Month: October 2017

Weekly Round-Up 10/29/2017

Hello everybody! Hope you are having a great day. We got our first cold snap of the season this week here in North Dakota. A few snow flakes flying around but no accumulations yet. The first quarter of the school year finished up this week. Only 3 more to go and then my son graduates! So, I’m telling you all of this as a distraction because my reading progress was dismal this week and I don’t really want to check the numbers. 😔 Enough horsing around, let’s get into it.

TBR – I finished 1 whole book this week. This is digraceful. I also added one book. So no gain there. I also removed a book from the TBR because I found the writing to be a little bit juvenile for me, so the new total is 268.

Goodreads challenge – I am currently 4!!! books behind. I have never been so far behind on a challenge. And it’s not as if I was involved in some big project that took me away from reading. I have no excuses, I have just been lazy this week.

NetGalley score – Well this number hasn’t gotten any worse because the one book I did read was a NetGalley book. So, I’m still at 86%.

Coming soon – So this coming week, I am going to try to finish “Treachery and Retribution” by Andrew Rawson. I know I said that last week but I really mean it this time. Treachery and Retribution I’m also currently reading “Smoke and Mirrors” by Casey Daniels and will try to finish and review it this week. Smoke and Mirrors Finally, I’m still listening to “Another Man’s Moccasins” by Craig Johnson on audiobook and might finish it this week also. Another Man's Moccasins So there you have the ugly truth. I hope this week turns out better and there will actually be some activity on the blog for you to read. I’ll see you all next Sunday!

Happy Reading!

 
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“Victoria and Abdul” by Shrabani Basu

“Victoria and Abdul” by Shrabani Basu

I always find Queen Victoria fascinating and this book is no exception. The author relates for us the story of Victoria’s friend Abdul, who comes to her household originally to serve at table, but becomes one of her closest confidantes in the last decade of her life. I think Shranani Basu has done a wonderful job of bringing the main players to life. I really had a sense of being a fly on the wall watching the various dramas unfold. I thought it was wonderful that this Abdul had come along in her older years and opened up a whole new world for her. He made Indian food for her, taught her to speak Hindi, and introduced her to the culture of India, over which she was Empress, and yet a place she would never visit. Meanwhile, her family appears to have been insanely jealous of the relationship. Well, I say 3 cheers to Victoria for wanting to learn new things all the way to the day of her death.

This story has now been made into a movie, which I have not yet seen so I’m not sure how well it keeps to the story. I do know that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this chapter of the Queen’s life and it just confirms my impression that she must have been a wonderful person to know. I think that Abdul brought a level of excitement back into Victoria’s life at a time when others were starting to write her off because of her age. I highly recommend this book for its color and attention to detail and historical accuracy.

Alinefromabook’s rating: 4-5-star-rating  4.5 stars!!

Happy Reading!

On Amazon   |   On Goodreads

Weekly Round-Up 10/22/2017

Roll up everybody! It’s time for another weekly round-up! I only had to work for 3 days this last week so I was able to get caught up on some things around the house. I also got 2 book reviews posted and a Journeys Through Bookland story. So, not too bad in terms of productivity. The cold weather has started to make an appearance around her so we had to get the sweaters out for the mornings. So let’s check the statistics for this week.

TBR – I added 1 book this week and finished reading 1. The TBR total now stands at 269.

NetGalley score – I finished a NetGalley book this week and my score is now at 87%.

Goodreads challenge – I am now 3 books behind schedule. I don’t know how that happened.

Coming up – I am currently reading “Victoria and Abdul” by Shranani Basu. I’m more than halfway through so might finish today or tomorrow. Victoria and Abdul I’m also reading “Treachery and Retribution” by Andrew Rawson and will probably finish it this week. Treachery and Retribution My audiobook selection for this week is “Another Man’s Moccasins” by Craig Johnson.Another Man's Moccasins So that’s what I have for now. Wishing you all a relaxing Sunday and a good week ahead.

Happy Reading!

“The Muse” by Jessie Burton

“The Muse” by Jessie Burton

Narrated by Bahni Turpin and Maria Elena Infantino

Alinefromabook’s rating: 4-5-star-rating  4.5 stars!!

Another excellent read from Jessie Burton! I so enjoyed “The Miniaturist” that I was really looking forward to this one. I actually listened to the audiobook version of this. This is the story of two young women, living at different times. Olive is living in Spain with her family in 1936 as political tensions are beginning to rise. She longs to be a painter but her father will not let her attend art school so she paints in secret in the attic. A local girl helps out in the house and the two become best friends. When Olive’s mother hires a local painter to paint their portrait, events begin to spiral out of control.

In 1967, Odelle is a young woman who has emigrated from the Caribbean. She is hired to work as a secretary for the Skelton Institute of Art. At her best friend’s wedding she meets a young man who has inherited an unusual painting after the recent death of his mother. He brings the painting to the Skelton to find out if it has any value. The search for what happened to the painter will bring the two storylines together but watch out for all the twists and turns before you get to the end.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s complex, keeps you guessing, and the way that the author takes you back and forth from one storyline to the other keeps you fully engaged. I did have a little trouble getting into the story at the beginning but I think that had more to do with the narration than the story itself. Both narrators have accents, one Spanish and one Caribbean, which makes the characters come to life but it took me a couple of hours of listening to really feel comfortable with the narrators. Don’t let that discourage you from picking up this book though. The story is inspired and a real treat. I highly recommend.

Happy Reading!

On Amazon   |   On Goodreads

“The Modoc War” by Robert Aquinas McNalley

“The Modoc War” by Robert Aquinas McNalley

A Story of Genocide at the Dawn of America’s Gilded Age

Alinefromabook’s rating:  5-star-rating

This is the story of the war that the United States waged against the Modoc Indians in the Lava Beds of southern Oregon in the late 19th century. The author has done a great job of bringing to life the main players of the story, both Americans and Indians, and discussing their motivations. The Americans were determined to destroy the Modocs largely for the purposes of profit but also because of the mindset at the time that saw the Indians as little better than animals. I appreciated the author’s dip into the history of how this attitude came about in the culture of the time. I found this story to be riveting and thoroughly researched. It still surprises me that as a culture we know so much about the atrocities committed against blacks, but almost nothing about what was committed against the Indians. This is an excellent book in its category and I highly recommend it.

Happy Reading!

On Amazon   |   On Goodreads

Weekly Round-Up 10/15/2017

Hello everybody! Time for another check-in. It’s been a slow week for reading, but I have a 4 day weekend coming up next week, so I’m hoping to do a little catching up then. Last night my teenage son made dinner for the first time, hamburgers and french fries, and my kitchen was such a wreck afterwards. I’m still finding grease spots everywhere this morning. But his really enjoying the Cultures and Cuisine class that he’s taking. Next up I think is blueberry muffins. He’s also learned how to make a pretty mean omelet and discovered that he likes lots of pepper with his eggs. OK, here we go:

TBR – I did finish one book this week. Sorry I didn’t get the review up yet but hopefully for tomorrow. I did not add any books, so the total today is 270. I know I promised last week to finish listening to “The Muse” but I’m not quite done. I have 2 hours left, maybe I can finish today or tomorrow.

NetGalley – No change here, still at 86%.

Goodreads challenge – Okay, I’m falling behind. I’m now at 3 books behind schedule.

Coming Up – Review of “The Modoc War” by Robert Aquinas McNalley will go up tomorrow.The Modoc War

Review of “The Muse” by Jessie Burton should go up later this week.The Muse

I’ve just started reading “Victoria and Abdul” by Shranani Basu. I’m moving pretty quickly so you might also see that review this coming week. Victoria and Abdul

So that’s it for today. I hope you all have a great week and read lots of books!

Happy Reading!

 

“Nail’s Crossing” by Kris Lackey

“Nail’s Crossing” by Kris Lackey

Indian country, Oklahoma. It’s hot and dry, and on this day, it’s deadly. Bill Maytubby is a tribal Lighthorse policeman and Hannah Bond is a deputy for the county. When Hannah discovers the body of Majesty Tate, a drifter, she has no idea what kind of a hornet’s nest the investigation will turn into. Finding answers will take Maytubby across three states and put his life and the life of his fiancé in danger. The question is who will be left standing when the final dust clears.

I think this is a great debut mystery/thriller. I certainly hope it is the start of a series with these characters because I really liked them. The dynamic between Maytubby and Bond is really unique. They are not exactly partners because they work for different agencies but they seem to end up working together when the jurisdictions overlap and I really enjoyed their banter and the way they are able to sense what is needed in any given situation. This story does have a lot of secondary characters that are vital to the story but you will need to be paying attention to keep up with it all. The plot line has a lot of interesting twists and turns and the finale had me on the edge of my seat. Overall, I’m really impressed with this one and will be keeping my eyes open for more from this author.

Alinefromabook’s rating:  4-star-rating  4 stars!!

Happy Reading!

On Amazon   |   On Goodreads

Weekly Round-Up 10/8/2017

Another Sunday, another Round-Up. A pretty ordinary week has passed, though I did get a new dryer this week. It’s always nice when the dryer actually drys the clothes. So let’s take a look at my library and see what’s been happening there.

TBR – So, I added 3 books this week and I finished 2, giving me a new total of 270.

Goodreads Challenge – I’m still 1 book behind schedule.

NetGalley Score – still at 86%

Coming Up – I’m still working my way through the audiobook version of “The Muse“. I’m about halfway through so I’m going to try to finish it this week. The Muse

I’m also reading “The Modoc War” by Robert Aquinas McNalley and hope to finish it this week also. The Modoc War

So that’s it for today guys. I hope you all have a great week!

Happy Reading!