Overall: 4/5
SRP Goal: 14/20
I started reading The Book of Speculation in the hospital and finished a few days after I was released - all in all, it took me about 4 days total to read it (if you take out the multiple doctor visits, tests, and travel time). I loved this book! It's about a fellow librarian, Simon, who discovers a disturbing trend in his family history- all the females die by drowning on July 24th. July 24th just happens to be soon and Simon's sister Enola just returned home - to their house by the sea. In order to prevent history from repeating itself, Simon sets out to change his families fate. I could not put this book down - Its like a mix of The Night Circus (one of my all time favorites) with librarians thrown in- perfect combination! The imagery was beautiful, the two stories (past and present) were told eloquently, and the intracate family/circus was surprising but wonderful. The ending was satisfying but also left it open for a sequel (not that it's needed). I highly recommend this novel! Overall: 4/5 SRP Goal: 14/20
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I was in the hospital for a few days (though with the prior trips to urgent care and the ER, it felt like a week) and because of this illness and unplanned "vacation" (also prior to my illness, I unfortunately made the mistake of going to the State Fair without sunscreen and thus I, being the fair-skinned person I am, had a SEVERE sunburn- I'm talking borderline second-degree) - I wasn't able to update the blog or write a review for The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. So updates first- though the updates really aren't updates as much as they are pictures I took of bookish things (all are posted on my Instagram: @bibliosoph_bibliophile) :) The first is a photo of my adorable pup, Emma, trying to get my attention while I'm reading. She is not a fan of anything that takes my attention away from her- especially reading since the book covers my face. The second is of my ever-expanding Harry Potter collection for #FavoriteBookFriday (though I missed my second Friday posting because of that annoying hospital stay). I have three complete collections of the Harry Potter Series: 1st edition hardback, paperback, and the special edition paperback and I plan on adding the fully illustrated editions when they come out! The third is what I am Currently Reading! I got home from the hospital and finally felt well enough to read again- its a miracle what anti-nausea meds can do! I've been looking forward to reading The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler since it came out. I'm especially intrigued since the main character is a fellow librarian- I'm about 200 pages in and loving it so far! REVIEWTime for the REVIEW of The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
It took me awhile to finish this book - not because it wasn't good - but because I was ill and all I had energy to do was sleep. I really liked this book- it wasn't what I was expecting at all- I thought it would be a love affair/secret family type secret but it wasn't! I loved how the different characters were interwoven - at first you had no idea how they were connected but as the story went on, each became an integral part of each others stories. The story is told through multiple characters points-of-view, and while all are living the same week no one really knows what the others are going through (affairs, depression, life-altering confessions, etc.) It just shows you how you think you know your neighbors or friends but do you really? I don't want to give away any spoilers (and its hard to do with a story as intricately woven as this one) but my favorite aspect(s) of this novel (there are two- off the top of my head) are: 1. The butterfly effect - you never know how such a small detail can snowball into something bigger than you ever imagined. This novel does a great job of showing the reader how little decisions can turn into huge, disastrous or wonderful, things in the future 2. The glimpses into alternate paths for the characters - how if they had made a different choice, things could've been better or worse. The theme of the novel seems to be focused on the decisions you make and how they affect your path in life - its a novel of the "What if" game we all play: What if I had taken that job out of town? What if I hadn't broken up with my high school sweetheart? What if I had gone out with my friends that night? What if I had gone on that date? What if I hadn't chosen this line of work? What if... Overall: 3/5 SRP Goal: 13/20 (I don't think I'll make my goal but I did have some unexpected delays and illnesses) My favorite things (next to books) are candles. I love lighting a candle and letting the scent fill the room, hopefully matching the mood and tone of the book I'm reading. I got a new candle (Autumn Sky) and a new book (Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine)! I've been waiting for this book for awhile (it's had quite a long hold list at my local library). I am a sucker for books about or set in libraries (and about librarians too!). I am in love with the "Librarians" TV-Movies and now TV-Show. I think I just have a certain kinship to libraries/librarians. Than and I find libraries fascinating- especially libraries from around the world. This book (Ink and Bone) poses the question "What if the Great Library of Alexandra had survived?" I can't wait to read it!! The tag line "Knowledge is Power" is so enticing! It's going to be a few days before I get to this but hopefully it's as good as it sounds! I started a bookstagram (or an Instagram for books) over the weekend! Feel free to follow me @bibliosoph_bibliophile :) :) (bibliosoph) = (librarian) (bibliophile) = (booklover) I am not a very artistic photographer but I'm going to try to post a picture every other day or so. I do work a full-time librarian job and I also do some consulting for a local university, so I am fairly busy. I am just warning you that the photos might get a little repetitive until my schedule winds down and I can explore more book-ish places (and read more!) I will take any (and all) suggestions for improvement and new ideas for photographs- and books. My to-read pile is huge but I don't mind adding more :). |
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