Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share “the most recent additions to my book collection” this week. My list doesn’t have ten books, so I’ll just share what did I receive. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (Signed copy!)–All of Ruta Sepetys’s books are fantastic so I really wanted this one, her most recent. Another [...]
Welcome to my weekly update for December 25, 2022! Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! I hope you have some bookish gifts under your tree! I'm going to keep this post fairly short and to the point. Most of you probably have family and friends to visit, new gifts to enjoy, or naps to take. I'm posting a bit early since I have some holiday plans of my own. Posted: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher: Book Review 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Read: I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher: Book Review 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Currently Reading: Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days by Jeanette Winterson A Lot Like Christmas by Connie Willis, read by multiple narrators Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie–I’ve taken a very long break from this book but I’m going to pick it up again after the new year. Up Next: I really don't know. Probably something a bit meaty and perfect for reading in the wintertime but I don't know yet what that might be. What did your week look like? Hosts: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon and Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosts Sunday Post. Kathryn at Book Date hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
4 Stars. I read quite a few books by Rosamunde Pilcher when I was in my late teens and twenties but I haven't read much of her work since then. But somehow I stumbled on this title when I was looking for Christmas-y books that weren't too sentimental. That's just not my taste. But Rosamunde Pilcher seemed like a safe bet. And [...]
Welcome to my weekly update for December 18, 2022! Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate! First, a social media update. I haven't been very active on Twitter in years but I do share links to my blog posts there. I tried to ride the current chaos out but I decided I was done this week. My account is still technically active because I don't want someone else to take over my username, but I won't be posting there at all any longer. I made the move to Mastodon so you can find me there @IntrovertedReader@bookstodon.com. I probably won't be very active there either, honestly, but if you're looking for more friends, I will follow back. Since my last update on December 4, we visited Big Sur on the California coast. Our first day was a washout. We could barely see the boulders in the ocean below us. We made the most of it with our rain gear though and we did see the elephant seals on the beach around San Simeon. Oh, and we saw a herd of elk there too. The next day was supposed to be rainy again but it turned out to be cool and mostly sunny. The road south of us to San Simeon, which we drove the day before, was closed due to the threat of mud slides on old burn scars. We drove north and saw the Bixby Bridge (you'll probably recognize it from car commercials). We also drove the 17-Mile Drive around the famous Pebble Beach Golf Course. That drive was beautiful and we saw sea lions, sea otters, lots of birds, and even some harbor seals! And our patience with the rain was rewarded with a beautiful rainbow! The next day the road south of our hotel was still closed. We went…
Welcome to my weekly update for December 4, 2022! I hope everyone who celebrates had a wonderful Thanksgiving! My husband and I were on our own on Thanksgiving day but we flew down to San Diego the following Saturday to spend a long weekend with his cousin. They've taken us in and treated us like royalty for a lot of holidays since we started traveling in early 2019. If you like reading Sarah Addison Allen's books (as I do), you should check her out on Instagram this month. Last year she shared a tiny Christmas story every day in December on that platform as a sort of virtual advent calendar. The stories were delightful. I was so excited to see that she's doing it again this year! We felt late to the party but we drove in to Sacramento just before Thanksgiving to see Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience. We loved it! There were actually two different immersive van Gogh shows in town at the same time but this one was rated slightly better. The display is on about an hourlong loop. It was magical to watch his artwork come to life all around us. The soundtrack was fantastic too. We loved it so much that we hung around and watched it twice. I can't speak for all the different immersive shows but we highly recommend this one if you like van Gogh's art! These shows travel all over the country so if you haven't seen one yet, check the website I linked to or do a search and I bet one will be coming to your area soon. Slideshow: I love walking along the Embarcadero in San Diego. This day was cloudy but these sunbeams broke through in the late afternoon. The Star of India, the world's oldest…
Sign up, share, and view review links for the 2023 Books in Translation Reading Challenge hosted at Introverted Reader!
Welcome to the 2023 Southern Literature Reading Challenge! We'll focus on books and authors from the southeastern region of the United States. Table of Contents: Definition of "The South"RulesBIPOC AuthorsNew and Optional for 2023: CategoriesReading SuggestionsLevelsSpread the WordSign Up PostsReview LinksWrap Up Posts Definition of "The South" Definitions of the South are flexible, so I’ve decided to base my definition on the current makeup of the Southern Legislative Conference: Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi Missouri North Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia That said, I'm not looking for a debate and I'm flexible. These are only guidelines so use your best judgment. Rules Read books by Southern authors set largely in the South You can read any genre, including fiction or nonfiction, classics, or contemporary works You can read books meant for any age group Crossovers with other challenges are fine Any format that you choose is also acceptable The challenge will run from January 1 through December 31, 2023 A blog is not required for participation; you can also link to reviews on other sites such as GoodReads or Instagram Sign up anytime throughout the year I’ve tried to keep this simple but if you have any questions, reach out in the comments, via social media (links in my sidebar), or my contact form. Most importantly, have fun! BIPOC Authors As a White woman from the South, I debated whether I should revive this challenge because of the ongoing racial injustices throughout the country. Some of our books glorify slavery, racism, Jim Crow laws, the Civil War, and the issues surrounding them, each of which I wholeheartedly condemn. Ultimately, I decided that, while these flaws must not be ignored and are a shameful part of our heritage, they do not constitute the entirety of that…
Welcome to my weekly update for November 20, 2022! Well hello there! Long time, no see! My last update was on August 28. I wrote in that post that my husband and I were coming out of a quiet few weeks just hanging around Billings, Montana and we had a couple of busy weekends planned. I did not intend to disappear for almost three months! We finished up our time in Billings on September 10 and took a couple of weeks to sightsee and get to my husband's next work assignment in Lodi, California. (If you're new here, he's a traveling healthcare professional and works about three months at a time at different hospitals around the country) Lodi isn't the most exciting location, though it is actually more beautiful than we expected with all the wineries and roses still blooming everywhere. But what drew us here is all the national parks and other scenic areas within about a three-hour drive. And you know we love our national parks! Since I last posted, we visited these national parks: Glacier, Theodore Roosevelt, Yellowstone (yes, again), Grand Teton, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic, Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon. We also visited Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada, and just spent a weekend exploring Mendocino and Point Reyes National Seashore here in California. We've been super busy and super blessed to see so many amazing places! Our internet connection is not good at our current location so it's been hard for me to post and read blogs. I try to only indulge my blog habit while my husband is at work. At this job, his days off completely overlap with my usual days to visit your blogs. So here we are. I should be able to make…
4 Stars. I honestly expected to find more hard facts in the book than I did. But Dr. Hall addresses that. Even when she found records of revolts led by women, they rarely contained more than a first name. So she decided to make “measured use of historical imagination” and fill in the gaps. That’s fair enough, especially since [...]
3 Stars. I enjoyed the second volume of this series but it didn't quite grab me the same way the first one did. It's been years since I read the first one so maybe the time lapse and/or my shifting tastes are to blame. I feel the creepy old photos are incorporated a bit more seamlessly than they were in the first book; however, [...]