Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Read With Us: It's a New Book!

Today is the day we announce a new Read With Us book for summer! You might already be aware of this if you were able to attend the last Zoom discussion for How to Say Babylon, but now everyone will know. This one doesn't fit neatly into one genre; the publisher describes it as a time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all. Welcome to The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley.


From the publisher: "
In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts. Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves."

KymCarole, and I will be talking about the book, giving additional information, and doing promotional posts throughout July. Discussion day for The Ministry of Time is scheduled for Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at 7:00 pm Eastern time, so mark your calendars. We'll ask questions on our blogs that day and then host the always fun, educational, and entertaining Zoom discussion.

The hardcover, Kindle, and audio versions of the book are all available from my library with a bit of a wait. Hopefully, we'll all have plenty of time to place a hold, get the book, and read it.  The Kindle and hardcover versions are priced reasonably on Amazon and I'm sure your local bookseller could order a copy for you if you're lucky enough to have a local bookseller. I'm in the process of listening to the audio version and reading it on my Kindle, and that dual approach is working well for me. 

I do hope you'll read The Ministry of Time with us. I can't resist a genre-defying book with an intriguing cover and an original premise. A book that's a lot of fun and intriguing seems appropriate to read during the summer. 

Come Read With Us!

11 comments:

  1. I'm about halfway through and feeling like I might have to read this one twice to really get it. I know our discussion will enhance my experience, too!

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  2. Orlando is one of my favorite books of all times so this title has been in my Audible queue since it came out in May. I do love a good time travel tale but I do confess I hated Outlander.

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    1. I'm also a non-fan of Outlander. After I slogged through the first two books, I happily quit. Many people that I know love the books but I just don't see the appeal. I finished Ministry of Time over the weekend and I think it's going to take a second reading for me to figure out the things that I missed.

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  3. I haven't started it yet -- but plan to dive in later today. Looking forward to this one!

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  4. Waiting, waiting, waiting at the library. If it takes too long, I'll buy it on Kindle!

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  5. This one looks intriguing to me. I'm in the queue at my library (71 ahead of me!!).

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  6. I am on hold... for all the the things... the book-book, the digital book, and the audiobook. I am hoping for one of the "read with my eyes" books because it sounds like that would be the best choice for this one!

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  7. Well, Bonny, you already know how I feel about this book, so I won't bore you with the same adoration I put in my review on Goodreads. I will say that I fell in love with the author's rendition of Commander Gore, and the fact that he was a real person that contributed historical detail to the book was fabulous. And that picture of him made me love his character even more! An excellent choice for discussion!

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  8. There is so much to discuss about this book! I look forward to reading it again before our discussion!

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    1. I finished it over the weekend and I'm also going to have to read it again before our discussion for all the things I missed. It is a unique and discussable book!

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  9. I read this one last week and adored it ... like giving it a hug when I finished - and then going back to re-read the last 40 pages to savor them (again). I'm curious how y'all choose your books?!

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