Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For more info please check out Jana’s blog.
Hello!
I haven’t taken part in Top Ten Tuesday for quite a while so I thought it was high time to take part again. This weeks topic is also an excellent choice for me as I have now booked my summer holiday so I am planning what books to take with me to read.
So in no particular order here are my ten books:
These are a mix of books off my 20 Books of Summer Challenge and my Classics Club Challenge and some random extras. I have no idea if I will manage all of these but I plan on giving it a good go.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway – I recently bought this whilst book shopping because I had always wanted to read it. Fingers crossed I will get around it as it will be a nice short read.
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang – This was my latest purchase whilst book shopping and one that I bought because of all the good things I have seen about it on instagram.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors – This is another book I have read so many good things about.
Babel by R. F. Kuang – I really hope I like Kuang’s writing as she is a new author for me and I plan to read two of her books in the summer.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas – I have very nearly finished The Count of Monte Cristo and I am not nearly ready to finish reading books by Dumas. It will be my next nighttime read.
The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski – I have the full set of these books in paperback but I might pop the first on my kindle so I can read it on holiday and if I want to continue with the series I can just download the next one on my Kindle.
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati – This has been sat on my TBR for way to long so hopefully I will read it soon.
The Greek Plays – I can’t wait to get reading these.
Silas Marnerby George Eliot – This is one of my favourite books and I fancied a reread for the summer.
The Taxidermist’s Daughter by Kate Mosse – Again another book that has been sat on my TBR for way too long.
Fingers crossed I can read these books and many more over the summer.
If you have taken part in Top Ten Tuesday this week please drop me your link and I will head over for a visit.
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good day today. I managed to blow all the lights at the school I was teaching at today. Thankfully it was sunny enough to not cause too much bother but the bang scared the life out of me.
My chosen book today is another off my 20 Books of Summer list. I will be honest I am falling a little bit behind with my list at the moment but I’ve really tried to catch up with my reading today and hope to catch up even more this week.
Sussex, 1912. In a churchyard, villagers gather on the night when the ghosts of those who will die in the coming year are thought to be seen. Here, where the estuary leads out to the sea, superstitions still hold sway.
Standing alone is the taxidermist’s daughter. At 17, Constantia Gifford lives with her father in a decaying house: it is all that is left of Gifford’s once world-famous museum of taxidermy. The stuffed animals that used to grace every parlour are out of fashion, leaving Gifford a disgraced and bitter man.
The bell begins to toll and all eyes are fixed on the church. No one sees the gloved hand pick up a flint. As the last notes fade into the dark, a woman lies dead.
While the village braces itself against rising waters and the highest tide of the season, Connie struggles to discover who is responsible, but finds herself under suspicion. Is Constantia who she seems – is she the victim of circumstances or are more sinister forces at work? And what is the secret that lies at the heart of Gifford House, hidden among the bell jars of her father’s workshop?
What are your thoughts on this book if you have read it?
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I hope you all have some fun plans for the weekend. I am sadly mainly working again but hopefully I will fit in some reading.
My chosen poem today is by the American poet Mary Oliver (1935-2019).
The Sweetness of Dogs
What do you say, Percy? I am thinking
of sitting out on the sand to watch
the moon rise. It's full tonight.
So we go.
and the moon rises, so beautiful it
makes me shudder, makes me think about
time and space, makes me take
measure of myself: one iota
pondering heaven. Thus we sit, myself
thinking how grateful I am for the moon's
perfect beauty and also, oh! how rich
it is to love the world. Percy, meanwhile,
leans against me and gazes up into
my face. As though I were just as wonderful
as the perfect moon.
Mary Oliver
I thought it was time for a non bookish update. Although some of my adventures are book related in a way.
Warner Bros Studio Tour
I went with my husband and besties to the Harry Potter tour during the half term and this was the first time we also had the afternoon tea which was very yummy and the service was excellent. As usual the tour was brilliant and I highly recommend the afternoon tea if you haven’t had it before.
Cosford Museum
I love visiting Cosford and my husband and myself go at least once per year. Sadly, one of my favourite planes had moved so I didn’t get to see it but I managed to see some of my other favourite planes and bought two books and a cuddly penguin.
Learning Greek
I have recently joined Duolingo and I have started learning Greek. I am really enjoying it so far and I am aiming to do at least 20 minutes a day of studying.
I have been quite busy work wise with teaching and playing for weddings so I am trying to make the most of my free time at the moment. Hopefully more adventures will be happening soon.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I had a really good day reading yesterday and I’ve had a reasonably good day today which is good. Hopefully, I can continue with this amount as it will mean I will hopefully be able to catch up.
What I am Currently Reading
I started this today and it is so nice to be reading Louisa May Alcott again. She is my ultimate comfort author.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I loved this book and loved the variety of short stories within the book. Review will follow shortly.
What I Think I will Read Next
I am slowly working through my 20 Books of Summer Challenge but I am hoping to mix in some other books as well.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
During a vicious persecution of the clergy in Mexico, a worldly priest, the ‘whisky priest’, is on the run. With the police closing in, his routes of escape are being shut off, his chances getting fewer. But compassion and humanity force him along the road to his destiny, reluctant to abandon those who need him, and those he cares for.
Review
I really like Graham Greene and this had been sat on my TBR pile for quite a while so I picked it up when I fancied reading a short book. I have read that this book is considered one of Greene’s greatest books but I must admit I have read better books by Greene than this one.
The book is set in the 1930’s in Mexico during the time when the church was under persecution and the Catholic priests either had to marry and renounce being a priest or face execution if they refused. This leads us to follow the “Whiskey priest” who is on the run from the authorities and who I think is my least favourite character I have ever come across. The “Whiskey Priest” is lazy, arrogant and clearly only a priest because he wants a cushy life and not because he wants to help the people.
The story follows the priest on the run and also the authorities trying to find him. In particular the incorruptible lieutenant who is willing to cross any line to capture the priest.
There are so many themes in this book. There is hatred, foreboding, fear, greed and very little joy. As usual the book is excellently written and even if I didn’t know the author I would be able to tell it was Greene from his style and finesse but I just did not like the characters. I knew it wouldn’t be a happy read and the “Whiskey priest” was clearly written to be an unlikeable character but I hated him. I hated the lieutenant and the only good thing about this book was how well it was written. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Henry Graham Greene (1904-1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded as one of the leading English novelistsof the20th century.
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone had a good start to the week today. I had a reasonably easy day teaching today which was nice, especially in this heat.
My chosen book to feature today is another off my 20 Books of Summer Challenge. I must admit my challenge has slowed down some what after I flew through my first book. I plan some good reading sessions on Wednesday and Thursday so hopefully I might make a dent in the backlog.
Queen Elizabeth II is having a royal nightmare. A referendum divides the nation, a tumultuous election grips the United States – and the body of a staff member is found dead beside Buckingham Palace swimming pool. Is it a tragic accident, as the police think? Or is something more sinister going on?
As Her Majesty looks for answers, her trusted assistant, Rozie, is on the trail of a treasured painting that once hung outside the Queen’s bedroom. But when Rozie receives a threatening anonymous letter, Elizabeth knows dark forces are at work – and far too close to home.
After all, though the staff and public may not realise it, she is the keenest sleuth among them. Sometimes, it takes a Queen’s eye to see connections where no one else can …
What are your thoughts on this book if you have read it?
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
Lady Book Dragon 