Teaser Tuesdays - September 29, 2015

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm. 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!

"Your sleeve is soaked in blood. Do you feel faint?"
"Not in the slightest," I lied as I pitched forward into darkness.

 ~A Curious Beginning: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery by Deanna Raybourn, page 211

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What I'm Reading - September 28, 2015

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This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Journey. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next!

I recently finished reading...

Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt - Read my review HERE. I really enjoyed this fresh look at Bathsheba and what her life might have been like.

I'm currently reading...

I've had less time to read lately, so my progress seems slow.

A Curious Beginning: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery by Deanna Raybourn - I am loving this! The only downside is that when I'm finished, there will be a long wait until the next book from Raybourn.


Murther and Walking Spirits by Robertson Davies - I'm not reading this as fast as I thought I would, but it's entertaining. It's been a long time since I read it last, so I'm finding some parts are familiar, but much I'd forgotten.


Flint and Feather, The Complete Poems of E. Pauline Johnson - I just started on the weekend, by looking at Johnson's introduction and reading a few of the poems at random.


  Next on the stack...

This list hasn't changed much recently.
Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer
The Fatal Tree (Bright Empires) by Stephen R Lawhead
Unequal Affections: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling by Lara S. Ormiston
The Darcys of Pemberley by Shannon Winslow

   

   

What are you reading?

©2008-2015 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 - UpRise 2015

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Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

~Hebrews 10:23-25~

Last weekend we worshiped together with thousands of others at the UpRise Festival, and were encouraged and (hopefully) motivated by the experience.

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

Weekend Whispers is hosted by Barbie Swihart.

©2008-2015 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 - Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty

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Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt - Although Bathsheba's name is well-known, we don't know a great deal about her as a person from the account in Scripture, but this solidly researched novel based on those facts is a compelling and believable retelling of her story. I thoroughly enjoyed this insightful novelization of an often misunderstood woman and how her relationship with David may have developed.

Based on inference from the parable that the prophet Nathan tells to confront King David with his sin, in this novel Bathsheba and Uriah have a devoted and loving relationship and their marriage is still new when Uriah must leave to fulfill his duties as a soldier. Then comes the fateful night when David sees a beautiful woman bathing (her ritual cleansing bath) and determines to have her, no matter the consequences. Bathsheba is portrayed as an innocent victim with little choice but to let the king do what he pleases and forced to live with the consequences. I was sympathetic to Bathsheba's fear, anger, antipathy, and grief throughout the story, as she learned of Uriah's death and was taken into the royal harem; as she struggled to forgive David and find peace in her new life; as she grieved the death of her newborn son and then later celebrated the birth and promise of another son, Solomon. The story continues until David, as an old man, turns the kingdom over to Solomon as he had promised, and then passes away.

The story is told from two points of view - most of the time Bathsheba is the narrator of her own story; but in many chapters the prophet Nathan is the narrator. The chapters are titled with their names so I was never confused; and having Nathan narrate parts of the story made it possible to include aspects of David's story and Israel's troubled history during that time that Bathsheba wouldn't have been able to observe. 

From the publisher:

One of Ancient Israel's Most Famous Women--

As You've Never Looked at Her Before

One of the Bible's most misunderstood and misjudged women, Bathsheba comes to life in this new biblical re-imagining from Angela Hunt. Combining historical facts with detailed fiction, this is an eye-opening portrait that will have you reconsidering everything you thought you knew about her.

After receiving God's promise of a lifelong reign and an eternal dynasty, King David forces himself on Bathsheba, a loyal soldier's wife. When her resulting pregnancy forces the king to murder her husband and add her to his harem, Bathsheba struggles to protect her son while dealing with the effects of a dark prophecy and deadly curse on the king's household.

Visit the Baker Publishing Group for info on where to buy.

©2008-2015 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/

Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR

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This week's list is the Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR. Others are sharing their fall reading lists at The Broke and the Bookish. Here's a partial list of the books that I hope to get to once I finish the ones I'm working on right now.

Fire and Ice (Wild at Heart) by Mary Connealy - This one I know I will read, because I will be reviewing it. I loved the first two in the series, so I'm really looking forward to the day this arrives in my mailbox!


Unequal Affections: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling by Lara S. Ormiston - I won this in one of the Austen in August giveaways, and will start it as soon as I finish one of the books I'm reading now.


The Darcys of Pemberley by Shannon Winslow - I won this ebook during Austen in August as well. It will probably be my next Kindle read.


Star of Wonder: A Novella (The Incense Road Book 1) by Tracy L Higley - I've had this one for awhile, and decided to read it as we got closer to the Christmas season this year, which means I'll start sometime this fall.


The Coffee Trader: A Novel by David Liss - This is another I've had on the Kindle for a little while and it looks so interesting, but I haven't got to it yet.


Undeniably Yours: a novel by Becky Wade - I should have read this in the summer, right? I mean, look at the picture - summery. Hopefully I'll get to it soon.


Abandoned Memories: (Escape to Paradise) by MaryLu Tyndall - I included this on the list, because I read the first two in this series, and haven't read this one yet. Which is a little odd, because I like Tyndall, and usually read her books as soon as they come out!


Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer - this has been on my TBR pile for an embarrassingly long time, but I've been reading other things. I need to get this one done soon, or the library will stop letting me renew it!


Flint and Feather, The Complete Poems of E. Pauline Johnson - This one is included for two reasons - I thought it would be a good read for The Canadian Book Challenge; and because my hubby went to a high school named for Pauline Johnson and therefore owns the book. I came across it while culling our book collection this summer and stuck it on the TBR pile, where it remains to this day.


And finally, I'm undecided which of these two book by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield I will try for. Maybe both? I suppose it will depend a great deal on availability.

You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes: Photographs from the International Space Station by Chris Hadfield

or

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris Hadfield


What are you hoping to read this fall? Leave a comment and let me know!

©2008-2015 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/