<p>I’ll jump aboard the S.S. Stockholm Octavo.</p>
<p>Alright then, let’s go with The Stockholm Octavo. The book appears someplace–first, last, wherever–on everyone’s list except for NJTheatreMOM’s, and I’m hoping she will be willing to ride along with us anyway, even if it’s a bumpy trip. :D</p>
<p>I’ll start a new thread.</p>
<p>I looked back at the reviews that had caught my eye. I think they might help with why this book looked of interest.</p>
<p>from Booklist: Mysterious, suspenseful, and, at times, action-packed, Engelmanns masterful tale brings to mind the work of Katherine Neville (The Fire, 2008), Elizabeth Kostova (The Historian, 2005), and Félix J. Palma (The Map of Time, 2011).</p>
<p>from Publisher’s Weekly: Neatly mixing revolutionary politics with the erotic tension and cutthroat rivalry of the female conspiratorswhose exquisite, one-of-a-kind fans are both weapons and prizesEngelmann has crafted a magnificent, suspenseful story set against the vibrant society of Swedens zenith, with a cast of colorful characters balanced at a crux of history.</p>
<p>from Library Journal: VERDICT This rollicking adventure story reads at times like a fairy tale, with Good Guys and Bad Guys and obstacles to be recognized and overcome. It’s all quite fun. As either historical novel or adventure story, this clever first novel should appeal to a broad range of readers.</p>
<p>from Kirkus: Elegant and multifaceted, Engelmann’s debut explores love and connection in late-18th-century Sweden and delivers an unusual, richly-imagined read. Stockholm, “Venice of the North,” in an era of enlightenment and revolution is the setting for a refreshing historical novel grounded in a young man’s search for a wife but which takes excursions into politics, geometry (Divine and other), numerology, the language of fans and, above all, cartomancy–fortune telling using cards.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reviews, Ignatius. It certainly doesn’t sound boring!</p>
<p>Thanks ignatius – you just wrote my intro for the new thread. :)</p>
<p>Looking forward to it!</p>
<p>Here is the thread for The Stockholm Octavo: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1516433-stockholm-octavo-august-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1516433-stockholm-octavo-august-cc-book-club-selection.html</a></p>
<p>First one to finish can tell us whether we made the right choice – but no spoilers! :)</p>
<p>I’ll be doing the audiobook version so no illustrations and charts for me. I just finished The Light Between Oceans. I really enjoyed it. It is very well written and I cried through much of the last two chapters. I won’t say whether they were happy tears or sad tears though.</p>
<p>^ I have The Light Between Oceans and am looking forward to reading it later this summer (probably after I tackle The Stockholm Octavo).</p>
<p>Good evening CC book group! I have been overwhelmed with graduations, kids moving up and out, family visiting, vacation, and much more. I did start and take this book with me to any number of places, but when I finally had a chance to read on vacation, I didn’t feel like picking up this one. I am just now back to CC and about halfway through the remarks. I regret not having been here to participate in this discussion. How interesting your comments are! They truly make me see that I should finish this, even though I have had a terrible time sympathizing at all with Okonkwo. The brutal killing of the child was, as you all know, awful, horrid, despicable! </p>
<p>I will continue on reading the comments, and the book. Thanks for having this excellent discussion, and again, I apologize for being a “no show” this month.</p>
<p>Oh, as I posted I see the next book has been selected. I just ordered it from the library. I promise to try to be better about the reading, although I will be taking my youngest off to college in the beginning of August. Since when did summer become so difficult for reading :)?</p>