If you substitute childlike for innocence does that make it better? That was also a sought after trait of that time.

I knew nothing about the Channel Islands before reading this.

I do not remember most of the details of the story, but one thing that stood out was about how Eben (I think, Eben?) said that the war made him miss his nephew's childhood. That part seemed so sad to me. It is one of those casualties of war that people don't think much about.

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Also, I read the Wiki page about the author after reading the book, and the author actually died before the book was published (and possibly it was her only book?). That gave the book even kind of a different feel, as if it was really important to the author, more so than just an ordinary book in a series of books written by someone.

Thanks for the tip. I'm gonna try that!

Any tips for online book clubs for book discussions?

All my fantasy series with male pov romances seem to start great and end up tragic lately 😂🤷‍♂️

But I'd strongly recommend Iron Druid

I started reading a book 📕 3 years ago and I can’t still finish it.

Book Hangover, one of the very few cons of loving to read

Right, that’s like saying if someone wrote a story with a wizard in it, all other stories with wizards are rip-offs of it.

The problem isn’t the “age gap.” Their age gap is only 6 years or so. What I think is creepy is how the main character explicitly refers to Kilmeny as a child repeatedly, doesn’t want her to learn/experience the world before they marry, loves her total lack of knowledge etc. His kiss is what makes her a woman and so forth. It is true that “childlike wonderment” was prized in women but that doesn’t make it less of a creepy story to me.

I call it a book hangover. The best thing is to start a new engaging story.

I think you got the order of those things mixed up...

I had the feeling that i'm not normal because i'm really sad when i finish a book. But thanks, i'm not feeling alone or weird anymore !

The "Itty-bitty book light" is perfect for reading in bed. It clips to the book and shines directly on the pages.

She can listen while she moves around at this age. It's fine. Read the book aloud, and eventually, she will start showing an interest in it. You might start out with poetry - the meter and rhyme may make it more appealing. My son loved the poems in "When We Were Very Young" by A.A. Milne when he was an infant and toddler.

Another day, another recommendation for Mary E Pearson's Dance of Thieves and Vow of Thieves, fantasy romance duology told in dual POV from male and female protagonist's perspective.

Check out Orton-Gillingham method. It's the most evidence-based way we have to teach reading to dyslexic people.

One of my favorites. Prior to reading this book I didn't know much about the Channel Islands. I've always been interested in reading up on WWII so it gave me a fresh perspective.

Chosen family really is at the core of the story. Shared adversity creates the strongest of bonds. I immensely enjoyed the themes, and didn't even mind the epistolary style of writing.

But yeah, I didn't like the movie either. In fact, I don't think I even finished it, despite the mini Downton Abbey reunion AND a Glen Powell appearance.

Watch a Pepe LePew cartoon sometime. As a kid, I didn’t realize I was watching stalker porn.

Your description sounds like the problem lies more with you than the story really. You can't apply today's standards to a century old story. All it does is demonstrate your inability to grasp context and learn how views change over time.

You talk about Eric as he's got a skeezy Tinder profile when really Eric's circumstance and family history cause him to be very pragmatic in the selection of a wife.

A character from this time period speaking about innocence and childlikeness has nothing to do with the sexual deviancy you seem to read into it. That's all you, not the story, character or time period. These qualities were admired, not lusted after. Parents still admire those qualities today and it's mostly cultural paranoia that has changed people's view on this kind of phrasing.

Along the same lines, age gapped relationships have been very common throughout history because they brought the most benefit to both parties. And most of the time, marriage was very much an arrangement of convenience or necessity. Couples needed each other and only the desperate would settle for a partner that brought them little advantage.

Which is exactly why Kilmeny doesn't want to marry him without her voice. She feels the inconvenience of her muteness outweighs her usefulness as a spouse and as such doesn't want him to marry her. There's a lot of romance plots where one partner either feels like they're not good enough or vice versa attempts to hide their deficiencies (poverty, debt, criminal history etc.) until the marriage is settled.

If you insist on ignoring context and meaning because you're too busy applying your standards on characters that don't live in your world, you're not going to get much out of your reading.

Oh! I thought they were everywhere, I’m in Europe and that’s what’s on the shelves. I haven’t seen the HBO tie in editions in the shops where I am though I think they are quite nice. I love the show!! Elena and Lila’s casting is beautiful you even forgive them for looking way too young in season 3 bc they are that good. Eagerly awaiting the next season!!

The Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb has a male protagonist and have some romance in them.

Yes, so much better but I thought those covers are only for the Australian editions, I could be wrong. I like the cover based on the HBO series too… and I think the girls who played Lila and Elena on the show are great. It’s how I would have imagined them. I do recommend the show.

It reads like a WikiHow tutorial lol

We Hunt the Flame. But I am not recommending it. I have taken a break from it and am very close to DNF

"ripped off"