Book a Week 2022 - BW3: 52 Books Bingo - Space Opera

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday! Today is Appreciate a Dragon Day, created by Donita K. Paul, author of the Dragonspell Chronicles back in 2004 as a way to celebrate our favorite dragons in books and television. Great series by the way, which I enjoyed and has since disappeared into the book jungle in my son's room. 

Combine dragons, beasts and other fantastical or scary creatures that characters may encounter in outer space with our first 52 books bingo category - Space Operas and what do you have? Scary and/or thrilling, entertaining stories set in outer space, alternative worlds, and other planets. 

 

 

I came across Barnes and Nobles 55 Essential Space Operas from the Last 70 Years and took a trip down memory lane as I've read quite a few of these books over the years and still have them in my personal library.  From Harrison and Heinlein, Niven and Asimov to Weber and Donaldson to Scalzi and Chambers.  I currently have a few on the nightstand I haven't read such as Corey's Leviathan Wakes to Vinge's Snow Queen.  They are in the queue for this year.  

11 of the best sci-fi books that transport you to another world reminds me to move Robinson's Red Mars as well as Ursula Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness up in the queue as well.  Both dusty books have been calling to me to read sooner than later. 

And don't forget Star Wars which my son loves to read, as well as Star Trek novelizations. 

 

A to Z and Back Again - our letter and word of the week is C - Conundrum. 

Have fun exploring the outer regions of space! 

 

 

Link to book week two

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

[Robin M]

I finished my dusty C book - Michael Chabon’s Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay which was an amazingly complex character study of two young Jewish men from the 1930’s to 1950’s dealing with war, life, love, family, loss, plus the comic book industry and bosses who took advantage of them.

About 75% through Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel:  Henry has married Anne and she’s been crowned queen, given him a baby girl, and still Katherine refuses to accept the dissolution of the marriage. Enjoying all the machinations of Cromwell and the court.

Already dove into my fourth and dusty D book, a historical fiction novel The Devlin Diary, which is set in two time frames – London in 1672 and Cambridge in 2008. It is the 2^nd book in the Claire Donovan duo by Christi Phillips, author of Rossetti Letter which was excellent. Devlin Diary is almost as good.  

 We watched The Eternals which was pretty good and opened the door to more Marvel movies. 

 

[Jenny in Florida]

Four books so far, which means the year is off to a good start for me, compared to the amount of reading I've done in the last couple of years. It continues to be a bit of a challenge to find books I can manage. I have started and given up on about as many already as I have finished (rare for me).  

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
3. You Have the Right to Remain Fat, Virgie Tovar
4. I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50, Annabelle Gurwitch

I am currently reading/about to start:

• Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown
• You're Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility, Annabelle Gurwitch

I completely forgot I had borrowed this one from the library when I decided I was in the mood to roll right into the next Gurwitch book. I'll try to get to it next:

• Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, Elizabeth Buchan

[Maus]

Heavy on mysteries this week, but they seem to go hand in hand with genealogy, which is solving mysteries, too! Still liking the Chet & Bernie Mysteries.

12. "Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America" by John McWhorter. 
11. "Thereby Hangs a Tail" by Spencer Quinn.
10. "Whose Body?" by Dorothy L. Sayers. (Audible)
9. "Hallowe'en Party" by Agatha Christie. (Audible)
8. "Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty. (Audible)
7. "Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn. 
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)
3.  "The Thirty-Nine Steps" by John Buchan. (Audible)
2. "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis. (Audible)
1. "Unsettled" by Steven E. Koonin.

[tuesdayschild]

Posting first, and hoping to get back to read others posts tonight. I’ve managed to complete a few letters this month for my condensed version of the A—z challenge,  which I didn’t think I’d be able to, admittedly these are all audiobooks.  Life is not gifting me opportunities to sit and read much (without falling asleep) so I’m happily using audiobooks in my challenges.

(Please excuse any typos, rushing necessitates they stay)

B= Skycircus: The Cogheart Adventures Bk3 ~ Peter Bunzl, narrated by Penelope Rawlins (3) Junior fict.  An interesting adventure which could make for a fun escape read for children who like historical fantasy that has a slightly steampunk vibe.  I would suggest pre-reading before giving to a sensitive child ( i had one, and they would have found some of the themes in this story upsetting).   I haven’t read any others  in this series and I didn’t feel like I was missing much of the back story by just listening to this one by itself.     Not sure why the author needed to inject the anti-male scientist comment in this book, it felt more geared to appeal to parents (?)….       Extra: orphans kidnapped and ill-treated. 

 C= Chasing Shadows ~ Lynn Austin, narrated by Stina Nielsen (3 ) (14h 37m) I’m not the biggest fan of Christian fiction, but each year I do try to listen to at least one to join in with a book challenge I subscribe to.  I think one of the things I really appreciated about this book was the true to life ending Lynn had for one of the romances (spoiler removed). The grandfather was definitely my favourite character.    The story did drag a bit in places for me, so I skipped ahead. 

For Crime Spree I listened to   Armadale ~ Wilkie Collins, narrators Nicholas Boulton, etc.. (4- ) The anti-hero in this, Lydia Gwilt, a devilish clever woman, keeps all the other characters on their toes  - they missed so many opportunities to expose her because of stupidity, duplicity, and an ongoing lack of communication.  This novel definitely has all the trademarks of “written for serialised instalments” on it and to that end is lengthy, yet it didn’t feel epically long as Naxos audiobooks crafted an interesting listen with skilled narrators.   @mumto2 and others, if you enjoyed Woman in White I think there is a really good chance you’ll like this tale too: I did once I got quite a few chapters in, and I decided to bear with all those missed opportunities to finally get inside the infirmary with …….          Wilkie crafted a tidy-ish, satisfying ending.

 ____________________________________

Audible has a few free Wilkie Collins’  listens available for members so I’m keen to listen through those too at some point:  I’m dithering about with what I *feel* like listening to next,  I’ve had a few false starts ... I think I might be living the word for this week , title choice conundrum.

Currently sip-reading:

• The Christmas Mouse ~ Miss Read 
• I Used to Know that: English (Stuff You Forgot From School) ~ Patrick Scrivenor (a wanted Christmas present from Dh)

ETA: I think I'm going to give that book I linked at the end of lasts weeks thread a sip-read try for my letter 'd'

Edited January 17, 2022 by tuesdayschild

[Kareni]

2 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

ETA: I think I'm going to give that book I linked at the end of lasts weeks thread a sip-read try for my letter 'd'

If Dillabough doesn't work for you, there is always Dunstall....

Regards,

Kareni

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I have finished four books so far and am off to the best ever start for the reading year. I am painting my bathroom and back entryway and have chosen to listen to non-fiction audiobooks while I work. I have learned about Roald Dahl's time in WWI, a young man's run across North and Central America for a PDJ run, and about a young man's experience with poverty in middle school. I have laughed, cried, and nodded my head in empathy. I have Googled to educate myself on a social matter about which I was ignorant and fought back personal demons as memories of long past hurts were resurrected.

I'll share one here.  When I was in high school I wasn't allowed to get a driver's license as my parents couldn't afford the insurance (at least that's what I was told; I think it was a control issue.) so I had to walk to and from school. During one particularly bad storm, I had to make my typical trek to school. I had a coat but no boots and, for some reason, no hat or gloves. I was soaked by the time I got to the school about a mile away. My first class of the day was computer science and I remember having a conversation with the teacher about the weather and my inappropriate clothing. She said I should have stayed home. I had to sit in class with wet hair and in damp clothes. I remember being damp for most of the day. I also remember being teased because I have naturally frizzy hair which didn't like being wet and then air dried without a comb and my clothes were horribly rumpled. I had on a skirt, sweater, and white flats. I can picture that outfit to this day. I looked and felt like a street urchin.  I ended up becoming ill and developed walking pneumonia as a result of that experience. 

I have to download a couple of audiobooks for this week as I still have about three days worth of painting and associated tasks to finish as well as three days of driving 150 miles a day. So lots of work and driving time to listen to more non-fic. It's going to be a busy week.

Read good books and have a cup of chai for me.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Granny_Weatherwax

[mumto2]

Thank you for the thread Robin!

I have been cleaning up my library stack in an attempt to return to crime novels. I started Allison Brennon’s The Sorority Murder over a week ago to start a Bookchain off and still need to finish it, hopefully that can happen today.  It’s a new release so not a Grandparent of Crime or even Golden Age but it does take place on Route 66 which is a bingo square.  I wouldn’t have connected if the book didn’t continually remind me that Flagstaff is on Route 66. Lol https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56472994-the-sorority-murder

My timing is apparently good as I just finished a space opera this morning.  It’s the second in The Finder Chronicles by Suzanne Palmer……I loved the first Finder book.  Driving the Deep took awhile to get me hooked but managed to after the first third.  Ferguson is a Finder (pretty much what it sounds like) with some extra abilities. There is a new one which I will read if my library buys it. Lol  I put a purchase request in. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53005399-driving-the-deep

I finished my Murakami for 2022. ( btw It had a B.....boiled)This year it was Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/106484.Hard_Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World.  I switched over to audio part way through because this was a book I needed to read in larger portions than I had time for last week.  It’s an earlier work and many of his later themes like cats, ears, suicide we’re not as obvious in this book.  There were unicorns and evil little people called Inklings.  Plenty of Magical Realism......Bingo Square.  😂 I seem to be crossing bingo squares off rather efficiently this year....it won’t last. 😉

Today I started listening to my C book......Chance of a Lifetime by Jude Deveraux https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48713832-chance-of-a-lifetime?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=rFYAKlzNxx&rank=1. This is the first in a series where the second looks great so I wanted to read the first, well first.  I know I set this aside at one point so went with audio.  It’s fluff........angels send a man into the future to help his 19th century love find love in current times.  Everybody in this book is reincarnated so it’s a stretch but an easy listen to sew to.

@tuesdayschildI hope to start a Wilkie Collins at the end of this week so thank you for the review!  I still haven’t decided which one I want to read first.  I know I want to listen to The Moonstone.  

[LaughingCat]

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are my favorites for space opera.  They have a long running series that I jumped in the middle of (picked up an attractive cover at the library as I remember) -- some of their books are less stand alone and some are more stand alone -- although as I said, I jumped in the middle of a non-standalone set and still completely enjoyed it (and went back and read the previous books).   However I'll offer Scout's Progress and Conflict of Honors as good starter stand alone books( though within the same on-ongoing saga) .  

[tuesdayschild]

8 hours ago, Kareni said:

If Dillabough doesn't work for you, there is always Dunstall....

Regards,

Kareni

☺️ I keep hoping I'll find a post from you advising us of a new Dunstall book.  (Self-imposed rules mean I won't, or should not,  count repeat reads/listens in my a-z challenge.)

Sounds like you are navigating through some hard resurrected hurts amongst your painting and listening  @Granny_Weatherwax 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by tuesdayschild

[Granny_Weatherwax]

2 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

☺️ I keep hoping I'll find a post from you advising us of a new Dunstall book.  (Self-imposed rules mean I won't, or should not,  count repeat reads/listens in my a-z challenge.)

Sounds like you are navigating through some hard resurrected hurts amongst your painting and listening  @Granny_Weatherwax 

 

 

It's all right, though. I've listened to two non-fic books about young people living in poverty and that has begun a neural cascade and memories are rushing back. I am grateful to have developed coping mechanisms and am able to move forward and remain busy. I will purposely look for humorous audiobooks for this week.

[Kareni]

6 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

I keep hoping I'll find a post from you advising us of a new Dunstall book. 

Nothing new sadly!

I looked at (half of the) author's blog (the K part) this morning and found this fun post with book recommendations ~

Discovering authors via Kindle Unlimited

Regards,

Kareni

[SKL]

Howdie, happy 2022 a bit late!  This year I hope to be a bit better about reading.  Will I reach a book a week?  I am going to start out trying.

I'm getting close to finishing Soul Spa, a book I started last fall.  I didn't really like it at first, but it's growing on me.  It has some ideas that are helpful when thinking about goal setting.  I have a goal to finish this book this week.

I also went back to a book about the history of India.  I think it's an Indian school book, not sure of the intended age.  It's an easy read, and I'm not sure why it seems slow-going.  But I have a goal to finish this gook this week.

Speaking of goal setting, I set a goal to read at least 3 classics with my kids this year (probably audiobooks), and also a goal to read at least 1 classic book per month.  I need to decide pretty soon which one it will be for January.

[PaulainTx]

I finished The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings.  

I also read These Precious Days which is a book of essays by Ann Patchett and Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner.  This was my first time reading anything by Anita Brookner.  It's about a novelist who is sent away by her friends to an exclusive hotel because she's caused a scandal.  The book deals with her interactions with the other mostly female residents.  I was surprised to see this was published in 1984.  It definitely felt like an old book.  

Next up is The Bullet Train Kotaro Isaka and Sam Malissa.  

 

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for US Kindle readers ~

A Feast of Phantoms (Lingua Magika Book 1) by Kat Ross

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

6 hours ago, PaulainTx said:

I finished The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings.  

I also read These Precious Days which is a book of essays by Ann Patchett and Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner.  This was my first time reading anything by Anita Brookner.  It's about a novelist who is sent away by her friends to an exclusive hotel because she's caused a scandal.  The book deals with her interactions with the other mostly female residents.  I was surprised to see this was published in 1984.  It definitely felt like an old book.  

Next up is The Bullet Train Kotaro Isaka and Sam Malissa.  

 

I really enjoyed Bullet Train! 

[mumto2]

I started listening to An Accidental Death by Peter Grainger today.  It’s good.  Thank you for the recommendation @tuesdayschild

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Oh my goodness, sometimes I have to laugh at myself. My new audiobook is Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey, the poet. It is not a happy memoir. It's about her upbringing as a mixed race child, her parent's divorce, her mother's remarriage and subsequent abuse at the hands of her stepfather, and her mother's murder. It is well written and captivating. I have been down one rabbit trail already and looked up some of her poetry. I have ordered a book from the library and will use that book for my poetry square on my bingo card.

 

[Robin M]

I finished Wolf Hall which was not a book to speed through. I read it in small sips during breakfast, often times staying a little bit longer at the table to stay with the story for just a few minutes more. I was reminded today why I should have taken the time to annotate.  James is taking online English composition class and we were watching videos on annotation which made so much sense I was kicking myself.  The story was so complex and while reading there were phrases and images that struck me or quotes I wanted to save of Cromwell’s wit, reactions of his family, his thoughts pebbled throughout from childhood to adulthood and I only copied a couple at the beginning. Things like:

‘quick as a needle, she darts at him.’

“He will never tell the cardinal about Mary Boleyn, though the impulse will arise. Wolsey might laugh, he might be scandalized. He has to muggle him the content, without the context.”

Lesson learned. I enjoyed my front row seat into the life and times of Thomas Cromwell, his interactions with both friend and foe, and all the machinations with the court. I’m sure I’ll reread it again in the years to come.

Also finished another dusty book, plus my D book – Devlin Diary –  which was also historical fiction.

Started Miura’s Great Passage and I guess I’m going to continue exploring the past for some time to come with Lisa Scottoline’s newest Eternal set in the 1930’s and WWII.   I like this reading of my dusty and new books alphabetically – limits my choices down to a select few.  Although pretty sure rebellion, either that or withdrawal, will kick in and I'll dive into some romances or urban fantasy books soon. 

[Miss Tick]

13 minutes ago, Robin M said:

I enjoyed my front row seat into the life and times of Thomas Cromwell, his interactions with both friend and foe, and all the machinations with the court. I’m sure I’ll reread it again in the years to come.

Will you read the other two books in the series? They are just as good as the first.

[Robin M]

20 minutes ago, SusanC said:

Will you read the other two books in the series? They are just as good as the first.

Eventually when my buying ban is over, I'll probably get them. 

[Murphy101]

I just finished the first Dune book. Put the Dune Messiah on hold at the library. 

while waiting for that, I’ve started An Exorcist Tells His Story by Amorth

[Murphy101]

Oh and anxious people by Hackman came in from the library. So I guess I’ll start that too. 

[Laurel-in-CA]

On 1/16/2022 at 8:57 PM, LaughingCat said:

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are my favorites for space opera.  They have a long running series that I jumped in the middle of (picked up an attractive cover at the library as I remember) -- some of their books are less stand alone and some are more stand alone -- although as I said, I jumped in the middle of a non-standalone set and still completely enjoyed it (and went back and read the previous books).   However I'll offer Scout's Progress and Conflict of Honors as good starter stand alone books( though within the same on-ongoing saga) .  

And "Laughing Cat" is from "Mouse and Dragon" - right? Theo's new logo?

Love Lee & Miller. Have you seen the new anthology "Bread Alone"?

[Laurel-in-CA]

I was a bit ahead on the space opera, as I've been re-reading Jack Campbell's military SF series on The Lost Fleet, about a group of ships deceived and ambushed deep in enemy space, given an unlikely rescue by a hero from their past who has been in survival sleep for decades but whom they find and revive just before the ambush. As he's got the oldest service date, he ends up in charge of the battered fleet and uses his skills and the values he brings from the past to lead them home (eventually). The first book is "Relentless."

My favorite read this week was "Sparks Like Stars" by Nadia Hashimi -- story of a young girl who survived the soviet coup that assassinated Afghanistan's last president in the 70s (before the mujahedeen, the Taliban, and the US occupation). She is adopted by a US state dept. employee and eventually becomes an oncologist in the US. The book also talks about her return and discovery of her parents' graves. A sad tale but with many happy memories of her childhood before the coup and also of her hard work to survive and thrive. I found it fascinating -- led to several late nights of reading! I have her next book in my Kindle queue.

In the past week *all* 4 of my young adults have had covid exposure via co-workers and/or roommates. We're vaxxed to the max, but one kid works in a public high school as an aid, one's bosses both got sick, one's roommate brought it home from vacation, and one works in a bakery cafe where most of the workers got sick in a single week (she missed that exposure due to the wisdom teeth being pulled, but some of them came to work before being fully recovered). Just waiting to see what happens, LOL.

[AurieD]

I am currently reading Coming Up for Air by George Orwell. I’ve been reading it since sometime last year, bits and pieces when I don’t feel like reading anything else. I’m on holiday right now though (with young children, not the sit for hours reading type of holiday) and it is a good one for picking up and putting down a lot throughout the day.

I’ve reserved my next book club book at the library, The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin. I’ve not heard of the book or author before.

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by AurieD
Typo

[mumto2]

 

I went back to my crime spree short stories last night and finished a couple of interesting ones.

The Burglar’s Story by WS Gilbert was really well staged.  Great humor in a simple plot the young burglar is caught by a rickety old man who turns the tables on him masterfully.  Made him strip and left him naked in the house.  He had to confess to a Bobby in order to be rescued! Gilbert is the Gilbert from Gilbert and Sullivan musicals.  I hope I can find a full length mystery by him….haven’t looked yet!  Not sure when this was written but before 1911.

Cheating the Gallows by Isreal Zangwell is a grandfather’s of crime entry.  Written in 1893 this one features two male roommates in a boarding house who are never seen together.  One disappears after a robbery and is thought to have escaped with the loot.  The other plods on eventually getting engaged to the woman his roommate was engaged to.  Yep, same dude.  It was pretty good.   I tried to read a longer story by Zangwell that had been serialized and decided to give up as by the third day it was feeling convoluted.  Apparently he kept changing The Who Did It to avoid who his readers thought did it via the mail he was receiving…..he made it end up being the one character not a single person guessed!

Edited January 20, 2022 by mumto2

[Kareni]

Recent reading ~

The contemporary romance Sure Shot: A Hockey Romance by Sarina Bowen which I enjoyed. (Adult content)

"On the eve of her thirtieth birthday, sports agent Bess Beringer is ready to make some changes. Armed with a five-year plan—indexed and color coded—she’ll tackle her personal life with the same zeal that she brings to her successful agency. A big, tall, ripped hunk of hockey player who’s just been traded to the Brooklyn Bruisers is not a part of that plan. Mark “Tank” Tankiewicz has a lot of baggage. He’s a ride-or-die loner with a bad reputation. He’s on the rebound. He’s also the sexiest thing on two legs, and for some crazy reason it’s Bess that he wants. She knows better. But then she falls stupid in love with him anyway. And for a while it seems like maybe he’ll do the same. Until she asks him for the one thing he can never give her…"

I also reread portions of The Bridge Ladies: A Memoir by Betsy Lerner for my local book group which discussed this last night. I'd discussed the book with my distant book group earlier in the month. It was interesting to see how the different groups felt about the book; several of last night's attendees loved it. 

And I've recently read a boatload of Kindle book samples.

Regards,

Kareni

[Vintage81]

I've recently read three more books...

• Ariadne by Jennifer Saint - This was the story of the Cretan princess who helped Theseus escape the Minotaur. Surprisingly, it was more about her marriage to Dionysus. The story kept me entertained, but it wasn't anything super amazing. The ending was kind of abrupt. 3 stars
• Paddle-to-the-Sea -  Such a sweet book about a canoe carved by a young Native boy. He hopes Paddle will make it all the way to the Atlantic. My DD and I are studying U.S. Geography and it was fun to check in each day to see where Paddle was. 4 stars
• Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson - Hattie had been given 300 acres in Montana by her late uncle. For a 16 year old during the WWI era, this was a huge task to take on alone, with no family, but she did it. There were a lot of issues she faced along the way, but she also met lots of helpful people. We enjoyed this a lot. The ending was also a little abrupt (apparently there's a sequel), but we enjoyed her homesteading journey. 4.5 stars

I've put Greek mythology aside for a minute, and started reading A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw. It's about a missing lady and a cult. That's about all I know so far. It's definitely weird and I'm really liking it!

I'm still planning on reading A Song of Achilles soon. I will have my tissues ready. 

My next book club read is What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon. We read Where the Lost Wander by her last year and that was a 5 star read for me, so I'm looking forward to this book. 

[Kareni]

I just finished another reread of Stray (Touchstone Book 1) by Andrea K. Höst; I enjoyed it once again.

The book is FREE to Kindle readers!

"On her last day of high school, Cassandra Devlin walked out of exams and into a forest. Surrounded by the wrong sort of trees, and animals never featured in any nature documentary, Cass is only sure of one thing: alone, she will be lucky to survive.

The sprawl of abandoned blockish buildings Cass discovers offers her only more puzzles. Where are the people? What is the intoxicating mist which drifts off the buildings in the moonlight? And why does she feel like she's being watched?

Increasingly unnerved, Cass is overjoyed at the arrival of the formidable Setari. Whisked to a world as technologically advanced as the first was primitive, where nanotech computers are grown inside people's skulls, and few have any interest in venturing outside the enormous whitestone cities, Cass finds herself processed as a 'stray', a refugee displaced by the gates torn between worlds. Struggling with an unfamiliar language and culture, she must adapt to virtual classrooms, friends who can teleport, and the ingrained attitude that strays are backward and slow.

Can Cass ever find her way home? And after the people of her new world discover her unexpected value, will they be willing to let her leave?"

Regards,

Kareni

[scholarly]

We've been sick this week, so I'm just getting to post.

Last week I finished Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax. It was fine, but was published in 2005 and definitely felt dated. I think the changes in culture due to the pandemic and changing economy and labor markets will mean that the book is even more obsolete soon. However, my husband and I had several good conversations about priorities for our family as I read it, so overall, I'm glad I did.

I also finished A Year at Clove Brook Farm by Christopher Spitzmiller. The pictures of the house and grounds are just gorgeous and I enjoyed looking at them. The text is a window into a lifestyle I have a hard time imagining. One particular segment begins with how "naturally" a pool needs a pool house and concludes with the handy tip that you should put a washer and dryer in the pool house so you don't have to lug all those towels back and forth to the main house. And what a lark to serve dinner outside with no table cloth!  I found myself wishing I could hear from his farm manager or housekeeper what is it REALLY like to take care of a place like that.

This week I can only handle fluff, so my "C" book is The Captive by Grace Burrowes.

[LaughingCat]

On 1/20/2022 at 2:38 PM, Laurel-in-CA said:

And "Laughing Cat" is from "Mouse and Dragon" - right? Theo's new logo?

Love Lee & Miller. Have you seen the new anthology "Bread Alone"?

Maybe so - I always remember I chose that name because of my pic of then baby cat's super grumpy face-- but looking at their book list I think that Laughing Cat Limited is created in "Dragon Ship" that came out in 2012 (wow! time flies! ) so the timing makes it seem likely that is what put it in my head.  (Mouse and Dragon is Aelliana and Daav's continued story after Scout's Progress)

Haven't read Bread Alone yet -- I believe I've read all the stories in that chapbook except the new one, and I always waffle around for a while before buying chapbook type offerings for some reason no matter the author or how much I like them.   Looking forward to their new book of short stories though: Liaden Univers Constellation 5 - coming out start of Feb  (which I've probably read all the stories in too -- but somehow when it's a full book worth of stories I have no problem buying it LOL)

[Murphy101]

I just finished Anxious People by Backman

It was a genuine delight of a read.  5* from me. 

[Robin M]

Week 4 is live - please continue conversation in new thread 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Robin M

[Laurel-in-CA]

On 1/22/2022 at 10:41 AM, LaughingCat said:

Maybe so - I always remember I chose that name because of my pic of then baby cat's super grumpy face-- but looking at their book list I think that Laughing Cat Limited is created in "Dragon Ship" that came out in 2012 (wow! time flies! ) so the timing makes it seem likely that is what put it in my head.  (Mouse and Dragon is Aelliana and Daav's continued story after Scout's Progress)

Haven't read Bread Alone yet -- I believe I've read all the stories in that chapbook except the new one, and I always waffle around for a while before buying chapbook type offerings for some reason no matter the author or how much I like them.   Looking forward to their new book of short stories though: Liaden Univers Constellation 5 - coming out start of Feb  (which I've probably read all the stories in too -- but somehow when it's a full book worth of stories I have no problem buying it LOL)

Yep, I'm looking forward to Constellation V too. Thanks for correcting me on which book it came up in!! Here's to more Liaden books!