BW7: Great Literature

 

Every story is a key that can unlock a door we didn’t even know was locked.

Happy Sunday! Great literature is in the mind of the beholder. We each have a personal canon shaped through art, music, ideas, conversation, education, spirituality, and yes, literature, which all goes toward shaping our world view.  I didn't think of it when I was in my 20's and read only science fiction and fantasy.  Reading was only for entertainment and to escape into the world of the story. 

It wasn't until I was older and started homeschooling that I began to appreciate different authors, genres, fiction and non fiction.  How would I give my child a well rounded education as well as give him the desire to be a life long learner?  It involved reading a lot of how to books about the different homeschool methods which I won't bore you with and turning my child's education into a grand science experiment, testing out differing methods. It was a great success for him as well as me because I ended up finishing my bachelor's degree in liberal arts which opened my eyes and mind to the diverse world of stories.  

A few years ago I came across Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Danger of a Single Story which I watch every year as a reminder not to limit our reading to the standard classics, but to branch out and experiment with all the genres, both fiction and non fiction. 

To that end, I don't limit myself to the Western Canon or western authors and choose to read widely and broadly. Instead of reinventing the wheel,  check out A Well Read Life recently posted in the linkbar above which has multiple url links to various books and websites with curated book lists. 

Whether you read Great books or good books, the most important thing is the reading and the side benefit of great conversation the stories provoke. 

Happy Reading! 

BW6: F is for Flufferton, Females, and French Fries

 

Happy Sunday! This week we celebrate the Super Bowl, National Flannel Day, Make a Friend Day, Friday the 13th, Ferris Wheel Day, and last but not least, Valentine's day.  

We're all about the ladies this week with Flufferton, female narrators, and series written by women that we need to finish. 

Regency Romances flourished between 1811 to 1820's during the shift from the aristocratic Age of Enlightenment to the artistic movement of Romanticism.  Since the period overlapped the Napoleonic wars, writers expanded on themes of the drama of wounded soldiers, mystery, adventure and of course, romance. The  term Flufferton Abbey was coined by a reader friend since Regency romances, both classic and modern, are light and fluffy reads and most are set in England. 

Female narrators for audio books can make or break the story depending on their voice and acting ability. Check out Audible.com's  Best Female Narrators who elevate every story or Penguin Staff Picks on Wonderful Women Narrators  Two of my favorite narrators are Susan Ericksen for  J.D. Robb's In Death Series and Katrina Lenk who wonderfully narrated The Fire Concerto by Sarah Lendenwich. I hope to find more interesting books narrated by Lenk in the future. 

Stories narrated by a female who are strong, or  unhinged,  written in first person such as N.J. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy or third person  such as J.D. Robb's In Death series are all great to read. 

Series written by women I particularly need to finish at some point are Robin Hobb's Farseer or Live Ship Traders, R.F. Kuang's Poppy Wars, C.J. Piper's The Night and it's Moon, and Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy. 

What series do you need to finish?

And let's not forget love and friendship this week. 

12 novels about female friendship in honor of Galentine’s Day

17 Stunning Friendship Stories to Read Now

Books Perfect for Valentine's Day

“It's finally happened; scientists claim to have discovered the very first person in history who doesn't like french fries. Just imagine the implications!”  ― Graham Parke

Happy Reading! 

BW5: February Escapades

 

The more I read, the hungrier I become. 

Each book seemed promising, each page 

I turned offered an escapade, the allure of

 another world, other destinies, other dreams.

~ Tatiana de Rosnay

Happy Sunday!  It's February which means it's time to escape on another adventure if you wish, or continue with your current adventures in Eastern Asia.  If you wish to move on from reading Eastern classics, one book you will find on most academic great books, best adventure lists or 1001 Books to Read Before You Die is Miguel De Cervantes  Don Quixote. If you haven't read it already, try to make time for it this year.  If you have, you'll remember there were several books mentioned in Don Quixote which may piqued your interest or Books that Drove Don Quixote Crazy.   

February is also An Affair to Remember Month, Black History Month, and Creative Romance Month with Valentine's Day on February 14th.  This week we celebration Spunky Old Broads day (Sunday), Ground Hog Day  (Monday), Feed the Birds day (Tuesday), Thank a Mailman Day (Wednesday), National Shower With a Friend Day (woot, woot) (Thursday), the Start of the Winter Olympics (Friday), and Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbor day (Saturday). Just think of all the escapades you can get into this week! 

Whether you need an escape or engage in an escapade, there are plenty of books which will aid in your quest.  

Happy Escapade!

BW4: Bingo Quest: Dragons

 

“No dragon can resist the fascination of riddling talk and of wasting time trying to understand it.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, 

Happy Sunday! Let's dive into L.E.S.T.E.R's Bingo Quest with Dragons!  Whether they are good or bad, we enjoy reading about dragons, experiencing them through the eyes of the characters such as the personable Temeriare ridden by Captain Laurence during the Napoleonic wars in Naomi Novik's series, or the fear they generate such as Smaug in The Hobbit.   Dragons or similiar creatures appear in every culture, universally symbolizing transformation,  yin and yang, or guardianship.  In eastern culture they symbolize control and power, whilst in western culture evil and chaos and heroism.  

I have several books on my TBR related to dragons including: James Rollins epic Moon Fall trilogy, Samantha Shannon's Root of Chaos, Richard Knaak's Omnibus Legends of the Dragonrealm, and others.  Including Stephen King. 

Did you know he wrote a book about dragons called The Eyes of the Dragon published in 2016.  

"Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a king with two sons…

​Thus begins one of the most unique tales that master storyteller Stephen King has ever written—a sprawling fantasy of dark magic and the struggle for absolute power that utterly transforms the destinies of two brothers born into royalty. Through this enthralling masterpiece of mythical adventure, intrigue, and terror, you will thrill to this unforgettable narrative filled with relentless, wicked enchantment, and the most terrible of secrets…"

Bronson Pinchot (remember the tv show Perfect Strangers back in the 90's) is the narrator of the audiobook.  I'll let you now how it turns out. 

30 Fantasy Books Featuring Dragonriders which includes Temeriare as well as the Eragon Series. 

11 Books + Fantasy Series with Dragons to Read if Your Suffering From an Onyx Storm Book Hangover.  And if you weren't into the Empyrean series, no matter. The list includes The Hobbit and The Natural History of Dragons  and more so it's well worth checking out. 

Epic Dragon Books for Tweens and Teens

Dragons For Young Adults

Happy Reading! 

BW3: Collection of Countries in Asia

 

Happy Sunday!  We are wandering around Asia this month which is the biggest continent on Earth with 48 Countries, not including the transcontinental countries of Russia, Turkey, and Georgia. There are number of ways to explore Asia, whether you pick a region or cross the continent, exploring the Silk Road or the oldest road called the Grand Trunk road, follow the Asian Highway Network, or the extreme altitudes and rugged terrain of Pamir Highway.  I barely touched the surface when I read Journeys on the Silk Road years ago and didn't continue my explorations for quite some time.  I also usually get stuck in Japan or China, but plan to venture out during my armchair travels and explore more countries and authors in the coming months and years.  

Check out Penguin Random's House list of One World, Many Voices: Asian Authors

Pima Country Public Library's West Asian and West Asian American Books

Brown History's list of 30 South Asian Novels to Read Before You Die

LSE's Sixteen recommended reads for East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month

The Center for Fiction's book recommendations of East Asian Novels

Five Books best books on Central Asia’s Golden Age

New York Times Follow the Silk Road, Book By Book (gift article link) with many rabbit trails to explore. 

Enjoy your explorations across the continent of Asia. 

BW2: Literary Legends: The Tale of Genji

 

Happy Sunday! One of my goals this year is to do a deep dive into classics and other books. While wandering down a rabbit hole the other day, I came across The Well Read Podcast. After watching 9 Mind Blowing Philosophy Books for Beginners  adding a few books to my TBR, ahem, wish list, and immersing myself in a few of his other videos, including Why Reading Slowly Makes You Smarter, a plan bloomed.  

Amidst the planning, I stumbled upon Benjamin McEvoy's Podcast on How to Read the Tale of Genji.  McEvoy leads you on deep dive into the life and times of the story and the era which is absolutely fascinating and well worth the watch. 

The Tale of Genji came to my attention in 2014 when I read the first volume for our 52 Book Centuries challenge. When I decided to revisit the tale, I purchased the chunky Penguin Classic translated by Royall Tyler which is one of two translations McEvoy recommends. 

Synchronicity was hard at work, especially since The Tale of Genji is our January Literary Legend. Murasaki Shikibu's stories turned into a 12th Century Japanese novel of court life in medieval Japan.  Shikibu was a lady in waiting, poet, and author during the Heian period dating from 794 to 1195.    

I was very impressed with McEvey so much so that I joined his Patreon Hard Core Literature Book Club and went down another rabbit hole before surfacing with a few new book ideas.  Plus they are starting the year with Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove who is our April Literary Legend. I'm looking forward to his deep dive into the story to pass on to you all. I considered flipping the script and switching McMurtry to now and saving Genji for April so let me know what you think. 

Our letter of the week is B and I'm currently reading Steve Berry's The Paris Vendetta, book 5 in his Cotton Malone series which is full of fascinating historical tidbits including the search for Rommel's Gold, Napoleon, and more.  

Plus the main character in another story I'm currently listening to is Clara Bishop in The Fire Concerto by Sarah Landenwich and the narration is absolutely amazing. 

"A debut novel about a former concert pianist, Clara Bishop, whose career was ended by a fire, and her journey to uncover a historical mystery involving a 19th-century female composer, a murdered composer, and a mysterious metronome. The story weaves together the lives of three women across time, exploring themes of loss, redemption, and the secrets hidden within musical history, as Clara investigates a scandal that echoes her own past."

B also stands for Biography which is non fiction so which book should I start with?

Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem, or something entirely different such as John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden and Evil.  Help me choose! 

BW1: Welcome to our 2026 Reading Adventure

 

“Isn't it odd how much fatter a book gets when you've read it several times?" Mo had said..."As if something were left between the pages every time you read it. Feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells...and then, when you look at the book again many years later, you find yourself there, too, a slightly younger self, slightly different, as if the book had preserved you like pressed flower...both strange and familiar.”  ~ Cornelia Funke, Inkspell

 

Happy New Year! Welcome to our Literary Exploration Society to Expand Reading aka read 52 Books in 52 Weeks adventure. Traditionally I start the year in Asia reading Haruki Murakami and other Asian Authors. I realize it's been a while (2013, ahem) since I updated our Trek through Asia listing plus my tastes have changed, and figured it was time to update the list so that's in the works this month.  

Haruki Murakami's books cover a wide range of genres from Bildungsroman to fantasy fiction to magical realism to psychological and suspense fiction as well as short fiction and memoirs. My  introduction to Murakami years ago was his chunky fantasy novel 1Q84, filled with magical realism, music, cats, weird characters, choices, and the meaning of life.  Which lead to reading most of his bibliography. I plan on starting the year reading one of his short story anthologies The Elephant Vanishes as well as revisit A Wild Sheep Chase.   

I'm also revisiting The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu for our Literary Legends monthly mini challenge which conveniently also satisfies the rereading category for our 2026 Bingo Quest.  

If you are up for a spelling challenge, you can choose from the Author Bookology or mix it up with Literary Legends utilizing any of the monthly choices: author, book, or character names. 

We are also starting another round of A to Z and Back Again and I've already started with A.G. Riddles thriller Antarctica Station.   

And if you are new to L.E.S.T.E.R. aka 52 Books,  check out the menu bar above to peruse our perpetual challenges such as Mind Voyages, and Agatha Christie, or explore some of our past challenges. 

Are you ready to get started. Great! Let's put on our hats and walking shoes, strap on our backpacks, grab our handy dandy walking sticks, and our literary maps and let's go.  

Please Note: Week one is extra long and will run from January 1st through January 10th.