#SerialSunday: a quick blog feature where I post Serial Reader progress updates and highlight a recently read selection. For more information about the Serial Reader app, click here: https://www.serialreader.org
CURRENTLY READING //
“The Five Orange Pips” (Sherlock Holmes) by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891, Quick Bite: Sherlock Holmes investigates a series of sudden deaths connected with an apparently omnipotent secret society. PROGRESS: 35%
“The Five Orange Pips” (Sherlock Holmes) by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891, Progress: 35%
IN THE QUEUE //
“Ten Days in a Mad-House” by Nellie Bly, 1887, Quick Bite: The result of an undercover investigation into the brutality and neglect at the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island.
“Ten Days in a Mad-House” by Nellie Bly, 1887, Status: To Be Read
“Wired Love” by Ella Cheever Thayer, 1880, Quick Bite: Romance is sparked across telegraph lines between people who have not even seen one another. Can you imagine?
“Wired Love” by Ella Cheever Thayer, 1880, Status: To Be Read
“Why Is the Negro Lynched?” by Frederick Douglass, 1895, Quick Bite: Douglass attacks the concept of “the negro problem” in post-Civil War America, showing how it is instead “a great national problem” with racism entrenched in the systems of society.
“Why Is the Negro Lynched?” by Frederick Douglass, 1895, Status: To Be Read
RECENTLY READ //
Title: “Anne of Avonlea” (Anne of Green Gables #2)
Author: L.M. Montgomery
Year: 1909
Genre(s): Classics / Canadian Literature / Children’s / Young Adult / Romance
Format: novel
Read on the Serial Reader app
Rating: 4 / 5 stars
Read: July 3, 2020
Notes: can’t put down, classics, novels, new-to-me author, ebook, digital reads, Serial Reader app
Quick Synopsis: The second chapter of Anne Shirley’s life, following her years teaching at Avonlea school. Includes everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed parrot!
Comments: I enjoyed the second book almost as much as the first. Great series; I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get caught up in Anne Shirley’s world!
Discovered Nazi gold and a dead man’s dirty secrets. A grotesque political machine running strong. A trip to Mexico to investigate missing pieces of history. Encounters with Evil. A romance simmering on the back-burner. A vigilante kitty purring on the couch. Martin Roy Hill’s “The Fourth Rising” has a little bit of everything. For more information about the book and author, click here.
NOTE: A DIGITAL COPY OF THIS BOOK WAS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY REEDSY DISCOVERY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
Discovered Nazi gold and a dead man’s dirty secrets. A grotesque political machine running strong. A trip to Mexico to investigate missing pieces of history. Encounters with Evil. A romance simmering on the back-burner. A vigilante kitty purring on the couch. Martin Roy Hill’s “The Fourth Rising” has a little bit of everything.
While reading this novel and getting acquainted with main character Peter Brandt, I became aware of a genre of novels known as “conspiracy thrillers.” While this book fits in perfectly with that genre, it is so much more than a “conspiracy thriller” and was a great introduction to Hill’s work. If you enjoy history (particularly World War II), military/war thrillers, and yes, conspiracy theories, you need to add this book to your list.
The writing is great, the pace is pitch-perfect, and the plot serves up plenty of action and adventure. There’s also a side dish of romance, and a cat named Jack who serves justice to one of the bad guys. Brandt’s encounters with the villains lurking throughout the novel (and there are plenty) are heart-pounding and intense.
It speaks to the quality of the novel when I say that I don’t usually read books like this but I dove right in to this one and couldn’t stop reading. “The Fourth Rising” is part of a series starring former war correspondent Peter Brandt, but also serves as a stand-alone. Although the book makes some references to events in the previous two Peter Brandt novels, not once did I feel lost with the narrative, characters, or plot. It wasn’t easy to put the book down, but it was easy to decide that I’d like to read the other books in the series.
There’s always something “they” don’t want us to see, and Peter Brandt is on the trail of a hidden agenda that will shock and enrage you. Highly recommended for lovers of history and those willing to entertain other versions of historical events. You won’t be disappointed.
NOTE: Logan and I have almost met our 2020 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 50 books! We are so proud of ourselves for reading so much this year 😉
Garth Jeffries’ debut novel is a whale-of-a-tale adventure on the rollicking high seas, blending science-fiction time travel with commentary on today’s working-ourselves-to-death society. For more information about the book and the author, click here.
NOTE: A digital copy of this book was generously provided by Reedsy Discovery in exchange for an honest review. For more information about this book on Reedsy Discovery, click here.
Garth Jeffries’ debut novel is a whale-of-a-tale adventure on the rollicking high seas, blending science-fiction time travel with commentary on today’s working-ourselves-to-death society. Main character Peter Bois surfaces on a 19th century whaling ship with no recollection of how he arrived there, and spends the novel trying to return to modern-day Nantucket to redeem himself to the most important people in his life. It’s a critical mission he’s wholly unprepared for, and there’s much at stake beyond an enticing case of rum — although that will come very much in handy before he makes it back to shore.
The novel, while in need of careful editing and general refinements, supplies a fictional jump-start for a conversation about how many of us are living our daily lives. The story presents several questions some of us, like Peter, are not ready to answer. Are we truly living our most functional, beneficial lives? What choices must we make in order to secure long-lasting happiness and still provide a secure foundation for ourselves and loved ones? What do we walk away from in order to preserve the more important elements of our humanity? Peter Bois faces these questions and more throughout “Starbuck: Nantucket Redemption,” and is one of the lucky ones in finding his answers at the end of the novel.
Jeffries takes the sci-fi time travel genre through a sea portal, making good use of his main character to show that even the most seemingly irredeemable characters can turn themselves around when given the right motivation. Although some parts of the narrative suffer in terms of originality, the story is strong enough to float a much-needed issue to shore. At the end of the day, and ultimately at the end of our lives, we all benefit from changing our focus from greedy self-promotion to loving ourselves and our families in the purest way possible: by simply being there.
More reviews on the way; it’s been a busy reading season!
Greg Hickey’s 2014 science-fiction novel “Our Dried Voices” feels like the lovechild of George Orwell’s “1984” and Ira Levin’s “This Perfect Day.” For more information about Mr. Hickey and his work, click here.
NOTE: A digital copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Greg Hickey’s science-fiction novel “Our Dried Voices” feels like the lovechild of George Orwell’s “1984” and Ira Levin’s “This Perfect Day.” Having read both of those wonderful dystopian classics many years ago, I found Hickey’s book to be heavily atmospheric and of both a despairing yet ultimately hopeful mood. Most importantly, I found myself deeply involved with main character Samuel. It was tough watching him fight an uphill battle to bring himself and his people to a higher plane of understanding and living. Samuel’s discomfort and regret were palpable as he was faced with the realities of living in a future world filled with so much possibility, so much greatness — and yet so many limitations. The irony of one determined man trapped by the restrictions of a blind, unseeing society also reminded me a little of Howard Roark from Ayn Rand’s monument “The Fountainhead.”
Samuel has a unique, singular vision, and this vision takes him on a quest. He can see beyond the limitations of his community; he has innovative ideas and knowledge that was only gained by his innate curiosity and craving to know, learn and discover. Without these qualities, our hero would not have stepped beyond the confines of the Colony or ever questioned reality; he would never have learned of another life or thought it possible to live that life. The book constantly reminds the reader that these qualities are both a blessing and a curse, as Samuel’s long, hard journey proves throughout.
This gritty work of fiction is relevant to today’s events, as we seem to be creeping ever closer to the vision eerily imagined by George Orwell. Samuel, Penny and the Colonists face a real catastrophe of human thought, ambition and validation. Hickey’s novel asks the important philosophical question: are we truly validated as human beings if we are deprived of the very things that make us human? Flesh and blood on the outside, dead souls within — this is not what the Creator intended for us, and Samuel is on a quest to prove it.
Readers will find Hickey’s narrative as intelligent and descriptive as Orwell’s, with a message speaking to the modern-day consequences of collectivism, “groupthink” and mass hysteria. We are living this reality right now in the wake of COVID-19. We as a society are being manipulated by a not-so-secret evil force pulling the strings of our humanity. We will either wake up like Samuel and strive for greatness and freedom, or continue to rest in the pasture like the sheep we’ve been programmed to be. I highly recommend taking this journey with Samuel and Penny. You’ll finish the book in awe of how a work of fiction can highlight what’s happening in the real world in the eeriest of ways.
I can’t help my shelf! I’ll start Mr. Hickey’s novella “The Theory of Anything” soon; I also look forward to reading his next book “Parabellum” (coming Fall 2020). More reviews on the way; please stay tuned!
THEMES: Recovery, addiction, sexuality, childhood, abuse, life, struggle, spirituality, motivational/inspirational, overcoming obstacles, against all odds, etc.
NOTE: A COPY OF THIS BOOK WAS PROVIDED FOR FREE BY REEDSY DISCOVERY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
David P. Wichman, sexual healer, entrepreneur, author and survivor, has written a riveting recovery memoir full of heartache and redemption. Readers are calling it “captivating,” “authentic,” “inspiring,” “beautiful,” and “a masterpiece.” Do yourself a favor and read this memoir. You can purchase the book on the author’s website.
David P. Wichman – author, speaker, sexual healer, and entrepreneur — has written a riveting recovery memoir with co-author Heather Ebert, a life story teeming with deep despair and ultimate triumph. Wichman’s memoir is a gritty and grotesque depiction of the deep wounds a lifetime of abuse and trauma, drug and alcohol addiction, and debilitating life choices can leave on a person.
The memoir hits the ground running with Wichman’s foreboding incarceration, opening a rock-bottom chapter in his life when the laundry list of illegal and destructive acts of his past finally catch up with him. Wichman writes “My life pivoted sharply in September 2005, and after decades of struggle and failure, I found my way to freedom from my addictions, as well as an abiding gratitude for the wonder of my own existence.”
He tells the story of a troubled soul, a lost boy whose life was forever altered by catastrophic events outside his control. He spends decades trapped in desperate situations, most of them initially inflicted by others – but many of them self-inflicted as he grows into a displaced adulthood, physically and emotionally. There are moments when the reader might feel overwhelmed, but Wichman’s experiences and perspectives are well worth exploring until the last page.
The seamless balance of light and dark frees this often-heavy memoir from being potentially morose. The content itself is far from pleasant, but the writing is substantive and beautifully poised. Best of all, the reward for riding this roller coaster is a man’s eventual spiritual discovery, personal and professional enlightenment, and hard-won optimism for life over death. This story is brutal, but it is vital.
NOTE: This book is replete with sensitive topics and events. The descriptions of childhood sexual abuse, adult sex work, and drug use might be overwhelming for some readers.
As of May 8, 2020, I became an official reader/reviewer for a book-discovery website called Reedsy Discovery. My application was approved and now I’m staying busy and entertained reading and reviewing various independent titles, before and after publication. I am so excited to be a member of the site; I can’t wait to discover more independent gems!
The publishing world would be much less interesting without self-publishing formats and indie presses. Not every author wants or needs to go the way of a “traditional” or “mainstream” publisher. Honestly, many of those publishers wouldn’t know a great story if it smacked them in the face. I’ll read just about any book, regardless of the publisher. As long as it’s an interesting story with great proofreading/editing, I’m there!
The first book I discovered on the Reedsy platform was the spiritual recovery memoir “Every Grain of Sand” by sexual-healer, author, and entrepreneur David P. Wichman. I’ve been sharing articles and information about Mr. Wichman’s memoir (published March 10, 2020) to spread the word about his amazing story.
I made contact with Mr. Wichman after signing up to review his book, which launched today on Reedsy. His story is entirely unique and inspiring, and if you’d like to check it out, here’s a link to his website: https://dpwichman.com/ My review of Mr. Wichman’s memoir is/will be all over social (Reedsy Discovery, Goodreads, NetGalley, Litsy, Amazon, etc.) but of course I’ll post it here as well. I’m so excited to share this title with the world and witness Mr. Wichman’s future projects 😉
I’ll be spending a lot of my time reading and reviewing for Reedsy Discovery, but I’ll definitely maintain my presence here on the blog. I’ll be checking in from time to time to post updates and reviews, share links to great titles, authors, and publishers, and posting general bookish goodness. You know, the stuff I try to do every now and then anyway. I have been stumped for unique features for the blog beyond reviews and updates, and for now I think that’s all I’ll have time for anyway!
I hope everyone is taking care out there, and following their dreams wherever they may lead…even if they lead you *GASP* outside your home! Seriously, get out there and LIVE YOUR ONE PRECIOUS LIFE! And tell me what you’ve been reading, please, because I still need constant book recommendations! You see that sun shining outside? Take your book out there and enjoy it!
First thing we’d climb a tree And maybe then we’d talk Or sit silently And listen to our thoughts With illusions of someday Cast in a golden light No dress rehearsal This is our life
— “Ahead by a Century,” The Tragically Hip
“An Inward Treasure is Born” (Season 1, Episode 4)
In between daily nursings, bottle feedings, nappy changes, fussy time, playtime, and the beloved naptime, I carve out time for a humble little Netflix show called “Anne with an E.” Based on the classic “Green Gables” and “Avonlea” books by L.M. Montgomery — a series I am just now exploring — the show debuted in March 2017, ran for three seasons with promise of a fourth, but was discontinued in November 2019. Fans of the show took to the internet in hopes of saving the show, to no avail. (I didn’t start watching the show until this time, or I certainly would have protested the end of “Anne.”)
According to representatives for the show, the reason for the cancellation was the disintegrating partnership between the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) and Netflix. Basically, the CBC didn’t want to partner with Netflix for big-budget series to help further Netflix’s economic security ahead of their own. As usual, it came down to money and self-serving interests. However, like Anne, I have an overactive imagination and I can think of several reasons why the show probably would not have lasted in today’s world. (I’m surprised it made it to three seasons).
“What We Have Been Makes Us What We Are” (Season 2, Episode 16)
“Anne” is too much! She’s too honest, loving, intelligent, bold, dramatic, passionate, etc. a character for most viewers to relate to
We are living in a one-dimensional world, and I see evidence of it everywhere in modern society, especially entertainment. I contend that “Anne” the character, and the show itself, are too intelligent for many – certainly not all — viewers tuning in to platforms like Netflix. Most streaming offerings cater to the masses with bright-colored, flimsy fluff that has little substance. Everything seems too predictable, and most plots are thin and devoid of soul. The few shows like “Anne” that tend toward something a little different, something much deeper and meaningful…well, they tend to crash and burn while still in their prime.
“Anne” the character is certainly intense, but everything about her personality seems to be what is missing from modern entertainment. She’s meant to be exasperatingly funny, dramatic, intelligent, creative, passionate, frustrating, mind-boggling, etc. She’s both unpredictable and a contradiction in terms, with her head in the clouds and her feet firmly planted on the ground. Her soppy enthusiasm for life isn’t as inane as it first appears, in either the book or show, for she’s not boundlessly happy. She has dark and sad moments where she’s utterly hopeless and melancholy. She’s anything but a one-dimensional character, and sadly, I’m afraid she’s just too much for the modern viewer. In reflecting our own natures right back at us, Anne’s intensity might be her downfall.
“Struggling Against the Perception of Facts” (Season 2, Episode 15)
The show addresses serious themes and issues (like abuse, racism, sexism/gender inequality, xenophobia, discrimination based on sexual orientation/differing lifestyles, family/societal pressures, etc.) and it gets heavy often
I am nearing the end of the show, and plan to watch it again in the future. (I am reading the second book “Anne of Avonlea” so I cannot speak for the content of the book series yet.) “Anne” is one of those shows where you have to think and feel and reflect and a lot of people don’t want to do that. Especially during current times, when the stress of everyday can feel overwhelming enough, we don’t want to think about the heavy items in life. But shows like “Anne” force us to, and there are precious few moments of true escape when faced with such serious entertainment.
“Anne” takes place during the late 19th century in the fictional community of Avonlea, on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and finds the feisty redhead fighting for social justice in some capacity almost every episode. Each forty-plus-minute episode (27 total) addresses significant issues facing society, proving that Bob Dylan wasn’t completely accurate; the times haven’t changed as much as we’d like to believe.
Throughout the short-lived series, Anne fights valiantly for many principles and people in her close-knit circle: she works to educate and enlighten Matthew’s hired help Jerry Baynard; she pushes for community acceptance of Cole Mackenzie, a gay classmate, friend, and fellow creative; she campaigns on behalf of the unconventional “schoolmarm” Miss Muriel Stacy; and perhaps fights hardest throughout the trials and tribulations of her friendship with “kindred spirit” Diana Barry. Throughout the show, Anne struggles to come to terms with her past, and the revelations surrounding her parents and her adoption history set up and sustain the show’s overarching drama. There is nothing half-ass about Anne’s fighting spirit, and the themes get heavy, maybe too heavy if one is not in the mood for it.
Racism and xenophobia also play a role in the series, as do themes of gender inequality and family/societal pressures. None of this is easy to digest, in entertainment or the real world. Again, “Anne with an E” provides multi-dimensional perspectives and considerations of these issues, allowing Anne to serve as moral guide and/or conscience. This might feel like emotional and mental “homework” to much of today’s viewers.
“Signs are Small Measurable Things, but Interpretations are Illimitable” (Season 2, Episode 9)
I’m afraid the show, even with its adventures and misadventures, isn’t “riveting” enough for most
“Riveting” means “completely engrossing, compelling,” and as mentioned above, while these themes and issues are exactly that, many people don’t turn to entertainment to indulge in those things, but to escape them; “Anne” does not provide that luxury. Personally, I’m thankful for TV shows that require more than just a basic attention span, making me think and feel. That’s my idea of “riveting,” but I’m strange like that.
For many, “riveting” media includes at least some of the following elements: sex/nudity, action/adventure, violence/gore, shock and awe, various modes of vulgarity, etc. and without those things, many modern shows suffer. (I’m shocked that “Game of Thrones” didn’t air for 18 seasons, considering those elements were available in surplus. I stopped watching “GOT” after a few seasons because I saw that it was just another gimmick.) “Anne” is as far from a gimmick as one can get, and there were enough of us watching who would have loved to continue the “riveting” conversations the show put forth. As usual, these good things must come to an often-premature end.
“What Can Stop the Determined Heart” (Season 3, Episode 20)
Those who haven’t read the books probably aren’t interested
Even though I almost passed on the show because I haven’t read the series yet, I am glad that I took a chance on this one. The script is great, with a wonderful cast, and visualizing the characters while reading adds to the enjoyment for me. Those who have not cracked the cover of the first book are not likely to dive into a wholly unfamiliar show, and 27 episodes is a big commitment for people who haven’t already fallen in love with the likes of Anne, Marilla, Matthew, Mrs. Rachel Lynde, and other various characters.
“The Growing Good of the World” (Season 2, Episode 17)
As a self-described “old soul,” I find it hard to dive deep into today’s media. There’s not much available for people like me who crave shows with heart, intellect, and passion. Forget the sex, violence, drug use, etc. that has come to define most of the entertainment industry; “Anne” is and always will be more my speed, and I’m not going to apologize for that. No accounting for taste, but there’s also no accounting for common sense. What is common sense, really, in a world where “Anne with an E” was cancelled right when it was just getting started?
So, just what was this humble little show accomplishing before it was cruelly struck down, financial bottom line or otherwise?
Bringing critical issues to the forefront of discussion? Check.
Not relying on gratuitous elements to attract an audience? Check.
Bridging the gap between classic literature and modern entertainment? Check.
Showing the modern world that humanity, humility, and grace are still quite possible, despite signs everywhere saying otherwise? Check.
Highlighting the importance of reading, books, and having an imagination? Check.
The wonderful universe of “Anne with an E” is just too much for the world — and probably always will be. Too bad because I relished the idea of season 4. But I’ll move on, for Season 1 Episode 6 is titled “Remorse is the Poison of Life” and isn’t that the truth!
Let me know what you think about this commentary; please share your thoughts!
“Anne with an E” is available on Netflix for your viewing pleasure.
L.M. Montgomery’s classic series is available in several formats, including the convenient Serial Readerapp.
Allison Barilone [send her mail] writes about the books she and her 8-month-old son read together in the blog Baby Stole My Book. Her first blog is called { pages for breakfast }, formerly Readage. She is passionate about literacy and maintains a rigorous social media presence to stay connected to the bookish world. She daydreams of libraries in between changing nappies. Her motto is: “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way,” unless the library is in that direction, then of course go back.
Logan and I read a stellar children’s book about Katherine Johnson. If you’ve seen the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures,” you already know about her. She was an amazing woman, and I was proud to introduce my son to her story. We will revisit this one when he’s older.
BOOK DETAILS A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison 2019 Hardcover, 40 pages Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Logan and I read another stellar children’s book a few days ago — this time about a real-life figure we were already somewhat familiar with: Katherine Johnson. If you’ve been living under a rock the last few years, you might not have heard of this awesome lady…
{ pages for breakfast } 
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