Tuesday, December 27, 2022

CHALLENGE: Historical Fiction Challenge October - December


I wasn't very diligent on my blog this year, but that's okay. I do what I feel like, when I feel like it. I did like keeping track of the historical fiction books I read this year, and I plan to join Marg's Historical Fiction challenge again next year. 

There is a type of book that is kind of historical but more parallel or looking back. Do you consider these Historical Fictioin? The last few I read that were good were Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid about a tennis player who comes out of retirement, so the book follows her present day attempts to get back into competition alternating with the story of how she was champion fifteen years before. Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson was another of these parallel stories where the present day story is integral to the past story, and the narrative flips back and forth. This one kept my attention a lot and I couldn't stop listening to it as secret prank from two misfit teenagers comes back to life after twenty years. 



October

Bowlaway - Elizabeth McCracken ðŸŽ§
20th century Massachusetts
One of those sprawling, generational family stories, set in a bowling alley. Covers the history of bowling as well as the family which owns it. There is some magical realism stuff and mysteries. I know I liked it at the time, but I can't really remember too much.


Bring Up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel  ðŸŽ§
16th century England
More in the Thomas Cromwell story, the second in Mantel's trilogy. Here Anne Boleyn is the queen, but not for long as Henry is already looking around. It's the story of Cromwell and the machinations at court. Makes stuff today look pretty tame actually. Mantel writes a good story, but if you've read any Tudor stuff, you know the story. I read this one soon after Hilary Mantel died, and I'll go for the third eventually. One of the rare trilogies where the books get shorter.


November


The King's Justice - Susan Elia MacNeal
WW2 England
My library finally got this book #9 well after I read book #10, The Hollywood Spy. This was probably one of Maggie Hope's better books, as Miss Pollyanna has finally been worn out by the evil of the war, and the deception of the spying. Maggie is still viewing her world with a modern sensibility towards homosexuality, PTSD. She's working as a bomb diffuser since she just doesn't care anymore, lol. Maybe I liked it more because the war was more of a background in this book, as Maggie is drawn into helping find a serial killer in London, as if the blitz wasn't enough to deal with.


December


Shrines of Gaiety - Kate Atkinson
1920s England
Atkinson went through a spell with some, I'd call, experimental books. There were a few, Life After Life, and A God in Ruins, that I tried as audiobook, but just couldn't follow. Then I read the paper book and loved. Transcription was a more straightforward novel, but still relied on the research she had done for WW2. Shrines of Gaiety reminded me more of her Jackson Brodie books, with a large cast of characters gradually being pulled in the center by the plot. Set in roaring twenties of London, life is fun and returning to 'normal' after the war, Nellie Croker, fresh out of prison, is controlling her large family of adult children as well as a series of nightclubs. There are missing girls, spunky girls who can't live a quiet life after the war, and police, both on the take and not. Really, there was a lot of fun in this book, just what I look for in a good historical fiction book.


Haven - Emma Donoghue
7th century Ireland
Oh, Emma Donoghue, what can't you write about? Her most famous book, Room, is present day, but all her other books are fantastic historical fiction and while I don't love all her books, she always writes great characters that draw you in, as well as setting the time and place so well. It's a small book here, as three monks take off, with one definite leader and two who will obey, to an isolated island off the coast of Ireland. (you will want to look up Skellig Michael, a real place that this story is based on. Add it to your bucket list). This type of devotion is frustrating to read with the fervent faith of the leader versus the practical thought of his underlings. Could have been very annoying, but Donoghue keeps her characters real and the reader very early hopes for the best for the likeable guys and that they can actually survive on more than God's love.


An Irish Yuletide - Patrick Taylor
1960s Northern Ireland

It's good to read a seasonal book and this novella in the Irish Country series fit the bill. While the most recent release, Taylor goes back a few years for the Christmas story. The medical issue throughout is chicken pox, the relationship issue is a prodigal brother returns, and all the characters of Ballybucklebo are present. Just delightful and a great series if you like a gentle book with fun stories. We are at the middle to late sixties, and there is very little of 'the troubles' mentioned.



Monday, December 26, 2022

CHALLENGE: Historical Fiction Challenge, July - September


 



The Lincoln Highway,
by Amor Towles
1950s Nebaska, New York

Two brothers try to start a new life together, possibly looking for their mother, after the older one is released from Juvenile detention. Unfortunately, they best get used to their plans being upended, with the arrival of two lads who self-released themselves and tag along with the brothers. It sounds like a light-hearted romp, but no. It wasn't as good as A Gentleman in Moscow, but it got better as it went on.



My Lady Jane, by Cynthia Hand
1500s England, sort of
I am loving these irreverent remakes of Jane stories by Cynthia Hand. This one is Lady Jane Gray who was Queen of England for a few days. Most of the basic story is here, but Hand has so much fun going in different directions, and these are definitely light-hearted. In this book, the 'extra' is that some people can shape-shift into their animal, and there is a continual issue of losing clothes as they become animals, and turning back to human naked. Pure foolishness!





An Irish Country Cottage, by Patrick Taylor
1968 Northern Ireland

Late 1960s Ireland and contraception and pregnancy are issues for Dr Barry Laverty and Dr Fingal O'Reilly. The local issue is a fire burns down a cottage and the village must get a new house for the family. 





The Deeds of Darkness by Mel Starr
1300s England 
The tenth in the Hugh de Singleton Chronicles follows the medieval life of a surgeon and bailiff near Oxford in England. These books follow a certain formula, and I enjoy them. If you've read all the Brother Cadfael books, this series might be for you.

August


 Mississippi Trial, 1955 - Chris Crowe 🎧
1955 Mississippi
Pretty good historical fiction account of the Emmett Till murder told from the point of view of a teenage boy, having issues with his family at the same time. The boy is dealing with his developing awareness of life around him, and the conflicts with the tradition and culture of Mississippi, which hasn't probably changed much but is pretty horrific looking in from the outside.


 September



 The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury (ebook) - Mark Levy
1950s England, Turkey

I quite liked this story of a girl who lost everyone in WW2 making a journey to Turkey after hearing a message from a fortune teller. This was one of those Amazon Free World books. There was a friendship started in a rooming house, secrets, and life in Turkey for a while. I am particularly fond of Turkey having visited there while on a cruise years and years ago. It made an impression. It was a gentle, poignant story and worth my time.

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

VIRTUAL ADVENT TOUR: Memories

 


How can it be this time of the year already? As I was thinking about what to write for the Virtual Advent Tour, hosted most wonferfully by spritewrites since 2015, I was reflecting on how Christmas has changed in our house over the last 25 years. 

We had the crazy years when our three children were young and Christmas morning was a chaos scene. So much so that my father-in-law would drive in the thirty minutes to be at our house early (6 am) to see the children attack the presents. He was a little disappointed at how my husband and I contained the chaos - me writing down everything as it was opened, him staying on top and removing the paper and boxes immediately. But it was still fun!

Now as we have practically no teenagers, Christmas is a lot calmer. We do a lot of the same things still, but they have friends and social lives and we have to fit it all together. One thing that has not changed is we have my parents over on Christmas Eve for a nice supper and visit. 

In 2020, we re-enacted a picture from when everyone was much younger - my parents and my children.



Christmas Eve 2003

Christmas Eve 2020

We are so lucky to have been able to recreate this after seventeen years.

Thanks for stopping by for my stop on the Advent Tour. If you would like to contribute a post, visit spritewrites and let her know you'd like to be a part of this. We'd love to have you!

I'm pretty sure I am having comment problems and I have no idea how to fix it, so if you can't comment, I'm sorry. 


In 2021, I shared my gumdrop woes, and cake recipe
In 2020, I rambled a bit about Christmas in a pandemic, and an Adam Sandler song

In 2019, I shared the extra things that make Christmas sparkly

In 2018, I shared several posts:
    - a look at some Canadian history on December 6th that I always remember
    - a look at advent calendars through my years

In 2017, I shared a song by local sister singers on a charity album
    - in a second post, I shared how I decked the halls with physics haikus with my class

In 2016, I shared the lights of my town, and a recipe for Spumoni shortbreads
In 2015, I shared my Christmas decorations in our new home
In 2014, there was no tour

In 2013, I shared a Christmas series of novellas by Anne Perry that I listened in audio
In 2012, I posted some favourite Christmas mystery  books
In 2011, I posted a 'recipe' for fruitcake that my grandmother had given me.

In 2010, I took a humorous look at some local events on Prince Edward Island.
In 2009, we played 'guess the carol'
In 2008, I played a game of 'guess the movie', and my favorite Christmas picture ever.
In 2007, it was the original 'guess the carol' game, with your vocabulary tested, and my whipped shortbread cookie recipe.


Thursday, November 3, 2022

NONFICTION NOVEMBER: Summary of 2022 Reads


Nonfiction November gives me a chance to look back on the nonfiction reads since last November. Including December 2021, I've read 16 nonfiction books since last year. The most common type of NF would be memoir and true crime. Here with a short summary of the books I liked best:


Blood in the Water - Silver Donald Cameron
🎧

True Canadian crime, this was a crazy read of small town murder in a fairly local community, within the Maritimes. I was engrossed, and looked up some podcasts related to the incident, and found a documentary as well. How do you deal with a a*hole in the community when he never quites goes too far for the law, but he goes too far for people to put up with him? (one of the last books I read in 2021)


The Feather Thief
- Kirk Wallace Johnson 🎧

Another great true crime book, which combined some historical accounts of some scientists besides Darwin who looked at evolution. This was quite a crazy tale and I would recommend this one as a good nonfiction book with a great story.


These Precious Days - Ann Patchett
🎧

I am having an Ann Patchett year, and this book of essays was varied and very readable. Nothing controversial, just a good author writing about writing and her life. Memoir-ish.


Freezing Order - Bill Browder
 ðŸŽ§

I've seen Browder on CNN talking about the Magnitsky Act, a way for other countries to deal with the rogue state of Russia and Putin as they launder money and deal with their political opponents. Browder is a pretty brave guy and is working hard to bring awareness to Russia. 

 


One Good Reason - Sean McCann
🎧

I've a huge Great Big Sea fan and Sean McCann was a big part of their history until he left the band. His memoir of what lead to him leaving, mostly due to heavy drinking brought on by some youth trauma certainly has two sides about the actual leaving, which didn't go well as you'd like from a bunch of lads that you like. But he did what he had to for his family. His wife plays a big part of the story, as how they dealt with life was based on both of their life experiences. Good read, good people.



The Vanishing Triangle: The Murdered Women Ireland Forgot
(ebook)- Clare McGowen
True crime in Ireland, looking at how the death of young women is not looked at seriously enough for a myriad of reasons. There may have been a serial killer or two, many domestic violence situations, and nobody looking very hard in the nineties. There were a lot of names to keep track of, it's real life so it doesn't wrap up easily or neatly, but there is no doubt the author did her research, and made some pointed comments on how Irish society dealt with the crimes.



And a summary of the rest of them: 

Vanderbilt - Anderson Cooper ðŸŽ§

Historical account of Cooper's famous family. I've enjoyed other books by Anderson Cooper more, but the Vanderbilts lived a wild life.

Before My Time - Ami McKay  🎧

Memoir of a Canadian author and her family's dangerous cancer marker and how they have been studied. 

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times - Katherine May 🎧

Self-help type book, I liked it at the time, but can't remember a lot of it now as I read it in January. I shouldn't really read self-help books. 

Untamed - Glennon Doyle 🎧

Self-help books can sometimes get me angry as I argue with the author in my head all the time. Doyle got a brainful from me. But there were sections I did like, when she focused more on the feminism stuff, but her enlightenment reminded me of the motivational speakers who live their life a certain way, then see the light and feel the need to let everyone know this new way of living. More infuriating, Doyle wrote previous self-help books on her past life, and then writes new ones on her new life. How do I know you won't find another new life philosophy and this one will be passe? 


Taste: My Life Through Food - Stanley Tucci 🎧
I've been super enjoying Tucci's CNN series Italy and this memoir is kind of related, but not quite as good. He's a nice guy, into food a lot, perhaps a bit snobbish about it (I've stopped cutting my spaghetti, lol after a comment in the book that adults should not be cutting their spaghetti!). He has had some rough times in his life as his first wife died, but he keeps a good attitude.

The Wake: The Deadly Legacy of a Newfoundland Tsunami - Linden MacIntyre 🎧
MacIntryre wrote one of my favourite books, Causeway, his memoir/historical book about Cape Breton, so I had high expectations. Maybe too high? This was still good and but more on the historical and very little memoir. It was an interesting premise to explain how Newfoundland has had to struggle in so many ways as a 'have-not' province, and he traces it back to a tsuanmi in the early 1900s.

Do You Mind if I Cancel? - Gary Janetti 🎧
Snarky, funny, and unmemorable comments by the Hollywood writer. 

Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought for her American Dream - Julissa Arce 🎧
This was a YA Sync free audiobook and was a good story of one young girl and the challenges she faced. Nothing new here, perfectly fine, but unmemorable.

Secret Soldiers: How the US Twenty-third Troops Fooled the Nazis - Paul B Janeczko 🎧
Another YA Sync read which was an interesting part of the United States part in WW2 in Europe. However, the prologue really gave me enough of the story that the rest of the book was just filling in details about what the prologue completely explained! Listen to the prologue to get the main idea, unless you love all the details, but I felt I got the gist of the story.

As Fast As Her - Kendall Coyne 🎧
YA Sync memoir from the US women's hockey team, I liked Coyne's story of her life growing up and loving hockey. This Canadian reader loved the hockey stuff, but hearing the US-Canadian women's hockey rivalry from the American point of view was a little hard for me, lol. 


And since November would be a great month to read some nonfiction, here are some books I have on hand that I hope to get through, including finishing up some YA Sync audiobook reads.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage - Ann Patchett
Black Lion: Teachings from the Wilderness
Crescendo: The True Story of a Musical Genius Who Forever Changed a Small Town
The Real Herge: The Inspiration behind Tintin
Singled Out: The True Story of Glen Burke
A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War






Tuesday, July 26, 2022

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books From My Past Seasonal TBR Posts I STILL Haven’t Read

 




This list of shame has been following me for many years. I found books from a 2013 list! Eek.
I've loved making these lists over the years and I have actually been pretty good, although I noticed a few books that I read this year that almost made this list.
For more lists and future topics, visit That Artsy Reader Girl.


Cop Killer by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo
spring 2022, spring 2021


Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Spring 2021



This is Not My Life by Diane Schoemperlen
Fall 2017
Canadian nonfiction, a Charles Taylor Prize finalist, 


Death by Black Hole and other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Fall 2017
I've got this one on my desk at school and I am trying to read one essay a day. I bet the title essay has the word 'spaghettification' in it




Sovereign by C.J. Sansom
Summer 2019
book 3 in the Shardlake series
I like to try one big ole book in the summer and this series is always top-notch




The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder by Sarah J Harris
 Summer 2019, Summer 2020
a publisher freebie, I've been meaning to get to it, and then heard it recc'd on CBC, on one of those 'books to read this summer'




The Island Villa by Lily Graham
Summer 2019
described as 'the perfect feel good summer read' 



Rebecca
Summer 2020
Daphne DuMaurier



Microserfs by Douglas Coupland
Summer 2013


The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin 
Summer 2013




Friday, July 8, 2022

CHALLENGE: Historical Fiction Reading, June

 

Only one historical fiction from June - also a movie on Netflix but I haven't seen yet.



Their Finest by Lissa Evans
1943-44 London

Their Finest follows a group of people in London during the Blitz who work for a film company making patriotic shorts and movies. There are several story lines that will join up for the patient reader - a woman writer seconded to add some punch to the female roles in the movie, and a costume designer at Madame Tousant's who leaves London for safety and becomes involved with the film. Both women are lonely and the war is not helping.

There is a lot going on and other than getting the movie made, there isn't a driving plot. I couldn't always see where the book was going, and yet I liked it. I liked the characters and their struggles, life in London even though it was brutal, and the movie making. 

This is the second Lissa Evans book I read - I also read Crooked Heart in 2017. It was also London and Blitz related but it tugged my heart-strings more overall. The end of Their Finest (or Their Finest Hour) was good, but not necessarily a happy ending - it is the Blitz after all, but by the end I was really hoping for a few of the characters.  





Tuesday, June 28, 2022

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books On My Summer 2022 To-Read List

 


The topic this week is My Summer TBR list. I've been reading a bit less, and simultaneously have so many books I want to read that this list is harder than usual. I'm only picking a few books as I am not feeling like putting books on here that I may not read. Being able to make a reasonable list is as important as crossing off the books. I'm an NOT putting Cop Killer or Shuggie Bain on this list because they have been added to so many of these lists I am getting tired of not reading them. 



















Tuesday, June 7, 2022

TOP TEN TUEDAY: Books With a Unit of Time in the Title