CINDY READS WITH NEW EYES IN 2024 2nd quarter

Welcome to you all! My name is Cindy,(cindydavid4) I joined in 2016. I read just about anything; lately I have enjoyed reading works in translation which really has opened up my world. Over these 8 years Ive discovered books and authors I would never have known about without LT. Ive also taken part in wonderful book discussions with the other readers here and 'met' folks who Ive come to know, and look forward this year of doing more of the same! I welcome you all to this thread and hope we can have some great book discussions

Ive taught children with special needs for 35 years in Phoenix, retired 4 years ago. In my spare time I read, garden, folk dance, and volunteer at a childrens museum, and travel with my husband.

Looking forward to the new quarter,and wishing you all a great reading time!

MONTHLY READING

JANUARY

ancestor stones 4.5 *

east of eden3

equal rites 5

apples are from Khazikstan 4.5

where the wild winds are 3

the gamehouse4.5

in the mountains 4.5

Elizabeths german garden a literary journey 4,5

FEBRUAR

becoming a nun in the age of aquarius 5

vaster wilds2

walking the winds and waters4

how to build a boat5

MARCH

wifedom5

wryd sisters5

the 100 years of Linni and Margo 4,5

short stories of edith wharton 4.5

ladies lunch 4.5

olga dreams dying DNF

glimpses of the moon4.5

the great escape of Edith Wharton5

APRIL
to shape a dragons breath4.5

twilight sleep4.5

the children4.5

tiffany achings guide to being a witch4

the crooked plow4.5

james 5

may

the fawn

the ultimate discworld companion5

witches abroad4,5

the mammoth book of time travel4

old babes in the wood

razors edge5

READING THROUGH TIME QUARTERLY THEMES

1st Quarter January-March 2024 Prehistoric mixed harvestt4.5*

2ND QUARTER Quarterly April-June 2024: Ancient/Biblical Times pirkei avot: a social justice commentary

READING THROUGH TIMES MONTHLY THEMES

January: Janus - the gameshouse 4

February: - Aquarius & Amethyst
a nun in the age of aquarius by helen reynolds 4,5

March: Medicine & Epidemics covenant of water

April: : characters with disabilities how to build a boat

May: International Labour Day

June:

July: Vive la France

August: LibraryCin

September: Royal to the Bone

October: : Adultry

November: Biographies & Memoirs

December: Reader's Choice
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NON FICTION CHALLENGE

January - Prize Winners - where the wild winds are 4

February - Women's Work becoming a nun in the age of aquarius4.5 wifedom5*

March - Forensic Sciences - Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age

April - Globalization - .

May - Wild Wild West - something by Oliver de Farge

June - Middle Europe - a

July - Insect World -

August - Being Jewish -

September - Essays -

October - Music, more music -

November - Too Small to See - books about Bacteria, Viruses, Atoms, Dust. maybe even microaggressions?

December - This is a dual topic month.
Political Biograph
****************************************************
MONTHLY AUTHOR CHALLENGE

jANUARY Elizabeth Gaskell
mary barton

Febuary Geoge Bernard Sha
pygmalian 4
androcles and the lion 4

March Sir Walter Scott iivanhoe

April Wilkie Collins no name

May Maggie OFarrel -looking

June Margaret Atwood old babes in the woods}
***********************************************
GLOBAL READING THEMES
-quarterly themes:-

Pre-Renaissance literature January-March 2024
city of ladies

April-June 2024: Landlocked countries fawn

*************************************************
DISCWORLD CHALLENG: witches

January Equal Rites4.5

March Wyrd Sisters 4.5

May Witches Abroad 4.5

July Lords and Ladies

September Maskerade

November Carpe Jugulum

REVIEWS MY RATING SYSTEM

5* books that I cant stop thinking about long after Ive finished, often books that I reread , and often are looking for more from the author

4* books that made me smile after reading, where the characters, plot and writing all came together just darn good books

3*I liked, but issues with plot characters, writing disappointed

2* finished but not happy about it

1* DNF

MY REVIEWS

I dont review everything I read, but ill at least give some clue as how i felt about it When I review a book, I follow this template that has served me well

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS BOOK?

SYNOPSIS W/O SPOILERS

WHAT KEPT YOU READING?

WHAT SLOWED YOU DOWN?

WHO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS TO?

RATING

BOOKS 1ST QUARTER

I read 22 books this quarter, four of them non fiction

TOP FICTION

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY

HOW TO MAKE A BOAT

WYRD SISTERS

GLIMPSES OF THE MOON

SPECTATOR BIRD

TWILIGHT SLEEPING

NON FICTION

WIFEDOM

ELIZABETH AND HER GERMAN GARDEN

THE BRAVE ESCAPE OF EDITH WHARTON

A STROKE OF THE PEN

This quarter ive enjoyed reading Edith Wharton. Id read house of mirth and age of innocence in HS but never was interested in the rest of her work. But I started withold new york and was hooked!

Hello.....{birds chirping}

Just about done with to shape a dragons breath and enjoying it. Only problem with it are the names of characters that are incredibly long and easy to confuse. she has a pronunciation guide but that doesnt help muc, theres also way too much detail in the world building. review later

Happy new thread, Cindy. I can't believe we're in the second quarter already.

I know, time is just flying by....and not enough to get to all the books on my plate!

First review of the quarter twilight sleep

why did you choose this book

I read Age of Innocence in college and at the time didnt get her. Reading old new york and glimpses of the moonMy eyes have been opened; Her style is habit forming, this one was suggested on Kindle so here we are

synopsis without spoilers

Twilight Sleep is a satirical novel about the lives and relationships of an extended and dysfunctional family in New York in the 1920s. The most prominent storyline follows the family's combined efforts to keep the marriage of Jim and Lita Wyant intact, as Lita has become bored with the relationship and is seeking a divorce from Jim. The title of the novel refers to the drugged state induced in women to avoid pain during childbirth, but also stands as a metaphor for the empty lives of characters who spend their time engaged in frivolous activities for which they are "rested and doctored to make up for exertions that led to nothing."

what kept you reading?

everything; the writing style, the humor, the details, the charcters all put me right in the time and place

what slowed you down?

nothing really but did not liked how it ended; someone needs to write a sequel

Recommendations to any reader actuallly tho I suspect younger readers might have some trouble

rating 5+*

>11 cindydavid4: I mean to get to this Wharton. Right now I’m Whartoned out. I was reading House of Mirth and left it halfway, meaning to get back to it. I will but I need to finish my backlog.

I get that. sometimes you need to choose something else to read. done that a ton of times and unfortunately forgot about the former book and was running along to the nearest shiny cover. it happens

>13 cindydavid4: I feel I’m in the Teighlight zone!

me to ! and lookey that, my post popped up....the net is sure strange at times

Review of to shape a dragons breath the author is a member of the Seaconke Wampanog tribe

why did you choose this book

My RL sci fi/fan group is reading it this month

synopsis w/o spoilers

In this fantasy world, the Anglish have overtaken the lands of an indigenous people, and are bent on either exterminating or civilizing them (depending on political party). Anequs is an indigenous girl who lives peacefully on her island – isolated from the Anglish. Then she sees a dragon lay, and abandon, an egg. She brings the egg back to her village, where it hatches. The hatchling chooses Anequs as its person.
Anequs is pressured into going to a school for dragoneers run by the Anglish. There, she learns to shape her dragon’s breath, but has to deal with racism and culture shock.

what kept you reading

This is one of those books I wasnt sure of, so just opened the book to a random page, and discovered this young, bright, feisty young lady well and willing to correct peoples opinions of her and her culture. I was hooked. Full of incredibly detailed and believable, firmly grounded world-building, and just excellent lore—the stories from different cultures about the different connections societies have made with dragons were absolutely fascinating. Her characters are well drawn and the conflict,similar to history of Native Americans worked really well. And given that the book was 528 pages, it was a page turner and I stayed up way too late reading.

What was not so great?

I loved the world building but 528 pages was just too much. For one thing; the names of places and characters were long and difficult to separate out and remember. Also there was way too much detail about the descritption of dragons, of magic, of social events or history, or repeated details of family life that could have been trimmed down. This is a first novel tho, so I can cut the author some slack. I suspect, as this series continues, the author will learn how to trim and edit

I did have some trouble with the narrator, she was way to well spoken and knowledgeable for her supposed situation, but I guess thats what I loved about her!

who should read this book anyone who is into alternative history, such as the works of Guy Gavriel Kay, likes strong women characters and enjoys dragons.

Rating 4.5 stars

>16 cindydavid4: That looks intriguing! And always nice to see a local author (I live in MA, though not near Seaconke, specifically). I don't have it in me to read anything that long right now, but definitely an author to keep an eye on. And maybe, when I'm more well, I'll get the attention span needed for long books back. I used to have it.

I remember you saying you were in poor health. Thinking of you and hoping you are getting better, Can you listen to audio? I suspect its probably out....hang in there

You have had a very active April. Four books already! Happy new thread. Sorry i’m slow to get here but behind everywhere. Enjoyed your review and comments on Twilight Sleep. We will discuss it tomorrow on Litsy. I’m not sure how it will go.

>16 cindydavid4: I'm intrigued by your description, and hooked by your comparison to Guy Kay. I'm a big fan of a lot of his work. I've added this one to my library list.

>19 dchaikin: just remember, im retired, plus right now I have a condition that makes it very hard to walk or stand very long so most of the things ive been doing has been put on hold; so lots of time to read...

I very much like to participate. Is there a link for that?

>21 cindydavid4: i’ll tag you so it will show up on your updates.

>22 dchaikin: how does that work?

Reading Armadale for monthly author challenge and witches abroadfor Disc world witches theme and summerfor my Wharton addiction

>24 cindydavid4: Summer is a fun book but not her best I think. You can read my review here. It’s been described as an American Madame Bovary and it really isn’t. I think that may have contributed to me not liking Summer as much as her other works I have read, as I was expecting something quite different. I have the Wharton addiction too, but am controlling. It. She has written so many books I could find myself reading nothing but Wharton books for months.

>24 cindydavid4: I’m struggling to find a book by Collins for MAR. I noticed you had planned earlier to read No Name for this challenge. I’ve thought about that one, and was wondering if you disliked it, or just changed your mind to Armadale (which, btw, I loved!)?

No reason. it looked fine but the other looked more up my alley, Might read the other afterward

I was so excited to receive my copy of tiffany achings guide to being a witch.Its beautifully designed and illustrated by Paul Kidby its worth its price for that alone The text has with short sections descibing what its like to be a witch and such topics as cottages, equipment,witch magic,gods and other monsters familiars, and life and death The different Disc World witches write their opinions and comments in the margins, which provide much amusement ., And love that Sir Terrys daugther is the author. Hed be so proud

Note: reviewers note difficulty on kindle, due to the size and fonts of the text and Ink writing that is sometimes impossible to read. No problem in the book and the margin bits make it fun.

Also you can get cheaper copies by going to bookfinder.com and Ebay, which is where I got mine

5*

so a book forced its way in between my reading of Wilkie Collins and practically demanded that I read it. So I took the challente and started reading james last night. (touchstones not working; author is percival everette) stayed up way to long in the morning and having trouble putting it down. Love Mark Twain and loved the way the author put Jim front and center with Huck along for the ride. This is the first Ive read from this author and it will not be my last.

One caveat; there is a lot of italizied dialect; I get why hes using it, But ive always had trouble reading that. Not having as much trouble with this, but if you are the same way, be aware of making an extra effort. its certainly not going to take any star away for this.

ok back the the book, its calling me

>29 cindydavid4: you will HAVE to read The Trees then.

I plan on it!

James is most likely going to be on my top 10 list for this year. Ill say more in my upcoming review, but Im rating it a 5* and highly recommended

Um wrong touchstone; fixed

>32 cindydavid4: Fabulous. I plan to buy it from one of my two favorite indie bookshops in Philadelphia next month.

Revew of James Touchstones not working Percival Everette

why did you choose this book I loved Twain and loved Huckelberry Finnwhen I was in school. I havent read it since but read Twains autobiography and learned more about him and his stories. So here is a book that turns this story on its head, by an author who sees how this story should go. Looked way to good to pass up

synopsis w/o spoilers

from LT "When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. Thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond".

what kept you reading

this book grabbed me from page one and did not let go; came up for air a day or so later. The author knows how to tell a story, often with some much needed humor, and how to make you care about the character . Some of the funniest situations were from the people he met along the way, including a rather odd bunch of minstrels.....

what slowed you down Ive always had trouble reading dialect,so I was disappointed to see several pages of it in italics.......However,once I understood that it was a way to teach a secret language to children, to protect themselves from being thought insolent, it was smooth sailing and enjoyed seeing how the characters used it back and forth in different ways and in different situations

who would you recommend this to

Anyone who wants to read a good story and see a different world from what we may have read before.

Rating 5* but a 10 if I could

>34 cindydavid4: Ooh, another glowing review of this. I have never read Huckleberry Finn. Do you think I should read it first?

>34 cindydavid4: Wow! Great review! Onto the library hold list it goes!

The Trees by the same author also sounds very interesting. I remember my father listening to Billie Holliday's rendition of "Strange Fruit' while I was growing up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DGY9HvChXk

>35 labfs39: I’ve never read Huckleberry Finn either and it’s the only thing that has stopped me reading James . I’ve loved Percival Everett’s other books. Good prose and excellent humor; what’s more to want?

just received The Annotated Huckleberry Finn its a ton and a half. has lot of illustrations and old photos and rather tiny print. Not sure how useful it will be, but Ill keep it coz its pretty. Id get an actual copy of the book to read instead

I just found a nice used copy of north woods by Daniel Mason will probably start it tomorrow. looking forward to it

>39 cindydavid4: North Woods keeps showing up for me as a recommendation but I can’t see why. Let’s know how it goes. I can’t seem to get interested in it.

>38 cindydavid4: I’ve never be taken with Huckelberry Finn . I was forbidden to read it as a child and I’d feel I was going against my father’s wishes were I to do so.

Today I left mt apartment for the first time in 12 weeks. It was nice seeing the blossom out and to see friendly New Yorkers everywhere. I can never understand how New Yorkers came to have such a negative image.

>40 kjuliff: I always feel like if anything, New Yorkers are overly friendly. They will talk your damn ear off.

finished north woods which i ultimatley liked despite some slog towards the end of the book. Now reading the bird king ,the diary of a provincial lady both recommended by folk hear abouts. and a Douglas Adams book starship titanic which just has to be fun

well the Adams book started out good with lots of the dry humor is known for but then just got too silly, with lots of comments about womens bodies. Actually Terry Jones f rom Monty Python was involved in this so hench some of the problems DNF

>43 cindydavid4: The English are obsessed with jokes about normal bodily functions and double entendrés

yes and I dont usually mind those, but this went a little father, in some characters relationships with women that made me cringe

>45 cindydavid4: Well a certain type of Englishman is apparently still at the oral stage of psychosexual development, and has never wanted to leave the comforting arms of Mother.

>34 cindydavid4: James is getting such great reviews. I am reading The Trees right now. Each sentence is a pleasure to read, so beautifully crafted.

>46 kjuliff: hee true that

>47 rv1988: Oh I was so taken with James that I must read his other work; people keep mentioning Tree , so Ill start with that

However right now Im reading off my kindle the children andthe diary of a provincial lady the latter is quite lovely; not sure Ill read a sequel because it does feel like the same things keep happenining but it is fun, and the latter, another Wharton treasure!

I listened to all of the Diary of a Provincial Lady as audio books. They are great, and the narrator was very good. The humor of the diary entries really shines in her voice. Georgina Sutton is the narrator for the books on Audible.

thanks for that encouragement I usually cant focus listening to a book, but this sounds like it will work

I just finished so be it for the RTT April Theme ""Books Featuring Characters With Disabilities"
The book is written for YA but I had no problem enjoying the story. the character in question is Mom or sof, a young woman with cognitive issues, who gives birth to a daughter named Heide. She is limited in language and cant tell her daughter much, so she sets out to find more about her family. I loved the way the this author draws this mother. Despite her delays, and it shows how much she loves her daugther. I loved how much her daughter yearns to know. I was curious if there was somone who inspired that character, but she doesnt mention that in the interview; If I were teaching upper elementary kids, this is a book Id have them read (unless its banned for being about an un wed mother) its a beautiful gentle way of learning about complexity of people with special needs have, and how they have the same wants and needs of us all

5* Highly recommended

Chag Somach Happy Passover to those who celebrate and may it be a peaceful time for all

sorry I had to put 'provencial lady ' aside. I thought it clever, and another example of the more things change the more they stay the same. But I found her diary entries too repetative, and lost interest. May try her one from America and see how that goes

now reading divine might the latest by Natalie Haynes. Ive very much enjoyed her tales on mythology from a womens perspective; her other non fiction was pandoras jar a retelling of greek women in myths that isacademic but by no means dry or dull; She knows her stuff and brings her women subjects front and center within the context of the orginal myths and greek culture. Lots of humor and interesting findings made it a gr at read. Hoping this next will be similar

Review the children

Why did you choose this book?

I seem to be on a Wharton run this year, and this looked interesting to me so why not?

Synopsis maybe with spoilersif you on the Litzy discussion pass on this till its finished

the predicament of the protagonist, Martin Boyne, emerged in its full pathos. A solitary man in his early forties, an engineer, Boyne heads for Europe to meet the woman, Rose Sellars recently widowed, with whom he has corresponded with romantic constraint for years. It is understood between them that should matters go well, they will marry. On the way, however, he becomes entangled with a group of children, the oldest of whom, Judith, captures his heart. From then on he struggles between his avuncular affection for Judith and a growing infatuation. The children are a group of seven, wholes, halves and steps flung together by their wealthy, pleasure-loving and self-absorbed parents. Judith has become the ‘little mother’ of them all, determined to keep them together and Boyne becomes first their champion and then, for a brief time, their guardian. And no, this is not another Lolita, promise.

the moral to the story"the road to hell is paved with good intentions

What kept you reading

as usual Whartons cut to the chase writing, her characters, her natural descriptions that fit perfectly into the story, her biting satire in this case wealthy parents that really dont care about their children but have no trouble using them as pawns in their lawsuits. Also surprised how well she is able to draw children. there was not a wrong move, emotion, need she didn't get right. Also how she developed the protaganist and his thinking

a question: when did the word 'ejaculation' become a synonym for 'said'? Its used quite often in the text and i crack up each time; and when did it stop being used in that way?

What slowed me down

nothing but I did note the times I was horrified by what happens while at the same time I was laughing myself silly

What were your favorite quotes edited in case these included spoilers

recommended to fans and non fans alike who like well written books but arent too bummed when the ending is bittersweet

rating 5

>53 cindydavid4: Nice review, Cindy. If this book wasn't already on my wishlist, it would be now.

Now reading crooked plow hesitant about this because the snopsis made it sound too much dread, but well passed the Pearl Rule mark and enjoing it very much. There was a confusing moment when suddenly the voice changed; but I fingured it out. Thanks to those of you who encouraged me to try just 50 pages....

Happy May!!!! Finished crooked plow which I really liked.
For this month I need to find a book for the RTT theme "International Labour Day" and find a book for the Monthly Author challenge by Maggie O Farrell that I havent read yet! and a book for this quarters RG theme Landlocked countries think Ill try something from south amercia. Any suggestions?

decided on the fawn Marc just recommended this and Ive loved her other books.and for the non fiction challenge of Wild Wild West, a book by Oliver de Farge that I havent read yet. Loved his laughing boy which won him a Pulitzer prize in 1929 and his short stories all from the navajo tribes around Az and NM

>56 cindydavid4: Landlocked countries think Ill try something from south amercia

Hmm, that would be either Bolivia or Paraguay, and I haven't read an adult book from either. I did read a kids picture book, Ada's violin : the story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay.

Oh that does look good! thats one, need one for Bolivia

Brazil

wait, brazil has a coast line doesnt it? bolivia is land locked

Brazil does indeed have a coastline. My comment in 59 was related to your edited comment in 58.

What about Doris Lessings’s Landlocked - it’s a different continent but a great book.

>61 labfs39: gotcha, I need to pay more attention to my posts!

landlocked looks interesting; I read something else by her that I liked, cant remember the name. thx

review of crooked plow

why did you choose this book?

Lots of people raving about it and I wanted to know more about the history

synopsis w/o spoilers

"Deep in Brazil's neglected Bahia hinterland, two sisters find an ancient knife beneath their grandmother's bed and, momentarily mystified by its power, decide to taste its metal. The shuddering violence that follows marks their lives and binds them together forever. this story about the lives of subsistence farmers in Brazil's poorest region, three generations after the abolition of slavery, is at once fantastic and realist, covering themes of family, spirituality, and political struggle"--

what kept you reading I actually was not sure about reading this, but so glad I did. The writing is very tight as we are introduced to the characters and to their lives. There was one point where the voices changed got me a bit confused but I figured it out. It was written in such a way that I was hooked from beginning to end

(from Dans review) "What I didn't know while reading was the modern story of Quilombos. Quilombos were communities of free black escaped slaves in Brazil, and now are their descendants. " I was certainly fascinated by this culture, and also appalled at how they were forced to live their lives

what slowed you down? the names of the sisters are very similiar and at times I needed to go back and see who was who, But I kept reading

recommended to anyone who wants a well written book also a caveat there is magic realism here that I loved but I know its not for everyone

Rating 4.5

>65 cindydavid4: A wonderful review. I'm very tempted to pick this up.

thanks

now reading the ultimate discworld companion got this for my birthday back in january and its huge, so Ive been reading bits and pieces over time and learning more about his characters and world, and laughing my fool head off, and loving Paul Kidbys illustrations of the same

fav quote re history:for anything to happen everything else has to happen so everything happens anyway Hang on to your hat and try to steer with your knees

also starting the fawn for RG quarter landlocked countries theme

Nice review of Crooked Plow, Cindy; I also gave it 4½ stars.

I just received my copy of James, and I'll hopefully get to it later this month.

>65 cindydavid4: And to the TBR it goes.😅 Thank you for pointing out about the voices change, I'll keep that in mind. I've gotten a few books that leave me confused when that happens and I'm not expecting it.

Great review of Crooked Plow. I'm also looking forward to James.

Sorry The Provincial Lady didn't work out for you. I enjoyed its easy going nature at a time when I feel like my life is running at 100 miles per hour from morning until night, but if you're in the mood for something a bit meatier or zestier I can see how it didn't work for you.

I do understand the need for those quiet kind of novels, so I totally understant!

rereading razor edge for group read. I read this in college and it was the book that started my reading his books and stories. I do not remember much about the book I read back then, so much went over my head, so I am thriled to enjoy it all over again, Review coming

Reading the fawn for RG theme land locked countries and old babes in the wood for monthly author challenge June Margaret Atwood
Need to find something to read for Mays author Maggie Ofarrell, since I think Ive read all of her books Any ideas?