Literary Exploration Society to Expand Reading (Formerly 52 Books)

Sunday, March 15, 2015

BW11: Cozy Mysteries

Cozy mysteries are so much fun to read. They usually involve a casual sleuth in a small town and a variety of settings (bookstore, museum, crafts shop, restaurant) as well as a variety of occupations (librarian, coffee house, reporter) with various side kicks including cats or maybe a dog or two or even a ghost. The crime usually takes place off screen as well as any romantic interludes. One favorite cozy mystery author is Cleo Coyle with her Coffee House Mysteries as well as her Haunted Bookshop series. Check out her virtual coffeehouse full of coffee and muffin recipes. Start with On What Grounds and she'll not only get you hooked on the story, but coffee recipes as well. *grin*

Courtesy of Cleo Coyle

I also lean toward bookstore themed stories and have enjoyed Lorna Barrett's Booktown Mystery series starting with Murder is Binding.

Check out Cozy Mysteries Unlimited where you'll find every kind of cozy mystery possible.

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History of the Medieval World

Chapter 13 (pp 91 - 94) - Seeking Homeland (410 - 418 AD)

Chapter 14 (pp 95 - 99) - The Gupta Decline (415 - 480 AD)

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Sunday, March 8, 2015

BW10: Mystery Book Awards

I couldn't decide whether to go with international mysteries or non fiction mysteries this week so gave it up all and started perusing the mystery awards. Who knew there were so many and such a wide variety of winners. Oh my poor aching wishlists.

Check out the best contemporary novel nominees for 2014 by the Agatha Awards (Winner to be determined in May.)


°	The Good, the Bad, and the Emus by Donna Andrews
°	A Demon Summer by G.M. Malliet
°	Designated Daughters by Margaret Maron
°	The Long Way Home by Louise Penny
°	Truth Be Told by Hank Phillippi Ryan

and the 2014 Edgar Awards nominees for Best Mystery novel to be presented by the Mystery Writers of America (Winner to be determined in April)


°	This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
°	Wolf by Mo Hayder
°	Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
°	The Final Silence by Stuart Neville
°	Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin
°	Cop Town by Karin Slaughter

Left Coast Crime mixes it up a bit by presenting the Lefty award for the most humorous mystery novel (Winner to be determined next week)

The Good, the Bad, and the Emus by Donna Andrews

Herbie’s Game by Timothy Hallinan

January Thaw by Jess Lourey

Dying for a Dude by Cindy Sample

Suede to Rest by Diane Vallere

Then we have the 2014 Macavity Awards named after the cat, Macavity in T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.


*	Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
°	Sandrine’s Case by Thomas H. Cook
°	Dead Lions by Mick Herron
°	The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood
°	How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
°	Standing in Another Man’s Grave by Ian Rankin

Thank you to Stop, Your Killing Me for providing all the links. Saved me some work. *grin*

Now I have to go see what I can do to increase my book budget. Happy exploring!

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 12 (pp 85 - 90)

One Nature vs Two (408-431 Ad)

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Sunday, March 1, 2015

BW9: March Mystification

Courtesy of Teaching with a Mountain View

Welcome to March Mystification and our author flavors of the month are Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and Josephine Tey.   All month long we'll be highlighting mysteries, both puzzling and perplexing, riddles to solve and mind boggling queries. Where dime novels, cozy mysteries, whodunits and police procedurals compete with hard boiled private eyes and super sleuths. Pull out your magnifying glasses and binoculars and get ready to snoop.

Agatha Christie created Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence as well as Ariadne Oliver, Harley Quin and Parkey Pyne.   I am more familiar with Poirot and Marple, than the other four, but will eventually make their acquaintance. I haven't read anything yet by our other two authors. Dorothy Sayers introduced readers to Lord Peter Wimsey and Josephine Tey brought us Inspector Alan Grant in her best known story The Daughter of Time as well as several others.

Our fascination for mysteries started way back in the ancient Greece with Sophocles and Euripides who entertained folks with mystery and dramatic plays. Since then, we've fallen in like with classics mystery writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, Sherlock Holmes, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, G.K. Chesterton and Ellory Queen, among others. But least we forget, there are numerous authors presently who make us fall in love with mysteries such as some of my favorites: Nora Roberts, James Rollins, Sandra Brown, Lisa Scottoline, Cleo Coyle, Dan Brown, Jeffrey Deavers, Lee Child and John Sandford to name a few.

Don't know where to start - check out Mystery Authors, Mystery Writers of America, and Cozy Mystery. You'll be following rabbit trails for days. *grin*

Join me in reading all things mystery for the month of March.

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 11 (Pp 77 - 84)

The Sack of Rome (396 - 410 AD)

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Sunday, February 22, 2015

BW8: Pick a book by the cover

Are you ready for a mini challenge? Just realized I hadn't done any yet this year.

Most of the time, when picking out a book at the bookstore or shopping online, I look for a familiar author or a book someone has recommended. A few years back, a blogger friend of mine posed a challenge to pick a book based on its cover. The catch however was not to read the synopsis or reviews or anything else that would tell you what the book is about. Pick the book, blog what you think the book is about, then read it and find out if your supposition was correct. Easier said than done especially when you are as nosy as I am. The hard part is not reading the excerpt on-line or if in the bookstore, reading a few pages here or there to see if it captures your attention.

I've tried it a few times and have picked up some very interesting books using that method.
This time, I went on Amazon and looked at the new releases and chose books by authors I've never read, had an intriguing picture or title. I picked out some books after checking out the synopsis, but I resisted temptation and didn't read the excerpts or reviews.

Euphoria by Lily King

Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

Miramont's Ghost by Elizabeth Hall

Beautiful Redemption by Jamie McGuire

So which one do you think I should read? I'll read the one that receives the most votes and let you know what I think of the story. Join in the fun. Go the the library, bookstore or online and pick a book based on its title or cover.

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 10 (pp 72 - 76)

Cracked in Two (392 - 396 AD)

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Sunday, February 15, 2015

BW7: She Walks In Beauty


Lord Byron by Richard Westall 1813

She Walks In Beauty

Lord Bryon

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o’er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

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History of the Medieval World - Part Two - Fractures

Chapter 9 Excommunicated (Pp 63 - 71)

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Sunday, February 8, 2015

BW6: Victorian Era

Our Flufferton February wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Victorian Era with ran during Queen Victoria's reign from her birth in 1807 until her death in 1901. It was the age of the English novel and the writings of Charles Dickens, William Thackary, George Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans) as well as the Bronte Sisters. The leading poets of that time were Lord Alfred Tennyson and the husband and wife duo, Elizabeth Barret Browning and Robert Browning.

Children's literature was introduced with the writings of Lewis Carroll and Anna Sewell as well as Robert Louis Stevenson and Anthony Hope. For a bit of history, check out Children's Books in the Victoria Era from the International Library of Children's literature

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, founded by Dante Gabriel Rossetti with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Milais, tied together the arts and literature creating art, full of symbolic realism, from the influences of poets Shakespeare, Keats and Tennyson.

The major writers of this period are:

Arnold, Matthew (1822-1888)
Brontë, Charlotte (1816-1855)
Brontë, Emily (1818-1848)
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett (1806-1861)
Browning, Robert (1812-1889)
Carroll, Lewis (1832-1898)
Carlyle, Thomas (1795-1881)
Dickens, Charles (1812-1870)
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930)
Eliot, George (1819-1880)
Hardy, Thomas (1840-1928)
Hopkins, Gerard Manley (1844-1889)
Housman, A. E. (1859-1936)
Kipling, Rudyard (1865-1936)
Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1802-1838)
Rossetti, Christina (1830-1894)
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel (1828-1882)
Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850-1894)
Swinburne, Algernon Charles (1837-1909)
Tennyson, Alfred (Lord) (1809-1892)
Thackeray, William Makepeace (1811-1863)
Wells, H.G. (1866-1946)
Wilde, Oscar (1854-1900)
Yeats, William Butler (1865-1939)

Check out the Victorian Web for links to many of the major authors

And to fan the flame further, Check out these lists and have fun adding to your wishlists:

Mystery Fiction set in the Victorian Era from Murder by Gaslight

Popular Victorian Era Books

Romantic Reads of the Victoria Era from Romantic Reads

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 7 (51 - 55) and Chapter 8 (56 - 60)

Refounding the Kingdom (371-412 AD)

The Catholic Church (378-382 AD

Which brings us to the end of Part One of Unity

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Sunday, February 1, 2015

BW5: Flufferton February

Jane Austen

Bronte Sisters

Flufferton

February

Welcome to Flufferton February and our author flavors of the month: The Bronte siblings --- Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell --- as well as Jane Austen. Flufferton is a term coined by one of our Well Trained Mind mom's in relation to all things regency, both classic and modern. Regency stories revolve around romance, mysteries, and the Napoleonic war. Modern fiction is set in the regency era and can run the gamut from historical romance fiction to horror to paranormal.

The Regency era from 1811 to 1820 fell within the period of Romanticism which latest approximately from 1790's to 1850's. Romanticism in English Literature began with the poetry of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coolridge in 1790. By the 1820's Romanticism encompassed almost all of Europe and was influenced not only by the Bronte Sisters, but French authors Victor Hugo and Alexander Dumas and as well as American, Italian, Russian and Polish writers.

Jane Austen wrote six novels, which have been some of the most popular and widely read stories over the years. Her novels: Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion are all available on line for your reading pleasure.

There have also been many spin off's, inspired by Austen, revolving around Mr. Darcy and other characters. Be sure to check out Laurel Natress's website dedicated to all things Austen at AustenProse. It will keep you busy for quite a while, so might want to save it for when you have more time.

The Bronte sisters books have been equally popular. Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre, Villette, Shirley, The Professor, High Life in Verdopolis and Juvenilia. Emily wrote Wuthering Heights and Anne produced Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Their brother, Branwell, was a painter and a poet as well and his works may be found here.

Courtesy of dennis barlogo

Come join me in the manor garden for afternoon tea (or a glass of wine if you prefer), and munch on tea cakes or scones, while we laze about for the day. Take a stroll among the flowers or trail your toes in the lake while diving into the stories of Jane Austen and/or the Bronte sisters. Or wind your way down the various rabbit trails and see where it takes you.

To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment ~ Jane Austen

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 6 (pp 41 - 50)
Earthquake and Invasion (364 - 376 AD)

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Sunday, January 25, 2015

BW4: Books of the Far East

Rebun Island, Japan

I have been meandering about Japan, but I'm ready to venture on. In my wanderings discovered the Sea of Japan is bordered by not only Japan, but North and South Korea and Russia. I've already explored Russia so decided to head in a southerly direction to explore different rabbit trails and ended up adding a few more books to my wishlist.

James Church and his Inspector O series set in North Korea which starts with A Corpse in the Koryo:

A Corpse in the Koryo

Plus Simon Winchester's A Walk through the Land of Miracles

A Walk through the land of Miracles

as well as The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim

The Calligrapher's Daughter

I dipped down into the East China Sea and across to Shanghai and found Elvira Baryakini's White Shanghai: A novel of the Roaring Twenties.

White Shanghia

and from there started my journey across the continent with Colin Thubron's Shadow of the Silk Road

Shadow of the Silk Road

Check out the Goodreads Around the World in 80 Days discussion for more books set in both North and South Korea, as well as those set in China, Mongolia, as well as popular Silk Road stories.

Happy Hunting!

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 4 (pp 28-35) and Chapter 5 (pp 36 - 40)
The Persian Threat (325 - 361)
The Apostate (361 - 364)

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Sunday, January 18, 2015

BW3: Women of the Middle Ages

Eleanor of Aquitaine courtesy of Medieval Life and Times

There has been quite a bit of discussion about balancing out our read of History of the Medieval world with some female authors or reads about females of the medieval time period. Since the time frame runs from the 5th century with the collapse of the Roman Empire through the 15th century and the beginning of the Renaissance, we have a rather broad area to browse through. Although the period was admittedly dominated male centric, there were quite a few powerful women not only behind them, but leading as well. I've highlighted a few as well as some books I discovered in my meanderings about the interwebz:

Notable women

Hypatia of Alexandria ( 370 - 415 ) Mathematician and Philosopher

St. Brigid of Kildair ( 451 - 525) Founded the first nunneries in Ireland

Theodora ( 497 - 528) Byzantine empress, wife and adviser to emperor Justinian

Irene of Athens (752 - 803) Byzantine empress who, upon Leo IV death, become co-ruler with son Constantine VI

Anna Comnena - (1083 - 1148) Considered 1st female historian and documented the reign of her father, Alexius I

Hildegard of Bingen (1098 - 1179) German prioress of Benedictine cloister of Disibodenberg

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 - 1204) Queen of France

Christine De Pizan (1364 - 1430) Italian poet, writer and feminine activist

Joan of Arc (1412 - 1421) Lead French army to victory during 100 years war

Book discoveries

Most Wise and Valiant Ladies by Andria Hopkins

The Most Powerful Women in the Middle Ages by Melissa Rank

Women in the Medieval Islamic World by Gavin Hambly

Goodreads Best Medieval History Books - nonfiction

I think that gives us a pretty good start and there are numerous historical fiction stories that will suffice as well, so be sure to check out Historical Novels which has quite a long list of reads. Happy hunting!

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 3 (pp 21 - 27)

Empire of the Mind (India 319-415)

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Sunday, January 11, 2015

BW2: Akutagawa Prize

Courtesy of Archipelago Books

In my meandering around Japan and checking out translated books, I stumbled upon the Japanese literary Award - the Akutagawa Prize which is currently sponsored by the Society for Promotion of Japanese Literature. It was established in 1935 by author and editor Kan Kikuchi of the Bungeishunju magazine in honor of the author Akutagawa Ryunosuku. The award is rewarded semi-annually.

It is considered the most prestigious, yet controversial award in Japan because many authors feel that the prize should only go to authors that write in the proper, classic Japanese style while others feel it should go to modern young authors who deal with more current events. This past year, one of the judges who'd been on the panel 17 years actually resigned because he felt the quality of works submitted had been very poor. Which undoubtedly was insulting to the current winner, Shin'ya Tinaka.

The whole list of prizewinners is available on goodreads here with links to various books. Have fun exploring.

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History of the Medieval World Readalong - Chapter 2, pp 13 - 20

Seeking the Mandate of Heaven (China 313 - 402)

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Thursday, January 1, 2015

Week 1 - A Merry New Reading Year

Courtesy of Adelightsomelife

Happy New Year and welcome to a merry new reading year at Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks. Welcome back to all who are joining me for another round and to those joining in for the first time.

The rules are very simple. Read 52 Books. That's it. How you get there is up to you. We have several optional challenges listed in the link bar above to stimulate your imagination and help you on your reading journeys. In addition to the perpetual A to Z, Well Educated Mind challenge, Dusty/Chunky books, and another journey Around the World, we will be having some readalongs, an Author Flavor of the Month as well as monthly themes to tickle your reading taste buds. I'll be throwing in mini challenges here and there such as pick a book with a color or number or season in the title, or pick a book written in your birth year.

To start off our mind voyage for the year, this month's theme is January Journeys - rambling jaunts and walks, translated and transformed. We'll be packing up our backpacks, replacing those old thread worn walking shoes for a new pair, and sailing (or flying if you prefer) out across the Pacific toward the far eastern shores of the continent of Asia. Where you go from there is up to you. We'll be rambling and roving around reading translated books, exploring and examining different cultures and delving into the present as well as the past.

We'll be starting out with a year long read of Susan Wise Bauer's History of the Medieval World. The goal is to finish by the end of the year so we will aim for one to two chapters a week.

Our author flavor of the month is Haruki Murakami (born 1/12/49) and I'll be diving into Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World while a few other gals on Well Trained Mind forums are choosing to delve into Kafka on the Shore. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 1Q84 and still contemplating the strangeness of A Wind Up Bird Chronicle. Check out one of his books this month if you choose.

I have found several resources for translated books and if you know of any I haven't mentioned, please let me know and we'll add it to the list.

3% - A resource for international books by the University of Rochester. I ended up exploring many rabbit trails through this site.

Archipelago Books - Thanks to this company, I currently have Blinding and The Great Weaver of Kashmir in my backpack.

Glagoslav Publications - Translations from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus for English and Dutch readers.

Europa Editions has now created World Noir specializing in international crime fiction.

Our first week is going to run from today through Saturday, January 10th so enjoy, relax and have fun exploring. I look forward to hearing all about your finds.

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Pages

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Thursday, January 1, 2015