December 4th-December 10th, 2022
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme
#10 So I couldn't finish the book...
So last week I began to read Empire of Exiles by Erin M Evans and unfortunately for me, the book was literally a huge miss. It should have been a hit, but it wasn't. I did read a lot of it, (Probably a quarter.) Normally when I realize the book isn't for me, I tend to read first sentence of every paragraph to at least know what's going on in the story but with this particular book I couldn't even do that. However, I did start my next read, One Dark Window by Rachell Willig and wow am I loving it big time!
I am still, well, something, minus temperature. Aside from getting Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (yay!) the week was uneventful. My son had a good week at school, and the week definitely felt extra long. I ended up getting pizza (my son's favorite.) for Saturday, mainly to show my appreciation of how much he tried and did his best this week. On Monday I was a school visitor as I promised, which was fun. On Tuesday or Wednesday I believe, my son had a playdate with a girl who is a classmate and lives in our neighborhood few streets away from us. My son also has a very loose top tooth and boy he just loves grossing me out by showing off how wiggly the tooth has gotten. Tomorrow will be cub scouts (yay!) and for only me a possible day. I definitely hope the tooth will fall out in a day or two else he will continue to gross me out with showing how loose its gotten. Oh yeah, today as well my son and I ended up going to a religious worship place (not church or mosque!) and boy he had a ton of fun playing with one older boy games like tag and who gets to be king or prince or emperor. I am hoping next week we can see the boy in the religious worship place.
Last Week On The Blog
Empire of Exiles by Erin M Evans
Coming attractions for December 2022
This Week On The Blog The Autodidacts By Thomas Kendall, The Bronze Drum By Phong Nguyen,Margot By Wendell Steavenson (Coming in January)
New Arrivals At svetlana's reads and views
It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
(From The Book Date)
281/480 115/392
Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
How it works:
I assign each Tuesday a topic and then post my top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join me and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
You’ll find the schedule of upcoming TTT topics below so you can plan ahead. I’ll post a Linky here on the blog each week so you can link up your post (if you want). If you don’t have a blog, post your picks in the comment section below! Have tons of fun talking books and getting to know your fellow bloggers!
NOTE: If a weekly topic is listed as a “freebie”, you are invited to come up with your own topic. Sometimes I will give your topic a theme, such as “love”, a season, or an upcoming holiday. That just means that you can come up with any topic you want that fits under that umbrella.
You’re more than welcome to use the Top Ten Tuesday image I designed above (or any of my older/seasonal ones), or make your own that fits your site’s theme.
December 6: Freebie (First 10 2023 books I received)
Margot by Wendell Steavenson
So I already read it and found it to be very good. Wait for my review in January.
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes
I was kind of excited about getting it because it sounds a bit like a thriller and in the book I will get to learn fascinating facts about Guatemala!
Sorry, Sorry, Sorry by Marjorie Ingall
I read her book Mamaleh which I've loved, so I'm a bit excited about seeing this one, in particular the analysis of apologies. (Apparently there's a website where the author roasts apologies...)
Ghost Season by Fatin Abbas
Its on my next to read list and I am excited because I rarely travel to Africa in fiction, not to mention I haven't been to literary South Sudan (I didn't even know there was such a country named South Sudan....I knew there was Sudan, but not South Sudan.)
Really good, actually by Monica Helsey
It definitely sounds interesting. Not sure if I'll be able to read it or not.
The magician's daughter by H.G. Parry
The premise sounds interesting and I like learning folklore of sorts
Trouble by Katja Ivar
Possible conclusion to series that take place in Finland in 1950s, another country that literary wise I haven't traveled to.
Shoot the Horses First by Leah Angstman
I read her first novel which I loved, and will be reading this one which sounds interesting.
The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten
I loved the Wilderwood duology and honesty can't wait to read this one!
The Hand that feeds you by Mercedes Rosende
This is one is a prequel to Crocodile tears and the first one was definitely a pretty wild ride. (Literally)
Shelf Control
Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.
Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!
Title: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Author: Katherine Howe
Published: 2009
Length: 368 pages
What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):
A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history--the Salem witch trials.
Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest--to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.
As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.
Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.
How and when I got it: At a library for sale on December 8th, 2019.
Why I want to read it: I think mainly because its dealing with Salem Witch trials and I was seeking a book that focused on that.
What do you think? Would you read this book? And if you’ve read it, do you recommend it?
Please share your thoughts!
Books from Backlog
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.
If you would like to join in, please feel free to enter your link, link back to this post, and then spend some time visiting some of the other posts.
This week’s neglected book
Book Title: The Soviet Experiment: Russia, The USSR, and the Successor States
Series: N/A
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Genres: Non-fiction, Russia, history, Soviet Union, 1917-1997, dictators
Pages: 506
Format: Paperback
Source: It was for modern Russia history class so I bought it somewhere either in 2010 or 2009.
Summary:
The West has always had a difficult time understanding the Soviet Union. For decades Americans have known a Soviet Union clouded by ideological passions and a dearth of information. Today, with the revelations under glasnost and the collapse of the Communist empire, Americans are now able to see the former Soviet Union as a whole, and explore the turbulent tale of a Soviet history that has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
One of the eminent Soviet historians of our time, Ronald Grigor Suny takes us on a journey that examines the complex themes of Soviet history from the last tsar of the Russian empire to the first president of the Russian republic. He examines the legacies left by former Soviet leaders and explores the successor states and the challenges they now face. Combining gripping detail with insightful analysis, Suny focuses on three revolutions: the tumultuous year of 1917 when Vladimir Lenin led the Bolshevik takeover of the tsarist empire; the 1930s when Joseph Stalin refashioned the economy, the society, and the state; and the 1980s and 1990s when Mikhail Gorbachev's ambitious and catastrophic attempt at sweeping reform and revitalization resulted in the breakup of the Soviet Union led by Boris Yeltsin. He unravels issues, explaining deeply contradictory policies toward the various Soviet nationalities, including Moscow's ambivalence over its own New Economic Policy of the 1920s and the attempts at reform that followed Stalin's death. He captures familiar as well as little-known events, including the movement of the crowds on the streets of St. Petersburg in the February revolution; Stalin's collapse into a near-catatonic state after Hitler's much-predicted invasion; and Yeltsin's political maneuvering and public grandstanding as he pushed the disintegration of the Soviet Union and faced down his rivals.
Students and social scientists alike continue to be fascinated by the Soviet experiment and its meaning. The Soviet Experiment recovers the complexities and contradictions of the 70 years of Soviet Power, exploring its real achievements as well as its grotesque failings. Clearly written and well-argued, this narrative is complete with helpful anecdotes and examples that will not only engage students and offer them an opportunity to learn from new material but also afford them the opportunity to form their own opinions by reading the text and looking into the suggested readings. With insight and detail, Suny has constructed a masterful work, providing the fullest account yet of one of the greatest transformations of modern history.
Why did I add The Soviet Experiment: Russia, The USSR, and the Successor States to my bookshelf? Simply put the western world needs to understand more and demonize less.
What are your thoughts? Have you read this book? Would you recommend it?
Let's Talk Bookish
December 9: Books as Gifts (Hannah @ Hannah’s Library)
Prompts: Do books make good gifts?
They can make good if a person is either new to reading or the reading world or they know what they want and tell you, or if you're extremely lucky.
Do you ever give or receive books as gifts?
I am not sure. I get money at times to buy inexpensive books that I would like, so would the money count as book gifts?
Would you rather receive a book from your wish list or be surprised?
Possibly both. I have about 2000 books so I would like to give wish list and have someone choose a book from that wishlist. Sometimes I was pleasantly surprised, but a lot of times not really.
What would you do if you didn’t like the book you were given?
I'm not sure, thank the person anyway for the gift and try to read it. If I didn't like it, maybe be diplomatic about it.
Would you expect someone to read a book you got them right away?
In the past yeah, but now not really. I would probably expect someone to forget about the book I gifted them and let it lie until someone finds it after death.
Stacking the Shelves
Book Titles I got this week: (if available)
Planned Reviews: (If available. Use pictures)
Haha, I hope the tooth falls out because, yes, watching them wiggle around is disgusting! I'm glad your son had a good week. Happy December!
ReplyDeleteHi Aj@Read All The Things! Yesterday, on Thursday the tooth has fallen out. Boy wanted five dollars from tooth fairy. Was very disappointed to only get a quarter. One more week and then winter vacation.
DeleteGlad it was a good week! lol about the tooth.
ReplyDeleteYour Top 10 books look like a good list!
Hi Greg! Thanks so much! The tooth fell out on Thursday and boy was is very sad he didn't get five dollars for tooth but only got a quarter...
DeleteI really want to read Demon Copperhead! I have loved several of her books! Hope you have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteHi Sherry! Hopefully sometime soon I will have a chance to read it. I only read two of her books, The Poisonwood Bible and Unsheltered, but I really enjoyed both of them.
DeleteI haven't been gifted/received a book in I can't even remember how long. Great list.
ReplyDeleteHi Kel James! Thanks so much and I am happy you like my list. I definitely have pretty specific books I'd like as gifts :)
DeleteThe House in the Pines sounds good. I'd like to read about Guatamala too.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Harvee! I hope I'll have some time to read and review the book as well. Most unfortunately Central and South America, bookishly speaking, are very under traveled by me.
Delete