Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges discussion

The Motif (theme) for August is ...
“Vacation Location”
Read a book that takes you to a location you’d love to visit OR read a book that explores elements of that place or culture.
Share with us! Which book did you read and what did you think of it?


I took the liberty to jump in this month, so that we all may post our reads in time.

• The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty
- Horror/Paranormal/Thriller
- Finished: August 31st.
- 4 stars on Goodreads.
Well…..that was disturbing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the entire movie. Just a few of the more famous scenes here and there. I know the movie caused quite a stir when it was released, but now I’m wondering if all of the most disturbing scenes from the book were included, because….surely not? In any event, yes, this book is disturbing, and shocking, and enthralling in the manner of a car accident that you can’t look away from.

Challenge complete!

For this, I picked "Under the Alaskan Ice" by the late Karen Harper because traveling Alaska had been a dream of mine for at least 20+ years. While the book delivered in terms of the location, it fell absolutely flat plot-wise.

Challenge complete!

I read a book set in Wales

Christmas at the Little Cottage by the Sea by Rachel Griffiths

and three books set in Scotland

A Corpse at the Castle by R.B. Marshall
Highland Pursuits by Emmanuelle de Maupassant
Highland Secrets by Elizabeth Rose

Challenge complete (actually early in August).
Book: Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaason
While in all honesty I really wouldn’t relish a trip to Florida myself, it is a vacation destination for many. I always enjoy the wild ride this author promises, this was not a disappointment.
My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thank you Nina~!

Challenge Complete: "Vacation Location" Read a book that takes you to a location you’d love to visit OR read a book that explores elements of that place or culture.

Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens by David Mitchell

Obviously, this isn’t a comprehensive look at a thousand years of English history; more a collection of anecdotes regarding some truly terrible behavior. As Mitchell notes at the beginning of the book, unless you already know something about these (mostly) men, the book might not make a lot of sense. As far as he’s concerned, you pass the test if you know that, in 1066, William the Conqueror became king of England.

The book is mildly humorous, as Mitchell points out the rulers’ foibles, though their accomplishments are mostly overlooked. Which sort of placed basically good rulers (Henry II, Edward III and IV,) which some really bad ones (John I, Edward II, Henry VI.) I thought the book would have been better with a more balanced view.

What the book does best is show how the idea of kingship came about, and how, and why, it’s evolved over the years. The years covered are those when the power was nearly absolute and stops when that’s coming to an end.

Of course, much of this is his opinion, which seems to be not very good when it comes to professional historians, so there’s that. Some of what he wrote I thought spot on. Some, not so much. The book comes in long at slightly over 400 pages, but it’s an easy read and, while not as funny as I thought it would be, still entertaining.

Challenge Complete
The Wedding People by Alison Espach. It takes place in Newport, Rhode Island.