Live Reading sprints Friday 10 am to noon
Listening to the Audiobook for the library book club for November
The book is
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
amazon link for book : https://amzn.to/4fashxF
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Book Club Hosted by @autumnleafbooks @lane_cellars
Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert
book 17 of 29 - Amazon Link to Book
3 star review
Shaker history told through journals, running parallel to a real time story linking murders, scandal, and uncovering both a new crime and an old shaker secret. Family is not always safe.
3 -stars
Loved the history, struggled with the amount of intervention and boarder line tampering the main character China Bayles does while interferes with the ongoing and newly discovered crimes. Solving the crime herself and handing over the information at the end to law enforcement even going as far as interrogating a suspect herself.
Although her husband is a police officer, China herself is a lawyer and should know better than to mess with official evidence.
I enjoyed the shaker history and stories uncovering its cult like control over members and how many of the members are able to pull the wool over the eyes of many of the leaders. Not only are we given a real time murder and intertwined scandal but also enjoy the old shaker scandal playing out linking both events to one particular family that has been involved with the Shaker Culter in a finical scene for many generations. Wrapping up the family's history and financial intervention for good.
3 stars for a great mystery and lots of cult like history from the shakers, would have loved a more realistic boundary set for the main characters playing detectives.
Weekly Reading and Updates Oct 3rd 2024
Update on reading my birthday book haul and a new book club book
Thursdays Update Video
Wives Blog
Reading all the books on my shelves with the word wife and or wives in the title.
I had eleven books total.
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Reached the first day of 125 pages - reading all eleven books on my shelves with the word wife/wives in the title.
Starting with the oldest publication date to the newest / #theprofessorswivesclub published in 2008.
So far, we are meeting the women who are married to different professors at the same institute, but each woman is living a different life than all the others.
The only two connection they all share is their husband’s employment and the park they all visit that is facing demolition to make room for a parking lot.
So far, I’m impressed with the amount of information and back story such a short book under 400 pages is able to provide, and for multiple individuals makes the introduction to the women and their situations even more enjoyable, with so many hidden social connections.
2/3 of the story left I’m still not sure if this is a fight for women in general or to save the park, holding my breath waiting to see which way the story runs.
How many wife/wives books do you have?
#wivesblog #booksaboutwives #augustreads #professor #womencomingtogether #terminatorbaby
11 books - 3875 pages to read behind schedule (3812 of 3875 left) = 1,563 pages to sprint
11 books - 3875 pages to read behind schedule (3812 of 3875 left) = 1,563 pages to sprint
Reading and sprint log august 13th to 31st
Starting out - things are getting serious now - 1563 Pages behind - watch the YouTube channel for so many live and posted reading sprints, let’s see if all 11 books get read and reviewed as planned.
August 13th - reading sprint live on YouTube bambireadsbooks
August 14th - Today was the day, I’ve laid it all out on the table and we are looking at this big picture style.
That sounded more serious than it needed to, but here we are.
As the numbers stand today August 14th
11 books for the wives title themed blog
3876 pages total - down 158 pages 📄
17 days to go - 3,718 pages to read
Numbers aside the purpose of all that is to finish on time, so shortly I will post my numbers for the first 10 dice sprints the 5 yesterday and the 5 today. See if any adjustments need to be in place. Possibly more sprints per day if, I am dragging behind still.
Story wise - reading the first book - The Professors wives club published in 2008
A group of women are wives of professors that work at the same university and each woman is having a very different life experience based on her and her husbands choices depending on the relationship you exam as there are a few that are offered up.
Having reached the 40% mark the women or wives are starting to meet and form relationships based on their mutual love for the universities park, plans to turn the park into a parking lot are being set forth by one of the husbands the dean to be exact.
I am personally feeling a lot of tension knowing one of the husband is abusive and very good at keep the abuse private, I feel like maybe a park isn’t worth putting herself in danger over, just my personal thoughts.
Another woman seems to be uncovering some infidelity in her spouse and maybe coming to the realization he is a shallow person and his friends are turning out to be unsavory as well. Big choice to be made as the values of one member of the relationship are being belittled and pushed aside for another, no matter what mistakes one makes it’s no excuse for abuse and degradation.
I am starting to wonder if the subject of the book is abuses and the many forms it takes and the fact that abuse can take place in the families that look the most stable and put together on the outside and few are the wiser about the situation while it is happening.
Maybe the second half of this story really is about women pulling together to save a park, however I would be happier if they leave these men in the end….
Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
Dead silence 3/5
Here is my review for dead silence- three out of five stars. This is one of the books recommended to me by one of the viewers from the live YouTube reading sprints.
Although Science Fiction is not generally something I enjoy reading I generally enjoy watching it and movies. I did enjoy this book. However, I did struggle to grasp the initial concept of what was happening. I got as far as they are in space. It was her last voyage and they found an abandoned cruise ship , and then after that, it was very scattered and I had to restart. I would say 3 to 4 times maybe that is just me and how my brain works, but it was a struggle.
I was eventually able to push through the difficult transition from exploration to a space version of ghost ship I did, however, enjoy the different personalities in the crew and their different reactions as the story played out. The character representation was done very well in my opinion, and overall concept and the outcome of the story was creepy, sinister, and dark, and did honestly infuriate me a little bit at times. I have to say I did love the ending more than I expected to.
In short, I would summarize this book as a titanic/ghost ship retelling that happens in space, well worth the read, especially if you were someone who enjoys a Science Fiction or thriller novel.
In The Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce
my thought and review while and after readung In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce
My Library Read for May 2024
So the start of this is so sad and unfair her mother is the only person to show her any compassion -
I feel so bad for her husband he is trying to give her everything she wants but nothing is good enough for her, she angry with him for being kind to her?
Food hoarding, lack of a baby, and the loss of violence in her home has her reeling and that poor man is along for the ride not knowing any of what she is thinking or feeling.
The orphanage is so surreal to hear how it was arranged, how can you say no to any of them, it would be so overwhelming.
So starting this story and her journey to a new land I understood why she would
Be hurt and acting unfair, but the man who
Loved her and tried to be kind to her paid for it she has no remorse even as it’s happening, at all so sad
In The Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce
5-star review, dark historical fiction
I came across camilla bruces novel Into the garden of spite
while walking through my local library. It was love at first site, and now that I have finished the story, I can tell you it is well worth your time. In the garden of spite is based on a true story of a woman who lived the life of a real-life black widow in the sense that although at times she may have married with the hope of a life partner each end in its own dark and plot twisting way. Mix her own trauma and personality flaws with a dangerous man who can supply her with nearly anything she asks for a dark “work Trade”, even the ones closest to widow Bella cannot truly grasp the dark deeds and justifications that always follow in the after math.
The empathy I felt for little Brunhild in the beginning really carried through a large portion of the story however i could not relate to scorning kindness to the point that Bella did. although she had trauma and maybe even cause for the start of her dark story all that follows that first even really is an example of unresolved trauma and the power and danger of convincing oneself of anything as long as the means get them to the end result.
I will most assuredly be re visiting this story later on as a re-read. The plot was never boring, no low spots, and the stress was excellent. At points being given glimpses of what could be then what is and then back into the dark. I especially appreciated the deliver at certain points we are given the widow Bellas perspective and then switch over to a more relatable and sensible outlook of her older sister, and the pain of having to admit to herself that her little sister although now more than grown is capable of such acts.
A great dark historical fiction fasted paced and full of surprises. I highly recommend giving the story of Bella told by author Camilla Bruce a visit.
For more on the story of Widow Bella see the YouTube murder mystery and makeup episode hosted by Bailey Sarian.
A Little Love Song Michelle Magorian
April is the Spring Semester for The Magical Readathon hosted by G at Book roast. For the prediction bingo prompt I chose to re-read a book that was a favorite of mine when I was a teenager. I made my bingo predictions based on elements and events I remember or thought a remembered happening previously when reading A Little Love Song by Michelle Magorian.
Currently on page 68 and loving the story just as much as I remember it. I appreciate how the author delivers the emotional moments in the story in a way that makes the read at least for me feel the feelings. When Darry is kinder to the sister then to the other and blushing even though it is not said out loud it is noted and felt by both the characters and me the reader.
first 68 pages of this read.
Only 6 days left of April 2024 and I am determined to make a binger dent in the pages that i planed on reading this month. starting a mini blog reading 275 pages a day for 6 days. I hope you enjoy the comments and inside thoughts of mine for the rest of book one of who know how many in 6 days.
I will be splitting the read up into page sets and sharing thoughts at those points, however, feel free to read with me on YouTube, would love the company and conversation in-between page sprints. I plan on 5 sets of 50 pages and one final set of 25 pages to reach the 275 for the day.
Awesomely the 275 pages will finish up A little love song and then a review will be owed so it’s a big day and I can’t wait to see if this book sends me into my feelings or if I have outgrown the story and it may be time to pass it along to another, time will tell.