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.
Happy Monday!
I hope everyone has had a good start to the week so far. I will be honest I am desperate for half term as I am really starting to flag and this week seems busier than ever. When half term arrives next week I will be sleeping and reading and drinking my own body weight in tea.
My chosen book today is from one of my favourite series of books and one that I really want to complete reading.
Ruth Galloway has just returned from maternity leave and is struggling to juggle work and motherhood. When a team from the University of North Norfolk, investigating coastal erosion, finds six bodies at the foot of the cliff, she is immediately put on the case.
The problem with this series is I have read the books completely out of order so I am considering just starting at the beginning and rereading the books I have already read. It’s such a good series I don’t mind rereading some of the books.
Please drop me a comment if you have taken part in Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and will not reveal her lover’s identity. The scarlet letter A (for adultery) she has to wear on her clothes, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. She struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
Review
I have wanted to read this book since it was mentioned in an episode of Downton Abbey and the Dowager thought the book sounded most unsuitable. It is also one of the books on my Classics Club list.
I will be honest I almost lost the will to live with this book. The introductory chapter of this book is a lengthy chapter about the author and his life in the Customs office and I must admit I found it extremely dull. I was determined to carry on because the main story had not started yet but I will be honest I almost gave up with the book there and then.
The storyline of this book is great but sadly Hawthorne could not have written it in a more boring and long winded way. I found that Hawthorne is quite similar to Washington Irving in his writing style and I will be honest I also struggle with Irving. Basically something that could be said in 500 words they insist on using 5000 and I just find myself shouting at the author ‘why? Get to the point!’.
Hester Prynne is a wonderful character who is thoroughly wronged but because of the time and the place she lives in she is the one who is held up to blame and judged. After Hester’s disgrace she forms a life for herself living in repentance and trying to be the best Christian she can be and because of this people start to accept her again.
I had to really think about my rating of this book because I just could not get on with Hawthorne’s writing style. I almost gave it a lot lower rating but I reconsidered because I really enjoyed the storyline and the character Hester. Overall, I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons but I will definitely say it won’t be a book that I read again.
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About the author
Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation’s colonial history.
Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.
Much of Hawthorne’s writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.
My chosen poem this week is by the writer, poet, TV and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival Henry Normal (1956).
Three Lies and One Truth about the Moon
1. The moon only exists at night, and occasionally during the day, in summer.
2. No one has ever landed on the moon, and the Russian President knows this but promised his mum he wouldn't say anything.
3. The moon is a hollow spaceship inhabited by nazi rabbits that turn men into werewolves.
4. If my heart was as big as the moon I couldn't love you more.
Henry Normal
I hope everyone is well. I thought it was time for another update on my Etsy shop. I am absolutely loving my little Etsy shop and have had some lovely feedback about orders.
I now have a few different versions of Blind Date with a Book available on my Etsy shop and this is the latest one. I confirm that the chocolate lollipops are very tasty.
Now this is something that I have wanted to set up for ages and this month I decided to go for it and set up my first book subscription service on my Etsy shop. I think getting a mystery book each month with a tasty treat is a great way to start each month so I decided to make it happen for my fellow bookworms. There is also the chance to get all the books in one go with my Book a Month product as well.
I have some more products that will be put on my Etsy shop soon so watch this space.
My chosen quote today is by the American actress, filmmaker and humanitarian, Angelina Jolie (1975).
“I don’t think about beauty. I wake up and I want to be a smarter person, that’s my focus. … I’m encouraging certainly my girls that if they can make their inside and who they are really, really stunning then everything falls together.”
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 you are all having a good week so far. Today has been a rather long day work wise. I’ve had students throw tantrums, students tell me ridiculous excuses for not practicing and students try and tell me that a piece I set them to practice for homework was not in the book. I do love it when an 8 year old tries to tell me I have no clue what I am doing.
Anyway back to the reading.
What I am Currently Reading
I am still trying to read at least a chapter a day of The Count of Monte Cristo but I have decided I can’t read it in bed anymore, this is due to the fact I fell asleep whilst reading and nearly gave myself a black eye when I dropped the book on my face. No reading in bed has slowed the progress somewhat for The Count of Monte Cristo. The Woman Who Would Be King is a great read but I must admit I do find Cooney a bit repetitive at times. I find myself saying ‘you have already told me this why are you telling me again?’.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
Nothing! This is really bad as I usually I have at least one book finished.
What I Think I will Read Next
I need to get a move on with my reading as I have got rather bogged down with my current reads and would love to get reading some other books.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
The topic today is a freebie which is very exciting as I have never taken part in a Top 5 Tuesday on a freebie day. I decided to choose classics that I plan to read this year because I am trying to read a Classic book off my Classics Club List ever month.
So here are the books I plan to read in 2023.
Some of these are quite hefty books but I really hope I get to read them this year. I am really looking forward to reading Cecilia by Fanny Burney after seeing a documentary by Lucy Worsley where she talked about this book in detail. I suspect Bleak House will take me quite a while to read though.
When an unidentified “monster” threatens international shipping, French oceanographer Pierre Aronnax and his unflappable assistant Conseil join an expedition organized by the US Navy to hunt down and destroy the menace. After months of fruitless searching, they finally grapple with their quarry, but Aronnax, Conseil, and the brash Canadian harpooner Ned Land are thrown overboard in the attack, only to find that the “monster” is actually a futuristic submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by a shadowy, mystical, preternaturally imposing man who calls himself Captain Nemo. Thus begins a journey of 20,000 leagues—nearly 50,000 miles—that will take Captain Nemo, his crew, and these three adventurers on a journey of discovery through undersea forests, coral graveyards, miles-deep trenches, and even the sunken ruins of Atlantis. Jules Verne’s novel of undersea exploration has been captivating readers ever since its first publication in 1870, and Frederick Paul Walter’s reader-friendly, scientifically meticulous translation of this visionary science fiction classic is complete and unabridged down to the smallest substantive detail.
Please drop me a comment if you have taken part in Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
Lady Book Dragon 