Weekly Wrap-up

Books Read:

• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
• The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
• The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
• A New York Christmas by Anne Perry
• The Angel Court Affair by Anne Perry
• A Christmas Message by Anne Perry

Reading:

• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Books To Be Read:

• Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva
• A Christmas Return by Anne Perry

With the exception of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, it seems my December reading is centered on Dickens and Perry.  For some reason I associate Christmas with Victorian England.

I have chosen to read Copperfield in the original installments from Dickens' magazine.  It will take me until December 24.  In the meantime, I will include other holiday fare.

I hope to post some reviews or reactions to these works.  I owe a decent review of The Old Curiosity Shop.  That is what I am working on now.  I will post it upon its completion.  

#TBT

It's Thursday and time to look back.  As the year draws to a close, I have been looking at what I have read in 2017 and trying to find a favorite (or two).  

In 2017 I discovered Fredrik Backman.  I don't know much about him except that he is Swedish, a blogger, a columnist, and now a novelist.  For this, I am most grateful.  

A trusted reading friend recommended A Man Called Ove by Backman.  I picked it up several times on my trips through Barnes and Noble and always ended up laying it aside.  When my friend took me on my birthday jaunt to the bookstore, she picked it up and added to the haul her gift card provided.

From Booklist:

At 59, Ove is a grumble Gus of the first degree. Rules are made to be followed, signs are meant to be obeyed, and don’t even get him started about computers and mobile phones. In truth, Ove has been this way his whole life, but he’s gotten worse in the last four years since his wife, Sonia, died, taking with her all the color in a world Ove sees as black-and-white. Ove has decided life without Sonia is not worth living and plans to join her in the next world. But a young couple and their two children (a third is on the way) move in next door, his oldest friend and most feared enemy is about to be forcibly removed to a nursing home, and a street-scarred cat insinuates itself into his life. Suddenly, Ove’s suicide plans get delayed as he helps solve neighborly crises large and small. Though Ove’s dark mission mitigates any treacly upstaging by animals and small children, readers seeking feel-good tales with a message will rave about the rantings of this solitary old man with a singular outlook. . --Carol Haggas

I sat on my balcony with a cup of coffee and the book.  There had been several occasions that caused me to laugh.  Neighbors walking by with their dogs looked up, smiled, and waved.  But by the time they were on the way back home, I was sobbing. (quite loudly).  I called my friend and could barely catch my breath as I begged her to tell me it would end happily ever after.   I had a good deal left to read.  She hung up chuckling.  I will only say "I love that book."  I love Ove.  I want to live in his neighborhood.  I want to share his friends.  I love that book.

I vowed to read all Backman's books.  They are now downloaded on my kindle.  Yesterday as I browsed the "Books Recommended for You" section, I found "The Deal of a Lifetime."  Wow!  A Christmas book.  A mere 96 pages, this is the story of a man who has sacrificed his family for money and success.  Now, he has a chance to make it right, but it is a drastic plan.  The story moves from present to past and back.  This is not a religious Christmas story, nor is it a pop culture look at the holiday, but readers will walk away with a feeling of redemption and the true meaning of love.

Have I told you how much I love Fredrik Backman?

Shock Wave

From the back cover...

Tasman Sea, 1856.  A British clipper ship bound for Australia's penal colony is crushed in a raging typhoon.  A few pitiful survivors wash up on a deserted island.  Among these are Betsy Fletcher and Jess Dorsett, who discover an immense supply of exquisite diamonds..

Seymour Island, Antarctica 2000.  Dirk Pitt rescues Maeve Fletcher, a descendant of Betsy and Jess, after an unknown cataclysm kills thousands of marine animals plus nearly two hindered people aboard a cruise ship.  Pitt traces the carnage to the global diamond operations of Maeve's father Arthur Dorsett, and her callous sisters.

Dirk Pitt is a member of the NUMA crew a government sponsored team to study marine life.  Perhaps he can be described as a kind of American James Bond or Indiana Jones.  This entry in the Pitt series is a thriller than moves from Antarctica to Canada to DC.  He must fight a ruthless diamond hunter as well as dangerous environmental threats.
I've only read a few Cussler thrillers but so far they are exciting satisfying adventures, so I see no reason not to continue.  I haven't read them in order and don't feel I have missed anything which is unusual for me because I prefer to go in order.

Friday Books

Rose City Reader  says "Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name."

She goes on to include the Friday 56 from Freda's Voice.  "The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice."

My read:  

"Night is generally my time for walking.  In the summer I often leave home early in the morning, and roam about fields and lanes all day, or even escape for days or weeks together;but, saving in the country, I seldom go out until after dark, though, Heaven be thanked, I love its light and feel the cheerfulness it sheds upon the earth, as much as any living creature.  (1)

"Some people by prudent management and leaving it off piece by piece like a flannel waistcoat in warm weather, even contrive, in time, to dispense with it altogether; but there be others who can assume the garment and throw it off at pleasure; and this, being the greatest and most convenient improvement, is the one most in vogue."  (56)

From The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens.  This novel was published in book format in 1841.  Prior to that it was released in serial form.  Dickens knew how to play an audience!  I was drawn to this novel when I came across a quote by Oscar Wilde 'One would have to have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without dissolving into tears...of laughter.'  That sucked me in.  Is this going to be the height of Victorian melodrama?  I can't wait to see.

The Month in Review - November

The weather is colder (well maybe cooler is better for us in Virginia) and I am snuggling in to read.  There is nothing on television with the exception of the Dancing With the Stars Finals and an occasional football game.  We have spent our evenings heads in books.

My month was highly productive both in quantity and quality.  There were no "losers" and several "winners."  Without question my two favorites were by Truman Capote.  He has a gift for words and his memories are heart tugging.  I feel as if I know the people in his stories because they fit so perfectly with the people in To Kill a Mockingbird.  He is Dill, you know.

I would recommend any one of the titles below and I think December will be just as satisfying.

The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille  ****

Outlander by Diana Gabalon ***

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie ****

Armageddon File by Stephen Coonts ****

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens *****

Red Bones by Ann Cleeves ****

Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell ****

Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler ***

Pacific Vortex by Clive Cussler ***

Iceberg by Clive Cussler ***

Memory Man by David Baldacci ****

The Last Mile by David Baldacci ****

The Fix by David Baldacci ****

The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote *****

A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry  ****

A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry ****

A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry ****

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote *****

Obsidian Chamber by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child ****

Hardcore Twenty Four by Janet Evanovich ****

Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves ****

A Christmas Grace by Anne Perry ***

Wordless Wednesday

2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge

It is time for the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge.  I've listed the categories on the sidebar.  It's an impressive set of criteria.  Are you up for the dare?  I am going to give it my best shot.

There are 50 suggested topics and that can be pretty scary but as they have said over at PopSugar, the point is to read and broaden our horizons.  50 books includes the advanced section so if that is not doable go for the basic list of 40.

What comes after the reading?  Here is what they suggest at PopSugar.

"So you've decided to take the reading challenge — what now? We'd suggest joining this Goodreads group, which is made up of more than 8,000 readers who participate in the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge every year. In addition to keeping you accountable, the group's impressively well-read and supportive members swap book ideas for the prompts and discuss their favorite (and least favorite) reads throughout the year. You'll also be able to track which books you've read and rate them on the site."

Anne Perry

Readers are frequently asked to name their favorite authors.  This question always causes me distress.  Asking me to name my favorite authors is akin to asking me to pick a favorite child.  One of the authors I continually turn to for challenge and entertainment is Anne Perry.  Perry is an English author who is primarily known for her two Victorian detective series, one featuring  Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and the other with William Monk and Hester Latterly; however, additionally, she has written an outstanding quartet centering on World War I and a collection of Christmas novellas.

The Christmas stories feature minor characters such as sisters, brothers, grandmothers or bosses from the two detective series.  While these stories contain some elements of mystery, their primary focus is to give a glimpse into these characters' personal  growth or turmoil and to provide more of their back story.

The first in this collection is A Christmas Journey.  This story features Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould an in-law of Charlotte Pitt's sister Emily.  Lady Vespasia is a woman who is still beautiful and influential despite her old age; however, In A Christmas Journey,  she appears as a young woman feeling unsettled with her life after an earlier involvement in an Italian revolutionary attempt.  In the story, a guest at a weekend Christmas house party commits suicide seemingly as a result of a vicious criticism.  The woman who issued the unkind comment is forced to carry the suicide note to the victim's mother and admit her part in the death.  Lady Vespasia volunteers to travel with the woman  hoping to regain some of her lost passions. The journey is full of discomfort and detours before the letter is delivered.

The mystery is secondary to the personal redemption of several of the characters and the spiritual revitalization of Lady Vespasia.  The strength of the novella lies in the development of Cumming-Gould's back story in the Pitt Series.  Reading this provides further dimension to the already well developed character.

Perry has released a Christmas novella every year since 2003.  A Christmas Return is the 2017title.  Although Christmas is not the primary focus of these books, they are a well spent seasonal evening's entertainment.

Let The Holidays Begin

Yesterday with Thanksgiving, the Holiday season began.  In the spirit of the day, I spent time reflecting on the things for which I am thankful.  I have a wonderful husband, a loving family, and without a doubt the very best friends.

I would be disingenuous if I let readers believe I sat in quiet contemplation all day.  No, I ate, read and screamed...(at football).  All this comprised my Thanksgiving traditions and for this too I am thankful.

"Madison Avenue" executives would have us believe today is black Friday; but, not for me.  I stay in.  I continue my own personal read-a-thon and football marathon and I begin the decorating frenzy. My reading consists of Christmas stories.  December is devoted to stories of the season from Thanksgiving Friday until New Year's Day.  I begin listening to holiday music as well.  In that vein, yesterday I read The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote and I began reading A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry.

Now, today, it all begins.  I have a list of books to fill the season, the remote control to switch from game to game, and boxes of decorations close at hand.

To name only three things for which I am thankful seems so limited despite the fact that two are broad categories.  I am thankful for so much more.  In addition to family and friends, I have my faith, my freedom, and the ability to enjoy all.

.....Let the Fun Begin

The Classics Club

I recently discovered "The Classics Club" calling itself "A Community of Classics Lovers" which would include me!  The goal of this group is for each person to make a list of classics to read and set a date to complete the reading.  Sounds simple.

Here are the simple instructions from their site:

• choose 50+ classics
• – list them at your blog
• – choose a reading completion goal date up to five years in the future and note that date on your classics list of 50+ titles
• – e-mail the moderators of this blog (theclassicsclubblog@gmail.com) with your list link and information and it will be posted on the Members Page!
• – write about each title on your list as you finish reading it, and link it to your main list
• – when you’ve written about every single title, let us know!'''

I am starting my list today and will post it here on my blog.  My goal is to read the 50 chosen books and post a discussion on each by December 31, 2022.  

I already see what my problem will be -  selecting only 50.  

Wordless Wednesday

Life Goes On

-  or does it?  I have not been writing for several moths.  It seems as though I have been busy, but not really.  I have been existing.  Life is uncomfortable tor me.  I am happy but not.  I need a change and I know one is coming, but can I wait.

We moved to Chesapeake, Virginia in September of 2015 to be near family.  After two years it is apparent that our move does not make a world of difference to the Navy so family is gone and we are stuck  -  alone.  I feel like I am in prison.  We have no friends here; we didn't bother.  We had family.  Now we have no one

Gloomy?  Sounds like it, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.  When our lease is up in March of 2018 we will return to Delaware, our home.  This is where all our friends are.  This is where we have family rooted at the beach.  This the where friends from our careers can come to visit.  This is where we belong.  I can't wait.

I am not going to stop living while I wait.  I have let too much time slip by already.  To be clear, Jim and I have fun.  We travel.  We read.  We binge watch TV.  We laugh and we are enjoying our year old German Shepherd, Maggie.  But come spring we are packing up and heading home.

In the meantime, I am here.  I am going to get back to what makes me feel like I have accomplished something - a way to prove that I am living not simply existing.

Join me on this journey from nothing to oh so much something.

Bout of Books: Progress Day One

I finished my first book yesterday.  Did Lucrezia Borgia poison her husbands?  Was incest a part of her life?  What was life as a Papal bastard like?  Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunant reveals some of the secrets in the life of this historical figure.

Not so long ago, we watched the Showtime series The Borgias.  I didn't know much about this family and after binge watching, I was hooked.  I needed to read more.  Blood and Beauty proved to be a good start.  While the television series concentrated on Roderigo Borgia the Pope, the novel centers on Lucrezia.  I admit the book is not a page turning thriller but it certainly satisfied my curiosity. 

I am taking an entirely different turn for my next choice.  Next Up:  Miss Julia Takes over by Ann B Ross

Day One: Bout of Books

First book of the challenge.

It is time for the Spring edition of Bout of Books.  I participated last year and made a dent in my TBR pile.  What better chance to cross off more titles.   Below is a brief description from the Bout of Books blog.  Visit the site to see all the rules and challenges.  I will list some of the books on my list but as the mood strikes, I may add or delete titles.  I am looking forward to this read-a-thon.




The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 8th and runs through Sunday, May 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 19 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

The Great Gatsby

I think I will join the Great Gatsby discussion at The Edge of the Precipice.  The discussions begin June 1 and run through June 30.

Hamelette says  "If you've never participated in one of my read-alongs and are curious about how they work, basically I will write a post for each individual chapter.  Each post will contain my own thoughts on the chapter, some favorite lines, and a discussion question or two that I think people might want to ponder.  All participants are then invited to discuss the chapter in the comments, both with me and with each other.  You don't have to stick to the questions I ask!"

Sounds easy enough.  Gatsby is one of my favorites.  It should be fun to discuss the book in a group.