Monday, October 14, 2013

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

So... I've been away for three weeks, on a trip to Ireland and the UK, and just got back yesterday. And I read every day of my vacation!

I read and finished Thomas Keneally's new book, The Daughters of Mars, about a pair of Australian sisters who volunteer as nurses during World War 1. They are stationed together at first, then take off on separate trajectories eventually. Along the way they make and lose friends and lovers, are impacted by forces large and small and endure all kinds of things- the sinking of a hospital boat, bombs, disease, death and more. It's a really great book and I highly recommend it to almost any reader because I think its combination of action, character and history has lots of appeal.

Now I'm reading Kate O'Brien's book As Music and Splendour, given to me by one of my Irish pals I got to visit on my trip. (Hi Marcella!) It's a wonderful book about two Irish girls sent to Europe to train as opera singers, and their varying paths through life. Both are gifted singers but one follows her talent to the stages of the continent while the other follows hers in a different direction. I love her writing and I've fallen for her heroines. I can't wait to see where they end up!

I have a lot of catching up to do, with work and life and Etsy and the blog.  But I have so much to tell you about this trip- bookstores and books as well as sights and stories. What a wonderful time we had!

See more It's Monday at BookJourney.wordpress.com.

6 comments:

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Welcome back and glad you got to read on your trip as well.

JoAnn said...

Welcome back!! Can't wait to hear about your trip... so nice you managed to find time to read every day, too.

bermudaonion said...

Your trip sounds marvelous!!

Sandy Nawrot said...

The pictures you posted were amazing. I can't wait to hear more!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

I am reading Life Sentences by Laura Lippman. Haven't been pulled into it yet.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a perfect vacation! I'm about to start Mogul, Mom, & Maid by Boston author Liz O'Donnell. And I'm into the 7th Maisie Dobbs mystery, The Mapping of Love and Death. Love this series, and I don't think of myself as a series reader or a mystery reader!