Literary Exploration Society to Expand Reading (Formerly 52 Books)

Sunday, March 20, 2022

BW12: Spring Fling or Autumn Optimism

Today we celebrate the March equinox, welcoming Spring or Autumn, depending on where you are in the world. Both seasons have something in common - nature's showcase of beautiful colors, bright and bold as well as rich and warm. So let's dive into the season with our Spring / Autumn Reading Fling.

Read a book with flowers or leaves on the cover.
Read a book with the colors of spring or autumn on the cover
Read a book with Spring or Autumn in the title
Read a book about a Spring or Autumn Fling. (oh la la)
Read a book about life beginning.
Read a book about rebirth.
Read a book about life changing.
Read a book about wine or with wine on the cover
Read a book with any of the words from the poem below on the cover

Spring And Autumn.

Thomas Moore

Every season hath its pleasures;

Spring may boast her flowery prime,

Yet the vineyard's ruby treasures

Brighten Autumn's soberer time.

So Life's year begins and closes;

Days tho' shortening still can shine;

What tho' youth gave love and roses,

Age still leaves us friends and wine.

Phillis, when she might have caught me,

All the Spring looked coy and shy,

Yet herself in Autumn sought me,

When the flowers were all gone by.

Ah, too late;--she found her lover

Calm and free beneath his vine,

Drinking to the Spring-time over,

In his best autumnal wine.

Thus may we, as years are flying,

To their flight our pleasures suit,

Nor regret the blossoms dying,

While we still may taste the fruit,

Oh, while days like this are ours,

Where's the lip that dares repine?

Spring may take our loves and flowers,

So Autumn leaves us friends and wine.

A to Z and Back again - Our letter and word of the week are L and Life

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Sunday, March 13, 2022

BW11: All the World's a Stage

Happy Sunday, my darlings. For those of us who still have to abide by daylight savings time, did you remember to set your clocks forward? I'm appreciating the fact we only have a few clocks to adjust when I think about the clock merchant who has to reset a 1000 clocks.

Speaking of time, our next 52 Books Bingo category is All the World's a Stage. Which works well with our golden age theme since William Shakespeare was alive during the Elizabethan era, considered the Golden Age in English history.

There are many ways to go with this category including but not limited to

Five Best William Shakespeare Plays

Goodreads Top 100 Stage Plays

Goodreads Listopia - Best Books about Stage magic

17 sparkling and suspenseful novels set on the stage or the screen

A Complete List of Books for Every Stage of Your Life, According to Librarians

“All the world’s a stage”

William Shakespeare

(from As You Like It, spoken by Jaques)

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;

And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;

His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion;

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

A to Z and Back again - Our letter and word of the week are K and Keen

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Sunday, March 6, 2022

BW10: Crime Spree Bookology - Josephine Tey

Happy Sunday! Continuing with our Golden Age mystery writers, this month's Crime Spree Bookology choice is Josephine Tey. I've had The Daughter of Time sitting in my stacks for quite a while and look forward to reading it now. Tey is the creator of Inspector Alan Grant series and also wrote plays under the pseudonym of Gordon Daviot.

There are a number of ways to complete the Crime Spree 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.

Learn more about Josephine Tey through a Crime Readers Guide to the Classics and Decades After Her Death, Mystery Still Surrounds Crime Novelist Josephine Tey.

A to Z and Back again - Our letter and word of the week are J and Justice

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Sunday, February 27, 2022

BW9: The Golden Age of Mystery

Happy Sunday! This month we’re waving goodbye to February and winter in my neck of the woods, and saying hello to March and the beginning of spring. We are also celebrating Women's History Month and women who were vital to history.

And speaking of history, our Crime Spree hostesses Sandy and Amy are taking us back to the Golden Age era this month. Take it away, ladies:

If you find yourself spending the weekend at your curmudgeonly uncle’s manor and he ends up murdered, you’re probably in a Golden Age mystery. Luckily, you’re innocent of the crime if you’re young, beautiful, and in love. But if you happen to be a ne'er-do-well that recently been cut out of the will then…

This website is fantastic for exploring even more authors. Who are some of your favorite Golden Age authors?

Authors to explore:

Agatha Christie’s website is a fun place to lose an hour

· EC Bentley

· Patricia Wentworth (sidenote from Amy: Skip the first book and start here.)

· J. Jefferson Farjeon

· Josephine Tey

Challenge: Evade Scotland Yard by choosing a new to you Golden Age author to read.

Thank you ladies. Juan and I are trying to stay out of sight of the gents at Scotland Yard as we follow in the footsteps of the the queens and gentlemen of the Golden Age.

Which brings me to our A to Z and back again -- Our letter and word of the week are I and Informer.

Have fun investigating!

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Sunday, February 20, 2022

BW8: Bookish miscellanea

Sun Glare: Alaska by Rockwell Kent

Happy Sunday! In my web wanderings, I was drawn into an article about artist Rockwell Kent and his quest for solitude and inspiration in Wilderness, Solitude, and Creativity: Artist and Philosopher Rockwell Kent’s Century-Old Meditations on Art and Life During Seven Months on a Small Alaskan Island, which lead to Musings on Art: Rockwell Kent - A Champion of Peace, which lead to Kent's illustrated Moby Dick. Makes me want to read the Moby Dick, or The Whale illustrated versionnow as well as Kent's book, Wilderness, his journal about his time in Alaska. Rabbit trails as so much fun.

Another interesting article about Author Joanne Harris turns down US book deal over censoring of ‘f-bomb’, particularly because it was pertinent to the story. Which lead of course to her blog and her response about sensitivity readers the publishing houses have begun to employ. In her blog post On Sensitivity readers, weakness, and staying alive, Harris makes a good point.

"Books all have shelf lives, just as we do, and Dickens’ work has survived in spite of his anti-Semitism, not because of it. The work of many others has not. Books are for readers, and if an author loses touch with their readers - either by clinging to outdated tropes, or using outdated vocabulary, or having an outdated style – then their books will cease to be published, and they will be forgotten. It happens all the time. What one generation loves and admires may be rejected by the next."

But that doesn't mean they need to be banned or changed. It's all in the context.

Free books, who doesn't love them. Lots of books are entering the public domain this year such as Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, Milne's Winnie the Pooh, Franz Kafka's The Castle, and many others.

Moving on to movies about books, check out the Netflix Book Club, if not to join, but to see what books are being adapted for Netflix.

While we are on the subject of books to movies, Lee Child's Jack Reacher first book was adapted for a series on Amazon Prime. I watched the first episode and had to close my eyes during the prison fight, but otherwise I think Alan Ritchson is a great choice for Reacher.

Reading choices when it comes to narrators. Years ago, I only read books written in third person narration and refused to read any written in first person. Until I came across a writer who usually wrote in third and had switched to first, captured my attention, pulled me into the story without confusing me and sold me on first person narration. Since then I've found some really good books from writers who do first person very well. The ones who don't, forget about it. You know the ones I mean.

I went back to school in my late forties to finish my Bachelor's Degree and during a literature class, imagine my surprise when I had to read a book written in second person narration. Yes, it was weird, but once I got into the story, was able to accept the narrator and keep going. Since then, I'll stumble across another written partially or totally in second person and give it a go. Of course, we're back to whether it's well done or not and does it pull you in. I'm currently reading such a book which has mixed narration, both 2nd and 3rd and finding myself enjoying it. All this to say, which style narration do you enjoy? Have you ever tried Second Person narration stories?

For our writers, have you ever tried writing a story in second person? Give it a try Here's my attempt for our A to Z and Back again for E.

And speaking of which:

A to Z and Back Again - Our letter and work of the week are H and Harried.

Did you know that today is Hoodie Hoo day? So go outside at noon and wave your hands and yell Hoodie Hoo and chase away your winter blues. Go ahead, I dare you.

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Sunday, February 13, 2022

BW7: 52 Books Bingo - She Did What?

Happy Sunday! I'm declaring this week Valentine's Week as we continue with our romance theme for the month. I'm combining it with our 52 Books Bingo category "She Did What?" which bumps it up into a lot of different genres including literary, suspense, thriller, psychological, or maybe young adult. What do you think of when someone says 'She did what?" Said yes, or no? ran away, started her own business, blasted into outer space, or stole something from someone?

20 Best Romantic Suspense Novels

Unlikely Romances

Literary Romance Novels, 20 Love Stories for Every Reader

11 Fictional Female Scientists Who'd Rule the Lab

12 Books That Prove Women Outlaws Are Even Cooler than Women Heroes

Could be anything! Even a book title.

A to Z and Back Again - Our letter and word of the week are G and Gadfly

Happy Galentine's Day!

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Sunday, February 6, 2022

BW6: Crime Spree Bookology - Jayne Ann Krentz

Happy Sunday! We are going to continue with the romantic suspense theme and align our bookology spelling challenge with the crime spree authors, highlighting one of the authors Sandy and Amy mention at the beginning of the month. Decided to mix things up after I discovered the Book on Books Bookology wasn't working for me with two failures in a row. The Trial and error method told me to move on to something more fun and hence the birth of Crime Spree Bookology.

We get three for one this month with Jayne Ann Krentz, who encompasses three different worlds writing contemporary romantic suspense, as well as historical romantic suspense under the pseudonym of Amanda Quick, and futuristic paranormal suspense under her real name, Jayne Castle. Some of her series encompass all three genres and some are standalones. Krentz is a prolific writer and has written many books under 7 different pens names over the years from the 80's to the present. I've read quite a few and all are very entertaining.

There are a number of ways to complete the Crime Spree 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.

Read a book by an author similar to Jayne Ann Krentz

Learn more about Krentz through A Conversation With Jayne Ann Krentz, and How I lost control of my Jayne Castle World.

A to Z and Back Again - Our letter and word of the week are F and Foiled.

Happy Trails!

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Sunday, January 30, 2022

BW5: Isn't it Romantic

Welcome to February's month of love as we celebrate Creative Romance Month as well as an Affair to Remember month and National Weddings month. And least we forget, February 4th is Thank a Mailman day. Did you remember to send those letters you wrote?

A to Z and Back Again - Our letter and word of the week are E and Earnest

Speaking of earnest and romance, our Crime Spree hostesses Sandy and Amy have a challenge for you to partake in. Take it away, ladies:

Few things go together better than crime and romance. Actually, there are hundreds of things that go together better, but few things are as exciting to read as Romantic Suspense. These novel are equally balanced with the romance playing as bit a part as the mystery/suspense elements. Are you a fan?

Authors to explore:

For a gothic feel check out: Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart

If you like modern heroes/heroines escaping likely murder, then check out: Nora Robert/JD Robb, Laura Griffin, Marie Force

For a sweet Christian take on Romantic Suspense: Terri Blackstock and Dee Henderson

Suspense? Romance? Werewolves/Vampires/Ghosts? We got that too! Patricia Briggs , Ilona Andrews, Jayne Ann Krentz

Challenge: Bat your eyes at your favorite getaway driver and read a book featuring someone in love and in danger.

Thank you ladies! Batting my eyes earnestly at Juan, my oh so hunky getaway driver, as we drive hastily away from some serious risky business we found ourselves part of.

Happy trails, mi amors!

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Sunday, January 23, 2022

BW4: Bookish Birthdays and Notes

Happy Sunday! Today is National Handwriting Day Which coincidently goes hand in hand (pun intended) with those letters we could have written in week 2. Yes, I know, I didn't either. But I have been having fun writing A to Z and back again stories, all by hand, and currently working on the letter K. How about you? Ready to give it a try yet?

A to Z and Back Again - our letter and word of the week is D - Deduction

Time for a round of literary birthdays and notes to tempt and amaze you:

Jan 23: French author Stendhal, American poet Louis Zukofsky, and West Indies poet Derek Walcott

Jan 24: American novelist Edith Wharton , English dramatist William Congreve, British novelist and zoologist Desmond Norris

Jan 25: Scottish poet Robert Burns, English poet William Somerset Maugham, and English novelist Virginia Woolf

Jan 26: American author and activist Angela Davis, and American Mary Mapes Dodge

Jan 27: English author Lewis Carroll, and English novelist D.M. Thomas

Jan 28: American author and activist Julius Lester, and French author Colette

Jan 29: American political author Thomas Paine, Russian playwright Anton Chekov and French novelist and Nobel Prize winner Romain Rolland

Finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Awards

Mystery Writers of America Announces 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations

Screen grabbers: mysteries adapted for film

Nick Cave on Creativity, the Myth of Originality, and How to Find Your Voice

And Just Like That...Carrie Bradshaw's Library Card is a Must-Have Accessory

Have fun following rabbit trails!

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Sunday, January 16, 2022

BW3: 52 Books Bingo - Space Opera

Happy Sunday! Today is Appreciate a Dragon Day, created by Donita K. Paul, author of the Dragonspell Chronicles back in 2004 to celebrate our favorite dragons in books and television. Great series by the way, which I enjoyed and has since disappeared into the book jungle in my son's room.

Combine dragons, beasts and other fantastical or scary creatures that characters may encounter in outer space with our first 52 books bingo category - Space Operas and what do you have? Scary and/or thrilling, entertaining stories set in outer space, alternative worlds, and other planets.

I came across Barnes and Nobles 55 Essential Space Operas from the Last 70 Years and took a trip down memory lane as I've read quite a few of these books over the years and still have them in my personal library. From Harrison and Heinlein, Niven and Asimov to Weber and Donaldson to Scalzi and Chambers. I currently have a few on the nightstand I haven't read such as Corey's Leviathan Wakes to Vinge's Snow Queen. They are in the queue for this year.

11 of the best sci-fi books that transport you to another world reminds me to move Robinson's Red Mars as well as Ursula Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness up in the queue as well. Both dusty books have been calling to me to read sooner than later.

And don't forget Star Wars which my son loves to read, as well as Star Trek novelizations.

A to Z and Back Again - our letter and word of the week is C - Conundrum.

Have fun exploring the outer regions of space!

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Sunday, January 9, 2022

BW2: Books about Books Bookology - Shion Miura

Happy Sunday! Did you know this week is National Letter Writing week so grab several pieces of paper and a pen or pencil, not a keyboard, and write a letter to your significant other, family member, friend, long lost relative or even an author to thank them for a book you enjoyed.

Our Books about Books Bookology author of the month is Shion Miura and the highlighted read is The Great Passage:

"Inspired as a boy by the multiple meanings to be found for a single word in the dictionary, Kohei Araki is devoted to the notion that a dictionary is a boat to carry us across the sea of words. But after thirty-seven years creating them at Gembu Books, it’s time for him to retire and find his replacement.
He discovers a kindred spirit in Mitsuya Majime—a young, disheveled square peg with a penchant for collecting antiquarian books and a background in linguistics—whom he swipes from his company’s sales department.
Led by his new mentor and joined by an energetic, if reluctant, new recruit and an elder linguistics scholar, Majime is tasked with a career-defining accomplishment: completing The Great Passage, a comprehensive 2,900-page tome of the Japanese language."

Learn more about Shion Muira through this interview with Sanseidou translated by Story Unlocker.

There are a variety of ways to complete this challenge with plenty of rabbit trails. Read a book with one or more of the following (but not limited too) and have fun exploring a variety of places and topics:

Spell out the first and/or last name of the author - one book per letter.
Read the highlighted book or any book written by the author.
Read a book written in the country or time period of the author.

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Our letter and word of the week is B - Brevity. During a spurt of creativity I thought of several ideas to share, which may not happen every week and most of time I'll leave it up your imagination.

Write

Brief, small, saying much in a few words. Concise, minute and to the point. A fallen petal from a bouquet tells a story of life, a part of the whole. Petals grow, blossom to fullness, unfold to display a beauty bold, bright, soft and light. Ages, falls to the ground, and withers away. From beginning to end, quiet elegance revealed in a petal, in a moment in time.

What can you sense? A touch, a whisper, a sight so bright it stings the eyes. Tears drip at the simple, at things that barely cause a ripple, as you go about your day. There for your pleasure. A gift nature gives to us if we care to look.

Pick a moment, a fallen petal, a ladybug, ripples from a rock thrown into the river, a dusting of light through the window pane. What do you see, what do you hear, what do you feel?

Read

A short story less than 200 pages, less than 100 pages. A brief written by a lawyer. Now that's an oxymoron. A brief moment experienced by a character. A brief moment in time in your life.

The Shortest Novels Written by 20 Authors You Should’ve Read By Now

The 20 Best Books Under 200 Pages

20 Great American Short Stories

21 Flash Fiction stories to read while you wait anywhere.

Learn

Challenge yourself and write your own.

Flash fiction or Nonfiction with Dinty Moore's The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction or the guide to Flash Fiction.

Five Books That Have Helped to Define Flash Nonfiction

Goodreads writing flash fiction.

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Saturday, January 1, 2022

BW1: Welcome to our 2022 reading adventures

Happy New Year, my darlings and I’m so glad you are joining me for another round of Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks. Can you believe it's our 14th blogoversary? We'll have to think of a special mini challenge to celebrate. We have some great new challenges this year and as always, you can choose to play along or chart your own path in your quest to read.

If you are new to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks, the goal to read 52 books. How you get there is up to you. We all read at different paces and I don't want anyone to sacrifice quality for quantity by reading short books just to make the goal. I want you to enjoy yourself. If you have only managed to read one book in a year, challenge yourself to read two. Five? Then shoot for ten. Years ago when we started this challenge, there were a few people who were sure they'd never be able to read 52 books in a year. Maybe 12, maybe 30, but 52, forget about it. Guess what? Many are reading 52 books or more. Never say never. Set your own goal, read what you want, explore and dive into those longer books, engage your mind and soul and don't worry. Do your best, challenge yourself and see what happens.

We have some exciting challenges this year including one a bit different - a new weekly A to Z and Back Again reading challenge with a writing element for the folks in our group who like to journal, write short stories or novel length stories as well as fan fiction, flash fiction and non fiction. Each week I'll present the letter and word of the week. You can read a book or author starting with the letter, or find a character that emulates that characteristic or job. Find a synonym or antonym; maybe form an aptigram or antigram. Rhyme or reason doesn't apply. Write a story or poem and let your thoughts fly. How you do it is up to you. This week we start with A, go through the alphabet and back again to end with A on week 52. I'll post a link to an example on My Two Blessings so you can see what my wild and wacky brain came up with in response to the word of the week. I hope you'll play along.

Letter and word of the week: A - Antiquary

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And now for something even more exciting. I'm very happy to announce a brand new Crime Spree reading challenge cohosted by two of our Book a Week readers: Amy (alias – aggieamy) & Sandy (alias- mumto2). Take it away ladies:

We are pleased that you’ve committed to a life (or at least a year) of crime. Consider Sandy and I your get away drivers and accomplices as we delve into just a few of the wonderful sub-genres of mystery over the next 12 months. We’ll start each month with a new challenge and new authors to explore.

This is lighthearted and fun, so tweak the challenges as you want and join the discussion.

Pack your bags. Grab a disguise. Plan an alibi. Let’s go!

PS - And many thanks to the Godmother of our BaW crime family, Robin, for allowing us to hold up the thread once a month.

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We’re going to kick off our crime spree with the beloved writers who started it all: Grandparents of Crime. We’ve chosen to highlight just a few of the famous early writers that produced stories we wouldn’t put down! Have you read any of these authors? Who would you nominate for the prestigious Grandparent of Crime title?

For more information on early mystery writers, check out: goldenageofmystery.com

Authors to explore:

Edgar Allen Poe is not only one of the most famous historical short story writers in the US but also started the mystery genre with his short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” in 1841. He was writing from 1827 until his death at 40-years-old in 1849.

Wilkie Collins is credited with two important contributions to the mystery genre—inventing the mystery novel genre (The Woman in White) and then inventing the detective novel (The Moonstone). He was writing between 1850-1885.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could be considered one of the most famous mystery writers, with over 60 Sherlock Holmes short stories and novels published from 1887 to 1927.

Mary Roberts Rinehart is known as the “American Agatha Christie” and is considered the inventor of the “had I but known” literary style in modern mysteries and even better known for creating “the butler did it” trope. Her active years of writing were 1908-1952.

Challenge: Enter a life of crime by choosing a novel from one of the highlighted Grandparents of Crime or any mystery written before 1910.

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I'm excited and ready to get started. If you're new to 52 books, all the links to the challenges are in the menu bar above. Our first reading week will run from January 1st through Saturday, January 8th. Take your time to explore the different challenges, links to book resources, visit your fellow readers and of course, read. I look forward to hearing all about your adventures.

~Cheers to a wonderful new reading year!

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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.

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