Greetings you guys, how are you? We didn’t have the best of weeks and my Mommy is actually sick with the flue or something so got from the dog in bed while we are typing here. And that’s not even the worst of our week. Let’s not get into it in too much detail and just say that people really can sometimes do the stupidest things. Oh and there’s a reason why the president of School Governing Bodies are always depicted as assholes in movies and TV shows – they usually are.
Mommy says that every now and then, she can get so disappointed in her own race and the empires and dogmas humans so love to belong to. Luckily she has all of us to comfort her in sickness and disappointments. Oh and trees, trees are another thing that makes her happy at the moment.
Have you read this gem?
A rich, magical new book on belonging and identity, love and trauma, nature and renewal, from the Booker shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.
Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna, hidden beneath garlands of garlic, chili peppers and creeping honeysuckle, Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he’s searching for lost love.
Years later, a Ficus carica grows in the back garden of a house in London where Ada Kazantzakis lives. This tree is her only connection to an island she has never visited – her only connection to her family’s troubled history and her complex identity as she seeks to untangle years of secrets to find her place in the world.
A moving, beautifully written and delicately constructed story of love, division, transcendence, history and eco-consciousness, The Island of Missing Trees is Elif Shafak’s best work yet.
We are enjoying it immensely and I won’t be surprised if my Mommy plants a fig tree one of these days.
Adding to the Litter
It’s time to start stacking our shelves with scary books for Fraterfest coming in October. Or at least I hope we will have Fraterfest? See how far I came! I don’t need Stinkie anymore to do the scary reads, I can do them mostly by myself!
We got this one from Reedsy Discovery up for review end of September. Just in time to set the tone for Fraterfest.
Scratching the Blog Pole
Before I share our posts that we did manage this week (not a lot and mostly prescheduled reviews), I just quickly want to remind you guys of Wondrous Words Wednesday again. No, we didn’t abandon this fun meme, we’ve just decided to change it to a monthly meme and not a bi-weekly meme. Two weeks sometimes go by in flash and we hate missing out and disappointing any of you.
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a monthly meme where you can share new words that you’ve encountered during the month, or spotlight words you love. Feel free to get creative! It’s hosted by yours truly, in case you’ve missed that.
The linkup will go up every last Wednesday of the month and for August it will thus be this coming Wednesday. Join in the fun if you have the time!
Posts on our site this week:
- Blog Tour & Excerpt: Big Swamp by Kelly Dean Jolley
- Book Review: The Secrets of Sainte Madelaine by Tilly Bagshawe
- Book Review: How to Train your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
- Book Review & Excerpt: Little Women – Mermaid Edition by Megan Lois Whitehill
On the Couch
We haven’t finished anything since last week and this week has also not been the best on the reading front. We need to start with a new audiobook, any suggestions for something worth listening to?
We already told you about The Island of Missing Trees and I’m sure you are going to hear more about it from us. We are also reading and enjoying this fun book for Netgalley:
After encountering a brief power outage at work, college student Sara Donovan might be allowing her imagination to run wild. The main vault in the Carlton Museum holds the Fire and Ice Exhibit, a collection of rare gems, including the Star of Midnight, a 175-carat diamond. Although all the stones are accounted for, Sara suspects the Star of Midnight was stolen and replaced with a fake.
While conducting her own investigation, what Sara uncovers is beyond even her wildest imagination: a coded message, papers with strange characters, and a mysterious set of numbers carved into an office wall. Despite dismissive historians and other experts, she is certain these clues point to a mysterious centuries-old legend.
Unfortunately, her colorful history of usually being right, but always being wrong, means she must solve the mystery to prove her theory.
We can definitely recommend it for a sour and not feeling well disposition. Lighthearted and quirky, but with just enough substance to keep us reading.
And that’s it from us this week. No pretty graphics today, my Mommy is on the silly laptop and no use in even trying to open CANVA on it. And she’s not feeling well, so we can all excuse her today.
Wishing you all and our lovely hosts a lovely and healthy week ahead! Our hosts: Debbie @ Readerbuzz with The Sunday Salon, Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer with The Sunday Post and Marlene @ Reading Reality with Stacking the Shelves.
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I hope that you all start feeling better soon!
So sorry you’re sick and I hope Elza is taking good care of you and not picking on her dog sister too much! I hope this week is much better full of kitty snuggles and good books!
It sounds like a very tough week – between being sick and feeling so frustrated by people. I hope this week is much better.
I hope this week is a big improvement and you are feeling better!
I’m so sorry you’ve had a tough week. Humans can be terrible sometimes. I hope this next week is much better for you
I’m so sorry you are sick, Mareli! I hope it clears up soon.
That book looks really good. I’ll have to add it to my list.
Fraterfest sounds fabulous. I love reading all the scary books during September and October.
I hope you feel better soon!
Trees and animals can definitely be lifesavers. I’m sorry you had a rough week! I’ve always been interested in Cyprus for some reason so that one sounds good. I should look at it.
I’m kind of looking forward to Fratrfest too, I haven’t done that in ages seems like. But no poor stinkie needs fun too!!!
Fire & Ice sounds fun.
SO sorry you’re feeling crappy! Hope you improve this week. And I absolutely LOVE Island of Missing Trees!!! I’ve been recommending it to everybody I talk to! There’s just something so creative and lovely about that fig tree. Glad you’re enjoying it. Thanks for the visit!
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/the-island-of-missing-trees-book-review
I’m sorry you’re sick, Mareli, and that you’ve had such a bad week. I hope you feel better soon and next week is better! 💜
If you are looking for humor I would suggest listening to Emma St. Clair! I have lots of suggestions, but I guess it depends on the genre you are in the mood for. I hope you are feeling better soon!! And, that this week is MUCH better than last!!
Fire & Ice sounds good. I hope you feel better soon!
Thanks Vicki!
I am done with Fire & Ice and it was a really fun read yes.
Thanks for stopping by!
So sorry your mom isn’t feeling good. And it is sucky that people are often so horrible. I hope you have a better week! And the cover of the tree book is so pretty!
Hi there Lisa!
You should see that cover in real life. The yellow depicted on the tree, is actually gold. So pretty! And the book is worth it as well.
Yes, last week was the pits. I’m quite sure that’s why I’m feeling so horrible and this flue hits me so hard. But hopefully it will all be better soon.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week will be awesome!
Oh no Mareli. I hope you feel better soon. Having to deal with difficult people and situations is all the more difficult when we don’t feel well. At least I find I have less patience when I’m not feeling great. I hope this is a better week for you.
BTW – The Island of Missing Trees is one book I’d like to read. I like the author.
Hi there Diane!
Luckily the biggest dramas occurred on Monday and Tuesday at school and I only started feeling sick on Friday. But it’s still a horrible flue and it was a horrible week. I haven’t been to school today, so hopefully all will be better tomorrow.
Thanks for the concern and kind words – I hope your week will be great!
I hope you feel better soon and life in general stops disappointing you – how frustrating!
I need to remember that Wondrous Words is every month. I need to keep a list of my words!
That Sherlock Holmes book looks good.
I hope that you have a better week next week 🙂
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2022/08/28/sunday-post-46/
Hi there Emily!
It would be great if you can take part in Wondrous Words Wednesday! You can easily link it up with your usual Wednesday posts. You take part in WWW as well?
I am feeling slightly better today, let’s hope tomorrow is even better.
I am looking forward to reading The Sherlock Holmes one, it does seem like fun yes!
I hope you feel better soon and resolve the problems.
I love Elif Shafak, and have read and blogged about several of her books. The tree one here:
https://maefood.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-island-of-missing-trees.html
best… mae
Hi there Mae,
I am a bit better today and I’m sure it will all be better by tomorrow. Let’s hope so!
So glad to hear you’ve also enjoyed The Island of Missing Trees, I am going to read your review right now.
Oh dear, I’m so sorry to hear that you are not feeling well, Mareli. I hope you are on the mend and you will feel completely wonderful very soon.
The Island of Missing Trees sounds fantastic. Of course you know that, despite the fact that I already have eighteen—yes, 18, books checked out, I immediately went to my library website and requested this one.
I am looking forward to your monthly Wondrous Words. I already have my post ready to go.
Hi Debbie,
When I started reading The Island of Missing Trees, I immediately thought of you. I just know you will love it. It’s a wonderful book and the writing is out of this world. I think I might savour it and read it for the whole next month….
Hope you will have a great week and time to read all those books just waiting for you.
I hope you get to feeling better soon. The flu is awful, I get a flu vaccine now but that year I didn’t wow- it’s a misery. Hope you have soomeone to bring you lots of hot soup and tea.
Hi Tina! I don’t normally get a vaccine and I normally only have very mild symptoms. But for some or other reason, this year I got it very bad.
It will hopefully clear in another day or two.
Thanks for the visit and I hope you will have a great week!
Oh no! I hope you feel better soon. Cuddle those babies while you recover! 🙂
Thanks Erin!
Elza loves having me stuck in bed, but the little puppy not so much. She wants me to play and run with her!
Hopefully I will be better tomorrow. Thanks for the visit and I hope you will have a great week to come!
Sorry to hear you are sick! Fire and Ice looks good! Hope you are feeling better and have a great new week. Here’s my Sunday Post: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2022/08/28/sunday-post-time-to-de-stress-relax-happyplace-deepcreek/
Hi there Bonnie!
I am feeling slightly better tonight, thank you. Fire & Ice was a lot of fun and I finished it this afternoon. Will my review up in the next day or two!
Thanks for the visit and hope you will have a good week ahead.
I’m sorry to hear you are sick Mareli! It sounds like you’ve had a challenging week on multiple fronts. I hope you get better soon and life gets a little easier for you.
Thank you Jodie!
I am feeling a bit better tonight, just hope I will be well enough to go to school tomorrow.
Thanks for the well wishes and for stopping by!
So sorry that you’re sick, Mareli – and dealing with difficult people. 🙁 Hopefully the distraction of some good books will help this weekend. Take care!
Hi Tanya,
It definitely helped this weekend yes! I am still feeling a bit under the weather and will have to see how I feel tomorrow before I head to school. Otherwise tomorrow might end up being another stay in bed and sleep and read day….
Hope your upcoming week will be good!
Island of Missing Trees sounds good, added to my TBR list.
Feel better soon.
Hi there Jackie!
It really is a wonderful read and I’m sure you will find it enjoyable too.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will have a good week ahead!