BW26: Pearls, Pearls, and More Pearls

Courtesy of National Geographic and John Humbert 

Do you remember back in the 90's when pearl parties were all the rage.  One of my friends hosted and I 'found' three pearls. They are still in little pink folders in my jewelry box.  Occasionally I take them out, reminisce and back in they go.  One of these days I'll figure out what to do with them.  

Have you managed to spell Pearl or read a book about pearls or by an author named Pearl or one with Pearl in the title yet?  If not, you are in luck.  This week, Monday June 26th is Pearl S. Buck's birthday.   In 1938, she was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature - 

"for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces".

I remember reading Pearl S. Buck's books way back in my 20's, but I think it was my mother's Readers Digest condensed versions which is probably why I didn't appreciate her works as much as I should have at that age.  As we say with age comes wisdom and since I've finally developed a fondness for historical fiction, I'm ready to dive in.  How about you?  

We have many choices since she wrote over 70 books including novels, story collections, biographies, autobiographies, poetry, drama as well as Chinese translations.  Learn more about Pearl with Peter Conn's Rediscovering Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography or through writer Anchee Min's Pearl of China.  Plus check out writers following in her path at the Pearl S. Buck Writing Center and read author contributions in the Spring 2017 Literary Journal. 

Stories with Pearl in the title include: 

You can follow a few rabbit trails and read about Pearl Harbor, the band Pearl Jam or even art in the Islamic empire with Pearls on a String.

Happy reading! 

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading. Every week I will put up Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week. No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link to the current week's post

BW25: June Equinox

Happy Father's Day to all our dad's.  Are you ready for the June solstice - the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere?   The Solstice is upon us Wednesday the 21st and Summer officially begins here on the northern side of the world.   However, it seems to have arrived a few days early.    We are in the midst of a heat wave with over 100 degree temps expected for a week or more, so I'll be hibernating at home, cool and cozy.    

You can jump into summer or winter reads, depending on your location,  choosing books that are synonymous with the season. Or you can dive into one (or two or three) of those chunky and dusty books sitting on your shelves that you haven't had to time to read during the busyness of the year. A number of Well Trained Mind 52 Books readers are taking the plunge with Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, including myself. 

If you've haven't read War and Peace, now would be a great time to do so.    If you've already read the story, it is the perfect opportunity to  reread it.  I read it a few years back and devoured the story in a couple weeks, so I'm looking forward to reading it a bit more slowly and taking in all the fine details.  

Tolstoy blends history with fiction to create a fascinating, educational, classical story about war, politics, society, family, love, culture, and power. A character study during the early 1800's and impact the French invasion of Russia had upon five aristocratic families. 

Synopsis (Briggs translation):  "At a lavish party in St. Petersburg in 1805, amid the glittering crystal and chandeliers, the room buzzes with talk of the prospect of war. Soon battle and terror will engulf the country, and the destinies of its people will be changed forever. War and Peace has as its backdrop Napoleon's invasion of Russia and at its heart three of literature's most memorable characters: Pierre Bezukhov, a quixotic young man in search of life's meaning; Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, a cynical intellectual transformed by suffering in war; and the bewitching Natasha Rostov, whose impulsiveness threatens to destroy her happiness. As they seek fulfillment, fall in love, make mistakes, and become scarred by conflict in different ways, these characters and their stories interweave with those of a huge cast, from aristocrats to peasants, from soldiers to Napoleon himself. Battles, love affairs, births, deaths, changing family fortunes, unforgettable scenes of wolf hunts, Russian dancing, starlit troika rides, the great comet of 1812--the entire spectrum of human life is here in all its grandeur and imperfection."

Have I talked you into it yet?  *grin*  If you aren’t completely convinced, check out Andrew Kaufman’s Give War and Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times.  Also check out Tolstoy Therapy’s  Why Read War and Peace: Reasons why I love Tolstoy’s Masterpiece  and also his  Tips for Reading War and Peace. 

We're going to take it slowly with plenty of time built in to talk about the story.  There are four volumes, with three to five parts each and the epilogue.  Each volume will probably take you approximately two to three weeks depending on your reading speed, plus the density of the story.  

Volume One

Part 1  Ch 1 to 25 (110 pages)
Part 2  Ch 1 to 21 (95 pages)
Part 3  Ch 1 to 19 (100 pages)

Volume Two

Part 1 Ch 1 to 16 (56 pages)
Part 2 Ch 1 to 21 (78 pages)
Part 3 Ch 1 to 26 (79 pages)
Part 4 Ch 1 to 13 (54 pages)
Part 5 Ch 1 to 22 (75 pages)

Volume Three 

Part 1 Ch 1 to 23 (87 pages)
Part 2 Ch 1 to 39 (154 pages)
Part 3 Ch 1 to 34 (122 pages)

Volume Four 

Part 1 Ch 1 to 16 (57 pages)
Part 2 Ch 1 to 19 (49 pages)
Part 3 Ch 1 to 19 (49 pages)
Part 4 Ch 1 to 20 (60 pages)

Epilogue 

Part 1  Ch 1 - 16 (157 pages)
Part 2  Ch 1 - 12 (41 pages)

Join us in reading Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace!

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading. Every week I will put up Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week. No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link to the current week's post

BW24: Happy 20th Anniversary to Harry Potter!

In 1990 the imaginary world of Harry Potter began while J.K. Rowling traveled on a train from Manchester to King's Cross.  J.K. Rowling was twenty five at the time and over a five year period, mapped out the seven books in the series.  The first book was published on June 26, 1997 by Bloomsbury Children's books, titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.  A year later,  the book was published in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  


This month Bloomsbury is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and has released four new editions, in both hardback and paperback of  The Philosopher's Stone, each with the crest of the family houses on the cover. The books are also available on Amazon.uk and I've ordered the whole set.   Beginning October 2017, the British Library will launch an exposition, inspired by and including Harry Potter and the history of magic.   

The story caused quite a turmoil within many religious communities leading to debates over the the use of witchcraft and magic and how it would influence children.   The controversy stirred my curiosity so I read the book and fell in love with Harry Potter's world and went on to read the whole series.  When my son was old enough to read the series, we read them together and currently listening to the series in audio book.  We're just finished Harry Potter and the Half Book Prince.


If you haven't had the opportunity to listen to the books yet, they are available on Audible.   Jim Dale is an awesome narrator, capturing all the character's voices, bringing the story alive, pulling you into their world.  

Join me this month is reading Harry Potter! 

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading. Every week I will put up Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week. No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link to the current week's post.

BW23: Fantasy June

American Gem Society 

Adieu fair May, bonjour sweet Fantasy June.   June is turning into a very busy reading month. We are celebrating all things fantasy including the 20th anniversary of the publication of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  We are also celebrating Father's Day and well as the June Solstice which ushers in Summer in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter in the Southern Hemisphere. With the beginning of Summer, we will be also diving into a summer read-along of  Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace starting on June 18th. 

We have three birthstones to choose from the the June Birthstone Bookology reading challenge - Pearl, Moonstone or Alexandrite.  You may choose to spell out the word, reading one book per letter or read a book with the name or the colors of the stone in the title.  Or perhaps find an author whose name is Pearl, Moonstone, or Alexandrite.   You may decide to find a book set in the time period where the birthstone was discovered or surrounding the myth and lore or set in countries where the birthstone is currently found.

The first recorded mention of natural pearls was in 2206BC by a Chinese historian. Cultured pearls (those grown on pearl farms) were produced by the Japanese and Chinese sometime in the 20th century.  Moonstones were discovered back in ancient times and Pliny wrote of how the stone's appearance shifted with the moon phases. The discovery of Alexandrite dates back to imperial Russia where it was found in the emerald mines in the Ural mountains. 

We'll be exploring both Fantasy and Science Fiction over the next two months.  Our armchair travels this month are taking us into the world of Fantasy as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, as well as the imagery worlds that exist outside of ordinary life, time and/or space.  More on the world of Harry Potter next week.    The fantasy genre encompasses a wide range of subgenres from fairy tales and myth to alternative history to magical realism to alternative histories to romance fantasy, just to name a few.   

There are a plethora of fantasy sites with plenty of books and articles including:

Unbound Worlds 
Tor
Literary Escapism
Fantasy-Fiction, 
Best Fantasy Books
SFSignal


Plenty of rabbit trails to follow and opportunities to fill your shelves with intriguing and entertain and/or fun beach reads.  

Happy Reading! 

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading. Every week I will put up Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week. No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link to the current week's post.