Connie 's Updates en-US Mon, 14 Apr 2025 07:02:25 -0700 60 Connie 's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg GiveawayRequest700915452 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 07:02:25 -0700 <![CDATA[<a href="/user/show/5364077-connie-g">Connie G</a> entered a giveaway]]> /giveaway/show/410082-lay-your-armor-down Lay Your Armor Down by Michael Farris Smith
25 copies available, ends on April 28, 2025
Enter to win ]]> Review7051259287 Sun, 13 Apr 2025 22:54:02 -0700 <![CDATA[Connie added 'The Illustrated Man']]> /review/show/7051259287 The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury Connie gave 4 stars to The Illustrated Man (Paperback) by Ray Bradbury
bookshelves: science-fiction, classic, short-stories, fantasy, horror
"The Illustrated Man" is a collection of 18 short stories in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. The stories are framed with a narrative about a man from a carnival who has colorful tattoos all over his body. Each tattoo comes to life during the night to tell a story.

My favorite story was "The Rocket Man" narrated by Doug. His father was an astronaut who only returned home for a few days after each three-month journey into space. The father was torn by his love of space exploration and his love for his family. Doug's mother was so worried that her husband would die in space that she detached emotionally, and could hardly enjoy his visits. Doug idolized his father, but he also felt loyalty to his mother. It was a beautifully written story. Elton John's song, "Rocket Man," inspired by Ray Bradbury's story, has been going around my mind since I finished this story.

The stories were written in the 1940s and early 1950s. It was a time when there was both fear and fascination concerning new technology. The political atmosphere included concerns about nuclear war, Communists, civil rights, and the cold war with the Soviet Union. People were thinking about space exploration, especially as an option if the Earth became inhabitable after a nuclear war. Most of the stories have aged well so it's an enjoyable collection to read. ]]> Rating847005630 Sun, 13 Apr 2025 20:23:46 -0700 <![CDATA[Connie G liked a review]]> /
Connie G liked Valerie Brown's review of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie:
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
]]> Rating847005029 Sun, 13 Apr 2025 20:21:37 -0700 <![CDATA[Connie G liked a readstatus]]> /
Connie G liked Susan’s status update
Susan T. Susan T. wants to read My Friends
]]> Rating846999307 Sun, 13 Apr 2025 19:59:36 -0700 <![CDATA[Connie G liked a review]]> /
Connie G liked Bill Kerwin's review of The Betrothed:
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
"
Manzoni's historical novel The Betrothed--although not much read today in the English-speaking world--is considered by many Italians to be the greatest novel written in their language. It is indeed a great novel. Manzoni, building on the simple romantic story of an engaged couple whose scheduled wedding is prevented by the designs of a lustful noble, creates a rich, many-shaded portrait of life in the vicinity of Milan in the early 17th Century, featuring war, famine, plague and riot, great crime and sincere repentance, selfish and saintly deeds.

This is one of the least ironic and most compassionate books I have read, a book truly Catholic in the best sense of the world, in which every character —no matter how flawed� is seen as a human being working out his destiny in a world that is essentially good. God is merciful, and His church offers sacramental comfort and absolution to all, even for the bloodiest of deeds and the rashest of vows."
]]> ReadStatus9306144781 Sun, 13 Apr 2025 19:20:14 -0700 <![CDATA[Connie wants to read 'Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You']]> /review/show/7486666160 Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You by Fred Chappell Connie wants to read Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You by Fred Chappell
]]> Review7284250023 Sat, 12 Apr 2025 20:28:26 -0700 <![CDATA[Connie added 'How to Age Disgracefully']]> /review/show/7284250023 How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley Connie gave 4 stars to How to Age Disgracefully (Hardcover) by Clare Pooley
bookshelves: book-club, humor, contemporary-fiction, england, relationships
When Lydia took a job running the Senior Center Social Club she was picturing Bingo games and sipping tea, but she had to reverse her expectations quickly. A group of quirky, lively seniors with interesting backstories signed up for the club. The senior group shared the Community Center with a preschool daycare and several other groups. When the city council proposes selling the Community Center to developers, they devise a plan to save it. An old dog named Maggie Thatcher helped bring the multi-generational group together to save the Center.

There's lots of humor in this book as well as uplifting scenes about friendship, compassion, redemption, and healing. The book reminded me of Clare Pooley's previous novels, The Authenticity Project and Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting with their emphasis on friendship and making a fresh start. How to Age Disgracefully had more older, offbeat characters and some crazier moments. The novel is written from the points of view of the four main characters--a teenage single father, a woman in her 50s, and two seniors. The author writes humor in a warmhearted way so it's an enjoyable light read. ]]> Review7469734942 Sat, 12 Apr 2025 20:17:55 -0700 <![CDATA[Connie added 'Mysterious Kor']]> /review/show/7469734942 Mysterious Kor by Elizabeth Bowen Connie gave 4 stars to Mysterious Kor (Unknown Binding) by Elizabeth Bowen
bookshelves: short-stories, short-story-club
Elizabeth Bowen's atmospheric short story is set in the bombed city of London during a moonlit night. A woman and a serviceman on leave remember the Andrew Lang poem, "She," as they wish for an imagined deserted city where the couple could be alone. They would like to escape the reality of wartime during the Blitz, and experience a night of peace and love in the dreamlike lost city of Kor.

This is Andrew Lang's poem (inspired by H. Rider Haggard's adventure story, "She"):

She

Not in the waste beyond the swamps and sand,
The fever-haunted forest and lagoon,
Mysterious Kor thy walls forsaken stand,
Thy lonely towers beneath the lonely moon,
Not there doth Ayesha linger, rune by rune
Spelling strange scriptures of a people banned.
The world is disenchanted; over soon
Shall Europe send her spies through all the land.

Nay, not in Kor, but in whatever spot,
In town or field, or by the insatiate sea,
Men brood on buried loves, and unforgot,
Or break themselves on some divine decree,
Or would o'erleap the limits of their lot,
There, in the tombs and deathless, dwelleth She!

I read this story with the Short Story Club from the anthology Black Water 2: More Tales of the Fantastic. ]]> ReadStatus9295544792 Thu, 10 Apr 2025 20:39:52 -0700 <![CDATA[Connie wants to read 'Mansfield Park']]> /review/show/7479395260 Mansfield Park by Jane Austen Connie wants to read Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
]]> Review3187554246 Thu, 10 Apr 2025 20:24:00 -0700 <![CDATA[Connie added 'The Salt Path']]> /review/show/3187554246 The Salt Path by Raynor Winn Connie gave 4 stars to The Salt Path (Hardcover) by Raynor Winn
bookshelves: non-fiction, autobiography-memoir, travel, england, nature
Raynor Winn and her husband, Moth, lost their Welsh farm, their home, and their livelihood when an investment with a friend ran up a number of debts. During the same week Moth was diagnosed with Corticobasal Degeneration, a rare incurable neurological disorder that causes movement, speech, and cognitive problems. The homeless couple needed a sense of purpose as they thought about where the future might take them. Raynor and Moth decided to walk the 630 mile South West Coast Path heading southwest from Somerset to Devon to Cornwall, then continuing along England's southern coast.

Using very little money for some basic food items, they wild camped along the cliffs and the woodlands. They were often hungry, just subsisting on noodles and tea for days when their money ran low. The ocean was used for bathing and washing their clothes. They met some quirky fellow hikers along the path. Moth found that his health improved a bit with the constant exercise. Raynor and Moth appreciated the beauty of nature and exploring the coastal towns, but rainy days could be a challenge.

Raynor and Moth fell in love when they were teenagers, and they were still loving and devoted to each other in their mid-50s. Even though they had very few financial resources, they were rich in love and fortitude.

This is an interesting book that is a mix of genres--memoir, travel book, nature writing, and a thoughtful look at the homeless. The book has been adapted into a film which premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The film will be released in May 2025 in the UK. ]]>