Tag: Book Review

Teaser Tuesday: Station Eleven

The problem with changing one’s routine for a month is switching back to the old routine. Here it is December 8 and I’m still not back to normal after NaNoWriMo.

Let’s start with something familiar, like the the Wheel of Time turning to

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

2015 Goodreads Challenge Complete

I have officially completed my Goodreads challenge, yet I’m faced with a dilemma: is it acceptable to begin a book in December but put off finishing it til January and thus count the book towards next year’s challenge, or should the book be read entirely within the year itself? Let me know what you think:

I’m currently reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. A little over thirty pages in, and this is by far one of the best works of fiction I’ve read in quite some time.

The Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 316:

You have no idea, Jeevan thought. You're rich and
you'll always be rich and if you wanted to you
could stop working today and never work again.

Station Eleven cover

Station Eleven features two of my favorite things:

Theatre

Plague

What’s not to like?

In Retrospect

I gave The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro 5 stars. It is a wonderful tale set in one of my favorite periods and is worthy of several readings to gain maximum understanding; unfortunately, someone else has requested the book so I’m unable to renew my library loan. Definitely will re-read and place on my “To Purchase” list.

 

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Teaser Tuesday: King John

Yesterday, high school basketball officially began.

Today, the turning Wheel of Time turns to

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

I’m full steam ahead on my Goodreads challenge: 5 books ahead!

I left present-day Discworld for Roundworld in the 12th and 13th centuries with Marc Morris’ King John: Treachery and Tyranny in Medieval England: The Road to Magna Carta.

Yes, this book has two subtitles!

The Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 191:

Yet the impression, from both the chroniclers and
the official records, is that John indulged his whim
in this way a great deal more than any of his
predecessors.  With increasing frequency, men and
women, great and small, were deprived of their lands
simply because they had somehow incurred his
displeasure.

King John coverSounds like John will live up to his nickname:

John the First and John the Worst

In Retrospect

The Shepherd’s Crown by Sir Terry Pratchett earned 5 stars.

When Books Went To War by Molly Manning also earned 5 stars, and in my opinion should be required reading for anyone who doubts the value of the printed word. It is by far the best book about books I’ve read.

 

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Teaser Tuesday: The Shepherd’s Crown

Like a centuries-old Spanish church emerging from the depths of drought-ridden Mexico, the turning Wheel of Time has brought up

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

Given my hectic schedule, I’ve fallen slightly behind pace on my Goodreads challenge; I am now only four books ahead of schedule.

In an attempt to salvage victory, I’ve decided to finally read The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett. I received it on release day, but haven’t had the heart to read it . . . yet.

This week, the Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 192:

They brought actual terror, and horror, and pain. 
. . . And they laughed, which was bad enough
because their laughter was actually musical, and
you could wonder why such wonderful music
could come from such unpleasant creatures.
They cared for nobody except themselves and 
possibly not even that.

Shepherd's Crown Cover

In Retrospect

I’m slowly working my way through Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America by Eric Jay Dolan. The story is interesting, but the prose is lacking. I may abandon it . . . or not.

 

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Teaser Tuesday: Fur, Fortune, and Empire

I may have been off my blogging game for a few days, but my reading schedule rolled merrily along. Come to think of it, maybe that had something to do with my interrupted blogging schedule . . .

Be that as it may, the turning Wheel of Time has brought around

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

Believe it or not, I am somehow still 5 books ahead of my Goodreads challenge! I hold no delusions: NaNoWriMo will interfere with both reading and blogging.

This week I’ve left turn-of-the-last-century New Orleans for the American frontier in Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America by Eric Jay Dolan. Don’t worry, I won’t be swayed by his middle name – I’ll give the book the same treatment I give any other book.

This week, the Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 56:

It wasn't long, however, before Ashley lived up 
to their worst fears.  Although he quickly gathered
a "good parcel of beaver," Ashely refused to pay
back the undertakers for any of the supplies they
had given him, and then he had the gall to ask
for more.

Fur Fortune Empire cover

In Retrospect

I felt Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist deserved 4 stars – the storytelling was solid, but several transition chapters were decidedly lacking; I found myself flipping back to reacquaint myself with the story line.

I also won a copy of Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs by Erik Didriksen from Heather over at bitsnbooks. I gave the book 4 stars, mainly because I felt too many songs were more modern than I’d like – I understand that’s a purely subjective opinion, but it’s still mine.

 

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Teaser Tuesday: Empire of Sin

Mother Nature knew I needed to catch up on my TBR.

Just as Hurricane Joaquin has turned out into the Atlantic – creating “a hurricane without the hurricane” as Krystal call it – so the turning Wheel of Time has brought

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

Somehow I continue to keep ahead of my Goodreads challenge – 5 books ahead of schedule! – which is just as well since NaNoWriMo lurks just around the corner.

Last night I started reading Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist. I found the book while wandering the stacks and became intrigued by both the title and the font. Perusing the chapter titles and reading the introduction, I know “the Axeman” will make an appearance or two (maybe more?) – you might be familiar with his character from American Horror Story: Coven; speaking of which, AHS: Freak Show comes to Netflix today – should school be cancelled, I know what I’ll be doing!

But, since you came for a Teaser, the Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 133:

Joseph La Menthe . . . was a Creole pianist who 
affected a casual disdain for the music of what he 
called "Uptown Negroes."  A musician of stunning 
individuality himself, he was busily developing his 
own unique blend of piano-based ragtime, dance 
music, and blues - a "Spanish-tinged" style that 
would eventually have its own claim as the prototype 
for the kind of music still a decade away from being 
known as "jazz."

Empire of Sin cover

In Retrospect

You might recall Banned Books Week 2015 focused on YA Literature; you might also remember I read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison as part of that observance. Perhaps the books was shocking once; in my opinion, no more. It has some value in portraying life in a bygone era, but little in the way of actual literary value. 2 stars.

I also read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty. It found it at times to be enjoyable, philosophical, entertaining, and preachy. It made me ponder what I want for my earthly remains. Losing steam halfway through, this memoir fell to 3 stars.

Favorite Line:

Ignorance is not bliss, only a deeper kind of terror.

For the first time since college I listened to an audiobook – at least, something listed as an audiobook on Goodreads. I won a copy of The Best of Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. It contains ten of the best or most popular episodes of the show chosen from the over 200 episodes in the show’s history. I have never listened to the actual podcast before; that may change after listening to this audiobook. While I generally care little for pop culture “news”, I would highly recommend the podcast based on these ten episodes. 5 stars.

Finally, As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes proved a fun, lighthearted anecdotal recounting of how The Princess Bride was made. Although Elwes (Westley/The Man in Black/The Dread Pirate Roberts) is listed as author, there are many sidebar recollections from surviving members of the cast. Some of the tales have already been passed around the internet, while others may be new – at least, they were new to me. Highly recommend to any fan of the movie! 5 stars.

 

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Teaser Tuesday: The Bluest Eye

The turning pages of the calendar indicates Fall is in the air and Oktober just days away.

And so, the turning Wheel of Time has brought ’round not one but two events:

That’s right: Teaser Tuesday and Banned Books Week!

Just in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

I put quite a dent in my TBR, enough that I’m actually 2 books ahead of schedule. I wonder how long that will last?

Anyhow, with this being Banned Books Week and with this year’s focus on YA Literature, I searched through my summer stack of acquisitions and found The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Coincidentally – or not – The Bluest Eye is also on the list of Most Challenged Books of 2014 – remember, 2015 isn’t yet over.

The Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 86:

The cat will always know he is first in her
affections. Even after she bears a child.

The Bluest Eye cover

In Retrospect

The Man Who Touched His Own Heart: True Tales of Science, Surgery, and Mystery earned only two stars. Read my review here.

My library actually ordered a new book! Kunal Nayyar’s Yes, My Accent Is Real: And Some Other Things I Haven’t Told You  is a fun evening read. I read it mainly because I like the character Nayyar plays on TVs The Big Bang Theory (he plays Raj) and didn’t know much about the actor. 4 stars for sheer fun.

I won an advance copy of Doodlers Anonymous Epic Coloring Book: An Extraordinary Mashup of Doodles and Drawings Begging to be Filled in with Color. It’s a great adult coloring book; I’d highly recommend it when available at your local shop. One major caveat: the publishers have crammed twice the usual number of pictures in the book by printing images on both sides of the page. This may be a turn off for some colorists. 4 stars.

Continuing my streak, I gave Dr. Mütter’s Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine three stars for failing to live up to the promises found in the title. Read my full review here.

Who knows what next week will bring??

 

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

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