Two Nobel Prizes For Literature Will Be Awarded Later This Year

I discovered an article in The Guardian titled, Nobel prize in literature to be awarded twice this year. In the article I read the following:

Two Nobel prizes in literature will be awarded this year, to make up for the lack of one in 2018 while the scandal-plagued Swedish Academy attempted to get its house in order, it was announced on Tuesday.

Last year’s Nobel was withheld for the first time since 1949 after the Swedish Academy, the august institution that selects the winners, was hit with a sexual misconduct scandal that saw the husband of one member imprisoned for rape. Following a meeting on Tuesday, the Nobel Foundation, which executes Alfred Nobel’s will, announced that “the steps that the Swedish Academy has taken and intends to take will create good opportunities for restoring trust”, and that laureates for both 2018 and 2019 will therefore be announced this autumn.

The most significant change to the prize is the appointment of five independent and external members, who will help the Swedish Academy to select the Nobel laureates “for the next few years”. How the winner is chosen has long been a closely guarded secret: what is known is that around 200 nominations are reviewed by the Academy in February, with a shortlist decided on by May and the final five authors studied over the summer. Archives detailing the jury’s reasoning are only opened to the outside world 50 years after the event.

It's wonderful to learn that there will be two Nobel prizes awarded this year to make up for the one missed last year due to the sexual misconduct scandal. It was also wonderful to learn what actions are being taken to instill public confidence in how the Nobel Prize for Literature is selected and also to learn more about the selection process for choosing a winner. Click on the above link to read the full story.

A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain

I listened to the unabridged audio version of A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain and narrated by Hillary Huber. 

Listening time for A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain is 1 hour, 15 minutes.

As an Audible member, I was able to download and listen to A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain for FREE on my Kindle. 

Below is my unbiased review for A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain.

What initially attracted me to A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain (aside from it being free) was the publisher's summary, the 1700+ reviews/ratings, and the 4.1 out 5 star average rating for A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain.

I've always been somewhat fascinated with the life of Marie Curie. So, needless to say, I was curious to listen to A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain. I've also wanted to read a book by Paula McLain, so listening to A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain helped fulfill two goals.

I thought A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain was way too short of a read!! I wish this book had been longer and contained more detail about Marie Curie's life and legacy. I felt like A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain focused on a very narrow timeline of Marie Curie's life for the majority of this book as it focused primarily on Marie Curie's college years at the Sorbonne in Paris. Marie Curie's younger life was discussed in A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain as well as to what Marie Curie's future held for her... But quite frankly, I wanted a more comprehensive read regarding Marie Curie's life. 

A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain is a good introduction to Marie Curie's life. However, if you want something more comprehensive about Marie Curie's life then I suggest looking elsewhere.

I thought Hillary Huber did a decent job narrating A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain. Additionally, Paula McLain's writing was was good, but I am now uncertain if I want to read her novel, My Paris Wife after reading A Mind of Her Own.

The following is the publisher's summary for A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain from Audible:

From Paula McLain, the best-selling author of The Paris Wife and Love and Ruin, comes a breathtakingly intimate story of the brilliant, willful Marie Curie - a young woman in Paris on the verge of her greatest discovery yet: herself.

Paris, 1893. Twenty-five-year-old Marie Sklodowska is studying science at the Sorbonne - one of the only universities in the world that has begun to admit women. A thousand miles from her native Poland, with no money and the odds stacked against any woman daring to pursue a career in such a rigorous field, Marie throws herself into her studies. She's certain that to succeed in a man's world, she will have to go it alone.

Her meticulous plans get thrown slightly off-course when Marie attracts the attention of an accomplished young physicist, himself on the precipice of greatness. Thirty-five-year-old Pierre Curie, famous for his work on symmetry, believes he has found in Marie an equal who shares his devotion to scientific discovery. He offers to help with her work, and soon begins to court her. But to Marie, men have always been an obstacle, love a distraction from her goals. She hasn't come this far to let either stand in the way of her dreams - dreams Pierre insists they can share.

In A Mind of Her Own, McLain taps into the luminous mind and complex heart of a singular woman caught between order and chaos, science and love in the period just before the world would learn her name.

I am giving A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars. 

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Happy Women's History Month!!

Women's History Month runs the entire month of March annually. As a woman, I enjoy learning more about women's history and enjoy learning about women's history throughout each calendar year.

Currently, I do not have any specific books slated to read during the month of March that pertain to women's history. However, during the month of March 2019, I will be reading and reviewing books here on my blog written solely by women authors.

I did listen to the unabridged audio version of The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore and reviewed here on my blog in 2016. I do recommend this book. It not only covers the history of Wonder Woman, but also touches upon the early history of 20th century feminism. Click on the above link to read my review.

Do you have any specific reading plans for Women's History Month? Do you have any favorite books that pertain to Women's History?

Throwing Smoke by Kit Sergeant

I read Throwing Smoke by Kit Sergeant, which is a romance/coming of age short story approximately 60 pages in length. Throwing Smoke is a prequel to the full length novel titled, Thrown for a Curve: Smart Women Find Love Book 1 by Kit Segeant.

I was able to download the ebook edition of Throwing Smoke by Kit Sergeant to my Kindle for FREE from Amazon. Below is my honest, unbiased review of Throwing Smoke by Kit Sergeant.

The writing for Throwing Smoke by Kit Sergeant was okay at best, in my opinion. The characters were not well developed and I disliked the cliffhanger ending! I will skip reading the follow up novel to this short story.

The following is a plot summary for Throwing Smoke by Kit Sergeant from Amazon:

One oblivious science major + one lovestruck fraternity brother = one sweet story!

It is the early 2000s. The baseball players at Western U are listening to Aerosmith, making bets, and just generally being their obnoxious selves. Addy Enders is a devoted marine biology student too preoccupied with breeding fruit flies and avoiding said baseball players to have time for a boyfriend. Until she meets Jed, a handsome economics major. But there is something that Jed doesn’t want Addy to know…

Ryan spends his time studying with his indifferent girlfriend and cleaning up after his fraternity brothers. The moment he sees The Girl, he knows she is unlike every other person in his life. Waiting outside the lecture hall for her to arrive adds a bright spot to his day, but is it worth risking his anonymity to introduce himself?

Throwing Smoke is an insightful and honest coming-of-age short story that explores the differences between male and female college angst and experiences. This short story prequel to the novel Thrown for a Curve: Smart Women Find Love Book 1 will appeal to anyone who has ever admired someone from afar or had their heart broken.

I am giving Throwing Smoke by Kit Sergeant a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Frostbite (Ivy Granger 0.5) by E. J. Stevens

Frostbite (Ivy Granger 0.5) by E. J. Stevens is a paranormal short story approximately 31 pages in length.

I was able to download the ebook edition of Frostbite (Ivy Granger 0.5) by E. J. Stevens to my Kindle for FREE from Amazon. Below is my honest, unbiased review of Frostbite (Ivy Granger 0.5) by E. J. Stevens.

I wasn't impressed with this short story at all. The storyline, the characters, and the plot left me feeling bored and uninterested. Needless to say, I am not interested reading the full length novels that comprise the Ivy Grange Series.

The following is a plot summary for Frostbite (Ivy Granger 0.5) by E. J. Stevens from Amazon:

This spooky prequel short story is the perfect introduction to the award-winning Ivy Granger Psychic Detective urban fantasy series. Winner of the Imadjinn Award for Best Short Story.

When a client claims that her house is being haunted, Ivy tries to keep her mind open and her weapons handy. If her psychic gifts and recent cases have taught her anything, it's that you're better off arming yourself for the unexpected. 

Will our favorite psychic detective face down murderous ghosts? Anything is possible in Harborsmouth.

I am giving Frostbite (Ivy Granger 0.5) by E. J. Stevens a rating of 1 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

I've Had A Reading Slump This Month!!

I've had a reading slump this month for a few reasons. The first reason is I have been out of town the entire month of February visiting family. So, I've been busy spending more time having fun with family members verses reading books. The second reason I've had a reading slump is because I had three back to back books that I didn't end up finishing because they didn't keep my interest. And thirdly, the few additional books I had on hand simply ended up not sounding like books I wanted to read after all.

I'll be returning home in March. I am confident my reading mojo will return once I settle into my daily routine. I've enjoyed spending time with my family, but I've also missed reading my usual amount of books per month. Reading is a major source of entertainment for me and also a way for me to relax.

Have you had a reading slump? How have you dealt with it?

Black History Month - Misty Copeland - Principal Dancer American Ballet Company

I was blessed to see Misty Copeland dance with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in late March or early April 2012 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. She gave a fabulous performance that night!! At the time I saw Ms. Copeland dance, she was still a soloist for ABT. "On June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history." (Wikipedia)

I still want to read Misty Copeland's memoir titled, Life In Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina.

Neil Gaiman teaches The Art of Storytelling Via Masterclass!

Here's another famous author, Neil Gaiman, teaching an online class through Masterclass. He teaches The Art of Storytelling.

Check out the above video trailer to see for yourself what Neil Gaiman will be teaching in his online class.

Black History Month - Ngugi wa Thiongo - Kenyan Writer

Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity of hearing Kenyan writer,  Ngugi wa Thiong'o speak at the 2018 Bay Area Book Festival. Ngugi wa Thiongo  is one of the most prominent African writers today and has often been on the Nobel Prize's radar for quite sometime.

Since I had never even heard of Ngugi wa Thiongo prior to 2018, I thought it would be fitting to highlight his writing once again here on my blog! 

I still have his novel, Petals of Blood, in my 'to be read' pile at home waiting to be read!!

Black History Month - Hazel Scott - Jazz & Classical Pianist!

Hazel Scott was a jazz and classical pianist, singer, and actor. Ms. Scott was a piano prodigy and received a scholarship to Julliard at the age of 8 years old!! 

"In 1950, she became the first black person to have a TV show, The Hazel Scott Show." (Wikipedia)

Unfortunately, Hazel Scott was blacklisted after testifying before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) during the McCarthy era.

There's an ebook out about Hazel Scott's life titled, 
Hazel Scott: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist, from Café Society to Hollywood to HUAC by Karen Chilton that I want to read.