Robin M Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 Happy Sunday! We’re right at that in between stage between May and June, so instead of starting something new, here’s a poem in honor of Memorial Day. We Honor You Today By Susan R. Smith To all of our veterans Far and near. We thank you for your service For all those years. You sacrificed your time, And some gave your life. You preserved our freedom By willingly paying the price. Many of you Were sent overseas. You were wounded in battle, With scars and disease. But courageous and brave, You weathered the storm. You faced every battle With faith and beyond. We honor you with joy For all that you've done. You stood strong for our country, For our daughters and sons. So no one stands alone, We walk hand in hand. Remember, we are with you. Together we shall stand. We salute you today. Hear what we say. Let our words speak eloquently In this special way. On this day, Let us express our love and thanks For the sacrifice you paid. You served in honor For many years and days, And we will never forget How you were strong and brave. Link to Book Week 21 Visit 52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges. 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted May 29, 2022 Author Share Posted May 29, 2022 I’m in between as well. Reading Brandon Sanderson’s Words of Radiance in his Stormlight archive series, and George Eliot’s Middlemarch. Inbetween reading, I’m still binging on Korean Drama’s. This week, it’s Her Private Life. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 Thank you for the thread, Robin. I hope that you’re doing better. Love that Memorial Day poem. My reading has been slow. I’m reading a few different books, but I hope to be done with at least one of them by next week. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 @Robin M - Sending you healing vibes. I'm listening to The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. It's a novel based on the real life of Belle da Costa Greene, who assisted J.P. Morgan in acquiring the collection of the Pierpont Morgan Library. She was also Black and, along with her mother and siblings, passing. The book has been recommended in multiple sources, so I was happy to download it when it popped up in my library holds. Although the first few chapters didn't really grab me, it has started picking up steam. I want to do some reading/research about Belle. Also recently finished: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, Barbara Demick - This was enormously engaging. It started a bit slowly, but by the end the assorted stories were unfolding in my brain cinematically. I can absolutely see the movie that could be made. The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters, Balli Kaur Jaswal Disorientation, Elaine Hsieh Chou The Partner Track, Helen Wan Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, Jon Krakauer with Scott Brick 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 I haven't finished anything since last week. I normally read at bedtime but lately have been falling asleep after one or two pages. I think I need to start reading earlier in the evening! Robin, I hope you will be feeling better soon! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 Some bookish posts ~ This 70-year-old woman drives cross-country in a bookstore on wheels https://www.today.com/life/inspiration/st-ritas-traveling-bookstore-interview-rita-collins-rcna29659 THE ENDURING APPEAL OF SHERLOCK HOLMES https://crimereads.com/the-enduring-appeal-of-sherlock-holmes/ WHAT I’VE LEARNED FROM WRITING IN OTHER GENRES by Hope Adams https://crimereads.com/what-ive-learned-from-writing-in-other-genres-hope-adams/ Regards, Kareni 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 Yesterday I finished The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz which I quite enjoyed even though it surprised me with how it dealt with the issues facing the main characters. I found it a gripping read, and my husband got to hear a lot about this book as I was reading it (whether he wanted to or not!) "Nick: Failed writer. Failed husband. Dog owner.Bee: Serial dater. Dress maker. Pringles enthusiast.One day, their paths cross over a misdirected email. The connection is instant, electric. They feel like they’ve known each other all their lives. So they decide to meet.While Nick buys a new suit, and gets his courage up, Bee steps away from her desk, and sets off to meet him at a London train station. With their happily-ever-after nearly in hand, what happens next is incredible and threatens to separate them forever.As their once in a lifetime connection is tested, Nick and Bee will discover whether being together is an impossible chance worth taking." Regards, Kareni 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 Thank you, Robin! I hope your back and ribs are starting to feel a bit better. I finished The Palce Papers and really enjoyed it. It was a great overall book for anyone that is curious about the Royal Family stretching way back to the start of Elizabeth’s reign and not as much about Will, Kate, Harry, and Meghan as expected…….which was a relief as I found them boring overall. Tina Brown was very even handed and I learned a ton. Someplace in the book the sentiment came through that unless you are the direct heir your life is literally in a decline from the moment of your birth as a member of that family. It sort of sets one up for failure. Also most decline enough to lose their police protection……it happens all the time. There is no way on earth that Harry could not have known he couldn’t quit and keep it. Delusional……..for instance Andrew pitched a huge family hissy fit when his daughters (Harry’s good friend’s) lost their protection about 10 years ago……which they had been using as free Uber essentially. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59089872-the-palace-papers I really enjoyed The Murder Rule https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57409438-the-murder-rule Twisty and fun. The Marlow Murder Club was surprisingly great. It was a book that I checked out expecting to abandon and discovered it was a page turner. A 70 something woman who writes crossword puzzles discovers a murder when she is taking her nightly swim in the River Thames …… pretty cool start to a traditional village (Marlow is a village west of Windsor) cozy imo. She feels compelled to solve it and makes friends with the vicars wife and a professional dog walker along the way. Good stuff and I will be reading the next one! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50576230-the-marlow-murder-club I can’t remember if I mentioned the Deadly cozy series when I read the first one or not. The second one Deadly Wedding was a step up from the first. These are set at the start of WWII ……Austria is invaded in this one. I am developing a fondness for the heroine who goes to work for a newspaper after her husband was murdered. Her job is contingent on her making trips to visit the publishers Jewish relatives and smuggle jewelry out of Germany so they can get British visa’s……..they needed assets already in Britain to get a visa. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58090162-deadly-wedding 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 Right now I'm just reading "Crash-Proof your Kids." I need to dig out something more interesting, but my room is a disaster right now. Hoping that gets resolved tomorrow. As mentioned last week, we have the Sherlock Holmes audiobooks in the car. I think it will take us a long time to get through them, just because of how our time is being broken up right now. Since one of my kids has no intention of taking physics in high school, and is learning to drive, I thought, maybe there is an interesting, accessible book about the physics of driving? I did a search and found one. After it arrives, I'll see if it's any good. 🙂 [I didn't take physics in high school either, so maybe I'll learn something myself.] 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 10 hours ago, Mothersweets said: I haven't finished anything since last week. I normally read at bedtime but lately have been falling asleep after one or two pages. I think I need to start reading earlier in the evening! This has been my problem for a while now. I wish that I could start reading earlier, but I can't. We're all usually watching a fabulous show or movie. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookbard Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 Just re-read all the Becky Chambers books and really need something new. Looking forward to a few new releases over the next few months (Ilona Andrews, Becky Chambers), but until then I'm a bit stuck. I'm sick at home with a cold and got through 3 books today . . . the downside of my Amazon boycott is that Kobo doesn't always have the ebooks available. Oh well! I might need to reread The Thief series (Megan Whalen Turner). If anyone has any good suggestions for fantasy/sci fi which fits into the 'up-lift' category, let me know. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 9 hours ago, bookbard said: If anyone has any good suggestions for fantasy/sci fi which fits into the 'up-lift' category, let me know. Some suggestions ~ The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison Murderbot books by Martha Wells Linesman trilogy by S.K. Dunstall Quarter Share (science fiction) and The Wizard's Butler (fantasy) by Nathan Lowell The Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T Kingfisher (and many others by the author; be cautious as she also writes horror) Perhaps ~ His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik I've also heard very good things about Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree ETA: The Curse of Chalion and also the Penric and Desdemona books by Lois McMaster Bujold. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookbard Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 50 minutes ago, Kareni said: Some suggestions ~ Thanks - I have read every one of those except Linesmen, Quarter Share, and Legends and Lattes. I will look them up! It was a good list though for comfort reading (I still have my awful cold and feel miserable - tests came back, apparently it's not covid or flu). I will pile them up and try to get through a very cold and windy day. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted May 31, 2022 Author Share Posted May 31, 2022 3 hours ago, bookbard said: Thanks - I have read every one of those except Linesmen, Quarter Share, and Legends and Lattes. I will look them up! It was a good list though for comfort reading (I still have my awful cold and feel miserable - tests came back, apparently it's not covid or flu). I will pile them up and try to get through a very cold and windy day. Rest and get well. The latest cold is the worst. We all just had it so completely understand feeling miserable. Adding to Karen's list, Jodi Taylor's Chronicles of St Mary's or Drew Hayes Super Powereds. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted May 31, 2022 Author Share Posted May 31, 2022 On 5/29/2022 at 4:00 PM, Kareni said: Yesterday I finished The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz which I quite enjoyed even though it surprised me with how it dealt with the issues facing the main characters. I found it a gripping read, and my husband got to hear a lot about this book as I was reading it (whether he wanted to or not!) Added it to my wishlist. Sounds good! On 5/29/2022 at 12:27 PM, Mothersweets said: Robin, I hope you will be feeling better soon! On 5/29/2022 at 8:26 AM, Jenny in Florida said: Sending you healing vibes. On 5/29/2022 at 12:09 AM, Negin said: Thank you for the thread, Robin. I hope that you’re doing better. Love that Memorial Day poem. On 5/29/2022 at 4:32 PM, mumto2 said: I hope your back and ribs are starting to feel a bit better Thanks ya'll. Feeling much better, although I am taking a lot of naps. Letting the guys do all the lifting. Hubby went grocery shopping with me yesterday which was quite amusing. Oh Donuts!!! LOL! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Donuts sound good, @Robin M! Hope that you are recovering well. @bookbard, I was so busy giving you book titles that I neglected to wish you well. I hope you will soon be over your cold. Regards, Kareni 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 As for me, I have finished my (100th my husband opined!) reread of Linesman (A Linesman Novel Book 1) by S. K. Dunstall. "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 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 I was just thinking that I don't know if I can agree with Kareni on that "up-lift" list even though I love most of those books and also consider many of them comfort reads (the only one I haven't read is Quarter Share). Although when the question was posed, I couldn't actually think of any sci-fi/fantasy that I considered 'up-lifting' either, so maybe I am just being too strict with the word "up-lift"? I think of it not as just making me feel good but making me feel positive about my life, my future, the world's future etc. How do you all define it? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 5 minutes ago, LaughingCat said: ...when the question was posed, I couldn't actually think of any sci-fi/fantasy that I considered 'up-lifting' either, so maybe I am just being too strict with the word "up-lift"? I think of it not as just making me feel good but making me feel positive about my life, my future, the world's future etc. How do you all define it? That is a good question, @LaughingCat. I went with personally uplifting/comfort reads. I will certainly be interested to see what others might say. 7 minutes ago, LaughingCat said: (the only one I haven't read is Quarter Share). You might read a sample to see what you think. It's a mellow slice of life science fiction book. Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Currently free ~ The Blue (Genevieve Planché Book 1) by Nancy Bilyeau Regards, Kareni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 About a year ago, I read the first two books in a series. My library finally received a copy of the third book which I just finished. Long Shadows (Elizabeth Cage, Book 3) by Jodi Taylor This book was one surprise after another but was enjoyable overall. This series definitely needs to be read in order. Begin with White Silence (Elizabeth Cage, Book 1) by Jodi Taylor Regards, Kareni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Kindle books on sale today. Breath 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 And this one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 I read and enjoyed two stories by Patricia Briggs. "Underappreciated Gifts" from the anthology A Fantastic Holiday Season and"Asil and the Not-Date" in the anthology - Fantastic Hope Both of these stories feature Asil, a werewolf whose pack members have set him up on five blind dates. Regards, Kareni 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 1 hour ago, Kareni said: I read and enjoyed two stories by Patricia Briggs. "Underappreciated Gifts" from the anthology A Fantastic Holiday Season and"Asil and the Not-Date" in the anthology - Fantastic Hope Both of these stories feature Asil, a werewolf whose pack members have set him up on five blind dates. Regards, Kareni There's a new Asil story in the anthology Heroic Hearts 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 13 hours ago, LaughingCat said: There's a new Asil story in the anthology Heroic Hearts I have a hold on the library copy and look forward to reading it! Regards, Kareni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 Link to week 23 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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