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Book a Week 2021 - BW15: 52 Books Bingo - Cloistered Life

Robin M

By Robin M,
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Robin M

Robin M

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Happy Sunday!  Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Cloistered Life. Years and years ago when I was a teenager...  Why does it sound like the opening crawl to Star Wars?   "In a galaxy far far away...."   *grin* 

No, I did not wish to become a nun when I was younger, but was always fascinated by the idea. Our high school religious class took a field trip to a cloistered convent and it was an interesting experience to say the least.  We were allowed to talk to the sisters through a screen in which they could only see us from the waist up, a privacy screen raised in case any outside visitor was inappropriately dressed. They were a giggly group of ladies who enjoyed their simple life of prayer and work inside the convent walls.  

The experience stuck with me which is probably why I enjoy stories about hermits and anchorites, monks and nuns, abbeys and monasteries, and lives lived in solitude.  Books such as historical fiction The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader, biographical stories such as And Then There Were Nuns by Jane Christmas and  Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain, and fictional books such as Dean Koontz's suspense story  Innocence in which a young man lives beneath a city in solitude and Louise Penny's The Beautiful Mystery in which Armand Gamache tries to solve a murder within a cloistered monastery. 

Delve into books about Cloistered Life, Monks,  Hermits,  Anchorites or recluses. 

Silence in Literature, Catharsis, and Internal Retreats

The Silent Protagonist

The top 10 loners in fiction

There are a number of ways to go with this category and you can interpret it anyway you like, so have fun following rabbit trails and see where they lead you.  

 

***********

Count of Monte Cristo Readalong

Chapter 28. The Prison Register

Chapter 29. The House of Morrel & Son

Chapter 30. The Fifth of September

We are at the end of volume one which ends with chapter 27.  How has Dantes changed since the beginning?  He's gone from innocence to ...? What happened to the characters in his life during his imprisonment?  Who does he save?  How will he get his revenge? Share your thoughts and comments on what has taken place so far.  Also any favorite quotes if you'd like.

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

 

Link to week 14

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.

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Ali in OR

Ali in OR

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I finished both The Lager Queen of Minnesota and Leave the World Behind this week. I found The Lager Queen to be an easy, maybe even a comfort read. Leave the World Behind kept me reading, but not in an easy, comfort kind of way. Some kind of apocalyptic thing is happening, but you never find out exactly what. And I decided by the end that I don't like the author's crude, sexualizing writing style.

I just started The Other Bennet Sister last night which will focus on Mary and I think give her a better life than you would expect from Pride and Prejudice. Should be a comfort read. Looks long--will probably take me a couple of weeks.

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Robin M

Robin M

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Good morning from my part of the world!  I finished Genevieve Cogman's The Lost Plot #4 in the Invisible Library series  which was very very good and our spy librarian Irene was put to the test in trying to complete her mission while on the run from the fae, dragons, mobsters and gun molls, and the human police.  Continuing the Invisible Library series saga with #5 The Mortal Word.

 "Peace talks are always tricky, especially when a key diplomat gets stabbed. This rudely interrupts a top-secret summit between the warring dragons and Fae. As a neutral party, Librarian-spy Irene is summoned to investigate. She must head to a version of 1890s Paris, with her assistant Kai and her detective friend Vale, where these talks are fracturing. Here, she must get to the bottom of the attack – before either the peace negotiations or the city go up in flames.

Suspicions fly thick and fast and Irene soon finds herself in the seedy depths of the Parisian underworld. She’s on the trail of a notoriously warlike Fae, the Blood Countess. However, the evidence against the Countess is circumstantial. Could the killer be a member of the Library itself?"

 

This week's 52 Books theme fits right in with my 10 x 10 Get thee to a Nunnery category and I have a number of books on my shelves to choose from. 

Contemplating The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams or Kathleen Norris's The Cloister Walk

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mumto2

mumto2

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Thank you Robin!

I finally put last month’s librarian spelling challenge together so will post it.  My stack is filled with books that serve a purpose for different challenges.  I am listening to a Miss Julia by Ann Ross and reading the latest Moose Springs.  
 

March - Horace Worblehat

 

H.........The Famous Heroine by Mary Jo Putney

O.........No One Lives Twice by Julie Moffett

R..........Paving a New Road by Sulari Gentile

A.........Second Sight by Amanda Quick

C.........The Igugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo

E......... Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay

 

W.........Siri, Who Am I by Sam Tschida

O..........Obsession by Patricia Bradley

R..........Rules of Engagement by Jamie Denton

B..........Badlands by CJ Box

L...........The Lady Most Willing by Julia Quinn

E..........The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel

H..........Straight From the Hip by Susan Mallory

A......... The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

T...........A Twist in Time by Julie McElwain

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Kareni

Kareni

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Some bookish posts ~

Marquette University Is Looking for Oral Histories From J.R.R. Tolkien Fans

https://www.tor.com/2021/04/08/jrr-tolkien-middle-earth-marquette-university-archives-oral-histories/

Jo Walton’s Reading List: March 2021

https://www.tor.com/2021/04/07/jo-waltons-reading-list-march-2021/

15 FANTASY MYSTERY BOOKS FOR READERS CRAVING A MAGICAL WHODUNIT

https://bookriot.com/best-fantasy-mystery-books/

COTTAGECORE ESSENTIAL READING

https://bookriot.com/cottagecore-books/

Regards,

Kareni

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bookbard

bookbard

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I did end up paying for Becky Chambers' latest 'Wayfarer' book, and I'm glad - it was really good. Her books are really 'feel-good' comfort reads, but with deep ideas. 

I also (as per the other thread) downloaded a complete works of Henry James. I have read "The Turn of the Screw" which was a bit bewildering, and then "The Wings of a Dove" (I didn't mean to - clicked on the wrong one - but it was good!) Definitely one of those slow reads with very little happening, but I enjoyed it. Although he would be SO easy to parody. Every other sentence has "something . . . everything . . . nothing" in it. 

"What's the time?"

"Ah, it's SOMETHING."

"Yes, but what's the time?"

"And that's everything, isn't it?  EVERYTHING."

"And the time?"

"Time? Time is nothing. Time is anything."

You never, ever find out what the time is. 

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Kareni

Kareni

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This evening I finished Galaxies and Oceans by N.R. Walker; I enjoyed this contemporary romance. (Adult content)

"Seizing his one chance to escape, Ethan Hosking leaves his violent ex-boyfriend, leaves his entire life, and walks into the path of a raging bushfire. Desperate to start over, a new man named Aubrey Hobbs walks out of the fire-ravaged forest, alive and alone. With no ID and no money, nothing but his grandfather’s telescope, he goes where the Southern Cross leads him.

Patrick Carney is the resident lighthouse keeper in Hadley Cove, a small town on the remote Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia. After the tragic death of his lover four years ago, he lives a solitary life; just him, a tabby cat, the Indian and Southern Oceans, and a whole lot of loneliness. He’s content with his life until a stranger shows up in town and turns Patrick’s head.

Patrick never expected to be interested in anyone else.

Aubrey never expected to be happy.

Between Aubrey’s love of the stars and Patrick’s love of the ocean, these two fragile hearts must navigate new waters. If they can weather the storm of their pasts, they could very well have a love that eclipses everything."

**

I also read the short story The Judge Senser (The Sensers Secret Society Book 1) by Soleah Kenna Sadge. This had an interesting premise, but I don't think I'll read on in the series. Note: It is currently free to Kindle readers.

"Xavi has never acted against his powerful Sense before until it brands Lily guilty of a brutal murder in his courtroom in Radnor, PA, and he can’t or won’t convict her.

The Radnor Sensers Secret Society is full of members with supernatural ability, and Xavi’s is to see sudden verdicts appear on people’s foreheads—a useful skill when you’re a judge.

Until now, he’s never let matters of the heart impede his magical or legal duty to defend the law, but he also considers Lily the one, which is strange considering they’ve never even talked when passing in the coffee shop every morning.

Is he losing his way? Should he follow the law or the truth? Do all guilty people belong in prison? Is it just the shock of seeing Lily in court that set his Sense off?

Convinced he should conduct his own investigation into what really happened, he soon discovers the truth may be far more elaborate than he had imagined and it may also have set his human and magical duties on a collision course."

Regards,

Kareni

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Granny_Weatherwax

Granny_Weatherwax

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Good morning, my fellow bibliophiles~

I finished last month's Horace Worblehat challenge by reading Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters, in which Horace has a cameo. Gotta love an orangutan who can participate in a bar fight.

Recent reads include Red Shirts, Star Trek Picard, Esperanza Rising (read with my DGD), and Big Magic.

For those who were following along with my DS's reading of The Wheel of Time series -- he's finished. He completed the final book in March. He averaged a bit more than a book a week; completing all 16 books in 13 weeks.

 

I am still reading The Count but have fallen behind. I need to set a dedicated COM reading day. Unfortunately, my reading has slowed down a bit due to two other pleasurable activities: music and bullet journaling. I have been making custom bullet journals for family and friends, It's been a wonderful creative outlet. I have also been hunting synth pop cds and listening to the music that brings me the most joy. I can't listen and read but can journal and draw while enjoying the foot tapping, soul touching tunes (unless I get up and dance, which has been known to happen).

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Kareni

Kareni

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3 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

For those who were following along with my DS's reading of The Wheel of Time series -- he's finished. He completed the final book in March. He averaged a bit more than a book a week; completing all 16 books in 13 weeks.

That's impressive! (I'm guessing he enjoyed the series!)

3 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

 I have been making custom bullet journals for family and friends, It's been a wonderful creative outlet. 

That does indeed sound wonderful! Do you have any pictures you could share?

Regards,

Kareni

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Kareni

Kareni

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Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

ETA: The Wrack by John Bierce

Flying by the Seat of My Knickers (The Travel Mishaps of Caity Shaw Book 1) by Eliza Watson

Secrets of Sunbeams: A Christian Romance (Urban Farm Fresh Romance Book

and Butterflies on Breezes: A Christian Romance (Urban Farm Fresh Romance Book both by Valerie Comer

Lust, Money & Murder - Books 1, 2 & 3: A Female Secret Service Agent Takes on an International Criminal (Lust, Money & Murder Series) by Mike Wells

Regards,

Kareni

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mumto2

mumto2

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2 hours ago, melmichigan said:

I'm off on a tangent with post-apocalyptic sci-fi.  I am on the last of seven books in the series  Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury. 🙂 The audible versions are very good.

Thank you! My library has the audio version of these.  After I get through the audiobooks in my queue I will give Hell Divers a try because we frequently like the same books.

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Kareni

Kareni

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I've finished a couple more books.

I very much enjoyed a reread of the first book in a favorite series, Murder In Thrall (A New Scotland Yard Mystery Book 1) by Anne Cleeland.

"An Irish redhead of humble beginnings and modest means, Kathleen Doyle is the antithesis of Chief Inspector Michael Sinclair, also known as Lord Acton, the brilliant but enigmatic lord with a knack for solving London's most high profile homicides. When a horse trainer is found dead at a racetrack, the duo’s investigation does little to deter the killer at large. Jeopardizing the case are their colleagues at CID headquarters, whose nosing into the nature of Doyle and Acton’s after-hours relationship threatens to lay bare the most classified information of all. As the murders pile up, Doyle and Acton uncover something far more sinister than they could have imagined. Now that they know too much, their partnership could be very brief indeed. . ."

**

I also readHuman Omega by Eileen Glass. This was an okay read, but I don't plan to read on in the series. (Significant adult content) I won't post the blurb so as to save some blushes.

Regards,

Kareni

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Carol in Cal.

Carol in Cal.

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The first books about cloister life I ever read were:

"The Sound of Music" by Maria von Trapp (yes, the movie was loosely based on this autobiographical book)

and 

"The Nun's Story" which I believe was also made into an old movie.

Both were very good.

Lately I have read two books about lost children being found by caring adults, catalyzing a bunch of novelesque changes in the adults' lives.  These were "Magic Hour" by Kristen Hannah, which was great, and another one that I discarded at a LFL and forget the name of that was a debut novel and not so great.  Within the last few months I read the best hiking trek book so far (I read those quite a bit), called Journeys North.  It details the treks and life changes of a bunch of loosely connected PCT through hikers that all hiked during the same year, and I highly recommend it.

I just started what is shaping up to be a fantastic book, "Creating A Forest Garden" by Martin Crawford.  This English approach to gardening at multiple heights for edible and otherwise usable trees, shrubs, and plants is viscerally attractive to me as I have been working toward it in a small way on my tiny city lot for a number of years.  It is a stunning consideration of the practical and the fanciful, and well written.  I'm really enjoying it, and finding it very inspiring.

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tuesdayschild

tuesdayschild

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In my late night reading I’ve read three printed books,  books six to eight in the Rowland Sinclair mystery series by Sulari Gentill, so far this month, and the series is averaging between  3-4 out of 5 stars from me.  There are some content issues (could be triggers for some) in these books,  the bedroom scenes are all closed door.

I was so happy to complete two sip reads this week that I began late last year – both are Christian non-fiction: Keep a Quiet Heart ~ Elisabeth Elliot,  God in the Docks ~ C.S. Lewis.  I enjoyed the first half of Elisabeth Elliot’s book more than the second half due to the topics being discussed.  Lewis’ book is a collection of essays which contained some hits and misses in appreciation for me.

I also completed When We Were Orphans ~ Kazu Ishiguro, narrated by Michael Maloney.   This is my second Kazu Ishiguro book, and I ended up liking it a whole lot less than my first book, thanks to Uncle Philip.  I was enjoying the ambling,  slightly baffling approach until we got to the reveal* and the way the man intentionally did it.  The baffling portions are intentional so that Christopher and the reader have quite a few things that need resolving.           *the reveal was definitely a horrific and discordant note and the deliberate destruction of any innocence.

Currently reading or listening to  A Willful Grievance: The Lillie Mead Historical Mystery Series Bk2 ~ Lisa Zumpano, narrated by Claire Storey ,  The Virgin in the Ice:  Chronicles of Brother Cadfael Bk6 ~ Ellis Peters,  narrated by Vanessa Benjamin - I haven’t been through the unabridged edition and decided to so for this weeks cloistered life theme,  All the Tears in China:  Rowland Sinclair Bk9 ~ Sulari Gentill  (late night reading), and, This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing ~ Jacqueline Winspear, as the hold came due at the library. 

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Lady Florida.

Lady Florida.

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I didn't post last week because I wasn't online much but I had a really good reading week. I finished several books since my last update:

Giovanni's Room - loved it. Five stars. I've been meaning to read James Baldwin for years but it wasn't until the events of last spring and summer that I actually got serious about reading his work. I read The Fire Next Time last year and thought it was excellent. A few years ago I read Between the World and Me by Ta Nehsi Coates and knew it was inspired by Fire Next Time. I finally understood the connection. Anyway, I wanted to read Baldwin's fiction and Giovanni's Room was my TBR jar pick for fiction this month. I'm glad I picked that one but will try more of his novels.

This is Happiness - I don't know how to describe this book other than Irish storytelling. It's not plot driven and though it has a main character it's not character driven either. If anything, time and place are the characters. Here's my rambling Goodreads review.  I gave it four stars instead of five because it did drag a bit in the middle and because I'm stingy with stars.

Dombey and Son was my audio book from my TBR jar. After two very long Dickens novels in a row (I pulled Martin Chuzzlewit out of the jar last time) I'm glad to have him behind me for a while. I did enjoy the book but while I don't love every Dickens I ever read I can't say I truly dislike any. 

The Secret Life of Groceries - It was mildly interesting. I will say there are some things I'll never buy again without thinking of what I learned in this book. Much of the book covered the actual business of a grocery store and wasn't so much about the food items themselves. I always had a respect for truckers but I have more now. It also covered a good bit of the problem of fishing slave ships in Thailand. 

Linesman - I've been hearing about this one for years and am so glad I finally read it. I always say I don't care for sci-fi but then when I read a recommended sci-fi book I end up liking it. I'm on the second book now - more on that below the quote.

I also finished several more Gaslight Mysteries - I think I'm up to #14 or 15 in the series now. 

 

On 4/7/2021 at 5:25 PM, tuesdayschild said:

@Lady Florida. I completed T.C.o.M.C a wee while back .... looking forward to any possible BaW discussion at the end of this scheduled read: I can see why you gifted it all the starts you did 🥰   (hoping you're continuing to heal and strengthen after your op: thinking of you often!)

 

 

I'm looking forward to it too. After getting ahead of the schedule I then ended up getting behind. Now I'm caught up. I will say I remembered much about the revenge Dantes took on those who wronged him but I forgot about the good he did. It was good be reminded of that this go round.

I'm currently reading Alliance, the second book in the Linesman series. I read @tuesdayschild's review on Goodreads when I was only a few chapters in and I have to say so far I agree with it. This one definitely suffers from second/middle book syndrome. It started much slower but is really picking up now, just as her review said it would. It seems we've helped each other with our GR reviews. 🙂

Other books I'm currently reading -

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Goblin Emperor -audio book. After I finished Dombey and Son this was the next audio book title I pulled out of the jar. I read the book a year or so ago but there was a deal to buy the Audible version with the Kindle version so I did. I'm enjoying it and liking Maya (main character) even more this time. The narrator isn't all that great imo. He sounds angry all the time. Although Maya is often angry I didn't read him as always angry. It could just be this guy's normal voice but I'm glad I read it in print first. I'm not sure I would have loved Maya as much as I do if I listened to it. 

21 Immortals - a police procedural set in Kuala Lumpur. The writing bothered me before I got used to it. At first I thought it was a translation issue but it was written in English. I finally realized it's the present tense that took some getting used to. I don't dislike it but I guess most novels I read aren't written in present tense. "He walks over to the coffee shop and orders a latte while he waits for his informant to show" was jarring at first. Still, I like the story and am curious to find out how the murder is solved.

1968: The Year That Rocked the World - my nonfiction pick for this month from my jar. I'm not far enough in to give an opinion yet.

 

 

 

 

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Kareni

Kareni

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26 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

Linesman - I've been hearing about this one for years and am so glad I finally read it. I always say I don't care for sci-fi but then when I read a recommended sci-fi book I end up liking it.

As the chief Linesman proselytizer here, I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it!

Regards,

Kareni

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Robin M

Robin M

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Yeah! Taxes are done, now to write some checks.     

Our PPP loan was forgiven so don't have to pay that back.  Thank you SBA. 

2nd moderna shot this afternoon so happy that's done. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. 

Amidst it all, spending time rereading Nora Roberts Inn Boonsboro trilogy. 

And of course, finished writing our Sunday Post.  Off to cook dinner.  

😘

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