Then and Now #19 (2/7/22 -2/13/222 )

Happy Sunday! The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted @ Caffeinated Reviewer. See rules here: Sunday Post MemeMailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.  It is hosted weekly over at Mailbox Monday and every Friday they do a round-up of some of their favourite, shared reads!

Last Week

It's a bit of a sad week here since me and one of my housemates tested positive for Covid during the last few days. It was honestly a bit of a shock to the system because I have been so careful for the past three years, so I kind of had to deal with the guilt of potentially bringing it into the home and blaming myself. But it has given me some time to catch up on audiobooks and to get a few applications for next year started. It's also not hit me too hard, thanks to my three vaccinations; I've mainly had a cold and a bit of a sinus headache. Fingers crossed it'll be over soon, so I can at least try and make the second leg of my visit to my mother. There is no way I'm going until everyone in the house tests negative though, so fingers crossed!

What I posted this week:

Recommendations

When I first got hit by Covid I decided tot ake it as a chance to watch a show I had on my list for ages: Katla! It's an Icelandic show about a volcanic eruption that leads to mysterious occurrences. I went into it completely blind, which I'd also recommend, but this trailer does give you a good indication! Do let me know if you give it a go! 

Mailbox Monday
Uncontrollable Women: Radicals, Reformers and Revolutionaries by Nan Sloane (Bloomsbury Academic; 1/27/2022)

Uncontrollable Women is a history of radical, reformist and revolutionary women between the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 and the passing of the Great Reform Act in 1832. Very few of them are well-known today; some were unknown even in their own day. All of them contributed something to the world we now inhabit.

At a time when women were supposed to leave politics to men they spoke, wrote, marched, organised, asked questions, challenged power structures, sometimes went to prison and even died. History has not usually been kind to them, and they have frequently been pushed into asides or footnotes, dismissed as secondary, or spoken over, for, or through by men and sometimes other women. In this book, they take centre stage in both their own stories and those of others, and in doing so bring different voices to the more familiar accounts of the period. These women and many others played a part in developing political ideas and freedoms as we know them today, and some fought battles which still remain to be won or raised questions that are still unresolved. These are their stories.

This book will fit in perfectly with my thesis work, which is great! But I'm also just very excited for more non-fiction about interesting women from history in general. Can't wait to explore this one soon!

In Shadows: Book 1 with script by Hubert and art by Vincent Mallié (Europe Comics; 1/26/2022)
Arzhur, a disgraced knight, has taken on a new mission to restore his honor: save Princess Islen from the Black Castle. The only problem is, the mysterious Islen doesn’t want to be saved…The reluctant pair must nonetheless cross the kingdom—pursued by a trio of sinister witches—in hopes of finding refuge with Islen’s father, the king. But will their secrets catch up with them first?

I love the blend of Arthurian literature with general horror vibes on the cover. Europe Comics has been putting some amazing comics up on NetGalley and as a result I've gotten more and more into comics. It probably also helps that one of my housemates is an animator, so I'm kinda learning to look at art in a whole new way.

Seasons of Purgatory by Shahriar Mandanipour, narr. by Fajer Al-Kaisi (HighBridge Audio; 2/15/2022)
The first English-language story collection from "one of Iran's most important living fiction writers" (Guardian)
In Seasons of Purgatory, the fantastical and the visceral merge in tales of tender desire and collective violence, the boredom and brutality of war, and the clash of modern urban life and rural traditions. Mandanipour, banned from publication in his native Iran, vividly renders the individual consciousness in extremis from a variety of perspectives: young and old, man and woman, conscript and prisoner. While delivering a ferocious social critique, these stories are steeped in the poetry and stark beauty of an ancient land and culture.

I love discovering new short story collections from authors from all over the world. Iran is definitely a bit of a gap in my literary world map, so hopefully this will get me started. I love the bisected animal on the cover as well, it's a really eye-catching design.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (Macmillan-Tor/Forge; 4/26/2022)
This isn't the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince.
It's the one where she kills him.


Marra never wanted to be a hero.

As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince.

Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks:
—build a dog of bones
—sew a cloak of nettles
—capture moonlight in a jar

But, as is the way in tales of princes and witches, doing the impossible is only the beginning.

Hero or not—now joined by a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, an enigmatic gravewitch and her fowl familiar—Marra might finally have the courage to save her sister, and topple a throne.
I love everything about this blurb! Let's topple a throne, let's sow a cloak of nettles, let's go kill a prince!! 

So that's me! Hopefully I'll  get rid of Covid this week so I can go back about my business.

Comments

  1. Oh no! I feel like at this point we're all bound to get Covid at some point. It's like a flu that just keeps on circling everyone, waiting to hit. I am not entirely sure if I had Covid at some point or not. Apparently they say the second shot hits you harder if you did have it. My second dose knocked me out the next day, I was sick for most of the day and I had to take care of my parents' dog on top of it...I remember because all I wanted to do was lay in my bed and he just kept barking non-stop. Not a pleasant day for sure! My booster didn't hit me hard though, which I thought I head it could effect you a bit still if you had had Covid...but I honestly don't know at this point! I hope you all test negative soon and feel better!

    Nice new reads! Those are all new to me ones but I hope you will enjoy each and every one of them!


    Here's my StS

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh no sorry to hear about Covid! I was the same way when I got it- I had tried to be so careful, and when I got that positive result (this was back in 2020) I was like no way! Well, yes way lol. But glad that it's been mild for you so far- take care and be well soon!

    I thought Katla was pretty wild!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Don't beat yourself up! I'm sure you took all possible precautions. Please just take care of yourself and get better soon!

    At least you have some great reads to keep you company....

    Take care!

    Elza Reads

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am sorry about Covid coming to your household. I hope your symptoms stay mind. My daughter came home from school with the dreaded "you've been exposed" letter not too long ago. Fortunately, she tested negative and had no symptoms. Katla sounds like an interesting show! I will have to check it out. I hope you enjoy your books! Nettle & Bone sounds especially good. I hope you have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad covid hasn't hit you too hard. I think being vaccinated really really helps. I haven't gotten it yet and but it's beginning to seem more and more inevitable. I'm glad you're getting caught up on your audio books though. That's a positive. Have a wonderful week and hopefully your symptoms will stay mild and everyone will test negative soon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm so sorry about Covid. I hope you are doing well. Take care of yourself. I hope you are able to have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bummer you caught Covid, but at least having your vaccines made it a mild case. Hope you are 100% soon! Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like your book choices and your Netflix movie which I may try to watch. Hope all will be well at your place so you can visit your mom soon.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Do not beat yourself up. My hubby and I was so cautious we would not even let our daughter visit without wearing a mask. We all got vaccinated and boosted, including our daughter and granddaughter. Our great grandson who will be one year old tomorrow gave us the Covid. We had a very mild case but still got it. Felt awful but was not so bad we even had to go to bed with it. My granddaughter felt so bad and we assured her it was not her fault. Things happen. This last variant is so contagious and this was positive proof for us. We wore masks. Had groceries delivered. Washed anything that could possibly have the covid germs. Stayed at home.. All for three years. It happens. I do hope you all are doing well now.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think Covid is coming for us all at some point, no matter all our precautions. I hope you are 100% very soon!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ooooh! Nettle & Bone sounds good!

    Sorry about your Covid situation, I hope this week is better.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It seems very hard to trace where we picked up Covid and the current strain is very pervasive so you shouldn't feel guilty. I am glad your symptoms are mild. That is a definite advantage to being vaccinated.
    Katla does sound intriguing. Thanks for sharing the trailer.
    You always have some really interesting covers and titles. In Shadows and Nettle & Bone both sound good to me.
    Have a good week and Happy Reading!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Glad that covid didn't hit hard. Ooo, Katla. I'll add it to the to-watch list. Take care, feel better.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts