Like in my previous post, I had a different word in mind initially for the letter T – it was thankful. And there is so much to be thankful for, today and everyday. But then I decided to go with Together. In this time of social distancing and isolation, we are also together. More together with our loved ones in our homes, working together towards the benefit of all while staying separate from other loved ones (friends and family), and that catch-phrase of the current times comes to the forefront: “We are all in this together.”

So even if we are missing loved ones, recall these words:

“I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

And remember:

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford

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The Books

This is Gus

Book Info

My Thoughts

A simply adorable book of a grumpy dog, and friendship, and cuteness galore! Gus does not like anything – at all – except for maybe sausages, and a tiny little maybe of liking for the narrator of this sweet, sweet book – a puppy who joins Gus’ family.

Conclusion

Yes to the book for those littlest readers, and especially for those who love animals!

Pre-Order Here

Goodreads || Amazon || Book Depository || Target ||
Barnes and Noble || IndieBound

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Disclaimer: Thank you to Edelweiss and the publishers for the digital ARC of the book; these are my honest opinions after reading the book.

“True friends are always together in spirit.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn

Book Info

Before I Start

I picked this book from NetGalley a couple of years ago for two reasons. One, it was The Tale of Genji, which is considered the first novel ever written and has been on my TBR for a while but I never got around to it because of its sheer length. And two, this one was the manga version of it, a form I had fallen in love with, which of course, makes it easier and quicker to read!! 🙂

Somehow I missed reading it, and later got it for myself to read and review. That time, I missed reviewing it. So here it is finally, as I worked on the letter T for this A to Z Challenge!

My Thoughts

The Tale of Genji certainly lends itself to the manga form. Every character and every setting is stunningly beautiful, and the details are amazing. While the story itself is full of twists and turns, and worth a whole review, my thoughts here focus on the manga version.

I cannot comment on how the original has been adapted to the manga, not having read the original (in English translation, of course) yet. But based on the popularity of this manga and the comments (below) from the description, this is totally worth a read:

First published in the 1980s and 90s, Waki Yamato’s renowned adaptation of Murasaki Shikibu’s 11th-century literary masterpiece is still gorgeous to behold and is considered one of the greatest novel-to-manga adaptations of all time.

As for me, reading this book gave me immense pleasure, and I look forward to the rest in the ten-volume series (yes, this is just the first one of ten)!

In Summary

An amazing read for those who love manga, comics, or have The Tale of Genji on their TBRs.

Get it Here

Goodreads || Amazon || Barnes and Noble

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Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital ARC of the book; these are my honest opinions after reading the book.

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh

My ‘T’ Book Stack

The Books

From the first pic above:

• The World as I See It Out of My Later Years
• The Time Traveler’s Wife
• Thrilling Tales
• Text and Contexts: A Contemporary Approach to College Writing
• Two Toreadors from Vasukovka Village
• The Time Machine
• Twice-Told Tales
• The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno
• The Testament
• The Three Musketeers
• Travel Team
• The Trumpet Major

From the second pic:

• The Travels of Jamie McPheeters
• Tuck Everlasting
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
• The Total Woman
• Tamil Pulp Fiction
• To Sir With Love
• The Tao of Pooh
• The Twenty-One Balloons
• Three Men in a Boat
• A Twist in the Tale
• The Trumpet of the Swan
• The Time Garden
• Things Hoped For
• Tales from Within the Clouds
• Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
• Tales from Shakespeare
• The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
• The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings

Quick Notes

First, I know there are a couple of books at least that I did not picture simply because I could not find them at first glance. To be honest, I am looking for the books for each letter from the bookshelves each day (and we have five bookshelves across our three bedrooms!) and sometimes I miss seeing the books as I am always in a hurry!! To Kill a Mockingbird is not here because of that reason.

As for the ones pictured, I have read a few of them – in bold. Some of them, not the whole book, but enough to know what it is about. For example, The Total Woman was a pick from the local library’s book sale out of complete curiosity, and I found myself LOL as I read it. My suggestion – get it from the library if you are curious, but note it is totally ridiculous. I am keeping it for the giggles now.

Note: Oops, the top most one in the first pic is a W, and one of them in the 2nd is Repeated from the letter R 🙂

“Home wasn’t a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go.” – ― Sarah Dessen, What Happened to Goodbye

Random Thing(s) for ‘T’ Day

Today, I attempted to talk like Shakespeare (for it is National Talk Like Shakespeare Day) but gave up in a bit. The ‘thou’ and ‘thee’ did not fare well.. And we did attempt to take our lunch plates out to the backyard to have a little picnic. But as I continue to celebrate words, today is also another reason to celebrate them – English Language Day.

Here are a few words for you today.

Dear reader: I will add the definitions in a while. In the meantime, you can attempt to guess the meaning of any one (or more) of them and let me know in the comments.

• tardiloquent
• terrisonant
• teknonymy
• telaesthesia
• theiform
• tootle
• trangam
• triphthong
• trumeau
• tsiology
• twee
• tychism
• typology

“If You Want To Go Fast, Go Alone. If You Want To Go Far, Go Together.” – African Proverb

And now, the end of this post

So, dear reader, as always, a couple of questions for you. Have you read the pictured ‘T’ book? Do you have interesting ‘T’ words or facts for me? And did you try to guess the meanings of any of the words above? If you missed, check them out and let me know your guesses in the comments.

“But we are strong, each in our purpose, and we are all more strong together.” – Bram Stoker, Dracula

For previous posts, click on the links below:

Day_0(Theme) Day_1A Day_2B Day_3C Day_4D Day_5 Day_6E Day_7F Day_8G Day_9H Day_10I Day_11J Day_12 Day_13K Day_14L Day_15M Day_16N Day_17O Day_18P Day_19 Day_20Q Day_21R Day_22S

Linking up to the April A to Z Blogging Challenge, and the Ultimate Blog Challenge (click on the images to learn more about these challenges)