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Whiskey With My Book

~ And a cozy spot to enjoy them both.

Whiskey With My Book

Tag Archives: dog

Weekend Tales

17 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by WWMB in On the Bookshelf

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Art, currently reading, Disa_M, dog, dragons, fae, Georgian, historical, Jane Austen, magic, Nora Roberts

Before I get to the books, I want to talk about a localish news item that happened this week. (To skip my rant, scroll down to the dragon art.) Last month, the city council in Fremont, Nebraska voted to allow parents to request that a book be moved from the children’s section to the adult section of the city’s public library, if they find that book offensive. The policy stemmed from a controversy about a book called Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg.

The book blurb says “….Sex Is a Funny Word is an essential resource about bodies, gender, and sexuality for children ages 8 to 10 as well as their parents and caregivers.” This book, like so many others in the children’s section, is a book that is meant to be shared between parents and children — together.

The councilmember that originally proposed the policy wrote in an email, “It seems straightforward that a taxpayer-funded organization would respect the rights of parents to control what their children see and read and take steps to ensure that is the case.”

I’ve heard this argument many, many times. My response to that argument is actually a question: Which parents have that right to determine what all kids can or cannot read? I think it unlikely that every parent of every child that goes to a library is going to agree on an approved reading list. So, I have two suggestions: 1) let librarians do their job. Librarians are guided by training, collection development policies, reviews and by the demand of their patrons when they decide which books deserve to be added to a collection. Are parents equally guided? 2) Parents absolutely can take steps to control what their children see and read. They can do this by going to the library with their children. Librarians love it when parents and children visit the library together. When I see this, I rejoice in seeing parents foster a love of books and reading in their kids.

Allowing only certain people to decide what everyone should read, is undeniable censorship. The good thing is, this week, the Fremont city council voted 6-2 to strike last month’s ill-conceived policy, citing vagueness and possible discrimination as reasons. While I see the issue as much bigger than lack of clear definitions, I am extremely pleased to see that some lawmakers can make rational decisions.

This is a huge win for intellectual freedom!

(News source: KETV news https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-fremont-city-council-library-policy/43317903)

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And now, on to the books I am currently reading or listening to. If you feel so inclined, please share the books you are reading by posting in the comments at the end.

Lonely Dragon by Disa M

Clicking on the book covers below will take you to Amazon. Use of these links supports this blog and is very much appreciated. I also recommended checking with your library (if you want to save some $$$).

On my Kindle, I am reading Pride and Prejudice) by Jane Austen. Last week I mentioned that my library’s book club is going to read Jane Austin’s original and variations next month. So I thought I should read the original. Have you read it? I now know why I have never read it. This story could have been told far fewer pages! So many words describing so little substance! Thank heavens, language and writing styles have changed (drastically) over the years. I can’t truly say that I like it, but I am glad to be reading it considering all the screen adaptations and book variations I have enjoyed. This very particular version is sprinkled with not a few less than engaging side notes and explanations about the historical setting, observations of characters thoughts and actions and details about the author’s life, in order to add interest to an otherwise not very exciting story. (Note: I just tried, quite unsuccessfully, to write a sentence in the style of Jane Austen.)

About Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is at once a deeply felt love story, a deft romantic comedy, and a sharp exploration of social life and manners in Georgian England. With Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, Jane Austen created two characters whose battles over love have entertained and delighted millions of readers and moviegoers. 

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My current audiobook is The Choice, the final book in Nora Roberts’ Dragon Heart Legacy series. This one was released last November, and I have been on the waiting list since then. But based on the first two books, I feel the wait will have been worth it. Humans and fae meet in a magical world parallel to our own to fight evil, ride dragons, and find love. Plus, there is a dog!

About The Choice

Breen Siobhan Kelly grew up in the world of Man and was once unaware of her true nature. Now she is in Talamh, trying to heal after a terrible battle and heartbreaking losses. Her grandfather, the dark god Odran, has been defeated in his attempt to rule over Talamh, and over Breen―for now.

With the enemy cast out and the portal sealed, this is a time to rest and to prepare. Breen spreads her wings and realizes a power she’s never experienced before. It’s also a time for celebrations―of her first Christmas in both Talamh and Ireland, of solstice and weddings and births―and daring to find joy again in the wake of sorrow. She rededicates herself to writing her stories, and when his duties as taoiseach permit, she is together with Keegan, who has trained her as a warrior and whom she has grown to love.

It’s Keegan who’s at her side when the enemy’s witches, traitorous and power-mad, appear to her in her sleep, practicing black magick, sacrificing the innocent, and plotting a brutal destruction for Breen. And soon, united with him and with all of Talamh, she will seek out those in desperate need of rescue, and confront the darkness with every weapon she has: her sword, her magicks―and her courage…

Tell me! What are you reading?

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – Review

27 Tuesday Dec 2022

Posted by WWMB in Book Review

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

5 stars, academia, Bonnie Garmus, Book Review, chemistry, dog, feminism, historical, Miranda Raison, romance

Review of Lessons in Chemistry

Despite the fact that her early education was atypical, Elizabeth ends up as a graduate student in chemistry in the late 50’s.  The sexism is off the charts, and just before she is about to finish her master’s degree, her advisor (a man) makes it impossible for her to finish.  After that she gets a job as a researcher where, again, men seem determined to prevent her from succeeding.  However, it is at this job that she meets Calvin – the love of her life.  The one and only man who 100% believes in her. 

Elizabeth survives in the male dominated world because she is very strong and won’t take crap from anybody.  Her directness can be funny, sad, or even heartbreaking, but most often it is dead-on inciteful.  The people around her respond to this directness with prejudice or understanding and there is never any middle ground.  The supporting characters are all wonderful.  Special kudos to SixThirty (the very smart dog). 

Elizabeth’s last job is as the host of a cooking show.  Well, that is what the producers think it is.  But Elizabeth gives lessons in chemistry.  And while she is teaching women to cook (because men don’t cook) she is teaching those women so much more. 

I downloaded the audiobook of Lessons in Chemistry from my library.  I loved the narration by Miranda Raison and at the end there is a delightful interview with the author, Bonnie Garmus, during which she explains the many sources of her inspiration. 

If you were a teen or young adult in the 50’s or 60’s, you can probably identify with much of the societal biases that Elizabeth experienced.  But women of all ages will appreciate the wisdom of a woman who knows herself, even if she doesn’t understand everyone around her. 

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About Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. 

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.  

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.

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SFR Galaxy Awards 2018 – My Picks

31 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by WWMB in Book Review

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

airship, anniversary, dog, Donna S. Frelick, Mary Brock Jones, Nita Round, Pauline Baird Jones, post-war, sci fi romance, SFR Galaxy Awards, space opera, spider, Steampunk, Tabitha Lord

Today is the day!  It is my 21st wedding anniversary.

My anniversary just happens to fall on the same day as the announcement of the 2018 SFR Galaxy Awards.  The awards are announced hourly starting at 10am EST.  Head over there if you want to see what has been awarded so far.  In the meantime, since my picks have been announced, I am pleased to present them here.  If any sound like something you must read, clicking on the book cover will take you to Amazon.

My Favorite SFR in 2018 – no particular order….

 

Potent Post-War Setting Award

Aftermath (Hathe, #3) by Mary Brock Jones

In Aftermath, the post war setting of Hathe and its people is a fascinating background. Because of the huge subterfuge the Hathe people pulled over on the Terrans (See books 1 and 2: Resistance and Pay the Piper), the Hathe population has become split between the population that stayed on Hathe and the rest of the population that escaped to the moon, Mathe, and hid there for the duration of the war. Known as the dirtsiders and the moonies, they are not re-integrating into the post-war world very well. The struggles between the two sides of the same people are often heartbreaking. Aftermath has a complex plot, engaging heroes and heroines, and disagreeable villains. The slow burning romance between Jacquel (the understated antihero of the first two books) and Rheia is satisfying. But their roles as revolutionaries in the post war situation are what makes this book a great read.

 

Best Steampunk Transport

Raven, Fire and Ice (Touch of Truth, #1) by Nita Round

I do love steampunk and here is a new-to-me author that is serving up what I want. In Raven, Fire and Ice, Nita Round describes an airship that anyone would love to take a ride on. The airship is THE steampunk machine in this story that takes seems to take on a life of it’s own. Or maybe that life is due to the very able crew. The three main female characters, Lucinda Ravensburgh, who adds a bit of mysticism to the story, Magda Stoner, very capable airship captain, and Officer Ascara d’Jharaena ael Korphen (Officer Ascara for short), security officer, have a lovely flirtatious thing going. While their relationship does not reach the lovers stage they are clearly a very close group and I am anxiously awaiting the next book to see where they go.

 

Arcane History Award

Infinity (Horizon, #2) by Tabitha Lord

Infinity was released in 2017, but I discovered Tabitha Lord’s Horizon series in 2018. The series spans multiple worlds all caught up in both their own struggles and otherworldly problems. The main world, Almagest, has a spotty history. By that I mean, much of the history is unknown, lost during war. However, it appears to be very important. In Infinity, some of Almagest’s history is starting to be revealed through computer logs. But not all, so I can theorize all I want about what’s what. Will my theories prove true? I’m waiting on the next book to find out. In addition to all the hidden history, Infinity includes Derek and Caeli, the hero and heroine from two different worlds who may be the key to saving everything.

 

Arachnophobia Award for Creepiest Villain

Lost Valyr (Project Enterprise, #7) by Pauline Baird Jones

Villains get a bad rap. Yet, they can make or break a story. You know I’m right. So let’s talk about the malefactor in Lost Valyr. Have I given away anything about the villain yet? Specifically, lets talk about Xaddek. So, a giant spider as a bad guy. Personally, I like spiders in my garden. But up close, they are creeeeepy. No two ways about it, Zaddek is really bad! He has been known eat his own crew members. That has got to hamper his overall effectiveness as a captain. Lost Valyr also has one of the quirkiest romantic couples I had the pleasure to read about in 2018. Valyr rarely talks. Rachel makes up for it by filling in all the silent spaces. And did I mention they come from different planets?

 

Favorite Dog Hero

Not Fade Away (Interstellar Rescue, #4) by Donna S. Frelick

Not Fade Away’s heroine Charlie has a dog that I love. His name is Happy. This loving pup wriggles his way into everybody’s heart. Well, maybe not everybody, but at least the important people. Including me, the reader. Hero Rafe may not be too sure about a dog at first. He is not from Earth and has never seen a dog before, but Happy knows a good person when he sees one and eventually they warm to each other. With part of the action taking place on Earth and part off planet, Not Fade Way has constant action that overlays the understated, but crucial romance between Charlie and Rafe. A fantastic addition the the Interstellar Rescue series.

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