Hello
The chosen quote this week is by Philip Johnson (1906-2005) who was an American architect best known for his works of modern architecture.
Philip Johnson (1954)
Happy reading
Hello!
I have gone on a preordering spree! There are so many books I am excited about that are coming out this year, here are a selected few that I have preordered.
Star Trek Discovery: Die Standing by John Jackson Miller
No one in the history of histories has lost more than Philippa Georgiou, ruler of the Terran Empire. Forced to take refuge in the Federation’s universe, she bides her time until Section 31, a rogue spy force within Starfleet, offers her a chance to work as their agent. She has no intention of serving under anyone else, of course; her only interest is escape.
But when a young Trill, Emony Dax, discovers a powerful interstellar menace, Georgiou recognizes it as a superweapon that escaped her grasp in her own universe. Escorted by a team sent by an untrusting Federation to watch over her, the emperor journeys to a region forbidden to travellers. But will what she finds there end the threat-or give “Agent Georgiou” the means to create her old empire anew?
I have so far read all of the books in the Discovery series so I am very excited to read this, especially as it is about my favourite character Philippa Georgiou.
Six Tudor Queens: Katheryn Howard The Tainted Queen by Alison Weir
A naive young woman at the mercy of her ambitious family.
At just nineteen, Katheryn Howard is quick to trust and fall in love.
She comes to court. She sings, she dances. She captures the heart of the King.
Henry declares she is his rose without a thorn. But Katheryn has a past of which he knows nothing. It comes back increasingly to haunt her. For those who share her secrets are waiting in the shadows, whispering words of love… and blackmail.
Katheryn Howard
The fifth of Henry’s Queens
Her Story
Acclaimed, bestselling historian Alison Weir draws on extensive research to recount one of the most tragic tales in English history – that of a lively, sweet but neglected girl, used by powerful men for their own gain.
History tells us she died too soon.
This mesmerising novel brings her to life.
Another favourite, I so far have all the books in the series, all in hardback so I need to keep the trend going.
The Ballard of the Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Ambition will fuel him.
Competition will drive him.
But power has its price.
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
I love the Hunger Games series so I am very excited to read this book.
Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Featuring his famous literary detective Atticus Pund and Susan Ryeland, hero of the worldwide bestseller Magpie Murders, a brilliantly complex literary thriller by Anthony Horowitz. The follow-up to Magpie Murders.
Retired publisher Susan Ryeland is living the good life. She is running a small hotel on a Greek island with her longterm boyfriend Andreas. It should be everything she’s always wanted – but is it? She’s exhausted with the responsibilities of making everything work on an island where nothing ever does, and truth be told she’s beginning to miss her old life in London.
And then a couple – the Trehearnes – come to stay, and the story they tell about an unfortunate murder that took place on the same day and in the same hotel in which their daughter was married, is such a strange and mysterious one that Susan finds herself increasingly fascinated by it. And when the Trehearnes tell her that their daughter is now missing, Susan knows that she must return to London and find out what really happened …
Another favourite author and I was very happy to preorder a signed copy!
I always love preordering books because I tend to forget about ordering them then they arrive in the post and it is a wonderful surprise!
Happy Reading
Good morning,
I hope everyone is enjoying this fine weather we are having, obviously abiding the lockdown rules. Today is the 75th Anniversary of VE DAY so I have chosen a poem that celebrates the English countryside.
This poem is by John Clare (1793-1864) who was an English poet who celebrated the English countryside in his poetry.
A little lane – the brook runs close beside,
And spangles in the sunshine, while the fish glide swiftly by;
And hedges leafing with the green springtide;
From out their greenery the old birds fly,
And chirp and whistle in the mourning sun;
The pilewort glitters ‘neath the pale blue sky,
The little robin has its nest begun
The grass-green linnets round the bushes fly.
How mild the spring comes in! the daisy buds
Lift up their golden blossoms to the sky.
How lovely are the pingles and the woods!
Here a beetle runs – and there a fly
Rests on the arum leaf in bottle-green,
And all the spring in this sweet lane is seen.
John Clare
Hello!
Firstly, a big hello and welcome to my new followers! Thank you for following and I hope you will enjoy reading my blog.
So here is what I have been up to this week…
Exercise
I have been really getting into my exercising over the last few weeks and so I also treated myself to some new leggings. I love bright fun leggings so I went for a Sesame street theme this time, sadly the socks don’t match but they are Pokemon so I think they are ok.
Walking
We are still going on our daily walks and this week we found some lovely stones on our travels.
Baking
I made a Carrot Cake! My first ever Carrot Cake and it was wonderful, probably my best cake since baking in the AGA. Now planning my next baking adventure, suggestions most welcome.
Jigsaws
I finished the Sherlock Holmes jigsaw which was interesting because I had no picture to follow and had to work it all out. I have two jigsaws left to do: a 3000 piece Star Trek jigsaw and a 1000 piece dog jigsaw. The only problem with the 3000 one is that it will take up the whole dinning room table.
TV series and movies
I have now started the second series of Criminal Minds and have discovered that I haven’t actually seen some of the second series so that is proving to be a nice surprise. We are also still enjoying movie nights, we have watched Absolutely Fabulous, The Fantastic Mr Fox, Chalet Girl and The Colony.
Studying continues and ukulele practice.
That is my week so far. I hope everyone else is having a good week.
Hello!
It is quote time! My quote today is by the Scottish novelist, poet and Christian Minister George MacDonald.
George MacDonald 1872
Happy reading.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
Hello! I hope this finds everyone well and enjoying their current reads.
So here is another WWW Wednesday
What I am currently reading
As you can see the list has grown some what. The Iliad is going well and I am finally getting used to the translation. The Greek Myths book is recommended summer reading for my second year of my Masters, it is very in depth and tiny print on very thin paper so I will be honest I am just dipping into it and reading a bit each day. The Alison Weir I started yesterday and I love it and can’t put it down!
What I have recently finished
Only one book finished this week and I loved it! Review will follow shortly.
What I will read next
As usual a random selection of books, it always depends on my mood.
That’s my WWW please drop me a comment if you have read any of these books and also please leave the link to your WWW as well.
Wow, what a good reading month April has been, I don’t think I have read so many books in one month for a very long time. Sadly, the reason I have managed this feat is because of lockdown, but let’s only focus on the positives here. So here is what April looked like…
Books I read
(Click on the pictures to go to the review)
The Gates by Richard Pierce
65 pages
Format read: Kindle
4.5/5 Dragons
The Last Best Hope (Star Trek Picard) by Una McCormack
336 pages
Format read: Hardcover
5/5 Dragons
Half A World Away by Mike Gayle
368 pages
Format read: paperback
5/5 Dragons
Also my favourite book of April!
(This book is currently only 99p in the Kindle store)
The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young
160 pages
Format read: paperback
3/5 Dragons
The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett
288 pages
Format read: paperback
4/5 Dragons
On Chapel Sands: My Mother and Other Missing Persons by Laura Cumming
320 pages
Format read: Hardcover
2/5 Dragons
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
192 pages
Format read: Hardcover
5/5 Dragons
The Madness of Cambyses by Herodotus
55 pages
Format read: Paperback
4/5 Dragons
Page Total: 1784
So that is my April wrap up. Please drop me comment if you have read any of these books.
Happy reading.
The Madness of Cambyses by Herodotus
About the author
Herodotus c. 484-425 BCE was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus in the Persian Empire. He is known for having written the book The Histories.
Blurb
The story of the great and mad Cambyses, King of Persia, told by part-historian, part-mythmaker Herodotus of Halicarnassus.
Review
Just recently I dug out my collection of Little Black Classics and selected all the ancient Greek and Roman books to read because I thought they would be good background reading for my course and this is the first one I have read.
This little book is only 50 pages long and is a nice little snippet from the main book The Histories by Herodotus. I happily read it enjoying the sunshine we have been having and drinking a nice mug of tea.
The beginning was a bit hard to digest due to all the different names but once I got past that I really enjoyed the book. The translation is a little wooden for me but it still flowed nicely. I must admit this did make me giggle as King Cambyses is completely mental and just kills everyone for the slightest thing and in most cases this is like cutting off his own nose to spite his face, because all this death doesn’t do him any favours.
Herodotus does meander about a bit with his knowledge but I loved that because you learn extra little bits about what the ancients thought about different cultures. Some facts Herodotus tells you definitely come across more as myths but I liked that because that is what the ancients believed.
I really enjoyed this little book, it was a quick and knowledgeable read and it was fascinating to see one of the world’s earliest historians at work. I highly recommend this little book to people who are interested in the ancient world and to people who want a gentle introduction into some ancient texts. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.
Purchase Links
Happy Friday!
Dare I say “Pinch punch first of the month”. I know it doesn’t feel like it because everything is merging into one but it is a new month. I was meant to be conducting my band for a massive VE Day Concert today, feels very strange to not be doing band rehearsals or concerts at the moment. So here is the poem by Thomas Dekker who was an Elizabethan and Jacobean era writer, poet and playwright.
The Merry Month of May
O! the month of May, the merry month of May,
So frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green!
O! and then did I unto my true Love say,
Sweet Peg, thou shalt be my Summer’s Queen.
Now the nightingale, the pretty nightingale,
The sweetest singer in all the forest choir,
Entreats thee, sweet Peggy, to hear thy true love’s tale:
Lo! yonder she sitteth, her breast against a briar.
But O! I spy the cuckoo, the cuckoo, the cuckoo;
See where she sitteth; come away, my joy:
Come away, I prithee, I do not like the cuckoo
Should sing where my Peggy and I kiss and toy.
O! the month of May, the merry month of May,
So frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green!
And then did I unto my true Love say,
Sweet Peg, thou shalt be my Summer’s Queen.
Thomas Dekker
Hello!
This has been another good week of reading and other activities. So here is what I have been up to…
We have been going on our daily walks and saying hello to the sheep and I have been playing Pokemon Go.
I finally finished the one jigsaw and I have started another jigsaw but this one is a mystery as it is a Sherlock Holmes jigsaw so you don’t see the picture and all the items in the jigsaw are attached to the mystery.
The Ukulele is going well and I have started working on Grade One. Hopefully exams will recommence at some point this year.
I had a go at a chocolate torte this week which is a new recipe for me, sadly it caught on the one side but I am slowly getting used to baking in the AGA. Going to try another new recipe next week.
We have done our best to recreate the cinema experience and have watched two films with popcorn and chocolates. Emma was a really good adaptation and we did enjoy a good laugh.
I’ve also done loads of reading!
So that is my week. I hope everyone has had a good week.
