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Book a Week 2022 - BW1: Welcome to our 2022 Reading Adventures

Robin M

By Robin M,
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AurieD

AurieD

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Hi!

I'm new to book a week, not sure I'll make it to 52 but I'll give it a shot. I will have a to have a look through the challenges and see if any take my fancy.

I am currently reading Maralinga by Judy Nunn as my first book of the year for a book club I am new to. It's not what I'd normally read and I'm struggling a little with it but will persevere.

I've got Perhaps the Stars by Ada Palmer and Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson lined up next.

I also usually include my read alouds in my book count, those are currently A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett and Nanny Piggins and The Wicked Plan by R A Spratt.

 

 

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mumto2

mumto2

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12 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

Drat 😀, I was hoping you had read it and could tell me "how good it is" to keep me going through the interest slump I've seemed to encounter with other Wilkie's titles so far.  I end up liking them.

I’ve seen positive descriptions of both Armedale and The Law and the Lady during my research.   No audio at my library for either so I will be reading them in the giant Wilkie anthology I bought for my kindle.  I plan to relisten at some point this year to Moonstone because I think that is the one with the “Shivering Sands” which totally enthralled me.....Victoria Holt uses it in one of her Gothics.  I want to read them back to back.  

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Storygirl

Storygirl

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19 hours ago, Robin M said:

My first book of the year is finished with the 2nd installment in Deborah Crombie’s Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James Series with All Shall Be Well

I thought I knew who’d done it, but I was wrong because Crombie did a good job leading me off the garden path, towards another character. Liked getting to know both Kincaid and Gemma better and the burgeoning attraction between them. Enjoyed and appreciated the old fashioned detective work without benefit of cell phone or computer as both detectives. Kincaid’s realization that you can live right next door and still not really know them. The characters discovering Jasmine through her journals and the people she left behind.

“Perhaps it is a blessing when Jasmine Dent dies in her sleep. At last an end has come to the suffering of a body horribly ravaged by disease. It may well have been suicide; she had certainly expressed her willingness to speed the inevitable. But small inconsistencies lead her neighbor, Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, to a startling conclusion: Dent was murdered. But if not for mercy, why would someone destroy a life already doomed? As Kincaid and his appealing assistant Sergeant Gemma James sift through the dead woman’s strange history, a troubling puzzle emerges: a bizarre amalgam of charity and crime–and of the blinding passions that can drive the human animal to perform cruel and inhuman acts.”

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2nd book in the series and look forward to reading more. There are currently 18 books in the series which began in 1993 and the 19th book A Killing of Innocents  is to be released in this year on June 7th.  You know how I love to read series.  I’ll work my way though them… Eventually.

I read the first one in this series a year or two ago, but I haven't continued with the series, because my library doesn't have it. Now I want to order it! I love a good mystery series with ongoing character development, and I'm always looking for new authors to add to my "favorites" stable. With 18 books, this series could keep me going for awhile!

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Kareni

Kareni

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Last night my online book group met to discuss The Bridge Ladies: A Memoir by Betsy Lerner which I finished a day earlier. I enjoyed the book, and we had a lively discussion. Interestingly, my local book group will be discussing the same book in a couple of weeks, and I'm curious to see how different/similar the conversation will be.

A QUESTION for those who see this: Do/did you play bridge? What about your parents?

"A fifty-year-old Bridge game provides an unexpected way to cross the generational divide between a daughter and her mother. Betsy Lerner takes us on a powerfully personal literary journey, where we learn a little about Bridge and a lot about life.

After a lifetime defining herself in contrast to her mother’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” generation, Lerner finds herself back in her childhood home, not five miles from the mother she spent decades avoiding. When Roz needs help after surgery, it falls to Betsy to take care of her. She expected a week of tense civility; what she got instead were the Bridge Ladies. Impressed by their loyalty, she saw something her generation lacked. Facebook was great, but it wouldn’t deliver a pot roast.

Tentatively at first, Betsy becomes a regular at her mother’s Monday Bridge club. Through her friendships with the ladies, she is finally able to face years of misunderstandings and family tragedy, the Bridge table becoming the common ground she and Roz never had.

By turns darkly funny and deeply moving, The Bridge Ladies is the unforgettable story of a hard-won—but never-too-late—bond between mother and daughter."

Regards,

Kareni

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Kareni

Kareni

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I stayed up late last night finishing Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons) (A Miss Percy Guide Book 1) by Quenby Olson. This was a charming book; it's a mix of a historical romance (with a heroine in her forties) and fantasy. It would be a fine read for a teen or an adult. I look forward to reading on in the series. 

"Miss Mildred Percy inherits a dragon.

Ah, but we’ve already got ahead of ourselves…

Miss Mildred Percy is a spinster. She does not dance, she has long stopped dreaming, and she certainly does not have adventures. That is, until her great uncle has the audacity to leave her an inheritance, one that includes a dragon’s egg.

The egg - as eggs are wont to do - decides to hatch, and Miss Mildred Percy is suddenly thrust out of the role of “spinster and general wallflower” and into the unprecedented position of “spinster and keeper of dragons.”

But England has not seen a dragon since… well, ever. And now Mildred must contend with raising a dragon (that should not exist), kindling a romance (with a humble vicar), and embarking on an adventure she never thought could be hers for the taking."

Regards,

Kareni

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PaulainTx

PaulainTx

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I'd like to join in this year.  I have read these threads for years looking for new books to read but rarely if ever posted.  I have y'all to thank for finding so many new authors to try.  

So far this year,  I have read A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18 by Joseph Laconte.

I am currently reading The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings by Philip and Carol Zaleski and Pride, Prejudice, and Peril by Katie Oliver.  I love all things Jane Austen.   

I read a lot of mysteries and am looking forward to the Crime Spree. A Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is on my TBR list.

Thank you for these threads and for letting me join in.

Paula

 

 

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Robin M

Robin M

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@AurieD  @LuvToRead and @PaulainTx  Happy you all decided to join in and look forwarding to hearing about your reads. 

 

 

20 hours ago, Kareni said:

A QUESTION for those who see this: Do/did you play bridge? What about your parents?

My parents loved to play bridge. I never played the game myself but found out it's reveals much about the players.  Parents happily played for years. After mom passed and dad acquired a new lady friend, revealed she had a remarkable temper.  His current companion is perky no matter what. 😁 She's a keeper. Bridge Ladies sounds like an interesting memoir. 

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Robin M

Robin M

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The third times the charm once again.  I started my B book - The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin and finally made it past the first chapter. Once I did, the second chapter hooked me. So far have received a crash course in the Chinese cultural revolution, physics, and the politics and alienation of the sciences, and the race to contact aliens. It's bizarre yet fascinating. 

Almost half way through Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall which continues to be a complex, but entertaining read. Enjoying my front row seat into the life and times of Cromwell and his interactions with both friend and foe. 

I've given up listening to Tom Hanks Uncommon Type. Why didn't I finish?  Well, the first story was cute but couldn't stand that the guy had no backbone and the woman was too bossy and unsympathetic.   Continued with the second which was a charming story about Christmas until the character brought up the horrors of war which become depressing very quickly. With my vivid imagination, I had to fast forward  through most of it. With the third the character's voice was way too abrasive and so I was done. I wanted to like it because I like Hanks but unfortunately it's just not for me.

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AurieD

AurieD

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22 minutes ago, Robin M said:

The third times the charm once again.  I started my B book - The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin and finally made it past the first chapter. Once I did, the second chapter hooked me. So far have received a crash course in the Chinese cultural revolution, physics, and the politics and alienation of the sciences, and the race to contact aliens. It's bizarre yet fascinating.

This was one of my reads last year, after having been on my to read list for far too long. I think I spent as much time on the internet researching the historical aspects as I did reading the actual book!

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Laurel-in-CA

Laurel-in-CA

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Hurrah for 2022 and thank you, Robin! And thank you also to everyone who shares about what they do/don't love in their reading. You add to my wish lists!!

This week I finished Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry, which is about an alternate French Revolution that is about allowing commoner magicians to use their magic (France and Britain) and outlawing slave capture and sales (Britain). William Pitt, Wilberforce, Robespierre, and more appear, and behind it all is a hidden blood magician trying to expand his territory (France and its colonies). A great deal of attention is given to the Terror...which in this incarnation includes turning the bodies of the beheaded into an army of walking dead, animated by "shadows." I finished it, but I do not think I will read the sequel, which is called A Radical Act of Free Magic.

My last books of 2021 were the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness and her 4th book, which is about a minor character in the trilogy. Then I found out that there is a series based on these books called A Discovery of Witches and the whole family ended up binge watching it over Christmas break. Season 3 comes out soon!! Normally I would avoid these books, as the vampire angle typically really turns me off, but I found them very well written, and the TV show did some amazing things with costuming and settings (there is time travel back to Elizabethan England).

Mysteries are some of my favorite books to read, after sci fi/fantasy, so I look forward to the suggestions for 2022. I am not very good at keeping track of titles (except now I've discovered my library's History function, so that gives me a virtual memory), but I do love to talk about books. My reading club's suggestion for January is Flat Broke With Two Goats, which sounds like a fun "back to the land" memoir. I am not very good at the challenges thing, but I may actually do some this year, who knows?

This week my last kid got her wisdom teeth pulled and my first kid got spacers put in for braces. Lots of soft food and soups going on here. 

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bookbard

bookbard

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9 hours ago, Robin M said:

The third times the charm once again.  I started my B book - The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin and finally made it past the first chapter. Once I did, the second chapter hooked me. So far have received a crash course in the Chinese cultural revolution, physics, and the politics and alienation of the sciences, and the race to contact aliens. It's bizarre yet fascinating. 

 

9 hours ago, AurieD said:

This was one of my reads last year, after having been on my to read list for far too long. I think I spent as much time on the internet researching the historical aspects as I did reading the actual book!

 

Read The Three Body Problem this week, enjoyed it although it has its flaws. I like the mix of sci-fi and history and culture. I don't think I've read a lot of Chinese books before. I heard it's being made into a mini series on netflix, I think?

Finished I, Claudius by Robert Graves last night and was quite disappointed. I've always loved his book Goodbye to All That, and I have heard so many people say how much they admired and enjoyed I, Claudius. To me it was monotonous (this happened then this happened then this happened) and incredibly blood-thirsty and miserable. I literally had nightmares last night! I guess it brings history to life, if you're studying that period of Roman history, but then there'd be the inaccuracies to trip you up. 

Also read Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut this week (I've been on holidays). Quite similar to Catch-22; less obscure, more readable, but not as deep. Some good passages though. 

Read an Australian novel The Fossil Hunter by Tea Cooper which was pretty dull; not a classic, popular fiction I guess, where the author takes an interesting bit of history and place (caves up near Hunter Valley) and builds a story around it, except you never really get close to any of the characters at all and each plot point is spelt out in advance. Oh well! I find it hard to find Australian literature I actually like, past Melina Marchetta. And David Malouf I guess. 

Finally, I found an interesting book in someone's street library, called The Violin Maker, by John Marchese. It was non-fiction, basically the author spent a year watching someone make a violin, while researching Stradivarius. Really interesting, I enjoyed this the most out of all the books I read this week.

 

 

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mumto2

mumto2

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Posted (edited)
On 1/5/2022 at 2:17 PM, Storygirl said:

I read the first one in this series a year or two ago, but I haven't continued with the series, because my library doesn't have it. Now I want to order it! I love a good mystery series with ongoing character development, and I'm always looking for new authors to add to my "favorites" stable. With 18 books, this series could keep me going 

Edited by mumto2
It won’t let me add to my quote!
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mumto2

mumto2

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@Storygirljust an FYI I have been seeing Deborah Crombie on sale frequently lately via bookbub.  So you might be able to pick them up discounted if you watch the sales.

I have been reading more short stories by the criminal grandparents.  Last night I read The Bag Left on the Doorstep by Catharine Louisa Pirkis which was written in 1893.  It was the first Loveday Brooke story…..I never heard of this detective before opening my book of Christmas Stories https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55596286-a-surprise-for-christmas  .  Loveday is considered the female Sherlock Holmes without a Watson and did remind me of Sherlock.  I liked this one and plan to read more.  Here’s a link to read for free https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/pirkis/brooke/brooke.html

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Jenny in Florida

Jenny in Florida

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Well, okay.

I realized the other day after chatting with my daughter that I have really not been reading like I used to, a thing I never thought I would say. So, I am going to try tip-toeing into these weekly threads to see if that tiny bit of accountability/inspiration works as well for reading as it has for my exercise routine.

I likely won't participate regularly in the themed challenges, but I would like to aim for at least 50 books this year (giving myself permission to have a lot of those be audiobooks). 

Thus far, I have finished one book:

  1. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman

I am currently reading:

  • Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown
  • The Victorian and the Romantic: A Memoir, a Love Story, and a Friendship Across Time, Nell Stevens
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The Governess

The Governess

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40 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

Well, okay.

I realized the other day after chatting with my daughter that I have really not been reading like I used to, a thing I never thought I would say. So, I am going to try tip-toeing into these weekly threads to see if that tiny bit of accountability/inspiration works as well for reading as it has for my exercise routine.

I likely won't participate regularly in the themed challenges, but I would like to aim for at least 50 books this year (giving myself permission to have a lot of those be audiobooks). 

Thus far, I have finished one book:

  1. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman

I am currently reading:

  • Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown
  • The Victorian and the Romantic: A Memoir, a Love Story, and a Friendship Across Time, Nell Stevens

I adored Eleanor Oliphant! 

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Kareni

Kareni

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7 hours ago, bookbard said:

Finally, I found an interesting book in someone's street library, called The Violin Maker, by John Marchese. It was non-fiction, basically the author spent a year watching someone make a violin, while researching Stradivarius. Really interesting, I enjoyed this the most out of all the books I read this week.

That does sound intriguing, @bookbard. A small portion of a book I recently read, Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, dealt with violin repair/making.

Regards,

Kareni

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Kareni

Kareni

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On 1/6/2022 at 5:24 AM, PaulainTx said:

I'd like to join in this year.

Welcome!

1 hour ago, Jenny in Florida said:

I am going to try tip-toeing into these weekly threads...

and welcome to you, too!

1 hour ago, Jenny in Florida said:

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman

While overall I enjoyed the book, I found it rather sad.

Regards,

Kareni

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Kareni

Kareni

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I've been doing some rereading and have enjoyed revisiting Dark Horse (Class 5 Series Book 1) and Dark Deeds (Class 5 Series Book 2) both by Michelle Diener. These are science fiction romances. Here is the description for Dark Horse:

"Some secrets carry the weight of the world.

Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.

Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, everyone on board is dead, except for one strange, new alien being. She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.

In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse."

Regards,

Kareni

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scholarly

scholarly

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22 hours ago, Laurel-in-CA said:

My last books of 2021 were the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness and her 4th book, which is about a minor character in the trilogy. Then I found out that there is a series based on these books called A Discovery of Witches and the whole family ended up binge watching it over Christmas break. Season 3 comes out soon!! Normally I would avoid these books, as the vampire angle typically really turns me off, but I found them very well written, and the TV show did some amazing things with costuming and settings (there is time travel back to Elizabethan England).

I love the All Souls Trilogy! And the TV show is very good, too. Although I eagerly awaited the release of the first three books, I've never read Time's Convert. I'm hoping to this year. (And to see the third season of the show!)

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Ottakee

Ottakee

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Last night I finished The Darkest Child.

It is not an easy read and trigger warnings for various types of abuse.  It is a book though that will stay with you a long time.  Story of a teen girl and her family trying to survive with a mentally ill mother.

The Darkest Child https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HYHB4S/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_Q6WZ5CB523PYRJ6SHHSG

Edited by Ottakee
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Laurel-in-CA

Laurel-in-CA

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On 1/7/2022 at 6:24 PM, scholarly said:

I love the All Souls Trilogy! And the TV show is very good, too. Although I eagerly awaited the release of the first three books, I've never read Time's Convert. I'm hoping to this year. (And to see the third season of the show!)

We're watching the 3rd season now. But I didn't like the 4th book as well, too much focus on how to become a vampire, which ups the ick factor for me. Maybe she's marking time until she figures out how the Congregation will unravel? I do like how they've developed the Finnish witch character in the TV series.

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