Thank you to That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting Top Ten Tuesday, where there is a new bookish topic every week.
This week’s topic asks: What book or books were you super excited to get, but still haven’t read? My answer right now is most of my Netgalley shelf. As a lot of you know, I’ve been in Germany for work and my previous idea that I was going to have sufficient reading time vanished. I’m very busy. So here are a few from my Netgalley shelf that are late. But I will get them all read. I didn’t do ten today. Only three.
These are a few, but not all, of the books I was excited about, but am now behind on. I am determined to catch up. Click on each cover to find out more about the book.
How about you? What book or books were you excited to get, but still haven’t read?
This is my first Sunday Post in about a month I think. I’ve been slammed with work in Germany, so no time for posting and I’ve fallen behind on all my reviews. Retirement is coming up in less than three months, so plenty of time to catch up. Yesterday I took a tour to Prague to kick off our long holiday weekend. See below
The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj at Prague Old Town Hall
This is one of the most crowd-fascinating historical features in Prague. There was always a crowd surrounding the clock, waiting for it to strike a new hour. Some of the features were not on the clock yesterday, as it was undergoing maintenance, so I didn’t get the full view. This clock will tell you how many hours it is until sunset. On one side you see the shiny sun and on the other side is the silver moon.
The clock was installed in 1410, and it is the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the only one still in operation. It was partially destroyed by the Nazis near the end of World War II.
This is from Wikipedia: “In 1552 it was repaired by Jan Táborský (1500–1572), master clockmaker of Klokotská Hora. The clock stopped working many times in the centuries after 1552, and was repaired many times. The legend was used as the main plot in the 2008 animated film Goat story – The Old Prague Legends.
In 1629 or 1659 wooden statues were added, and figures of the Apostles were added after a major repair in 1787–1791. During the next major repair in the years 1865–1866, the golden figure of a crowing rooster was added.
The Orloj suffered heavy damage on 7 and especially 8 May 1945, during the Prague uprising, when the Nazis fired on the south-west side of the Old Town Square from several armoured vehicles in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy one of the centers of the uprising. The hall and nearby buildings burned, along with the wooden sculptures on the clock and the calendar dial face made by Josef Mánes.[6] After significant effort, the machinery was repaired, the wooden Apostles restored by Vojtěch Sucharda, and the Orloj started working again in 1948.[7]
The Orloj was renovated in autumn 2005, when the statues and the lower calendar ring were restored. The wooden statues were covered with a net to keep pigeons away.
The last renovation of the astronomical clock was carried out from January to September 2018, following a reconstruction of the Old Town Tower. During the renovation, an electric clock mechanism that had been in operation since 1948 was replaced by an original mechanism from the 1860s.[8]
See below a Youtube video showing the clock strike a new hour. It is fascinating.
UPCOMING ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES
I will be posting two reviews I did for the May issue of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society. They are THE CAPTIVE and THE GUARDIAN, Books 2 and 3 of THE MENDER SERIES by Jennifer Marchman. My review of Book One and Q&A with the author is here.
I am catching up on my Netgalley Shelf, so I’m reading MIND GAMES by Nora Roberts and then I will provide other reviews as well. I’m returning home on June 7th, and retiring August 16th.
I also want to direct you to a past Memorial Day tribute I’ve done for my Uncle, Wayne Jenkins, who died in Vietnam. We will never forget you, Uncle Wayne.
FROM THE AUTHOR: The most talked-about wedding is quickly approaching, and PI Jax Diamond is on top of the world. The tuxedos are freshly pressed and hanging in their closets. His good friend is busy decorating the nightclub for a glorious reception, and the newspaper reporters are anxiously waiting to print the front-page headlines. Even Ace, his courageous canine partner and best man, is prancing around, anxious for the event to begin.
The only thing missing is the bride.
Three days before the wedding, a group of mastermind criminals pull off the biggest diamond heist the city has ever seen, but that’s not the only gem they steal. And boy, do they have their hands full.
Every police officer from Albany to Washington is summoned to work around the clock, hunting down the culprits. Will they find Laura in time to save her life, so she can take her vows
BOOK REVIEW
It’s Book 7 of the Jax Diamond Mysteries, wedding bells are ringing, and Laura and Carla have disappeared! It’s obvious that foul play is afoot. Jax and Tim are hot on the trail, but Laura knows some tricks of her own.
It’s the seventh book of this beloved series, and Jax and Laura are finally making it official…if they can get to the altar. The beginning of this book absolutely blew me away. So unexpected. And the ending is touching and joyful. Laura’s extensive mechanical knowledge would not have been considered “feminine” at that time, and I love that about her. Her ingenuity often saves the day. She is beautiful and can sing, but she has a lot of other tricks up her sleeve. Her desperate, under-pressure tactic involving a telephone was unique and inspiring. I love the main cast and their close relationship. And of course, Ace is a scene-stealer. This is a great end to the Jax Diamond Mysteries series. Or is it?
Bonnie: Is this the last book in the Jax Diamond series?
Gail: I honestly haven’t decided yet. I have an idea for book #8, and the series has gone so well, but sometimes it’s best to leave on a high note. I thought I’d leave it up to the readers, and already I have votes for at least one more book. I’ll probably write it…already, I miss the characters.
Bonnie: How do you feel Jax has changed since Book 1?
Gail: In the beginning, Jax was a loner except for his good friendship with Tim, a police officer, and his very special bond with Ace. He didn’t have a past. He never looked to the future. He held a few grudges and didn’t trust anyone else. Laura, his Broadway star sweetheart, was hugely influential in bringing him out of his shell and learning to trust again. So, too, was his renewed friendship with Orin Marino and reuniting with his parents.
Bonnie: Can you pick some of your favorite moments throughout the series?
Gail: That’s a tough question, but I think the absolute most fun I had was writing about Laura and Ace going undercover behind Jax’s back in Framed, Book 2. That’s when we discover Orin isn’t who we thought. Another favorite is Two of a Kind, The Beginning novella where Jax and Ace meet when Ace is just a puppy.
Bonnie: Besides Ace, Jax, and Laura, my favorite character is Orin Marino. Which character is your favorite outside of the big three?
Gail: It’s funny. I never intended for Orin to become a loveable ‘gangster’. It just happened, and I’ve got to agree with you. If I do write another book, I want him to have a happy ending!
Bonnie: I know you have a new series coming out soon. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Gail: I’m currently writing the first book in a new series that takes place during the 1930s glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood. It stars Vivian Steele, a widowed fashion designer, and Preston Stone, Hollywood’s most beloved playboy, who reluctantly team up to solve some very high-profile mysteries. It’ll have a great cast of characters ranging from the rich and famous to Bella, the Boston Terrier, and a few other endearing folks.
Thanks Gail for answering my questions, as always!
A surprise question for Gail: Any chance of an Orin Marino spinoff series?
Welcome to It’s Monday! What are you Reading? It’s hosted by Kathryn from Book Date. This is a weekly event to share what we’ve read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.
WHAT AM I READING NOW
I’m reading the final ARC of The Diamonds by Gail Meath. It’s Book 7 of the Jax Diamond series, and it’s out May 15th. You’ll soon see a Q&A with Gail along with my review.
JUST FINISHED
This is the story of a Manhattan family from 1912 to 1965. I read it for The Historical Novel Society so I can’t give my impressions until it is published on August 1st. You can read more about it on Amazon.
NEXT UP
(From Amazon) Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.
GENERAL UPDATE
DINANT, BELGIUM
Really beautiful town that I visited this past weekend. I was taking pictures from the Citadel, where there is a museum. Dinant is the home of the Saxophone! My pictures are slow to upload today, so I’ll post more about this later.
How about you? How was your week? What are you reading?
You must be logged in to post a comment.