Monday, December 11, 2017

Musing Monday - Dec 11


Musing Monday is hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker It is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ___, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK'S RANDOM QUESTION:   How do you experience a book when you read? In general do you often find yourself being drawn into the story quickly or do you need more time to warm up to characters?

Happy Monday! Hope you had nice weekend. It was a snowy one here.



We ended up with six inches and are due for more tonight. That's okay...Theo is prepared.



As far as books go, I reviewed A Wanted Man by Robert Parker and finished Lethal in Old Lace, the next book in Duffy Brown's Consignment Shop Mystery series. This one is due out in March. 

I ordered this on Cyber Monday from Barnes and Noble. 




Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants portrayed in Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service, Below Stairs, is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high. Powell first arrived at the servants' entrance of one of those great houses in the 1920s. As a kitchen maid - the lowest of the low - she entered an entirely new world; one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses to be appeased, and bootlaces to be ironed. Work started at 5:30am and went on until after dark. It was a far cry from her childhood on the beaches of Hove, where money and food were scarce, but warmth and laughter never were. Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids' curlers, to raucous tea-dances with errand boys, to the heartbreaking story of Agnes the pregnant under-parlormaid, fired for being seduced by her mistress's nephew, Margaret's tales of her time in service are told with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye for the prejudices of her situation. Margaret Powell's true story of a life spent in service is a fascinating "downstairs" portrait of the glittering, long-gone worlds behind the closed doors of Downton Abbey and 165 Eaton Place.

Now, on to this week's question. I consider a book a good read if it draws me in right away. I want to feel that immediate connection to the characters and be encouraged to learn more about them.

How about you? Do you like a slow perk or an instant rush when you read a book?

Enjoy your week!

2 comments:

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

I definitely need to connect with the characters. For mysteries, I love when the author brings in the personal lives of the detectives. That is happening in my current read.

Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

Cheryl said...

Thanks for stopping by, Laurel. Enjoy your week.