BW35: Authors of the Month - Kristin Hannah and George Orwell

 

Happy Sunday! We are heading into September and the fourth quarter of the year. Where did the time go?  This month we honor the American worker on Labor Day, remember the ones we lost on September 11th,  celebrate those who were Prisoners of War and those still Missing in Action on the 18th,  have fun with International Talk Like a Pirate day on the 19th,  welcome the beginning of Fall with the Autumn Equinox on the 22nd, and get silly with Ask a Stupid Question day on the 28th. 

Our literary legend of the month is George Orwell and our Contemporary Author is Kristin Hannah.  While both authors write stories that are entertaining and educational, George's books will make you think and are must reads, Kristin's historical fiction as well as contemporary stories will tug at the heartstrings.   

The ultimate guide to George Orwell’s books.  It's probably time for me to read 1984 again as much of the story reflects today with the manipulation of information, the changes in vocabulary, big brother type digital surveillance and the ability to track people through cameras, phones, and more.  

"A masterpiece of rebellion and imprisonment where war is peace freedom is slavery and Big Brother is watching. Thought Police, Big Brother, Orwellian - these words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984. The story of one man's Nightmare Odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory 1984 is a prophetic haunting tale More relevant than ever before 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable the destruction of truth freedom and individuality."

Kristin Hannah’s books: a complete guide

I recently finished Hannah's historical fiction novel about nurses and Vietnam in The Women.  The Nightingale made me cry, whereas The Women not only made me cry, but made me mad for the suffering of the nurses and those who didn't believe them. 

"Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era." 

Both authors are well worth reading! 

BW34: Bingo Quest: Finish the Series

Happy Sunday!  This is a week of celebrations as Hubby and I are celebrating our 29th Anniversary and his birthday a couple days later.   One of my wedding promises was that I'd never combine the two which I've kept to this day.  I told our technicians on Friday he would off on his birthday and your gift to hubby is the day off.  One gave me a deer in the headlights look and the other said, we'll handle it, have fun.  

Our life has turned into the long running series which will never get rewritten or taken over by another author. Whilst our life is a standalone I do love to read series. Like how I segued there? Hee hee!

I enjoy getting to know the characters and immersing myself in their world, their lives, troubles, and tribulations.  Some series I read until I can read no more.  Madam or Sir author, will you be coming out with another? 

Some I may read two or three. I give them a chance. Maybe the next one will be better? But find that the world is not intriguing enough or the characters fail to resonate with me.   

And some I discover have been taken over by another author whose writing makes it no longer for me.  Don't you hate it when the normal author's name is in huge letters at the top and below the title is the author who has taken over?  Fool me once.  When I immerse myself in an author's writing I can always tell the difference. Their writing voice is totally different.    

A few times I've discovered new series when the authors names are similar, right next to each other on the store shelf. I bought what I thought was a Dan Brown story only to discover it wasn't.  I thought he had branched out into writing techno thrillers but it didn't have his voice so I rechecked the cover. Duh! The book was written by Dale Brown who turned into a favorite of mine.  

While in the midst of finishing series, I'll begin new ones. You'd think I'd finish one before I start the other.  It took me ten years to finish Robert Jordan's Wheel of time yet I binged read Diana Gabaldan's Outlander Series in six months.  

I discovered Robin Hobb last year and have been slowly making my way through the Realm of the Elderlings. I finished Farseer, Liveship Traders, and the Rain Wild trilogy. I recently back tracked and am currently reading The Tawny Man Trilogy.  I needed a break from Fitz for a while. LOL! 

Who are your favorite series authors? 

BW33: Hugo Gernsback

 

Happy Sunday! This week, we celebrate the anniversary of the birthday of Hugo Gernsback -  born August 16, 1884.  Yes, you may be experiencing deja vu since I love to revisit Hugo every few years or so.  

Hugo Gernsbacher was born in Luxembourg and immigrated to the United States in 1904.  He was fascinated by electricity and invented a dry battery which he patented upon arriving in the United States.   He established a radio and electrical supply house called Electro Importing Company and developed a small portable radio transmitter called the Telimco Wireless Telegraph.  He went on to patent 80 inventions.

Gernsback  published a magazine for electrical experimenters called Modern Electronics which was later taken over by Popular Science.   To fill up some empty space in the magazine, he decided to write a futuristic story which ran in 12 installments. The story named Ralph 124C 41+ was later published in 1926. It was set in the 27th century and is still available today.  

He started a number of magazines including the first magazine dedicated exclusively to science fiction called  Amazing Stories in 1926.  Hugo coined the term scientifiction which later went on to be known as Science Fiction.

He unfortunately went bankrupt and lost control of Amazing Stories. He quickly bounced back and went on to publish three more magazines:  Air Wonder Stories, Science Wonder Stories and Science Wonder Quarterly.  Air Wonder and Science Wonder were merged into one magazine Wonder stories in 1930 and sold it in 1936 to Beacon Publications where it continued to be published for 20 more years.  Digital copies of Amazing Stories, Air Wonder, Science Wonder, and Wonder magazines are available to view through the Pulp Magazines Project. 

Gernsback is lauded as one of the fathers of science fiction. In 1960 he was given a special Hugo Award as The Father of Magazine Science Fiction. The award were unofficially called the Hugo's until the name was officially changed beginning in 1993. 

Hugo Gernsback died in New York on August 19, 1967 at the age 83.  

If you are in the mood for more science fiction and fantasy fun, don't forget you can dive into Mind Voyages and explore the Hugo and Nebula winners and nominees, take side trips through the different decades reading the nominees, check out Philip K. Dick and Robert Heinlein or the all inclusive I'm going to Pluto because Pluto is still a planet as far as I'm concerned Voyage in which you can mix it up, choose the number of books you want to read from each voyage, include some new books you pick up along the way and enjoy the ride. 

Links to all the voyages are available on the Mind Voyages blog.

BW32: Unrelatable, Unlikable, Unreliable Characters, and/or Unnamed

 

Happy Sunday! I've read many books with unrelatable, unlikable,  or unreliable characters as well as narrators that were unnamed. They are books I love to hate. Books that make me mad at the characters, their actions, or their storyline in general.  But, unable to put them down, because I want to know how they end. Do the characters redeem themselves in the end? Yes, no, maybe.  Do I want to throw the book across the room? Yes, no, maybe.  Reading is an experience! 

When it comes to the unreliable narrator, the first rule of reading is to not read anything more about it than a brief description. All the charm in this genre is surprise so you must be diligent in avoiding spoilers.   

Jessica Strawser's The Last Caretaker  started out with good intentions then went down the wrong path in dealing with domestic violence, vigilante justice and solving problems without the authorities.  

Leslie Wolfe's The Surgeon when a cardiac patient died under mysterious circumstances and the lead characters were involved in abuse, adultery, blackmail, and decided vigilante justice without the police was the best solution. 

The unrelatable character you may or may not grow to love such as Lisbet in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or MacKayla or Jericho in the Dark Fever Series.  

Then you have the unnamed characters which really don't make any difference when the story pulls at your heartstrings or haunts you until the end such as Cormac McCarthy's The Road  or Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. 

Reading Flawed Protagonists: Relatability Versus Likeability

Unlikeable Characters Books

Love to Hate Them: Books with Unlikable Main Characters

30 Books With Unreliable Narrators

10 Books With Unnamed Narrators

Have fun! 

BW31: Authors of the Month Julie Caplin and Truman Capote

 

Happy August! This will be a busy month for us as August is full of birthday and anniversary celebrations within our extended family.  This week, my nephew shares his birthday with Herman Melville, My son shares his birthday with Guy De Maupassant, another relative with Alfred Lord Tennyson.  Though I doubt I could get any of them to read the respective author they share birthdays with. LOL!

Our contemporary author for this month is Julie Caplin who write international gastronomic cozy romantic fiction all over the world and her books, of which I've read several are absolutely delightful and wonderful palate clearers. 

Our Literary Legend is Truman Capote aka Truman Streckfus Persons who wrote In Cold Blood, Breakfast at Tiffany's as well as other novels and novellas.  I have Breakfast at Tiffany's in my stacks to read. 

Our letter of the week is V which stands for Vampires, Victorian, Vegetarianism, Victuals, Video Games, Vikings, and Virtual Reality. 

Happy Reading!