Friday Fives #6 – Baby it’s cold outside

Posted June 18, 2021 by elzaread in Friday Fives / 21 Comments

Greetings you guys! It’s Friday and this week was a bit topsy turvy. Mommy and Daddy was away for a long weekend and Wednesday was a public holiday. Although Thursday and today has been enough for a whole week! Luckily it’s time for the weekend and to get reading a bit. I don’t think we are going to feel like doing anything else. It’s cold and raining out there and I guess winter is here to stay.

We are not going to do a lot of link-ups today, just Connect Five and Friendly Fill-ins. Let’s start with Connect Five hosted by the BookDateConnect Five is really very easy – just pick 5 books that are connected in some or other way. Theme, cover, genre, author – you name it.

Sticking with the cold weather out there, let’s link books with ice or snow. Proudly brought to you by the gorgeous snow queen I was named after.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey – Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart – he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season’s first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone – but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place, things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them. 

 
My Mommy loved this book so much. It bordered on melancholy, but it was gorgeous and we can’t recommend it enough.
Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Saviet – Kraków, 1939. A million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. This is no place to grow up. Anna Łania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father, a linguistics professor, during their purge of intellectuals in Poland. She’s alone.
And then Anna meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall, a skilled deceiver with more than a little magic up his sleeve. And when the soldiers in the streets look at him, they see what he wants them to see.
The Swallow Man is not Anna’s father—she knows that very well—but she also knows that, like her father, he’s in danger of being taken, and like her father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. She follows him into the wilderness.
Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgment, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous. Even the Swallow Man.
This one might not be for everyone and only a couple of the ladies in my Mommy’s Book Club enjoyed it as much as my Mommy did.
One by One by Ruth Ware – Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?

When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?

Really a good winter mystery thriller. Although my Mommy figured out quite early on who the killer is, it didn’t spoil the book at all.

The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eger – It’s 1944 and sixteen-year-old ballerina and gymnast Edith Eger is sent to Auschwitz. Separated from her parents on arrival, she endures unimaginable experiences, including being made to dance for the infamous Josef Mengele. When the camp is finally liberated, she is pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive. The horrors of the Holocaust didn’t break Edith. In fact, they helped her learn to live again with a life-affirming strength and a truly remarkable resilience. The Choice is her unforgettable story.
 
We are currently reading this one and it’s as heavy as the biggest log you can place in the fire hearth. You should read it. 
 
The Ice Swan by J’Nell Ciesielski – 1917, Petrograd. Fleeing the murderous flames of the Russian Revolution, Princess Svetlana Dalsky hopes to find safety in Paris with her mother and sister. But the city is buckling under the weight of the Great War, and the Bolsheviks will not rest until they have erased every Russian aristocrat from memory. Svetlana and her family are forced into hiding in Paris’s underbelly, with little to their name but the jewels they sewed into their corsets before their terrifying escape.

Born the second son of a Scottish duke, the only title Wynn MacCallan cares for is that of surgeon. Putting his talents with a scalpel to good use in the hospitals in Paris, Wynn pushes the boundaries of medical science to give his patients the best care possible. After treating Svetlana for a minor injury, he is pulled into a world of decaying imperial glitter. Intrigued by this mysterious, cold, and beautiful woman, Wynn follows Svetlana to an underground Russian club where drink, dance, and questionable dealings collide on bubbles of vodka.
Out of money and options, Svetlana agrees to a marriage of convenience with the handsome and brilliant Wynn, who will protect her and pay off her family’s debts. It’s the right thing for a good man to do, but Wynn cannot help but hope the marriage will turn into one of true affection. When Wynn’s life takes an unexpected turn, so does Svetlana’s—and soon Paris becomes as dangerous as Petrograd. And as the Bolsheviks chase them to Scotland and beyond, Wynn and Svetlana begin to wonder if they will ever be able to outrun the love they are beginning to feel for one another.

 
We can’t tell you much about this one yet. It’s on our TBR/ARC list and we can’t wait to start reading it. It sounds marvelous!
 

 

 

Friendly Fill-Ins

We are enjoying the Friendly Fill-Ins community so much. Lots and lots of furry friends. Yea for me! Friendly Fill-Ins is hosted by 15 and Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs. They come up with a couple of sentences, and then you have to fill in the blanks. I think it’s a great way to get to know each other better as well. This week’s questions:

 

1. If I could trade places with someone for a day, I would trade with _________.

2. I would like to own a _________ someday.
 
3. I can’t stand _________ this time of the year.
 
4. _________ is my favorite thing about this time of the year.
 
Okay, I’ll answer the questions today, my Mommy is too tired to think straight.

 

1. If I could trade places with someone for a day, I would trade with Stinkie. He is my big, big brother and the king of the neighborhood. Everyone invites him in and give him snacks. In the same breath, no one messes with him. That’s if you are not a human. Even the neighbor’s dog is scared of him. I would love to be so fierce and brave.

 
2. I would like to own a castle one day. One of those kitty ones where you can scratch and play and jump and hang on for dear life. But a real castle will also be acceptable.
 
3. I can’t stand Mommy and Daddy getting up so early in the mornings this time of year. Yes, I know it’s the same time throughout the year. But by the time those darn electronic birds start chirping on my Mommy’s phone, the actual birds are still sleeping. And all other wonderfully made creatures who know to only rise with the sun.
 
4. The Fire Hearth is my favorite thing about this time of the year. I love curling up in front of it and then stretching out as soon as I’m all warmed up. Man-make-fire really is one of the greatest inventions in history. 
 
We wish you all a wonderful weekend and tell us a bit about your weekend plans! Like what are you reading? Or who would you like to trade places with?
 
Lots of Love,
 

 

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21 responses to “Friday Fives #6 – Baby it’s cold outside

  1. So many intriguing reads here. And thank you for joining in on the Friendly Fill-Ins! Stinkie is so handsome. And I find it so interesting that your days are cold right now, while we're in a summer heat wave. Warm wishes to you!

    • You are right, The Snow Child set the perfect cold setting. We've had some lovely weather the last two days, so we can breath a bit. But I see it's turning cold again later this week.

  2. Ah yes we have kinda winter in the southern hemisphere! Today is cold here, not sure some would call it cold but about 11 degrees celsius and raining! I loved The Choice, such an inspiring book but very hard to read in places. She is still alive which is just so amazing. I wouldn't mind reading The Ruth Ware book, have read one of hers and liked it. Seems like a good winter book!

    • I think 11 degrees are quite cold! LOL!! Yes the southern hemisphere really doesn't know the meaning of cold weather..!

      I read very slowly on The Choice, it's a hard read yes. But still worth it.

  3. Thank you for participating in the fill-ins, great answers. Stinkie is a handsome boy. Years ago, there was a cat in our neighborhood named Spooky who used to visit us and other neighbors for food. We ended up adopting him the last few years of his life. I like our fake fireplace in the winter. Have a nice weekend. XO

    • Stinkie is a very handsome boy. Can't believe I've actually bottle-fed him and he fit in my hand. Luckily Stinkie always comes home, but he loves roaming the neighborhood. He does wear a color and a tag, so everyone knows who his mommy is!

  4. It's cold outside where you are and it's HOT here. We're at 102.2 right now, but we'll make it to that 107 they promised. It's cool inside though.

    Love all your fill-ins. I hope you get that castle. Did you tell your peeps you wanted one?

    It's wonderful to meet you.

    Have a fabulous day and weekend. Stay warm. ♥

  5. Lovely winter reads! I read the Snow Child over my winter. Just gorgeous. I highly agree. I'll have to add some of those winter reads to my list in a few months.

    It is scorching where we are 95 F right now

    Hopefully the rain lets up! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

    • Hi Heather! So glad you also enjoyed The Snow Child. The rest of my winter reads are also great, but still need to read The Ice Swan. Seems good though!

      We've luckily had some lovely weather the last couple of days. So no complaints anymore! I see it's getting colder later in the week again, but then it's luckily holidays.

  6. Love your blog and so happy you visited us for Fill-Ins fun today. Hard to imagine it being COLD anywhere but just because it's hot here – doesn't mean the entire world is hot! Sending you Happy Weekend wishes.

    Hugs, Teddy (and Mom Pam)

    • Hi Pam! Thanks so much for the lovely compliment! We are glad you found us. I'm sure some or other fairy catmother heard me complaining and now we had some lovely weather the last two days.

      Enjoy the summer! It's the best time of the year.

    • I know our idea of cold in SA is a joke, only a very few places get snow. We don't! But I still don't like the cold. You'll notice that I never complain about the heat.

      Hope you will have a good week ahead Sarah!

  7. Great fill ins. Here it's been rainy and hot all week. It looks like next week will be more of the same.

    I hope you have a great weekend!

  8. Baby It's Cold Outside — I used to love that song! I saw Neptune's Daughter on TCM years ago, and that song has really stood the test of time. I liked Snow Child too, and I think you've described it very well — melancholic but still gorgeous.
    Hope things are better at work!
    ~Lex

    • Hi Lex! It's a great song yes. One of those that can get stuck in your head. Same with The Snow Child. It gets stuck and I'll never forget it. A lovely read.

      No, things are still crazy at work, but at least it's holidays on Friday and then it will hopefully be a bit better.

      Lots of holiday plans!