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You know what happens when the first of the month is on a Tuesday? The Collaboreads link up sneaks up on you! With a week of travel, a new work schedule, and the girls getting back into the swing of school — August has been full. I had high hopes for the blog and social media over the last few weeks, but I’ve barely been able to keep up. I’m sure we’ll settle into our new normal and I’ll find a rhythm again, but until then I’ll just be over here doing the best that I can! One thing I did do this month, was make it easier for you to follow along with what I’m reading. I started a companion Instagram account, where I’ll be posting almost daily about what the girls and I are reading. We’re dangerously close to 500 followers already and once we hit that benchmark, I’ll be offering a fun giveaway. I also have a super fun bookish pen pal idea in the works, and I created a page on the blog where you can shop all of the books we’ve read this year! Head over to the Book Shop and check it out!
The prompt for this month’s post was to read a book in a series. I really wanted to report back that I had finished the second — very long — book in a series that I love, but I’m still only halfway through its 1000+ pages. Since I’m not ready to review the second book, I thought I’d share a bit about the Kingsbridge Series overall, in case you were interested in pursuing a three thousand page project anytime soon!
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined lives of his characters into their dreams, their labors, and their loves: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the ravishingly beautiful noblewoman; Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge; Jack, the artist in stone; and Ellen, the woman of the forest who casts a terrifying curse. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, each character is brought vividly to life. The building of the cathedral, with the almost eerie artistry of the unschooled stonemasons, is the center of the drama. Around the site of the construction, Follett weaves a story of betrayal, revenge, and love, which begins with the public hanging of an innocent man and ends with the humiliation of a king.
Book Description via Goodreads | Buy Here
World Without End by Ken Follett
World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas— about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race—the Black Death.
Book Description via Amazon | Buy Here
RIVETING.
What part of this series could you NOT get enough of? These are books that I never expected to like, but honestly, I fell in love with them both almost immediately. I don’t usually love books than span such a long period of time and have this many characters to keep track of, but Follett does such a great job of describing everything, that I never got confused or had a hard time following the narrative. The writing is beautiful and you become so invested in the characters that you find yourself audibly rooting for them. Yes, this actually happened.
ELEMENTS.
How did you relate to/care for the characters? What’s your thought on the plot line and twists and turns? This isn’t a thriller, so the plot twists aren’t as dramatic, but their subtlety is perfect. The main characters in each of the books will pull at your heartstrings and the amount of hatred you’ll have for others keeps you from being able to put them down. I also love that even though most of the main characters are men, both books are filled with strong female characters that you will adore.
ASSOCIATE.
What other books are like these? If none, did they remind you of a particular TV or movie with it’s themes and characters? Does the series serendipitous-ly line-up with things going on in your life or the news right now? I know that Game of Thrones is controversial, so I won’t get into that specifically, but the kind of story this is, reminds me so much of that series. It’s also reminiscent of Outlander in that same way. Follett builds a whole world that you can sink into — the relationships span centuries and you become invested in families and legacies. The settings and time periods of all three series are so different, but the style of writing, number of characters, and the way in which you become entrenched in another time, are all so similar.
DESIGN.
You know you judged these books by their covers. What did you think of them? How did they relate to the contents of the novels? And the font and layout of the pages? I don’t love the covers of this series at all. I feel like they look like cheap paperbacks that I would never notice or have given a second thought. I hadn’t ever heard of Ken Follett before this summer and if it hadn’t been for Josh convincing me to read the first novel, I probably never would have. Since the first book was written in 1989, I think it’s probably time for a cover redesign!
STARS.
How many out of five do you give this book? Would you recommend this book to a friend? I definitely think it takes the right reader to appreciate these novels, but I would definitely recommend them to a committed reader who loves old world / historic epic novels. I haven’t quite finished the second book and the third book comes out next month, but at the half-way point, I’d have to give this entire series five stars.
You know what makes a book club even more fun? When you get to share it with all of your (virtual) friends! We would love it if you would share with your own readers or give us a little shout on social media (use the hashtag #collaboreads). The more the merrier! We’ve even put our heads together and come up with a prompt list for the entire year so that you can plan ahead. Join us on Tuesday, September 26, when we’ll read a book published within the last month.
Every time Rachel and I share Collaboreads on social media or publish our latest book review, we always get comments from readers who forgot about the link party or didn’t finish their book in time. I thought it might be great to offer reminder emails for those of you who planned to link up, but didn’t, so feel free to use the subscription form below to get those monthly reminders. You aren’t signing up for a weekly newsletter and we won’t be sending you any spam. You’ll get two, book-related, emails each month — one two weeks before our link party to remind you of the monthly topic and a second email closer to our posting date, so you don’t accidentally run out of time. Enter your email address below and we’ll take care of the rest!
