Book a Week 2021 - BW12: A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, dear hearts. Today is World Poetry Days so I’ll leave you with a poem by one of my favorite poets.

 

A Prayer In Spring

 By

Robert Frost
(March 26, 1874)

 

 

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

 Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

 For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

 

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

 Count of Monte Cristo Readalong

 Chapter 19. The Third Attack

 Chapter 20. The Cemetery of the Château d’If

 Chapter 21. The Island of Tiboulen

 Share your thoughts on the previous events of the story. 

 

 Link to week 11

 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.

[Kareni]

1.  

Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

Brambles: A Thorn Short Story

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Not Quite Perfect (Oakland Hills Book 3) by Gretchen Galway

Center of Gravity: A Second Chance Sports Romance

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Good morning! Books in progress are Count of Monte Cristo, continuing Thea Harrison's Elder series and currently on Night's Honor, and started a sci fi space opera Ancestral Night (#1 White space) by Elizabeth Bear.  

Edited March 21, 2021 by Robin M

[Negin]

I read Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come - 3 Stars - Richard Preston has a real knack making non-fiction as gripping as can be. This one tells the story of the 2013/2014 Ebola epidemic. His other book, The Hot Zone, which is also about Ebola, was far better.  

I didn’t care for all the chronological jumping around, plus there were far too many characters. This book was still interesting, just not his best.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“A liter of seawater contains more virus particles than any other form of life.”

“Hiccups are a classic sign of Ebola virus disease.”

“Ebola virus moves from one person to the next by following the deepest and most personal ties of love, care, and duty that join people to one another and most clearly define us as human. The virus exploits the best parts of human nature as a means of travel from one person to the next. In this sense the virus is a true monster.”

I also read Queen Lucia - 1 Star - This was a tedious and overly lengthy read. I got annoyed at the shallow and silly characters. At first, I thought it would be funny and entertaining - all about social climbers in an English village. It was okay at first, but then it just got more and more superficial and pointless. It was a waste of time.

   

MY RATING SYSTEM
5 Stars
The book is fantastic. It’s not perfect, since no book is, but it’s definitely a favorite of mine.
4 Stars
Really Good
3 Stars
Enjoyable
2 Stars
Just Okay – nothing to write home about
1 Star
Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

[mumto2]

Thank you Robin!
 

I recently finished No One Lives Twice because I needed an O. This book was fun with it’s cyber geek heroine who stumbled through as a James Bond type hero. Total silliness but a great escape. There is a whole series of books featuring Lexi and I will probably be reading them as my need for letters is an ongoing thing and the titles contain many of the harder ones!  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21862299-no-one-lives-twice

I also finished listening to A Twist in Time.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30334200-a-twist-in-time. I think I may have read or abandoned a later book in the series because a scene that perfectly fits these books keeps replaying itself to me. Once again these are fluff but satisfying.....a bit of romance, Murder mystery, and time travel all mixed together. I am on hold for the third in the series!

Finally,  I have a Mary Jo Putney in progress for one of my book chains. Petals in the Storm https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335788-petals-in-the-storm was recently listed on a list as one of the best historical romances ever on a list somewhere😂........since I have never read it I decided to work it in to my reading for the book chain challenge.

[Ottakee]

I just finished listening to A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

Set in Eastern europe 1994-2004 and told over a span of 5 days with flashbacks.  It was a 5 star listen.  It is one of those books that will stick with you for a long time.  

******From Amazon*******

In a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa watches from the woods as Russian soldiers abduct her father in the middle of the night and then set fire to her home. When their lifelong neighbor Akhmed finds Havaa hiding in the forest with a strange blue suitcase, he makes a decision that will forever change their lives. He will seek refuge at the abandoned hospital where the sole remaining doctor, Sonja Rabina, treats the wounded.

 

[Ali in OR]

Finished How Much of These Hills is Gold this week which I thought was pretty good. Currently reading Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight which was our book club book this month, but I didn't get it until a few days before the meeting, then didn't even go to the meeting because I was allowed to see my dd's soccer game in person. But I think the book is good and I will finish it. Last night I started Bridgerton The Duke and I because it just screams "spring break reading" to me, and it is now spring break. And I've already read half of it. I have the next two in the series ready to go too.

[SKL]

Howdie, happy spring!

I am still in the early parts of Think Like a Monk.  It's pretty good for me.  Not much really new, as I've read a lot along the same lines in the past, but it's been a while, and we can all use good reminders.  🙂  As my kids theoretically move toward more independence, I theoretically have more time to work on myself again.

I mentioned I planned to read The Glass Menagerie which my kids are studying in school.  Today was the kids' deadline for reading the first 4 acts, and of course one of mine hadn't started it yet.  She's kind of a slow reader, though excellent at comprehension and such.  So I offered to read the 4 acts aloud, and she agreed.  It's kinda fun so far.  She is laughing as she can relate some of it to how she views her daily life.  😛  However, we were both unpleasantly surprised to see the N word in there.  Should there have been a warning?  My kid said, "I wonder what the black kids in our class think of that."

We are about halfway through The Scarlet Pimpernel on audiobook, and I ordered the 1935 movie.  It's a super book, but for my kids, there are parts where it just goes on and on.  Like, who did the French spy find in the supper room?  Get to it!  Suspense is great, but readers have their limits.  😛  I do remember loving this book when I read it in hard copy as a teen / young adult.

Other than all that, since we just got a new puppy, I should probably be reading up on how to be a good puppy mom.  I kind of have the instinct for it, I think, and I've had dogs before.  But there are now various books and other materials in the house that I am supposed to read.  Maybe ....

[Mothersweets]

Hi everyone!

I finished four books this week! 

Killers of the Flower Moon:the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. Incredible story and one that I am sorry that more Americans don't know. The lengths white people went to in order to steal the wealth of the Osage was horrifying. 

The Good House by Ann Leary. This story follows Hildy Good, an alcoholic realtor in her hometown of fictional Wendover, Mass. Great characters and the narration by Mary Beth Hurt was terrific.

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali. Love story set in 1953 Tehran, Iran and America. Made me cry at the end.

The Push by Ashley Audrain. Oh man, I started this book just before I went to bed at 10:30 Friday night...and finished it at 2:30 in the morning. I'll just link to the GR page: The Push

@SKL Have fun with your new puppy! What breed?

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

From the blog of Ilona Andrews: Favorite Kid Reads

https://www.ilona-andrews.com/2021/favorite-kid-reads/

Book Therapy: 8 Soul-Soothing Reads That Help Us Quiet Our Anxieties

https://offtheshelf.com/2020/09/books-to-soothe-anxiety/

FIVE OF THE GREATEST AMBIGUOUS ENDINGS IN CRIME FICTION

https://crimereads.com/five-of-the-greatest-ambiguous-endings-in-the-annals-of-crime-fiction/

Five Fairy Tale Mashups That Show How All Our Stories Are Connected

https://www.tor.com/2021/01/21/five-fairy-tale-mashups-that-show-how-all-our-stories-are-connected/

Regards,

Kareni

[SKL]

1 hour ago, Mothersweets said:

Have fun with your new puppy! What breed?

German Shepherd.

[Mothersweets]

They're beautiful dogs. 😊

[Kareni]

For those who buy Kindle books ~

Buy $25 in eBooks Get $6 in credits offer. Customers receive their eBook credit after spending the specified amount on any eBooks between March 21 and March 28 (in one or multiple transactions). You need to activate the offer. Your eBook credit expires 21 days after it was applied to your account.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I've finished two books recently ~

I quite enjoyed Heart of Malice (Alice Worth Book 1) by Lisa Edmonds and would happily read on in the series.

"Meet Alice. Private Investigator of the Supernatural.

The first time Moses Murphy’s granddaughter killed on his orders, she was six years old.

For twenty years, she was a prisoner of an organized crime syndicate, forced to use her magic to make Moses the most powerful and feared man on the East Coast. To escape his cruelty, she faked her own death and started a new life as Alice Worth. As a private investigator specializing in cases involving the supernatural, Alice walks a precarious line between atoning for the sins of her grandfather’s cabal and keeping her true identity hidden.

Hired to investigate the disappearance of a mysterious object of power, Alice enlists the help of Malcolm, a ghost running from a past as nightmarish as her own. It soon becomes clear the missing object was taken by someone with a dangerous secret and an unknown agenda. When her client is kidnapped, Alice must find her and the object of power before a vengeful killer destroys the city and slaughters thousands—starting with Alice."

**

I also read and enjoyed One's Aspect to the Sun (Nearspace Book 1) by Sherry D. Ramsey. I'd read on in this series, too; however, my library does not own the sequels.

"Captain Luta Paixon of the far trader Tane Ikai needs to know why she looks like a woman in her thirties–even though she’s actually eighty-four. She isn’t the only one desperate for that information.

The explanation might lie with her geneticist mother, who disappeared over sixty years ago, but even if her mother is still alive, it’s proving to be no small task to track her down in the vast, wormhole-ridden expanse of Nearspace. With the ruthless PrimeCorp bent on obtaining Luta’s DNA at any cost, her ninety-year-old husband asking for one last favor, and her estranged daughter locking horns with her at every turn, Luta’s search for answers will take her to the furthest reaches of space–and deep inside her own heart."

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

On 3/21/2021 at 4:58 PM, Ottakee said:

I just finished listening to A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

Set in Eastern europe 1994-2004 and told over a span of 5 days with flashbacks.  It was a 5 star listen.  It is one of those books that will stick with you for a long time.  

******From Amazon*******

In a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa watches from the woods as Russian soldiers abduct her father in the middle of the night and then set fire to her home. When their lifelong neighbor Akhmed finds Havaa hiding in the forest with a strange blue suitcase, he makes a decision that will forever change their lives. He will seek refuge at the abandoned hospital where the sole remaining doctor, Sonja Rabina, treats the wounded.

 

I keep meaning to read that one. I read The Tsar of Love and Techno a few years ago for book club. The person who chose it did so because she loved A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. At the meeting she gushed about it. I added it to my to read list at the time but never got around to reading it.

On 3/21/2021 at 7:19 PM, Mothersweets said:

 

Killers of the Flower Moon:the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. Incredible story and one that I am sorry that more Americans don't know. The lengths white people went to in order to steal the wealth of the Osage was horrifying. 

 

That was horrifying and I too was sorry it's not a story that's common knowledge. This type of thing needs to be taught. We as a country shouldn't hide from our past actions. 

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

Immortal Vegas Series Box Set Volume 1: Books 0-3 by Jenn Stark

A Gentleman's Revenge (The Spinsters Guild Book 3) by Rose Pearson 

A Shift in the Water: A Werewolf Shifter Romance (Elemental Shifter Book 1) by Patricia D. Eddy 

The Lessons of Labradors (The Love & Pets Romantic Comedy Series Book 4) by A.G. Henley

LGBT: Undermined: A Gay Mystery (Daniel Owen Welsh Mysteries Book 1) Ripley Hayes.

ETA:   Throwing Stones: A Short Story

Armstrong Station (Requiem's Run Book 1)

The Ares Weapon (Mars Ascendant Book 1)

Interim

Zero: A prequel to the humorous scifi series (Hal Spacejock)

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I just finished the anthology Fantastic Hope by Laurel K. Hamilton, Patricia Briggs and more. As with most anthologies, I found that I liked some of the stories, was ambivalent about others, and did not finish several. My favorite story was "Asil and the Not-Date" by Patricia Briggs; it featured Asil from her Alpha and Omega series.

"A child’s wish for her father comes true. The end of the world has never been so much fun. Conquering personal demons becomes all too real. It’s not always about winning; sometimes it’s about showing up for the fight. It’s about loving your life’s work, and jobs that make you question everything.

In this anthology, seventeen authors have woven together brand-new stories that speak to the darkness and despair that life brings while reminding us that good deeds, humor, love, sacrifice, dedication, and following our joy can ignite a light that burns so bright the darkness cannot last.

Laurell K. Hamilton and William McCaskey are joined by Kevin J. Anderson, Griffin Barber, Patricia Briggs, Larry Correia, Kacey Ezell, Monalisa Foster, Robert E. Hampson, John G. Hartness, Jonathan Maberry, L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Jessica Schlenker, Sharon Shinn, M. C. Sumner, Patrick M. Tracy, and Michael Z. Williamson in this collection."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I continued on with the Alice Worth series and read the novella,  Blood Money: An Alice Worth Novella by Lisa Edmonds. The viewpoint character was not Alice Worth this time, but I enjoyed it anyway.

"After an epidemic of attacks by newly risen vampires terrorizes the city, authorities pressure Charles Vaughan and the Vampire Court to determine who is responsible. Complicating matters, a local businessman hires infamous bounty hunter Jack Justice to find and execute the rogues after his sister is attacked. Justice and his entourage turn the city and the investigation into a three-ring circus of media attention, vamp-hunter groupies, and self-appointed “deputy” vamp hunters.

When mage symbology is found on a captured rogue vamp, Charles enlists the help of veteran mage private investigator Mark Dunlap to figure out what involvement mages have in the attacks. Dunlap brings in his newly hired MPI-in-training Alice Worth to help unravel the mystery.

In two hundred years, Charles has never met anyone quite like Alice. Minutes after meeting him for the first time, she threatens to burn down Vampire Court headquarters. By the end of the night, Charles is sure of two things: Alice is not who or what she seems, and someday she will be his...if she doesn't get herself killed first."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

 I read way too much this afternoon and evening; I just finished  Heart of Fire (Alice Worth Book 2)by Lisa Edmonds. I enjoyed it.

"Alice hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks, her relationship with werewolf Sean Maclin is on the rocks, a federal agent hounds her every step, and a powerful vampire whose ulterior motives have ulterior motives watches her every move. It’s enough to drive any woman to drink.

Just when Alice's ghost sidekick Malcolm is about to stage an intervention, her former employer, Mark Dunlap, enlists her help to find out who’s been kidnapping women off the streets. As the list of the missing grows, the city’s anger turns against the vampires, and the Vampire Court hires Mark and Alice to find those responsible. After the case reunites her with Sean, Alice is forced to confront painful demons from her past, as well as the very real demon who wants her dead and the vampire determined to control her power.

When tragedy strikes close to home and a friend’s life hangs in the balance, Alice goes up against the most powerful adversary she’s ever faced in an explosive showdown that will leave Alice and her city forever changed."

Regards,

Kareni

[madteaparty]

I’m in a Kate Atkinson kick both while driving (Case Histories on audio) and bedtime (Life after Life). Before that, I was on a Liane Moriarty audio kick until the narrator changed and I couldn’t go on. Funny how much a narrator can make a difference. If anyone can recommend stuff in this general (I prefer the Life after Life more than the detective stuff), I’d be grateful! 

[Kareni]

13 hours ago, madteaparty said:

If anyone can recommend stuff in this general (I prefer the Life after Life more than the detective stuff), I’d be grateful! 

I haven't read Life After Life so can't give you any personal recommendations; however, I went hunting and found this article ~

If You Loved 'Life After Life,' Read These 9 Books

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

4 hours ago, Kareni said:

I haven't read Life After Life so can't give you any personal recommendations; however, I went hunting and found this article ~

If You Loved 'Life After Life,' Read These 9 Books

Regards,

Kareni

I enjoyed Life After Life but like the tv version of Case Histories too much to read it!  The Zookeeper’s Wife I’d on Kareni’s list and I really enjoyed it.  I also saw one called Every Body on the list that looks interesting.  Has anyone read it?.......it’s first in a series of three..

[madteaparty]

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

I enjoyed Life After Life but like the tv version of Case Histories too much to read it!  The Zookeeper’s Wife I’d on Kareni’s list and I really enjoyed it.  I also saw one called Every Body on the list that looks interesting.  Has anyone read it?.......it’s first in a series of three..

I didn’t even know there was a TV version. The audio for Case Histories was beyond brilliant now I worry the TV will ruin it for me. I’m listening to Started Early, took my dog now and the audio is grating me a bit but I press on.

now I read God in Ruins a while back which happens after Life after Life and I think they’re tied.

[Laurel-in-CA]

Taking a break from library books on Overdrive to read the Star Kingdom series by Lindsay Buroker on Kindle Unlimited. I really enjoyed her Emperor's Blade series, which is fantasy, and am finding her equally enjoyable with technie space opera. Her characters are fun! Two of them are clones of an ancient military hero....who grow up and turn out very, very differently. And that's just for starters.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45353889-shockwave?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=ZsDjMJp0oJ&rank=1

 

 

[Kareni]

I continued on with the series I've been reading and finished Heart of Ice (Alice Worth Book 3) by Lisa Edmonds. I won't bother posting the blurb as this is a series that should be read in order. As you might surmise, I've been enjoying this series.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

Plumbess Seg (this was a unique fantasy that I enjoyed)

and the sequel

The Dry Princess (Plumbess Seg Book 2) both by Jude Fawley

A Code of Love (The Code Breakers Series Book 1) by Jacki Delecki

Blood of a Gladiator (Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries Book 1) Ashley Gardner aka Jennifer Ashley

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Week 13 is live - please continue conversation in new thread