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Courtesy of the Joseph Campbell Foundation |
"A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” ― Madeleine L'Engle
Sunday, March 26, 2023
BW13: Happy Birthday Joseph Cambell
Sunday, March 19, 2023
BW12: March Equinox
Happy Sunday! This week we celebrate the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. It seems Spring has sprung already in our neck of the world. The temps are rising and it was a balmy 70 degrees yesterday while I was running here, there, and everywhere. Today is also Let's Laugh Day, the 20th is not only the March Equinox, but International Day of Happiness as well. The 21st is World Poetry Day, the 22nd is As Young as You Feel Day, the 23rd is not only my dad's 92nd birthday, but also National Chip and Dip Day. The 24th is National Cheesecake day, and the 25th is International Waffle Day. I think the person who makes up the calendar was hungry. LOL!
Let's dive into spring (or autumn reads, depending on where you are) with Beyond the Bookends list of 107 Sensational New Spring 2023 releases or She Reads Most Anticipated Books of Spring
In the Southern Hemisphere, dip into the Republic's list of 23 African Books to Expect in 2023 or Australian Fiction authors new releases through March 2023.
Read a book with Spring or Autumn in the title or Spring or Autumn flowers on the cover.
Read a book that takes place during Spring or Autumn.
Join your local libraries Spring or Autumn 2023 reading challenge.
Our post is brought to you by the letter L this week which means loads and loads of love, laughter and life to explore.
Have fun following rabbit trails!
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Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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.
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Sunday, March 12, 2023
BW11: St. Patrick's Day
Happy Sunday! St Patrick's Day is officially March 17th, however, we're going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day all week long. My father's side of the family came from Cork county, Ireland which is known as the food capital of Ireland. Plus it's northwest of the Blarney castle where my grandparents have kissed the blarney stone a few times. We have a plaque in our home my grandmother gave us that says "Fluent Blarney spoken here."
Instead of loading our wish lists down with more books, let's find a book on our shelves about Ireland, with Irish characters, or with green on the cover or in the title.
St. Patrick’s Day
BY
Jean Blewett
There’s an Isle, a green Isle, set in the sea,
Here’s to the Saint that blessed it!
And here’s to the billows wild and free
That for centuries have caressed it!
Here’s to the day when the men that roam
Send longing eyes o’er the water!
Here’s to the land that still spells home
To each loyal son and daughter!
Here’s to old Ireland—fair, I ween,
With the blue skies stretched above her!
Here’s to her shamrock warm and green,
And here’s to the hearts that love her!
Our post is sponsored by the letter K which stands for kiss, kind, knight, kneel, kittens, and kites.
Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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.
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Sunday, March 5, 2023
BW10: 52 Books Bingo - Fifteen
Happy Sunday! Since this is our 15th year of 52 Books, our next bingo category is Fifteen. Read a book with fifteen or 15 in the title or the 15th book in a series or about a 15 year old character or written by a 15 year old author. Read a book written in the 1500's, written 150 years ago, or written 15 years ago.
15 Books Chris Pine Thinks Everyone Should Read
Books for fifteen years old recommended by Kidsbookfort.com
The Atlantic's 15 books You Won't Regret Rereading
Infographic: 15 Books with More Characters than You Can Keep Track Of!
I currently have the time traveling adventure Fifteen Postcards by Kirsten McKenzie as well as another science fi fantasy tale the First Fifteen Lives of Henry August by Claire North, pus Cleo Coyle's 15th book Dead to the Last Drop in her Coffeehouse Mystery series in my stacks.
Have fun, be creative, and enjoy!
Our post is brought to us by the letter J this week. J is busy journaling about juicy journeys, judicious jargon and jealous judgements. Forget the jacket and join J in the jet to jaw about the jelly.
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Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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.
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Sunday, February 26, 2023
BW9: March Author of the Month - Douglas Adams
Happy Sunday! It's time to say goodbye to February and hello to March. March is Irish American Heritage month, as well as Nation Peanut Month, National Craft Month, and National Women's History Month. Hmm, let's see. Read something historical by an Irish American Woman while knitting and eating peanuts. *grin*
This week we have February 26th which is Carpe Diem day, the 27th is No Brainer Day, the 28th is National Chili Day, March 1st is World Compliment Day, the 2nd is Old Stuff Day, the 3rd is I want You to be Happy Day, and the 4th is Huge a GI Day. So be sure to seize the day, eat chili, compliment at least three people, do something different, make someone happy, and show some appreciation for the men and women in our armed forces.
Plus our March author of the month is Douglas Adams, whose birthday is March 11, 1952. He is best known for his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. My brother introduced me to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy way back in the 1980's and once I read it, went on to consume The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, The Universe and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish; and Mostly Harmless. Plus his other books Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul, and Douglas Adam's Starship Titanic by Terry Jones. I'm looking forward to reading them all over again.
This week our post is sponsored by the Letter I. How fortuitous as I stands for Irish, industrious, Iambic, Innuendo, Irony, and Imagination.
Happy reading!
Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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, February 19, 2023
BW8: Storytelling
Which brings us to our 52 Books Bingo quest for this week - Storyteller and all those lovely books they have created for our pleasure: narratives, myths, memoirs, drama, poetry as well as the world of fiction. From the classics to the contemporary writers of today there is a wide variety to choose from.
50 Greatest Storytellers Of All Time
Masterful Storytelling: 10 Novels Worth Savoring
20 Best Storytelling Books of All Time
The Best Books On Storytelling
This week, our post is brought to you by the letter H. Big h, little h, what begins with H. Why Homer and Horatio and Heyer as well as Hemingway and Hosseini and Herbert to name a few.
Happy reading!
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Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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, February 12, 2023
BW7: Ode to Common Things to Pablo Neruda
Sunday, February 5, 2023
BW6: 52 Books Bingo - Sleuths
Happy Sunday! Our next 52 Books Bingo category - sleuths - fits in nicely with our Agatha Christie read this month. We have different varieties of sleuths from the amateur sleuth, to the hardboiled private eye to the religious investigator, to the kid, teen, and female sleuths to the cozy amateur or police detectives. Below are just a few links for your perusal.
Top 12 New Best Cozy Mysteries Featuring Amateur Sleuths
A Recipe for Hard Boiled Fiction
Divine Mysteries: 10 Great Clerical Sleuths
Middle Grade Mystery and Detective books
10 YA Books That Prove That Teens Are the Best Detectives
The Best Female Detectives in Fiction Written by Women
Tap Into Your Inner Sleuth With These Dazzling Detective Novels
Our post is brought to you by the letter F this week. From the feisty fiends to the felonious forger to the foxy fed, follow the footprints to find the facts.
Have fun!
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Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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.
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Sunday, January 29, 2023
BW5: February Author of the Month: Agatha Christie
Happy Sunday! February is upon us which begs the questions - will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow and we'll have six more weeks of Winter? Most likely. But did you know, before the ground hog, there was a hedgehog. Poor guy was usurped by the ground hog in 1887 in America.
Ireland folklorist Kevin Danaher says that "To see a hedgehog was a good weather sign, for the hedgehog comes out of the hole in which he has spent the winter, looks about to judge the weather, and returns to his burrow if bad weather is going to continue. If he stays out, it means that he knows that mild weather is coming.” The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs.
February is also Black History Month, Creative Romance Month, and An Affair to Remember Month.
AND our Bookish Bookology Author of the month is Agatha Christie.
Dame Agatha Christie was born September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon. She began writing poems when she was a child and short stories by the age of 18. During the first world war, she started writing detective stories. In 1919, her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published and she went on to publish 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections as well as plays, plus 6 romances under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott. She created numerous characters including Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence as well as Ariadne Oliver, Harley Quin and Parkey Pyne.
She loved archaeology and traveling. She traveled on the Orient Express in 1928, then in 1930 went on to an archaeological site in UR, Nineveh in the Middle East where she met Max who become her second husband. She accompanied him on many digs and her stories were inspired by all her true life experiences. In 1955, She was the first to receive the Grand Master Award, the highest honor by the Mystery Writers of America's. In 1971, she was granted female knighthood as Dame Commander of the British Empire for her literary work. She passed away at the age of 85 on January 12, 1976.
Agatha Christie is also one of our 52 Books bingo categories as well as the subject of one of our Perpetual Reading challenges. I've been bouncing around the list, instead of reading chronologically, and currently have Why didn't they ask Evans?, Mystery of the Blue Train, and Sad Cypress in my reading stacks.
If you've been following the Read Agatha Christie 2023 Motive and Methods readalong challenge, February's read is Partners in Crime, from one of her Tommy and Tuppence short story collections.
And the Royal Reading Room recently covered Agatha Christie during their Christmas Interlude which including a video discussion between Vaseem Khan, Dreda Say Mitchell, Robert Thorogood, and James Prichard on the Legacy and Life of Agatha Christie.
Enjoy exploring through the creative mind of Agatha Christie.
Our post is sponsored by the letter E. Big E, little e, what begins with E. Earl and Edward, everyman and everywhere, earnestly earning enlightenment and erudition.
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Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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.
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Sunday, January 22, 2023
BW4: 2023 Chinese Lunar New Year: Year of the Rabbit
Happy Sunday! Today is the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year which is the Year of the Rabbit.
"Rabbits are known to be incredibly witty, outgoing, well-spoken, creative, empathetic, thoughtful and meditative; the water element of 2023 means this year will bring even more introspection, peace and hope... It’s a season to hone into your imagination, intuition and instincts. With artistic inspiration as a focal point, the rabbit encourages you to fill your heart and soul with hobbies and crafts. Poetry, painting, making music—any activity that instills inner harmony will reign supreme." Stylecaster - Cam Zhang
Good thing I'm in a creative mood this year.
I love following rabbit trails and have been following a lot of rabbit trails lately on Instagram, posts about books and bullet journaling and writing and books, books, and more books, with a little bit of self help thrown in, along with a smattering of celebrities. Which brings me to the point of this post - we're going to dive down a rabbit hole this week and read something with or about or symbolizes rabbits this week. No, it doesn't have to be an actual rabbit.
While reading Julia Cameron's Write for Life this week, I was reminded of the story, The Tortoise and the Hare when Cameron reminds writers to take it slow and easy and not race ahead. "Slow and steady wins the race."
I'm suddenly reminded of The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown which we used to read way back when James was a toddler. And of course, Goodnight Moon, both which hold a special place in our hearts.
Read a books with rabbits or bunnies or other animals on the cover, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.
Read a book with an animal protagonist, maybe rabbit detective's like Mr. and Mrs. Bunny — Detectives Extraordinaire!
Read about an Anthromorphic animal, like Watership Down by Richard Adams, or Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne.
Read a book about a character with the nickname rabbit like John Updike's Rabbit, Run.
Read about the joys of rabbits, the care and feeding, the raising of rabbits.
Who is your favorite rabbit character?
Have fun!
This post was brought to you by the letter D! Big D, little d, what begins with D. Dutch rabbits, deer, dingo or dragonflies. Donuts, dragon fruits, drumsticks or dandelions. Dickens, Dumas, Dorothy or Daniel. Whether they are dangerous, dandy, or down right dastardly, don't deny you like to read about stories with a begin or end with a D.
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Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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.
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Sunday, January 15, 2023
BW3: Blue
Happy Sunday! I follow different publishers and different book bloggers, and I keep seeing all these bookshelves that are categorized by books of the same color. Some of the pictures are kind of pretty and others, truth be told, look garish and unsightly. There are even companies, like Juniper Books, who curates books by color.
Is it the color that matters, or the content of the book that matters? To me, it's more the content. The color coding would drive me crazy, because I like to categorize, then alphabetize my books. All my Nora Roberts books take up one whole bookcase, while Robert Jordan's may take up a shelf as well as Faith Hunter and few others. And some of the authors do make some kind of attempt to color coordinate their covers. Take for example, James Rollin's Sigma Force series or J.D. Robb's In Death series. Yes, they are double parked, at least until our new shelves come in. And that's another story.
Hmm? Robb's name seems to have gotten larger over the years.
But, I do have some bookshelves which I'll arrange the books by height:
Yes, I'll admit it's a thing, probably as much as someone else arranging their shelves by color is a thing. Everyone has their own ways of shelving books, whether it's pleasing to the eye, organized by category or alphabetical or chronologically, artfully or willy nilly. How do you like to arrange your bookshelves?
And you're probably wondering why I named this week's post Blue. That's because I'm reading The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau which is a historical novel about finding the secrets of porcelain and the color blue and it gave me the idea for the post.
Your mission this week is the read a book with a blue cover or with blue in the title or about the subject blue, whatever that may be.
Our post is sponsored by the letter C this week. Big C, little c, what begins with C. Color, coins, capital or class. Clarke or Cruickshank's, Cooper or Cox, Conrad or Child, what a conundrum. Find a character that's canny or cagey or cunning.
Happy Reading!
Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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.
Sunday, January 8, 2023
BW2: 52 Books Bingo - Eastern
"East of the sun and west of the moon.' As unfathomable as the words were, I realized I must figure them out, reason it through. For I would go to this impossible land that lay east of the sun and west of the moon. From the moment the sleigh had vanished from sight and I could no longer hear the silver bells I knew that I would go after the stranger that had been the white bear to make right the terrible wrong I had done him.... All that mattered was to make things right. And I would do whatever it took, journey to wherever I must, to reach that goal.” ~ Edith Pattou, East
Happy Sunday! Our first 52 Books Bingo category is Eastern which means our reading journey is taking us east. But where in the east? We could go to the Far East, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, East of the Mississippi, or maybe the East coast. Turn towards the east and read a book from whichever town, city, state, or country is in that direction. Find a a book with East in the title or a character, or even a dog named East. Ask a family member to blindly pick a point on the map located in the east and read a book by an author closest to that point. How you interpret it is up to you.
11 Fantastic Books set in Asia
15 Must Read Books by Middle Eastern Authors
50 Must Reads of Slavic Literature
53 Books Directly Related to Mississippi
Authors with East in their name
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Please share your thoughts and reviews. 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, January 1, 2023
BW1: Welcome to another bookish adventure around the world
- Spell out the author's name - one book per letter from the title on the cover.
- Read one or more books written by the author.
- Read a book written in the country or time period of the author.