Greetings you guys! How have you all been doing? Gosh, it really does feel as if we are stuck in a time warp at the moment – it’s astounding! Time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll….
Are we the only ones who feel that time is spinning slightly out of control at the moment? How did we get to June? My oh my, May just flew by! And I don’t even have anything exciting to tell you. How dreadful is that.
Life is treating us quite good at the moment. It would be nice to have Mommy home a bit more and I believe the feeling is mutual. But not to worry – midyear holidays are coming up in two weeks time and she did promise to take a couple of days off to just relax and spend time with me. I do hope that means that she will lock the pups outside for at least a day, A full day. So that I can have a change to snuggle up while she just lies on the couch reading. Puppies truly are the most dreadful things on the planet. Especially when they don’t realize that chasing cats around are the worst thing to do in the whole entire world.
Winter is in full swing here in SA and we’ve had a couple of rainy days as well. But we still need gallons more. Mommy hates cold and rainy days, but she just has to suck it up as the drought is really a huge problem in our province.
As you can gather, I really don’t have anything interesting to tell you, so let’s just talk books!
Adding to the litter
Mommy hasn’t bought a lot of books this year so far. That’s not a bad thing as our shelves are stacked and her kindle is overflowing. But she was one of the worldwide readers who stood in line to buy her copy of Atlas, The Story of Pa Salt for it’s international release day on the 11th of May. Yes! We’ve read already as well and it definitely didn’t disappoint at all!
Book Club Picks
We might be a bit on the quiet front with blogging, but Book Club is still a monthly occasion not to be missed. Here are our picks for June:
Quite a diverse selection and only one is a new release. That’s what we love about Book Club! Mommy is almost done with The World that we knew. It is a beautiful, magical book, but it also breaks your heart.
Currently Reading
We are currently listening to It ends with us by Colleen Hoover. I have to be honest – we were rather reluctant to bite into this highly popular read, but seeing that curiosity kills the cat and I really don’t want to leave my Mommy yet, we’ve decided to give it a go. And we are pleasantly surprised. Yes, the romance is a bit much, but it’s the difficult themes and character development that makes this a memorable read.
Mommy says she’s read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne many years ago and she can’t really remember it that well and she wanted to read it again before she reads All the Broken Places (also by John Boyne). It really is such an enduring read and worth the re-read for sure.
Just before we say goodbye and wish you a lovely week ahead – what books set in Turkey can you recommend to us? Mommy and Daddy are planning a trip to Turkey in October and of course she wants to read ahead. Daddy will do all the non-fiction, so if you have any fiction books you can recommend – we’d be ever so thankful!
We hope you are all doing well and that you will have a wonderful week ahead! Remember to add your link to our lovely hosts: Debbie @ Readerbuzz and Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer.
Lots of Love,
Naughty puppies are a big annoyance. I hope you enjoy your midyear holiday and get lots of reading done. 🙂
I can’t wait to read Atlas! I got it from the library but it was massive and difficult to hold so I think I’m going to get the audio. I’m so excited to read it. I hope you are having a wonderful week!
Mareli (and Elza & pups) – good to see you all here again; I’ve missed you. Sounds like like has been keeping you pretty busy! I read American Dirt last year and found it disturbing and illuminating. There was quite a controversy around it that made me want to read it for myself.
I just finished a book set in Turkey: I listened to 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak who is a Turkish author. It’s set in Istanbul and about a murder and a group of misfit friends – I felt like she wrote about Istanbul with affection and almost like its own character. The other of hers that I’ve read and liked better isn’t set in Turkey, but I highly recommend it if you haven’t read it: The Island of Missing Trees set in Cyprus and while basically a story of relationships, I learned a lot about the Cyprus/Greek issues. – I looked up your “Atlas” book and saw that it’s the end of the 7 Sisters series…..I’ve heard of that many times but haven’t added to my list. So, now it’s on my TBR and I’ll have to give it a try soon.
Hope you have a fabulous trip!
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
Hi there Terrie!
I already have 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this strange world on my reading list. Glad to see you’ve listened to it, I will try to get the audio version.
I have read and LOVED LOVED LOVED The Island of Missing Trees. It’s a wonderful book and it will stay with me for a long time. I’ve also read and enjoyed The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak, I’ve enjoyed that one as well.
Thanks for the visit and I hope you will have a wonderful week ahead!
Hi Elza! Glad things are well. Hopefully those pups are behaving.
Turkey gah! I’m trying to think of a rec and drawing nothing.
Swine flu! Yikes…
Hope you had a good weekend 🙂
Hi Greg!
Nope, the pups are really very naughty… But we love them and they bring us loads of joy!
I am making a reading list on Turkey and I’m sure I’ll find a few nice ones to read.
Hope you will have a great week too!
Time is really flying. I can’t believe we are halfway through the year already.
A trip to Turkey sounds exciting. I haven’t read any books set there, but I’m sure you’ll get many recommendations.
Have a great week!
We are halfway through the year yes, can’t believe it!
I am starting to compile a reading list on Turkey yes and I’m sure I’ll enjoy reading a bit more before we go on our trip.
Have a wonderful week Yvonne!
Sounds like things are busy, but we are glad to hear from you!! I did a ten-day tour of Turkey quite a few years ago, it was great. I didn’t read anything before I went, so I don’t have any book recommendations. I can’t even think of any fiction books set there. Have fun with the planning and reading!!
Hi Cindy! Yes, things are rather busy, but good as well! I am very excited for our trip to Turkey and will definitely try to read as much as I possibly can before we go!
Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed Turkey as well, I think it’s going to be a good experience.
Elza, maybe you will have a chance to get to know the dogs when your Mommy is on vacation. You never know.
I’m completely unfamiliar with the Seven Sisters series. I’ll have to ee what I can find out about it since you enjoyed it so much.
Turkey books? I’ve not read any, but I’ve had My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk (adult) and The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey by Demi (picture book) recommended to me.
Hi Debbie!
Elza isn’t really the problem, it’s the puppies! I know they only want to play, but they can get rather vicious with the cats. In fact, the two eldest ones (Stinkie included!) are more with the neighbours at the moment than at home.
I haven’t read anything by Orhan Pamuk, but I do actually know that he’s a Turkish author (if I’m not mistaken here!). I will take a look at his books.
Thanks for the help and good luck with your novel writing! I will gladly read it for you and I’m sure I’ll probably love it to pieces!