Take A Peek Book Review: Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

“Take a Peek” book reviews are short and (possibly) sweet, keeping the commentary brief and providing a little peek at what the book’s about and what I thought.

Synopsis:

(via Goodreads)

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Little Bee, a spellbinding novel about three unforgettable individuals thrown together by war, love, and their search for belonging in the ever-changing landscape of WWII London.

It’s 1939 and Mary, a young socialite, is determined to shock her blueblood political family by volunteering for the war effort. She is assigned as a teacher to children who were evacuated from London and have been rejected by the countryside because they are infirm, mentally disabled, or—like Mary’s favorite student, Zachary—have colored skin.

Tom, an education administrator, is distraught when his best friend, Alastair, enlists. Alastair, an art restorer, has always seemed far removed from the violent life to which he has now condemned himself. But Tom finds distraction in Mary, first as her employer and then as their relationship quickly develops in the emotionally charged times. When Mary meets Alastair, the three are drawn into a tragic love triangle and—while war escalates and bombs begin falling around them—further into a new world unlike any they’ve ever known.

A sweeping epic with the kind of unforgettable characters, cultural insights, and indelible scenes that made Little Bee so incredible, Chris Cleave’s latest novel explores the disenfranchised, the bereaved, the elite, the embattled. Everyone Brave Is Forgiven is a heartbreakingly beautiful story of love, loss, and incredible courage.

My Thoughts:

I have such mixed feelings about this book. The story is grand and sweeping, encompassing the London air raids of World War II as well as the horrible conditions experienced by soldiers besieged on the island of Malta. In terms of setting and historical context, Everyone Brave Is Forgiven is powerful and hard-hitting, showing us the terror of the reality of war through the eyes of those attempting to live through it.

At the same time, the characters and the dialogue kept me at a distance throughout. The writing is so overdone, and there’s a jolly good, stiff upper lip, never say anything that isn’t a quip flavor to every line the characters speak. If I had to read one more sentence about what “one” did or didn’t do or feel, I might have pulled my hair out.

Overall, I found this a disappointing read. I will probably be in the minority on this one, as the book seems to be getting raves from all the big literary review sources. Sadly, the paths of the characters and the central love story didn’t have a ring of truth. The tragedies pile up, and there are scenes of raw destruction that are breathtakingly sad and shocking. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the characters’ lives, actions, or relationships real enough to feel a true sense of connection to their stories.

_________________________________________

The details:

Title: Everyone Brave is Forgiven
Author: Chris Cleave
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: May 3, 2016
Length: 432 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley

4May2016

Thursday Quotables: Everyone Brave Is Forgiven

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

NEW! Thursday Quotables is now using a Linky tool! Be sure to add your link if you have a Thursday Quotables post to share.

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
(published 2016)

This story of wartime love and loss is full of hard, sad moments:

She’d known with certainty that she needed him only when he had turned away from her on the platform at Waterloo. How her heart had dropped — as if there were no end to falling. When the hour had come for the war to take him away, that had been the first and last moment she had known without doubt that she loved him.

One knew how one felt only when things ended.

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Click on the linky button (look for the cute froggie face) below to add your link.
After you link up, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment about my quote for this week.
Be sure to visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables, and have fun!

3May2016

Shelf Control #34: Karen Memory

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to the newest weekly feature here at Bookshelf Fantasies… Shelf Control!

Shelf Control is all about the books we want to read — and already own! Consider this a variation of a Wishing & Waiting post… but looking at books already available, and in most cases, sitting right there on our shelves and e-readers.

Want to join in? See the guidelines and linky at the bottom of the post, and jump on board! Let’s take control of our shelves!

My Shelf Control pick this week is:

Title: Karen Memory
Author: Elizabeth Bear
Published: 2015
Length: 350 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

“You ain’t gonna like what I have to tell you, but I’m gonna tell you anyway. See, my name is Karen Memery, like memory only spelt with an e, and I’m one of the girls what works in the Hôtel Mon Cherie on Amity Street. Hôtel has a little hat over the o like that. It’s French, so Beatrice tells me.”

Set in the late 19th century—when the city we now call Seattle Underground was the whole town (and still on the surface), when airships plied the trade routes, would-be gold miners were heading to the gold fields of Alaska, and steam-powered mechanicals stalked the waterfront, Karen is a young woman on her own, is making the best of her orphaned state by working in Madame Damnable’s high-quality bordello. Through Karen’s eyes we get to know the other girls in the house—a resourceful group—and the poor and the powerful of the town. Trouble erupts one night when a badly injured girl arrives at their door, begging sanctuary, followed by the man who holds her indenture, and who has a machine that can take over anyone’s mind and control their actions. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the next night brings a body dumped in their rubbish heap—a streetwalker who has been brutally murdered.

Bear brings alive this Jack-the-Ripper yarn of the old west with a light touch in Karen’s own memorable voice, and a mesmerizing evocation of classic steam-powered science.

How I got it:

Bought it!

When I got it:

At the beginning of 2016, when the paperback was released.

Why I want to read it:

I’ve had my eye on this book since reading pre-publication publicity. I love the idea of a steampunk western tale with a Jack-the-Ripper element, and the main character sounds amazing. Plus, this book will help me complete a reading challenge category this year, so I’m extra motivated.

__________________________________

Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
Add your link below!
And if you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
Check out other posts, and have fun!

For more on why I’ve started Shelf Control, check out my introductory post here, or read all about my out-of-control book inventory, here.

And if you’d like to post a Shelf Control button on your own blog, here’s an image to download (with my gratitude, of course!):

2May2016

The Monday Check-In ~ 5/2/2016

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

What did I read last week?

I finished my binge-read of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series! My wrap-up post is here.

Hunter’s Moon by Dana Stabenow: The Kate Shugak is usually my reading equivalent of comfort food — but I was not at all prepared for the emotional devastation of this book! I love the series and the main character and will absolutely continue onward… but I’m also so mad at the author right now!

Outlander update!

Season 2 rocks! Here’s my reaction post for the 4th episode, “La Dame Blanche”:

Insta-Reaction: Outlander, Season 2, Episode 4

Elsewhere on the blog:

I’ve reached my breaking point! I’m swearing off ARCs for the rest of the year. Check out my DisembARCing post.

Fresh Catch:

Two pre-orders arrived from Book Depository this week:

I’m excited for both… but I suppose I need to start by reading The Wrath & the Dawn first!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave: I’ve read two books by this author so far, and I’m excited to be starting his new release.

Now playing via audiobook:

I’m about halfway through my audio journey back through Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The audiobooks are great fun. Looks like I’ll be continuing with these for a while.

Ongoing reads:

My book group is reading and discussing two chapter per week of both Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon and Emma by Jane Austen. This is an online group, and anyone is welcome to join us — so if you’re interested, just ask me how!

So many books, so little time…

1May2016

Insta-Reaction: Outlander, Season 2, Episode 4

Posted in Outlander by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Season 2 has begun! My intention is to write an “Insta-Reaction” post for each episode right after viewing, to share some initial thoughts, questions, reactions — you name it.

Warning:

I may be talking about events from this episode, other episodes, and/or the book series… so if you’d rather not know, now’s your chance to walk away!

Outlander, episode 204: “La Dame Blanche”

The official synopsis (via Starz):

Claire and Jamie throw a dinner party to derail investors in Prince Charles’ war effort. Meanwhile, Claire’s revelation that Jack Randall is alive sparks Jamie in an unexpected way as he and Claire struggle.

My take:

Major plot points:

At Versailles, Claire is poisoned with bitter cascara and becomes quite ill. She suspects the Comte St. Germaine.

No, Claire! Don’t drink it!

Jamie is attentive and caring. Claire finally confesses that Black Jack Randall is still alive, and Jamie is delighted. Now he can finally dream of revenge.
Master Raymond takes Claire into his back room where his more mystical objects are hidden, including rune-carved bones that can tell the future. When Claire casts the bones and wonders about Frank, Master Raymond tells Claire that she will see him again.
Jamie and Claire have a huge confrontation after Claire finds bite mark on his thighs. Jamie opens up about how he’s been struggling with the memories of his rape. The two finally make love again after all these months.
Louise is pregnant, but not with her husband’s baby. Jamie and Claire realize that Louise is having an affair with Prince Charles.
They plan a big dinner party with the goal of bringing the Prince and the Duke of Sandringham together, then causing a fall-out so that Charles’s funding will be in jeopardy.
Mary and Claire are attacked in the street, and poor Mary is raped. She’s hidden away upstairs at the dinner party, but when she runs in fear, all is exposed, and there’s a big fight and probably an even bigger scandal on the way.

Insta-reaction:

Well, that was a surprise! I spent the last week wondering if and when Claire would share the news of BJR’s surprising survival, imagining a devastated Jamie falling apart or becoming so upset with Claire for hiding the truth that their marriage might be in danger.

Wrong! Jamie was practically giddy with joy. This way, he has the dream of exacting vengeance for everything that was done to him. Just the thing to put a spring in a man’s step!

Of course, he’s not quite as healed as he’d like to pretend. When Jamie comes home from the brothel full of lust and covered with bite marks, Claire isn’t having any AT ALL. This is not okay, Jamie! He says that the whore in question was interested in “soixante-neuf”, but he swears that nothing happened… even though he was very turned on. He sees it as a plus that he rushed his horny self home to his wife, but she’s upset that he hasn’t touched her in months, and now it takes a trip to the brothel for him to find an interest.

This all leads, of course, to a deeper set of confessions, when Jamie finally articulates to Claire just how destroyed he is from the events of Wentworth, how his innermost core has been violated and he has nothing left. He goes off to sleep alone, but Claire follows him, reaches out to him, and they finally make love, reclaiming their passion and bringing their relationship back to life.

Meanwhile, lots of other stuff happened too…. see my notes above!

The look on Claire’s face when Master Raymond told her she’d see Frank again! That is NOT what she was expecting to hear — she just wanted to make sure that he’d be okay. She looked positively horrified, because there’s no way she’ll see Frank again if her life with Jamie goes as planned. Not happy news, by a long shot.

Meanwhile, I loved the shot of Claire examining a dinosaur skull, and Raymond describing his fascination with things from other times. Hello, can he possibly be more blatant? Claire, he knows you’re a time traveler! Maybe it’s time to explore what you two have in common besides the ability to recognize herbs by their smell.

Murtagh and Fergus have a very cute scene together. The little French pickpocket is becoming one of the family!

Poor Mary! A horrific experience, and then to be on display so publicly, so that her reputation is ruined and her shame is known by everyone. (Dudes, I’m not saying I think she has anything to be shamed by — but that’s the reality of the 1700s. Once she’s been violated, she’s seen as damaged. Stupid 18th century.)

Quite a dinner party. The setting and costumes are lavish, and the tension around the table was quite delicious.

It seems like every episode includes a shot of Claire in some sort of magnificent hooded get-up, walking up the stairs to visit the apothecary:

And it’s quite fun to finally see Claire with a full-on baby bump, which they somehow make look realistic even up close and uncovered.

Insta-reaction wrap-up:

Would you want to be at a dinner party with Prince Charles and the Duke of Sandringham? Both seem utterly insufferable.

It’s been a while since I read Dragonfly in Amber (I deliberately chose not to re-read prior to the start of season 2), but I’d say that this episode contains a lot from the book, portrayed very close to the book events, even down to some of the dialogue. Quite fun, really, to see so many familiar moments and hear the familiar lines.

In the books, Alexander Randall is supposed to look so much like his brother that he can be mistaken for him. At first, i just didn’t see it in the actor playing Alex, but in this episode, I could get a family resemblance. Alex is so sweet and loving with Mary. Sigh.

A couple of “artifacts” turn up that, at least in the book, have more significance later on: The necklace from Master Raymond to Claire, which can detect poison, and the hanged man’s grease that Claire and Mary seem so grossed-out by in the hospital. Both should come up again within the next few episodes. And keep an eye out for a man with a birthmark on his hand!

And furthermore…

Claire and Jamie are incredible people, no doubt about it… but be glad you’re not their kid! “Lambert” and “Dalhousie” are their ideas of great baby names? Sheesh. Poor wee bairn.

30Apr2016

Series Wrap-Up: Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I just wrapped up my series read of the Miss Peregrine books by Ransom Riggs. What a fun and frightful journey it’s been!

I first read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children when it was published in 2011. Such a unique book! The plot itself is created to incorporate a treasure trove of vintage photos, each one weird and trippy — invisible children, one girl with two reflections, mysterious shadows, you name it. The creepy, odd pictures are strewn throughout the book, each one relating to the plot in same way.

The plot? The plot centers around an ordinary teen-aged boy named Jacob Portman growing up in a pretty standard suburb in Florida. His family is rich, and he’s bored and fairly friendless. Jacob has a strong bond with his grandfather Abraham, but as Jacob has gotten older, he’s stopped having patience for Abraham’s fantastic tales of monsters and strange beings — the tales that he believed whole-heartedly as a small child. When Abraham is murdered, Jacob’s family believes that he’s had a mental breakdown, insisting on having seen a grotesque three-tongued monster and sure that his dying grandfather gave him cryptic instructions for some sort of quest.

Finally, in an attempt to free Jacob from his delusions, Jacob’s father takes him for a visit to Cairnholm Island off the coast of Wales, where Abraham spent his youth during World War II as a refugee from Poland. On the island, Jacob stumbles across a secret portal to another time — literally. He enters a time loop, where it’s always 1940, and meets the peculiar children under the care of Miss Peregrine, a motley assortment of kids who all have bizarre gifts — the ability to fly, create fire, and control bees, among others.

But there are monsters as well, and Jacob eventually must choose between returning to the dull life he had before or staying and fighting alongside this group of new friends who’ve started to feel like a second family to Jacob.

The second book Hollow City, and the third, Library of Souls, continue Jacob’s saga, with non-stop action as Jacob and the peculiar children must rescue their mentor, fight truly disgusting horror-show bad guys, and yes, try to save the world. As with the original, all three books include generous helpings of vintage photos that illustrate the weird and indescribable other world of the peculiars.

As I mentioned, I read the first Peregrine story back in 2011, and always meant to finish the series. I faithfully bought books 2 and 3 when they were released, but by then, a few years had gone by and I didn’t remember much at all. So finally, I decided that this would be the year! I revisited book 1 by listening to the audiobook, then continued onward with the hard copy versions of books 2 and 3.

Overall, I enjoyed the books very much… although I have to admit that the conceit wears a bit thin by the third book.

The first book is full of quirky charm and delight. It’s a brand new world, and the author does a marvelous job of building that world, establishing the odd array of characters and the mysteries of the time loops. It’s weird and fantastical, but pretty terrific all at the same time. And even though there’s plenty of horror and conflict, it definitely has the tone of a plucky band of outsiders coming together to confront the forces of evil. Go, weird kids!

Perhaps the problem for me was reading all three books in a row, but somewhere along the way the specialness wore off and the series became just another adventure story. A good adventure story, but not quite as special. The 2nd and 3rd books lack the quirk and delight of the new, strange universe introduced in book 1. The middle and end volumes are good fun reads, but the peril and chase scenes become a bit tiring after a while. Even the use of vintage photos starts to feel old by the end, shoe-horned into the story as a necessity rather than being an extra and unexpected ingredient.

My inclination lately has been to binge-read series, but I do believe that wasn’t the right approach with the Peregrine books. Yes, I enjoyed them as a whole, but I might have enjoyed them more individually if I’d taken breathers in between.

Still, I’m mightily impressed with the world Ransom Riggs has created and the peculiar people who live in it. I recommend this series for readers from advanced middle grade level up to adults. Anyone who enjoys fantasy worlds and timey-wimey set-ups will have fun with Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children.

And a nice bonus for me is getting to look forward to the movie version, coming in the fall of 2016! I do hope the adaptation manages to capture the quirky flavor of the books.

Have you read the Miss Peregrine books? Will you see the movie?

29Apr2016

DisembARCing

Posted in The Reading Life by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

That’s it. I’ve reached my limit. No more!

I hereby declare my freedom to read like a leaf on the wind… (excuse my mélange de metaphors). Watch how I soar!

Way back when — on January 1st, to be precise — I made all sorts of promises and resolutions. And, well… I suck at resolutions.

I swore that I’d cut back on ARCs and concentrate more on reading the books I already own, and to tell you the truth, I didn’t do an awful job. I did cut back. I paid attention to release dates. I made myself a handy-dandy Excel worksheet so I could track my ARCs. I tried to make sure I didn’t have more than 2 or 3 per month for the first half of 2016, and I did my best to read them all as their publication dates rolled around. And for the most part, I actually did pretty great! Yay me!

But…

I’m still frustrated. I’m down to my last 10 ARCs (ignoring the unread ARCs from previous years), and I feel duty-bound to read them — but damn it all, I have so much else I want to be reading.

My books are piling up, and I’m feeling weighted down. And my overall feeling is:

I DON’T WANNA!

I don’t want to read according to a schedule. I don’t want to read what’s next on my calendar. I don’t want to read because I said I would.

I want to read what I want, when I want.

This isn’t anything earth-shattering, and I know I’m not alone. We all get frustrated. It’s the same old, same old story:

I’ll repeat myself:

I’ve had it. I’m done. I need my space.

So yes, I’m going to finish the 10 ARCs still sitting here waiting to be read. After all, they’re all books that I wanted to read — I made sure to only request ARCs for books I’d read anyway, whether in ARC format, fresh from the library, or even requiring actual money to change hands.

But once I’m done, I’m done. I’m not requesting any more ARCs this year. Which feels like a huge step to take, but I mean it. If I want to read a new release that badly, I can get it from the library or bookstore. And once it’s in my hands, I’ll know if I really want to read it at that very minute.

I’m just sick of delaying the books that strike my fancy because there’s an obligation book staring me in the face. So no more!

I’m getting off the ARC train.

DisembARCing.

Starting now.

27Apr2016

Thursday Quotables: Library of Souls

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

NEW! Thursday Quotables is now using a Linky tool! Be sure to add your link if you have a Thursday Quotables post to share.

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
(published 2015)

The final book in the Miss Peregrine series throws us right into the action as of the very first page::

We were boxed in, a wall hard to one side and glass shin-deep on the other, two strides from a creature whose only natural instinct was to disassemble us — and yet it made no move to close the gap. It seemed rooted to the floor, swaying on its heels like a drunk or a sleepwalker, death’s head drooping, its tongues a nest of snakes I’d charmed to sleep.

Me. I’d done that. Jacob Portman, boy nothing from Nowhere, Florida. It was not currently murdering us — this horror made of gathered dark and nightmares harvested from sleeping children — because I had asked it not to. Told it in no uncertain terms to unwrap its tongue from around my neck. Back off, I’d said. Stand, I’d said — in a language made of sounds I hadn’t known a human mouth could make — and miraculously it had, eyes challenging me while its body obeyed. Somehow I had tamed the nightmare, cast a spell over it. But sleeping things wake and spells wear off, especially those cast by accident, and beneath its placid surface I could feel the hollow boiling.

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Click on the linky button (look for the cute froggie face) below to add your link.
After you link up, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment about my quote for this week.
Be sure to visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables, and have fun!

26Apr2016

Shelf Control #33: Boy Meets Boy

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to the newest weekly feature here at Bookshelf Fantasies… Shelf Control!

Want to join in? See the guidelines and linky at the bottom of the post, and jump on board! Let’s take control of our shelves!

My Shelf Control pick this week is:

Title: Boy Meets Boy
Author: David Levithan
Published: 2005
Length: 185 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.

When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.

This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.

How I got it:

I went to a bookstore appearance featuring David Levithan and Rainbow Rowell, and they were selling the 10th anniversary edition of this book… and since I didn’t already own a copy, I just had to get it!

When I got it:

It was the 10th anniversary, so I guess it was in 2015.

Why I want to read it:

I love David Levithan’s writing! I’ve read a whole bunch of his books by now, some co-written, some just by him, but I’m always so impressed with his use of language and how he sees inside people’s hearts.

__________________________________

Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
Add your link below!
And if you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
Check out other posts, and have fun!

For more on why I’ve started Shelf Control, check out my introductory post here, or read all about my out-of-control book inventory, here.

And if you’d like to post a Shelf Control button on your own blog, here’s an image to download (with my gratitude, of course!):

25Apr2016

The Monday Check-In ~ 4/25/2016

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

What did I read last week?

Blockade Billy by Stephen King: Done! My review is here.

The Midnight Watch by David Dyer: Done! My review is here.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs: I’m powering my way through the Miss Peregrine trilogy, and plan to write a wrap-up once I’m done. I really enjoyed book #2, and I’m moving straight ahead with the third.

In audiobooks, I finished listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone — my very first time listening to a Harry Potter audiobook! Great fun. I can’t believe it’s taken me all this time to finally give the audio version a try.

Outlander update!

Season 2 rocks! Here’s my reaction post for the3rd episode, “Useful Occupations and Deceptions”:

Insta-Reaction: Outlander, Season 2, Episode 3

Pop culture delight:

Could this week be any more thrilling from a TV-fanatic’s perspective? Besides the ongoing delight of Outlander, we also have the season premiers of Game of Thrones and Turn (AMC’s terrific drama about the spy network of the American Revolution). I also watched the first episode of The Night Manager, the six-part mini-series starring Tom Hiddleston. And holy moly, The Americans is just non-stop amazing! It’s a wonder I get any reading done at all.

Fresh Catch:

A few new books this week:

I’m excited for all three!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I’ve just started Library of Souls, the third Miss Peregrine book. I’m so glad that I’m finally finishing the series!

Now playing via audiobook:

Well, of course I couldn’t stop after book #1! It looks like I’ll be continuing my audio journey back through the world of Harry Potter for a while to come.