Top Ten Tuesday ~ Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings

"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original feature/weekly meme created on the blog "The Broke and the Bookish". This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at "The Broke and the Bookish".

It is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.

🎄🎄🎄 Books I Hope Santa Brings 🎄🎄🎄

 

Maybe someone will pick up on this. 😉
 

Ebuehi, Benjamina "New Way to Cake"
Follett, Ken "Kingsbridge" (The Evening and the Morning)
Harris, Kamala "The Biography of Kamala Harris"
Harris, Kamala "The Truths We Hold: An American Journey"
Hislop, Victoria "One August Night"
Lawson, Mary "A Town Called Solace"
Obama, Barack "A Promised Land"
Rutherfurd, Edward "China"
Voland, Maxim "Die Republik" [The Republic]
The Bake-Off Team "The Great British Bake Off: Love to Bake" (see here)

Yes, yes, some of them will only be published next year but Santa can do magic, right?

🎄🎄🎄

Myers, Benjamin "The Offing"

Myers, Benjamin "The Offing" - 2019

The latest "Favourite Book of the Independents" was announced and it was "The Offing". I had seen it in a bookshop and thought it sounded interesting but because my TBR pile keeps growing and growing, I hadn't bought it. This is the one time where I am glad that I can't borrow English books in my new home town because now I own it. It's definitely a keeper.

I'm glad this received the prize because so far, "Where the Crawdads Sing" (which had received last year's prize), had been my favourite book of the year. I think it has been replaced with this one.

Robert is only sixteen years old. He is to follow his dad as a coal miner, like every other young boy in his village in Durham in the Northern part of England. World War II has just ended and Robert wants to see a little from the world. Post-war England isn't exactly a dream but him being strong and many men missing, he finds jobs here and there and then carries on into the next village.

Until he hits the sea in Yorkshire and Dulcie's cottage. Dulcie is older, a lot older than Robert, lives alone but has had an interesting life. She shares her experience with the young foundling, gets him interested in literature and shows him that there is a lot more out there in life than what his village back home has to offer.

This is a brilliant book about so many things, England and Europe, the ocean, literature, poetry, the simple life, nature. He writes it as a sort of memoir from when he himself is old.

It already starts with a great quote: "For no one really wins a war: some just lose a little less than others." I don't understand how people don't get it.

To just show you his brilliant use of language, here's one of his nature descriptions.
"The land flowed forward now in a grassy tessellation of fields farmed and grazed, and divided by dusty tracks and densely packed tree-covered glades."

This book is just beautifully written. A fantastic example of great literature.

The author is from Durham himself. He has received many prestigious prizes already. I'll have to read more of his books.

From the back cover:

"'After all, there are only a few things truly worth fighting for: freedom, of course, and all that it brings with it. Poetry, perhaps, and a good glass of wine. A nice meal. Nature. Love, if you're lucky.'

One summer following the Second World War, Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham village. Sixteen and the son of a coal miner, he makes his way across the northern countryside until he reaches the former smuggling village of Robin Hood’s Bay. There he meets Dulcie, an eccentric, worldly, older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage facing out to sea. - and she introduces him to the pleasures of rich food, sea-swimming, sunburn and poetry. The two come from different worlds, yet as the summer months pass, they form an unlikely friendship that will profoundly alter their lives.

From the Walter Scott Prize-winning author of The Gallows Pole comes a powerful new novel about an unlikely friendship between a young man and an older woman, set in the former smuggling village of Robin Hood’s Bay in the aftermath of the Second World War."


"The Offing" has been chosen favourite book of the year 2020 by the German Indepent Bookshops.

Book Quotes of the Week

Word cloud made with WordItOut

"Despite his money and his looks and all the good-on-paper attributes he possessed, he was not a reader, and well, let’s just say that is the sort of nonsense up with which we will not put." Eleanor Brown, The Weird Sisters
A sentiment I can totally underline.

"I don’t know a lot about history, but I do understand that all it takes is a whole bunch of bystanders and people just doing their jobs for ugly things to happen." Sarah Crossan, Moonrise
This is so important. Don't just say something political is wrong to your friends who agree, say it especially to those who disagree if you see that others suffer through it.

"What we read and why we do so defines us in a profound way. You are what you read, I suppose. Browsing through someone’s library is like peeking into their DNA." Guillermo del Toro
Very true. I always have to look at people's bookshelves, tells me so much about them.

"Books, which we mistake for consolation, only add depth to our sorrow. " Orhan Pamuk, My Name Is Red
That can be true in many ways but sometimes a book helps. Not those self-help books that are just written to confuse us even more. But reading about someone who has similar problems, even or especially if they don't get solves, often helps a lot better.

Find more book quotes here.

Malouf, David "Fly Away Peter"

Malouf, David "Fly Away Peter" - 1979

I belong to those people who think that the internet is fantastic. Granted, there are some downfalls, people try to make others feel bad just because they can and they know they won't get caught.

But I see the advantage. I have met many, many lovely people on the internet. First, in some chatrooms (remember chatrooms? Those were the days!), then on Facebook and other social networks, and at last here in the blog community. So many great people from all over the world.

One of those lovely people is Brona from Australia who published a list of Australian novellas a while ago. I asked her which one she said she'd recommend and she said "The Ladies of Missalonghi" by Colleen McCullough.

I ordered it but am still waiting for the copy to arrive. In the meantime, I asked another great Australian friend which one she would prefer and she recommended this one. And since that copy arrived faster, I started with this one.

I don't think David Malouf is much known in the Northern hemisphere. And what a loss. He seems to be a great author. This novella could have been a thousand pages long, I still would have loved it. Well, if you know my taste, I probably would have loved it even more. LOL. Although, that is hardly possible.

This is a great story about World War I. But not just that. We first meet Jim Sadler in Queensland where he is observing birds. The whole story is lined with birds but Jim soon gets to see parts of the world he probably would have liked not to visit. He is one of those soldiers that fight in Flanders fields. The difference between his two lives could not have been greater.

The author was born 1934, after the war ended and too early before the next war to have participated in it. But he must be a great listener because with this story he tells us how it was to lie in the trenches, to see comrades killed, you get such a good view about the war. A view you might rather not have. But it certainly helps to understand what war could mean.

This is a novella written for young adults/children. I agree with my friend there, who recommended this. It's required reading in Australia and she said she doubts that many kids are mature enough for it. I think it might be too much for some younger readers to cope with, as well. However, those that love reading and are interested in history, they might appreciate it. I would recommend it for anyone over 16.

While researching, I found this quote by the author.

"I knew that the world around you is only uninteresting if you can't see what is really going on. The place you come from is always the most exotic place you'll ever encounter because it is the only place where you recognise how many secrets and mysteries there are in people's lives".

I don't know about this. I always am more interested in other places and find the one I come from boring because I know all about it (or at least think I do).

From the back cover:

"For three very different people brought together by their love for birds, life on the Queensland coast in 1914 is the timeless and idyllic world of sandpipers, ibises and kingfishers. In another hemisphere civilization rushes headlong into a brutal conflict. Life there is lived from moment to moment.

Inevitably, the two young men - sanctuary owner and employee - are drawn to the war, and into the mud and horror of the trenches of Armentieres. Alone on the beach, their friend Imogen, the middle-aged wildlife photographer, must acknowledge for all three of them that the past cannot be held."

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Top Ten Seasonal Movies

"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original feature/weekly meme created on the blog "The Broke and the Bookish". This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at "The Broke and the Bookish".

It is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.

This week's topic is:
Books On My Winter 2020-2021 TBR 

(or summer if you live in the southern hemisphere)

 

I have done many seasonal TBR lists before and I post lists of books I want to read all the time, so I thought I'd change this topic to seasonal movies we like to watch. Maybe there are some that you don't know, yet, because they're from a different area/era you're used to. So, hopefully, you'll find a nice new one here (I added the IMDb links).

 

It's a Wonderful Life
The Family Stone
The Holiday
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Women
Love Actually
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
We're No Angels
While You Were Sleeping
White Christmas

Some years, we don't get to watch them all but I'm sure with the lockdown situation, we will have plenty of time to see these and many others.

🎄🎄🎄 Have a good Christmas time and stay safe! 🎄🎄🎄

Classic Challenge 2021

For the eighth year, the Classics Club hosts the Back to the Classics Challenge, a year-long challenge in which participants are encouraged to finally read the classics they've always meant to read -- or just recently discovered. At the end of the year, one lucky winner will receive a prize $30 (US) in books from the bookstore of their choice. The rules and prize are the same as last year, only the categories have changed. They have some fun categories -- I think we could all use as many fun and relaxing reads as possible!

If you're new to the challenge, here's how it works:
•    Complete six categories, and you'll get one entry in the drawing;
•    Complete nine categories, and you'll get two entries in the drawing;
•    Complete all twelve categories, and you'll get three entries in the drawing

Without further ado, here are the categories for 2021:
1. A 19th century classic: any book first published from 1800 to 1899
2. A 20th century classic: any book first published from 1900 to 1971. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books which were written by 1971 and posthumously published.
3. A classic by a woman author.
4. A classic in translation, meaning any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer.
5. A classic by BIPOC author; that is, a non-white author.
6. A classic by a new-to-you author, i.e., an author whose work you have never read.
7. New-to-you classic by a favorite author -- a new book by an author whose works you have already read.
8. A classic about an animal, or with an animal in the title. The animal can be real or metaphorical. (i.e., To Kill a Mockingbird).
9. A children's classic.
10. A humorous or satirical classic.
11. A travel or adventure classic (fiction or non-fiction). It can be a travelogue or a classic in which the main character travels or has an adventure.
12. A classic play. Plays will only count in this category.

We do NOT have to read 12 books to qualify for the drawing! The rest of the rules also remain the same.

THE RULES:
All books must have been written at least 50 years ago to qualify; therefore, books must have been published no later than 1971 for this challenge. The only exceptions to this rule are books which published posthumously but written before 1971. Recent translations of classic novels are acceptable.
All books must be read during read from January 1 through December 31, 2021. Books started before January 1 do not qualify. All reviews must be linked to this challenge by 11:59 p.m. on January 1, 2022. I will post links the first week of January for each category, which will be featured on a sidebar of this blog for convenience through the entire year. (The link for the final wrap-up will be posted towards the end of the year, to avoid confusion).
The deadline to sign up for the challenge is March 31, 2021. After that, I'll close the link and you'll have to wait until next year's challenge. Please include a link to your actual sign-up post, not your blog URL/home page. Make sure you sign up in the   below, not the comments section. If I do not see your name in the sign-ups, you are not eligible. If you've made a mistake with your link, just add a new one and let me know in the comments. It's no trouble for me to delete an incorrect link.
•    Books may NOT cross over within this challenge -- that is, you may not count the same book multiple times within this challenge. You MUST read a different book for each category in this challenge, or it doesn't count.
•    Participants must post a wrap-up and link it to the challenge, and it must include links to all the books they've read for this challenge, specifying which books for each challenge. If I cannot confirm which books you've read for each challenge, I will not enter your name into the drawing. It is fine to rearrange books for the challenge, since many books can fit multiple categories -- just let me know in the final wrap-up!
•    The wrap-up post MUST include contact information so that I can contact the winner privately before announcing the winner on this blog. If your blog doesn't have a link, or if you have a Goodreads account, let me know in the comments of wrap-up post. If I cannot contact you, I cannot award you the prize!
•    The winner will be announced on this blog the first week of January, 2021. All qualifying participants will receive one or more entries, depending upon the number of categories they complete as stated above. One winner will be randomly selected from all qualifying entries. I will contact the winner privately and award the prize before posting on the blog.
•    The winner will receive a gift certificate in the amount of $30 (US) from Amazon.com (US) OR $30 in books from The Book Depository. Winners must live in a country that receives shipment from one of these online retailers. To check if your country receives deliveries from The Book Depository, click here. 

So, here are my books, all from my TBR pile and since I want to tackle it more again, I think it's a great idea to take part. I think I can manage one classic book a month.

1. A 19th century classic: any book first published from 1800 to 1899
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von "Italian Journey aka Letters from Italy" (GE: Italienische Reise) - 1817

2. A 20th century classic: any book first published from 1900 to 1971. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books which were written by 1971 and posthumously published.
Ford, Ford Maddox "Parade's End" (Tetraology: Some Do Not, 1924, No More Parades, 1925, A Man Could Stand Up 1926, Last Post 1928) - 1924-28

3. A classic by a woman author.
Sand, George "Fadette" (aka Fanchon, the Cricket) (FR: La Petite Fadette) - 1849

4. A classic in translation, meaning any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer.
Gogol, Nikolai (Никола́й Васи́льевич Го́голь, Nikolay Vasilyevich Gogol) "The Overcoat" (RUS: Шинель) - 1842

5. A classic by BIPOC author; that is, a non-white author.
Jacobs, Harriet Ann (Linda Brent) "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" - 1861

6. A classic by a new-to-you author, i.e., an author whose work you have never read.
Rhoides, Emmanuel (Emmanuel Roidis) "The Curious History of Pope Joan" (GR: Papissa Ioanna) - 1866

7. New-to-you classic by a favorite author -- a new book by an author whose works you have already read.
Dickens, Charles "The Old Curiosity Shop" - 1840

8. A classic about an animal, or with an animal in the title. The animal can be real or metaphorical. (i.e., To Kill a Mockingbird).
Storm, Theodor "The Rider on the White Horse" (GE: Der Schimmelreiter und andere Erzählungen) - 1888

9. A children's classic.
Savage Carlson, Natalie "The Family Under the Bridge" - 1958

10. A humorous or satirical classic.
Twain, Mark "A Tramp Abroad" - 1880

11. A travel or adventure classic (fiction or non-fiction). It can be a travelogue or a classic in which the main character travels or has an adventure.
Martin, Catherine "The Incredible Journey" - 1923

12. A classic play. Plays will only count in this category.
Shakespeare, William "Much Ado About Nothing" - 1598/99

Book Quotes of the Week

Word cloud made with WordItOut

"Books aren't interested in who is reading them... A book will welcome any reader; any age, any background, any point of view. Books don't care if you can't understand every word in them, or if you want to skip bits or reread bits. Books welcome everyone who wants to explore them, and thankfully no one has ever worked out a way to stop that." Anna James, Tilly and the Lost Fairytales
Books don’t judge. Books understand.

"The thing is - those books made my days bearable. " Aisha Saeed, Amal Unbound
That is such a true word. Where would we be without books.

"I love books because I don’t have to wait for the commercials to be over to find out what happens." N.N. *
There is hardly anything you could compare to a commercial in a book - and if there is, you can just skip it. 😉

[If anyone can tell me the originator of this quote, I'd be very thankful and would happily include the name.]

Find more book quotes here.