2023

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 day today. I managed to blow all the lights at the school I was teaching at today. Thankfully it was sunny enough to not cause too much bother but the bang scared the life out of me.

My chosen book today is another off my 20 Books of Summer list. I will be honest I am falling a little bit behind with my list at the moment but I’ve really tried to catch up with my reading today and hope to catch up even more this week.

Sussex, 1912. In a churchyard, villagers gather on the night when the ghosts of those who will die in the coming year are thought to be seen. Here, where the estuary leads out to the sea, superstitions still hold sway.

Standing alone is the taxidermist’s daughter. At 17, Constantia Gifford lives with her father in a decaying house: it is all that is left of Gifford’s once world-famous museum of taxidermy. The stuffed animals that used to grace every parlour are out of fashion, leaving Gifford a disgraced and bitter man.

The bell begins to toll and all eyes are fixed on the church. No one sees the gloved hand pick up a flint. As the last notes fade into the dark, a woman lies dead.

While the village braces itself against rising waters and the highest tide of the season, Connie struggles to discover who is responsible, but finds herself under suspicion. Is Constantia who she seems – is she the victim of circumstances or are more sinister forces at work? And what is the secret that lies at the heart of Gifford House, hidden among the bell jars of her father’s workshop?

What are your thoughts on this book if you have read it?

Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

The Weekly Brief

Hello!

I hope everyone has had a good weekend. Blogging has gone reasonably well this week but reading has really slowed down.

Blog Posts

Currently Reading

I’m enjoying this book but I find the Amazon published version I have badly put together with some very strange pictures.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

WWW Wednesday: 14/06/2023

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.

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?

Hello!

I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I had a really good day reading yesterday and I’ve had a reasonably good day today which is good. Hopefully, I can continue with this amount as it will mean I will hopefully be able to catch up.

What I am Currently Reading

I started this today and it is so nice to be reading Louisa May Alcott again. She is my ultimate comfort author.

What I have Recently Finished Reading

I loved this book and loved the variety of short stories within the book. Review will follow shortly.

What I Think I will Read Next

I am slowly working through my 20 Books of Summer Challenge but I am hoping to mix in some other books as well.

Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading

Etsy

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene (Review #20)

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

Blurb

During a vicious persecution of the clergy in Mexico, a worldly priest, the ‘whisky priest’, is on the run. With the police closing in, his routes of escape are being shut off, his chances getting fewer. But compassion and humanity force him along the road to his destiny, reluctant to abandon those who need him, and those he cares for.

Review

I really like Graham Greene and this had been sat on my TBR pile for quite a while so I picked it up when I fancied reading a short book. I have read that this book is considered one of Greene’s greatest books but I must admit I have read better books by Greene than this one.

The book is set in the 1930’s in Mexico during the time when the church was under persecution and the Catholic priests either had to marry and renounce being a priest or face execution if they refused. This leads us to follow the “Whiskey priest” who is on the run from the authorities and who I think is my least favourite character I have ever come across. The “Whiskey Priest” is lazy, arrogant and clearly only a priest because he wants a cushy life and not because he wants to help the people.

The story follows the priest on the run and also the authorities trying to find him. In particular the incorruptible lieutenant who is willing to cross any line to capture the priest.

There are so many themes in this book. There is hatred, foreboding, fear, greed and very little joy. As usual the book is excellently written and even if I didn’t know the author I would be able to tell it was Greene from his style and finesse but I just did not like the characters. I knew it wouldn’t be a happy read and the “Whiskey priest” was clearly written to be an unlikeable character but I hated him. I hated the lieutenant and the only good thing about this book was how well it was written. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲

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About the author

Henry Graham Greene (1904-1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded as one of the leading English novelistsof the20th century.

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Goodreads Monday: 12/06/2023

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 had a good start to the week today. I had a reasonably easy day teaching today which was nice, especially in this heat.

My chosen book to feature today is another off my 20 Books of Summer Challenge. I must admit my challenge has slowed down some what after I flew through my first book. I plan some good reading sessions on Wednesday and Thursday so hopefully I might make a dent in the backlog.

Queen Elizabeth II is having a royal nightmare. A referendum divides the nation, a tumultuous election grips the United States – and the body of a staff member is found dead beside Buckingham Palace swimming pool. Is it a tragic accident, as the police think? Or is something more sinister going on?

As Her Majesty looks for answers, her trusted assistant, Rozie, is on the trail of a treasured painting that once hung outside the Queen’s bedroom. But when Rozie receives a threatening anonymous letter, Elizabeth knows dark forces are at work – and far too close to home.

After all, though the staff and public may not realise it, she is the keenest sleuth among them. Sometimes, it takes a Queen’s eye to see connections where no one else can …

What are your thoughts on this book if you have read it?

Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading

Etsy

Reading My Height in Books #5

Hello!

I nearly forgot my monthly update for my Reading My Height in Books Challenge! I was really hoping to get more books read in May but sadly that wasn’t the case but at least I managed to read 5.

Awkward picture time!

Lyra is more interested in sitting outside in the sun than being involved in pictures sadly so this month it is just me.

The stack is now the height of 25.5 inches. This means I now have 41.5 inches left to go. I am still ahead from this time last year but only by 1.5 inches which isn’t much sadly. I must keep pushing as I really want to complete the challenge this year.

Look at that stack grow!

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

WWW Wednesday: 7/06/2023

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.

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?

Hello!

I’ve had rather a stressful day teaching but I did have a lovely lunch break reading my new book.

What I am Currently Reading

I am really enjoying the variety of these stories so far. I absolutely love the Persephone books.

What I have Recently Finished Reading

I flew through these two books and although I struggled with the main character of Blood Orange I found it a well written and thought out novel.

What I Think I will Read Next

I have so many books I want to read which are on and off the my 20 Books of Summer challenge.

Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

June 2023 TBR

Hello!

My TBR plans for May were only half successful but I was pleased with the amount of books I did manage to read.

For June I am mainly focusing on my 20 Books of Summer Challenge but I am hoping to mix it up with some books that are not on the list as well.

20 Books of Summer Choices

Other Options

I’m really behind on my Goodreads challenge so I am really hoping I can catch up a little bit this month.

I hope you all have good plans for June.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Goodreads Monday: 5/06/2023

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 great start to the week. I have been back at school today so less time reading sadly.

My chosen book for this week is another book off my 20 Books of Summer Challenge. This is another book that has been sat on my TBR for way too long.

It was first serialised in the Merry’s Museum magazine between July and August in 1869 and consisted of only six chapters. For the finished product, however, Alcott continued the story from the chapter “Six Years Afterwards” and so it ended up with nineteen chapters in all. The book revolves around Polly Milton, the old-fashioned girl who titles the story. Polly visits her wealthy friend Fanny Shaw in the city and is overwhelmed by the fashionable and urban life they live–but also left out because of her “countrified” manners and outdated clothes.

What are your thoughts on this book if you have read it?

Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

The Weekly Brief

Hello!

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend. I planned on doing more reading today but instead I ended up having a nap, think I needed the nap more.

Blog Posts

Currently Reading

I started reading this yesterday and so far I am really enjoying the variety of stories.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you