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!

BW18: Literary Legend - Herman Melville

Happy Sunday! Our literary legend for the month is Herman Melville, best known for his epic Moby Dick about Captain Ahab's obsession with the sea and whales.  I've read Moby Dick as well as various spin offs such as Captain Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund and The Wind Whale of Ishmael by Phillip Jose Farmer, both which were as entertaining as well.  

Plus I have Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex in my stacks which "brings to new life the incredible story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex - an event as mythic in its own century as the Titanic disaster in ours, and the inspiration for the climax of Moby-Dick. In a harrowing page-turner, Nathaniel Philbrick restores this epic story to its rightful place in American history."

Nathaniel Philbrick also wrote Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842, as well as other nonfiction book that bring history to life which I have totally enjoyed.  

Berkshire County Historical Society

Moby Dick Inspired Books

Moby-Dick and In the Heart of the Sea

Join in reading Moby Dick or Herman Melville's other books, Moby Dick adaptations, a book about maritime adventures,  whales or other sea creatures, oceanic and marine science fiction, or songs of the sea. 

BW13: April is upon us

 

April is upon us and I'm laughing because the first week in the month is Read a Road Map Week. I'm horrible with navigation which has lead to getting lost many a time. We just got back from a trip and it is the main reason why I'm the driver and hubby is the navigator as it seems he has a compass in his head.  I'm also grateful for digital navigation which tells me where to go, but sometimes even it's wrong. What's a girl to do?   

This month our literary legend is Larry McMurtry, author of the Lonesome Dove and then some.  And since we just got back from celebrating my dad's 95th birthday and I almost forgot to write this post, I'm going to leave you with a few links to peruse:

Larry McMurtry books in Order with a breakdown by series or publication date. 

National Endowment for the Humanities: Larry McMurtry

Larry McMurtry Literary Center

NPR Literary center named for author Larry McMurtry honors hometown son

Goodreads Larry McMurtry

I currently have The Lonesome Dove as well as The Last Picture Show in my stacks to read this year.  Join me in reading a book by Larry McMurtry this year. 

2026 Literary Exploration Society to Expand Reading

 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

~ Robert Frost,  Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

Since we began 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2009, the variety of 52 books challenges has exploded. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I think it's time for us to slip off the beaten path and take the one less traveled. The first order of business, change the name.  

My husband always comes up with code words or nicknames for things we do. When I narrowed our book reading challenge name down to two options, he went with the first option and immediately added 'to expand reading' and lovingly provided a nick name. Which lead us to today.  Welcome to the: 

Literary Exploration Society To Expand Reading 

or L.E.S.T.E.R for short

The url of read52booksin52weeks.com will remain the same 

L.E.S.T.E.R. is still the home for a variety of weekly, monthly, and annual reading quests, as well as the perpetual and past challenges linked above from our many reading adventures around the world. 

2026 Bingo quest:  25 new categories to inspire with Mile Davis and all those Jazz rabbit holes to David Bowie's Book lists to the quirky and the cozy.

2026 Literary Legends: Explore authors and stories that have endured throughout the years.

2026 Contemporary Authors: From Haruki Murakami to Alan Moore, there is a variety of modern day authors to explore.

2026 A to Z and Back Again in which there are many ways to complete the project and you don't have to stick with authors or titles only. The choices are unlimited.

and /or try one or more of our perpetual challenges:  

Agatha Christie  -- Read her books in chronological order as listed, group by detective or collection, or randomly if you choose. 

Brit Trip Adventures - Follow the Roman Road through England with the intent of reading a book from each of the 45 counties with a few extra trips to London. 

Mind Voyages - A science fiction / fantasy challenge through the decades, exploring the Hugo and Nebula winners and nominees, Philip K. Dick, and Robert Heinlein. 

Dip into past challenges such as Brit Tripping, Dusty and Chunky, Feed Your Muse, Inspiration, Nobel Prize Winners or Sounds of Silence.

The goal is to set your own goal and how you get there is up to you. Ask yourself these questions:  Are you a promiscuous reader or prefer to inhale one book a time?  Do you like to follow a plan, or be spontaneous? Do you like to read fiction or nonfiction? Do you like to read from your own shelves, buy books, or get them from the library? Do you like to read widely and broadly or do a focused study of something new or old?  Do you like to reread stories time and again?  Do you like to delve into your favorite author's backlist to the exclusion of all else or sip them slowly through the years. Do you need more time to dive into that chunky or dusty book that's been languishing on the shelf? Do you like to explore new to you authors, genres, spaces and places?    Do you like to follow connections, take side trips, or dive into rabbit holes? Let your books be your guide and see where they take you.

Reading is as necessary as breathing so my answer is yes to all these questions since all that matters is the reading. To our current readers, I appreciate you and look forward to next year. If you like to lurk, wave hello. And if you just found us, please join us to play along or chart your own path.