What I'm Reading Monday

Nothing in the mailbox this week so I am going to participate in What Are Reading? Monday over at J. Kaye's Book Blog. It's a great way to see what everyone is reading and find some more books to add to those tbr lists.

I've got a nasty cold so not much reading was accomplished this week. I am seriously thinking of joining the 24 hour read-a-thon which would really help me catch up on some reading. Sounds like fun too. The only thing holding me back is knowing that our library book sale is on Saturday. It's a tough choice.

This week I am still reading The Postmistress for the Barnes and Noble First Look Book Club. I'm trying to stick with the schedule. It's a really good read so far. A little choppy but I think I am getting the rhythm of the writing now.



The other book I'll be reading this week I scored from the library. I have been wanting No Time To Wave Goodbye for awhile. I felt lucky to have gotten it from the library and can't wait to get started on it.

What are you reading this week?

Wondrous Word Wednesday

Wondrous Word Wednesday is a fun meme hosted by Kathy also known as Bermudaonion where you share new words you have run across in your reading. It's a lot of fun so come play along!

This week my words came from The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan which by the way was an excellent book.

rouleau- a roll of ribbons (I figured it had something to do with yard goods but never would have thought ribbon)

She holds up a delicate tulle, a coil of rouleau, and another of soutache, all of the same luminous gray.

purslane- a trailing Asian weed having small yellow flowers, reddish stems and fleshy leaves that are sometimes cooked or used in salad

Beneath the garden's canopy of foliage, purslane spreads it's weedy tendrils.

crokinole= an action board game similar to carrom or marbles with elements of shuffleboard or curling reduced to table top size (I knew it had to be a game but had no idea it was a board game)

It can happen during a meal, a game of crokinole, or even mid sentence as he speaks.

quoins- a wedge used to anchor other items

The builder had not skimped, and Mother likes to recite the evidence-the raised Quoins of each corner, the hood moldings over each window and door, the keystones cut from single pieces of rock.

What new words did you run across this week? Funny but spellcheck did not like my words.

The Day The Falls Stood Still

Synopsis(courtesy of Barnes and Noble)
Steeped in the intriguing history of Niagara Falls, this epic love story is as rich, spellbinding, and majestic as the falls themselves.

1915. The dawn of the hydroelectric power era in Niagara Falls. Seventeen-year-old Bess Heath has led a sheltered existence as the youngest daughter of the director of the Niagara Power Company. After graduation day at her boarding school, she is impatient to return to her picturesque family home near Niagara Falls. But when she arrives, nothing is as she had left it. Her father has lost his job at the power company, her mother is reduced to taking in sewing from the society ladies she once entertained, and Isabel, her vivacious older sister, is a shadow of her former self. She has shut herself in her bedroom, barely eating-and harboring a secret.

The night of her return, Bess meets Tom Cole by chance on a trolley platform. She finds herself inexplicably drawn to him-against her family's strong objections. He is not from their world. Rough-hewn and fearless, he lives off what the river provides and has an uncanny ability to predict the whims of the falls. His daring river rescues render him a local hero and cast him as a threat to the power companies that seek to harness the power of the falls for themselves. As their lives become more fully entwined, Bess is forced to make a painful choice between what she wants and what is best for her family and her future.

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of Niagara Falls, at a time when daredevils shot the river rapids in barrels and great industrial fortunes were made and lost as quickly as lives disappeared, The Day the Falls Stood Still is an intoxicating debut novel.


My Review

This was an interesting book for me. I have never been to Niagara Falls although I have always longed to go. The book has old pictures and articles throughout the book which make it even more intriguing. The Falls are not only the setting for the novel but actually seem like a character. Bess Heath's life Takes a drastic change at age 17 when she she arrives home from school. Her father has lost his prestigious job, her older sister is no longer engaged and hides in her room, and her mother has taken in sewing jobs. Quite different from the high society life they were all used to before. Bess meets Tom Cole on the trolley platform and is instantly smitten with him. Tom Cole is a river man knows the Falls like the back of his hand. He also knows if the power companies have their way the Falls will be changed forever. There are many rough bumps for these two as they fall in love and grow. Her family is dead set against Tom as he is not from their place in society. The story flows quite well and there are many twists and turns to keep the story interesting. There is much history intertwined in the story. I loved both Bess and Tom. I saw them as true soul mates. This book was hard to put down once I started reading it. It is a great love story but yet it tells some of the story of Niagara Falls. I never knew it was such a dangerous, tragic location. The Falls are beautiful but many have paid the ultimate price there. I would say it is one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I scored this book at the library. I would give it 5 stars.

Wondrous Word Wednesday

Wondrous Word Wednesaday is weekly meme hosted by Bermuda Onion where you share new words and their meanings that you have come across in your reading. I just finished The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim. I was sure glad the book had a glossary.

1.yangban- aristocratic class, or an aristocat, through heredity

"She's the yangban calligrapher's daughter." (pg. 15)

2.Hangeul- Korean vernacular language and writing.

"They say they will teach them hanguel, Korean, even if they cover Japanese grammar first." (pg. 17)

3.sijo- classic Korean form of poetry consisting of 3 lines, each with fourteen to sixteen syllables, with the middle line the longest. The first line presents the theme or idea, the second line develops, challenges or counters it, and the third line resolves the poem, sometimes with a surprise ending.

Midful of Pahk's misfortune, he dusted his collection of sijo and other poetry, classical essays and history books. (pg. 80)

The definitions are from the glossary in the book. I sure learned many Korean names and words reading this book. What words did you run across this week?

The Calligrapher's Daughter

The Calligrapher's Daughter is the story of Najin Han. It takes place over a 30 year span during the Japanese occupation of Korea which I knew very little about.
At age five Najin learns she is nameless as her father, Han refuses to name her. He is a calligrapher and a political activist who has led a proper but privileged Korean life. He is very set in the old Korean ways and traditions. He refuses to name his daughter as he wrongly blames her for the political unrest and does not accept her. It is sad and shocking to me. She is finally given the name Najin from her mother's home town. Najin is smart and headstrong. She is allowed to go to school until she is fourteen at which time her father arranges a marriage ti a twelve year old boy with an excellent family pedigree. Najin's mother tricks Han into allowing Najin to go be with her aunt instead and be of service to the royal family. They convince Han this would make Najin more desirable for marriage later on. Eventually Najin is educated and becomes a wife. Najin turns into a strong independent woman who I greatly admired. The story addresses the many struggles the family has during the occupation. I learned so much about Korea during the time period that I never knew before. I am ashamed to say I did not know much about Korea and it's people at all. Eugenia Kim wrote a beautiful story of love, family, honor and tradition. It is not a fast read due to the Korean names and words but it is a book to be read slowly and savored. Eugenia Kim has also included an glossary in the back of the book to help with the Korean language. The Calligrapher's Daughter is Eugenia Kim's debut novel which was inspired by her own mother's life. I would give this book 5 stars.

The Brutal Telling

I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. It was my first book from this author and her series but I think I will be reading the other books in the series as well. The story takes place in Three Pines which is a small village near Quebec. A body is found in the Bistro run by Olivier and his partner Gabri. No one seems to know who the dead man is nor how he he got there. Of course there are many suspects and there are many interesting finds along the way. I don't want to get into too much of the story as it would spoil the mystery but there are many twists and turns. Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are a unique bunch of characters as are the village residents. You can't help but fall in love with Three Pines thanks to Louise Penny's wonderful descriptions of the village. I had a distinct picture in my mind of Three Pines. I could imagine myself walking through the village or the woods. Some of the villagers are quite amusing. There is even a duck that wears clothing. And the description of the food at the Bistro had my mouth watering! Others have said the authors writing reminds them of Agatha Christie. It's been many years since I have read one of her books but I did get the same feeling too. It has been many years since I have read a mystery and I found this mystery a great way to dig into mysteries again. It was truly enjoyable. It was a great whodunit! Now that I feel so at home in Three Pines I will be sure to visit again. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Thanks to Tara at St. Martins for this ARC.

Fall Into Reading

Today is the kick-off for The Fall Into Reading Challenge hosted by Katrina over at Callapidder Days. I have always wanted to do this challenge but didn't have a blog. So now I get to participate too! I'm very excited. The challenge begins today September 22 and goes through December 20. It's a fun challenge without a lot of rules. Post a list and read away! I'm starting with 10 books and if I get them read I'll add more to the list. I may have some library books come in that I reserved too.

1. The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim
2. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
3. Sworn To Silence by Linda Castillo
4. Sarah's Promise by Leisha Kelly
5. Confections Of A Closet Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado
6. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
7. Beautiful Mess by Diamond Rio
8. Blue Like Playdough by Tricia Goyer
9. The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett
10. The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock
11. The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
12. No Time To Wave Goodbye by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Now to get my special reading throw out, fix my favorite mug of tea and get reading! I'm thinking a bag of candy corn would be good to munch on too! First I need to see what everyone else is reading!