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’ve had a busy day putting up Christmas decorations and teaching but I also managed to start my day with a bit of reading as well. I have also finally managed to start some of my festive books.
My chosen book to feature on Goodreads Monday this week is from a series I plan on finishing in 2024. This is the next book I need to read in the series.
A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood.
The Free Navy – a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships – has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.
James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network.
But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante’s problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity.
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
Sadly, I missed October’s update on my reading challenge which has also added to my panic because I had no idea how much reading I needed to do to hit my challenge.
I have still not added the height of the digital books I have read so I am hoping they will make a difference as well. Here is the latest height.
The stack now measures 54.5 inches and I must admit I am a little nervous about whether I am going to manage the challenge. I have 12.5 inches to go!
My chosen poem this week is actually a song but I really like it and I read it as a poem so I thought I would share it with you. The song is by the English actor, broadcaster, and writer and performer of comic songs Michael Flanders (1922-1975).
The Hippopotamus Song
A bold Hippopotamus was standing one day On the banks of the cool Shalimar, He gazed at the bottom as it peacefully lay By the light of the evening star. Away on a hilltop sat combing her hair His fair Hippopotamus maid; The Hippopotamus was no ignoramus And sang her this sweet serenade:
Mud, mud, glorious mud, Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood! So follow me, follow Down to the hollow And there let us wallow In glorious mud!
The fair Hippopotamus he aimed to entice From her seat on that hilltop above, As she hadn't got a ma to give her advice, Came tiptoeing down to her love. Like thunder the forest re-echoed the sound Of the song that they sang as they met. His inamorata adjusted her garter And lifted her voice in duet:
Mud, mud, glorious mud, Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood! So follow me, follow Down to the hollow And there let us wallow In glorious mud!
Now more Hippopotamus began to convene On the banks of that river so wide. I wonder now what am I to say of the scene That ensued by the Shalimar side? They dived all at once with an ear-splitting splosh Then rose to the surface again, A regular army of Hippopotami All singing this haunting refrain:
Mud, mud, glorious mud, Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood! So follow me, follow Down to the hollow And there let us wallow In glorious mud!
On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…
For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.
But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.
Review
This was a book I downloaded for my holidays but never got around to reading so when I had a train trip I started to read it on my phone. I soon got hooked on this book and thought it was a delightful read but sadly that feeling did not last.
The book has a dual timeline. The past is narrated by Opaline (who has a lovely name in my opinion) and the present is narrated by Martha. Opaline has escaped her older brother’s plans for her which involve an unwanted marriage and has gone into the book business. Martha is an Irish woman who has escaped an abusive marriage and found herself a job as a live in housekeeper to a very eccentric old woman.
The book also features Henry who is a scholar desperately trying to find a lost manuscript. This leads him to finding out more about Opaline and meeting Martha in the process. It also leads him to trying to find Opaline’s bookshop but it has completely disappeared.
This book contains some magical realism but isn’t explored enough in my opinion. I would have loved to have learned more about the bookshop and exactly what had happened but it wasn’t explained. The ending was also a massive flop and left so many questions unanswered. It felt like either the author had given up or didn’t know how to explain it herself.
I loved Opaline’s story and thought the author had really done her research on the history. Opaline’s story was heart wrenching at times and I really felt for the character. If it wasn’t for the story of Opaline I’m not sure I would have continued with this book. What started off as a book with so much promise it just fell flat for me and just became a book that I could take or leave. Sadly this book only gets 3 out of 5 Dragons from me.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Evie Woods is the pseudonym of Evie Gaughan, bestselling author of The Story Collector, The Heirloom and The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris.
Living on the West Coast of Ireland, Evie escapes the inclement weather by writing her stories in a converted attic, where she dreams of underfloor heating. Her books tread the intriguing line between the everyday and the otherworldly, revealing the magic that exists in our ordinary lives.
Sudeley Castle: Royalty, Romance and Renaissance by James Parry and Lady Elizabeth Ashcombe
Blurb
Set in the beautiful Gloucestershire Cotswolds, Sudeley Castle exemplifies popular perceptions of the romantic English country house. The final resting place of King Henry VIII’s last wife, Katherine Parr, it is partly castellated and its centuries-old ruins are festooned with roses. This book, the first comprehensive publication about this remarkable castle, traces over 1,000 years of illustrious history from the time of King Aethelred the Unready through the castle’s Tudor heyday and its subsequent decline and fall, before its dramatic rescue during the second half of the 19th century by the Dent-Brocklehurst family, whose descendants still live there. Sudeley’s architectural heritage, art and gardens are all described and illustrated by historical material as well as stunning new photography.
Review
I went to visit Sudeley Castle during half term and absolutely loved it so I was very pleased to see they had a new book out.
The book is mainly the history of the castle right from before it was a castle to present day and it is interspersed with memories from Lady Ashcombe. The castle has a fascinating history and I love the Tudor connections. I also love how the book doesn’t hide the more grizzly history of the castle. The castle’s story during the Civil War is rather brutal.
The memories Lady Ashcombe shares are wonderful and really give an insight into the castle as a family home as well as a tourist attraction. I particularly like the stories of the pranks that Lady Ashcombe’s children pulled on the visitors when they were young.
The book isn’t long at only 160 pages and contains some wonderful pictures of the castle, maps from history and treasures from inside the castle as well as images of the people who have lived in the castle. It is a perfect coffee table book.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The history chosen to feature in the book is well thought out and well written and is perfectly paired with the relevant photos. I will definitely be revisiting this book as well as the castle. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the authors
James Parry
James Parry is a Norfolk-based writer and consultant. After training as a conservation officer with English Heritage, he joined the British Council, working in East Africa and the Middle East before returning to the UK to study for a Masters in Architecture. He was then appointed by the National Trust as its academic editor, and was responsible for developing a specialist art and architecture publishing programme. He now writes on art, heritage, natural history and conservation for a wide range of publications and takes a particular interest in the Islamic world.
Lady Elizabeth Ashcombe
Living in Sudeley Castle for over 50 years, making her the longest residing Chatelaine to date, Lady Ashcombe is responsible for opening Sudeley to the public in 1970 and continuing to ensure its success and intrigue to this day. Lady Ashcombe and her family are committed to the continued preservation of the castle, its treasures and the ongoing restoration and regeneration of the gardens, for future generations of visitors to enjoy.
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 start to the week. The first book I read and reviewed this year was The Box of Delights by John Masefield but I still haven’t read the first book in the series. I’m really hoping I get to read this book before the end of the year.
Young Kay Harker lives in an old house in the country, filled with portraits of his ancestors. His only companions are his unpleasant guardian Sir Theopompus and his governess Sylvia Daisy Pouncer (who, Kay suspects, has stolen all his toys). Life is lonely and dull, until one night Kay’s great-grandpapa Harker, a sea captain, steps out of his portrait to tell him about a stolen treasure that belongs to Kay’s family. The evil Abner Brown is searching for it too, but Kay is helped by the midnight folk: creatures like Nibbins the cat and Rollicum Bitem Lightfoot the fox, and even his lost toys, who will join him on his dangerous quest.
The Midnight Folk is a feast of imaginative story-telling, a glorious cornucopia of pirates and witches, lost treasure and talking animals. Although it was published in 1927, it evokes an older world: houses are lit by oil lamps, and travel is by horse, carriage – or broomstick. Masefield perfectly captures a child’s perspective, from the terrors of tigers under the bed to the horrors of declining a Latin adjective. Yet there is also plenty of humour that adults will appreciate, from Miss Piney Trigger, who swigs champagne in bed and prides herself on having backed a host of Derby winners, to Kay’s lessons: ‘Divinity was easy, as it was about Noah’s Ark. French was fairly easy, as it was about the cats of the daughter of the gardener.’ This mingling of past and present, reality and fantasy, has made this one of the most rewarding and influential children’s books ever written.
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I hope everyone has a had a good weekend so far. I have hurt my back so I couldn’t get to work today so instead I did loads of reading which was nice but I wish my back would get better. This week has also been better blogging and reading wise which I hope continues.
Now I will be honest my November TBR did not go to plan at all. In fact I read a total of one book from my planned list. Being a mood reader really does have its disadvantages sometimes. However, I am planning on a December TBR and I hope that I will manage some of the books. Usually, I go all Christmas themed for my December TBR but this year I am not sure I will be going fully Christmas. Maybe, a few Christmas reads will make an appearance.
Books I hope to read in December
Fingers crossed I manage to read some of these books.
Lady Book Dragon 