Here‘s the schedule for our next #whartonbuddyread. I‘ll post a reminder closer to time. @jewright @Louise @Sace @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads @KathyWheeler @llwheeler @CarolynM @Cathythoughts @BookishTrish @graywacke @leftcoastzen @tamra @ann_reads @sparklemn
so-soI bought this because it was written by a (very distant) cousin and I was hoping for genealogical tidbits. I got one interesting story of a different distant cousin swimming across the Tennessee River pulling a raft with the rope in his teeth. But I skimmed to get that. Written in 1869 I suspected it would be full of racism. And it was. 👇🏻
so-soI‘m in one of my genealogy-kick phases and thought I‘d enjoy this. But while there were some interesting bits, it was disjointed feeling in the way that blogs-turned-books can be. There was less than I wanted about her ancestors and more than I wanted of new-aged spirituality. The product of an unhappy family lineage, for sure, the author garnered my sympathy. But not my respect.
I‘ve hit a roadblock in my genealogy, and while there are other things I “should” be reading, I think this is what I _want_ to read.
pickI think I‘m a little bit in love with Alfred and his borrowed horse Mesa. There was a lot in here to take in, including especially the epigraphs before each chapter. But a huge theme for me was how many lives can be affected/damaged/upended by one bad choice. #authoramonth @Soubhiville
pickI read ahead of the #pemberlittens (sorry!) but no spoilers. I enjoyed the ride, but could have done with less preaching from the author. 😀 That, and Gil saying he didn‘t notice the scenery around him and then going into great poetic detail, pulled me out of the story a bit. Minor complaints though, for a good story.
Mini book haul from a trip to Circle City Books in Pittsboro.
Look where I am! #malapropsbookstore
pickI‘ve been going down genealogical rabbit holes a lot lately, so haven‘t read so much. But I did find time to finish my #bookspin for May. I won‘t say I figured out the twist, it I recognized the red herrings. It‘s hard to say this was an enjoyable read, given the dark subject matter, but it was something like that.
(I thought I‘d start with a little levity, because that‘s all we‘re going to get.) Is this the anti-Romeo & Juliet, or at least Wharton‘s response to that romantic trope? An argument against the belief that suffering makes one noble? Or just a bleak view of human nature? I‘ll post some favorite quotes below. #whartonbuddyread
My first time reading this, although as you can tell, I‘ve had this copy for a bit. #pemberlittens @BarkingMadRun
Well, we know this can‘t end well. 🙂 I‘m getting some Cather vibes from this one: a narrator we don‘t really get to know, the setting as a major character, the effect the climate/weather has on characters‘ personalities. Anyone else seeing that connection? And how do you feel about Ethan‘s behavior - justified because of Zeena‘s , unforgivable, or somewhere in between? #whartonbuddyread
Reminder - we start Ethan Frome next Saturday. Let me know if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list. #whartonbuddyread @jewright @Louise @Sace @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads @KathyWheeler @llwheeler @CarolynM @Cathythoughts @BookishTrish @graywacke @leftcoastzen
pickA family matriarch whose daughter is married to a militant animal rights activist, and whose son is a secret hunter. Two preteen granddaughters who get too little attention from their parents. One tragic accident. I stayed up til 1:30 this morning to finish it. Nan exhausted me with her “vigor” yet she was my favorite character.
pickAnne Tyler‘s families have a way of getting to me, and this bunch was no exception. It was a relaxing way to rest up today before the Easter Vigil tonight.
I‘ve not read enough of it to know how I feel about it yet, but started this one today.
pickI have loved wolves since I started following their reintroduction into Yellowstone. McConaghy gets that part right, and you can feel her love for wilderness. The mystery was engaging but not necessary for my enjoyment of the book. But if it gets more people to understand how necessary apex predators are to the environment then more power to it.
🥚 I do. I‘m in the choir at church and will sing for seven more services between now and Easter Day.
🥚Yes, I‘ve read some good ones so far.
🥚 This week I‘m grateful for spring trees and flowers and all the new growth.
Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView
#wondrousWednesday @Eggs
Who wants to play? Consider yourself tagged.
pickI loved this book! Russell never disappoints, but reading this book, with themes of how war is never a good thing, but how people reach out to help others in the worst situations, was particularly relevant with all we‘re hearing coming out of Ukraine. So many WWII books center on France, this is the less often told story of the war in Italy and the country people who helped those in need.
This is both the perfect time and the worst time to be reading this book!
Hey #shakespearereadalong peeps, you know I always want to watch the plays? Well I found not one, but two Zoom performances of Henry VIII. (And no full performance otherwise.) We live in odd times.
A character list and two maps at the beginning of this book mean I‘m going to love it (plus it‘s by Russell) but I can already hear certain members of my book club whining that it‘s too complicated. 🙄 And I chose it because I consider her a good author whose work is accessible. #bookclubwoes
pickMaurice Swift makes a great villain. One you love to hate. And his downfall was both predictable and exactly what you wanted to happen. At the beginning I thought the dialogue was weak, but perhaps he just couldn‘t grasp Erich‘s voice, because it got better.
I read this for both #doublespin and #authoramonth.
@Soubhiville @TheAromaofBooks
pickI finally finished this year‘s #chunksterchallenge! And at times it was a slog, but I‘m glad I stuck with it. I didn‘t find it as funny as many do, but I‘m not a 3 Stooges fan, and there was a lot of that vibe. Best bits were Sancho Panza‘s proverbs and Cervantes‘ digs at other authors. @Amiable
pickA fast read, I read it in a day. Not a literary masterpiece, but a good Saturday read. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
bailedThis is a DNF for me, at least for now. I haven‘t given the book away yet, but I can‘t imagine picking it back up. The misogyny isn‘t just Rabbit‘s - it‘s the entire world-view of the book. If you can convince me it‘s worth putting on metaphorical hazard-gear and going back in, speak up. Because he‘s supposed to be great, but I‘m not seeing the great prose people say he wrote.
pickI loved this dive into this early case of identity theft. I just wish Bertrande had left us her version of events!
I‘ve been fascinated by the story of Martin Guerre for years, so diving in to this today makes me happy.
Here‘s my #bookspin list for April. @TheAromaofBooks
Our next #whartonbuddyread is Ethan Frome. We‘ll start after the upcoming holidays and, even though it‘s short, we‘ll break it into 2 sections.
pickThis short story collection was my #bookspin for March. The most gripping were In the Garden and The Story of My Life. But Edwards skill is in taking on so many different voices so successfully. Each voice felt unique and true, whether male or female; no matter what continent the setting, or how educated or not the narrator. @TheAromaofBooks
so-soNot particularly useful for genealogy as the author points out that most of the county‘s residents were small farmers, but then just talks about famous people. But it gave some atmosphere for the time my great-grandfather was farming there.
Reading this morning got me to the last chapter and I don‘t want to stop reading to go to work! #whartonbuddyread @Graywacke
1. I can‘t say whether it‘s the longest or not, but this has been on our shelves for at least 37 years.
2. I can‘t decide whether it will still be relevant, and it wound a time sink!
3. Don Quixote, The Fruit of the Tree, Coriolanus, The Secrets of the Fire King
Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView #wonderouswednesday @Eggs
Well, it snowed. We‘re not going anywhere today anyway, but I hope we can get down the mountain tomorrow to go home.
Spending a relaxing weekend at Mountain Lake Lodge, the set for much of Dirty Dancing. It was warm today, but it might snow tomorrow! 🤞🏻 that it doesn‘t!
Thank you @Daisey ! How sweet of you. And your timing is impeccable- it arrived on my birthday! 😊 I can‘t wait to read it!!
I came home to #bookMail! I ordered these from Abe Books for my genealogy. Any Littens with family in NC that want look-ups, let me know. #genealogy #genealogist
pickAnother dual-timeline book, where each chapter is a cliffhanger, got in the way of the story a bit for me. But the story is worth It. I love genealogy but never knew about these lost friends advertisements. A pick for my in-real-life book club.
I started this today for my irl book club and discovered it had a pretty bookmark inside. #foundinbooks
Most of my reading this week has been old newspapers. I discovered that my g-g-g grandmother‘s brother was convicted of murder and executed in 1917, and I have fallen head first into the rabbit hole of newspaper stories about him and the trial. Any other #genealogists find a notorious criminal on your family tree? #genealogy
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