tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315521142024-03-18T15:27:31.654-07:00Musings of a Bookish KittyNo two persons ever read the same book. ~ Edmund WilsonLiterary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comBlogger2538125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-1691915832839008612024-03-14T21:00:00.000-07:002024-03-15T08:21:52.228-07:00Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into The Book of Doors & Other Friday FunI currently am reading (and loving) <i>The Book of Doors</i> by Gareth Brown and thought I would share a couple of teasers with you on this lovely (and very windy) Friday. <div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/s400/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/w400-h120/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. </span></span><span><span>Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas</span></span><span> of<a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Rose City Reader</a>.</span></span></div></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><i>In Kellner Books on the Upper East Side of New York City, a few minutes before his death, John Webber was reading <i>The Count of Monte Cristo</i>. </i>[opening of <i>The</i> <i>Book of Doors</i>]</blockquote><p>My first thought was that dying while reading sounds like a good way to go, although maybe not in a bookstore. My second thought was to wonder just who John Webber is . . .</p><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/s400/Friday+56+clear.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/w400-h120/Friday+56+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of Freda's Voice is on a break, and Anne of <a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/">My Head is Full of Books</a> has stepped in to host! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><blockquote><i>"I can't wait!" Cassie exclaimed, as panic frothed within. "I need to get back. I have no money, no house, what am I supposed to do here, stuck in the past?" </i>[excerpt from 56% of <i>The</i> <i>Book of Doors</i>]<i> </i></blockquote><p></p>I haven't yet reached this moment in the book, but it sounds like Cassie has found herself in a bit of a predicament. I can't wait to find out what happens next!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156008269-the-book-of-doors" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1664" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgukbj1IG333ih9Fw4Vw3oXmOVJlGoe_DMA9DhW-T1PNyeVgNkpD9MnnILkpZwihNwzftyoHBjGNkHueWnN3Fw91MUwH-SkJR9FAQv092NLKRkGpRXuNQvn1l1zVD1Y7AokCx6wD2heXpG4RIlHyMONrpNWZy_5RUr2XWGBmKmQTwJPGPiBeQU/s320/The%20Book%20of%20Doors.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?<br /><br />In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favorite customer. It's a book - an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door.<br /><br />What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.<br /><br />But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals - individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.<br /><br />Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons - a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .<br /><br />Because some doors should never be opened.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think?</b><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/s400/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/w400-h120/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: left;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a> and<span style="text-align: left;"> Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="text-align: left;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a>.<span style="text-align: left;"> Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></span></div></span></div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><blockquote>What book genres do you tend to avoid?</blockquote></b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p>I may shy away from certain genres or types of books, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't consider reading any of them if the book interested me enough. It has happened, and it will likely happen again. So what genres <i>do</i> I tend to avoid? </p><p>I enjoy romance, even romance with spice from time to time, but I do not care for erotica. When the spice overpowers the plot, I lose interest fast. So I tend to stay away from books in that subgenre. There are a few other subgenres within romance I do not care for as well (certain dark/taboo romance tropes in particular). </p><p>I gravitate more towards fiction, and am picky about the nonfiction I read. While I occasionally read memoirs, I generally do not go for the biographies or autobiographies. True crime is another genre I avoid. Too close to my everyday reality. I make an exception for historical true crime, which I often find interesting. </p><p>The mystery/suspense genre is one of my favorites, but in recent years, I have found myself passing over books that feature ritual killings. I also cannot tolerate graphic violence as much as I used to. This goes for horror too, which I actually have been reading more of lately. I don't care for slasher/gory horror novels all that much, especially if there is not a supernatural element.</p><p>Of course, within all of these, there are always exceptions.</p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there a book genre or subgenre you tend to avoid?</span></b></p><span><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2016/12/book-blogger-hop-dec-30th-jan-5th.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittg_HjCQ1sodisiALuhy_pCLVU6e7Dq2uRTGWR_81My_Tc55vGwVM1PGuksY1pXQuSBfr7-KDkbIzHbiOufsGhRsPnCQ6CcbzUg02qJjfwditEPG0HZqTklVwH5cuPyKGovzLOg/s200/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from <a href="https://btt2.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">. They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; line-height: 18.2px;">.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;">On average, how long do you spend writing a review? </span></b><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;">(submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)</span></b></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p>I haven't really set my stopwatch to time my review writing. I do know that it can vary, anywhere from an hour to days at a time. Sometimes the words come more easily than at other times. Not to mention life often gets in the way. </p><p><b>How long does it take you to write a review? </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading!</span></b></p><hr /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">© 2024 </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">. All Rights Reserved.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; text-align: right;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"> or </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com" style="font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-75694560267620787492024-03-12T21:00:00.000-07:002024-03-12T21:00:00.267-07:00Waiting to Read Wednesday: The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties / Double Lives / The Husbands / The Blackbird Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbxbXi_HbQ245w62-bYDUdFhzwGRAmek9zCySrigznwrwb3lPutczdiBnR1aBLLYBQnmEPHOGgtpLwjn1fIf4OtiJ-4pwBUjiWebarwgEL1xO2kYb5FhkutE403zM-Z566Z94/s400/Combo+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbxbXi_HbQ245w62-bYDUdFhzwGRAmek9zCySrigznwrwb3lPutczdiBnR1aBLLYBQnmEPHOGgtpLwjn1fIf4OtiJ-4pwBUjiWebarwgEL1xO2kYb5FhkutE403zM-Z566Z94/w400-h120/Combo+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>The New</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Can't-Wait Wednesday</b> is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a> to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181344918-the-good-the-bad-and-the-aunties" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SAb2ry3-Ln2-FMCJ3_fxp9bArxzmBCOmt-rkdVAcmnUoCRk5g48r1yEO-YRtySY1sIKX1T-5d5RJPDAGV6BSv7v_nj6DOc87Ig6ca7YrwJcoq6Xcc4Gt1NP5HVHzdY1gXTThRA4dvPN9wu1RqG-A8MLeSe1EDmwi2fT7iq1EVxUlKzkC7On7/s320/The%20Good%20the%20Bad%20and%20the%20Aunties.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties</b></i><b> (Aunties #3) by Jesse Q. Sutanto</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>
Release Date</u>: March 26, 2024 by Berkley<br /><blockquote><i>
What should have been a family celebration of Chinese New Year descends into chaos when longtime foes crash the party in this hilariously entertaining novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of </i>Dial A for Aunties<i>.
</i><br /><br /><i>
After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. Chinese New Year, already the biggest celebration of the Lunar calendar, gets even more festive when a former beau of Second Aunt’s shows up at the Chan residence bearing extravagant gifts—he’s determined to rekindle his romance with Second Aunt and the gifts are his way of announcing his courtship.
</i><br /><br /><i>
His grand gesture goes awry however, when it’s discovered that not all the gifts were meant for Second Aunt and the Chans—one particular gift was intended for a business rival to cement their alliance and included by accident. Of course the Aunties agree that it’s only right to return the gift—after all, anyone would forgive an honest mistake, right? But what should have been a simple retrieval turns disastrous and suddenly Meddy and the Aunties are helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta’s most powerful business factions. The fighting turns personal, however, when Nathan and the Aunties are endangered and it’s up to Meddy to come up with a plan to save them all. Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission—but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible… </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have enjoyed everything I have read by Jesse Q. Sutanto so far, and this was the series that introduced me to her work. I am so excited about this upcoming release. Oh, the trouble they get into! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181037614-double-lives" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HFfeJtJ2IPblFteWp77Dl3a2DzMo8hySNNJbYaPPx4rpmYWwz7RTeSX-1IGM9KVqnPZipk0Se6SvrCyvt7XiLHZCjXVeHHgw2ANdPQGLIDnq7RbQo9dtoUnbS2DnCU5jE7Q9rsu_R1JjROG98uUVwAKbV-2lXX5EgqS-hr2A8g3a-qAyxmsj/s320/Double%20Lives%20by%20Monroe.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Double Lives </i>by Mary Monroe</b><br /><u>
Release Date</u>: March 26, 2024 by Dafina<br /><blockquote><i>
Award-winning </i>New York Times <i>bestselling author Mary Monroe returns with an outrageous new tale of Depression-era Southern drama starring identical twin sisters with a talent for switching lives and hiding the scandalous results—until one risk too many changes the game forever . . .
</i><br /><br /><i>
Since childhood, identical twins Leona and Fiona Dunbar have been getting in—and out—of trouble by pretending to be each other. Yet underneath, they couldn't be more different. Outspoken Leona lives to break rules, have a good time, and scandalize their respectable hometown of Lexington. Fiona is a seemingly-demure churchgoing girl who is the apple of her domineering, widowed mother Mavis’s eye.
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But together, the twins have fooled teachers, boyfriends, bosses, racist police—and most importantly, strait-laced Mavis. Even when Leona does jail time for Fiona, their unbreakable bond keeps them fiercely loyal. . . . So when Fiona feels stifled in her passionless marriage, and Leona is heartbroken over losing her one true love, it's perfect timing to change places once again . . .
</i><br /><br /><i>
Leona is shocked to discover she enjoys the security of being a wife and homebody. And the unexpected spark between her and Fiona’s husband is giving her all kinds of deliciously sexy ideas. Meanwhile, Fiona enjoys being free, single, and reveling in the independence she's never had. And the more she indulges her secret, long-repressed wild child, the more Leona’s ex-lover becomes one temptation she’s having trouble resisting . . .
</i><br /><br /><i>
As the sisters’ masquerade ignites desires and appetites they never expected, it also puts their most damning secrets on the line. Once the fallout rocks their small town, can Fiona and Leona's deep sisterhood shield them from total disaster and help them reconcile their mistakes? Or will the trust between them become a weapon that shatters their lives for good? </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I enjoy stories about identical twins in general and the trouble they can get into when switching places, and this has the added bonus of being set during the depression. It sounds like things are about to get extremely complicated and messy for both women with their latest switch. I imagine this will be an emotional read. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/193781998-the-husbands" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3w-phe_c8GLNqSTEgE2Bg_elIimVZnmWtCrJ-LXcKT2hfT1mZvYCXLnE-h8rdpN0LrV1rSG-v0QAtzfLkXG7mwv89N-vVE_bm7huvxstVgK7jvzOROutnEyCsQ8DMQ3SlEGmdpR7JCt5vjQkKZzmiiA2z6b2OCkoFwieihts_vYLTiXsqVwW/s320/The%20Husbands.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><b>The Husbands </b></i><b>by Holly Gramazio</b><br /><u>Release Date</u>: April 2, 2024 by Doubleday<br /><blockquote><i>An exuberant debut, </i>The Husbands<i> delights in how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?</i><br /><br /><i>When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.</i><br /><br /><i style="font-style: italic;">As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living? </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This one had me from the description. A revolving door of husbands and second and third chances . . . I need to know more. </span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do any of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39CLrp9STBlw7y0RJLuFRYV-pmWhYB_ojhNYnerMsYAHzBojYw0pY5Qq9NysON40Ss4aQL8XRmTUT_hpmRpyD6jkVZvh401YdxxKlp4TkqRjYqUnjfuIbKi79DpBmXsorgypZ/s200/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39CLrp9STBlw7y0RJLuFRYV-pmWhYB_ojhNYnerMsYAHzBojYw0pY5Qq9NysON40Ss4aQL8XRmTUT_hpmRpyD6jkVZvh401YdxxKlp4TkqRjYqUnjfuIbKi79DpBmXsorgypZ/s0/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>The Old(er)</b></span> </div><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Carole of <a href="https://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.com/">Carole's Random Life in Books</a> has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight those unread books on my TBR in her <b>Books from the Backlog</b> feature, reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!</span></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember being really excited to read this one when it came out, but, alas, like so many other books I want to read that I acquire, it ended up getting lost among my other e-books. An old journal and a missing woman, an affair and plenty of secrets about to be uncovered . . . This one still sounds good to me. <br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33388450-the-blackbird-season" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxK6evNdqTgbP5UShVzd0ACltyQaqJsfIdyOeOSRZWqMGW5yuJiJoI-bfsELI_eq8W_NcY6xDZosyi-QHiauV20Z-pYxaDcm7GkjNR-ZcChycaNhFVRVQX1MzFC4NjMtlhMkbt/s320/BlackbirdSeason.jpg" width="206" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>The Blackbird Season </i>by Kate Moretti </b>(Atria, 2017)</span><div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>In a quiet Pennsylvania town, a thousand dead starlings fall onto a high school baseball field, unleashing a horrifying and unexpected chain of events that will rock the close-knit community.<br /><br />Beloved baseball coach and teacher Nate Winters and his wife, Alicia, are well respected throughout town. That is, until one of the many reporters investigating the bizarre bird phenomenon catches Nate embracing a wayward student, Lucia Hamm, in front of a sleazy motel. Lucia soon buoys the scandal by claiming that she and Nate are engaged in an affair, throwing the town into an uproar…and leaving Alicia to wonder if her husband has a second life.<br /><br />And when Lucia suddenly disappears, the police only to have one suspect: Nate.<br /><br />Nate’s coworker and sole supporter, Bridget Harris, Lucia’s creative writing teacher, is determined to prove his innocence. She has Lucia’s class journal, and while some of the entries appear particularly damning to Nate’s case, others just don’t add up. Bridget knows the key to Nate’s exoneration and the truth of Lucia’s disappearance lie within the walls of the school and in the pages of that journal.<br /><br />Told from the alternating points of view of Alicia, Nate, Lucia, and Bridget, </i>The Blackbird Season<i> is a haunting, psychologically nuanced suspense, filled with Kate Moretti’s signature “chillingly satisfying” (</i>Publishers Weekly<i>) twists and turns. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</span></blockquote></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Have you read </b><b style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Blackbird Season</i></b><b>? Does this book sound like something you would like to read? </b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmHQ2WQeBWymlmdBn1CBgwuhrNfRLzPiDLDb2_90GXscid1x5t3vfvzzD6FIN4vs1JcqrZBzBDFdK0K9NopOvlMjlVs9GrQjBjq8MgzVH4yFZB5JUMSwHnQk0jDmwIc_IIOzU/s200/cat+spacer+2+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmHQ2WQeBWymlmdBn1CBgwuhrNfRLzPiDLDb2_90GXscid1x5t3vfvzzD6FIN4vs1JcqrZBzBDFdK0K9NopOvlMjlVs9GrQjBjq8MgzVH4yFZB5JUMSwHnQk0jDmwIc_IIOzU/s0/cat+spacer+2+clear.png" /></a></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-78545041989131148762024-03-10T14:00:00.000-07:002024-03-10T14:23:49.898-07:00Weekly Mewsings: A Quick Check In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6tkUhTXepp0VIn9xfvYA0N6BUZl-OXGHCwfTxn7CE0MuCaC_rM33TQYvOr3HmJZ5TNmeM30RuqcYCBriD4qiUPkgwDtf1uz4cqt4v29hpA3VK5Z6mGKPEiYFXpGCir9JhNHb/s1600/Weekly+Mews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up to the <b>Sunday Post</b> hosted by Kim of <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a> and <b>The Sunday Salon</b> (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking <b>It's Monday! What Are you Reading?</b> hosted by Kathryn of <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a> where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up</span><span> </span><b>Stacking the Shelves</b><span> hosted by Marlene of </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/">Reading Reality</a><span> a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. </span><span> </span></span></div><div><br /></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel like the week got away from me. It's Sunday afternoon and this is the first I am sitting down to put together my weekend post. This past week, in addition to the usual activities, my daughter's school band performed a pre-festival concert to practice for the upcoming festival later this month. My husband, mom and I got front row seats, which means I was able to take some good photos for the photo album. I had another doctor's appointment, and so far the test results have been good. I am still waiting on one more. Mouse enjoyed a fun early birthday celebration with friends last weekend, and this weekend we had a small family celebration. In addition to dinner at her favorite restaurant, her one request was to visit two of the bookstores in town--an easy request to fill! She says thank you to everyone who sent her happy birthday wishes this past week. How was your week? What have you been up to? </span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/s400/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/w400-h120/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQchmQMcdgRmUCx1K-6_gacg8etUqgGiXT98uQz2m-wzu8WJpMtfWymPq2h3c4kTsEO4aWyH8GpKJ4-1KwPdUzUd6ZApSu8XQ8rCkC6cjUoPCYIZb5mYAlsTiZKDNqSPU0kGpFDL346ztas6DIG_q5S8JfqmPTmjxPxCWBhfwZad-7Gwjy2ZG6/s904/collage%2020240310b.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="904" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQchmQMcdgRmUCx1K-6_gacg8etUqgGiXT98uQz2m-wzu8WJpMtfWymPq2h3c4kTsEO4aWyH8GpKJ4-1KwPdUzUd6ZApSu8XQ8rCkC6cjUoPCYIZb5mYAlsTiZKDNqSPU0kGpFDL346ztas6DIG_q5S8JfqmPTmjxPxCWBhfwZad-7Gwjy2ZG6/w400-h178/collage%2020240310b.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This past week, I finished listening to the graphic audiobook of <i>Clean Sweep</i> (Innkeeper Chronicles #1) by Ilona Andrews, a book which was fun to re-visit. I also read and enjoyed <i>Gone with a Witch</i> (Witch Way Librarian #6) by Angela M. Sanders. I made a little more progress in my long-term reading of <i>David Copperfield</i> by Charles Dickens. It is slow going, but I like it so far. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf8Unp0i17MSKZ6IXZomE4xkH-9RZlxsTCJdbQGDqfjFiETAooXmr6VtBkfv0hsowNj9cYWas_gPDDFbqva9hn2WpdDiPkn3NpFRvyosSaxwot-mzPHvp03yU6a-Z8Yxd6JsgcbwGxrIZsvxWo1Tw9Ts756xyTxPVrKAgXbuywHfEqu_JzEKe/s343/2024-03%20chart.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="343" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf8Unp0i17MSKZ6IXZomE4xkH-9RZlxsTCJdbQGDqfjFiETAooXmr6VtBkfv0hsowNj9cYWas_gPDDFbqva9hn2WpdDiPkn3NpFRvyosSaxwot-mzPHvp03yU6a-Z8Yxd6JsgcbwGxrIZsvxWo1Tw9Ts756xyTxPVrKAgXbuywHfEqu_JzEKe/w320-h294/2024-03%20chart.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you to everyone who voted in my March TBR List poll! In the end, Susan Mallery's </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Summer Book Club</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> came in with four (4) votes (perhaps it really is meant to be a summer read like the title suggests); </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Heiress</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Rachel Hawkins got nine (9) votes; and </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Book of Doors</i> by Gareth Brown</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> won with sixteen (16) votes. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am looking forward to starting </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Book of Doors</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in the next day or two! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fjM1hgg9dQ5qoITy0tjsEnb2S4tPM4tyzrIZY6Lbdx28QHo-uz9k2MHlPlupOVQYTTBI1vPciuhmnaqoLVxZNNXgjnI3kZu9zG8u3nws6A-m0lq7j0xwSF0dYPBdu5mB_jQ3LjdbaqM2yPen9S4WavFU9Sf7rLvSQQe4nsg_Bf5CXnI4bA70/s766/collage%2020240310a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="766" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fjM1hgg9dQ5qoITy0tjsEnb2S4tPM4tyzrIZY6Lbdx28QHo-uz9k2MHlPlupOVQYTTBI1vPciuhmnaqoLVxZNNXgjnI3kZu9zG8u3nws6A-m0lq7j0xwSF0dYPBdu5mB_jQ3LjdbaqM2yPen9S4WavFU9Sf7rLvSQQe4nsg_Bf5CXnI4bA70/w400-h235/collage%2020240310a.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/s1500/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1500" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/w320-h160/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i><br /></i></div></span></i><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">My TBR List is hosted by Michelle at<a href="http://www.becausereading.com/"> Because Reading</a>. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books from my TBR pile I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <br /></span></i></div></span></i></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><section class="ReviewText" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; position: relative; text-align: start;"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="TruncatedContent" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large TruncatedContent__text--expanded" data-testid="contentContainer" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-height: none; overflow: hidden visible; word-break: break-word;" tabindex="-1"><span class="Formatted" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/s400/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/w400-h120/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;">New to my shelves:</span></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUFK7sXnpFxzk9OHAGS_aKeiSde06xHQhe8IlrIVLuH422ODbSk7cOCQjsxekJEP69Bvxas_Csk2TIZwpdABP9iLQ1Hh_5-BOOyCvnDzbjfr3TsibUaB5URrWCgJIT8xaWzFQaBNZ4kw7IntRG9-hV7_ygyIpPUDp_cu4cAIPcBURuAkWhU09/s4080/PXL_20240310_202145910.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUFK7sXnpFxzk9OHAGS_aKeiSde06xHQhe8IlrIVLuH422ODbSk7cOCQjsxekJEP69Bvxas_Csk2TIZwpdABP9iLQ1Hh_5-BOOyCvnDzbjfr3TsibUaB5URrWCgJIT8xaWzFQaBNZ4kw7IntRG9-hV7_ygyIpPUDp_cu4cAIPcBURuAkWhU09/s320/PXL_20240310_202145910.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><i>The Book That Wouldn't Burn</i> (The Library Trilogy #1) by Mark Lawrence</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><i>The Good Neighbors </i>(#1-3) by Holly Black, illustrated by Ted Naifeh</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><i>There There</i> by Tommy Orange</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVb6iv5QRqgte0AS_hhGWZFwthTMPdDqJpYqrrmrsrO-8ua-n0UerxBXS2HeQ6HoF2BZqMOlsjP1MgcszGV30f6rTRdWZ1ycHEWuriAX82ZRu6A6tbKxvVgC9k6orq4_p3K3xNZk-Kz62v55RcTmiFSmQGPNk0W3kqvy16uH_JowqzPOD_0Atu/s1283/collage%2020240310c.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1283" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVb6iv5QRqgte0AS_hhGWZFwthTMPdDqJpYqrrmrsrO-8ua-n0UerxBXS2HeQ6HoF2BZqMOlsjP1MgcszGV30f6rTRdWZ1ycHEWuriAX82ZRu6A6tbKxvVgC9k6orq4_p3K3xNZk-Kz62v55RcTmiFSmQGPNk0W3kqvy16uH_JowqzPOD_0Atu/w400-h125/collage%2020240310c.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Pemberley: Mr. Darcy's Dragon</i><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> (Jane Austen's Dragons #1) by Maria Grace (free)</span></div></div><div style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><i>Longbourn: Dragon Entail</i> (Jane Austen's Dragons #2) by Maria Grace</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>Thank you to Sarah of <a href="https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/">Brainfluff</a> for recommending the Jane Austen Dragons series!</i></span></div><div style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><i>Who Fears Death</i> (#1) by Nnedi Okorafor</div><div style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><i>The Case at Barton Manor</i> (Mrs. Lillywhite Investigates #1) by Emily Queen (free)</div><div style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><i>Fatalities and Folios</i> (Poe Baxter Books #1) by A.C.F. Bookens (free)</div><div style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><b>Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? </b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a great week! </span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know what you have been reading!</span></b></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></div></span></span></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></div></section></section></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-90476574155235344022024-03-07T21:00:00.000-08:002024-03-08T09:49:56.713-08:00Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into Gone with the Witch & Other Friday Fun<span style="text-align: justify;">I am currently reading <i>Gone with a Witch</i> by Angela M. Sanders. Oh, how I would love to have her kind of magical connection with books! </span><span style="text-align: justify;">I have enjoyed earlier books in this series and so far this is proving to be a good one too.</span><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/s400/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/w400-h120/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. </span></span><span><span>Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas</span></span><span> of<a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Rose City Reader</a>.</span></span></div></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><i>"Poor devil." Duke gazed into the open grave. In a nod to custom, he wore black. Black jeans with a crease, a black Western shirt, and black work boots. A raindrop slipped off his Brylcreemed hair. </i></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><i style="font-style: italic;">"Whoever he was," added Desmond, also in black work clothes. </i>[opening of <i>Gone with the Witch</i>]</blockquote><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/s400/Friday+56+clear.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/w400-h120/Friday+56+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of Freda's Voice is on a break, and Anne of <a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/">My Head is Full of Books</a> has stepped in to host! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><blockquote><i>"Have you learned anything more about </i>[name withheld to avoid spoiler]<i>?" I worked to keep my tone neutral. </i></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><i>I hadn't fooled Sam. From the stove, where he turned on the burner under a pot of water, he gave me side-eye. "You aren't thinking of getting involved, are you?" </i>[excerpt from 26% of <i style="font-style: italic;">Gone with the Witch</i>]</blockquote><p></p>Being that this is a cozy mystery, it is a given that is exactly what Josie plans to do. She isn't very good at hiding it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/164795109-gone-with-the-witch" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2363" data-original-width="1442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdmv9uIa_fR38xuaI35cOapKTpWcf3rBj3BeGPrG2LjE0I7CAFCcSoFGpHtoFJ2TDF7BjDVXQV31sHrLkdaHCCUCoPHhpfnv4v0Q6rOMuraa6j0V07nWCtuEPRKHE7-lSxQNhj7-gzzayfD5flVKA41UBMDGxI28bT4hcjEHvoyPVpykmGhXZ/s320/Gone%20with%20the%20Witch.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><b>Gone with the Witch </b></i><b>(Witch Way Librarian Mysteries #5) by Angela M. Sanders</b><br /><blockquote><i>
Small-town Wilfred has turned into a quaintly cozy Oregon destination—but it also keeps turning up corpses! As the bones pile up, librarian and apprentice witch Josie Way will need to use all the sorcery at her disposal to stop a killer . . .
</i><br /><br /><i>
When human bones are discovered beneath an old outhouse covered in blackberry vines, no one knows who they once belonged to. But elderly Helen Garlington wants Sam the sheriff to test the remains, suspecting they may solve the mystery of her long-vanished husband. It’s not a match, and Helen takes it hard, drowning her disappointment in sherry at the tavern—where she sees a contestant on a game show who she swears is her missing spouse, Martin. To ease the woman’s mind, Josie contacts the show to track down the look-alike guest, who kindly agrees to travel to Wilfred—and is then found dead the next morning.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Horrified by this fatal turn of events, Josie asks the spellbound books for help, seeking the aid of Sherlock Holmes. But strange things continue to happen—frightening images flash on the screen of a long-abandoned movie theater and flocks of crows seem to appear wherever she goes. Is Josie about to meet her own Moriarty? It will take all her courage to untangle the twisted vines of this mystery before this chapter in the colorful story of Wilfred claims another life . . . </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think?</b><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/s400/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/w400-h120/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: left;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a> and<span style="text-align: left;"> Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="text-align: left;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a>.<span style="text-align: left;"> Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></span></div></span></div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><blockquote>Describe yourself in three words.</blockquote></b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This should not be so hard to do. But it is. So, in my typical fashion, </span>I took an online quiz. Because I could. </p><blockquote><p>Quiz Results: Creative, Observant, Quiet</p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then I asked those closest to me for help.</span></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Mouse: Kind, Smart, Protective</p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote>Anjin: Funny, Serious, Thoughtful </blockquote><p></p><p>I think all of these are fairly accurate. </p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What three words would you use to describe yourself? </span></b></p><span><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2016/12/book-blogger-hop-dec-30th-jan-5th.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittg_HjCQ1sodisiALuhy_pCLVU6e7Dq2uRTGWR_81My_Tc55vGwVM1PGuksY1pXQuSBfr7-KDkbIzHbiOufsGhRsPnCQ6CcbzUg02qJjfwditEPG0HZqTklVwH5cuPyKGovzLOg/s200/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from <a href="https://btt2.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">. They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; line-height: 18.2px;">.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;">What was your gateway book--the book that made you want to read more--into reading or into a specific genre? (submitted by Meezan Caboodle</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;">)</span></b></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p>This question is from last week, but I did not get a chance to post about it then. I thought I would go ahead and fit it in this week. It is difficult to pinpoint a gateway book that got me hooked on reading. My love for reading has always been a part of my life. To this day I enjoy a wide variety of books, including different genres. I cannot even begin to tell you what first got me into some of them, but here are a few that I could (more or less) think of. </p><p>My love for mysteries most likely began with the <i>Encyclopedia Brown</i> series by Donald J. Sobol and Carolyn Keane's <i>Nancy Drew</i> books. And from there I branched out into many of the subgenres. </p><p>While I enjoyed fantasy as a child <i>(The Chronicles of Narnia</i> were a favorite), it wasn't until I was in college and my husband introduced me to Valdemar and Mercedes Lackey that I really became hooked on high fantasy. Thanks to Laurel K. Hamilton I discovered urban fantasy, which opened up even more doors in the fantasy genre for me.</p><p>I fell hard for romance in high school and college. I read all the Harlequin Intrigue Romance and Silhouette novels the public library carried. My interest in romance faded for a time after that, and I avoided the genre for many years, other than when it wasn't the main ingredient in a novel. I have since come back to the romance genre (although not so much through Harlequin and Silhouette), and while it doesn't make up a big part of my reading, I do enjoy it from time to time. </p><p>I got my love of history from my dad. He was really more of a nonfiction reader when it came to history, but I have always leaned more toward fiction. <i>Farewell to Manzanar</i> by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (nonfiction), <i>Island of the Blue Dolphins</i> by Scott O'Dell, <i>Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry</i> by Mildred T. Taylor were among my early favorites when I was a child and paved the way for my continued love for the genre. </p><p>Although I am sure there were other books that got me into the thriller/horror genre, I most remember being really taken with John Saul books when I was in high school and college. I avoided trying Stephen King until much later. </p><p>I cannot say what my first graphic novel was, but I know I got more into reading those after my husband and I were married. He was into manga too, but it was not until my daughter began to read manga that I decided to give it a try. I do not read nearly as much of it as she and my husband do, but I have come to really enjoy it. <i>The Witch Hat Atelier</i> by Kamome Shirahama books were what sold me on manga. </p><p>I am sure I am forgetting something, but these are the ones that most come to mind as possible gateway books that lead me deeper into their genres and reading in general. Obviously this doesn't cover every genre I read and enjoy, but it's a good start. </p><p><b>Can you think of a book that served as your gateway into reading or perhaps a particular genre? </b></p><p>This week's topic: </p><p><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;"></span></b></p><blockquote><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;">Do you use a book's Synopsis for your review? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)</span></b></blockquote><p></p><p>Sometimes I will post the synopsis from Goodreads with my review on my blog, but my preference is to try to write my own. I always try to include some sort of description of what the book is about with my reviews. I know when I read other people's reviews, that is something I like to see included. I try to keep the synopsis as spoiler free as possible, but what constitutes a spoiler can be subjective.</p><p><b>If you write reviews for your blog, do you include a synopsis?</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading!</span></b></p><hr /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">© 2024 </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">. All Rights Reserved.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; text-align: right;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"> or </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com" style="font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-38499132437273205822024-03-02T10:00:00.000-08:002024-03-02T14:56:39.519-08:00Weekly Mewsings: My February Wrap Up and Kicking Off March (Please Vote in my TBR Poll!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6tkUhTXepp0VIn9xfvYA0N6BUZl-OXGHCwfTxn7CE0MuCaC_rM33TQYvOr3HmJZ5TNmeM30RuqcYCBriD4qiUPkgwDtf1uz4cqt4v29hpA3VK5Z6mGKPEiYFXpGCir9JhNHb/s1600/Weekly+Mews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up to the <b>Sunday Post</b> hosted by Kim of <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a> and <b>The Sunday Salon</b> (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking <b>It's Monday! What Are you Reading?</b> hosted by Kathryn of <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a> where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up</span><span> </span><b>Stacking the Shelves</b><span> hosted by Marlene of </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/">Reading Reality</a><span> a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. </span><span> </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Are you ready for March? It is here already! I feel a bit out of sorts--so much to do! But first some highlights since my last Sunday post a couple weeks ago. There was the usual work and then some. I got good news at a doctor's visit. There were Girl Scout cookie booths galore. But the best part was going to see <i>The Wiz</i> performed live at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre with my family. It was such a fun show and we had a great time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now it's March, which is always a full month for us. A certain someone in our house will officially become a teenager, and there will be lots of celebrating all month long. Cookie Season is coming to an end (thank goodness--am I allowed to say that?). Mouse didn't meet her personal goal this year, but she is okay with that. Her troop's joint booth sales were good, so it balances out. This month we also have band performances, Girl Scout meetings, doctor's appointments, another couple musical outings, work, school, and spring break (for Mouse, at least). I feel out of breath already. </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>I am afraid I have not had time to sit down and polish my final February bookish thoughts for you on my recent reads. They are coming though! Just not this weekend. February was a good reading month for me overall. My plan was to read <i>Black Cake</i> by Charmaine Wilkerson after finishing <i>Women of the Post</i>, but I was so taken with the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, that I jumped right into Charity Adams Earley's memoir, <i>One Woman's Army</i>. An unexpected fiction/nonfiction pairing! Another goal completed. Then when my daughter recommended I read <i>Misfit Mansion</i> after she finished it, I could not say no. It sounded just like the kind of graphic novel I would like--and I did!</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Books Read in February</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/02/weekly-mews-my-january-wrap-up-my.html">The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</a></i> by Shubnum Khan</li><li><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/02/weekly-mews-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html">Kaiju Preservation Society</a></i> by John Scalzi</li><li><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/02/weekly-mews-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html">The Roanoke Girls</a></i> by Amy Engel</li><li><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/02/weekly-mews-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html">A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter</a></i> by Nikki Giovanni</li><li><i>Women of the Post</i> by Joshunda Sanders</li><li><i>One Woman's Army: A Black Officer Remembers the WAC</i> by Charity Adams Earley</li><li><i>Misfit Mansion</i> by Kay Davault</li><li><i>Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands</i> (#2) by Heather Fawcett</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span>Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands</span><span style="font-style: normal;"> was my favorite February read. I love everything about the world building and characters Heather Fawcett has created in the series. </span><span>The Roanoke Girls</span><span style="font-style: normal;"> by Amy Engel was my least favorite. It was more a case of the book not being the best fit for me, but there were things I liked about it, and I think others might too. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAMeiZKQBS1FiKsMtvREG03ZJlrG6M6Pg3o7N2cSif4ajs16nLv4oMAIjyh_RHRbEMvR1RawMqLqnJtkWWGJ9Oc4370QsgIFk-zI-QXWFpQmVrGYSAZd0KBl8J5XcKJOga0s43TR3-KAhhUlxtzCULvkxDYR1CNf5Sjhm7HAa1ejxsYtC9rz1/s532/collage%2020240301b.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="532" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAMeiZKQBS1FiKsMtvREG03ZJlrG6M6Pg3o7N2cSif4ajs16nLv4oMAIjyh_RHRbEMvR1RawMqLqnJtkWWGJ9Oc4370QsgIFk-zI-QXWFpQmVrGYSAZd0KBl8J5XcKJOga0s43TR3-KAhhUlxtzCULvkxDYR1CNf5Sjhm7HAa1ejxsYtC9rz1/w320-h301/collage%2020240301b.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div></i></div></div><div><b>What was your favorite book read in February? Did you have a good reading month?</b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/s400/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/w400-h120/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I will soon be starting <i>Gone with the Witch</i>, the fifth in the Witch Way Librarian Mysteries series by Angela M. Sanders. It's one of my favorite cozy mystery series and I am looking forward to reading the latest installment! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am continuing to read Shannon Reed's <i>Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out</i>, which I am slowly making my way through, reading an essay here and there. I have been highlighting passages that I find particularly relatable. Shannon Reed is both a teacher and a reader, and offers her perspective on both experiences as it relates to reading.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioT8pVzjlwIK_jTcNO3L1qoaF3aQ73GGLT4p83NRCyxlaNKFdXkTZPqZQiiK4wVs36uz_F0_Fp6FpwpAo5Pxh_pa1UDysVf6kKGh2Lh3EItNCrOFjhzBC6nMI2BJHzV6nm9UCeFGVPn2Q8OmkrCx0QVpWg-PtD4WDZXdSClaZyIT49zdi1S1OR/s800/collage%2020240301d.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="660" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioT8pVzjlwIK_jTcNO3L1qoaF3aQ73GGLT4p83NRCyxlaNKFdXkTZPqZQiiK4wVs36uz_F0_Fp6FpwpAo5Pxh_pa1UDysVf6kKGh2Lh3EItNCrOFjhzBC6nMI2BJHzV6nm9UCeFGVPn2Q8OmkrCx0QVpWg-PtD4WDZXdSClaZyIT49zdi1S1OR/w330-h400/collage%2020240301d.png" width="330" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I enjoy Ilona Andrews' books and am re-visiting <i>Clean Sweep</i>, the first in the Innkeeper Series, this time in graphic audio format. This is my first graphic audio book--the occasional background music and sound effects took a little getting used to (I found myself looking around to see where that beeping or crash came from), but it certainly adds to the entertainment factor. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I decided it was time to start a Big Book (one of my reading goals for the year), especially if I want to make my way through it by the end of the year. I hadn't even been thinking about reading <i>David Copperfield</i> by Charles Dickens, but as I looked over my bookshelves, eyeing Barbara Kingsolver's <i>Demon Copperhead</i>, I remembered Kingsolver's novel is inspired by the Dickens' classic. I found myself on Goodreads, reading some of my friends' reviews of <i>David Copperfield</i>. Thanks to <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Deb</a>, <a href="https://booksplease.org/">Margaret</a>, and <a href="https://booksplease.org/">Linda</a>, I decided to give it a try. My plan is to take it slow. Like with many classics I have liked over the years, including other works by Dickens, they aren't the sort of books I find myself able to get through quickly. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>What are you reading right now?</b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/s1500/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/w400-h200/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">My TBR List is hosted by Michelle at<a href="http://www.becausereading.com/"> Because Reading</a>. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books from my TBR pile I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). </span></i></div></i></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I could use your help deciding which book to read next! These are more recent additions to my TBR which caught my attention as I was looking over my books. I love the covers on all of these (I admit <i>The Book of Doors</i> cover is from the UK version--I like it better than the American one). Mostly, I just really like the sound of them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156008269-the-book-of-doors" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1664" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgukbj1IG333ih9Fw4Vw3oXmOVJlGoe_DMA9DhW-T1PNyeVgNkpD9MnnILkpZwihNwzftyoHBjGNkHueWnN3Fw91MUwH-SkJR9FAQv092NLKRkGpRXuNQvn1l1zVD1Y7AokCx6wD2heXpG4RIlHyMONrpNWZy_5RUr2XWGBmKmQTwJPGPiBeQU/s320/The%20Book%20of%20Doors.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><b><i>The Book of Doors</i> by Gareth Brown</b><br /><blockquote><i>
If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?
<br /><br />
In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favorite customer. It's a book - an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door.
<br /><br />
What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.
<br /><br />
But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals - individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.
<br /><br />
Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons - a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .
<br /><br />
Because some doors should never be opened.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150453918-the-summer-book-club" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3700" data-original-width="2438" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFd86NTjrt_wiETKC2V3W3yNXonH6OMtWhi7MzTXTj_LbkQgMMD9QvwwM9KwyjYm-NyPkSrP5i38JALrtmhpBANey3aH_Z8c-XxZCtwlimeUstxaJL7JaJBl5yn-IY5kbSN_29YJSGMCo3NE-HhGkYAbdFtsXqiNpK1d2BOjKAHKuhosUi_03/s320/The%20Summer%20Book%20Club.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b><i>The Summer Book Club</i> by Susan Mallery</b><br /><blockquote><i>
The rules of summer book club are simple:</i><br /><i>
• No sad books</i><br /><i>
• No pressure</i><br /><i>
• Yessssss, wine!
</i><br /><br /><i>
Besties Laurel and Paris are excited to welcome Cassie to the group. This year, the book club is all about fill-your-heart reads, an escape from the chaos of the everyday—running a business, raising a family, juggling a hundred to-dos. Even the dog is demanding (but the bestest boy).
</i><br /><br /><i>
Since Laurel’s divorce, she feels like the Worst Mom Ever. Her skepticism of men may have scarred her vulnerable daughters. Cassie has an unfortunate habit of falling for ridiculous man-boys who dump her once she fixes them. Paris knows good men exist. She’s still reeling after chasing off the only one brave enough—and foolish enough—to marry her.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Inspired by the heroines who risk everything for fulfillment, Laurel, Paris and Cassie begin to take chances—big chances—in life, in love. Facing an unwritten chapter can be terrifying. But it can be exhilarating, too, if only they can find the courage to change. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126919284-the-heiress" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLI9iCXLm9C4x0YOB9QY01_8VLux10iCz3Kb37xuLiV80U30GpUO3NnHSIrPdkvq8iY_cGlYwHarr71NCqyKgvq3QNPhE6y3QB8lyS5uNZQIF0wbnVQ-MunqW2-ccqfWOYNEoCjJ6HlxHmo_ygWqim8pJupWN2AkXQl_8gPUJbXhGs8413JyFM/s320/The%20Heiress.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><b><i>The Heiress</i> by Rachel Hawkins</b><br /><blockquote><i>
When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.
</i><br /><br /><i>
But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.
</i><br /><br /><i>
But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="462" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHUSELOF9CwTDC1Yao7XvztTrYYuERkuYz7iRJ9PQ6MGiEhA/viewform?embedded=true" width="500">Loading…</iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Thank you for voting!</b><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/s400/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/w400-h120/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">New to my shelves:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0mfBxFMLeBQIDvx5GuHtJBuYZUrAdv02q6qxEQAVTsBIKsHoH_n2h0vLLvJTtqFvrJ1ye0SgMvjlxzTGGquHjLELaIwU-X2Es-JM_hMF6U1AXjouuUcDaKmAxDbhyphenhyphennUcDJ2R8VAbkUldzQAcPVNbOFixHeC0dO9C1mwEnRGGwlSfV0DGv7t9/s2959/PXL_20240217_214446144.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2890" data-original-width="2959" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0mfBxFMLeBQIDvx5GuHtJBuYZUrAdv02q6qxEQAVTsBIKsHoH_n2h0vLLvJTtqFvrJ1ye0SgMvjlxzTGGquHjLELaIwU-X2Es-JM_hMF6U1AXjouuUcDaKmAxDbhyphenhyphennUcDJ2R8VAbkUldzQAcPVNbOFixHeC0dO9C1mwEnRGGwlSfV0DGv7t9/w400-h391/PXL_20240217_214446144.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL~2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-style: italic;">The Fox Wife</i> by Yangsze Choo </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Maame</i> by Jessica George </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Bride</i> by Ali Hazelwood</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Foolproof</i> by Sander van der Linden</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSnxMrBFPHBoF-REuUmwmaC2mzxHJM2cpNn6Cly6ZVP3iefaaB1M3HImMB0cfgnc3QY5LAJY3DW7ymN0mcNQ2Lk3Hk0LaX0WvEwSfX55EFqZEAxLbXCrVaP8pZDo_dVgm_yeBZxi4jP3C_GMwS5Yhf6lukPwzPWd_w1Cok27SVcrzuu_8gJE_/s4080/PXL_20240229_005730557.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSnxMrBFPHBoF-REuUmwmaC2mzxHJM2cpNn6Cly6ZVP3iefaaB1M3HImMB0cfgnc3QY5LAJY3DW7ymN0mcNQ2Lk3Hk0LaX0WvEwSfX55EFqZEAxLbXCrVaP8pZDo_dVgm_yeBZxi4jP3C_GMwS5Yhf6lukPwzPWd_w1Cok27SVcrzuu_8gJE_/w400-h301/PXL_20240229_005730557.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Stone Blind</i> by Natalie Haynes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times: Poetry</i> by Taylor Byas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Spear Cuts Through Water</i> by Simon Jimenez</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_n4zLYzZiuvrW-aRLXpPB_G66WLp6hlQClbVpWI4jqN2AozRdLrKCK9LjrXls9APm2mgbYrcXHkaOLmlKXlrIxxlcOxQ_RJvfduNVp8RIcg_vWu1cx4kUIm0MGTujcHTBk0KuZBBGt2RC7a6E9SFoW0NTiVErshMEWCV-Fmev6V5v9xVAmdww/s789/collage%2020240301a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="789" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_n4zLYzZiuvrW-aRLXpPB_G66WLp6hlQClbVpWI4jqN2AozRdLrKCK9LjrXls9APm2mgbYrcXHkaOLmlKXlrIxxlcOxQ_RJvfduNVp8RIcg_vWu1cx4kUIm0MGTujcHTBk0KuZBBGt2RC7a6E9SFoW0NTiVErshMEWCV-Fmev6V5v9xVAmdww/w400-h203/collage%2020240301a.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: justify;">One Woman's Army: A Black Officer Remembers the WAC</i> by Charity Adams Earley</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Space Between Worlds</i> (#1) by Micaiah Johnson</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>David Copperfield</i> by Charles Dickens<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a great week! </span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know what you have been reading!</span></b></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com60tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-85181011176951119152024-02-27T21:00:00.000-08:002024-03-12T18:22:15.987-07:00Waiting to Read Wednesday: Happily Never After / A Great Country / How to Solve Your Own Murder / The Great Zoo of China<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbxbXi_HbQ245w62-bYDUdFhzwGRAmek9zCySrigznwrwb3lPutczdiBnR1aBLLYBQnmEPHOGgtpLwjn1fIf4OtiJ-4pwBUjiWebarwgEL1xO2kYb5FhkutE403zM-Z566Z94/s400/Combo+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbxbXi_HbQ245w62-bYDUdFhzwGRAmek9zCySrigznwrwb3lPutczdiBnR1aBLLYBQnmEPHOGgtpLwjn1fIf4OtiJ-4pwBUjiWebarwgEL1xO2kYb5FhkutE403zM-Z566Z94/w400-h120/Combo+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>The New</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Can't-Wait Wednesday</b> is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a> to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196700456-happily-never-after" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOfD0lhubp-G7uLMxKs0gIqHe9gngmHca0EJgM7xYJAT79MPWJlf0TLUwvI_W3EJmPLATqhtCJiTHqzl3Qe6j8NJvOsff27izLTdXXWYzPuQafPOqZDU2ahyT7QYzuBs2YA1pzhlnSOJB93rc2LF1EELT_VQaBdrjSmTxe6Ylfn3fi1xquWjJ/s320/Happily%20Never%20After%20Painter.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><b>Happily Never After</b></i><b> by Lynn Painter</b><br /><u>Release Date</u>: March 12, 2024 by Berkley<br /><blockquote><i>
Their name? The objectors.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Their job? To break off weddings as hired.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.
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When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”
</i><br /><br /><i>
During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.
</i><br /><br /><i>
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
</i><br /><br /><i>
And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Are wedding objectors for hire a real thing? I don't know, but I imagine this will be a fun rom-com!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81245160-a-great-country" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUjKZvRinCONVMBYwxtIMu_qhEdu6Fbj0HZVHIPiq988CuNhazJtYYjj2AOC6JRcqYYtBwckJXlJYAZsMGoPjWyej3LSajXLrhL1AoOpBnPypG6_DaQ5lSMzcL9GwH17izZ4e7B0ADc86dGORQGMtRc4PeWKCXQuDkm_6umYZkwc22qYYgLx-/s320/A%20Great%20Country%20Gowda.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><b><i>A Great Country</i> by Shilpi Somaya Gowda</b><br /><u>Release Date</u>: March 26, 2024 by Mariner Books<br /><blockquote><i>
From the </i>New York Times<i> bestselling author, a novel in the tradition of Celeste Ng's </i>Little Fires Everywhere<i>, exploring the ties and fractures of a close-knit Indian-American family in the aftermath of a violent encounter with the police.
<br /><br />
Pacific Hills, California: Gated communities, ocean views, well-tended lawns, serene pools, and now the new home of the Shah family. For the Shah parents, who came to America twenty years earlier with little more than an education and their new marriage, this move represents the culmination of years of hard work and dreaming. For their children, born and raised in America, success is not so simple.
<br /><br />
For the most part, these differences among the five members of the Shah family are minor irritants, arguments between parents and children, older and younger siblings. But one Saturday night, the twelve-year-old son is arrested. The fallout from that event will shake each family member's perception of themselves as individuals, as community members, as Americans, and will lead each to consider: how do we define success? At what cost comes ambition? And what is our role and responsibility in the cultural mosaic of modern America?
<br /><br />
For readers of </i>The Vanishing Half<i> by Brit Bennett and </i>Such a Fun Age<i> by Kiley Reid, </i>A Great Country<i> explores themes of immigration, generational conflict, social class and privilege as it reconsiders the myth of the model minority and questions the price of the American dream.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This book encompasses many themes I am drawn too--generational conflict and immigration themes among them. I imagine this will be an emotional read for me, and a book I look forward to immersing myself in. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181344911-how-to-solve-your-own-murder" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZicy51Mv2DgU7rBR1EKob79XWjgEDVwuZZeCfMVCgvJEEL62JP3nlJslKGp1ZEXM0HH3UjUId4ZZ2CLIColcrkq3UPCzTOJXFJc8I37jnGNAhpeHtKHS5sj7eesj3mu3YL_ctBqTGQJHlHFsy5q0ZmTwP1gC1YvVvD_7WuW1RqLP3q9w6Tm-v/s320/How%20to%20Solve%20Your%20Own%20Murder%20Perrin.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><b><i>How to Solve Your Own Murder</i> (Castle Knoll Files #1) by Kristen Perrin</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Release Date</u>: March 26, 2024 by Dutton <br /><blockquote><i>
For fans of </i>Knives Out<i> and </i>The Thursday Murder Club<i>, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate... Now it's up to her great-niece to catch the killer.
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It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.
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In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?
<br /><br />
As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The title alone was enough to catch my attention, but the synopsis is what is luring me in. It sounds like Frances made a lot of enemies in her attempt to find her future-murderer. I look forward to finding out where this mystery takes me. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do any of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39CLrp9STBlw7y0RJLuFRYV-pmWhYB_ojhNYnerMsYAHzBojYw0pY5Qq9NysON40Ss4aQL8XRmTUT_hpmRpyD6jkVZvh401YdxxKlp4TkqRjYqUnjfuIbKi79DpBmXsorgypZ/s200/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39CLrp9STBlw7y0RJLuFRYV-pmWhYB_ojhNYnerMsYAHzBojYw0pY5Qq9NysON40Ss4aQL8XRmTUT_hpmRpyD6jkVZvh401YdxxKlp4TkqRjYqUnjfuIbKi79DpBmXsorgypZ/s0/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>The Old(er)</b></span> </div><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Carole of <a href="https://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.com/">Carole's Random Life in Books</a> has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight those unread books on my TBR in her <b>Books from the Backlog</b> feature, reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!</span></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>In January of 2016, I started participating in Michelle's (of <a href="http://www.becausereading.com/">Because Reading</a>) TBR List Poll. At the beginning of each month, I list three books from my TBR shelves for you to vote on and I read whichever book wins. Although Michelle no longer runs the feature, I still put up a monthly poll. I need all the help I can get in choosing what book to read next sometimes! Regardless of which book wins, they are all books I <i>want </i>to read. It's just a matter of which ones I get to sooner. Some months I read all three! Most of the time though, I only get to the winner and the remaining two end up back on my TBR to wait their turn. Today I am featuring a book from that very first poll I posted on my blog--that didn't win. Today I am featuring the 2nd place winner, <i>The Great Zoo of China</i>. This one has <i>Jurassic Park</i> written all over it. But set in China. It sounds like it could be exciting. And scary. Perhaps this will be the year I finally read it!</div><div><br /></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21863422-the-great-zoo-of-china" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZCxQDhY7-uLSD-G-O2wfcd8AdWTk3DJP2IkE6-upDfsZIJtlcZYk7u3mxBILU4CcLuuLX2uhoFAYkgaW6KmxnBMHMq-huW96FJgkQpO8BEkmzmCJwmkY_MjCQf5n92PGr7udEGGRthssvyGaQ20N-zzBHndYguu-oZhbL8wctnhM0HYsuYLK/s320/the%20Great%20Zoo%20of%20China.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><b>The Great Zoo of China</b></i><b> by Matthew Reilly</b> (Gallery Books, 2014)<br /><blockquote><i>
It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years.
</i><br /><br /><i>
They have found a species of animal no one believed even existed. It will amaze the world.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed.
</i><br /><br /><i>
A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Among them is Dr Cassandra Jane ‘CJ’ Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles.
</i><br /><br /><i>
The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Of course it can’t…
</i><br /><br /><i>
GET READY FOR ACTION ON A GIGANTIC SCALE.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Have you read <i>The Great Zoo of China</i>? Does this book sound like something you would like to read? </b></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmHQ2WQeBWymlmdBn1CBgwuhrNfRLzPiDLDb2_90GXscid1x5t3vfvzzD6FIN4vs1JcqrZBzBDFdK0K9NopOvlMjlVs9GrQjBjq8MgzVH4yFZB5JUMSwHnQk0jDmwIc_IIOzU/s200/cat+spacer+2+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmHQ2WQeBWymlmdBn1CBgwuhrNfRLzPiDLDb2_90GXscid1x5t3vfvzzD6FIN4vs1JcqrZBzBDFdK0K9NopOvlMjlVs9GrQjBjq8MgzVH4yFZB5JUMSwHnQk0jDmwIc_IIOzU/s0/cat+spacer+2+clear.png" /></a></div><br /><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-15337298277397420842024-02-22T21:00:00.000-08:002024-02-23T18:15:48.458-08:00Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands & Other Friday Fun<span style="text-align: justify;">I am just about to begin reading </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands #2</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> by Heather Fawcett. I am so excited! The first book in the series was one of my favorite reads last year. </span><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/s400/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/w400-h120/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. </span></span><span><span>Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas</span></span><span> of<a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Rose City Reader</a>.</span></span></div></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><i>The foot would not fit in my briefcase, so I wrapped it in cloth and wrestled it into an old knapsack I sometimes carry with me on expeditions. </i>[opening of <i style="font-style: italic;">Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands</i>]</blockquote>Already off to a curious start! It isn't everyone who would carry a foot in their bag. <br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/s400/Friday+56+clear.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/w400-h120/Friday+56+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of Freda's Voice is on a break, and Anne of <a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/">My Head is Full of Books</a> has stepped in to host! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><blockquote><i>As if it wished to lure me on, the fog parted on the easy path, revealing the mountainous landscape beyond. Most travellers would have surged ahead immediately in order to orient themselves, but I did not trust the behaviour of the fog. I surmised that the path ahead was a faerie door, and what sort of place did it lead to? The mountains I saw through the break in the fog were familiar, and yet something was off about them. </i>[excerpt from 56% <i style="font-style: italic;">of Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands</i>]</blockquote>I have a bad feeling about the situation Emily finds herself in here. Where faeries are concerned, one never knows what will happen next. I have not reached this point in the book, but I look forward to finding out more. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/134119076-emily-wilde-s-map-of-the-otherlands" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0ye7wJeRmaL1XrJr83NehIycuKh1BfuwTNlvwIhHoJb9VSvplvkmJnPrdxR8ctNKzgxB2BmBXb4xkOmt78y_OE6Bg34KY8wCOjjzybv0yPK4xOWgXaSjFnbvFXBTDErKQ48i6tDdKvPOKJijQFfLodYDjUJsCtvyrvyTnNkOWL5xpR3BUZNt/s320/Emily%20Wilde's%20Map%20of%20the%20Otherlands.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><b>Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands</b></i><b> (#2) by Heather Fawcett</b><br /><blockquote><i>
When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore—she just wrote the world’s first comprehensive of encylopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Folk on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival, Wendell Bambleby.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, and in search of a door back to his realm. So despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage. Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and danger.
</i><br /><br /><i>
And she also has a new project to focus a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by Bambleby’s mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambley’s realm, and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.
</i><br /><br /><i>
But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote><b>Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think?</b><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/s400/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/w400-h120/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: left;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a> and<span style="text-align: left;"> Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="text-align: left;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a>.<span style="text-align: left;"> Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></span></div></span></div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><blockquote>What is your favorite type of candy?</blockquote></b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a shameless sweet tooth. I am your stereotypical woman who loves chocolate. My top favorites today (because it changes from time to time) are See's Scotchmallows (dark chocolate covering marshmallows and caramel), Riesens (chocolate-caramel candy covered in dark chocolate), and Dove's dark chocolate squares. Yum!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8ufSG-3FL5FZTzqqLyxW57xRxYxJ_eVp7mvS8HPGwWnF4PMOzcZkiwiBBYYz9N7kIGqA4lmIFNHSqe99Usw9a6hJZUavfgz8lHgvqt9bGuz3PdA8KHQaMkIE83B61WE_kPI1BgY98zalk50DRZMBC9-6HnNddEvXSbQVz0iX1r1oCCFvhWoQ/s712/collage%2020240222a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="712" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8ufSG-3FL5FZTzqqLyxW57xRxYxJ_eVp7mvS8HPGwWnF4PMOzcZkiwiBBYYz9N7kIGqA4lmIFNHSqe99Usw9a6hJZUavfgz8lHgvqt9bGuz3PdA8KHQaMkIE83B61WE_kPI1BgY98zalk50DRZMBC9-6HnNddEvXSbQVz0iX1r1oCCFvhWoQ/w320-h99/collage%2020240222a.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you have a favorite type of candy? </span></b></p><span><blockquote style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2016/12/book-blogger-hop-dec-30th-jan-5th.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittg_HjCQ1sodisiALuhy_pCLVU6e7Dq2uRTGWR_81My_Tc55vGwVM1PGuksY1pXQuSBfr7-KDkbIzHbiOufsGhRsPnCQ6CcbzUg02qJjfwditEPG0HZqTklVwH5cuPyKGovzLOg/s200/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from <a href="https://btt2.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">. They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; line-height: 18.2px;">.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;">How do you organize your bookshelves? (submitted by Elizabeth @ </span><a href="http://silversolara.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #441300; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;" target="_blank">Silver's Review</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;">)</span></b></span></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-weight: bold;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I like order and, with so many books around the house, I need organized shelves if I want to find a book with relative ease. The shelves in my personal library are divided mostly by genre: fantasy, mystery/suspense/thrillers, fiction (historical, contemporary, romance, literary), poetry, and nonfiction. I also have a bookcase (and giant basket) devoted to Mouse's books in that room (not divided by genre). Within those sections, the books are alphabetized by authors' last names. I keep all the mass market paperbacks on a couple of bookcases in the spare bedroom, which are also alphabetized by authors' last names. In other parts of the house there are bookcases for my family's graphic novel and manga collection. I also have a TBR shelf by my bedside with a mix of books on it. We won't talk about the books in Mouse's room, spilling from the shelves onto the floor, in no particular order. Although, I think she tries to keep the series together. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">My many e-books are not organized at all. I am afraid I haven't taken the time to figure out how to do that. I really should though just so I can more easily see what I have lost between its covers.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you organize your bookshelves?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading!</span></b></p><hr style="font-family: "Times New Roman";" /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">© 2024 </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">. All Rights Reserved.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; text-align: right;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"> or </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.6px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-43550515172892323832024-02-20T21:00:00.000-08:002024-02-20T21:00:00.127-08:00Waiting to Read Wednesday: I Am Going Book Crazy <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbxbXi_HbQ245w62-bYDUdFhzwGRAmek9zCySrigznwrwb3lPutczdiBnR1aBLLYBQnmEPHOGgtpLwjn1fIf4OtiJ-4pwBUjiWebarwgEL1xO2kYb5FhkutE403zM-Z566Z94/s400/Combo+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbxbXi_HbQ245w62-bYDUdFhzwGRAmek9zCySrigznwrwb3lPutczdiBnR1aBLLYBQnmEPHOGgtpLwjn1fIf4OtiJ-4pwBUjiWebarwgEL1xO2kYb5FhkutE403zM-Z566Z94/w400-h120/Combo+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>The New</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Can't-Wait Wednesday</b> is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a> to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I try to limit myself to posting at the most two or three upcoming releases I am anticipating, but these five are all high on my wish list and coming out very soon. I can't wait! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1t2KfAz390-v9djCCtSTsq5pdSGrgG1jiV8Vc2HkIPly5TugtQorkRdqRUBsGnO87Owzu5-uZxuwIhwfPjwvo15pETmtd3oLyD9xG5hhGLg6_33kIsQKBVLSgXrE9nWSgCZlj9vewmCljvjYSuv58M_X5kE1WDKwP0MDAtu18qTtcDbzJT7t1/s445/Speculations%20in%20Sin%20Ashley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1t2KfAz390-v9djCCtSTsq5pdSGrgG1jiV8Vc2HkIPly5TugtQorkRdqRUBsGnO87Owzu5-uZxuwIhwfPjwvo15pETmtd3oLyD9xG5hhGLg6_33kIsQKBVLSgXrE9nWSgCZlj9vewmCljvjYSuv58M_X5kE1WDKwP0MDAtu18qTtcDbzJT7t1/s320/Speculations%20in%20Sin%20Ashley.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>Speculations in Sin</i> (Kat Holloway/A Below Stairs Mystery #7) by Jennifer Ashley</b><br />Release Date: March 5, 2024 by Berkley<br /><blockquote><i>To save an innocent man’s life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in Victorian-era London, from the </i>New York Times<i> bestselling author of </i>The Secret of Bow Lane<i>.<br /><br />Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel’s wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.<br /><br />When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she’s treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Why I want to read this</u>: From the historical setting to the great cast of characters and always a great mystery, this is one of my favorite series. So of course I will be reading this one! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH4yvvcz6U5y3wCCy_99xGLXG7yVUEwlIrneyYFx13oPW3grXYL1aohn2bifDyPoippaXMPtGk5jmMrDP7sFVVsBxk0Bmz6xoQq0XLQV2yPrig_G5kj3lpC53ZAOhSBfoTqCLhDLN9yCf1L8F4NWWHQmrrCyn5iispci0YgDjFJ2S2DQJNlLa/s2775/The%20Poisons%20We%20Drink%20Baptiste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH4yvvcz6U5y3wCCy_99xGLXG7yVUEwlIrneyYFx13oPW3grXYL1aohn2bifDyPoippaXMPtGk5jmMrDP7sFVVsBxk0Bmz6xoQq0XLQV2yPrig_G5kj3lpC53ZAOhSBfoTqCLhDLN9yCf1L8F4NWWHQmrrCyn5iispci0YgDjFJ2S2DQJNlLa/s320/The%20Poisons%20We%20Drink%20Baptiste.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>The Poisons We Drink</i> by Bethany Baptiste</b><br />Release Date: March 5, 2024 by Sourcebooks Fire </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i></i><blockquote><i>In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.<br /><br />Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her.<br /><br />Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus’s life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.'s most influential politicians.<br /><br />As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it's hard to tell who to trust…Herself included.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Why I want to read this</u>: Potions, magic and revenge . . . How can I resist?!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13Oq8lZ3Qe-HvuD0-bHZJVuoT9dJnAH7znAmY5MiE5U2MPU2xztGJvx8E0DOqwvSc009RQW4S8fgun_zFUU8_cbjH8B61bhh0jcn8F_6mrSL2npcKA2EMiVoXyiSfwGo68E2R8oTzyGB93G0zRJYrMrA1asLvhmZtFTOmRTgAl89fWsELi9ws/s1359/Finlay%20Donovan%20Rolls%20the%20Dice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1359" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13Oq8lZ3Qe-HvuD0-bHZJVuoT9dJnAH7znAmY5MiE5U2MPU2xztGJvx8E0DOqwvSc009RQW4S8fgun_zFUU8_cbjH8B61bhh0jcn8F_6mrSL2npcKA2EMiVoXyiSfwGo68E2R8oTzyGB93G0zRJYrMrA1asLvhmZtFTOmRTgAl89fWsELi9ws/s320/Finlay%20Donovan%20Rolls%20the%20Dice.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice</i> (#4) by Elle Cosimano</b><br />
Release Date: March 5, 2024 by Minotaur Books<br /><i></i><blockquote><i>
Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are―seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car―it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.
<br /><br />
Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.
<br /><br />
But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco's already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay's night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.
<br /><br />
If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down? </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Why I want to read this</u>: I cannot resist Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan series. It may be a bit over the top sometimes, but it's pure fun and I have enjoyed every minute reading the previous books in the series. I look forward to diving into this one. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yR9CuJtlUG9ywD4mbtluU1dqtWF5nXeMA7tilZyYSOIATgZxlxyx2TaFO0vrzyFCQPli9DpGo2s1muOnt6MPDQ4wiqy0-bVG_jTDf_rash0-JTihhB8swTGjRSRdDm9QhKyE1hrUboGl__pP7v9xpskai7IWIg-ty29Uqkv4NIx6JFPFDeWz/s3238/Murder%20Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3238" data-original-width="2144" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yR9CuJtlUG9ywD4mbtluU1dqtWF5nXeMA7tilZyYSOIATgZxlxyx2TaFO0vrzyFCQPli9DpGo2s1muOnt6MPDQ4wiqy0-bVG_jTDf_rash0-JTihhB8swTGjRSRdDm9QhKyE1hrUboGl__pP7v9xpskai7IWIg-ty29Uqkv4NIx6JFPFDeWz/s320/Murder%20Road.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Murder Road</i> by Simone St. James</b><br />Release Date: March 5, 2024 by Berkley<br /><blockquote><i>A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel.<br /><br />July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They’re looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.<br /><br />When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Why I want to read this</u>: I want to read everything Simone St. James writes and her latest will be no exception. Atmospheric, dark, and suspenseful--I am sure I will love this one when I read it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0EwGskJZ6fT2sNJpMOWWEiIftlMKWNTuhS2_cb33BHf8eXKy3WZKgGl0QU7Qp3bpz3HsT2WB7hqtXI7l35GLDJLo4-BstLdyUe3slbQb60Ot-YZZj-sMmLjpKCM1YjqZ-ZcbjOs8Q1yLwHLyy9fAg8KCyXqvnQ8mvRb738UOS-_5ibmhODbJ/s400/Women%20of%20Good%20Fortune%20Wan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0EwGskJZ6fT2sNJpMOWWEiIftlMKWNTuhS2_cb33BHf8eXKy3WZKgGl0QU7Qp3bpz3HsT2WB7hqtXI7l35GLDJLo4-BstLdyUe3slbQb60Ot-YZZj-sMmLjpKCM1YjqZ-ZcbjOs8Q1yLwHLyy9fAg8KCyXqvnQ8mvRb738UOS-_5ibmhODbJ/s320/Women%20of%20Good%20Fortune%20Wan.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>Women of Good Fortune</i> by Sophie Wan</b><br />
Release Date: March 5, 2024 by Graydon House<br /><blockquote><i>
Set against a high-society Shanghai wedding, a heartfelt, funny, dazzling novel about a reluctant bride and her two best friends, each with their own motives and fed up with the way society treats women, who forge a plan to steal all the gift money on the big day.<br /><br />
Lulu has always been taught that money is the ticket to a good life. So, when Shanghai’s most eligible bachelor surprises her with a proposal, the only acceptable answer is yes, even if the voice inside her head is saying no. His family’s fortune would solve all her parents’ financial woes, but Lulu isn’t in love or ready for marriage.
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The only people she can confide in are her two best friends: career-minded Rina, who is tired of being passed over for promotion as her biological clock ticks away; and Jane, a sharp-tongued, luxury-chasing housewife desperate to divorce her husband and trade up. Each of them desires something different: freedom, time, beauty. None of them can get it without money.
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Lulu’s wedding is their golden opportunity. The social event of the season, it means more than enough cash gifts to transform the women’s lives. To steal the money on the big day, all they’ll need is a trustworthy crew and a brilliant plan. But as the plot grows increasingly complicated and relationships are caught in the cross fire, the women are forced to face that having it all might come at a steep price…</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Why I want to read this</u>: A heist on a wedding day! This sounds like it will be a fun read. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><b style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?</b></div></b><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39CLrp9STBlw7y0RJLuFRYV-pmWhYB_ojhNYnerMsYAHzBojYw0pY5Qq9NysON40Ss4aQL8XRmTUT_hpmRpyD6jkVZvh401YdxxKlp4TkqRjYqUnjfuIbKi79DpBmXsorgypZ/s200/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39CLrp9STBlw7y0RJLuFRYV-pmWhYB_ojhNYnerMsYAHzBojYw0pY5Qq9NysON40Ss4aQL8XRmTUT_hpmRpyD6jkVZvh401YdxxKlp4TkqRjYqUnjfuIbKi79DpBmXsorgypZ/s0/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>The Old(er)</b></span> </div><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Carole of <a href="https://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.com/">Carole's Random Life in Books</a> has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight those unread books on my TBR in her <b>Books from the Backlog</b> feature, reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!</span></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32970644-pulp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AB5yJPni6xyqzxEZcC4yy1DalxLVpFrl0Exo7j-3ij_TPjSKBol9M_gyDfwx-Z6FjovskuJO5l2SL_IWhOBpl2vYsVtvAb22blhCZ8_gZaQf1oSErRBB4cNJR5zdOay8xHmT/s320/PulpTalley.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b><i>Pulp</i> by Robin Talley </b>(Harlequin Teen, 2018)</div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>In 1955, eighteen-year-old Janet Jones keeps the love she shares with her best friend Marie a secret. It’s not easy being gay in Washington, DC, in the age of McCarthyism, but when she discovers a series of books about women falling in love with other women, it awakens something in Janet. As she juggles a romance she must keep hidden and a newfound ambition to write and publish her own story, she risks exposing herself—and Marie—to a danger all too real.</i></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Sixty-two years later, Abby Zimet can’t stop thinking about her senior project and its subject—classic 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. Between the pages of her favorite book, the stresses of Abby’s own life are lost to the fictional hopes, desires and tragedies of the characters she’s reading about. She feels especially connected to one author, a woman who wrote under the pseudonym “Marian Love,” and becomes determined to track her down and discover her true identity.<br /></i><i><br /></i><i>In this novel told in dual narratives, </i>New York Times<i> bestselling author Robin Talley weaves together the lives of two young women connected across generations through the power of words. A stunning story of bravery, love, how far we’ve come and how much farther we have to go. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote><u>Why I want to read this</u>: This is yet another lingering e-book hiding on my e-reader that I haven't yet gotten to. I enjoy dual time line historical novels and this one particularly appeals to me because it is tied to those old pulp fiction novels. I also like that <i>Pulp</i> delves into how important representation of diversity is in media. <br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Have you read <i>Pulp</i>? Does this book sound like something you would like to read? </b></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmHQ2WQeBWymlmdBn1CBgwuhrNfRLzPiDLDb2_90GXscid1x5t3vfvzzD6FIN4vs1JcqrZBzBDFdK0K9NopOvlMjlVs9GrQjBjq8MgzVH4yFZB5JUMSwHnQk0jDmwIc_IIOzU/s200/cat+spacer+2+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmHQ2WQeBWymlmdBn1CBgwuhrNfRLzPiDLDb2_90GXscid1x5t3vfvzzD6FIN4vs1JcqrZBzBDFdK0K9NopOvlMjlVs9GrQjBjq8MgzVH4yFZB5JUMSwHnQk0jDmwIc_IIOzU/s0/cat+spacer+2+clear.png" /></a></div><br /><hr /><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
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<span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-19506973775471913992024-02-10T21:00:00.000-08:002024-02-10T21:50:10.732-08:00Weekly Mews: My Bookish Mewsings on The Kaiju Preservation Society, The Roanoke Girls, & A Good Cry <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6tkUhTXepp0VIn9xfvYA0N6BUZl-OXGHCwfTxn7CE0MuCaC_rM33TQYvOr3HmJZ5TNmeM30RuqcYCBriD4qiUPkgwDtf1uz4cqt4v29hpA3VK5Z6mGKPEiYFXpGCir9JhNHb/s1600/Weekly+Mews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up to the <b>Sunday Post</b> hosted by Kim of <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a> and <b>The Sunday Salon</b> (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking <b>It's Monday! What Are you Reading?</b> hosted by Kathryn of <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a> where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was quite windy and chilly out today, blue skies with a few white clouds here and there. The snow capped mountains on the horizon are quite picturesque. We got a lot of rain earlier in the week. It was nonstop there for awhile. We attended an award ceremony for Mouse at her school Thursday evening and made sure she could hear us cheering for her when her name was called. There was quite a crowd, but we had good seats. Mouse has the beginnings of a cold this weekend, unfortunately. The rest of us are hoping our scratchy throats are just sympathy symptoms. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/s400/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/w400-h120/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">This past week I finished reading </span><i style="text-align: left;">The Kaiju Preservation Society,</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i style="text-align: left;">The Roanoke Girls</i><span style="text-align: left;"> by Amy Engel and </span><i>A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter</i> by Nikki Giovanni. My thoughts on all three are farther down in this post. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I currently am reading an essay collection called <i>Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out</i> by Shannon Reed. I am finding it easily relatable and at times funny. It's got me reflecting on my own reasons why I read. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5yDY5xuofp98NhO12Cgwo9BBbFhg4UdGUPoiA5QZwFI3byJsjt6uacNyWEolxoy9pxXQr0Oy2ve8wfXpXGdUTCtSYMWTOudFJcJKxpB7bw9UGLSLUUBAk_BGIIFc02QiJ7nkyaKwaz2hhSRND6uV6mUxhmnDJR8NwLokrEOaLc1MMZMAU33c/s531/collage%2020240210a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="531" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5yDY5xuofp98NhO12Cgwo9BBbFhg4UdGUPoiA5QZwFI3byJsjt6uacNyWEolxoy9pxXQr0Oy2ve8wfXpXGdUTCtSYMWTOudFJcJKxpB7bw9UGLSLUUBAk_BGIIFc02QiJ7nkyaKwaz2hhSRND6uV6mUxhmnDJR8NwLokrEOaLc1MMZMAU33c/s320/collage%2020240210a.png" width="320" /></span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of my bookish goals this year is to read three books recommended by my daughter. Her first pick for me is the graphic novel, <i>Misfit Mansion</i> by Kay Davault, a story about misfit monsters, found family, and a dark secret . . . I have just begun reading it, but I am already loving it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybYSs5TKYOwNhOE7Z4kzrskbx0PSgNatgmIaOaAziHHMWmJax3PRYBm42SzGT2dxH0PdhbiGZCxeyexuUKDEO71pw6xpfjzWIuFow-N_cUfS8hYPxamVwqA9MLExz6PJcerqUe9ShW2a0ijj-FpX1v7GjxK9FDoCaA6bIrokGzaTRkbUwzxSN/s350/2024-02%20chart.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="350" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybYSs5TKYOwNhOE7Z4kzrskbx0PSgNatgmIaOaAziHHMWmJax3PRYBm42SzGT2dxH0PdhbiGZCxeyexuUKDEO71pw6xpfjzWIuFow-N_cUfS8hYPxamVwqA9MLExz6PJcerqUe9ShW2a0ijj-FpX1v7GjxK9FDoCaA6bIrokGzaTRkbUwzxSN/s320/2024-02%20chart.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you to everyone who voted in my February TBR List poll! This was a close one at times, but in the end a clear winner came out on top. <i>Slay</i> by Brittney Morris got three (3) votes, followed by <i>Black Cake</i> by Charmaine Wilkerson with six (6) votes. The winner of this month's poll is <b><i>Women of the Post</i> by Joshunda Sanders</b> which won with eight (8) votes! I am looking forward to beginning <i>Women of the Post</i> soon. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnc_q6kFzwdd-86GYP7ZdQL3T7U_PE2U2Umo1YfT7J64Fpsfbl0vmbxM6fdp28WeOCgxKIvdElW_brcjXBUTe3H9ps187IuGoKWz4IEAKJqB6eSfFaB_GkkbtNe1DxvsNrljXBNBLt0zQIpi6aWB7RrQ-u56hCOcDhVAuisAC4gpXqy6GiHdzc/s861/collage%2020240210b.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="861" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnc_q6kFzwdd-86GYP7ZdQL3T7U_PE2U2Umo1YfT7J64Fpsfbl0vmbxM6fdp28WeOCgxKIvdElW_brcjXBUTe3H9ps187IuGoKWz4IEAKJqB6eSfFaB_GkkbtNe1DxvsNrljXBNBLt0zQIpi6aWB7RrQ-u56hCOcDhVAuisAC4gpXqy6GiHdzc/w400-h233/collage%2020240210b.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/s1500/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1500" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/w320-h160/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">My TBR List was the idea of Michelle at<a href="http://www.becausereading.com/"> Because Reading</a>, and while Michelle has not been hosting this monthly event for some time now, it's one of my favorite traditions that I cannot bring myself to give up. It's just too much fun! The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books from my TBR pile I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). </span></i></div></span></i></div></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIzkJYuewbP0YHqa6ECf0ewREaBoiGXHnAgCveytlaHWfKMD-x40FWskPqJmpCo8UAi1uOg8ZfF13vQ7t0B9gv1Rlgnv5uS2QO2uWlnvj54FLOAMS0I9JeXoiZ_jlC1BVcSkF_0s08LCfGuAR_7Izy7DxVyOFZ0xQJxx_pO6uq8ydq6Il_Zew/s400/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIzkJYuewbP0YHqa6ECf0ewREaBoiGXHnAgCveytlaHWfKMD-x40FWskPqJmpCo8UAi1uOg8ZfF13vQ7t0B9gv1Rlgnv5uS2QO2uWlnvj54FLOAMS0I9JeXoiZ_jlC1BVcSkF_0s08LCfGuAR_7Izy7DxVyOFZ0xQJxx_pO6uq8ydq6Il_Zew/w400-h120/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"Jamie Gray!" </i>~ opening of <i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i></span></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693406-the-kaiju-preservation-society" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlXXdpYPtuoVwCKAlz-5TPozlaidu74lEMCUPqoXkYUxbbum1NyDo2aEAYD8ygatZltf15p3YtGgteNHOW5ZiqvhlV6_UmQnLVaVu0GBnY1U5ccNgoIum2CkPTKfR5lNMOPMwwZsv1r0qIDzmo1kgqM19n9CvevgmhsRhWcCJyC1T4V2WqBPW/s320/PXL_20240106_003928697.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="241" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i> by John Scalzi</b><br />
Tor Books, 2022<br />
Science Fiction; 264 pgs<br />
Source: From my own TBR<br /><br />In the author's note at the end of the book, John Scalzi explains that he wrote <i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i> as an escape from the horror that was 2020. He likened it to a pop song, something that entertains and comforts us.
<br /><br />
Jamie Gray loses his job right as the pandemic begins to sweep through New York City. Forced to take a job as a food delivery person, he is doing what he can to get by. A fortuitous encounter with a former acquaintance, Tom Stevens, leads to a job opportunity Jamie cannot pass up. All Jamie knows is that Tom works for an animal rights organization that everyone is very tight-lipped about. It isn't until Jamie arrives in Greenland that he discovers why. The Kaiju Preservation Society (KPS) is a top secret organization, located on an alternate Earth. While there are similarities to our Earth, there are many differences, including the existence of giant creatures who are both valued and feared. It is the mission of KPS to study these creatures and to keep them from breaking through the barrier between the dimensions. It would be quite disastrous if that happened.<br /><br />This was such a fun book to read. There are a lot of pop culture references to movies and fantasy novels. The author's wit comes through on just about every page. There were characters I could root for, bad guys to root against, suspense that had me sitting up in my chair, and a setting that took me out of my own world for a little while. The kaiju are fascinating creatures with their very own ecosystems. There was a moment or two when the scientific explanations were a bit much for me, but I found it all interesting. I think the author accomplished what he wanted and then some with <i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i>. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by John Scalzi. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><section class="ReviewText" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; position: relative; text-align: start;"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="TruncatedContent" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large TruncatedContent__text--expanded" data-testid="contentContainer" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-height: none; overflow: hidden visible; word-break: break-word;" tabindex="-1"><span class="Formatted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><div style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">*</div><div style="color: #1e1915; text-align: justify;"><i style="color: black; font-size: medium;"></i><blockquote style="font-size: 16px;"><i style="color: black; font-size: medium;">The first time I saw Roanoke was in a dream.</i><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"> ~ opening of </span><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><i>The Roanoke Girls</i></span></blockquote><p style="font-size: 16px;"><i style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><b></b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><i style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34389737-the-roanoke-girls" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="477" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9OQWkdE0xqLt8gb13_0yosAhR3HIJ6Fq7O2GzUdJ5jt4jecE2szOs5vxzwyXGdN9imhy-231sMAK613qwnJUQaPHz2nT4xdSgXdRcKYQTwTG95sMg08XJrrv8CzCWPnJTqSe_aL34QdNOm3t60ppRV3ANlTrLiNgsTHYHcNyomvIL1-C2c6IB/s320/The%20Roanoke%20Girls%20Engel.jpg" width="212" /></a></b></i></div><i style="color: black;"><b>The Roanoke Girls</b></i><b style="color: black;"> by Amy Engel, narrated by Brittany Pressley</b><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;">Random House Audio, 2017</span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;">Mystery/Suspense/Thriller; 288 pgs (10h 41 min)</span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;">Source: From my own TBR</span></div><div style="color: #1e1915; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="color: #1e1915; text-align: justify;">This was my first novel narrated by Brittany Pressley and I think she did a great job. Her tone and reading style fit Lane's character so well. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lane Roanoke returns to Osage Flats, Kansas after eleven years after learning her cousin, Allegra, is missing. She had sworn she would never go back after that one terrible summer she had lived there but she feels she owes it to Allegra. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Author Amy Engel takes the reader back and forth between the present and the past as Lane searches for her cousin and remembers that long ago summer in Kansas. She was fifteen when her mother died and she was sent to live with the very people her mother had cut off all contact with. Lane's cousin, Allegra, abandoned my her own mother, introduces Lane to small town life and the advantages to having money. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Lane's return after all these years means facing a past she longs to forget, including an ex-boyfriend who never quite got over her. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Early on we find out the darkest secret of the Roanoke family. When a teen-aged Lane comes to live at the Roanoke estate, she is immediately drawn to her grandfather, whose kindness and attention she craves. Her own childhood was a difficult one, having been raised by a mother who seemed to hate her. As the past comes to light, the reader can better understand why Lane's mother behaved the way she did--the trauma she endured, why she ran, and how that impacted the way she parented her daughter. The impact extended to Lane's own relationships, past and present. Her lack of trust. Her self-hate. Her inability to form attachments. No one in this novel is without their own trauma and wounds. The history of abuse and the way the family normalized it over the years is extremely disturbing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I liked that the author included snippets from past Roanoke girls of previous generations, all of whom had disappeared or died young. It gives the reader a more fuller picture of just how dysfunctional this family was and how deeply the manipulation and trauma went. In some ways, this novel felt like a character study in how familial sexual abuse can affect one generation after another. <span style="font-family: inherit;">There was no romanticizing of the abuse in this novel. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I focus a lot here on the family's dark secret, and the novel does too. But there's still the mystery of what happened to Allegra, and whether she's alive or dead.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Did I like this book? I have mixed feelings about it, but I know that has more to do with the subject matter than it does with the execution. I generally avoid books (with a few exceptions) that delve into incest or child sexual abuse and probably would not have picked this one up had I known what it was about. Still, it says something that I kept listening. I was invested enough in the characters and their fates to continue to the end. <br /><p style="color: #1e1915;"></p></div><div style="color: #1e1915; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibRNFXxDddE8qGWtNbOsSPbxAywD1eUUwrEfmPR31uWzC05KWoZWE80-iExAjaHabg9HHNkxASfa5mn91mlhEcDD2T3vfWELxf0szONMWtaerRX1A_rq5XM_3Lblnggi7GMqwgmOgCS11R8RVR2Ox0081K6wYEgh5Rc5BXW3iM20gNmXU3g/s400/Poetry%20Corner%20clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibRNFXxDddE8qGWtNbOsSPbxAywD1eUUwrEfmPR31uWzC05KWoZWE80-iExAjaHabg9HHNkxASfa5mn91mlhEcDD2T3vfWELxf0szONMWtaerRX1A_rq5XM_3Lblnggi7GMqwgmOgCS11R8RVR2Ox0081K6wYEgh5Rc5BXW3iM20gNmXU3g/w400-h120/Poetry%20Corner%20clear.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38358914-a-good-cry" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlpIvAbatg-eBK_-E2Ox5GClIjm7jxuLaWbyAnfIlPjs032V6LekqQ8Ro3teaIdf7IooYJaAjSue56Y4CE_ExKgy4L8MdosQZMAQD4BLulTUwk42RdLHJXXmtYs44VLcBeDMsKy1DcM1cg3RxTtOSIXAcHD0j55Sctm36uMjAO2dQPPIDwzEy/s320/A%20Good%20Cry%20Giovanni.jpg" width="251" /></span></a></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter</i> by Nikki Giovanni</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">William Morrow; 2017</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nonfiction/Memoir/Poetry; 128 pgs</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Source: From my own TBR <br /><br />I started to read this poetry collection a year or so ago, set it aside, and it got lost under other books. I discovered it again recently and decided the time was right. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div>Nikki Giovanni is an award winning poet, one I had not had a chance to read before. I enjoyed reading her poetry for its simplicity and depth. She writes about every day tasks from childhood and present, growing up in a home with domestic violence, her love for her grandparents, about the Civil Rights Era, and Denmark Vesey and the outlawing of the drum, just for starters. She pays tribute to people who have touched her life, including Maya Angelou, one of my favorite poets and her dear friend. Just as the subtitle says, I found myself laughing and tearing up. </div><div><br /></div><div>I often struggle over what parts of poems to share. Sometimes there are favorite verses that pop of the page. With this collection it was entire poems that captured my heart. I cannot share them in their entirety, but here are some excerpts from a few of my favorites. </div><div><br /></div><div>Among my favorite poems in this collection is "Summer Storms":</div><div><i></i></div><blockquote><div><i>There are those <span style="font-family: inherit;">who say </span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>We should run</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>inside from the storm</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>But that would be </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>like leaving Grandmother</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>at the kitchen table</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>alone and sad </i></span></div></blockquote><div>A tribute poem to Maya Angelou called "At Times Like These" also moved me. It begins:</div><div></div><blockquote><div><i>At times like these</i></div><div><i>We measure our words</i></div><div><i>Because we are</i></div><div><i>Measuring a life</i></div></blockquote><div>My heart ached for a young Nikki in her poem called "Surveillance" as she witnessed her father beat her mother:</div><div></div><blockquote><div><i>I am a camera</i></div><div><i>I am the silent film</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>It was recorded because</i></div><div><i>I surveilled</i></div></blockquote><div>Another favorite of mine is "We Marched", in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Sisterhood of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority:</div><div><span></span></div><blockquote><div><i><span> </span>The Suffragettes did not want us</i></div><div><i>Offering only the back of the March</i></div><div><i>Our other did not understand us so we went</i></div><div><i>Our separate ways</i></div><div><i><span> </span>But The Time Had Come</i></div><div><i>Black Women would no longer Wait</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span> </span>We Marched</i></div></blockquote><div>I often dogear pages in my poetry books when I come across a poem I especially like, and <i>A Good Cry</i> has quite a few. I enjoyed this collection of poetry and am so glad I finally pulled it off my shelf to read. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a great week! </span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know what you have been reading!</span></b></div></span></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></div></section></section></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-83190528997996341352024-02-08T21:00:00.000-08:002024-02-09T09:04:33.435-08:00Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek into Why We Read & More Friday Fun<div style="text-align: justify;"><span>I am very nearly finished with John Scalzi's <i>Kaiju Preservation Society</i> (and would be done if work today and a commitment this evening had not gotten in the way). I am waiting to see which book wins my February TBR List poll tomorrow (there's still time to </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/02/weekly-mews-my-january-wrap-up-my.html">vote</a> if you haven't yet) to see what I will pick up next. In the meantime, I thought I would share excerpt from a nonfiction book I have sitting on my desk that I am considering reading soon. I enjoy books about books and Shannon Reed's essay collection, <i>Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out</i> sounds like it will be both entertaining and relatable. </div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/w400-h120/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. </span></span><span><span>Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas</span></span><span> of<a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Rose City Reader</a>.</span></span></div></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p><i></i></p><p> </p><blockquote><i>I don't remember a time when I didn't know how to read. </i>[opening of <i>Why We Read</i>]</blockquote><p></p><p><i></i></p></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/w400-h120/Friday+56+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of</span><span> </span><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/">Freda's Voice</a> is on a break, but Anne </span><span>of </span><a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/">My Head is Full of Books</a> has stepped in to host!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p><i></i></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><i>Everyone deserves the opportunity to read a familiar story, well told. The pleasure is not in discovering the plot but finding out what kind of characters the author has chosen to walk well-trodden paths, and how the expected beats (the finding of the body! the meet-cute! the realization that the the robot does not mean well!) will be incorporated in this particular version.</i> [excerpt from 56% <i>Why We Read</i>]</blockquote><p>This excerpt is from the author's essay "For Comfort" and is all about comfort reading.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127975811-why-we-read" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="991" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieeJo-lFQKwr158fDSI-cg2hEF0JSzFzSy3UsjqjyOwo7dgurmZyVGONMnXDUDpVvnkzZ7tUlQEa54TEyBBEgiD07spTpzjWZxAAahvxMX-yk0pTosw0xX3G4KmshaP68szgHBG0kMlk978A8yQ4zNZi_LNT65gGZrRGlVj4p-SpQB8gTAFN-n/s320/Why%20We%20Read%20by%20Reed.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b><p><b style="text-align: justify;"><i>Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out</i> by Shannon Reed</b></p></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>A hilarious and incisive exploration of the joys of reading from a teacher, bibliophile and Thurber Prize finalist.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and </i>New Yorker<i> contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes (</i>Gone Girl<i>, </i>Their Eyes Were Watching God<i>) to the ones she didn’t (</i>Tess of the d’Urbervilles<i>), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the surprising ways in which literature can transform us for the better. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</div></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>What do you think? Does </b><b>W<i>hy We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out</i></b><b> sound like something you would enjoy? </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/s400/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/w400-h120/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: left;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a> and<span style="text-align: left;"> Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="text-align: left;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a>.<span style="text-align: left;"> Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></span></div></span></div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><b><blockquote>What's the last book you re-read? Did you like as much as the first read?</blockquote></b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One of my criteria for keeping books on my physical bookshelves is that I plan to re-read them someday. It's funny when you take into consideration that I am not much of a re-reader, and yet I have a lot of books on my shelves just in case I do turn into one. I hardly ever r-read books. A few years ago I had this idea that I can combine re-reading with trying to get more into reading audiobooks, but that's not going as well as I hoped. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The last book I re-read was <i>Fool Moon</i> (Dresden Files #2) by Jim Butcher. And that was in 2022. The Dresden Files is one of my favorite series, but I fell woefully behind and decided to revisit the earlier books in the series via their audio versions, narrated by the great James Marsters, to refresh my memory. I really liked the print version of the book when I read it in 2006, and re-visiting the story via audiobook was a fun experience in its own right. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Not including children's books, I have only re-read a handful of books. The prize for my most re-read book goes to <i>Jane Eyre </i>by Charlotte Bronte, one of my all-time favorite books, which I have read multiple times. I last read it in 2015.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>What was the last book you re-read? </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2016/12/book-blogger-hop-dec-30th-jan-5th.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittg_HjCQ1sodisiALuhy_pCLVU6e7Dq2uRTGWR_81My_Tc55vGwVM1PGuksY1pXQuSBfr7-KDkbIzHbiOufsGhRsPnCQ6CcbzUg02qJjfwditEPG0HZqTklVwH5cuPyKGovzLOg/s200/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from <a href="https://btt2.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">. They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; line-height: 18.2px;">.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;">Do you post Happy Publication Day posts for books you read? (submitted by Elizabeth @ </span><a href="http://silversolara.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #441300; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;" target="_blank">Silver's Review</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; text-align: start;">)</span></b></span></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>The short answer is no, I do not. The closest I come is sometimes participating in the <span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Can't-Wait Wednesday</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at </span><a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/" style="font-family: "times new roman";">Wishful Endings</a><span style="font-family: times new roman;">, in which I share upcoming releases I have added to my wish list and am eager to read. </span> </p><p><b>What about you? </b></p></div></div><div> <i><b>I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!</b></i></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><hr /><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span>
<span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-1467476770701619732024-02-06T21:00:00.000-08:002024-02-06T21:00:00.140-08:00Waiting to Read Wednesday: Ill-Fated Fortune / The Turtle House / The Eternal Ones / Dating by the Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbxbXi_HbQ245w62-bYDUdFhzwGRAmek9zCySrigznwrwb3lPutczdiBnR1aBLLYBQnmEPHOGgtpLwjn1fIf4OtiJ-4pwBUjiWebarwgEL1xO2kYb5FhkutE403zM-Z566Z94/s400/Combo+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbxbXi_HbQ245w62-bYDUdFhzwGRAmek9zCySrigznwrwb3lPutczdiBnR1aBLLYBQnmEPHOGgtpLwjn1fIf4OtiJ-4pwBUjiWebarwgEL1xO2kYb5FhkutE403zM-Z566Z94/w400-h120/Combo+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>The New</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Can't-Wait Wednesday</b> is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a> to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.</span></div><div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127279915-ill-fated-fortune" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="244" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtddvrpg8JXkcTum0mBIDS_92aZ9RXoKrK4COptdwFEIFgUOGGfE7itKcFnOdwl6Dn3Y1bvNGLhyphenhyphenIdmhT1lr-1o8p5o1VvBvxnGqcCRm5TTN4yZxz8zn5koEYAKqCZuTDM-cYde6_sJEbtsTtl3Rh1kx8AuQODQ1h7r_9NmW0RWJHKh_wXz6D/s320/Ill-Fated%20Fortune.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>Ill-Fated Fortune</i></b> <b>by Jennifer J. Chow </b><br /><u>Release Date</u>: February 20, 2024 by Minotaur Books<br /><blockquote><i>
The first in the heart-warming and deliciously mysterious Magical Fortune Cookie series from Lefty Award-nominee Jennifer J. Chow.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Felicity Jin grew up literally hanging onto Mom’s apron strings in their magical bakery in the quaint town of Pixie, California. Her mother’s enchanted baked goods, including puffy pineapple buns and creamy egg tarts, bring instant joy to all who consume them. Felicity has always been hesitant in the kitchen herself after many failed attempts, but a takeout meal gone wrong inspires her to craft some
handmade fortune cookies.
</i><br /><br /><i>
They become so popular that Felicity runs out of generic fortunes and starts making her own personalized predictions. When one customer’s ill-fated fortune results in his murder, Felicity’s suspiciously specific fortune has the police focusing on her as the main culprit. Now Felicity must find a way to turn her luck around and get cleared from suspicion. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Why I want to read this</u>: A new cozy series! One with a hint of magic, which makes it even more hard to resist. I read and enjoyed another of the author's books, <i>Mimi Lee Gets A Clue</i> a few years ago. I cannot wait to give this new series a try. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159302305-the-turtle-house" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="226" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulyV7fFDyWMEGo5aSNAJUJJMtypdny0TFoZ1LzCohR5P2MzF-tEmQmUT9G_KARt-YMd6Tw6a7LKGeZ5sbL5s00rxrj_UytD76iMKTVDwvRjeTP62eJY4N9wBTc368rZ1a_k9K8UdAmGSGrYB86QNzagPnTxHXUxT7yYvQKzyOqnK0t7FV2oSC/s320/The%20Turtle%20House.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b><i>The Turtle House</i>
by Amanda Churchill</b><br /><u>Release Date</u>: February 20, 2024 by Harper<br /><blockquote><i>
Moving between late 1990s small-town Texas to pre-World War II Japan and occupied Tokyo, an emotionally engaging literary debut about a grandmother and granddaughter who connect over a beloved lost place and the secrets they both carry.
<br /><br />
It’s spring 1999, and 25-year-old Lia Cope and her prickly 73-year-old grandmother, Mineko, are sharing a bedroom in Curtain, Texas, the ranching town where Lia grew up and Mineko began her life as a Japanese war bride. Both women are at a turning Mineko, long widowed, moved in with her son and daughter-in-law after a suspicious fire destroyed the Cope family ranch house, while Lia, an architect with a promising career in Austin, has unexpectedly returned under circumstances she refuses to explain.
<br /><br />
Though Lia never felt especially close to her grandmother, the two grow close sharing late-night conversations. Mineko tells stories of her early life in Japan, of the war that changed everything, and of her two great a man named Akio Sato and an abandoned Japanese country estate they called the Turtle House, where their relationship took root. As Mineko reveals more of her early life—tales of innocent swimming lessons that blossom into something more, a friendship nurtured across oceans, totems saved and hidden, the heartbreak of love lost too soon—Lia comes to understand the depth of her grandmother’s pain and sacrifice and sees her Texas family in a new light. She also recognizes that it’s she who needs to come clean—about the budding career she abandoned and the mysterious man who keeps calling.
<br /><br />
When Mineko’s adult children decide, against her wishes, to move her into an assisted living community, she and Lia devise a plan to bring a beloved lost place to life, one that they hope will offer the safety and sense of belonging they both need, no matter the cost.
<br /><br />
A story of intergenerational friendship, family, coming of age, identity, and love, </i>The Turtle House<i> illuminates the hidden lives we lead, the secrets we hold close, and what it truly means to find home again when it feels lost forever. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Why I want to read this</u>: While it is the historical aspect of this novel that appeals to me the most, I am curious about what Lia is hiding. I am also drawn to the relationship between this grandmother and grand-daughter and seeing it evolve. I have a feeling I will really come to care for both Mineko and Lia. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156738446-the-eternal-ones" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="229" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIE5eWIAMMtd1xnHC_WR43laLcnrpnMEBitqt4MW4ktwoYfJ1R6KaNDdD9-pxunjfQC7RM5pESLFwgUds6-IavqoPKPvBhrmhub3nlMyyZp64iQYChv9VrI0Eab3DoAdHPeyCHoHrli3CKs_9_jPdSdLtXIepzXOvG8DbdHQII4NMSZDrMqERr/s320/The%20Eternal%20Ones%20Forna.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><b><i>The Eternal Ones</i> (Deathless #3) by Namina Forna </b><br /><u>
Release Date</u>: February 13, 2024 by Delacorte Press<br /><i></i><blockquote><i>
The dazzling finale to the groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling Gilded Ones series. One girl holds the power to defeat the gods—but can she become one?
<br /><br />
Mere weeks after confronting the Gilded Ones—the false beings she once believed to be her family—Deka is on the hunt. In order to kill the gods, whose ravenous competition for power is bleeding Otera dry, she must uncover the source of her divinity. But with her mortal body on the verge of ruin, Deka is running out of time—to save herself and an empire that’s tearing itself apart at its seams.
<br /><br />
When Deka’s search leads her and her friends to the edge of the world as they know it, they discover an astonishing new realm, one which holds the key to Deka’s past. Yet it also illuminates a devastating decision she must soon make…
<br /><br />
Choose to be reborn as a god, losing everyone she loves in the process. Or bring about the end of the world.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Why I want to read this</u>: I loved every minute of the first book in this West-African inspired fantasy trilogy. And yet I have not yet read the second. Why have I not read the second?! I am looking forward to reading the third and final book (after I read the second, of course). </div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><b style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?</b></div></b><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39CLrp9STBlw7y0RJLuFRYV-pmWhYB_ojhNYnerMsYAHzBojYw0pY5Qq9NysON40Ss4aQL8XRmTUT_hpmRpyD6jkVZvh401YdxxKlp4TkqRjYqUnjfuIbKi79DpBmXsorgypZ/s200/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39CLrp9STBlw7y0RJLuFRYV-pmWhYB_ojhNYnerMsYAHzBojYw0pY5Qq9NysON40Ss4aQL8XRmTUT_hpmRpyD6jkVZvh401YdxxKlp4TkqRjYqUnjfuIbKi79DpBmXsorgypZ/s0/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>The Old(er)</b></span> </div><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Carole of <a href="https://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.com/">Carole's Random Life in Books</a> has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight those unread books on my TBR in her <b>Books from the Backlog</b> feature, reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!</span></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTadlcU9LXeZRec5WfqKV4qoZaBNwZHfhVaux38Q_gCMknvFHyx_K5pwynAwvRO1dTSSMk4ARzaMeUFOb1hhlCqVYjxFP-ykFU1lhQt18hWaezSM4LgisiOAljqapr7ur1obDg1cXaKd9LuRtzFe5XWkt0SK3BpD7tol3fOq5GrT9EJMYIqoRn/s400/Dating%20by%20the%20Book%20Marlowe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTadlcU9LXeZRec5WfqKV4qoZaBNwZHfhVaux38Q_gCMknvFHyx_K5pwynAwvRO1dTSSMk4ARzaMeUFOb1hhlCqVYjxFP-ykFU1lhQt18hWaezSM4LgisiOAljqapr7ur1obDg1cXaKd9LuRtzFe5XWkt0SK3BpD7tol3fOq5GrT9EJMYIqoRn/s320/Dating%20by%20the%20Book%20Marlowe.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><b><i>Dating by the Book</i>
by Mary Ann Marlowe</b> (Kensington, 2019)<br /><i></i><blockquote><i>
Is love just something you find in books?
</i><br /><br /><i>
Six months ago, writer and bookstore owner Maddie Hanson was left at the altar. Since then, she’s had zero interest in romance—despite the fact that she runs a book club full of sexy eligible bachelors. But when her latest novel is panned by an anonymous blogger who goes by the name Silver Fox—and who accuses her of knowing nothing about passion—she decides to prove her nemesis wrong by seeking a romance hero in real life . . .
</i><br /><br /><i>
There’s the smoldering rock musician, the bookish college professor, and her competitive childhood friend who may want to steal her bookstore more than her heart. Even Silver Fox is getting in on the action, sending Maddie alarmingly—and intoxicatingly—flirtatious emails. And that’s not all. Her ex wants her back.
</i><br /><br /><i>
Now Maddie is about to discover that like any good story, life has twists and turns, and love can happen when you least expect it—with the person you least expect . . . </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote><i></i></div><div><u>Why this landed on my TBR shelf</u>: I think the reason I added this to my TBR shelf is kind of obvious from the description: a bookstore setting and a fun premise. There's even a book blogger! The downside to e-readers is not being able to see all the books I accumulate on it, which is why this one hasn't made its way to the top of my TBR. </div><div><i><br /></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Have you read <i>Dating by the Book</i>? Does this book sound like something you would like to read? </b></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmHQ2WQeBWymlmdBn1CBgwuhrNfRLzPiDLDb2_90GXscid1x5t3vfvzzD6FIN4vs1JcqrZBzBDFdK0K9NopOvlMjlVs9GrQjBjq8MgzVH4yFZB5JUMSwHnQk0jDmwIc_IIOzU/s200/cat+spacer+2+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmHQ2WQeBWymlmdBn1CBgwuhrNfRLzPiDLDb2_90GXscid1x5t3vfvzzD6FIN4vs1JcqrZBzBDFdK0K9NopOvlMjlVs9GrQjBjq8MgzVH4yFZB5JUMSwHnQk0jDmwIc_IIOzU/s0/cat+spacer+2+clear.png" /></a></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span>
<span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-2461565961596264822024-02-03T22:00:00.000-08:002024-02-03T23:52:14.690-08:00Weekly Mews: My January Wrap Up & My Bookish Mewsings on The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years (Vote in my TBR Poll!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6tkUhTXepp0VIn9xfvYA0N6BUZl-OXGHCwfTxn7CE0MuCaC_rM33TQYvOr3HmJZ5TNmeM30RuqcYCBriD4qiUPkgwDtf1uz4cqt4v29hpA3VK5Z6mGKPEiYFXpGCir9JhNHb/s1600/Weekly+Mews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up to the <b>Sunday Post</b> hosted by Kim of <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a> and <b>The Sunday Salon</b> (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking <b>It's Monday! What Are you Reading?</b> hosted by Kathryn of <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a> where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>I have the fire going in our gas fireplace, the heat turned up. I always seem to be cold these days and keep a blanket close. The area is expecting a big storm again this coming week, starting tomorrow night--oh, but wait! I hear rain outside as I sit and type this. I love falling asleep to the sound of rain and hope it keeps up for awhile. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was a relatively average week. Work kept me busy as did getting Mouse to her extra curricular activities. We were able to deliver a couple of Girl Scout cookie orders to local folk as well. We stopped at Barnes and Noble today while out running errands. I came away empty handed, although admittedly, I was not looking to buy anything. I forgot to get a photo of Mouse's finds to share. She used up the last of her Christmas gift cards. </div><div><br /></div><div>January turned out to be an exceptional reading month for me. I try to average a book and a half a week, but I was able to read nine books all told. I read a combination of e-books, print books, and audiobooks. There was a good mix of mystery/thriller, fantasy and historical fiction. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Books Read in January</i></b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><ul><li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html"><i>On The Bandit Queens</i></a> by Parini Shroff</li>
<li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-storm.html"><i>The Storm We Made</i></a> by Vanessa Chan</li>
<li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-storm.html"><i>Ceremony in Death</i></a> by J.D. Robb</li><li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-hammers.html"><i>Hammers and Homicide</i></a> by Paula Charles</li><li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-hammers.html"><i>The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again, Today Vol. 2</i></a> by Hitsuji Yamada</li><li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-hammers.html"><i>The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again, Today Vol. 3</i></a> by Hitsuji Yamada</li><li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mewsings-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html"><i>The Witch With No Name</i> (Hollows #13)</a> by Kim Harrison</li><li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mewsings-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html"><i>The Japanese Lover</i></a> by Isbabel Allende</li><li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mewsings-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html"><i>Legends & Lattes</i> (#1)</a> by Travis Baldree </li>
</ul></div><div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Of my January reads, </span>Legends & Lattes<span style="font-style: normal;"> was my favorite. My least favorite, although by no means disliked, was </span>Ceremony in Death<span style="font-style: normal;">. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL8PMX-KbRu8rwN62OoLddb9eZ2RFKS0ZjySsooEzfr8FYYKGdZ1lHA7esL8BD4QtIgqX4LPjEgwb_wG1VqM_ZpuauZUhrKK8tZ2dHKZ95KWfcggWfFtcXkF3_0VCYCYORVw8CZ_gI_hdmq_-xXsM5igAe3THNs6_lCIgb1eq4Su5PMGQFDmL/s515/collage%2020240203c.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="515" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL8PMX-KbRu8rwN62OoLddb9eZ2RFKS0ZjySsooEzfr8FYYKGdZ1lHA7esL8BD4QtIgqX4LPjEgwb_wG1VqM_ZpuauZUhrKK8tZ2dHKZ95KWfcggWfFtcXkF3_0VCYCYORVw8CZ_gI_hdmq_-xXsM5igAe3THNs6_lCIgb1eq4Su5PMGQFDmL/s320/collage%2020240203c.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div></i></div></div><div><b>What was your favorite book read in January? Did you have a good reading month?</b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/s400/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/w400-h120/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5nhX5cXL9afinHZMr2pWD6KoHb0M5s39_SPdNnQDhYB7Uw8VFsy0yXT5HlNlSKxJzuZRK4CbU1ELZWdHzDBKBrP8yvflneQrcaqHPANgfHFp58wPphApDx2H0zWkANL-bs5I-jD5ZSd6LUYJKTcdPUQ95re5m0Nzma4GEncZ8lILTwhPA8xD/s524/collage%2020240203a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="524" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5nhX5cXL9afinHZMr2pWD6KoHb0M5s39_SPdNnQDhYB7Uw8VFsy0yXT5HlNlSKxJzuZRK4CbU1ELZWdHzDBKBrP8yvflneQrcaqHPANgfHFp58wPphApDx2H0zWkANL-bs5I-jD5ZSd6LUYJKTcdPUQ95re5m0Nzma4GEncZ8lILTwhPA8xD/s320/collage%2020240203a.png" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My daughter was disappointed John Scalzi's <i>Kaiju Preservation Society </i>did not win last month's TBR List Poll because she wanted to know more about the giant pandas from an alternate dimension, and so I promised her I wouldn't put off reading it. I started reading it last night. I also started an audiobook, <i>The Roanoke Girls</i> by Amy Engel, narrated by Brittany Pressley yesterday on my drive to and from work. I am only about 40 minutes into it, but I like the narrator's reading of it. This mystery/thriller was among my small collection of audiobooks sitting on my phone for the past few years, waiting patiently for me to get to it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What are you reading right now?</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/s1500/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/w400-h200/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">My TBR List was the idea of Michelle at<a href="http://www.becausereading.com/"> Because Reading</a>, and while Michelle has not been hosting this monthly event for some time now, it's one of my favorite traditions that I cannot bring myself to give up. It's just too much fun! The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books from my TBR pile I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). </span></i></div></i></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I could use your help deciding which book to read next! I struggled with whether to select all historical novels this month, but in the end chose three very different books for you to choose from. Which of these do you think I should read next? Have you read any of them? If so, what did you think? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44305777-slay" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xuNHtytWyu808HThKVfANieXoo8-yp7MO4j6FT4_IdayMFu10f95zPYdRP8XrT5w-W4BHzw9CbQIPHGcbyyHWJkGzEZSI8iRj_eFAm9O15UZvYlgK35eeTytnXf14OmOtsGoe5-ZVqRY55yxC-neRk2-D0lNEdlUX3OzUBN7b49OaYQS5akZ/s320/Slay%20by%20Morris.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b>Slay</b></i><b> by
Brittney Morris </b>~ I heard a lot of good things about <i>Slay</i> when it first came out but haven't managed to get to it yet. I loved both <i>Ready Player One</i> and <i>The Hate U Give</i> so am anxious to read this one. <br /><blockquote>
Ready Player One<i> meets </i>The Hate U Give<i> in this dynamite debut novel that follows a fierce teen game developer as she battles a real-life troll intent on ruining the Black Panther–inspired video game she created and the safe community it represents for black gamers
</i><br /><br /><i>
By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the black man.”
</i><br /><br /><i>
But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”
</i><br /><br /><i>
Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically black in a world intimidated by blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process? </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62325784-women-of-the-post" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPvRqMWzecDTi1OLsdggmVg-sLCStJEKstqoopjpWVpz1WMpVBydOyK4GrmpyXJ7JDpwS8aP-dU0W18HTwxcf6I6eO7VHcxz92WQxshuApUIwYHEyOAzjbbX6PjwfjWZbP1EymrDBqMeJ-Kpy-0nTSTCqNgdHNb_sl1EHioTC5xhtqP8pc65y/s320/Women%20of%20the%20Post%20Sanders.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><b><i>Women of the Post</i> by Joshunda Sanders </b>~ I do enjoy a good World War II novel, especially one that touches on a part of that time period I haven't yet read about or am not familiar with. This fits both of those categories. <br /><blockquote><i>
An emotional story, based on true events, about the all-Black battalion of the Women's Army Corps who found purpose, solidarity and lifelong friendship in their mission of sorting over one million pieces of mail for the US Army.
<br /><br />
1944, New York City. Judy Washington is tired of working from dawn til dusk in the Bronx Slave Market, cleaning white women’s houses and barely making a dime. Her husband is fighting overseas, so it's up to Judy and her mother to make enough money for rent and food. When the chance arises for Judy to join the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and the ability to bring home a steady paycheck, she jumps at the opportunity.
<br /><br />
Immediately upon arrival, Judy undergoes grueling military drills and inspections led by Second Officer Charity Adams, one of the only Black officers in the WAC. Judy becomes fast friends with the other women in her unit—Stacy, Bernadette and Mary Alyce—who only discovered she was Black after joining the army. Under Charity Adams’s direction, they are transferred to Birmingham, England, as part of the 6888th Central Postal Battalion—the only unit of Black women to serve overseas in WWII. Here, they must sort a backlog of over one million pieces of mail.
<br /><br />
The women work tirelessly, knowing that they're reuniting soldiers to their loved ones through the letters they write. However, their work becomes personal when Mary Alyce discovers a backlogged letter addressed to Judy that will upend her personal life. Told through the alternating perspectives of Judy, Charity and Mary Alyce, </i>Women of the Post<i> is an unforgettable story of perseverance, female friendship, romance and self-discovery.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57926137-black-cake" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjD-7uJ9taYISkAmAYB4lExzV2S30p9KlX7JCh1fslNA7xhT0wOyJjeiDAfoEDggIOc23pfU-6eO4YLIo-_seqyxyVjq_s9gh41SGaF_O9UrmceaSgra5hDovlzCzVdt8sNOZjYOefsFc0VLl9z1JwDwe9Aj7RecFWT8fowIgnVO1kGKY00sQ/s320/Black%20Cake%20Wilkerson.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><b><i>Black Cake</i> by Charmaine Wilkerson </b>~ I saw this one on a lot of people's favorites list from this past year. I had added a copy to my TBR soon after it came out and keep eyeing it on my shelf. <br /><i></i><blockquote><i>
We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?
<br /><br />
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves.
<br /><br />
Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?
<br /><br />
Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, </i>Black Cake<i> is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="462" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBNtYen2iTzpPKCWns4KlyHX-6mGIlM6F22fj2DF3Ukveizg/viewform?embedded=true" width="500">Loading…</iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Thank you for voting!</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUf1h6BaBCwGNZzjbeBxFJBEZTyJefPr4xx2kT35XCU-h4EuFokQEcbA3A92kn-r-TFJBTzrbLC4BRoX4TLrYUQxw9nhZyr7XIrxCzx4ifeWxwvXSYwdAQdCucvZH0F8_M7UL8h7TYHQCHQKo9_jOETEPzMfg2UXhtJTsQYDvwOdndKdGtIYDN/s400/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUf1h6BaBCwGNZzjbeBxFJBEZTyJefPr4xx2kT35XCU-h4EuFokQEcbA3A92kn-r-TFJBTzrbLC4BRoX4TLrYUQxw9nhZyr7XIrxCzx4ifeWxwvXSYwdAQdCucvZH0F8_M7UL8h7TYHQCHQKo9_jOETEPzMfg2UXhtJTsQYDvwOdndKdGtIYDN/w400-h120/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My family has suffered through my talking about the books I have read in more detail than they probably care to hear lately. The latest was <i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i> which I finished reading Friday night. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i></i><blockquote><i>In an old wardrobe a djinn sits weeping.</i> ~ Opening of <i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i></blockquote><i></i></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/185112205-the-djinn-waits-a-hundred-years" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAgInyaZWVlQqmB7kA9L0wJpWmzM0NoLMvEZshyphenhyphenYFw5MXm2OQ8KVErPxfx6X55Bjj1nIBEB5KV3jhjV_ZN3W4dAfzgx-mbjQRkEZ5aS_D8hhqA1AeKcGLSO9qyNhYTmmufU-I6X9Hq4_fOF6cejAb_iwVmnW8vnVnCFFnySXnWt6xLYR54o7V/s320/The%20Djinn%20Waits%20a%20Hundred%20Years.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p><b><i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i><span> </span></b><span><b>by Shubnum Khan</b><br />Viking, 2024<br />Thriller/Horror/Historical; 316 pgs<br /><u>Source</u>: Source: Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.</span></p><p><span>This dual timeline novel takes readers back and forth between 1932 and 2014, set among a Muslim Indian community in Durban, South Africa. </span></p><blockquote><span><i>Akbar Manzil was once a grand estate off the coast of South Africa. Nearly a century later, it stands in ruins: an isolated boardinghouse for eclectic misfits, seeking solely to disappear into the mansion’s dark corridors. Except for Sana. Unlike the others, she is curious and questioning and finds herself irresistibly drawn to the history of the mansion: To the eerie and forgotten East Wing, home to a clutter of broken and abandoned objects—and to the door at its end, locked for decades.<br /><br />Behind the door is a bedroom frozen in time and a worn diary that whispers of a dark past: the long-forgotten story of a young woman named Meena, who died there tragically a hundred years ago. Watching Sana from the room’s shadows is a besotted, grieving djinn, an invisible spirit who has haunted the mansion since her mysterious death. Obsessed with Meena’s story, and unaware of the creature that follows her, Sana digs into the past like fingers into a wound, dredging up old and terrible secrets that will change the lives of everyone living and dead at Akbar Manzil.<br /><br />Sublime, heart-wrenching, and lyrically stunning, </i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years<i> is a haunting, a love story, and a mystery, all twined beautifully into one young girl’s search for belonging.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</span></blockquote><p></p></div></div></div><div>The writing is lyrical and descriptive, haunting in parts, giving the reader a real sense of place. The estate feels like a character of its own, at times blurring with the djinn, whose grief is so great that it makes the mansion seem alive. Secrets are meant for staying hidden and the past is best left buried, or so the djinn would like us to believe. And as the truth comes out, the house begins to fall into even more disrepair. The djinn in Shubnum Khan's novel is not the wish granting kind like you find in pop culture. He is more of a spirit who can assume various forms and has supernatural powers. In this story, he is always present, most often as an observer, although occasionally taking a more active, yet still subtle, role.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was much I liked about <i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years.</i> Sana and her interactions and influence on the residents of Akbar Manzil were a particular favorite. I really enjoyed the backstories of the secondary characters. Sana is a curious young woman of 15, but doesn't feel as if she fits in anywhere. It isn't just the forgotten places in the house she explores, but the lives of the other residents. She is a catalyst in bringing about reflection and change even for herself. Meena's story was equally as compelling, although more tragic. I was just as taken in by Meena and Akbar's love story as Sana was as she read Meena's diaries. I loved Meena's fierce independence and self-confidence. Akbar's mother and first wife did not make Meena's life at Akbar Manzil easy. They looked down on her because of the color of her skin and her common working class status. Although I initially felt somewhat sorry for the first wife--living a life she did not want and then her husband taking a second wife--I never grew to like her nor Akbar's mother. Both were not very nice people. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was not as completely taken with the novel as I might have liked. There were portions of the novel I enjoyed more than others, and, while I liked the climax and ending on one hand, there were aspects of it I found unsatisfying as well. It is impossible to really go into exactly what without spoiling anything, so I will leave it at that. Overall though, I did like <i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i>.<i> </i>Shubnum Khan does a good job weaving Sana and Meena's story together through the use of the djinn character, and the setting really came alive for me. I look forward to seeing what Shubnum Khan writes next. </div><div><br /></div><div>Have you read <i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i>? If so, tell me what you thought!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a great week! </span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know what you have been reading!</span></b></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-22166703397016757632024-02-01T21:00:00.000-08:002024-02-03T11:21:23.843-08:00Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into Kaiju Preservation Society & Other Friday Fun <div style="text-align: justify;">Next up on my TBR is <b style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i> by John Scalzi</b><span style="text-align: justify;">. I will be starting it soon. I listened to the audiobook version of <i>Redshirts</i> by John Scalzi, narrated by Wil Wheaton, a few years ago and really enjoyed it, and have been wanting to read something else by him for awhile now. </span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/w400-h120/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. </span></span><span><span>Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas</span></span><span> of<a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Rose City Reader</a>.</span></span></div></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p><br /></p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>"Jamie Gray!" Rob Sanders popped his head out of his office door and waved at me, grinning. "Come on down. Let's do this thing."</i></p><p><i>I got up from my workstation and grabbed the tablet with my notes, grinning as well. I glanced over at Qanisha Williams, who gave me a quick fist bump. "Knock him dead," she said. </i></p><p><i>"Stone dead," I said, and walked into the CEO's office. It was time for my performance review, and I'm not gonna lie, I was going to crush it. </i>[opening of <i>Kaiju Preservation Society</i>]</p></blockquote><p>I felt the need to share more than the first sentence with your because I think this entire excerpt sets the scene well. While I hope Jamie is going to receive good news during his performance review, I have a sneaking suspicion it is not going to go the way he expects. Overconfidence rarely bodes well in a novel. Especially right in the beginning. </p><p><i></i></p></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/w400-h120/Friday+56+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of</span><span> </span><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/">Freda's Voice</a> is on a break, but Anne </span><span>of </span><a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/">My Head is Full of Books</a> has stepped in to host!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"Ready?" Tom said.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The doors opened. We shuffled out, stepped through the doorway onto the gangplank, and were immediately swarmed by apparently all the small flying insects that ever existed in the history of the universe.</i> [page 56 of <i>Kaiju Preservation Society</i>]</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><p>Not the most pleasant scene to walk into, that's for sure! I hope they are wearing masks, or at the very least, keep their mouths closed. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693406-the-kaiju-preservation-society" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlXXdpYPtuoVwCKAlz-5TPozlaidu74lEMCUPqoXkYUxbbum1NyDo2aEAYD8ygatZltf15p3YtGgteNHOW5ZiqvhlV6_UmQnLVaVu0GBnY1U5ccNgoIum2CkPTKfR5lNMOPMwwZsv1r0qIDzmo1kgqM19n9CvevgmhsRhWcCJyC1T4V2WqBPW/s320/PXL_20240106_003928697.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><b><i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i> by John Scalzi</b><br /><blockquote><i>When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls "an animal rights organization." Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.<br /><br />What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble.<br /><br />It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that's found its way to the alternate world. Others have, too--and their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>What do you think? </b><b><i>The Kaiju Preservation</i></b><b> sound like something you would enjoy? </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/s400/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/w400-h120/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: left;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a> and<span style="text-align: left;"> Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="text-align: left;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a>.<span style="text-align: left;"> Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></span></div></span></div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><b><blockquote>It is the movie of your life, who do you cast in the leading role?</blockquote></b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The <i>Buzzfeed</i> quiz said Emma Watson. In another online quiz I got Demi Lovato. And then yet another one said John Travolta. Not sure about that one, but he did do a good job in <i>Hairspray</i>, so maybe. He is much taller than I am though. If I had to pick on my own, perhaps Melissa McCarthy. We're close to the same age, her being a little older and with only two inches on me. Plus, she's a Virgo. She does a lot of comedy and that's probably the direction I would want a movie about my life to go to balance out the more somber material. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Who do you think would play you in a movie about your life? </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2016/12/book-blogger-hop-dec-30th-jan-5th.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittg_HjCQ1sodisiALuhy_pCLVU6e7Dq2uRTGWR_81My_Tc55vGwVM1PGuksY1pXQuSBfr7-KDkbIzHbiOufsGhRsPnCQ6CcbzUg02qJjfwditEPG0HZqTklVwH5cuPyKGovzLOg/s200/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from <a href="https://btt2.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">. They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; line-height: 18.2px;">.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>What was the last book you read in one sitting? (submitted by Deb @ Readerbuzz)</b></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>I can easily get through a volume of manga, graphic novel, or even a poetry collection, sometimes more, in one sitting. The most recent being a couple weeks ago when I read volumes 2 and 3 of <i>The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today </i>by Hitsuzi Yamada back to back.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvws9NuDKxQVa21met1vxKSlSEr3Fen97wfuHAAWRczb8Hscn_PAQa1nTMR3oANYoGHz7Z7rssoIs-ieVHxBkn-mFeiK9Z0CsSkl0UmT1cJotMqZSGbSQUZ1fvaqSdtvZ7UayJgSzEJjkl02JWOA_bqFU4i56mTv755jb7oIO73fLWZ4ZGuHS6/s4080/PXL_20240131_042359302.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvws9NuDKxQVa21met1vxKSlSEr3Fen97wfuHAAWRczb8Hscn_PAQa1nTMR3oANYoGHz7Z7rssoIs-ieVHxBkn-mFeiK9Z0CsSkl0UmT1cJotMqZSGbSQUZ1fvaqSdtvZ7UayJgSzEJjkl02JWOA_bqFU4i56mTv755jb7oIO73fLWZ4ZGuHS6/w400-h301/PXL_20240131_042359302.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>It has been a while since I had the time to sit read a full-length prose novel in one sitting. Devoting hours at one time to reading is not a luxury I have at the moment. Although I know I have done it in the past. Just not in a while.</p><p><b>What about you? </b></p></div></div><div> <i><b>I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!</b></i></div></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span>
<span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-43860143832101929152024-01-27T20:00:00.000-08:002024-01-28T09:05:32.457-08:00Weekly Mewsings: My Bookish Mewsings on The Witch With No Name, The Japanese Lover, and Legends & Lattes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6tkUhTXepp0VIn9xfvYA0N6BUZl-OXGHCwfTxn7CE0MuCaC_rM33TQYvOr3HmJZ5TNmeM30RuqcYCBriD4qiUPkgwDtf1uz4cqt4v29hpA3VK5Z6mGKPEiYFXpGCir9JhNHb/s1600/Weekly+Mews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up to the <b>Sunday Post</b> hosted by Kim of <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a> and <b>The Sunday Salon</b> (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking <b>It's Monday! What Are you Reading?</b> hosted by Kathryn of <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a> where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Hello! Anjin is playing <i>Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth</i>, keeping me company while I spend time visiting with you. It was Girl Scout Cookie pick up day for our area today. Lots and lots of cookies. Too many cookies. Too much temptation in my house. Mouse and her troop decorated the U-Haul truck used to pick up the troop's cookies last night and enjoyed pizza after. Marty took her so I could have some alone time. I got in some reading while they were gone. </div><div><br /></div><div>There was another earthquake this past Wednesday, much closer to where I live, and so it felt bigger than the one earlier in the month even though they were the same magnitude (4.2). There was a moment in the middle of it that my husband and I looked at each other, wondering if we needed to get somewhere safer than our couch, but the earth settled back down within seconds so we stayed put. The cats weren't even bothered. It was not big enough to cause any damage fortunately. That is about the extent of anything noteworthy from my little speck of the world. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDyKhwWFByysSA0DbPYLr0h3jawVPVn-50J9wAzWR0LCfRlkxPxEIczgyHf0nFr0pDVvznW5EsFRUAdZtp1ZJMJCAB83yRa3fFGWquTe3FZ97hMtKkv_GvEXX5YCijhUWkQ1FSiwomVLjQie6HPuZzyaeLgjF3MGn3Klzo4iGUF4R4byfFSAo/s4080/PXL_20240128_050252509.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDyKhwWFByysSA0DbPYLr0h3jawVPVn-50J9wAzWR0LCfRlkxPxEIczgyHf0nFr0pDVvznW5EsFRUAdZtp1ZJMJCAB83yRa3fFGWquTe3FZ97hMtKkv_GvEXX5YCijhUWkQ1FSiwomVLjQie6HPuZzyaeLgjF3MGn3Klzo4iGUF4R4byfFSAo/s320/PXL_20240128_050252509.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gracie is as cuddly as ever.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgad0qos2PYMSYKR6riCuFfjIAAie5DKJTx13hTgyJMtqJyNTgOuMYtiVxzzMJEzmyHG4wM4uD21rd0tvAxAb7DuXEeGZ5f0zcMeQcOjIJlike0W6QQVypKVrmSiNzsYG3pyAPKWs1ZXdYVe7Zj86AdAJbckT2QsLQSBCOATNbl-M05iI_hW0VZ/s2567/PXL_20240126_230636029.MP~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2567" data-original-width="2102" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgad0qos2PYMSYKR6riCuFfjIAAie5DKJTx13hTgyJMtqJyNTgOuMYtiVxzzMJEzmyHG4wM4uD21rd0tvAxAb7DuXEeGZ5f0zcMeQcOjIJlike0W6QQVypKVrmSiNzsYG3pyAPKWs1ZXdYVe7Zj86AdAJbckT2QsLQSBCOATNbl-M05iI_hW0VZ/s320/PXL_20240126_230636029.MP~2.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"The fence is mended? I'll find another way in!"</i></div></i><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/s400/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/w400-h120/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Guess what?! I completed by Goodreads Challenge! I was determined to make it happen in January, and I kept my goal low enough so it would. This is cause for a celebration. Maybe a trip to the bookstore . . .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div id="gr_challenge_11634" style="border-radius: 10px; border: 2px solid rgb(235, 232, 213); max-width: 230px; min-height: 100px; padding: 0px 7px;">
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I currently am reading <i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i> by Shubnum Khan. I have started meeting the residents of boardinghouse and think I will enjoy my visit with them. Plus, I am eager to dive more into the history of this grand estate and it's secrets! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127464148-the-djinn-waits-a-hundred-years" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRr9ccxPcJTs1Qb98COqk7JIbeztDGoqvcy2jWUctM5qCopZsEcrW6NS6GxnmvOWErAqJ-hjyNEwKOV_Cd_W6zdVq67lZ4JjS8kpGwU9uWT4pqiwIXSMED7_f0p_ljqY8bFIYdV0hE7lPRRE3hwnNfJV32_J7U3SMpSSn4pjGX2qIYT4Y5QKu/s320/The%20Djinn%20Waits%20a%20Hundred%20Years.jpg" width="212" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What are you reading right now?</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0e-wHXbab0vACsp5pfSFg8iEXOGOGcqpPsqcxPLv-X4_QJs9MjpvzA_fnPfmqeV50FgCT1i82pZn2Z-AJMci7zGUYlWCrESBcFdrvLclWDga-sIg44bBIpodO6KCJPfW27FIR41CCgBf_dPep_yJipN803r9pp_-i3pAIcCrqHXY7KlI6YxD/s400/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0e-wHXbab0vACsp5pfSFg8iEXOGOGcqpPsqcxPLv-X4_QJs9MjpvzA_fnPfmqeV50FgCT1i82pZn2Z-AJMci7zGUYlWCrESBcFdrvLclWDga-sIg44bBIpodO6KCJPfW27FIR41CCgBf_dPep_yJipN803r9pp_-i3pAIcCrqHXY7KlI6YxD/w400-h120/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a record reading week for me. I am usually lucky to finish one book in a week, but it probably helped that I was already well into a couple of these. </div></div><div><blockquote><i>Neck craned, I squinted up between the shadowed apartments </i>~ Opening of <i style="font-style: italic;">The Witch With No Name</i></blockquote></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21911670-the-witch-with-no-name" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MG5u6fiCjgVKvGoB-sFOij3umFtVOK4c0OZC7ESSAJZ81fE2q_c1nmM5Ss-eWnuUcdGuq626_Lr3C79xHXe_xxuDIJm09kCGY1lpiNTlbjzgimYq9hKJ7fxvb9_tlN-QlXFFa4EoWQi5RDhg-TV1PD9jXdMU1BBuJIRGOAkgD920f0-i4jwK/s320/The%20Witch%20With%20No%20Name%20Harrison.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>The
The Witch With No Name </i>(The Hollows #13) by Kim Harrison</b><br />Harper Voyager, 2014<br />Fantasy; 433 pgs<br />Source: Purchased</div><br />The Hollows is one of my favorite urban fantasy series. I began the series in 2014, when I read the first book in the series, <i>Dead Witch Walking</i>, and it was all I hoped it would be. Kim Harrison created a world I could easily lose myself in, full of supernatural beings, magic, plenty of conflict and danger, mystery, and romance. Our witch protagonist, Rachel Morgan, grows considerably over the course of the books, in skill, power, and personal development. She is fiercely independent and very loyal to her friends. Her close friends and business partners, the vampire Ivy and Jenks, a pixie, have grown and evolved right alongside her. I have cried alongside Rachel when she lost friends and loved ones (a few whom I still miss), sat on the edge of my seat when the situation seems dire, and have cheered her on as she took down her enemies--or turned them into allies. Harrison has a way of making me like a character I once hated several books before. Which, given some of the characters, was not an easy task. Rachel has a strong moral compass but also realizes not everything is as clear cut as it seems. She often has to make difficult choices and decide which is the less of two evils. Her friends keep her grounded and always have her back--just as she always has theirs.<br /><br /><i>The Witch With No Name</i> was to be the final book (the blurb on Goodreads still says so) in the series and it was the perfect ending. So much of what's happened in the earlier books has lead up to this thirteenth book. The stakes couldn't be higher with souls to be saved, as old enemies face off, and with the fate of all magic on the line--not just for Cincinnati, Ohio, but everywhere. While I did think this installment of the series took a while to get off the ground, all the set-up proved worth it when things began to heat up. Once it did, the tension never let up. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride this novel took me on. For a split second I wondered what it would be like if Harry Dresden and Rachel Morgan met up, but then immediately dismissed it. They are both too hard-headed and independent to work well together. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This being the final book, there was a fairytale epilogue that made me smile--a bow to wrap up the ending. Oh, but wait! Kim Harrison decided she wasn't ready to give up on Rachel and the Hollows just yet after all--much to her fans' relief. I hope to start the 14th book, <i>American Demon</i>, soon. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*</div><div><i></i><blockquote><i>When Irina Bazili began working at Lark House in 2010, she was twenty-three years old but already had few illusions about life.</i> ~ Opening of <i>The Japanese Lover</i> </blockquote></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30299065-the-japanese-lover" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3Zp_ZclhZziUkxDaCmKyQ6k1bNPt4b30CNUgVZaGDQncVQTkK4c6lNpIO9RbP8oUbw79kBfEYJZTH4zVjpyuAtiTxvJ0EQfEciqRnNSOOtZDKAkCqE19NEi6bsRq78375vOIsHndGmfUtE6oc7Xuz808wwHbTW7lbIyemSLYvfPhnZdhSwhL/s320/Japanese%20Lover%20Allende.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The Japanese Lover</i> by Isabel Allende</b></div><div>translated by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson, </div><div>narrated by Joanna Gleason</div><div>Simon & Schuster Audio, 2015 <br /> Fiction/Historical; 338 pgs (9h 7m)</div><div>Source: Purchased</div><div><br /></div><div>Isabel Allende's <i>The House of Spirits</i> has long been on my TBR and one day I will read it. I wasn't too fond of <i>Ripper</i>, her attempt at a thriller, which I read a few years ago. But I thought perhaps something more in her usual wheelhouse might work better for me. <i>The Japanese Lover</i> was lingering in my Audible library, and I decided to give it a try. It is a sweeping novel spanning decades, taking readers back in time to 1939 through World War II and beyond to present day. </div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis, young Alma Belasco's parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family's Japanese gardener. Unnoticed by those around them, a tender love affair begins to blossom. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart as Ichimei and his family, like thousands of other Japanese Americans are declared enemies and forcibly relocated to internment camps run by the United States government. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love that they are forever forced to hide from the world.</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco's charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years. </span>[Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div><i>The Japanese Lover</i> is so rich with history. Isabel Allende is a gifted story teller, weaving together stories from the past with the present. And narrator Joanna Gleason captures it all in her narration so beautifully. At it's heart, this is a love story: of first love, forbidden love, lost love, and found love. It is about friendship and family. It is about hope and overcoming adversity. There was much I liked about <i>The Japanese Lover</i>. The characters are well fleshed out, very human in their imperfections and struggles. The characters face prejudice and discrimination. There are moments of celebration as well as great loss. The suffering the Fukuda family went through in the Utah internment camp and the impact it had on their family was devastating. Irina's backstory is gut-wrenching. What she endured . . . It's no wonder she struggles with human connection. Alma has held her own secrets close for so long, her history with Ichimei, included. I did not warm up to Alma the way I might have wanted, but I still cared about her and felt for her. </div><div> </div><div>So much happens in <i>The Japanese Lover</i>, so much that I admit I wondered if the author stuffed too much into it (the above is just the tip of the iceberg--I do not want to spoil anything though). But it was hard not to appreciate the different stories, including the side stories of secondary characters like Nathaniel, Samuel, and Lenny. Especially their stories. Even though in the backdrop, the time period plays a large part in this novel, shaping the way the lives of these characters play out. Taking the reader from present to past and back again, <i>The Japanese Lover</i> was a compelling novel. I look forward to reading more by Isabel Allende.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">*</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Vic buried her greatsword in the scalvert's skull with a meaty crunch.</i> ~ Opening of <i>Legends & Lattes</i></div><div><br /></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61242426-legends-lattes" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUr8GTdMF6Z6UEvmrM9KI29MwXYHcdMXqisY3CzuDzQEIphEZjP5vlWtfxiqyiHJIQt_hpqcv_p18J-qBdHSU_H06EC-KqPRejHLHI8E9KF_wG6PA62UBsJxnKP5_R_c4ijhwKeKpXd-1Gkh9oq4xJgw4_R1WtA7x0VaQd7nQlUfeQjInv-fz/s320/Legends%20&%20Latte.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>Legends & Lattes</i> (#1) by Travis Baldree<br />Tor, 2022<br />Fantasy/Cozy; 296 pgs<br />Source: Purchased</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Legends & Lattes</i> won my January TBR List Poll, and I loved this delightful novel more than words can say! Thank you to all who voted for it. I understand the "cozy" label. It was like curling up on the couch with a blanket, my cat on my lap, book in hand, wearing my favorite PJs, and with a mug of hot chocolate topped off with whipped cream by my side. Sorry, Viv, I am not a coffee drinker. Even so, I would love one of those cinnamon rolls! </div><div><br /></div><div>Viv, an orc, has decided to give up her life as a mercenary in order to open a coffee shop in Thune where no one has even heard of the drink. While some things seem to come together for her better than she could have hoped, unfortunately that doesn't hold true on all fronts, and she has to decide how best to confront new and old rivals. </div><div><br /></div><div>I love the world Travis Baldree has created in this novel as well as the characters. Viv is awesome in her strength and heart and I adore all her new and old friends. And Amity! I want an Amity in my life. If only just because. <i>Legends & Lattes</i> is such a heartfelt story. You can bet it will not be long before I pick up <i>Bookshops and Bonedust</i>, the prequel. I need more!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Have you read any of these three books? If so, what did you think? </b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUdIAn95XvBCi_mfofaePfHVKC3i1xsSNKCfE6cFtH61oW-7kx5poXnkhLi3zWeb95DGRWQ2hO4RVyF1eDpWuDa4caZbtrFZY2Ij5iWksjCL6GOv05ryin7J961oWxADFyorUrCJNk3iltmvi85smrHWr_a5TF9UziMFcHkcPuX8knvGVqQ/s400/From%20The%20Short%20Stack%20concept%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUdIAn95XvBCi_mfofaePfHVKC3i1xsSNKCfE6cFtH61oW-7kx5poXnkhLi3zWeb95DGRWQ2hO4RVyF1eDpWuDa4caZbtrFZY2Ij5iWksjCL6GOv05ryin7J961oWxADFyorUrCJNk3iltmvi85smrHWr_a5TF9UziMFcHkcPuX8knvGVqQ/w400-h120/From%20The%20Short%20Stack%20concept%202.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><i><br /></i></div><div>I read two short stories this week. Both happened to be tacked onto a couple of the full-length novels I finished. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>"Sudden Backtrack" by Kim Harrison</b> (Harper Voyager, 2014; Fantasy, 21 pgs) is a little gem of a story that came in the back of my copy of <i>The Witch With No Name</i>. It's the story of how the elf and demon war began. Unlike the other books in the series, this short story is told from a demon's point of view. In earlier books, the demons are often painted as the bad guys but it really isn't as simple as that. At one time, the demons were treated like slaves to the elves, kidnapped and forced to do their bidding. In "Sudden Backtrack", Al helps Newt spin a curse to turn the tables on the elves, setting the stage for the war. This story offers a side to Newt I had yet to see before; it only makes me admire her more for her strength and courage--and better understand why she is the way she is throughout the series.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was so excited to find a short story at the end of <i>Legends & Lattes</i> because I was not ready to leave Viv's world. <i><b>Pages to Fill by Travis Baldree</b></i> (Tor, 2022; Fantasy, 33 pgs) is the story of how Viv came to enjoy her first cup of coffee. She and her team of fellow mercenaries are on a job in the gnomish town of Azimuth,. Their prey proves to be a hard one to catch and gives them a run for their money. From the sounds of it, Viv has been considering leaving the mercenary life for some time, just not sure what direction to go. I like that Baldree shared this moment in her life with us--the realization of her dream. I also enjoyed seeing Viv in action, working alongside her colleagues. This was a fun story--a little extra taste of the world Baldree shared with us in the novel. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Have you read any short stories lately? If so, let me know!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2uVTmda1iijlPUaeIQxR2TfsN-HQeNXMgwvhVAmH-uX0j1uRUFIv5xpYn-4b5IZkk38ArXxj0PWPCAeYyT13Yo1ZKUKAgZBT6fTN3wenzSPNx8BuO-O2rPLIf3EwN1SLHGbW/s200/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2uVTmda1iijlPUaeIQxR2TfsN-HQeNXMgwvhVAmH-uX0j1uRUFIv5xpYn-4b5IZkk38ArXxj0PWPCAeYyT13Yo1ZKUKAgZBT6fTN3wenzSPNx8BuO-O2rPLIf3EwN1SLHGbW/s0/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>This Month In Reading Mews</i></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: 400;">
<ul><li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/top-ten-tuesday-favorite-books-read-in.html">Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books Read in 2023</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/where-is-your-bookmark-book-beginnings.html">Where Is Your Bookmark? Book Beginnings and Friday 56 of The Storm We Made</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html">Weekly Mews: My Bookish Mewsings <i>On The Bandit Queens</i> and <i>Station Eleven</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-storm.html">Weekly Mews: Bookish Mewsings on <i>The Storm We Made</i> by Vanessa Chan/Thoughts on Recent Audiobook Reads (<i>Immortal In Death</i>, <i>Rapture in Death</i>, & <i>Ceremony in Death</i>)/January's TBR Winner</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/top-ten-tuesday-bookish-goals-for-2024.html">Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2024</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/where-is-your-bookmark-peek-into-witch.html">Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek <i>Into Witch With No Name</i> / Hobbies / Well Liked Books I Didn't Like</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-hammers.html">Weekly Mews: Bookish Mewsings on <i>Hammers and Homicide</i> & Vol. 1-3 of <i>The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again, Today</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/where-is-your-bookmark-peek-into-djinn.html">Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into <i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i> & Other Friday Fun</a></li>
</ul></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a great week! </span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know what you have been reading!</span></b></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-81634807336780428412024-01-25T21:00:00.000-08:002024-01-27T15:17:47.817-08:00Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years & Other Friday Fun<div style="text-align: justify;">I just started reading <b><i style="text-align: justify;">The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></b><span style="text-align: justify;"><b>by Shubnum Khan</b>, and I am looking forward to seeing where it goes. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/185112205-the-djinn-waits-a-hundred-years" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAgInyaZWVlQqmB7kA9L0wJpWmzM0NoLMvEZshyphenhyphenYFw5MXm2OQ8KVErPxfx6X55Bjj1nIBEB5KV3jhjV_ZN3W4dAfzgx-mbjQRkEZ5aS_D8hhqA1AeKcGLSO9qyNhYTmmufU-I6X9Hq4_fOF6cejAb_iwVmnW8vnVnCFFnySXnWt6xLYR54o7V/s320/The%20Djinn%20Waits%20a%20Hundred%20Years.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><blockquote><i>Akbar Manzil was once a grand estate off the coast of South Africa. Nearly a century later, it stands in ruins: an isolated boardinghouse for eclectic misfits, seeking solely to disappear into the mansion’s dark corridors. Except for Sana. Unlike the others, she is curious and questioning and finds herself irresistibly drawn to the history of the mansion: To the eerie and forgotten East Wing, home to a clutter of broken and abandoned objects—and to the door at its end, locked for decades.<br /><br />Behind the door is a bedroom frozen in time and a worn diary that whispers of a dark past: the long-forgotten story of a young woman named Meena, who died there tragically a hundred years ago. Watching Sana from the room’s shadows is a besotted, grieving djinn, an invisible spirit who has haunted the mansion since her mysterious death. Obsessed with Meena’s story, and unaware of the creature that follows her, Sana digs into the past like fingers into a wound, dredging up old and terrible secrets that will change the lives of everyone living and dead at Akbar Manzil.<br /><br />Sublime, heart-wrenching, and lyrically stunning, </i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years<i> is a haunting, a love story, and a mystery, all twined beautifully into one young girl’s search for belonging.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/w400-h120/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. </span></span><span><span>Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas</span></span><span> of<a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Rose City Reader</a>.</span></span></div></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p>First Line of the Prologue: </p><blockquote><i>In an old wardrobe a djinn sits weeping.</i> </blockquote><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">First Line from Chapter One: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><blockquote><i>No one in Durban remembers a Christmas as hot as this. </i></blockquote></div></span></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/w400-h120/Friday+56+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of</span><span> </span><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/">Freda's Voice</a> is on a break, but Anne </span><span>of </span><a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/">My Head is Full of Books</a> has stepped in to host!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><i></i></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The two women sit together for hours in the parlor discussing the intruder upstairs in hushed voices. Grand Ammi assures Jahanara Begum that it is only a matter of time before Akbar's fascination with Meena Begum wears. Men have phases, she says, and he will soon grow weary of the novelty of dark flesh in his bed. She says history is full of such women who try to ensnare great men; women with no morals or faith to keep them in check. </i></div></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><i>Time is the enemy of these women, she says. Time reveals the fallacy of their plots. </i><span style="text-align: justify;">[excerpt from 56% of </span><i style="font-style: italic; text-align: justify;">The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i><span style="text-align: justify;">]</span></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The opening of the prologue hooked me right away. It made me want to know more. I am barely into the novel and so am not sure what is going on at the 56% mark of my e-book, but I will say I do not have a high opinion of the women talking. They sound like mean-spirited gossips. What unhappy women they must be, perhaps unsatisfied with their lots in life. I doubt Meena is any of the things Grand Ammi says she is. I cannot wait to meet her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>What do you think? Does <i>The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years</i> sound like something you would enjoy? </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/s400/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/w400-h120/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: left;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a> and<span style="text-align: left;"> Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="text-align: left;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a>.<span style="text-align: left;"> Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></span></div></span></div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><b><blockquote>Is it easier or harder to write a review for a book you loved?</blockquote></b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It depends. Sometimes it comes easy, and other times I have trouble finding the words and all I want to write is "WOW!" because I know I will not do the book justice. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Do you find it easier or harder? Or, like me, does it depend? </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2016/12/book-blogger-hop-dec-30th-jan-5th.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittg_HjCQ1sodisiALuhy_pCLVU6e7Dq2uRTGWR_81My_Tc55vGwVM1PGuksY1pXQuSBfr7-KDkbIzHbiOufsGhRsPnCQ6CcbzUg02qJjfwditEPG0HZqTklVwH5cuPyKGovzLOg/s200/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from <a href="https://btt2.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">. They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; line-height: 18.2px;">.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>How long have you gone without reading? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)</b></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>The best answer I can offer is a couple or so days maybe. Even when I am in the middle of a reading slump, I at least pick up a book to try to overcome it, even if I don't get too far. There are days when I am swamped with work, family or my daughter's activities and am so exhausted to read more than a page or two some days, but I try to find a way.</p><p><b>What about you? </b></p></div></div><div><br /> <i><b>I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!</b></i></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span>
<span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span></div>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-88361802704018259992024-01-20T23:30:00.000-08:002024-01-21T00:16:27.657-08:00Weekly Mews: Bookish Mewsings on Hammers and Homicide & Vol. 1-3 of The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again, Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6tkUhTXepp0VIn9xfvYA0N6BUZl-OXGHCwfTxn7CE0MuCaC_rM33TQYvOr3HmJZ5TNmeM30RuqcYCBriD4qiUPkgwDtf1uz4cqt4v29hpA3VK5Z6mGKPEiYFXpGCir9JhNHb/s1600/Weekly+Mews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up to the <b>Sunday Post</b> hosted by Kim of <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a> and <b>The Sunday Salon</b> (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking <b>It's Monday! What Are you Reading?</b> hosted by Kathryn of <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a> where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up</span><span> </span><b>Stacking the Shelves</b><span> hosted by Marlene of </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/">Reading Reality</a><span> a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. </span><span> </span></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>I was the first to wake up Saturday morning and curled up on the couch to do a little reading. Our next door neighbor was out fixing the fence, I noticed. His two dogs have slipped into our backyard a few times in the last couple of weeks, getting in through broken boards. I guess they won't be going on any more fieldtrips soon. It wasn't long after that when the rain began to fall. It came down steadily most of the day. Tonight we went to see the city's children's theater production of <i>Finding Nemo, Jr</i>. The kids put on a great show. We are gearing up for the Girl Scout Cookie season, which officially starts next weekend here. Busy times ahead. What are you up to this weekend? Do you have any plans for the week?</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/s400/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/w400-h120/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This past week I finished reading <i>Hammers and Homicide</i> by Paula Charles and the second and third volumes of <i>The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again</i>, <i>Today</i> by Hitsuzi Yamada. See below for my thoughts on all three. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr77uaUTOxQK3ETAYlMZnOXoxmyb34PEwtEdqYYyKPABz6eCeEgHINnZzn6IKkeLDmuFcZnLVjeHIPoz0kcjdMabVsutRZkZgwfvo4ix21Fy3z5wnkepzwGMn_XziuJqkAquugyqdwyjz6xBY6GAWHslXiSx0vZcNxWB69VsnyzWv6cpQf5fvv/s826/collage%2020240120a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="826" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr77uaUTOxQK3ETAYlMZnOXoxmyb34PEwtEdqYYyKPABz6eCeEgHINnZzn6IKkeLDmuFcZnLVjeHIPoz0kcjdMabVsutRZkZgwfvo4ix21Fy3z5wnkepzwGMn_XziuJqkAquugyqdwyjz6xBY6GAWHslXiSx0vZcNxWB69VsnyzWv6cpQf5fvv/w400-h194/collage%2020240120a.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am close to finishing <i>The Witch With No Name</i> (The Hollows #13) by Kim Harrison. I just started reading <i>Legends & Lattes</i> by Travis Baldree, which I can already tell I am going to like. I decided to go ahead and start another audiobook and settled on Isabel Allende's <i>The Japanese Lover</i>, a dual time line novel set in present day and during the Second World War. It was one of the many audiobooks I ordered when I had an Audible membership years ago. I have only read one other book by Isabel Allende and admit I didn't like it much at all, but I am enjoying this one quite a bit. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Have you read any of these books? What are you reading right now? </b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></i></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lJiNuPlPnkpKt6vLX8KDj122UB6f5beEAoWv7RFa8LUACvVPsu86ruhPrJeGQwf6VCLBlql9AWDfjvv-nZGu7F_fsUy1dpAyln8cTTvyyTvRryktEf-rTA8F_ZGCGSr8zopymspENjSXDnlXCwlhPVBRjfxZ9w4t2bpF0gUMsTkMkFfVEGFc/s400/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lJiNuPlPnkpKt6vLX8KDj122UB6f5beEAoWv7RFa8LUACvVPsu86ruhPrJeGQwf6VCLBlql9AWDfjvv-nZGu7F_fsUy1dpAyln8cTTvyyTvRryktEf-rTA8F_ZGCGSr8zopymspENjSXDnlXCwlhPVBRjfxZ9w4t2bpF0gUMsTkMkFfVEGFc/w400-h120/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" width="400" /></a><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><i></i><blockquote><i>Kicking aside a jumble of tomato cages and terra-cotta pots, I searched for a pair of gardening gloves heavy enough to tangle with the invasive milk thistle threatening to take over my herb garden.</i> ~ Opening of <i>Hammers and Homicide</i></blockquote></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/133206513-hammers-and-homicide" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="451" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCN6UdH0hHHR67cZXC_oALKVpZMz5CSnq4Dq19QVTJq75D6VlANTZZnbRKQAspqmK1mwNqiV7PTlEuZ9nMNqnEvisLMx-NlTWkInfX2J51IoFXuQy9_d2ejVtKl8i0TyOm1fx4JdvtIZc9XpFbrOBrrYP7_eYS0tSUpSoGAol9GCNfqg81We8/s320/Hammers%20and%20Homicide.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Hammers and Homicide</i> (Hometown Hardware Mystery #1) by Paula Charles</b></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">Crooked Lane Books, 2024</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">Mystery/Suspense/Cozy; 288 pgs</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><u>Source</u>: Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own. </div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">I was definitely ready for something on the lighter side after finishing <i>The Storm We Made</i> by Vanessa Chan, and <i>Hammers and Homicide</i> proved to be a great choice. Only in a cozy mystery would a book involving a murder be considered light. </div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">What drew me to this book was the older protagonist, Dawna Carpenter, a recent widow who runs her own hardware store. It's just like any other work day for Dawna until she finds a body in the shared bathroom between her store and the boutique next door. The victim turns out to be a land developer who was in town to buy the town's old theater and turn it into a hotel. The victim had made quite a few enemies in the short time he had been there. When a long time friend of Dawna's is arrested for the murder, Dawna doubles her efforts to find out what really happened, not believing her friend could have committed the crime. With the help of her daughter, there's nothing stopping Dawna, even when danger strikes even closer to home. </div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">Dawna isn't the most graceful person, nor is she a good cook, but she is a good neighbor and friend. Her daughter April recently moved back to town to work and keep an eye on her mom. I enjoyed the mother/daughter relationship Dawna and April share, with their gentle ribbing and the way they look out for each other. There's a hint of romance between the sheriff and April, perhaps something to look forward to in future books. I did find the tell for who the killer upon first meeting too obvious, but there were still unexpected moments in the book. <i>Hammers and Homicide</i> was funny and entertaining. There's even a paranormal element I hadn't been expecting!</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><b>Does <i>Hammers and Homicide</i> sound like something you would like? Have you read it? If so, what did you think?</b></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkDO6Hu5S8aPnCkjWm7Ihf7n7RGzEBwAPrd9wL33QWdpWjhPfo-foG6bYWufvFU-rL7VbK-Ehv4oGGTTBKnn5svklGQyB1MMPSmJWvW-_dW7adlDO2FEz9hSE2B3fcjKuoHunF9ukP4XaRpMMKbXxId5q2Y377y2DYMhi0DcS19xd1dz6Ew/s400/spinner%20rack%20banner%20rough%20draft.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkDO6Hu5S8aPnCkjWm7Ihf7n7RGzEBwAPrd9wL33QWdpWjhPfo-foG6bYWufvFU-rL7VbK-Ehv4oGGTTBKnn5svklGQyB1MMPSmJWvW-_dW7adlDO2FEz9hSE2B3fcjKuoHunF9ukP4XaRpMMKbXxId5q2Y377y2DYMhi0DcS19xd1dz6Ew/w400-h120/spinner%20rack%20banner%20rough%20draft.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKzEHkGfIIrCUZvz65etlf5rIdS00mzTPap0Yx4Db0xKPIi7qTcafr0YkJvA4LeUL3bJ_4GvM3fFoi9slYdC9uVDRURwEe0KNQXhIKaBCu-i1rkJEpUeQEUC49NKp0KOrgF4MKkXujqIgBEYoFBgSdKMn-PpLlW_O4UNZ1rB3ZRgFEVcFZqOd/s3098/PXL_20240120_171401509.MP~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3098" data-original-width="2069" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKzEHkGfIIrCUZvz65etlf5rIdS00mzTPap0Yx4Db0xKPIi7qTcafr0YkJvA4LeUL3bJ_4GvM3fFoi9slYdC9uVDRURwEe0KNQXhIKaBCu-i1rkJEpUeQEUC49NKp0KOrgF4MKkXujqIgBEYoFBgSdKMn-PpLlW_O4UNZ1rB3ZRgFEVcFZqOd/w268-h400/PXL_20240120_171401509.MP~2.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>My 2023 reading ended with the first volume of <b><i>The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again, Today</i> by Hitsuzi Yamada</b>, and this month I read the second and third volumes. I couldn't resist giving this series a try with a title like that. This is a cute series about Saku and her rather extraordinary cat, Yukichi. Yukichi is unusual not just in his human-like size, but in behaviors too. He walks on two legs, keeps the house spotless, cooks the most delicious meals, and does all the grocery shopping among other things. </div><div><br /></div><div>In these three volumes, the reader gets to see what life is like for Saku and Yukichi. Saku took Yukichi in when he was a small kitten. She took better care of him than she ever did of herself. She works such long hours and barely has time for anything else. Yukichi noticed this from early on and took it upon himself to grow stronger to make sure her needs were also being met. </div><div><br /></div><div>This series is full of humor and is even silly a lot of the time, but that is part of its charm. The scenes with Saku and her coworkers, as they speculate about the perfect lunches she brings to work each day, about her marriage prospects, and her life in general are amusing. Everyone knows Saku has a cat, but his skills and size are big secrets. I loved the scenes when Yukichi is the grocery store and how others react to him. Even at the birthday party of Saku's boss's niece, most people assume Yukichi is wearing a cat suit. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the first volume, I worried that at times Saku took Yukichi for granted, including all the things he does for her, but after reading the second and third volumes, I no longer feel that way. In the second volume, Saku steps in to protect Yukichi in a worrisome moment, for example, and, in volume three, the separation anxiety the two feel while Saku is away on a work retreat is very touching. It's obvious the two share a special bond.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are a couple of hints at possible romance threads that may or may not become things in future volumes. I do wish the author hadn't made weight an issue in two of the books, but given how small those scenes were, I can look past them. Overall, I am enjoying this manga series. I think my tastes run for a little more conflict and danger than this series offers, but I do want to continue with it and see what Saku and Yukichi get up to next. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcW4_PLWRGtwZ4srslK61tmXwqep1-EdTssrJVbnDNawlDafUDTqJ__MrjvELCgN2_xeQOPDz64TkkX1cAwhX7Xbi2EuxcxZ0zq_IwBORPOYOxzjHbJmXzP0dQTWPm9lE8oFMihmEzxgg5by5y4igDvVn8cIGKOnUT4RrdT1QNUrsWht8x_bT/s2942/PXL_20240120_190700717.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2914" data-original-width="2942" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcW4_PLWRGtwZ4srslK61tmXwqep1-EdTssrJVbnDNawlDafUDTqJ__MrjvELCgN2_xeQOPDz64TkkX1cAwhX7Xbi2EuxcxZ0zq_IwBORPOYOxzjHbJmXzP0dQTWPm9lE8oFMihmEzxgg5by5y4igDvVn8cIGKOnUT4RrdT1QNUrsWht8x_bT/s320/PXL_20240120_190700717.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>from my copy of </i><span style="text-align: justify;">The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again, Today Vol. 2 </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(reads right to left)</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Have you read this series? If so, what did you think? Does it sound like something you would like? </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/s400/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/w400-h120/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;">New to my shelves:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-DZZZkKr9hUDQMkO2Ygq1aFj3GvmakoqdPyD7qoEVDtyQVEGzIvuTQu18jB0GzWMDXZ2Y3CIdmLwt04kkGBFUp4kWoYyOFYIt56kvaJBFDLcVS82G3yx0_j1H6eW3SqJSyCi8uptAfojh_pSyEGI2l9tNug3qQfnOiJr88lgn8l7nKzA2LwL/s4080/PXL_20240119_012422120.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-DZZZkKr9hUDQMkO2Ygq1aFj3GvmakoqdPyD7qoEVDtyQVEGzIvuTQu18jB0GzWMDXZ2Y3CIdmLwt04kkGBFUp4kWoYyOFYIt56kvaJBFDLcVS82G3yx0_j1H6eW3SqJSyCi8uptAfojh_pSyEGI2l9tNug3qQfnOiJr88lgn8l7nKzA2LwL/w301-h400/PXL_20240119_012422120.MP.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Olga Dies Dreaming </span>by Xochitl Gonzalez</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Demon Copperhead </span>by Barbara Kingsolver</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Wrong End of the Telescope </span>by Rabih Alameddine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Remarkably Bright Creatures </span>by Shelby Van Pelt</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvuZXQ-r3ypW4NXkembwos9zWb_3o8Ls_OzilFJ-083Gp31tqIjmyAC6n0mcmmmYtUatWPd7wrunHv2ZsR51uPZQQzOn_nOKKHaYi1STWqzwjni_8cNBMPSnOc6s2X0w5lr-AnwssBa4uD8IDNbnLkwtD2xCM3ifNsbMGXDTXO-ixVcMSHd_o/s4080/PXL_20240119_015059004.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvuZXQ-r3ypW4NXkembwos9zWb_3o8Ls_OzilFJ-083Gp31tqIjmyAC6n0mcmmmYtUatWPd7wrunHv2ZsR51uPZQQzOn_nOKKHaYi1STWqzwjni_8cNBMPSnOc6s2X0w5lr-AnwssBa4uD8IDNbnLkwtD2xCM3ifNsbMGXDTXO-ixVcMSHd_o/s320/PXL_20240119_015059004.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Ghost Roast</i> by Shawnee Gibbs, Shawnelle Gibbs, and Emily Cannon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons</i> by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection__contributor" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2rem 0px;"><h3 aria-label="By: S.L. Choi" class="Text Text__title3 Text__regular" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-heading-base); font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.8rem; margin: 0.4rem 0px 0px;"></h3></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection__contributor" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2rem 0px;"><h3 aria-label="List of contributors" class="Text Text__title3 Text__regular" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-heading-base); font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.8rem; margin: 0.4rem 0px 0px;"></h3></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? What new books made it onto your shelf recently? </b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a great week! </span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know what you have been reading!</span></b></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-44790113881459476922024-01-18T21:00:00.000-08:002024-01-20T18:04:37.679-08:00Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into Witch With No Name / Hobbies / Well Liked Books I Didn't Like<div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/w400-h120/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><div><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. </span></span><span><span>Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas</span></span><span> of<a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Rose City Reader</a>.</span></span></div></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><p style="font-size: small;"> </p><blockquote><i>Neck craned, I squinted between the shadowed apartments. </i> [opening of <i>The Witch With No Name</i>]</blockquote><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Not the most informative of first sentences, but I have to wonder what Rachel is looking for. </div></span></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/w400-h120/Friday+56+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of</span><span> </span><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/">Freda's Voice</a> is on a break, but Anne </span><span>of </span><a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/">My Head is Full of Books</a> has stepped in to host!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><i></i></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>No, it didn't matter. I was not going to help Landon save the world. He'd made his choice, and it wasn't my responsibility.</i></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>But as I felt Bis's aura slip around us, I had a bad feeling I was going to have to anyway. </i> [excerpt from 42% of <i>The Witch With No Name</i>]</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I love this excerpt (chosen because this is where I am in the book at the time I am prepping this post) because it sums up just about every book in the series. Rachel is forced to come to the rescue of whoever she must save, however reluctantly, and often by the seat of her pants. This continues to be one of my favorite urban fantasy series. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21911670-the-witch-with-no-name" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4rEKdHNmA4BSZ-y9W-Z5IQGzSXNPgogKJDMbKWrgtGPX1RzT6sIehdU-kcwz5xUj3dwxj9EoepWNHz3fYMZcxm-Y1MaOfLY4WS2TK747XmMgBXLEEVWPUiPuRsOwXOXh83Kuu06gXMn2I03pA1jFi5nThMKd9QSo00h8BJLQPQ6rQQqX9W4N/w133-h200/The%20Witch%20With%20No%20Name%20Harrison.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><b><i>The Witch With No Name</i> (The Hollows #13) by Kim Harrison</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Rachel Morgan's come a long way from the clutzy runner of Dead Witch Walking. She's faced vampires and werewolves, banshees, witches, and soul-eating demons. She's crossed worlds, channeled gods, and accepted her place as a day-walking demon. She's lost friends and lovers and family, and an old enemy has become something much more.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>But power demands responsibility, and world-changers must always pay a price. That time is now.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>To save Ivy's soul and the rest of the living vampires, to keep the demonic ever after and our own world from destruction, Rachel Morgan will risk everything. </i>[Goodreads Summary]</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Have you read this series? Does it sound like something you would enjoy?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/s400/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYapGpHui0ZeakRU_A6PlAXMVRsFRQnktQpr8gQk31l7OfWK5zqGKuE0OL0HQq77CjNpgGn3AN5kmvgVMVAxUa4_JS6aBX0RG2hAcdl-dmrbbz-OHNoVBWZoJLbDnG9kRtUvl8H37__MAemDCRcSFwkq-cvQwPCyr8HK9-yO4pEn7vsIdgw/w400-h120/Tell%20me%20something%20tues%20on%20fri%20with%20cats.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: left;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a> and<span style="text-align: left;"> Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="text-align: left;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a>.<span style="text-align: left;"> Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></span></div></span></div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><b><blockquote>Besides reading, what are some of your favorite hobbies?</blockquote></b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I wish I had a more exciting answer than I do. I lead a fairly quiet life. I enjoy traveling, but get to do so little of it. There is the obvious book blogging and talking about books. I enjoy camping in the mountains (although, glamping might be the more accurate term since we stay in a cabin), going to see musicals, listening to music, singing (my soon-to-be-teenaged daughter doesn't join in my musical numbers about doing chores or having to go to school like she used to, sadly), coloring, doing puzzles, watching movies or a favorite series on television, cuddling my cats (or chasing them around the house), and spending time with my family. That last is probably my most favorite. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>What are some of your hobbies other than reading? </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xmS1ZquJ5Ipvjx0tZq757xNTQVWs8_kQFxBLVckal5ihSUPIpPwkDBox0dY38MXReUpilavaDeDxOfR5Oo8teDauu6Mj3ATqwoAyvxwNpT2xcs4loj6_C7lU9EbaD6ff3mWp/s200/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xmS1ZquJ5Ipvjx0tZq757xNTQVWs8_kQFxBLVckal5ihSUPIpPwkDBox0dY38MXReUpilavaDeDxOfR5Oo8teDauu6Mj3ATqwoAyvxwNpT2xcs4loj6_C7lU9EbaD6ff3mWp/s0/cat+spacer+1+clear.png" /></a></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2016/12/book-blogger-hop-dec-30th-jan-5th.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittg_HjCQ1sodisiALuhy_pCLVU6e7Dq2uRTGWR_81My_Tc55vGwVM1PGuksY1pXQuSBfr7-KDkbIzHbiOufsGhRsPnCQ6CcbzUg02qJjfwditEPG0HZqTklVwH5cuPyKGovzLOg/s200/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from <a href="https://btt2.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">. They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; line-height: 18.2px;">.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Have you ever loved a book that everyone else hated or a hated a book everyone else loved? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)</b></blockquote><p>Hate is such a strong word. It is easier for me to think of books I didn't care for that have received a lot of praise or accolades than to think of books I loved that everyone else hated. My go to book for this topic is usually <i>One Hundred Years of Solitude</i> by Gabriel García Márquez, which I did not care for as much as I wanted to feel otherwise. <i>The Vampire Diaries</i> television series is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine, but I couldn't stand the first book, <i>The Awakening</i>, in L.J. Smith's book series it's based on. I wanted to love the much lauded <i>Prayer for Owen Meany</i> by John Irving. I did not like it. Oscar Wilde's <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i>? Not for me. Even though <i>I</i> may not have liked any of these books, they are among the favorites for many people, and I think that's great. I was just not the right audience for them. </p><p><b>What about you? What books have you read and not liked that everyone else seems to like? Is there a book you loved that no one else liked? </b></p></div></div><div><br /> <i><b>I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!</b></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></i></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span>
<span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-70392880575563339382024-01-15T21:00:00.000-08:002024-01-15T21:00:00.131-08:00Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfocrNKAZFqH-cZzn89lhi7mIx4ilgKU28eroL1DHenu7ZPNMx-_KQupcZjDGi-3jXmkh8x-uEEjVDGvl21PAKqFrNPPbAbPlFt64PRri_9BLzgx2oH1xRGKhXQmiOHZehiKV/s320/TTT-Big2.png" width="320" /></a></div><center><i style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana at <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" style="color: #9b8c45;">The Artsy Reader Girl</a>.</span></i><br /><div></div></center><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This week's <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/">Top Ten Tuesday</a> topic is <b>Bookish Goals for 2024</b>. I am not participating in any reading challenges this year (unless you count the Goodreads Challenge, which I purposefully rigged so I would complete the challenge early in the year--I'm half way done already!), but I do have nine personal reading goals this year I would like to accomplish. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><b>Read a classic novel that has been on my to read list for longer than I can remember </b>~ I failed to meet this goal last year, but this year I hope to make it happen. Maybe I will finally read a <i>Daphne du Maurier</i> book or get to Jane Austen's <i>Mansfield Park</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Read a Big Book that has been on my TBR shelf awhile (over 700 pages)</b> ~ Frank Herbert's <i>Dune</i> comes to mind or maybe I will finally read Margaret George's <i>The Memoirs of Cleopatra</i>, which has been on my TBR an embarrassingly long time<i>.</i> I also have been considering Donna Tartt's <i>The Goldfinch</i>, <i>Anathem</i> by Neal Stephenson, <i>Drood</i> by Dan Simmons, or <i>2666 </i>by Roberto Bolaño as options too.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Read at least one nonfiction/fiction pairing</b> ~<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I read one nonfiction/fiction pairing in 2023 and it was such a good experience. I want to do it again this year. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Listen to more audiobooks</b> ~ Audiobooks are not my preferred reading format, admittedly. I am easily distracted, frequently interrupted, and prefer reading words on a page over hearing them read to me. Even so, I do enjoy audiobooks from time to time and want to integrate them more into my life. I listened to four audiobooks last year. I want to raise that to six this year. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><b>Continue catching up on my series reading project</b> ~ A never-ending project considering how many series I am in the middle of and all the news ones I start. I for sure want to catch up on Kim Harrison's <i>Hollows </i>series and Shannon Messenger's <i>Keeper of the Lost Cities</i> series this year. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Read at least three books my daughter recommends to me </b>~ Mouse and I have very similar tastes in books, and I can't wait to see what she picks for me. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Read my TBR List Poll winner each month</b> ~ I already do this but have never listed it as a goal or challenge--which technically it is. Why not make it official? At the beginning of each month, I list three books from my TBR for you to vote on, and then I read the winner. It's fun to see which book my blog visitors will pick of the three choices each month. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Catch up on posting my backlog reviews</b> ~ I used to have a feature on my blog called <i>From the Archives</i> in which I shared thoughts about books I read during my pre-blogging days--all books I had written about in my reading journal. The last two or three years, I fell behind posting reviews of some of the books I have read more recently. I would like to at least post mini reviews based on the journal notes I kept. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Stay on top of my review writing</b> ~ Just as I want to catch up with posting my old reviews, I want to stay on top of posting my thoughts on this year's reading as well. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do you have any reading goals for this year? </b></div><div><br /></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-43443401587225385602024-01-13T23:00:00.000-08:002024-01-14T00:34:48.377-08:00Weekly Mews: Bookish Mewsings on The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan/Thoughts on Recent Audiobook Reads/January's TBR Winner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6tkUhTXepp0VIn9xfvYA0N6BUZl-OXGHCwfTxn7CE0MuCaC_rM33TQYvOr3HmJZ5TNmeM30RuqcYCBriD4qiUPkgwDtf1uz4cqt4v29hpA3VK5Z6mGKPEiYFXpGCir9JhNHb/s1600/Weekly+Mews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up to the <b>Sunday Post</b> hosted by Kim of <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a> and <b>The Sunday Salon</b> (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking <b>It's Monday! What Are you Reading?</b> hosted by Kathryn of <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a> where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up</span><span> </span><b>Stacking the Shelves</b><span> hosted by Marlene of </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/">Reading Reality</a><span> a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. </span><span> </span></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>Hello again! It was a difficult week at work and the weekend couldn't get here fast enough. Can you believe we have nothing planned for this weekend? It's a blank slate. The best kind. I have finally started taking down the Christmas decorations. I may or may not get the tree down this weekend though. Mouse headed back to school this past week after her winter break, and so we are back into her regular routine. What have you been up to this weekend? </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/s400/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/w400-h120/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This week I finished reading <i>The Storm We Made</i> by Vanessa Chan and <i>Ceremony in Death</i> (#5) by J.D. Robb. See below for my thoughts on both. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am still enjoying my bedtime reading, Kim Harrison's <i>The Witch With No Name</i>, the 13th book in the Hollows series. It feels like I have been reading this one forever, but I have been saving it to savor before bed each night, and sometimes I am just too tired to read much of it at all. You know. That kind of tired where you try to keep your eyelids open but they fail to stay open no matter how hard I try--and believe me, I try! It's an intense book!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLccS50ycUdR5U8qT7GDHFDobYsWgriooDrijl8eFZ0nrP1_ruWZvzierl6pB5ZYTFNIY7GB9WBYoHpUBrzhfbSnlwttjuNM_42FEy8kjRcWEwsNJFlfZEb-1wMMOP_iVggMrtWHAqRSrRi4Vm25wo2d6YiEEg4ZKRXNzKwWeOObhJpLkYW69/s531/collage%2020240113d.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="531" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLccS50ycUdR5U8qT7GDHFDobYsWgriooDrijl8eFZ0nrP1_ruWZvzierl6pB5ZYTFNIY7GB9WBYoHpUBrzhfbSnlwttjuNM_42FEy8kjRcWEwsNJFlfZEb-1wMMOP_iVggMrtWHAqRSrRi4Vm25wo2d6YiEEg4ZKRXNzKwWeOObhJpLkYW69/s320/collage%2020240113d.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I recently started <i>Hammers and Homicide</i>, the first in a new cozy mystery series by Paula Charles, featuring an older widowed protagonist who owns a hardware store. I liked it right from the start. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What are you reading now? </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thank you to everyone who voted in my January TBR poll! I am excited about reading all three from my TBR List poll, but which one will I be reading this month? Let's find out! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3ijiDLSE1LKpSXMd065PNmiqKyJIOfgBdG0NFze6h0Lneuzhyp5T644mU8bdl9rsImchzloHefOQG6j9ben4tzT1GZ40EN2_1jZ3tKwlADKk3JzegCfQmL7El87uPFfaX8uS8TE9gsFAJEyt1kFUSPMtsFAJyHxjME2FzDjnc6R1ywOC2wgG/s391/2024-01%20chart.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="391" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3ijiDLSE1LKpSXMd065PNmiqKyJIOfgBdG0NFze6h0Lneuzhyp5T644mU8bdl9rsImchzloHefOQG6j9ben4tzT1GZ40EN2_1jZ3tKwlADKk3JzegCfQmL7El87uPFfaX8uS8TE9gsFAJEyt1kFUSPMtsFAJyHxjME2FzDjnc6R1ywOC2wgG/s320/2024-01%20chart.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Coming in with four (4) votes, is <i>The Monsters We Defy</i> by Leslye Penelope.<b> </b><i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i> by John Scalzi received twelve (12) votes. Winning with seventeen (17) votes is<b> <i>Legends & Lattes</i> (#1) by Travis Baldree</b>, which will be my next read. Thank you again to everyone who voted! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwW7UC75d1kJtV34VEE7zBqgNIxyZEU6bDWAdDyRMgb16B3rOO901UA-mKgdBltBPLuxLDXiaTJvcYfLwpZFbpINoI7VxPy-K-gFvKkVUVC5EJNwGakh0OmGwqbHXZLPT1k-lV2567Oo3y8AohZcz_NKfYigwSzsi6mgSqJwI6-akYe-CFDEz/s779/collage%2020240113a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="779" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwW7UC75d1kJtV34VEE7zBqgNIxyZEU6bDWAdDyRMgb16B3rOO901UA-mKgdBltBPLuxLDXiaTJvcYfLwpZFbpINoI7VxPy-K-gFvKkVUVC5EJNwGakh0OmGwqbHXZLPT1k-lV2567Oo3y8AohZcz_NKfYigwSzsi6mgSqJwI6-akYe-CFDEz/w400-h231/collage%2020240113a.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-style: italic;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/s1500/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1500" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/w320-h160/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">My TBR List is hosted by the awesome Michelle at<a href="http://www.becausereading.com/"> Because Reading</a>. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). </span></i></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lJiNuPlPnkpKt6vLX8KDj122UB6f5beEAoWv7RFa8LUACvVPsu86ruhPrJeGQwf6VCLBlql9AWDfjvv-nZGu7F_fsUy1dpAyln8cTTvyyTvRryktEf-rTA8F_ZGCGSr8zopymspENjSXDnlXCwlhPVBRjfxZ9w4t2bpF0gUMsTkMkFfVEGFc/s400/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lJiNuPlPnkpKt6vLX8KDj122UB6f5beEAoWv7RFa8LUACvVPsu86ruhPrJeGQwf6VCLBlql9AWDfjvv-nZGu7F_fsUy1dpAyln8cTTvyyTvRryktEf-rTA8F_ZGCGSr8zopymspENjSXDnlXCwlhPVBRjfxZ9w4t2bpF0gUMsTkMkFfVEGFc/w400-h120/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div><i>Teenage boys had begun to disappear.</i> ~ Opening of <i>The Storm We Made</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123847256-the-storm-we-made" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzlvUUgDzN1cE-GD0ABd8Kbkd329DZlgwiElOnToGJls9eTLnlqEO9xU4pyzmh0q_f1TZE0aTaFWSlztds0r6DyRE9kpUQ9HJV-MhBtz6gLH1f5G3Ob0AApW0LYmHbyE8TEemkgiKKE4q2U0W8sDWeC7QKemzi1e5y8LoX1xDCS1bOwFsdENd/s320/The%20Storm%20We%20Made%20Chan.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>The Storm We Made </i>by Vanessa Chan</b></div><div>S&S/Marysue Rucci Books, 2024</div><div>Fiction/Historical; 350 pgs</div><div><u>Source</u>: Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Storm We Made</i> is a heartbreaking and poignant novel about the Japanese occupation of Malaya during World War II. Cecily is taken in by General Fuijwara's charm, his talk of an "Asia for Asians" and the liberation of Malaya from British colonialism. Cecily has long felt discontented with her life, and working with Fuijwara awakens something inside her that gives her a sense of purpose. She thinks nothing of spying for him, believing the outcome will prove worth it in the end. </div><div><br /></div><div>The ousting of the British by the Japanese did not bring the rewards Cecily hoped for. If anything, it brought with it more suffering, fear, and violence. Cecily's guilt weighs heavily on her and only grows when her fifteen-year-old son, Abel, disappears. The family fears for the youngest daughter, Jasmin, dressing her in boys' clothes and locking her in the basement during the day for her own safety. Cecily is barely able to hold it together, and much of the household responsibilities fall on her daughter, Jujube, when Jujube is not working at the teahouse fiending off drunken Japanese soldiers. </div><div><br /></div><div>The strength of the novel is in the characters who are all fully developed, flaws and all. <i>The Storm We Made</i> follows four different characters and spans over a decade of time, from British occupied Malaya to Japanese occupied Malaya. While I did not warm to Cecily as much as I might have liked, I could understand where she was coming from and why she made the choices she made. She wanted more from life, more as a woman, and more for her family. Reading the novel, I could feel her guilt and self-blame. It felt so raw. My heart broke for all three of Cecily's children and what they suffered. I loved Jujube for her strong will and fortitude, but I also really felt for her. She takes so much on her shoulders over the course of the novel, and has to endure abuses at work and still maintain a facade, stuffing down her anger, fear and sadness. Then there is Abel, once so full of life, whose spirit is destroyed over and over due to the brutality he endures. The youngest, Jasmin, is so innocent, the joy of the family, who longs for freedom to come and go as she pleases.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was hard to find the hope in such bleak circumstances, and yet it was there now and then, glimmers of light in the form of family bonds, friendship and connection. I often found myself cursing humanity for our cruelty and lack of compassion for others as I read the pages of <i>The Storm We Made</i>. People are monsters. But then reading about how Abel and Freddie were there for each other, Takahashi's occasional small acts of kindness toward Jujube, and the joy that Jasmin and Yuki found in their friendship would remind me that kindness can exist, even in the darkest of times.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Storm We Made</i> was not an easy read in terms of subject matter and had me in tears throughout, and more so by the end. I will not soon forger this novel or its characters. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">*</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYT8uHqc8Bqx_zUF1NN05iIdrU3OaEg8QmvNw1gnfHX7J3gpZXmpnKxAvjF-WLh98nVOV365I0p8E9gNQDccW-Lh8Ujbljk2LU2WR0h1cDa41kKcvXd2uxe3g5ilBqpbmBpDsaSRg2fozNiu0e9nPxPdeoOHk7T5Mn9EH-kbXJWTg_GaHSflfb/s751/collage%2020240113c.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="751" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYT8uHqc8Bqx_zUF1NN05iIdrU3OaEg8QmvNw1gnfHX7J3gpZXmpnKxAvjF-WLh98nVOV365I0p8E9gNQDccW-Lh8Ujbljk2LU2WR0h1cDa41kKcvXd2uxe3g5ilBqpbmBpDsaSRg2fozNiu0e9nPxPdeoOHk7T5Mn9EH-kbXJWTg_GaHSflfb/w400-h213/collage%2020240113c.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>New York Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas is tenacious, strong-willed and extremely independent, and by her side is the filthy rich self-made businessman love of her life, Roarke. The two are quite the pair. He is extremely protective (but respectfully so) and she doesn't always take that very well. Eve is surrounded by competent and loyal friends and colleagues who are just as skilled at their jobs and she is. Peabody is one of my favorite characters, aside from Eve and Roarke. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am coming into the <i>In Death</i> series later than most, and have (very) slowly been making my way through the series. In December I was able to fit in two J.D. Robb novels, <i>Immortal in Death</i> and <i>Rapture in Death, and </i>this month I listened to <i>Ceremony in Death</i>. It is a fun series with a good mix of suspense and romance. Given the 2058 setting with some of the scientific advancements in the book there is a bit of science fiction added in too. I enjoy Susan Ericksen's reading of the books. She is the voice of Eve and Roarke for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>Immortal in Death</i> (#3) by J.D. Robb, narrated by Susan Ericksen</b> (Brilliance Audio, 1996; Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/SciFi/Romance) </div><div><i></i><blockquote><i>Getting married was murder.</i> ~ Opening of <i>Immortal in Death</i></blockquote></div><div><i>Immortal in Death</i> takes Lieutenant Eve Dallas deep into the high fashion industry in search of a killer who took the life of a top model. With her best friend as the prime suspect, Eve will stop at nothing to get to the truth. I enjoyed getting to know Mavis a little better in <i>Immortal in Death</i>. The whodunit came as no surprise, but it was still fun to see Eve and her team connect all the dots and figure it out. There was spice and plenty of suspenseful action scenes to keep me listening. </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>Rapture in Death</i> (#4) by J.D. Robb, narrated by Susan Ericksen</b> (Brilliance Audio, 1996; Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/SciFi/Romance) </div><div><i></i><blockquote><i>The alley was dark and stank of piss and vomit. </i>~ Opening of <i>Rapture in Death</i></blockquote></div><div>Suicide or murder? Lieutenant Eve Dallas suspects the recent suicide of three prominent people who seemingly go happily to their deaths are not what they seem, and the small burns on a couple of the brains confirm her suspicions. Eve and her team are on the trail of a dangerous killer--trying to find out who is behind the murders and exactly how the killer strikes. </div><div><br /></div><div>Leave it to Eve to make work for herself on her honeymoon. In <i>Rapture in Death</i>, there is more focus on Eve's childhood, which we already know was an abusive one. J.D. Robb pulls no punches in describing the horribleness of it all. It's all the more clear why Eve is the way she is and why she doesn't trust so easily. There was one scene involving Roarke that had me cringing in particular, especially given Eve's past--when he gives her a tranquilizer without her consent. Yes, she really needed the rest, but it doesn't make it okay. I guessed the who from the moment of introduction, which seems to be a given with this series. Still, it was an enjoyable read overall. </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><i>Ceremony in Death</i> (#5) by J.D. Robb, narrated by Susan Ericksen</b> (Brilliance Audio, 1997; Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/SciFi/Romance) </div><div><i></i><blockquote><i>Death Surrounded her.</i> ~ Opening of <i>Ceremony in Death</i></blockquote></div><div>Lieutenant Eve Dallas is assigned to investigate the death of a fellow police officer. Her investigation leads her into the world of Wiccans and Satanists and the stakes have never been higher for Eve. I enjoyed <i>Ceremony in Death</i> a little less than I have the others, but I still enjoyed it. It was action packed with some spice interspersed here and there. I really don't want to like Roarke as much as I do sometimes, but he certainly is charming and good for Eve. Considering how much trouble she finds herself in, it's good he's around to help. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think?</b></div></div><div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/s400/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/w400-h120/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;">New to my shelves:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ajDDjKkN2MP7Wh_skZ3FcIWouE5_eDXu_1PHL0IssTyWTxDcW1ea4DSlQsQtdq1snO9gxVCKnXhdDu7pFIKTQsLssi74MbP3yvGG8d3_eDCEFykWmKHPIGvdLxF8gFbxKS9v0YF4sHX_l0MziqQorCiuEdmAd9VAYMMwbc_2xodz9-92ex7b/s692/collage%2020240113b.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="676" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ajDDjKkN2MP7Wh_skZ3FcIWouE5_eDXu_1PHL0IssTyWTxDcW1ea4DSlQsQtdq1snO9gxVCKnXhdDu7pFIKTQsLssi74MbP3yvGG8d3_eDCEFykWmKHPIGvdLxF8gFbxKS9v0YF4sHX_l0MziqQorCiuEdmAd9VAYMMwbc_2xodz9-92ex7b/w391-h400/collage%2020240113b.png" width="391" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><u>Recent e-additions to TBR</u>:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><i>The Echo of Old Books</i> by Barbara Davis </span>(gift card purchase)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Babel</i> by R.F. Kuang (gift card purchase)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Lies and Other Love Languages</i> by Sonali Dev </span><span style="text-align: left;">(gift card purchase)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Dead Before Dinner</i> (Maddie Swallows #1) by Kat Bellemore (free)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Dead Upon Arrival</i> (Maddie Swallows #2) by Kat Bellemore (free)</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzTSCFr86zVLjDD0eT6RG0nroHMTioe9ddOH43ZmNFehyyJr53-bNnSW75kzvMd_P7E7WqCRo72trQBzxm1Vomc1TnGCdOdp7c3QTczXQ34qVfZk_oA6tzFD-Pm2Os11bI0-GYCh88aweX_IhYGMXOhHfR5datnE74y5yWJhKbdhyGeWjDoCw/s3794/PXL_20240109_010820038.MP~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2223" data-original-width="3794" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzTSCFr86zVLjDD0eT6RG0nroHMTioe9ddOH43ZmNFehyyJr53-bNnSW75kzvMd_P7E7WqCRo72trQBzxm1Vomc1TnGCdOdp7c3QTczXQ34qVfZk_oA6tzFD-Pm2Os11bI0-GYCh88aweX_IhYGMXOhHfR5datnE74y5yWJhKbdhyGeWjDoCw/w400-h234/PXL_20240109_010820038.MP~2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u>My latest TBR additions</u>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Above Ground: Poems</i> by Clint Smith</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Fragile Threads of Power </i>(#1) by V.E. Schwab (gift card purchase)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Galatea by Madeline Miller (gift card purchase)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIyXzG4V3KW7gPsNmG7mQ9O5TjNO8hqWHiFrAIq9S_kng7eCZpcYSJSrLGKGJ5V-fDc2YYBWfUHcgxMd3KDE6WgVVHa52x725L-mR4FBtLRLgAa6n0TeH-EcXVWJlHI7oQbBzwaVx9hJ-oa1Ciehyphenhyphen7fm4V1tEOZ9erYsvnGlO-BkEz8Rz3bf9/s4080/PXL_20240109_010957740.MP~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2348" data-original-width="4080" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIyXzG4V3KW7gPsNmG7mQ9O5TjNO8hqWHiFrAIq9S_kng7eCZpcYSJSrLGKGJ5V-fDc2YYBWfUHcgxMd3KDE6WgVVHa52x725L-mR4FBtLRLgAa6n0TeH-EcXVWJlHI7oQbBzwaVx9hJ-oa1Ciehyphenhyphen7fm4V1tEOZ9erYsvnGlO-BkEz8Rz3bf9/w400-h230/PXL_20240109_010957740.MP~2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u>Mouse's latest additions to her TBR</u>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Ace of Spades</i> by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Blood Debts</i> (#1) by Terry Benton-Walker</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I Must Betray You</i> by Ruta Sepetys</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection__contributor" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2rem 0px;"><h3 aria-label="By: S.L. Choi" class="Text Text__title3 Text__regular" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-heading-base); font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.8rem; margin: 0.4rem 0px 0px;"></h3></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection__contributor" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2rem 0px;"><h3 aria-label="List of contributors" class="Text Text__title3 Text__regular" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-heading-base); font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.8rem; margin: 0.4rem 0px 0px;"></h3></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>What new books made it onto your shelf recently? </b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <b><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a great week ! </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know what you have been reading!</span></b></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-89563845145787846712024-01-06T20:00:00.000-08:002024-01-06T20:16:12.989-08:00Weekly Mews: My Bookish Mewsings On The Bandit Queens and Station Eleven (And Please Vote in my TBR Poll!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6tkUhTXepp0VIn9xfvYA0N6BUZl-OXGHCwfTxn7CE0MuCaC_rM33TQYvOr3HmJZ5TNmeM30RuqcYCBriD4qiUPkgwDtf1uz4cqt4v29hpA3VK5Z6mGKPEiYFXpGCir9JhNHb/s1600/Weekly+Mews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up to the <b>Sunday Post</b> hosted by Kim of <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a> and <b>The Sunday Salon</b> (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking <b>It's Monday! What Are you Reading?</b> hosted by Kathryn of <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a> where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope your January has gotten off to a good start. I had Monday off from work, but was back for the rest of the week. There was a last minute training scheduled, but other than that, it was business as usual. We had a little excitement Friday with a minor earthquake (4.2 magnitude) that shook the house. What have you been up to this week? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/s400/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/w400-h120/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This past week I read <i>The Bandit Queens </i>by Parini Shroff (see my thoughts below). My before bed read continues to be <b><i>The Witch With No Name</i> (The Hollows #13) by Kim Harrison</b>. It's been quite a tense read so far! I am also reading <b><i>The Storm We Made</i> by Vanessa Chan</b>, which is proving to be a poignant and emotional read.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1RJ4yyqY9AKWvT02MjFqnHAK84h-rzNqY_kXkXNWOpZLVT8cX9vSSSwvW-HvTsv04oH1D8AGY09OjE2rK4F6gHZ1aQC-WGTZLfXxnpYbvjD_mu1EcG0l-RvUkaMyCLD9sdzSHROOXkk3q2Uw4htBQjH9Zm_rwuTO5yxd3itZDnxqwmQPmvpV/s532/collage%2020240106a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="532" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1RJ4yyqY9AKWvT02MjFqnHAK84h-rzNqY_kXkXNWOpZLVT8cX9vSSSwvW-HvTsv04oH1D8AGY09OjE2rK4F6gHZ1aQC-WGTZLfXxnpYbvjD_mu1EcG0l-RvUkaMyCLD9sdzSHROOXkk3q2Uw4htBQjH9Zm_rwuTO5yxd3itZDnxqwmQPmvpV/s320/collage%2020240106a.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>What are you reading at the moment?</b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/s1500/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2GmjYNv6uKvHDyTG_-K78qxotwcxL64q59OzEcMHEyXGxYflhAI7Wms3PSGVDlYJW44-4XaRAmwtuhqdEC8dDvRm0Gwwu1cLjp-R9y3X_J4mhIZuaHXleOQcZRfVANOC27vQ/w400-h200/MyTBRlistNEW.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">My TBR List was the idea of Michelle at<a href="http://www.becausereading.com/"> Because Reading</a>, and while Michelle has not been hosting this monthly event for some time now, it's one of my favorite traditions that I cannot bring myself to give up. It's just too much fun! The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books from my TBR pile I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). </span></i></div></i></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When I went to my TBR shelves this week to see which three books to include in this month's TBR List Poll, I found four for consideration. So, I enlisted the help of my husband and daughter to narrow it down to three. Of course, they both chose a different book to remove. And they each had solid reasons for their picks. I assured them I still plan to read all four--someday--but for now, these are the three that are in this month's TBR List poll. Maybe the unchosen book will make it into next month's poll! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Which of these three books do you think I should read next? Have you read any of them? If so, what did you think? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61219635-legends-lattes" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl-4dkhm3dqYtm5GE_vHfHBUDIyR-F-AfAqVsLU2CPzBGsQBIMnBTzoPM2ZmAfOJZ-FmGUipSSrkA4eg3MjYE0o4itl2K1KOpB7mlawQEu3prgadxTIfG3yqP3XhG8MUZ0B-Wv_tcsNhJn84IHEECsiqfeLGzR7fS0XfD1o5RlICyb9LLSWfZ/s320/PXL_20240106_003728603.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><b><i>Legends & Lattes</i> (#1) by Travis Baldree</b><br /><blockquote><i>
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
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The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
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If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.
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But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59801784-the-monsters-we-defy" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2KGh3w1aZ0ihz7eoJCGgxFICDF57rzyjiBi3fh5a1m19kFpUghEoChtue72GXL6IJQkbyKvbK8WRJNj3Zl07BTcsgY056S10cTF4FZycGliRG3RSOhLuSjhyHhXoHiNi1GaXnUssm2pqbwZ2G0X0Wq5UmoI1eRdhsVJyOlnUb2H4HIRBMS_T/s320/PXL_20240106_004256434.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><b><i>The Monsters We Defy</i> by Leslye Penelope</b><br /><blockquote><i>
A woman able to communicate with spirits must assemble a ragtag crew to pull off a daring heist to save her community in this timely and dazzling historical fantasy that weaves together African American folk magic, history, and romance.
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In the summer of 1925, along Washington, DC’s “Black Broadway”, a malevolent entity has begun preying on Negro residents. Twenty-three-year-old Clara Johnson is determined to discover what’s going on in her community. Using her natural ability to talk with spirits, she begins to investigate, but a powerful spirit tasks her with a difficult quest: steal an ancient, magical ring from the finger of a wealthy socialite.
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When Clara meets Israel Lee, a supernaturally enhanced jazz musician also vying for the ring, the two decide to work together. They put together an unlikely team including a former circus freak, a pickpocketing Pullman Porter, and an aging vaudeville actor to pull off an impossible heist.
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But a dangerous spirit interferes at every turn and conflict in the spirit world is leaking out into the human world. With different agendas, even if Clara and Israel pull off the heist, only one of them can truly win.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693406-the-kaiju-preservation-society" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlXXdpYPtuoVwCKAlz-5TPozlaidu74lEMCUPqoXkYUxbbum1NyDo2aEAYD8ygatZltf15p3YtGgteNHOW5ZiqvhlV6_UmQnLVaVu0GBnY1U5ccNgoIum2CkPTKfR5lNMOPMwwZsv1r0qIDzmo1kgqM19n9CvevgmhsRhWcCJyC1T4V2WqBPW/s320/PXL_20240106_003928697.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><b><i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i> by John Scalzi</b><br /><blockquote><i>
When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls "an animal rights organization." Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.
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What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble.
<br /><br />
It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that's found its way to the alternate world. Others have, too--and their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="462" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSet1ZwW3n0H6h-vdxJpwRPT_D64Q-z4Dsn9TjhLNrNUHrBgTQ/viewform?embedded=true" width="500">Loading…</iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Thank you for voting!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lJiNuPlPnkpKt6vLX8KDj122UB6f5beEAoWv7RFa8LUACvVPsu86ruhPrJeGQwf6VCLBlql9AWDfjvv-nZGu7F_fsUy1dpAyln8cTTvyyTvRryktEf-rTA8F_ZGCGSr8zopymspENjSXDnlXCwlhPVBRjfxZ9w4t2bpF0gUMsTkMkFfVEGFc/s400/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lJiNuPlPnkpKt6vLX8KDj122UB6f5beEAoWv7RFa8LUACvVPsu86ruhPrJeGQwf6VCLBlql9AWDfjvv-nZGu7F_fsUy1dpAyln8cTTvyyTvRryktEf-rTA8F_ZGCGSr8zopymspENjSXDnlXCwlhPVBRjfxZ9w4t2bpF0gUMsTkMkFfVEGFc/w400-h120/Bookish%20Mewsings%20clean.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The women were arguing.</i> ~ Opening of <i>The Bandit Queens</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61065982-the-bandit-queens" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="1875" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2qVxso358Yo-S-x9zy_YI8wWIZjOh_3IuoAZ22PopUBs3ulWiUZZF-EDQI9QFDT-5ckb8H7DWkGpBu8gY5hgF4C0SjtYV9i2BUknA8AkuIrt6YUzzd0gDllZ7eEh8qaLY8d4_F2nsJFJleE1UAdOSygf5zmnRjIHUFcCM3S2w6p0ek-9awhv/s320/The%20Bandit%20Queens%20Shroff.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>The Bandit Queens</i> by Parini Shroff</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ballantine Books, 2023</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fiction/Suspense/Thriller; 342 pgs</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Source</u>: Purchased for Self</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I fell into <i>The Bandit Queens</i> very quickly and had a hard time putting it down. This darkly humorous novel is about an outcast Indian woman whose husband disappeared five years before. Rumors abound in her small village that she killed him, and she has since developed a reputation, some even referring to her as a <i>churel</i>, similar to a witch but more of a demonic ghost of a wronged or vengeful woman. Even children fear her. Despite this, Geeta has created a life for herself, one in which she is a "self-made" woman, earning her own money and controlling her own life. When one of the village women comes to her for help to get rid of her abusive husband, Geeta at first refuses. She has no real experience in killing anyone, no matter what they think. However, she is soon convinced she has little choice but to aid in his demise. And, unfortunately for Geeta, that won't be the last time someone asks her for help in getting rid of a bad husband. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Geeta is as resourceful and fiercely independent. I loved her as a character and really felt for her in her situation. Marital status and having children is highly valued in her community. She and her husband were not able to have children, and with him now gone, she suffers the judgement of those around her. I especially like seeing a character grow over the course of a novel, and it was no different with Geeta. She becomes more self-confident as the story progresses. She begins to assert herself more, stand up for herself, and realize she deserves good things in life too. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>Some of my favorite scenes in the novel were the interactions between Geeta and her fellow loan group members, all women who are trying to improve their life-circumstances, including her former best friend, Saloni. Even with their differences, when push came to shove, all the women were there for one another. Each of the women in the group were well developed as characters with their own backstories and life struggles. It's true most of the men in the novel were questionable, if not downright horrible. But there were some good men, including Saleem. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, but my absolute favorite scene in the novel is when Geeta rescues the dogs, including taking one home with her, however reluctantly. I don't want to say more for spoiler reasons, but it was heartwarming and funny even if tense. </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Even with its humor, <i>The Bandit Queens</i> has a more serious side, touching on topics related to women's issues (motherhood and women's rights) as well as the roles politics, patriarchy, poverty, caste, and class play in society. Parini Shroff also weaves customs, local superstitions, and folklore into her novel, which helped give the reader an overall feel for the village and everyday life. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Throughout the novel, references are made by Geeta about her role model, the real life Bandit Queen, Phoolan Devi, an Indian woman who had become a politician and activist later in her life, before she was assassinated in 2001. Devi's early life was fraught with hardship; she was the victim of violence and assault many times over. She sought revenge on the men who mistreated and raped her. She became a hero to many, even as she served time in prison for her crimes. While Phoolan Devi's story is not an actual character in the novel, however, the idea of her, the way Geeta tries to emulate her, is ever present and was clearly part of the author's inspiration in writing this book.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I enjoyed <i>The Bandit Queens</i> quite a bit for the characters and overall story. The author does a good job of balancing the humor with the serious. This was a great book to start the year off with.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The king stood in a pool of blue light, unmoored.</i> ~ Opening of <i>Station Eleven</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21792828-station-eleven" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcv2eLNWnGLIkURHHIE9XXRFgEhChjnPqROvEdUKT1zK9QnjyqfxDdz4uTgkuM6WvELlCgIMtwS499z5UeCQLnrBpYKKnMxU5wFAbqkFvYTjofIZlx1AS9XBgQp6SI78xyENGaT8hwwyvRbkCo9h_OXTBqVYpo_Gc-GVeHMU9D4vY6n67-G4O/s320/Station%20Eleven.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>Station Eleven</i> by Emily St. John Mandel</b>
<br />
Knopf, 2014
<br />
Fiction/Science Fiction; 354 pgs
<br />
<u>Source</u>: Purchased for Self
<br /> <br />
I did not get a chance to share my thoughts on November's TBR List Poll winner, <i>Station Eleven</i>, before the year was out, but thought I would do so now. It is probably the most popular of Emily St. John Mandel's novels, but not my first by her. <br /> <br /><i>Station Eleven</i> was one of my favorite books read in 2023 for the writing and the way the author wove the threads of the characters individual stories together. The story is not told in a linear fashion, but goes back and forth in time, sharing the perspectives of multiple characters and their life experiences. The novel opens in a theater during a production of <i>King Lear</i>. The lead actor collapses on stage and a paramedic in training rushes to his aid. A young child actress looks on as efforts to save the man fail. That same night, a pandemic spreads rapidly across the globe and society crumbles. Fifteen years later, society is barely a shadow of what it once was. People are surviving as best they can. Our once young actress is now grown up and a part of the Traveling Symphony which roams across the wasteland, hoping to spread art and humanity from place to place. We also follow the man who tried to save the actor on stage that fateful night, the actor's first and second wives, and his oldest friend. There is an underlying tension within the novel as the threat of a self-proclaimed Prophet and his followers grows, and as troupe members from the Symphony begin to disappear. <br /> <br />This is very much a character driven story. It is less science fiction and more literary fiction, encapsulating the individual experiences of the characters and their daily lives. The pandemic wiped out about 99.9% of humans and those that remain are scattered all over. People are doing what they can to survive amongst the lawlessness. The sense of despair is all too real. There are those who remember the past--what time was like before and try to hold onto it as best they can--and those who do not remember at all. It was hard not to think of how much we take for granted as I read this novel. Flipping a light switch to turn on the lights, for example. Then there are the things or situations that seem big in the moment, but are meaningless when the world falls apart. <br /> <br />I would not have thought I would be invested in Arthur Leander's life as he rose from obscurity to fame as an actor, but I was. I think it was more because of the other characters and their connection to him. I was particularly taken with Kirsten, the young actress, and also by Arthur's best friend. And then there was the first wife, Miranda, whose story touched me most of all. <br /> <br />I cannot help but wonder how differently, if at all, this novel would have impacted me had I read it pre-real-life-pandemic. The fear and panic in the early days of our current Pandemic came back to me as I read <i>Station Eleven</i>. Fortunately, our world did not fall apart the way it did in this novel, but it is hard not to imagine that it could.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Have you read either of these books? Is so, what did you think? </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: center;"> <b><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a great week ! </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know what you have been reading!</span></b></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com72tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-82356325762118979312024-01-04T21:00:00.000-08:002024-01-04T21:00:00.142-08:00Where Is Your Bookmark? Book Beginnings and Friday 56 of The Storm We Made<div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/s400/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UD83d-trDXM6vIGzuRUxw3nm6PGnTwFnrO8UpoW5YM7kmV_gq1tDx5erkes8QDQNSwapo2GJlXOtafa3d3evhyphenhyphenftsagE8zQ3upVFuCMdaMw5_TkPM8vNTZz6PcVLUo7qt1MA/w400-h120/Book+Beginnings+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. </span></span><span><span>Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas</span></span><span> of<a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Rose City Reader</a>.</span></span></div></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i></i><blockquote><i>Teenage boys had begun to disappear. </i> [opening of <i>The Storm We Made</i>]</blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/s400/Friday+56+clear.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpdHYE_HHlpEP_R-Rxj1F0LN0FIXES2ztdXFfdtwPxLj5eDJUWCxDSSqRHcvscijIYk1yiE6GTBxrFbxAjHLBTRNEAlECyiwDBeeqgt4Hz3a7mJRcCQhzWiV8PhIMA7SjJfFH/w400-h120/Friday+56+clear.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span>A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of</span><span> </span><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/">Freda's Voice</a> is on a break, but Anne </span><span>of </span><a href="https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/">My Head is Full of Books</a> has stepped in to host!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i></i><blockquote><i>Toddy was easier. It helped him reach inside himself for the simplicity of inaction; it curbed the urge inside of him that always wanted to strive for better. Because the only thing to reach for in the miserable life he'd been given was survival. So he stumbled back to the nearest tree he could find and poured the bottle down his throat. Toddy helped him survive.</i> [excerpt from 56% of <i>The Storm We Made</i>]</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>I just started reading <b><i>The Storm We Made </i>by Vanessa Chan</b>, which I have been excited to start. From the opening line, I can tell this book will be a heartbreaking. I have not yet reached the 56% mark, but pulled an excerpt to share with you. I can read--almost feel--the hopelessness the character must be feeling. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60211228-the-storm-we-made" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61PnfCzsSq3QtMt27JlksyyA5RfMoPq8AoXXIFlhqk33g_U1lqOI0093bA7woQOANrpFwrl1bToN3nwUdXE9UiMM7neKnM0HRftoBqLU0Ktzxm6rBpQmpNxj6V3uGrFHZVCSmIjTpZC3fWVGRtbkU9nkQYQ5nhWDca6LbQ5H9J4CN8IM7gAkD/s320/The%20Storm%20We%20Made%20Chan.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><blockquote><i>A spellbinding, sweeping novel about a Malayan mother who becomes an unlikely spy for the invading Japanese forces during WWII—and the shocking consequences that rain upon her community and family.<br /><br />Malaya, 1945. Cecily Alcantara’s family is in terrible danger: her fifteen-year-old son, Abel, has disappeared, and her youngest daughter, Jasmin, is confined in a basement to prevent being pressed into service at the comfort stations. Her eldest daughter Jujube, who works at a tea house frequented by drunk Japanese soldiers, becomes angrier by the day.<br /><br />Cecily knows two things: that this is all her fault; and that her family must never learn the truth.<br /><br />A decade prior, Cecily had been desperate to be more than a housewife to a low-level bureaucrat in British-colonized Malaya. A chance meeting with the charismatic General Fuijwara lured her into a life of espionage, pursuing dreams of an “Asia for Asians.” Instead, Cecily helped usher in an even more brutal occupation by the Japanese. Ten years later as the war reaches its apex, her actions have caught up with her. Now her family is on the brink of destruction—and she will do anything to save them.<br /><br />Spanning years of pain and triumph, told from the perspectives of four unforgettable characters, The Storm We Made is a dazzling saga about the horrors of war; the fraught relationships between the colonized and their oppressors, and the ambiguity of right and wrong when survival is at stake.</i> [Goodreads Summary]</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>Does this book interest you? Have you read it? What book do you have your bookmark in now?</b><div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> <i><b>I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading!</b></i></span></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024 </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span></div>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-90816776827717310462024-01-01T21:00:00.000-08:002024-01-01T21:00:00.135-08:00Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books Read in 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfocrNKAZFqH-cZzn89lhi7mIx4ilgKU28eroL1DHenu7ZPNMx-_KQupcZjDGi-3jXmkh8x-uEEjVDGvl21PAKqFrNPPbAbPlFt64PRri_9BLzgx2oH1xRGKhXQmiOHZehiKV/s320/TTT-Big2.png" width="320" /></a></div><center><i style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana at <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" style="color: #9b8c45;">The Artsy Reader Girl</a>.</span></i><br /><div></div></center><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This week's <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/">Top Ten Tuesday</a> topic is the <b>Favorite Books Read in 2023</b>, which is one of my favorites. I enjoy seeing everyone's lists this time of year. I am often encouraged to move a book up on my TBR when I see it listed as someone's favorite or add it to my wish list. I cannot wait to see which books you loved in 2023!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I read many great books this year, but these are the ones that stand out the most as I look back on the past year. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gCTFoAe8xlIk121S8Q1SaN9zWfN3kFWBzlu2GHcVSwdi6q5UrcGxq3I4aWiojMkrx-5os7A-B2nYLTL2rkZ8volgYYtE4stbp15ILjRFKcdwuGs2EiXEpbaI-O9kthl5MdPo7srC879XNPbnWrD-oKZCnX40IUCXNYgJLzJ0PX5XBqIDY-5k/s400/Emily%20Wilde's%20Encyclopaedia%20of%20Faeries.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gCTFoAe8xlIk121S8Q1SaN9zWfN3kFWBzlu2GHcVSwdi6q5UrcGxq3I4aWiojMkrx-5os7A-B2nYLTL2rkZ8volgYYtE4stbp15ILjRFKcdwuGs2EiXEpbaI-O9kthl5MdPo7srC879XNPbnWrD-oKZCnX40IUCXNYgJLzJ0PX5XBqIDY-5k/s320/Emily%20Wilde's%20Encyclopaedia%20of%20Faeries.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries</i> (#1) by Heather Fawcett</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqJUCJHMaQ_5OZ6pjhXM2khRtDDDwUodB3iS9H2SHARXkGCBnmIfjNPxbcB0jhNVRI-H2GtNIFeYHYGB3zLa7-e7EQ_WazPdMG30mC49hJPUuTzNpcXUkZ60gNljAzyYlsoLmNW4ZpBUOqEMe-yvfQNoxP7-3C_2Ji7ji2of2zbjxGm5egKs-/s2361/Yellowface.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2361" data-original-width="1560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqJUCJHMaQ_5OZ6pjhXM2khRtDDDwUodB3iS9H2SHARXkGCBnmIfjNPxbcB0jhNVRI-H2GtNIFeYHYGB3zLa7-e7EQ_WazPdMG30mC49hJPUuTzNpcXUkZ60gNljAzyYlsoLmNW4ZpBUOqEMe-yvfQNoxP7-3C_2Ji7ji2of2zbjxGm5egKs-/s320/Yellowface.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="font-style: normal;"><i>Yellowface</i> by R.F. Kuang</div></div></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9eZpDHqf2DW_kVHDS5KFljzh-diQ8KJaHgsbw5AWaEJeidOHUnENiuh-8xwNOEKVHHTMuJ6JF5yg_a7sTJwTfOWIN3aZaQsrQsgf1hrlewzpamHPAD6zYp1ZLzO_xebAMR1pONsA58L0HZOywrhEvZjXx_IATCdkxUpEhYEwHg1IAQA-pE8V/s475/A%20Darker%20Shade%20of%20Magic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9eZpDHqf2DW_kVHDS5KFljzh-diQ8KJaHgsbw5AWaEJeidOHUnENiuh-8xwNOEKVHHTMuJ6JF5yg_a7sTJwTfOWIN3aZaQsrQsgf1hrlewzpamHPAD6zYp1ZLzO_xebAMR1pONsA58L0HZOywrhEvZjXx_IATCdkxUpEhYEwHg1IAQA-pE8V/s320/A%20Darker%20Shade%20of%20Magic.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A Darker Shade of Magic</i> (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab</div></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLl8E8obqNo_pRQWK-3KJJpJWPLzMyg2JmKYn7FCEV7XZsjCIS8HSDJXIdt6DGct6v8YwUvqO7v1LrsIm7sPDU8N_uBuAJOcZYGcH5me4RWgK5aQSaznpbnKEZfs9eX9dqmoJljA__CfKcqkJ3DMmGJhikgjByh5kIDhJ-qq8FEbh_hsbK6Q_/s1200/The%20woman%20within.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLl8E8obqNo_pRQWK-3KJJpJWPLzMyg2JmKYn7FCEV7XZsjCIS8HSDJXIdt6DGct6v8YwUvqO7v1LrsIm7sPDU8N_uBuAJOcZYGcH5me4RWgK5aQSaznpbnKEZfs9eX9dqmoJljA__CfKcqkJ3DMmGJhikgjByh5kIDhJ-qq8FEbh_hsbK6Q_/s320/The%20woman%20within.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Moon Within</i> by Aida Salazar</div></i></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGYIX-YbjywmWRPI_FD8VQNwJ3YldsSWX-cRbtVyjA1GOEtkUdfffYGpNzj4IsicpX7MN9RLxHuYU5cmNl4pn0t4oJcBUkRVMv5LMYmnA1OgAmGQqRfYnXfWTUTrXm_SWIbdHiWryui4-jnjHN4lSTv2zf69XhhFIT2TId2fxu7MM4DhJx-dA/s463/Station%20Eleven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGYIX-YbjywmWRPI_FD8VQNwJ3YldsSWX-cRbtVyjA1GOEtkUdfffYGpNzj4IsicpX7MN9RLxHuYU5cmNl4pn0t4oJcBUkRVMv5LMYmnA1OgAmGQqRfYnXfWTUTrXm_SWIbdHiWryui4-jnjHN4lSTv2zf69XhhFIT2TId2fxu7MM4DhJx-dA/s320/Station%20Eleven.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>Station Eleven</i> by Emily St. John Mandel</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBf94zHfJ7w2tE-dAEiT9xm77IETx5j-7yLmWBtp-HSES_Gj7MyRYEKXsVgZfBO0RgttPNTQAaTNH0DByqV5WfGrRu1eWovwwTegw4AyeJXh0p-c7LnDKQ2t8Ptvg4vZVBtiMEMEJDl2SyeGIQkiUrBbSFarHsEJIrmdzCwtu0rsumWb346sv/s400/Vera%20Wong%E2%80%99s%20Unsolicited%20Advice%20for%20Murderers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBf94zHfJ7w2tE-dAEiT9xm77IETx5j-7yLmWBtp-HSES_Gj7MyRYEKXsVgZfBO0RgttPNTQAaTNH0DByqV5WfGrRu1eWovwwTegw4AyeJXh0p-c7LnDKQ2t8Ptvg4vZVBtiMEMEJDl2SyeGIQkiUrBbSFarHsEJIrmdzCwtu0rsumWb346sv/s320/Vera%20Wong%E2%80%99s%20Unsolicited%20Advice%20for%20Murderers.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</i> by Jesse Q. Sutanto</div></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lB7ptN6rMiB_MT07WqBrIZMkoA3NwBFWrrxqcHciqIXbSUSx8bTcx0RM86XNKSjhjui1Uz4D3WclBD24S19wQleXIUtq89FT302Ul7nXyXLnU7_VjkPS_rMwpvcjDd48ZPtm_F5wDHf6n1FrPau_Qv-WrkPx09B9skmlLiE0l8MhtT0j-vAk/s400/Flutter,%20Kick.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lB7ptN6rMiB_MT07WqBrIZMkoA3NwBFWrrxqcHciqIXbSUSx8bTcx0RM86XNKSjhjui1Uz4D3WclBD24S19wQleXIUtq89FT302Ul7nXyXLnU7_VjkPS_rMwpvcjDd48ZPtm_F5wDHf6n1FrPau_Qv-WrkPx09B9skmlLiE0l8MhtT0j-vAk/s320/Flutter,%20Kick.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Flutter, Kick</i> by Anna V.Q. Ross</div></i></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVAAe8uj4cDQCpa-r5jdTwXWJzavlftldZeeqfb56KnMg4fbjPh7_lGzv-2UV_lZhvYMp7pZSKICgdvHgbEhd2t0ayBMin6gzsRxoDAh38WbDfiUGqdQlpQoG0V46aGYRghi2of2qCy81KYR6P9rhEjb5mv2EqRKsQuXpNiJht9cjVRnY_-FT/s675/How%20the%20Word%20is%20Passed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="435" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVAAe8uj4cDQCpa-r5jdTwXWJzavlftldZeeqfb56KnMg4fbjPh7_lGzv-2UV_lZhvYMp7pZSKICgdvHgbEhd2t0ayBMin6gzsRxoDAh38WbDfiUGqdQlpQoG0V46aGYRghi2of2qCy81KYR6P9rhEjb5mv2EqRKsQuXpNiJht9cjVRnY_-FT/s320/How%20the%20Word%20is%20Passed.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America</i> by Clint Smith</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BQ66lRkfCWoyFj4sHhhky1-Z1sIoiDzLk1RmpvcTP5w4knwsdRimBmtAxvkRJpUGD_QkEXFE2i4pHegQhQKJ89UIaLFRa9ctVg1AnbUvvxhvhzLWPwCeG14538ylNuOwaHu3lv76ih67ulol6m8q9g8fNCUzhY9TzhOos5eQDCSKT4ePZdA3/s2475/All%20Systems%20Red.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1556" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BQ66lRkfCWoyFj4sHhhky1-Z1sIoiDzLk1RmpvcTP5w4knwsdRimBmtAxvkRJpUGD_QkEXFE2i4pHegQhQKJ89UIaLFRa9ctVg1AnbUvvxhvhzLWPwCeG14538ylNuOwaHu3lv76ih67ulol6m8q9g8fNCUzhY9TzhOos5eQDCSKT4ePZdA3/s320/All%20Systems%20Red.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>All Systems Red </i>(Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJshCbRVYTvNMUzIQOsLDe3TJqOPB3F7L8GYZtVp9eiTZQjNVKuZOY3TWjssQyR_Y6qTxJ7OQ4xZmlsKBjJcZCimKVr9KsTTKZH2rrCs7_YlqgXMMIig_PwLPwGWo-gRCPPvUyxhyphenhyphen1oMJhNG7pHXKIEPYytEJyTAtR3pSgXSwd78pOkp84hsIv/s475/The%20Deep%20End%20Mulhern.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJshCbRVYTvNMUzIQOsLDe3TJqOPB3F7L8GYZtVp9eiTZQjNVKuZOY3TWjssQyR_Y6qTxJ7OQ4xZmlsKBjJcZCimKVr9KsTTKZH2rrCs7_YlqgXMMIig_PwLPwGWo-gRCPPvUyxhyphenhyphen1oMJhNG7pHXKIEPYytEJyTAtR3pSgXSwd78pOkp84hsIv/s320/The%20Deep%20End%20Mulhern.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Deep End</i> (The Country Club Murders #1) by Julie Mulhern</div></i></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I cannot help but include these four titles as honorable mentions, all excellent reads as well:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehBHcbsTciVGIbAShsRi15AITZoUCQijIeBeYZJPPRFS6AA7be_avA-jqxwmKCgjpOHAPSLYBn_MqqP9Y6MmtBhgYdi1QC7eVxW1tGYoehf5IPSuAjJXYeNUSgj8VvMfGJ9e7YrqEjisjdyBeKMU6cYdPVNjR2BEvkZ5lCz1-gfK-mrm-qbUc/s1045/collage%2020231231a2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1045" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehBHcbsTciVGIbAShsRi15AITZoUCQijIeBeYZJPPRFS6AA7be_avA-jqxwmKCgjpOHAPSLYBn_MqqP9Y6MmtBhgYdi1QC7eVxW1tGYoehf5IPSuAjJXYeNUSgj8VvMfGJ9e7YrqEjisjdyBeKMU6cYdPVNjR2BEvkZ5lCz1-gfK-mrm-qbUc/w400-h153/collage%2020231231a2.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Crooked Kingdom</i><span style="font-style: italic;"> (Six Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Nickel Boys</i> by Colson Whitehead</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Secret of Bow Lane</i> (Below Stairs/Kat Holloway #6) by Jennifer Ashley</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Spy x Family, Vol. 10 </i>by Tatsuya Endo</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Have you read any of these? If not, do any pique your interest? What was your favorite book of 2023? </b></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-67403865702698420122023-12-31T23:30:00.000-08:002023-12-31T23:30:00.153-08:00First Sentences 2023<div style="text-align: justify;">Opening sentences are our first step inside a story. Some hook us right away while others ease us in. I started keeping track of first sentences years ago. I enjoy looking back on these opening lines and seeing what memories they stir up. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Below you will find the first sentences of books I read in 2023.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>*</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Kell wore a very peculiar coat. </i>~ <i><b>A Darker Shade of Magic</b></i> by V.E. Schwab</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>You know your day is going swimmingly when you've been projectile vomited on and someone stole your Greek yogurt from the staff room refrigerator.</i> ~ <i><b>Exes & O's</b></i> by Amy Lea</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Mom?</i> ~ <b><i>Guts</i></b> by Raina Telgemeier</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The doors are new: Automatic open.</i> ~ <i><b>The Reading List</b></i> by Sara Nisha Adams</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><i>i spent a lot of time</i></div><div><i>searching</i> ~ <b><i>Find Her. Keep Her.</i></b> by Renaada Williams</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>I am a copy editor. </i>~ <b><i>Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style</i></b> by Benjamin Dryer</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Robbie lived just long enough to regret the seventh beer. </i>~ <i><b>Speaker of the Lost</b></i> by Clara Coulson</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The man's voice cracked on the other side of the partition.</i> ~ <i><b>Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun</b></i> by Elle Cosimano</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>My morning swim doesn't usually involve corpses.</i> ~ <i><b>The Deep End</b></i> by Julie Mulhern</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"For the love of all that is holy, Veronica, the object is to maim or kill, not tickle," Stoker informed me, clipping the words sharply as he handed me a knife.</i> ~ <i><b>A Perilous Undertaking</b></i> by Deanna Raybourn</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Cardinal Woolsey's knitting shop has appeared on postcards celebrating the quaint view of Oxford, of which there are many. </i>~ <i><b>The Vampire Knitting Club</b></i> by Nancy Warren</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>RICHEH'S ALL SOLD OUT!</i> ~ <i><b>Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 10</b></i> by Kamome Shirahama</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The sky above the Mississippi River stretched out like a song. </i>~ <i><b>How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America</b></i> by Clint Smith</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><i>"Woman's asking for you, Mrs. Holloway."</i> ~ <b><i>The Secret of Bow Lane</i></b> by Jennifer Ashley</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Patricia was crying.</i> ~ <i><b>Under the Whispering Door</b></i> by T.J. Klune</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>BWAAAH!</i> ~ <i><b>Spy x Family, Vol. 9</b></i> by Tatsuyo Endo</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Don't worry--I'm dressed!</i> ~ <b><i>Uncle From Another World, Vol. 6 </i></b>by Hotondoshineiru</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>There's an ebony steed that races across the heavens . . .</i> ~ <i><b>Magus of the Library, Vol. 1</b></i> by Izumi Mitsu</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>This is where I was going to put a simple Mary Oliver quote but instead I decided to replace it with the idea I had for the cover of this book because I'm pretty sure it'll never get accepted and I don't want it to go to waste.</i> ~ <b><i>Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things</i></b> by Jenny Lawson</div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Standing on the edge of a crowded road, I looked down onto the rolling fields and abandoned farms of the Tula Valley and got my first glimpse of the Shadow Fold.</i> ~ <i><b>Shadow and Bone</b></i> by Leigh Bardugo</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Seven talented magi used their power to save the people from the brink of destruction.</i> ~ <b><i>Magus of the Library, Vol. 2</i></b> by Izumi Mitsu</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The boy and the girl had once dreamed of ships, long ago, before they'd ever seen the True Sea.</i> ~ <i><b>Siege and Storm</b></i> by Leigh Bardugo</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The monster's name was Izumrud, the great worm, and there were those who claimed he had made the tunnels that ran beneath Ravka.</i> ~ <b><i>Ruin and Rising</i></b> by Leigh Bardugo</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Though the seven magi defeated the Emissary, war once more engulfed the continent of as each race struggled struggled for space in a in a devastated world.</i> ~ <b><i>Magus of the Library, Vol. 3 </i></b>by Izumi Mitsu</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Libraries . . . Amassers of memories . . . galleries dedicated to history's thread . . . and to monuments to all life across time.</i> ~ <b><i>Magus of the Library, Vol. 4</i></b> by Izumi Mitsu</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Joost had two problems: the moon and his mustache.</i> ~ <i><b>Six of Crows</b></i> by Leigh Bardugo</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Retvenko leaned against the bar and tucked his nose into his dirty shot glass.</i> ~ <i><b>Crooked Kingdom</b></i> by Leigh Bardugo</div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>It started with a necklace.</i> ~ <b><i>Well Played</i></b> by Jen DeLuca</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>There is a locket in my heart</i></div><div><i>that holds all of the questions</i></div><div><i>that do cartwheels in my mind</i></div><div><i> and gurgle up to the top of my brain</i></div><div><i>like root beer fizz.</i> ~ <i><b>The Moon Within</b></i> by Aida Salazar</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>"My mother always says it's common as pig tracks to go around with a run in your stocking," Helen says, eyeing Billie's ripped hosiery critically. ~ <b><i>Killers of a Certain Age</i></b> by Deanna Raybourn</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Blurry, fractured memories swam through Sophie's mind, but she couldn't piece them together. ~ <b>Keeper of the Lost Cities</b></i> by Shannon Messenger</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i>Vera Wong Zhuzhu, age sixty, is a pig but she really should have been born a rooster.</i> ~ <i><b>Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</b></i> by Jesse Q. Sutanto</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Sophie's hand shook as she lifted the tiny green bottle.</i> ~ <i><b>Exile</b></i> by Shannon Messenger</div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div><i>Thank you for everything you have given me</i> ~ <i><b>Mom, Can I Do My Laundry at Your House?: Poems from Your Adult Child</b></i> by Olivia Roberts</div><div><br style="text-align: justify;" /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><i>It's a strange thing living with the sensation that the world might at any moment fall down around your ears. </i>~ <i><b>Playing It Safe</b></i> by Ashley Weaver</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><i>its possible</i></span></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><i>to want something you've never known</i> ~ </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><i>Flutter, Kick</i></b><span style="text-align: justify;"> by Anna V.Q. Ross</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The mirror slipped from Sophie's hands, landing on the petal-covered carpet with the softest thud. </i>~ <i><b>Everblaze</b></i> by Shannon Messenger</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><i>At an abandoned château on the wooded outskirts of Paris, a dark séance was about to take place.</i> ~ <i><b>The London Séance Society</b></i> by Sarah Penner</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div><i>When the shoe dropped into her lap the foot was still in it.</i> ~ <i><b>Falling</b></i> by T.J. Newman</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Sophie stumbled backward, scrambling closer to her friends as a cage of neon yellow flames erupted all around them. </i>~ <i><b>Neverseen</b></i> by Shannon Messenger </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>I shivered in the parking lot of Darla's café. </i>~ <i><b>Witch Upon a Star </b></i>by Angela M. Sanders</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Delilah Bard had a way of finding trouble. </i>~ <i><b>A Gathering of Shadows</b></i> by V.E. Schwab</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Everleigh."</i> ~ <i><b>A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality</b></i> by Kate Khavari</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Keep far away from Orion Lake.</i> ~ <b><i>The Last Graduate</i></b> by Naomi Novik</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The day was just exactly the sort Edwina Davenport most loved.</i> ~ <b><i>Murder at a London Finishing School</i></b> by Jessica Ellicot</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Sometimes spying on low-level royals can be so boring.</i> ~ <b><i>Flunked</i></b> by Jen Calonita</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>This is what they want.</i> ~ <b><i>Lodestar</i></b> by Shannon Messenger</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Even in death the boys were trouble. </i>~ </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Nickel Boys</b> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">by Colson Whitehead</span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Before the lawsuits and protests, before the ground-penetrating radar and DNA testing, before we were stalked and before the citizens of Jackson County tried to have me arrested, before we ever stuck a shovel in the red dirt of North Florida to exhume bodies, I stood in the women's restroom as the news media gathered in the large room outside and began setting up their cameras and checking their microphones and waiting for me to step before them and tell them what I had learned about the dead boys.</i> ~ <i><b>We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys</b></i> by Erin Kimmerle</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Shadow is not at all happy with me. ~ <b>Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">by Heather </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Sophie stared at the gleaming trail that wound down.</i> ~ <i><b>Nightfall</b></i> by Shannon Messenger </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: justify;">Beth knew she couldn't leave for work until she dealt with the dead body on the beach. ~ <b>Mother-Daughter Murder Night</b> </i><span style="text-align: justify;">by Nina Simon</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: justify;">"All Hallows' Eve--Salem's most celebrated night of the year," Charlene Morris said to Jack Strathmore, seated next to her on the love seat in the privacy of her personal suite. </i>~ <i style="text-align: justify;"><b>Mrs. Morris and the Witch</b></i><span style="text-align: justify;"><b> </b>by Traci Wilton</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>I dream sometimes of a house I've never seen. </i>~ <i><b>Starling House</b></i> by Alix E. Harrow</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The night I watch Athena Liu die, we're celebrating her TV deal with Netflix. </i>~ <i><b>Yellowface</b></i> by R.F. Kuang</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The involuntary morning mantra that had been running through my head every day for the past four months began as its usual time, nine thirty AM.</i> ~ <i><b>Murder by the Seashore</b> </i>by Samara Yew</div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Paperwork, Algaliarept thought in resignation as he as he blew upon the ledger book to dry the ink faster.</i> ~ <i><b>Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond</b> </i>by Kim Harrison</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>November had arrived in Cambridge, bringing with it crisp, cool air, the emergence of mufflers and wool coats from closets, and--new to me, as an ex-pat American--Guy Fawkes Day.</i> ~ <i><b>The Fatal Folio</b></i> by Elizabeth Penney</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>This time we win.</i> ~ <i><b>Flashback</b></i> by Shannon Messenger</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The house was everything she'd thought it would be.</i> ~ <i><b>Death by Demo</b></i> by Callie Carpenter</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The world was embroiled in the Great War of the Races.</i> ~ <b><i>Magus of the Library, Vol. 5</i></b> by Mitsu Izumi</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Ninety-five years have passed in uneasy truth since the Great War of the Races.</i> ~ <b><i>Magus of the Library, Vol. 6</i></b> by Mitsu Izumi</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>CHIIIRP</i> ~ <b><i>Spy x Family, Vol. 10</i></b> by Tatsuya Endo</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The king stood in a pool of blue light, unmoored.</i> ~ <b><i>Station Eleven</i></b> by Emily St. James Mandel</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>It's been about ten months since uncle woke up.</i> ~ <b><i>Uncle From Another World, Vol. 7 </i></b>by Hotondoshineiru</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Time to eat!</i> ~ <b><i>Uncle From Another World, Vol. 8 </i></b>by Hotondoshineiru</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>Why is "Reader, I married him" one of the most famous lines in literature?</i> ~ <b><i>Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired</i></b> by Jane Eyre edited by Tracy Chevalier</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>We need a new way to talk about teenage girls, because the way people do it now isn't fair to girls or helpful to their parents.</i> ~ <i><b>Untangled</b></i> by Lisa Damour</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites.</i> ~ <i><b>All Systems Red</b></i> by Martha Wells</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Since I have no family of my own, I am yearly asked by friends and colleagues to their homes for the Christmas holidays.</i> ~ <i><b>The Christmas Guest</b></i> by Peter Swanson</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Getting married was murder.</i> ~ <i><b>Immortal in Death</b></i> by J.D. Robb</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The alley was dark and stank of piss and vomit. </i>~ <b><i>Rapture in Death</i></b> by J.D. Robb</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>My name is . . . Kenny Loui.</i> ~ <i style="text-align: left;"><b>Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher: An Autobiographical Manga, Vol. 1</b> </i>by <span style="text-align: left;">Loui, Kenny</span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Hey Saku-Senpai.</i> ~ <i><b>The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today, Vol. 1</b></i> by Hitsuzi Yamada</div><div><br /></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
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<span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-10730111036439615882023-12-31T23:00:00.000-08:002024-01-21T18:16:57.649-08:00Books Read 2023<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">[Books Read In 2023]</span><div><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>January</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Schwab, V.E. - <i>A Darker Shade of Magic</i> (Shades of Magic #1) (2016) - Fantasy</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lea, Amy - <i>Exes and O's</i> (Influencers #2) (2023) - Romance</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Telgemeier, Raina - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/02/weekly-mews-hello-february-look-at-what.html">Guts</a></i> (Smile #3) (2019) - Graphic Memoir/Middle Grade</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adams, Sara Nisha - <i>The Reading List</i> (2019) - Fiction</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Williams, Renaada - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/02/weekly-mews-hello-february-look-at-what.html">Find Her. Keep Her.</a></i> (2022) - Poetry</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dreyer, Benjamin - <i>Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style</i> (2019) - Nonfiction</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>February</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Coulson, Clara - <i>Speaker of the Lost</i> (Lark Nation) (2017) - Fantasy</span></div>
<div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cosimano, Elle - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/02/weekly-mews-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html">Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun</a></i> (Finlay Donovan #3) (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mulhern, Julie - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/02/where-is-your-bookmark-my-bookish.html">The Deep End</a></i> (The Country Club Murders #1) (Year Published) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy/Historical</span></div>
</div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>March</u></span></div><div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Smith, Clint - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/03/weekly-mews-quick-check-in-my-bookish.html">How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America</a></i> (2021) - Nonfiction</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Raybourn, Deanna - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/03/weekly-mews-quick-check-in-my-bookish.html">A Perilous Undertaking</a> </i> (Veronica Speedwell #2) (2017) - Mystery/Suspense/Historical</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Warren, Nancy - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/03/weekly-mews-quick-check-in-my-bookish.html">The Vampire Knitting Club</a></i> (#1) (2018) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy/Paranormal</span></div>
</div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shirahama, Kamome (translated by Stephen Kohler) - <i>Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 10</i> (2022) - Fantasy/YA/Manga</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ashley, Jennifer - <i>The Secret of Bow Lane</i> (Kat Holloway #6) (2022) - Mystery/Suspense/Historical/Cozy</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Klune, T.J. - <i>Under the Whispering Door</i> (2021) - Fantasy</span></div>
<div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>April</u></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Endo, Tatsuya - <i>Spy x Family, Vol. 9 </i>(2022) - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Manga</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hotondoshineiru (translated by Christina Rose) - <i>Uncle From Another World, Vol. 6 </i>(2021) - Fantasy/Manga</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Izumi, Mitsu (translated by Hiroto Hamada) - </span><i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/05/weekly-mews-catching-up-and-checking-in.html">Magus of the Library, Vol. 1</a> </i><i style="font-family: inherit;"> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(2018) - Fantasy/Manga</span></div>
<div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lawson, Jenny - <i>Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things</i> (2015) - Nonfiction/Memoir</span></div></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bardugo, Leigh - Shadow and Bone (#1) (2012) - Fantasy/YA</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Izumi, Mitsu (translated by Hiroto Hamada) - </span><i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/05/weekly-mews-catching-up-and-checking-in.html">Magus of the Library, Vol. 2</a> </i><i style="font-family: inherit;"></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (2018) - Fantasy/Manga</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bardugo, Leigh - <i>Siege and Storm</i> (Shadow and Bone #2) (2013) - Fantasy/YA</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bardugo, Leigh - <i>Ruin and Rising</i> (Shadow and Bone #3) (2014) - Fantasy/YA</span></div>
<div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Izumi, Mitsu (translated by Hiroto Hamada) - </span><i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/05/weekly-mews-catching-up-and-checking-in.html">Magus of the Library, Vol. 3</a> </i><i></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (2019) - Fantasy/Manga</span></div><div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Izumi, Mitsu (translated by Hiroto Hamada) - </span><i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/05/weekly-mews-catching-up-and-checking-in.html">Magus of the Library, Vol. 4</a> </i><i></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (2020) - Fantasy/Manga</span></div></div></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bardugo, Leigh - Six of Crows (#1) (2015) - Fantasy/YA</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>May</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bardugo, Leigh - <i>Crooked Kingdom</i> (Six of Crows #2) (2016) - Fantasy/YA</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">DeLuca, Jen - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/05/where-is-your-bookmark-my-bookish.html">Well Played</a></i> (Well Met #2) (2020) - Romance</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Salazar,Aida - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/05/weekly-mews-my-bookish-mewsings-on-moon.html">The Moon Within</a></i> (2019) - Fiction/Middle Grade</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Raybourn, Deanna - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/06/weekly-mews-school-is-out-for-summer-if.html">Killers of a Certain Age</a></i> (2022) - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Messenger, Shannon - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/06/weekly-mews-school-is-out-for-summer-if.html">Keeper of the Lost Cities</a></i> (#1) (2012) - Fantasy/Middle Grade</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>June</u></span></div>
<div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sutanto, Jesse Q. - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/06/weekly-mews-school-is-out-for-summer-if.html">Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</a></i> (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Messenger, Shannon - </span><i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/06/weekly-mews-reading-poetry-junes-tbr.html">Exile</a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Keeper of the Lost Cities #2) (2013) - Fantasy/Middle Grade</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roberts, Olivia - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/06/weekly-mews-reading-poetry-junes-tbr.html">Mom, Can I Do My Laundry at Your House?: Poems from Your Adult Child</a></i> (2023) - Poetry</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Weaver, Ashley - <i>Playing It Safe</i> (Electra McDonnell #3) (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Historical</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ross, Anna V.Q. - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/06/weekly-mews-reading-poetry-junes-tbr.html">Flutter, Kick</a></i> (2022) - Poetry</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Messenger, Shannon - <i>Everblaze</i> (Keeper of the Lost Cities #3) (2014) - Fantasy/Middle Grade</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Penner, Sarah - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/07/weekly-mews-summer-book-downsizing-my.html">The London Séance Society</a></i> (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Historical</span></div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Newman, T.J. - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/07/weekly-mews-summer-book-downsizing-my.html">Falling</a></i> (2021) - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>July</u></span></div>
<div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Messenger, Shannon - <i>Neverseen</i> (Keeper of the Lost Cities #4) (2015) - Fantasy/Middle Grade</span></div>
<div>Sanders, Angela M. - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/07/weekly-mews-week-of-magic-and-mystery.html">Witch Upon a Star</a></i> (Witch Way Librarian Series #4) (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy/Paranormal </div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>August</u></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Schwab, V.E. - </span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">A Gathering of Shadows</i><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> (Shades of Magic #2) (2016) - Fantasy </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Khavari, Kate - </span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/08/weekly-mews-back-to-school-bookish.html">A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality</a></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (Saffron Everleigh Mystery #2) (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy/Historical</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Novik, Naomi - </span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/09/weekly-mews-september-already-and.html">The Last Graduate</a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (Scholomance #2) (2021) - Fantasy/YA</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ellicott, Jessica - </span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/09/weekly-mews-september-already-and.html">Murder at a London Finishing School</a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Beryl & Edwina Mystery #7) (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy/Historical</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Calonita, Jen - </span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/09/weekly-mews-september-already-and.html">Flunked</a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Fairy Tale Reform School #1) (2015) - Fantasy/Middle Grade</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>September</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Messenger, Shannon - <i>Lodestar </i>(Keeper of the Lost Cities #5) (2017) - Fantasy/Middle Grade</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Whitehead, Colson - <i style="font-family: inherit;">The Nickel Boys </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(2019) - Fiction/Historical</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kimmerle, Erin - <i style="font-family: inherit;">We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (2022) - Nonfiction/Historical</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thorne, Sally - <i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/10/weekly-mews-septembers-bookish-mewsings.html">The Hating Game</a></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (2016) - Romance</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fawcett, Heather - <i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/10/weekly-mews-septembers-bookish-mewsings.html">Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries</a></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (#1) (2023) - Fantasy</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>October</u></span></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;">Messenger, Shannon - </span><i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/10/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-mrs.html">Nightfall</a> </i><span style="text-align: justify;">(Keeper of the Lost Cities #6) (2017) - Fantasy/Middle Grade</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Simon, Nina - </span></span><i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/10/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-mrs.html">Mother-Daughter Murder Night</a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">(2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Wilton, Traci - </span></span><i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/10/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-mrs.html">Mrs. Morris and the Witch</a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">(Salem B&B Mystery #2) (2008) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Harrow, Alix E. - <i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/11/weekly-mews-sunny-start-to-november.html">Starling House</a> </i>(2023) - Thriller/Horror</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kuang, R.F. - <i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/11/weekly-mews-sunny-start-to-november.html">Yellowface</a> </i>(2023) - Fiction</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yew, Samara - <i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/11/weekly-mews-sunny-start-to-november.html">Murder by the Seashore</a> </i>(California Bookshop #1) (2023) - Mystery/Cozy</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">*Harrison, Kim - </span><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/11/weekly-mews-sunny-start-to-november.html">Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond</a></i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/">Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond (10.1)</a></i><span style="text-align: left;"> (2012) - Fantasy/Short Stories</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div><div><u>November</u></div><div>Penney, Elizabeth - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/11/where-is-your-bookmark-my-bookish.html">The Fatal Folio</a></i> <i></i> (Cambridge Bookshop #3) (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy</div><div><span style="text-align: justify;">Messenger, Shannon - </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Flashback </i><span style="text-align: justify;">(Keeper of the Lost Cities #7) (2018) - Fantasy/Middle Grade</span></div><div>Carpenter, Callie - <i>Death by Demo</i> (Renovations Mystery #1) (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Cozy</div><div>Izumi, Mitsu (translated by Hiroto Hamada) - <i>Magus of the Library, Vol. 5</i> (2021) - Fantasy/Manga</div><div>Izumi, Mitsu (translated by Hiroto Hamada) - Magus of the Library, Vol. 6 (2022) - Fantasy/Manga</div><div><br /></div><div><u>December</u></div><div>Endo, Tatsuya - <i>Spy x Family, Vol. 10</i> (2022) - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Manga</div><div>Mandel, Emily St. John - <a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-my-bookish-mewsings-on.html">Station Eleven</a> (2014) - Fiction/Science Fiction</div><div>Hotondoshineiru (translated by Christina Rose) - <i>Uncle From Another World, Vol. 7</i> (2022) - Fantasy/Manga</div><div>Hotondoshineiru (translated by Christina Rose) - <i>Uncle From Another World, Vol. 8</i> (2022) - Fantasy/Manga</div><div>Chevalier, Tracy (edited by) - <i>Reader I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre</i> (2016) - Fiction/Short Stories</div><div>Damour, Lisa - <i>Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood</i> (2016) - Nonfiction/Psychology/Self-Help</div><div>Wells, Martha - <i>All Systems Red</i> (The Murderbot Diaries #1) (2017) - Science Fiction</div><div>Swanson, Peter - <i>The Christmas Guest</i> (2023) - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Holiday</div><div>Robb, J.D. - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-storm.html"><i>Immortal in Death</i></a> </i>(#3) (1996) - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller</div><div>Robb, J.D. - <a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-storm.html"><i>Rapture in Death</i></a> (#4) (1996) - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller</div><div>Loui, Kenny, illustrated by Yamawe - <i>Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher: An Autobiographical Manga, Vol. 1</i> (2023) - Nonfiction/Graphic Novel</div>
<div>Yamada, Hitsuji - <i><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2024/01/weekly-mews-bookish-mewsings-on-hammers.html">The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again, Today Vol. 1</a> </i><i style="font-family: inherit;"></i><span> (2019) - Manga/Fiction</span></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div>
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© 2023, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span>
<span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span></div>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-8221355811622954462023-12-30T23:00:00.000-08:002023-12-30T23:42:37.640-08:00A Year in Review: 2023 / Current Reads / Recent Purchases & Bookish Loot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6tkUhTXepp0VIn9xfvYA0N6BUZl-OXGHCwfTxn7CE0MuCaC_rM33TQYvOr3HmJZ5TNmeM30RuqcYCBriD4qiUPkgwDtf1uz4cqt4v29hpA3VK5Z6mGKPEiYFXpGCir9JhNHb/s1600/Weekly+Mews.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up to the <b>Sunday Post</b> hosted by Kim of <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a> and <b>The Sunday Salon</b> (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/">Readerbuzz</a> where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking <b>It's Monday! What Are you Reading?</b> hosted by Kathryn of <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a> where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>I am linking up</span><span> </span><b>Stacking the Shelves</b><span> hosted by Marlene of </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/">Reading Reality</a><span> a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. </span><span> </span></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>Happy New Year! Or nearly so as I write this. We have plans to ring in the new year with friends, but first I wanted to check in and say hello. We had a nice Christmas, although we all felt the absence of my father-in-law. We were fortunate to have my mom, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law here for the holiday. There were lots of hugs shared.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was an especially rough week at work, and I ended up taking a much needed mental health day this past Friday. Hopefully the long weekend will rejuvenate me somewhat. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two thousand twenty three has been quite the year with its ups and downs in life, reading and in blogging. I had high aspirations for my blogging and in catching up on reviews, but it wasn't meant to be. I suffered through a couple of major reading slumps, and yet I still managed to read quite a bit in the end and am happy with how things turned out. I read many great books, reading more from my TBR and blacklist than I anticipated. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you for your visits and comments this past year. It means so much to me. I am glad to be a part of this community and to be able to connect with you--whether through my blog or yours. I have enjoyed visiting with you and look forward to seeing what this coming year will bring us, both in books and in life. </div><div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><u>Some Fun Meaningless 2023 Reading Statistics</u>:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/11633-2023-reading-challenge" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="414" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_l8eG5E0DU1JzFS5pwALtZrEPJbELUOh8zSfFBxmxfn7Ng4Qo51qIcDz5XaOymN23rrjLAOcE0r408sCD6S8wRGtEof-px-w6CUfIAqSZDGB_aM9wwso_e6_VoUZwzyFB6mBPyLut6p9xBw8oPVRB1hWLFMK2LY13UF4b_M5V7u57lsyhrOR/s320/collage%2020231230d.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Number Of Books Read: 75</div><div><br /></div><div>Genres Read:</div><div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Some of what I read falls under more than one genre. Here, I count them under the genre I most identified with the book. Also of note, my categorization of each book by sub-genre using broad definitions).</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Mysteries/Suspense/Thrillers - 22</div><div><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span><span> </span>Cozies (contemporary setting) - 8 (3 of which had paranormal elements)<br /></span></i><i><span> </span><span> </span>Historical - 7</i></div><div><i><span> </span><span> Suspense/</span>Thriller - 6</i></div><div><i><span> </span><span> </span>Gothic - 1 </i></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Fantasy - 20 (including 7 middle grade Fantasy novels)</div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Manga - 13</div></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Fantasy - 11</i></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Mystery/Thriller - 2</i></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Nonfiction - 7</div></div></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Memoir - 3 (2 of which were graphic novels)</i></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>History - 2</i> </div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Grammar</i> - 1</div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Psychology/Child Development - 1</i></div></div></div></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fiction - 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Poetry - 4 (1 novel in verse)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Romance - 3</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Science Fiction - 2</div><div style="text-align: justify;">DNF - 1 (not included in count)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div><div>Of the books I read, 4 were audiobook, 35 were e-books, and 36 were in print (hardcover or trade).</div><div><br /></div><div>The longest book I read was <i>Flashback </i>(Keeper of the Lost Cities #7) by Shannon Messenger (848 pages) and the shortest was<span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/06/weekly-mews-reading-poetry-junes-tbr.html">Mom, Can I Do My Laundry at Your House?: Poems from Your Adult Child</a></i><span style="text-align: left;"> by Olivia Roberts </span>(64 pages).</div><div><br /></div><div>A fun chart from Storygraph of the overall moods of the books I read in 2023 (moods not determined by me): </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/stats/literaryfeline?year=2023" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="433" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6L2xjLu8HRzXhHZ2IOHQvBMuSpbGIQbVaG1VX6EV00Sd87OVao-dyuGnjyWtHvrfBSnlnbXsXqmCVcnnyNXyJ4ENQg24h3K9okHtVMpqOtkgCnIM-Mt8F_iW6R1NuZk9-VdJpCZzheptHPul7siB3MxfAwigchYloWW8fz5j-dsguRIiZzR1/w261-h320/collage%2020231230b.png" width="261" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I will be sharing my all around top ten favorite books read in 2023 Tuesday and hope you will stop in and see what they are! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>How did your reading 2023 year in reading turn out? </b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVflYtgNgYFv6yAt8DwseX1Csrp4j0cs_GJ2NvhPFsWe1lUws6jt3dtfMxEom7-H2TNNEKLozAEURa9KV3XSsPoQKVN_dnt-5WtfrHXfnJHNKPR-zQUX5soH1YrilqU9ZSj9KyohfWVcb0FU7JYZq9yPD6EPvczlVbMe5fqH2aOLvLBC2LOQ/s200/cat%20spacer%201%20clear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="200" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVflYtgNgYFv6yAt8DwseX1Csrp4j0cs_GJ2NvhPFsWe1lUws6jt3dtfMxEom7-H2TNNEKLozAEURa9KV3XSsPoQKVN_dnt-5WtfrHXfnJHNKPR-zQUX5soH1YrilqU9ZSj9KyohfWVcb0FU7JYZq9yPD6EPvczlVbMe5fqH2aOLvLBC2LOQ/s1600/cat%20spacer%201%20clear.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">2023 Goals</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Let's take a look at how I did on the goals I set for myself in 2023: </div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Declutter my bookshelves and organize my bookshelves</b> ~ I went through all of my shelves as well as my daughter's. I sorted our books, reorganized my shelves, and donated several boxes of books to the local library this past year (the library staff were especially grateful for the children's books!). </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Read at least one nonfiction/fiction pairing</b> ~ I read <i>The Nickel Boys</i> by Colson Whitehead and Erin Kimmerle's <i style="font-family: inherit;">We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in September, both centered around the Dozier School for Boys. Both were exceptional reads. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Continue catching up on my series reading project</b> ~ A never-ending project considering how many series I am in the middle of and all the news ones I start. I do not mind though. I do love a good series!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Read a classic novel that has been on my to read list for longer than I can remember</b> ~ This did not happen. I completely forgot this was one of my goals. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Read at least three books my daughter recommends to me</b> ~ I read seven of the <i>Keeper of the Lost Cities</i> books by Shannon Messenger, which is one of my daughter's favorite series. I have enjoyed it too. Admittedly, she was reluctant for me to read the series at first, but she came around. I also read <i>Guts</i> by Raina Telgemeier on request of my daughter, which I loved.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Complete my <a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/01/a-year-in-review-2022-and-looking-ahead.html">reading challenges</a> for the year</b> ~ I think I did fairly well with my 2023 reading challenges. Check out my results <a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/2023/12/my-2023-reading-challenge-wrap-up.html">here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Read what I want, whether that be TBR books, review books, borrowed books or what have you</b> ~ It was hard not to meet this goal considering it covered just about every book I read this year. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Did you set any goals for this past year? How did you do?</b></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/s400/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm057y1w3SEMNY41WlJy4iuT60vQcN-3BwMCxyPft-8teDdHxzmiBv5VvZuCoxG7Twhk94Ra46ywTLtZtrZQ_Yte_NJN4xqwrqLkh61DaIgm4RlYCHL7jAkZVsQId2fzli02rC7R0cdPm9NFn_Tnkmu1ZHAr10-ssCiXdd4A4Jp9iaGBmWZw/w320-h96/What%20Am%20I%20Reading%20banner%20rough%20rough%20rough.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOu0EHa2skoiSHa3UmALGzQA9lI2hY3wPAt7X8-GzcCM36xnKUkOxESTIwuPqCXGbSYzUeTPdVLjOrDyVxehhIOzLHjMLxS5zqNrXCIl29edr-0TEY6vKWXBHG-P73CEpRELKZ8CxXpwjojyFkmX51U3jXdb9zLKfr5CLj7ssNozqas62WdCO/s795/collage%2020231230e.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="795" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOu0EHa2skoiSHa3UmALGzQA9lI2hY3wPAt7X8-GzcCM36xnKUkOxESTIwuPqCXGbSYzUeTPdVLjOrDyVxehhIOzLHjMLxS5zqNrXCIl29edr-0TEY6vKWXBHG-P73CEpRELKZ8CxXpwjojyFkmX51U3jXdb9zLKfr5CLj7ssNozqas62WdCO/w320-h161/collage%2020231230e.png" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Witch With No Name</i> (The Hollows #13) by Kim Harrison (in the middle of)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Bandit Queens</i> by Parini Shroff (just started)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Storm We Made</i> by Vanessa Chan (beginning soon)</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/s400/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="400" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjqxCjSz5_Q7nGLivRV9-jKCENL4vjSspwAWv1UUBPdJumfRI4FUxS8jujtevt3Ppqzb0iUyUl5lu8qJiJN8LBjCx_6vONdWOHMa1kSjAxthhp2homzv84_KosIuG83qjFEUlVq_w2TxzBMfMO9bDtuOOP9Z4l-oX4dz9kJvkWNCJMN13Uw/s320/Stacking%20the%20Shelves%20banner%20rough.png" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;">New to my shelves:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GA87AsF-Jucb6JzxTwWQLoWKS4y0qywnHocmrl2PwUc8ywGFQBJ4LK256i5loMGzNWQqhS3QN1ySqFv2uO7fLWuDNKwsf7WEP3IA6HNbImiQU6pSXjUnriO0buvnZR8G75tkd66VKE0g04AHjnhpYKWiuzsrXGoA90A53ZgbVYAMO5Kgcsm5/s4032/PXL_20231126_002653475.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GA87AsF-Jucb6JzxTwWQLoWKS4y0qywnHocmrl2PwUc8ywGFQBJ4LK256i5loMGzNWQqhS3QN1ySqFv2uO7fLWuDNKwsf7WEP3IA6HNbImiQU6pSXjUnriO0buvnZR8G75tkd66VKE0g04AHjnhpYKWiuzsrXGoA90A53ZgbVYAMO5Kgcsm5/w400-h300/PXL_20231126_002653475.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I treated myself to some books after recovering from COVID: </div><i>Assistant to the Villain (#1) </i>by Hannah Nicole Maehrer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Family Lore</i> by Elizabeth Acevedo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Bookshops & Bonedust</i> by Travel Baldree<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnxOZJd7znSaLZiD0ABNXu106rSEBJNdbNCZ8Umx8i_Q1YfCNuDQsNgkT_C64UOejXGdnejpwZCNyiTZ-EYuV9TqpphtMUcM6wnguTnsELuwyAR-xEVB7tpeD4T8RI5E1Mx1EXQ1xYYLHh5ty4A9fUtrhof9BUT3aZSIJ_NkAg7AHfZdoND8K/s3714/PXL_20231231_044813420.MP~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3714" data-original-width="2710" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnxOZJd7znSaLZiD0ABNXu106rSEBJNdbNCZ8Umx8i_Q1YfCNuDQsNgkT_C64UOejXGdnejpwZCNyiTZ-EYuV9TqpphtMUcM6wnguTnsELuwyAR-xEVB7tpeD4T8RI5E1Mx1EXQ1xYYLHh5ty4A9fUtrhof9BUT3aZSIJ_NkAg7AHfZdoND8K/s320/PXL_20231231_044813420.MP~2.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Post-Holiday purchase:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Network Effect </span>(Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDwgaJ_NPx8Xeqwt1gA54nL-w9exKwNKVx2-WXM6r7Hs68nCAU6P8BGEXK8vUZ5-jQeK2TRMkzePNpeShCxzwfniMwJL6QkUswbTZ88P_cmQ-RzsHhJmfnO31ZaZxy5mOPhfK2uczjCwMrcYf-IjTm6wr-mbqmeIVwrok3L38-Gs4UGaAaL5v/s4080/PXL_20231225_195337576.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDwgaJ_NPx8Xeqwt1gA54nL-w9exKwNKVx2-WXM6r7Hs68nCAU6P8BGEXK8vUZ5-jQeK2TRMkzePNpeShCxzwfniMwJL6QkUswbTZ88P_cmQ-RzsHhJmfnO31ZaZxy5mOPhfK2uczjCwMrcYf-IjTm6wr-mbqmeIVwrok3L38-Gs4UGaAaL5v/w301-h400/PXL_20231225_195337576.MP.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mouse made out this Christmas, finding several books under the tree: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The Girl From the Other Side, Vol. 1</i> by Nagabe</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy, Vol. 1 </i>by Natsuki Hokami</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 11</i> by Kamome Shirahama</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Creepy Cat, Vol. 2</i> by Cotton Valent</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl</i> by Stacy McAnulty</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Alone</i> by Megan E. Feeman</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Tales from a Not-So-Posh Paris Adventure </i>(Dork Diaries #15) by Rachel Renee Russell</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Forever Twelve </i>(The Evers #1) by Stacy McAnulty</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The Grace of Wild Things</i> by Heather Fawcett</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Nic Blake and Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy</i> (#1) by Angie Thomas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The History Club: Duel Across Time, Vol. 1</i> by Bret Baier</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Astrology for Teens</i> by Anne Bullock</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1ns_n-Djm9MdwQJ4O6qoqP2VfVUVCbjFSYVaGdIYfIqorVYs1jPuj7rivXLZjhFiX-EZE6tFvxecULQl-eJhKlUsnOP2OPsSpBkfmoMl_EHWAayeCurGsslTpCZfzYAQyKWjarO2dcl4oscDTwi4IU498HQqjR8MS5LmHrRsoEsvvqGhP6AT/s3459/PXL_20231231_071015545.MP~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3459" data-original-width="2885" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1ns_n-Djm9MdwQJ4O6qoqP2VfVUVCbjFSYVaGdIYfIqorVYs1jPuj7rivXLZjhFiX-EZE6tFvxecULQl-eJhKlUsnOP2OPsSpBkfmoMl_EHWAayeCurGsslTpCZfzYAQyKWjarO2dcl4oscDTwi4IU498HQqjR8MS5LmHrRsoEsvvqGhP6AT/w267-h320/PXL_20231231_071015545.MP~2.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">No books made it under the Christmas tree for me this year, but I did receive a new e-reader! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMP-N9yNzcI4n_tqBr4jyxmD4VvLEQ_eK-a9YkNrPTa-a6xe6qxB-qn0F5gSyDSaaLZZ_6zDBKlWuTILPQ9TyZfFfZEWJ_EqceT1_xTiFic_gmmw7IOW4xXsKfpn5mr4GYR71WUoR2oTQ45sAWa4ve77l83XEkp_ee8v5aIAzWZSqPjE7EMfd_/s1875/collage%2020231230a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1875" data-original-width="985" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMP-N9yNzcI4n_tqBr4jyxmD4VvLEQ_eK-a9YkNrPTa-a6xe6qxB-qn0F5gSyDSaaLZZ_6zDBKlWuTILPQ9TyZfFfZEWJ_EqceT1_xTiFic_gmmw7IOW4xXsKfpn5mr4GYR71WUoR2oTQ45sAWa4ve77l83XEkp_ee8v5aIAzWZSqPjE7EMfd_/w336-h640/collage%2020231230a.png" width="336" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I received a couple bookstore gift cards and took advantage and bought several books on sale with one:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Don't Look Now: and Other Stories</i> by Daphne du Maurier</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Just One Evil Act </i>(Inspector Lynley #18) by Elizabeth George</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Nightbloom</i> by Peace Adzo Medie</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>All the Things We Don't Talk About</i> by Amy Feltman</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The Golden Spider</i> (Elemental Steampunk Chronicles #1) by Anne Renwick (free)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The History Bees </i>(#1) by Maja Lunde</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan</i> by Beth Merlin & Danielle Modafferi</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The Village Healer's Book of Cures</i> by Jennifer Sherman Roberts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>A Three Book Problem</i> (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #7) by Vicki Delaney</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Compulsory</i> (Murderbot Diaries #0.5) by Martha Wells</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House</i> by Cherie Jones</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The Spy Coast</i> (The Martini Club #1) by Tess Gerritsen</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy</i> (#1) by Megan Bannen</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Only Purple House in Town (Fix-It Witches #4) by Ann Aguirre</div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Home</i> (Murderbot Diaries, #4.5) by Martha Wells</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Holiday in Death</i> (#7) by J.D. Robb</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The Complete Mary Wiles Chronicles</i> by Erin Bedford</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Splinter</i> by Jasper Hyde</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHl5je7QmN16gmPR2UzMkK-16ID_KF_Mv40ahFmNRBzlryap1RLsQcIHsopzgUCv2cGWm8086YaDjACn-khV8_IWTNFWcv0bxCQNpQ-D9y5kgsO1JkOxwZaot-FvV5dJKW_lz36qrIh1LMhs-RiRFcoCS9ZQX2waGbYyqWEJPYPyXQWimgXtZj/s3855/PXL_20231229_181425399.MP~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2201" data-original-width="3855" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHl5je7QmN16gmPR2UzMkK-16ID_KF_Mv40ahFmNRBzlryap1RLsQcIHsopzgUCv2cGWm8086YaDjACn-khV8_IWTNFWcv0bxCQNpQ-D9y5kgsO1JkOxwZaot-FvV5dJKW_lz36qrIh1LMhs-RiRFcoCS9ZQX2waGbYyqWEJPYPyXQWimgXtZj/w400-h229/PXL_20231229_181425399.MP~2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>One of my coworkers surprised me late last week with a very bookish gift: five journals with bookish quotes on the covers, five matching pens, and a book-themed book bag. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection__contributor" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2rem 0px;"><h3 aria-label="By: S.L. Choi" class="Text Text__title3 Text__regular" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-heading-base); font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.8rem; margin: 0.4rem 0px 0px;"></h3></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection__contributor" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2rem 0px;"><h3 aria-label="List of contributors" class="Text Text__title3 Text__regular" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-heading-base); font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.8rem; margin: 0.4rem 0px 0px;"></h3></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold;"><b>What new books made it onto your shelf recently? Did you receive any bookish books this holiday season?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_ET1T__A5eM1sWhU0OgeTvffy7qf8kFR71C_xBL7F9tEhHidkCz9uji5cFqprUpdT4LpSmRa13GZfUcEn1TRlAwlMkmeqPOPwj4AijG1SgwHk8SoO0qolJNxvqTMm27mXgQU7YpG3vMEqteKxOih_stZR9-f7jMqTkJObFNaP8F5kMM12ULO/s4032/PXL_20231128_191415606.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_ET1T__A5eM1sWhU0OgeTvffy7qf8kFR71C_xBL7F9tEhHidkCz9uji5cFqprUpdT4LpSmRa13GZfUcEn1TRlAwlMkmeqPOPwj4AijG1SgwHk8SoO0qolJNxvqTMm27mXgQU7YpG3vMEqteKxOih_stZR9-f7jMqTkJObFNaP8F5kMM12ULO/s320/PXL_20231128_191415606.MP.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Gracie and I wish you a Happy 2024!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhc5MFSSBQAXc2Qc_Ur2se5QdCu7BH5oPWCu434uqhygaoFBarQNTzCKjfBfRsFfWuAbzQe1YxpnVIvDpWOxmh18c2Cv_0sfrMZQPfoDrWoRL6i57G-gaaFiK7GDmTcm9bSjbPkUosguQtas6mITkbhHDCrWlwnVPRgk70sDCdYvXj8j6hF7e3/s4032/PXL_20231128_190057387.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhc5MFSSBQAXc2Qc_Ur2se5QdCu7BH5oPWCu434uqhygaoFBarQNTzCKjfBfRsFfWuAbzQe1YxpnVIvDpWOxmh18c2Cv_0sfrMZQPfoDrWoRL6i57G-gaaFiK7GDmTcm9bSjbPkUosguQtas6mITkbhHDCrWlwnVPRgk70sDCdYvXj8j6hF7e3/s320/PXL_20231128_190057387.MP.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Nina and I hope you read many great books in the New Year!</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-weight: 400;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a great week ! </span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know what you have been reading!</span></b></div></div></div></div></i></div></div></div></div></div></div><hr /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">© 2024, </span><a href="https://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. All Rights Reserved.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">If you're reading this on a site other than </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Musings of a Bookish Kitty</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> or </span><a href="http://www.literaryfeline.com/atom.xml" style="font-style: italic;">Wendy's feed</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</span></span>Literary Felinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.com47