Pages

Sunday, October 31, 2021

BW44: Nonfiction November

 


Time to climb aboard Pum Deg Dau o Lygrau and set sail for the unknown as we explore the land of nonfiction.  Such a wide variety to choose from -  Psychology, cookbooks, history, art, religion, memoirs, craft of writing, sports, essays, poetry, crime, philosophy, and culture --- the wide vast world of how and what and why.  

Given that it's also National Novel Writing Month and you want to spread your writing wings,  dip your toes in writing nonfiction with Telling True Stories, Flash Non Fiction, or poetry.  Learn about the writing life from Annie Dillard or Anne Lamott

Dive into the world of true crime or real life detectives.  

Try out a new recipe, or go Down the Garden Path or Taste with Stanley Tucci

Be Zen, be cool, be funny, be logical or be positive.

Delve into the past with Erik Larson or Nathaniel Philbrick and many more. 

Have fun following rabbit trails.

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

Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 106. Dividing the Proceeds

Chapter 107. The Lions’ Den

Chapter 108. The Judge

***************************
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, October 24, 2021

BW43: At Seven a Son by Elaine Feinstein

 

Elaine Feinstein



In celebration of the late Elaine Feinstein, born October 24, 1930 and died at the age of 88 on September 23, 2019.  Multifaceted writer of novels, short stories, poetry, teleplays and biographies.

At Seven a Son

In cold weather on a
garden swing, his legs
in wellingtons rising over
the winter rose trees

he sits serenely
smiling like a Thai
his coat open, his gloves
sewn to the flapping sleeves

his thin knees working
with his arms
folded about the
metal struts

as he flies up
(his hair like long
black leaves) he
lies back freely

astonished in
sunshine as serious
as a stranger he is
a bird in his own thought.

*********************
Count of Monte Cristo 


Chapter 103. Maximilian
Chapter 104. Danglars’ Signature
Chapter 105. The Cemetery of Père-Lachaise

************************
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, October 17, 2021

BW42: 52 Books Bingo - Dystopian and Utopian

Courtesy of Barnes and Noble

Dystopian novels are on my mind today.  Particularly since my son recently read Ready Player Two and has been waiting for me to read it.  We've both watched and read Ready Player One and thoroughly enjoyed them.  So on to the second novel which fits in perfectly with our next two 52 Books Bingo categories -Dystopian and Utopian   There are books set in a perfect Utopian  world which may or may not be a good thing,  The imaginary perfect world which can easily slide into the imperfect Dystopian world. So, one of your missions for our October Spooktacular is to read a dystopian or utopia story. 

8 Vital Utopian Novels That Envision a Perfect World:  Imagine all the people, living life in peace...


Have fun following rabbit trails! 

***************************
Count of Monte Cristo - 17 chapters left

Chapter 100. The Apparition
Chapter 101. Locusta
Chapter 102. Valentine

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

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, October 10, 2021

BW41: Fictional Librarian - Hanna Casey


 
Happy Sunday!  It's time to jump back on board our airship, the Pum Deg Dau o Lygrau. We are setting sail for the west coast of Ireland to visit the fictional town of Finfarran.   We will be joining Hanna Casey, our fictional librarian of the month. The series, created by Felicity Hayes-McCoy, begins with The Library at the Edge of the World and is about Hanna, who is fifty five and recently divorced, has to start all over again and moves back home to live with her mother and ends up leading the campaign to save the town library. 

Read a book with one or more of the following (but not limited to) and have fun exploring:

  • Spell out the first and/or last name of the character's name - one book per letter from the title on the cover.
  • Spell out the first and/or last name of the author - one book per letter.
  • Read one or more books in the series.
  • Follow in a character's footsteps and read a book set in the country or time period of the story.
  • Follow in the author's footsteps and read a book set in their place or time of birth.
  • Read a book with the first or last name of the character or author in the title.
Have fun as there are a variety of ways to complete this challenge with plenty of rabbit trails.

******************
Count of Monte Cristo 

Chapter 97. The Departure for Belgium
Chapter 98. The Bell and Bottle Tavern
Chapter 99. The Law

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

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, October 3, 2021

BW40: October Spooktacular




 

Welcome to our October Spooktacular reading month. I have the music of The Addams family theme song running through my head today:

Their creepy and their kooky
Mysterious and spooky
Their all together ooky
The Adams family
Their house is a museum
When people come to see 'em
They really are a screaming
The Adams family.
Neat.
Sweet
Petite
So put a witch's shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna play a call on
The Adams family
Their creepy and their kooky
Mysterious and spooky
Their all together ooky
The Adams family
Strange
Deranged
The Adams family

Does it put you in the mood for some spooky or kooky, spine-chilling or thrilling, creepy or cozy, scary or mysterious?  Yes, me too. 

Spooky to me doesn't necessarily equal horror. I detest blood and guts horror books or movies. Give me emotion, give me pee in your pants scary moments.  Give me tense moments that make you laugh or cry. Give me mind bending stories with devious and conniving characters and lots of twists and turns.  Give me stories that make me think and go whoa, I didn't see that coming.  Entertain me, thrill me, shock me. 

If you haven't read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Bram Stoker's Dracula, now would be the perfect time.  Put away all your preconceived notions as the books are very different from the movies and will shock and amaze you.  If you have read it, dip your toes into retellings of the story as well as the reimagining's of  Bram Stoker's Dracula. 

If you are slightly on the squeamish side and can only handle a little bit scary or a little bit spooky, read a cozy supernatural mystery  or what the Austin Public Library considers a cozy horror which includes 
Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None or Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles.  

For those who like psychological thrillers, like me, read Female Psychological Thrillers/Suspense Written by Women.

From historical thrillers to psychological page turners, check out Pan MacMillian's list of the Best Thriller books of 2021

What is one of the spookiest or thrilling books you ever read?

Have fun following rabbit trails!

*************************
Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 94. Maximilian’s Avowal
Chapter 95. Father and Daughter
Chapter 96. The Contract

*************************
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.