Book a Week 2021 - BW6: 52 Books Bingo - Alternate Reality

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, my lovelies. Did you know that today, February 7^th, 1964 is the anniversary of when the Beatles came to the United States for the first time?  What is your favorite Beatles song? Have you seen any of their movies?

 Speaking of alternate realities, I enjoy reading books set in alternative worlds which leads to our next 52 Books Bingo quest - Alternate Reality.  For argument sake, we could debate that any book of fiction is considered not true and based in an alternate reality. A reality not our own.  However, I think for our purposes, alternate realities could be viewed as an alternate universe, worlds that may or may not co-exist with our own, perhaps parallel, where the laws of nature or totally different, or encompass the past or the present or the future, in which stories bend or fold around our reality and create or recreate  or toss history on its ear with what if's.   

 What do you think the differences are between alternate reality, alternative history, parallel universes, or multiverses? How are they the same? 

 Physicist Brian Green Explains Why Parallel Universes May Exist and how quantum mechanics and general relativity play a part.   

SyFy Wire in the Science behind the fiction talks about What's the reality behind multiverses and alternate realities.  

I was surprised to find that the very first science fiction book to delve into alternate realities was written by the Duchess of Newcastle in 1661 - The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish.  Which Sam Leith recommends as one of his top 10 outstanding alternate reality stories. 

 Joanna Kavenna on Five Books, the Best Books on Parallel Worlds, recommends five books she doesn't consider well known.  Athough, I think we all are quite familiar with Philip Dick, Lovecraft, and Borges. 

Philip Dick's Man in the High Castle, which I have on my shelves and have been meaning to read for quite some time, but never quite gotten around to it,  has appeared multiple times during my internet wanderings today, which probably means the universe is telling me to read it now.  *grin* 

An eclectic mix of books to check out: 

Mind Joggle's 11 Unputdownable Books About Alternate Realities

Electric Lit's 9 Mind Bending Books about Parallel Universes

Bookriot's What If? 15 great alternate history books and series. 

Goodreads Alternate Universe Books

 Have fun following rabbit trails! 

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

 Count of Monte Cristo: Realalong 

IV The Plot

V The Betrothal

VI The Deputy Crown Prosecutor 

 

Did you finish chapters one through three?  My, my! We have an interesting group of characters.  What do you think of Dantes?   Danglars is quite manipulative, isn't he? Why do you think Danglars dislikes Dantes?   What's up with Caderousse taking advantage of the Dante's father while his son was at sea? Does it speak to the type of person he is and what can we expect from him in the coming days?  Does Mercedes think she has Fernand, who she considers to be "her friend, her cousin and her brother" wrapped around her finger and can control him? Dantes immediately sees to the heart of the man and sees an enemy.  Something else to take into account. Do you think their ages affect how they react? Share your thoughts and comments about the story so far. 

 

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 Link to week five

 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]

I finished two new to me authors this week.  The first book in Toni Anderson's Cold Justice mystery series, A Cold Dark Place,  in which  FBI Agent Mallory Rooney has spent her life trying to find the man who kidnapped her twin from their bedroom when they were children. While searching for a vigilante whose been killing criminals and pedophiles, she gets involved with a private security contractor who is actually a clandestine government approved assassin. You can probably guess where this is going and it causes plenty of angst and trouble for both characters. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me reading and kept me from figuring out who the serial killer was.  

(Category:  Be Still My Heart, Police Procedural,  Setting: Virginia U.S)

I finally read the Bear and the Nightingale which is the first book in Katherine Arden's Winternight mythological fantasy trilogy.   I don't know anything about Russian mythology or fairy tales so enjoyed learning all about it.  The beautifully written story drew me in with its vivid imagery, and you can almost feel the bite of the freezing snow, and played on your emotions with plenty of love, fear,  and anger,  as well as evil and hope and magic.  Set during Medieval times, the lead character, a young girl by the name of Vasya challenges the culture and mores of the times with her powers and belief in spirits others might consider evil.  She is a wild child and can talk to horses, communicate with nature and household spirits. When a priest decides to challenge and destroy the villagers beliefs in the spirits,  and rein in Vasya, it endangers the whole village as well as himself. I totally enjoyed it and looking forward to reading the rest of the series. 

(Category: Magic and Mystery / Dragons and other fantastical creatures.  Setting:  Russia,)

Continuing my Nora Roberts reread with Blue Smoke about a female arson investigator.

Count of Monte Cristo:  I couldn’t help myself because I needed to know what happened so read through Chapter 6.  Then I got totally bogged down in chapter 7 with all the history and will have to reread with my ipad standing by to look up information. Jealousy reared its ugly head.  Danglars, the supercargo, dislikes Dante taking over the ship and his super secret mission for the late captain.  Caderousse is jealous of his money or maybe just too greedy, but Dante's father felt the need to pay back a loan even though it left him destitute and hungry until Dantes returned from his trip. Fernand hates Dantes even before he meets him because he is Mercedes love.  Danglers is quite manipulative, feeding both Caderousse’s and Fernand’s dislike.  Is Dantes blind, too young and arrogant or is he really just that nice in that he is kind, even to those who treat him badly.  It could have read like a soap opera but didn't and I'm enjoying it so far.  

[mumto2]

Margaret Cavendish is an awesome rabbit trail!  Her gmil is already one of my favorite historical women.......Bess of Hardwick.   So I already knew a bit about Margaret but never knew she was the author of the first book in the science fiction genre.  How cool!
 

I totally enjoyed sticking my toe into The Count of Monte Cristo and resisted the urge to read more......mainly because I was a bit late doing my homework 😉 I had two chapters to read this morning.  My character takeaway is similar to Robin’s so I won’t repeat.  I really want to know why Dante’s neighbor Caderousse apparently hates him.......

 

[Junie]

This week's books:

The Scarlet Pimpernel -- I really enjoyed this!  It seemed really predictable, but it was a nice read.

Superfudge -- So glad that I don't have a child like this.

A Raisin in the Sun -- A re-read before assigning it to dd16.  

The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix -- And, I'm quickly working my way through the Harry Potter series.

[mumto2]

I have cleansed my palette after my Ready Player Two attempt reading cozy mysteries. Nothing stand out.

But my audiobooks have been great! I think I mentioned A Murder in Time last week and I really enjoyed it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25790952-a-murder-in-time An FBI profiler who is dressed as a servant in a reinactment steps into a hidden stairway in a historic home in England and comes out 200 years earlier. Finds herself embroiled in an early serial killer mystery with the Duke and his nephew as her sidekicks........I had a love/hate with the narrator but overall enjoyed listening enough to continue listening to this series.

I also just finished The Devil and the Deep Water which I am adding to my newly created bookshelf of books my daughter will like. After a book talk yesterday that started out about Ready Player Two we decided she needed a place that had books listed so she could quickly find something that will suit her tastes for when she has time to veg with a book.  I have had emergency appeals in the past to BaWers when Dd needed airplane literature!😂. She actually loves to read but is short on time.

The Devil and the Deep Water was written by the same author as The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36337550-the-7-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle but the two books have little in common other than tons of great twists and turns and a bit of supernatural mysticism. Both are excellent reads!😉 This one centers around a voyage for the East Indies company from Indonesia to Holland carrying several rich and influential people......all have had run ins with a mythical devil called Old Tom. It’s good..........

 

 

 has already read it.

[Junie]

I'm enjoying The Count of Monte Cristo.  

It seems to me that everyone (except for his father and Mercedes) hates Dante for some reason.  He's got several enemies -- it will be interesting to find out if their claims are valid -- and there is an ominous foreshadowing that something really bad is going to happen to him soon.  I'm not sure yet, though, if this is the main plot.  Maybe it's just a teaser -- there are a lot of pages left!

[Matryoshka]

I have been totally remiss in updating since the start of the year - I think this year I'll plan on just giving monthly updates (so, yeah, I'm a week late on that too...), and otherwise just read or comment!  I'm in for the Monte Cristo read-a-long - was it just the first three chapters we had to read for last week, or were we supposed to get through six?  Not sure what the official start date was!  I just started last night but already finished two chapters; the pace seems nice and doable, thanks!  Because I am insane I also checked a French version on Overdrive to kind of check in with from time to time.  I've got the 1200+ page newest English translation out as my main read.

So, in January, I read...

1. Indelicacy by Amina Cain - had gotten this out of the library after some rave reviews from a couple of friends, and also it was short so thought it would be good to have on hand in case by some miracle I could cram an extra book into last year.  Well, that didn't happen, but it ended up being my first book of this year, and kicked it off to a great start! Wow.  I thought it was fantastic.  I can't put my finger on what it did so well, but that little book really packed a punch.  Written in a somewhat detached style, but still really pulled me in.  Loved it.  5 stars.

2. The Farm by Joanna Ramos - read this for my book group, the one where since quarantine times I keep forgetting to go to when I've read the book, or not reading the book for various reasons.  I actually wasn't particularly excited about this one; it's about a surrogacy farm, and I thought it was set up kind of dystopiaish perhaps Handsmaid's taleish.  But that wasn't it at all.  It's pretty much set in current day - no politics mentioned, but it's not a 'future-ish' book.  It also had so many shades of gray - there were no villains; it lays out lots to think about in terms of inequality of situation, wealth, access for people of various backgrounds/races/immigration status and how that affects the choices available to them.  It was really good, and glad to have had the push to read it.  4 stars.

3. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein -  I knew about redlining, harrassment of African-American families moving into white neighborhoods up to fire-bombing them out of their homes, but this lays out how the government didn't just look the other way but systematically planned for segregation, including de-integrating already integrated neighborhoods, flat-out disallowing any mortgages for AA families for decades and decades, and when they were finally allowed heavily disproportionately selling them subprime ones that almost had default built in, and even more.   Super-well documented, about 1/3 of the book is appendices with all the legal codes, and also spelling out that the govt knew that it was patently illegal/unconstitutional for them to be doing all of this under the 14th amendment, but they did it anyway.   4.5 stars.

4. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - A story with many interesting ruminations on identity, choices, and their consequences.  4 stars.

5. Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China by Jung Chang (ebook) -  Quite interesting; I didn't really know much about the history of China between the fall of the last Dynasty and at least up to the war between the Kuomintang and the Communists.  I was a bit surprised to find out that most of the major players were US-educated as well as Christian, and in fact spent so much of their lives in the US that some spoke English better than Chinese...  and here's another timely life-lesson that selling out to Russia for personal power and $ has never ended well... and cults of personality are a Bad Thing.  And again, using an elevated political position to rob your country blind for your own personal needs... nothing new.  Sigh.   3.5 stars

6. Der Turm am Ende der Welt by William Heinesen - chose this for my round-the-world visit to the Faroe Islands.  The author is Faroese but wrote it in Danish for a wider audience - I read it in German.  It's another of those poetic reminiscence books I ran into a lot of last year.  He writes as an old man looking back on a carefree childhood.  I quite enjoyed it. 4 stars.

7. Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe by Kapka Kassabova - I started this on audio, but then Overdrive ate it and I ended up finishing it in paperback.  I really like audiobooks, but some books really are better read in text, and I think this was one of them.  The narrator was fine, but I kept wanting a map, and all the names and places kind of blurred together.  In print, the book has kind of a neat structure of a cultural/historical story alternated with her visits to and experiences in a place.  This got muddled in the audio.  I found the print to be a much better experience in this case, so maybe yay that I didn't listen to the audio fast enough!  Upgrading what would have been a 3 for the audio to a 4 for how I experienced the last parts of the book.  Note to self: no audiobooks for books that have maps and many unfamiliar names/places.  

8. Caste: The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson - I am now thinking Isabel Wilkerson is a national treasure.  I was blown away by The Warmth of Other Suns, so she had a lot to live up to, but boy did she deliver.  This book was amazing.  More dots connected, and new points of view to consider.  5+ stars.

9. The Island of Shattered Dreams by Chantal T. Spitz (ebook) - I joined the Round the World book group on GR this year, mostly just for inspiration for new books that hadn't come to my attention.  This one had already been on my TR list for a while (French Polynesia), but popped to the top when I saw it was their selection this month and Overdrive had it available.  I actually didn't think I'd end up getting to it this month, as all that other books were taking precedence, but I ended up reading it over just two days (it is short).  Quite an interesting book, written covering much of the 20th century, telling the history of the island where the French built their nuclear testing facilities from the perspective of the native population.  There is much poetry in the tradition of the local oral storytelling style.  Its weakest part is when a couple of the French characters get lines and they sound like cardboard villains (but not all the French are depicted this way).  4 stars.

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

BOOK REVIEW: The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

MILLENIAL COZIES: A NEW GENERATION DISCOVERS THE JOYS OF THE COZY MYSTERY

https://crimereads.com/millenial-cozies-a-new-generation-discovers-the-joys-of-the-cozy-mystery/

Six Stories for Fans of Beautiful Australian Gothic

https://www.tor.com/2021/01/19/six-stories-for-fans-of-beautiful-australian-gothic/

Five Books Where Assuming Aliens Are Just Like You Might Get You Killed

https://www.tor.com/2020/09/21/five-books-where-assuming-aliens-are-just-like-you-might-get-you-killed/

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

2 hours ago, Robin M said:

Did you know that today, February 7^th, 1964 is the anniversary of when the Beatles came to the United States for the first time?

I hadn't realized that. Very neat.

2 hours ago, Robin M said:

Speaking of alternate realities...

The book I read and enjoyed last week --   Fifty in Reverse: A Novel by Bill Flanagan -- would fit this description. Interestingly, mention is made of a Beatles song with which the main character was unfamiliar. And speaking of the Beatles, I can recommend the alternate reality movie, Yesterday which came out in 2019.

2 hours ago, Robin M said:

Continuing my Nora Roberts reread with Blue Smoke about a female arson investigator.

This is a favorite of mine.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Last night I finished Finder (The Finder Chronicles Book 1) by Suzanne Palmer; I enjoyed it and plan to read on in the series. 

I recall that @mumto2read this (after seeing it recommended by the author of Linesman) and her daughter planned to read it as well. My daughter finished it recently and also enjoyed it. Did you read the second book, mumto2?

"Fergus Ferguson has been called a lot of names: thief, con artist, repo man. He prefers the term finder. 
 
His latest job should be simple. Find the spacecraft Venetia's Sword and steal it back from Arum Gilger, ex-nobleman turned power-hungry trade boss. He’ll slip in, decode the ship’s compromised AI security, and get out of town, Sword in hand.

Fergus locates both Gilger and the ship in the farthest corner of human-inhabited space, a backwater deep space colony called Cernee. But Fergus’ arrival at the colony is anything but simple. A cable car explosion launches Cernee into civil war, and Fergus must ally with Gilger’s enemies to navigate a field of space mines and a small army of hostile mercenaries. What was supposed to be a routine job evolves into negotiating a power struggle between factions. Even worse, Fergus has become increasingly—and inconveniently—invested in the lives of the locals.
 
It doesn’t help that a dangerous alien species Fergus thought mythical prove unsettlingly real, and their ominous triangle ships keep following him around. 
 
Foolhardy. Eccentric. Reckless. Whatever he’s called, Fergus will need all the help he can get to take back the Sword and maybe save Cernee from destruction in the process."

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

2 hours ago, Kareni said:

Last night I finished Finder (The Finder Chronicles Book 1) by Suzanne Palmer; I enjoyed it and plan to read on in the series. 

I recall that @mumto2read this (after seeing it recommended by the author of Linesman) and her daughter planned to as well. My daughter finished it recently and also enjoyed it. Did you read the second book, mumto2?

"Fergus Ferguson has been called a lot of names: thief, con artist, repo man. He prefers the term finder. 
 
His latest job should be simple. Find the spacecraft Venetia's Sword and steal it back from Arum Gilger, ex-nobleman turned power-hungry trade boss. He’ll slip in, decode the ship’s compromised AI security, and get out of town, Sword in hand.

Fergus locates both Gilger and the ship in the farthest corner of human-inhabited space, a backwater deep space colony called Cernee. But Fergus’ arrival at the colony is anything but simple. A cable car explosion launches Cernee into civil war, and Fergus must ally with Gilger’s enemies to navigate a field of space mines and a small army of hostile mercenaries. What was supposed to be a routine job evolves into negotiating a power struggle between factions. Even worse, Fergus has become increasingly—and inconveniently—invested in the lives of the locals.
 
It doesn’t help that a dangerous alien species Fergus thought mythical prove unsettlingly real, and their ominous triangle ships keep following him around. 
 
Foolhardy. Eccentric. Reckless. Whatever he’s called, Fergus will need all the help he can get to take back the Sword and maybe save Cernee from destruction in the process."

Regards,

Kareni

We both enjoyed Finder but haven’t ventured to the second in the series yet.  Not adverse, it just hasn’t came up up my Overdrive yet.😉  This week I plan to give Aurora Rising a try https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30075662-aurora-rising?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7LbT2gV16q&rank=1.  Have you read that one yet?

 

 

[Kareni]

20 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

We both enjoyed Finder but haven’t ventured to the second in the series yet.  Not adverse, it just hasn’t came up up my Overdrive yet.😉

I too am on the hold list for book two.

21 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

This week I plan to give Aurora Rising a try https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30075662-aurora-rising?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7LbT2gV16q&rank=1.  Have you read that one yet?

I have not, but it certainly looks promising. I'll await your review with interest.

Regards,

Kareni

[bookbard]

Emma Bull's story, Finder, is completely different but also very good! Fantasy rather than sci-fi - she's a favourite author of mine. (And it fits an alternate reality, almost).

I completed the Neapolitan quartet by Elena Ferrante, and absolutely loved it. It's not my usual read at all, but such a brilliant writer - you just had to read on and on and on . . . I've ordered her other books. I had no idea Italy was still so poor and violent, and that fascism was/is such a big issue after WW2. 

I have a couple of books sitting and waiting while I re-read the many short 'books' or 'episodes' of Shadow Unit, which is 'fanfic of an imaginary TV show' - or short stories about a kind of X-Files in the FBI, but not aliens. There are lots of gruesome bits I have to skip over but the characters are so well-drawn that you can't help but return to them over and over again. Also Emma Bull, and friends.

 

 

[Negin]

I read The Woman in White - 3 Stars - Finally! I was able to read a classic after so long! The story is remarkable, and I loved it right from the get-go, but after a certain point, I felt bogged down by the length. I didn’t mind much at first, since I remembered a friend mentioning how the older that she gets, the more she prefers to savor her books. That was a good reminder for me, and I was savoring it for quite a while. It got boring after a certain point. I’m not sure how necessary it was to stretch it out for that long. However, I have read that this book was written in weekly installments. Perhaps that was the reason for the length and all the details.

I loved how there were multiple characters doing the narration. Although I thought that Laura was lacking in depth and character, Marion was hands-down my absolute favorite.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

 “Any woman who is sure of her own wits, is a match, at any time, for a man who is not sure of his own temper.”

“No sensible man ever engages, unprepared, in a fencing match of words with a woman.”

“Silence is safe.”

[Kareni]

8 hours ago, bookbard said:

Emma Bull's story, Finder, is completely different but also very good! Fantasy rather than sci-fi - she's a favourite author of mine. (And it fits an alternate reality, almost).

I enjoyed her War for the Oaks years ago, bookbard. I've downloaded a sample of Finder; thanks for the suggestion.

Regards,

Kareni

[Maus]

Missed posting last week while I babied my dying computer along to preserve my data until my new computer arrived. Everything seems to be safely transferred over, and I'm back in business. Let's see if I can find all my reads and listens, two week's worth, probably not in correct order.  Thanks to Audible, I've "read" more fiction this year than I have in years.

24. "The Case of the Missing Marquess" by Nancy Springer. I put a hold on this right after I saw the movie, and it finally came in. Hopefully the hold I just placed on the second book doesn't take as long.

23. "Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen" by J.K Rowling. Audible book. Since the big genealogy project I'm working on is my German-Russian line, I figured it would be a good time to listen to this. Pleased to find my German is still good enough to follow the story.

22. "Blackout" by Candace Owens. She's very articulate, writes well, and provides lots of citations. I  won't say anything more, since it's a political book.

21. "An Excellent Mystery" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

20. "The Pilgrim of Hate" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

19. "Dead Man's Ransom" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

18. "4:50 from Paddington" by Agatha Christie. Audible book.

17. "Man in the Brown Suit" by Agatha Christie. Audible book. 

16. "The Mysterious Mr. Quin" by Agatha Christie. Audible book. Not my favorite, but I think it was in part the reader.

15. "I Will Repay" by Baroness Orczy. Audible book. Considered a Scarlet Pimpernel book, but he only appeared minimally.

14. "Dead Man's Ranson" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

13. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" by Baroness Orczy. Audible book.

12. "The Devil's Novice" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

11. "The Sanctuary Sparrow" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

10. "The Virgin in the Ice" by Ellis Peters. Audible book. 

9. "Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?" by Caitlin Doughty. 

8. "Law and Disorder: The Legendary Profiler's Relentless Pursuit of Justice" by John Doublas and Mark Olshaker. Audible book. 

7. "The Leper of St. Giles" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

6. "The Cases That Haunt Us" by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Audible book. 

5. "From Here to Eternity: Travelling the World to Find the Good Death" by Caitlin Doughty. 

4. "Not a Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth" by Dr. Everett Piper. Audible book. 

3. "The Innocence of Father Brown" by G.K. Chesterton. Audible book.

2. "St. Peter's Fair" by Ellis Peters. Audible book.

1. "The Mysterious Mr. Quin: A Harley Quin Collection" by Agatha Christie. Audible book.

[Kareni]

I finished The Sergeant's Lady by Susanna Fraser which is the first historical romance that I've read in a while. I enjoyed it. It's unusual in that the heroine is wealthy while the hero is a commoner. (Some adult content)

"Highborn Anna Arrington has been "following the drum," obeying the wishes of her cold, controlling cavalry officer husband. When he dies, all she wants is to leave life with Wellington's army in Spain behind her and go home to her family's castle in Scotland.

Sergeant Will Atkins ran away from home to join the army in a fit of boyish enthusiasm. He is a natural born soldier, popular with officers and men alike, uncommonly brave and chivalrous, and educated and well-read despite his common birth.

As Anna journeys home with a convoy of wounded soldiers, she forms an unlikely friendship with Will. When the convoy is ambushed and their fellow soldiers captured, they become fugitives—together. The attraction between them is strong—but even if they can escape the threat of death at the hands of the French, is love strong enough to bridge the gap between a viscount's daughter and an innkeeper's son?"

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

Villette - Charlotte Bronte

Mistaken for a Rake: A Regency Romance - Rose Pearson

My Ghostly Valentine: A Hauntingly Funny Paranormal Romance (Banshee Creek Book 4) by Ani Gonzalez

Changes: A rich girl. A troubled guy. A magic song. (The Magic Jukebox Book 1) by Judith Arnold

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

8 hours ago, Seasider too said:

Ok maybe you can answer my question about what I saw as a big plot hole. It’s been a few years since I read it but I have always wondered...

SPOILER ALERT SCROLL PAST IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE IT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

how did they marry (near the end of the book) if the main character had no proof of her identity?

Oh dear. I'm afraid that I can't answer that. As I was reading, I wondered the same thing, but I thought it was just me, so I continued reading and sort of forgot about it! 

[mumto2]

Ok my Woman in White spoiler..................skip if you haven’t read.  @Seasider too     @Dreaming of Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

marriage assumption as I wondered too........I came to the conclusion that legalities like identity proof likely FPP I’d not matter in England at that time.  So perhaps they were married by a vicar in a parish that knew their story.  That the looking at legal certificates was skipped or not needed by the parish and the wedding simply sat as having occurred in the Parrish registry book until it gets turned in to the authorities whenever it fills up.....so like a decade.  Perhaps being added to the parish roles then reading the banns.  I don’t think it mattered as long as they had a connection to the parish and banns could be read.  I think my brain flash was more if there had been 3 weeks for banns.

Edited February 9, 2021 by mumto2

[Kareni]

Late last night, I finished Hunting by Andrea K Höst which I quite enjoyed. Unlike the author's Touchstone series, this was fantasy rather than science fiction. (While I liked this, I don't imagine this is a book I'll be quick to reread as I did with the other series.) This book would be a fine read for teens as well as adults.

"Ash Lenthard doesn’t call herself a vigilante. She’s merely prone to random acts of derring-do, and occasional exhibitions of tomfoolery. Her friends, the Huntsmen, have never stepped over the line while patrolling the streets of Luinhall.

That was before the murder of Ash’s beloved guardian, Genevieve.

Now, Ash Lenthard is out for blood and even when the hunt sends her to the palace, on a collision course with a past identity she would do anything to forget, Ash cannot, will not, back down."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

Attention @mumto2! Did you already own this? It's one of the author's American set books.

NO LONGER FREEOne Step Enough by Carla Kelly

I believe these are all free once more:

Courting Carrie in Wonderland ...NO LONGER FREE

Reforming Lord Ragsdale

Borrowed Light...NO LONGER FREE

Miss Grimsley's Oxford Career...NO LONGER FREE

Doing No Harm...NO LONGER FREE

Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand

In Love and War

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

The Best Nonfiction Books of 2020 recommended by Sophie Roell

https://fivebooks.com/best-books/nonfiction-2020-sophie-roell/

Jo Walton’s Reading List: January 2021

https://www.tor.com/2021/02/04/jo-waltons-reading-list-january-2021/#comment-900191

 

THE BEST LOVED DETECTIVE AGENCIES IN FICTION

https://crimereads.com/the-best-loved-detective-agencies-in-fiction/

An older blog post from 2014: Character-driven SF

https://bysinginglight.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/character-driven-sf/

Regards,

Kareni

[Ali in OR]

Just a quick check-in with what I'm reading this week/month. I think I'm destined to have 3 books going at a time right now. I did read Beth O'Leary's The Switch last week--just a fun, light read. A stressed-out young professional from London and her grandmother in I think Yorkshire trade living arrangements for 2 months--charming, predictable, light and easy. When that was finished I started Yeonmi Park's In Order to Live, a memoir of her childhood in North Korea and her escape from same--for my bookclub this month. And my month-long reads, both excellent, are Jung Chang's Wild Swans, her memoir of 3 generations of women living in 20th century China (herself, her mother, and her grandmother), and also Isabel Wilkerson's Caste which is phenomenal. My dh read it before me so I finish a section and talk it over with him. "I never knew that the Nazis patterned their anti-Jewish laws off American anti-Black laws. We always think we're so superior to the Nazis, but they learned it from us." That kind of thing. Really learning a lot. I may not check in every week. I expect to finish In Order to Live this week and then keep reading the other two for awhile.

[tuesdayschild]

Posting first, reading the thread next.

I am hoping that once we get past February I can get here to read and post a bit more than I have been - not just zoom through the threads signed out.  I may have to take a page out of @Matryoshka book and post once a month.  

Reading is a little challenging this month, yet I'm achieving some of that too, as we prepare for 3 birthdays we observe - one is my ds 21st - and then my in-laws 63rd wedding anniversary💞.   We're hoping nothing happens down here to stop those celebrations taking place.   I am getting through a few audiobooks.

 I've completed seven books so far for my a-z reading challenge.  (thanks for your lists on Goodreads @mumto2.)  Beneath are two of my reviews:

16/01 – 06/02  The Count of Monte Cristo ~ Alexandre Dumas, narrated by Bill Homewood (5)  audiobook

My start to this classic was not a good one, the first chapter felt like a fizzer, it gifted me with a character who was clueless about others feelings and motives toward him (that sort of character makes me want to shake them!) ..... I won't add any spoilers as others here are still at the beginning.    I wasn’t sure I want to invest all the hours required to go through the journey with Dantes  ….. so  I went over to Goodreads to put this audiobook into my abandoned stack; and,  then saw how much Kathy @Lady Florida.  loved it - the 5 stars kind of loved it - so I decided I must have missed something as other books she’s gifted 5 stars to have been success reads for me also.   I took a week break and tried again.  With my next attempt I just stuck with the audiobook (on 2x speed) until Dantes meets up with the Abbe:   I ended up really enjoying this involved, slightly convoluted tale and I had no clue of how the end was going to play out.     I will add, as I was listening to the audiobook (at 1.9x speed)  around chapter 55 I absolutely had to (!) pause and realign who everyone was, what they had done in the past and who they were now, whom they had married, and who each child belonged to.     Others may like to note the author uses the 'n' word once.

31/01 – 02/02 The Forest of Wool and Steel ~ Natsu Miyashita, Philip Gabriel (Translator)  printed book    (4.5) My 19yr old daughter - a pianist and an artist - who is taste-testing non-western literature, recommended I read this: The Forest of Wool and Steel is such a gentle read, filled with lyrical, poetic beauty about a young Japanese man becoming a piano tuner. We both loved the satisfying ending.         For those that are familiar with literature-based curriculums, this would have made a great Highschool “Sonlight” book for some families.     Extra: one of the characters has anxiety attacks, and has an OCD issue about dirt.   

Picture books still feature big time for my dd and me and I just wanted to give a notable mention to this one:  The Fire Wombat ~ Jackie French, Danny Snell (Illustrations) Picture e-book (5)    An emotive book, for me,  with poetic prose and soft water colours.  A book that required a slower, thoughtful, read; and, is one that I think would be a challenge for me to read aloud to little people without tearing up.

Edited February 11, 2021 by tuesdayschild
Book title typo:)

[tuesdayschild]

@Seasider too ymmv, but I enjoy Wilkie Collins books much more as audiobooks.  With The Moonstone, about a third of the way through the book I was wondering if I wanted to keep investing in this "taking forever" serial styled story  -  time to read a quick summary and see where the story was going.  I’m glad I did, as it gave me the impetus to keep listening to Peter Jeffrey's excellent narration of this work.     I'm currently listening to No Name and read a summary before I even began.

ETA:  15 Chapters in and I'm finding No Name hard going, even on audio. 

Edited February 11, 2021 by tuesdayschild

[Kareni]

I just finished yet another book by Andrea Höst ~ And All the Stars by Andrea Höst.

I enjoyed this science fiction book (which had a surprising revelation at one point), but I also found it less straightforward than some of the author's other books.

"Come for the apocalypse.
Stay for cupcakes.
Die for love.

Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings.

None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world – and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind.

Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending."

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

On 2/9/2021 at 11:07 AM, Seasider too said:

Have you read The Moonstone, also by Collins? I’ve had it on my kindle for a long time, but every time I try to start it my mind goes to the WIW plot hole. 😂 

I haven't read it yet. I have a hard copy, but it will be a while before I get around to reading it. I need to be in the right frame of mind and mood for classics. These days, it seems to be a small miracle if I can actually focus!

[AnneGG]

I’m still following along! Every time I sit down to read, I can’t quiet my mind down to enjoy the story. Too much going on right now. I’ll catch up eventually. 

[Robin M]

Nora Roberts newest in her In Death series, #52 Faithless in Death arrived and as always, every thing stopped while I read it.  So very good and don't want to give anything away for those who haven't read it.  All I can say is that it's intense, so much happening quickly and had me misty eyed by the end.  

Started my alternate reality story - Book of Secrets by Melissa McShane

"Helena Davies just wants a job that will get her out of her parents’ basement. Abernathy’s Bookstore is disorganized, out of the way, and smells funny, but it pays well and promises to at least be interesting. She has no idea how interesting her life will become. By the end of the first day, Helena has a dead boss in the basement, an unexpected promotion, and the news that she is now a part of an endless war against creatures from another reality.

As Abernathy’s newest custodian, Helena is responsible for its secrets, including the most important one: Abernathy’s isn’t just a bookstore. It’s the world’s only living oracle, producing prophecies to help fight the war against alien invaders bent on draining this world of its magic. Helena’s job is to find books to answer questions put to the oracle by the Wardens, fighters in the Long War. It seems simple enough, but Helena’s new job is anything but."

[Kareni]

I just finished rereading Stray (Touchstone Book 1) by Andrea K. Höst; thus far, the Touchstone series is my favorite of the books by Andrea Höst that I've read. I enjoyed this once again. (Just a reminder that the book is free to Kindle readers.)

**

2 hours ago, Robin M said:

Started my alternate reality story - Book of Secrets by Melissa McShane

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

@Robin M I have Faithless in Death ready to go on audio just as soon as I finish my current audiobook.🙂

[bookbard]

Read the screenplay A Raisin in the Sun after a suggestion (another thread I think) - very interesting read, lots to think about. I'd heard about this play from other books.

Read another Elena Ferrante (Days of Abandonment) which was a bit intense, lots of detailed sexualised writing, it's about the sheer anger of a woman being abandoned by her husband for a young woman. Furious and ugly - cathartic for some I guess?

Reading Lefthanded Booksellers by Garth Nix. I tried to read Sabriel a few weeks ago - starts off well and falters into this-thenthis- thenthis . . . I didn't finish it. This book looks to be the same. Great worldbuilding to begin with, and then moves to lots of information dumps and running from here to there, without developing characters enough. Both library books so I haven't wasted my money at least. 

Reading some poetry, online mostly, including Pablo Neruda; Your Laughter is a good poem.

 

[Kareni]

These fantasy works are currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

The Watchers of Moniah

Secret Seller: Prequel to The Famine Cycle

Prophecy (The Sylvalla Chronicles Book 2)

Cobweb Bride (Cobweb Bride Trilogy Book 1) by Vera Nazarian

Sorrowfish (The Call of the Lorica) by Anne C. Miles

Regards,

Kareni

[Laurel-in-CA]

On 2/10/2021 at 11:30 AM, Kareni said:

I just finished yet another book by Andrea Höst ~ And All the Stars by Andrea Höst.

I enjoyed this science fiction book (which had a surprising revelation at one point), but I also found it less straightforward than some of the author's other books.

"Come for the apocalypse.
Stay for cupcakes.
Die for love.

Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings.

None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world – and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind.

Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending."

Regards,

Kareni

I had to chuckle at the warning on that book -- contains (warning), (warning) and Australians. LOL

I have missed a few weeks....more work hours, so can't complain! I finished the last of the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie King (at least that my library has on overdrive), which features insane asylums, Venice, and cross-dressing Cole Porter. Pre-pandemic my husband and I went to a one-woman show that was narrated by Cole Porter's wife, Linda. She shows up in the novel too, so that was fun.

I've been reading The Shaman's Game (Charlie Moon series)....I thought the native american cultural stuff would keep it interesting, but the pace is quite slow. I will finish this one but not pick up any more.

I also started a through the Bible in a year plan with videos from the Bible Project (they are excellent) and that's 3-4 chapters a day plus a video. Just reached (groan) Leviticus. Luckily, at this pace I'll be done with it soon.

Reread Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujoold and have Captain Vorpatril's Alliance waiting. I think I will skip the next one (Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen) as I remember it was WAY to racy for me.

Happy reading to all, especially us insomniacs!

[bookbard]

Thanks for the recommendation of And All the Stars by Andrea Host, I enjoyed it. It was good to read something where I knew every place name and could visualise every space. 

Just finished Kristin Cashore's Winterkeep which I'd been eagerly awaiting - the fourth set in her 'Graceling' world. I was kind of disappointed. Felt like there were lots of ideas dumped in there and not thoroughly examined. I keep waiting for Katsa to show up and save the day, but sadly that didn't happen. I might enjoy it more on a re-read. I still think Bitterblue, her previous book, is one of the most interesting YAs out there, exploring a very rare idea - how does a society heal after the government and people across the country have committed terrible crimes? I wish she'd decided to go even further with that concept, especially with the idea of a monarchy vs other forms of government. She touches on it, but it isn't really examined.

[LaughingCat]

2 hours ago, bookbard said:

Thanks for the recommendation of And All the Stars by Andrea Host, I enjoyed it. It was good to read something where I knew every place name and could visualise every space. 

Just finished Kristin Cashore's Winterkeep which I'd been eagerly awaiting - the fourth set in her 'Graceling' world. I was kind of disappointed. Felt like there were lots of ideas dumped in there and not thoroughly examined. I keep waiting for Katsa to show up and save the day, but sadly that didn't happen. I might enjoy it more on a re-read. I still think Bitterblue, her previous book, is one of the most interesting YAs out there, exploring a very rare idea - how does a society heal after the government and people across the country have committed terrible crimes? I wish she'd decided to go even further with that concept, especially with the idea of a monarchy vs other forms of government. She touches on it, but it isn't really examined.

I have this out of the library but haven't been able to bring myself to read it -- I really enjoyed Bitterblue when it came out but haven't read it in so long I felt I neede to re-read before trying to to read Winterkeep, just haven't been able to get myself started.

Have read the first 3 Victoria Thompson mysteries that I saw on these threads - they were good but not great (which won't keep my from continuing on! -- only being on hold for the next one is stopping me at this point).    Although FWIW today at family movie night,  my DH said I say that about all the movies we watch "it was good but not great" LOL

Really struggling with my non-fiction reads this year --not sure what is going on there.  They are all popular reads and ones I would normally be super into(Breath, The Cancer Code, Designing Your Life) but just can't seem to keep reading  😞

[Robin M]

Week 7 is live - please continue conversation in new thread