BW35: Authors of the Month - Kristin Hannah and George Orwell

 

Happy Sunday! We are heading into September and the fourth quarter of the year. Where did the time go?  This month we honor the American worker on Labor Day, remember the ones we lost on September 11th,  celebrate those who were Prisoners of War and those still Missing in Action on the 18th,  have fun with International Talk Like a Pirate day on the 19th,  welcome the beginning of Fall with the Autumn Equinox on the 22nd, and get silly with Ask a Stupid Question day on the 28th. 

Our literary legend of the month is George Orwell and our Contemporary Author is Kristin Hannah.  While both authors write stories that are entertaining and educational, George's books will make you think and are must reads, Kristin's historical fiction as well as contemporary stories will tug at the heartstrings.   

The ultimate guide to George Orwell’s books.  It's probably time for me to read 1984 again as much of the story reflects today with the manipulation of information, the changes in vocabulary, big brother type digital surveillance and the ability to track people through cameras, phones, and more.  

"A masterpiece of rebellion and imprisonment where war is peace freedom is slavery and Big Brother is watching. Thought Police, Big Brother, Orwellian - these words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984. The story of one man's Nightmare Odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory 1984 is a prophetic haunting tale More relevant than ever before 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable the destruction of truth freedom and individuality."

Kristin Hannah’s books: a complete guide

I recently finished Hannah's historical fiction novel about nurses and Vietnam in The Women.  The Nightingale made me cry, whereas The Women not only made me cry, but made me mad for the suffering of the nurses and those who didn't believe them. 

"Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era." 

Both authors are well worth reading! 

BW26: Half full/half empty

Happy Sunday! Can you believe we are halfway through the year already. Are you a half glass full or half glass empty type of person? Me, my glass is half full which means although I have shelves full of books I have yet to read, I keep finding new shiny stories to fill my glass back up. Are you ready for our July authors of the month?

Our Literary Legend this month is John Kennedy Toole and I have The Confederacy of Dunces waiting in the wings as well as our Author Bookology contemporary author William Gibson and the second book in his Sprawl series, Count Zero.  

Plus we have our next Bingo Quest to celebrate 52 Books/L.E.S.T.E.R's eighteenth Blogoversary which is drum roll, please: 18

Read a book with an 18 year old character

Read the 18th book in the series

Read a book with 18 in the title

Read a book published in the 1800's, 1918, or 2018.

I just so happen to have James Rollins 18th book Arkangel in his Sigma Force series which has been calling my name. Now would be a perfect time to read it. But maybe I'll decide to read the 18th book in Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series, The Atlas Maneuver or Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, Never Go Back or even J.D. Robb's Divided in Death. Decisions, decisions.



Happy reading!

BW22: Choices: Literary Legend or Author Bookology

 

Happy Sunday!  Which direction should we go with our reading this month?   Left is our Literary Legend Laurence Sterne with his satirical story Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy.

"Laurence Sterne's great masterpiece of bawdy humour and rich satire defies any attempt to categorize it, with a rich metafictional narrative that might classify it as the first 'postmodern' novel. Part novel, part digression, its gloriously disordered narrative interweaves the birth and life of the unfortunate 'hero' Tristram Shandy, the eccentric philosophy of his father Walter, the amours and military obsessions of Uncle Toby, and a host of other characters, including Dr Slop, Corporal Trim and the parson Yorick. A joyful celebration of the endless possibilities of the art of fiction, Tristram Shandy is also a wry demonstration of its limitations."

Right is our Author Bookology with Sonali Dev and her Bollywood style contemporary romances.  I thoroughly enjoyed There's Something About Mira. 

"Mira Salvi has the perfect life. A job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she's always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn't a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone. 

While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason? Right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn't been written yet either."

Or straight ahead with your mental safety blanket, the all encompassing comfort read or reread, depending on your mood. 

I'm 0 for 5 in our Literary Legend conquests as I have started to read each author and parted ways soon thereafter as I have immersed myself in Robin Hobb's worlds with her Farseer Trilogy as well as the Live Ship traders trilogy. I have had better luck with our author bookology although I have yet to read Abraham Verghese but I'm hoping to make it 6 out of 6 soon. But only after I dive into Sonali Dev's Recipe for Persuasion.  And of course, continue what has turned into a year long quest of reading Robin Hobb with the first book in her next series Rain Wild Chronicles:  Dragon Keeper. 

But first I must finish my comfort read with author Nora Roberts and her newest stand alone book - The Final Target.  I thought she gave it all away in the synopsis, but as usual her interesting characters have drawn me in. 

Oh! And I've finally fallen into the world of Dungeon Crawler Carl. We'll see for how far I get. 

Happy Reading!

BW20: May Contemporary Author - Abraham Verghese

 

Happy Sunday!  Our contemporary author of the month is Abraham Verghese. Born in Addis Abba, Ethiopia, he wanted to be a doctor and ended up completing his residency in the United States. His work with terminally ill patients lead him to writing both  stories such as the historical fiction story, Covenant of Water, to the non fiction stories about his life such as My Own Country: A Doctor's story.  

I have Covenant for Water in my stacks and hope to get to it soon, after I finish Robin Hobb's Live Ship Trader series.  

Abraham Verghese:  2015 National Humanities Medalist

Weekly Read: “If Brains Was Gas” by Abraham Verghese

Abraham Verghese on Marrying Medicine With Literature

Epic of Love, Family Curses and Faith From Author of “Cutting for Stone”

Happy Reading! 

BW14: Author bookology - Ariel Lawhon

 

Happy Sunday!   Our contemporary author choice for the month of April is Ariel Lawhon.  Last year, I read The Frozen River and couldn't put it down. 

“A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history. 

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon's newest offering introduced an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The story was  a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.”

I have since added Code Name Helene to my stacks which am taking with me on the plane to read while visiting my father again.   I thoroughly enjoy World War II historical fiction especially when it involves women spies.  Kristen Hannah's The Nightingale enthralled and kept me reading long into the night.  Hopefully this one will be equally mesmerizing.  

Be sure to check out Ariel Lawhon's other books!

BW10: March Author Bookology - Walter Mosley

 

Happy Sunday! Our march author is Walter Mosley, who has written more than 60 books, television and film stories and plays, and won numerous awards for his work. I'm currently reading the first book in his mystery thriller series - Devil in a Blue Dress - about Easy Rawlins, a Black freelance private eye in the late forties.   

"In Los Angeles of the late 1940s, Easy Rawlins, a black war veteran, has just been fired from his job at a defense plant. Easy is drinking in a friend's bar, wondering how he'll meet his mortgage, when a white man in a linen suit walks in, offering good money if Easy will simply locate Miss Daphne Monet, a blonde beauty known to frequent black jazz clubs." 

The story is quite engaging and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series. 

Mosley has written multiple mysteries including Fearless Jones, King Oliver, Leonard McGill, Socrates Fortlow as well as numerous science fiction stories, non fiction, and graphic novels. 

Walter Mosley by Thulani Davis

Walter Mosley: When I'm Telling a Story I Imagine the Eavesdropper Over My Shoulder

Novelist Walter Mosley on Family and Forging His Own Path

Happy Reading!