Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week theme is Books with Handwriting on the Cover (Or fonts that look like handwriting. Titles, subtitles, covers with letters on them, etc.). There is a publisher that I read quite a lot from who tends to put their author names on the cover in a cursive like font, but I am going to see how far I can get but focussing only books where it is the title that is in cursive. On some covers it might be the whole title but on others it is just words like the or on!
A Venice Summer by Lynne Shelby - I read this a couple of months ago and enjoyed it a lot.
The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson - This one was sitting on my desk right in my eye line so I couldn't not have this on the list even though I haven't read it yet!
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page - same with this one really
An Italian Island Love Story by Leonie Mack - This might look more like handwriting if you squint at it slightly but it is there!
Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Cafe by Jessica Redland - Isn't this cover fun?
The Seaside Book Club by Helen Rolfe - This is a cute cover too!
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa - This is such an eye catching cover. I am glad that it is the one that got.
The Cottage at the Edge of the Woods by Jane Lovering - The contrast between the block letters and the cursive is very effective as we can see on several covers in this list.
The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien - It's only one word but it still counts!
The Boulangerie on the Corner by Susan Buchanan - And now I want to eat France and eat lots of fresh bread.
Welcome to this month's edition of Six Degrees of Separation, which is a monthly meme hosted by Kate from Books Are My Favourite and Best. The idea is to start with a specific book and make a series of links from one book to the next using whatever link you can find and see where you end up after six links. I am also linking this post up with The Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz and A Good Book and a Cup of Tea hosted at Boondock Ramblings.
This month the starting point is The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig
The first book I thought of when I saw the title was The Postmistress by Alison Stuart, set in the goldfields of Victoria in the late 19th century. (my review)
Alison Stuart has written a mystery set in colonial Singapore under the name of A M Stuart. Singapore Sapphire is the first book in the Harriet Gordon series which is set in the early 20th century.
A recent release that I really want to read is The Singapore Secret by Clare Willis which is set in WWII Singapore
I had some Singapore books in a recent Six Degrees post, so I wanted to make sure I didn't choose those same books again. Therefore, instead of choosing another book about Singapore, I am going a different route (pun intended). The last time I travelled via Singapore I was reading The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa, which was the first time I had participated in the Classics Spin. (my review)
I am participating in the Classics Spin again this time and the book I will be reading is Careful, He Might Hear You by Sumner Locke Elliot which is set in 1920s Australia and won the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 1963.
A recent Miles Franklin Literary Award winner that I have read is Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran, which won the award back in 2023.
Next month's starting point is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week the theme is Books About/Set In Places on My Bucket List (submitted by Rachel @ Sunny Side). In theory this is an easy topic for me as I read a lot of books set in places I would love to visit. I have done entire posts just on Paris alone, France, and Greece, Japan, previous holiday destinations, armchair travelling and more. As I start this post, I am away for Easter on a island called Phillip Island which is a couple of hours away from home. So, my twist this week is that I am going to focus on books set on islands, however, I am limiting it to islands that are not countries. To be fair, I could probably do this topic several times over! I am saving islands that are also countries for another time.
Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett - This book is set on Bruny Island which is in Tasmania. I just read this one recently!
The Bad Bridesmaid by Rachael Johns - A lot of this story takes place on Norfolk Island which is a place I would love to visit (my review)
The Secrets of the Huon Wren by Clair van Ryn - This is another book set in Tasmania (my review)
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa - This one is set in Sicily (my review)
The Islander's Daughter by Patricia Wilson - I am currently reading this one which is mainly set on a Greek island called Milos during WWII
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - I think a lot of islands are magical but this one is set in a magical world!
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See - This book is set on the island of Jeju in South Korea
The Sweet Life Cafe by Helen Rolfe - Set on an island in the Channel Island (my review)
The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman - Takes place on a tiny island just off the Australian coast where the only structure is a lighthouse
Over the Seas to Skye by Sue Moorcroft - This is the third book in the Skye Sisters trilogy which are all set on the Isle of Skye in Scotland (my review)
I am feeling the pressure of the end of month at the moment. I have set myself the goal of finishing all the categories in the Goodreads Challenges, I have library books due back and book club is next week. I then have several review books due in the first week of April. I do feel like I made quite a bit of progress this week though.
One of the book I needed to finish was my first Classics Club Spin selection which was The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. I read most of this on the plane last week so I was able to finish it off and write my review this week! Go me!
I had started Heir Apparent by Australian author Rebecca Armitage before I went away but I had to return the library book when I was only half way through. I ended up buying it so I could finish it. I ended up having a bit of fun with it. This was my selection for the Star Selection category of the Goodreads Challenge.
Then I needed to reread The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs. This is the current Cook the Books selection. I have decided what I am going to cook, and when I say I I actually mean what Robert will cook, and just need to finish the post ready for next week. A quick look at the top of this post might give you some idea what direction my thinking is going.
My next two reads were both for the Goodreads Challenge. For the Persona Picks category I read We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida and for Choice Archive category I read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
I started reading The Rebel Romanov by Helen Rappaport as my selection for Her Story in the middle of the night on Saturday night. I am not sure if non fiction books should be middle of the night reading really!
I also started reading Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett for my book club selection. The theme this month is books you have borrowed from someone. I borrowed this from Bree at All the Books I Can Read more than 10 years ago so it is probably time I finally read it!
I'm watching
Nothing really
Life
I have picked up a cold/flu/infection on my travels which I could have done without. I have felt very average all week and today my ears are blocked so I don't think it is quite done with me yet!
I did take some time this weekend to say farewelling to Jane who used to blog from Janezworld (also Life at Number 8 and a blog/zine thing that was A String of Pearls). She passed away last week. I actually met Jane pre-blogging days on the Oprah Book Club boards. Jane and I almost met in person a couple of times but it didn't quite happen. She was, however, always very supportive of me and I was sad to hear of her passing.
Earlier this year I decided that I am going to try to read some classics this year. I therefore decided to join in with the Classics Club Spin and the first selection for me was The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa whose titles were 11th Prince of Lampedusa and 12th Duke of Palma. He wrote this book over a period of years but it was only published after his death.
I was pleased that this was the book chosen as it was quite a small book compared to some of my other options! It felt like quite an accessible start to my Classics Club Spin adventure. I then decided that this is was the perfect book to read on my recent long haul flight, which it was and it wasn't.
The Leopard tells the story of the coming of change to Sicily from independence to being part of the Kingdom of Italy. The Sicilian Prince of Salina is a man who is walking on the edge of a precipice. He is used to a certain way of life, of wealth and the privilege that comes with it. But times are changing, and the days of Sicily being independent are coming to an end. It is the 1860's and Garibaldi has overthrown the royal family in Naples. The Prince and his aristocratic family needs to adapt and quickly.
The Prince has several children but really his most beloved is his nephew Tancredi, who he does everything he can to assist. When Tancredi declares that he is joining Garibaldi's army, known as the Red Shirts, the Prince sees it as an opportunity to have a foot in both camps. Later we see Tancredi as he falls in love with Angelica, the beautiful daughter of a nouveau rich neighbour, which will be extremely advantageous for a man with a good pedigree but no real assets. This leave one of the Prince's daughters heartbroken
The writing in this book was quite dense at times, so it did take me a bit longer to read than I might have expected. I was, however pleasantly surprised by how funny some sections of the book were. For example, there is a funny scene where The Prince is having a bath and the priest comes to visit him and the Prince basically shows him everything! It bought to mind the story of Winston Churchill working while in the bath during WWII.
There were, however, odd little elements of foreshadowing where we find out that things are going to happen, particularly during WWII.
I am so glad that this was the book that came up for this Spin. Let's hope the next Spin works just as well for me.
This book not only counts for the Classics Club Spin but also for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. It also counts for the Books in Translation challenge as the book was originally written in Italian and is translated by Archibald Duke. The book also includes a few extracts of text that were discovered after the book was originally published.
Before I went away last week I carefully constructed a reading order to decide which books I wanted to read while I was away taking into consideration various challenges, upcoming review books and other factors. It would appear that I was kidding myself as I read on the plane on the way to India on Monday, and then didn't pick up a book again until Friday afternoon once work was done!
I did make a good deal of progress with The Leopared by Tomasi de Lampedusa which is my current read for The Classics Spin. I have enjoyed this one, although it is taking me a bit longer to read than I otherwise might normally.
The other book I finished was James by Percival Everett. This book was everywhere last year and I can see why. It also filled three categories in the current Goodreads challenge!
I am very conscious that I have multiple library books due back that I can't extend and so there is every chance that they will be going back to the library unread. For some of those books it won't be the first time!
I'm watching
I didn't actually turn the TV on while I was in Kolkata. I did, however, have plenty of times for watching movies and I watched four good ones.
On the way to Singapore I watched Rental Family, which stars Brendan Fraser. It is set in Tokyo and is about an American actor who is hired out to play roles in people's lives. For example, he plays a reporter who is supposedly interviewing an elderly actor about his life. It was a really nice movie and worth a watch.
On the flight from Singapore to Kolkata I watched an Italian movie called The Tasters. It is about a group of women who were forced to become the tasters of Hitler's food to check that it wasn't poisoned. The existence of these women and their role only came to light in the 1990s so it was a very interesting story.
On the way back I watched a movie from New Zealand called Tina. It was out here last year and I really wanted to go and see it but I didn't get to it. It was a lovely movie, very sad though. It is about a woman who is depressed following the death of her daughter in the Christchurch earthquake. She is forced to go back to work as a teacher in a rich school and it is about her providing inspiration to a whole new group of students.
And finally I watched a French movie called Nun in the City. This is currently showing here as part of the French Film Festival so I was delighted to find it on the movie channel on the plane. This was such a fun movie. A bit silly, but fun nonetheless. A nun named Lucie finds herself discovering what life is like after 20 years in a convent.
Life
Well...what a week! It started with a good week's wedding last Sunday evening, and then the rest of the week I was in Kolkata in India! I never imagined I would get this kind of opportunity in my line of work so to get the chance was amazing! It was also very intense and tiring. It was so much fun to meet our offshore team in person and they were so welcoming!
The company that they work for is massive, and at the campus we were visiting there are something like 18000 people working there at any one time, with round the clock shifts, so around 27000 in total. And they have six other offices in the city as well, and then more around the country. It is mindblowingly big!
The hospitality was incredible. We were really looked after very well. We had a driver everyday as well as 3 course buffet style lunch every day and they took us out to dinner at a very nice restaurant as well! On two nights they took us out to see a bit of the city including visiting Victoria Monument, the Ganges River, the Mother House where Mother Theresa lived and worked and more.
My bosses went home earlier than I did, so I got some extra time with the team and then on Saturday I had a day to myself so I went on a sights and sound tour! There were definitely both of these. I was able to visit the Mother House again and take a bit more time, as well as visit the pottery area of the city, College Street which is where the book markets are, the flower markets and walk on the Howrah bridge. Here is a short video from College Street. There is a really large area covering several blocks which is just stall after stall of booksellers.
I will say that it was very humid, which I struggle with but that aside, it was a great trip with lots of great memories created!
Who knows if I will get to go again, but if not, I am grateful that I had the chance to go this time
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