BW17: Bingo Quest: Quirky

 

Happy Sunday! This post will be short but sweet since I'm rebuilding our business website because I accidently took it down when changed a setting with our new servicer and our current website disappeared completely.    OY! 

Our next bingo quest is to find a book with a quirk which is something odd or unusual about the book cover itself or the story or a character or however you define it.  

 My Favorite Quirky Literary Characters

40 Charming, Heart-Warming, and Quirky Books

22 Quirky, Awkward Books That Prove We’re All Weird

Most Unique Female Characters

Have fun! 

BW16: National Poetry Month: The Chance by Arthur Sze

 

Happy Sunday! Since April is National Poetry Month leaving you with The Chance by Arthur Sze which is excerpted on the poster above. 

The Chance 

The blue-black mountains are etched

   with ice. I drive south in fading light.

   The lights of my car set out before

   me, and disappear before my very eyes.

   And as I approach thirty, the distances

   are shorter than I guess? The mind

   travels at the speed of light. But for

   how many people are the passions

   ironwood, ironwood that hardens and hardens?

   Take the ex-musician, insurance salesman,

   who sells himself a policy on his own life;

   or the magician who has himself locked

   in a chest and thrown into the sea,

   only to discover he is caught in his own chains.

   I want a passion that grows and grows.

   To feel, think, act, and be defined

   by your actions, thoughts, feelings.

   As in the bones of a hand in an X-ray,

   I want the clear white light to work

   against the fuzzy blurred edges of the darkness:

   even if the darkness precedes and follows

   us, we have a chance, briefly, to shine.

BW15: Opportunities

 

Happy Sunday! I'm in Arizona again helping my dad out and realized that no matter what age you are, opportunity is our friend. You just have to reach out and grab it.  Same with books since they present limitless opportunity.  So reach out and grab the books that has been calling your name and find your next opportunity! 

"A day dawns, quite like other days; in it a single hour comes, quite like other hours; but in that day and in that hour the chance of a lifetime faces us. To face every opportunity of life thoughtfully and ask its meaning bravely and earnestly, is the only way to meet the supreme opportunities when they come, whether open-faced or disguised. ~Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858–1901)"

Happy Reading! 

BW14: Author bookology - Ariel Lawhon

 

Happy Sunday!   Our contemporary author choice for the month of April is Ariel Lawhon.  Last year, I read The Frozen River and couldn't put it down. 

“A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history. 

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon's newest offering introduced an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The story was  a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.”

I have since added Code Name Helene to my stacks which am taking with me on the plane to read while visiting my father again.   I thoroughly enjoy World War II historical fiction especially when it involves women spies.  Kristen Hannah's The Nightingale enthralled and kept me reading long into the night.  Hopefully this one will be equally mesmerizing.  

Be sure to check out Ariel Lawhon's other books!

BW13: April is upon us

 

April is upon us and I'm laughing because the first week in the month is Read a Road Map Week. I'm horrible with navigation which has lead to getting lost many a time. We just got back from a trip and it is the main reason why I'm the driver and hubby is the navigator as it seems he has a compass in his head.  I'm also grateful for digital navigation which tells me where to go, but sometimes even it's wrong. What's a girl to do?   

This month our literary legend is Larry McMurtry, author of the Lonesome Dove and then some.  And since we just got back from celebrating my dad's 95th birthday and I almost forgot to write this post, I'm going to leave you with a few links to peruse:

Larry McMurtry books in Order with a breakdown by series or publication date. 

National Endowment for the Humanities: Larry McMurtry

Larry McMurtry Literary Center

NPR Literary center named for author Larry McMurtry honors hometown son

Goodreads Larry McMurtry

I currently have The Lonesome Dove as well as The Last Picture Show in my stacks to read this year.  Join me in reading a book by Larry McMurtry this year. 

BW12: Literary Mishmash

 

Happy Sunday! This week is a mishmash as we are in the midst of a family celebration of my father's 95th birthday so I threw a bunch of stuff together for your delight. 

Our Literary Legend this month is Sir Thomas Malory and his Le Morte D'Arthur about King Arthur and Legend of the Round Table, a classic arthurian fantasy.  

" Published in 1485, Sir Thomas Malory's epic poem Le Morte d'Arthur became the standard source for future Arthurian works such as Idylls of the King by Lord Tennyson and T.H. White's The Once and Future King.With its expressive, vigorous dialogue, Le Morte d'Arthur resounds with colloquial liveliness and ceremonious dignity, the style for a fifteenth-century gentleman. This audio recording grips the listener with the fascinating, fateful story of Arthur's ascension to the throne as a boy, his marriage to Guenevere, the formation of the Round Table Knights, the quest for the Holy Grail, the ill-fated passion between Lancelot and Guenevere, the treachery of Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred, and the ultimate destruction of Arthur's realm.A superb story of adventure, love, honor, and betrayal, Le Morte d'Arthur is filled with dramatic power and deep, tragic irony."

One of our Bingo Quest categories is David Bowie who also enjoyed reading and you can find his top 100 books on his site.  Read them alone or join the David Bowie Book Club and readalong with their top ten choices for 2026.  Check to see how many you have read so far! I've read four and currently have A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon in my stacks to read this year. 

Spring has sprung so check out all the spring reading lists popping up like wildflowers all over the world wide web. 

Happy Wanderings! 

BW11: The Lake Isle of Innisfree

 

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.

BW10: March Author Bookology - Walter Mosley

 

Happy Sunday! Our march author is Walter Mosley, who has written more than 60 books, television and film stories and plays, and won numerous awards for his work. I'm currently reading the first book in his mystery thriller series - Devil in a Blue Dress - about Easy Rawlins, a Black freelance private eye in the late forties.   

"In Los Angeles of the late 1940s, Easy Rawlins, a black war veteran, has just been fired from his job at a defense plant. Easy is drinking in a friend's bar, wondering how he'll meet his mortgage, when a white man in a linen suit walks in, offering good money if Easy will simply locate Miss Daphne Monet, a blonde beauty known to frequent black jazz clubs." 

The story is quite engaging and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series. 

Mosley has written multiple mysteries including Fearless Jones, King Oliver, Leonard McGill, Socrates Fortlow as well as numerous science fiction stories, non fiction, and graphic novels. 

Walter Mosley by Thulani Davis

Walter Mosley: When I'm Telling a Story I Imagine the Eavesdropper Over My Shoulder

Novelist Walter Mosley on Family and Forging His Own Path

Happy Reading! 

BW9: March is Irish Heritage Month

Happy Sunday and welcome to March which is Irish Heritage Month.  Wearing of the green is optional but get ready to be pinched by a leprechaun if you don't.    As we celebrate all things Irish this month, join me in an Irish Coffee or munch on shepherd's pie while we read both classic and contemporary books set in Ireland or written by Irish authors or all about Irish history and culture. 

 The Best Books to Read Before Going to Ireland

Five Books best books of Ireland about struggle for freedom, early Irish history as well as modern Irish history, contemporary Irish novels, and the best of Oscar Wilde. 

12 Irish Books About Love and Luck

Books to please the Irish eyes

Favourite books: Irish authors and stars name their best reads

Goodreads The Best Book written by the Irish

"May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun. And find your shoulder to light on. To bring you luck, happiness, and riches. Today, tomorrow, and beyond."

Happy Reading! 

BW8: Author Bookology - Robin Hobb

 

Happy Sunday!  I recently discovered Robin Hobb and Fitz in the Farseer Trilogy and fell in love with both the character and the story. I know, what took me so long? Fitz was just an amazing character and went through so much and I liked being in his head and seeing how people treated him and how he reacted and how he was able to persevere through all the ups and downs and machinations involved.  He kind of reminded me of Pug from Raymond Feist's Magician's Apprentice but that storyline dragged whereas I enjoyed Fitz's story which captivated me and made me want to read on. 

 I'm in the midst of  #2 Royal Assassin, have Assassin's Quest waiting in the wings as well as Ship of Magic in her Live Ship Trader's series.  No doubt I'll be exploring her complete backlist over the next few years as I have done with new to me authors  Imagine my surprise when I also discovered she used to write under the name of Megan Lindholm.  More stories to explore. 

I also recently "discovered" Fredrik Backman and Rebecca Yarros and am enjoying reading their backlists. 

Other authors whose stories I read again and again and again are Nora Roberts, Dean Koontz, James Rollins, Haruki Murakami, Keri Arthur, and Patricia Briggs to name a few.   I'm a devoted series reader.  When I fall in like with the characters in the first book, I simply must continue.   Not all books are equally good, and some can be duds, but I enjoy their writing. 

Who are the authors that you will read over and over again or will read anything they publish?   Who have you 'discovered' recently?

BW7: Great Literature

 

Every story is a key that can unlock a door we didn’t even know was locked.

Happy Sunday! Great literature is in the mind of the beholder. We each have a personal canon shaped through art, music, ideas, conversation, education, spirituality, and yes, literature, which all goes toward shaping our world view.  I didn't think of it when I was in my 20's and read only science fiction and fantasy.  Reading was only for entertainment and to escape into the world of the story. 

It wasn't until I was older and started homeschooling that I began to appreciate different authors, genres, fiction and non fiction.  How would I give my child a well rounded education as well as give him the desire to be a life long learner?  It involved reading a lot of how to books about the different homeschool methods which I won't bore you with and turning my child's education into a grand science experiment, testing out differing methods. It was a great success for him as well as me because I ended up finishing my bachelor's degree in liberal arts which opened my eyes and mind to the diverse world of stories.  

A few years ago I came across Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Danger of a Single Story which I watch every year as a reminder not to limit our reading to the standard classics, but to branch out and experiment with all the genres, both fiction and non fiction. 

To that end, I don't limit myself to the Western Canon or western authors and choose to read widely and broadly. Instead of reinventing the wheel,  check out A Well Read Life recently posted in the linkbar above which has multiple url links to various books and websites with curated book lists. 

Whether you read Great books or good books, the most important thing is the reading and the side benefit of great conversation the stories provoke. 

Happy Reading! 

BW6: F is for Flufferton, Females, and French Fries

 

Happy Sunday! This week we celebrate the Super Bowl, National Flannel Day, Make a Friend Day, Friday the 13th, Ferris Wheel Day, and last but not least, Valentine's day.  

We're all about the ladies this week with Flufferton, female narrators, and series written by women that we need to finish. 

Regency Romances flourished between 1811 to 1820's during the shift from the aristocratic Age of Enlightenment to the artistic movement of Romanticism.  Since the period overlapped the Napoleonic wars, writers expanded on themes of the drama of wounded soldiers, mystery, adventure and of course, romance. The  term Flufferton Abbey was coined by a reader friend since Regency romances, both classic and modern, are light and fluffy reads and most are set in England. 

Female narrators for audio books can make or break the story depending on their voice and acting ability. Check out Audible.com's  Best Female Narrators who elevate every story or Penguin Staff Picks on Wonderful Women Narrators  Two of my favorite narrators are Susan Ericksen for  J.D. Robb's In Death Series and Katrina Lenk who wonderfully narrated The Fire Concerto by Sarah Lendenwich. I hope to find more interesting books narrated by Lenk in the future. 

Stories narrated by a female who are strong, or  unhinged,  written in first person such as N.J. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy or third person  such as J.D. Robb's In Death series are all great to read. 

Series written by women I particularly need to finish at some point are Robin Hobb's Farseer or Live Ship Traders, R.F. Kuang's Poppy Wars, C.J. Piper's The Night and it's Moon, and Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy. 

What series do you need to finish?

And let's not forget love and friendship this week. 

12 novels about female friendship in honor of Galentine’s Day

17 Stunning Friendship Stories to Read Now

Books Perfect for Valentine's Day

“It's finally happened; scientists claim to have discovered the very first person in history who doesn't like french fries. Just imagine the implications!”  ― Graham Parke

Happy Reading!