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I’m back, after a month away.
I’m Christian Orthodox, so end of Lent is very busy, especially our Great Week (other Christians call it Holy Week – I counted 23 hours of liturgical services between Palm Sunday and Pascha).
So powerful, but also intense. I’m slowly recovering from our Pascha services. It feels like having spent time on a high mountain, and needing time to rest and readjust.
I didn’t have the time nor the mood to read anything secular during our Great Week.
But I caught up, with 6 books finished this past week!
I only posted one review recently, for The 1940 Club:
Kallocain, an amazing 1940 scifi, written by Swedish author Karin Boye.
Definitely a hidden treasure.
JUST READ/LISTENED TO 🎧
Because of the large amount of books finished this past week, I’m going for a faster format this time.
To access my reviews:
Hide and Geek
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (audio)
L’Arabe du futur #2
Homecoming
CURRENTLY READING/LISTENING TO
Currently reading an insane number of books at the same time right now: 11.
📚 Skin Deep
by Antonia Lassa
Translated by Jacky Collins
Llevar en la piel
was first published in Spanish in 2023
Mystery
To be published on 4/30/2023
by Corylus Books
136 pages
Epub received for review – book tour
“When police arrest eccentric loner Émile Gassiat for the murder of a wealthy woman in a shabby seaside apartment in Biarritz, Inspector Canonne is certain he has put the killer behind bars. Now he just needs to prove it.
But he hasn’t reckoned with the young man’s friends, who bring in lawyer-turned-investigator Larten to head for the desolate out-of-season south-west of France to dig deep into what really happened.
Larten’s hunt for the truth takes him back to the bustle of Paris as he seeks to demonstrate that the man in prison is innocent, despite all the evidence – and to uncover the true killer behind a series of bizarre murders.
Skin Deep is Antonia Lassa’s first novel to appear in English.”
📚 Forest Walking:
Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America
by Peter Wohlleben
Translated by Jane Billinghurst
Gebrauchsanweisung für den Wald
was first published in German in June 2022
Nonfiction / Nature
Published on 4/26/2022
240 pages
I meant to read the author’s previous books, like The Hidden Life of Trees, but this one caught my eye at the library!
“When you walk in the woods, do you use all five senses to explore your surroundings? For most of us, the answer is no—but when we do, a walk in the woods can go from pleasant to immersive and restorative. Forest Walking teaches you how to get the most out of your next adventure by becoming a forest detective, decoding nature’s signs and awakening to the ancient past and thrilling present of the ecosystem around you.
What can you learn by following the spread of a root, by tasting the tip of a branch, by searching out that bitter almond smell?
What creatures can be found in a stream if you turn over a rock—and what is the best way to cross a forest stream, anyway?
How can you understand a forest’s history by the feel of the path underfoot, the scars on the trees along the trail, or the play of sunlight through the branches?
How can we safely explore the forest at night?
What activities can we use to engage children with the forest?
Throughout Forest Walking, the authors share experiences and observations from visiting forests across North America: from the rainforests and redwoods of the west coast to the towering white pines of the east, and down to the cypress swamps of the south and up to the boreal forests of the north.”
I am also reading 3 books with French students:
Les Trois Mousquetaires
L’Arabe du futur 3 : Une jeunesse au Moyen-Orient, 1985-1987, by Riad Sattouf
Les Vacances du petit Nicolas, by René Goscinny
Still working on Perché leggere i classici, by Italo Calvino.
Plus 4 Orthodox spirituality books!
And I am listening to:🎧 The Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell Hammet
1930
Mystery
It counts for The Classics Club
Really loving the characters and the noir ambiance.
“Sam Spade is hired by the fragrant Miss Wonderley to track down her sister, who has eloped with a louse called Floyd Thursby. But Miss Wonderley is in fact the beautiful and treacherous Brigid O’Shaughnessy, and when Spade’s partner Miles Archer is shot while on Thursby’s trail, Spade finds himself both hunter and hunted: can he track down the jewel-encrusted bird, a treasure worth killing for, before the Fat Man finds him?”
BOOK UP NEXT
📚 Joie de vivre:
Secrets of Wining, Dining, and Romancing Like the French
by Harriet Welty Rochefort
2012
320 pages
Nonfiction / France
I can’t believe this book has already been 10 years of my shelf…
“An engaging exploration of the style that permeates all things French―perfect for anyone looking to achieve that classic French flair.
For Harriet Welty Rochefort, an American who has lived in France for many years with her very French husband, it’s clear that the French truly are singular in the way they live, act, and think―from the lightness of their pastries to the refinement of their Hermes scarves. They simply exude a certain je ne sais quoi that is a veritable art form. The French revel in the moment, appreciate the time spent in preparing a perfect feast, pay attention to the slightest detail–whether flowers on the table or a knockout accessory on a simple outfit–and work hard when not enjoying their (considerable) leisure time without an ounce of guilt. Their joie de vivre can come where you least expect for the French it’s better to have a chagrin d’amour than no amour at all, and for the Frenchman a day without discord is a day without a kick. They have fun (yes, fun !) when they fuss and feud, squabble and shrug.
When it comes to joie de vivre, Harriet is convinced the French are unbeatable. With good humor and genuine affection for the prickly, paradoxical, and pleasure-seeking Gauls, she takes the reader on her own personal journey through the often byzantine French mindset, sharing tips and tricks such as how to diet like a Frenchwoman and project confidence like a true Parisienne. In her signature warm, witty, and entertaining voice, Harriet shows how joie de vivre permeates the French way of life, precisely because it doesn’t include a “pursuit of happiness.” Fortunately, she discovered, you don’t have to “pursue” happiness in France. It pursues you.”
LAST BOOK ADDED TO MY GOODREADS TBR
The Treasure Test (Hide and Geek #2), by T. P. Jagger
2023
336 pages
Mystery / Middlegrade
This is simply the sequel to the latest book I finished, a fun middlegrade mystery, Hide and Geek.
The synopsis is terrible, it gives away so much for book 1, that I’m not pasting it here.
📚 MAILBOX MONDAY 📚
See details at the beginning of this post.
My review will be live on May 22
Please share what books you just received at Mailbox Monday
It’s nice to see you back, Emma. I’m so happy you loved Homecoming. I’d love to find time to read it😁
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Ah ah. Yes, that’s a long one, though I’m sure you could devour it in a couple of days. But I see you have a lot of other books on your plate
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You really are reading a lot of books at once! I can’t keep track of such multiples.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
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Yes, a bit crazy right now. But when the genres are different, it’s no problem
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I am 100% adding Forest Walking to my list!!
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Great move!
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Good weather coming up so Forest Walking and the Hidden Life of Trees will have added meaning. On my TBR wish list.
https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/
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Yes! Neat to follow his advice while walking in a forest, with pointers at what to look at
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I’m glad you have been able to return to blogging and reading, Emma. I’ve missed seeing you!
I enjoyed reading about Bad Boy Nicolas. Apparently that’s a series.
And I’ve just put in a request for Forest Walking.
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Bad Boy Nicolas? Are you refering to Le petit Nicolas. Yes it’s a series by René Goscinny (the author os Astérix, among other things).
This is book 2. Most French students read book 1. But one of my students loves them so much that we are now tackling book 3. Each book has about 17 short stories.
I know it has been translated by Nicholas, or The Chronicles of Little Nicholas, but I wasn’t familiar with Bad Boy Nicolas. And really he’s not a bad boy. More a goofy little kid
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Right. I was just kidding. I liked the Nicolas book I read a lot. It is on the 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read list.
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sorry, didn’t see the humor, lol. WE have read 3 stories so far in book 3, and always so enjoyable
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Glad you’re enjoying the Hammett, my first intro to his work.
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Me too, but it won’t be the last! Is this your favorite by him? or another one?
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I enjoyed The Glass Key but it’s not as memorable as the aforementioned falcon, a veritable MacGuffin!
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I’ll have to try that one too
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I just posted my review for Homecoming, like you I gave it five stars.
Wishing you a great reading week
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So glad you liked it too! On my way to your review
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Joie de vivre seems like one I’d like, and I can’t believe I’ve never read the Maltese Falcon. The book about forests sounds wonderful too.
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Oh my yes, you need to read The Maltse Falcon! Totally up your alley.
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Welcome back! Looks like a nice mix of books. Have a great weekend!
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Thanks. Have a great reading week
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Happy Easter! The Maltese Falcon book and film are excellent. I need to read more Hammett
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Thanks! Yes, I’m really enjoying it. I watched the movie years ago, but I just checked it out from my library, so I can watch it again as soon as I’m done with the book
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Sometimes books sit on my shelf for far too long, too. Joie de Vivre looks good. Hope you like it!
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Thanks!
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I love Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It is so funny. Welcome back.
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It really is!
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I thought of you the other day when I saw a few posts about Orthodox Easter celebrations, especially in Jerusalem. I vistied the Church of the Holy Sepulchre once and though it was crowded, it wasn’t that crowded.
So, happy to see you back. From your books, I only read Kallocain and the Hitchhiker’s Guide … both good reads, though not my preferred genre..
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Too bad Kallocain is not as well known as The Hitchhiker’s Guide
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Very true. It gives a lot more food for thought.
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Definitely
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Hide and Geek sounds cute, and Forest Walking looks fascinating!
I hope your Great Week was a good and meaningful experience, as well as an intense one. I miss the years when I sang with our choir every service throughout Holy Week.
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Am now reading the second volume in the Hide and Geel series
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Welcome back! Lent, especially Holy Week, is a time of prayer for us as well.
Looks like you read some fabulous books. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.
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You are welcome
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Welcome back! 6 books is amazing. Forest Walking sounds good. I love being outdoors and I do try to stop and take notice of nature when we’re on our walks. I want to sit and write my thoughts one day while out there. Enjoy your week.
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That would be a lovely project. Go for it!
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Good to see you back. I am glad you enjoyed your month of preparation for those important services.
I like the look of Hide and Geek and Forest Walking. Your 1940 Club got my interest too.
Happy Reading!
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All good ones for sure
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