Links I love

 

As you know from last Sunday's links post, we went to King Richard's Faire last weekend. It's always a blast and this time was no different! We didn't get to see our favorite performer, who is apparently in Paris according to his father. Ihaven't been feeling well this week.  It wasn't covid, strep or an ear infection or even the flu.  I think I'm on the  mend though.

• Margaret Atwood on the advice she was given.
• Quiz: Would you have been accused of witchcraft in the 17th century?
• It's never too early for Christmas ornaments.
• Do Starbucks gift card work internationally?
• Ask these five questions to help with determining a Halloween costume.
• The best and most cynical fixers in crime fiction.
• Selling PB and J kits during a hurricane. Yay or nea?
• If you have surplus Halloween candy, please consider this program.
• The most haunted hotels.
• Han Kang wins the Nobel Prize for Literature.
• First significant snowfall on Mt. Washington. 
• Station 11 ten years later. this is one I need to re-read.
• 25 best Harry Potter stocking stuffers.

On another note, I've been selected as a Pangobooks ambassador.  PB is a wonderful resource that lets you buy used books. I love it. If you use my code, you'll get $5.00 off your first offer, which is a steal!

Links I love

 

I hope that everyone had a good week.  It's taking me longer to finish a book than I thought it would but I'm likely to have a few reviews up in the next few weeks. Last week, we were in Wolfoboro for the Winni Chase Regatta.  It was a blast!  I'm looking forward to the upcoming ones! See the pics!  

This weekend, we're headed to an Erg-a-thon, a soccer game and King Richard's Faire.

1. The best books on the lessons of history.
2. Why Minnesota is a great setting for crime fiction.
3. Book recommendations for Hispanic heritage month.
4. What staple Aldi, Costco and Trader Joe's have in common.
5. Three non-negotiable tips for cold and flu season.
6. We lost Maggie Smith.
7. Great actors read great books.
8. 8 mysteries set in the book world.
9. 6 haunted libraries.
10. Was Jekyll/Hyde inspired by a real murder case?
11. Nintendo museum opens in Japan.
12. Three must read memoirs on working class. 
13. Lego landscapes which are amazing
14. The loss of self worth in the digital age.
15. This looks good.

REVIEW A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas

 

I see this book everywhere -notably Target - and my daughter was asking about it recently so I thought that I would get it out of the library to read it. Feyre (pronounced Fay-Ruh) is a teenage human who has a very difficult life - she is the main support of her family and when she kills a wolf, she is dragged into a world that she literally didn't ask to join by the other main protagonist - Tamlin. Maas takes it from there and gives us a re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast story, complete with toxic and abusive relationships and gory battle scenes.  

I'm not a fan of this series and I certainly wouldn't let my almost 14 year old daughter read this book.  I think it provides a really unhealthy view of relationships and love that could be dangerous for young adults.  It wasn't very creative in its re-telling of the story that we all know, simply adding sex and gore in the hopes that we wouldn't notice the lack of creativity and lack of character development. I struggled to maintain interest in the story, the characters and, ultimately, the ending of the novel was the best part for me.  I likely won't be reading the rest of the series and I certainly won't encourage my daughter or son to read these books.

As a warning, if you have experienced abuse at the hands of a loved one or intimate partner, I would really think hard about whether this book is one you should read as there is a lot of things that occur in this novel that are very triggering. 

Links I love

 

I hope that everyone had a good week! This weekend is shaping up to be busy so I hope that you enjoy these links!

1. Unfortunately we're headed into flu season.  Here's a guide for the upcoming season!
2. Cat lost in Yellowstone is home after traveling almost 900 miles.
3. The top banned books of 2023.
4. Gladiator 2 everyone!
5. 8 of the worst Science Fiction worlds to live in.
6. Readers' top books in the last 60 y ears.
7. Will bananas become more scarce?
8. Brett Favre announced that he has Parkinson's. What are the warning signs?
9. 12 character driven novels.
10. Journaling prompts to use in the fall.

Links I love

 

It went from fall back to summer this week. I guess Mother Nature has to have her say!  This weekend, I'm recharging by hiking at Wildcat and staying at the hut! I hope all have a good week!

1. FDA approves some Apple Earbuds as hearing aids.
2. 8 signs your  pet is trying to get your attention.
3. Marcie Rendon on writing about murdered indigenous women.
4. Some of t he best books set on Charleston, SC.
5. 5 best campus books.
6. One man's journey from prison to baking.
7. David Bowie and the digital age.
8. I've always liked fantasy books - and now I have a new list!
9. Classic novels of the Civil War.
10. Mysterious horseman may have been identified.
11. Disney advent calendars!

REVIEW All Fours by Miranda July

 

There has been a lot of buzz about this novel and that buzz is well deserved!  I'm glad that I picked this novel up. The unnamed narrator is in her mid 40's and is a multimedia artist in Los Angeles. When we meet her, she's planning a road trip from LA to NY and has told her husband and son that this is what she wants to do. Instead of completing the journey, she pulls over in nearby Monrovia and spends $20K to revamp a cheap hotel room with the goal of spending two weeks there instead. She loves them, but feels stifled by them. While in Monrovia she meets an attractive younger man named Danny and his wife, who she hires to redecorate the motel room that she is staying in. She and Danny are tremendously attracted to each other but struggle against that attraction. 

This book reframes the concept of a mid-life crisis - traditionally, it has seemed that only men have been acknowledged as having these, but what about women who are going through a massive hormonal shift at the same time (hello menopause!). I love how this novel explored menopause, and midlife shifts for women.  In that way, it is a novel that is revolutionary - I don't remember ever reading or hearing about a novel that took on that particular topic head on (which is mind boggling when you think that half the population deals with it). I enjoyed the narrator even in her unreliable narration - she's quirky but seemingly real.  She is what she is and I liked that. The book itself is deceptively readable and hard to put down!

Definitely worth it to add to your library. 

Links I love

 

I hope that everyone had a good weekend. We enjoyed our last weekend watching football and running this 5K.  It is making me itch for a half marathon again! I hope you enjoy these links!

1. Four gothic and neo gothic novels about mothers.
2. 52 doorstopper books for the long fall (and winter) evenings.
3. I just started watching this on Netflix and I'm hooked so far. Spoiler and a second season?
4. five books set in historical Italy.
5. Why you feel terrible after a flu shot.
6. RIP James Earl Jones.
7. All th e finalists for the National Book Award
8. This blogger read every Elin H. book and ranked them.
9. Signs of a legit medium reading.
10. Probably No Goonies sequel thankfully.