Book a Week 2022 - BW2: Books about Books Bookology - Shion Miura

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday!  Did you know this week is National Letter Writing week so grab some paper and a pen or pencil, not a keyboard, and write a letter to your significant other, family member, friend, long lost relative or even an author to thank them for a book you enjoyed.  

Our Books about Books Bookology author of the month is Shion Miura and the highlighted read is The Great Passage:

"Inspired as a boy by the multiple meanings to be found for a single word in the dictionary, Kohei Araki is devoted to the notion that a dictionary is a boat to carry us across the sea of words. But after thirty-seven years creating them at Gembu Books, it’s time for him to retire and find his replacement.

He discovers a kindred spirit in Mitsuya Majime—a young, disheveled square peg with a penchant for collecting antiquarian books and a background in linguistics—whom he swipes from his company’s sales department.

Led by his new mentor and joined by an energetic, if reluctant, new recruit and an elder linguistics scholar, Majime is tasked with a career-defining accomplishment: completing The Great Passage, a comprehensive 2,900-page tome of the Japanese language."

Learn more about Shion Muira through this interview with Sanseidou translated by Story Unlocker.

There are a variety of ways to complete this challenge with plenty of rabbit trails. Read a book with one or more of the following (but not limited too) and have fun exploring a variety of places and topics:

• Spell out the first and/or last name of the author - one book per letter. 
• Read the highlighted book or any book written by the author.
• Read a book written in the country or time period of the author.

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

Our letter and word of the week is B - Brevity.

During a spurt of creativity, I thought of several ideas to share, which may not happen every week and most of time I'll leave it up your imagination. 😀

Write

Brief, small, saying much in a few words.  Concise, minute and to the point.  A fallen petal from a bouquet tells a story of life, a part of the whole. Petals grow, blossom to fullness, unfolds to display a beauty bold, bright, soft and light, Ages, falls to the ground, and withers away. From beginning to end, quiet elegance revealed in a petal, in a moment in time.  

What can you sense?  A touch, a whisper, a sight so bright it stings the eyes. Tears drip at the simple, at things that barely cause a ripple, as you go about your day.  There for your pleasure. A gift nature gives to us if we care to look.

Pick a moment, a fallen petal, a ladybug, ripples from a rock thrown into the river, a dusting of light through the window pane. What do you see, what do you hear, what do you feel? 

Read

A short story less than 200 pages, less than 100 pages. A brief written by a lawyer. Now that's an oxymoron.  A brief moment experienced by a character. A brief moment in time in your life. 

The Shortest Novels Written by 20 Authors You Should’ve Read By Now

The 20 Best Books Under 200 Pages

20 Great American Short Stories

21 Flash Fiction stories to read while you wait anywhere. 

 

Learn

Challenge yourself and write your own.

Flash fiction or Nonfiction with Dinty Moore's The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction or the guide to Flash Fiction. 

Five Books That Have Helped to Define Flash Nonfiction

Goodreads writing flash fiction.  

 

Happy Reading!

 

Link to book week one

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

[Robin M]

I finally ready Cixin Lui's science fiction novel The Three Body Problem  and so many things are rolling through my mind.  Full review here on my blog.  Thanks to homeschooling and my science loving hubby, I do have somewhat of a grasp on the sciences, including atomic physics, nanotechnology, radio waves, etc. to understand what was happening, although some of it may have gone over my head. 

I have a few nitpicks with the story because with main characters introduced, the narration bounced back and forth in the timeline to tell whole backstories until it converged with the present.  And maybe I missed it, but it seemed the transmissions sent from earth in the beginning were limited but by the time the aliens received them, they encompassed the history of the world and how the sender wanted the aliens to take over the world. To me, there was conflicting information when it came to the transmissions. 

 

Although it was an alternative world science fiction story  the real life elements with the communistic ideals and how it plays in our world today kept me from completely enjoying the story. .  I have read Qui Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels set in communist China in the 1990's, which also reflected the real world, but I enjoyed Qui's stories so much more and didn't feel like there was a hidden agenda underneath the story.  I doubt I'll read the rest of the series.

 

James and I finished listening to the audible book Ghostbusters one and two they were quite entertaining. 

 

I'm still enjoying my sip read of Wolf Hall.  

 

We watched Gemini Man with Will Smith which was very exciting. 

 

Next up The Great Passage on Ebook. 

 

Edited January 9, 2022 by Robin M

[Negin]

Robin, thank you for the thread. Some of the links that you have shared look interesting and I can't wait to do some browsing later. 

I read Guilt by Accusation: The Challenge of Proving Innocence in the Age of #MeToo - 5 Stars

[welovebooks]

Happy Sunday!!! I have 2 books finished for the year. Five Tuesdays in Winter and. The convenience Store Woman.

Five tuesdays I listened too in Audible. Short story collection and I loved it!

The Convenience Store Woman. This is a very short novel about a woman who worked in a gas station and about her just being a little odd. Either I dont get translated books or this book is just really awful, but when i read the last word all i said was WTHeck was THAT?! It had raving reviews and i just dont get it. 
 

We received an ASD 2 diagnosis for my 5 year old last week. So most of my reading this week will be about that. I am still processing and I know the journey is long. I do have a few graphic novels that I got from the library too. 

[Negin]

This made me smile. I don't believe in ghosts, but it would be fun to catch up on some reading!

 

[Negin]

50 minutes ago, welovebooks said:

We received an ASD 2 diagnosis for my 5 year old last week. So most of my reading this week will be about that. I am still processing and I know the journey is long. 

Sorry to hear this. Will be thinking of you. 

[Robin M]

4 hours ago, welovebooks said:

The Convenience Store Woman. This is a very short novel about a woman who worked in a gas station and about her just being a little odd. Either I dont get translated books or this book is just really awful, but when i read the last word all i said was WTHeck was THAT?! It had raving reviews and i just dont get it. 

Yep, I've read books like that, wondering what people were seeing that I was not.  Different tastes, different perceptions.  

 

4 hours ago, welovebooks said:

We received an ASD 2 diagnosis for my 5 year old last week. So most of my reading this week will be about that. I am still processing and I know the journey is long. I do have a few graphic novels that I got from the library too. 

I fought having James evaluated for a very long time, but once we did, (aspergers) it opened us up to a world of services.   It takes a village to raise our special kids. Read as much as you can, take some of it with a grain of salt, use what works, and throw away the rest. I found out a few things about myself along the way with every book I read, so read widely and broadly. If your child is anything like mine, what works one week, won't work the next.  It is a journey which you have to take one step at a time as they are ever changing, ever growing, and we have to learn to adapt along with our kids.  Hugs, mama. 

[mumto2]

 

I’m getting read to start my B book.  It’s going to be my Murakami…….Hard Boiled Wonderland.

I have been immersed in short stories.  My wrist still hurts so no sewing for another day.   I am not a good short story reader as I find them undeveloped and they send me off on completely unrelated rabbit trails.  I am getting very little done!  I am not sure this is the best way to figure out which Golden Age authors I want to read on my crime spree but it’s the approach I seem to be taking!. The latest in the authors I think I like…….John Dickson Carr who was already on my list.

I liked Cyril Hare enough to buy for 99 cents his Bare Bodkin mystery https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43155323-with-a-bare-bodkin?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=yMtlBnOlbT&rank=3.  Perhaps that should be my B book of the week!  Anyway he wrote A Surprise for Christmas which is the title of the book of short stories I read. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55596286-a-surprise-for-christmas

Margery Allingham and Anthony Gilbert rounded out my list.  Not noteworthy in the sense that they are known to me as good authors.  I will definately be reading more Anthony Gilbert.

 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

Jo Walton’s Reading List: December 2021

https://www.tor.com/2022/01/07/jo-waltons-reading-list-december-2021/

From SBTB: Our Favorite Reads of 2021

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2022/01/our-favorite-reads-of-2021/#comments

New Year, New Books: Picking What to Read Next

https://www.tor.com/2022/01/03/new-year-new-books-picking-what-to-read-next/

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

7 hours ago, welovebooks said:

We received an ASD 2 diagnosis for my 5 year old last week. So most of my reading this week will be about that.

Sending good wishes as you navigate these new waters.

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

My wrist still hurts so no sewing for another day...

and sending healing thoughts your way, @mumto2.

Regards,

Kareni

[bookbard]

We spent last week listening to the audiobook of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905). This was one of my favourite books growing up. I didn't think the kids would ever read it, though, due to the title and the challenging language, which is why I put it on to listen on a long car trip.

Very interesting listening to it as an adult, lots of problematic writing about India and Indians, references to slaves, and lots of talk about people being worthy because they are wealthy. The class stuff was fascinating, no real middle class; when Sara falls, she falls a long long way! So it was a great book to discuss. I personally find the book very dark in places, in a way my children didn't understand; Sara is literally being starved to death. 

I just can't see that they'd publish a book of this complexity nowadays. One thing I notice about older children's books is that often the adults are the main characters. I reread The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden the other day (about a 'Gypsy' girl in the UK in the '70s) - another example of a really problematic book where the author kind of tries to be kind but really doesn't get it, but also - it's a kids book, but basically all the main characters are adults. I don't see that nowadays, and I wonder whether it reflected the idea that books were being read to the whole family?

[Kareni]

1 hour ago, bookbard said:

One thing I notice about older children's books is that often the adults are the main characters.

That is an interesting insight, bookbard. Now I'm trying to think of any contemporary children's books where that is also the case. (I'm hindered by the fact that I only rarely read children's books these days.)

Regards,

Kareni

[AurieD]

I finished off my book club read Maralinga by Judy Nunn yesterday and I can’t say it ever really grabbed me. I found it quite slow moving, there was a point about 2/3 way through when I though it was getting more interesting but it only lasted a short while. It did prompt me to learn a bit more about the British nuclear tests in Australia though.

I’ve now started Cytonic by Branden Sanderson and so far it’s exactly what I expected - I easy and fun YA read.  
 

@bookbardI’ll have to ask dh what his thought on The Little Princess are, he recently finished reading it aloud to DD who has just turned 7. I’m wondering if a lot of it went over her head.

Edited January 10, 2022 by AurieD

[bookbard]

6 hours ago, Kareni said:

Now I'm trying to think of any contemporary children's books where that is also the case. (I'm hindered by the fact that I only rarely read children's books these days.)

Harry Potter definitely has bits where the adults are the main people - but HP is not super contemporary now. 

[Jenny in Florida]

I finished my second book of the year yesterday. I very much enjoyed this one. It spoke to my academic heart and also hit that right note of ending on a positive note without being cloying. 

1. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman
2. The Victorian and the Romantic: A Memoir, a Love Story, and a Friendship Across Time, Nell Stevens

I am currently reading/about to start:

• Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown
• I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50, Annabelle Gurwitch

I also borrowed one from the library before I remembered I wanted to read the Gurwitch book. So it will probably be next up:

• Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, Elizabeth Buchan

[PaulainTx]

I finished a cozy mystery called Pride, Prejudice, and Peril by Katie Oliver.  The main character is an English professor who is an expert on Jane Austen.  She's asked to be a consultant on a Bachelor like reality show called Who Wants to Marry Mr. Darcy?  Her friend is accused of a murder and she has to help clear her name.  This is the 1st book in a new series.  It was ok, but I am not interested in reading any more.

I also read and enjoyed Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie and That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis.

Apparently I bought The Great Passage on kindle in 2017 and never read it.  Moving it up on my TBR list.

 

[VickiMNE]

Just finished The Rose Code and I give it 4.5 stars. Well-written, good characterization, good story with a fair amount of history woven in regarding Bletchley Park and the WWII work done there.

Currently reading a title from The Gourmet Detective series (I can't remember exact title off the top of my head)--totally fluff, perfect for this recovering-from-Covid week.

[Maus]

So far this year, I seem to be listening more than reading. I've been working on a genealogy project that is more data entry than research, so it doesn't require that much concentration. I've been using the time to work through my audible library.

7. "Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn. My mom recommended this mystery series to me. I liked this first one, so I'll go on to the rest.
6. "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis. (Audible)
5. "The Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis. (Audible)
4. "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. (Audible - narrated by Tim Curry) We saw a local production of the play for Christmas, so this caught my eye.
3.  "The Thirty-Nine Steps" by John Buchan. (Audible)
2. "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis. (Audible)
1. "Unsettled" by Steven E. Koonin.

[Vintage81]

I've completed my first two books of the year: 

• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler - I enjoyed this book. It was about a black woman traveling in time from 1976 to the antebellum south pre Civil War. Every time she finds herself on the plantation it is to save the son of the white plantation owner. There were many times I couldn't put the book down. The ending left me wanting more, but I understand why the author left some things unanswered. 4.5 stars
• Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese - New adult contemporary. Willa, a collegiate soccer star, who is taking care of her cancer-stricken mother, meets Ryder, a college classmate who two years ago lost his hearing after suffering from bacterial meningitis. I like to read these contemporary books in between heavy historical fiction or fantasy books...I call them palate cleansers. 🤣 They are fast, easy reads. 3.5 stars

My DD13 and I are studying Ancient Greece right now, so for myself, I saved a few books on my TBR shelf to read. I'm looking forward to picking these up over the next few weeks...

• Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

[Vintage81]

22 hours ago, Kareni said:

Some bookish posts ~

Jo Walton’s Reading List: December 2021

https://www.tor.com/2022/01/07/jo-waltons-reading-list-december-2021/

Regards,

Kareni

 

I attempted to read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss this past December. I made it 170 pages, but I just couldn't go any further. It was such a slog and Kvothe (I hate that name, by the way) never interested me. 

Has anyone else read this book? According to the 4.51 rating on Goodreads (out of 800,000+ ratings) I realize I'm in the minority on this one. 🤣

[Vintage81]

18 hours ago, AurieD said:

I’ve now started Cytonic by Branden Sanderson and so far it’s exactly what I expected - I easy and fun YA read.  

Have you read the Mistborn series by Sanderson? I've read the first two...going to try and make it a goal this year to read the third one.

[bookbard]

• 
   

 

Quote

 

I attempted to read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss this past December. I made it 170 pages, but I just couldn't go any further. It was such a slog and Kvothe (I hate that name, by the way) never interested me. 

Has anyone else read this book? 

 

Yes, I am with Jo Walton, loved both books in the series (while I agree that his portrayal of women is a bit ridiculous). But the whole magic university thing is awesome. Keep in mind that fantasy is my favourite genre, and Jo Walton writes mostly fantasy herself.

[Vintage81]

2 minutes ago, bookbard said:

• 
   

 

Yes, I am with Jo Walton, loved both books in the series (while I agree that his portrayal of women is a bit ridiculous). But the whole magic university thing is awesome. Keep in mind that fantasy is my favourite genre, and Jo Walton writes mostly fantasy herself.

I love fantasy too. I don’t recall the magic university part, so I don’t think I made it that far in the book. Maybe some day I’ll try reading it again. ☺️

[welovebooks]

Thank you, Robin for the uplifting and reassuring words. I am working in finding a suitable therapy that might work for him.

 

My DD13 and I are studying Ancient Greece right now, so for myself, I saved a few books on my TBR shelf to read. I'm looking forward to picking these up over the next few weeks...

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

 

ohhh Somg of Achilles is AMAZING!!! I did that one on Audio. It crushed me. I sobbed like a baby. Such a beautifully written book, but very sad.

[Robin M]

Eating my dinner at work and browsing the internet. Fell into this article on Dame - Have We Forgotten How to Read Critically  and I was reminded of a conversation I just had with my son about authors, video games writers, comic book writers and how once something is published, that isn't the time to argue with them about how it's written and how you think it should be changed.   Lot of conversations online these days from Authors I follow who have people emailing them, questioning their choices, their writing. Then you have the ones who don't understand or want to cancel all the dead authors because the language may be discomforting.  Okay, getting off my soap box. All this to say it is an interesting, thoughtful article. 

Another one I enjoyed:  A Year in Reading the Backlist. 

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans are Reading Ebooks.  As one of those who has discovered I've been reading more ebooks (because they are so easy to get) over the wonderful chunky and dusty physical books on my shelves,  I have yet to start an ebook this year.  I know we're only a week in, but I find myself wanting that tactical experience, relaxing with a real book, absorbing the story, and enjoy not having the urge to flip over to the news or email or anything else.  I think I'll stick with my dusty books for a while. 

Started another dusty book last night --- Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay last night. At this point, I've read enough history as well as historical fiction novels, that I'm familiar with the subject matter and enjoying all the more because of it.  Timing, I guess, is everything. 

Back to work. Will check in tomorrow.

😘

 

[Kareni]

I continued my Michelle Diener reread with Dark Minds (Class 5 Series Book 3), Dark Matters (Class 5 Series Book 4), and Dark Ambitions: A Class 5 Novella.

I enjoyed revisiting these science fiction romances. I recently learned that the author is working on a new book in the series which is happy news.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

This amused me!

Regards,

Kareni

[scholarly]

Last week for my "A" book I read At Home in Thrush Green by Miss Read. It is the 8th in the series, so I knew what I was getting and wasn't disappointed. It was a nice, pleasant read.

I also finished The Borrowers by Mary Norton as a read aloud with the kids. This one is a favorite from my childhood and I was glad to share it with my children.  I definitely identify more with the adult characters now than I did back then!

This week I for my "B" book I am reading Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax. DH got it from the library and requested that I read it, so I am. He's going to listen to the audiobook and we'll discuss.

[bookbard]

2 hours ago, scholarly said:

I also finished The Borrowers by Mary Norton as a read aloud with the kids. This one is a favorite from my childhood and I was glad to share it with my children.  I definitely identify more with the adult characters now than I did back then!

 

We listened to that one with the kids too - and then watched Arrietty, the reimagined Studio Ghibli version. Different, but really interesting!

[AurieD]

15 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

Have you read the Mistborn series by Sanderson? I've read the first two...going to try and make it a goal this year to read the third one.

I have not, but I will eventually!

I somewhat unfairly pushed Sanderson aside for quite a few years since I associated him with Wheel of Time which I am not a fan of.

[scholarly]

6 hours ago, bookbard said:

We listened to that one with the kids too - and then watched Arrietty, the reimagined Studio Ghibli version. Different, but really interesting!

Oooo, my daughter loves Studio Ghibli movies, but we haven't seen Arrietty. Thanks for mentioning it; I'm ordering it from the library now!

[bookbard]

Just read the first in the Wayward Children series by Seanen McGuire, which is fantasy . . . but also horror, which I didn't realise! It's a great concept (a school for all those kids who find magical doors to different worlds) but ugh, horror is not my thing at all (lots of gory descriptions). Stylistically the language is very much 'modern American' while the setting isn't, which jarred a bit (to this non-American); reminded me a lot of the style of The House by the Cerulean Sea. 

We've got The Hobbit out as our latest audiobook - we listened to it about 3 years ago, and I wonder how much the kids will remember?

[Robin M]

Waving hello from the land of taxes. Working on quarterlies for the business, and annual  so we can refinance our SBA Loan.  Talked to my dad who once again got scammed, fake Microsoft computer lock up. He was scammed last year. The lesson didn’t take.   Had a delicate conversation about taking over finances and helping him with stuff.  His response, you mean because I’m old. (He’s 91)   Mine – No, because there is no need to think you have to take care of things all by yourself.  So frustrating.  He’s so independent and full of pride and feeling quite stupid at the moment.   Decided we’d visit him next week to ‘assist’ him which he is now looking forward too. I told him we haven’t taken a vacation in three years and besides we wanted to test drive the Dodge on all those wonderful highways and byways. LOL!

 

@mumto2  How's your wrist.  All those short stories work well with this week's brevity

@karen1Thanks for all the wonderful links. 

@bookbard -- Good question, children's books with adults as main characters. I'll have to give that some thought. 

@AurieD  After reading Wheel of Time, I'm looking forward to reading Sanderson's the Way of Kings.

@Jenny in Florida Glad you enjoyed the Victorian book.  Look forward to what you think of Brene Brown's book. I have her on my wishlist.

@PaulainTx That's one of Agatha Christie's I haven't read yet. Next up for me is the Man in the Brown Suit.

@VickiMNE Hope you feel better soon.

@Maus Lots of interesting audible books.  I enjoyed 39 steps too!

@Vintage81  I enjoyed Dawn by Butler a couple years back. Have been meaning to read more by her.  I have yet to read Name of the Wind. The synopsis didn't appeal to me for some reason. Glad to know it may not be worth my while.

@bookbardand @Vintage81 I love fantasy a well but not all fantasy loves me.  Totally depends on the story, writer, and characters. 

@scholarly  Loved the Borrowers way back when. Never could get my son interested though.  I'm glad you all enjoyed it. 

@bookbard  Yes, Wayward Children was definitely different.  I read the first one and decided I'd stick with her October daye series. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by Robin M

[mumto2]

@Robin M The short stories for Brevity is a great idea.  I actually made a bit of progress on the Murakami title with a B in it.  A Hard Boiled Wonderland is going to be quite an interesting book I suspect.  So far there has been a weird elevator ........I should probably find the Murakami Bingo card and start checking squares off! 😂 https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/01/books/review/03snider.html

[Storygirl]

I finished my A book and have moved on to B. I'm just choosing alphabetical titles and not trying to hit the associated word, but my B book is less than 300 pages, which, compared to many things I read, is brief 😄.

A -- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I'm a huge mystery lover (it's almost all that I read), but I've never been a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. When I've read Sherlock short stories before, I've been annoyed that the solution is often based on something that the reader could never figure out, because the related clues are never revealed until Sherlock explains the case at the end. But I love other iterations of Sherlock (on film and by other authors), and I had the book languishing on my bookshelf for years, so I decided this was the time. And I'm glad! I enjoyed it more than I expected. And I got to scratch off a book title on my new 100 Books Scratch Off Poster, which was satisfying.

I thought I might tackle The Bell Jar for my B book, because it is also on the poster, and, despite being a classics-loving English major, I have never read it. But I couldn't find a physical copy in my libraries this week, and I am not a fan of e-books, so I scoured the new books section for a B title. There were a few others that I wanted to find that were not in, but I found a book by a debut author and decided to give it a try.

B -- Before Familiar Woods by Ian Pisarcik. I'll share my impressions after I finish this one; I'm only halfway through right now. I wasn't sure after the first chapter or two that I would finish it, especially because there were other B books that I was looking forward to that I could jump over to in e-book format. But I'm a little more interested now. So far, I have not identified with or particularly like one or other of the main characters, which makes it hard for me to like a book. But I rarely stop reading once I've starting something, and it shouldn't take too long for me to finish.

Which is good, because the C book I have waiting in the wings is a long one.

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today!

[bookbard]

The book I was waiting for in the post came: Wonders of a Godless World. This had been recommended by siblings, it's an Australian award-winner. It was ok. Very readable, I read the whole book last night; basically this guy lives over and over again and each time he feels like the earth 'kills' him (eg landslide, drowning, so forth). It's literary fiction, but I could totally see someone writing it in a different style and it being sci-fi, like The Eternals or something. Anyway, in short - not my kind of book. 

 

[Kareni]

I've been ignoring the many library books stacked in the corner and my e-library book and have instead continued to reread old favorites. I've finished Linesman (A Linesman Novel Book 1) and Alliance (A Linesman Novel Book 2) both by S.K. Dunstall.

Here is the blurb for Linesman:

"The lines. No ship can traverse the void without them. Only linesmen can work with them. But only Ean Lambert hears their song. And everyone thinks he’s crazy…

Most slum kids never go far, certainly not becoming a level-ten linesman like Ean. Even if he’s part of a small, and unethical, cartel, and the other linesmen disdain his self-taught methods, he’s certified and working.

Then a mysterious alien ship is discovered at the edges of the galaxy. Each of the major galactic powers is desperate to be the first to uncover the ship’s secrets, but all they’ve learned is that it has the familiar lines of energy—and a defense system that, once triggered, annihilates everything in a 200 kilometer radius.

The vessel threatens any linesman who dares to approach it, except Ean. His unique talents may be the key to understanding this alarming new force—and reconfiguring the relationship between humans and the ships that serve them, forever."

Regards,

Kareni

[Murphy101]

Hi everyone. I used to read a book a night regularly even or maybe especially with lots of little babies and it seems like the last 8ish years I hardly ever read for pleasure anymore. So I’m trying to fix that this year.

So far this year I have read:

The 7 book Edge of Collapse series by Kyla Stone. Solid fluffy B-level apocalypse reading. 

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak.  Not much of a romance but good.

I am currently reading the first Dune book for the first time.  Off to a boring as heck start 2 chapters in. Here’s hoping it picks up pace.  I doubt I will finish it this week. 

[Kareni]

Hello there, @Murphy101, and thanks for sharing.

Have you read any other books by Naomi Novik? I liked her Uprooted and the first few of her Temeraire books.

Happy reading!

Regards,

Kareni

[Murphy101]

19 minutes ago, Kareni said:

Hello there, @Murphy101, and thanks for sharing.

Have you read any other books by Naomi Novik? I liked her Uprooted and the first few of her Temeraire books.

Happy reading!

Regards,

Kareni

I haven’t.  I have uprooted on hold at the library so maybe I’ll like it more. 

[Kareni]

22 minutes ago, Murphy101 said:

I haven’t.  I have uprooted on hold at the library so maybe I’ll like it more. 

The Temeraire books are vastly different as they are set in a quasi Napoleonic era and contain dragons. I think there are nine, and I liked the first three. Uprooted in more fairytale-like.

Regards,

Kareni

[TravelingChris]

So far, I read read Harlan Coben\s "Promise Me" and am now reading Anne Hillerman's "Cave of the Bones" plus The Queen by Josh Levin.  That book is true crime, about the woman who became the symbol of the Welfare Queen in the 70's but in reality, was also doing so much more bad stuff like murders, that were basically ignored.

[bookbard]

2 hours ago, Murphy101 said:

I haven’t.  I have uprooted on hold at the library so maybe I’ll like it more. 

I liked Uprooted far more than Spinning Silver; the former I've reread many times, the latter I dragged through. Temeraire's great too - first book probably the best.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

@Robin M - I read The Great Passage in 2017. Here's what I wrote then

"At first blush, the book doesn't promise to amount to much. It's a book about creating a dictionary. It is so much more than that, though. It's a book about love, passion, living, working for something bigger than oneself, being satisfied with life...personal acceptance. The book covers 15 years of the DED and its employees as they struggle to bring The Great Passage (the dictionary) into existence."

When I saw it was this week's highlighted book, I immediately smiled (before reading my Goodreads summary). I hope you enjoy it.

___

I'm really struggling with my print books lately. I chose three from David Bowie's 100 and I just can't get into them. They are weird, dark, and giving me the heebeejeebees. I wonder what the librarians are thinking when they order these strange books for me. Are they looking at the synopsis and saying "What is this woman thinking?" As much as I love David Bowie's music, and I believe he was truly brilliant, I am looking at him in a different light and I'm not  enjoying what I see.
 

Luckily. my non-fiction audiobooks have been wonderful. Spirit Run by Noe Alverez and Going Solo by Roald Dahl. Both wonderful short books. Quite different from each other in style but good 'reads'.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Granny_Weatherwax

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for US Kindle readers ~

 

The Last of the Wild Days - Volume One  by Daniel J. Loney

Cinderfella (Fairy Tale Romance #6) by Linda Winstead Jones

Regards,

Kareni

[Storygirl]

I finished my B book -- Before Familiar Woods by Ian Pisarcik. This is a debut novel by a short story writer, and although it grew on me slightly, I'd say that I still didn't enjoy this reading experience. The book starts out bleak and becomes grimmer as it proceeds. I like to read murder mysteries and police procedurals, so I am used to having some darker themes, but the unrelenting darkness of this novel was just depressing. The chapters alternate between two different characters: Ruth, whose teenage son died three years before, along with his friend, and whose husband has now gone missing, along with the father of the other dead boy; and Milk, a war veteran who returns from deployment after three years and works to figure out his future while parenting his young son, whose drug-addict mother has abandoned him. The characters do intersect, because Ruth volunteers as an art teacher and occasional babysitter to kids in need, but not in ways that are meaningful enough to be satisfying for this reader. I didn't care for the resolution of the two mysteries, either. The book does reveal what happened to the teenage boy and his friend three years ago, and what has happened to the husbands in the current day, but both stories are so, so bleak.

The writing is very descriptive and portrays a vivid sense of place, and the characters are fully realized, but the development of the plot fell short for me. The novel is a mood piece, in a way. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the mood. I prefer for there to be at least a glimmer of hope and light, and though the final chapter attempts to provide this, it is not nearly enough to sustain me as a reader. Pisarcik's short stories might be better, and perhaps his next novel will be more satisfying, but I probably won't give him another try as an author. Too many other books to read!

[Melissa Louise]

It's been mostly a writing week for me, but I've read two books:

Yalom's Love's Executioner  (psychoanalytic case studies)

Slater's Welcome to my Country (psychoanalytic case studies). There's some controversy over Slater's later books. I found this one remarkable, however. The chapter on helping a patient with schizophrenia reclaim his identity as a writer was v moving. 

To relax, I'm reading a silly, fun crime collaboration between Candice Fox and James Patterson - Sisters Detective Agency. Super enjoyable fluff. 

[ladydusk]

This week I finished Far from the Madding Crowd and started Cranford.

[Kareni]

 I just finished my reread of the Linesman series with Confluence (A Linesman Novel Book 3) by S. K. Dunstall; I enjoyed it once again.

Regards,

Kareni