KrissiK Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 Just finished “Nicholas and Alexandra: The Classic Account of the Fall of the Romanov Dynasty” by Robert K. Massie. It was a rough ending, even though I knew what was going to happen. The book was very thought provoking. It was long and difficult, but I’m glad I read it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 (edited) This is my 7th year doing this (https://www.challies.com/resources/2024-christian-reading-challenge/) reading challenge. The second year I did it I read only 18 books that year. It was the year my family went through a horrible crisis; it was the worst year of my life. So, every year since then, when I finish book 18, I have a kind of celebration because I know that the number of books I read is an informal indicator of how I’m doing overall. The earlier in the year I hit 18 the better I’m doing. “Nicholas and Alexandra” was book 18 for the year. Edited July 24 by KrissiK 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 19 minutes ago, KrissiK said: This is my 7th year doing this (https://www.challies.com/resources/2024-christian-reading-challenge/) reading challenge. The second year I did it I read only 18 books that year. It was the year my family went through a horrible crisis; it was the worst year of my life. So, every year since then, when I finish book 18, I have a kind of celebration because I know that the number of books I read is an informal indicator of how I’m doing overall. The earlier in the year I hit 18 the better I’m doing. “Nicholas and Alexandra” was book 18 for the year. That sounds like a neat challenge. Just trying to think how I could fit all of my “to be read” and WTM suggestions into this list 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 3 minutes ago, Ottakee said: That sounds like a neat challenge. Just trying to think how I could fit all of my “to be read” and WTM suggestions into this list Honestly, with the types of categories he has, you’d find a way.🤣 This Nicholas and Alexandra book fit into the category “Read a book by an author with initials in his name.” Robert K. Massie. Perfect. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 10 hours ago, ScoutTN said: Howl’s Moving Castle Decided that someone I know is behaving like a “slitherer-outer”! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 I've read/finished quite a bit since Friday. I enjoyed a reread of the Class 5 science fiction romance series by Michelle Diener with Dark Horse, Dark Deeds, Dark Minds, Dark Matters, and Dark Class. I also reread the companion pieces Dark Ambitions (a novella) and the Dark Class bonus epilogue. Here is the blurb for Dark Horse, the first book in the series. "Some secrets carry the weight of the world. Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided. Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, everyone on board is dead, except for one strange, new alien being. She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games. In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse." Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 Hi, all! I haven't been around in a long while but logged back in and decided to join in here. I just finished Tia Levings' memoir, A Well Trained Wife, which I believe comes out next month. ( I listened to the audiobook through my LibroFx account as a librarian/teacher.). 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 I also read two romances that I enjoyed. You Can Do Magic: Carnival of Mysteries by R.L. Merrill is set in the present but has a magical element. It features a rock star as well as a calliope player from an enchanted carnival. Both men have emotional issues due to past events. "Musical prodigy Kallos Alexandrou has played his calliope for countless visitors at Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, but his one-year residency has come to an end. Scars from a terrible tragedy in his past are the only explanation he has for his loss of speech and memory, but it’s time to move on, so when a music festival sets up next to the carnival, Mr. Ame sends him off with identification, a bottomless billfold, and a set of new clothes. Outside the carnival’s perimeter, Kal finds himself in an unfamiliar world surrounded by strange instruments and vibrant people like nothing he’s ever seen. Ryan Wells is the troubled and celebrated lead singer of the metal band Backdrop Silhouette. He’s brought more than his share of baggage on the last cross-country Warped Tour, including harsh restrictions placed on him by his parole officer and the band’s label, but it’s the treatment from his bandmates that have him feeling unsettled. After a tough morning, he spots a strange young man playing carnival music on a keyboard backstage, and the sound takes him back to a particularly vulnerable time in his youth. Intrigued, Ryan asks the young man’s name, but he flees only to appear later as a replacement stagehand for the tour. An invitation from the band Hush to ride on their bus gives Ryan and Kal a welcome distraction. They find the camaraderie and support they’ve both been craving…as well as a little magic and a fresh new romance. But personal secrets and the music business make relationships difficult to maintain, and when the tour ends, Ryan and Kal will have to make a choice: move forward together on an uncertain path, or let fear keep them from trusting that sometimes you really can have everything you desire." and I enjoyed the western set The Cowboy and the Hoodlum by Jackie North which featured a man serving parole and his team leader. "A job in the valley provides the break Royce so desperately needs from his regular life. Fresh air, plenty of sunshine, and hard work? That’s the ticket. Evenings around a campfire? Sign him up. But when a new group of ex-cons arrives, ex-cons he’s responsible for, Royce realizes he is woefully unprepared. Not for the task of being team lead, he’s fully capable of that. No, it’s the bad in one particular bad boy that he is drawn to. The challenging mind beneath that messy dark hair, the insouciant slouch, and the long legs in grease-stained blue jeans and disreputable black motorcycle boots. It’s more than Royce is prepared to resist. The bad boy in question, Jonah, has a telling I-don’t-care shrug that reveals a heart-stopping vulnerability—and now all is lost as Royce falls hopelessly in love." I also enjoyed a reread of Lies and Lullabies by Sarina Bowen which has two people reconnecting after five years (and the birth of a child). "Once upon a time, he gave me a summer of friendship, followed by one perfect night. We shared a lot during our short time together. But he skipped a few crucial details. I didn’t know he was a rock star. I didn’t know his real name. Neither of us knew I’d get pregnant. And I sure never expected to see him again. Five years later, his tour bus pulls up in Nest Lake, Maine. My little world is about to be shattered by loud music and the pounding of my own foolish heart." (All of the above have adult content) Regards, Kareni 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 2 hours ago, Kidlit said: Hi, all! I haven't been around in a long while but logged back in and decided to join in here. I just finished Tia Levings' memoir, A Well Trained Wife, which I believe comes out next month. ( I listened to the audiobook through my LibroFx account as a librarian/teacher.). How did you like it? I have it on hold at our library. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 Welcome back, @Kidlit! Regards, Kareni 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 On 7/15/2024 at 11:11 AM, GailV said: The Boys in the Boat: Nine American and Their Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. Audio edition; listened in the car on the way to Colorado and back. It's 14 hours long, and generally a great car book except that during some of the passages describing races you want to drive faster and faster. We also have a hardback copy, and will revisit some sections in it. Plus we want to re-watch the movie now. And DH wants to watch Triumph of the Will, which he hadn't heard of before this (we know so much more about Leni Reifenstahl now, plus all sorts of other people, places and events from this time period). 🤣at the bolded! I was listening to The Boys in the Boat at the gym ... while on the rowing machine. I probably rowed more than I ever had while listening to that book! And I'm not sure I ever will again. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 Last night I read One Bed for Christmas by Jackie Lau which was an enjoyable contemporary romance novella. It featured longtime friends who share accommodations when one has a power outage. She's a CEO; he's a graphic designer who dances in a T-Rex costume for extra funds. "Wes Cheng has had a crush on his friend Caitlin Ng for over a decade, but he knows he’s not her type. She’s a CEO, and he dances in an inflatable T-Rex costume. However, when a snowstorm knocks out her power, she ends up staying at his small apartment for Christmas. Being so close to her is dangerous for his heart…or could it lead to the romance he desires?" (Adult content) /// Regards, Kareni 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 You ladies read far more than I do snd I thought of this thread when I saw the above meme today. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 On 7/25/2024 at 12:17 AM, Kassia said: How did you like it? I have it on hold at our library. It is a very, very difficult book. I've read a bunch of books lately with similar themes as those of Levings' book, including the Jill Duggar Dillard book and Cait West's recent book, and this one was by far the hardest and most eye-opening. Her situation was definitely compounded by a husband whose mental illness made him violent, so that adds a whole new dimension to it. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I finished Kate Quinn's new book The Briar Club yesterday. I'm a fan of historical fiction and she does it very well. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I started (and finished - it was a lovely day to read outside!) Between Shades of Gray today. Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life -- until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive? It was very interesting and hard to read at times, but it ended well. It also led me to spend an hour or so researching Lithuanian history after I finished! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 2 minutes ago, AmandaVT said: I started (and finished - it was a lovely day to read outside!) Between Shades of Gray today. Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life -- until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive? It was very interesting and hard to read at times, but it ended well. It also led me to spend an hour or so researching Lithuanian history after I finished! Ruta Sepetys is SUCH a good writer! I got to meet her at a book festival in Nashville a few years ago. She is such an interesting person and an excellent speaker, to boot. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 13 minutes ago, Kidlit said: Ruta Sepetys is SUCH a good writer! I got to meet her at a book festival in Nashville a few years ago. She is such an interesting person and an excellent speaker, to boot. This was the first book I've read of hers and I'm excited to read more. One of our librarians sent me off with an armful of books when school let out for the summer and I think there's another of hers in the stack. That's so neat that you got to hear her speak! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 27 minutes ago, AmandaVT said: I started (and finished - it was a lovely day to read outside!) Between Shades of Gray today. Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life -- until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive? It was very interesting and hard to read at times, but it ended well. It also led me to spend an hour or so researching Lithuanian history after I finished! That was a really good book. I read it a couple of years ago. My teenage daughter just read it and loved it, too. Yes, it was hard. I had to put it down for a few days, just because it was so difficult, but it was so well written. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 On 7/12/2024 at 8:39 PM, AmandaVT said: I also started James this week. I really like it so far—it follows the plot of Huckleberry Finn, and I'm enjoying reading Jim/James' perspective of the events. A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. From the “cult literary icon” (Oprah Daily), Pulitzer Prize Finalist, and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime. I LOVED James! I listened to the audio a few months ago. It will definitely make my favorites of the year list! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 On 7/20/2024 at 10:38 AM, Kassia said: I finished Forgotten Fire, which I thought was excellent but so very sad and hard to read at times because of the content (historical fiction - Armenian genocide). Next will be Michael Richards' book, Entrances and Exits. I read Forgotten Fire for a project 20+ years ago in library school. It's one of those books that I've never forgotten. In fact, I went back and re-read it many years later. I rarely do that except for books I've taught, so that says something. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I haven’t posted here for a while but I’ve been reading quite a bit this summer so thought I’d jump back in! I’m on a medieval kick this week - finished Dante’s Paradiso and Christine de Pizan’s City of Ladies. Also read a guide to Boethuis’ Consolation of Philosophy that is heavy on Neoplatonism and pretty helpful in understanding some challenging parts of the text. Currently reading Umberto Eco’s Name of the Rose and enjoying the mysteries and scandals of the abbey 😁 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I picked up “Hind’s Feet on High Places” by Hannah Hurnard. I have read it many times and get encouragement every time I read it. It also fits in the category of “A book I have read before.” 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 4 hours ago, Kidlit said: Ruta Sepetys is SUCH a good writer! I got to meet her at a book festival in Nashville a few years ago. She is such an interesting person and an excellent speaker, to boot. 4 hours ago, AmandaVT said: This was the first book I've read of hers and I'm excited to read more. One of our librarians sent me off with an armful of books when school let out for the summer and I think there's another of hers in the stack. That's so neat that you got to hear her speak! She really is an excellent writer! I'm really picky with fiction and I've read all of her books besides one now and have loved them all. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 8 hours ago, KrissiK said: I picked up “Hind’s Feet on High Places” by Hannah Hurnard. I have read it many times and get encouragement every time I read it. It also fits in the category of “A book I have read before.” I just went to Amazon to read the description and it's $0.39 on kindle - I just ordered it and wanted to share the low price in case anyone else wants to try it! 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 (edited) Finished a re-read of The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery via audio on a drive today. I'm not sure how many times it makes that I've read this one--I'd say at least 4 now. LM Montgomery is the ultimate comfort read for me, and I really enjoyed it this time. Laural Merlington is the narrator of the audiobook I listened to via Hoopla, and I enjoyed her narration enough to see what else is available read by her on Hoopla. Edited July 30 by Kidlit 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 I just started A Botanists Guide to Flowers and Fatalities. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 I just finished the newest book by Nora Roberts which I enjoyed. Mind Games by Nora Roberts The story starts with the main character at age twelve and the violent death of her parents which she experiences in a dream. The killer, who is also a psychic, is aware of her notice and continues to play a role throughout the book. Most of the book (including a romance) takes place when she is an adult. There is a strong bond with her grandmother (who has a lesser talent) and her brother; it is set in Kentucky. "As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb. Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened. The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse—because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them—and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…" (Adult content for violence) ** I also enjoyed Seatmate by Cara Bastone. This romance begins on a bus (in the last row across from the lavatory) where the two leads begin a lively conversation on their way from Boston to NYC. He's returning home from a visit to see his mother while she's racing to get to an important job opportunity. The book is unusual in that much of it is dialogue. "I have exactly 5 hours and 10 minutes to get from Boston to New York City or the professional opportunity of a lifetime disappears. My only travel option? The second to last seat on a discount bus. Across from the bathroom. Wearing last night's clothes (don't ask). All worth it if I can make it in time. My nerves almost get the best of me, but then there he is, sitting down in the seat next to me. Tall. Friendly smile. Bright indigo streak in his brown hair. The perfect distraction. Turns out he's on his way to reconnect with an old flame. The one that got away. We can both make it on time - just barely - if the traffic keeps flowing. Playing road-trip games, avoiding calls from his mother, and effortless conversation keeps us from clockwatching . . . until the bus breaks down. And my seatmate turns into my copilot as we wrangle a ride in a car three decades old. And hit all the traffic. And oh, Lord, the detours. And somehow I end up careening cross-town on the handlebars of a Citi Bike carrying a box of kittens. (Yeah, don't ask.) He's my hero every step of the way . . . and I might be falling for him. But what happens when we reach our final destination? Could my seatmate really be my soulmate?" Regards, Kareni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 Finished “Hind’s Feet on High Places” today and picked up “The Bruised Reed” by Puritan author Richard Sibbes. It’s not a super long book, but it looks good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Here's what I read in July. I hope you can see the little book covers! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage81 Posted August 1 Author Share Posted August 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 I like that calendar thing, Kidlit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 3 hours ago, KrissiK said: I like that calendar thing, Kidlit. I am trying out Bookmory instead of Goodreads this year. The calendar was my deciding factor, as well as the fact that all I really want is a list of books read--I don't really use all the other features of Goodreads and actually find some of them annoying. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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