You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

If the two chosen books are not to your liking, you can read another book that fits this month's theme of 'body of water in title'.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have read the book before or during June 2021.
2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read. Please elaborate on your thoughts on at least 5 of the following topics:
- Setting
- Characters
- Writing style
- Genre
- How the book made you feel
- Which parts stood out
- Did you/will you read more by the author
- Anything else related to the book you find worth mentioning

This can be done in one post after finishing the book, but preferably in a few posts while reading. Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (include a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions. See our spoiler policy
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

Happy reading!

I have both of the chosen reads on my wishlist, but don't own them. So instead I'll read A Long Petal of the Sea, which comes in handy for my museum challenge as well.

I only read the first few pages, but so far I'm impressed. The writing is beautiful and I feel like I'm there, in civil war Spain. I'm immediately captivated. Let's hope it stays that way!

I'll have to put it aside for the toppler as I don't think I'll finish before then. Don't really like that, but didn't know what else to start and it's too long to go without a book.

I don't expect that I'll have any time to add an extra book in this month with the toppler and G coming for his visit. However, I do have a couple of books that fit the theme that also work for the yearly challenge for me, so I'm going to post them here. That way, if I do have time to pick one up I'll remember which ones work best. I only need one of these.

17 - The Island of Sea Women or The Light Between Oceans

or

25 - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

I have Cerulean on my list but not motivated to read it yet. So instead I'll read Our Castle by the Sea, which I've just got.

I enjoyed the first 2 a lot Kristie. Haven't read the other one.

Thanks, Peggy. I started The Light Between Oceans once when a friend recommended it, but couldn't get into it. I always want to give it another try, so I picked up the audio when it was on sale. I figured I'd try it in another format.

I'm hoping to read River Marked.

That's a great option, Sarah. I always forget to consider where I am in my series for the themes.

Oh right, could have done that too!

I'm 15% in my book. Still interesting, but a bit too much like a history lesson this last chapter.

I may try to read one of the above books or The Whiskey Sea for the yearly challenge during the toppler. I started Winterkeep and I don't know if I'm just not in the mood for it or if I've just forgotten too much of the series already. I may try to do a re-read before going back to it. In the meantime, The Whiskey Sea will fit the task I was planning to read Winterkeep for. Fortunately for me, all four of the books have female authors, so they fit for the toppler. Or maybe that's unfortunate since it isn't narrowed down at all. lol

Ok, in thinking about it, I need The Whiskey Sea for badge one and just one of the other three for badge 2, so I guess I should start with that one. I will wait for the toppler to start though, since I'm also reading Malibu Rising, so I'm not bookless.

I'm 30% through Our Castle by the Sea and enjoying it so far. The story sets in Dover, a coastal town in England. The characters, which I love their names (Magda, Petra), and how they call their mom Mutty, live in a lighthouse. It reminds me of one of Famous Five book by Enid Blyton where they had an adventure in a lighthouse. Maybe since then I found lighthouse astonishing. I ever went to one of lighthouse in my town but too afraid to climb the spiral stairs. Still regretting it.

The story gets complicated when the WW2 started and they had to paint the lighthouse green, children had to live separately from their parents, etc. And thing got worse for them cause (view spoiler)[their mother is a Germany and she had to go to tribunal for 'enemy alien'. This term reminds me on how Japanese also labeled as enemy alien in US around that time. (hide spoiler)]

I have no favorite character so far but I dislike Briggs's family, particularly the father and son. Cause they like accusing people, threatening them, cursing them under their breath, and so on. Like father like son.

I just started listening to An Ocean of Minutes for the toppler.
This title was in the newly acquired list of my library and it made me curious. It starts in an alternate 1981, There is a pandemic. Time travel is possible and is a way to get away of the virus.
The MC sign on to travel 12 ahead as a bonded worked so her boyfriend will receive an adequate treatment. They have a plan for him to met her when she get to 1993.

I am not far in the book but it is obvious that this are not as clear cut as they are supposed to be and that it will not go according to plan.

I am going to be starting Sea Wife I thought about using it for the monthly challenge because the cover is just so beautiful, but I will be finishing a non fiction first so it is going to make the technical round lol.

I'm 56% through my book. Should have finish it today but got distracted by other books. I like short passage and this book help me read more than I usually do.
The story made an unexpected turn which makes everything complicated. And with that (view spoiler)[Petra's family is torn apart. (hide spoiler)] The book mentioned about saving British's soldiers at Dunkirk and I remember Dunkirk movie where boats came for the deserted soldiers. I wonder if they are the same event.

I was hoping for a happy end but with war nothing is certain.

Finished my book yesterday and love it! At first, I thought it was too soon for me to read another historical fiction, but turned out it is more into mystery which I like better.
I don't like how Magda acts in most of the story, enough to make me boiling. But maybe Petra's point of view makes her look like a bad sister so I can't blame her. Another interesting thing I noticed is that sometime good people do bad things, and that we can't tell what is on someone heart only by their appearance.

It was a fun way to learn history and I'll definitely read her debut novel and will patiently wait to get a hold of her new book!

I put A long petal of the sea away for the toppler, and now picked it up again. I read a bit this afternoon and am now at 50%. I find it quite slow. There's a lot of telling, not showing. It feels like a chunky book while it's actually quite short.

I have The Mill River Recluse on my museum list, but I am still hoping to luck out and get The House in the Cerulean Sea to read.

I'm 75% done and it's becoming more and more of a struggle. The book has 300 something pages and over 40 years have been covered already. It's just so much explaining that it often feels like a (boring) history lesson.

Hmm, Peggy, I am not feeling good about this now. I downloaded the audiobook for A Long Petal of the Sea from my library yesterday. I was thinking I could use it for my museum task for South America, but I cannot tell if it is all in Spain or what, from the summary. I cannot use the author for the task because she is a US Citizen now.

I am not really looking for a history lesson, but I do not know much about what happened in Spain during WWII, so I thought it might be interesting. I am going to give it a try. I can always send it back to the library... ;o)

I am only at 12% into Sea Wife and I don't know what I was expecting, but the sad tone is to much for me right now... and it has even gotten to the sad part. I am putting it on the back burner.

Besides the library just got a copy of Frenchman's Creek in for me. Maybe I will manage to get to it this month.. lol

Peggy wrote: "I'm 75% done and it's becoming more and more of a struggle. The book has 300 something pages and over 40 years have been covered already. It's just so much explaining that it often feels like a (bo..."

Oh dear! I have the books as well.

Oh, that's disappointing, Peggy. It's never a good sign when a short book feels long. I hope the end picks up enough for you to finish it up quickly.

It might be me! The GR rating is 4.03 or something.

@Cherie: only a small part is set in Spain, most is set in Chile. WWII is mentioned in the sense that it is happening at some point, but that's all. The book starts somewhere in the 1930s and I'm now in the late 70s, so there's also not much room to deeply go into historic events.

Awesome, Peggy. I was really looking for the South American setting. The book info on GR only indicates Spain for setting.

I will start it tomorrow, probably. I am currently glued to my eco-terrorist thriller!

Let me know your thoughts Cherie :)

I woke early and couldn’t go back to sleep so I started listening to the audiobook of A Long Petal of the Sea. I am currently in part two, chapter 5. (view spoiler)[ Victor and Roser were married and they have been accepted by “the poet” to immigrate to Chile. (hide spoiler)]
I am really enjoying the narration by Edoardo Ballerini. I have listened to him before.
I like the way the story has progressed through the Spanish civil war, getting to know the characters. I must be getting used to hearing about the terrible consequences of the soldiers and civilians, of the horrible conditions and sickness and hunger. I had no idea of what had happened to the Spanish refugees and how the French treated them.

I just read what I wrote above. It sounds awful to say that I am getting used to those things. I meant that I have read so many other WWI and WWII stories like this. I used to avoid anything like these kinds of stories, but I realized that I could not stay under my rock and only read science fiction or fantasy and that I needed to become more informed about the war histories. Not my favorite topics, but the stories of courage and how people overcome the hardships and everything that they endured make me grateful to be where and who I am. This book is very similar to many of the other historical fiction books I have read/listened to recently, including The Last Green Valley and his first book, Beneath a Scarlet Sky.

I know what you mean Cherie. I think it also depends whether things are mentioned or graphically explained, and I think in this book it's more mentioning of bad things than going into detail.

Yes, Peggy. On the one hand, it does sound more "history lesson", in this respect, but I can deal with that. ;o)

For me, Cherie, I have been avoiding the World Wars especially Holocaust stories because I had been so “into” them for a long time, and just needed a change. But I still believe that reading fictional stories help me to learn about how our society has evolved and how events - tragic, devastating, horrific events - have made our world the way it is now. I finished How Beautiful We Were a story about the exploitation of a small African community by an American oil company and felt the utter hopelessness of the situation. I’m currently reading Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray about the Indigenous people of Australia. Another utterly devastating setting.
For this task I’m reading(listening to) The Lady in the Lake. It’s classic crime noir. Is that a thing? Anyway, it’s a deviation from my recent reads. This is one of Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe stories. I’ve never read one before, but after only a few chapters, I know I’m going to enjoy it. The narration makes me feel as if I’m watching one of those old black and white TV detective/crime shows.

Cherie wrote: "I woke early and couldn’t go back to sleep so I started listening to the audiobook of A Long Petal of the Sea. I am currently in part two, chapter 5. [spoilers removed]
I am really enjoying the na..."
I enjoyed A Long Petal of the Sea. Like you, I hadn’t known about this part of Spanish history.

Shirley- I love the Phillip Marlow stories. I need to read/listen to #3 next. I agree about the old black and white movie ambiance. If you like Chandler, you will like one of his contemporaries- whose name escapes me. ( I will look him up and let you know.) If your library has them, the Nero Wolfe series are great listens. He is a detective and his right hand man is Archie Goodman. They were written by Rex Stout. Michael Prichard is the narrator. Another guy took over the series after Stout died, but there are over 40 original series books. Sherlock Holmes is my escape but I love old mystery series!

Shirley - The author’s name is Dashiel Hammett. King wrote him in as a character in one of her Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes books. He was a real person. He wrote The Maltese Falcon. Sam Spade is the detective. He also wrote the Nick and Nora Charles books, The Thin Man and The Thin Man Returns and others.

Cherie wrote: "Shirley- I love the Phillip Marlow stories. I need to read/listen to #3 next. I agree about the old black and white movie ambiance. If you like Chandler, you will like one of his contemporaries- wh..."
Thanks Cherie. I’ll definitely be reading more Raymond Chandler books.

Cherie wrote: "Shirley - The author’s name is Dashiel Hammett. King wrote him in as a character in one of her Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes books. He was a real person. He wrote The Maltese Falcon. Sam Spade i..."
I had The Maltese Falcon on my TBR for a long time, then borrowed the audiobook from the Library but I didn’t like the narration. I’ll have to get the hard copy to read,

Listening to this book The Lady in the Lake narrated by Ray Porter makes me feel as if I’m watching one of those old black and white TV detective/crime shows, where the characters all smoke cigarettes and drink whiskey or gin all the time, often for breakfast. There’s a lot of atmosphere created when describing smoke curling from a lit cigarette, or the clink of ice cubes in a glass. The detailed descriptions of what characters are wearing, or what a house looks like, all help to clearly visualise the action. It’s like creating a movie set in the reader’s mind.
The author has a unique way with words and comes up with some very clever lines. Here’s a few examples:

“The upper part of his face meant business. The lower part was just saying good-bye.”

“His voice seemed to come to me from a long way off, over a hill, through a thick silent growth of trees.”

“The minutes went by on tiptoe, with their fingers to their lips.”

“I don't like your manner," Kingsley said in a voice you could have crack a Brazil nut on. "That's all right," I said. "I'm not selling it.”

I will definitely be reading more of Raymond Chandler.

With the exception of the Nero Wolfe books, I enjoy reading the old detective stories more than listening to them. Like your examples show, the text is worth seeing. You can stop and LOOK at the words and think about how they go together and make you visualize what was said. With the audio, you don’t really have time to savor and visualize them without stopping the story and going back. Maybe it is because of the old movies that so many of them were based on. I can hear certain old actors’ voices in my mind and picture the scenes.

Cherie wrote: "With the exception of the Nero Wolfe books, I enjoy reading the old detective stories more than listening to them. Like your examples show, the text is worth seeing. You can stop and LOOK at the wo..."
Yes that’s true. And it is impossible to write them down as you’re listening. In this case I was lucky that some of my favourites were listed on the Good Reads page, so I could copy/paste.

I finished listening to A Long Petal of the Sea yesterday afternoon. I gave it three stars and wrote a short review today. On the whole, I have to agree with Peggy. It was just too much to take in all rolled out in such a long, long sequential time line.
There were parts that will stay with me, but much of the last 40 years of the story became so hard to keep up with, except for a few events revolving around the family members. The times and conditions in Chile were just too much like the Spanish Civil War, and even though they happened in my life time, I could not make them seem real. I am glad I can use it for my museum challenge.

I'm sorry it wasn't a great read for you either Cherie.

They can’t all be, Peggy. I have read four of her books, so far and gave three stars to two of them. I have three more on my TBR list.

Shirley wrote: "Listening to this book The Lady in the Lake narrated by Ray Porter makes me feel as if I’m watching one of those old black and white TV detective/crime shows, where the characters a..."

I like his choosing of words. While it is unique, it's still easy to understand. Maybe I'll put him on my list