Carol’s Booklist continued – May 3 through July 14

34.  Even Silence Has An End - Ingrid Betancourt .   Oh gosh, this is a really good book, the true story of  Ingrid Betancourt, who was running for the Colombian presidency in 2002, and was kidnapped and held in captivity in the Columbian jungle for six and a half years by the FARC, a brutal terrorist guerrilla organization.  She tells her own story, which is deeply moving and horrifying at the same time. 

35.  Shades of Milk and Honey – Mary Robinette Kowal.  Loved this, is very much like a Jane Austen novel, but with magic thrown in.  I really liked it.  See entry below.

36.  Glamour in Glass – Mary Robinette Kowal.  Sequel to Shades of Milk and Honey.  I enjoyed both of these books very much.  Set in the Regency era, these books pay homage to Jane Austen, who is one of my all time favorite authors.  I was caught up in the story immediately, as I love the details of daily life for women during this period, the food, dress, and social customs.  What makes these novels different is that along with the necessary skills a woman practiced during this period, such as needlepoint, art, and music, they were also schooled in “glamour” a type of magic! 

37.  Sh*t My Dad Says – Justin Halpern.   Simply hilarious, laughed out loud while reading this book.  The author temporarily moved back home with his parents at age 28.  He started posting funny quotes his dad said on his website, and it just grew from there, got a huge following, and a book deal.  This is some seriously funny stuff.

38.  The Wind through the Keyhole – Stephen King.  Latest volume in the Gunslinger series, loved it, was drawn instantly back into the story.  Actually it is a story within a story within a story.  Very clever and I really enjoyed it, makes me want to re-read the whole series.

39.  Rose:  My Life in Service to Lady Astor – Rosina Harrison

40.  Below Stairs – Margaret Powell

41.  Polly’s Story – Jennie Walters

42.  Isobel’s Story – Jennie Walters

43.  Grace’s Story – Jennie Walters

Entries 39 – 43 are all similar stories that I read after watching and falling in love with the PBS series Downton Abbey.  I have become fascinated with the stories of servants and the families they worked for.  Probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love this kind of stuff!

44.  Redshirts:  A Novel with Three Codas – John Scalzi.  Fun story that plays off of every science fiction movie or TV show ever written.  A quick and easy read, but you have to be a little bit of a geek to get a lot of the references.  I liked it. 

I’ve also been re-reading book 4 and 5 of the George R.R. Martin series, A Song of Ice and Fire, as well as re-reading The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss.   But most of my time lately has been spent on CokeandPopcorn site and Netflix, watching great TV series!  I watched both seasons of Game of Thrones, All the seasons of Nurse Jackie and Shameless, the first season of Downton Abbey, and am currently working through the second season of Breaking Bad.  Lots of good stuff!

I also admit to reading my favorite blogs on a daily basis.  I will try to post a list of those in my next post, and would love for the rest of you to share your favorite blogs and websites as well