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Book a Week 2022 - BW19: Happy Mother's Day

Robin M

By Robin M,
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Robin M

Robin M

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Happy Mother's Day my lovelies!  Hope you all are having a marvelous day, celebrating with your families.  We all have colds so I gave my son one task: go to my Amazon wish list, pick something out, make sure it's prime, and will arrive in one day.  Easy Peasy.  I'll let you know what he found for me.  

Read a book with your mother's name in the title or is written by an author with your mother's name

Read a book with mother, mom, mama, mater, or other variation in the title. 

Read a book about a mom.

Read a book about becoming a mother.

From stalkers to saints, moms run the gamut in kids' books.  We read Horton Hatches the Egg and the Runaway Bunny so many times over the years. Another favorite not listed is Lisa McCourt's I love You Stinky Face about unconditional love which we enjoyed reading so much, I had to duct tape the cover together to keep it from falling apart. 

11 Memoirs That Shine the Spotlight on Mothers

The Best Books for Every Type of Mom

Books that keep it real for Mother’s Day

Women's Prize for Literature Shortlist showcases global talent

And for our letter and word of the week - U and unconditional. 

 

“When you look into your mother’s eyes, you know that is the 

purest love you can find on this earth.” ~~ Mitch Albom, For One More Day

 

Happy Mother's Day! 

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

 

 

Link to book week 18

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

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Robin M

Robin M

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Reading a very dusty series from my shelves starting with Taliesin in Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle Trilogy. 

"A magnificent epic of cataclysmic upheaval and heroic love in a breathless age of mythic wonders

It was a time of legend, when the last shadows of the mighty Roman conqueror faded from the captured Isle of Britain. While, across a vast sea, bloody war shattered a peace that had flourished for two thousand years in the doomed kingdom of Atlantis.

 It is the remarkable adventure of Charis—the courageous princess from Atlantis who escapes the terrible devastation of her land—and of the fabled seer and druid prince Taliesin, singer at the dawn of the age. A story of an incomparable love that joins two astonishing worlds amid the fires of chaos, and spawns the miracles of Merlin . . . and Arthur the king!"

Watched the first movie in the Hobbit trilogy which was very good.

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bookbard

bookbard

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2 minutes ago, Robin M said:

Reading a very dusty series from my shelves starting with Taliesin in Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle Trilogy

I read Taliesin years and years ago, when I was a kid - still remember the cover. 

Wasn't sure if it was Mother's Day in the US as well (I know UK has a different date). We had gorgeous weather, bright blue skies and not too cold. Lots of jonquils out - I spent most of the day weeding the garden to allow them to appear from behind the grass.

I bought myself a whole lot of new books on the Kobo as my Mother's Day gift. I have already read the first Enola Holmes book which was - ok. The movie was definitely better. Other than that it's been rereads mostly. Also read a book called Legendborn which was a fantasy set in a modern university, covering a weird King Arthur fraternity and Black history. Interesting, not brilliant, but interesting. 

 

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mumto2

mumto2

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Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

At some point on Friday I fell into a hole of reading Harlequin Suspense novels with service dogs in them on Prime.  They are free……for real, my mom would have them all read by now!   Prime has kindly sorted several series out for me and I can’t seem to resist.  They read quick and are fun…….my mom and I used to read Harlequin’s for days together so it’s oddly appropriate.  I am currently reading the last in my series and hopefully will manage to stop as I have other books ready to read!

I did do a bit of sewing yesterday so I finished an audiobook that has been around longer than normal.  Under Lock & Skeleton Key https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693382-under-lock-skeleton-key# was in many ways a fun cozy as it was slightly different.  The main character was a Los Vegas magician who was living at her family’s home in disgrace after she supposedly intentionally set fire to her stage.  Her dad’s business is building magical rooms in houses……hidden staircases etc.  Her former assistant turns up dead in one of the rooms.  Not sure why but it didn’t quite capture my interest and it should have.  It has a U so I am moving onto V with Swiss Vendetta which has been in my Kindle stack for a couple of years. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29503758-swiss-vendetta?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=fOyIbQNEQY&rank=1

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Kareni

Kareni

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Some bookish posts ~


Jo Walton’s Reading List: April 2022

https://www.tor.com/2022/05/06/jo-waltons-reading-list-april-2022/

Favorite 2021 Debut Novels [Mysteries]... Those of you who like mysteries might enjoy poking around on this site.

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/Reviews_Debut_2021.html

HAVE COZY, WILL TRAVEL: BOOKS IN WHICH COZY PROTAGONISTS ARE ON THE MOVE

https://crimereads.com/have-cozy-will-travel-books-in-which-cozy-protagonists-are-on-the-move/

Regards,

Kareni

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Mothersweets

Mothersweets

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Happy Mother's Day! My kids all came over to my house and made breakfast and brought flowers and we had a lovely morning together.🥰

Last week I finished A Dream of Death by Connie Berry.  Contemporary murder mystery set on a tiny Scottish island. It's the first in a series and I'll probably look for the next one at the library.

Love the pics @Negin and @Kareni!

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mumto2

mumto2

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8 hours ago, Storygirl said:

Under Lock and Skeleton Key is sitting on my bookshelf, amidst my other library books. I'm looking forward to reading it. The premise does sound captivating. I hope you enjoy your next book more!

I hope you love it!  There are lots of things to like about it so  I am really surprised I didn’t.

 

@Kareni One of your above links, Stop your killing me, does a newsletter that I love.  About once a month they do a what we are reading section that rarely fails to have something interesting that I have not seen elsewhere.

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Kareni

Kareni

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1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

@Kareni One of your above links, Stop your killing me, does a newsletter that I love.  About once a month they do a what we are reading section that rarely fails to have something interesting that I have not seen elsewhere.

Thank you! I saw mention of the newsletter when I was moseying around the site. Does the what we are reading section cover only mysteries or is it broader than that?

Regards,

Kareni

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mumto2

mumto2

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15 minutes ago, Kareni said:

Thank you! I saw mention of the newsletter when I was moseying around the site. Does the what we are reading section cover only mysteries or is it broader than that?

Regards,

Kareni

It’s mainly mystery focused but think I have seen non mystery there very occasionally.  They seem to review several that are not on my normal lists so I always enjoy the opportunity to explore a bit.

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Robin M

Robin M

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James surprised me with three books:  Brandon Sanderson's #2 in the Stormlight Archive - Words of Radiance.  N.K. Jemisin's #2 in her Broken Earth series - Obelisk Gate. And Emily St. John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility.   He didn't just pick the three books listed at the top of my wishlist, which is something my hubby would have done. LOL!.  He made the effort to go through the list, looking at the comments I made on each book. Plus these were books I had added on different dates.  So thoughtful. 

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Storygirl

Storygirl

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I finished the new release Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow. This is a fairly short novel, told in short chapters with multiple points of view. Miriam returns to her childhood home with her two daughters, and moves in with her sister August and nephew, after fleeing from domestic abuse. The chapters then gradually reveal what happened before -- including the story of Miriam's mother -- and what comes after, by jumping around through time. This is a story of the strength of Black southern women when faced with racism and the lack of support (and often abuse) from men. The writing is very well done, and the characters are memorable, especially Aunt August, but the constantly shifting POV made it harder for me to connect with the characters. I would have liked to dwell more on one character's story, though I realize that the intent of the book is to span generations.

I also finished two audiobooks:

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. This is an oldie that I had never read. I can see why it was so popular. It's easy to be drawn in by the main character, who is taken as a child to train as a Geisha in Japan. The story does not defend or apologize for this cultural way of men using women for entertainment but just describes the life path of one woman. Golden writes believably from a woman's POV, and I didn't often think about the male author. Until the last section of the book; I found the conclusion unsatisfying. The real-life geisha whose story Golden based the book on sued him. And Golden sexualizes the Geisha traditions, which were supposedly chaste. I don't know enough to know what he sensationalized. It is a interesting story, and he is an excellent writer, but I'm not sure it was really his story to tell. Then again, authors write about those outside themselves. I'm not sure that this book would have the wide acclaim and acceptance if it were to be published today.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. If anyone is interested in reading this, I highly recommend the full-cast audio. Hearing a variety of voices amplifies the faux documentary effect (in a positive way). This novel explores the formation of a fictional 70s band, their success, and their break up, though the voices of the band members and other related characters. It is so well done that it seems like it could be a true documentary. You don't have to be a music lover to appreciate this story, but there are some trigger warnings for drug use and abortion.

 

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Jenny in Florida

Jenny in Florida

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Pretty sure I missed posting last week. A combination of emotional and physical ailments sent me into hibernation for a little while. So, to catch up:

I'm almost done listening to Disorientation, by Elaine Hsieh Chou. I'm a sucker for any book about academia, and this one is fun. It delves into lots of important questions about cultural identity and representation/appropriation is a fairly satirical way. It's not high literature, but I've enjoyed it and found it an engaging listen.

I still have sitting on my bedside table:

  • Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown 

And recently finished:

  • The Partner Track, Helen Wan
  • Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, Jon Krakauer with Scott Brick (Re-read to refresh my memory before watching the TV adaptation.)
  • Bright Ruined Things, Samantha Cohoe
  • I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir, Harvey Fierstein
  • The American Heiress, Daisy Goodwin (Enjoyed this one, although I felt like it ended somewhat abruptly.)
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Lady Florida.

Lady Florida.

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I finished two non fiction books, one I really liked and one that should have been better. 

Storm of the Century - 4 stars. This account of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane that hit the Florida Keys and killed hundreds read like a novel. Even though I knew the general information I had to keep reading to find out what happened. Several hundred WWI veterans who were there to build the Overseas Highway were killed due to poor judgment of those in charge. 

Death in Florence - 2 stars. This should have been and in fact is an interesting story but it was just too dry. If I hadn't been listening to the audio book I would have abandoned it. I can't imagine having read it in print.

I went into a fiction reading funk for a few days even though I have quite a few on my Kindle. I finally decided that a Carl Hiaasen novel would help and I was right. I started Bad Monkey and as with any Hiaasen novel I'm enjoying it. I've also started Convenience Store Woman which I've been meaning to try for some time. It too is enjoyable but in an entirely different way. 

A week or so ago @Laura Corin recommended Hue and Cry.  I ordered the first  in the series, the one with that title, and it arrived yesterday. I'll start that one once I finish one of the above Kindle books.

Edited by Lady Florida.
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bookbard

bookbard

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Read an interesting YA called Wolf by Wolf - is studied in school here in Australia. About a Jewish teen living in a Germany where Hitler won, who was experimented on and developed the ability to 'skinshift' ie change her appearance at will. It describes the camps, the torture and murders, and then the struggles of dealing with the memories, but there's also action scenes of a motorbike race, romance etc. I didn't 'love' it but thought it was good, highly readable, and would be a good book to study in High school.

Audiobooks - the very famous, super awarded book The Wild Robot, which I thought was terrible. Aimed at 8-12, the language was babyish and simplistic, the action crazily violent and death-focused, and the 'problem' is resolved by use of guns! I would not recommend. We're also listening to an Australian book aimed at 8-10 yr olds about a box of magic buttons where the girl goes to different lands, kind of like a more modern Enid Blyton, called Eliza Vane's Button Box. It's well-written but a bit derivative for me.

 

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Kareni

Kareni

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I finished the series I mentioned up thread with By Darkness Forged (A Seeker's Tale From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper Book 3) by Nathan Lowell. I enjoyed this, too.

**
I read with pleasure Milk Run (Smuggler's Tales From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper Book 1) also by Nathan Lowell. While this is related to the above series, it is the start of a separate trilogy.
 
"Academy graduate Natalya Regyri stood first in line for her pick of Engineering Officer jobs, until, at the graduation party, a classmate turned up dead. Now, betrayed by her friends and framed for murder, she must flee beyond the reach of the Confederation...and any semblance of civilized society.

With a damaged second-hand ship and TIC interceptors dogging her step, she nets a smuggling contract that might just get her back on her feet and in control of her destiny. But only if she's willing to make an ore run back to the place she's wanted for murder, and into the arms of the authorities...
...who somehow know she's coming."
 
Regards,
Kareni
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Vintage81

Vintage81

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On 5/12/2022 at 4:48 PM, bookbard said:

Read an interesting YA called Wolf by Wolf - is studied in school here in Australia. About a Jewish teen living in a Germany where Hitler won, who was experimented on and developed the ability to 'skinshift' ie change her appearance at will. It describes the camps, the torture and murders, and then the struggles of dealing with the memories, but there's also action scenes of a motorbike race, romance etc. I didn't 'love' it but thought it was good, highly readable, and would be a good book to study in High school.

 

My DDs are going into 7th and 9th grade next year. I’ve always done read alouds with them and I plan on continuing that even with my oldest going into high school. I’m currently trying to put together a list of books, but it’s been a challenge. They are starting to be too old for middle grade books, which are geared towards 8-12 year olds, but I feel like YA is almost too much of a leap. It’s hard to find stuff that’s not romance heavy. My DDs aren’t in to that (yet), and honestly it’s not something I want to read aloud. 🤣

Wolf by Wolf was on my list, but I was curious how prominent the romance was, and if there were any other things that may be too much for a 12 and 14 year old?? The premise sounds intriguing though.

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bookbard

bookbard

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2 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

Wolf by Wolf was on my list, but I was curious how prominent the romance was, and if there were any other things that may be too much for a 12 and 14 year old?? The premise sounds intriguing though.

Romance was not hugely prominent, and it's one of those ambivalent things where you don't know if they really like each other or not. There is at least one kiss maybe two. But nothing more.

In terms of intensity, the Holocaust stuff is intense. There's the train, the sorting, the bunks, murders, and the main character is treated as a medical experiment (but it's lots of needles, rather than sicko stuff). But then I read heaps of Holocaust books at that age - I actually think it's far worse as an adult, you have more understanding. I told my 11 yr old about the book and said she could read it, if she wanted. 

I don't know what it would be like as a read-aloud though. There are some other books which are war-related which might be better. I am David by Anne Holm is brilliant. It's also fairly short. There's also Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian which is about evacuees and child abuse (physical). It's another absolute classic and far, far better than the modern The War That Saved My Life which has the same plot but which is written quite poorly (eg "It was Winter. She felt cold.") Later on A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch by Solzenitsyn is also a brilliant, short read (about the Siberian camps). I think we did that at school around age 14. 

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Kareni

Kareni

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3 hours ago, bookbard said:

I am David by Anne Holm is brilliant

My grandmother who lived through both world wars (the first in Hungary, the second in the Netherlands) read us that book when we were children. I have few memories of books I read/was read as a child, but I do remember that one.

Regards,

Kareni

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