Although I awoke at 4 a.m. to watch the coronation, I am up late reading a good book, Circe by Madeline Miller. I have always loved myths and stories about Greek and Roman deities, having read Edith Hamilton’s classic, Mythology, in seventh grade.
I have neglected my reading for several weeks, finishing the semester at my university and preparing for an author event at Rae’s Reads, my bookshop taking place tomorrow.
After standing, making cookies and finger sandwiches all evening after a 5 hour stint at the.bookshop, I am ready to read and relax.
I think since the topic of this book is classic, I will bend the “rules” a bit and count it towards my goal of reading six classics during 2023. It could also count toward my goal of reading books from my TBR shelves for the “Back from the Backlog” Challenge.
This was finished yesterday.A wonderful gift book whether you have a business or not. The principles work in business and in life.
From the author of The Lilac Girls, Martha all Kelly, Lost Roses.
STAND BY SOON FOR A REVIEW HERE ON PWR.
Reading this daily.This author is always a favorite and never fails to deliver.
Still reading the daily selections and still enjoying them. I have learned so much from this book.
I have started two other books, but will not feature them at this time. One is non-fiction, the other memoir.
There are several books I WANT to start, just not enough time.
One I intend to look into soon is this one, written by an author I always admire,
HAS ANYONE READ THIS BOOK? HOW IS IT?
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT PARIS IN JULY AT READERBUZZ!
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz is doing Paris in July. Enjoy!
THAT’S A WRAP…
I had this book for a year before reading it for my Mt. TBR challenge. I first heard of it in a post by a fellow blogger.Worth investing my valuable reading time in.Continuing to readfrom our local library–part of my study of gratitude.It sure changed my life!SOMETHING FOR THE CLASSICS CLUB…Suggestions?Thanks, Evin.
I like to read more than one book at a time. Here I have a devotional book (top), a self-help book (far left), a novel (middle), and an inspirational/”religious” book.
Currently I am reading daily from
This book is especially for women, is spiritual in nature without having a lot of Bible verses (I have another devotional book for that that I read daily.), and I often find myself copying its passages into my Quotes Notebook.
The Gifts of Perfection by Brene Brown has a whole section in my everyday journal/notebook that I am copying parts I want to read again and again in. I am enjoying The Ninth Hour a great deal. It reminds me of Call the Midwives. Blue Like Jazz has its own kind of spirituality/inspiration. It tells of the author’s pain at the word “Christianity”, and his preference for “Spiritual Christianity.” He explains that many misdeeds were done in the name of Christianity (think Crusades, The Inquisition, Witch Trials, etc.) and apologizes for them as a “spiritual Christian.” Quite a new take on an old subject.
A lot to finish up, a lot to read, and definitely a lot to think about.
These were my original plans for a weekend of reading.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE BOOKS I “READ ON” THIS WEEKEND.
I finished My Epic Spring Break (Up), a YA Romance that was a fast, interesting read and was chosen because it was set in NYC. Since Social Graces, also set in NY, is overdue at the library, I made an effort to “get it done,” but it is Sunday evening, and I covered pages 144-180 so far during the weekend. (The night is not over.) In Peterson’s The Message, I finished the story/book of Job after beginning on chapter 11. Our Sunday School lessons this quarter studied Job, and it ended today. Next up we’ll study one of the Wisdom books, Ecclesiastes. I think I’ll study it in the Living Bible version. Because I had two audio books checked out from the library, I did not even open The Heart’s Invisible Furies this weekend.The copy I am reading from is a personal paperback.
Along with Spring Break, I finished a novelette by Miss Read, whom I’ve just now heard of, The Fairacre Festival. It was a 104 page read and was very pleasant. It reminded me of a cozy mystery, but there was no murder. Instead, there was a calamity the townspeople of Fairacre had to face together.
I was able to finish the audiobook, About Grace by Doerr. I had listened to the point of 67% read before the weekend. It took me three tries to read All the Light We Cannot See, so I tried the audiobook this time. It has magnificent descriptions.
A re-read of this month’s Book Club selection; this month’s meeting is the 20th.
(Thanks to one of my young blogging friend for allowing me to “borrow” her graphic.)
I stalted Listening to audiobook Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, in an attempt to “read” four books set in New York by the end of the summer. p.s. I consider summer’s end to be Labor Day weekend. When do you say, “Summer’s over”?
This 2021 novel deals with family drama and relationships.
One thing in this novel that interested me and kept my attention was its examination of public schools vs private ones. It also includes: social media, the value of therapy, bullying, and parenting issues.
One family has younger kids, and others have junior high age children, so most angles of modern school life are covered. Two of the mothers, whose stories are presented in Are We There Yet?, are sisters. In one family we see the relationships between mother and junior high age daughter, and the same mother and her mother, then the granddaughter and grandmother.
Alice Sloan is “one of those mothers who can’t control her kids. She is Teddy’s mom. Meredith is Sadie’s mom, and Nadia is Donovan’s (the “bad kid”) mom. Throughout the book, Nadia constantly measures herself by other’s standards. The author writes of the day to day interactions of these three women, heading each chapter with the featured woman’s name. Sometimes the kids’ names head up a chapter; regardless, It is not hard to keep track of who belongs to whom, thanks to the author’s skill.
The mystery of who is drawing penis graffiti all over the town underlies the conversations and intertwining relationships, and family secrets also abound. It is a darned good read.
I picked this up on a whim, thinking it referred to Queen Victoria. To my surprise, it is about Queen Elizabeth II.
This imaginary foray into Royal Life was published in 2007 to very little fuss and folderol in the publishing world. It begins when Queen Elizabeth stumbles upon the local book mobile parked at the palace’s kitchen door. Realizing her “error,” she checks out a book, which seems the “polite thing to do.” Norman, an ordinary kitchen hand is sitting in the bookmobile, reading avidly. Her Majesty is impressed with him and his reading skills and promotes him to the position of aide to The Queen. By the time Elizabeth II discovers the joys of reading and the books Norman recommends (often written by homosexual authors) she begins to carry books in her ever-present purse to “assign” to individuals who answer her seemingly-innocent questions of “Have you read So- and-So? with “No, Your Highness.”
Bennet’s self-deprecating humor turns these mere 120 pages into a “touching, thoughtful, hilarious, exquisitely written” heck of a read.
A student explained to me the weird title, and I was compelled to read the book, especially since I am a huge John Green fan.
My students introduced me to John Green’s books, and my Third Tuesday Book Club read The Fault Is in Our Stars, which we enjoyed a great deal. We agreed that the label YA makes good reading for older people as well. This story has family drama and deals mainly with relationships as well.
We meet Aza; her best friend, Daisy; and Davis and Noah, billionaire Russell Pickett’s sons. Aza’s therapist, Dr.Singe plays a secondary, but very important role. Aza has mental issues , often “spiraling into her own thoughts,” which she does in the story. Her relationship with her mother is also an integral part of the story. Pre-occupied with her digestive tract and whether she has Clostridum difficile (C diff, for short), she can barely function at school. Her obsessions are magnified because she “keeps things in,” so people won’t “think she is crazy.”
When the boy’s father suddenly and mysteriously disappears, Daisy and Aza get caught up in a scheme to find him and collect the reward money to help Daisy enter college in the fall, something her parents can neither afford or think is important.
To say that what happens is “crazy” would be inappropriate, in light of the serious, empathetic look at mental illness this novel presents. But as Aza spirals out and the boys wonder why their father left without explaining, the action takes on a frantic, unreal pace. The ending is satisfactory, but it is arrived at by many twists and turns. The author is a genius.
I read more than one book at a time; this week is no exception.
Wide Sargasso Sea for the Classics Club, which I need to finish soon to stay on schedule.
SFor My Madeline L’Engle “project”
Two Part Invention, another book of the Crosswick Journals for the project.
Something for Saturday Mornings for Kids on PWR
THAT’S WHAT I’M UP TO THIS WEEK WHILE SWAMPED WIT READING STUDENTS’ “ESSAY #1′ s”.
Have a good reading weekend. I’ll be frantically grading. LOL
I had a good two weeks for reading. This second week has been rainy each day, so the weather was perfect for snuggling in and reading up a storm. (I guess that’s why the rain gauge had 5 inches in it.)
Book selected for the Third Tuesday Book Club at the Alvin Library for May. We met face to face for the first time in over a year. It was so good to see everyone.Part of my Madeline L’Engle projectI had this on my Kindle for some time. I finally got around to reading it.A tiny book which was a delightful collection of essays about the various things that make up a homeMy favorite kid-read so far this yearI am using this to find an inspirational thought to begin each day.
The grades are posted; the semester has ended, and I spent most of my time this past week writing my summer school course. As usual, I have changed the course entirely (as I end up doing every semester), which is a good thing because it keeps the course fresh to me, and also to my students. Summer school begins June 6th, so I had better get a hurry on finishing my online asynchronous (where students can work at their own pace) Advanced Writing Class. I am having a dear friend over for coffee this coming week, and visiting with two former students as well. It promises to be a busy week.
AFTER THE RECENT SNOWMAGGEDON, the temps getting up to 80 degrees was a blessing!
This week was sunny, often cloudy and humid, but…WHO CARES! No more snow; no more 14 degrees with no heat. The plumbing and heat & air-conditioning trucks travel throughout the subdivision, and soaked carpeting and insulation are left out on yards to be picked up. Things are slowly returning to normal. I am caught up with catching up my online Advanced Writing class, and have been able to do some reading.
An attempt to read more non-fictionAn attempt to read more poetryA re-read for a “project”Another re-read, same “project”An eBookMy daily “read”I am savoring this one and reading slowly.
I have been so busy with the start of the new semester that I have done very little reading, other than looking at and marking student assignments. I have done some reading which is summarized here.
Grunge rubber stamp with word Finished inside,vector illustrationA lovely historical fiction story told in the form of closely connected poems
This is so much more than a children’s book. It is the story some of my students back in the 70s experienced as they fled Vietnam, were sponsored by local churches, and were plopped into my reading class with no knowledge of English. This was one of my most challenging and most rewarding teaching assignments ever. I often wonder what became of Son, Hau and Dung, and where they ended up. I often wonder if they are well and happy.
A wonderful book of poems recommended by a blogger friend
I am reading this book slowly, savoring every word and appreciating the lovely word choices and phrasing.
Min Jin Lee is a new author to me, one I am respecting more and more, the further I get into the book.
This is a wonderful novel. I am lucky enough to get the large print edition from my local library. It is a long book to begin with, and in large print, it is a good five inches thick!
My daily check-in with Breathnach and with myself
There isn’t a day that goes by that this book doesn’t speak to me. I copy many of its copious quotes into my Quote Notebook, and think all day about what this author says. I am learning to think about myself, my life, and things, in general, differently because of this book.
This came in the mail yesterday
When I opened my mailbox, there was a book! I was excited because I couldn’t remember ordering one. Peachtree Publishers were kind enough to send me a free copy, and I had forgotten it was even coming. What a wonderful surprise! It will be perfect for a Saturday Morning for Kids post.
It’s definitely time for another classic! I have plenty on hand on my TBR, it’s just a matter of picking one up.
So, happy reading, and as we say goodbye to January, let’s look at February as a month of love–to others and to ourselves.
powerfulwomenreaders 