Friday 11 August 2017

Weekend Blog Hops: 11 Aug 2017

http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2017/01/book-blogger-hop-january-13th-19th.html
Do you participate in readathons and/or reading challenges?
Well, I set a Goodreads reading goal every year; however, I don't really join in other challenges or readathons. The reason is not lack of interest. The problems for me are 1) time commitment to get books read in a certain period when I might also be getting ARCs from publishers/NetGalley and 2) cost and time to get the books. Living in Australia is a pain book-wise. They often cost 2-3 times as much here as they did in England, so to get them for a reasonable price, I have to buy overseas and that means waiting for shipping etc. Many of the monthly group-reads I see would be pointless for me as by the time the books arrived the month would be over. I also don't have a huge amount of spare cash to spend on books so I'm very selective about my purchases.

http://www.rosecityreader.com/ http://www.fredasvoice.com/


Opening sentence:
He has not shaved this morning.





From page 56:
Although the definitive swing towards urban recruiting occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century, the robust, malleable and deferential countryman was never as plentiful as recruiting sergeants might have wished




My Current Read 
Redcoat
Richard Holmes


Redcoat is the brilliant story of the common British soldier from 1700 to 1900, based on the letters and diaries of the men who served and the women who followed them.

Delving into the history of the period – charting events including Wolfe's victory and death at Quebec, Wellington's Peninsular War, Waterloo, the retreat from Kabul and the Sikh wars – celebrated military historian Richard Holmes provides a comprehensive portrait of a fallible but extraordinarily successful fighting force.

24 comments:

  1. Not something I'd choose to read. I do like to learn when reading though:)

    My Friday 56 from The Great Zoo Of China

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    1. I like non-fiction on the whole, but I must say that I am finding this one a little dry at times and will be glad when I finish it.

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  2. I would have walked right past the cover. However, if someone gave it to me, or I knew it was told through letters, I would have checked it out. I 'm not big on reading challenges. I normally have too much on my reading list to take part in them. I'd love for you and your readers to check out mine! http://tinyurl.com/LisaKsBookReviewsOFITG

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. Exactly--my TBR is always full to begin with.

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  3. I don't do challenges. I used to try but after a number of epic fails, I gave them up. This isn't something I'd pick to read. The 56 sounds way too scholarly for my reading tastes. This week I have Come Sundown by Nora Roberts. Happy reading!

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    1. Yeah, I have to say that, even for me, this one is turning out to be a bit dry and plodding. I'll finish it, but I will look forward to swapping back to some fiction for a little light relief when I'm done!

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  4. Probably not for me, but the excerpts did pique my curiosity. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

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  6. Had a spelling error... lol
    Not sure this book would be for me, but I hope you love it. Happy weekend!

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    1. Ah, the dreaded typo. I hate them too.
      This book is interesting but a little too dry for me to say that I love it. It will probably get about 3-3.5 stars when I review next week.

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  7. I understand about the lack of time to commit. That's one of my biggest problems with participating in read-athons and group reads as well. I've often used reading challenges as a way to work my way through my existing TBR piles, and so I don't need to spend money on new books. I already own them. When it comes to group reads, however, having to spend money can be an issue.

    I am not familiar with Redcoat, but it does sound interesting!

    I hope you have a wonderful week!

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    1. Good idea to use the challenges to help you clear your current TBR.

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  8. This book's probably not for me, but it sounds very informative! Hope you enjoy it! Happy reading! :)

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    1. It's certainly informative; however, it's pretty dry and academic reading.

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  9. I love that these letters and diaries were preserved long enough for someone to explore. Makes you think of how much we don't know of the past because letters and the like did not survive. Happy weekend!

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    1. Yes. Although I'm finding the book a little dry overall, I am enjoying reading the snippets from contemporary accounts.

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  10. Any challenge that requires me to buy a book (that I wasn't already planning on buying) is not for me!

    That book sounds interesting, but not loving the excerpt.

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    1. It's turning out to be interesting but a little dry. Thanks for stopping by.

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  11. That sounds like it could be a fascinating read!

    Lauren @ Always Me

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  12. Same with me about time wise with readathons, I just don't have the time know to do them. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog hop Nicki!

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