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Book a Week 2021 - BW46: Non Fiction Miscellanea

Robin M

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Robin M

Robin M

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Happy Sunday, my lovelies. We're in the midst of planning our 2022 bookish adventures and having loads of fun with the bingo categories and coming up with new challenges. Meanwhile getting side tracked and adding to my TBR pile.  So many good books.  I went a little bit link happy while writing this week's post and figured out I need to have a better plan for actually reading all the books I've been acquiring.

Which lead me to The Art of Manliness, which is actually a wonderful site to explore. 

I came across Why you need a Reading Plan detailing the importance of having a plan and sticking with it.  I ditched my non fiction reading plan somewhere in the middle of the year and need to revise for 2022. I have a whole slew of nonfiction books on my shelves from memoirs like Trevor Noah's Born a Crime to Adam Savage's Every Tool's a Hammer to multiple writing books such as Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova.  

Stumbled across their article on The Best of the Marine Corps’ Reading Lists with many books my hubby will enjoy reading. Unfortunately, it looks like The Art of War has been removed from the current list which is a must read for anyone.  Caboodle lists it among the  10 non-fiction books that changed the world. 

Today is the 170th anniversary of when Moby Dick was published.  If you haven't read it yet, maybe 2022 would be the perfect time. Why read Moby Dick? makes the case for why and In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex gives you the real story behind the fiction tale.  Another seafaring tale that captured my attention is Hampton Side's In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette.   Both Philbrick and Hampton make history come alive.

Speaking of history and adventure, the Art of Manliness (A wonderful website to explore) lists The Essential Adventure Library: 50 Non-fiction Adventure Books.  

15 Memoirs That Will Inspire You To Keep Writing That Book

Food is Life! Foodie Memoirs to Enjoy

9 New Music Memoirs and Biographies for Rock and Blues Fans

9 of the Grittiest Music memoirs of all time

15 absorbing nonfiction books to inspire your inner scientist

5 Poignant Poetry Memoirs

Non-Fiction Recommendations From Katherine Addison

15 of the Best Non Fiction Books in 2021 

Have fun following rabbit trails!

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

Count of Monte Cristo 

Chapter 112. The Departure

Chapter 113. The Past

Chapter 114. Peppino

 *******************************

Link to week 45

Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges.  

 

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Robin M

Robin M

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Still reading Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet.  I came across this article Can Rilke Change Your Life in the New Yorker on Saturday which lead to me to a new edition of Letters which includes the missing letters of the young poet which weren’t included in the original edition.  Maybe if I’m curious enough after finishing the edition I have, I may get it.

Finished The Riviera House by Natasha Lester which was good, but I liked Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale so much more.

Ebook – started #15 in the October Daye series When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire and in hard cover – Philippa Gregory’s The Wise Woman.   

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Granny_Weatherwax

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I began Cold Mourning by ??? as an audiobook through the Libby app. The reader was awful. I made it through the prologue and part of chapter 1 and couldn't take any more. It was also dark and dreary and not something I wanted at the moment. It was returned 13 days early.

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1) was available so I downloaded it. It's 18 hours long and I don't know if I'll finish it before it's due. There is now 1 person waiting so I won't be able to renew it. I love this narrator, Bahni Turpin. She narrated The Hate U Give and I thoroughly enjoyed that audiobook. I'm 4 hours in and enjoying it. I do think having the print book in front of me would be beneficial for names, especially of the magi and other magical people. I may look those up so I get a better feel for the story. I listened to Children yesterday while making my Christmas cards for the WTM card exchange. 

My print book is the second book in the Dragonwatch series by Brandon Mull. 

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mumto2

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Thank you Robin!

Yesterday I finally started listening to The Expanse series again and at this point am really enjoying it.  No idea how long it will take me to get through the series and to finally read the about to be released last book in the series!  I listened to the first three hours yesterday and I have to admit I have no memory of that particular part of the story but am happy have Miller and Holden front and center! I do plan to mix other audiobooks in with The Expanse and have Christie’s The Hollow and a thriller waiting already. 
 

I finally was able to listen to the second book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54373691-before-the-coffee-gets-cold.  There appear to be four in the series but only the first two have been translated into English.  In these books patrons of a small out of the way coffee shop are able to travel in time by sitting on a specific seat and finishing their coffee before it gets cold.  There are many more rules but these books about individuals going back and finishing moments the way they should have been.  Sweet, short books.

I finished the latest in Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series.  My biggest complaint about True Dead was it stopped in a spot that I wanted it continued.  Just a little bit more,  please!

 I also finished The Royal Affair https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49349790-a-royal-affair which is about a marriage bureau in post war London.  They were hired to help vet Prince Phillip.  So many courtship of Elizabeth books have found their way into my stack recently (btw I am not seeking these)  and I am surprised each one seems to look at a different aspect of the man.  Lots of potential dirt......not sure if King George would have let her marry him in today’s environment!

My current book is A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56755487-a-line-to-kill I’m not very far into it but liking it so far.


 

 

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Granny_Weatherwax

Granny_Weatherwax

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3 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

<snip>

My current book is A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56755487-a-line-to-kill I’m not very far into it but liking it so far.


 

 

I enjoy Anthony Horowitz's writing. I have read the first two in that series and liked them. I'll have to put A Line To Kill on my TBR list.

Tomorrow's 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge is going to be about reading. The action step will be to try to notify your favorite author and tell him/her how much you enjoy his/her writing. Since Terry Pratchett has passed away, maybe I'll write to Anthony H.

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Kareni

Kareni

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The bingo looks appealing, Robin!

**

Some bookish posts from reddit:


What are some World History or any history books that read like fiction that you couldn’t put down?

https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/ntcz2s/what_are_some_world_history_or_any_history_books/

Unofficial YA and MG Recommendation List & Gift Giving Guide:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/qqvp8f/unofficial_ya_and_mg_recommendation_list_gift/

Fairytale Retellings and Fantasy

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/pbiqy5/fairytale_retellings_and_fantasy/

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Kareni

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This afternoon I finished the (nonfiction!) book I've been reading for my local book group ~ Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country by Sierra Crane Murdoch

It is not what I would call an uplifting read, but it was very well researched and readable.

"When Lissa Yellow Bird was released from prison in 2009, she found her home, the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, transformed by the Bakken oil boom. In her absence, the landscape had been altered beyond recognition, her tribal government swayed by corporate interests, and her community burdened by a surge in violence and addiction. Three years later, when Lissa learned that a young white oil worker, Kristopher “KC” Clarke, had disappeared from his reservation worksite, she became particularly concerned. No one knew where Clarke had gone, and few people were actively looking for him.
 
Yellow Bird traces Lissa’s steps as she obsessively hunts for clues to Clarke’s disappearance. She navigates two worlds—that of her own tribe, changed by its newfound wealth, and that of the non-Native oilmen, down on their luck, who have come to find work on the heels of the economic recession. Her pursuit of Clarke is also a pursuit of redemption, as Lissa atones for her own crimes and reckons with generations of trauma. Yellow Bird is an exquisitely written, masterfully reported story about a search for justice and a remarkable portrait of a complex woman who is smart, funny, eloquent, compassionate, and—when it serves her cause—manipulative. Drawing on eight years of immersive investigation, Sierra Crane Murdoch has produced a profound examination of the legacy of systematic violence inflicted on a tribal nation and a tale of extraordinary healing."

Regards,

Kareni

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SKL

SKL

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Howdie!  I finally finished Think Like a Monk!  In the end it says he has taught us how to meditate, but I didn't remember any of that, LOL.  Oh well.  Faster readers probably got it.  There were some good thoughts and reminders in the book, but to be honest, I didn't find it the best use of my reading time.  I think it was targeted at people in a completely different life season and demographic.  Oh well ... it was a gift ....

I started Soul Spa.  I finished the intro stuff and "Day 1."  It's supposed to be 40 days, so here's hoping I finish it before the end of 2021.

I think I'm nearing the end of the audiobook Fahrenheit 451.  Although the reader is not very good IMO, I'm liking the substance of the book better than at first.  It is such a downer that I can't listen to it for too long at a time.  But I'm ahead of my kids' reading.  (We agreed to stop listening to it together because the reader is so bad.  They have to write annotations etc. which requires them to go through the physical book anyway.  Normally the listen would enhance the experience, but not in this case.  😛

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Robin M

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Audible told me I needed to use my credits or would lose one so ended up getting a few memoirs and also Erin Morgernstern's Starless Sea. In love with the narrator and the story. So very good. And in the midst of the story dropping easter eggs. Mentioned Sara Waters and Raymond Chandler. So I looked up all the books and authors mentioned in the Starless Sea.  I found Related Reads which is awesome because most of them match with Bingo and other challenges for the year. Synchronicity.  Several may work for our author bookology.  😃

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Kareni

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Today I finished Someone to Wed (The Westcott Series Book 3) by Mary Balogh: I enjoyed it.

"When Alexander Westcott becomes the new Earl of Riverdale, he inherits a title he never wanted and a failing country estate he can’t afford. But he fully intends to do everything in his power to undo years of neglect and give the people who depend on him a better life...

A recluse for more than twenty years, Wren Heyden wants one thing out of life: marriage. With her vast fortune, she sets her sights on buying a husband. But when she makes the desperate—and oh-so-dashing—earl a startlingly unexpected proposal, Alex will only agree to a proper courtship, hoping for at least friendship and respect to develop between them. He is totally unprepared for the desire that overwhelms him when Wren finally lifts the veils that hide the secrets of her past..."

Regards,

Kareni

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Kareni

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Last night I finished the contemporary romance Sweetheart (The Busy Bean) by Sarah Mayberry which I quite enjoyed. (Significant adult content)

"Four years ago, Haley had a giant crush on her sister's boyfriend. But when he moved away, she put Beck out of her mind.

It’s a shock to find that he’s back—and roasting the best coffee in Vermont for the Busy Bean’s local competitor.

Haley is going to need to get her hands on those beans…as well as a few more of the kisses they accidentally share outside the coffee shop. Beck still makes her heart race faster than a triple shot of espresso.

Haley’s sister burned Beck’s life to the ground, so she’s the last woman he should bring into his bed. Nobody can know. But their business relationship is giving way to something more than a fine grind. Neither of them can help ourselves. And what’s worse, he may be falling for her…"

Regards,

Kareni

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Kareni

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And I just finished The Lost Letter: A Victorian Romance by Mimi Matthews. I enjoyed the book, but I don't think it's a book I'll be rereading.

"A Proud Beauty

When the tragic death of her gamester father leaves her destitute and alone, society beauty Sylvia Stafford finds work as a governess in a merchant's household in Cheapside. Isolated from the fashionable acquaintance of her youth, she resigns herself to lonely spinsterhood...until a mysterious visitor convinces her to temporarily return to her former life--and her former love.

A Scarred Beast

Colonel Sebastian Conrad is no longer the dashing cavalry officer Sylvia once fell in love with. Badly scarred during the Sepoy Rebellion, he has withdrawn to his estate in rural Hertfordshire where he lives in near complete seclusion. Brooding and tormented, he cares nothing for the earldom he has inherited--and even less for the faithless beauty who rejected him three years before.

A Second Chance

A week together in the remote Victorian countryside is the last thing either of them ever wanted. But when fate intervenes to reunite them, will a beastly earl and an impoverished beauty finally find their happily-ever-after? Or are some fairy-tale endings simply not meant to be?"

Regards,

Kareni

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SKL

SKL

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I finished Fahrenheit 451 (audiobook).  I haven't really decided what I think of it yet.  Some parts I really liked, but then it would go back to weird/boring, and TBH my mind wandered a bit.  I probably should have read this one in hard copy.

I think I get the overall message, which I'll discuss with my kids once they finish the book.

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Kareni

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Earlier today I finished a reread of The Protector (Guardsmen) by Cooper West which I enjoyed once again. (Adult content)

"Guardsmen are always matched in a bonded pair. The Protector can shift into a weredog, and the human partner is his Handler. They are incredibly rare and highly valued, but people also fear them for their mystical abilities. No Protector in living memory has outlived his Handler—until Alex Taylor.

Now a widower, Alex lives a lonely half-life and faces day after day of grief with no hope for happiness in the future. When he unexpectedly bonds with the young and vibrant Handler Marcus Stephanek, Alex is angry and unwilling to leave the memory of his former Handler behind. He pushes Marcus away and tries to distance himself from their bond. But then a mysterious villain who has been secretly shadowing Alex for years sets his plan in motion. Alex and Marcus must learn to trust their bond and love each other, or risk not only their own lives but the lives of those closest to them."

Regards,

Kareni

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mumto2

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@kareni I believe you recently finished Mary Jo Putney’s Once a Laird?  I just finished reading it and enjoyed it but there seemed to be some bits missing. The absence of a couple of logical follow through like the horse having a bullet wound when stabling it seemed odd......the shooting is bought up later.  Anyway great overall but for once a book felt over edited!

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Kareni

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Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

A Lively Companion (An Austen Ensemble Book 1) by Corrie Garrett 

Rogue for Hire (Rogues of the Road Book 1) by Sasha Cottman

Seeking the Sheriff (Masterson County Book 1) by Calle J. Brookes

Suddenly Psychic: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Glimmer Lake Book 1) by Elizabeth Hunter

True Knight (Prosper Woods Chronicles) by Patricia Logan

Regards,

Kareni

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Robin M

Robin M

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On 11/14/2021 at 9:45 AM, mumto2 said:

Yesterday I finally started listening to The Expanse series again and at this point am really enjoying it.  No idea how long it will take me to get through the series and to finally read the about to be released last book in the series!  I listened to the first three hours yesterday and I have to admit I have no memory of that particular part of the story but am happy have Miller and Holden front and center! I do plan to mix other audiobooks in with The Expanse and have Christie’s The Hollow and a thriller waiting already. 
 

You all have talked up The Expanse series so much I finally had to check it out.   Added Leviathan Wakes to my virtual stacks along with several other books in including Jo Walton's Among Others, Ann Perry's Face of a Stranger, and Willo Davis Roberts Girl with the Silver Eyes.  A bunch more dragon and bookshop books. I see some themes evolving.  I think I'm done buying books for the time being and will wait to see what my guys get me for my birthday and Christmas.   The poor dears had to force themselves to go the store today because they missed the time window for Amazon to get here by Sunday, even though I gave them plenty of warning.  It'll be a total surprise since neither one has any idea what to get and hubby always looks for the fattest book possible.  😁

Finished When Sorrow Comes and happy that October and Tybalt finally managed to get married. 

Gave up on 42nd Street Library for the moment, just couldn't get into his writing.

Philippa Gregory's Wise Woman has captured my attention so far.  

 

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melmichigan

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I am finishing up a reread of the Kate Daniels series, currently reading Blood Heir, which is technically the next series.  Next up is The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes which is supposed to be "The Expanse meets Game of Thrones" according to the reviews. I haven't read Game of Thrones so I'm not sure what to expect. 🤷‍♀️ I started watching the first part of The Expanse ,series 1, episode 1 with DH, but decided I'll probably do a reread before the new release in the spring.  

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Kareni

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17 hours ago, melmichigan said:

Next up is The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes which is supposed to be "The Expanse meets Game of Thrones" according to the reviews. ...

I haven't read either of the comparison books; however, I did read The Last Watch recently. I enjoyed it but don't see myself rereading it anytime soon. The sequel is languishing on my stack of library books while I'm rereading old favorites on my Kindle!

Regards,

Kareni

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Robin M

Robin M

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17 hours ago, melmichigan said:

I am finishing up a reread of the Kate Daniels series, currently reading Blood Heir, which is technically the next series.  Next up is The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes which is supposed to be "The Expanse meets Game of Thrones" according to the reviews. I haven't read Game of Thrones so I'm not sure what to expect. 🤷‍♀️ I started watching the first part of The Expanse ,series 1, episode 1 with DH, but decided I'll probably do a reread before the new release in the spring.  

Last Watch looks really good. Read the excerpt and added it to my B&N Pick up order for Monday. Thanks! 

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