Back in the late 1700’s-early 1800’s, Japan was closed to the world around them. It was illegal for a Japanese citizen to leave Japan. It was illegal for foreign citizens to enter Japan, except under the most strictly monitored conditions. But countries around the world understood that Japan would be a lucrative market and trading partner, if only they could… Read more
Happy Wednesday! I’ve got a few more words this week from The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. I finished that one this week and it’s fabulous. I hope to have the review posted tomorrow. I’ve also got a word or two from my new book, Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo. It’s a good change of pace, a police… Read more
Welcome to another edition of Teaser Tuesday! You know how this works by now: open your current book, pick two teaser sentences that will entice us to put it on our TBR lists. Remember to tell us the name of the book and the author, and don’t post any spoilers! My book this week is Pray for Silence by Linda… Read more
Happy Wednesday! Boy, do I have some words for you this week. Historical fiction is so good for learning new words. My current book, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, takes place in Nagasaki, but the main characters are primarily Dutch. That has resulted in quite an assortment of words. Check them out: 1. Magistracy – the district under… Read more
Good morning and welcome to another Tuesday Teaser! I am back from my short vacation (mostly work travel and a bad head cold), so I’ve got 2 teasers for your reading pleasure. You know the rules: open your current book, pick two teaser sentences that will entice us to run off and read it, but don’t spoil the plot twists… Read more
The news reports talk about riots, civil unrest, perhaps some sort of viral epidemic. They have to say that — who would take them seriously if they started talking about vampires? In The Fall, the second book in Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain trilogy, nothing less than the future of mankind is at stake. The people massing in the lowest… Read more
Welcome to another Wondrous Words Wednesday! This has become my weekly chance to share with you all the bizarre and obscure words I’ve learned in this week’s reading. My vocabulary is pretty extensive, so most books don’t present a lot of challenges. Historical fiction is a great way to learn crazy new words — the last 2 weeks I’ve been… Read more
Time again for another Teaser Tuesday! This time, I am getting my post ready to go ahead of time; I’m on the road and it’s always difficult to get things posted when I’m in another time zone. When I get up for work tomorrow, this will be ready to go. This week’s teaser comes from my current book, The Thousand… Read more
Under the Poppy is a story of workplace romance and intrigue — that is, if your workplace happens to be a Belgian brothel in the 1870s and your coworkers are whores, mutes and puppets. It’s a complicated arrangement: Decca and Rupert own a brothel. Decca is in love with Rupert. Rupert is in love with Decca’s brother, Istvan, a traveling… Read more
Okay, here we are – another Wednesday and more words! Once again, I am sharing some words from Under the Poppy by Kathe Koja. This book has a wealth of foreign, obscure and obsolete words – it has been great fun reading them and checking them out. For more on Under the Poppy, check out their website. For more new words,… Read more