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Books Memes

The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle

The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was originally published in 1891, and is my first selection for the 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Conan Doyle is obviously famous for his Sherlock Holmes series, but this lesser known book was apparently one of his favorites. It’s set in the Middle Ages — a period in history that I really like to read about.

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Art & Illustration Memes

Friday Face Off #2: Book with “Moon” in the Title

The Friday Face Off meme was created by Books by Proxy  and hosted by Lynn. For each week’s theme, we select a matching book and compare its different book covers across editions. Perfect for a visual fix!

Theme for Friday Face Off #2 is:

Books with ‘Moon’ in the Title

I’ve decided to take a lighter note on this, and go with P.G. Wodehouse’s Full Moon. A very funny book involving an artist, a pig and a castle. Mayhem ensues!

When the moon is full at Blandings, strange things happen: among them the commissioning of a portrait of The Empress, twice in succession winner in the Fat Pigs Class at the Shropshire Agricultural Show. What better choice of artist, in Lord Emsworth’s opinion, than Landseer? The renowned painter of The Stag at Bay may have been dead for decades, but that doesn’t prevent Galahad Threepwood from introducing him to the castle – or rather introducing Bill Lister, Gally’s godson, so desperately in love with Prudence that he’s determined to enter Blandings in yet another imposture. Add a gaggle of fearsome aunts, uncles and millionaires, mix in Freddie Threepwood, Beach the Butler and the gardener McAllister, and the moon is full indeed.

Although I find the centre cover to be the funniest, the first one looks the most eye-catching. And the third one matches the story the best! Hmm, tough choice. I think I’ll go with the first one for this Friday Face Off #2, which manages to catch the comedy of manners without looking too absurd!

{Edited: January 10, 2021, to fix the image glitch.}

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Books Memes

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny: #VintageSciFiMonth

What if the Gods were alien invaders on another planet? What if they jealously guarded treasures of the advanced technological variety from the non-Gods? And, what if one day, someone decided to open up those treasure vaults to the rest of the world? That’s the theme of Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.

Lord of Light is a 1967 science fiction book and is my first book for the Vintage Science Fiction Month (not a reading challenge) of January 2021.

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Index Memes To Be Read Books

2021 Reading Challenges & Memes

Reading Challenges & Memes

It’s time to set out reading goals for 2021. I’m not fully certain of my own commitment levels, nor am I very clear about the rules yet … But the reading challenges and memes below are the ones I most hope to participate in. If you’re reading this, perhaps you too will find some interesting prompts in here. (Will also update this list from time to time.)

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Art & Illustration Memes

Friday Face Off #1: Dressed in White

The Friday Face Off meme was created by Books by Proxy  and hosted by Lynn. For each week’s theme, we select a matching book and compare its different book covers across editions. Perfect for a visual fix!

(I’m obviously late to this meme, but so eager to grapple with book cover art!)

Theme for Friday Face Off #1 is:

Dressed in White – could be a person could be a landscape – or something else completely?

In Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White, there is literally a character dressed in white, a mysterious figure at the heart of this classic Gothic mystery from 1859. A gallery of a few of its book covers below:

My own personal favorite from these is the Vintage Collins edition in the middle row, to the left. I think that cover captures the theme of the mysterious lady seen at night, dressed in all white, very well indeed. This has been a fun Friday Face Off!

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Memes Recommendations

Hamnet & Six Degrees of Shakespeare

Six Degrees Hamnet

It’s time for #6degrees. Start off from the same place as other wonderful readers, add six connected books, and see where you end up. Inspired by the Six Degrees of Separation Meme hosted every month at Books are my Favorite and Best.

January 2021’s book is Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, winner of the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Hamnet is a fictional account of Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, who died at the age 11 in 1596, and his wife Agnes, about whom we have heard so little.

Hamnet reminded me of all things Shakespeare; so for today’s Six Degrees, let’s travel today across works inspired by the Bard.

Categories
Best of List Memes Music & Poetry Recommendations

Favorite Books of 2020

Favorite Books of 2020 - Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every Tuesday, you pick ten books on that week’s topic. And this week, we spotlight our favorite books of 2020.

This is a necessary ritual for wrapping up the year, and so here are my top ten reads for 2020.

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Art & Illustration Memes To Be Read Books

Top Ten Bookish Gifts from Santa

Gifts from Santa

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every Tuesday, you pick ten books on that week’s topic. And this week we pick our favorite bookish gifts from Santa!

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Books Memes Recommendations

Classic Remarks on Cordelia’s Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

I recently discovered the Classic Remarks meme, hosted by Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound Reviews. I am very late to Classic Remarks, but it looks great and the topic for December 18 is very interesting:

Tell us about your favorite science fiction classic.

So, here it is: Cordelia’s Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, my gateway read into science-fiction, way back in 2012. In many ways, it’s like stepping into the Star Wars world (the older Star Wars Episodes IV-VI, I mean). This is a repost of my review from that time, for this old favorite.

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Art & Illustration Memes

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers for the Winter

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every Tuesday, you pick ten books on that week’s topic. And this week, we get free room to pick ten reads for the Winter season.

Here are the book covers that made me go Brrr…! with a Sigh this December.

All in all, Winter seems to denote so many things: #Christmas #snow #Rest&Relaxation #forgiveness #the never-ending pursuit of love #Santa Claus #mountainous adventures #gifts #irony #nostalgia #bottled memories #friendships in odd places #fairytales by the fireside #laughter #miracles, and of course, #moments of kindness.

Which bookish things does cold season remind you of? Would love to know!