What I'm Reading - May 15, 2023

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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! Although the Book Date link-up happens weekly, I don't update that often. Usually I do this around the middle of the month, and try to share my monthly bookshelf summary on the last Monday of the month. Here's what I've been working on lately.

I finished reading . . . 

In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd - Charlotte Grey is a young widow who only wants to protect her infant son and give him a safe childhood, but she is in dangerous circumstances and under the protection of watchmen, one of whom is her first love, Anthony Welbourne. This was finished at my last update but I hadn't yet posted the review. (Read my review HERE.)

Women Talking by Miriam Toews - In an isolated Mennonite community, a group of women gather secretly to decide for themselves their response to the abuse they've suffered and how they can protect themselves and their children. (Read my review HERE.)

When Tomorrow Came by Hannah Linder - Nan and Heath are siblings abandoned by their father when they were very young, but separated and grew up under very different circumstances. When their father finally returns, they are reunited but face turmoil and danger and heartache as a result. (Read my review HERE.)

After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In by Susan Miller - An encouraging guidebook to settling into new surroundings and making a new place home. (Read my full review HERE.)

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - I loved this story about a curmudgeonly octopus and his unlikely friendship with the cleaning lady that comes in after hours. (Read my full review HERE.)

I'm currently reading . . .

Fair As A Star by Mimi Matthews - Beryl returns to her small English village to marry her betrothed, but her deep friendship with his younger brother, now the curate, is more comforting to her as she copes with her melancholy.

The Keys to Gramercy Park by Candice Sue Patterson - A dual timeline story in which a modern day journalist discovers a stash of old counterfeit money in her apartment wall and sets out to find its origin.

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber - As so often happens when I am reading library books or review books, the books that I own get put on hold no matter how greatly I'm enjoying them! That's been the case with this Lady Kiera mystery in which her discovery of forged art leads to a murder investigation and danger.

Next on the stack . . . 

Composition As Conversation by Heather M. Hoover

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber

A Certain Darkness by Anna Lee Huber

   

   

What I'm Highlighting . . . My Mother's Day themed Wednesday Quotes post on A Fresh Cup of Coffee included some history on how this special day came to be. I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend!

Next weekend is Victoria Day in Canada. so I'll also highlight an older post at Homeschool Coffee Break that shares some history on that holiday: From the High School Lesson Book - Victoria Day

On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines posts

Down the TBR Hole #7

Monthly Bookshelf Review - April 2023

Top Ten Tuesday - The One With Animals

On my main coffee break project, A Fresh Cup of Coffee:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Five Minute Friday posts

Everyday Images posts

WQ - Happy Mother's Day!

10 on the 10th - Do You Remember?

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Thoughts About Crowning Achievements

This Is What Bugs Me

Currently . . . May 4, 2023

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Thoughts On the Merry Month of May

WQ  - We're All Growing Up

Share Four Somethings - April 2023

Monthly Musings - All About Spring

What's Up Wednesday Hodgepodge - April 2023

WQ - Abstract Beauty

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Thoughts On Travel and Sports

WQ - In Honor of Gardens

Coffee Break Reading List - April 2023

Wednesday Quotes - Playing Tour Guide

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Seasonal Thoughts

Keeping It Clean and Would You Rather?

And on my "first cup blog", Homeschool Coffee Break:

From the High School Lesson Book - Happy Mother's Day

From the High School Lesson Book - Coronation of King Charles III

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Scenes, Summaries, and Stories

Homeschool Coffee Break Reading List - April 2023

What are you reading?

 ©2008-2023 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/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Remarkably Bright Creatures

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - Who would have thought that a novel about a friendship between a lonely cleaning lady and a bored octopus would be so warm and engaging? This unusual relationship is at the heart of the story, and somehow even an aging aquarium octopus is a relatable and sympathetic character.

Tova Sullivan is a widow who still has unanswered questions about the death of her only son many years ago. To keep herself busy, she has taken a job cleaning the Sowell Bay aquarium after hours. Tova knows how to clean and she doesn't put up with any nonsense, but she's also made it a habit to greet each of the creatures as she makes her rounds. Over time she develops an odd affection for the Giant Pacific Octopus (his name is Marcellus), and after she rescues him from a predicament, he seems to trust and like her as well.

Other characters that play major roles are a young man named Cameron, who seems perpetually down on his luck; and Ethan, the crusty Scotsman that owns the grocery store and deli. Their friendships with Tova and how all the various storylines and characters intersect keep you turning pages and cheering each of them on. Cameron is on a chancy search for his father and for information about his missing mother and that's what brings him to Sowell Bay for the summer. Tova's social circle, a knitting group, is dwindling as the aging members move away to be with children, and Tova finally accepts that she won't be able to stay in her house alone forever and makes plans to sell. Ethan is the generous soul that takes Cameron in and helps him get a job, and that helps Tova out when he can because he doesn't want her to move away.

Interspersed with the present tense narrative of these viewpoint characters' stories are the shorter chapters that are rather like Marcellus' diary. Marcellus keeps count of the days of his captivity and records his observations about the humans around him. It is Marcellus that puts together the various pieces of information and has the answers Tova is looking for, but will he be able to communicate what he knows to her before it's too late? 

A definite must-read!

This is a book written in present tense (#37) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 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/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - After The Boxes Are Unpacked

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In by Susan Miller - A little time has passed since I finished reading this helpful guidebook, and I realized I hadn't written a review! I guess I'll try to keep  it short.

I received this book from a dear friend who discovered that it was given to wives of seminary students at a particular school, in order to help them navigate their experiences. It's also especially helpful for military wives who are so often on the move. Author Susan Miller had moved many times throughout her marriage and drew from her experiences, both positive and negative, to develop a ministry and this book that would help women in "Moving On After Moving In".

The biggest challenge that often faces us after a move is making the new place our home instead of just our new address. Learning the way around the new neighborhoods, figuring out new schools and shopping and doctors and churches, settling into the new house or apartment, and perhaps most importantly, making new connections and relationships can be daunting. It's all exacerbated if the move was unexpected or unwanted, or if it accompanies other losses. Miller gives permission to acknowledge all the losses and the grief that accompanies a move, but also firmly and gently points out that it's necessary to move on. She offers sound advice about planning logistics as well as adjusting thinking and attitudes to embrace the reality of a new situation gracefully. 

I believe this book was first published in the mid-1990s when internet resources and connections weren't quite as ubiquitous as they are now, but from my own experience I'd say the virtual connections and abundant online resources are both blessing and curse for movers. Finding information about a new locality and doing all the things like address changes and finding new doctors can certainly be done with ease thanks to the internet. It's also easier to stay in touch with friends "back home" and I didn't have to miss a beat with my online friends. But in my opinion, that also takes away some of the urgency of finding new friends and connecting personally at a church or other local community. 

If you or a loved one has recently made a move or will be making one soon, I do recommend this book. It's full of common sense wisdom from someone who has been there, both practical and spiritual. It's encouraging and kindly challenging in its reminders to keep growing closer to God during times of transition and transplanting.

This is a book that doesn't fit any of the other prompts (#51) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 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/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for May 5, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

This book doesn't have the most thrilling opening lines, but I'm enjoying the thoughtful story that is taking shape with these characters.

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Somerset, England

July 1864

Beryl Burnham stared out the window of the carriage as it rolled down the narrow country road that ran through the center of Shepton Worthy. Her gaze drifted over the familiar landscape.

~From the beginning of  Fair As A Star by Mimi Matthews

A Secret Burden . . .

After a mysterious sojourn in Paris, Beryl Burnham has returned home to the village of Shepton Worthy ready to resume the life she left behind. Betrothed to the wealthy Sir Henry Rivenhall, she has no reason to be unhappy - or so people keep reminding her. But Beryl's life isn't as perfect as everyone believes.

A Longstanding Love . . .

As village curate, Mark Rivenhall is known for his compassionate understanding. When his older brother's intended needs a shoulder to lean on, Mark's more than willing to provide one. There's no danger of losing his heart. He already lost that to Beryl a long time ago.

During an idyllic Victorian summer, friends and family gather in anticipation of Beryl and Sir Henry's wedding. But in her darkest moment, it's Mark who comes to Beryl's aid. Can he help her without revealing his feelings - or betraying his brother?

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

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First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

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She brought a hand to her temple, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "And these children are going to cure me?"

"You sound skeptical. But I suspect that once you're a mother―"

"What if they don't? What if I get worse instead of better? Am I to simply keep having children until I expire from―"

~at 56% of Fair As A Star by Mimi Matthews

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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And here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question:  Have you ever been told that you have an excessive number of books? If so, what was your reaction?

My Answer: My husband has been telling me this for years. On average, once a week. I basically ignore him! Haha!

When we had to do some major clean-up at the house before we moved, I took boxes and boxes of books to WonderBooks, and we left several bookshelves full behind. I brought just two relatively small boxes of books with me. So in all seriousness, I am trying to pare down my collection.

Book Blogger Hop

©2008-2023 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/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Down The TBR Hole #7

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Welcome to my latest edition of Down The TBR Hole! Jody at the blog I'm Into Books has offered this solution to help remind us of all those books we added to our Goodreads list in the distant past and hopefully start managing the list. The idea is to start cleaning up our Goodreads TBR lists of all the books that have piled up over time, and share our progress in the link-up every Thursday. Here's how Jody explains it:

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you're scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them. 

So here's what we'll do: On the Goodreads to-read shelf, order all your books ascending by date added. Look at the first four (or more) books on the list, read the synopses and decide whether the books should stay or go. Post in the link-up and share using the hashtag #DTTBRH and tagging @Jodyblogs.

I have missed several weeks now! Between the Easter weekend, just being busy on Thursdays, and then being on a little vacation, it kept sliding lower on my to-do list. Looks like I might have time today!

Here's what I found on Week Seven:

The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith - All that history knows of Grace Plantagent is that she was an illegitimate daughter of Edward IV and one of two attendants aboard the funeral barge of his widowed queen. Thus, she was half sister of the famous young princes, who - when this story begins in 1485 - had been housed in the Tower by uncle, Richard III, and are presumed dead . . . in the 1490s, a young man appears at the courts of Europe claiming to be Richard, Duke of York, the younger of the boys, and seeking to claim his rightful throne from England's first Tudor king, Henry VII. But is this man who he says he is? . . . Grace Plantagenet finds herself in the midst of one of English history's greatest mysteries.

Keeping it!

The Queen's Pawn by Christy English - Princess Alais of France travels to England to marry Richard the Lionhearted, the son of King Henry II, armed only with her dowry, the valuable Vexin. When Alais arrives in the land of her father's enemies, she is welcomed by the beautiful and powerful queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. . . But Eleanor and Alais' love for each other is threatened when the capricious and imperious King Henry meets the lovely young princess. Fascination with the king draws Alais deep into political intrigue, and she soon discovers what Eleanor is prepared to do to retain her position as queen. Alais, the one-time pawn, takes ruthless action of her own, as the the two women become rivals both for the king's love and the throne of England itself.

This one's gone - after reading some of the reviews, I concluded that it's probably not my style after all.

The Secret Bride by Diane Haeger - Mary Tudor, the headstrong younger sister of the ruthless King Henry VIII, has always been her brother's favorite - but now she is also an important political bargaining chip. When she is promised to the elderly, ailing King Louis of France, a heartbroken Mary accepts her fate, but not before exacting a promise from her brother: When the old king dies, her next marriage shall be solely of her choosing. For Mary has a forbidden passion, and is determined, through her own cunning, courage, and boldness, to forge her own destiny.

Also gone, after reading the reviews which had a recurring theme: that Haeger's characters all sound the same and sound fake. Not worth my trouble.

Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer - Little is known about the wife of the world's most famous playwright; a great deal, none of it complimentary, has been assumed. . .  Yet Shakespeare is above all the poet of marriage. Before him, there were few comedies or tragedies about wooing or wedding. . . Part biography, part history, Shakespeare's wife is a fascinating reconstruction of Ann's life and an illuminating look at the daily lives of Elizabethan women . . .

This one's gone down the TBR Hole - the reviews weren't stellar and I'm no longer in the mood for a dry biography.

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living At Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman - At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dream of connecting with people in cultures all over the world. In 1986 she sold her possessions and became a nomad, living in a Zapotec village in Mexico, sleeping with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. She has observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visiting trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. Rita's example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury when we become adults.

The premise is really interesting, but I've lost interest, so this one's gone.

Four gone is pretty good for a day's work, I'd say.

This post will be linked at Down The TBR Hole hosted by Jody at I'm Into Books.

#DTTBRH

©2008-2023 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/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - When Tomorrow Came

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

When Tomorrow Came by Hannah Linder - This novel starts out as a survival story, with siblings Nan and Heath Duncan staying only a step ahead of starvation in the London streets. Twelve-year-old Heath does his best to keep six-year-old Nan safe and fed while they continue to wait and hope for their father to return. An accident leads to Nan's rescue as a kind and wealthy gentleman takes her home and raises her with his own children. Heath will not follow, knowing that these people can provide much more for Nan than he ever could. So the two grow up in very different worlds, each satisfied―to an extent―with how things have turned out, despite how deeply they miss each other.

Shortly after Nan's coming out and the passing of Heath's mentor, their papa finally returns and the little family is somewhat reunited. That's where the survival story takes a very different turn, as the elder Duncan is driven by a hostility they don't understand and makes harsh demands of his children. He mocks and disdains Heath's gentle manner and desire to serve the church, and he bullies and threatens Nan to marry the wealthy nobleman who wishes to marry her. Even though she has never liked the man and his mother considers Nan of much too lowly birth.

Nan and Heath each grapple with these threats secretly, not seeing the pattern developing. Nan does her best to accept the attentions of a man she dislikes, to the dismay of her adoptive brother, and finds herself drawn into the dangers and tragedies of her suitor's family. Heath finds love with Nan's lady's maid, but their happiness is threatened by hostilities and fights and accusations. The dangers and intrigue swirling around all of them escalate, and Nan fears none of them will ever be safe or happy again, especially when there's a murder close to home.

The twists and turns of the unfolding plot keep each of the characters off balance as each one must make choices about whom to trust and how much to divulge about their own fears. Although Nan is the primary protagonist, Heath also has a prominent viewpoint character role as well. Two other characters, Gilbert and Temperance, take their turns as viewpoint characters also. The switches in viewpoint characters happen often once all the characters have been introduced, but are done clearly so that it's easy to keep them straight. This is an intriguing and well-imagined Gothic style drama, with varied characters, sweet romance, and dark secrets and mysteries to untangle.

From the publisher:

They Waited Their Whole Lives for Their Papa to Return

Nan and Heath Duncan, siblings abandoned by their papa and abused by their guardian, have no choice but to survive on the London streets. When a kind gentleman rescues Nan from such a life, the siblings are separated and raised in two vastly different social worlds. Just when both are beginning to flourish and years have healed some of their wounds, their long-awaited papa returns and reunites them―bringing demands with him. Nan is expected to marry a rich suitor she's never liked, and Heath is expected to forsake his gentle spirit and become the hardened man his father always was.

Dangers unfold, secret love develops, fights ensue, and murder upsets the worlds Heath and Nan have built for themselves.

They've waited their whole lives for their papa to return, for tomorrow to come―but now that it has, will they be able to see through to the truth and end this whirlwind of a nightmare before it costs one of their lives?

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

By the same author: Beneath His Silence

This is a book about siblings (#20) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 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/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.