Sunday, June 28, 2020

BW26: Ladies of Fiction - M.M. Kaye




July is upon the horizon. Can you believe we're halfway through the year already? I think everyone's excited as we've been hearing lots of fireworks in our area. Are you making progress, whittling down your books, reading from your own shelves or adding more to your stacks? My virtual and physical TBR pile seems to be growing. Are you expanding your reading range, diving into new genres and cultures or enjoying revisiting old friends. 

 I've been unable to settle down with new reads and have been diving back into comfort reads. Do any of you remember the old Mervyn's commercial with the woman waiting in front of the closed store, with her nose pressed to the window, chanting open, open, open? New books are sitting on the shelf, waiting impatiently, whispering in my ear, read me, read me, read me.

I'm excited about this month's Ladies of Fiction Bookology author and artist, M.M. Kaye, who was born and raised in Shimla, India and wrote a wide variety of historical fiction, suspense novels, children's stories (written and illustrated) as well as radio plays.

There are a number of ways to complete the bookology challenge, including but not limited to:

  • Spell out the author's name - one book per letter from the title on the cover.
  • Read one or more books written by the author.
  • Read a book written in the country or time period of the author.


I'm looking forward to reading The Far Pavilions:



"A magnificent romantic/historical/adventure novel set in India at the time of mutiny. The Far Pavilions is a story of 19th Century India, when the thin patina of English rule held down dangerously turbulent undercurrents. It is a story about and English man - Ashton Pelham-Martyn - brought up as a Hindu and his passionate, but dangerous love for an Indian princess. It's a story of divided loyalties, of tender camaraderie, of greedy imperialism and of the clash between east and west."

Learn more about M.M. Kaye through New York Times Behind the Best Sellers, Summer of the Child of Raj, and A tribute to MM Kaye, Shimla-born British writer.

“What could be more entrancing than a carefree nomadic existence 
camping, moving, exploring strange places and the ruins of 
forgotten empires, sleeping under canvas or the open sky, and giving no 
thought to the conventions and restriction of the modern world?”
Far Pavilions - M.M. Kaye




Happy reading!


Please share your book reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week.

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.



Sunday, June 21, 2020

BW25: Happy Father's Day



Exhibit of Bil Keane in the McCormick-Stillman Railroad park in Scottsdale, Az



My Dad

By

Vicky Frye




If I could write a story,
It would be the greatest ever told.
I’d write about my daddy,
For he had a heart of gold.
My dad, he was no hero
Known around this world.
He was everything to me,
For I was his baby girl.
I’d write about the lessons.
He taught me right from wrong.
He instilled in me the values
That one day I’d be strong.
He taught me to face my fears,
Take each day as it comes,
For there are things that we can’t change.
He would say what’s done is done.
He would say hold your head up high,
Carry yourself with pride.
Thanks to him, I am somebody,
I will never run and hide.
If I could write a story,
It would be the greatest ever told.
I’d write about my daddy,


Happy Father's Day to all our dads.

************************************

Please share your book reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week.

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.








Sunday, June 14, 2020

BW24: June Solstice



The June Solstice is upon us as of the 20th and we are beginning either summertime or winter, depending on your location. Today is also Flag day, the start of National Flag Week, so please take a moment to pause for the Pledge and how the underappreciated flag provides messages of Unity and those who risked it all for old glory.

Books to broaden your horizons, by Hilary Mantel, Simon Schama, Lisa Taddeo and more

Books Like Us: Introducing a New Own Voices Video Series

9 Books We’re Reading to Educate Ourselves on Anti-Racism

Civil Unrest, Civil War, Fantasy, Fiction | What We're Reading and Watching

Using a book as a bridge to bring people together

9 Books that Will Give You Hope in Uncertain Times

31 Books That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity

The 25 Best Beach Reads to Add to Your Summer Reading List

The 17 Must-Read Books of Winter 2020


“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
― Emily Dickinson


Please share your book reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week.

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.




Sunday, June 7, 2020

BW23: 52 Books Bingo - Steampunk and Technology







Our next two 52 Books Bingo categories are steampunk and technology.  Within the world of science fiction, alternative histories, and dystopian worlds, we not only have steampunk, but also cyberpunk, nanopunk, dieselpunk, and biopunk.  Where as steampunk is set in 19th century victorian times, cyberpunk is set in a futuristic, high tech world. Nanopunk is closely related to cyberpunk but focuses on nanotechnology, dieselpunk embraces diesel technology, and biopunk focuses on the dark side of genetic engineering. 










Have fun following rabbit trails of thought while exploring steampunk and technology.

 
Please share your book reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week.

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.