Book a Week 2021 - BW47: Song of Thanksgiving by Will Carleton

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, my lovelies and Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate.

Song of Thanksgiving

(To the air - Portuguese Hymn)

Poems for Young Americans

By

Will Carleton 

We thank thee, O Father, for all that is bright--
the gleam of the day and the stars of the night;
The flowers of our youth, and the fruits of our prime,
And blessings e'er marching the pathway of time.

We thank thee, O Father, for all this is drear--
The sob of the tempest -- the flow of the tear;
For never in blindness, and never in vain,
Thy mercy permitted a sorrow or pain.

We thank thee, O Father, for song and for feast--
The harvest that glowed, and the wealth that increased;
For never a blessing encompassed thy child,
But thou in thy mercy looked downward and smiled.

We thank thee, O Father for all! for the power
Of aiding each other in life's darkest hour;
The generous heart, and the bountiful hand,
And all the soul-help that sad souls understand.

We thank thee, O Father--for days yet to be --
For hopes that our future will call us to thee:
That all our eternity form, through thy love,
One Thanksgiving Day in the mansions above.

**Copyright 1910 Every Where Publishing.

 

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

Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 115. Luigi Vampa’s Bill of Fare

Chapter 116. The Pardon

Chapter 117. The Fifth of October

 

 Link to week 46

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

[Robin M]

Finally updated my books completed list and discovered my reading has fallen largely into three categories:  romance, crime, and fantasy.  However, I did split dragons/fantasy/Science Fiction into three different categories when it should have all been one.  And a lot of the romance category included paranormal and urban fantasy. So, there’s been a lot of blending. I think my 10 x 10 was a failure this year.  Think I’ll skip making 10 x 10 for 2022 and see what themes extemporaneously develop in the process.   

In progress:

Hardback -- Wise Woman by Philippa Gregory, 
Audiobook –- Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern 
Ebook  -- #2 in Sunshine Vicram trilogy by Darynda Jones A Good Day for Chardonnay

We watched Red Notice tonight on Netflix with Dwayne 'rock' Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot which was very entertaining. 
 

[Negin]

Love that poem, Robin. Thank you for the thread. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. 
 

The e-card is fully relatable to both books that I read this week. I'd had both sitting for the longest while. I'm talking several years or so, maybe even a decade. 

[Negin]

I read Commencement Speech To His Nephew's Graduating Class: May 30, 2008, Nice France - 3 Stars

and 

Eating for England: The Delights and Eccentricities of the British at Table - 3 Stars

[SKL]

Working on Soul Spa, but I haven't been reading it every day as I'm supposed to.  Apparently, it doesn't do much for my soul (at least not so far).  Or maybe I'm not reading it in an ideal setting.

I really don't understand some books (and other offerings) that are supposedly set up for busy moms.  They seem to assume that we all have the ability to carve out daily "me time" that is quiet and stress free, when we can get comfy and sip tea or whatever.  I mean maybe that's how it is for women who have husbands with the desire and ability to make that happen, or SAHMs whose kids are all in school.  How common is that though?

I re-started reading an old History of India school book that I had put down some months ago.  It's not well written and I'll probably forget most of it, but I feel like I have to finish it.

Edited November 21, 2021 by SKL

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today. The audio is probably better, but I don't do audio.

[mumto2]

I am almost done with my X for the Author A to Z challenge with my annual visit to China with Qui Zialong.  This year I read The Mao Case which is fascinating.  My Chinese history knowledge is poor......many spots are being filled in with these books.   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4454621-the-mao-case
 

I am listening to Christie’s The Hollow.  After listening to Nicole Van’s Suffering the Scot.  I believe it was on a favorite author list of someone on the newsletter with the romance writers @Kareni.  It was pretty good, only on audio at my library.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45319756-suffering-the-scot

[Kareni]

I can identify with this 

12 hours ago, Negin said:

 

as I have about 8000 items on my Kindle (no joke).

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

Jo Walton’s Reading List: October 2021

https://www.tor.com/2021/11/09/jo-waltons-reading-list-october-2021/

BOOKS ABOUT WONDER AND SPARKING JOY IN DARK SEASONS

https://bookriot.com/books-about-wonder-and-joy/

ON THE ONLY MYSTERY NOVEL WRITTEN BY A.A. MILNE, CREATOR OF WINNIE-THE-POOH

https://crimereads.com/on-the-only-mystery-novel-written-by-a-a-milne-creator-of-winnie-the-pooh/

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Over the past few days, I continued reading in the Guardsmen series and finished Rescued: A “Parker’s Sanctuary” Story (this is a FREE short prequel), Parker's Sanctuary, Second Chances (an epilogue available from the author), and the novella Mismatched: A Guardsmen Romance Novella all by Cooper West. (Significant adult content in all but the prequel) 

I enjoyed the Parker's Sanctuary pieces the most. Here is the blurb for that book.

"Greg Lademar is an ordinary and average Army veteran who has settled down with his job as an accountant and his lingering PTSD. He lives a quiet life as a single man, alone on the former blueberry farm he bought from his parents after they retired to Orlando. When a friend who works with animal control asks him to foster Parker, a severely injured dog who has just been rescued from an abusive home, the last thing Greg expects is to be dragged into the mysterious world of the Guardsmen — the bonded pairs of humans and their weredogs, known as Protectors, who are literally the stuff of myths and legends.
Greg’s life is turned upside down by unexpected events involving Parker and the strange Guardsmen pair Marcus and Alex Stephanek, but far more dangerous to him is the man who used to own Parker and holds a grudge for having “his” dog taken from him. A game of cat and mouse ensues, with more on the line than even Greg ever thought possible: his life, and the life of Parker, who has become more important to him than Greg ever imagined a rescue dog could be."

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

19 hours ago, Negin said:

The e-card is fully relatable to both books that I read this week. I'd had both sitting for the longest while. I'm talking several years or so, maybe even a decade. 

Yep, same here.   At the end of each year, I go through and uninstall all the books I don't think I'll read and leave downloaded a manageable (sort of) selection of books I think I'll read during the year. Sometimes it works and other times I think I want to read such and such, but don't exactly remember the title and have to search through the virtual pile. 

[Robin M]

I have two new challenges finished for 2022 with a wild weekly challenge - A to Z - Z to A

and our annual read an author and spelling challenge  -  Books about Books Bookology

Books about Books Bookology   Hosted by Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks
Month	Author	Highlighted Book
January	Shion Miura	The Great Passage
February	Umberto Eco	Foucault’s Pendulum
March	Gabrielle Zevin	Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
April	Arturo Perez Reverte	The Club Dumas
May	Mindy Thompson	The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams
June	Carlos Ruiz Zafon	Cemetery of Lost Books series
July	Rachel Kadish	The Weight of Ink
August	Erica Swyler	The Book of Speculation
September	Michelle Gable	The Booksellers Secret
October	Katherine Arden	Small Spaces
November	Paul Collins	Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books
December	Jenny Colgan	Christmas Bookshop

 

[Robin M]

Gasp! What? No books.  My guys got creative this year for my birthday and went to the local antique dealer down the street.  Hubby cooked an awesome roast with yorkshire pudding.  Had long chats with my dad and one of my sisters.  Great day! 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Robin M

[mumto2]

Glad you had a great day @Robin M Your dinner sounds very yummy....I love Yorkshire’s.  The cat figurine is beautiful!

[Mothersweets]

@Robin MHappy Birthday! glad to hear you had a lovely day!

[Kareni]

Belated birthday wishes, @Robin M! Your men were definitely creative this year. (Perhaps they are saving books for Christmas.)

Regards,

Kareni

[Mothersweets]

I finished the 6th in the Joe Pickett series - In Plain Sight by C.J.Box. Good story but I'm wishing that Joe would finally have something good happen to him! Everyone he works with/for is an a**h***, his mother-in-law is a witch, and he often does things that prove he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer BUT he is decent and hard working and fair and I am rooting for him. Fingers crossed for the next in the series, Free Fire.

I also finished The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Loved it! Different genre for me (I'm trying to branch out!) and it only took me two weeks or so to read it because I normally read right before bed and just kept falling asleep, though it was no fault of the book. Maia is an intriguing protagonist and I want to find out what happens to him. Wish I would have realized there is a pronunciation guide to all the names in the back of the book! Why don't they place it at the beginning? 🙄

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, Mothersweets said:

I also finished The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Loved it!...

That's one of my favorites! I'm glad you enjoyed it, too. (And, yes, the names are challenging.) The author has a new-ish book out that is set in the same world but does not feature Maia. Instead the central character is Thara Celehar who played a role in The Goblin Emperor; I liked it but it doesn't have the charm of the other. It is The Witness for the Dead.

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Yeah. My head didn't explode from all the number crunching. Done with submitting all paper work for both the Workers Comp audit, and SBA loan annual review. Now I can relax and enjoy our Thanksgiving holiday.  We're having a quiet one to ourselves which means getting some honey do projects done.  

And because life is to short to read books that just don't hold my interest, I'm giving up on Wise Woman.  Too depressing.  I'm in more of a fluff mode at the moment.  Finished Darynda Jones second book in her Sunshine Vicram series with A Good Day for Chardonnay.  Why oh why though is it going to take a full year for the next installment to release?  Oh well. 

Happy Dance....   Nora Roberts newest just came in -  Becoming, #2 in her Dragon Heart Legacy series. 

[Kareni]

This evening I finished the contemporary romance Role Model (Game Changers Book 5) by Rachel Reid which I enjoyed. (Adult content)

"The hits just keep coming for Troy Barrett. Traded to the worst team in the league would be bad enough, but coming on the heels of a messy breakup and a recent scandal… Troy just wants to play hockey and be left alone. He doesn’t want to be in the news anymore, and he definitely doesn’t want to “work on his online presence” with the team’s peppy social media manager.

Harris Drover can tell standoffish Troy isn’t happy about the trade—anyone could tell, frankly, as he doesn’t exactly hide it well—but Harris doesn’t give up on people easily. Even when he’s developing a crush he’s sure is one-sided. And when he sees Troy’s smile finally crack through his grumpy exterior, well… That’s a man Harris couldn’t turn his back on if he wanted to.

Suddenly, Troy’s move to the new team feels like an opportunity—for Troy to embrace his true self, and for both men to surrender to their growing attraction. But indulging in each other behind closed doors is one thing, and for Troy, being in a public relationship with Harris will mean facing off with his fears, once and for all."

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating!

Here is a lovely post from author Anne Gracie from the Word Wenches site ~

Reading Aloud

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

[Negin]

On 11/22/2021 at 2:19 AM, Robin M said:

My guys got creative this year for my birthday and went to the local antique dealer down the street.  Hubby cooked an awesome roast with yorkshire pudding.  Had long chats with my dad and one of my sisters.  Great day! 

Loved the photos, Robin. Such pretty finds! The meal sounds delicious. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

[Robin M]

Reading The Becoming and absolutely love this word of wisdom when character talks about losing time 

"Time's never lost, just spent on other matters."

 😘

[Kareni]

Yesterday I reread Silent Blade (The World of Kinsmen Book 1) by Ilona Andrews; this was an inadvertent reread as I only recognized the story after I began reading. It's a fairly short work, and I enjoyed it once again.

"The World of Kinsmen

Family is everything. Talent is power. And revenge is sweet.

In a distant, future world Kinsmen—small powerful groups of genetically and technologically advanced families—control vast financial empires. They are their own country, their own rulers, and their only limits are other Kinsmen. The struggle for power is a bloody, full-contact sport: in business, on the battlefield...and sometimes in the bedroom.

Old hatreds die hard. Old love dies harder.

On the planet Rada, Meli Galdes’ family is of minor rank, and were relying on her marriage to Celino, the razor-smart, ruthless leader of the powerful Carvanna empire. When he abruptly breaks their engagement, he ruins her family and guarantees that Meli will never marry, as no suitor will oppose the rich and influential Carvannas.

But Meli has a rare, secret, lethal—and valuable—talent. As a melder of energy, she’s capable of severing anything in her path. So she ‘leaves’ her family and trains to become one of the best and most lethal of assassins, all the while covertly guarding her family’s interests. Now she’s ready to quit; but she has one more assignment.

To kill the man who ruined her life."

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Link to week 48