Beth Morrey

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

August 24, 2020August 24, 2020 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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Hope you are all doing okay. This week I achieved a satisfying completion of books, mainly because I’d been listening to two audiobooks and came to the end of them.

Apart from that the usual gardening, sewing and of course reading. I also finally decided to upgrade my phone as it was no longer being updated by Apple and I couldn’t get various apps, especially the one we use here to track where we visit shops etc during this time of the virus. I hope the SE20 will see me through a good more few years!

What I read last week:

What I am reading now:

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And I am just starting tolisten to…

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Up next:

Second in a trilogy that Emilie Richards is preparing to re-publish in September, October and November. It is always a treat for me to read her books.

Last Week’s Posts

The Paris Library – review

Paris Booked. Five books I’ve read set in Paris.

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#IMWAYR

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

August 10, 2020August 10, 2020 Kathryn

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And we are well into August. The week gone by seems to be a blur! I did enjoy my reading, did some quilting and decided I wanted to try knitting some socks, which I have never done before. It is proving to be challenging but I am following a class on Craftsy and hope to get a pair of socks of sorts out of it. Mind you the price of wool! It would be cheaper to buy a new pair really!

As we start to think about facing into Spring I decided to bite the garden bullet and get my veggie garden removed because it has got beyond me. So no more potatoes! But I will get a small custom built one in its place where I can grow beans and a few small things. However….. the cost for doing this is what I think is exorbitant. In the realm of thousands. If I had to ever buy a house again I’d have no garden area! It costs money over the years for sure.

What I read last week:

Well as it turns out – two Australian authors in the mix this week, and all three library books.

What I am reading now:

This week a review book and a New Zealand author. I enjoyed her debut novel a couple of years back so willing to take a punt on this one.

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And of course two audiobooks still on the go, both of which I am loving. The Switch and The Jane Austen Society.

Up next:

One or both of these.

Last Week’s Posts

The Friendship List. Susan Mallery

July Reading

Go – Ask the Bees

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Book Connections

Books with Older Characters

July 24, 2020July 24, 2020 Kathryn

I am coming across more books with older characters. Some are a little of a delightful fantasy and some are very true to real life. However all are enjoyable. While these are not the only books I have enjoyed or intend to enjoy with older characters, here are five I have thought of. Three I have read, one I am reading and one I hope to read.

book cover Away with the Penguins has an eighty six year old heroine. She is grumpy and non trusting. And… she is rather wealthy. She has no family until a rather non delectable grandson is tracked down. In the meantime Granny has decided to take a trip to Antartica to see the penguins and stays with a small group of scientists. Most of them are a bit grumpy too. However hearts begin to change and this was a most wonderful read with lots of facts about penguins as well. In the USA it is titled How the Penguins Saved Veronica.

book cover The Woman Next Door by Australian author Liz Byrski has an older character – Stella who is a bit of a character but who seems to be slipping in ways that concern her friends/neighbours. She is an actress nearly eighty. Liz Byrski has a great gift for exploring the life experiences of the older age group as does Joanna Nell who has written…

book cover The Last Voyage of Mrs Parker I read last year. It tells the story of the wife of a retired ship’s Doctor. But… she finds her husband is missing and she is rather confused about things. Joanna Nell is another Australian author who explores the experience of ageing for those its happening to and those who are with them.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary is an audiobook I happen to be listening to at the moment and one of the main characters is near eighty. Eileen who is newly single and looking for a second chance at love. She seems to be a bit of a character as well as being a very compassionate and understanding grandmother. So far I am enjoying it. It’s an extra listen for me as I picked it up from NetGalley as it was in the “Read Now” category. And one I did intend to read as I enjoyed Beth O’Leary’s previous book.

book cover The Love Story of Missy Carmichael. This is the story of a seventy nine year old. She lives alone and seems to be estranged from her family. This is one I haven’t read but it sounds like I could give it a go so its now on my TBR list. A few readers I follow have read it and that’s good enough for me.