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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

April 29, 2019April 29, 2019 Kathryn

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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Well the end of April. I hear rain drumming on my roof as I write this. Last night I saw snow and tulips on Bookfan Mary’s blog. So we are getting a bit of weather! The sun will be out again tomorrow and a bit of rain is good.

I had a quiet week, one trip into the city and a few walks along by the beach. I have got quite lazy so I need to get going again. I have to admit the weather deters at times. I get inspired by seeing Debbie’s walk paths on instagram and think “Today is the day”.

Talking of Instagram this cute photo of my grand niece was on IG last night so just gotta share it as she is so cute. Just six years, a few weeks ago I shared the books I bought her for her birthday. I share today because she has cuddled around her the quilt I made her about three or four years ago.

They have had two weeks school break and go back today. Ouch with all that rain. I sit back with relief knowing I no longer have to make that dash from my car to the classroom in the rain!

photo of grand niece

What I read last week:

Two great books to read. A Month of Sundays was a real treat with four women in their sixties/early seventies who had been long time members of a skype online book club. Now they meet up together for a holiday and are to bring one book that says something about themselves. So that they can get to know each other better. They will spend a week reading each and then discussing. Sorry that this is Australian and that it may not be available worldwide.

What I am reading now:

Throughly enjoying this review book.

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Up next:

Last Week’s Posts

The Land Girls Victoria Purman

Join in Connect 5 Books Reading Challenge April – June

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Review

Join in Connect Five Books April-June

April 25, 2019 Kathryn

Banner Join me for 2019 in Connect Five – Books.

Congratulations to the giveaway winner for the second link up.

The five books were connected by all having “One” in the title. You can read the post here.
so another idea – watch the words in the titles.

Other ideas were:

5 Debut books
Contained diversity
Women growing into themselves
5 Goosebump horror books
A theme of Animals
5 Books with List in the title

Thanks to everyone playing along. As you can see, it can be done and now that we are further into our reading year, our book count is growing.

You didn’t need to sign up for this challenge

you can just join in as you see you have five connections.

When you have five that connect in whatever way you are able to group them then link up. How might you do this? One of these ways is good.

Write and link up a blog post
Share the five books on Instagram and link up
Have a Goodreads shelf and link that up – this may be a little different but maybe use it in combination with a comment would be helpful.
Or… if you belong to none of these places, share five books in a comment.

What’s the Challenge?

To look for connections between books you read. There will be many connections that just float over our awareness. Let’s see can we raise that a bit, whether its fairly surface level or something deeper.

If you need some guidelines for this then see the original post. Connect Five Books.

Remember:

A book can only be used once for this challenge in the year.
The books must be read in 2019.
Books can be carried over until you have five of something. It may take a few months to gather five of something.
You may have many connections of five to link up . So if you have two groups of five then you can link up twice and so on within a month.
You may just link one group of five during the year, or many each month. It depends on how many connections you come across!
Use the hashtag #connect5books2019 if sharing on social media.

When?

Every second month I will post a link up on the last Wednesday of the month. This one will finish on the last Wednesday of June. (I have changed this, I was going to do it every month, but every second month seems more realistic!)

#connect5books2019

A Giveaway

For those who have a five book connection and link up there will be a random prize draw for one reader who will win a book of their choice for that link up from the Book Depository. The last link up will be posted in November and go through December. At the end of the year there will be one draw as well for all those who have participated during the year, – a book of choice from the Book Depository up to the value of $18 U.S

Review

The Land Girls Victoria Purman

April 24, 2019 Kathryn

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Published: Harlequin Australia
Date: 15th April 2019
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Three women join the women’s land army in Australia during World War 2. The Land Girls introduces the reader to them and by the end of the book, each woman found a place in my heart and my very sincere admiration.

Flora is thirtyish and from Melbourne, she lives with her Dad, a brother who can’t go to war (Jack) and Frank who is fighting in the war overseas and they haven’t heard from him. A white feather given to her brother Jack on the street one day, decides Flora to join the Land Girls – her first assignment is picking grapes – hard work but she meets up with a delightful family. Slowly a relationship develops between Flora and Charles the owner of the farm but she is only there for a few weeks.

Lily is 18 from an Adelaide wealthy family, she has a sister a doctor working in the war overseas but Lily hasn’t found her own niche. She finds it hard to even learn shorthand and typing. She is in love with David who is going off to war. Taking up her courage she too joins the land girls – unusual for some one from such a family. She is sent out to a place north of Adelaide to pick cherries

Betty is almost 18, friends all her life with Michael next door, she is an only child and she too decides to join Land Girls when Michael joins up in 1942 when he turns 18. She starts this life picking grapes in Mildura, many miles north of Melbourne, on the edge of the outback. She is among 20 other girls. It’s hard work and Betty is homesick. One Sunday she meets Flora who gives her words of encouragement, that really help.

I loved the Australian setting, the realistic painting of what it was like to live in that time during war. The women who joined the land army worked hard, and it changed them in so many ways. How worrying though for them for the loved ones who fought overseas and often when bad news came, so heart breaking.

Victoria Purman had me fully invested in each woman, each story so real. I loved the way the woman put their hands up and contributed. The way they supported each other and developed such important and memorable friendships.

Review

It’s Monday! What are you Reading this Easter?

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 Kathryn

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Hope you all had a great Easter break. We had a couple of gorgeous days Friday and Saturday and then Sunday…. very wet! But I had a delicious dark chocolate egg that was very yummy to chase away the wet!

In this last week I got out finally and did a small bit of gardening. I also visited a friend in hospital and got horribly lost on the way, in a very hilly area and narrow roads and even a one way that you guessed it, I might have had to turn around on! The problem was I discovered later that right at the beginning I took a wrong turn. Needless to say I did arrive at my destination, but somewhat stressed!

On Thursday it was the birthday of my sister who passed away last year. So a number of us gathered at the cemetery in the sunshine and toasted her with a small glass of wine and some memories. Then we gathered at the home of one of my other sisters for dinner. I have to say it was rather special.

I also read and worked on a second quilt for the first responders of the Christchurch shootings. And of course did some reading!

What I read last week:

The Things We Do For Love from my TBR was a Kristin Hannah worthy story that I really enjoyed. 183 Times a Year was about a mother and two teens and the rest of the family. I read it as a humour/funny challenge book…. but my sense of humour is different I guess. Still I will count it! This was a UK book, I think as a New Zealander I might have a different kind of sense of humour!

What I am reading now:

A review book…

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Up next:

One I bought last year from a local bookshop, I think the author is Australian. My excuse for buying – well it had a bookcase on the cover!

Last Week’s Posts

The Girl He Used to Know Tracey Garvis Graves

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Review

The Girl He Used to Know. Tracey Garvis Graves

April 17, 2019 Kathryn

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Published: St Martin’s Press
Date: 2nd April 2019
Genre: Romance
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Right from the beginning I was hooked into this book and the story. I just totally loved Annika and her background story. In college she was not very socially adept, missed cues, spoke her mind, hated loud noise and wasn’t keen on being touched. But… what a heart and gorgeous person. I also fell for her room mate Janine who was kind enough to reach out in genuine friendship and help Annika to find her way through the world that mystified her.

In college she meets Jonathan and he is everything you’d like in a male. We find out that something separated them and now as they meet ten years later and begin to find their way with each other, we are led on, wondering what on earth went wrong between this wonderful pair.

The story is told in two time lines, college days and 2001. They fit together seamlessly and as I read, the question I held about what went wrong was answered. And no more about the plot – its best discovered as you read.

This book was a fast read, I picked it up every moment possible. It was emotional – heart warming and heart breaking. If you love unforgettable characters, a little mystery, and an emotional read with an intense ending – pick this one up. I hated it had to finish!

#IMWAYR

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Mid April

April 15, 2019April 15, 2019 Kathryn

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On Saturday I went to a 6 year old party for my grand niece. And what do you take for a gift when you are a booklover and so is she!! Well books of course and not just one. I had a great time picking them off the shelf at the bookstore.

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What I read last week:

I read The Little Teashop on Main – a review book, Love Letters is a continuing series and I have to say this one wrapped me round its little finger, and I finished listening to the delightful Mariah Stewart The Goodbye Cafe – so well narrated it put it into the 5 star category for me.

What I am reading now:

I have just started listening to this. I read it when it published in 2017 and now doing a reread via audio. I love Cathy Lamb books – thanks to Shellyrae who shared a review of one of her books on Book’d Out, and totally hooked me into her books. Bloggers are influencers!

I am reading this from the backlist of Kristin Hannah, it won’t be as heavy as her more recent ones and that’s totally okay. Another author I read anything she writes.

Up next:

I need a funny good feel book for my next read as that is a challenge book for this month. When I saw a review for this from Trish at Between My Lines , it sealed the choice. She says “It is loaded with laugh out loud moments that had my stomach in a knot.” Has to qualify don’t you think!

Last Week’s Posts

Come From Away Genevieve Graham

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Review

Come From Away. Genevieve Graham

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 Kathryn

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Published: Audible Studios
Date: 5th March 2015
Narrator: Michelle Ferguson
Length: 8 hrs 2 min
Source: Author

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Earlier in the year I enjoyed the audiobook Tides of Honour – a story about Danny and Audrey and WW1. When I started listening to this book Come From Away, I was delighted to find out that this one picks up the lives of their children and especially that of their daughter Grace. It’s a complete stand alone, however, seeing how life has moved on pleased this reader!

Grace works in a local store in Nova Scotia, while her three brothers are away at war – world war 2. Her parents Danny and Audrey are there with her and also other various family members live by. One evening at a local dance some strangers come by, and Grace is attracted to one man who dances with her – then they are gone. Now off Nova Scotia there are German u-boats, so could these men have come from there?

Some weeks later this stranger wanders into Grace’s store – Rudi is his name. Supposedly a trapper but is he? And so the story takes off. There is challenge and adventure, distrust and trust, and an evolving relationship with Rudi and the family and of course Grace.

I loved the story of the family in Nova Scotia, and what happened to them as the war progressed. Depicted was the toll that war places on ordinary men, the demands made on them, and that underneath so many of them are men of honour and care.

The story moves along at a good pace, the characters are ones that I could take into my heart and care about. The narrator was very good and brought this book alive.

#IMWAYR

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

April 8, 2019April 8, 2019 Kathryn

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It’s been a little cooler here! I even put on some woollen socks on Saturday because I was feeling cold! And then on Saturday it was so cold I lit a fire, and I wasn’t the only one! Autumn has arrived for us. And we ended daylight saving, which as you know sort of knocks you around for a little while.

This week I watched three movies – which I hardly ever do – all old ones but I enjoyed them nevertheless. The Enchanted April. The Descendants and Moana.

What I read last week:

What I am reading now:

Still listening to this – well into it now…

And picked up from TBR from books bought at book fair year few years ago. From the Rose Harbor series.

Up next:

Last Week’s Posts

Month in Review March Reading

The Library of Lost and Found

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Review

The Library of Lost and Found

April 4, 2019April 4, 2019 Kathryn

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Published: Park Row
Date: March 26th 2019
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

I am always drawn to a book with the words library or book or bookshop in its title. Books on the cover also help. So even though I’d never come across a Phaedra Patrick book before, The Library of Lost and Found was a book that I knew had my name on it!

The main character is Martha Storm, and she is rather quirky. It took me awhile to work her out. She keeps lists, only has a part time job at the library, lives in a house that at first sight could belong to a hoarder. She is a people pleaser and allows others to walk all over her, with their requests. She doesn’t let others close. So my question was “Who is she?” “Will I like her?”

When Martha finds a book on the doorstep of the library, it leads her to question the belief she has that her grandmother is dead. The book appears to be stories that her grandmother Zelda and Martha told when Martha was a child. But she died when Martha was thirteen – or did she?

As we track down the mystery with Martha we learn about her life at home as a youngster, the little stories she told, interspersed with the main text give us insight into what kind of home life she had. No wonder Martha is like she is. But her inner spirit is quite different and slowly it emerges and the real Martha steps out.

I enjoyed the cameo minor characters, the unravelling of the mystery, the book references of course, and of the main characters finally returning “home”. And yes I ended up really liking Martha and being very hopeful for her future.

Month in Review

Month in Review – March Reading

April 2, 2019 Kathryn

Total books read this month: 11

New to me authors:

Elizabeth Von Arnim
Phaedra Patrick
Tracey Garvis Graves

Authors From

Australia 2
USA 5
Canada 1
Ireland 1
England 2

Reading Challenge Update:

I think I am doing quite well, 8 out of 30 audiobooks is a good place to be. I have the Modern Mrs Darcy challenge well in hand, I was good with library books but slipped up on a few because they needed to be returned before I made space to read them.