This month was incredibly intense as various work, personal, and health crises hit all at once. Everything is fine, but it was stressful for a while! I apologize for not visiting and commenting on as many blogs as I usually do — hopefully I will have time for this enjoyable task again very soon.
In spite of all the craziness, I did manage to mount the third annual Elizabeth Goudge Day, with many thanks to all who participated. I always find Goudge’s books to be a source of comfort and solace in such hectic times, so it was actually a helpful focus to have. I hope you found it so as well.
My real-life “Trying to Understand” book club has folded for lack of attendance after three meetings. However, I’ll still be reviewing books on this topic on the blog — Strangers in Their Own Land will be next — and look forward to discussing them with you.
On the plus side, I just discovered that my small town has an ongoing book club that I never knew about, even though I’ve lived here for four years. (Ah, those secretive New Englanders…) The next selections are A Gentleman in Moscow and The Last Days of Night, both of which I really want to read, so I’m excited. I’ll let you know how it goes.
[divider]
Reviews
Bronze and Sunflower was a lovely story of friendship set in rural China.- A new memoir of spiritual enlightenment through abortion, May Cause Love addresses a controversial but important topic.
- For the 1951 Club, My Cousin Rachel was a masterfully ambiguous story of Gothic suspense.
- Towers in the Mist, set in Elizabethan Oxford, was my read for Elizabeth Goudge Day this year.
Other Books Read
- The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier
- The Winged Girl of Knossos by Erick Berry – Review to come
- Smoky House by Elizabeth Goudge – Mount TBR
- The Transcendental Murder by Jane Langton – Mount TBR
- The Incomplete Amorist by E. Nesbit
- It Ends with Revelations by Dodie Smith – Mount TBR
- The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams
- Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild – Review to come
- Why On Earth? by Signe Schaefer – Mount TBR
- The People in the Castle by Joan Aiken
Other Features and Events
- Are you going to Book Expo? If you are, I hope you have a wonderful time!
- I passed my first quarterly Mount TBR Challenge checkpoint. I’m on track so far.
Shared in the Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer, the Month in Review linkup at The Book Date, and the Monthly Wrap-up Round-up hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction
The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
I’m planning to either read or listen to Strangers in their Own Land for Nonfiction November! Or maybe sooner if I decide to listen to it.
Sorry your book club folded. I dropped out of my RL book club…so I guess I should just stick my tail between my legs…haha!
LikeLike
It’s OK about the book club. The good thing is that I discovered an ordinary book club I can join right here in town — and also a group working on progressive issues that I can join. I think I just have to keep those two interests separate, there are not enough like-minded people who want to do both at once.
Strangers gave me much food for thought. I hope you’ll find it does the same for you when you get around to it.
LikeLike
Hoping May is a better month for you!
LikeLike
Thanks Freda. It’s looking up already.
LikeLike
I hope May is a better month for you. I tried doing an online book club and after 6 months of being annoyed with the lack of participation, I just closed it. I passed on any conventions this year as I went last year. However, I do plan to attend RT in 2018. You read quite a bit in April. Have a great week!
LikeLike
Being annoyed with lack of participation is just too annoying. One might be able to build something up in time, but it was too much effort. There are so many other things I want to do, which is not a bad thing!
LikeLike
Oh sorry to hear that you’ve had a stressful month! Here’s hoping that May goes better for you!
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure it will — situations that were stressful have now been cleared out of the way. Plus, daffodils! Thanks for your concern 🙂
LikeLike
Well, onward and upwards, right? Here’s hoping May is a better month! I love book clubs, especially when I don’t have to host or organise them. 😀
LikeLike
I don’t mind organizing things, but I’m not going to beat a dead horse. I was glad to find some existing groups I could slip into!
LikeLike
I’m sorry to hear about your various crises! I hope that all are coming to a good and healthy resolution. Here’s to a better May for both of us! And I hope you enjoy your new book club.
LikeLike
Thanks, me too! I have to get going on the book now…
LikeLike
Sorry to hear you had such a stressful month and that your book club didn’t work out, but that’s great that you found another book club to try! Hopefully this one will work out well for you 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, I’m excited to meet more local booklovers!
LikeLike
Sorry your book club didn’t work out, but I’m glad you found a new one to attend! I’ve been busy lately too, so I can definitely relate!
LikeLike
I’ve been reading A Gentleman in Moscow and enjoying it very much, so I’m excited for the book club meeting.
LikeLike
It’s so hard to balance everything…especially when each activity is important to us, whether it’s a book club or blog, or reading or reading others’ blogs! I found blogging too stressful, but thoroughly enjoy reading others’. I absolutely adored A Gentleman in Moscow. 🙂 I hope life has settled down a bit for you.
LikeLike
It’s not good when blogging becomes stressful! But it’s great that you are still around for reading and discussion. Sometimes I regret that writing posts takes up so much time I don’t have a lot left over for visiting.
LikeLike
Sorry about your book club, but I’m happy to read you found another one reading books on your TBR. I hope May is going better for you!
LikeLike
May has brightened up considerably, thank you — although I’ve not read many books, they’ve definitely been rewarding.
LikeLike