Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into James & Other Friday Fun

I had every intention of finishing Percival Everett's James in time for a book club meeting this week, but time got away from me. This work week has left me feeling exhausted and drained, and it doesn't help that I have not been feeling good, health wise. I hope the week has treated you kindly. I look forward to seeing what you have been reading!

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.

 

Those little bastards were hiding out there in the tall grass. The moon was not quite full, but bright, and it was behind them, so I could see them as plain as day, though it was deep night. Lightning bugs flashed against the black canvas. I waited at Miss Watson's kitchen door, rocked a loose step board with my foot, knew she was going to tell me to fix it tomorrow.  [opening of James]

I grew up reading about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn's adventures. I decided against re-reading Mark Twain's classic novels before picking up James though, preferring to let my memories of them remain as they are. Percival Everett opens his novel with a well known scene from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, only this time from Jim's perspective. It's Jim's turn to tell his side of the story, and I am here for it! 

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of Freda's Voice is on a break, and Anne of My Head is Full of Books  has stepped in to host! 

Deep in the night from deep in the forest, I heard the barking and howling of hounds. I pulled myself into an even tighter ball atop the tree roots that had become my bed. There was a mama raccoon that lived in the tree. She had taken to walking past me nonchalantly in the darkness. Tonight she stayed in the tree, high above me, listening to the dogs. We were both animals and we didn't know which of us was the prey.  [page 92 of James]

I can already tell James will likely be among my favorite books of the year.

James by Percival Everett

A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view.

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. [Goodreads Summary]

Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.

Do you have a series you've been meaning to finish but haven't? Which one(s) and why? 

I am the queen of starting series. I always mean to get back to them. And sometimes I do. But there are so many. And so many new ones to start. One of my ongoing reading goals it so work my way through the series I am reading. Let's be honest though. It'll take me a lifetime. Probably longer. I am caught up in a few of the series I read, but not most. The list of series I am in the middle of is way too long to post here today, but here are a small few series I have been wanting to finish or catch up with:  

Amari Special Investigations by B.B. Alston

Elemental Magic series by Celestine Martin

Saffron Everleigh series by Kate Khavari

Electra McDonnell series by Ashley Weaver

Below Stairs Mysteries by Jennifer Ashley

Spy x Family by Tatsuyo Endo 

Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs

Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett

Kinsey Millhone Mysteries by Sue Grafton

Gunnie Rose series by Charlaine Harris

Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

Verity Kent Mysteries by Anna Lee Huber

Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn

Magus of the Library by Mitsu Izumi

The Country Club Murders by Julie Mulhern

Well Met series by Jen DeLuca

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano

The Wayfarers by Becky Chambers

Witch Way Librarian Cozy Mysteries

The Others by Anne Bishop

The Hollows by Kim Harrison

Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews

Deathless trilogy by Namina Forna

Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal

To answer the why of this week's question, all I can say is that each of these series captured my heart, has characters I have enjoyed getting to know, and want to continue to spend time with. Some I am newer to than others, but we have been through a lot together. Some make me laugh, almost all have brought tears to my eyes and kept me up too late at night because I have to know what happens next.

What about you? Are you a series reader? If so, which series are you looking forward to catching up on or completing? Are we reading any of the same series?

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

With the changing of seasons from summer to fall in September, do you have a favorite book that reflects the essence of this transitional period or one that you enjoy reading when the temperature cools down? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. Although my reading does not always flow with the seasons and the cool temperatures do not hit until about mid-October, this time of year always makes me think of snuggling under a blanket with a book, the smell of cinnamon or wet leaves, and the feel of a chill in the air. It makes me think of Gothic novels, haunted houses, ghosts, witches, and dark academia, whether cozy, romantic, scary, or fantastical. I am not much of a re-reader and so there really isn't one book I return to this time of year. But here are some of my recent favorites that bring to mind this time of year:

The Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Cackle by Rachel Harrison

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

A Deadly Education (The Scholomance Trilogy #1) by Naomi Novik 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

What about you? Do you have a favorite fall read or a book you would recommend this time of year? 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading!

---

© 2024 Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.