Erin La Rosa has put together an interesting summer reading list – I know it’s fall, but I just refound this so I wanted to share it. I have read a few on her list but not many. I’ll have to check a few of them out.
26 Books That Will Change The Way You See The World.
I have to think of a way to use some of this stuff in my Agnes story. Too cool!
CIA shares low-tech artifacts to make your inner spy swoon.
I have not read any of Elizabeth Peters’ books before, but I like mysteries, so I thought I’d give this one a try.
Stats: First published in 2006, print is 496 pages, audio is 11 discs or 12.25 hours. Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.
Blurb: (Goodreads)
The Emersons have returned to the Valley of the Kings in 1922 and Amelia Peabody and her family look forward to delving once more into the age-old mysteries buried in Egypt’s ever-shifting sands. But a widow’s strange story — and even stranger request — is about to plunge them into a storm of secrets, treachery, and murder.
The woman, a well-known author, has come bearing an ill-gotten treasure — a golden likeness of a forgotten king — which she claims is cursed. She insists it has taken the life of her husband and unless it is returned to the tomb from which it was stolen, more people will die.
Amelia and her clan resolve to uncover the secrets of the statue’s origins, setting off on a trail that twists and turns in directions they never anticipated — and, perhaps, toward an old nemesis with unscrupulous new designs. But each step toward the truth seems to reveal another peril, suggesting to the intrepid Amelia that the curse is more than mere superstition. And its next victim might well be a beloved family member … or Amelia Peabody herself.
What I liked: The ending was quite good, though it took a long time to get there. Each mystery was revealed slowly in the end, which was fine, but I got confused about what character had done what because of how it was drawn out. I really enjoyed the narrator, Barbara Rosenblat. She was a perfect choice for a story about an English archaeologist family in Egypt. I don’t know how many different voices she did, but there were many and all done well. The writing was good, and as a reader, I could visualize the area and situation.
What I didn’t like: It’s a bit slow – the whole way through, from the question of where the statue came from to when the dead body showed up and who the murder was. If you’re looking for a slow, entertaining summer read, this would be it. If you want a fast-pasted mystery, pick some up something else.
Rating: 3.5/5 (a bit too slow for my taste)
Do you have an old book collection? I have a few.
There is one thing that I absolutely love, and that is books. Old books, new books, hardback, and paperback. My dearest love is my collection of antique readers and story books. I have one bookcase devoted to them. Today, I took them down lovingly, one by one and took their pictures. Some are faded and their color lacking, others you can see the original colors and the images inside. I am not a professional with the camera, so these might not be the best quality photos, but they serve their purpose. So without further ado, I present, shelf one of my antique book collection.
These first two books are some of my oldest. One is a phonetic’s book from 1855 and the other is a Children’s Reading Primer published in 1935.
My two Frank Baum books, just make me happy and smile when I look at them. So detailed and so…
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I had read this book quite a while ago so when I saw the audio version in the library, I picked it up and so glad I did.
Stats: First published in 1926, 299 pages. Audio is 6 CD’s, 7′ 3″, narrated by Robin Bailey
Blurb: (Goodreads) Roger Ackroyd was a man who knew too much.
He knew the woman he loved had poisoned her first husband. He knew someone was blackmailing her ― and now he knew she had taken her own life with a drug overdose.
Soon the evening post would let him know who the mystery blackmailer was. But Ackroyd was dead before he’d finished reading it ― stabbed through the neck where he sat in his study…
What I liked: I really enjoyed the voice work of Robin Bailey. He did a wonderful job with the different voices, treating each voice as a distinct person with distinct vocal characteristics, even the women. I also enjoyed the story, of course. I have yet to read a Christe story I haven’t like, though I haven’t read them all, so who knows. Agatha does an exceptional job of making it hard to know who the true murder is. Even though I had read this in the past, I didn’t remember and was surprised once more🙂 Old age does have some advantages. I also enjoyed her intro for Hercule Poirot (or HP as my daughter and lovingly call him) into the story: he is throwing “vegetable marrows” as I think she refers to them, over his neighbor’s fence and onto his neighbor. One example of Christie’s subtle wit.
What I didn’t like: Um…I’d have to think a bit on that one. I won’t give details so as not the spoil the story for any reader, but Christie lets the murder off (sort of) and in a interesting way. As a writer, it’s a cleaver ending, something different than the usual. As a reader, I’m not so sure I liked it.
Now you have to read it! Better yet, get the audio with Robin Bailey as the narrator. Worth the listen!
Rating: 4+/5
Happy Tuesday!
I dare you not to move to this.
I like the young man with the purple shirt and red pants, and how about those fuzzy pigtails!
Today is the birthday of The Story of the Three Bears author, Robert Southey, born August 12th, 1774 in Bristol, England, died in 1843.
He was poet laureate for 30 years. He was also a scholar, historian and biographer. It is said that he corresponded with Charlotte Bronte and told her at one point: “Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life.” Good thing she ignored him!
Interesting that such a learned man is best known for a children’s story (at least in this country).
No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.
Robert Southey
Need a little Boogie in your life today? Courtesy of Earth, Wind and Fire!
Got to love those outfits!
When I get the chance, I listen to NPR while I do work at my desk that doesn’t require my undivided attention. This morning I heard this piece about an Italian schoolboy who invented a word on some homework he handed in recently. His teacher marked it as incorrect, as teachers are apt to do, but she wrote him a little message telling him she liked his new word. She also wrote the powers that be in her country and is trying to get his new word put in the dictionary.
Kudos to the teacher!
This is a great illustration of how our language is always changing – etymologist at it’s finest. Besides words that are created for things that didn’t exist 5, 10, 15 years ago such as emoticon or ipad, it shows us that language is anything but stagnant, which can be a challenge to someone like me who edits for a living.
If you want to know the boys new word, check out this piece on NPR: http://www.npr.org/2016/03/04/469149247/italian-schoolboy-invents-new-word
(Imagine from zoroministries.org)
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