tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40417537855770456512024-03-19T04:46:16.730-04:00BookBirdDog (BookDilettante)Book Reviews, blog, suspense, thrillers, memoirs, novels, mystery novels, women's fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction. multicultural interest, Asian literatureHarveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.comBlogger2308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-8776383990107705522024-03-15T04:51:00.011-04:002024-03-16T04:44:44.816-04:00Sunday Salon: French Windows and The Venus of Salo <p> <b>In the Mailbox</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj14V4f6H3xlTbkxaWBZTxl0MchVxwfE66hfIrOsN1Y3JCHwkrqTjU5VGiTqMrnmHXFTlsQ_deYV1YsZjx1ChQCW05J-5JmBF_hO-9_7pziPpkvQurZpqWNrPxeJc4wXzHKbLEh8QqJPN2L0TIIAI9mmdp2UIc7O4QjcsfL7wrjmKCmoiKqDzj_7vNFLU-J" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="522" data-original-width="316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj14V4f6H3xlTbkxaWBZTxl0MchVxwfE66hfIrOsN1Y3JCHwkrqTjU5VGiTqMrnmHXFTlsQ_deYV1YsZjx1ChQCW05J-5JmBF_hO-9_7pziPpkvQurZpqWNrPxeJc4wXzHKbLEh8QqJPN2L0TIIAI9mmdp2UIc7O4QjcsfL7wrjmKCmoiKqDzj_7vNFLU-J=w242-h400" width="242" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/185826406-french-windows"><b>French Windows</b></a> by Antoine Laurain, publication June 25, 2024 by Gallic Books<div>Source: ARC from Meryl Zegarek Public Relations, Inc. <br /><div><br /></div><div>I was intrigued by the stories in French Windows, written by Nathalia about her neighbors in the building across the street. She is a photographer who says she witnessed a murder there, in the style of the well known suspense movie, Rear Window. But her first story, told to her therapist, made me wonder how she could know so much just from observing from her window? I'll have to finish the novel and read the other four stories about her neighbors to get the full picture.<br /><p></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><i>Description:</i></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Antoine Laurain’s new novel of intrigue, murder and neighbourly curiosity .... Nathalia, a young photographer, has been seeing a therapist. Having accidentally photographed a murder, she finds that she can no longer do her job. Instead, Doctor Faber suggests that she write about the neighbours she idly observes in the building across the street. </span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">But as these written snapshots become increasingly detailed, he starts to wonder how she can possibly know so much about them. With each session, Doctor Faber and his mysterious patient will get closer and closer to the truth. </span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"> Bestselling author Antoine Laurain serves up a dose of suspense and intrigue in Rear Window fashion, with a Parisian heart</span></p><div class="AuthorPreview" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="FeaturedPerson" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="FeaturedPerson__profile" style="align-items: center; animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="FeaturedPerson__avatar" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin-right: 1.2rem; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsmMisznPrJA57QbsUkPWl9ZG1APn83fTnmZjb9ARPfsLuflYv-pPziLtIDF3eOIQ_CyEHs1ycjhgMNaF9O7UovW8hHd2gBijTyRFPPGAdi_e5RmZf_jVTyvDRRRWbYe23H7NiJfSadrehOBxZUrxRO-gOcSVO1lS5z5OCc4oEDFWLoDLEBBrswRMZtFVF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="266" data-original-width="177" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsmMisznPrJA57QbsUkPWl9ZG1APn83fTnmZjb9ARPfsLuflYv-pPziLtIDF3eOIQ_CyEHs1ycjhgMNaF9O7UovW8hHd2gBijTyRFPPGAdi_e5RmZf_jVTyvDRRRWbYe23H7NiJfSadrehOBxZUrxRO-gOcSVO1lS5z5OCc4oEDFWLoDLEBBrswRMZtFVF=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">Antoine Laurain (born 1972) is a French author. He previously worked as a screenwriter and antiques dealer.</span></div><span id="freeTextauthor1210526" style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">His works have been translated into 14 languages and partly made into films.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div><div class="FeaturedPerson__avatar" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin-right: 1.2rem; scroll-behavior: auto;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="FeaturedPerson__avatar" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin-right: 1.2rem; scroll-behavior: auto;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="FeaturedPerson__avatar" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin-right: 1.2rem; scroll-behavior: auto;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="FeaturedPerson__avatar" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin-right: 1.2rem; scroll-behavior: auto;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="FeaturedPerson__avatar" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 1.2rem; scroll-behavior: auto;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span><br /></span></span><br /><a aria-hidden="true" as="div" class="Avatar Avatar--large" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1210526.Antoine_Laurain" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; display: block; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; height: 7.2rem; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; width: 7.2rem;" tabindex="-1"></a></div><div class="FeaturedPerson__container" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0%; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="FeaturedPerson__info" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0%; justify-content: space-between; margin-right: 1.2rem; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="FeaturedPerson__infoPrimary" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 0.8rem; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto;"><h4 class="Text Text__title4" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-heading-base); font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; line-height: 2rem; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"></h4><h4 class="Text Text__title4" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-heading-base); font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; line-height: 2rem; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><span color="var(--color-text-heading-base)" face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-weight: 400;"></span></h4><div><span color="var(--color-text-heading-base)" face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div><div><span color="var(--color-text-heading-base)" face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirMD_azUselkHxooLVtAVHpT__xkMJ2cNJlezIMLj73Tt-14sY6z-ByQU2B1cCTXj69vdSx9bvBJ51BxNXfDgFqB8NOOVbn-vE792i5HpnPtJ_BvpGgXL7uP2Ap1FQ94STZhqmleDZWZcZhWFXgjEZl1la193fWvt0Xs0xzICsEADIMLwv4N7wui1kDMwV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirMD_azUselkHxooLVtAVHpT__xkMJ2cNJlezIMLj73Tt-14sY6z-ByQU2B1cCTXj69vdSx9bvBJ51BxNXfDgFqB8NOOVbn-vE792i5HpnPtJ_BvpGgXL7uP2Ap1FQ94STZhqmleDZWZcZhWFXgjEZl1la193fWvt0Xs0xzICsEADIMLwv4N7wui1kDMwV=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209031488-the-venus-of-sal"><b>The Venus of Salo </b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">by Ben Pastor</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">June 25, 2024 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Source: Bitter Lemon Press</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: georgia;">Description: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">October 1944, in the Republic of Salò, a German puppet state in the north of Italy and the last fascist stronghold in the country. Transferred to the town of Salò on Lake Garda, Wehrmacht colonel Martin Bora must investigate the theft of a precious painting of Venus by Titian. While Bora’s inquiry proceeds among many difficulties, discovering three dead bodies throws an even more sinister light on the scene.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Caught in an unforeseeable web of events, hounded by the Gestapo (for years at his heels on the charge of anti-Nazi activities), hopelessly in love with an enigmatic, real-flesh “Venus,” Bora must resort to all his courage and ability – not only to solve the mystery and expose the perpetrator, but also, in a breathtaking crescendo, to try to save himself from the firing squad, and secure an unlikely way out...</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>These are my new books this week</i>. </span></span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: left;">What are you reading/watching this week? </i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by T</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">he Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></p></div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-26295920668423745442024-03-11T07:53:00.011-04:002024-03-15T04:15:53.292-04:00Nature Images in Poetry: Guest Post by Anique Sara Taylor, author of Civil Twilight <p> <a href="https://poeticbooktours.wordpress.com/2023/12/31/civil-twilight-by-anique-sara-taylor/"><b>Poetic Book Tours</b></a> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVZXM1jLFfELxRXUoTXrYTQ0kdoSYi8yRul_LUOECwKDFR5RKVpt9JZ1xNbmVeZV5NUJRx1luJ_XMLbOFzU1ABgCALrY4Zi77ORpJPSQL9pt-G-JrVju218Ldh829PpO3FNMKnR1WiEgO7HaSwVcloDQsbs6J-N3QKU2wsMSkGuL5GOjpKBpSScwYWMSPH" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="168" data-original-width="320" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVZXM1jLFfELxRXUoTXrYTQ0kdoSYi8yRul_LUOECwKDFR5RKVpt9JZ1xNbmVeZV5NUJRx1luJ_XMLbOFzU1ABgCALrY4Zi77ORpJPSQL9pt-G-JrVju218Ldh829PpO3FNMKnR1WiEgO7HaSwVcloDQsbs6J-N3QKU2wsMSkGuL5GOjpKBpSScwYWMSPH=w200-h105" width="200" /></a></div><br /> <span face=""Myriad Pro", "Trebuchet MS", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;">Anique Sara Taylor’s chapbook </span><em style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: "Myriad Pro", "Trebuchet MS", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://poeticbooktours.wordpress.com/2023/12/31/civil-twilight-by-anique-sara-taylor/"><b>Civil Twilight</b></a></em><span face=""Myriad Pro", "Trebuchet MS", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"> is the winner of the 2022 Blue Light Poetry Prize.</span><p></p><p><span face=""Myriad Pro", "Trebuchet MS", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQfG_yHqJeU6b012su2pPntkJrcPUfGHpu8l2Xiu0r3zCa0_V1jGYArnQUTjCb7v_kv6FR3cy-QscC7MJYcQmyX5e1D00qYeXHgSM_7rvLybwLfFK3EwW7dnZ5vV5mBLoJE13wipwtllSuzTbdfHI2r25cS3oqYriPG2TMsFbFL5axmVseTJXfFTkgfvOT" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="436" data-original-width="303" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQfG_yHqJeU6b012su2pPntkJrcPUfGHpu8l2Xiu0r3zCa0_V1jGYArnQUTjCb7v_kv6FR3cy-QscC7MJYcQmyX5e1D00qYeXHgSM_7rvLybwLfFK3EwW7dnZ5vV5mBLoJE13wipwtllSuzTbdfHI2r25cS3oqYriPG2TMsFbFL5axmVseTJXfFTkgfvOT=w139-h200" width="139" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: "Myriad Pro", "Trebuchet MS", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-size: large; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Guest Post</span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><b><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The Nature of Nature
in Poetry</span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">When we think of </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“</span><span lang="FR" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Nature</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">” </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">in poetry, we often mean the beauty
that nurtures us. The outer part of the universe that mirrors our own inner
world and provides us with endless, glowing metaphors.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I grew up beside a
natural swamp that bordered hundreds of acres of wild forest, a lake with small
islands and a waterfall. It wasn</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t ours, but we were free to roam there for hours in all seasons. I knew
many of the ancient trees and could climb huge boulders left by glaciers, inhale
green fragrances of the pine forest, and scurry down the sharp side of cliffs.
I</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">d lie down by the
brook, soothed by its sounds. These were my favorite places where I was safe,
and I could sing at the lake’s edge until I was calm again.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I wondered about the
other tribes that had lived there before us, what their lives had been like. In
so many ways, these lands sustained me. But I also understood the lake</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s thin ice, the
black water with dark weeds just below the surface that could entangle us and
pull us under. How one could fall in if we skated too close to the edge of
moving water. Of woods so deep that if something happened, if we fell and
couldn</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t move, if night
set in, we might never be found.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">It was years later
that they fashioned a name for the strange childhood symptoms that had plagued
me from the onset of double digits into adulthood. The undiagnosable symptoms
that followed me as closely as a shadow through ensuing decades. I learned
about the microscopic universes inside me, creatures that spun bacteria into a
mutiny of cells gone wrong </span><span class="hgkelc"><span lang="EN">—</span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> chronic Lyme Disease.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">As beauty and
challenge entwine in our world, I try to reflect it in my poems. Both the gifts
and the challenges of nature.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Poetic Tools Often
Used in Relation to Nature:</span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><b><span lang="DE" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: DE; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Metaphor:</span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Poetry can often
synthesize deep experience because of its non-linear form. Metaphor is one of
its interesting tools. Without explaining, it links two things that are usually
unrelated. This can open up unexpected layers of sensation or insight and bring
about new possibilities. This can spark surprise or awaken, strengthen or animate
life in a poem. </span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Imagery:</span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Imagery allows us,
in a few almost picture-like words, to invoke vivid sensations. Visual, yes, but
it can also call upon any of the senses. Plus, movement, emotion, and physical
response. A tool of unfolding, it can trigger imagination to generate vibrancy.
Minute details are often described. Nature imagery can parallel human
experience and in that way intensify meaning.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Personification:</span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Although also a
form of metaphor, personification is when we attribute human characteristics to
something non-human. This assignment of our emotions, feelings, behaviors to
the non-human can help frame an imaginative link between our own attributes and
those of nature, to envision a more complex intimacy between us. </span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">A Note,</span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> </span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">the Speaker:</span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">People often tend
to believe the </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I” </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">in poetry is the writer, implying
that the poem is nonfiction. But the </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I” </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">in a poem can be
the writer, or it can be the point of view of almost any entity the writer
imagines. Therefore, in discussing a poem, the </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I” </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">in a poem is often
referred to as </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">the speaker.</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Below are examples
of ways I</span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">ve tried to work
with metaphor, imagery and personification to create something more interesting
and intimate without explaining it outright, as one would do in an essay. To
leave a new brocade of word, thought and image, open and spinning.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Excerpts</span></b><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Civil Twilight</span></i></b></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Blue Light Press<b>
</b></span><span lang="NL" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">To describe
the feeling of emotional emptiness that can be left by the loss of a loved one,
by referring to stars:</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Now only the
brightest stars will ever be enough.</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Using bird
attributes to render the speaker helpless, as she tries to steady herself
through daily-life anxiety:</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Even lying featherless</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">in dusk, I carve each day with care.</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">In asking
April</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s first-flower
shoots if they question the meaning of their existence, as humans tend to do:</span></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 433.0pt 434.0pt 435.0pt 436.0pt 437.0pt 438.0pt 439.0pt 440.0pt 441.0pt 442.0pt 443.0pt 444.0pt 445.0pt 446.0pt 447.0pt 448.0pt 449.0pt 6.25in 451.0pt 452.0pt 453.0pt 454.0pt 455.0pt 456.0pt 457.0pt 458.0pt 459.0pt 460.0pt 461.0pt 462.0pt 463.0pt 464.0pt 465.0pt 466.0pt 467.0pt;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“…</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Swollen pop of
hollow reed, blushing</span></span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">bones brake naked through bedrock crust,</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">do they wonder
what they came here for?</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Illness is
also part of nature. How it circles inside us, not unlike planets in the outer
universe.</span></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Invisible
illness’</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="IT" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: IT; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> eccentric orbits buried inside marrow</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Even in
graceful language, a bird falling can be the harbinger of human damage to
Earth. Where metaphor allows us to talk about tragedy in a subtle way, and not
hammer the reader with it directly.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">A cardinal
plummets to the ground</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">like fallen fire, reinventing the darkness.</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The speaker
refers to self with bird-parts, reflecting that even with difficulties, she
moves forward with whatever she has, the way she is:</span></span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Clutching
bundled words, I stumble</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span color="windowtext" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">forward, neck frozen between beak & wing.</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The glory of
eagles mating is straight forward here, but the metaphor is in calling their
ritual a waltz. Waltz, a symbol of coupled grace, beauty in movement. A nod
toward everything in the universe being connected.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Eagles grasp
claws swirling</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">endlessly downward. Can you hear the waltz?</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span></span><i style="text-align: left;"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Poetry and Our
Own Nature Through the Prism of Nature</span></b></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I am thankful
for the gifts of poetry that split apart linear thought. I am thankful for
poetry</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s relationship
with nature that uses imagery, personification and metaphors</span></span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">to enrich and
enable the poem to enter a complicated experience with fewer words. How this
can reflect cognitive dissonance, magically juxtaposing the fierce and the
beautiful, the sinister and the ecstatic, at the same time. The macrocosm and
the microcosm. And our place within it. Exquisite beauty, torment, death,
nature-driven illness beside the geometric perfection of pattern repeats. (For
a treat, look up the </span></span><span lang="NL"><a href="https://www.imaginationstationtoledo.org/about/blog/the-fibonacci-sequence#:~:text=Fibonacci%20numbers%20do%20appear%20in,when%20counted%20express%20Fibonacci%20numbers."><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Fibonacci sequence in nature</span></a></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">.)</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">And what may
be the strangest thing about this essay is that the more we look to nature to
immerse ourselves in what is outside of us, the more it refers to us as an
integral part of nature. Though we consider people to be separate entities in
the world, examining our atoms, cells, tissue, even our motion through time,
separation becomes more of an illusion.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">As you
continue through your daily life, I hope you will experience our world with an
unfolding awareness of how nature can be more than sun, moon, spring and
flowers.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I close with a
devotion to Edna St. Vincent Millay who more than a hundred years ago in her
poem “God</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s World”,
expresses an almost unbearable beauty:</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: "Myriad Pro", "Trebuchet MS", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</span></p><p align="center" class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 17.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 17pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Thou'st
made the world too beautiful this year;</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">My soul is all but out of me,—</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">let fall</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.”</span></span><span lang="NL"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks to the author for her guest post.</span><br /><p></p><p style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://aniquesarataylor.com/" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Anique Sara Taylor</b></a>’s book <em style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Civil Twilight</em> is Blue Light Poetry Prize 2022. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/anique.taylor" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Anique_Sara" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">X</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aniquesara/AniqueSara" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anique-t-12235b2/Anique%20T" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LinkedIn</a>, and her <a href="https://aniquesarataylor.com/blog-2/" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">blog</a>, <a href="https://aniquesarataylor.com/signup-form/" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">her newsletter</a>.</span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-13500628226228838022024-03-09T07:12:00.014-05:002024-03-13T16:57:12.447-04:00Sunday Salon: Historical Drama; Social Influencers in Novel and Kdrama<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b>Watching on TV</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I watched all 16 episodes of this historical drama and romance set in the Joseon era in Korea.The actor playing the King, <a href="https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/133145/20240207/jo-jung-suk-predicted-sweep-awards-show-2024-captivating-the-king.htm">Jo Jung Suk,</a> is in contention in Korea for a best actor award this year, and I can see why. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">From <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/captivating-the-king-unraveling-the-intricacies-of-netflixs-historical-k-drama-release-schedule/articleshow/107240064.cms?from=mdr"><b>The Economic Times</b></a>, English edition: </span></p><div class="imgBox" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Montserrat, Verdana; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Captivating The King: Unraveling the intricacies of Netflix's historical K-drama release schedule" height="400" src="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/msid-107240077,width-300,height-225,imgsize-30600,resizemode-75/captivating-the-king-unraveling-the-intricacies-of-netflixs-historical-k-drama-release-schedule.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="376" /></div><div class="artText medium" data-brcount="17" data-url-vdo-content="/news/international/us/captivating-the-king-unraveling-the-intricacies-of-netflixs-historical-k-drama-release-schedule/articleshow/107240064.cms" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 30px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Netflix's latest historical K-drama, "<a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#News#href" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/captivating-the-king" style="background: transparent; border-bottom: 1px solid; color: #024d99; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Captivating The King</a>," has gripped audiences with its tale of war, revenge, and love set in the <a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#News#href" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/joseon-era" style="background: transparent; border-bottom: 1px solid; color: #024d99; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Joseon era</a>. As viewers delve into the intricate political landscape, where a game of <i>baduk</i> (the board game of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)">Go</a>) becomes a strategic tool....</span></div><div class="artText medium" data-brcount="17" data-url-vdo-content="/news/international/us/captivating-the-king-unraveling-the-intricacies-of-netflixs-historical-k-drama-release-schedule/articleshow/107240064.cms" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 30px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 style="background: transparent; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">Exploring the Plot:</i></span></h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">"Captivating The King" unfolds against the backdrop of the Joseon era, weaving a captivating narrative around Prince Jinhan, portrayed by Jo Jung-suk, and the enigmatic baduk player Kang Hee-soo, played by Shin Se-kyung. </span></div><div class="artText medium" data-brcount="17" data-url-vdo-content="/news/international/us/captivating-the-king-unraveling-the-intricacies-of-netflixs-historical-k-drama-release-schedule/articleshow/107240064.cms" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 30px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The strategic game of baduk/Go transforms into a political maneuver as Prince Jinhan employs it to secure the release of hostages. Simultaneously, Hee-soo, disguised as a man, weaves her way into the prince's life, driven by a larger agenda of revenge. (</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">f<span style="font-size: x-small;">rom <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/captivating-the-king-unraveling-the-intricacies-of-netflixs-historical-k-drama-release-schedule/articleshow/107240064.cms?from=mdr">The Economic Times</a>)</span>.</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202468441-you-will-never-be-me" style="background-color: white; color: #cc4411; font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">You Will Never Be Me</a><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19278992.Jesse_Q_Sutanto" style="background-color: white; color: #992211; font-family: georgia; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;">Jesse Q. Sutanto</a><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">( August 2024) put me in mind of </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIboeCkVKJk" style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"><b>Celebrity</b></a><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">, (June 2023) the influencer Korean drama on Netflix I just finished.</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-align: left;"> </span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6TOLSIg6s_LtDoi2eksQ3Cepj_euJ_xNpKDvaBzB9WYbWKEwViTSxJea1ub0WZUWaMQO1JGFzbPzbub0g2VbLMN9AFSvk5M37gyIR_LpthLQz7nRj9eMm3kNQpOrLPanHsdJcYAK48snNS_P9DI0QHLLMHfFqTJN98cWXqrjpyJIz8UUIpBJ3D2xCFgFf" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6TOLSIg6s_LtDoi2eksQ3Cepj_euJ_xNpKDvaBzB9WYbWKEwViTSxJea1ub0WZUWaMQO1JGFzbPzbub0g2VbLMN9AFSvk5M37gyIR_LpthLQz7nRj9eMm3kNQpOrLPanHsdJcYAK48snNS_P9DI0QHLLMHfFqTJN98cWXqrjpyJIz8UUIpBJ3D2xCFgFf=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></span></span></div><span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Promotional poster (Wikipedia)</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In </span></span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIboeCkVKJk" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Celebrity</b></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">,</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"> (</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">see trailer)</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Seo A-ri achieves social media stardom overnight, but deadly consequences await in this glitzy, glamorous <b>world of influencers. </b>(with subtitles and dubbed on Netflix). </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">The influencer plot in both Kdrama and the new book seem similar.</span><p><b> Now reading</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjl91IxDHpwNfvR6bfUn3OuCgers3BhJv0KPItI4yrEOf-pEqz_n1XgJkv0ED_VeYROLx1aN0l3EXys21qcGGw-2mmO2eCHtOQv0J-PRCosSFw3GyqgbuZEmw4e4MO5xLI_CMIn2QSayL1a0sAdpkyhD79Trmt9OosGW9m449pPQZaVlZ-LU9WWCsmcqSt2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2728" data-original-width="1838" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjl91IxDHpwNfvR6bfUn3OuCgers3BhJv0KPItI4yrEOf-pEqz_n1XgJkv0ED_VeYROLx1aN0l3EXys21qcGGw-2mmO2eCHtOQv0J-PRCosSFw3GyqgbuZEmw4e4MO5xLI_CMIn2QSayL1a0sAdpkyhD79Trmt9OosGW9m449pPQZaVlZ-LU9WWCsmcqSt2=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128201223-river-east-river-west" style="font-weight: bold;">River East, River West </a> by <span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; border-radius: 0.3rem; box-shadow: 0 0 0 0.2rem var(--color-shadow-button-focus); box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; flex-basis: auto; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;"><a class="ContributorLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/31228081.Aube_Rey_Lescure" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; border-radius: 0.3rem; box-shadow: 0 0 0 0.2rem var(--color-shadow-button-focus); box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto;">Aube Rey Lescure</a></span><span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; border-radius: 0.3rem; box-shadow: 0 0 0 0.2rem var(--color-shadow-button-focus); box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; flex-basis: auto; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Publication: January 9, 2024; William Morrow, NetGalley. Genre: literary fiction, historical fiction, China</span></p><p><span style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; scroll-behavior: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Description:</span></i></span></p><p><span style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; scroll-behavior: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Set against the backdrop of developing modern China, this mesmerizing literary debut is part coming-of-age tale, part family and social drama, as it follows two generations searching for belonging and opportunity in a rapidly changing world.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">In a stunning reversal of the east-to-west immigrant narrative and set against China’s political history and economic rise, </span><i style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; scroll-behavior: auto;">River East, River West</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"> is an intimate family drama and a sharp social novel. Alternating between Alva and Lu Fang’s points of view, this is a profoundly moving exploration of race and class, cultural identity and belonging, and the often-false promise of the American Dream. <i>(publisher)</i></span></span></p><p><i style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My tv watching has eaten significantly into my book reading! But I'm having fun watching drama series. Don't know when my infatuation with Kdrama will come to a close....Watch this space...</span></i></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><i>What are you reading/watching this week? </i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by T</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">he Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></p></div><div class="DescListItem" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4f4f4d; display: table-row; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><dt style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-subdued); display: table-cell; padding: 0.4rem 1.6rem 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto; width: 12.5rem;"></dt><dd style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><br /></dd></div><div class="DescListItem" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4f4f4d; display: table-row; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><dt style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-subdued); display: table-cell; padding: 0.4rem 1.6rem 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto; width: 12.5rem;"><br /></dt><dd style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"></dd><dd style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--small" data-testid="contentContainer" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; max-height: 8.8rem; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto; word-break: break-word;" tabindex="-1"><br /></div></dd><dd style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--small" data-testid="contentContainer" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; max-height: 8.8rem; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto; word-break: break-word;" tabindex="-1"><br /></div></dd><dd style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--small" data-testid="contentContainer" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; max-height: 8.8rem; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto; word-break: break-word;" tabindex="-1"><br /></div></dd><dd style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--small" data-testid="contentContainer" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; max-height: 8.8rem; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto; word-break: break-word;" tabindex="-1"><br /></div></dd><dd style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--small" data-testid="contentContainer" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; max-height: 8.8rem; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto; word-break: break-word;" tabindex="-1"><br /></div></dd><dd style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--small" data-testid="contentContainer" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; max-height: 8.8rem; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto; word-break: break-word;" tabindex="-1"><br /></div></dd></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-91957557211076656782024-03-02T10:31:00.010-05:002024-03-09T07:59:14.363-05:00You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto, and Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton: Sunday Salon<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKEu13jlwSb1GNIIpVRc2VXQba8oCte-_1LJLdfI4uWc8NH4vYKFMXwIONP6e0ZyWzNtuI2qZDu_m72vV8YkPOqKnzdoENJrypfyIyahUY0LEbonDlbSCcPzVka5P36FE0_I5xF7wlcYNmIIU56tjfuN4colI_tcLnVBxVnzuTD9xRthtR5IVRiT-hXAdy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKEu13jlwSb1GNIIpVRc2VXQba8oCte-_1LJLdfI4uWc8NH4vYKFMXwIONP6e0ZyWzNtuI2qZDu_m72vV8YkPOqKnzdoENJrypfyIyahUY0LEbonDlbSCcPzVka5P36FE0_I5xF7wlcYNmIIU56tjfuN4colI_tcLnVBxVnzuTD9xRthtR5IVRiT-hXAdy=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><p></p> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202468441-you-will-never-be-me"><b>You Will Never Be Me</b></a><b> </b>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19278992.Jesse_Q_Sutanto">Jesse Q. Sutanto</a><div>Publication: August 20, 2024; Berkley</div><div>Genre: women's fiction, thriller, suspense, adult contemporary fiction</div><div><br /></div><div>I love Jesse Q. Sutanto's books, from her romantic comedies to her newest books, contemporary thrillers.<br /><br />In <i>You Will Never Be Me</i>, two best friends, Meredith and Ashley, get into <b>social influencing,</b> and though one helped the other to gain followers at the beginning, both soon become fierce competitors, always comparing the number of followers they gain. They both need the money from their social media work, as Ashley's husband makes a meager salary, and Meredith is a single mom. <br /><br />I liked the plot direction that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride between the two former friends, and how one sabotages the other. I also think the book is a spoof on the abnormal lengths social influencers will go to get fame and fortune through their followers. The book also shows the negatives to this kind of lifestyle, when it becomes extreme, and how it could affect families and readers alike.<br /><br />The <b>suspense</b> becomes more intense as Meredith and Ashley compete fiercely, and after one too many sabotages, one of them disappears. At the end, I found myself rooting for one of them. This is fiction, after all, a mystery thriller, but one with a unique way of bringing a message about influencers and social media.</div><div><br /></div><div>See also, a Kdrama, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIboeCkVKJk" style="background-color: white; color: #cc4411; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Celebrity</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: georgia;"> a thriller with a similar story of murderous influencers.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>My next read </b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZD5ZJzb4a3_YWzlqKt76qVIx5aE9O6C3oK2XyQ9IealXUsf6FuC5McoJrfLGK2aafawsuQvX173lZlZi8UjwiXaq9EbZghHB6sSkakNwd7HspggzFH5cUs42iBvTDAEh_Ki-uBiIhmB0W5-pDvFsiF1Ffc5ctWdxLyuWP_uiS77PQ-9sw28VrxjvZxjD4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZD5ZJzb4a3_YWzlqKt76qVIx5aE9O6C3oK2XyQ9IealXUsf6FuC5McoJrfLGK2aafawsuQvX173lZlZi8UjwiXaq9EbZghHB6sSkakNwd7HspggzFH5cUs42iBvTDAEh_Ki-uBiIhmB0W5-pDvFsiF1Ffc5ctWdxLyuWP_uiS77PQ-9sw28VrxjvZxjD4=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><br /></b></div><div>I've read <i>The Widow</i> and <i>The Child</i> and gave them high ratings, so I'm eager to get into the author's latest mystery thriller, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202774975-talking-to-strangers"><b>Talking to Strangers</b>,</a> to be published August 15, 2024 by Berkley. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Description:</i> </div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">When the body of forty-four-year-old Karen Simmons is found abandoned in remote woodland, <b>journalist Kiki Nunn</b> is determined this will be the big break she so desperately needs...</span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">While the police appear to be focusing on local suspects, Kiki sets out to write the definitive piece on one woman's fatal search for love. But she will soon learn that the search for truth can be just as deadly...</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><i>What are you reading this week? </i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by T</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">he Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></p></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-86276206374691602052024-02-24T08:09:00.005-05:002024-02-24T08:25:09.754-05:00Sunday Salon: A Domestic Thriller, and K-Dramas<p> <b>Currently reading</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2vE5LE9sgNmDti4SOJ08-6ws4rupQlNHzLf6EKjV0Wryec5b2djX0qjxqn-sOvNQFbdSz2QcfoVgfh0ZVjoPL506QlvOY1AizvOQuQctjeaMME_4TNj1UGcnRNrFZy0npoN_D8OO6Ih_nT6OmpZvmAxMEsehYx-ARqJ22AhBcHXdop9iQSafuKfrstd7r" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="384" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2vE5LE9sgNmDti4SOJ08-6ws4rupQlNHzLf6EKjV0Wryec5b2djX0qjxqn-sOvNQFbdSz2QcfoVgfh0ZVjoPL506QlvOY1AizvOQuQctjeaMME_4TNj1UGcnRNrFZy0npoN_D8OO6Ih_nT6OmpZvmAxMEsehYx-ARqJ22AhBcHXdop9iQSafuKfrstd7r=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br />Publication: May 7, 2024; Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, NetGalley<p></p><p>Genre: domestic thriller, romance</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm enjoying this one as a lighter thriller/romance novel.</p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Description:</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bestselling romance author Sarina Bowen’s debut thriller, about one woman’s search for the truth after receiving a text from her deceased ex, Drew, asking her to meet him under their special tree. Seeing Drew’s name pop up five years after his death is heart-stopping. Ariel’s gut says it can’t be real. But she goes to the tree anyway. She has to.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nobody shows.... Only two things are clear: everything she was told five years ago is wrong, and someone is still lying to her. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The truth has to be out there somewhere. To safeguard herself—and her son—she’ll have to find it before it finds her. And with it, the answer to what became of Drew. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Watching TV</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I started binge watching Korean dramas on NetFlix after seeing<i> </i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hometown_Cha-Cha-Cha">Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha</a>, a <b>romance comedy series </b>that takes place in a small seaside town in Korea between a new dentist and the hometown man who runs the village. The cha-cha-cha title grabbed my attention. I found this online: </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;"><b><i></i></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 17.5px; text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEga3joleGGPwdfO1NJBcS2tJAmrsyAeVbOX4UEBkeBr-fPZiJ-ILbpkP5PaYskB_Y_wKEFw4PTRjEG_EyBDQhziXYsAGLtYajM2xxECM_6ZanuFSC6CIVaZWHQEQrLYdQM8O_0MqviNuhP7WWk3ewc7n0ysmdk8r-6EKXQYis9vn34TVXzFIskzbPndN2ub" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEga3joleGGPwdfO1NJBcS2tJAmrsyAeVbOX4UEBkeBr-fPZiJ-ILbpkP5PaYskB_Y_wKEFw4PTRjEG_EyBDQhziXYsAGLtYajM2xxECM_6ZanuFSC6CIVaZWHQEQrLYdQM8O_0MqviNuhP7WWk3ewc7n0ysmdk8r-6EKXQYis9vn34TVXzFIskzbPndN2ub=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;"><b><i><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Netflix photo</span></i></b></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: medium;"><b><i><b><i><br /></i></b></i></b></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;"><b><i><span>Wikipedia</span></i><span>: </span></b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hometown_Cha-Cha-Cha"><b>Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha</b> </a><span>series was a commercial hit and became one of the </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_drama#List_of_highest-rated_series_on_cable_television" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #3366cc; font-family: sans-serif; outline-color: rgb(51, 102, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms;" title="">highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history</a><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;">.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-:2_10-0" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; text-wrap: nowrap; transition-duration: 0ms; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hometown_Cha-Cha-Cha#cite_note-:2-10" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background: none; color: #3366cc; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto; text-decoration-line: none; transition-duration: 0ms;">[10]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; text-wrap: nowrap; transition-duration: 0ms; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hometown_Cha-Cha-Cha#cite_note-11" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background: none; color: #3366cc; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto; text-decoration-line: none; transition-duration: 0ms;">[11]</a></sup><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;"> It ranked </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hometown_Cha-Cha-Cha#Viewership" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #3366cc; font-family: sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto; text-decoration-line: none; transition-duration: 0ms;">first place during its entire run for eight weeks</a><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;">, and the last episode achieved 12.665% nationwide rating, with over 3.2 million views.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; text-wrap: nowrap; transition-duration: 0ms; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hometown_Cha-Cha-Cha#cite_note-12" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background: none; color: #3366cc; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto; text-decoration-line: none; transition-duration: 0ms;">[12]</a></sup><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;"> It also became one of Netflix's most-watched non-English television shows, and one of its longest-running hits as it spent 16 weeks in global top ten rankings.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Forbes_13-0" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; text-wrap: nowrap; transition-duration: 0ms; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hometown_Cha-Cha-Cha#cite_note-Forbes-13" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background: none; color: #3366cc; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto; text-decoration-line: none; transition-duration: 0ms;">[13</a></sup><span> (from Wikipedia)</span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I like the plots, characters, and the cultural information given by the dramas I've seen so far. Many of the shows have colorful, humorous characters to balance out any tragedies. And I am really impressed by the screen writing as well as the actors and screen production. I don't mind reading the subtitles although Netflix allows the English dubbed version also. I'm on my seventh drama, I think, and still going.....This means I've been reading fewer books!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>What are you reading/watching these days? </i></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="background-color: white; color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-85772671285891804522024-02-21T22:25:00.001-05:002024-02-21T22:29:33.300-05:00Max's War: The Story of a Ritchie Boy by Libby Fischer Hellman<p> <b>New historical novel of WWII</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ0uvzC3CDMSfeRLF4eCTWgo1czvXVyC0yB8-yjySt5ItovOH0Kc-6jhhhp-4k59rHctwUwz3XxyZKLmYyu6QlRE_Bpvl7ERnfPbbnZYi1qpURfWHkoMpSnDbkfU5qhXkpx_qBA1ODjCdg3vIKFiVmKP5SaEvjZnW7HeO1kxk2OCxt1gxP25H4-1lrnbB2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ0uvzC3CDMSfeRLF4eCTWgo1czvXVyC0yB8-yjySt5ItovOH0Kc-6jhhhp-4k59rHctwUwz3XxyZKLmYyu6QlRE_Bpvl7ERnfPbbnZYi1qpURfWHkoMpSnDbkfU5qhXkpx_qBA1ODjCdg3vIKFiVmKP5SaEvjZnW7HeO1kxk2OCxt1gxP25H4-1lrnbB2=w250-h400" width="250" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201384591-max-s-war?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_18"><b>Max's War: The Story of a Ritchie Boy</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/77146.Libby_Fischer_Hellmann">Libby Fischer Hellmann</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Publication: April 9, 2024; Red Herrings Press</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Genre: historical fiction, WWII</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Description</i>: <span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As the Nazis sweep across Europe, Jewish teen Max and his parents flee persecution in Germany for Holland, where Max finds friends and romance. But when Hitler invades in 1940, Max must escape to Chicago, leaving his parents and friends behind. When he learns of his parents' murder in Sobibor, Max immediately enlists in the US Army. After basic training he is sent to Camp Ritchie, Maryland, where he is trained in interrogation and counterintelligence.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">Deployed to the OSS, Max carries out dangerous missions in Occupied countries. He also interrogates scores of German POWs, especially after D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, where, despite life-threatening conditions, he elicits critical information about German troop movements.</span></span><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Post-war, he works for the Americans in the German denazification program, bringing him back to his Bavarian childhood home of Regensburg. Though the city avoided large-scale destruction, the Jewish community was decimated. Max roams familiar yet strange streets, replaying memories of lives lost to unspeakable tragedy. While there, however, he reunites with someone from his past, who, like him, sought refuge abroad. Can they rebuild their lives… together?</span></span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">This epic story about a Ritchie Boy is Libby Hellmann’s tribute to her late father-in-law who was active with the OSS and interrogated dozens of German POWs. (<i>publisher</i>)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><i>Thanks to Wiley Saichek of Saichek Publicity for an ARC of this book for feature/review.</i> </span></span><p></p></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-30165582360834489282024-02-17T06:37:00.009-05:002024-02-19T10:09:01.854-05:00New Books: Daughter of Mine, and Reversing Alzheimer's <p><b>Finished reading:</b></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGuorz3t2F41gNsv1dCv-u4nT_3iD8siX-prks0I6VkLVlwjG67EUIbGYzE-YHoTtQjrB55_O-eNebdsoJQd3EQhr4hEntZeUH3C_33aDHNiEfE3BcSwue8Ag_So3mco2FN7Q9C6gK1Wz5CO9TKcdhkswEi2rbvYUTOjxQI9NAcXkQn7jf8090YNrV78Uc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2114" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGuorz3t2F41gNsv1dCv-u4nT_3iD8siX-prks0I6VkLVlwjG67EUIbGYzE-YHoTtQjrB55_O-eNebdsoJQd3EQhr4hEntZeUH3C_33aDHNiEfE3BcSwue8Ag_So3mco2FN7Q9C6gK1Wz5CO9TKcdhkswEi2rbvYUTOjxQI9NAcXkQn7jf8090YNrV78Uc=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><p></p> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176443330-daughter-of-mine"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Daughter of Mine</span></b></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417749.Megan_Miranda">Megan Miranda</a></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Publication: April 9, 2024; Marysue Rucci Books, NetGalley</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: suspense, thriller, adult fiction<br /><br />
Hazel Sharp returns to her small hometown by the lake when she inherits the family home from her deceased father, a former detective. She becomes inquisitive about the first wife of her father who disappeared years before, and about her own mother, his second wife, who also disappeared years ago. The mystery makes her suspicious of her two brothers too, even though they are both local detectives. <br /><br />When two empty cars are found submerged in different parts of the lake, Hazel becomes even more determined to find out what happened to her mother. I liked Hazel's persistence and her gumption to get to the bottom of strange happenings in her home town involving her deceased father and his two disappeared wives. <br /><br />There is suspense and a surprise ending, though I had an inclination to suspect the real killer, who had seemed not suspicious before. I found this a worthwhile read, a good thriller.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>To be read </b></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoS0WfuktYB9eRRlE6FdwM4dHsSqu0JG0F6kusHlZEpmWuxO9NG_b6kJrXdLpODVkIJiQ9dimtWOTp03jT2vVSEWtHJ3NG88TT5Fg124JdEg6gYUnR9WLUxyPX29vOU0aERt1H5aUQRWJ_n-c_upsj370tYykFgsoydvJVBuGJ1fXSF2oISKR4L-jo0n5a" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoS0WfuktYB9eRRlE6FdwM4dHsSqu0JG0F6kusHlZEpmWuxO9NG_b6kJrXdLpODVkIJiQ9dimtWOTp03jT2vVSEWtHJ3NG88TT5Fg124JdEg6gYUnR9WLUxyPX29vOU0aERt1H5aUQRWJ_n-c_upsj370tYykFgsoydvJVBuGJ1fXSF2oISKR4L-jo0n5a=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199796604-reversing-alzheimer-s"><b>Reversing Alzheimer's</b></a> by Dr. Heather Sandison<br />Publication: June 11, 2024; Harper, NetGalley</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: self help, medical, Alzheimer's</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I borrowed this book from NetGalley after a friend expressed concern re her relative's diagnois of mild cognitive decline. I thought that the possibility of reversing that decline would be good to know about. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It seems exercise, diet, lack of stress, good health and good sleep, are just a few of the things that can help people avoid rapid mental decline. I suppose staying physically and mentally active in daily life also contributes to overall health.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Description:</span></i></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In <i>Reversing Alzheimer’s</i>, the author shows how we can alleviate the factors that nudge the brain into decline, add more of the things that contribute to brain regeneration, and either make significant <b>improvements in cognitive function or prevent cognitive decline</b> from happening in the first place. <b>Hers is an individualized, step-by-step, whole-body approach.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Dr. Sandison systematically guides the reader through addressing the factors that contribute both positively and negatively to our cognitive health—from the biological and the physical (toxins, nutrition, hormones, infections, exercise) to the psychological (negative self-talk, trauma); from the social (personal engagement with our community, loneliness and relationships); to the cultural (ageism, stress). </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px;">Other books</b></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm still reading and liking </span></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;"><span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41459660-the-island-of-sea-women" style="color: #cc4411;">The Island of Sea Women </a> </span></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;">by Lisa See</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"> for its local and WWII historical information of the island of Jeju in Korea. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;">Also continuing in French </span><i style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; scroll-behavior: auto;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202654496-mon-coeur-a-d-m-nag" style="color: #cc4411;">Mon cœur a déménagé</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> by Michel Bussi, and trying to keep the plots distinct, moving from one book to the other.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;"><i><b>How many books do you/can you easily read at the same time? </b></i></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="background-color: white; color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></div><div><br /><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-51138192030130479992024-02-10T04:07:00.015-05:002024-02-10T20:48:21.070-05:00Lunar New Year, and Mon Coeur a Demenage: Sunday Salon<p><b> French author, Michel Bussi</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhykSb3acRwDkogXbtGoLSEq9Kp8xKSnyiXFiNzjkAqFz2adjxkEF9cBmCUPMQ8pNT4tvrEcBxKUXW-T-bkZaiz8rmWF57XnjM-8wZ3Qr9dbDumB0x7Ub-OAshml_rbVTPnlSPicg6JE1DxoklTKtoryuIugjlUYtNLwWaDt_kpAhSyd6jwICEfulxsck-m" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhykSb3acRwDkogXbtGoLSEq9Kp8xKSnyiXFiNzjkAqFz2adjxkEF9cBmCUPMQ8pNT4tvrEcBxKUXW-T-bkZaiz8rmWF57XnjM-8wZ3Qr9dbDumB0x7Ub-OAshml_rbVTPnlSPicg6JE1DxoklTKtoryuIugjlUYtNLwWaDt_kpAhSyd6jwICEfulxsck-m=w248-h400" width="248" /></a></div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><p style="font-size: 20px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202654496-mon-coeur-a-d-m-nag"><b>Mon cœur a déménagé</b></a></i><span style="text-align: start;"> est à la fois un récit initiatique, un roman d'amour et d'amitié, une vaste enquête s'étirant sur plus d'une décennie, et bien entendu une intrigue à twist, nul ne sachant, jusqu'à la dernière page, qui connaît la vérité, et qui la manipule.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Genre: mystery, thriller</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Setting: Rouen, France</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Published January 11, 2024; Presses de la Cite</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi-x2CoSwmE4mDATUmhIH_ivIS8C2hFCErg1BGdErAqIg2m2De1cLtWYf2mBbNjhBEz4BWQWqNFwzUqFRhsw9Dpi8z5bqElOcw0brg2crSwxm1Nvii67_BfU3B83ofKYCS1V8fPvgw1wrrwzev2qCg5-Om68lzH_alZ8rc8_3H1vO6m1RTZ7nUzeLQloTh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="149" data-original-width="200" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi-x2CoSwmE4mDATUmhIH_ivIS8C2hFCErg1BGdErAqIg2m2De1cLtWYf2mBbNjhBEz4BWQWqNFwzUqFRhsw9Dpi8z5bqElOcw0brg2crSwxm1Nvii67_BfU3B83ofKYCS1V8fPvgw1wrrwzev2qCg5-Om68lzH_alZ8rc8_3H1vO6m1RTZ7nUzeLQloTh=w200-h149" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Michel Bussi</b> est un auteur et politologue français, professeur de géographie à l'université de Rouen. Il est spécialiste de géographie électorale.</span></span><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><p></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">What language(s) do you read in? </i></span><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;" tahoma="" times="">There is a translate button at the right hand top column of the blog, for English and other languages.<b> </b></i></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><b><br /></b></i></span></p><p><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;" tahoma="" times=""><b> Happy Lunar New Year of the Green Dragon</b></i></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><b><br /></b></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI3GomBWns_cBqdncTPnt8jUTJFFMs-yed6qUJYckEHk1KyV5wz0mwpR_b3vTHUpQ8zbKiwk1zPxQoedh17yd6nHFWI-hr4GOJ9NHQttjunoCWza-VYAaSempQCOLbcdsaGszFKIBMbQCcVxISG86alH-zu8_2-7PZeOPNaAQWCEGokKuWtKmZiIc3ARhO" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img data-original-height="1493" data-original-width="1500" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI3GomBWns_cBqdncTPnt8jUTJFFMs-yed6qUJYckEHk1KyV5wz0mwpR_b3vTHUpQ8zbKiwk1zPxQoedh17yd6nHFWI-hr4GOJ9NHQttjunoCWza-VYAaSempQCOLbcdsaGszFKIBMbQCcVxISG86alH-zu8_2-7PZeOPNaAQWCEGokKuWtKmZiIc3ARhO=w400-h398" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""></i></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><i><br /></i></span></i></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><i>Description</i>: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123204393-lunar-new-year"><b>Lunar New Year</b></a>, an illustrated book, captures the magic of the celebration by exploring how Ling and her family enjoy the biggest Chinese festival of the year.</span><br style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;" /><br style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><b>The new year festival lasts for 15 days</b> full of preparation, celebration, and symbolism. Join Ling, her sister Mei and granny Po Po as they clean the house from top to bottom, pick fresh flowers from the garden, visit friends and family, and carry red lanterns through their neighborhood. Ling invites the reader into her home and family, allowing the reader to experience this special celebration first-hand through an authentic narrative non-fiction story.</span></i></span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium;"></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">A fun 16-page 'factivity' section follows the story and delves into more detail about how the festival is celebrated in China and beyond. <b>Enriching activities </b>are also included, such as guess the riddle, make your own red envelope, and a recipe to make delicious Lunar New Year 'pot sticker' dumplings. </span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""></i></span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">The Lunar New Year is celebrated in many different Asian and Southeast Asian countries and beyond. It begins February 10.</span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><br /></p><p><i>Do you celebrate the Lunar New Year?</i></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></p></span><p></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-75186104147456393562024-02-03T06:05:00.011-05:002024-02-17T07:16:40.912-05:00The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See, set in Jeju in South Korea<p><b> South Korea Setting</b></p><p><b><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9MzK8rVTzqaDs5POmXdDz-ON-w4zowVAYDGGnflc3lSh93a08v8fro4F0GMNcB4GRic2tWdMflS6BP6p8x9bWWY-_mFcpRszHiGaR-sge6H3QsihFYqGRBZMXMtcdu1ch4ttBuOFXmdMIot5K2vsyGoqA4XStDXXCPTFu_HPUe9k3au7MvJNJv6KZxD31" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2113" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9MzK8rVTzqaDs5POmXdDz-ON-w4zowVAYDGGnflc3lSh93a08v8fro4F0GMNcB4GRic2tWdMflS6BP6p8x9bWWY-_mFcpRszHiGaR-sge6H3QsihFYqGRBZMXMtcdu1ch4ttBuOFXmdMIot5K2vsyGoqA4XStDXXCPTFu_HPUe9k3au7MvJNJv6KZxD31=w424-h640" width="424" /></a></i></div><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41459660-the-island-of-sea-women"><b>The Island of Sea Women </b></a> </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium;">by Lisa See</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium;">Published March 5, 2019; Scribner</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium;">Genre: historical fiction, literary fiction, South Korea</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; scroll-behavior: auto;"><i>Description</i>: a novel of <b>female friendship and devastating family secrets on the small Korean island of Jeju</b>. </span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju,</span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"> are best friends who come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s <b>all-female diving collective</b>, led by Young-sook’s mother. </span></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: medium;">As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility—but also danger. Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook find it impossible to ignore their differences. The novel covers several generations.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Korean dram</b><b style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">as filmed on Jeju - Netflix </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">I've been enjoying several Korean dramas set on the lovely island of Jeju, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">the setting of Lisa See's historical novel. and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">a place popular with tourists</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_Samdal-ri">"Welcome to Samdal-ri"</a></b></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""pt sans narrow", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 23px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisqTOCvC5sN56S7ZQfGI6q19P0WAPsvCNgHnASmO4DZAvPiBITDPeBVT7RrBZD6MAYUGbgQB-NY1ZEb32iXuOMrEReh2KSz-dyolAAHQ95OKrm2UxfgHZIZn75e1wJ3zOwxRm-_vMmBvsh2qFGfaMofrk5tFTLoVToU3w3Pop3DnSKk95X2sk6pl7b7h7O" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="252" data-original-width="448" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisqTOCvC5sN56S7ZQfGI6q19P0WAPsvCNgHnASmO4DZAvPiBITDPeBVT7RrBZD6MAYUGbgQB-NY1ZEb32iXuOMrEReh2KSz-dyolAAHQ95OKrm2UxfgHZIZn75e1wJ3zOwxRm-_vMmBvsh2qFGfaMofrk5tFTLoVToU3w3Pop3DnSKk95X2sk6pl7b7h7O=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 23px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">Female divers washing their nets</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 23px;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcuHEwYg46qxau0Lts7axH1msuQ65eR4r3CUjqXxYLrx6t1P95P1Mk9HFjKECZtFHUxan-FodPkI4hPUeJUEm5heSryT2-1wTRk8QzTmxsjpT59CcZsQQiWpTxanOTTV4aQW8gJdhaE5aYv4m0v24x2kM9ojH2mO23QfYtkz069iRntJ5uFV_fYiXXWnT8" style="font-size: 23px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="252" data-original-width="448" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcuHEwYg46qxau0Lts7axH1msuQ65eR4r3CUjqXxYLrx6t1P95P1Mk9HFjKECZtFHUxan-FodPkI4hPUeJUEm5heSryT2-1wTRk8QzTmxsjpT59CcZsQQiWpTxanOTTV4aQW8gJdhaE5aYv4m0v24x2kM9ojH2mO23QfYtkz069iRntJ5uFV_fYiXXWnT8=w640-h360" width="640" /></a><br /><span>Chief diver </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">- Photos - Netflix </span></div></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #1e1915; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_Samdal-ri">"Welcome to Samdal-ri"</a> </b><span style="color: #1e1915;">was partly inspired by Lisa See's novel. though the plots are not the exact same. </span></span></p><p><span face=""pt sans narrow", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 23px;">Cho Yong-Pil,</span><span face=""pt sans narrow", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 23px;"> a weather forecaster in Jeju island, and</span><span face=""pt sans narrow", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 23px;"> Cho Sam-Dal </span><span face=""pt sans narrow", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 23px;">grew up in Samdal-ri. Both their mothers were very close friends and divers for conch and abalone. However, after Yong-Pil's mother died in a diving accident, the two young people were forced apart and Sam-Dal left the island to live in Seoul. </span></p><p><span face=""pt sans narrow", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 23px;">They meet again on Jeju after many years and begin a romance, with much family drama ensuing because of what had happened to Yong-Pil's mother in the past. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1e1915;">This Korean drama was released in December 2023.</span></span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"> </span></p><p><span face=""pt sans narrow", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 23px;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span face=""pt sans narrow", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 23px;">"<a href="https://asianwiki.com/Our_Blues"><b>Our Blues</b></a>"</span></p><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 21.78px;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzrkBkwhaN7a513NmCJpOroRIeJLzvD1NN0Wsv3owlo_rFj_2n8nofnvBScD8758_hNq9tmRPrVTHw9nLWedwG_Zqu9dyXTP18KHz6G1BPNFvLtIJrVdeIcX_Z_OUDSQ7SQNbJsnOWEZFdJScU7C0GvRnaLnxbRR6cFbCdutFNL4mMigh-U4rCxWqO1EtS"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzrkBkwhaN7a513NmCJpOroRIeJLzvD1NN0Wsv3owlo_rFj_2n8nofnvBScD8758_hNq9tmRPrVTHw9nLWedwG_Zqu9dyXTP18KHz6G1BPNFvLtIJrVdeIcX_Z_OUDSQ7SQNbJsnOWEZFdJScU7C0GvRnaLnxbRR6cFbCdutFNL4mMigh-U4rCxWqO1EtS"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFlgDd3auEMTbco3RlVp3h50NQVHjt7o-_hehZV09a_Qk_auLhcVvYVARWHvSByva0F04b26_QYqRgPUvyTPJkJhZjUT9qIqQZA88TVbCSTX8Q9dPmccXZNeKyLVik5rOKXMqP_APiqThleakw67hqkMnYXKgMDZ8oM3V61wGEqu71Qk_hTyIW-h2iSAaF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="252" data-original-width="448" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFlgDd3auEMTbco3RlVp3h50NQVHjt7o-_hehZV09a_Qk_auLhcVvYVARWHvSByva0F04b26_QYqRgPUvyTPJkJhZjUT9qIqQZA88TVbCSTX8Q9dPmccXZNeKyLVik5rOKXMqP_APiqThleakw67hqkMnYXKgMDZ8oM3V61wGEqu71Qk_hTyIW-h2iSAaF=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiISOZRi2q4vJSjCOMtHFygFVya9Eami2p61G4Q5Re0_crIFTZ6K10N1HKlFoxCxoxtkKPOAY3thzZm0b5xmajICWINJsdDG6aRR2DNKwp2hmgJikZZHyLybOtRD5kuG6vn52dd5QfPsU6AYNKE1GSAI6uQ-613JW0DwMkyDcawNyaL7aTKlbe1E5y9cUqx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="252" data-original-width="448" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiISOZRi2q4vJSjCOMtHFygFVya9Eami2p61G4Q5Re0_crIFTZ6K10N1HKlFoxCxoxtkKPOAY3thzZm0b5xmajICWINJsdDG6aRR2DNKwp2hmgJikZZHyLybOtRD5kuG6vn52dd5QfPsU6AYNKE1GSAI6uQ-613JW0DwMkyDcawNyaL7aTKlbe1E5y9cUqx=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div>Jeju coast<br /><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81568842">Photos- Netflix</a></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 23px; text-align: center;">"</span><a href="https://asianwiki.com/Our_Blues" style="font-size: 23px; text-align: center;"><b>Our Blues</b></a><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 23px; text-align: center;">"</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> tells interlocking stories of Jeju island residents - happy, sad, heartwarming, revealing looks at various people, couples, female divers, and families, all of whom know each other as they live on small, beautiful Jeju Island. The series began airing on Netflix in 2022. </span></span><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></i></div><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, FreeSerif, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.78px;"><b></b></span></span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, FreeSerif, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.78px;"><b>Other Netflix dramas (partly) set on Jeju:</b></span></span></p><ol data-v-4dba3301="" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #212121; margin: 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><li data-v-4dba3301="" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Poppins, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; list-style-position: inside; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><div class="p-txt" data-v-4dba3301="" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: initial; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: normal;"><span face=""Google Sans", Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: rgba(80, 151, 255, 0.18); color: #040c28; font-size: 20px;">When Life Gives You Tangerines (to be released later this year)</span></div></li><li data-v-4dba3301="" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-position: inside; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><div class="p-txt" data-v-4dba3301="" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: initial; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Boys over Flowers</span></div></li><li data-v-4dba3301="" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-position: inside; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><div class="p-txt" data-v-4dba3301="" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: initial; line-height: 1.5; margin: 20px 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Something in the Rain</span></div></li></ol></blockquote><p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">I know I'll be watching many of these as I'm hooked on the island setting, the stories of families and romance, the food, the novelty, for me, of female divers, the woods and the mountain, the seascape. I also have gotten accustomed to hearing Korean, and I enjoy the cadences and sounds. Of course I watch the dramas with closed captioning in English.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;">What are you reading/watching this week? </i></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-18893777675682649942024-01-27T04:29:00.008-05:002024-02-01T16:12:27.771-05:00Two Thrillers, a Beloved Bookshop, and a Killer Gourmet Cook: Sunday Salon<p style="text-align: center;"> <b>Arrived in the mailbox</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq4j0WXUH5nqo6GQsFZmdtHDlUuvNNZPQ8-HxcT-x101PEd8RvMqZrm2UaPZDRYGugQwl3MBq_DTIj9VLO8QWZn41Afc3gJUyakMo0IU6oLKa-ZfyCkc5rSM52P52GFHhz69l7QTWVmtFuccpmiWVHwNEOrJYBtWNk3S6OGGOwpigc6GaiDPJTruda-Jnq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1719" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq4j0WXUH5nqo6GQsFZmdtHDlUuvNNZPQ8-HxcT-x101PEd8RvMqZrm2UaPZDRYGugQwl3MBq_DTIj9VLO8QWZn41Afc3gJUyakMo0IU6oLKa-ZfyCkc5rSM52P52GFHhz69l7QTWVmtFuccpmiWVHwNEOrJYBtWNk3S6OGGOwpigc6GaiDPJTruda-Jnq=w268-h400" width="268" /></a></p><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/173476228-the-road-to-murder"><b>The Road to Murder: A Tuscan Mystery</b></a> #4 by Camilla Trinchieri</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Publication; March 5, 2024; Soho Crime ARC</span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">The sole witness at a crime scene speaks only English, and ex-NYPD detective turned amateur chef Nico Doyle is summoned by the local carabinieri to help. Setting in Gravigna, Italy. </span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">I've read two of the three previous books in the series: <i>Murder on the Vine </i>and<i> A Bitter Taste of Murder</i>. Loved the Tuscan countryside, characters, and food. </span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><b>Currently reading:</b></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRahPC48Yy2co9seC5NcPb6ev-491nQNG4l2pC7PrEhWk0w5N2414Xsc8m7yxMO_gIQz3prZrBZZoM8m6GEnoXPe7mOKPI8tgCij8ntYp8G1LOxJw_4vht8d6piygrvD0emXCmVSUTRNTX7I6GZzdL4aIe4i0DhtdFLnpXvVo-C8F-FI_mTpt0xssd-v2L" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="988" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRahPC48Yy2co9seC5NcPb6ev-491nQNG4l2pC7PrEhWk0w5N2414Xsc8m7yxMO_gIQz3prZrBZZoM8m6GEnoXPe7mOKPI8tgCij8ntYp8G1LOxJw_4vht8d6piygrvD0emXCmVSUTRNTX7I6GZzdL4aIe4i0DhtdFLnpXvVo-C8F-FI_mTpt0xssd-v2L=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198111937-the-nature-of-disappearing"><b>The Nature of Disappearing</b></a> by Kimi Cunningham Grant, Publication: June 18, 2024; Minotaur, NetGalley</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;">The title of the book caught my attention. A </span><span style="text-align: left;">wilderness guide in Idaho teams up with an ex to find their missing/disappeared friend who had been on a mountain trek with her boyfriend.</span></div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">Enjoying the writing, nature setting, and the character of tracker Emlyn, This suspense story is moving along very well so far. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">See <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6216984500"><b>my review</b></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Next on my reading list</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTM1oTwOg-rNNU0DHiRq3LYhKatzwNhp2lk1_MSfRxPLPqfYx2qyiMAHXmpfAJtmiw4mBpVPZp7aKq2cYxTyVyAwpQaovVRXKhIF15AQMjWFyaMkZM5BJJOkOEUy-VnlvXA-5KtqcCpI9ynnrQn3DwFKhqb4fFxRlZoyq2_JFjAD3vhc0EJbNZ1AsTBwU9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="384" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTM1oTwOg-rNNU0DHiRq3LYhKatzwNhp2lk1_MSfRxPLPqfYx2qyiMAHXmpfAJtmiw4mBpVPZp7aKq2cYxTyVyAwpQaovVRXKhIF15AQMjWFyaMkZM5BJJOkOEUy-VnlvXA-5KtqcCpI9ynnrQn3DwFKhqb4fFxRlZoyq2_JFjAD3vhc0EJbNZ1AsTBwU9=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br />A follow up novel to <a href="https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/2023/04/sunday-salon-holding-pattern-by-jenny.html">Days at the Morisaki Bookshop</a>, to be released July 2, 2024, Harper Perennial, NetGalley</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">I have been enjoying several Japanese contemporary novels set in and around bookshops. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Description:</span><span face="Raleway, sans-serif" style="color: #666666; text-align: left;"> Satoru, with Takako’s help, must choose whether to keep the bookshop open or shutter its doors forever. Making the decision will take uncle and niece on an emotional journey back to their family’s roots and remind them again what a bookstore can mean to an individual, a neighborhood, and a whole culture.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>And now for something completely different:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWBZ0pgj-ohtDViS7iBj08uwh5Zep3iA4LPTC0CxUH9FywbdsBFL61wuE9OPVY8V-IznH4Flrt70YCm8q0jlDF4P2yOKhNpzdCqKMjbvhhukSQlsXk5xUSkk2sdzxz9FSuYzb_uLcRSYyc8kr3FTAaexWmqwKiA9Hkj4kRsObiFgcZ7-DzS6dBZ75Jm0Fx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWBZ0pgj-ohtDViS7iBj08uwh5Zep3iA4LPTC0CxUH9FywbdsBFL61wuE9OPVY8V-IznH4Flrt70YCm8q0jlDF4P2yOKhNpzdCqKMjbvhhukSQlsXk5xUSkk2sdzxz9FSuYzb_uLcRSYyc8kr3FTAaexWmqwKiA9Hkj4kRsObiFgcZ7-DzS6dBZ75Jm0Fx=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200776812-butter?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_12"><b>Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder</b></a> by Asako Yuzuki, publication April 16, 2024; Ecco, NetGalley</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; scroll-behavior: auto;">The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story. I'm as interested in her food as I am in why she offs her diners.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; scroll-behavior: auto;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; scroll-behavior: auto;"><span face="Raleway, sans-serif" style="color: #666666;">Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in the Tokyo Detention House convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. Kajii refuses to speak with the press, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew, and Kajii can’t resist writing back. </span></span></span><span face="Raleway, sans-serif" style="color: #666666; text-align: left;">Inspired by the real case of a convicted con woman and serial killer—the “Konkatsu Killer”—Asako Yuzuki’s </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Butter</em><span face="Raleway, sans-serif" style="color: #666666; text-align: left;"> is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance, and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><i>What are you reading this week? </i></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-88822767023346072542024-01-23T02:52:00.017-05:002024-01-24T02:13:47.199-05:00Her by Khanh Ha: Book Tour/Guest Post<p> <br /><b>Book Tour/ <a href="https://www.virtualauthorbooktours.com/her-the-flame-tree-by-khanh-ha-on-tour/">Her: The Flame Tree by Khanh Ha</a></b><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></em></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW-U9kmjNxlRD_1VZBMw27SWO-GsvmfU2W7hIZeE-HAxOZwRBXCFG1XGxX1NhgqnX_0x8chZJd-llchKwxW1Qh8kq6XTTNAg4N6ityFjIWZLBkO1f_d9TAv52BVB3Pve5-g2i3xsWuBkBaiyr57w7A4jXIt--Gjr8q7nhcRioww-WzpDbukoIE_mn2gBA_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="595" data-original-width="396" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW-U9kmjNxlRD_1VZBMw27SWO-GsvmfU2W7hIZeE-HAxOZwRBXCFG1XGxX1NhgqnX_0x8chZJd-llchKwxW1Qh8kq6XTTNAg4N6ityFjIWZLBkO1f_d9TAv52BVB3Pve5-g2i3xsWuBkBaiyr57w7A4jXIt--Gjr8q7nhcRioww-WzpDbukoIE_mn2gBA_=w268-h400" width="268" /></a></em></div><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><b><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></em></b></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; text-align: start;">"The magnificent red poinciana flowers, which grace the ancient capital of Huế, symbolize farewell in Vietnamese adolescent romance"</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; text-align: start;"><br /></span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: normal; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Publisher: <strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </strong>Gival Press, (October 1, 2023)<br />Category: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Vietnam<br />Tour dates: January 16-Feb 23, 2024</span><br /><br /></span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: normal; text-align: start;"><br /></span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8125em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher:</h2><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="https://www.virtualauthorbooktours.com/her-the-flame-tree-by-khanh-ha-on-tour/">Her: The Flame Tree by Khanh Ha</a></b> i<span>s a love triptych that sweeps through the rich panorama of two generations of colonial and post-colonial Vietnam. </span><i>The hopeless love of a young eunuch for a high-ranking concubine is one of this novel’s three stories that illuminate the oriental mystery of Vietnam, as epic as it is persevering, </i><span> Framed between 1915 and 1993,</span><b><span> </span><i><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">the book</span><span> </span></i></b><span><b>begins in Huế, the former imperial capital of Vietnam.</b> It is in the Purple Forbidden City, that Canh, the young eunuch, fulfills his vow to be near the girl of his dreams, a villager-turned imperial concubine.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">The novel begins with an expatriate Vietnamese man living in the United States who journeys back to Vietnam to search for the adopted daughter of a centenarian eunuch of the Imperial Court of Huế to find out who she really is. His world takes on a new meaning after he becames a part of her life.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">Phượng. Her name is the magnificent flame tree’s flowers that grace the ancient capital of Huế. Her father, mentor of Canh the young eunuch, was a hundred-year-old grand eunuch of the Imperial Court, who had adopted and raised her since she was a baby. Their peaceful world suddenly changed when one day, sometime in the early years of the Vietnam war, Jonathan Edward came into their lives. On his quest to search for his just deceased lover’s mysterious birth, there he met Phượng, an exquisite beauty.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">Through the eye of her father, history is retold. Just before the fall of the French Indochina during the last dynasty of Vietnam, a young eunuch hopelessly fell in love with a high-ranking concubine. Once the eunuch had secured the concubine’s trust, it became a fatal attraction. The eunuch died. The concubine, still a virgin, lost her mind. Her father said she was possessed by the young eunuch’s spirit who had been madly in love with her.<span style="font-size: 15px;"> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span>My comments:</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">I was amazed by the book's background history of the ancient city of Hue and its Imperial dynasty that existed before 1945. I found "<span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #545454;">The Imperial City was built in 1362 and in 1993 was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Between these two periods of time, the city even served as the capital of </span><a href="https://www.backpackerswanderlust.com/backpacking-vietnam-on-a-budget/" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">Vietnam</a><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #545454;"> from 1802 to 1945 during the reign of the Nguyen dynasty." <span>(from <i><a href="https://www.backpackerswanderlust.com/imperial-city-of-hue-vietnam/#history">Backpackers Wanderlust</a>).</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #545454;"><span>The book focuses on stories of Phuong, the adopted daughter of a eunuch of the Imperial Court of Hue. Her father, the grand eunuch for 63 years, and the emperor's last concubine, An-Phi, had a love story that ended sadly. An-Phi, as a civilian in later years, roamed the streets, mad, giving away her jewels. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #545454;"><span>The book tells, through the stories about the adopted daughter of the eunuch, Phuong, the history of Vietnam from the Imperial times through the French occupation. The other main character is the American Vietnamese boy, Jonathan Edward, who had come to Vietnam to find the parents of his deceased girlfriend, a half Vietnamese-half French girl, only to fall in love with Phuong and die tragically in her arms.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #545454;"><span>The book is long and approaches this portion of Vietnamese history in an indirect way, by telling stories of different people and their lives affected by the country's history. It's a book to savor slowly, and worthwhile to capture the flavor of the country, old and new. </span></span></p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7RNc-gToZNMYtQZHhyjjtrYqrdWwCFnBFOb-X7XaiWrHVRqleOr7rMe3tO7fS_ae0CXOlhYntcQbFIeN0soKUjDMCTcGYt58uufd4lwjLlI2ro7i5CrG_BOcpIPppNwIyvUtedOa5qHAMR_qU6ievgKp6QsJzdttRBD2pYiIYqOtnKW4iJJ9wSsu5qift" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="1000" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7RNc-gToZNMYtQZHhyjjtrYqrdWwCFnBFOb-X7XaiWrHVRqleOr7rMe3tO7fS_ae0CXOlhYntcQbFIeN0soKUjDMCTcGYt58uufd4lwjLlI2ro7i5CrG_BOcpIPppNwIyvUtedOa5qHAMR_qU6ievgKp6QsJzdttRBD2pYiIYqOtnKW4iJJ9wSsu5qift" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjugyn3ipMS9i78ZXNPIayC3OM3UqTGrCntVWAdhoHqrTOdL9QrbcDo9y6M2s1DPRs8rBzMDbZ76zH2mHxKUU8lu0QkaW7ParJL-PHEjSNsYp_UsvyzPQbtrPm6CmBIRqiYelfTVF-ovQAutzdTFpzC1iPbT4ARBUbmcaghBbfmVV0ZX_luGKwMtf8kZtQJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="393" data-original-width="400" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjugyn3ipMS9i78ZXNPIayC3OM3UqTGrCntVWAdhoHqrTOdL9QrbcDo9y6M2s1DPRs8rBzMDbZ76zH2mHxKUU8lu0QkaW7ParJL-PHEjSNsYp_UsvyzPQbtrPm6CmBIRqiYelfTVF-ovQAutzdTFpzC1iPbT4ARBUbmcaghBbfmVV0ZX_luGKwMtf8kZtQJ=w320-h315" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8125em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></h2><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: x-small; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.virtualauthorbooktours.com/her-the-flame-tree-by-khanh-ha-on-tour/">Guest Post by the Author </a></b></p><span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: medium;"><b>On Death Scenes</b></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">©</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Khanh Ha<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">It happens. Somebody dies. Death can occur in the
middle or the end of a novel. Someone’s death could spin the story around. It
could be the protagonist’s death.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Each writer writes his death scene with trepidation.
How much should he write it without overwriting it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Some death scenes are so memorable they never leave
your memory as long as you read books. Here is the scene in the ending of <i>A
Farewell to Arms</i> (Earnest Hemingway) that captures the moment after the
death of the protagonist’s lover in a hospital. The doctor then offers to take
him back to his hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Good night,” he said. “I
cannot take you to your hotel?”</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><br />
<br />
<i>“No, thank you.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>“It was the only thing to do,” he said. “The operation proved—"</i><br />
<br />
<i>“I do not want to talk about it,” I said.</i><br />
<br />
<i>“I would like to take you to your hotel.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>“No, thank you.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>He went down the hall. I went to the door of the room.</i><br />
<br />
<i>“You can’t come in now,” one of the nurses said.</i><br />
<br />
<i>“Yes, I can,” I said.</i><br />
<br />
<i>“You can’t come in yet.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>“You get out,” I said. “The other one too.”</i><br />
<br />
<i>But after I got them to leave and shut the door and turned off the light it
wasn't any good. It was like saying good-by to a statue. After a while I went
out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">To date, I have always thought that the best prose
ever written in the English language is found in the opening and the ending of <i>A
Farewell to Arms</i>. And if you are keen enough as a reader, you will notice
its influence on Cormac McCarthy’s prose especially in his award-winning novel <i>All
The Pretty Horses</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">That brings us to Cormac McCarthy whose hero in <i>All
The Pretty Horses</i> meets his death in <i>Cities of The Plain</i>, last book
of the trilogy. In this scene, John Grady Cole lies dying from a knife wound
and his friend, Billy Parker, goes out to get Cole a glass of water. When he
comes back, death has taken his friend away.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">When he got to the
packingcrate the candle was still burning and he took the glasses both in one
hand and pushed back the sacking and crouched on his knees.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><br />
<br />
<i>Here you go, bud, he said.</i><br />
<br />
<i>But he had already seen. He set the waterglasses slowly down. Bud, he said,
Bud?</i><br />
<br />
<i>The boy lay with his face turned away from the light. His eyes were open.
Billy called to him. As if he could not have gone far. Bud, he said, Bud? Aw
goddamn. Bud?</i><br />
<br />
<i>Aint that pitiful, he said. Aint that the most goddamn pitiful thing? Aint
it? Oh God. Bud. Oh goddamn.</i><br />
<br />
<i>When he had him gathered in his arms he rose and turned. Goddamn whores, he
said. He was crying and his tears ran down his angry face and he called out to
the broken day against them all and he called out to God to see what was before
his eyes. Look at this, he called. Do you see? Do you see?</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">In <i>Her: The Flame Tre</i>, I wrote a novel whose
ending witnesses the death of the main character. He is shot and dies in his
lover’s arms.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He fell. The lights glared
beyond. He got up, fell, and got up again. He saw lights wildly searching the
darkness and heard voices descending on him.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">She cradled him, weeping. He
woke as if to a whitewashed memory and in that moment he knew all that he had
lived through. He saw her eyes and her face as if he had never left her, as if
nothing had happened or changed, like the smell of the earth.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Jonathan! Speak to me,
Jonathan!”</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">She turned him on his side
so her warmth would keep him awake.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Hold on, Jonathan. Just
hold on.”</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Red hot pain dimpled his
back, so hot his breath seemed to flame. He felt her hands touching his back
and saw they were red when she covered her mouth.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">“Wrap him. Stop the
bleeding,” someone said, hovering over him.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">A monk. He knew the face,
but the name didn’t come. Hands touching him. His body no longer seemed to
belong to him. He felt an energy shrouding him and a deafening commotion
without sound. He saw a young girl who smiled as she walked hand in hand with
him through a valley yellow and red with autumn. He saw cranes sleeping in the
lagoon at low tide, and among their mirrored white bodies he saw himself
cloaked in white.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">She pressed her cheek against
his. “Jonathan.”</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">He closed his eyes; the
scent of the earth came to him. He saw her eyes very close to his, then his
head fell against her chest. The dimple of pain went away.</span></i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p></span><p></p><h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.8125em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;">About Khanh Ha</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Author Khanh Ha is a nine-time Pushcart nominee, finalist for The Ohio State University Fiction Collection Prize, Mary McCarthy Prize, Many Voices Project, Prairie Schooner Book Prize, The University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize, Prize Americana, and The Santa Fe Writers Project. He is the recipient of the Sand Hills Prize for Best Fiction, The Robert Watson Literary Prize in Fiction, The Orison Anthology Award for Fiction, The James Knudsen Prize for Fiction, The C&R Press Fiction Prize, The EastOver Fiction Prize, The Blackwater Press Fiction Prize, The Gival Press Novel Award, and The Red Hen Press Fiction Award.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website: <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.authorkhanhha.com/" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://www.authorkhanhha.com</a></span><br />Blog: <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://authorkhanhha.blogspot.com/" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://authorkhanhha.blogspot.com</a></span><br />Twitter: <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/KhanhHa69784776" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/KhanhHa69784776</a></span><br />Facebook: <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorkhanhha" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/authorkhanhha</a></span><br />Pinterest: <span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/khanhha" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">www.pinterest.com/khanhha</a></span></span></p><div><span><i><b>Thanks to the author, Khanh Ha, for a review copy of this book, and for his guest post on writing death scenes, including the one in his book. </b></i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i>Enter the <a href="https://www.virtualauthorbooktours.com/her-the-flame-tree-by-khanh-ha-on-tour/">Rafflecopter sweepstake</a>, hosted on the blog tour, to win a copy of the book. </i></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-70173986727277696502024-01-20T05:19:00.015-05:002024-01-21T09:16:01.285-05:00New Books: Super Smart Main Characters<p> </p><p><b>Two novels with "freakishly smart" young female protagonists</b></p>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199793420-wordhunter"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199793420-wordhunter"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVNUh4S4gYFowiBvfFhShEBEXijpqBLKNAtdrjhCTNbFKtltBTaDGceeouJFm9akoLrcKVv6ofyIchDrS5K1etmeNlnGp3hb8QV-fm8vGMwWLIM9aKQaWHVR7GGOUbfRBTqWuS-lGVT-AJzK0PGyAchJrHHEfwvlgVYfnchJwaYnqUxYcy8Ylgm4MLPZi-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="386" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVNUh4S4gYFowiBvfFhShEBEXijpqBLKNAtdrjhCTNbFKtltBTaDGceeouJFm9akoLrcKVv6ofyIchDrS5K1etmeNlnGp3hb8QV-fm8vGMwWLIM9aKQaWHVR7GGOUbfRBTqWuS-lGVT-AJzK0PGyAchJrHHEfwvlgVYfnchJwaYnqUxYcy8Ylgm4MLPZi-=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202028611-wordhunter">Wordhunter: A Novel</a></b><b> </b>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/66178.Stella_Sands">Stella Sands</a><div>Publication: August 6, 2024; Harper Paperbacks, NetGalley</div><div>Genre: contemporary fiction, police procedural<br /><br /><br />
I was intrigued to find out how <b>word forensics or forensic linguistics</b> is used in crime solving, done by analyzing written evidence, papers, letters, email, etc. to find the authors suspected of being criminals. A genius with words, Maggie Moore has always been fascinated by words, and as a college student she was recommended by her prof to help the police track down a cyber stalker, by analyzing his emails and letters.<br /><br />Looking at word choice, dialect, syntax, spelling, use or misuse of punctuation, writing style, and more, Maggie pored over his emails to find traits leading to the stalker and, with Detective Jackson, goes on to tackle another case - finding the kidnapper of the mayor's missing daughter, through his correspondence.<br /><br />I liked how the relationship between the detective and insecure Maggie develops into one of trust and reliance during the events, some of them life threatening.<br /><br />An interesting read with an unusual, quirky character Maggie, who finally learns to stand up for herself with both a predatory boss and with her personal life.</div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGRmOTovMiudgcvqeYu4UD6AORo3T51MMAp2U-AhNrRZqlS7wRv0rIBfPtgp0LS7fUdq5c8l4muL-xpliFrPD6heUGq5fivtftU_X0jiLpUQRFG8Zz-yRxw3dRbfV2tkWrhVfMiJhqRHAUE2xpXSJIK4xaFfyWTgeD5LVYC8uDjVZsCPuiutBvx195yE9i" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="959" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGRmOTovMiudgcvqeYu4UD6AORo3T51MMAp2U-AhNrRZqlS7wRv0rIBfPtgp0LS7fUdq5c8l4muL-xpliFrPD6heUGq5fivtftU_X0jiLpUQRFG8Zz-yRxw3dRbfV2tkWrhVfMiJhqRHAUE2xpXSJIK4xaFfyWTgeD5LVYC8uDjVZsCPuiutBvx195yE9i=w408-h640" width="408" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181840284-life-loss-and-puffins"><b>Life, Loss, and Puffins</b></a> by Catherine Ryan Hyde</div><div>Publication: May 14, 2024; Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley</div><div>Genre: fiction, travel, YA</div><div>
<br /><div><br /></div></div></div><div><div>I loved the adventures that 13-year-old Ru, a "freakishly smart" college student, and her 17 year old friend Gabriel, undertake in order to see the<b> aurora borealis </b>in Northern Canada near the Arctic Circle. They also consider going to Newfoundland to see Atlantic puffins. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ru is on her journey to deal with the recent death of her mother and having to move to Kentucky to live with a controlling, unsympathetic aunt. Underage runaways, Ru and Gabriel are wanted by the police, but how they manage to find help along the way is surprising but gratifying.</div><div><br /></div><div>A lovely read that made me side with the young teens in their October-November planned adventure by car to the Arctic Circle. It may be a bit unrealistic they were able to pull this off, but they did, with so many different people helping them. Theirs is a heartwarming journey and an informative one too about the Northwest Territories in Canada. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ru and Gabriel spent four amazing nights on the frozen tundra in a wooden cabin/geodesic dome watching the northern lights/aurora borealis for hours, from indoors and from the outdoor walkway at the top of the dome, close to the Arctic Circle.</div><div><br /></div><div>They didn't go to Iceland or Newfoundland to see the puffins, but Gabriel did lead Ru to some Atlantic puffins in a local zoo when they returned to the U.S.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sure they had to face the music back at home in California, but for them the journey of a lifetime seemed worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;">What are you reading this week? </i></div></div><div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 21.78px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></p></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-60371509020838880072024-01-13T07:25:00.003-05:002024-01-13T07:33:57.045-05:00Sunday Salon: Read and Reading in Freezing Weather<p> <b>Winter Bomb</b></p><p>There are a couple of inches of snow on the ground and on the trees, and there is a high wind advisory for a couple days, so I plan to stay in comfortable lounge pants and watch TV from my new jumbo lounger/beanbag. I could hear the wind all night, and looked outside glad to see the ground free of tree limbs. The giant old oaks around here drop their heavy limbs every now and again in someone's backyard, but none so far, so good. And also, the wind chill is going to be way below zero for the weekend at least. </p><p>Hope you have better weather where you are.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>What I read recently</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiFT6vq0gGXz4WsDQTtLZtanAXQ2NhlkouvJZX5NZ0Cz46caMHRnteiw1bPo4sDLwhDHCf_k8CnWhTQ7Ubk4_wL2il5qeP8ssWrAAnhnewWvu0tAGvnnCY6l_n1rNgu89CJE9Dx9Oe_RLxpjQZWBm9uE7kV10VUOdrzRIruKgA8KxLmxnJtuYUcKKQIRfY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="388" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiFT6vq0gGXz4WsDQTtLZtanAXQ2NhlkouvJZX5NZ0Cz46caMHRnteiw1bPo4sDLwhDHCf_k8CnWhTQ7Ubk4_wL2il5qeP8ssWrAAnhnewWvu0tAGvnnCY6l_n1rNgu89CJE9Dx9Oe_RLxpjQZWBm9uE7kV10VUOdrzRIruKgA8KxLmxnJtuYUcKKQIRfY=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br />A bizarre honeymoon for a couple on a Greek island. It doesn't have the usual touristy scenes but a more realistic and less comfortable Greece. I gave it three stars.<p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWYhsnP7dIy-FjuatA4iANezQ3p2FQKuoR6YnOyN2qyFI2R00zV4VoSRFhYacltugD8jhA-W1X5elTrWl_nbMdpKGelzSk0m8Bnuy9-1oTkYOoxU3VT59mvyFYHLufI19cHQ3o6fuZvx7gaw9sgbuYsFcVRhwHWEcrA2JXTTISJQTV8uM3xUhvDe75QOTh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWYhsnP7dIy-FjuatA4iANezQ3p2FQKuoR6YnOyN2qyFI2R00zV4VoSRFhYacltugD8jhA-W1X5elTrWl_nbMdpKGelzSk0m8Bnuy9-1oTkYOoxU3VT59mvyFYHLufI19cHQ3o6fuZvx7gaw9sgbuYsFcVRhwHWEcrA2JXTTISJQTV8uM3xUhvDe75QOTh=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br />I gave four stars to this novel about a Caucasian man with a fetish for Asian girls and women, and about the young woman who means to kill him for the suicide of her mother, his one time lover. <p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaad8rT5TrWqvs8IU_GvbpVOZGEjLT1BmveOrKKsEwxdsT0rJ9Mh9iFU8NFcXBqV1pSuCNoRARXvnkNXrd_xLcxNJDe-5tB7QQXxDsSq5SuWbHSWBbGYYSG2zFHIIUOlwDSpRpzEomFFjxaSP5RGsMfv2lRX5GW1_7Q5HXxd8JMlcPADl477v4e1V-RZSP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="388" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaad8rT5TrWqvs8IU_GvbpVOZGEjLT1BmveOrKKsEwxdsT0rJ9Mh9iFU8NFcXBqV1pSuCNoRARXvnkNXrd_xLcxNJDe-5tB7QQXxDsSq5SuWbHSWBbGYYSG2zFHIIUOlwDSpRpzEomFFjxaSP5RGsMfv2lRX5GW1_7Q5HXxd8JMlcPADl477v4e1V-RZSP=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br />A three star for this thriller set in Iceland, about two people considered murdered, one a twelve year old girl and the other a young woman. A police procedural with a deliberate question mark at the end.<p></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Currently reading </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8VSbQliaIJ_Ry1E6dcBkjwaog1s6C8wCcXKOtPOf3Naa1-2kOaBVsIkcB-tQ784o5Vc2tcfOqTnDB4gJeJzuN9Lpu_fvubkbUk30hAnj1IsStAqxzh-rbdh4kqOaVFx5AlDSIF51tQrQpymyMlXcorKasjY_2s6WsQ2FmVmx-2zpQGRhyuV3DfZV03K7j" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="392" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8VSbQliaIJ_Ry1E6dcBkjwaog1s6C8wCcXKOtPOf3Naa1-2kOaBVsIkcB-tQ784o5Vc2tcfOqTnDB4gJeJzuN9Lpu_fvubkbUk30hAnj1IsStAqxzh-rbdh4kqOaVFx5AlDSIF51tQrQpymyMlXcorKasjY_2s6WsQ2FmVmx-2zpQGRhyuV3DfZV03K7j=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>I like that the plot develops different angles to keep the reader interested in this rom com that at first seems totally predictable but is not, except for the ending, of course. Did these two former high school sweethearts later get married in Vegas, or not? Entertaining read.</p><p>All the books are from NetGalley.</p><p>What are you reading this week? </p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #436590; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="background-color: white; color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-27288219653389070082024-01-11T12:02:00.002-05:002024-01-11T12:03:46.676-05:00How to Live Japanese by Yutaka Yazawa: Review<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9cXgGNHLFPDYLFcQY6jFWU5i-J3fGxyg0o0ij1vZJT_aA63ciPPIwBzVsHmoRycUK4gwHFPGz7gYCo9AGwiD-1pfuj-f8-e_c1cqchYfI4rIA1_4anBSLAssRX_BxpSq8aWQ_N8qOYx1yZmCO3ZX3mlmK7inYoF5fK_gvis_ryUBr1FMiyqMvcFiELt6l" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="345" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9cXgGNHLFPDYLFcQY6jFWU5i-J3fGxyg0o0ij1vZJT_aA63ciPPIwBzVsHmoRycUK4gwHFPGz7gYCo9AGwiD-1pfuj-f8-e_c1cqchYfI4rIA1_4anBSLAssRX_BxpSq8aWQ_N8qOYx1yZmCO3ZX3mlmK7inYoF5fK_gvis_ryUBr1FMiyqMvcFiELt6l=w295-h400" width="295" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="pb-2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0.375rem;"><h1 class="mb-1 py-0 pt-6 pt-md-0" itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #5c7f92; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0.1875rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">How to Live Japanese</span></h1></div><div class="medium-gray-text mb-0 pb-4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 1.125rem;"><h2 itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">by <span itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Yutaka Yazawa</span></span></h2><div><span itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="pb-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px;"><div class="publication-dates" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><h6 class="pb-1" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.1875rem;"><span style="font-weight: 500;">Pub Date </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: normal;"><span aria-label="11 October 2018" content="2018-10-11" itemprop="datePublished" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span aria-hidden="true" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span>11 Oct 2018</span></h6><h6 class="pb-1" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.1875rem;"><a href="https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/publisher/82664" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 500; text-decoration-line: none;"><span itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Quarto Publishing Group - Aurum Press,</span> </a><span itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 500;">White Lion Publishing, NetGalley</span></h6></span></div></div></span></div></div><p>Detailed and very readable book with sections covering the history, geography and topography of Japan, as well as the religions, cuisine, cultural traditions, famous landmarks and more.</p><p>This book would be good background reading for anyone traveling to Japan, to help make the land, the people, and the customs easily understandable. Religious celebrations, festivals, holidays, are all included in easy to understand and fluid prose.</p><p>Outstanding to me were descriptions of Mt. Fuji and its importance, mountain walking and trekking that are popular for so many, onsens and hot spring resorts, the unique preparation of food as in sushi and more, the geisha tradition and history, pottery making in the Kyoto region and elsewhere, other arts and crafts, farming and fishing occupations, religious festivals and celebrations.</p><p>Those already familiar with Japan will recognize many of the sections' information, and see these from the Japanese-born author's point of view. I enjoyed reading about what was new to me and what I was already familiar with.</p><p><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><h1 class="authorName" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); color: #333333; float: left; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 4px 0px; top: 0px; width: 625px;"><span itemprop="name">Yutaka Yazawa</span></h1></div><p><br class="clear" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #181818; display: block; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px;" /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr9dk0HQBo3_-TIdXQH2Q5ZH67hPg9DydiyPrEgwfrriUOcKckrJ6yqABIF6boDv7Pu0jtpiy1bB6_oM5zcoUhuLFaoWMQjae-s1p2HY3EwLpBA8P8B0aLh5Fx9QwNUxmY08OGw3zaOh-sFKilZ3ZuNbXoBLmyiwhlrNIhJ37WlG3JGAO34kFKHcP1Q-aS" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr9dk0HQBo3_-TIdXQH2Q5ZH67hPg9DydiyPrEgwfrriUOcKckrJ6yqABIF6boDv7Pu0jtpiy1bB6_oM5zcoUhuLFaoWMQjae-s1p2HY3EwLpBA8P8B0aLh5Fx9QwNUxmY08OGw3zaOh-sFKilZ3ZuNbXoBLmyiwhlrNIhJ37WlG3JGAO34kFKHcP1Q-aS=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><p><br class="clear" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #181818; display: block; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 0px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px;" /></p><div class="aboutAuthorInfo" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 21px;"><div style="float: right;">Having spent university and early career years in London, Yutaka Yazawa decided to return to his childhood home of Tokyo. After a long career travelling in law, he decided to make the switch to writer. He has also written <i>The Little Book of Japanese Living. </i></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-91952823710589285942024-01-06T07:41:00.008-05:002024-01-14T06:52:34.802-05:00Sunday Salon: Books for the Beginning of 2024 <p><b> My b<span style="font-size: medium;">ooks to start off the new year </span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My rom com, cozy mystery request was finally approved, just in time for Chinese/Lunar New Year 2024, which begins February 10 </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeJMM10N593NhFgyJ2PiQ43H3ZZPwX19upshzcoFCGSPWyDdKMBWAuyIOMajJySpBg6JNT5v9dWOJ1jdLo47RNOoM2rfqTx0XcWxbPlsuFMZmxZq2JbKhcfJAAo_NOR8dICcTorJJhE37DkrraXAm-JQuc205iMo4zMAdBugPmVPARNlRlNmmF2yVmAi7V" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="383" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeJMM10N593NhFgyJ2PiQ43H3ZZPwX19upshzcoFCGSPWyDdKMBWAuyIOMajJySpBg6JNT5v9dWOJ1jdLo47RNOoM2rfqTx0XcWxbPlsuFMZmxZq2JbKhcfJAAo_NOR8dICcTorJJhE37DkrraXAm-JQuc205iMo4zMAdBugPmVPARNlRlNmmF2yVmAi7V=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5978187547"><b>The Good, the Bad and the Aunties </b></a> by Jesse Q. Sutanto</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">March 26, 2024; Berkley, NetGalley</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Setting: Jakarta, Indonesia</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Book description:</i> What should have been a family celebration of Chinese New Year descends into chaos when longtime foes crash the party in this hilariously entertaining novel by the author of Dial A for Aunties.</span></span><br style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: start;" /><br style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: start;" /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: start;">After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;">Meddy and her Aunties however become helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta’s most powerful business factions. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission—but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible…</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Click on title to see my review</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>This next book title grabbed my attention</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOPX7k12X2rv9tkcFysThZIglPgDtpTmHCpHqYwUxbrzPvNnKcMKssFFaDylYU24KN6610zNq7xmy9SQNz6NF2XKzayy8SHiDCoAj7PyrwI05KVeUbjNOCDUAncEqi3gsRPw1eiWjo9mQCI8hrli-w3jFbqRUYGTkGkKb6YuF5YUqg_gET7pEYlXqLnI2Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="365" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOPX7k12X2rv9tkcFysThZIglPgDtpTmHCpHqYwUxbrzPvNnKcMKssFFaDylYU24KN6610zNq7xmy9SQNz6NF2XKzayy8SHiDCoAj7PyrwI05KVeUbjNOCDUAncEqi3gsRPw1eiWjo9mQCI8hrli-w3jFbqRUYGTkGkKb6YuF5YUqg_gET7pEYlXqLnI2Q=w280-h400" width="280" /></a></div><i><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199119054-lula-dean-s-little-library-of-banned-books"><b>Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books</b></a><br /></i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Book description:</i> A</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"> bracing, wildly entertaining satire about a small Southern town set in Georgia, a pitched battle over banned books, and a little lending library that changes everything</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;">Publication: June 18, 2024; William Morrow, NetGalley<br />Click to see my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199119054-lula-dean-s-little-library-of-banned-books"><b>review</b></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><b>A collection of short stories also caught my eye</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvaoihSTnO5alrOEYg0Oh4BIrnZYn7Jrn2S78a_Ew9gtS66DoB4OvOX6YKi0Jc4TQbAvu4Gk7tY2HB0yxR6x8E4fkXB4jlBf-Tl1ifjOub3iwH0hiOJKhI-QSlTjtn0ob7WoZh-RdDL8DFqZ6ZRUi1KFzHj9qLYEto3eE05iFalpNdr_QidgmGmSjP421P" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="198" data-original-width="134" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvaoihSTnO5alrOEYg0Oh4BIrnZYn7Jrn2S78a_Ew9gtS66DoB4OvOX6YKi0Jc4TQbAvu4Gk7tY2HB0yxR6x8E4fkXB4jlBf-Tl1ifjOub3iwH0hiOJKhI-QSlTjtn0ob7WoZh-RdDL8DFqZ6ZRUi1KFzHj9qLYEto3eE05iFalpNdr_QidgmGmSjP421P=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div><br /><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><i>Book description</i>: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Un-Inquired is the confession of refugees, families, and lovers. It chronicles the stories of those who are struggling to find their voice in society and discover themselves, recollecting their trauma and memories, from the loss of a foster brother in a shooting incident to the hallucinations of a Japanese American immigrant with schizophrenia. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">An antiheroic tale of finding a way to survive in a world, the collection is at times emotional and tender, at times melancholy, lonely, and wryly introspective.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Publication: January 12, 2024; Querencia Press, NetGalley</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>Can't omit a thriller</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpgf1X-tQG9DjlZuEZIjfPXDaq37F5aEa_PXZ_LQ-L_Z956IaODrYP40Jt7BIZLEbdvLaf-micCc9Ro1d_qUpQoabGnUQ9EB6HQSbax80a42gt6TraEMB-Db4dLSskEYS1lyMFkmPs80Lc1qFlFbDRk4Q3pRrmsYwPki7zA6SGQZ465ADaOwFtF5KseZns" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="384" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpgf1X-tQG9DjlZuEZIjfPXDaq37F5aEa_PXZ_LQ-L_Z956IaODrYP40Jt7BIZLEbdvLaf-micCc9Ro1d_qUpQoabGnUQ9EB6HQSbax80a42gt6TraEMB-Db4dLSskEYS1lyMFkmPs80Lc1qFlFbDRk4Q3pRrmsYwPki7zA6SGQZ465ADaOwFtF5KseZns=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br />The title <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6166316176">The Plus One</a> and book cover made me request this ARC</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Book description:</i> </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;">The wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Josh at a luxury resort in Cabos</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"> will mark the union of two influential and wealthy Indian-American families. No expense will be spared for what Radhika and Raj have coined “R&R,” a week of rest, relaxation, and celebrating their love. </span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Shaylee “Shay” Kapoor is an outsider, dating Raj’s best friend, Caleb Prescott III, and is sucked into this world of wealth and excess. But on the morning of the wedding festivities, the wedding coordinator Daniela makes a frightening discovery: Raj and Radhika are dead, gunshots to the head.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Shay may be an outsider but she may be the only person with enough perspective to untangle everyone’s lies, and discover the motive for the murder. See my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6166316176"><b>review</b></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>And for later, a book on the Booker Prize 2024 list</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzVQ8LKFcu61BAjXTNYpbBxch9gwniRX09THHWRVFhcjpTMW7IvLyt3O6XpCQr-C-Y5XQKAzcWosbU_tDhHpyJgTqiJ2bvq2L2lSJGCSHzHjQyLYylfPkYWsuSuazA1-oAlC9YhRGFXohrmcZdu2eNLGFG_MPndhe0dr0O3bcihEkUDgJ1TwM155FH-Ppe" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1625" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzVQ8LKFcu61BAjXTNYpbBxch9gwniRX09THHWRVFhcjpTMW7IvLyt3O6XpCQr-C-Y5XQKAzcWosbU_tDhHpyJgTqiJ2bvq2L2lSJGCSHzHjQyLYylfPkYWsuSuazA1-oAlC9YhRGFXohrmcZdu2eNLGFG_MPndhe0dr0O3bcihEkUDgJ1TwM155FH-Ppe=w405-h640" width="405" /></a></div></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><i>Book Description:</i> Memorably introduced by Ishiguro himself, <i>The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain</i> collects the lyrics of sixteen songs he wrote for world-renowned American singer Stacey Kent, which were set to music by her partner, Jim Tomlinson. An exquisite coming together of the literary and musical worlds, the lyrics are infused with a sense of yearning, melancholy, love, and the romance of travel and liminal spaces.</span><br style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;" /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1e1915;">Illustrated by the acclaimed Italian artist Bianca Bagnarelli</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1e1915;">Publication: March 5, 2024; Knopf </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><i>What are your first reads for 2024?</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: 21.78px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-77444678887856132282024-01-03T07:38:00.000-05:002024-01-03T07:38:03.362-05:00Book Tour: The Spice Maker's Secret by Renita D'Silva<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbTjHhXsHLjp6huEzvRZBFMr2Mq7DciNp7aTLx_pppBtieSJhzygZOjsFB8EfYuGJJ1ZyG6RAY6B7Qbi7C7HjBZOfRJTppX_S5xm8Xei5x4yAEzOt8tfgbTq-4zP0iAuS36ZY86Rvefn8suknuJsOlxSRlmukOYcysaiGXRjVRmXIPuV2jgQmKx7uV7BS5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="408" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbTjHhXsHLjp6huEzvRZBFMr2Mq7DciNp7aTLx_pppBtieSJhzygZOjsFB8EfYuGJJ1ZyG6RAY6B7Qbi7C7HjBZOfRJTppX_S5xm8Xei5x4yAEzOt8tfgbTq-4zP0iAuS36ZY86Rvefn8suknuJsOlxSRlmukOYcysaiGXRjVRmXIPuV2jgQmKx7uV7BS5=w250-h400" width="250" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201891443-the-spice-maker-s-secret?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=4BBneosqNQ&rank=1"><b>The Spice Maker's Secret</b></a> by Renita D'Silva, historical fiction<br /><p></p><p>Publication: January 3, 2024; Bookouture, NetGalley</p><p>I enjoyed the sweet romance that developed in an Indian village between Bindu, the poor teenage tenant of a rich landowner, and Guru, the landowner's young son. That Guru did not let Bindu's low status prevent him from wooing her was an interesting part of the plot. </p><p>However, when society's strict rules and the landowner's own restrictions put Bindu, his son's new young wife, in a golden cage, so to speak, Bindu rebels in the only way she can, convincing her wealthy husband to allow her to continue making her spice pastes and to cook, but also secretly submitting her poetry and stories to a publication run by a handsome British journalist. Bindu is not allowed to read magazines or discuss politics with any of the Indian or British guests at the many parties the landowner throws. </p><p>The tragedy of Bindu and Guru's ill fated marriage takes up most of the rest of the novel. The story switches from unhappy Bindu in 1930s India to Eve, a young woman living in1980s London. The novel later reveals the connection between the two women living in different historical periods in a dramatic fashion.</p><p>Heartrending, the novel first shows the restricted lives of women, poor and wealthy alike, in pre-Independence India, and focuses on Bindu, one woman who chafes at these rules and the price she pays for her independent spirit. </p><p>The author has given a startlingly clear depiction of both the rich and green land of India and the tropical surroundings, the relationship between those in poverty and those of wealth, and the role of women in 1930s India. </p><p>I heartily recommend this historical novel for those wanting to know more about the social and working life and the culture and traditions of people in this era in India.</p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><i>Author Bio:</i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline: none !important;"><div style="outline: none !important;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; outline: none !important;">Renita grew up in a picturesque coastal village in the South of India, the oldest of three children. Her father got her first story books when she was six and she fell in love with the world of stories. Even now she prefers that world, by far, to this.<br style="outline: none !important;" /></span></div><div style="outline: none !important;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; outline: none !important;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RenitaDSilvaBooks/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #196ad4; outline: none !important;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/RenitaDSilvaBooks/</a><br style="outline: none !important;" /></span></div><div style="outline: none !important;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; outline: none !important;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/renita_dsilva/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #196ad4; outline: none !important;" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/renita_dsilva/</a><br style="outline: none !important;" /></span></div><div style="outline: none !important;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; outline: none !important;"><a href="https://twitter.com/renitadsilva" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #196ad4; outline: none !important;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/renitadsilva</a></span></div><br style="outline: none !important;" />Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Renita D'Silva here: <a class="yiv7794346078gmail-text-blue yiv7794346078gmail-underline yiv7794346078gmail-focus-visible" href="https://www.bookouture.com/renita-dsilva" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #166ee1; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, sans-serif, "Color UI UI sans-serif"; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">https://www.bookouture.com/renita-dsilva</a><br style="outline: none !important;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline: none !important;"><span id="yiv7794346078m_766416837905376640m_-38446458085397319m_-8652252648996529376m_-4416612925820108371m_-2069351641265084107m_3008461595351806326m_-7428164645437775773m_8050745791102227605gmail-docs-internal-guid-ad9724fe-7fff-404b-8902-961103715abb" style="outline: none !important;"><div id="yiv7794346078m_766416837905376640m_-38446458085397319m_-8652252648996529376m_-4416612925820108371m_-2069351641265084107m_3008461595351806326m_9012240963026359861m_-8425479225909833228m_7880828933173612508m_5345965995599664673gmail-m_3474795997382460705gmail-m_1029938957459984764gmail-m_3881260143591135979gmail-m_-6494429825066171834gmail-m_3958366834699014120gmail-m_3168936485919324208gmail-m_-4079418143467602049gmail-m_7108136379586302244gmail-m_667951917180599911gmail-m_8299982591504187686gmail-m_2977599041993897931gmail-m_-3975060485905940328gmail-m_7201681074280618043gmail-m_-2464455175299363615yMail_cursorElementTracker_1626716992070" style="outline: none !important;"></div><div id="yiv7794346078m_766416837905376640m_-38446458085397319m_-8652252648996529376m_-4416612925820108371m_-2069351641265084107m_3008461595351806326m_9012240963026359861m_-8425479225909833228m_7880828933173612508m_5345965995599664673gmail-m_3474795997382460705gmail-m_1029938957459984764gmail-m_3881260143591135979gmail-m_-6494429825066171834gmail-m_3958366834699014120gmail-m_3168936485919324208gmail-m_-4079418143467602049gmail-m_7108136379586302244gmail-m_667951917180599911gmail-m_8299982591504187686gmail-m_2977599041993897931gmail-m_-3975060485905940328gmail-m_7201681074280618043gmail-m_-2464455175299363615yMail_cursorElementTracker_1626716992070" style="outline: none !important;"><br style="outline: none !important;" /></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline: none !important;">Buy Link:</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline: none !important;">Amazon: <span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #166ee1; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, sans-serif, "Color UI UI sans-serif"; outline: none !important; text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://geni.us/B0CLL11Z8Qsocial" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #196ad4; outline: none !important;" target="_blank">https://geni.us/B0CLL11Z8Qsocial</a></span></div><p><i>Thanks to Bookouture for providing access to this novel for their book tour.</i></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-55242653691255266062023-12-30T08:11:00.006-05:002023-12-30T11:38:09.203-05:00New Year's Eve and Favorite Books This Year: Sunday Salon<p> <b>Happy New Year's Eve to you and a Happy New Year of prosperity, good health, and fabulous friends. </b><b>If you don't have any of those, then what you're looking for is in the library.</b></p><p><b> </b></p>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63274127-what-you-are-looking-for-is-in-the-library"><b></b></a><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63274127-what-you-are-looking-for-is-in-the-library"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjKxHM2oxknQIc-9aA6PwLPnmKh-odRaZgCWPLfkJA9a74CFlKH6n2v1wP5NcQJ9gl471XbplrGIGHLMRS_LHys5ztOAxqv6swSVmZCDh9cuzIq7_Yehk0JfzHb1BHOglVQ77sMpFptDryZKmcHtkiUH5-qe3xN90PihjNmvdDUz9ye6yHlQMkOc-Ku7m-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="346" data-original-width="249" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjKxHM2oxknQIc-9aA6PwLPnmKh-odRaZgCWPLfkJA9a74CFlKH6n2v1wP5NcQJ9gl471XbplrGIGHLMRS_LHys5ztOAxqv6swSVmZCDh9cuzIq7_Yehk0JfzHb1BHOglVQ77sMpFptDryZKmcHtkiUH5-qe3xN90PihjNmvdDUz9ye6yHlQMkOc-Ku7m-=w288-h400" width="288" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123191812-what-you-are-looking-for-is-in-the-library">What You Are Looking for is in the Library</a></b> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18144498.Michiko_Aoyama">Michiko Aoyama</a><div>Published August 10, 2023; Doubleday</div><div>Genre: literary fiction, Japan<br /><br />
I loved the story of how an eccentric, all knowing community center librarian directs five different people to books that will answer their life questions and even change their lives. I also learned about a handcraft new to me - making manga characters through felting. The five characters in question receive a felt mascot along with book recommendations from the librarian, who credits her acumen about people and what they need to "inspiration". <br /><br />The different ways in which the characters are affected by their mascots and by the library and the recommended books are the major themes of the novel. This is a book I'd gladly read over again and again.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Here are just a few of the <b>books I found noteworthy in 2023.</b> They may not have been all time favorites but they sure packed a punch. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b> <span style="font-size: medium;">Memoirs/Non-fiction</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNGxWtVwZCGkJtH-SiR4PXqGfiJe7Gpoc_0njwZBlcqxNvRxxJ1SuSDezPJvQmi2ZkUtwPj5gBwapT3zm-KwfXECNn9uuXMJzpssTiCCMux00yi9QGAMdHDB3iUkJU4w6whfi2LZMwzBbKGjRXzVWQeHxhRUiBtwlt1Uvo0RwCoib4H_vCbGAbgsEO5QN3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="768" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNGxWtVwZCGkJtH-SiR4PXqGfiJe7Gpoc_0njwZBlcqxNvRxxJ1SuSDezPJvQmi2ZkUtwPj5gBwapT3zm-KwfXECNn9uuXMJzpssTiCCMux00yi9QGAMdHDB3iUkJU4w6whfi2LZMwzBbKGjRXzVWQeHxhRUiBtwlt1Uvo0RwCoib4H_vCbGAbgsEO5QN3" width="155" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLG54CFLvSpmNDWIeknR0zpxa6_wJiBkciWRg_owebj391-9SYcAcMbgcGT55dyEYKFhO3QdlifjCJYfXNg7Kd9xeXsS-zlbJAABaJ9sKnGgdqZ4sChHQ2sbiJZDYGs4TeP3O2AsaXn1t1Lf7S98YCtESC3dmWjFrnW7MdUJnrA-nQWWyGYQ9a7Zp_cpJl" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="153" data-original-width="98" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLG54CFLvSpmNDWIeknR0zpxa6_wJiBkciWRg_owebj391-9SYcAcMbgcGT55dyEYKFhO3QdlifjCJYfXNg7Kd9xeXsS-zlbJAABaJ9sKnGgdqZ4sChHQ2sbiJZDYGs4TeP3O2AsaXn1t1Lf7S98YCtESC3dmWjFrnW7MdUJnrA-nQWWyGYQ9a7Zp_cpJl" width="154" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMQvWV1cYZRxkMDTObRoxcYrz2z2qbbIwkF4qVBDrYfYOwrkjx9GtBYTF6ujkUe9p-o47qSVH0-RDwGYQ2yNVfyqB7qyR8PUvDQDibVDmYpwicKOQnnM9sdLx9i8gVkYb1yl_sbCxB74tMDZzZocDT7xU_ApzDnRKRZ3LS0N1CRMG1UwAn3KCi6jIAksfK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="152" data-original-width="98" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMQvWV1cYZRxkMDTObRoxcYrz2z2qbbIwkF4qVBDrYfYOwrkjx9GtBYTF6ujkUe9p-o47qSVH0-RDwGYQ2yNVfyqB7qyR8PUvDQDibVDmYpwicKOQnnM9sdLx9i8gVkYb1yl_sbCxB74tMDZzZocDT7xU_ApzDnRKRZ3LS0N1CRMG1UwAn3KCi6jIAksfK" width="155" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj82W9zcAfp92Jc9bPT00j8Phtnz7AZwc1WZp2ZvRU1_N2Sqp3oLEhfi5RYi_IX1yzc6uSvHZDzUPLtpyQkfJNrIqtvcbk_gjTR6vqgs-VarPs324u2GWveoyQnk6Rn8YHzYPbnUKyaSUxutNfPCq5QBhMrSlweT-p1lIfqaMEWNN60yvGIR7UH8aFxE08L" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="98" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj82W9zcAfp92Jc9bPT00j8Phtnz7AZwc1WZp2ZvRU1_N2Sqp3oLEhfi5RYi_IX1yzc6uSvHZDzUPLtpyQkfJNrIqtvcbk_gjTR6vqgs-VarPs324u2GWveoyQnk6Rn8YHzYPbnUKyaSUxutNfPCq5QBhMrSlweT-p1lIfqaMEWNN60yvGIR7UH8aFxE08L" width="156" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Fiction</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWfSajHGdw0U1LqQcdqP1r3uKNKR0rff8hA3o-utLDjy04sJ2zd_pX9nrRcWB20nAZhyrqoIs5iWetVKnjIvz1o4TJPFOapa5qUK1QQmPVdhyYO22u7VAWiZQdpXb33dxClH6qD89mpfk7kV2fZLXgDPgyT097PacR_Wojtpo4-sTxK-fuk_XQgz_f3Rm1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1593" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWfSajHGdw0U1LqQcdqP1r3uKNKR0rff8hA3o-utLDjy04sJ2zd_pX9nrRcWB20nAZhyrqoIs5iWetVKnjIvz1o4TJPFOapa5qUK1QQmPVdhyYO22u7VAWiZQdpXb33dxClH6qD89mpfk7kV2fZLXgDPgyT097PacR_Wojtpo4-sTxK-fuk_XQgz_f3Rm1" width="159" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTLoEJFxwgXuHnZKl2w0m9AflVvl1b8TNPssGwJNwBT1fM1qEq2Iodq0kgrtHH-K3qYwfGs0rrYBzOhFUbIv4O8UyG2ZUuko2eWeU3vCeyI1-ceOgLkUHvLGzFJHdblzM8SgZjM8KXdmLNyso-hiQ-bvQDGtrgS7QXUzHvqh1JXiQ6jvk_4zowUGjNgGtQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="98" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTLoEJFxwgXuHnZKl2w0m9AflVvl1b8TNPssGwJNwBT1fM1qEq2Iodq0kgrtHH-K3qYwfGs0rrYBzOhFUbIv4O8UyG2ZUuko2eWeU3vCeyI1-ceOgLkUHvLGzFJHdblzM8SgZjM8KXdmLNyso-hiQ-bvQDGtrgS7QXUzHvqh1JXiQ6jvk_4zowUGjNgGtQ" width="160" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiu75Bs_eQ6myK0iADEE9e9Kqb5icVshYmFQCmwHVo9BrNsnDyTq98owxAz_tCbUqhDzSIxGqPJySKImcyRNZ1gEDVAMu579KVKB9bVkA-yPaQf0Jo6Gn7TFsTI7ERqAa1yYnkcUypzHtsU1GXuaVZQMIoXxkp54AXonGRGGc-k3zVLOOVPmceCl4xDvoq0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="98" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiu75Bs_eQ6myK0iADEE9e9Kqb5icVshYmFQCmwHVo9BrNsnDyTq98owxAz_tCbUqhDzSIxGqPJySKImcyRNZ1gEDVAMu579KVKB9bVkA-yPaQf0Jo6Gn7TFsTI7ERqAa1yYnkcUypzHtsU1GXuaVZQMIoXxkp54AXonGRGGc-k3zVLOOVPmceCl4xDvoq0" width="159" /></a></div><br /><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="98" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8ZgPrNvU-n2MlGTQp7yqb8PAiPRMTLGnojnxErQ504OcFaUhItzBNy0a1fPXWRDO6lLf4autPlJduRUZVHhSh5u1kmLXLxscSn5l_8AW5K7She33j7b3uZpg1nsJfzLiA-9Q0cxP9knBVzEcQp5XcneNrPnxXjTXcdmSwbOxZAcZH44cs306QEzChoMnM" width="158" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi6YpciFAHzVZUWpxHWHEewfF4KXvGNsz_lEmJCMlBB7yZNZBNRXxKJLIDYthWgQ6HyfPXoYQO-38JIiDl1YMIhc409uXWjjlPGNYgEbgxcc5ovEltubtaVRZxYjSNYNghxK0-qawgxlnr7zfByhPRvZ5YmW45knJHQ-kTyqhi6nZuFq_8uo1Ou-_ePGQW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="98" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi6YpciFAHzVZUWpxHWHEewfF4KXvGNsz_lEmJCMlBB7yZNZBNRXxKJLIDYthWgQ6HyfPXoYQO-38JIiDl1YMIhc409uXWjjlPGNYgEbgxcc5ovEltubtaVRZxYjSNYNghxK0-qawgxlnr7zfByhPRvZ5YmW45knJHQ-kTyqhi6nZuFq_8uo1Ou-_ePGQW" width="159" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCxA7Ax0GuO7BP1qnK8wFPwpTCYuKYRbsd0SEkfOZhtqhZTc8s-Yxm7hDBSnnv4Yl8iygwn5dcYIYoRLQVuMhy312WIVHnQpG64G2pNsap-SKQ6VFS2fFu0lVP6EQBPhzg4AYamaV-2yPI9ajYfj7vbCRRgFlZMNjWFsu-qFAne2uZ5-XRvbqlTHKMD_N7" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="98" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCxA7Ax0GuO7BP1qnK8wFPwpTCYuKYRbsd0SEkfOZhtqhZTc8s-Yxm7hDBSnnv4Yl8iygwn5dcYIYoRLQVuMhy312WIVHnQpG64G2pNsap-SKQ6VFS2fFu0lVP6EQBPhzg4AYamaV-2yPI9ajYfj7vbCRRgFlZMNjWFsu-qFAne2uZ5-XRvbqlTHKMD_N7" width="158" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>I could add more and more books that were impressive and that I enjoyed, but I have to stop listing sometime.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's wishing you again a new year of good reading and super enjoyable books.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i style="background-color: white; color: #151515; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #151515; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: left;"><br /></i></div> </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hosted by </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mailbox Monday</a></div><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-67086397321597015782023-12-23T05:19:00.013-05:002023-12-25T08:26:34.868-05:00Contemporary Fiction Without Tropes: Sunday Salon <p><b>Trope free</b>: </p><p>I found two upcoming novels that are contemporary fiction/women's adult fiction that have none of the tropes that fuel so many modern plots. In other words, the situations created in both books can't be explained by the standard plot formulas. I'm not sure I liked the books very much, though I did give them three and four stars.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwfB5lON3UR_hVnKBFPQf8HAKXB38kqDNEuHj1YqBIvlumcShw6fCjNnO3z6L9bR9DeG9gAa5EJH7HsjVsO4JjNzPk65UeuS7CnUSg3liMjKaw5u-ZEUOgzpKEBnbwyDYbKEjIEeJyqiRPf8X5x3QTL7HsSKsYZL-0OeKC62mKy0MfdFRvfzkFERFIH0bH" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="648" data-original-width="429" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwfB5lON3UR_hVnKBFPQf8HAKXB38kqDNEuHj1YqBIvlumcShw6fCjNnO3z6L9bR9DeG9gAa5EJH7HsjVsO4JjNzPk65UeuS7CnUSg3liMjKaw5u-ZEUOgzpKEBnbwyDYbKEjIEeJyqiRPf8X5x3QTL7HsSKsYZL-0OeKC62mKy0MfdFRvfzkFERFIH0bH=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199534613-margo-s-got-money-troubles"><b>Margo's Got Money Troubles</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276904.Rufi_Thorpe">Rufi Thorpe</a><div>Publication: June 11, 2024; William Morrow, NetGalley</div><div>Genre: contemporary fiction, adult fiction<br /><br />Margo Millet, impressionable student, becomes pregnant by her junior college professor Mark, who wants nothing to do with her decision to keep the baby. The novel follows her struggles to make enough money to survive - by using social media, getting followers, and making them pay for her various online services. I was amazed at the ways Margo makes money online. In a slightly pornographic way, she gets paid to describe pictures of male private parts, and also writes brief essays, on demand, for people who give her their writing prompts. Because she is creative in her writing, she gets attention and soon is making enough money with her web activities.<br /><br />This means of making income must happen a lot in real life, I came to the conclusion, and it's interesting to be reading a book about it. There is romance at the end but this book is in no way a rom com. That Margo is able to retain sole custody of her child when the father later surfaces and demands custody, is cleverly plotted.<br /><br />This is a book for people who are social media fans and who interact with others online in a significant way. The book was an eye opener for me about the direction our society is going in relation to the web and social media. <br /><br />Though what Margo does in the beginning was morally iffy and barely legal, she finds ways to monetize her online activity and later heads into advertising and a more acceptable way of supporting herself.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVTDLP4bNPPp_aj8TCFLGdSL3fRsPfW8W4DKGoz-fWyAH5aoz42szmmiab2oTV8clocSBs_Gb2dtyAaFtNCnq0hrTs2NoB8-tehSW6qKn48eHD7cRsJiaEc5rZ-OFHpKkLjuPji6W55B-pTqAkhHMA39lVbaZlTrdx8M9mXYngBf3AWtBIX9Agha0kPgG2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="387" data-original-width="255" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVTDLP4bNPPp_aj8TCFLGdSL3fRsPfW8W4DKGoz-fWyAH5aoz42szmmiab2oTV8clocSBs_Gb2dtyAaFtNCnq0hrTs2NoB8-tehSW6qKn48eHD7cRsJiaEc5rZ-OFHpKkLjuPji6W55B-pTqAkhHMA39lVbaZlTrdx8M9mXYngBf3AWtBIX9Agha0kPgG2=w421-h640" width="421" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200987323-i-hope-this-finds-you-well" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b>I Hope This Finds You Well: A Novel</b></a><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"> by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22714951.Natalie_Sue" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Natalie Sue</a></div><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Publication in May 21, 2024; William Morrow, NetGalley</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Genre: women's fiction, contemporary fiction, adult fiction</p><i>My take on this book:</i> I admit it was difficult to spend my reading time about a group of uninteresting, uninspiring, petty and unfriendly, unfunny group of people, people that main character, Jolene, works with in her drab office for 40 hours a week. Until the new Human Resources manager, Cliff, arrives, her life was not only boring, but very pathetic. How and why she stayed in that particular job for so long was not immediately clear.<div><br />Told in the first person, the novel has Jolene eventually opening up and finding a few worthwhile things about some of her office mates that made them a little less unlikeable. Nevertheless, it was not easy to keep reading about this uninspiring group. I kept wanting things to move in another direction. Realistic people and realistic workplace, you might say.<br /><br />That Jolene found her "true" self in the end helped, especially after working through guilt about a past incident in her life that could explain why she remained so long in that job. I was glad Cliff came to her rescue.<div><div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span>What's on your reading schedule t</span>his week and/or the rest of the</i><span 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif;"><b> </b></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">month?</i></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><br /></i></span></div><div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">hosted by </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: center;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Mailbox Monday</a></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Wishing you all happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year's Eve! </span></p></div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-4245173687683738252023-12-16T10:06:00.009-05:002023-12-18T07:21:42.460-05:00Cats in Japanese Fiction: Sunday Salon<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2023</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK2NYRg1UxI6FWq7EmD2Kql-iLj319OYMaHW5hXC5eqznvd64Bd1qaLvNCzd6NAkTfqlrnPdZTcXG9lpGnFsRfjC5JDiSFCxsU6fIrMRK_Fw1BhjdiHwTrT6g0BGAviF8oUF5c5KwCot7bMgQa7VzZ_W9fY4Ty13rp7ixD8u3DB2qWL0P5UMmfIHSVt2Dm" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK2NYRg1UxI6FWq7EmD2Kql-iLj319OYMaHW5hXC5eqznvd64Bd1qaLvNCzd6NAkTfqlrnPdZTcXG9lpGnFsRfjC5JDiSFCxsU6fIrMRK_Fw1BhjdiHwTrT6g0BGAviF8oUF5c5KwCot7bMgQa7VzZ_W9fY4Ty13rp7ixD8u3DB2qWL0P5UMmfIHSVt2Dm=w400-h210" width="400" /></a></div></div><p></p><div class="headerImageContainer" style="align-items: center; background-color: white; color: #1e1915; display: flex; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; justify-content: space-evenly; margin-top: 24px; text-align: center;"><div class="headerImageContainer__avatarOrCount" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1;"><div class="headerImageContainer__count" style="line-height: 40px; word-break: break-all;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">49,550</span></div><div class="headerImageContainer__countLabel"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">pages read</span></div></div><div class="headerImageContainer__avatarOrCount" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2185693-harvee" style="color: #00635d; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img alt="Harvee" class="headerImageContainer__profileImage" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1238722275i/2185693._UY70_CR17,0,70,70_.jpg" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 0px; height: 70px; width: 70px;" /></span></a></div><div class="headerImageContainer__avatarOrCount" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1;"><div class="headerImageContainer__count" style="line-height: 40px; word-break: break-all;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">159</span></div><div class="headerImageContainer__countLabel"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">books read</span></div></div></div><p></p><div class="headerNameContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Lato; margin-top: 24px; text-align: center;"><a class="headerName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2185693-harvee" style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 23px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Harvee</span></a></div><div class="headerNameContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Lato; margin-top: 24px; text-align: left;">My reading goal for this year was 160 books. As of today, I am up to 162 books, with a few more to come for 2023.</div><div class="headerNameContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Lato; margin-top: 24px; text-align: left;">I know there are people who read up to 600 a year, so mine is a very modest number. How did you do so far? </div><div class="headerNameContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Lato; margin-top: 24px; text-align: left;"><b>Some of my latest reads featuring cats:</b></div><div class="headerNameContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Lato; margin-top: 24px; text-align: center;">The Japanese and indeed many Asians are fascinated by cats, their lore, and their promise of good luck. Their history of influence goes back to Egyptian times. </div><div class="headerNameContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Lato; margin-top: 24px; text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 0.875rem; text-align: start;"><i>Adapted from Wikipedia</i></span></div><blockquote><div class="headerNameContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Lato; margin-top: 24px; text-align: center;"><div id="contentSub" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; color: #54595d; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 17.5px; margin: 8px 0px 0px; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: start; transition-duration: 0ms; width: auto;"><div id="mw-content-subtitle" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms;"></div></div><div class="mw-body-content" id="mw-content-text" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 17.5px; margin-top: 16px; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: start; transition-duration: 0ms;"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" dir="ltr" lang="en" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms;"><figure class="mw-default-size" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: #f8f9fa; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-collapse: collapse; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(200, 204, 209); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(200, 204, 209); border-right-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(200, 204, 209); border-top-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 0px; clear: right; display: table; float: right; line-height: 0; margin: 0.5em 0px 1.3em 1.4em; min-width: 100px; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: center; transition-duration: 0ms;" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Manekineko1003.jpg" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background: none; border: 0px; color: #3366cc; display: block; overflow-wrap: break-word; position: relative; scroll-behavior: auto; text-decoration-line: none; transition-duration: 0ms;"><img class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="750" data-file-width="599" decoding="async" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Manekineko1003.jpg/220px-Manekineko1003.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Manekineko1003.jpg/330px-Manekineko1003.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Manekineko1003.jpg/440px-Manekineko1003.jpg 2x" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); margin: 3px; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms; vertical-align: middle;" width="320" /></a><figcaption style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; border-bottom-color: rgb(200, 204, 209); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(200, 204, 209); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(200, 204, 209); border-right-style: solid; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 1px 1px; caption-side: bottom; display: table-caption; font-size: 15.47px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 0px 6px 6px; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: left; transition-duration: 0ms; word-break: break-word;"><br /></figcaption></figure><p style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms;"></p></div></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><div class="headerNameContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Lato; margin-top: 24px; text-align: center;"><div class="mw-body-content" id="mw-content-text" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; margin-top: 16px; scroll-behavior: auto; text-align: start; transition-duration: 0ms;"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" dir="ltr" lang="en" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms;"><p style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms;">The <i style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms;"><b style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms;">maneki-neko</b></i> (招き猫, <abbr style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; border-bottom: 0px; cursor: help; scroll-behavior: auto; transition-duration: 0ms;" title="literal translation">lit.</abbr><span style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; scroll-behavior: auto; text-wrap: nowrap; transition-duration: 0ms;"> </span>'beckoning cat') is a common <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background: none; color: #3366cc; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto; text-decoration-line: none; transition-duration: 0ms;" title="Japan">Japanese</a> figurine which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner. The figurine depicts a cat, traditionally a calico <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Bobtail" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background: none; color: #3366cc; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto; text-decoration-line: none; transition-duration: 0ms;" title="Japanese Bobtail">Japanese Bobtail</a>, with a paw raised in a beckoning gesture. They are often displayed in places of business, generally near the entrance, as well as (in) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household" style="animation-delay: -0.01ms; animation-duration: 0.01ms; animation-iteration-count: 1; background: none; color: #3366cc; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto; text-decoration-line: none; transition-duration: 0ms;" title="Household">households</a>.</p></div></div></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Here are a few of many Japanese novels with cats as main characters. </p><div class="headerNameContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: Lato; margin-top: 24px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9NcxTtkQ9y9A8CFpnya7APjo3CIwz-DR5I3B6EUcK7pHLcHVrVyH3BNzXrMbsCZ5sB45JgoRfCtiPF8XGxxmNSf1uAQzMcdRL1TORQ6bnJfPoZfDlMFQv_tP9l_HsWTKFIdEIBFzlWtTm2pxKB4YXUGLboy6a_FfR2K54N2SXJhdtKJ-qcdlIij_qIulQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2625" data-original-width="1794" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9NcxTtkQ9y9A8CFpnya7APjo3CIwz-DR5I3B6EUcK7pHLcHVrVyH3BNzXrMbsCZ5sB45JgoRfCtiPF8XGxxmNSf1uAQzMcdRL1TORQ6bnJfPoZfDlMFQv_tP9l_HsWTKFIdEIBFzlWtTm2pxKB4YXUGLboy6a_FfR2K54N2SXJhdtKJ-qcdlIij_qIulQ=w273-h400" width="273" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198971097-the-goodbye-cat"><b>The Goodbye Cat</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4823030.Hiro_Arikawa">Hiro Arikawa</a><div>Published October 10, 2023 by Berkley, NetGalley<br /><br />
I enjoyed the stories in The Goodbye Cat, about how various kittens came into their owners' lives and into the lives of the children they grow up with. There is love, affection, and pathos in the lives of the cats and their humans, as the stories are about beginnings as well as endings.<br /><br />It was interesting that the last story revisited the characters in the previous cat book by the author, The Traveling Cat Chronicles. Nana the cat and his owner Satoru are on their journey to various parts of Japan to find a new home for Nana, as Satoru is unable to continue taking care of the cat. <br /><br />I loved reading about the various cat pets, their interactions and positive effects on the children in the households, and the fact that the cats are always treated as valued members of the family. <br /><br />This book is definitely for cat lovers, but for those who are on the fence about which are better, cats or dogs, these stories may persuade them to consider both as equal.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK_H0g6Skl4wRbMDNxTtSbMzwgErjOSJKeMI9qVGc4YpU6gerxyDoAwxlvSrtTji8lQYy15fF6erz7dbON6AX8ZVnGhQ7PNfSnc8BJkYdpBMwwgfmGTRXPyxEEeZ_sFsUeTMgvz6uBOPFXzft_v8sI-XzYt6BteVqQ6MLwx7kbj8ArkCQuUmpGrqSEmaAh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="2538" data-original-width="1794" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK_H0g6Skl4wRbMDNxTtSbMzwgErjOSJKeMI9qVGc4YpU6gerxyDoAwxlvSrtTji8lQYy15fF6erz7dbON6AX8ZVnGhQ7PNfSnc8BJkYdpBMwwgfmGTRXPyxEEeZ_sFsUeTMgvz6uBOPFXzft_v8sI-XzYt6BteVqQ6MLwx7kbj8ArkCQuUmpGrqSEmaAh=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></div><br /> </div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39508663-the-travelling-cat-chronicles"><b>The Travelling Cat Chronicles</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4823030.Hiro_Arikawa">Hiro Arikawa</a><br />Published October 23, 2018, Berkley, NetGalley<br /><br />
A moving novel about a stray cat Nana adopted by a young man, Satoru, who later takes the cat on a car tour through parts of Japan and the scenic northern island of Japan. <div><br /></div><div>The empathy of Satoru comes through in his dealing with friends and with animals, in particular his cat Nana. Satoru is unable to continue caring for Nana and is on a mission to visit those he thinks could take responsibility for the cat. <br /><br />This is a book about a cat finding a new home, a beginning as a pet and companion, and about sad but hopeful endings.<div>
<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxIPqpsAtyOZGOpGRbKPmvF6Qv4WxpEToTsbDB2zZjlX596ai5khSec4MuSVV4gOXgetnmv_kNkVwQ5IM4epc3R02MJ1JTTYCo_ZPA07ROVRKHlxI3O0xW3OlYP6jXK3A23xyWbKUoMiCcuHD5MkPQPUhNOWBUI-RXT7ABKjoKvNW9qYaAE-VmFXDcX4Fw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="900" data-original-width="587" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxIPqpsAtyOZGOpGRbKPmvF6Qv4WxpEToTsbDB2zZjlX596ai5khSec4MuSVV4gOXgetnmv_kNkVwQ5IM4epc3R02MJ1JTTYCo_ZPA07ROVRKHlxI3O0xW3OlYP6jXK3A23xyWbKUoMiCcuHD5MkPQPUhNOWBUI-RXT7ABKjoKvNW9qYaAE-VmFXDcX4Fw=w262-h400" width="262" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321429-she-and-her-cat"><b>She and Her Cat: Stories</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1510073.Makoto_Shinkai">Makoto Shinkai</a></div>Published November 22, 2022; Atria Books, NetGalley<br /><br />
I enjoyed these stories about the abandoned kittens and cats rescued or taken in and fed by several people, primarily women, in this series of four interrelated short stories. <br /><br />Some of the cats have outdoor lives of their own and find each other on the streets, confer together regarding their respective owners or benefactors, and help their human companions go through the complications and sorrows their lives bring.<br /><br />In many parts heart warming, these stories of speculative fiction show how much cats as pets can mean to humans in real life and as shown in literature.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><i><b>And now for something completely different: </b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDzIVBzYtU2c4sjNtlsdxGYbXMqp7JoTq6drJNjvF2uEsHYVe5B1LHxBn7N9az9MR255w6C6BiluoodXwf_TEMBLf80S2KXJz3uDegooXI-RW660s_OaaG8_-VcV0S2KHm-hsyTWOcF1iVxE7xXuLBpZH3GJwmWUVvfsUs3hbdsNHU4FLQVT6ZAfBTWgbx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="388" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDzIVBzYtU2c4sjNtlsdxGYbXMqp7JoTq6drJNjvF2uEsHYVe5B1LHxBn7N9az9MR255w6C6BiluoodXwf_TEMBLf80S2KXJz3uDegooXI-RW660s_OaaG8_-VcV0S2KHm-hsyTWOcF1iVxE7xXuLBpZH3GJwmWUVvfsUs3hbdsNHU4FLQVT6ZAfBTWgbx=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br /><br /></b></i></div></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790849-every-time-i-go-on-vacation-someone-dies"><b>Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/43626568.Catherine_Mack">Catherine Mack</a><br />Publication: April 30, 2024; Minotaur, NetGalley<br /><br />
I liked the setting of this humorous mystery, a book tour of Italy with a focus on the Amalfi coast. On her book tour, writer Eleanor is so fed up with exlover and her main character in her books, Connor, that she begins thinking of killing him off in her next and final book in the series. But Connor is already convinced someone wants him dead in real life.<br /><br />I found it interesting that the suspects are the group tour members and I couldn't wait to see which one it was, The twists and turns in the plot kept my interest, as the variety of individuals on this trip kept me reading. I was surprised and delighted by the ending.<br /><br />Great character delineation and plotting, as well as humorous writing kept me engaged in this entertaining mystery.<div><br /></div><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="font-size: medium;">What's on your reading schedule t</span>his week and/or the rest of the</i><span 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; font-size: medium; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif;"><b> </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">month?</i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">hosted by </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Mailbox Monday</a></p></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-20353945886725888542023-12-09T08:33:00.004-05:002023-12-09T09:23:54.109-05:00Finlay Donovan's Antics: Suspense Series <p> Thriller/suspense series</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY-UDynUvEYDLeYJpPA_kP-J8jMpfNd7Gv3YeaCuKrb1POzLjFPMGmpZcevwMk18no9m682XIo44b1yC9cZyihHIxw_mWKMJf8unkaybGb8ImwT__WWiuFC_I7BMGviPvmWinaEbsJe4BG7O7Q6JksunFVFK9ZsjFiKJW5DxbRX7yV3P0_uZuEvowrzPxE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="390" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY-UDynUvEYDLeYJpPA_kP-J8jMpfNd7Gv3YeaCuKrb1POzLjFPMGmpZcevwMk18no9m682XIo44b1yC9cZyihHIxw_mWKMJf8unkaybGb8ImwT__WWiuFC_I7BMGviPvmWinaEbsJe4BG7O7Q6JksunFVFK9ZsjFiKJW5DxbRX7yV3P0_uZuEvowrzPxE=w262-h400" width="262" /></a></div><br />I began seeing Finlay Donovan everywhere on the web - everywhere, that is, where bloggers write about books and characters they liked. I got a copy of the first Finlay book from the library and here is my take on <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56921862-finlay-donovan-is-killing-it">Finlay Donovan Is Killing It</a> (#1)</b><p></p><p><span face="Raleway, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">In the beginning, I found Finlay and her problems not very unique for a suspense novel, but as I read on, I became more involved in her need for family security, for money, and for making sure her ex-husband didn't gain sole custody of their two children.</span></p><p><span face="Raleway, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">That she is pulled inadvertently into a murder for hire situation, and how she manages the puzzling and troubling problems she finds herself in becomes unique and hilarious at the same time. At the end of the book, I'm looking forward to reading more about Finlay and how she might become a contract killer without actually killing anyone, not intentionally anyway.</span></p><p><span face="Raleway, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">i figured Finlay must be popular as the latest is #4 in the series. I plan to read the 2nd and 3rd books before I tackle the 4th.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDom8KVr8CkU2JxbOwUQ3ETf02A3Lz3D8wk_8kyb9AW6GlixwIDTaJh-SQP1sEtoSbsSpq3BmA1u-2PdNaLYxj5NCIq0o8SBBG_DkK0N9Fr3xmL4QzoN96Ieixwub0JNc7sWaWqN0jSgyMNknO82xup9Fo0S7DBnM1sJcUIOVAl287u8i9MeuHVUEBIGvV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDom8KVr8CkU2JxbOwUQ3ETf02A3Lz3D8wk_8kyb9AW6GlixwIDTaJh-SQP1sEtoSbsSpq3BmA1u-2PdNaLYxj5NCIq0o8SBBG_DkK0N9Fr3xmL4QzoN96Ieixwub0JNc7sWaWqN0jSgyMNknO82xup9Fo0S7DBnM1sJcUIOVAl287u8i9MeuHVUEBIGvV=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126918023-finlay-donovan-rolls-the-dice"><b>Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (#4)</b></a> by Elle Cosimano, March 5, 2024<p></p><p>Publisher: <span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City... a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along, Finlay and Vero suddenly have too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.</span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?</span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: white;">The second and third books in the series:</span></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjl1wti1H-LxYt_oBccDRvSHzJ5fsSlVZ6MK08gXaZS1HeYKZfHF4FbjaqqwmIxTKKKQW3be8dTJr8A4pjAdpMJS86DdMoiYl0EEA0ry6xgzkQk7IlsfogtH-TiPqkzM9zyFw6dXdD2d2q9ZzcInBeotbc8FsFOm_M8qLRzP3I2ZMDGkyFEkIajXtvW5O7a" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjl1wti1H-LxYt_oBccDRvSHzJ5fsSlVZ6MK08gXaZS1HeYKZfHF4FbjaqqwmIxTKKKQW3be8dTJr8A4pjAdpMJS86DdMoiYl0EEA0ry6xgzkQk7IlsfogtH-TiPqkzM9zyFw6dXdD2d2q9ZzcInBeotbc8FsFOm_M8qLRzP3I2ZMDGkyFEkIajXtvW5O7a=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></span></div><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693474-finlay-donovan-knocks-em-dead"><b>Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead</b></a> (February 2022)</span><p></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">Finlay Donovan is―once again―struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she's dealt with lately is that of her daughter's pet goldfish.</span><br style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;" /><br style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like. (<i>publisher)</i></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC5xLh5BRNwore2fbnMDq6Caa_49b24dRFcW6zRN22IdrBrYsfH8pmj0p8h7NrPyGQMzW40OBSAmz-zdujvHpOU_DIYd1lrrBdy1EvvHKuOHoOcUeGPPCH-acToPdXOzzng6qzAtjO4P84HcRyHxmX-nJVWZCWd59oEsBv54wmNKBpeeGXrBn-4soFzWM6" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC5xLh5BRNwore2fbnMDq6Caa_49b24dRFcW6zRN22IdrBrYsfH8pmj0p8h7NrPyGQMzW40OBSAmz-zdujvHpOU_DIYd1lrrBdy1EvvHKuOHoOcUeGPPCH-acToPdXOzzng6qzAtjO4P84HcRyHxmX-nJVWZCWd59oEsBv54wmNKBpeeGXrBn-4soFzWM6=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784612-finlay-donovan-jumps-the-gun"><b>Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun</b></a> by Elle Cosimano (January 2023)</span><p></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she's a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons―but none quite like this. When Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they had "borrowed" in the process of saving the life of Finlay's ex-husband, the Russian mob did her a favor and bought the car for her. And now Finlay owes them.</span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;">This from the publisher: </span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;">From</span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;"> </span><i style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; scroll-behavior: auto;">USA Today </i><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;">bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes</span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;"> </span><i style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; scroll-behavior: auto;">Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun</i><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;">—the highly anticipated, hilarious, and heart-pounding next installment in the beloved</span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;"> </span><i style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; scroll-behavior: auto;">Finlay Donovan</i><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;"> </span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;">series…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm not totally hooked on the series as I've only read the first book. Will let you know how I like the two others, both of which look like light, entertaining reading. </span></p><p><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="font-size: medium;">What's on your reading schedule t</span>his week and/or the rest of the</i><span 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; font-size: medium; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif;"><b> </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">month?</i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: 22px;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: 22px; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">hosted by </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also<span style="font-size: 22px;">, </span></span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; font-size: 22px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Mailbox Monday</a><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">.</span></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-51478608047520958942023-12-02T01:31:00.008-05:002023-12-02T01:53:33.944-05:00Guest Post by poet Fran Abrams: Arranging Words: Dec. 3<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Guest post arranged by <a href="https://poeticbooktours.wordpress.com/2023/11/14/arranging-words-by-fran-abrams-nov-jan-2024/"><b>Poetic Book Tours</b></a></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcgApr817Icl1Fyp5XmfGaFNDd_fbl7rG-hu5HurI3DqqMhMjsRpWQGh-aGHTH9S0k0wahPaZ72PtMhM6QGe8K5pqRUVGWvUi9zf-QTKmnW2-aUrbuSFeT93f_ZEfeAGy8MY0qtykujuj2XsP0HAJoPniD9ZdaAwdJ1_I5j8Kd9UCsRm3BTukXGYfciK3K" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="168" data-original-width="320" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcgApr817Icl1Fyp5XmfGaFNDd_fbl7rG-hu5HurI3DqqMhMjsRpWQGh-aGHTH9S0k0wahPaZ72PtMhM6QGe8K5pqRUVGWvUi9zf-QTKmnW2-aUrbuSFeT93f_ZEfeAGy8MY0qtykujuj2XsP0HAJoPniD9ZdaAwdJ1_I5j8Kd9UCsRm3BTukXGYfciK3K=w400-h210" width="400" /></a></div><span><br />Thanks to Fran Abrams for sharing her background and how and when she began to write poetry. Her poems, <a href="https://poeticbooktours.wordpress.com/2023/11/14/arranging-words-by-fran-abrams-nov-jan-2024/"><b>Arranging Words</b></a>, was published by Quillkeepers Press in October 2023. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDUWiTPLhEcsZ_Ia8lnLsolhet-TO2CuopU_idYQBIIsIZBr7Hc0RdUj0XLiEFg7P1NicsM-wonP7e-_n9E-5UvNCcxszYujao4Dwk9oZF8tqtZaRgWx4sa_U0Hf8k-14_4vnZcnb56J9GPHzb_NH3UX2FVav_WaJW2JwQSbxalBiRE-may-f_x1g7oOjE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1585" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDUWiTPLhEcsZ_Ia8lnLsolhet-TO2CuopU_idYQBIIsIZBr7Hc0RdUj0XLiEFg7P1NicsM-wonP7e-_n9E-5UvNCcxszYujao4Dwk9oZF8tqtZaRgWx4sa_U0Hf8k-14_4vnZcnb56J9GPHzb_NH3UX2FVav_WaJW2JwQSbxalBiRE-may-f_x1g7oOjE=w437-h640" width="437" /></a></div>Excerpt from a few of Fran Abrams' clever and witty poems with their word play:<div> <div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div></div><blockquote><div> from<b> </b>"All Ears" </div><div><br /></div><div> She had a reputation</div><div> for being a good listener. </div><div> What her friends </div><div> didn’t know is that she had
</div><div><br /></div><div>ears all over her head.,,,</div></blockquote><div></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>from "Arranging Words" </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>Tell me you find solace</p><p>when you slip into a poem, find joy</p><p> as you button a poem around you.</p><p> </p></blockquote></blockquote><div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;"><i>Author Post:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">I began writing poetry in 2017 at the age of 73. Before that, I earned
an undergraduate degree in art and architecture and a master’s degree in urban
planning. After graduate school, I worked for ten years for the Montgomery
County, Maryland, government in jobs related to my formal education. After
rising to the position of department head, subject to appointment and dismissal
by the County Executive, I left when a new Executive was elected who wanted to
place his own appointee in the position. That experience played into my first
book of poetry titled </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3MM4Izw"><i><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">I Rode the Second
Wave: A Feminist Memoir</span></i></a><i><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">, </span></i><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">although at the time, it never occurred to me I would be
writing poetry later in life.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">I spent the next 31 years working in nonprofit organizations, the last
10 years at the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland, as
Director of Grants responsible for making roughly $4 million in grants each
year. Some of those grantees were poets. I still had no thoughts of writing
poetry myself.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">Through those 41 years, I wrote reams of legislation, zoning
regulations, grant guidelines, memos, and reports. I love writing and enjoy
getting words on paper that were valuable to the mission of the organizations
for which I worked. If readers understood what I was trying to say or, in some
cases, were persuaded by what I was writing, I considered it a success.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">After I retired in 2010, I wanted a change of focus and worked as a visual
artist, pursuing an earlier part of my education. I joined a cooperative,
nonprofit gallery in Washington, D.C., and, in part because of my more than 30 years’
experience in managing nonprofits, became president of the organization.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">One day, a large chunk of the plaster ceiling in our gallery fell to the
floor. We already realized the building was old and we might need to move, but
this was a sign we could not ignore. As president, I appointed a committee to
search for new space. We found it in a building under construction in a
livelier part of town where new apartments were being built all around. The
only catch—the landlord issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to find the best
creative tenants. I wrote the 25-page response to the RFP on behalf of the
gallery. And we “won” the space.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">That was the <i>volta</i>, the change that made me realize I missed
writing. But I didn’t want to keep writing in the vein that business demands.
No more memos, reports, or responses to RFPs. What form of writing, I wondered,
would be different, but still satisfying. I thought it might be poetry. Happily,
the gallery rented its space to earn additional income and a poetry reading was
scheduled in our new space soon after we moved in. I assigned myself to be the
onsite staff member that evening and, when the reading was over, I knew I
wanted to try writing poetry.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">Not too far from where I live is a nonprofit, a grantee from my earlier
life, called </span><a href="https://writer.org/"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">The Writer’s Center</span></a><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">, that offered
numerous classes on a wide variety of writing forms. I began taking poetry
writing classes there and, over time, I took every class they offered about the
craft of poetry. My instructors said I had a knack for it. I wrote. I revised.
I submitted. And my work began to be published.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">Reflecting on my life growing up in the 1950s, I decided to write a
memoir in poems that became the book titled <i>I Rode the Second Wave: A
Feminist Memoir</i>. Around the time it was published, Roe v. Wade was
overturned by the Supreme Court and the struggle for the rights of women again came
to the forefront. The book is timely as it talks about my life in the context
of all that occurred during the second wave of feminism.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">Since then, I’ve written two chapbooks that have been published by two
different small publishers—</span><a href="https://amzn.to/46gq3rN"><i><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">The Poet Who Loves
Pythagoras</span></i></a><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;"> from Finishing Line Press, and this book, </span><a href="https://amzn.to/46eCTXB"><i><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">Arranging Words</span></i></a><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">, from Quillkeepers Press.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">So how did my early interests and college studies influence the
direction I took in writing poetry? As the Bard wrote, “What’s past is prologue.”
All of my past interests and experiences are brought into play when I write
poetry. My poems are in narrative form that tell stories. For example, I have
always enjoyed math. It has a sense of certainty that few things in life do. So,
when I wrote a few poems on math topics, including one about Pythagoras, an
instructor encouraged me to expand the topic into a book.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">Arranging Words</span></i><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;"> grew out of my desire to make letters, words, and idioms relatable
and meaningful while recognizing that the English language is a slippery beast,
and sometimes it’s hard to say what we mean. From my perspective, one of the
ways to reveal the trickiness of words is to use humor. Many of the poems in <i>Arranging
Words</i> are intended to be funny. Feel free to laugh.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white;">And that’s the bottom line. After being on this earth for almost 80
years, having experiences both good and bad, I like to write poetry that I hope
makes readers think about life from an uncommon perspective, and, at times,
laugh. </span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY7e10PDPi-FHTyiyn-YyjI_x-ZsHrPcqkM_MXA_ODldtjvmoh7kmWM1xtRWddgptVaLMnm4_fwFEaj4jQc8QQgXkHmk-qVOiTmBdLmtM3yt8Z3ymQC_joXouMfaQ4qqzCyzz1pOMAHsbBdoYpMTCGDGKCb12Ki9GiRUTJWZy_51xkPEO3cmGnEI8qNqC6" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY7e10PDPi-FHTyiyn-YyjI_x-ZsHrPcqkM_MXA_ODldtjvmoh7kmWM1xtRWddgptVaLMnm4_fwFEaj4jQc8QQgXkHmk-qVOiTmBdLmtM3yt8Z3ymQC_joXouMfaQ4qqzCyzz1pOMAHsbBdoYpMTCGDGKCb12Ki9GiRUTJWZy_51xkPEO3cmGnEI8qNqC6" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">About the Author:</span></b></p><p style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="il" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fran</span> <span class="il" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Abrams</span> lives in Rockville, MD. Her poems have been published in literary magazines online and in print and appear in more than a dozen anthologies. In July 2022, the title poem of this book, “Arranging Words,” was a finalist in the 2022 Prime Number Magazine Award for Poetry. Her two previous books are: I Rode the Second Wave: A Feminist Memoir (2022) and The Poet Who Loves Pythagoras (2023). Learn more at <a href="http://www.franabramspoetry.com/" rel="noopener" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">www.franabramspoetry.com</a> and Connect on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/people/Fran-Abrams-Poet/100086920783601/" rel="noopener" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span class="il" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fran</span> <span class="il" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Abrams</span>, Poet</a>. </span></p><p style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Available on</span><span style="font-weight: 700;"> </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3Mowu4T" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Amazon,</a><span style="font-weight: 700;"> </span><a href="https://poeticbooktours.wordpress.com/2023/11/14/arranging-words-by-fran-abrams-nov-jan-2024/_wp_link_placeholder" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0071bb; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bookshop</a><span style="font-weight: 700;">, and</span><span style="font-weight: 700;"> </span><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144248969?ean=9798989153114" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #7b9d14; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Barnes & Noble</a><span style="font-weight: 700;">.</span></span></p><p style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Myriad Pro", "Trebuchet MS", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #666666; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">hosted by </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">.</span></span></p><p style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><div aria-label="Page 45" class="page" data-loaded="true" data-page-number="45" role="region" style="height: round(var(--scale-factor) * 576px, 1px); width: round(var(--scale-factor) * 360px, 1px);"><div class="canvasWrapper"></div></div><div aria-label="Page 44" class="page" data-loaded="true" data-page-number="44" role="region" style="height: round(var(--scale-factor) * 576px, 1px); width: round(var(--scale-factor) * 360px, 1px);"></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-52403747963536722352023-11-25T07:17:00.007-05:002023-11-27T19:42:05.833-05:00Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto and Two Murder Mysteries: Sunday Salon <p> </p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123115331-didn-t-see-that-coming"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123115331-didn-t-see-that-coming"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHmzEXjbqOR-aDFoFAQ4LxWibAeYB-M7LpVxyJdMebYjxtU30FjbeeLdG2UMQdHPBoMBAvKke_uEKQn0X9RY5Qy0aQHVEX1gIF7AxNuHoR56YY_qkJodSVgsVy8gq5GkXj2I0_duaqAEhJIxEkwsBTNY6tZr1dLvTfiwRhN7A9W25NErvaltwILfMj169g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHmzEXjbqOR-aDFoFAQ4LxWibAeYB-M7LpVxyJdMebYjxtU30FjbeeLdG2UMQdHPBoMBAvKke_uEKQn0X9RY5Qy0aQHVEX1gIF7AxNuHoR56YY_qkJodSVgsVy8gq5GkXj2I0_duaqAEhJIxEkwsBTNY6tZr1dLvTfiwRhN7A9W25NErvaltwILfMj169g=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5899459953">Didn't See That Coming</a></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19278992.Jesse_Q_Sutanto">Jesse Q. Sutanto</a><br />Puplication: November 28, 2023; Delacorte; NetGalley</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: YA, romance, teen<br /><br />
I liked the themes explored in the novel of a high school girl, Kiki Siregar of Jakarta using a boy's name for her game name online in order to protect herself, a girl, from ridicule and outright threats by male game players.<br /><br />I thought that having her foil, the obnoxious wealthy gamer Jason, be her classmate at school, added to the conflict in the plot. It was also clever that her best friend on the online game happens to be another male classmate, neither of whom realizes that girl classmate Kiki is the game player they interact with online .<br /><br />There is, of course, romance in the story of the teens. The author wrote an entertaining young romance with a broader message, that sexism in society and in some private schools give preference to males that put girls at a distinct disadvantage.<br /><br />A book not just for YA and teen readers, but it has a message for adults as well.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>In my mailbox </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0rGFaf0_uBNT_VFGVr4HHH5CaAxJAAw0nh7UYOjslBSagnXbp3biDgh4EE8_njRGG5PJYhqG87ka3D-uqvASrxog7WhE1TYnUyyhJghNCRC7i0LrfhbZ2M2cR1RpCho4ynUqjT3C3Jb6LIXWCKvMOTuEbW2s7kyPVsbnoIPJ_L2gQBdkpLt5iugcL_SZJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="400" data-original-width="248" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0rGFaf0_uBNT_VFGVr4HHH5CaAxJAAw0nh7UYOjslBSagnXbp3biDgh4EE8_njRGG5PJYhqG87ka3D-uqvASrxog7WhE1TYnUyyhJghNCRC7i0LrfhbZ2M2cR1RpCho4ynUqjT3C3Jb6LIXWCKvMOTuEbW2s7kyPVsbnoIPJ_L2gQBdkpLt5iugcL_SZJ=w248-h400" width="248" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123201443-the-murder-of-roger-ackroyd">The Murder of Roger Ackroyd</a> (Hercule Poirot #4) </span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">with an intro by Ruth Ware came courtesy of Penguin Random House. Publication Nov. 28, 2023, Signet. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The Agatha Christie mystery was first published in 1926 and is the </span><span style="color: white;"><span data-testid="award" face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; scroll-behavior: auto;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/145-anthony-award" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;">Anthony Award Nominee for Best Novel of the Century (2000)</a></span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">, </span><span data-testid="award" face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; scroll-behavior: auto;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/35986-cwa-best-ever" style="animation-iteration-count: 1; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;">CWA Best Ever for Crime Novel (2013)</a></span> </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Publisher:</i> <span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Then, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with an apparent drug overdose.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br style="animation-iteration-count: 1; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">However, the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information, but before he could finish reading the letter, he was stabbed to death. Luckily one of Roger’s friends and the newest resident to retire to this normally quiet village takes over—none other than Monsieur Hercule Poirot . . </span></span><div><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Are you a Poirot fan, and have you read this one?</span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9bTdRmx5qoAU1INb4UbfeOsNpy6Nvv19shdn1N2rmINIeSpb8x2bFZXzfIT3jdja0CR8i87e4vTLamsK3qf8L92WoE8XycYJ0-dtUNleAAghLPiZ2flrWonj9wgtJoGsFgfQtJ7slFMigkUUY2PE6UiClj9w2W_U3zp7EnJ4Y_ZDRLDTPqS2Nw1sBA3B0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9bTdRmx5qoAU1INb4UbfeOsNpy6Nvv19shdn1N2rmINIeSpb8x2bFZXzfIT3jdja0CR8i87e4vTLamsK3qf8L92WoE8XycYJ0-dtUNleAAghLPiZ2flrWonj9wgtJoGsFgfQtJ7slFMigkUUY2PE6UiClj9w2W_U3zp7EnJ4Y_ZDRLDTPqS2Nw1sBA3B0=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/182775425-the-murder-of-mr-ma"><b>The Murder of Mr. Ma </b></a>by John Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan, came courtesty of Soho Press. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Publication: April 2, 2024, Soho Crime</span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;">Judge Dee surfaces again, in this new novel. I have read several of the detective novels featuring investigator </span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;">Judge Dee, </span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;">written in the 1960s by Dutch writer<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/243991.Robert_van_Gulik"> Robert Van Gulik</a> </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><i>Publisher:</i> </span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">London, 1924. When shy academic Lao She meets larger-than-life Judge Dee Ren Jie, his life abruptly turns from books to daring chases and narrow escapes. Dee has come to London to investigate the murder of a man he’d known during World War I when serving with the Chinese Labour Corps. No sooner has Dee interviewed the grieving widow than another dead body turns up. Then another. All stabbed to death with a butterfly sword. Will Dee and Lao be able to connect the threads of the murders—or are they next in line as victims?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-size: medium;">J</span></span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-size: medium;">ohn Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan’s collaboration blends traditional gong'an crime fiction and the most iconic aspects of the Sherlock Holmes canon.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="font-size: medium;">What's on your reading schedule t</span>his week and/or the rest of the</i><span 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; font-size: medium; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif;"><b> </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">month?</i></span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-size: large; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ly202</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">hosted by </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Mailbox Monday</a><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">.</span></p></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-36755945642760315342023-11-18T07:40:00.012-05:002023-11-19T07:31:42.510-05:00COMING OF AGE WITH COOKING: Colorful Palete by Raj Tawney and Sweetness in the Skin by Ishi Robinson<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;">Happy Thanksgiving coming up, everyone! Enjoy! Here are two books about the love of cooking and baking</span><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102864157-colorful-palate"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102864157-colorful-palate"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2bVzJMLeVGt-Um-5Sxszf3sXDM9rby3nMqrnliz_0FRYH26JQ6JwdIa4tw5uvY-m-RvIlmgsVWZad_HmEc6pKBUyMsns_woYzS2-XyVkCekkywyMDoqKh9rqSjZM728pt3EcvV5SiOfk2fQ6E8sAHbjBMmp3HicDn5Zec1OjGuW2VcG_Dj-hAiOGL8KTm" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2bVzJMLeVGt-Um-5Sxszf3sXDM9rby3nMqrnliz_0FRYH26JQ6JwdIa4tw5uvY-m-RvIlmgsVWZad_HmEc6pKBUyMsns_woYzS2-XyVkCekkywyMDoqKh9rqSjZM728pt3EcvV5SiOfk2fQ6E8sAHbjBMmp3HicDn5Zec1OjGuW2VcG_Dj-hAiOGL8KTm=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102864157-colorful-palate"><span style="font-size: medium;">Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></a></b><span style="font-size: medium;">by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/27150422.Raj_Tawney">Raj Tawney</a></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Published October 3, 2023; Empire State Editions <br /></span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">
I loved reading about the author's growing up in the Bronx with the influence of his Puerto Rican grandmother and her tasty dishes that include an Italian recipe or two. His love of cooking multiple types of food also came from his PuertoRican-Italian mother who cooked Indian dishes at home for the family and his Indian father.<br /><br />It was interesting to see how a family with three different cultural influences brought up the sons - the author and his older brother, who nevertheless grew up going their own way to develop their own American identities. The coming of age memoir is a cheerful one, with happy overtones in spite of his parents' alienation from each other. I find it notable that the couple were estranged but continued to live in the same home.<br /><br />The recipes included in the book are mostly Indian recipes, delicious sounding but requiring many steps and varieties of ingredients and spices. I liked the simple Italian recipe of spaghetti and meatballs that his grandmother used to prepare.<br /><br />I enjoyed reading this well written, easy to read book and would recommend it to foodies and those interested in the dynamics of multicultural families.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2185693-harvee"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2185693-harvee"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggWWlJqDVmgtEGeRRF5tGInvqny59CsbFDNGHL6xq1BCYP-NVzAJltYUukRGl47dppv_rB-ShhBKP7IDsrm20S2DBKjXqx4-7tk5oHjw4ARpfPy8FMdeLQinsxKUEoQaIiZZBvxOhUySLCTiyrTpoiVrGeldMELAkOET0ZmlFLwGy_MdjvOKgfWpfyc2Fu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="978" data-original-width="648" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggWWlJqDVmgtEGeRRF5tGInvqny59CsbFDNGHL6xq1BCYP-NVzAJltYUukRGl47dppv_rB-ShhBKP7IDsrm20S2DBKjXqx4-7tk5oHjw4ARpfPy8FMdeLQinsxKUEoQaIiZZBvxOhUySLCTiyrTpoiVrGeldMELAkOET0ZmlFLwGy_MdjvOKgfWpfyc2Fu=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<p> <span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194897179-sweetness-in-the-skin?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=cikLxuFbgy&rank=1"><b>Sweetness in the Skin:</b></a><b> </b>a Novel by <a href="https://ishirobinson.com/about/">Ishi Robinson</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Publication: April 23, 2024; Harper</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: coming of age, multicultural, food, baking</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I was happy to find this ARC of a coming of age book set in Jamaica, about a young girl with the ability to bake the delicious Jamaican pastries, cakes, and snacks that I remember enjoying when I was growing up on the island.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am in the middle of reading the novel, eager to see how the 13-year-old girl living in relative poverty with a largely absent and hostile mother, how she will escape through her baking skills, and realize her dream of being with her aunt in France. It sounds far fetched, but so far, Pumkin seems to be handling obstacles, one by one, and getting closer to her dream.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Publisher description: </span></i></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A winning debut novel about a young teenage girl in Jamaica determined to bake her way out of her dysfunctional family and into the opportunity of a lifetime. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Pumkin Patterson is a thirteen-year-old girl living in a tiny two-room house in Kingston, Jamaica, with her grandmother, her Aunt Sophie (who dreams of a new life in Paris for her and Pumkin), and her distant, hostile mother Paulette (who’s rarely home).</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 22px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="font-size: medium;">What's on your reading schedule t</span>his week and/or the rest of the</i><span 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; font-size: medium; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif;"><b> </b></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">month?</i></span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">i</span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-size: large; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">n</span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-size: large; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ly202</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">hosted by </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Mailbox Monday</a><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">.</span></p></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-89350290046168889942023-11-11T08:26:00.000-05:002023-11-11T08:26:02.168-05:00Sunday Salon: Travel Stories of Normandy and Two Picture Books<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7inSgcdZs3mU5Ahm4w5Xk-SlOI6EyibTR2PlWp9VD6xWiPYIfiufd_6X9jClk-b7ErVWXDgZiEphkJoGXHyRi-hVcGiUFQHnVmCALD-SP-TGHkJjx_XIR2xtni_2qisdiL_bULAK8cVFqwwgE2iLGeSxrqls80yrkxZ6cEJFq71u3ezw_QZQQ8yzDYPoz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="391" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7inSgcdZs3mU5Ahm4w5Xk-SlOI6EyibTR2PlWp9VD6xWiPYIfiufd_6X9jClk-b7ErVWXDgZiEphkJoGXHyRi-hVcGiUFQHnVmCALD-SP-TGHkJjx_XIR2xtni_2qisdiL_bULAK8cVFqwwgE2iLGeSxrqls80yrkxZ6cEJFq71u3ezw_QZQQ8yzDYPoz=w262-h400" width="262" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">Title: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39312540-the-bear-and-the-paving-stone"><b>The Bear and the Paving Stone</b></a> by </span><span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name" style="animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; background-color: white; border-radius: 0.3rem; box-shadow: 0 0 0 0.2rem var(--color-shadow-button-focus); box-sizing: border-box; display: inline !important; flex-basis: auto; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto !important; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;"><a class="ContributorLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4687396.Toshiyuki_Horie" style="animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; background-color: white; border-radius: 0.3rem; box-shadow: 0 0 0 0.2rem var(--color-shadow-button-focus); box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">Toshiyuki Horie</a> with </span><span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name" style="animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline !important; flex-basis: auto; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto !important; text-decoration-line: none; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;"><a class="ContributorLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/359997.Geraint_Howells" style="animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto !important; text-decoration-line: none;">Geraint Howells</a> (translator)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name" style="animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline !important; flex-basis: auto; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto !important; text-decoration-line: none; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;">Published Feb. 1, 2001; Pushkin Press; NetGalley</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name" style="animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline !important; flex-basis: auto; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto !important; text-decoration-line: none; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;">Genre: short stories, novellas, France, Japanese</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name" style="animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline !important; flex-basis: auto; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto !important; text-decoration-line: none; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, three dream-like tales of memory and war.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a class="ContributorLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/359997.Geraint_Howells" style="animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-flex; font-family: Copernicus, "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, serif; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; scroll-behavior: auto !important; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="ContributorLink__role" data-testid="role" style="animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-subdued); scroll-behavior: auto !important;"> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">I enjoyed the author's descriptions of the Normandy coastline and countryside, the views of Mont St. Michel in Brittany, the stories of the old friends the narrator visits near these places.</span></span></a></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">The second story is the narrator's poignant look at a young girl as she grows up with the same passion - building sandcastles on the beach, at ages 6, 15, and in her 20s as a young mother.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">The third story is humorous and another adventure in Normandy with the Japanese narrator, who like the author, is a scholar and teacher of French literature.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">I found these stories interesting because of the author's unique point of view, his humor, and interest in the human condition.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK9K1obYdByZAuAcnvdLLep6Wb_6BDAIs5YTPDKUekHPtueALdBiQDPrjWlKvm37uXSSm0Bv8TvzSOjJZKNwmsC20jcO0TXOw5ct22flqQuWkGQG1s-fO5okOrlzh7HFy9hBYd7z7YE4VbcCvUpHRS_RqkToAnXoZuJIOFmWBE8pUX3TAooJGa7nFB6y4Z" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="400" data-original-width="291" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK9K1obYdByZAuAcnvdLLep6Wb_6BDAIs5YTPDKUekHPtueALdBiQDPrjWlKvm37uXSSm0Bv8TvzSOjJZKNwmsC20jcO0TXOw5ct22flqQuWkGQG1s-fO5okOrlzh7HFy9hBYd7z7YE4VbcCvUpHRS_RqkToAnXoZuJIOFmWBE8pUX3TAooJGa7nFB6y4Z=w467-h640" width="467" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">Title: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123204392-the-lucky-red-envelope?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=u0ZHBx1kPY&rank=1">The Lucky Red Envelope: A Lift-the-Flap Lunar New Year Celebration </a>by </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Vikki Zhang</span><div><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Genre: children's picturebook<br /></span><div><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Publication: December 5, 2023; Wide Eyed Editions; NetGalley</span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">The Lunar New Year 2024 is coming up soon on February 10, the Year of the Dragon! An auspicious year, hopefully for the good! I found this delightful illustrated children's book that I enjoyed, even as an adult and grandparent!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">The book is an elaborately and gorgeously illustrated story of a little girl and her baby brother who celebrate the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year) with their parents at their home. The pictures show the decorated family home and the family table with various holiday foods and treats.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">I enjoyed the illustrations with red colors everywhere in the home, the abundance and variety of the foods and gifts, plus the red envelopes with money that children traditionally receive for the new year.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">It was difficult to read the ARC ebook as I wanted to see the finished hardbound copy with the fold out flaps meant to delight children readers. I definitely want a paper copy for new year gifts!</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">Lovely story, pictures, and concept.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFNu0CXLMzZ-J_gVRxnJwvLHc5JtVqYeUSn2QW3EEYJ4TFvXWt-TK_Pq-7n3UA51ITCWvyZpBZ1FrzhVj1rVNH53M2gRqDItzR3jPaQnqwTTn-HB2eR5PCpeVe6rCKBsRB-o6W-b5IdhBOT9KvLrJyFBJQnp2MHEv4suXpYaceIfpIvfkxIGYHN5ux7Kdp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="302" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFNu0CXLMzZ-J_gVRxnJwvLHc5JtVqYeUSn2QW3EEYJ4TFvXWt-TK_Pq-7n3UA51ITCWvyZpBZ1FrzhVj1rVNH53M2gRqDItzR3jPaQnqwTTn-HB2eR5PCpeVe6rCKBsRB-o6W-b5IdhBOT9KvLrJyFBJQnp2MHEv4suXpYaceIfpIvfkxIGYHN5ux7Kdp=w338-h400" width="338" /></a></div><br />Title: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179518036-the-rock-in-my-throat?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Nc9RMVVNdJ&rank=1"><b>The Rock in My Throat</b></a> by Kao Kalia Yang, Jiemei Lin (illustrator)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">Publication: March 4, 2024; Carolrhoda Books; NetGalley</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">Genre: picture book,educational</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Book Publisher</i>: At first, no one noticed when I stopped talking at school. In this moving true story, Kao Kalia Yang shares her experiences as a young Hmong refugee navigating life at home and at school</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><i>My review:</i> Young children can stop talking for many different reasons. Khao Kalia Yang stopped talking at age seven in the first grade. Her teachers and even her parents can't seem to understand why, but Khao later tells us that she stopped wanting to speak the language spoken by people who disrespected and humiliated her Hmong mother and had no time or patience to try to understand her mother's halting English in stores and elsewhere.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">I found it interesting that the teachers did not come up with the explanation so common for this kind of silence. They didn't attribute it to shyness, as it was clearly, in this case, something more profound.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">The story is good for children and adults of all ages who come in contact with immigrants who speak little or no English, and with their children who are comfortable in their own language but reluctant speaking English.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;">An educational book, with lovely illustrations, that has an important message for every reader.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="font-size: medium;">What's on your reading schedule t</span>his week and/or the rest of the</i><span 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; font-size: medium; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""><span style="color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif;"><b> </b></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">month?</i></span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">i
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">n</span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ly202</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">hosted by </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Mailbox Monday</a><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">.</span></p></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041753785577045651.post-3407882953985568142023-11-04T12:35:00.004-04:002023-11-04T12:35:56.104-04:00Sunday Salon: Mystery Novels in Translation<p> </p>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62676033-the-couples-trip"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62676033-the-couples-trip"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisuWQ2G4Amhb84kTGgeUA7By8lDR394ubfhs2wVb56xXL-88mc2MLXfqcPkjHZUEyiNR_XOfApXFBCKZq487OWvtiZJlztxToDvB9H2xSMH2KqLsjQbFDSUvTAY_BIcIlOLO6hatL6_xw1qcQJvMAHkDZ8R63GfFGwgOwGLwKDk-kPBnp5-XSfUY6hmjrs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisuWQ2G4Amhb84kTGgeUA7By8lDR394ubfhs2wVb56xXL-88mc2MLXfqcPkjHZUEyiNR_XOfApXFBCKZq487OWvtiZJlztxToDvB9H2xSMH2KqLsjQbFDSUvTAY_BIcIlOLO6hatL6_xw1qcQJvMAHkDZ8R63GfFGwgOwGLwKDk-kPBnp5-XSfUY6hmjrs=w421-h640" width="421" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62676033-the-couples-trip"><b>The Couples Trip</b></a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22342772.Ulf_Kvensler">Ulf Kvensler</a></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Published April 2022, Hanover Square Press</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre and setting: thriller, adventure, northern Sweden <br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5948649360">5 of 5 stars</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
A group of four travel to the north of Sweden in the fall, for a challenging mountain hike three of them have never attempted before. Jacob is the newcomer who proposes the change to the tried and true hiking location that Anna and Henrik and Milena have taken for many, many years.<br /><br />Is it the new person to the group, Jacob? Or the challenge of the unfamiliar mountains? Something has turned the hiking trip sour and even dangerous. One of the group, the narrator of the story, seems to become unreliable as time passes and we are left to wonder about the stresses of this group hike.<br /><br />The characters are well drawn, individualistic, and intriguing, as they travel together under some duress. The descriptions of remote mountains, lakes, and forests in northern Sweden is breathtaking yet adds to the suspense, which builds throughout the book, an unputdownable read. Nothing is predictable in this book's plot. I loved it and, at the same time, hated the stress of reading it.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">An astounding suspense novel by a Scandinavian thriller writer from Sweden. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhk8JVThnCMPC7D2_9NRk64FEPtiTpTfdg_K5aSX5GjkEjeEPza-VP44zzPv70_ERJwmD_GsPSaNIMzfiMJh13oHZ_lNmWutk6FVY6MxSI1_KuH96mVzu_EQLlMZCTzbmpTChcE-NF0CDJHri_qJQVHuLNLiKBuXPttF7rKyTVqYOuQsNeg_-QS_o9QJOsr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhk8JVThnCMPC7D2_9NRk64FEPtiTpTfdg_K5aSX5GjkEjeEPza-VP44zzPv70_ERJwmD_GsPSaNIMzfiMJh13oHZ_lNmWutk6FVY6MxSI1_KuH96mVzu_EQLlMZCTzbmpTChcE-NF0CDJHri_qJQVHuLNLiKBuXPttF7rKyTVqYOuQsNeg_-QS_o9QJOsr=w419-h640" width="419" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123089643-the-lover-of-no-fixed-abode"><b>The Lover of No Fixed Abode</b></a> by Franco Lucentini, Gregory Dowling (translator)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Publication: February 20, 2024, Bitter Lemon Press</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: mystery, romance, Venice</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Book publisher:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><blockquote>A passionate affair set in Venice between a Roman princess searching for undervalued paintings and a mysterious tour guide. Art shenanigans become unavoidable, but the guide's true identity is the mystery that drives the story. Their passion will last three days, long enough to be exposed to unscrupulous art dealers and scammers passing off worthless paintings as part of a famous collection.</blockquote></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><p></p><blockquote>She goes to cosmopolitan parties given by Venetian social and art glitterati. Mr Silvera, a guide whose erudition and distinction sharply contrast with his beat-up suitcase and stain-spotted raincoat, drags his shabby tourists from monument to monument. Around them are the canals and lagoons of Venice, a city which becomes a character in the novel in its own right. Written with elegance and wit, this is an atypical, sophisticated novel of love, crime and social satire worthy of Fellini's Dolce Vita or Sorrentino's The Great Beauty . The novel does have a mystery at its heart – and it concerns the identity of the principal character, apparently a tour guide, but clearly something else as well. </blockquote><p></p></span><div><i><br /></i></div> <i>Thanks to Meryl Zegarek Publicity for a review copy of this book.</i><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">What's on your reading schedule this week and/or the rest of the</i></span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">j</span><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">month?</i></span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">i
</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">n</span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: white; font-family: Gudea, serif; font-weight: 900; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ly202</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times;"><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times="">Memes:</i><i 14px="" 19.6px="" arial="" font-family:="" font-size:="" freesans="" helvetica="" line-height:="" new="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" serif="" style="color: #333333; text-align: center;" tahoma="" times=""> <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">The Sunday Post</a></i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; text-align: center;">hosted by </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">The Caffeinated Bookreviewer</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; text-align: center;">Also, </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #5e53fb; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"> It's Monday: What Are You Reading</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">and</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #436590; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Sunday Salon</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">, </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #cc4411; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Stacking the Shelves</a><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;">Mailbox Monday</a><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: medium; text-align: center;">.</span></p></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Harveehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.com39