Tag: Books

My Friday Post: The Friday 56 Weekly Meme: The Song of Achilles

 

Friday 56

I came across The Friday 56 Meme via Caffeine and Books:

https://caffeineandbooks42.wordpress.com/

So I thought I’d do something different and have a go at The Friday 56 Meme for my Friday post this week.  I chose The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller  as it is definitely a book that I intend to read soon.

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It is a weekly meme hosted by Freda’s Voice, click on the link to her blog, and the rules are pretty simple:

  • Grab a book, any book.
  • Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
    (If you have to improvise, that’s OK.)
  • Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it).
  • Post it.
  • Add the url to your post on Freda’s Voice.

“And I? I was shy and silent with all but Achilles; I could scarcely speak to the other boys, let alone a girl. As a comrade of the prince, I suppose I would not have had to speak; a gesture or a look would have been enough. But such a thing did not occur to me. The feelings that stirred in me at night seemed strangely distant from those serving girls with their lowered eyes and obedience. I watched a boy fumbling at a girl’s dress, the dull look on her face as she poured his wine. I did not wish for such a thing. “

Now doesn’t that short quote just make you want to read the book? It certainly sets my curiosity into hyper drive!

Here’s the Goodreads synopsis :

A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly re-imagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, Miller’s debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction’s brightest lights. Fans of Mary Renault, Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series will delight in this unforgettable journey back to ancient Greece in the Age of Heroes.  

Have a Happy Friday and a great weekend.

Happy Reading, Writing, and Creating. Enjoy yourselves, let me know what you’re reading, or intending to read. I’m currently about half way through Lisa Williamson’s debut novel The Art of Being Normal, more to come on that soon!

TO IMAGINE, TO HOPE, TO TRANSCEND, TO TRANSFORM

Amazingly inspiring post from Writer, Lecturer and Broadcaster, Pandaemonium on global access to books and libraries. This is a must read for all bookish souls.

Kenan Malik's avatarPandaemonium

jacob lawrence library 1

I gave a talk at the launch at London’s Institut Français of Libraries without Borders, the charity inspired by Patrick Weil that aims to increase global access to books and libraries. Also speaking were Ian McEwan, Lisa Appignanesi, Barbara Band and Patrick Weil himself. Here is a transcript of my talk.

Let me begin with a story not of a library or a book but of a grand piano. The one grand piano in Gaza, that was discovered still intact in a theatre destroyed by an Israeli missile during last year’s war. A piano that has been restored string by string, hammer by hammer, by Claire Bertrand, a young French music technician who travelled to Gaza specially to bring the piano back to life, in a project financed by Daniel Barenboim.

Last week, the piano formed the centerpiece of a concert, in which 15-year old Sara Aqel, the…

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Fabulous Non-Fiction Favorites

Had to reblog – Very interesting list of Non-Fiction books to read from Bookshelf Fantasies. I have Jon Krakauer Into Thin Air. So many other choices take a look……….

Ones to Read in 2015

Ones to read in 2015 via The Writes of Woman.

naomifrisby's avatarThe Writes of Womxn

There are a number of preview lists in the media at the moment. Rather than tell you what’s coming up, I’ve been reading 2015 titles since October so I can recommend books I think you should watch out for in the first half of 2015. Bar the bottom three titles – which are by three of my favourite writers and therefore, highly anticipated by me – I’ve read everything included on here; all of these books are very good and some are superb.

Full reviews will follow on the week of publication. All publication dates are UK and subject to change.

An Untamed State – Roxane Gay

On a visit to her parents in Haiti, Mireille is kidnapped in front of her husband and baby son. When her father holds out on paying the ransom, she’s subjected to brutal attacks. Her family will have to come to terms with the…

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Top Tips to Market your Ebook Online

Top tips to Market your Ebook online from Alana Munro The Author Who Supports.

What Kind of Cat Are You? Quibblo Quiz

 

353px-Adult_Scottish_Fold

 

I had a go at this fun quiz from Quibblo on my new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kyrosmagica/posts/926828083997927.

What Breed of Cat Are You? It came up with Scottish Fold, a cute breed with folded ears, silver fur and yellow eyes. The Scottish Fold’s little ears give it an owl like appearance. They are loving, good natured, and playful!  Folds are also known for sitting with their legs stretched out and their paws on their belly in the “Buddha Position.”

Wikipedia Facts about The Scottish Fold:

  • The Scottish Fold is featured in-depth in the short novel,  The Cat Who Went to Paris by Peter Gethers. The book and its two sequels, A Cat Abroad and The Cat Who’ll Live Forever: The Final Adventures of Norton, the Perfect Cat and his imperfect human document the life of Gethers and his Fold, Norton, from their first meeting to Norton’s eventual death and Gethers’ experiences after the loss.

Fiction

In the 2012 novel The Bone Bed, Kay Scarpetta rescues a Scottish Fold cat from a murder victim’s home. She brings her home to meet the greyhound rescued in an earlier novel. They apparently get along well.

In the Anime series Beyond The Boundary, the Youmu form of the Anime-exclusive character Ai Shindo is a two-tailed Scottish Fold cat.

In 2009, Maru, a Scottish Fold cat, became an Internet sensation due to his obsession with boxes. Due to his Internet popularity, several commercials have been produced featuring the cat.

 

Popular YouTube bloggers, Simon and Martina aka Eatyourkimchi acquired a Scottish Fold kitten, Dr. Meemersworth, in July 2012.

“Waffles” is the name of a Scottish Fold cat, featured on the Facebook page “Waffles The Cat”. The page has over 440,000 likes as of July 2014.

What sort of Cat best describes you? Do tell.