The Monday Book Report, Edition #2

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Mailbox Monday

It's Monday!  What Are You Reading? 

The Sunday Post @ caffeinatedbookreviewer 

WHAT DID I READ THIS WEEK:  I only finished two books this week.  "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou and Colleen Coble's "The View from Rainshadow Bay"  

My Thoughts: I have long respected Maya Angelou and her gift with words.  She was a very special talent.  

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" chronicles her early life.  She is very open and honest about the life she led.  Her upbringing was not an easy one. She was very introverted and impressionable.  Thankfully a good woman put a book in her hand and gifted her with a love of reading. 

Ms. Angelou's writing is so engaging and her word choice spins a tale with very heavy subject matter, yet she is able to somehow capture her very own light and weave it throughout. 

What a gift that was given to us in Maya Angelou.  5*****

My thoughts:  Colleen Coble is one of my favorite authors. She has a way of blending mystery and Christianity that no one else does. 

"The View from Rainshadow Bay" is the first in the "Lavender Tides" series.  

The setting on the primitive natural Olympic Coast of Washington with the lavender fields and the wooded terrain was a definite draw.  She did a superb job of being descriptive with this location, which definitely brought life to the story. 

The characters are flawed but endearing.  You want to root for them from the very beginning.  The romance is secondary but needed in the storyline. 

The mystery itself is very creative and Coble does a wonderful job of weaving everything together at the end.  

4****

FAVORITE QUOTE(S) FROM A BOOK I READ: This week I have three, all from "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"

Of all the needs (there are none imaginary) a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be hope and a hope of wholeness, is the unshaking need for an unshakable God.

The world had taken a deep breath and was having doubts about continuing to revolve.

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning.

WHAT BOOKS DID I BUY/BORROW THIS WEEK:  

Year One, Chronicles of The One, Book 1 by Nora Roberts  (purchased e-book) 

This next one I am super excited about!  The Illustrated Lark Rise to Candleford 
(purchased real book) 

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (borrowed via Kindle Unlimited) 

WHAT IS THE BOOK I MOST WANT TO GET MY HANDS ON RIGHT NOW: 

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman This would be for an online book club on YouTube 

WHAT ARE MY READING PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK: To finish "The Little Prince" and "Porch Lights" by Dorothea Benton Franks and start Nora Roberts "Year One" and Mohsin Hamid's Exit West and to keep working on my face-to-face book club read for Sept 19th, "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes.  

ANY NEW BOOK EVENTS OR BOOK NEWS ONLINE OR IN YOUR TOWN?  Now I am long past due for sharing this, but it is one of the biggest book events in Detroit.  It is in July every year. I have never been!!!  Mostly because of I have anxiety, especially in crowds.  I do hope to try and attend next summer!  Detroit Bookfest 

A goodwill effort to help generate a deeper love and appreciation of books in the Greater Detroit community

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