I hope everyone has had a good week so far and have some fun plans for the weekend.
My chosen poem today is by the Romantic poet Anna Seward (1742-1809).
Sonnet: To the Poppy
While summer roses all their glory yield
To crown the votary of love and joy,
Misfortune's victim hails, with many a sigh,
Thee, scarlet Poppy of the pathless field,
Gaudy, yet wild and lone; no leaf to shield
Thy flaccid vest that, as the gale blows high,
Flaps, and alternate folds around thy head.
So stands in the long grass a love-crazed maid,
Smiling aghast; while stream to every wind
Her garish ribbons, smeared with dust and rain;
But brain-sick visions cheat her tortured mind,
And bring false peace. Thus, lulling grief and pain,
Kind dreams oblivious from thy juice proceed,
Thou, flimsy, showy, melancholy weed.
Anna Seward
This short novel, already a modern classic, is the superbly told, tragic story of a Cuban fisherman in the Gulf Stream and the giant Marlin he kills and loses—specifically referred to in the citation accompanying the author’s Nobel Prize for literature in 1954.
Review
This book had been on my TBR for a very long time but I had never actually owned a copy. A few months ago whilst book shopping I saw a copy and bought it and last month I read it.
I read this book in one sitting because once I started I was enthralled with Hemingway’s writing style. Usually I struggle with short books because I always find myself wanting more but this wasn’t the case with this book. It is a simple story set in Cuba about an elderly fisherman called Santiago. Santiago has nobody left in his life but there is a young boy Manolin who takes care of the old man. There is a bond between the young boy and the old man because Santiago taught the boy to fish and the boy used to go fishing with him but not anymore.
Santiago has fallen on hard times and has not caught any fish for many days. Because of this he decides to head further out to sea than he usually does and with this begins the fight for his life. This beautifully written book focuses on the old man’s struggle, his determination to catch and bring in the fish of his dreams. His struggle at times is almost meditative. We know all his thought processes and his emotions.
We learn so much in this book, we learn that age teaches us a great deal but with each day we lose more and gain less. We see the old man raging against his age, fighting against nature, time and of course a fish. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons and can’t wait to read more of Hemingway’s books.
(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
Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899-1961) was an American novelist, short story writer and journalist. His economical and understated style – which included his iceberg theory – had a strong influence on 20th century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and public image brought him admiration from later generations.
My chosen quote this week is by one of my favourite authors Khaled Hosseini (1965). Hosseini is an Afghan-American novelist, UNHCR goodwill ambassador and former physician.
“But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie.”
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!
How are you all this week? I seem to have got back into my reading more this week so hopefully this means I can start to catch up with my reading challenges.
What I am Currently Reading
I am thoroughly enjoying this book and I’m finding it so interesting. I have been to Bath quite a lot and have explored a great deal of it but this book has given me quite a list of places I would like to visit on my next visit.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I finally finished The Trilogy of Cicero! I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I think I would have preferred to have read it in the three separate books rather than one massive book. I read Fireworks by Angela Carter afterwards as I was really craving a short read. Reviews will follow shortly.
What I Think I will Read Next
I’m not sure what I will read next but it will probably be a book on the shorter side as I am really craving shorter books at the moment after reading The Cicero Trilogy.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday 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 start to the week so far. I had a lovely day visiting the Coalport China Museum and making some new bookmarks.
My chosen book to feature today is the second book in The Songs of Penelope series by Claire North. I had the dispatch notice for this today so I hope it arrives soon so I can get reading it.
In the palace of Odysseus, a queen lies dreaming . . .
On the isle of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power. Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home. In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace—a peace that is shattered by the return of Orestes, King of Mycenae, and his sister Elektra.
Orestes’ hands are stained with his mother’s blood. Not so long ago, the son of Agamemnon took Queen Clytemnestra’s life on Ithaca’s sands. Now, wracked with guilt, he grows ever more unhinged. But a king cannot be seen to be weak, and Elektra has brought him to Ithaca to keep him safe from the ambitious men of Mycenae.
Penelope knows destruction will follow in his wake as surely as the furies circle him. His uncle Menelaus, the blood-soaked king of Sparta, hungers for Orestes’ throne—and if he can seize it, no one will be safe from his violent whims.
Trapped between two mad kings, Penelope must find a way to keep her home from being crushed by the machinations of a battle that stretches from Mycenae and Sparta to the summit of Mount Olympus itself. Her only allies are Elektra, desperate to protect her brother, and Helen of Troy, Menelaus’ wife. And watching over them all is the goddess Aphrodite, who has plans of her own.
Each woman has a secret, and their secrets will shape the world . . .
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend. My weekend has been rather busy with work so I haven’t managed much reading but I have an unexpected free day tomorrow so I’m hoping for some reading time then.
I started these two books yesterday and so far I am really enjoying them. I have read a lot of Angela Carter over the years so it is nice to get back reading her work and read something I haven’t read before.
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas’ epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialised in the 1840s.
Review
People who have followed my blog for any length of time know that Dumas is one of my all time favourite authors and I have read The Three Musketeers more times than I care to admit to. I had never got round to reading The Count of Monte Cristo though so this year I decided I would read it.
I had a few short breaks with this book otherwise it would have taken me less time to read but I did find when work was particularly stressful that I needed a less complicated read and so took a little break. This is a mammoth book and one that I can see the appeal of reading as a serial rather than one big book but I still absolutely loved it and always looked forward to reading it.
Edmond is a hard working 19 year old who has spent his short life so far trying to be the best man he can. His aim is to move up and become a ship’s captain and to marry his young sweetheart whilst making enough money to support her and his elderly father. However, by a cruel turn of events and through no fault of his own he gets thrown into the darkest blackest prison with no trial and not knowing why this is happening to him. After a long time of solitude and living in darkness he manages to make a friend and this friend tells him of the greatest treasure he could ever imagine.
This story is of Dantes’ revenge which he plans over many many years. The three men who destroyed Dantes’ hopes and future and don’t even realise that the traps have been laid many years in advance before they met the mysterious character of the Count of Monte Cristo.
Reading other people’s reviews I see there are quite a few people who find this book way too long but I did not find it too long. I found this book fascinating and enjoyable. It was jam packed with different storylines, different characters and as the plot spans many years you can expect the book to be rather weighty in length. Dumas’ excellent writing made this book a joy and a pleasure to read and I am so happy to have decided to read it. I really hope I get to read it again one day. 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 author
Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the most widely read French authors.
I hope everyone has had a good week and is looking forward to the weekend.
My chosen poem this week is by the award-winning poet Chrissie Gittins.
The Unseen Life of Trees
When the fraying skeins of silver birch
sway in the wind they think of
lulling water in the floating harbour.
the dried out plants on a deck,
the bespoke barge door cut to close
on a trapezium.
A sparse beech globe of yellow
holds an afternoon with two young friends,
who will walk through their vivid lives
beyond the end of mine.
A ball of mistletoe hangs
way up in spindle branches balancing
a trowel, a ginger cake,
and a framed copy of Jessop's 1802
'Design for Improving the Harbour of Bristol'.
Umber banks of oak climb the hillside
dragging children by the hand.
'There will be time,' they whisper,
canopy to canopy.
'There will be time, before
all our leaves stretch out across the frosted ground.'
Chrissie Gittins
A father and his son home has been attacked by a mysterious man, an omen a sinister presence has come about the lands of “The Deluge”, the great sun gods know as the Phrazon mur guide and protect the inhabitants who are awake during the day while the evil creatures and man alike come to fruition during the night. For that where the great evil moon gods come up out of hiding. A Religious cult known as the “Spawn” and their most prestigious leader Roland seek to extract the power of the moon gods and destroy the sun gods and plummet the world into but darkness and sorrow. Out two unlikely protagonist must go on a journey to stop them and free their lands from both the gods and the cults grasp. As somewhat reluctant they may be, they will set out on a task of many dangers and one most foreign to them. A journey of family, love loss violence and devastation, divinity and faith.
Review
Firstly, I would like to say a massive thank you to Nicholas John Powter for sending me a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is an ambitious work of fantasy especially as it is all squeezed into just under 130 pages and could have the makings of an epic fantasy. However, for me the book just felt lacking and in places rather off.
Sven, a former warrior of Telfmare, drags his young son Fren from their home in The Deluge to embark on a quest to save a friend’s wife who’s been abducted and taken deep into the forests. However, the story soon moves along and Sven finds himself taking Fren to try and find Sven’s estranged elder son, Dason. This all leads to Sven having to defeat enemies on all fronts. Sven spends a lot of time talking about peace but he finds no qualms in grabbing his sword and killing everything in sight.
As any fantasy reader knows the key to a good fantasy novel is excellent world building, Tolkien taught us that. The world should have developed setting, social customs, history, lore and religion. The Young has some wild woods and a windy mountain and some weird and wonderful animals and an olde worlde feeling but there are also references to elements that just don’t feel right to me. References to mail boxes, mansions and silk tablecloths just stuck out from the story. Powter also uses some odd language within the book which sticks out from the rest, to suddenly have “dad” used and “Hey” just felt very out of place for the storyline and setting.
The dialogue between Sven and Fren leaves much to be desired as well. The dialogue is stilted, with the characters appearing to talk at one another rather than to one another. It was like they needed to get a huge amount of detail out for the reader but didn’t feel natural. The book had abrupt shifts in points of view mid-paragraph, sentences containing grammatical and typographical errors and awkward sentence structuring which made the text at times hard to read.
I thought this book had great potential and was really excited to read it but sadly there were just too many points I did not get along with. Overall, I give this book 2 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.)
Lady Book Dragon 