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Sunday, December 25, 2022

BW52: 2022 Year End Wrap up



“Books are keys to wisdom's treasure;
Books are gates to lands of pleasure;
Books are paths that upward lead;
Books are friends. Come, let us read.”
― Emilie Poulsson


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my lovelies. It's time to retire this year's walking shoes, hang up our hats, and sort through our backpacks to see what treasures we found during our reading adventures.  Come join me in the parlor, grab a hot cup of tea or coffee, a glass of wine, or some juice, and curl up by the fire, while we talk about our books. 

So, how'd it go? 

Are you the type of reader who likes to have a reading plan or do you like to  meander about the countryside, reading whatever comes to to hand?  Do you like to read only one book at a time or do you like to dip your fingers and toes, even your whole body into more than one story at a time? 

Did you heed the call of those chunky and dusty books? 

Did you read only from your TBR pile or did you seek out new stories, new thrills? 

Tell us about your most entertaining read of the year? 

Which story or stories stuck with you the longest?

Which characters did you fall in like or love with? Did they make you want to dive into their world and live there?

Which stories surprised you, made you reflect, laugh out loud, tear up, or irritated the heck out of you?

Which stories inspired web wonderings and lead you on rabbit trails? 

Where in the world and through what time periods did your reading adventures take you? 

What is the one book you think everybody should read?  Everyone's last mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read one of those books in 2023.  Let us know which one you choose. 

Sandy and Amy took us on a delightful crime spree into the world of clues and conundrums, the crafty and the cagey, and the quick and clever with the grandparents of crime, to the classic children's mysteries to the golden age, and around the world and back again. Where did your adventures take you during your crime spree?  Thank you ladies!

How many books did you read? Share your stats, new to you author discoveries, favorite quotes, or covers. 

What are your reading plans for next year? 

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who have shared in our reading adventures and to those who followed our progress. I hope we've inspired you to read more.  Whether you read fast or slow, dive into the classics or delve into comtemporary romance, sleuth your way through mysteries, explore translated stories or pour through non fiction, the most important thing is the reading. 

“Reading is like thinking, like praying, like talking to a friend, like expressing your ideas, like listening to other people’s ideas, like listening to music, like looking at the view, like taking a walk on the beach.” – Roberto BolaƱo


Cheers to a happy and healthy, enlightening, and inspiring reading new year!


And we can't forget our A to Z and Back again Letter and word of the week are A and Again! 

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Please share your year end wrap up, book thoughts reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week. 

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.


Saturday, December 17, 2022

BW51: December Solstice

 


Happy Sunday! The December solstice is upon us and it's time to celebrate.  It's Winter in our neck of the woods and whilst we're preparing for Christmas and enjoying hot toddies by the fire, it's Summer in the Southern Hemisphere (those lucky dawgs), and folks are enjoying fruity rum drinks on the beach. 


15 Books celebrating Christmas around the World

The Reason for the Season: 9 Books That Celebrate the Meaning of Christmas

RD's 35 Best Christmas Books to read around the holidays

Book Girl's Guide to 30 Best Christmas Books for  Adults


For some reason, I've been in a winter mood all year long, indulging in reads set in frigid cold settings, characters braving the elements, all the while falling in love, finding killers, solving mysteries, or simply exploring.  


I discovered a new to me series this year in Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak series which is 22 books long but well worth reading.  Once I started reading, couldn't stop.   I can also recommend James Rollins Ice Hunt to Alistair Maclean's Ice Station Zebra to to Nalini Singh's Caressed by Ice to Hampton Side's non fiction tale of In the Kingdom of Ice, . They are all quite good.

Read a book With Snow, Ice or Frost on the Cover or in the Title

Read a Romance Book with Ice in the title

Read a book with Winter in the title 

Read about Eskimos, penguins, the Iditarod, or polar bears

Tolstoy's Therapy 15 of the Best Books to read on cozy winter days.

Our letter and word of the week are B and Brrr

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Please share your book thoughts reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week. 

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.

Sunday, December 11, 2022

BW50: 52 Books Bingo - Creativity

 

Courtesy of Marie Cardouat

Happy Sunday!  Our last 52 Books Bingo Category for the year is Creativity, my favorite subject. It's time to unleash your inner Creativity

Creativity takes all shapes and forms from the physical to the intellectual, deliberately or spontaneously.  Whether you have a creative mind or creative hands, there are a wide variety of ways to be creative and things highly creative people do differently.   What is the difference between Artistic and Creative ability?   And then there is Creative Leadership Lessons from Star Trek.    What do you think? 

15 Books About Creativity to Get You Out of a Creative Rut.  One book I revisit over and over is The Artist Way by Julia Cameron which unlocked my imagination. 

The 9 Books Every Artist Should Have on Their Shelf

Art and Fiction: 15 Brilliant Novels About Art and Artists

The Artist’s Library: 40 Must-Have Books for Music Producers

40 Best Books about Writing.  So many good books including Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing, and Stephen King's On Writing.  Lynn Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves which is hilariously good, as well as Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. 

The 25 Best Cookbooks Of 2022.  I have a big collection of cookbooks but my favorite is still an old Good Housekeeping. However, I am fascinated with Moosehead Restaurant's variety of cookbooks.

There are so many ways to be creative and I've been diving down rabbit holes all afternoon.  *Grin. However I don't want to overwhelm you with links so have fun diving down your own rabbit holes. 

How do you nourish your creativity? 

Our A to Z and Back Again letter and word of the week are C and you guessed it, Creativity

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Please share your book thoughts reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week. 

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.



Sunday, December 4, 2022

BW49: Crime Spree Recommendations

 


Happy December! It's cold and rainy and we're tucked up, nice and cozy with books and family. The best place to be, whether it be physically or virtually.  Thanks to Sandy and Amy we've had a grand year, going on a crime spree.  

Let’s end the year with a feeling of festivity, joy, and a reminder that rich uncles frequently change their wills during the Holidays so be on your best behavior.

 What have been your favorite categories this year? Have you discovered any new genres to love?

 

·  Grandparents of Crime: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

· Romantic Suspense: Holiday in Death by JD Robb

· Golden Age: Mystery in White by F. Jefferson Farjeon or Nine Tailers by Dorothy Sayers

· Classic Children’s Mysteries: I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

· Historical Mysteries: The Queen’s Christmas by Karen Harper (Tudor) or Silence in the Sanctuary by Deanna Rayburn (Victorian)

· Religious Characters: The Raven in the Forgate by Ellis Peters or Twelve Drummers Drumming by CC Bennison or Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman

· The Americans: And Four to Go by Rex Stout or The Finishing Stroke by Ellery Queen

· True Crime: The Meaning of Our Tears: the True Story of the Lawson Family Murders of Christmas Day 1929 by Trudy Smith

· Police Procedural: Water like a Stone by Deborah Crombie

· Around the World: Maigret’s Christmas by Georges Simenon or Voices by Arnaldur IndriĆ°ason

· Hanukkah: Festival of Deaths by Jane Haddam

 

Challenge: Give up your life of crime by recommending a favorite mystery book to a BaW friend.

Our A to Z and Back Again letter and word of the Week are D and Delight.


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Please share your book thoughts reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week. 

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.