Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far. I have had a busy day doing jobs around the house and work on the library continues.
I haven’t done much book buying recently as I am trying to read the books I already have piled up everywhere but I have been reading House of Odysseus by Claire North and realised I hadn’t got the third book in the series yet. So obviously when I went to Worcester Waterstones I had to buy myself a copy. I also bought a couple of books when I visited Belton Estate.
I have the first National Trust On Screen book and really found it interesting so I was very excited to find there was a second one.
I am currently doing a mini course on Art History so when I found this enormous book in the second hand book shop in perfect condition for just £8.50 I knew I had to get it.
My chosen poem today is by the poet Ann Gray (1946).
Love Listen
Let's love, listen, take time when time is all we have. Let's be unafraid to be kind, learn to disregard the bad if the good outweighs it daily. Let's make a gift of silence, the day's hushing into dark, and when we hold each other let's always be astonished we are where we want to be. Let's hope to age together, but if we can't, let's promise now to remember how we shone when we were at our best, when we were most ourselves.
I have had the week off this week and it has been lovely to catch up with friends and family and go on some adventures. We haven’t done much on the house this week but we did do quite a bit on Monday.
The Great Waddle of Worcester 2024
We went and found loads of beautiful penguins in Worcester this week. I love the events that Worcester put on and it is always a joy to see the talented artists work. We didn’t manage to find them all but managed to find quite a few.
Belton Estate
We met up with my best friend this week and visited Belton Estate. I’ve never been to Belton Estate but I was really excited as I know it has an amazing library. It has also been the filming location to Pride and Prejudice (BBC version) and a Jane Eyre adaptation as well as other TV shows and films. However, I was really disappointed because only a quarter of the house was open to visitors so I never got to see the library. This wasn’t mentioned on the website and was a real disappointment after driving two and a half hours to get there!
The Darby Houses
We visited the Darby houses today which consist of two houses called Rosehill and Dale House. I really enjoyed seeing these houses especially Rosehill which has been beautifully restored and set out. The houses are Georgian and there were quite a few features which were similar to our own house which was really interesting to see.
We are going out for afternoon tea tomorrow so our adventures continue. It will be a big shock to the system when I start teaching again next week.
My chosen quote this week is by the American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States, John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892).
“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been.”
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 has had a good week so far. I have had a lovely day today meeting up with my best friend and visiting Belton Estate. Reading is going reasonably ok, sadly August hasn’t gone exactly to plan book wise but I’ve still managed some reading.
What I am Currently Reading
I’ve nearly finished House of Odysseus and after a rocky start I’ve really enjoyed this book. I’m still only a couple of chapters into A Crown of Swords so it is too early to tell.
As the Wheel turns, the winds of fate roil across the land, and Rand al’Thor struggles to unite the nations for the Last Battle, when the Dark One will break free into the world, and to spring the snares laid by the immortal Forsaken for unwary humankind.
The White Tower in Tar Valon, under the Amyrlin Elaida, has decided that Rand must be controlled – gentled, if need be – immediately. And in Salidar, among the Aes Sedai in exile, Egwene al’Vere, although summoned to high office, faces the knowledge that her colleagues also wish to bind him.
Drought and summer heat linger into winter, and Nynaeve al’Maera and Elayne, the Daughter-Heir of Andor, begin a desperate search for the fabled ter’angreal that may enable them to bring normal weather – a search that takes them among Whitecloaks bent on exterminating Aes Sedai.
And across half a continent, Perrin Aybara feels Rand’s pull, ta’veren to ta’veren, and for the first time in a thousand years the bowmen of the Two Rivers march to war.
Review
I have finally managed to get past book 5, however I will say this book took me way too long to read! I loved the beginning of this book and the last 300 pages but the middle just moved like treacle for me and not much happened considering the length of the book.
Book 5 of the series seemed to be a little bit obsessed with breasts and braid pulling but this book was obsessed with shapely calves on men with just a hint of women’s neck lines but the neck lines are only judged by other women. Thankfully, the braid pulling was drastically reduced.
The best way to describe this book is an instruction manual of how not to be a female. I’ve never been so annoyed by a group of women in a book before. If they get warned about a danger they go head first into it ignoring all advice and when a man helps them they shout at him rather than admitting they were wrong and saying thank you. Elayne and Nynaeve find new discoveries and suddenly they know everything and are superior to everyone else. Elayne also ignores Mat’s wishes and makes demands that she has no right to. However, seeing how other Aes Sadai behave it is obvious Elayne and Nynaeve will fit right in. Egwene at least has a reasonably level head and remains down to earth.
The really exciting thing for me in this book is Rand. Rand is really taking charge, he has a plan and he will stand no messing from anyone. He stands up for himself and is now realising his potential. I also love the Black Tower taking shape. The other element I loved is Perrin is back! I really missed Perrin in book 5 so I was happy to see him feature a little bit in this book. This is also the first book that I have liked Mat. Mat has grown up and is really coming into his own. In fact I really enjoyed following Rand, Perrin and Mat’s stories in this book. I could have happily missed anything to do with Elayne and Nynaeve.
Overall, this book was much better than book 5 and gave me hope to continue with the series. I blitzed the last 300 pages of this book because it suddenly really started to pick up and I hope the next book will be the same pace. I give this book 4 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 author
James Oliver Rigney Jr. (1948-2007) was an American author of epic fantasy who wrote under the pen name Robert Jordan. Jordan also wrote historical fiction under the name of Reagan O’Neal, a western as Jackson O’Reilly, and dance criticism as Chang Lung.
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. I have had a busy day doing work in the house which has sadly meant not much reading but I hope to do some later.
My chosen book for Goodreads Monday is one off my 24 Books in 2024 list.
The Curator by Owen King
At first glance, the world has not changed: the trams on the boulevards, the grand hotels, the cafes abuzz with conversation. The street kids still play on the two great bridges that divide the city, and the smart set still venture down to the Morgue Ship for an evening’s entertainment.
Yet it only takes a spark to ignite a revolution.
For young Dora, a maid at the university, the moment brings liberation. She finds herself walking out with one of the student radicals, Robert, free to investigate what her brother Ambrose may have seen at the Institute for Psykical Research before he died.
But it is another establishment that Dora is given to look after, The Museum of the Worker. This strange, forgotten edifice is occupied by waxwork tableaux of miners, nurses, shopkeepers and other disturbingly lifelike figures.
As the revolution and counter-revolution outside unleash forces of love, betrayal, magic and terrifying darkness, Dora’s search for the truth behind a mystery that she has long concealed will unravel a monstrous conspiracy and bring her to the very edge of worlds.
I hope everyone has some fun plans for the weekend.
My chosen poem this week is by the American poet, essayist and translator Jane Hirshfield (1953).
August Day
You work with what you are given - today I am blessed, today I am given luck.
It takes the shape of a dozen ripening fruit trees, a curtain of pole beans, a thicket of berries. It takes the shape of a dozen empty hours.
In them is neither love nor love's muster of losses, in them is no chance for harm or for good. Does even my humanness matter? A bear would be equally happy, this August day, fat on the simple sweetness plucked between thorns.
There are some who may think, "how pitiful, how lonely." Others must murmer, "How lazy."
I agree with them all: pitiful, lonely, lazy. Lost to the earth and to heaven, thoroughly drunk on its whiskeys, I wander my kingdom.
As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best . . .
Mother. Monarch. Murderer. Magnificent.
You are born to a king, but marry a tyrant. You stand helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore and comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own.
You play the part, fooling enemies who deny you justice. Slowly, you plot.
You are Clytemnestra.
But when the husband who owns you returns in triumph, what then?
Acceptance or vengeance – infamy follows both. So you bide your time and wait, until you might force the gods’ hands and take revenge. Until you rise. For you understood something that the others don’t. If power isn’t given to you, you have to take it for yourself.
Review
I haven’t found many Greek retellings of Clytemnestra so I was really pleased to find this book as I think she gets rather a rough deal. She was a strong woman who decided to get revenge and be a queen where only kings have ruled and she was hated for it. Plus let’s face it people always remember her sister Helen more than Clytemnestra.
Clytemnestra was born a Spartan princess and she was brought up to be a fighter and to be the strongest she could be. She was brought up in a tough world where softness was frowned upon and she thrived. Her father listened to her when she spoke which he rarely did with his other children and he showed pride in her actions.
I loved how this book also showed Clytemnestra as a soft caring person who loved her sister Helen and wanted nothing but to protect her. She loved her first husband and child with a passion and would do anything for them. However, when Agamemnon comes into her life it all goes wrong and that softness disappears.
The thing I also loved about this book was how Casati brought in other well known characters from mythology. We see the intelligent and sensible Penelope, the cunning Odysseus, Castor and Pollux (although I would have liked to have seen more of Castor and Pollux) and we even see Timandra heavily featured.
Considering this is a debut novel I thought it was a brilliantly written book with a very sophisticated and mature writing style and at well over 400 pages I found it a fast paced read that I flew through. I really enjoyed this book and I hope to read more books by Casati soon. I give this book 4 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 author
Costanza Casati was born in Texas in 1995 and grew up in a village in Northern Italy, where she studied Ancient Greek, and Ancient Greek literature, under one of the country’s most rigorous academic programmes. She is a graduate of the prestigious Warwick Writing MA in the UK, and worked as a screenwriter and journalist. Clytemnestra is her debut novel. It has sold into 18 territories worldwide, is a Times bestseller, an Indie Next Pick, and was shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award.
Lady Book Dragon 