What I'm Reading - January 30, 2017

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This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! I also link up with Tales of a Pee Dee Mama for D.E.A.R. Monday (Drop Everything And Read).

I finished reading . . . nothing completed this week, but I've got three books on the go!


I'm currently reading . . .

A Note Yet Unsung (A Belmont Mansion Novel) by Tamera Alexander - This one is about a young woman who is a gifted musician but isn't accepted into the Nashville Philharmonic because at that time (shortly after the Civil War) it was considered unseemly for women to be in orchestras.




Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica) by James A. Owen - a YA fantasy in which three young men become the caretakers of an atlas of the lands of imagination.



A Perilous Undertaking (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn - the long-awaited second novel in this series, with Veronica and Stoker investigating a murder that leads them to quite a few unsavory discoveries.

  

Next on the stack... 

Rules of Murder (A Drew Farthering Mystery) by Julianna Deering
All in Good Time (The Gilded Legacy) by Maureen Lang

Sanditon by Jane Austen
Lady Susan by Jane Austen

    

     

 On my blogs last week . . .

Here on Just A Second:

Scripture and a Snapshot - Your Love, Lord
Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - Here, There Be Dragons


And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Homeschool Highlights - Another Quick Update
What We Love About Homeschooling
High School Literature for Reluctant Readers on The Homeschool Post
Virtual Refrigerator - Big Ben (Blogging Through the Alphabet)
What a Wonderful World - Virtual Curriculum Fair Week 4

What are you reading?

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Scripture and a Snapshot - Your Love, Lord

Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,

your justice like the great deep.

You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!

People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house;

you give them drink from the river of your delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we see light.

~Psalm 36:5-9~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Glimpses is hosted by Embracing Every Day, a lifestyle blog by Barbie Swihart.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - Here, There Be Dragons

This post contains affiliate links. 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers! 

The little man blinked and arched an eyebrow. "It is the world, my boy," he said. "All the world, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the world, and it is yours to save or lose."

~Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica) by James A. Owen, page 20

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading.

CHAPTER ONE
The Adventure Begins

   The slim, cream-colored note may just as well have been inserted into a bottle and tossed into the ocean rather than sent by post, for by the time John received it, the professor was already dead.

   For perhaps the hundredth time, John took the note out of his pocket.

My Dear John,   Please make all haste to London. There is much, too much I'm afraid, that should have been explained to you well before now. I only pray that this letter finds you well enough to travel, and that you will bear me no ill will for what is to come. I do not know if you are ready, and that is my own burden to bear. But I believe you are able, and mayhap that is enough. I hope it is,                            Professor Sigurdsson

Here's the blurb:

An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack, and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica -- an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams.

Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead readers to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become.

An extraordinary journey of myth, magic, and mystery, Here, There Be Dragons introduces James A. Owen as a formidable new talent.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

What I'm Reading - January 23, 2017

This post contains affiliate links. 

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! I also link up with Tales of a Pee Dee Mama for D.E.A.R. Monday (Drop Everything And Read).

I finished reading . . . 

The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green - Beautifully done historical fiction about a French midwife among the convicts sent to colonize Louisiana. (Read my full review HERE)




A Curious Beginning (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn - loved my re-read of this exciting mystery with eccentric characters before I carry on with them in their next adventure. (Read my full review HERE)




I'm currently reading . . .

A Note Yet Unsung (A Belmont Mansion Novel) - just got started on this for a Bethany House review. I've read the previous Belmont Mansion novels and greatly enjoyed them.




Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica) - saw this YA fantasy recommended on a friend's blog and thought it looked interesting. I'm wondering if my daughter would like it too.



A Perilous Undertaking (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn - I'm finally allowing myself to enjoy the latest Veronica Speedwell mystery!

  

Next on the stack... 

Rules of Murder (A Drew Farthering Mystery) by Julianna Deering

Sanditon by Jane Austen
Lady Susan by Jane Austen

 

     

 On my blogs last week . . .

Here on Just A Second:

Recent Reads - A Curious Beginning
Scripture and a Snapshot - Show Me Your Ways
Recent Reads - The Mark of the King
Book Blogger Hop - January 20, 2017
Wordless Wednesday - Franklin Park Conservatory


And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Homeschool Highlights - Quick Update
A Franklin Park Conservatory Photojournal
Virtual Refrigerator - The Acropolis (Blogging Through the Alphabet)
2017 Goals - 50 in 50
Math: Not Only About the Numbers - Virtual Curriculum Fair Week 3

What are you reading?

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - A Curious Beginning

This post contains affiliate links. 

A Curious Beginning (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn - I decided to re-read this delightful mystery adventure before jumping into the second in the series, which was released recently. (A Perilous Undertaking (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery), which is next on my TBR!) Raybourn has been one of my favorite authors for quite some time, and no matter how many times I've read her books, I never get tired of them. Anyway, to recap a little and introduce this story:

It opens with Veronica at the graveside of her guardian, now alone in the world and eager to set out on her own adventures. She has believed herself an orphan and foundling, and has had a good life with her guardians, but she is pragmatic and not at all sentimental, with an adventurous spirit. But before she can gather her bags and set out on a butterfly hunting expedition in some exotic locale, an intruder attempts to abduct her and she is rescued by a mysterious German baron who is convinced that she is in grave danger. The Baron succeeds in bringing Veronica to London, and reveals that he knows the identity of her parents. He delivers her for safekeeping to his friend Stoker, a reclusive scientist and explorer with his own dark secrets. However, before Veronica can speak with the baron again, he is murdered in his home. Veronica's only known link to her own mysterious past is gone, but even worse, she and Stoker realize they are considered the prime suspects for the murder.

Veronica and Stoker flee London and join a traveling show for a time, all the while trying to solve the mysteries they've been confronted with - not just who murdered the baron, but why; and how Veronica is connected to any of it.

Eventually, they do track down the clues that lead to the truth about Veronica's parentage, and it's a shock that leads to even more dangers and dilemmas. Stoker and Veronica have forged a partnership though, and brazen out the confrontations in their own unique way. The ending of the book sets up future adventures with the two of them, and I hope more will follow after A Perilous Undertaking! 

By the same author: Night of a Thousand Stars, Bonfire Night, Twelfth Night, City of Jasmine, Whisper of Jasmine, Midsummer Night; A Spear of Summer Grass, Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, Dark Road to Darjeeling, The Dark Enquiry, Silent Night, The Dead Travel Fast

See my first review of A Curious Beginning here: Recent Reads - A Curious Beginning

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Scripture and a Snapshot - Show Me Your Ways

Show me your ways, LORD,

teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,

for they are from old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth

and my rebellious ways;

according to your love remember me,

for you, LORD, are good.

~Psalm 25:4-7~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Glimpses is hosted by Embracing Every Day, a lifestyle blog by Barbie Swihart.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/