Monday Reading Update
September 23, 2024
Life is speeding up and I feel I am not reading in the depth that I would like. These past few weeks, I would pick books to read, but I will read only a few chapters before putting the book down and starting another book.
I did manage to finish The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White, so my next reaction is to read her new book. Except, I have so many other books to read, so once I acquire it, I am not sure I will get to it right away. I get easily distracted or my curiosity will wonder and I will pick up another book to read. My reading list is full of books I have started but still have to complete.
Since the last paragraph, I made a trip downtown, drank coffee at a place I hadn’t been to for a while, and I returned books to the library. While on the bus and at the cafe, I managed to get to the 2/3rds mark of Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler. It is another book that takes place on the British isles, but at focusing on the Scots instead of the Welsh.
I am at a point of the books where I feel I can say something.
After watching as many Chinese dramas that take place at the imperial court, I feel Queen Hereafter is a safe foray into the world of political intrigue. It is not as intense or complex as some of the books that exist such as Game of Thrones. Young Lady Macbeth gets a schooling into the world of warriors, noblemen, and ladies-in-waiting, but the book is not as dark as it could be. As someone who has seen the live performance of Macbeth, and read different versions of the play, I am very aware while reading that this book will attempt to tell the story of Lady Macbeth before the events in the play. I can see myself getting to the end of the book fairly soon.
Weekly Reading Blog
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Returning To:
The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
The story begins in an outdoor market when a man’s shadow disappears. The plague spreads causing people’s shadows to disappear in many places including the U.S. With this strange phenomenon, memories disappear as well, but those afflicted also gain new powers. A couple are hiding in Virginia. This is the debut novel by the author who released a new book this year.
Mystery Pick:
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
The world has disappeared with a mysterious fog. A small island is left. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists are left. This is about how they spend their time as seemingly to be the last ones left. While The Book of M was published before the pandemic, The Last Murder was published this year.
Library Pick:
The Incarnations by Susan Barker
Published in 2014, this novel begins with following a taxi-driver in Beijing as the city prepares for the 2008 Olympics. From what I’ve heard from other readers, this is a thriller that involves reincarnation and past lives. I have had this book on my TBR for a long time, so I am making an effort to read this book. The author has not published anything since I am aware of, although I did see somewhere that she has contributed to an anthology recently.
Continuing:
The Harvesters by Jasmina Odor
Mira and her nephew are on vacation. They are travelling through Paris on bicycle. While Mira is divorced, her nephew is dealing with the loss of his first love. Along with enjoying the sites, they are reminded of the past and the impact the Yugoslav Wars have had on their family.
Non-fiction Pick:
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
With less then two months until the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, I have decided to finally read the mass market paperback of one of the books the former president published in the lead up to his election in 2008. With all the chatter online, I feel I should be a little bit more prepared and informed about the American system. This book is now dated but serves as a historical document.
Friday Reads
September 13. 2024
Backlist Pick:
The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill
At 19 years old, twins Nicolas and Nouschka try to escape the shadow of their famous father, a folk singer in Quebec. Since they were young, Etienne would take them along on talk show appearances, but also leaving them with their grandfather and disappearing for a while. Years later, the twins are older and they have to make their own way in life.
Canadian Small Press:
The Harvesters by Jasmina Odor
Mira travels to Paris with her nephew with the plan to travel through Paris on bicycle. While Bernard deals with the responsibilities of first love, they also feel the lasting effects of the Yugoslav Wars on their family’s past and present.
Library Pick:
Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu
Winter Young starts out as a backup dancer which leads to global pop stardom. The criminal tycoon Eli Morrison has one weakness – his daughter. Penelope has one wish for her 19th birthday – a private concert with Winter Young.
Continuing:
The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart
A new fantasy novel about warring gods and what it takes for the ruins of humanity to be restored. This is the start of a new series by the author The Drowning Empire trilogy that begins with The Bone Shard Daughter.
Nonfiction Pick:
Arrival: The Story of CanLit by Nick Mount
The story over how Canadian literature has developed since the 1950s with writers such as Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatje, Mordecai Richler, and more. Published in 2017 after 150 years of Confederation.
A 2024 Release:
Memory Piece by Lisa Ko
Three friends are teenagers in the 1980s. They go on to their adult lives and careers, then years later it is time to reassess their friendship in the present time as they remain lifelong friends. Also reflects on life with modern information technology.
New this week:
The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart
A war among immortals leave the human realm in ruins. In a bid for a hopeful future, they strike a bargain with a devious god to restore the world to its glory, but there is price to pay. What are the immortals willing to give up?
Library Pick:
Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
An historical fiction account of the story of the girl who became immortalized in the painting by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The book was translated 39 times and made into an Oscar-nominated movie.
Continuing:
From Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The book that started the career of an indie fantasy romance author. Now many books later, they remain popular and appear on best-seller lists.
Nonfiction:
Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan
A work of history in which the author details the 6 months in 1919 in which U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, British prime minister David Lloyd George, and French premier Georges Clemenceau met in Paris for what they aspired to would be a lasting peace at the end of the First World War.
Friday Reads
August 30, 2024
Weeknight Read:
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Maiden is a chosen one for divine purposes. She has been hidden away from the world, but she is curious about what she is instructed not to desire.
Commute Read:
Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler
A retelling of the story of Lady Macbeth from the Shakespeare play Macbeth. She is married to a nobleman who has ambitious plans encouraged on a course of action by his encounter of three witches.
Library Pick:
Hide by Kiersten White
A horror novel where the main character is in competition to survive while stuck at an amusement park. The author has a new book this week that is a Dracula story from the point-of-view of Lucy the thrall who escapes and goes on her own adventures.
Continuing:
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
A young woman raised to fight finds herself on a mission to protect Greek gods who have lost their powers from those from bloodlines tasked with hunting the gods who live on earth as mortals.
Nonfiction:
Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theatre by Ethan Mordden
A history of American musical theatre and its development over more than a 100-year period and the continuing appeal of the art form for contemporary audiences.
