Monday, February 6, 2017

It's Monday......what are you reading, watching and/or listening to?

I finished 3 books since we last talked about them...........I'm not sure if I shared this one with you...if I did I apologize but last week was sort of a blur........I loved this YA book and want to read more by this author. 
I love books on survival against all odds and this one filled the bill!  This is the first book in a short series by an award winning author...I'll be ordering the next one for sure!  If you like this genre you will love this book!

From Amazon: "This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared—and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newberry Honor.Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present—and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parent’s divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, or despair—it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive."

 The next book I finished was...........
This was very good but I must admit, I already do most of this except for the entertaining....I just entertain myself! LOL! It is also easier when you're retired and do not have to interact with negative people at work....yes, they're out there!

Last but not least in any way was....
 This was REALLY good and very well written...I can't say enough about the character development and the scenes depicted so well I could practically see them!  And the plot was really unique and fresh!  I will be reading ALL of her books for sure!  Thank you, Diane, for recommending her.....what took me so long?  LOL!
From Amazon: 
"Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards.Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter. Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces---and this series---with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny."

So what am I reading this week you ask?
One of my favorite fiction authors.......I have yet to be disappointed in any of her books and so far I am enjoying it.....one of those you look forward to picking up at the end of the day....
 Amazon states: "Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, not only wishing to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also dreaming of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in."

And my non-fiction is this bestseller on Amazon............
Amazon describes it like this:"In 1834, Osborne Russell joined an expedition from Boston, under the direction of Nathaniel J. Wyeth, which proceeded to the Rocky Mountains to capitalize on the salmon and fur trade.He would remain there, hunting, trapping, and living off the land, for the next nine years.Journal of a Trapper is his remarkable account of that time as he developed into a seasoned veteran of the mountains and experienced trapper.In Russell’s own words he explains to the reader “if you are in search of the travels of a classical and scientific tourist, please lay this volume down, and pass on, for this simply informs you what a trapper has seen and experienced. But if you wish to peruse a hunter’s rambles among the wild regions of the Rocky Mountains, please read this”.Russell encounters grizzly bears, hunts buffaloes, trades with Native Americans and suffers from the extreme conditions of his mountainous environment. His account is written in vivid prose that transports the reader to nineteenth century Northwest America.Of particular note are his descriptions of the landscapes in which he lived. Although it had not been designated a national park during Russell’s time, his portrayal of Yellowstone is truly breath-taking.This is the perfect book for anyone wishing to find out more about the lives of the mountain men, what they ate, how they hunted, what shelters they used and how they survived in some of the most inhospitable conditions.After this book was written Osborne Russell became a politician who helped form the government of the state of Oregon. He was born in 1814 in Maine. He ran away from home as a young man for a life at sea, but eventually found employment as a trapper. In 1844, he was elected to the second Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of Oregon, but after he was not re-elected he eventually went and lived in California. He died in 1892. This edition was published in 1921."

As for watching...........Democracy Now, The Humanist Report, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Hueloco video podcasts, Daily Hope audio podcast, Inside #23 video podcast, Brooklyn Knitfolk video podcast  and The 51st Superbowl!  What a game!
I hope you had a great weekend and that this week is off to a great start!
Happy Trails and Happy Reading!


10 comments:

  1. You amaze me how much you read. I confess I spend my time knitting and watching podcasts for the most part! Ha ha! I have Read a couple of books on living a cozier life in the last week or two. And right now I'm reading the five presidents by Clint Hill which I'm finding to be a very good book.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. It depends on how good the book is. You amaze me how much knitting you get done. I did put the Hermione sock down after I messed it up so on my 'breaks' last week I was reading and usually I only read at night. I'll have to look at that book you're reading. Thanks for the tip! Blessings back at ya!

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  2. Grand daughter and I have been readin Hatchet together. Good read. Once again my book list grows thanks to you. A couple of your books have really gotten me excited to get them NOW!

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    1. Glad you're enjoying Hatchet! I hope you like them as much as I do!

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  3. I think I would enjoy the one about the trapper. I'll have to see if our library has that one. Thanks for the reviews.

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    1. I'm hoping to catch up with my blog reading today....I hope you find it...I'm just starting it so we'll see. I think I got it on Kindle for .99.....but the sales only last for one day. I thought that was pretty good.....99 for a best seller in the non-fiction category.

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  4. I'm so glad you like the Louise Penny books! She writes such wonderful mysteries...more complex and involved than the cozy mysteries that are also fun to read. I've read the books by Sarah A. Allen and love them too. She lives in Asheville, NC where we have a home. I'd like to read The Cozy Life...I can always get cozier! heehee! Enjoy your day sweet friend. I'm reading Rhys Bowen mystery and it's GOOD! Hugs!

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    1. I think I told you my daughter really likes her books. I have yet to try one. It is so weird that so many of the authors I like are from NC! When I was there years ago that is when I picked up my first Adriane Trigiani book because it said she was a local author there in Asheville, NC. I had never heard of her but loved her first 3 books especially. Maybe it's something in the air or water there? LOL! I agree, one can never be too cozy! Hugs to you too!

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  5. I watched Victoria on PBS while the bowl game was on! I am watching The Bachelor...it is a bit crazy this year. :)

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  6. Victoria sounds good...as in Queen? I don't get the regular stations anymore but I used to watch some of those "reality" shows just for a laugh as the drama was hysterical. I was never a 'cry baby" like those gals....or nasty like some of them. My friends in HS weren't 'catty" either maybe because it was so small. But they do tend to encourage that type of thing on those shows, I think. There was a gal that wrote a book about being on the show....a "tell all" which would probably be an interesting read.

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