

I've been steadily reading this year (7!) so am tracking just fine for 52BinY.  I recently finished Grann's well-written Killers of the Flower Moon. I'm glad I read it but it is heartbreaking.  My review is here:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3802472503

After two heavy books (I read Caste before this), I've taken a breather from hard-hitting books in order to process it all and have been enjoying Wodehouse's Carry On, Jeeves which was a kindle freebie a couple of weeks ago.  This is actually a reread for me; I probably last read Wodehouse 10+ years ago, so it has been a delight to immerse myself in the preposterous lives of Bertie and Jeeves once more.

 

I happened across a bookshelf with Wodehouse this week and wondered if I should add one or two to my TBR. Since I am doing a no spend reading challenge again this year, I'll have to see what my library has. 

Does anyone else see a book or find an author and then visits this thread and finds someone has mentioned that book or author? Is that serendipity, fate, or coincidence? Or some other word I cannot pull from the recesses of my fatigued brain?

[mumto2]

Well,  I gave up and set my much anticipated Ready Player Two aside.  I read the first 50 pages or so and really was going to have to force myself to go further.  Sort of a cross between boredom and disappointment.  I decided to put the audiobook on hold (6 month wait) and I will decide if I care to know how it all ends when it reaches me again.  
 

Just so you don’t think I am in a totally negative mood towards books I was happily  anticipating I started listening to The Devil and the Deep End last night.  Ooooooh this one is going to be good.  I love the characters, so interesting.  Someone here read it already, I just can’t remember who.   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51854625-the-devil-and-the-dark-water

[Kareni]

2 hours ago, VickiMNE said:

 I accidentally hit the quote button and don't know how to delete this box.  Do any of you know?

If the box is not at the very beginning of a reply ~ I've had luck with typing some random letters both before and after the box, highlighting the lot, and deleting. If the box is at the beginning, I've been known to copy my post and then start over.

2 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

Does anyone else see a book or find an author and then visits this thread and finds someone has mentioned that book or author? Is that serendipity, fate, or coincidence? Or some other word I cannot pull from the recesses of my fatigued brain?

Yes. Is the word you are seeking Déjà vu? Or might you be thinking of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon?

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

2 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

Does anyone else see a book or find an author and then visits this thread and finds someone has mentioned that book or author? Is that serendipity, fate, or coincidence? Or some other word I cannot pull from the recesses of my fatigued brain?

Synchronicity, maybe.  But it could also be coincidence.  But statistically, we all do read a lot of books so we're bound to find at least one of us has read or have heard about it.  Whatever it is, I like the Baader-Meinhof explanation. Thanks Karen. 

[VickiMNE]

20 hours ago, Kareni said:

Or might you be thinking of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon?

I didn't know this had a name!  I definitely notice this phenomenon all the time.  Like, when my son (years and years ago) got the tip of his finger chopped off as a toddler in a door swung shut (and sewed on again), that suddenly I noticed/heard all the stories of others with "fingers slammed in the door" incidents.  And so many other occurrences....

[VickiMNE]

22 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

I happened across a bookshelf with Wodehouse this week and wondered if I should add one or two to my TBR. Since I am doing a no spend reading challenge again this year, I'll have to see what my library has.

You definitely should dip your toes into Wodehouse.  Do note that while a prolific author, Wodehouse is best known for three different sets of humorous characters:  Bertie and Jeeves, Psmith, and the inhabitants of Blandings Castle.  If you don't care for one (B&J is definitely not to everyone's tastes), you might enjoy a book or two featuring the others.

[Robin M]

week six is live - please continue conversation in new thread