tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71739103149858091882024-03-13T18:08:15.337+01:00Paradise FoundRonnie's bookish adventuresBoyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.comBlogger312125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-44794758952575824162020-08-21T17:05:00.003+02:002020-08-21T17:05:10.963+02:00Review - Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481208996l/33290527._SY475_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="304" height="304" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481208996l/33290527._SY475_.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><p><b>Title: </b>Lincoln in the Bardo</p><p><b>Author:</b> George Saunders</p><p><b>Synopsis:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText14403033411716292525">In his long-awaited
first novel, American master George Saunders delivers his most original,
transcendent, and moving work yet. Unfolding in a graveyard over the
course of a single night, narrated by a dazzling chorus of voices,
Lincoln in the Bardo is a literary experience unlike any other—for no
one but Saunders could conceive it.<br /><br />February 1862. The Civil War
is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the
nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle.
Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies
upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite
predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a
Georgetown cemetery. “My poor boy, he was too good for this earth,” the
president says at the time. “God has called him home.” Newspapers report
that a grief-stricken Lincoln returned to the crypt several times alone
to hold his boy’s body.<br /><br />From that seed of historical truth,
George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss
that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a
thrilling, supernatural realm both hilarious and ter/rifying. Willie
Lincoln finds himself in a strange purgatory, where ghosts mingle,
gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within
this transitional state—called, in the Tibetan tradition, the bardo—a
monumental struggle erupts over young Willie’s soul.</span></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kamnh6ScmQM/Xzpohv-SJPI/AAAAAAAACwk/ot75QQMGFMk053HkddaenMx9rz2319KqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kamnh6ScmQM/Xzpohv-SJPI/AAAAAAAACwk/ot75QQMGFMk053HkddaenMx9rz2319KqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><p></p><p><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b>My Thoughts:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525">When a book makes me want to visit a place I know I won't soon forget it. When the place in question is as quaint as a cemetery, a particular resting place, it gets wedged in my memory even more.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525">When <i>Willie Lincoln</i>, President Lincoln's son died at age 11 he was placed in the Carroll crypt in Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown. That's where we are guided by George Saunders to take part in an unforgettable journey.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><i>Lincoln in the Bardo</i> is a complex project that can be studied from many angles. It's a <b>thoughtful and gentle piece of grief literature</b> on the one hand, while on the other it draws from <b>historical records</b> to cement its supernatural plot in reality. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525">According to some such records <i>President Lincoln</i> visited the cemetery to hold his son's body for weeks after the boy was entombed. <b>The book tells the story of one night, the night after the funeral </b>when Willie Lincoln finds himself sitting on the roof of his crypt in the company of ghosts. He's utterly confused and wants to go home. He doesn't know what happened to him. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525">The interesting thing is that the ghosts don't seem to know either that they are dead. They refer to their coffins as 'sick boxes', to their corpses as 'sick forms'. Later we learn the reason of this, we only have to read between the lines to understand.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b>Willie's unwillingness to pass on puts his soul in danger</b> and when his living father appears on the scene <i>Mr. Bevins</i>, <i>Mr. Vollman </i>and the <i>Reverend Everly Thomas</i> </span><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><span class="st">– </span>ghostly residents of the cemetery </span><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><span class="st">– </span>snatch this opportunity to help the little boy move on.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b>President Lincoln's grief gets the center stage</b>, but he never talks; he thinks, he feels and we always experience his thoughts and feelings through a mediator. We see a broken man, one who struggles under the weight life has placed on his shoulders.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525">While we get to meet the <i>father</i> in the cemetery, <b>snippets of memoirs</b> that are collected and arranged expertly throughout the book <b>show us the <i>president</i> through the eyes of the people</b>. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525">Lincoln gets hot and cold as it is to be expected but the most fascinating for me was how <b>this novel indicates how uncreditable human recollections can be</b>. There is a bit where paragraph after paragraph appear from different memoirs in which people recall how the moon looked the night before Willie died. Some say there was a clear full moon, some insist a storm was rolling in, the sky was so cloudy you couldn't see the moon. Then in another part people recall the colour of Lincoln's eyes and again the descriptions don't match. It reminded me that so many pieces of information we take for granted yet some facts get irrevocably lost in the past.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b>Another topic</b> George Saunders touches on <b>is sin</b> and how everyone perceives their own or other people's sins. This has so much to do with everything that occurs in Oak Hill Cemetery in the book.</span><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b>The structure</b> in which all these supernatural happenings and historical reminiscences are presented <b>is unique for a novel</b>. It reads more like a play, the name of the speaker is always written under each utterance but very often the speaker relays what others in his presence say or do. For some the format can be challenging but if one likes reading dramas I don't think it will be an issue.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525">There's a reason why <i>Lincoln in the Bardo</i> won the Man Booker Prize in 2017 and I'm glad I decided to read it. It's a great literary achievement for sure.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33290527-lincoln-in-the-bardo"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Bardo-Novel-George-Saunders/dp/0812985400/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1597839997&sr=8-1"><b>Amazon</b></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4yta6qWWLQo/Xz_iWSFm2-I/AAAAAAAACxs/7_OX0Xt7l30jH0HivcLSgYF5gINB8H3XACLcBGAsYHQ/s189/toll5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="79" data-original-width="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4yta6qWWLQo/Xz_iWSFm2-I/AAAAAAAACxs/7_OX0Xt7l30jH0HivcLSgYF5gINB8H3XACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/toll5.png" /></a></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9gegtDNiHw/Xz_iQ5WkEkI/AAAAAAAACxo/fi9iiJBx0SsjqxEY0tQxBGjTQCINU81cwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/ronnie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9gegtDNiHw/Xz_iQ5WkEkI/AAAAAAAACxo/fi9iiJBx0SsjqxEY0tQxBGjTQCINU81cwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/ronnie.png" /></a></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b></b></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b></b></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"><b></b></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><span id="freeText14403033411716292525"></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481208996l/33290527._SY475_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-15844662039230387782020-08-16T16:27:00.003+02:002020-08-16T16:32:43.075+02:00Down the TBR Hole #2<p style="text-align: center;"> The <b><a href="https://theroyalbookshelf.wordpress.com/2020/04/19/down-the-tbr-hole-25/">Royal Bookshelf</a> </b>showed me this wonderful idea that will help me shorten my TBR pile. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pixabay.com/hu/photos/irodalom-k%C3%B6nyvt%C3%A1ri-ismeretek-3091212/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a4tv8uNc3-8/Xp1V1MCL7GI/AAAAAAAACnE/YSjqGJWEavAve3wbOSsCKs84WWY1rGqKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/literature-3091212_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b> </b><br />
<b> THIS IS HOW IT WORKS: </b><br />
<br />
1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf. <br />
2. Order on ascending date added.<br />
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books<br />
4. Read the synopses of the books<br />
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?<br />
<br />
<br />
I'll try to go through 5 books every week from my Goodreads TBR and
decide whether I still see any hope I'd get to those books sooner or
later.<br />
<p style="text-align: center;"><b> Let's see this week's five books!</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DlK7K2MuXCQ/Xzk0iXvcX_I/AAAAAAAACvM/aXZeZHtngjg6hlaBWAYotkRASS93IsSxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DlK7K2MuXCQ/Xzk0iXvcX_I/AAAAAAAACvM/aXZeZHtngjg6hlaBWAYotkRASS93IsSxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64481.A_Northern_Light"><b>A Northern Light</b></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">by Jennifer Donnelly</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1376507768l/64481.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="194" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1376507768l/64481.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">I've reread the synopsis and I have to say this historical murder mystery still appeals to me.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>KEEP!</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p8EY1nyq57U/Xzk3vw2qZ_I/AAAAAAAACvY/52fKURQbppsxrbGKcyRMAa4YD5wvnEOcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p8EY1nyq57U/Xzk3vw2qZ_I/AAAAAAAACvY/52fKURQbppsxrbGKcyRMAa4YD5wvnEOcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7171637-clockwork-angel"><b>Clockwork Angel</b></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">(The Infernal Devices #1)<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> by Cassandra Clare</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454962884l/7171637._SY475_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="194" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454962884l/7171637._SY475_.jpg" width="127" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I've read the first two books in Cassandra Clare's <i>Mortal Instruments </i>series. I liked them, however they didn't charm me enough to go on reading the series. Despite this, I'd be happy to give <i>The Infernal Devices</i> a chance since it's set in Victorian London and so promises a historical aspect too.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>KEEP!</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7TVCKRbzYeg/Xzk6OXfgD8I/AAAAAAAACvk/SsbsHskAi9M3oeobyW7AqTRz_comImKvACLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7TVCKRbzYeg/Xzk6OXfgD8I/AAAAAAAACvk/SsbsHskAi9M3oeobyW7AqTRz_comImKvACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969857-doctor-who"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Doctor Who: Touched by an Angel</b></span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">by Jonathan Morris</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1304636283l/9969857.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="295" height="194" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1304636283l/9969857.jpg" width="121" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The 11th doctor was one of my favourites and the weeping angels are the scariest DW villains ever, so yes... I'll read it one day.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>KEEP!</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f26VXUwHAl0/Xzk7Be03ySI/AAAAAAAACvw/0_Pppq-wVrMuh_4DMAJTrwwNGQn69rbIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f26VXUwHAl0/Xzk7Be03ySI/AAAAAAAACvw/0_Pppq-wVrMuh_4DMAJTrwwNGQn69rbIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9460487-miss-peregrine-s-home-for-peculiar-children"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</b></span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">by Ransom Riggs</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546430481l/9460487._SY475_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="194" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546430481l/9460487._SY475_.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Sometimes I crave creepy reads, the day when I pick this one up might not be far.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>KEEP!</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3sWDhPtCZb0/Xzk8NCKZICI/AAAAAAAACv8/VunbQ1fOixA6lo34XiiPk17PZ-OrWhu1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3sWDhPtCZb0/Xzk8NCKZICI/AAAAAAAACv8/VunbQ1fOixA6lo34XiiPk17PZ-OrWhu1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7728889-the-diviners"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Diviners</b></span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">by Libba Bray</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555345561l/7728889._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="194" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555345561l/7728889._SY475_.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">This is another book I've been meaning to read for sooo long. I know many people enjoyed it.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>KEEP!</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZSSOL3lN90/XzlDWQtEaWI/AAAAAAAACwU/Bi7f7hdzkbEuGuBrV0Ef8p_sGAiilZ4CwCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZSSOL3lN90/XzlDWQtEaWI/AAAAAAAACwU/Bi7f7hdzkbEuGuBrV0Ef8p_sGAiilZ4CwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Oh well, I'm keeping 5 out of 5. Looks like this isn't the week when my TBR list will get shorter, but never mind, there's always next week :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FIz-Csni8tk/Xzk93cRXyEI/AAAAAAAACwI/pvbAV-R36zYHAGDfXbQ4QBsEqOtraIiZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/ronnie.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FIz-Csni8tk/Xzk93cRXyEI/AAAAAAAACwI/pvbAV-R36zYHAGDfXbQ4QBsEqOtraIiZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/ronnie.png" /></a></div>Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-38132129493493771802020-08-14T17:00:00.001+02:002020-08-14T17:00:47.727+02:00Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 #40<p style="text-align: center;"> Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by <a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" style="color: #b88799; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b>Rose City Reader</b> </a>and <b><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/" style="color: #b88799; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Freda's Voice</a></b>.
</p>
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</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arvo; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.6px; text-align: center;">
<b>Rules:</b> </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Book Beginnings: </b>Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you
are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence,
impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b>The Friday 56:</b> Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Here's what I'm reading this week:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48507703-a-sprinkling-of-murder"><b>A Sprinkling of Murder</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(A Fairy Garden Mystery #1) </div><div style="text-align: center;">by Daryl Wood Gerber</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1577836179l/48507703._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="304" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1577836179l/48507703._SY475_.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Synopsis:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="freeText10014352787800174760"><i>Fairy garden store
owner Courtney Kelly believes in inviting magic into your life. But when
uninvited trouble enters her shop, she'll need more than a sprinkling
of her imagination to solve a murder . . . </i><br /><br /><i>Since childhood,
Courtney has loved fairies. After her mother died when she was ten, she
lost touch with that feeling of magic. A year ago, at age twenty-nine,
she rediscovered it when she left her father's landscaping business to
spread her wings and start a fairy garden business and teashop in
beautiful Carmel, California. At Open Your Imagination, she teaches
garden design and sells everything from fairy figurines to tinkling wind
chimes and trickling fountains. Now she's starting a book club tea.<br /><br />But
the light of the magical world she's created inside her shop is
darkened one night when she discovers neighboring dog-grooming business
owner Mick Watkins dead beside a fountain. To make matters worse, the
police suspect Courtney of the crime. To clear her name and find the
real killer, Courtney will have to wing it. But she's about to get a
little help from an unexpected new friend . . .</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPnGjfb26Xs/Xzaitz-6ADI/AAAAAAAACuY/l7v6vGbPgqUmYbDT7SwgxhdLIsmAbZUPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPnGjfb26Xs/Xzaitz-6ADI/AAAAAAAACuY/l7v6vGbPgqUmYbDT7SwgxhdLIsmAbZUPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Book Beginning:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">"Do you see her? Is she down there?" I tried not to let my five-year-old customer hear the panic in my voice.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The book opens with a rather lovely scene in which a little girl sees her first fairy. How cute!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5nwMv_gS7U/Xzai2fIajeI/AAAAAAAACuc/AqlS0n1U-d8tV_7epBcqGE2PwvwOYysFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5nwMv_gS7U/Xzai2fIajeI/AAAAAAAACuc/AqlS0n1U-d8tV_7epBcqGE2PwvwOYysFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Friday 56:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">Summers studied me as if he knew I was keeping something from him. My insides grumbled. Obfuscating the truth wasn't good for my digestion.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rm5BrUsW8Tc/XzalIpus4YI/AAAAAAAACus/0oEFLdVOZfAIZcDscv6S2I9gfEfb7h-CQCLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rm5BrUsW8Tc/XzalIpus4YI/AAAAAAAACus/0oEFLdVOZfAIZcDscv6S2I9gfEfb7h-CQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">This cozy mystery, although I'm not even half way through it, has already made me obsessed with fairy gardens and right now I'm planning to create my first one...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>What are you reading this week? Don't forget to leave your Friday links below so I can visit your blog and find out!</b><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr5BBDW_EXA/Xzal0YXDqhI/AAAAAAAACu0/qOxnM4GcL1cB-3QMwMuvaxbvvvTwD-fEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/ronnie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr5BBDW_EXA/Xzal0YXDqhI/AAAAAAAACu0/qOxnM4GcL1cB-3QMwMuvaxbvvvTwD-fEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/ronnie.png" /></a></div>
Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-19637539738606135612020-08-13T12:18:00.008+02:002020-08-13T12:18:46.328+02:00Review - The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356474455l/13764461.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="254" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356474455l/13764461.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><p><b><b> </b><b><b> </b></b><b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b>Title: </b></b>The Angel of Darkness</p><p><b> Author: </b>Caleb Carr</p><p><b><b><b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b></b><b><b><b><b> </b></b></b></b><b><b><b><b><b> </b></b></b></b>Synopsis:</b></b></b></p><b><b> </b><b><b> </b></b><b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b>WARNING:</b></b> The synopsis contains possible spoilers for <i>The Alienist </i>by Caleb Carr <b><b><b><b><br /></b></b></b></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">It is June 1897. A year
has passed since Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a pioneer in forensic psychiatry,
tracked down the brutal serial killer John Beecham with the help of a
team of trusted companions and a revolutionary application of the
principles of his discipline. Kreizler and his friends--high-living
crime reporter John Schuyler Moore; indomitable, derringer-toting Sara
Howard; the brilliant (and bickering) detective brothers Marcus and
Lucius Isaacson; powerful and compassionate Cyrus Montrose; and Stevie
Taggert, the boy Kreizler saved from a life of street crime--have
returned to their former pursuits and tried to forget the horror of the
Beecham case. But when the distraught wife of a Spanish diplomat begs
Sara's aid, the team reunites to help find her kidnapped infant
daughter. It is a case fraught with danger, since Spain and the United
States are on the verge of war. </span></i><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"> <br /></span></span></p><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Sc3YFCaSjI/XzEpJgSjquI/AAAAAAAACtQ/McNiaC2lXRYI_ZUS7Tf4xhqIVwHLZ-R6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s552/liner.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Sc3YFCaSjI/XzEpJgSjquI/AAAAAAAACtQ/McNiaC2lXRYI_ZUS7Tf4xhqIVwHLZ-R6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/liner.gif" /></a></div><p><b><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">My Thoughts:</span></b></p></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><p><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">Given that the second season of <i>The Alienist </i>series has already come out on TNT and I'm eagerly anticipating it on Netflix because that's the place I'll be able to see it myself, I thought I'd read the book first to be up to date for the show.</span></p><p><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">For those of you who are not familiar with the </span><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"><span class="st">duology </span> </span><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"><span class="st">– </span></span><span class="st">soon to be trilogy – <b>Caleb Carr's crime novels are set in New York at the end of the 19th century</b> and follow an alienist (the term roughly referred to psychologists at the time) and his group of friends as they track down serial killers. In the first book they are after a ruthless man who murders child prostitutes with extreme brutality while <b>in <i>The Angel of Darkness</i> they set out to catch a woman whose victims are mostly babies.</b></span></p><p><span class="st"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="st"><b><a href="https://pixabay.com/hu/vectors/univerz%C3%A1lis-gyerekkocsik-b%C3%B6lcs%C5%91vel-5126761/"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="306" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ctcfFzoH5xE/XzQfvKCzotI/AAAAAAAACuA/FBydaFP-d18lNS6amy6Aqc15HlxO9C2agCLcBGAsYHQ/w196-h228/baby-carriage-5126761_640.png" width="196" /></a></b></span></div><span class="st"><b> </b></span><p></p><p><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">The main difference between the first and the second Alienist book is that <b><i>The Angel of Darkness</i> is narrated by young <i>Stevie Taggert</i></b>, <i>Dr. Kreizler's</i> ward <b>instead of <i>John Moore</i></b>, Kreizler's journalist friend. I enjoyed John's storytelling, but <b>Stevie's recollections are positively hilarious</b> at times and, taking into consideration how dark the story is on the whole, I appreciated the fresh, youthful humour that somehow eased the digestion of the tougher parts of the novel for me.</span></p><p><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">I found it refreshing that this time the killer was a woman and so <i>Sara</i>'s </span><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">insight</span> into the female mind became invaluable in the case. </span><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">By now she's opened her own detective agency and it is so nice she gets recognition and a chance to act on her ambitions.</span> I absolutely adored how <b>Laszlo and Sara's relationship was raised to another level (not romantic,</b> or was it? I like that I can't tell), how he treated her like an absolute equal intellectually and otherwise (not that he didn't in the <i>Alienist</i>, but here their mutual trust and respect deepened even more).</span></p><p><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">As for the plot, <b>the murderess's identity is revealed pretty fast but </b>the team finds it hard to get a grip on her and so <b>they have to work hard to build up a case from scraps of evidences</b>. They find a couple of allies during their investigation, like the talkative <i>Mr. Picton</i>, John's old prosecutor friend and <i>Kat</i>, Stevie's sweetheart who, although a bit troublesome, proves to be helpful in the end.</span></p><p><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"><a href="https://pixabay.com/hu/photos/nagy%C3%ADt%C3%B3-%C3%BCveg-detective-lencse-2681173/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="640" height="129" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvABgF9cqgs/XzQhQ-bP5JI/AAAAAAAACuM/FYVxvaQSIY8b39Rh3YbUPXDdcfcbzjEFgCLcBGAsYHQ/w262-h129/magnifying-2681372_640.png" width="262" /></a></span></div><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">I confess <b>I liked <i>AOD</i> more than <i>The Alienist </i>for many reasons</b>, one of them being that it deals less with New York's political mechanisms of the time and more with the killer and the female psyche. Since I'm not extremely interested in politics in general the parts in <i>The Alienist</i> where it was detailed who held what kind of power over whom bored me quite a bit even if on the whole the political intricacies had a great influence on the plot. I felt <i>AOD </i>was more character and case-centered and had less 'background noise' in it, which was more to my liking.<br /></span><p></p><p><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">Judging by the promos I've seen the tv show won't be very faithful to the book in its second season, but I won't mind that if they've come up with an original plot that doesn't mess much with my favourite team. </span></p><p><span id="freeText8127410725761755534">The books I wholeheartedly recommend to everyone, they are pure fun for crime and historical fiction lovers.</span></p></div><b><p></p></b></div><b><p style="text-align: center;"><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13764461-angel-of-darkness"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Darkness-Novel-Laszlo-Kreizler/dp/0345425316/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+angel+of+darkness&qid=1597249489&sr=8-1"><b>Amazon</b></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UwLXbS7meaA/XzQXh5AB7gI/AAAAAAAACtg/zOPBYz_2MdIwTmp16u9NZcZ0qhBOA-mHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s189/toll5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="79" data-original-width="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UwLXbS7meaA/XzQXh5AB7gI/AAAAAAAACtg/zOPBYz_2MdIwTmp16u9NZcZ0qhBOA-mHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/toll5.png" /></a><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"> <br /></span></div><span id="freeText8127410725761755534"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ExCMaDBPU9I/XzQYkeXiADI/AAAAAAAACt0/F98IFbsTq-MZawh_RCkZW4rDIuH9amzqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ExCMaDBPU9I/XzQYkeXiADI/AAAAAAAACt0/F98IFbsTq-MZawh_RCkZW4rDIuH9amzqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" /></a></div></span><p></p></b>Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-40072027871554921542020-05-04T11:21:00.000+02:002020-05-08T19:50:06.613+02:00Review - The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b> </b><b><b> </b></b><b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b>Title: </b>The Silence of the Girls<br />
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<b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b></b><b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b>Author:</b> Pat Barker<br />
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<b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b></b><b><b><b><b> </b></b></b></b><b><b><b><b><b> </b></b></b></b>Synopsis:</b><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText3165255512429592228">When her city falls to
the Greeks, Briseis's old life is shattered. She goes from queen to
captive, from free woman to slave, awarded to the godlike warrior
Achilles as a prize of battle. She's not alone. On the same day, and on
many others in the course of a long, bitter war, innumerable women have
been wrested from their homes and flung to the fighters.<br /><br />As told in The Iliad,
the Trojan War was a quarrel between men. But what of the women in this
story, silenced by their fates? What words did the speak when alone
with each other, in the laundry, at the loom, when laying out the dead?<br /><br />In
this magnificent novel of the Trojan War, Pat Barker summons the voices
of Briseis and her fellow women to tell this mythic story anew,
foregrounding their experiences against the backdrop of savage battle
between men. One of the contemporary writers on war and its collateral
damage, here Pat Barker reimagines the most famous of all wars in
literature, charting one woman's journey throught it, as she struggles
to free herself and to become the author of her own story.</span></i></span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText3165255512429592228">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText3165255512429592228">This is the story of the Invisible, the story of the Oppressed. Of the ones who the songs barely mentioned despite their courage which often was greater than the fighting men's. The ladies who suffered </span><span id="freeText3165255512429592228"><span id="freeText3165255512429592228">and were forced to endure </span>the dire consequences of the bloody war under the walls of Troy are often but a footnote in books that retell the events of the Iliad. Pat Barker decided to honour them at last. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText3165255512429592228"><i>The Silence of the Girls</i> starts with the sack of <i>Lyrnessus </i>and the capturing of its women. <b>The first half of the events are told from Briseis' point of view</b> who's given to Achilles as a war prize. In Lyrnessus she was a princess, now she's a slave. At home she wasn't allowed to walk the streets unveiled, now all she owns are rags and she's subject to the obtrusive leer of the Greek fighters.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText3165255512429592228"><b>One of the most shocking issue that this novel deals with is how the women were objectified. </b>None of the men (except for <i>Patroclus</i>) treated them as human beings. The humiliation was sometimes hard to read and made me extremely angry. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText3165255512429592228"><b>Achilles wasn't depicted as the great hero in this novel. </b>The author focused on how he had been abandoned by his mother <i>Thetis </i>and because of this he grew up to be a miserable man-child. He was cruel and cold, but he did go through some development in the novel which was interesting to observe (some parts are told in the third person following Achilles).</span></div>
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<span id="freeText3165255512429592228">There's a tension you feel throughout the book that's generated by the fact <b>the women don't speak up for themselves</b>. Because they can't, if they want to survive they can't. Some choose to speak with action, like Briseis' cousin who throws herself off the wall of the city right before they are captured. Some resist by not resisting, like young <i>Polyxena</i> who holds her head high while she's taken away to be executed. Some pray wordlessly, hard and long for vengeance and get it, like Briseis. You see all these silent battles, but never a loud confrontation, because it's impossible. It's dreadful to realize they don't have a choice.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText3165255512429592228"><i>Pat Barker</i> <b>included all the themes Iliad works with and more</b>. There's Achilles' grief for Patroclus, but there is the mothers' grief for their murdered babies, sisters' anguish over the loss of their brothers. There are musings about whether a person's memory lives on, but also how the memory of a community survives. The question is asked: can there be friendship between enemies? and so on...</span></div>
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<span id="freeText3165255512429592228">If you're looking for long descriptions about the heat of the battles don't look here. The whole book is set in the background, at the camps. But there's plenty of pressure behind closed doors and consequences of the fighting always touch the women's lives. They are strong and enduring, they are women to look up to; Briseis, Arianna, Helen, Chryseis, Hecamede, Hecuba, Polyxena, and I could go on... these are names to remember.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText3165255512429592228">I'm always looking for works that present Iliad from a new angle; Pat Barker's book is not one that I'll soon forget, I'm sure.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText3165255512429592228"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38470229-the-silence-of-the-girls"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Girls-Pat-Barker-ebook/dp/B07B8FSBXF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ZCVMQMV85QAW&dchild=1&keywords=the+silence+of+the+girls&qid=1588497124&sprefix=the+silence+of+the%2Caps%2C257&sr=8-1"><b>Amazon</b></a></span></div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-88686694324438399052020-04-29T11:51:00.001+02:002020-04-29T11:51:56.664+02:00WWW Wednesday #20<div style="text-align: center;">
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by <b><a href="https://samannelizabeth.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Taking on a World of Words</a></b>.
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WWW stands for three questions:</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What are you currently reading?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33977969-haunting-the-deep">Haunting The Deep</a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">(How to Hang a Witch #2)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">by Adriana Mather</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485357666l/33977969._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485357666l/33977969._SY475_.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">I read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405351-how-to-hang-a-witch"><b><i>How to Hang a Witch</i></b></a> about 2 years ago and loved that book a lot (read my review <a href="http://boyishbookworm.blogspot.com/2018/04/review-how-to-hang-witch-by-adriana.html"><b>here</b></a>) so I've decided it was time pick up the second instalment in this duology. This time Sam is being visited by ghosts from the Titanic. I'm curious what the mystery will be.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TiJRwiVI2nw/Xqho8des3eI/AAAAAAAACoo/3JcVNRRHgGoREHB8e2pC8eCZ94cWKE2CQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TiJRwiVI2nw/Xqho8des3eI/AAAAAAAACoo/3JcVNRRHgGoREHB8e2pC8eCZ94cWKE2CQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>What did you recently finish reading?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38470229-the-silence-of-the-girls"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Silence of the Girls</span></span></b></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">By Pat Barker </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532110570l/38470229._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532110570l/38470229._SY475_.jpg" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> This book was wonderful and yet heartbreaking. Such a great piece of feminist literature! The review is coming soon.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TiJRwiVI2nw/Xqho8des3eI/AAAAAAAACos/Tq3KSh3gnOAbYhLvLvGwLavcBfezRzA2QCEwYBhgL/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TiJRwiVI2nw/Xqho8des3eI/AAAAAAAACos/Tq3KSh3gnOAbYhLvLvGwLavcBfezRzA2QCEwYBhgL/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>What do you think you'll read next?</b></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/147843.Green_Rider"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Green Rider</span></span></b></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">by Kristen Britain</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386749176l/147843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="287" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386749176l/147843.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I'm craving fantasy now...</span></span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText10482944915692043863"><span id="freeText17286327929032328648">Please share a link to your WWW post below so I can see what you are up to these days! :)</span></span></b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCoiZkLbE1M/Xqhs0yf56SI/AAAAAAAACo0/mMcBhsZ45KsXSO-DY075GtVPzthdsWcQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCoiZkLbE1M/Xqhs0yf56SI/AAAAAAAACo0/mMcBhsZ45KsXSO-DY075GtVPzthdsWcQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" /></a></span></span></div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-71959584081096369292020-04-24T21:25:00.000+02:002020-04-24T21:25:06.970+02:00Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 #39<div style="text-align: center;">
Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by <a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" style="color: #b88799; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b>Rose City Reader</b> </a>and <b><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/" style="color: #b88799; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Freda's Voice</a></b>.
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<b>Rules:</b> </div>
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<b>Book Beginnings: </b>Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you
are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence,
impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. </div>
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<b>The Friday 56:</b> Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want. </div>
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This week in the spotlight:<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38470229-the-silence-of-the-girls"><b>The Silence of the Girls</b></a></div>
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by Pat Barker</div>
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532110570l/38470229._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532110570l/38470229._SY475_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
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<i><span id="freeText15858991377947156036">When her city falls to
the Greeks, Briseis's old life is shattered. She goes from queen to
captive, from free woman to slave, awarded to the godlike warrior
Achilles as a prize of battle. She's not alone. On the same day, and on
many others in the course of a long, bitter war, innumerable women have
been wrested from their homes and flung to the fighters.<br /><br />As told in The Iliad,
the Trojan War was a quarrel between men. But what of the women in this
story, silenced by their fates? What words did the speak when alone
with each other, in the laundry, at the loom, when laying out the dead?<br /><br />In
this magnificent novel of the Trojan War, Pat Barker summons the voices
of Briseis and her fellow women to tell this mythic story anew,
foregrounding their experiences against the backdrop of savage battle
between men. One of the contemporary writers on war and its collateral
damage, here Pat Barker reimagines the most famous of all wars in
literature, charting one woman's journey throught it, as she struggles
to free herself and to become the author of her own story.</span></i></div>
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<span id="freeText15858991377947156036"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URMQKKWYPDk/XqFNZq8plJI/AAAAAAAACn4/8-mbgTDXFWowTfGi7Tb1UWv_OnNVLdeogCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URMQKKWYPDk/XqFNZq8plJI/AAAAAAAACn4/8-mbgTDXFWowTfGi7Tb1UWv_OnNVLdeogCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText15858991377947156036">Book Beginning:</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span id="freeText15858991377947156036">Great Achilles. Brilliant Achilles, shining Achilles, godlike Achilles... How the epithets pile up. We never called him any of those things; we called him 'the butcher'. </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText15858991377947156036">Well, Achilles is not described as the great hero in this one, that's for sure... </span></div>
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<span id="freeText15858991377947156036"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URMQKKWYPDk/XqFNZq8plJI/AAAAAAAACn8/Vhe26l3A4p87DFToF8FcrNSsp6Fgd9MfACEwYBhgL/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URMQKKWYPDk/XqFNZq8plJI/AAAAAAAACn8/Vhe26l3A4p87DFToF8FcrNSsp6Fgd9MfACEwYBhgL/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText15858991377947156036">The Friday 56:</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span id="freeText15858991377947156036">Somebody once said to me: <i>You never mention his looks</i>. And it's true, I don't, I find it difficult. At that time, he was probably the most beautiful man alive, as he was certainly the most violent, but that's the problem. How do you separate a tiger's beauty from its ferocity? Or a cheetah's elegance from the speed of its attack? Achilles was like that </span><span class="st">– the beauty and the terror were two sides of a single coin.</span></span><br />
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<span class="st"> I love this snippet!</span></div>
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<span class="st"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URMQKKWYPDk/XqFNZq8plJI/AAAAAAAACn8/Vhe26l3A4p87DFToF8FcrNSsp6Fgd9MfACEwYBhgL/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URMQKKWYPDk/XqFNZq8plJI/AAAAAAAACn8/Vhe26l3A4p87DFToF8FcrNSsp6Fgd9MfACEwYBhgL/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></span></div>
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<b><span class="st">What are you reading this week?</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLNx6wanrrs/XqFQGU_nusI/AAAAAAAACoE/SMGFlA3JL9QU3JxQvZa-GqTK4TRFWnhaACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLNx6wanrrs/XqFQGU_nusI/AAAAAAAACoE/SMGFlA3JL9QU3JxQvZa-GqTK4TRFWnhaACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" /></a><span class="st"></span> </div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-87495007579681258422020-04-20T11:06:00.000+02:002020-04-20T11:06:06.446+02:00Down the TBR Hole #1<div style="text-align: center;">
The <b><a href="https://theroyalbookshelf.wordpress.com/2020/04/19/down-the-tbr-hole-25/">Royal Bookshelf</a> </b>showed me this wonderful idea that will help me shorten my TBR pile.</div>
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<a href="https://pixabay.com/hu/photos/irodalom-k%C3%B6nyvt%C3%A1ri-ismeretek-3091212/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a4tv8uNc3-8/Xp1V1MCL7GI/AAAAAAAACnE/YSjqGJWEavAve3wbOSsCKs84WWY1rGqKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/literature-3091212_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b> </b><br />
<b> THIS IS HOW IT WORKS: </b><br />
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1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf. <br />
2. Order on ascending date added.<br />
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books<br />
4. Read the synopses of the books<br />
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?<br />
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I'll try to go through 5 books every week from my Goodreads TBR and decide whether I still see any hope I'd get to those books sooner or later.<br />
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<b>Let's see the first five!</b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnQ/Ngu8f0pjg4sEFKo36GwGsl9duXLjkVhmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnQ/Ngu8f0pjg4sEFKo36GwGsl9duXLjkVhmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45195.A_Passage_to_India"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>A Passage to India</b></span></a></div>
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by E. M. Forster</div>
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421883612l/45195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421883612l/45195.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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This might be the only E. M. Forster novel I haven't read yet and he's one of my favourite writers.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>KEEP!</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHo2oRDlWfpt4gSdXzGXQNOBwCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1OcqziqDidRf2SYTLPW2R3aBDNvofFtDmQcH2nCNu6haa_YB5oxqq5ODJzs5kv4yhVtxQdS2pmYJf54-TO4EdRBgmClV2NZjZXq06NlTx32tL4K9fz92oyrnn5Bi5iWwNtT2yUeWy5KaDEfwj_-uOYwKMvHxg3pmGF2yFx3w5opX_ogV0_N-xUcFHk3TndX_5DbR-ZQwwIBbwppCrK7YGe5HXME-11tzZFC7JiGms-2EJurhBVrDKYANx_9gOdFmQ6vRrUGDXG0F2MVeL3Qwl2UiQFEjyvzJ82cvLMPEgWsMDBf0G8ED-u81AmXmCEuRo8ZLLalMJDz0l48FMea5lbAKJuQat6jVuPFJo9OU9w7b47aYDXrpKvg581-PySIJFWSFW2uiFYr_Vm8vCmC1tmmtdRjRr7P01bHmmu_VSe7I3Yu6SEE8Zsb_GzfcPYopbDXgDJam3liVJz_6SRLCVKuK9ni2-E2Cljkgsze0ZN60kMGQftJP0TtLi2G8x4KJVKOVPyHvGyDe6NvzDScc8ufEdJUcFf1MhBB1eAvMn6EzIjwRQLw2K8SerC_UUNTavRb-SngEg3sJghLbopSXc_Bj3tIw5v6G6dpI8w9Lv19AU/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHo2oRDlWfpt4gSdXzGXQNOBwCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1OcqziqDidRf2SYTLPW2R3aBDNvofFtDmQcH2nCNu6haa_YB5oxqq5ODJzs5kv4yhVtxQdS2pmYJf54-TO4EdRBgmClV2NZjZXq06NlTx32tL4K9fz92oyrnn5Bi5iWwNtT2yUeWy5KaDEfwj_-uOYwKMvHxg3pmGF2yFx3w5opX_ogV0_N-xUcFHk3TndX_5DbR-ZQwwIBbwppCrK7YGe5HXME-11tzZFC7JiGms-2EJurhBVrDKYANx_9gOdFmQ6vRrUGDXG0F2MVeL3Qwl2UiQFEjyvzJ82cvLMPEgWsMDBf0G8ED-u81AmXmCEuRo8ZLLalMJDz0l48FMea5lbAKJuQat6jVuPFJo9OU9w7b47aYDXrpKvg581-PySIJFWSFW2uiFYr_Vm8vCmC1tmmtdRjRr7P01bHmmu_VSe7I3Yu6SEE8Zsb_GzfcPYopbDXgDJam3liVJz_6SRLCVKuK9ni2-E2Cljkgsze0ZN60kMGQftJP0TtLi2G8x4KJVKOVPyHvGyDe6NvzDScc8ufEdJUcFf1MhBB1eAvMn6EzIjwRQLw2K8SerC_UUNTavRb-SngEg3sJghLbopSXc_Bj3tIw5v6G6dpI8w9Lv19AU/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11870085-the-fault-in-our-stars">The Fault in Our Stars</a></b></span></div>
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by John Green <b></b></div>
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<br />
This one was extremely hyped back in the day and I'd still like to know what the hype was about.<b></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>KEEP!</b></span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHo254JoOILeeb43u9L_oLGKACEwYBhgLKs0DAL1OcqxtOHSeWJzgrtcq-OX8PSaQdSs2GI_pjLvWInELFJaskAc9UPRAgad2lpxZREhu2i1W15bMMT2tofGpsT4c3WDU0HcgnRaHC--9yVUeSZtjNQl7D0fhofQFaQdGwrEZ5aY9LvCtzLKOhseA0Yvmn6z3fwecwIJHbhmtd0CLDE0hm9OH8O-wT_avAVzLLUx-upo74aeliO9zCQvvINsUNrx_GQZUMlrNGYw4zuy-Zo71RnB4VQQw8-o1aDG0AWnT9ppncIaM1tZDa0YqlyfhVTlfpj_M7n6FgZTk0webqRJaoHUD34mMCvlaHcM6oxKmsY2mgERMd2R7JJkUNMFcOc_frAlzFrTT2XyMwAI9vDX3YXfQDpkZAvj65BX_oq411hWDcWkZveNekMMqFsQkkBsGYdDB7cF5_YKv5QEqb7jO8oy9LHBhLlASFgCY5E3qNqOvgwejmnyhuEaMxs2nmexrnXncPfBwgziapcCrIxgxKLp2zpz1PmKYlT9JCG2YxHnpBuUcWyUKXsRhBTxgKRcxT7D98RK5_4ysgTUu-HxKVs6mN3WQciGR6zXDUegwtBpZynO2y6bJqeDuPOY7r8IsvTgC5vsfGqswrb319AU/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHo254JoOILeeb43u9L_oLGKACEwYBhgLKs0DAL1OcqxtOHSeWJzgrtcq-OX8PSaQdSs2GI_pjLvWInELFJaskAc9UPRAgad2lpxZREhu2i1W15bMMT2tofGpsT4c3WDU0HcgnRaHC--9yVUeSZtjNQl7D0fhofQFaQdGwrEZ5aY9LvCtzLKOhseA0Yvmn6z3fwecwIJHbhmtd0CLDE0hm9OH8O-wT_avAVzLLUx-upo74aeliO9zCQvvINsUNrx_GQZUMlrNGYw4zuy-Zo71RnB4VQQw8-o1aDG0AWnT9ppncIaM1tZDa0YqlyfhVTlfpj_M7n6FgZTk0webqRJaoHUD34mMCvlaHcM6oxKmsY2mgERMd2R7JJkUNMFcOc_frAlzFrTT2XyMwAI9vDX3YXfQDpkZAvj65BX_oq411hWDcWkZveNekMMqFsQkkBsGYdDB7cF5_YKv5QEqb7jO8oy9LHBhLlASFgCY5E3qNqOvgwejmnyhuEaMxs2nmexrnXncPfBwgziapcCrIxgxKLp2zpz1PmKYlT9JCG2YxHnpBuUcWyUKXsRhBTxgKRcxT7D98RK5_4ysgTUu-HxKVs6mN3WQciGR6zXDUegwtBpZynO2y6bJqeDuPOY7r8IsvTgC5vsfGqswrb319AU/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14761368-christopher-and-his-kind"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Christopher and His Kind</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Christopher Isherwood<b></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Recently I DNF-ed <i>A Single Man </i>by Christopher Isherwood<b> </b>and despite the fact I own a copy of <i>Christopher and His Kind</i> it's unlikely I'll soon be in the mood to pick it up.</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>DROP!</b></span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHoa5dLdOjWW2h1HTrrfemfgwCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1Ocqy4ntvXqFG2A_bnVXsI_W5BLAK6tK98IZ9DCRLgg_qMtya-nntCfrAgaVcTpkoL8Q0vC-3NJ31f9zfnE62TLe7LyEAmakwlWxOXuPe0zJBeRUeuIp6OkXHfUTck3-Az5q-CmW367XczSun1VK6TM4ttnX9MpZ6tS96tDm30bB416FwDVWb7RlaRo9a6IEC2fQdTE0rZWV0xy1M3MOieEdB2Vn_urb_MD5s8YeiwE8CNI-73JNN_c8WmazhMYqAeWRlNFveusZ93nXeCKrsb40_z8sRk7BgxrTei9o9_BEFi8jpmzROfLgNCRDODGzFmvh7Uz5v9TSXhChjmZqUiIsLm6dBRCs4naJAM47KGJNIPM6hE8NJ2Hxgc6H3zcBgGEHXIZMyVjInCxOzFCalvH8-QnJkiRS3Z1KFS9rHh_iR1ZgFiA-yQRmXP7R_cuORSyB_F8O6DpJmT_NkTK4Uj_csfV9SwoZLEVf9b1XBBJzMPsSx7xqfwzzo1K8wMa5HOStf5dCQiduRG5iCIiYCX8zpcISaZu4LiTQKsx4CPAxYCVJ2UVp7y8JzSPKr6-y6x_RL4IvvIus_f3kFBj-yjlbArkTngiouQnf4wg8D19AU/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHoa5dLdOjWW2h1HTrrfemfgwCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1Ocqy4ntvXqFG2A_bnVXsI_W5BLAK6tK98IZ9DCRLgg_qMtya-nntCfrAgaVcTpkoL8Q0vC-3NJ31f9zfnE62TLe7LyEAmakwlWxOXuPe0zJBeRUeuIp6OkXHfUTck3-Az5q-CmW367XczSun1VK6TM4ttnX9MpZ6tS96tDm30bB416FwDVWb7RlaRo9a6IEC2fQdTE0rZWV0xy1M3MOieEdB2Vn_urb_MD5s8YeiwE8CNI-73JNN_c8WmazhMYqAeWRlNFveusZ93nXeCKrsb40_z8sRk7BgxrTei9o9_BEFi8jpmzROfLgNCRDODGzFmvh7Uz5v9TSXhChjmZqUiIsLm6dBRCs4naJAM47KGJNIPM6hE8NJ2Hxgc6H3zcBgGEHXIZMyVjInCxOzFCalvH8-QnJkiRS3Z1KFS9rHh_iR1ZgFiA-yQRmXP7R_cuORSyB_F8O6DpJmT_NkTK4Uj_csfV9SwoZLEVf9b1XBBJzMPsSx7xqfwzzo1K8wMa5HOStf5dCQiduRG5iCIiYCX8zpcISaZu4LiTQKsx4CPAxYCVJ2UVp7y8JzSPKr6-y6x_RL4IvvIus_f3kFBj-yjlbArkTngiouQnf4wg8D19AU/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4274785-the-recollections-of-the-last-days-of-shelley-and-byron"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Edward John Trelawny<b></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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I still haven't read my fill of the 2nd generation romantic poets.</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>KEEP!</b></span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHov_XtrZc4sF1ZwqqdkpRrTQCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1OcqyuB1ql60-R0QxKG3X-vVNy6BsQdO1YMRwi3IqV0S6Oxz5dAhx4SrQj8erteGja_v3_hlsuL6Bv6ZS9eFfS94Fi9YaEbLM5bei-dgUVBEh3jxlqrtj1HS4EoB7ewg5raFs0L_dU0oEgPbLfqD7Pidcgpii9ftdNSPWGnr9dQncvV0G6iKDHnSh3yt6RUilU9fyj72wzJ14URrLyImtBt3zzuGqFfkFPv4ZO34gvEDzFjWKYwHCg4XFhnt_xcpjr3DU3gEqdvdsZ6I3bytvPPDK_T69KeASDk-ZwuJlQ53mHL0pCCMZqwM6yMtAOBYpiFovrfbQ52zctQxn8RcnsXFVvSisbRybF7wFCfMdFBliVo2Ls8AhFNw4QDU7JSxItYGPw4pGtlqTefkbn2PzJ8zftjJApb8JIhUScTI_wvsqQt5oMHHG__K_47GGFYBgp6wUCtIjU9k-8W6MipKgDnoBVv3Pxtas3GZbGHH35PKPIEu6f2E3RNMh__ItuW0KPrIZGS8DR5OtsdnWx6D-EeqwKgy44IJ_NoVaqzgL0zqZLSS0cF59rhN7P4SNf-kyUKiTYuqev0j-wogATXz4sp1_bSZMF1mnf980wisL19AU/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHov_XtrZc4sF1ZwqqdkpRrTQCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1OcqyuB1ql60-R0QxKG3X-vVNy6BsQdO1YMRwi3IqV0S6Oxz5dAhx4SrQj8erteGja_v3_hlsuL6Bv6ZS9eFfS94Fi9YaEbLM5bei-dgUVBEh3jxlqrtj1HS4EoB7ewg5raFs0L_dU0oEgPbLfqD7Pidcgpii9ftdNSPWGnr9dQncvV0G6iKDHnSh3yt6RUilU9fyj72wzJ14URrLyImtBt3zzuGqFfkFPv4ZO34gvEDzFjWKYwHCg4XFhnt_xcpjr3DU3gEqdvdsZ6I3bytvPPDK_T69KeASDk-ZwuJlQ53mHL0pCCMZqwM6yMtAOBYpiFovrfbQ52zctQxn8RcnsXFVvSisbRybF7wFCfMdFBliVo2Ls8AhFNw4QDU7JSxItYGPw4pGtlqTefkbn2PzJ8zftjJApb8JIhUScTI_wvsqQt5oMHHG__K_47GGFYBgp6wUCtIjU9k-8W6MipKgDnoBVv3Pxtas3GZbGHH35PKPIEu6f2E3RNMh__ItuW0KPrIZGS8DR5OtsdnWx6D-EeqwKgy44IJ_NoVaqzgL0zqZLSS0cF59rhN7P4SNf-kyUKiTYuqev0j-wogATXz4sp1_bSZMF1mnf980wisL19AU/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/451456.Keats">Keats</a> </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Andrew Motion<b></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347703518l/451456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="253" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347703518l/451456.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
This is a beast of a book (though 'only' 636 pages, it <i>looks </i>longer) but it's said to be one of the best biographies about Keats so I don't want to miss out on it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>KEEP! </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHoFejAVF6bnJUUhGhjWZlT6gCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1Ocqw6pMrgj82waGHZpqnJrLJIhMSwJh5Ambk3saRKu9R4kzpCGMl9jrJU2v5v3zkaIZ7OY1Ir0vW_KhJ00Ml5Nw1P24oqL3_eCYFCkJ-wE93BPqBKfNQwFafBPwLrGfj9Ix-Wk-lwjpU014cdWrr7Hj0e5kqNdm9qSLU3wLj9lL-55x9tmPlZuXhMA1166AeVkmuiVbPvOAzEB6m7UHckDXKnDt-TXC8OHkcVmLRJx-z669tpUJIxDSn13smYMn_cSQVcpLgexK3NyR-mgJ7nq9gELwKeb5TFzS48qT4Gr7e0g51XHuNPl9SjhLmcSzSO0Ys_aDEMwdkIKPDl8K17QU6Z-GblD5UdBKvHuWaGiDuLIIEc40s2sj_A-NcBhEiln-D_027FaCiKgVP0TsKzYZf36Nh942dd4k-2VGPGYxGiHEq3NYEpB1WZDgZBsRlVlikSOwc87pwUqhkf72XDFRS1s35EeADDEJejsp1PKH5UDW6l8hcdITznxzrGUEzKaxZpsw3v9Du4n3HipSN4sLup2xv30FbI68w_-T3CwrFxkTquWll5fIGphRv_4Rf202CeYH56z2OJrkUzSzNk3F9dmkly7qJli6AwrsT19AU/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABxKCR6IBOE/Xp1XqjzL3WI/AAAAAAAACnU/qOi73t1KgHoFejAVF6bnJUUhGhjWZlT6gCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1Ocqw6pMrgj82waGHZpqnJrLJIhMSwJh5Ambk3saRKu9R4kzpCGMl9jrJU2v5v3zkaIZ7OY1Ir0vW_KhJ00Ml5Nw1P24oqL3_eCYFCkJ-wE93BPqBKfNQwFafBPwLrGfj9Ix-Wk-lwjpU014cdWrr7Hj0e5kqNdm9qSLU3wLj9lL-55x9tmPlZuXhMA1166AeVkmuiVbPvOAzEB6m7UHckDXKnDt-TXC8OHkcVmLRJx-z669tpUJIxDSn13smYMn_cSQVcpLgexK3NyR-mgJ7nq9gELwKeb5TFzS48qT4Gr7e0g51XHuNPl9SjhLmcSzSO0Ys_aDEMwdkIKPDl8K17QU6Z-GblD5UdBKvHuWaGiDuLIIEc40s2sj_A-NcBhEiln-D_027FaCiKgVP0TsKzYZf36Nh942dd4k-2VGPGYxGiHEq3NYEpB1WZDgZBsRlVlikSOwc87pwUqhkf72XDFRS1s35EeADDEJejsp1PKH5UDW6l8hcdITznxzrGUEzKaxZpsw3v9Du4n3HipSN4sLup2xv30FbI68w_-T3CwrFxkTquWll5fIGphRv_4Rf202CeYH56z2OJrkUzSzNk3F9dmkly7qJli6AwrsT19AU/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
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<b> <span style="font-size: large;">Result:</span></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
I've let 1 book go out of 5, my TBR is reduced to 421 books (it's still ridiculously long, but if I'll keep this up, I might see it being lowered to a more reasonable number).</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4g_gVvYX0Zk/Xp1g__gYw5I/AAAAAAAACnc/JSrfxl8bkvIYanAmzRjHvWtkoS45SF5pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4g_gVvYX0Zk/Xp1g__gYw5I/AAAAAAAACnc/JSrfxl8bkvIYanAmzRjHvWtkoS45SF5pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" /></a></div>
Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-66665413046690800552020-04-16T10:54:00.000+02:002020-04-16T10:54:15.480+02:00Review - White Lotus by Libbie Hawker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1482557833l/33555592._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1482557833l/33555592._SY475_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b> Title:</b> White Lotus (White Lotus Trilogy #1)<br />
<br />
<b> Author: </b>Libbie Hawker<br />
<br />
<b> Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText17550369672903219200"> In the sixth century
BCE, Egypt is the greatest civilization known to mankind. But with a
foolish king on its throne, the Nile Valley is ripe for conquering. <br /> <br />Amid
this climate of danger and strife, in the alleys and brothels of
Memphis, an extraordinary young woman comes of age. To spare her
siblings from starvation, Doricha is sold into prostitution. But she has
gifts beyond mere beauty. Through wit and determination, she works her
way into the realm of the hetaerae—courtesans of exceptional refinement.
<br /> <br />As a hetaera, Doricha has access to the schemes and
negotiations that shape the world. But the rich and powerful also have
access to her, and Doricha soon finds herself in the Pharaoh’s harem,
caught up in his reckless plans. When the Pharaoh sends her off to his
fiercest enemy, thinly cloaked by a dangerous ruse, Doricha must become a
double agent if she hopes to survive. Caught between the Pharaoh and
the Persian king Cambyses, it is Doricha—once a slave, now a woman of
great but secret power—who will determine Egypt’s fate. <br /> <br />Blending ancient fable with true history, White Lotus brings Egypt’s downfall to life.</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vYUgDegp30s/XpbIs6_IN_I/AAAAAAAACmY/W5amJY0mDG0wEwYAqc95K8dxh48CQTRdACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vYUgDegp30s/XpbIs6_IN_I/AAAAAAAACmY/W5amJY0mDG0wEwYAqc95K8dxh48CQTRdACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
<b><span id="freeText17550369672903219200">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">I don't know what it is with me and books about strong ladies breaking their way out of sex slavery (or at least making the best of their situation by manipulating powerful men), but this theme seems to stick with me, I enjoy these kinds of books a lot. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText17550369672903219200"><b>"However great Iadmon deems my value, he cannot value me more than I do myself." </b></span><br />
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">In <i>White Lotus </i>we follow <i>Doricha</i>, a young girl who's sold to be a prona (the name for prostitutes at the time) because her family is starving. However, her fate turns to the better when her master starts seeing potential in her and instead of turning her into a common prona, he decides to train her to be a hetaera. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">Hetaerae were highly cultivated courtesans in ancient Greece and later when Greek culture seeped into Egypt these girls were present there too to provide intellectual as well as physical entertainment for wealthy men.</span><br />
<span id="freeText17550369672903219200"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">Doricha's story is interesting because <b>there are twists and turns along the way</b> that you don't expect (in the beginning she doesn't have much control over her fate, and you can't help but feel for her because of her vulnerable situation). <b>The majority of the novel is about her training</b> through which we see what a hetaera was supposed to do or not do in the company of men and what the hetaerae's attitude was like towards one another (<b>you can expect a lot of intrigue</b>).</span><br />
<span id="freeText17550369672903219200"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">I loved the historical setting and how it came to life through Libbie Hawker's words. <b>The tension between Egyptians and Greek people was seething at the time </b>(we are in the 6th century BC just before the Persian conquest). The streets were dangerous because the two parties were wont to provoke fights and Egyptians were extremely dissatisfied with the Pharaoh, <i>Amasis II</i>, who enthusiastically embraced the Greek traditions and culture.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">In these uncertain times Doricha meets friends like <i>Aesop</i>, the cunning servant who mastered the art of manoeuvring from the background and she also has to face some foes who slyly betray an initially well-forming friendship.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText17550369672903219200"><b>Doricha is</b> very young, by the end of the book she's only 14 but she's got a quick mind and adapts easily. She's <b>a charming character</b> and I can't wait to see how she matures into a strong woman who's not afraid to play the hard games of politics to earn her freedom. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">I should also mention here that Doricha later goes by the name <i>Rhodopis</i>, and according to my research <b>in real life there was a hetaera with that name indeed, who is associated with the origins of the fairy tale <i>Cinderella</i></b>. How cool is that?</span><br />
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<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">The only thing that could have been better in the book was the editing; unfortunately there were typos here and there... It didn't ruin the whole reading experience but still... I'd have preferred if there hadn't been any.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">This book became a new favourite of mine, naturally I'll read the second book in the trilogy too.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText17550369672903219200"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33555592-white-lotus"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/White-Lotus-Novel-Egypts-Fall-ebook/dp/B01N7LAGEJ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=white+lotus+libbie&qid=1587023809&sr=8-1"><b>Amazon</b></a></span></div>
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<span id="freeText17550369672903219200">Next in the series:</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35060665-persian-rose"><b><span id="freeText17550369672903219200">Persian Rose</span></b></a></div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-73480038036179703812020-04-15T10:21:00.001+02:002020-04-15T10:21:19.604+02:00Easter Readathon Wrap-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://readingthroughinfinity.com/2020/04/06/easter-readathon-2020-announcement/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="663" height="241" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVVKInlx9xw/XpbAIW2BrcI/AAAAAAAACmA/PvCUP5DxPTQFwaqhKmv6y5Fxca6u85bogCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/easter-readathon-2020.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Here are the final facts in connection with the Easter Readathon:</b></div>
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I finished 1 book, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33555592-white-lotus"><b>White Lotus</b></a> by Libbie Hawker (expect a review up on the blog soon).</div>
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I read 80% of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34931344-my-family-and-other-animals"><b>My Family and Other Animals</b></a> by Gerald Durrell (I've finished that one on Tuesday, my review is coming soon).</div>
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I've started reading <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4065756-the-midwich-cuckoos"><b>The Midwich Cuckoos </b></a>by John Wyndham, I'd only read some 30 pages by midnight on Monday.</div>
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Big thanks to Kate @ <a href="https://readingthroughinfinity.com/"><b>Reading Through Infinity</b></a> for hosting the event, I enjoyed this reading weekend a lot!</div>
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<b>What did you read during the weekend?</b></div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-48033873875880105782020-04-14T09:05:00.000+02:002020-04-14T09:05:17.233+02:00Excerpt - Dreams of Thunder by Christian Cura<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bEC9Fij77ZY/XpVcOykZUXI/AAAAAAAAClI/84ANQW8FhT4errXqetPaDDmao-UhNUNkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bEC9Fij77ZY/XpVcOykZUXI/AAAAAAAAClI/84ANQW8FhT4errXqetPaDDmao-UhNUNkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div>
Let me introduce you <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48720082-dreams-of-fire"><b>Dreams of Fire</b></a> , which is an urban fantasy novel by Christian Cura. Its sequel, <i>Dreams of Thunder</i> is coming out this year, you can read an excerpt from it below.<br />
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<b>Synopsis:</b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText1952056829679916698">Meet Kara Hartman, a
young painter living and working in D.C. She would love to let you
believe she is just an ordinary young woman with a dream of sharing her
art with the world. But she is hiding an astonishing secret: Kara can
wield magic, the most powerful force in the universe. Traumatized by the
loss of her brother, she wants nothing more to do with magic. But when
an old foe resurfaces, hellbent on destroying all that she loves, Kara
has no choice but to embrace the only power that can stop her.</span></i></span></div>
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<span id="freeText1952056829679916698"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48720082-dreams-of-fire"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082FGCV1T/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Dreams+of+Fire+Christian+Cura&qid=1575648225&sr=8-2"><b>Amazon</b></a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/writerchriscura/"><b>Facebook</b></a> </span></div>
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<span id="freeText1952056829679916698"> <b>Author Bio</b><br /><br />Christian Cura is a new author who just recently published his debut novel Dreams of Fire.<br />Ever since he read Lord of the Rings as a teenager, it has been his dream to write and publish a<br />novel of his own. His favorite authors include J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling and Robert Jordan.<br />Christian lives in Northern Virginia where he lifts weights at home and creates artwork.<br />When he is not writing, he can be found drawing or getting beaten up at his MMA gym.</span></div>
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And now on to the excerpt from <i>Dreams of Thunder</i>, which was provided by the author himself:</div>
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<b>Happy Reading!</b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnMwBcvWPE0/XpVff6SC4GI/AAAAAAAAClo/F8iiI4Ix-5grycXjUiDfK5ZW-vAcCzFFACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnMwBcvWPE0/XpVff6SC4GI/AAAAAAAAClo/F8iiI4Ix-5grycXjUiDfK5ZW-vAcCzFFACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" /></a></div>
Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-26072801160380006022020-04-12T09:25:00.000+02:002020-04-12T09:25:53.868+02:00Happy Easter! - Easter Readathon Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pixabay.com/hu/photos/mezei-ny%C3%BAl-h%C3%BAsv%C3%A9t-h%C3%BAsv%C3%A9ti-nyuszi-4093851/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KytIn7ByQlU/XpK6C5Mx2dI/AAAAAAAACkQ/3gTckKh9ZOQiJHS2NEqVhxhJJ29Dpd2OACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hare-4093851_640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">HAPPY EASTER, FELLOW READERS!</span></b></span></div>
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I wish all of you a blessed holiday, I hope every one of you will find some joy in it even if we have to stay at home this time.</div>
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I've come with an update about my progress in the Easter Readathon that's hosted by Kate @ <a href="https://readingthroughinfinity.com/"><b>Reading Through Infinity</b></a></div>
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So far I've participated in one reading sprint per day on twitter, which is funny because sometimes I feel like a tortoise among the others with my leisurely reading speed (I've read a lot about tortoises in <i>My Family and Other Animals</i> in the past two days, I just couldn't pass up on this simile, sorry...) </div>
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I confess I cheated a bit because I didn't stick strictly to my TBR. I've read some of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33555592-white-lotus"><b>White Lotus</b></a> by Libbie Hawker too and have finished that book during the readathon so I'll count that as part of my reading list (just to pretend I'm able to finish a book during a readathon, haha). </div>
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I'm halfway through <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34931344-my-family-and-other-animals">My Family and Other Animals</a> </b>by Gerald Durrell. It is extremely entertaining when the protagonist kid tells stories about the family, less so when he talks about his insects, so it only partly won my heart so far. </div>
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I aim to finish this book by then end of Monday, we'll see how I fare.</div>
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<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/comments-winner-giggles-1pugOcA5T7TTW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://giphy.com/gifs/comments-winner-giggles-1pugOcA5T7TTW" border="0" height="179" src="https://media1.giphy.com/media/1pugOcA5T7TTW/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47e4ace66597f6a6a2ca6b1e3595bc988976017586&rid=giphy.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>What are you reading this weekend? </b></div>
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<b>Are you bothered we have to spend the holiday inside?</b></div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-883687425248483222020-04-10T10:02:00.001+02:002020-04-10T21:23:17.608+02:00Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 #38 <div style="text-align: center;">
Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by <a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" style="color: #b88799; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b>Rose City Reader</b> </a>and <b><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/" style="color: #b88799; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Freda's Voice</a></b>.</div>
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<b>Rules:</b> </div>
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<b>Book Beginnings: </b>Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you
are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence,
impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. </div>
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<b><br /></b><b>The Friday 56:</b> Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want.<br />
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This week I'm featuring the book I'm starting the <b><a href="http://boyishbookworm.blogspot.com/2020/04/easter-readathon-tbr.html">Easter Readathon</a> </b>with:</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34931344-my-family-and-other-animals"><b>My Family and Other Animals </b></a><br />
(Corfu Trilogy #1)</div>
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by Gerald Durrell<br />
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<b>Synopsis:</b></div>
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<i><span id="freeText3284815999581148529"><br /></span><span id="freeText10018539698937731151"></span></i>
<i>Escaping the ills of
the British climate, the Durrell family - acne-ridden Margo, gun-toting
Leslie, bookworm Lawrence and budding naturalist Gerry, along with
their long-suffering mother and Roger the dog - take off for the island
of Corfu.</i><br />
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<i>But the Durrells find that, reluctantly, they must share
their various villas with a menagerie of local fauna - among them
scorpions, geckos, toads, bats and butterflies.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText3284815999581148529">Book Beginning:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span id="freeText3284815999581148529"> July had been blown out like a candle by the biting wind that ushered in a leaden August sky.</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText3284815999581148529">This is quite a beautiful sentence.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText3284815999581148529"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rv1oDLFTDY/Xo7JkX3PeVI/AAAAAAAACjg/IZPItHLJmAMIpjutIVAlswOfRN6y7N8iQCEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoCmbfPpI8SKIezkX9GcoXFcah7jBXemMyhuDKNEPVwFS89eNv4-StwOV7n8LKumikW4J4Ex2v6Aoc77moFk3U8rHcvzXkLkc4qBe4wqGK6jnvNykFR9woa1Z5qttMJl0-StMrDuRF5tX3gskecQpU_JBB8cJVE608JighHEmavJafDI6zKNt0GhQGMUyyqiZ2eqkiEC3QWz1gy41qelOSyIQh1awkQSYqr593e_SpEHF8Y177jME9o9LMNnJcTs_C5bgPR9iCEm08FsAPb6umeOcOjAzJC_KR70TG1RBPROyuIW34foomsFyMQmJmgoDF9JCZottvJrFjZn8ILE5TevYCUGtEsoxczakDJ-YoLKlz5EerNjNZ7EF7lyEsrCzgdFXLWIoahA74VVPlx3cF0D3e-1TXq_BHg1TvTb0iVz56rQhfPSc7fkhbijXONaqEPaDzrb1Sml0xHKYOuKc7YFW7eeWeVb-msg-Xe6T6MGM80bo2MMMi_eD4v13upo9o3l3SBC-A6TO10T-qTT8MtGm1BkJ1kigN88Vpd-WCdIA8OWAdblymutGStGmLMOY369i_kA-A-pgeRF7zFP5LEqWS7QTFSRD5sw6Zi79AU/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rv1oDLFTDY/Xo7JkX3PeVI/AAAAAAAACjg/IZPItHLJmAMIpjutIVAlswOfRN6y7N8iQCEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoCmbfPpI8SKIezkX9GcoXFcah7jBXemMyhuDKNEPVwFS89eNv4-StwOV7n8LKumikW4J4Ex2v6Aoc77moFk3U8rHcvzXkLkc4qBe4wqGK6jnvNykFR9woa1Z5qttMJl0-StMrDuRF5tX3gskecQpU_JBB8cJVE608JighHEmavJafDI6zKNt0GhQGMUyyqiZ2eqkiEC3QWz1gy41qelOSyIQh1awkQSYqr593e_SpEHF8Y177jME9o9LMNnJcTs_C5bgPR9iCEm08FsAPb6umeOcOjAzJC_KR70TG1RBPROyuIW34foomsFyMQmJmgoDF9JCZottvJrFjZn8ILE5TevYCUGtEsoxczakDJ-YoLKlz5EerNjNZ7EF7lyEsrCzgdFXLWIoahA74VVPlx3cF0D3e-1TXq_BHg1TvTb0iVz56rQhfPSc7fkhbijXONaqEPaDzrb1Sml0xHKYOuKc7YFW7eeWeVb-msg-Xe6T6MGM80bo2MMMi_eD4v13upo9o3l3SBC-A6TO10T-qTT8MtGm1BkJ1kigN88Vpd-WCdIA8OWAdblymutGStGmLMOY369i_kA-A-pgeRF7zFP5LEqWS7QTFSRD5sw6Zi79AU/s1600/liner.gif" /></a><span id="freeText3284815999581148529"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText3284815999581148529"> The Friday 56:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span id="freeText3284815999581148529">Having slept for the better part of three hours in the fierce sun, she found her eyes so puffy and swollen that she could hardly see out of them. The wind and spray had made them worse, and by the time she reached the jetty she could hardly see at all. She was read and raw with sunburn and her eyelids so puffed out that she looked like a particularly malevolent Mongolian pirate.</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText3284815999581148529">Someone took sunbathing to another level, haha.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rv1oDLFTDY/Xo7JkX3PeVI/AAAAAAAACjg/IZPItHLJmAMeMxdzTBGM8YZfeBgcfK9rwCEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoC8AhP75iVELZXrocifXFyBdtUL_hIU9GcTQsuDo8ibjsD2itsszS627_CeqktqHnFYh3BT5I-tqJqKLhwlFkIqHi9uf3GVXxY2Nqs6JJvdVCRHPiWbHy0juddYH7_2RejAG6-DDbpWa11McMi1zaaSR2DXe9b2aV4yy3_SzowyV5DZcBvSdHQxSoT04S2woau884TCCZzAQ2Mhgy427_MxLMwK_o0fvhI4XfH21qVHktG9wD0LYwqb8PlCaovpA2fNSJcbnC1rc-7umtKYGAEAQ43L6sv_fsMlmMqIRe9mv8V8agq79OpY-KlwTKE28qnY3K6tgdOqO_56Hk60O1vq2BSOIu5K3BlJW98A_MFuRYxg7bNwHqh9RGRkSNXNGemDP31dOX1zMn9o3-UiXmEf0a3qMlyEtvq3mmKSU3gYL5IISR5vjrdIOT_e6w3WqlEkzMo6CAodadWaALTN6VlTOq4kZKyaI_Y_ae89GoI1mQATQeo4BDKSIKgxfOOLugxHWob1ZQ-LZ18RYgh7wRbEGq0mtYBAVe4Bphj2ieoU8lN95GGk_UB74RqqdqJ4-JGxzL3T7lFgQ563P8Ktn3--YAlXdrcXVGowiZm79AU/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rv1oDLFTDY/Xo7JkX3PeVI/AAAAAAAACjg/IZPItHLJmAMeMxdzTBGM8YZfeBgcfK9rwCEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoC8AhP75iVELZXrocifXFyBdtUL_hIU9GcTQsuDo8ibjsD2itsszS627_CeqktqHnFYh3BT5I-tqJqKLhwlFkIqHi9uf3GVXxY2Nqs6JJvdVCRHPiWbHy0juddYH7_2RejAG6-DDbpWa11McMi1zaaSR2DXe9b2aV4yy3_SzowyV5DZcBvSdHQxSoT04S2woau884TCCZzAQ2Mhgy427_MxLMwK_o0fvhI4XfH21qVHktG9wD0LYwqb8PlCaovpA2fNSJcbnC1rc-7umtKYGAEAQ43L6sv_fsMlmMqIRe9mv8V8agq79OpY-KlwTKE28qnY3K6tgdOqO_56Hk60O1vq2BSOIu5K3BlJW98A_MFuRYxg7bNwHqh9RGRkSNXNGemDP31dOX1zMn9o3-UiXmEf0a3qMlyEtvq3mmKSU3gYL5IISR5vjrdIOT_e6w3WqlEkzMo6CAodadWaALTN6VlTOq4kZKyaI_Y_ae89GoI1mQATQeo4BDKSIKgxfOOLugxHWob1ZQ-LZ18RYgh7wRbEGq0mtYBAVe4Bphj2ieoU8lN95GGk_UB74RqqdqJ4-JGxzL3T7lFgQ563P8Ktn3--YAlXdrcXVGowiZm79AU/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText3284815999581148529"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">What are you reading this week? Share your Friday post with me by leaving a link below.</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NgIT8GWnWNQ/Xo7KW9d4afI/AAAAAAAACjo/d0pfmUV4ACM85NgJP5K0au9oFSnQ9KzBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NgIT8GWnWNQ/Xo7KW9d4afI/AAAAAAAACjo/d0pfmUV4ACM85NgJP5K0au9oFSnQ9KzBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/N%25C3%25A9vtelen3.png" /></a></div>
Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-12389428998475471572020-04-08T09:24:00.000+02:002020-04-23T10:24:18.680+02:00Easter Readathon TBR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://readingthroughinfinity.com/2020/04/06/easter-readathon-2020-announcement/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="663" height="241" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9You91MTF8/Xo1xLh2iBDI/AAAAAAAACis/NJhbZ7oLgjcLq445ESUGUmMAgvZv8kzeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/easter-readathon-2020.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Kate at <a href="https://readingthroughinfinity.com/"><b>Reading Through Infinity</b></a> is organizing an Easter readathon and since I've got my weekend free (which when the world is normal barely happens), I'll join in the fun.</div>
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I'll choose only 2 books as my TBR since I'm a slow and fitful reader (and window cleaning is on the task list this weekend too ugh). Both will match one of the prompts Kate has suggested:</div>
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<a href="https://readingthroughinfinity.com/2020/04/06/easter-readathon-2020-announcement/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="663" height="241" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3g35xEeeic/Xo1zXl8H6DI/AAAAAAAACi4/CPkiFtTekCING1JjrTWqGA-S796Eg3hqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/easter-readathon-2020-prompts.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Read a book involving family/friends:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36505603-my-family-and-other-animals"><b>My Family and Other Animals</b></a></div>
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(Corfu Trilogy #1)</div>
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by Gerald Durrell</div>
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509396782l/36505603._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509396782l/36505603._SY475_.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<b>Synopsis:</b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText14884492926348540202">When the unconventional
Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate,
they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate
to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu. My Family and Other Animals
was intended to embrace the natural history of the island but ended up
as a delightful account of Durrell's family's experiences, from the many
eccentric hangers-on to the ceaseless procession of puppies, toads,
scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and
butterflies into their home.</span></i></span></div>
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I always long to travel and now that it's not possible, even more so. This book will transport me to Greece at least in mind.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wpRzVP15zhI/Xo12nxw514I/AAAAAAAACjE/8HLNuT0nyZU8hL93LAwrEoM30xAkJFaygCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wpRzVP15zhI/Xo12nxw514I/AAAAAAAACjE/8HLNuT0nyZU8hL93LAwrEoM30xAkJFaygCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Read a book that's under 250 pages:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4065756-the-midwich-cuckoos"><b>The Midwich Cuckoos</b></a></div>
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by John Wyndham</div>
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<b>Synopsis:</b></div>
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<span id="freeText17937453959835489721"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i>In the sleepy English
village of Midwich, a mysterious silver object appears and all the
inhabitants fall unconscious. A day later the object is gone and
everyone awakens unharmed - except that all the women in the village are
discovered to be pregnant.<br /><br />The resultant children of Midwich do
not belong to their parents: all are blond, all are golden-eyed. They
grow up too fast and their minds exhibit frightening abilities that give
them control over others. This brings them into conflict with the
villagers just as a chilling realization dawns on the world outside...</i></span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText17937453959835489721">A modern classic sci-fi, simply because I haven't read sci-fi for months.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FshFd3QuZ9E/XqFQpdR49dI/AAAAAAAACoM/BjE9hn9d2IYvby-jnANGhdkdM5AtPQmHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FshFd3QuZ9E/XqFQpdR49dI/AAAAAAAACoM/BjE9hn9d2IYvby-jnANGhdkdM5AtPQmHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText17937453959835489721"> <b>What are you planning to do on Easter weekend? What are you planning to read?</b></span></div>
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<span id="freeText17937453959835489721">If you feel like joining Kate's readathon make sure you comment on <b><a href="https://readingthroughinfinity.com/2020/04/06/easter-readathon-2020-announcement/">her blog post</a> </b>to be eligible for participating in her giveaway<b> </b></span><span id="freeText17937453959835489721">too.</span></div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-26557708285852897242020-04-07T10:08:00.000+02:002020-05-01T11:46:56.211+02:00Books for characters on TV - La Casa de Papel edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pixabay.com/hu/photos/p%C3%A9nzt-rabl%C3%A1s-bella-szia-3637728/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NxgIMbX-06Q/XortQof8zpI/AAAAAAAAChk/SVW_CvBfFls2TdeFPknJHPYUqCE9uqnCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/money-heist-3637728_640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I watched season 4 of <i>La Casa de Papel</i> (<i>Money Heist)</i> the other day, and of course I binged it a bit too quickly. </div>
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<i>La Casa de Papel </i>is a Spanish Netflix show that became an international phenomenon in the past 3 years, most deservedly. The series follows a gang of robbers who fight against capitalism and oppression in the most unique way they can think of. Slowly, in the middle of all the chaos they create in the heart of Madrid, they develop complicated bonds with each other that at some points makes their job easier, at others significantly harder. </div>
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I love this show so much that whenever a season comes out and I finish it, it stays with me for days/weeks on end. The characters are like friends to me and it's hard to let them go for another year.</div>
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For this reason the idea came to me that I'd write a bookish post about <i>La Casa de Papel</i>. <b>Have you ever thought which book(s) you'd gift/recommend to the characters in your favourite show? </b>Imagine it's Christmas, or their birthday or you see they're bored or worried about something that you'd like to take their minds off. What book(s) would you give them then?</div>
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Here come my recommendations to the characters from <i>La Casa de Papel</i>. Some of these books I've read, some of them I haven't and decided to match them with the character based on their premise. The character names are from the original version because I watch the show in Spanish.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGJxvg6iCjs/XqvvEa1xuGI/AAAAAAAACpY/myo1KhOc2sQlwLJ5fdyKmrpXtFmjoCvEACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGJxvg6iCjs/XqvvEa1xuGI/AAAAAAAACpY/myo1KhOc2sQlwLJ5fdyKmrpXtFmjoCvEACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>El Profesor</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/997354.The_Pillars_of_the_Earth"><b>The Pillars of the Earth </b></a></div>
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by Ken Follett</div>
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Despite the fact the Professor doesn't talk much about history, I can't help but think he loves it. Other than that, the professional way with which the author writes about the building process of the cathedral would impress Sergio a lot.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-wqkDCq6O8/Xosjd4S04QI/AAAAAAAACiI/GDXl6XX1Dp4Zizc5G11LbMVcDn8mQtNDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-wqkDCq6O8/Xosjd4S04QI/AAAAAAAACiI/GDXl6XX1Dp4Zizc5G11LbMVcDn8mQtNDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Lisboa</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44107480-lovely-war"><b>Lovely War</b></a><br />
by Julie Berry<br />
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A novel about love and war and about why they often go hand in hand. I think it's kinda fitting for Raquel.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Tokio</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2429135.The_Girl_with_the_Dragon_Tattoo"><b>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo </b></a>(Millennium #1)</div>
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by Stieg Larsson <br />
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We all like when we can identify with protagonists, don't we? I think Lisbeth Salander and Tokio have a lot in common.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Nairobi</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25786523-the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet"><b>The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet</b></a><br />
by Becky Chambers<br />
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Other than the Professor I think it's Nairobi who does the most for the unity of the group, therefore I'd give her a book that is about team dynamics and found family.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Río</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12600138-ready-player-one"><b>Ready Player One</b></a></div>
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by Ernest Cline</div>
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Rio is <span class="st">– </span>simply put <span class="st">–</span> the IT guy in the team. I'm sure he's a gamer and most probably a secret nerd too.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Denver</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6375187-daredevil"><b>Daredevil: A Man without Fear</b></a></div>
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by Frank Miller, John Romita Jr.</div>
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I can see a small Denver sitting on a bed covered with comics. His dad always got him one whenever he seemed sad about his mum. Call it a headcanon. I bet he liked pretending he was a superhero and showing his dad the pictures that excited him the most.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Estocolmo</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/853510.Murder_on_the_Orient_Express"><b>Murder on the Orient Express </b></a></div>
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by Agatha Christie</div>
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I think Monica is a murder mystery type of girl. I can picture her sitting on the sofa half covered with a blanket reading Agatha Christie while Cincinnati sleeps.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Moscú </b></span><br />
<b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2623.Great_Expectations?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=gWSxyyWpSs&rank=10">Great Expectations</a></b><br />
by Charles Dickens<br />
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Or anything by C.D., really. The Dickensian world would resonate with him I'm sure.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Berlín</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2764176-the-divine-comedy"><b>The Divine Comedy</b></a></div>
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by Dante Alighieri</div>
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Andrés loves Italy and the guy is classy AF. Dante is the right choice.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Palermo</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3103.Maurice"><b>Maurice</b></a></div>
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by E. M. Forster </div>
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I always despised Palermo but boy, did that scene got me at the end of season 4... If you've seen it, you know which one I'm talking about. I like to think Maurice would give him hope and belief in life after love.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Helsinki</b></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11250317-the-song-of-achilles"><b>The Song of Achilles</b></a><br />
by Madeline Miller<br />
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I'm such an evil person. He'd cry his eyes out on this book. Then he'd tell everyone in the team they must read it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Oslo</b></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23807.The_Silence_of_the_Lambs"><b>The Silence of the Lambs</b></a><br />
by Thomas Harris<br />
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We don't know much about Oslo because he doesn't speak a lot. This is me trying to be funny. Maybe he'd appreciate my humour, maybe not.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Bogotá</b></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32758901-all-systems-red"><b>All Systems Red</b></a><br />
by Martha Wells<br />
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I can totally imagine Bogotá being a sci-fi fan. I can see the team sitting down to watch the <i>Alien</i> films, <i>Terminator</i> or <i>Robocop </i>together just because someone mentions they haven't seen it and Bogotá tells them they must.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Marsella</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36505603-my-family-and-other-animals"><b>My Family and other Animals</b></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Corfu Trilogy #1) </div>
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by Gerald Durrell </div>
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This book must be a lovely read for an animal lover (I'll tackle it soon myself).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>What's your favourite show? What books would you recommend to its characters?</b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Do you watch La Casa de Papel? Do you agree with my recommendations? </b><br />
<b>Would you have further suggestions? Tell me below!</b></div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-22111863220197622532020-04-05T10:26:00.000+02:002020-04-05T10:45:08.754+02:00Review - Screamcatcher: Web World by Christy J. Breedlove<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555764669l/45181000._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555764669l/45181000._SY475_.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<b> Title: </b>Screamcatcher: Web World<br />
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<b><b> </b>Author:</b> Christy J. Breedlove<br />
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<b><b> </b>Synopsis:</b><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText14270097162304411822"><b> </b>When seventeen-year-old
Jory Pike cannot shake the hellish nightmares of her parent’s deaths,
she turns to an old family heirloom, a dream catcher. Even though she’s
half blood Chippewa, Jory thinks old Indian lore is so yesterday, but
she’s willing to give it a try. However, the dream catcher has had its
fill of nightmares from an ancient and violent past. After a sleepover
party, and during one of Jory’s most horrific dream episodes, the dream
catcher implodes, sucking Jory and her three friends into its own world
of trapped nightmares. They’re in an alternate universe—locked inside of
an insane web world. How can they find the center of the web, where all
good things are allowed to pass?</span></i></span></div>
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<span id="freeText14270097162304411822"><i>I received a free e-book copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.</i></span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText14270097162304411822">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText14270097162304411822">I'd like to thank the author for offering me a copy of <i>Web World</i> because I had a lot of fun reading this mystical gem of a YA. I'm sure <i>Jory, Darcy, Choice </i>and <i>Lander</i> </span><span class="st">– the four teenagers who get caught in the web of the dreamcatcher </span><span class="st"><span class="st">– </span>wouldn't call their adventure "fun" but<b> it evoked in me a certain kind of nostalgia</b> with its distant similarity to the movie Jumanji.</span></div>
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<span class="st">Since Jory lost her parents she suffers from nightmares. In the daytime she helps out in her grandfather's novelty shop but her nights are ruined by the recurring bad dream. When her friend, Choice first visits the store, his eyes wonder on the giant old-looking dreamcatcher that hangs from the ceiling and he immediately thinks if nothing else, that will help Jory to rest well </span><span class="st"><span class="st"><span class="st">– </span></span>and from then on trouble is guaranteed.</span></div>
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<span class="st">With two mates of theirs, the 16 year-old Darcy and the streetwise Lander <b>they end up inside a world of night terrors </b>from where they can only escape if they work together. I have nightmares sometimes, but nothing like with what these teenagers have to face. What I really liked in this book was that <b>it works with Native American folklore and legends</b>. It's not something that is normally covered in my everyday reading and so it was extremely fascinating for me to read about what creatures were the natives afraid of.</span></div>
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<span class="st">This book has <b>horror elements</b>. Not many, but the few it does give it spice. I don't want to give much away but something happens to one of the members of the group that gave me the creeps. This incident and its consequences kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.</span></div>
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<span class="st">The novel is quite unputdownable, <b>one action scene follows the other </b>and you wait for the end to know how the band will fare during the last challenge. The team seems very experienced despite the fact that they are teenagers, for example Jory knows a lot about lore, plants, tracking, while the boys help out with the practical side of things. Darcy is a bit of a hindrance but at times I felt sorry for her because the others didn't handle her with much patience. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText14270097162304411822"><b>There's a love story</b> in there somewhere too, but <b>it wasn't overdone,</b> which I was glad to see. To be honest, I don't even know when was the last time I've read a YA book without a love triangle or overemphasized soppy love-drama. This was just perfect, keeping all emotions at bay and very realistic. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText14270097162304411822">All in all, I definitely recommend this book if you'd like to try something fresh. <i>Web World </i>is a unique tale presented in a very enjoyable way.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText14270097162304411822"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45181000-screamcatcher"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Screamcatcher-World-Christy-J-Breedlove-ebook/dp/B07QDK5M75/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=screamcatcher&qid=1586016205&sr=8-1"><b>Amazon</b></a></span></div>
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<span id="freeText14270097162304411822">Next in the series:</span></div>
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<span id="freeText14270097162304411822"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52386572-dream-chasers"><b>Dream Chasers </b></a></span></div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-59404122355877599232020-02-05T12:53:00.000+01:002020-04-04T16:37:35.992+02:00Review - A Shadowed Fate by Marty Ambrose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b> </b><b> Title: </b>A Shadowed Fate (Claire Clairmont #2)<br />
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<b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b>Author: </b>Marty Ambrose<br />
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<b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b>Publication Date: </b>March 03, 2020 <br />
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<b><b> </b></b><b><b><b> </b></b>Synopsis:</b><br />
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<i><span style="color: #7f6000;"><span id="freeText7807986156554876866">1873, Florence.
Claire Clairmont, the last survivor of the 'haunted summer of 1816'
Byron/Shelley circle, is reeling from the series of events triggered by
the arrival of Michael Rosetti two weeks before, which culminated in a
brutal murder and a shocking revelation from her old friend, Edward
Trelawny.</span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="color: #7f6000;"><span id="freeText7807986156554876866"><br />Stunned by her betrayal at the hands of those closest
to her, Claire determines to travel to the convent at Bagnacavallo near
Ravenna to learn the true fate of Allegra, her daughter by Lord Byron.
But the valuable Cades sketch given to her by Rosetti is stolen, and
Claire soon finds herself shadowed at every turn and in increasing
danger as she embarks on her quest. Is the theft linked to Allegra, and
can Claire uncover what really happened in Ravenna so many years ago?</span></span></i></div>
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<span id="freeText7807986156554876866"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GxWVXScaIM/XjqblZN7WyI/AAAAAAAACf8/PQYRZU57-2gS3GtYlt-RT4NDswX3o4NlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="18" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GxWVXScaIM/XjqblZN7WyI/AAAAAAAACf8/PQYRZU57-2gS3GtYlt-RT4NDswX3o4NlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liner.gif" /></a></span></div>
<i>I</i><span id="freeText12842161770230452131"><i><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1047986106"><span class="elementOne" id="freeTextContainer7986123181176138861"> received a free ebook copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></span></i></span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText7807986156554876866">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText7807986156554876866">I've been waiting for<i> A Shadowed Fate </i>for a long time and here it is at last. Marty Ambrose managed to pull me in with her first book in her Claire series so much, that in the past 1.5 years I've been checking and rechecking if there were any news about the second instalment. It hits the shelves shortly, and I received a copy on NetGalley, so here is what I think.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText7807986156554876866"><b>I flew through this novel as well as the first one. </b>They are quite short which is a shame. In ASF Claire is going on a road trip with her friend <i>Trelawny</i> and her small family in order to find out what happened to her daughter, <i>Allegra</i>, when she lived in the convent of Bagnacavallo. While on the road a dangerous stranger seems to be on their heels, and with <i>Byron</i> and <i>Shelley</i>'s valuable letters in her pocket Claire has to look over her shoulder continuously if she wants to keep her loved ones safe.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText7807986156554876866">Like in <i>Claire's Last Secret,</i> here we got <b>glimpses into the past </b>too, this time of Byron's years in Ravenna, when he supported the Carbonari's revolution for a united Italy. <b>Through journal entries</b> the reader gets caught up in a shoot-out at the fringe of a forest, where Byron is the target, and an equally heated situation on the streets of Ravenna, where once again, bullets fly low. It was an interesting addition to the book, because I've never really read much of this part of Byron's life before.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText7807986156554876866">I also enjoyed the child <b>Allegra'</b>s journal entries and was glad <b>the author gave her a voice</b>. I'm looking forward to read more of her story later.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText7807986156554876866"><b>Claire and Trelawny's relationship develops quite a lot </b>in this novel and we hear more of the one night they spent together in the past. We are also given reasons why it never really worked out between the two and we are left with a big question mark regarding their future relationship. Another reason for me to want to read the third book.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText7807986156554876866">Diving into Marty Ambrose's prose was easy, as if I had just finished the first book and picked up the second right after. <b>She's got a very clear style and she makes you care and root for her characters. </b>It still surprises me, but with some magic she makes me like Claire, while I've never really cared much for her before.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText7807986156554876866">Sign me up for the last book in the trilogy, I'm still in! </span><br />
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<span id="freeText7807986156554876866"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47536813-a-shadowed-fate"><b>Goodreads </b></a>| <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shadowed-Fate-Lord-Byron-mystery-ebook/dp/B081549RJ4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=a+shadowed+fate&qid=1580902292&sr=8-1"><b>Amazon </b></a></span><br />
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Read my review of <b>Claire's Last Secret <a href="http://boyishbookworm.blogspot.com/2018/09/review-claires-last-secret-by-marty.html">here</a></b>.<br />
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-30838566058800834322020-02-04T10:50:00.000+01:002020-02-04T10:50:59.297+01:00Review - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b> </b><b>Title:</b> The Secret Garden<br />
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<b> </b><b>Author:</b> Frances Hodgson Burnett<br />
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<b> Synopsis:</b></div>
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span style="color: #7f6000;"> Mary Lennox is sent
from an India as an orphan to live at </span></span></div>
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<b> </b><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span style="color: #7f6000;">Misselthwaite Manor. She arrives
as a sour-faced, </span></span></div>
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<b> </b><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span style="color: #7f6000;">sickly and ill-tempered little madam but becomes
friends with </span></span></div>
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<b> </b><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span style="color: #7f6000;">local lad Dickon and her poorly cousin Colin. In their
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<b> </b><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span style="color: #7f6000;">restoration of a secret garden all their lives are changed for the
better.</span></span></div>
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<b>My Thoughts:
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347">
When, once finished, you close a book with the thought: "<i>I'll definitely read this to my children one day</i>", that's a clear testament to the book's merits.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><b><i>The Secret Garden</i> is pure magic, an ultimate feel-good retreat, a novel that shows the healing power of nature and the world around us. </b>Though generally labelled as a children's book, it is not only for children; it warmed my poor adult heart in ways that are impossible to describe.</span><br />
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<b><i><span id="freeText11381108558281159347">"Mother says as th' two worst things as can happen to a child is never to have his own way </span></i></b><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><b><i><span class="st">– or always to have it."</span></i></b> </span></div>
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347">When <i>Mary Lennox</i> arrives to </span><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span id="freeText11381108558281159347">Misselthwaite Manor, she's a haughty, self-centered little girl. While before she was always surrounded with people who served her, at the manor she's left to her own devices to entertain herself throughout the day. Her uncle <i>Craven </i>is hardly ever at home, and <i>Martha </i>the maid has chores around the house therefore she cannot be with her all the time. </span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><b>When she ventures outside to the gardens she feels a change in herself </b>that she cannot really grasp, and when <i>Ben</i> the gardener and Martha mention a garden that has been locked up for 10 years, she cannot help but dream about finding the key.</span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span id="freeText11381108558281159347">The Secret Garden has a history that has something to do with the soft crying of a child she hears on the corridors of the manor sometimes, and of course Mary has to go and investigate. </span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><b>Strong friendships are born in this book</b> that bridge gaps in between classes. Martha's little brother Dickon is like a little Mowgli of the Yorkshire moors, he charms Mary very quickly with his gentle nature and ability to speak with the animals. </span></span><br />
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<b><i><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span id="freeText11381108558281159347">"Where you tend a rose, my lad,</span></span></i></b></div>
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><b><i>A thistle cannot grow." </i></b></span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span id="freeText11381108558281159347">Three children find a haven in this novel; a place where they can grow, heal and learn, and as they do, the reader does the same alongside them. Again, I say, it is a magical experience. </span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><span id="freeText11381108558281159347"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29939281-the-secret-garden"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Secret-HarperClassics-Frances-Hodgson-Burnett/dp/006440188X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+secret+garden&qid=1580807795&sr=8-1"><b>Amazon</b></a></span></span></div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-59499704176500420912019-11-26T09:56:00.000+01:002019-11-26T09:56:44.192+01:00Film Review - La Novia (The Bride)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzEwMTc1NTktNmEwZS00MjQxLWIwMjQtODkzM2UwNTE3YWVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDAxMjQwNDA@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,699,1000_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="559" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzEwMTc1NTktNmEwZS00MjQxLWIwMjQtODkzM2UwNTE3YWVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDAxMjQwNDA@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,699,1000_AL_.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<b> Title:</b> La Novia/The Bride<br />
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<b><b> </b>Director: </b>Paula Ortiz<br />
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<b><b> </b>Year: </b>2015<br />
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<b><b> </b>Genre: </b>Drama <br />
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<b><b> </b>Cast:</b> Inma Cuesta | Álex García | Asier Etxeandia<br />
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<b> </b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsU_0QTKVMM"><b> Trailer </b></a><br />
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<b> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2734566/?ref_=rvi_tt">IMDB</a></b><br />
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<b>My Thoughts: </b><br />
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The film is based on the Federico García Lorca play <i>Bodas de Sangre</i> (<i>Blood Wedding</i>), which I read this month. It wasn't a question that I'd watch this adaptation, given that I know some of the actors and I'm always in search of new Spanish films/series for language learning purposes.</div>
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<i>Blood Wedding</i> was inspired by a true story from 1928, when a bride fled her wedding with a cousin, who was later murdered by the groom's brother. The difference in Lorca's version is that the the lover and the groom himself face each other in the end to create the tragic conclusion of the drama together.</div>
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The creators of <i>La Novia</i> stayed loyal to Lorca's play in many ways. Almost all the lines the characters speak come from the actual text and the lyrical quality and the beautiful cinematography support each other so well, together they create a brand new work of art. </div>
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Each frame if carefully composed, masterfully arranged, the whole movie is a real delight for the eyes. The rhythm of Lorca's 'singing' poetry beats together with these pretty visuals <span class="st">–</span> the feeling of pain and pleasure is intensified by being transmitted through both words and scenery at the same time.</div>
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There are frames where individual characters stand alone, like the bride in white dress in front of the night sky and the moon above, or the lover, <i>Leonardo</i> on her horse, a solitary figure in a desert-like dry-yellow landscape <span class="st">– </span>these all took my breath away. The group scenes at the wedding and the wedding party are amazing as well, especially the parts with singing and dancing in it.</div>
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I absolutely loved the music. García Lorca was first and foremost a poet, and he also collected folk songs for a long time. His poem/song <i>La Tarara</i> that he composed from several songs for children was also put in the film, the scene in which the bride sings it is one of my favourites. A Spanish version of <i>Little Viannase Waltz</i>, which you might know from the Leonard Cohen song '<i>Take This Waltz</i>' is used, during the knife-fight scene.</div>
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The only thing I found a bit too much in the movie was how the symbols were overused. The play itself is full of objects and characters that have certain meanings, like the horse, the different kind of flowers, colours, the character of the moon and the beggar woman. There is too many of these, even in the original material if you ask me, and the makers of the movie added some more which seemed superfluous. However, they merged the moon and the beggar character into one and that I consider a good choice, the twist they pulled in the end with this character was pleasantly surprising too.</div>
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I could rave on about this film forever and I think I'll rewatch it many times yet.</div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-238644815111203802019-11-15T10:09:00.000+01:002019-11-15T10:09:10.743+01:00Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 #37<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arvo; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.6px; text-align: center;">
Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by <a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" style="color: #b88799; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b>Rose City Reader</b> </a>and <b><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/" style="color: #b88799; margin: 0px !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Freda's Voice</a></b>.</div>
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<b>Rules:</b> </div>
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<b>Book Beginnings: </b>Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. </div>
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<b><br /></b><b>The Friday 56:</b> Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want.</div>
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What I started reading this week:<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32723564-stormhaven">Stormhaven</a></b></div>
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(Whyborne & Griffin #3)</div>
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by Jordan L. Hawk</div>
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<b>Synopsis:</b></div>
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<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">Mysterious happenings are nothing new to reclusive scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne, but finding one of his colleagues screaming for help in the street is rather unusual. Allan Tambling claims he can’t remember any of the last hour—but someone murdered his uncle, and Allan is covered in blood.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">Whyborne’s lover, dashing ex-Pinkerton detective Griffin Flaherty, agrees to prove Allan’s innocence. But when Allan is deemed insane and locked away in the Stormhaven Lunatic Asylum, Griffin finds himself reliving the horrifying memories of his own ordeal inside a madhouse.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">Along with their friend Christine, the two men become drawn deeper and deeper into a dark web of conspiracy, magic, and murder. Their only clue: a missing artifact depicting an unknown god. Who stole the artifact, and why can’t Allan remember what happened? And what is the truth behind the terrible experiments conducted on Stormhaven’s forbidden fourth floor?</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">It will take all of Whyborne’s sorcery and Griffin’s derring-do to stop the murderers and save Allan. But first, they must survive an even greater challenge: a visit from Griffin’s family.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">Book Beginning:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">Newly installed electric lights blazed from atop the department store, theater and even the street corners where ordinary gas lamps had burned just a month ago.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">The winds of change are blowing in Whyborne and Griffin's world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">The Friday 56:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">He flung himself off the end, dragging me with him. We had an instant of weightlessness as we fell </span><span style="color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">– </span><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">then the rank water slammed into me with physical force, knocking the air from my lungs before it closed over my head.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">From what I've read so far from this book it looks like water as an element will have a key role in the story.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">What are you reading this week? Share your Friday post with me by leaving a link below.</span></b><br />
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-75250916711807874132019-11-12T08:57:00.000+01:002019-11-12T09:03:45.922+01:00Review - Escape to Everly Manor by Chalon Linton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b> Title: </b>Escape to Everly Manor<br />
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<b><b> </b> Author: </b>Chalon Linton<br />
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<b><b> </b> Synopsis:</b><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><b> </b> Nineteen-year-old
Lizzy and her young brother, Thomas, find themselves orphaned after a
tragic accident claims the lives of their parents. Their estranged Uncle
Cline arrives to claim his inheritance, and his roguish ways cast a
shadow over the manor. Both the family estate and guardianship of his
niece and nephew were left to him, and diabolical Uncle Cline is
determined to indulge in his newfound wealth and rid himself of his
charges. Desperate to save her brother from a dangerous life at sea, and
herself from being married off to a detestable old gentleman, Lizzy
knows there is only one choice left—they must run.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i>Lizzy and
Thomas sneak away and find refuge in an abandoned cabin. There they
remain hidden—until fate acquaints Lizzy with Mr. Barton, a charming
gentleman who is immediately intrigued by the mysterious young woman.
Concealing her identity, Lizzy is unaware that there is much more to
this compassionate man than meets the eye. Through his kindness to
herself and her brother, Lizzy begins to trust him. Soon Lizzy realizes
Mr. Barton may be her best hope for a life in which she can live—and
love—as she chooses . . .</i></span></div>
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<i><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1047986106"><span class="elementOne" id="freeTextContainer7986123181176138861">I received a free ebook copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></span></i><br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b></span><br />
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The cover caught my eye on NetGalley, I find it very pretty with the autumn forest and the solitary lady in the center. The fact that I've basically only read regency romance from Jane Austen so far urged me to give it a try too.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText12842161770230452131">The story is simple: two orphans, Elizabeth and Thomas, run away from an evil uncle to avoid being separated from each other. They come across a kind-hearted gentleman who is willing to help them. Romance ensues but it only complicates things. The choic<span id="goog_1594872552"></span><span id="goog_1594872553"></span>e between her dear brother and the love of her life seems impossible to Lizzy.</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText12842161770230452131">I </span></b><span id="freeText12842161770230452131"><b><span id="freeText12842161770230452131">instantly </span>connected to Lizzy</b> because I myself have a young brother and just like Lizzy I'd do anything to keep him safe. Sisterly love was such an important force in this story, it drove the plot, which I appreciated because it balanced out the romance that slowly developed between Lizzy and Barton and thus kept it from being cheesy.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText12842161770230452131"><b>The little brother Thomas somehow grounded Lizzy and made her look beyond the pink cloud. </b>You guys know that these days romance is a risky genre for me because I often find myself impatient with it, but here I felt it was well-executed.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText12842161770230452131">There were <b>quite a lot of twists </b>in the story; an accident, an unexpected and unwanted guest appearing, a rescue mission having to be planned... I was never bored while this book was in my hands.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText12842161770230452131">I'm hoping to ready more such good regency romances in the future.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText12842161770230452131"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43807861-escape-to-everly-manor"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Everly-Manor-Chalon-Linton-ebook/dp/B07N2LHWB6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=escape+to+everly+manor&qid=1573462854&sr=8-2"><b>Amazon</b></a><br />
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-59579818900464902882019-11-05T09:01:00.002+01:002019-11-05T09:01:33.064+01:00Review - Pressed to Death by Kirsten Weiss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485937228l/30268353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485937228l/30268353.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<b> </b><b><b> </b></b><b><b> </b>Title: </b>Pressed to Death (Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum #2)<br />
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<b><b> </b><b><b> </b></b><b><b> </b></b>Author:</b> Kirsten Weiss<br />
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<b><b> </b><b><b> </b></b><b><b> </b></b>Synopsis:</b><br />
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<span id="freeText14865472110032135189"><b> </b><b><b> </b></b><b><b> </b></b><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i>Perfectly pressed. Perfectly proper. Perfectly deadly. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText14865472110032135189"><br /></span></i></span><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText14865472110032135189">Paranormal
museum owner Maddie Kosloski thinks she has the perfect paranormal
exhibit for the harvest festival—a haunted grape press. But before she
can open the exhibit, she’s accused of stealing the antique press. And
when her accuser is found murdered, all eyes turn to Maddie.</span></i></span></div>
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the crime is the last thing on Maddie’s mind, but her mother insists
she investigate. Does her mother have a secret agenda? And why has the
local charity, Ladies Aid, seemingly gone gangster?</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText14865472110032135189">In this
light, cozy mystery, haunted houses, runaway wine barrels, and murder
combine in a perfect storm of chaos. Facing down danger and her own
over-active imagination, Maddie must unearth the killer before she
becomes the next ghost to haunt her museum. </span></i></span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText14865472110032135189">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText14865472110032135189">I've been eager to 'visit' San Benedetto again after reading the series opener of <i>The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum</i> this spring. I'd forgot how much I like small town crime/mystery stories and these cozy books reinitiated me into the genre.</span><span id="freeText14865472110032135189"></span><br />
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<span id="freeText14865472110032135189">Just like in the first novel our protagonist <i>Maddie Kosloski</i> plays detective after a vineyard owner is found dead in a grape vat. To the current-time crime joins a past mystery around a haunted grape press that Maddie acquires for her museum. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText14865472110032135189"><b>The double puzzle is always a joy in Kirsten Weiss's books </b>and I also appreciate that Maddie has to investigate not only in the future but back into the past too.</span><span id="freeText14865472110032135189"> So far in both novels there was a haunted object through which San Benedetto's murder-ridden history was revealed and <b>with each story you wonder less and less why the body count is growing </b>in this sleepy rural town.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText14865472110032135189">Again,<b> I had a good time getting to know the new characters</b> (there are a lot of them and Weiss still juggles them well): <i>Leo</i>, the weird teenage kid, who is suspicious but whom Maddie likes a lot, <i>Elthia</i>, who runs a Death Bistro and is pretty emotional all the time, the new tyrannical leader of Ladies Aid who acts like she is the Godfather... All of them were pretty entertaining.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText14865472110032135189">After Maddie got together with <i>Mason</i> the motorbike shop owner viking in the first book I expected to see their relationship blossom, however the guy is pretty much absent most of the time and Maddie has to rethink their relationship while she deals with everything else that disrupts the peace in San Benedetto. I didn't mind that, because I ship Maddie hard with <i>Detective Slate </i>and as things are looking I might get my wish and see them together in the next book...</span><br />
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<span id="freeText14865472110032135189">Until I get there, I cannot recommend this book series enough for people who are after a light, entertaining, fun read for a cozy weekend.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText14865472110032135189"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30268353-pressed-to-death"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pressed-Perfectly-Proper-Paranormal-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01FOR0Z7G/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pressed+to+death&qid=1572855995&sr=8-1"><b>Amazon</b></a></span></div>
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Read my review of <i>The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum</i> <a href="http://boyishbookworm.blogspot.com/2019/03/review-perfectly-proper-paranormal.html"><b>here</b></a>.</div>
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<b>Next in the series:</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35554335-deja-moo"><b>Déjá Moo</b></a></div>
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by Kirsten Weiss</div>
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-10919816560815409592019-11-01T16:20:00.000+01:002019-11-01T16:20:02.585+01:00Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 #36<div style="text-align: center;">
Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by <a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/" style="color: #b88799; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b>Rose City Reader</b> </a>and <b><a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/" style="color: #b88799; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Freda's Voice</a></b>.
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<b>Rules:</b> </div>
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<b>Book Beginnings: </b>Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you
are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence,
impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.
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<b>The Friday 56:</b> Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want.<br />
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This week the spotlight is on:<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2399925.The_Lost_Queen"><b>The Lost Queen</b></a></div>
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by Norah Lofts </div>
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<b>Synopsis:</b></div>
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<i><span id="freeTextContainer1718018941278829430">'Princesses are born to
the exiled. What is the alternative? Spinsterhood?' Thus the future of
Caroline Matilda, youngest sister of George III, was settled - exile to a
foreign country, and marriage to a nearly insane Crown Prince of
Denmark. This novel tells her story.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeTextContainer1718018941278829430">Book Beginning:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span id="freeTextContainer1718018941278829430">The Dowager Princess of Wales had long ago learned to control her voice, her facial expression, and her hands; but in anger or distress the pupils of her eyes widened, reducing the blue to a mere rim. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span id="freeTextContainer1718018941278829430">He had entertained thoughts </span><span id="freeTextContainer1718018941278829430"><span class="st"><span class="st">– When I am King I will put Count Reventlow in the Blue Tower and have him beaten, every day </span></span></span><span id="freeTextContainer1718018941278829430"><span class="st"><span class="st"><span class="st">– but such thoughts were not sufficient to sustain him in moments of misery.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="freeTextContainer1718018941278829430"><span class="st"><span class="st"><span class="st">Not a very promising king-to-be...</span></span></span></span></div>
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<b>Leave a link to your Friday post so I can visit your blog and see what you're reading this week.</b><br />
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-10764873653587424212019-10-31T10:18:00.000+01:002019-10-31T10:18:12.521+01:005 star books in 5 words - Halloween edition<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> Happy Halloween, Lovelies!</b></span><br />
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I've seen the<i> 5 star books in 5 words</i> tag on <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny3NdOs8Q3U">Jean Bookishthoughts</a> </b>booktube channel first and I thought it'd be fun to do it, especially with a Halloween twist.</div>
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The tag was originally created by <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLclxqy0EWY">Matthew Sciarappa</a></b>.</div>
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As the tag's name suggests, I'll have to choose 5 books I gave the best possible rating and come up with 5 words for each that somehow describe why I liked the books as much as I did.<br />
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In the post itself no further explanations will be given why I chose the words I did and some of them might only make sense if you read the books. (Of course if you're curious, I'm happy to answer any questions in the comment section :)<br />
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I'll go for novels and a play that fit the Halloween theme, this way I can also recommend you books that are worth to read on the spookiest night of the year.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My choices are the following:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6393407-the-haunting-of-hill-house"><b>The Haunting of Hill House</b></a> by Shirley Jackson<br />
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<b>STRANGERS</b> | <b>SCRAPING</b> | <b>ATMOSPHERE </b>| <b>MOTHER</b> | <b>MADNESS</b><br />
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Read my review of <i>The Haunting of Hill House</i> <a href="http://boyishbookworm.blogspot.com/2018/11/review-showtime-3-haunting-of-hill-house.html"><b>here</b></a>. <br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348037773l/9917996.jpg"><b>'Salem's Lot</b></a> by Stephen King<br />
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<b>VAMPIRES</b> | <b>ABANDONED</b> | <b>TEAM</b> | <b>BABY</b> | <b>INVINCIBLE?</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11257644-dracula"><b>Dracula</b></a> by Bram Stoker<br />
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<b>PRISONER </b>| <b>TRANSFUSION</b> | <b>DIRT </b>| <b>EROTICISM</b> | <b>SETTINGS</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28907136-the-crucible"><b>The Crucible</b></a> by Arthur Miller<br />
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<b>INTRODUCTION</b> | <b>DECEIT</b> | <b>PERSISTENCE</b> | <b>MANIA</b> | <b>PANIC </b></div>
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Read my review of <i>The Crucible</i> <a href="http://boyishbookworm.blogspot.com/2018/10/review-crucible-by-arthur-miller.html"><b>here</b></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38898188-the-witch-of-willow-hall"><b>The Witch of Willow Hall</b></a> by Hester Fox<br />
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<b>GHOST</b> | <b>POWERS</b> | <b>STORM</b> | <b>DEATH</b> | <b>ROMANCE</b><br />
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Read my review of <i>The Witch of Willow Hall</i> <a href="http://boyishbookworm.blogspot.com/2018/10/review-witch-of-willow-hall-by-hester.html"><b>here</b></a>.<br /><b></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I tag:</b></span><br />
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Angela @ <a href="http://musingsofaliterarywanderer.blogspot.com/"><b>Musings of a literary wanderer </b></a><br />
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Amy @ <a href="https://amagicalworldofwords.blogspot.com/"><b>A magical world of words</b></a><br />
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Breana @ <a href="https://our-thoughts-precisely.blogspot.com/"><b>Our Thoughts Precisely</b></a><br />
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Lauren @ <a href="http://never-anyone-else.blogspot.com/"><b>Always Me</b></a><br />
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Lauren @ <a href="https://shootingstarsmag.net/"><b>Shooting Stars Mag</b></a><br />
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And everyone, who'd like to participate...<b><br /></b><br />
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Boyishbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08487325480991059471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7173910314985809188.post-49624310452632099022019-10-26T18:03:00.000+02:002019-10-26T18:03:16.419+02:00Review - The Widow of Pale Harbour by Hester Fox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b> </b> <b> <span style="color: black;">Title:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> </span>The Widow of Pale Harbor<br />
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<b> </b> <span style="color: black;"><b>Author: </b></span>Hester Fox<br />
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<b> </b> <span style="color: black;"><b>Publication Date:</b> </span>September 17, 2019<br />
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<b> </b> <span style="color: black;"><b>Synopsis:</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span id="freeText11849335104649969906"> </span> <span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span id="freeText11849335104649969906">A town gripped by fear. A woman accused of</span> <span id="freeText11849335104649969906">witchcraft.</span> <span id="freeText11849335104649969906">Who can save</span> <span id="freeText11849335104649969906">Pale Harbor from itself?</span></i></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><br /><span id="freeText11849335104649969906"> </span> <span id="freeText11849335104649969906">Maine,
1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt</span> <span id="freeText11849335104649969906"> him in
Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Maine, taking a</span> <span id="freeText11849335104649969906"> position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor.</span><br /><span id="freeText11849335104649969906"><br />But
not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things
have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can
be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a
spinster maid in the eerie Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and
she almost certainly killed her husband.<br /><br />As the incidents
escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a twisted person
inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And
Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of
Poe’s darkest tales.</span></i></span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText11849335104649969906">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
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<i>The Witch of Willow Hall </i>by Hester Fox completely enchanted me last year. It was the perfect October read, featuring a haunted mansion and a girl who had just come into her power as a witch. I was looking forward to read the writer's second novel, which had a similar eerie promise.<br />
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It wasn't exactly a let-down, but I couldn't say <i>The Widow of Pale Harbor </i>lived up to its predecessor.<br />
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<i>Gabriel </i><span class="st">– </span>a man with a well-guarded secret <span class="st">–</span> arrives to Pale Harbor to act as the minister of the sleepy town. He quickly becomes fascinated with the woman the whole place regards a murderess and a witch, and when strange occurrences disturb the people, he can't help standing up for the lady of his heart.<br />
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<b>"Death had cast its sickly pall over the town, and nothing was certain any more." </b></div>
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Most of the readers will be drawn to this book for the reference to Edgar Allan Poe in the blurb. Indeed, the murders and other weird happenings in the novel are pulled from Poe stories and the reader even gets time to guess from which ones before it is revealed. I think it is a pretty awesome game for those who know Poe's tales intimately.<br />
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The setting and the whole atmosphere that is created are the strongest features in the book. The gothic vibes are very powerful, starting from the mansion Sophronia lives in, through the foggy streets, to the eerie cemetery and the windy cliffs <span class="st">– the mood is beautifully composed through the chilly descriptions.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">I know, so far I've only shared good things </span><span class="st"><span class="st">– </span>so why wasn't I completely satisfied then? </span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">The romance I'm afraid blunted my excitement for yet another autumn read. It was too flowery, too sweet for a gothic book. Everything else was so dark, so raw, that I expected the passion to be a bit more down-to-earth, the love a bit less schoolgirlish. I find I don't have much patience for these kind of romances any more. It is sad, but it's the truth. </span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">Also, I couldn't really understand why Sophronia found Gabriel </span><span class="st"><span class="st">so intriguing</span>. It turned out they didn't share that many interests after all, he wasn't one for intellectual conversations </span><span class="st"><span class="st">– as far as male protagonists go he fell a little flat for me.</span></span><br />
<span class="st"><span class="st"><br /></span></span>
<span class="st"><span class="st">I'd say it is worth to give <i>The Widow of Pale Harbor</i> a try if you're a Poe fan and like gothic tales. It helps if you're also a romance fan, because then you'll appreciate the parts I didn't, and the story can give you more than what it offered me. It is far from being a bad book, but I couldn't rate it higher because the author's debut novel undoubtedly casts a long shadow on it.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43369218-the-widow-of-pale-harbor"><b>Goodreads </b></a>| <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Widow-Pale-Harbor-Hester-Fox/dp/1525834266/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OVF1WIEIOJ0Q&keywords=the+widow+of+pale+harbor&qid=1571919022&sprefix=the+widow+of+pale%2Caps%2C242&sr=8-1">Amazon</a></b><br />
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