2026 Literary Exploration Society to Expand Reading

 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

~ Robert Frost,  Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

Since we began 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2009, the variety of 52 books challenges has exploded. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I think it's time for us to slip off the beaten path and take the one less traveled. The first order of business, change the name.  

My husband always comes up with code words or nicknames for things we do. When I narrowed our book reading challenge name down to two options, he went with the first option and immediately added 'to expand reading' and lovingly provided a nick name. Which lead us to today.  Welcome to the: 

Literary Exploration Society To Expand Reading 

or L.E.S.T.E.R for short

The url of read52booksin52weeks.com will remain the same 

L.E.S.T.E.R. will still be the home for the Well Educated Mind reading challenge as well as the perpetual and past challenges linked above from our many reading adventures around the world. 

We will have a variety of weekly, monthly, annual reading quests to aid in our  adventures:

2026 Bingo quest:  25 new categories to inspire with Mile Davis and all those Jazz rabbit holes to David Bowie's Book lists to the quirky and the cozy.

2026 Literary Legends: Explore authors and stories that have endured throughout the years.

2026 Contemporary Authors: From Haruki Murakami to Alan Moore, there is a variety of modern day authors to explore.

2026 A to Z and Back Again in which there are many ways to complete the project and you don't have to stick with authors or titles only. The choices are unlimited.

and /or try one or more of our perpetual challenges:  

Agatha Christie  -- Read her books in chronological order as listed, group by detective or collection, or randomly if you choose. 

Mind Voyages - A science fiction / fantasy challenge through the decades, exploring the Hugo and Nebula winners and nominees, Philip K. Dick, and Robert Heinlein. 

Well Educated Mind --  Continue to explore the classics in 6 categories: Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama, Poetry and Science. 

Dip into past challenges such as Brit Tripping, Dusty and Chunky, Feed Your Muse, Inspiration, Nobel Prize Winners or Sounds of Silence.

The goal is to set your own goal and how you get there is up to you. Ask yourself these questions:  Are you a promiscuous reader or prefer to inhale one book a time?  Do you like to follow a plan, or be spontaneous? Do you like to read fiction or nonfiction? Do you like to read from your own shelves, buy books, or get them from the library? Do you like to read widely and broadly or do a focused study of something new or old?  Do you like to reread stories time and again?  Do you like to delve into your favorite author's backlist to the exclusion of all else or sip them slowly through the years. Do you need more time to dive into that chunky or dusty book that's been languishing on the shelf? Do you like to explore new to you authors, genres, spaces and places?    Do you like to follow connections, take side trips, or dive into rabbit holes? Let your books be your guide and see where they take you.

Reading is as necessary as breathing so my answer is yes to all these questions since all that matters is the reading. To our current readers, I appreciate you and look forward to next year. If you like to lurk, wave hello. And if you just found us, please join us to play along or chart your own path. 

The challenge runs January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026

Our book weeks begin on Sunday, except for week one which begins on Thursday, January 1st and runs through January 10th. 

Participants may join at any time. 

All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc. 

Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2025

Books may overlap other challenges. 

The link widget will be added to the bottom of each weekly post to link to your book reviews, and closes at the end of each book week. 

BW49: December, December!

I Heard a Bird Sing

by

Oliver Herford

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

A magical thing

And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring

Than we were in September,”

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December. 

Happy Sunday!  December is a time of crisp air, snow, rain, warm winter coats, smoky fireplaces, Christmas shopping, sleigh rides, singing carols, sorting through all your lists and checking them twice, making plans for the end of the year and the beginning of the year.  And reading of course. 

Booker Prize: best wintry reads from the Booker Library, chosen by you  Including Dickensian tales which are also one of our 52 Books Bingo Categories.

Keeping Up With The Penguins: 7 Dickensian Novels

Wreninkpaper:  All the (Dickensian) Year Round

Story Graph: Books with December in the title 

Goodreads Favorite Christmas Stories 

Goodreads December Reading Lists

Happy Reading! 

BW48: Eek! It's December

 

Happy Sunday! December is upon us which means Winter is coming, plus many important celebrations including St. Nicholas Day, Christmas, Hannukah, kwanzaa, Boxing day, Las Posadas, and for the rest of us, Festivus.  It's also Art and Architecture Month, Human Rights Month, Write a Friend Month, and National Fruitcake Month.  Raise a virtual hand if you've never eaten fruit cake. Plus National Read a Book Month which isn't hard for us at all. *grin*

If you've been playing along with our Dragon Bookology spelling and reading challenge, our December dragon of the month is Kalessin from Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Series.  Earthsee coincidently begins with E which is our letter of the week. 

E stands for Ergodic or Epistolary which are two of our bingo categories. E also stands for ebooks, elves, English, Egyptian, or European literature, essay, earth, and epic. I'm currently reading the epic Les Miserables which I plan on finishing by the end of the year.   

It's time to start writing our Christmas lists, get creative, wrap up our reading challenges, and figure out plans for the new year. 

Happy reading! 

BW47: Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Sunday! This week we give thanks for faith, family and friends as well as fiction, favorites, fantasy, fables, fashion, field guides, food, folklore, fractured fairy tales, French lit, and futuristic books. As you've probably guessed, this week's letter is F. Fancy that! 

Thanksgiving Observance

by an unknown author

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Count on God instead of yourself.

I'm am thankful for each and every one of you! Happy Thanksgiving!

BW46: Big G, little g, what begins with G?

 

Happy Sunday! Gosh, golly, gee whiz. I'm stuck in G land so let's go with genres that start with G.

Gastronomy: Since I had my gall bladder removed, I've been in the mood for something different to cook and eat instead of the same old, same old, so reading lots of cookbooks and experimenting with food. Blissfully surprised so far. 

Gardening:  My garden and I assume yours as well needs a make over so let's see what we can do with them.  Why do I want to plant during rainy winters? 

Gemstones:  Also in the mood for a gemstone of a book, a one of a kind.  While I clear my shelves of old books, keeping those that are friends, making room for the new, I'm also in the mood for a gemstone of a book, one of a kind.  I'm also sure there are some interesting books about a jewelry heist or two. 

Glaciers:  I don't know why I'm drawn to books about glaciers, the Antarctic the freezing cold frozen tundra. Although I'd never get caught in such a place, I live vicariously through the characters experiences. 

Golden Aged Mysteries: Ah, the queen of the genre, Agatha Christie is a good go too as well as many other authors. And one of our 52 Books Bingo categories. Dive in!

Gritty Books:  So much fun whether a hardened detective, dystopian, or a hardened western. 

Gaslamp Fantasies: Jump into a Victorian world of mystery and scary weird science or magic

Geography:  From the america's to the amazon to the Antarctic, explore with real life or fictional characters.

God: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” ― Corrie ten Boom

Graphic Novels: My son's one true love. 

Greece: Fascinating place. 

Grief:  “If you cannot hold me in your arms, then hold my memory in high regard. And if I cannot be in your life, then at least let me live in your heart.”  ― Ranata Suzuki

Go through the gate to play the game of golf, before the goose grabs the gold and gifts your grapes to the guest!!! 

Happy reading! 

BW45: History, Humor, and Help, Oh My!

The Illustrator - Jonathan Wolstenholme

 

Happy Sunday!  The world of non fiction is very broad from art to cookbooks to journals to history to humor to memoirs to spirituality to science.  A bit of something for everyone.  Below is just a small example of the selections available. I prefer non fiction books that read like fiction, drawing me in which emotion and humor and world building.  Although I'm learning to appreciate cookbooks, memoirs and poetry, not to mention writer journals and experiences.  Since November is non fiction month, join me in exploring different genres you may have never tried before. 

Syosset Public Library Humorous Non Fiction

Penguin Random House round up of best selling Psychology Books 

She Reads 12 Science-y nonfiction Books for Non-scientists

Penguin Random House best selling Spiritual Non Fiction

Richland Library Broader Bookshelf 2025: Read an art-focused work of nonfiction

Third Place Books Non-Fiction That Reads Like Fiction: Part 1

and last but not least:   Goodreads Non Fiction round up  because I'm lazy.  LOL!

Happy reading! 

BW44: November Notions

Cross References by Jonathan Wolstenholme

 

Happy Sunday! Welcome to November and our foray into all things non fiction.  Non Fiction falls into 5 different broad categories: Narrative ( one of our bingo categories), Expository (yet another bingo category), Persuasive, and Descriptive. Within those broad categories, there are many different genres, some which blend, overlap, or stand alone. So the choices are unlimited.  

The Complete List of New York Times Nonfiction Best Sellers 

45 Non-Fiction Classics You’ll Want to Pick Up (and Won’t Want to Put Down)

Narrative Nonfiction: Books that read like novels

November also starts our latest dragon of the month: Glauring.  He is the father of dragons in J.R.R Tolkien's Middle Earth,  created by Morgoth in The Silmarillion and became the main antagonist in The Children of Hurin. 

Our A to Z and Back Again letter this week is I.  Look for books with titles starting with I  or authors whose names begin with I .  Find a book that is inspirational, idealistic, or full of irony.  Maybe a story that is immense or starts in media res. 

Have a great non fiction November and have fun exploring different genres! 

BW43: October by Robert Frost

 October 

By 

Robert Frost 

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild, 

Should waste them all. 

The crows above the forest call;

To-morrow they may form and go. 

O hushed October morning mild, 

Begin the hours of this day slow,

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know; 

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf; 

One from our trees, one far away;

Retard the sun with gentle mist;

Enchant the land with amethyst. 

Slow, slow! 

For the grapes’ sake, if they were all, 

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—

For the grapes’ sake along the wall.

BW42: K is for ...

 

Happy Sunday!  I just finished The Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz which was amazing. I couldn't put it down and kept reading long into the night until I finished it. A psychological thriller about a woman against a megalomaniac and his cohorts.  Wonderfully written characters, descriptions, and images which made sleep lost well worth it.  Every story written by Koontz is unique and charming as well as horrifying. Not blood and guts horrifying, but psychologically, thought provoking, fear producing, scary.  I have read many of his books over the years, starting with By the Light of the Moon, then the Odd Thomas series which are good starting points, if you haven't read any of his books. 

Another author I never thought to approach is Stephen King until I read his non fiction book - On Writing. It fascinated me enough to try reading one of his stories.  I picked out Duma Key and read the back cover, then a few random pages and liked what I read, so decided to get it. Duma Key wasn't so much a horror story as it was a supernatural, psychological thriller.  A man's painting take an eerie turn when he discovers that whatever he paints becomes reality.   The story totally captured my attention and kept me reading long into the night.  Which lead me to reading Under the Dome as well as his Gunslinger series which are good starting points as well.

Books that contain Underground Knowledge or non fiction books that will expand your knowledge

Knock Offs - Books that imitate J.R.R. Tolkien stories

Books about Knitting - Fact or Fiction

Killer espionage novels 

Books with Kiss in the title 

Books with Keyholes and Magic Keys 

Read a book by authors whose names start with K or have a word in the title start with K.

Have fun! 

BW41: Language

 

Happy Sunday!  I enjoy reading stories that play with language, and create fascinating and creative words to fit their world.  I recently finished Neuromancer by William Gibson which reminded me of the Matrix and was filled with invented terminology which had me lost part of the time, but was able to figure out the meaning with the action. A few years back I read the The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall in which he created a world of language where the words on the page created visual images of meaning. Another fascinating story about communication is Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dun in which as the 26 letters of the alphabet fall from a sign, the island residences are forbidden from using them in conversation.   

From Star Trek to Dune to Lord of the Rings to Embassytown to 1984 to The Fifth Season, science fiction and fantasy is riddled with made up language. 

Ten Great Books With Their Own Languages

Novels where the worldview is highly affected by a SF-created language.

20 of our favorite fictional languages from brilliant fantasy worlds

A book with a made-up language.

Happy Reading! 

BW40: October dragon of the month: Furtia Stormcaller

 

Happy Sunday!  Yes, I changed our Dragon of the month to Furtia Stormcaller, a Seiikinese sea dragon from Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree.  Once I started reading Priory of the Orange tree, couldn't put it down. From Tane to Ead to Nicholas to Loth to the dragons to high seas adventures with pirates to court intrigue, Shannon built an interesting and intriguing world which totally sucked me in. 

“To be kin to a dragon, you must not only have a soul of water. You must have the blood of the sea, and the sea is not always pure. It is not any one thing. There is darkness in it, and danger, and cruelty. It can raze great cities with its rage. Its depths are unknowable; they do not see the touch of the sun. To be a Miduchi is not to be pure, Tané. It is to be the living sea. That is why I chose you. You have a dragon’s heart.”

I've always been fascinated by dragons, whether good or bad, considered a god or a means of transportation. Thought I'd leave you with a few quotes about dragons:

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”  ~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

“A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.” ~ Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing.

“Jason scratched his head. "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, ‘festus’ means ‘happy’? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?” ~ Rick Riordan, The Lost Hero

Happy Reading! 

BW39: October Spooktacular

 

Happy Sunday! It's that time of year to put together your spooky reading list for our October spooktacular.  The first books that always come to mind are Frankenstein or Dracula which surprisingly defy all expectations from their movie counterparts, so if you've never read them, now would be a good time to do so.  And then there are the reimagined takes on the stories which are just as good.  

 Frankenstein Reimagined   -  Dean Koontz Prodigal son was excellent which lead me to read the whole series. 

 Dracula Reimagined - Dacre Stoker as well as Kim Newman are great go to authors.

Spooky doesn't equal horror.  I have a really hard time with blood and guts horror books or movies. I had to hide my eyes several times during the viewing of the latest series of Alien Earth. LOL! It was scary good, but oh my goodness.  

Stories with emotional, pee in your pants scary, moments filled with tension that make you laugh or cry.  Mind bending stories with devious and conniving characters and lots of twists and turns. Stories that make you think and go whoa, I didn't see that coming. From psychological thrillers that entertain, thrill, or shock to cozy mysteries for the faint of heart, there is a little bit of something for every one. 

Seven Fairytale Retellings Transformed into Horror -  The Book Eaters is currently on my list to read.

Build Your Spooky Season TBR With These New October Releases!

Ghost Themed Cozy Mystery Series

Happy Reading! 

BW38: Autumn is upon us

 

Happy Sunday! Autumn is upon us as nature paints the landscape with yellow, red, orange, purple, and more while we walk through crackling leaves, crisp air and the fragrant smells of pumpkin and cinnamon and woodsmoke. Fall is also a great time to curl up, nice and cozy, with a good book or two or three with Fall vibes, that reminds you of fall, set in the fall, has fall in the title, is all about pumpkin baking or a pumpkin criminal.  So many ways to go with our Autumn reads.   

Autumn Fires

by 

Robert Louis Stevenson

In the other gardens

   And all up in the vale,

From the autumn bonfires

   See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over, 

   And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes,

   The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!

   Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

   Fires in the fall! 

Happy reading! 

BW37: 52 Books Bingo: Picaresque Literature

 

Happy Sunday.  Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Picaresque literature which according to litreactor:  "typically describes a low-born hero or rogue who uses his wits to wander through various branches of society without truly belonging to any of them, moving from adventure to adventure."  The  picaresque genre was established with the anonymously published Lazarillo De Tormes in the 1500's  during the Spanish inquisition. 

The Picaresque Novel: What It is and Why You Should Try Reading One

The Greatest Picaresque Books of All Time - a huge interesting and eclectic list in which I've read very few such as Don Quixote, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gulliver's Travels, Hopscotch, White Noise, Glory Road, and the Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

Beyond Dickens: 8 Picaresque Novels For The Modern Reader

Happy reading! 

BW36: Quintessential literature

 

Happy Sunday! What is Quintessential literature?  Well, that depends on your point of view.  What do you consider significant, or which book do you think has literary merit, has historical significance?  What does the world at large think? Whose definition do you go by?   

Mental Floss 13 Quintessential Gen X Books

Book Bub's 76 Books and Novels That Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime.  I've read 23 and several on the shelves waiting to be read. 

Penguin Random House The Must-Read Books of 2025 (So Far)  An eclectic list of which I've read other books by most of the authors but not these books. 

I'm still working my way through Peter Boxall's 1001 Books to Read before you Die. Periodically I'll thumb through the pages, check off the books I've read, notate which ones I have on my shelves, and mark the ones I know I'll never read. But then again, my interests might change in 10 years, so they'll get a second or third chance. 

Have you discovered that there are books you wouldn't have read ten, twenty, thirty years ago, that now they spark your interest? Yes, me too. 

 Happy reading!

BW35: September Dragon of the Month: Dulcy

 

Happy Sunday and Welcome to September which is Happy Cat Month, National Sewing Month, National Courtesy Month, and Self Improvement month to name a few.   This week we celebrate Labor Day, Pierce your ears day, Skyscraper day, Bring your manners to work day, Be late to something day, Fight procrastination day and the all important read a book day.  Hopefully not all at the same time. *grin*

Our dragon of the month is Dulcy from the Sonic cartoon and comic series.   According to Sonic Retro: 

"Dulcy is one of the most powerful Freedom Fighters next to Sonic. However, due to her inexperience, she often does a poor job when it comes to landing. She sucks her thumb, occasionally gets disoriented, thinking that she's talking to her "ma" Sabina, is claustrophobic, and likes the color purple and chocolate."

Our next 52 Books bingo category fits right in with our A to Z and Back Again letter of the week which is Rain Forest. 

James Rollins is one of my favorite authors and his mystery thriller Amazonia is an excellent read. 

From Goodreads Rainforests and Jungles of the World The Poisonwood Bible, Heart of Darkness, Congo, and The Lost City of Z are must reads. 

32 Books Set In The Amazon Rainforest That Will Make you Feel Like You’re There  - Mostly nonfiction

Ten Great Books set in the Amazon Rainforest - Mostly fiction

Happy armchair travels! 

BW34: Science

 

Happy Sunday!  Let's dabble with science this week, either fact or fiction. There are so many ways to go with this subject.  Star Wars, Star Trek, the cosmos, history, research, time, space, extraterrestrials, artificial intelligence, etc. 

Books About Space That Are Out of this World

Crossroads of Science and Fiction

10 Fiction Books About Scientists That Will Blow Your Mind

100 or so Books that shaped a Century of Science

Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

Have fun! 

BW33: Thought Provoking

 

Happy Sunday!  One of our 52 Book Bingo categories and our A to Z and Back Again, coincides with T which stands for thought provoking.  I just finished one which was a bit thought provoking - Orbital by Samantha Harvey.  It was a small book at 224 pages, but very dense.  I thought it would be a good book to read in bed to put me to sleep. Which it did, but like the book, for the past week my brain circled all night, same as the book, orbiting around and around the earth, detailing list after list of things, places, points, etc giving me much to think about.   Wonderful writing and a good example of list writing for other writers, but not much of a plot.  

The most thought provoking book you’ve ever read

10 Thought-Provoking Books You Must Read

"I Couldn't Bring Myself To Pick Up Another Book For Weeks": Avid Readers Are Sharing The Most Life-Changing Book They've Ever Read

13 Books That Will Make You Think For Days

57 Books That Truly Make You Think

Happy reading!

BW32: Underrated or under appreciated books or authors

 

Happy Sunday!  This week I am thinking about underrated or under appreciated literature, whether it be classic or modern, written by a well known or obscure author, or just simply forgotten in time.  Books that may be brilliant, books with compelling characters, or thought provoking.  Or books that simply aren't everyone's cup of tea.  What is one book or author you think is underrated and everyone should read? 

10 Underrated Books Worth Reading

20 Notoriously Underrated Writers You Should Be Reading

10 Under-the-Radar Fantasy and Science Fiction Books From 2020

Books That Went Under the Radar in 2023, Read Harder 2024

18 Under-The-Radar Books That Deserve More Hype

Best Underrated/Overlooked Classics

Happy Reading! 

BW31: August Dragon of the Month: Smaug the Golden Dragon

 

Courtesy of John Howe

Happy Sunday!  Hello to August and Happiness Happens month, International Pirate Month, Peach and Picnic month as well as Romance Awareness Month.  Today also just happens to be Sisters Day, Friendship day, and International Forgiveness Day.  Interesting how those three things all fall on the same day.  August is also full of birthdays and anniversaries for our family clan, so it will be a busy month.

Our dragon of the month is  Smaug the Golden Dragon from J.R.R.Tolkien's The Hobbit.

“Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away ere break of day

To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,

While hammers fell like ringing bells

In places deep, where dark things sleep,

In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord

There many a gleaming golden hoard

They shaped and wrought, and light they caught

To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung

The flowering stars, on crowns they hung

The dragon-fire, in twisted wire

They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away, ere break of day,

To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves

And harps of gold; where no man delves

There lay they long, and many a song

Was sung unheard by men or elves.

The pines were roaring on the height,

The wind was moaning in the night.

The fire was red, it flaming spread;

The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale

And men looked up with faces pale;

The dragon's ire more fierce than fire

Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon;

The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.

They fled their hall to dying fall

Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim

To dungeons deep and caverns dim

We must away, ere break of day,

To win our harps and gold from him!”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

Ah, the benefits of getting older. I read The Hobbit again a couple years back, having read it for the first time way back in my 20's and didn't remember much. Gollum, the goblins, the spiders, all so very creepy. The dragon! Oh my goodness. I don't know if I would have had the courage to talk to him. Bilbo really was brave wasn't he? The Hobbit is a wonderful story of one who didn't want to be a hero but stepped up to the plate and blasted it out of the ball park.  If you haven't read it yet, maybe give it a go this year. 

Happy Reading!

BW30: Walking and Wandering

Happy Sunday!   This week our armchair adventures have us walking and wandering as we wind our way across, around, up and down paths and trails through the Appalachians to the Silk road to the Japanese Monk trails. 

Looking for books about impractically long walks

Novels on Walking

An Appalachian Trail Reading List

Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains: Misadventures on a Buddhist Pilgrimage

10 Books on the Shikoku Pilgrimage

Silk Road Books

16 Must-Read Books on Slow Travel

The 50 Best Hiking, Trekking, and Walking Books of All Time

Have fun!

 

BW29: X is for Xerophyte

 

Happy Sunday! X is for Xerophyte which is a drought tolerant plant. We can go many different ways with this topic and read books set on earth or planets which matches up with our 52 Books Bingo Category with Setting as Character. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books about Drought

15 Fantasy Books with Desert Settings

5 Mystery and Thrillers Set in Times of Drought

50 Must-Read Books Set In Space

Book where the setting almost feels like a character.

Happy Reading! 

BW28: Y is for Yesterday!

 

Happy Sunday! Today is Embrace Your Geekness Day and why that reminds me of yesterday I have no idea. Probably because in the past (and present) I have been surrounded by brainiacs and geeks as well as a few dorks. July 15th, by the way, is Be a Dork Day. So whether you are a geek or a dork or somewhere in-between, embrace it. 

Books With Nerdy, Geeky, or Genius Heroes and Heroines

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books With Nerds

Awkward Protagonists Who Find Their Place In The World

Introverted heroines/hero or very shy/painfully shy heroine/hero.

Stories about Yesterday

Happy Reading! 

BW27: Zero in the title

 

Happy Sunday! We're past the halfway point for the year and it's time to recite the alphabet backwards from Z to A. Go ahead and give it a go and see if you can say the alphabet backwards without having to say it forwards. LOL! 

Let's look for the famous zero (or a synonym) in the title of the book, or look for a picture of a zero on the cover, or a character, human or animal, named Zero.  Have fun and be creative. 

Zero!

by

1DNA

When I say nothing,

and you think of zero,

you’re partially wrong,

because it’s one of maths’ hero

Not all heroes,

have to be number one

In mathematics,

It’s all about the fun

Zero’s a kind number,

If you didn’t know.

Even if it’s added,

It lets you shine alone

But don’t make it angry,

As it may multiply.

It’ll remove your complete existence,

In the blink of an eye!

If you want its power,

It can’t guarantee you much.

But it can make you whole,

Stand straight and such.

Zeros got a major role

In defining limits,

Don’t underestimate this number,

It’s got endless potential in it!

There's more to this number,

From what you might already know!

Now, is zero just a nothing?

That’s a big, fat no!

BW26: Half Way There!

 

Happy Sunday! We are half way through the year which coincides with the 4th of July so celebrating with fireworks, fire crackers, and sparklers, and making much noise.  We're full of zest, zang, zoom, and zeal so make the most of your time. 

Our dragon of the month is Falkor from the Never Ending Story.  

What has been your most favorite story so far this year?  Have you discovered a new author or series to explore? Any interesting book news you'd like to share?

Halfway Down

By 

A. A. Milne

Halfway down the stairs

Is a stair

Where I sit.

There isn't any

Other stair

Quite like

It.

I'm not at the bottom,

I'm not at the top;

So this is the stair

Where

I always

Stop.

Halfway up the stairs

Isn't up

And it isn't down.

It isn't in the nursery,

It isn't in town.

And all sorts of funny thoughts

Run round my head.

It isn't really

Anywhere!

It's somewhere else

Instead!

BW25: "It's Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum, Summertime"

 

Happy Sunday!  So happy Summer is here with more time to enjoy some summer reading. Make sure to throw in a book with a Y in the title such as Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks or and author whose name starts with Y such as Yeats, Yoshomito, or Yancey. 

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

By 

William Butler Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,

I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

BW24: X is for .....

 

Happy Sunday.  X marks the spot with a dot, dot, dot. Don't know why that little ditty popped up in my head.  

One author I really have enjoyed and learned much from is Qiu Xiaolong, author of the inspector detective Chen Cao who is a homicide detective in the Shanghai Special Cases Bureau in China. Inspector Chen Cao was introduced with the publication of Death of a Red Heroine in 2000.  Set in the mid 1990's in China, it was a police procedural blending fact and fiction delving into the politics and culture of the country. The character is in his early thirties and also writes poetry and works as a translator.  Inspector Chen must navigate his way through government politics while trying to solve murders.  The 13th book in the series Love and Murder in the Time of Covid was released in 2023. 

His latest stories are a duology series which takes place in seventh century China called the Judge Dee Investigations. The first book Shadow of the Empire is a companion piece from his 12th novel - Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder - in which the inspector is reading a Judge Dee novel.  The second book was released in 2024: The Conspiracies of the Empire.  I'm looking forward to reading both. 

BW23: Wuxia Literature

 

Happy Sunday! Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Wuxia! Wuxia literature is historical fiction stories in which the characters use traditional Chinese martial art disciplines for either good or bad. 

9 Classic Wuxia Stories That Define the Genre

10 Best Wuxia Novels for Martial Arts Fans

Goodreads Wuxia and Xianxia or Wuxia books

Wuxia World 

Happy Reading!

BW22: Dragon of the month: Saphira

Saphira Bjartskular by Joshua Raphael

Happy Sunday! June is a time of honor and celebration with World War II D Day, Flag Day, Father's day, Juneteenth, the summer solstice as well as Great Outdoors Month, Rose month, and National Adopt a Cat month. 

 Our dragon of the month is Saphira from Christopher Paolini's Eragon. I happily supported the Saphira Figurine kickstarter campaign last year and look forward to receiving a collectable figurine of Saphira when it's ready.

Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle includes Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance and is a wonderful series about a farm boy who discovers a dragon egg and is thrust in a world of magic and power.  Works set in the same world include Murtagh and The Fork, The Witch, and the Worm.  Paolini's other works -  To Sleep in a Sea of Stars and Fractal Noise - are amazing thriller stories set in outer space.   He's also been involved in other works including the short stories anthology Guys Write for Guys Read which I recently acquired. 

Join me in reading stories by Christopher Paolini this month!