tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54358448749647919752024-03-17T20:03:10.709-07:00Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks"A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.”
― Madeleine L'EngleRobin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.comBlogger1009125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-12750909393081475142024-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-17T00:00:00.131-07:00BW12: Happy St. Patrick's Day <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJ_65wD72fuOTMv-BIZdPcWbmNPCzxK_FbtlxVdz29LKPuMBroUf6qjV6QtS6UJEBVYlPaKSR3hbClQlOrQV6u8WkXBd4K1gcZRoBtzKAJkIR0e7W1vyO5C5TpyLs6BdNqTQ3awRZblS4mNgL7ozFabgike-5lEgXU-QX6TGA-StrXy3tS2AU-kyTHp89/s736/st%20patrick.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJ_65wD72fuOTMv-BIZdPcWbmNPCzxK_FbtlxVdz29LKPuMBroUf6qjV6QtS6UJEBVYlPaKSR3hbClQlOrQV6u8WkXBd4K1gcZRoBtzKAJkIR0e7W1vyO5C5TpyLs6BdNqTQ3awRZblS4mNgL7ozFabgike-5lEgXU-QX6TGA-StrXy3tS2AU-kyTHp89/s320/st%20patrick.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">St. Patrick’s Day</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">by</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jean Blewett</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There’s an Isle, a green Isle, set in the sea,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Here’s to the Saint that blessed it!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And here’s to the billows wild and free</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> That for centuries have caressed it!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here’s to the day when the men that roam</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Send longing eyes o’er the water!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here’s to the land that still spells home</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> To each loyal son and daughter!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here’s to old Ireland—fair, I ween,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> With the blue skies stretched above her!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here’s to her shamrock warm and green,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> And here’s to the hearts that love her!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">L is for luck of the irish, love, and laughter!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p>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. </p><p> 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.</p>
<script src="//www.blenza.com/linkies/easylink.php?owner=mytwoblessings&postid=16Mar2024" type="text/javascript"></script>Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-15537899850999028792024-03-10T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-10T00:00:00.140-08:00BW11: Knowledge versus Wisdom <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZ0eLTStCvpPFzPqNm0OzXdjM_BnXj5jmXJQOg9YClUxHXWxBkvJq_PezX4IBRnae4L2fDjGP4bijhzoXF2nFuUOfNpiIeDRRT5-NRNMug4WHq1sZz4K9YPo3dOZ-IwrnYM_5BcufpUzV2Ds3PDqYWl8A5_SQstT2koTlJ5vt5_FtqBGdxEfq2_Ybh7Tz/s564/knowledge%20and%20wisdom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZ0eLTStCvpPFzPqNm0OzXdjM_BnXj5jmXJQOg9YClUxHXWxBkvJq_PezX4IBRnae4L2fDjGP4bijhzoXF2nFuUOfNpiIeDRRT5-NRNMug4WHq1sZz4K9YPo3dOZ-IwrnYM_5BcufpUzV2Ds3PDqYWl8A5_SQstT2koTlJ5vt5_FtqBGdxEfq2_Ybh7Tz/s320/knowledge%20and%20wisdom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! Are knowledge and wisdom the same thing? Not exactly. Knowledge comes from education, learning about different subjects, getting the facts, acquiring the skills, an understanding of how things work. Wisdom is knowing what to do with those facts, skills, and information.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Knowledge is love and light and vision." ~- Helen Keller</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Skill is knowing how to do it. Virtue is doing it." - Thomas Jefferson.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Which brings us to our next 52 Books Bingo category - Wisdom. - and our letter of the week - K - which brings us to Knowledge. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Inspiring books such as the Tao of Pooh to the thoughtful wisdom books of the bible to the fictional tales of inspiration and thought, Wisdom and Knowledge presents us with a very broad category from which to choose. </span></p><p><a href="https://calvinrosser.com/28-books-that-expand-your-knowledge-and-open-your-mind/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">28 Books that Will Open Your Mind, Expand Your Knowledge & Transform the Way You Live</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/52620.Novels_for_thought"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Novels for thought</span></a></p><p><a href="https://fs.blog/books-recommend-someone-read-improve-general-knowledge-world/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What Books Would You Recommend Someone Read to Improve their General Knowledge of the World?</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/50-short-books-wisdom/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">50 Short Books Packed with Wisdom</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Don't forget to change your clocks tonight - We are springing forward. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy reading! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">****</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">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. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> 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.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-24639112354132654922024-03-03T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-03T00:00:00.140-08:00BW10: March Author of the Month - Rebecca Yarros <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWQ_qTWHeCENP5_XR_WYQ4U-3x4s6aQRuZJiDfj05YjveAaEjnf75l5eIw26FXxFqKeEJCBQ0wXcxMjZan26uVNJxSoWihmNI4pcZ2wZOef_8iJ2qx1UxGmyQ1kg0ofWAT0K4su4IT8KLAqkHwD0NnchUIVpy2kERF2mfxeYeckWRzDMs6_KFd2MQhZG3/s2400/fourth%20wing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWQ_qTWHeCENP5_XR_WYQ4U-3x4s6aQRuZJiDfj05YjveAaEjnf75l5eIw26FXxFqKeEJCBQ0wXcxMjZan26uVNJxSoWihmNI4pcZ2wZOef_8iJ2qx1UxGmyQ1kg0ofWAT0K4su4IT8KLAqkHwD0NnchUIVpy2kERF2mfxeYeckWRzDMs6_KFd2MQhZG3/w149-h225/fourth%20wing.jpg" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQQkNYLrT22GZeRdcCiz5fqZ-BCYq7p_ZNx-4n5p0aTRLjG2XOCxpp0-4TXq-nSDT5aEIc7RG3jdp3mxErenpvT0S7mw4ZvdFvnckXGXUh2QRG8WUZtWz7lWl_e8zSzdZMqnQTrsvo1hlwir91j1__HpiEBEsWTgYKQn6rucQt7FkQ_7A5YyibyCPptBE/s1500/iron%20flame.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQQkNYLrT22GZeRdcCiz5fqZ-BCYq7p_ZNx-4n5p0aTRLjG2XOCxpp0-4TXq-nSDT5aEIc7RG3jdp3mxErenpvT0S7mw4ZvdFvnckXGXUh2QRG8WUZtWz7lWl_e8zSzdZMqnQTrsvo1hlwir91j1__HpiEBEsWTgYKQn6rucQt7FkQ_7A5YyibyCPptBE/w147-h221/iron%20flame.jpg" width="147" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. I am infinite.” ~ Fourth Wing</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! Welcome to March and National Irish Heritage month as well as Women's History Month. Today is also Namesake Day in celebration on the history of our names. Years ago, when we were thinking of names before our son was born, our relatives managed to turn every name into a nick name, prompting us to change our minds several times. We settled on the name that meant to most to us historically, musically, and personally. Remind me to tell you the story one of these days. </span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our author of the month is Rebecca Yarros, a military mom with six kids who writes stand alone contemporary romance, military romance, as well as has a new fantasy series. Her stories will make you laugh and cry and cheer and give you all the feels. Yarros was a new to me author when I read <u>The Last Letter</u> and her writing and the roller coaster of emotions experienced while reading the story made me want to read all her books. Which leads me to the first two books in her young adult fantasy series <u>Fourth Wing </u>and <u>Iron Flame</u> all about dragon riders. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is the year of the dragon after all. Join me in reading Fourth Wing. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our post is sponsored by the letter J for justice, juggernaut, juxtaposition, and journaling. </span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">***</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>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. </div><div><br /></div><div> 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.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-61981890671664890502024-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-25T00:00:00.242-08:00BW9: I is for imagery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8MCUgwnO3t4cd3X75ZneO3d7A7M9mQaOwYgGUSCilfMQEf1MijOmkc2MEcmgCJgRNswRHbROmtuFgJ_VDPbuaqJ8JIIkK_PFljcy3DfY9x3jawmenteLPQSne91GR_9_hNmtFZ4XmQv8O0XcxqF1LOvJoRgIxzVBvfwtiSupJfgLWg5-ycKG6nkI2nsz/s475/in%20sunlight%20and%20in%20shadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8MCUgwnO3t4cd3X75ZneO3d7A7M9mQaOwYgGUSCilfMQEf1MijOmkc2MEcmgCJgRNswRHbROmtuFgJ_VDPbuaqJ8JIIkK_PFljcy3DfY9x3jawmenteLPQSne91GR_9_hNmtFZ4XmQv8O0XcxqF1LOvJoRgIxzVBvfwtiSupJfgLWg5-ycKG6nkI2nsz/s320/in%20sunlight%20and%20in%20shadow.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! I am in the midst of reading <b>In Sunlight and In Shadow </b>by Mark Helprin who uses a great deal of imagery in his books. From <u>Winter's Tale</u> to <u>A Soldier of the Great War</u> to <u>In Sunlight and In Shadow,</u> Helprin's use of imagery tickles your senses - what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell, as well as emotion, and even employ the use of metaphors or similes. All chunky books, Helprin brings not only the stories of the characters to life, but the settings as well. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Winter's Tale</b> is an historical, magical realism, romance story about a middle aged burglar and a young girl dying of consumption and how their paths crossed in a city consumed by an arctic winter. The imagery in the story took my breath away. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Winter then in its early and clear stages, was a purifying engine that ran unhindered over city and country, alerting the stars to sparkle violently and shower their silver light into the arms of bare upreaching trees. It was a mad and beautiful thing that scoured raw the souls of animals and man, driving them before it until they loved to run. And what it did to Northern forests can hardly be described, considering that it iced the branches of the sycamores on Chrystie Street and swept them back and forth until they rang like ranks of bells.” ~ Winter's Tale</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A Soldier of the Great War </b>is one of those books that once finished, you have to let yourself ponder what it is you've just read, let it sit with you for a time, while you formulate your thoughts. After being immersed in Alessandro's world for three weeks, took me a while to surface. It's epic, poetic, heart wrenching, funny, scary, breathtaking, maddening, and leaves you with much to ponder.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">“And then one morning the soldiers grew suddenly still as the heavy latches were lifted and turned. Just before the doors slid apart, a man from Pisa took the opportunity to say, "The air is thin. We're in the mountains." Alessandro straightened his back and raised his head. The mountains, unpredictable in their power, were the heart of his recollection, and he knew that the Pisano was right. He had known it all along from the way the train took the many grades, from the metallic thunder of bridges over which they had run in the middle of the night, and from the white sound of streams falling and flowing in velocities that could have been imparted only by awesome mountainsides.” A Soldier of the Great War</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Which brings me to <b>In Sunlight and In Shadow, </b>a novel set just after WWII, is a romance set in New York between Harry who has just returned from the war and Catherina, a wealthy aspiring actress. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had to stop and read my husband a passage when the narrator of the story was describing the female character as he watched her rehearsing on stage. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"The lenses, plumb-set and perpendicular to the plane of the floor, were a foil to the sharp assertiveness of her nose, which was small, perfectly formed, gracefully projecting. Her upper lip was larger than her lower, which suggested imminent speech protected nonetheless by careful reticence. Her teeth, unnaturally white in the glare of the spotlights, were even straight, and large, in alluring palisades that cried out to be kissed."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And his thoughts as he sat across from her at a restaurant: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"He wondered if women understood that their apparently insignificant attributes often have a power greater than that of armies. It was what he had meant when he had said that the war had been fought for her. Like the atom, which in its internal bonds contains the essence of matter and energy, in her glance, the sparkle of her eye, the grasp of her hand, the elasticity of her hair in motion, the way she stands, the blush of her cheek, sweep of her shoulder, tone of her voice, and snap of her locket, a woman is the spur and essence of existence." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Helprin's imagery makes me slow down and read the story slowly, makes me stop and think, takes my breath away, and yes, makes me laugh at what one could consider absurd but also beautiful. These stories aren't full of purple prose, but descriptive imagery which is very much part of the over arching story. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What authors or stories come to your mind that are full of imagery that tickles your senses and adds to the story? </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">****</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please share your book 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. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">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.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-46569033554062285672024-02-18T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-18T00:00:00.132-08:00BW8: Hubert Horatio Hornblower <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2ydhUWQde8I7M_82T0QCdxtb8906bqa7WUWz_CmBNSkesmAht8HZA9H1r_RsvTV2Vpz9ROXSBOJA2Y0zoCv6qF752JVzSiM3lbnR9M6DvE6wm44tItAffI22QN_gnGk-MbilXrgl72k_a8Q4SWvso3t_FYT8ALNx64e0GH0EsTsrtOqPeAFbAgvbGfF1/s640/george%20washington%20on%20a%20horse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2ydhUWQde8I7M_82T0QCdxtb8906bqa7WUWz_CmBNSkesmAht8HZA9H1r_RsvTV2Vpz9ROXSBOJA2Y0zoCv6qF752JVzSiM3lbnR9M6DvE6wm44tItAffI22QN_gnGk-MbilXrgl72k_a8Q4SWvso3t_FYT8ALNx64e0GH0EsTsrtOqPeAFbAgvbGfF1/s320/george%20washington%20on%20a%20horse.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! Some of you may be too young to remember when in 1980 President Jimmy Carter during a speech, in an effort to laud political champions of the past, said "a great man who should have been president, who would have been one of the greatest presidents in history: Hubert Horatio Hornblower," then quickly added "Humphrey" when he realized his mistake. Hornblower was a fictional naval officer in a series of novels by C.S. Forster. It must an amazing gaffe to say the least. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Which brings us to Monday February 19th which is President's day in the United States honoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who were both born in February. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tuesday, February 20th is a little know holiday called Hoodie Hoo day in which you must put on a hat, go out at noon, wave your hands all around and yell Hoodie Hoo. If it's too cold, call your family and friends and yell Hoodie Hoo. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thursday, February 22nd is Be Humble day in which you must have a piece of humble pie, as they are all humble. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you haven't guessed by now, our letter of the week is H and full of hyperbole, history, haiku, handwaving, and hedgehogs. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read about a fictional or real president.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read about a seagoing character. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read a book with a character named Humphrey, George, Abraham, or any president's first name. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read a book with Hoodie in the title. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read a book with Humble in the title or about humility. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read any author whose name begins with H. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have fun! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please share your book 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. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">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.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-21336264901273655872024-02-11T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-11T00:00:00.137-08:00BW7: 52 Books Bingo - Earth also known as Gaia<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz55BTYJBqh-SKjPlHEB9tCdpVrJ1maLZO5pLBurb9RfOJ7Alu9C1W2mfk1IYdnyezrRmtVUkmAD96HqTLW73uZxHMBuhoUfpOJKF5mvvGIVkPWsT5Sh7H-D8OX9hW5A6oUdBVGbQ5WjlFjVqPEg4oFbWocSJXqWGFKVaumD0UWIk56CqTU4wB7z0nuoPL/s1222/the%20earth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="564" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz55BTYJBqh-SKjPlHEB9tCdpVrJ1maLZO5pLBurb9RfOJ7Alu9C1W2mfk1IYdnyezrRmtVUkmAD96HqTLW73uZxHMBuhoUfpOJKF5mvvGIVkPWsT5Sh7H-D8OX9hW5A6oUdBVGbQ5WjlFjVqPEg4oFbWocSJXqWGFKVaumD0UWIk56CqTU4wB7z0nuoPL/w179-h387/the%20earth.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday. Our next 52 Books Bingo category is another element of nature - </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Earth. </b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Anglo Saxons named her Erda and the German named her Erde which was changed to Old English Ertha, meaning the ground upon which we walk. The Greek's named her Gaia, the mother of all life. The Roman's named her Tellus Mater, the goddess and physical personification of earth. Chi or Tsuchi in Japanese or dìqiú in Chinese. The planet has many names. Share unique names you have discovered or read about for the planet Earth. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The synonyms for earth, the celestial body on which we live include globe, planet, sphere, microcosm. Earth can also mean the surface which include the synonyms land, ground, soil, dust, and landmass to name a few. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The spiritual element of earth relates to the Chakra that relates to feelings of safety and security. The phrase 'what on earth' relates to surprise and questions of why. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read a book set on the planet earth or the discovery of earth. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read a book about foreign lands or w</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">anderlust.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read a book about the natural world or the element of nature. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read a book with Earth or related synonym in the title. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read mythological retellings or environmental books. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As you can see, Earth is a </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">really broad subject in which we can go many different ways or narrow it down to the tiniest grain of sand. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our post is sponsored by the letter G and Gaia, globe, ground, and genius. </span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">*****</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please share your book 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. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">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.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-49923461305478097902024-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-04T00:00:00.135-08:00BW6: February Author of the month - Ben Aaronovitch<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNm5j5U6vDMqB29jtgnqko94GztYBbkPwQ5iLiVY4bNocSfyM99E3eS0H9bQNsE1ZnXgYwkE7QHKgU9EDYdnOVSTrspPavZkNeYTCOqWTnwU42OLxWH0-uXMGpyotwtUV8eoD4lkafrkMAtB4t-TeGS3MG-m9vGeV9E1yDQuX5bSsdPtZ43u9IbhMeJft/s475/Rivers%20of%20London.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="293" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNm5j5U6vDMqB29jtgnqko94GztYBbkPwQ5iLiVY4bNocSfyM99E3eS0H9bQNsE1ZnXgYwkE7QHKgU9EDYdnOVSTrspPavZkNeYTCOqWTnwU42OLxWH0-uXMGpyotwtUV8eoD4lkafrkMAtB4t-TeGS3MG-m9vGeV9E1yDQuX5bSsdPtZ43u9IbhMeJft/s320/Rivers%20of%20London.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Welcome to February and Creative Romance Month, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">An Affair to Remember Month based on the 1957 film, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Black History Month, American Heart Month, and as well as Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday, Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dragon. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our author of the month is <b>Ben Aaronovitch </b>who was born on February 22, 1964. Once upon a time, he was a writer for Dr. Who, Casualty, and the soap opera Jupiter Moon. While working at Waterstones in the Crime and Fiction sections at Covent Gardens, the Rivers of London series was born. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The series involves Peter Grant, a mixed race detective, for the London Metropolitan Police who works for Detective Chief Inspector Nightingale, the head of a magical and supernatural Special Operations Unit. A combination mystery, fantasy, and police procedural, the series is both serious and hilarious. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are nine primary books in the series, as well as comic books/graphic novels, and numerous short stories. I fell in like with Peter Grant in the first book <b>Rivers of London</b> in which the rivers are ruled by water Gods and Goddesses, Peter is trying to solve a murder with a ghost as an eyewitness, and learn magic at the same time. I'm currently reading the second book, <b>Moon over Soho,</b> in which something or someone is killing jazz musicians. The stories are creative and entertaining and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy February! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please share your book 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. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">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.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-70432022565730560542024-01-28T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-28T00:00:00.129-08:00BW5: E is for Epic <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGEAFb5Y7XgOXYRbQ9jxhBDy1MNH-qZN7HeFEDCjMhmHvCEX-ccPdnouribg7Sr6JndA-gy38xXDJz_ZWRmhpSugvt4yt1Gl-DfGyIl-P-KZ9T2Vwf_5vGpNaRozFlDfJz__MwbOh0pjKoGwcf1626C7YTfAvy-u-1cDudgLp3IJJrD5djv5s9eZ_8fiK/s987/epic%20fantasy%20ntpt012419.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGEAFb5Y7XgOXYRbQ9jxhBDy1MNH-qZN7HeFEDCjMhmHvCEX-ccPdnouribg7Sr6JndA-gy38xXDJz_ZWRmhpSugvt4yt1Gl-DfGyIl-P-KZ9T2Vwf_5vGpNaRozFlDfJz__MwbOh0pjKoGwcf1626C7YTfAvy-u-1cDudgLp3IJJrD5djv5s9eZ_8fiK/s320/epic%20fantasy%20ntpt012419.jpg" width="183" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of NTP012419</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! I have an affection for long novels, probably because I read so fast. Books of 200 to 300 pages go by in a flash leaving me wanting more. And for some strange reason, I tend to read books of 500 pages and up much slower. Maybe there is more to savor, to absorb, to ponder. Maybe it's the world building or the ensemble cast of characters, or the scale and detail of the story itself. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">What makes a novel epic versus just being a chunky book full of story? A story is full of narrative, generally focusing on a single event. An epic is a quest, or a series of quests, a mingling of stories and characters, told on a grand scale, encompassing years and years of history, mythology, or fantasy. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />My favorite epic stories have been a variety of historical fiction, to fantasy to westerns with Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, Stephen King's Gunslinger series, Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, Marian Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Aragon, J.K. Rowling Harry Potter Series, to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">From the ancient epics to modern epics, there is a <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/epic" target="_blank">wide variety</a> to tickle your reading palate. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">What books would you consider epic? </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Share the most epic story you have ever read. What stories set in the modern day, besides fantasy or paranormal, would you consider epic? </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">***</div><div><br /></div><div>Please share your book 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. </div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p></p></div>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-16330657107824522852024-01-21T16:27:00.000-08:002024-01-21T16:27:00.134-08:00BW4: D is for Dystopian <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRIjRNrDGmlzTcMJ8qMBK5yBk8E6f0kMpwlf5LjXn-V7jHsdwi5WDwlvVzrEFvdMmOb6AAvyE1Q68VeTiQ43I_nI-AJXaIYBhRMLtqXewthF5A53cnmW-udQ916GvQg4AVdE529ZKXEei9eq6n4zaBfBdMUTlMrHZUyjHpHNCwffJIh5lY1ErxX54cm_A/s2425/babel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2425" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRIjRNrDGmlzTcMJ8qMBK5yBk8E6f0kMpwlf5LjXn-V7jHsdwi5WDwlvVzrEFvdMmOb6AAvyE1Q68VeTiQ43I_nI-AJXaIYBhRMLtqXewthF5A53cnmW-udQ916GvQg4AVdE529ZKXEei9eq6n4zaBfBdMUTlMrHZUyjHpHNCwffJIh5lY1ErxX54cm_A/s320/babel.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! I'm in a dystopian frame of mind this week. I just finished <b>Babel: An Arcane Histor</b>y by R.F. Kuang and once I started reading, couldn't put it down. The etymology discussions, how the characters related to the world around them, how the characters grew in knowledge, the choices they made, some good, some bad, the heart wrenching decisions. The themes of colonialism, the empire, racism, friendship, and power all combined to create a story that made me think and how it related to today's world and why people do the things they do. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I segued from <b>Babel</b> to two different stories that I couldn't make up my mind which I wanted to read more. Samuel R. Delaney's <b>Babel-17 </b>about the power of language<b> </b>which is very weird with it's strange characters to Samantha Shannon's <b>The Bone Season</b> which is another dystopian set in Oxford with it's themes of magic, aliens, and oppression. Maybe I'll alternate for a while because both are tickling my fancy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Out of <a href="https://www.rd.com/list/dystopian-books/">45 Dystopian Books That’ll Change Your Worldview</a> I've read 15 so far. How many have you read? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Share the most terrifying dystopian story you've ever read or one that made you think.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please share your book 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. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">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.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
<script src="//www.blenza.com/linkies/easylink.php?owner=mytwoblessings&postid=21Jan2024" type="text/javascript"></script>Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-21162495803248050602024-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-14T00:00:00.138-08:00BW3: Cliffhangers <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAai88vYmY0rG4ipo4ljKxbFkr4vz3nfRaYE61p7N4tq4fmvIEUTd1BnWUYBy3oL5v4LZj-V-nGzt7EEO0QqQOJr3c6yTlMJfl1RF3WpSnhIQqSZ6DBsIXC0pv_nPJjSf3vnaufsu5HnSCbJxfKmIaS9N_86Tqf9X4K9Oedv__fArhVRSwiWLb6rztIF8q/s490/cliffhanger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="490" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAai88vYmY0rG4ipo4ljKxbFkr4vz3nfRaYE61p7N4tq4fmvIEUTd1BnWUYBy3oL5v4LZj-V-nGzt7EEO0QqQOJr3c6yTlMJfl1RF3WpSnhIQqSZ6DBsIXC0pv_nPJjSf3vnaufsu5HnSCbJxfKmIaS9N_86Tqf9X4K9Oedv__fArhVRSwiWLb6rztIF8q/s320/cliffhanger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! I hate cliffhangers. I adore cliffhangers. The clock is counting down, someone is left in a perilous position, or died, reality is not what it seems, or a character is psychologically or literally dangling from a cliff. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cliffhangers get our imagination pumping and sometimes leave us exasperated and frustrated when the next book isn't readily available. You'll be reading along and realize you are almost to the end of the book. Wait! This is happening too fast. How is the story going to wrap up? Is the story going to wrap it up? Then with bated breath, you come to the last page and the story ends in a cliffhanger. Grumble, grumble roar. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I remember reading Michelle Gagnon's Kelly Jones murder mystery series in which I became deeply invested in the characters and the story. The Tunnels, segued into Boneyard, then supposedly ended with The Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper ended in a cliffhanger which had me gasping, and going back a few pages to make sure I didn't miss something, then rereading the last chapter three more times. No, she didn't. The author did not just leaving me hanging like that? And the next book wasn't available yet. for another year. Sigh! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, there is the thrill, when a trilogy or series has been completely released, of rereading the stories again, from start to finish. And usually by that time, I've forgotten most of the story line so it feels like reading them again for the first time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kudos to the authors who pull you into the story, make you care about the characters and know how to craft an excellent cliffhanger, leaving you breathless, waiting in anticipation for the continuation of the story. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Share authors who have written stories ending in a cliffhanger that have left you wanting more. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please share your book 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. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">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.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-56178118384995255312024-01-07T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-07T00:00:00.128-08:00BW2: 52 Books Bingo - Fire <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRnQSLL7j9NEu2fZ_Q0wUUM-E_xnpLdM3xWhdK5WSqp51XlgfKfRQ9ErVT6lA5ooOXqjYHl6UF9_HAZX2G_zjFHWYOVcMHKdUm_5HUBKWyq-MH6MLhorxcR4Sd6SGcQbpRJhgZYXZY48cdsD-jDTs-Zd51qm_i_N57zvC3NzPu961VEw0gjMrbFiJGVre/s1536/phoenix%20by%20mageman.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRnQSLL7j9NEu2fZ_Q0wUUM-E_xnpLdM3xWhdK5WSqp51XlgfKfRQ9ErVT6lA5ooOXqjYHl6UF9_HAZX2G_zjFHWYOVcMHKdUm_5HUBKWyq-MH6MLhorxcR4Sd6SGcQbpRJhgZYXZY48cdsD-jDTs-Zd51qm_i_N57zvC3NzPu961VEw0gjMrbFiJGVre/s320/phoenix%20by%20mageman.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mageman Courtesy of <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/gerhardsantos/">Gerhard Santos</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Temper us in fire, and we grow stronger. </p><p style="text-align: center;">When we suffer, we survive.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">~Cassandra Clare</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! We are going to have so much fun with our 52 Books Bingo this year as we begin with our first category which is one of the elements of nature - <a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/fire-use-and-symbolism">FIRE</a>. Fire, literal and symbolic, represents different things to different cultures- mythology, religion, ritual, destruction and purification, enlightenment, sexuality, birth and resurrection, heat, energy, metabolism, creativity, cooking, and more. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are so many ways we can go with the aspect of fire. What comes to my mind is sweat lodges, phoenix, fire fighters, smoke jumpers, arson, sparks, flame, heat, the divine, passion. </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/82939.Fiction_Phoenix_Mythological_Bird_"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/82939.Fiction_Phoenix_Mythological_Bird_"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stories involving a Phoenix </span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.fire-police-ems.com/books/fire-history.shtml"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The history of Fire </span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/subject/arson+investigation"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stories about Arson Investigation</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/138984.Female_Firefighters_Smokejumpers_etc_in_Fiction"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stories with Female Smoke Jumpers</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/127697.Books_with_the_Four_Elements_in_the_Title_"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Books with four elements in the title</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Big b, little b, what begins with B - blaze, bonfires, and boldness, as well as bards, ballads, and Bildungsroman all begin with b. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have fun finding stories that play with fire! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">****************</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please share your book 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. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">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.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">
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</div>Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-63970382745203277672024-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-01T00:00:00.133-08:00BW1: Welcome to our Wild and Whimsical Reading Quest <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshxvl6RAH-VGCPcbBvn00u26oRmo3hugG8ZVswbO5J4upIFp-9AAny2HE6ZufEF0U-m0BNTYoLQn-gGoKR3aLvr4E-xrK6uIwRbcDQaXZTuCgI7jgjXm87-dK6tmKixybdsnnsg9iqdCU6cH7FSgrnNCqgfw5jTbvlZ1yoCJeIvvCmrJcgyyF5ZUnQzhd/s1024/cat%20happy%20new%20year%202024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshxvl6RAH-VGCPcbBvn00u26oRmo3hugG8ZVswbO5J4upIFp-9AAny2HE6ZufEF0U-m0BNTYoLQn-gGoKR3aLvr4E-xrK6uIwRbcDQaXZTuCgI7jgjXm87-dK6tmKixybdsnnsg9iqdCU6cH7FSgrnNCqgfw5jTbvlZ1yoCJeIvvCmrJcgyyF5ZUnQzhd/s320/cat%20happy%20new%20year%202024.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">you can only think what everyone else is thinking."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">— Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood)</span></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy New Year! Welcome to another year of <b>Read 52 Boo</b><b>ks in 52 Weeks.</b> Welcome back to all our regulars and our newbies. If you haven't participated in years past, the goal is to read 52 Books. How you get there is up to you. And if you prefer to set your own goal, you are welcome to do so. We don't have a set reading list so you can choose to play along or chart your own path in your quest to read. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">All that matters is the reading. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To aid in the journey, there are a number of weekly, monthly, annual, and perpetual quests along with an updated quirky <b>52 Books Bingo</b> and our author of the month <b>Bookish Bookology</b> to explore. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We traditionally start out the year in the weird and wonderful world of <a href="https://www.harukimurakami.com/author">Haruki Murakami,</a> our January author of the month. While we wait for his newest book, <b>The City and It's Uncertain Walls </b>to be released in the United States some time this year, I'll be exploring his non fiction conversations with Seiji Ozawa in <b>Absolutely on Music, </b>and<b> </b>dive into<b> </b>the fiction world of <b>Sputnik Sweetheart.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although Penguin suggests starting with some of <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2018/07/where-to-start-reading-haruki-murakami-books">Murakami's slimmer novels</a>, my first introduction to Murakami was his chunky fantasy novel <b>1Q84, </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">filled with magical realism, music, cats, weird characters, choices, and the meaning of life. Which lead to reading most of his bibliography. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Discover more about Murakami in his non fiction memoir, Novelist as a Vocation in which the man seriously doesn’t think he is a good writer, but shares his stories, his process, and so much more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Plus, we are traveling through the alphabet again with <b>A to Z and Back Again</b>. There are a variety of ways to complete the project and you don't have to stick with authors or titles only. The choices are unlimited, including:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Choose an author whose first or last name begin with the letter. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pick a book starting with the letter in the title of the book. Except for those pesky articles or prepositions. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read a book with a character whose name starts with the letter. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Choose a book in which the setting of the story starts with the letter. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Choose a genre that starts with the letter.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read a book with a literary term or plot device starting with the letter. </span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Big A, little A, what begins with A - Allusion, Angels, Agatha, Adams, Adventure, and Action all begin with A. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Are you ready to go? Great! Put on your hat and walking shoes, strap on your backpack, grab your walking stick as we follow rabbit trails of thought throughout the world on a wild and whimsical reading quest.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Reading! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><p></p>
Please share your book 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.
<script src="//www.blenza.com/linkies/easylink.php?owner=mytwoblessings&postid=31Dec2023" type="text/javascript"></script>Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-55739270735407782562023-12-24T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-24T00:00:00.146-08:00BW52: 2023 Year End Extravaganza! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWxCZKyw2cgZMZM8R0hAdUfWpdneNX4bOr9pNmhSrIZN5je044xwrrygTAlZdbgqLUtnnDhrm6_2vlENTlKjNOarQUNEBHxJIcdyXetYAcWdV6MyHO0NITQq-HLLKb_mV7B4sz0E8cSEgTiRKtpDzY7pJ6s1tlJIy9tJLGPnUCvZpGrKXX17BvJtsLf2r/s736/all%20booked%20for%20christmas%20tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWxCZKyw2cgZMZM8R0hAdUfWpdneNX4bOr9pNmhSrIZN5je044xwrrygTAlZdbgqLUtnnDhrm6_2vlENTlKjNOarQUNEBHxJIcdyXetYAcWdV6MyHO0NITQq-HLLKb_mV7B4sz0E8cSEgTiRKtpDzY7pJ6s1tlJIy9tJLGPnUCvZpGrKXX17BvJtsLf2r/s320/all%20booked%20for%20christmas%20tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Are you having a merry Jolabokaflod! It's time to retire this year's walking shoes, curl up by the fire or under a cozy comforter and figure out where you've been and where you would like to go next year. Buy a new pair of shoes or wings if you dare, and maybe buy a bigger backpack to stow all those new and old books you want to read in 2024. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although I love exploring and reading new authors, genres, spaces and places, I like to revisit old friends along the way. While I may map out a plan for the new year, I always build in plenty of time for side trips along the way. I like spontaneity, delving here, there, and every where, following rabbit trails full of whimsy. In fact, I'm looking forward to a whimsical new year full of reading adventures. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So tell me...how was your reading year? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did you follow a plan or go with the flow? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did you stick to tried and true authors or genres or explore outside your comfort zone?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Where did your adventures take you? Outside of time or into space? A different country, state, or city? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Which stories made your heart sing or cry or laugh or fly? Made you want to hug the author or characters? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Which story made you want to throw it across the room in disgust? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Which authors did you add to your "I want to read more or again pile."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Share quotes, covers, stats, and ideas for next year such as new or different authors or genres or stories to explore. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our post is sponsored by the letter A for autodidactic, autotelic, anti hero, archetypes, and annotation. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you for sharing your reading year with me! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hugs, loves, and kisses!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>
<script src="//www.blenza.com/linkies/easylink.php?owner=mytwoblessings&postid=24Dec2023" type="text/javascript"></script>Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-37058313558834390882023-12-17T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-17T00:00:00.154-08:00BW51: Winter Solstice <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiNElN5jCJ2zwbXIMDRCqnk5HC62NS1uSVkFb813DEHmXPKk9RwhSr1qT9xCfr15up_7Y7QEHKZ3afqV8c0CYulrbNyoTNqVnyks3GZpCVcUGHSk4XcqH7t9zpTYEczQ-9DrNwAORqob7uzrU9WSC1D8iO2V5KoPOM06W7Is17gHfCmjsclGRIm9gHis_/s981/winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="981" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiNElN5jCJ2zwbXIMDRCqnk5HC62NS1uSVkFb813DEHmXPKk9RwhSr1qT9xCfr15up_7Y7QEHKZ3afqV8c0CYulrbNyoTNqVnyks3GZpCVcUGHSk4XcqH7t9zpTYEczQ-9DrNwAORqob7uzrU9WSC1D8iO2V5KoPOM06W7Is17gHfCmjsclGRIm9gHis_/s320/winter.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! Christmas is a week away and if you haven't started your Christmas shopping, like me, you'd better hop to it. Our Christmas tree is decorated and waiting for gifts to fill the tree skirt beneath it. How about you. Winter is also upon us as of December 22nd and heralded by the brisk cold, hot toddies, warm fires, and curling up with a wintery read. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.beyondthebookends.com/the-best-winter-books/">The Best Winter Books to Snuggle up with in 2023</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ew.com/books/winter-2023-books-best-most-anticipated/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Winter 2023 Books Preview: 16 titles not to miss</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/wintry-books/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Wintry Reading List: 15 Books With Immaculate Winter Vibes</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/g45897220/best-winter-books/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">25 Classic Winter Books to Read by the Fire</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our post is sponsored by the letter B for ballad, bards, and beats, musical beats, that is. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-33589194660869832952023-12-10T19:07:00.000-08:002023-12-10T19:07:27.709-08:00Please Join us for another round of Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2024 <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6aj2VZ_8rZ12m1UHKXk_uXKSPCSnL9Bj56v7v2Kaz3n7nei0OQGqnFTWfzV_5r5t44o2Jrmr_o6Y7wwTioNKBXiYeiK5HopdgjsNk09amrIY5FGVvZfERyaLTgbY8ghS420Rv_BgZHzahvqLMow0-xX9E7Ga4uV8q2XRtrqdvveWYK1RPNT4HDmVba_l/s563/women%20reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="563" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6aj2VZ_8rZ12m1UHKXk_uXKSPCSnL9Bj56v7v2Kaz3n7nei0OQGqnFTWfzV_5r5t44o2Jrmr_o6Y7wwTioNKBXiYeiK5HopdgjsNk09amrIY5FGVvZfERyaLTgbY8ghS420Rv_BgZHzahvqLMow0-xX9E7Ga4uV8q2XRtrqdvveWYK1RPNT4HDmVba_l/s320/women%20reading.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Join us for our 16th annual <b>Read 52 books in 52 weeks</b> reading adventure. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The goal is easy - Read 52 Books. We don't have any set reading lists so how you get there is up to you. However, we do have a variety of challenges including weekly, monthly mini challenges, annual and perpetual challenges to entice your reading taste buds If you aren't up to 52 but want to join in, you can set your own goal. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2024 52 Books Bingo</b> - 25 new categories which will take us on a exploration around the world. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2024 Bookish Bookology</b> - Our author of the month in which you can read one or more books by the author, or spell out their first or last name. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2024 A to Z and Back Again</b> - All the way from A to Z and back again as we play with words. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Participate in one or more of our perpetual challenges: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Agatha Christie</b> -- Read her books in chronological order as listed, group by detective or collection, or randomly if you choose. Read at least three per year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mind Voyages</b> - A science fiction / fantasy challenge through the decades, exploring the Hugo and Nebula winners and nominees, Philip K. Dick, and Robert Heinlein. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Well Educated Mind</b> -- Continue to explore the classics in 6 categories: Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama, Poetry and Science. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">or dip into past challenges such as <b>Brit Tripping</b>, <b>Dusty and Chunky</b>, <b>Feed Your Muse</b>, <b>Inspiration</b>, <b>Nobel Prize Winners</b> and <b>Sounds of Silence.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is a little bit of something for everyone. Follow your muse and read widely or wildly, follow rabbit trails, read outside your comfort zone or stick with the tried and true. Choose whatever path is right for you. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The mini and perpetual challenges are all optional, Mix them up anyway you like and follow your own path in the quest to read. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The challenge runs January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our book weeks begin on Sunday,.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Participants may join at any time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2024</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Books may overlap other challenges. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Create an entry post linking to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks and sign up in the link below. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you don't have a blog or social media account, post about your reads in the comments section of each weekly post. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The link widget is added to the bottom of each weekly post to link to your book reviews, and closes at the end of each book week. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-62356217198857204002023-12-10T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-10T00:00:00.124-08:00BW50: 52 Books Bingo - Book to Movie <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdE99pYw7aG7VowU_-E_xYqXFP6XtlpKufAzaTdCUfgWs1UbO2Hq7rEadXyow33xxE9bM6-7Gce2tVCprUTAANYKm7u0YSJMnezcI9Z0WdadDoVaD87s2bxN401t9ivM0y2tBseJkoVtxcDrNWlm0Xkob54K_C_Ihelkf3OPV3t9QQL7v90YxqLdGOn1Z/s429/drama%20masks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="429" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdE99pYw7aG7VowU_-E_xYqXFP6XtlpKufAzaTdCUfgWs1UbO2Hq7rEadXyow33xxE9bM6-7Gce2tVCprUTAANYKm7u0YSJMnezcI9Z0WdadDoVaD87s2bxN401t9ivM0y2tBseJkoVtxcDrNWlm0Xkob54K_C_Ihelkf3OPV3t9QQL7v90YxqLdGOn1Z/s320/drama%20masks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Book to Movie. I totally enjoy watching movies that are based on books to see what the writer or director will do with the subject matter. Will they stay true to the book or will they veer far to left or right field. I've always wanted to read the book before seeing a movie based on the book whereas my son likes to see the movie first before he reads the book. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I can see his point as there was one movie that veered so far to the left from the book that preconceived notions about the movie were shot to heck and I was disappointed. John Grisham's The Runaway Jury was about cancer, how someone could get to the jurors and influence the trail, and making the tobacco industry pay. The story was excellent. The movie was about a mass shooting, guns, jury tampering, and the gun industry. Totally different subject matter, except for the jury tampering. I had wanted to see the book as as written because the story was so intriguing, and was disappointed with the rewritten movie. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But none the less, I enjoy watching books turned into movies from Philip Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep which the movie Blade Runner was based off of to the Harry Potter films to Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code to Schindler's List. Join me in reading and watching Books to Movies or Television shows</span></p><p><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/blog/best-movies-based-on-books-all-time"><span style="font-family: verdana;">43 of Our All-Time Favorite Book-to-Movie Adaptations</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/book-adaptations-tv-movies-2022.html"><span style="font-family: verdana;">60 New Page-to-Screen Adaptations to Add to Your 2022 Reading List</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/book-adaptations-tv-movies-2023.html"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All the Books With 2023 Screen Adaptations to Add to Your Reading List</span></a></p><p><a href="https://tvline.com/lists/best-tv-adaptations-of-books/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The 20 Best TV Shows Based on Books From the Past Decade</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/tv-series-inspired-by-books/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">15 Amazing TV Series Inspired by Books</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This post sponsored by the letter C for colorful, characters, and contradiction.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-72123533142222601472023-12-03T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-03T00:00:00.125-08:00BW49: Welcome December <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1NeLG1s-uTmLCkWdbqs-4PpG8NZ_l7WXkEarOSGzOfSapV74UMvjCPN-wnREXlBFEbBjIP8SBu-DgxXba-TVYplE5ui0KChlo_tf3ROPMHfRXY8lhVlCC_iaQK5NLPOotx4wl7T5pvRI9cxriGBQCOF0ilK9lIjReWkKRnbIINn8kmstpH8Dtr70t7ns/s640/blog%20widget%20christmas%20ajudante%20de%20pap.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1NeLG1s-uTmLCkWdbqs-4PpG8NZ_l7WXkEarOSGzOfSapV74UMvjCPN-wnREXlBFEbBjIP8SBu-DgxXba-TVYplE5ui0KChlo_tf3ROPMHfRXY8lhVlCC_iaQK5NLPOotx4wl7T5pvRI9cxriGBQCOF0ilK9lIjReWkKRnbIINn8kmstpH8Dtr70t7ns/s320/blog%20widget%20christmas%20ajudante%20de%20pap.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! December is upon us which means this month will be full of celebrations beginning with Hanukkah, Advent, St. Nicholas Day, St. Lucia Day, Christmas and Boxing Day, the arrival of Winter as well as Festivus for the rest of us. And we can't forget the wonderful reading tradition in Iceland - Jólabókaflóð. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This year is, as they say,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">winding down.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s not a race to the finish,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">it’s not a victory lap,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">it’s not anything but a slow</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">staggering stumble</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">across a line</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">that we simply hope</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">means</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">we can try again next time.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">~Jenny Justice </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">December is the time to evaluate, and think about all the stories, people, adventures, tests and trials we've read this year. The authors and stories we'd liked to leave behind and the ones we'd like to read more of. As I add more books to my tbr list, both physical and electronic, taking into account that by the time I get around to reading them, I may not be in the mood for that particular book, I remind myself, there's plenty of time as reading is an never ending journey. I'll be in the mood eventually. So enjoy the process and fill up your shelves, because whether we race or stumble across the finish line, remember there's always next year. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www2.societyofauthors.org/2023/12/01/announcing-the-translation-prizes-2023-shortlists/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Announcing the Translation Prizes 2023 shortlists</span></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.sffworld.com/2023/10/news-world-fantasy-2023-winners-announced/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana;">World Fantasy 2023 Winners announced</span></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://bookriot.com/new-mystery-thriller-books-for-december-2023/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana;">End of the Year Sleuthing: 10 New Mystery Thriller Books for December 2023</span></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.shereadsromancebooks.com/christmas-romance-books-2023/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">40 New Christmas Romance Books Releasing in 2023 Bringing Holiday Cheer</span></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Our post is sponsored by the letter d which stands for delightful, delicious, and demanding. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
<script src="//www.blenza.com/linkies/easylink.php?owner=mytwoblessings&postid=03Dec2023" type="text/javascript"></script>Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-33777930079550940282023-11-26T00:00:00.000-08:002023-11-26T00:00:00.129-08:00BW48: Best Books of 2023 <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDp2a0JID7JUHl1zWo4lT6OZXOEJomns6ZsNxk8gW8mUo0CbsAXAPEM9oieXYek-MJSRvHPcprioKGXU9Eegsr6HNHuwSFMJYYBUQWfnA7I3Br1Pbxb2zf6xnyMf6aBtWpTorYcyJNKzYPP81rXKBqjKSqUH5u5cyKosltEvTeUo6DdExjdhjEHFw8rkm/s750/stack%20of%20books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="485" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDp2a0JID7JUHl1zWo4lT6OZXOEJomns6ZsNxk8gW8mUo0CbsAXAPEM9oieXYek-MJSRvHPcprioKGXU9Eegsr6HNHuwSFMJYYBUQWfnA7I3Br1Pbxb2zf6xnyMf6aBtWpTorYcyJNKzYPP81rXKBqjKSqUH5u5cyKosltEvTeUo6DdExjdhjEHFw8rkm/s320/stack%20of%20books.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! It's that time of the year again when all the Best Books of 2023 lists come out. I'm amazed at some of the lists, especially the ones where I have never heard of or seen any of the books listed. What planet have I been living on? Hee Hee! I'm having fun perusing the best of lists and adding to my ever growing Wishlist of books to buy before the end of the year and my annual buying ban. Hubby said since we're redone all our bookshelves that I can't double park anymore, so will be sorting through for another round of what will I never read again books to donate in order to make room. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2024 will be the Year of the Dragon which is perfect for me because I love books with all sorts of dragons. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rising Shadow's <a href="https://www.bookpage.com/best-books/best-fiction" target="_blank">Best Dragon Books of 2023</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Perhaps, Perhaps Not <a href="https://perhapsmaybenot.com/2023/07/dragon-books/">24 Best Dragon Books to Light Up Your Life</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And we can't forget all the books which aren't about dragons </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">NPR has published their </span><a href="https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2023" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">Books We Love for 2023</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Time released their <a href="https://time.com/collection/must-read-books-2023/" target="_blank">100 must read books of 2023</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bill Gates talks about <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Holiday-list-2023" target="_blank">Great Books, Courses, and Music from 2023</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Powell's <a href="https://www.powells.com/post/best-books/best-books-of-2023-fiction" target="_blank">Best Fiction</a> of 2023</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">BookPage <a href="https://www.bookpage.com/best-books/best-fiction" target="_blank">Best Fiction of 2023 </a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have fun exploring! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our post is sponsored by the letter E for eager, earnest, eloquent, endeavors. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-46246314412120887362023-11-19T00:00:00.000-08:002023-11-19T00:00:00.146-08:00BW47: Happy Thanksgiving <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrk2vvcoaxDJsXUC7iLXxvFgKj0KwFtXN_8Y9e2gUZe8mo16KlaVkNTgZ6s22gLpsJ3Xmqume4TY_7ICgaUYc_lGVu3VvlFJ4VgUHWT45LosuNvCMba-6SSMZd9enzKdtkbu8Qmqi4B0mBGk0zr2qsjJ2MgXwaw7umm5nlqsQJbs9gLyRnS4jcVjqjQEL/s1002/happy%20Thanksgiving.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrk2vvcoaxDJsXUC7iLXxvFgKj0KwFtXN_8Y9e2gUZe8mo16KlaVkNTgZ6s22gLpsJ3Xmqume4TY_7ICgaUYc_lGVu3VvlFJ4VgUHWT45LosuNvCMba-6SSMZd9enzKdtkbu8Qmqi4B0mBGk0zr2qsjJ2MgXwaw7umm5nlqsQJbs9gLyRnS4jcVjqjQEL/s320/happy%20Thanksgiving.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours. We have much to be grateful for and remember this week as our family gathers together this week to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and those who have gone on to eternal rest. I am also thankful for each and every one of you in our 52 Books family of readers. <br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanksgiving Delights</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">By</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Joanna Fuchs</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On Thanksgiving Day we're thankful for</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our blessings all year through,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For family we dearly love,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For good friends, old and new.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For sun to light and warm our days,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For stars that glow at night,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For trees of green and skies of blue,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And puffy clouds of white.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're grateful for our eyes that see</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The beauty all around,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For arms to hug, and legs to walk,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And ears to hear each sound.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The list of all we're grateful for</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Would fill a great big book;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our thankful hearts find new delights</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Everywhere we look!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Our post brought to us by the letter F for facts and fabulous fables.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /></div>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-83516628882652815152023-11-12T00:00:00.001-08:002023-11-12T00:00:00.261-08:00BW46: Share your non fiction shelves <p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Happy Sunday! Since this is nonfiction month, it's time for something totally different with a peek into our nonfiction bookshelves. Share pictures of your shelves or your favorite non fiction reads so far this year. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Fascination with History </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk63S6nLQyy36rul3loOu02HVqD9tA_rWT4a_5CYVyMxj0-_PerB0g1mDQMLR-5iOWeJDZqqTAzUdmFUe_P4AY57Fa1JMq5fOpzBghEiC5mQ0kM_xrJ4xIGucLx9HshmED7FxlFJcXML1irusPs8zwQmkC5U7GouNnbaFxgI50GMW1Hd8uJDak8JieWx7W/s463/A%20fascination%20with%20History.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="463" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk63S6nLQyy36rul3loOu02HVqD9tA_rWT4a_5CYVyMxj0-_PerB0g1mDQMLR-5iOWeJDZqqTAzUdmFUe_P4AY57Fa1JMq5fOpzBghEiC5mQ0kM_xrJ4xIGucLx9HshmED7FxlFJcXML1irusPs8zwQmkC5U7GouNnbaFxgI50GMW1Hd8uJDak8JieWx7W/s320/A%20fascination%20with%20History.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Road to writing fiction and non fiction</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNLCqLYvpoU1YqMm-O5LtaKJl3VJr2pgaeFYNCAwpSVLHrJ-WahHHV6RKzn3yq8_0-tu1vLjsS_-XIkqO_oVaptMX0esr-sB4OZFY42zSKPFDuvuyG2QqppJrJMxl6hPQeVwjz_ei2mhsVEUVMd8hJ5oaX8opn40CRa1FAz1fynoQs-ETxRsYfHCoGATS/s455/A%20road%20to%20writing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="455" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNLCqLYvpoU1YqMm-O5LtaKJl3VJr2pgaeFYNCAwpSVLHrJ-WahHHV6RKzn3yq8_0-tu1vLjsS_-XIkqO_oVaptMX0esr-sB4OZFY42zSKPFDuvuyG2QqppJrJMxl6hPQeVwjz_ei2mhsVEUVMd8hJ5oaX8opn40CRa1FAz1fynoQs-ETxRsYfHCoGATS/s320/A%20road%20to%20writing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Discovering ourselves </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cTIx_hRYCS2TMef7RR3P3IyHGmP4nTihVwQarTX9UMKzXDcGk0UYZ6nxRFUpn3VFTuMQuKRUz2Q714DVQ7MZedPdSnrJfJFnlqnLOoz9vSgwTpP_6l0wRRuEp18-G4hyphenhyphen6B5JBarGBcDNhvoL2W1i_ynaOR_vFnppkh7QVeOo900eABZL2Jz19kxqw3TM/s378/A%20road%20to%20discovery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="378" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cTIx_hRYCS2TMef7RR3P3IyHGmP4nTihVwQarTX9UMKzXDcGk0UYZ6nxRFUpn3VFTuMQuKRUz2Q714DVQ7MZedPdSnrJfJFnlqnLOoz9vSgwTpP_6l0wRRuEp18-G4hyphenhyphen6B5JBarGBcDNhvoL2W1i_ynaOR_vFnppkh7QVeOo900eABZL2Jz19kxqw3TM/s320/A%20road%20to%20discovery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Smorgasbord of Non fiction </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz1f3hcpzwrRSVE7Ey1ob5SWG9lHWa8L4Gs2MbRvKfVuNIfwOr_yj7CjgM-A1AKONZ0Ejkuw37m0jM0dPz5edAjOGqh6B_Z6S4Hj94CyLh4AhR6xAY_1ojb84kwWty_avqevuWpKJStQctBREWzvCMF2abgw5FnfxCTsIYDPGA7310KKXSNgHfO7ueoo6/s493/a%20smorgasboard%20of%20non%20fiction.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="493" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz1f3hcpzwrRSVE7Ey1ob5SWG9lHWa8L4Gs2MbRvKfVuNIfwOr_yj7CjgM-A1AKONZ0Ejkuw37m0jM0dPz5edAjOGqh6B_Z6S4Hj94CyLh4AhR6xAY_1ojb84kwWty_avqevuWpKJStQctBREWzvCMF2abgw5FnfxCTsIYDPGA7310KKXSNgHfO7ueoo6/s320/a%20smorgasboard%20of%20non%20fiction.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1958 World Book Encyclopedia</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUcEnQDeMvZxqcUkGT6ImheTqfRsi3jGCAE6ii1MQeJxSFZin9qytR1LSEGKWRUemgPRY3kGsEb59WPackCmeuvn18O9foyxlUuSBUFp1AdrHnOby9HsX9n300AGTe8TJl4BYX4JXTt5yRXRK6dAoCMUhF7CyK4CToPO9GFGYJ7owSh2RJ0HWB1l48nz7/s504/1958%20Old%20World%20Book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="504" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUcEnQDeMvZxqcUkGT6ImheTqfRsi3jGCAE6ii1MQeJxSFZin9qytR1LSEGKWRUemgPRY3kGsEb59WPackCmeuvn18O9foyxlUuSBUFp1AdrHnOby9HsX9n300AGTe8TJl4BYX4JXTt5yRXRK6dAoCMUhF7CyK4CToPO9GFGYJ7owSh2RJ0HWB1l48nz7/s320/1958%20Old%20World%20Book.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2002 World Book Encyclopedia </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPqnbnbXCClLWwWk6ariHik0CxoDvFspwHJjPfM1ri3pL2CbJudFyh_ixZL2l00bixUcxOQuGsIk2Jzdp-Mtd1m5unTqe8ir_Yr6XRfTqKcTgVS7ntgRqgG_iYlWtB1NHvpakA0WAP4N3MuzkTQMSJfAYkZXl7jc1gOMSFIloDP8fBF4h5WiRRHwwq4IG/s473/2002%20New%20World%20Book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="473" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPqnbnbXCClLWwWk6ariHik0CxoDvFspwHJjPfM1ri3pL2CbJudFyh_ixZL2l00bixUcxOQuGsIk2Jzdp-Mtd1m5unTqe8ir_Yr6XRfTqKcTgVS7ntgRqgG_iYlWtB1NHvpakA0WAP4N3MuzkTQMSJfAYkZXl7jc1gOMSFIloDP8fBF4h5WiRRHwwq4IG/s320/2002%20New%20World%20Book.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Our post was brought to you by the letter G which stands for goodness gracious, great balls of fire. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-82573138020333810232023-11-05T00:00:00.002-07:002023-11-05T00:00:00.127-07:00BW45: 52 Books Bingo - Hygge <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOrqXdFAA4tKHGejms314aXOWDNMfxjBLuziXkW0QgZD479v1Cyo37NbBEaLLKBzCItkYlOZEM4vMB1fFNWC4GRHu_O7xp1E7bbrP09ZNexDZEXO7TCMuXP8NyBURFLT6ZTa-q_MI6FFoQHkgTaXtjqdNZccz9qNWL5z9Y1UCpK0XGqMjQJXNsiGaGd-l/s263/hygge%20fox.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="236" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOrqXdFAA4tKHGejms314aXOWDNMfxjBLuziXkW0QgZD479v1Cyo37NbBEaLLKBzCItkYlOZEM4vMB1fFNWC4GRHu_O7xp1E7bbrP09ZNexDZEXO7TCMuXP8NyBURFLT6ZTa-q_MI6FFoQHkgTaXtjqdNZccz9qNWL5z9Y1UCpK0XGqMjQJXNsiGaGd-l/s1600/hygge%20fox.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>
Happy Sunday! Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Hygge. What exactly is Hygge? Hygge originated from 16th century Norwegian, first appeared in Danish writing in the 1800's and was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2017. As defined by the Oxford Dictionary, Hygge is <div><br /><div>"a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture)."</div></div><div><br /></div><div>The ten principles of Hygge according to Meik Wiking who wrote The Little Book of Hygge are: </div><div><br /></div><div>"Atmosphere, Presence, Pleasure, Equality, Gratitude, Harmony, Comfort, Truce, Togetherness and, finally, Shelter."</div><div><br /></div><div>In the mid 20th Century, Hygge in English writing as "cozy and comfortable surroundings that invoke an inner sense of contentment or well-being."</div><div><br /></div><div>There are quite a few ways to interpret this category including reading a book with Hygge in the title as well as reading a cozy mystery set anywhere. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/literature" target="_blank">Danish literature has international reach</a> so read a book written by a Danish author. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.thatscandinavianfeeling.com/lifestyle/best-cozy-books" target="_blank">10 Best Books for a Hygge Life. </a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://shereads.com/favorite-books-set-in-denmark/">Favorite Books set in Denmark.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Have fun! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-42954889486144981372023-10-29T00:00:00.005-07:002023-10-29T00:00:00.150-07:00BW44: Non Fiction November <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnY89TjH7zhkok9taswgdVh-VOPOdXYK0j0hzGjmcJUTokM2eaUsuuMFZOCZoLXUIOX-aRLZixipPEHn874jWOZ5c_byGJbVgtLgHPgozZtjCtIib1rVU37ySrIbrDblTNblTeQmuxX75vP-wJmTQEr_ct7fXQ7CsifDc5YA_CvbkzD1HY7wmdnGUlbTU/s400/Creativity%20Maria%20Cardouat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnY89TjH7zhkok9taswgdVh-VOPOdXYK0j0hzGjmcJUTokM2eaUsuuMFZOCZoLXUIOX-aRLZixipPEHn874jWOZ5c_byGJbVgtLgHPgozZtjCtIib1rVU37ySrIbrDblTNblTeQmuxX75vP-wJmTQEr_ct7fXQ7CsifDc5YA_CvbkzD1HY7wmdnGUlbTU/s320/Creativity%20Maria%20Cardouat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Happy Sunday! November is the month we celebrate the wonderful wide world of <b>Non Fiction</b> which encompasses a broad range of categories - from biographies and memoirs, creative nonfiction to fine arts, philosophy or psychology, history to science, spirituality to religion, self help to health and fitness, cook books to crafts to name a few. </p><p>Plus our author of the month is <b>Margot Lee Shetterly</b> who wrote <b>Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. </b>My family read the book and watched the movie based on the book and both were educational and enlightening and prompted much conversation in our home. </p><p>November 1st is also <b>National Author's Day</b> so show some appreciation for the authors who provided us with all our great reads. </p><p>And the beginning of<b> National Novel Writing Month</b> in which writers attempt to write a 50,000 manuscript in the month of November. I've participated over the years and found it to be a fun, creative, and challenging way to write a rough draft. </p><p><a href="https://thegreatestbooks.org/nonfiction">The Greatest Nonfiction Books</a></p><p><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/nonfiction-coming-soon/">New Nonfiction To Read This Fall</a></p><p><a href="https://soilsolutionshomestead.com/2022/12/27/23-in-2023-new-books-on-art-crafts-creativity/">23 in 2023: New Books on Art, Crafts, & Creativity</a></p><p><a href="https://modernmrsdarcy.com/essential-books-writing-nanowrimo/">12 essential books on writing for National Novel Writing Month</a></p><p><br /></p><p>This post brought to us by the letter I and industrious, imagination, improve, and illuminate. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-81924193068664980102023-10-22T00:00:00.002-07:002023-10-22T00:00:00.137-07:00BW43: Robert Bridges - The Evening Darkens Over <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUcU0xrqFTRhH6kNum0gVCb6wHEGCSasoSJF35feO-uyM2eO7mru5ElDVrXKoZ0fktut3HVyW9VRuCiVYFMV2WwlhvxxQ9ktN9cnJxpZcCBEBlVGQ-q74v7VkESJLV1k2JtS_NFJjUqbKn1U9GH8DQ7gcVtJyZGdVBpxl-q2QWNWCWxnryc3fEDf1W3HT/s289/Robert%20Bridges%20Poet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="210" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUcU0xrqFTRhH6kNum0gVCb6wHEGCSasoSJF35feO-uyM2eO7mru5ElDVrXKoZ0fktut3HVyW9VRuCiVYFMV2WwlhvxxQ9ktN9cnJxpZcCBEBlVGQ-q74v7VkESJLV1k2JtS_NFJjUqbKn1U9GH8DQ7gcVtJyZGdVBpxl-q2QWNWCWxnryc3fEDf1W3HT/s1600/Robert%20Bridges%20Poet.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;">The Evening Darkens Over</h3><h3 style="text-align: center;">by</h3><h3 style="text-align: center;">Robert Bridges</h3><p style="text-align: center;">October 23, 1844 - April 21, 1930</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">The evening darkens over</p><p style="text-align: center;">After a day so bright</p><p style="text-align: center;">The windcapt waves discover</p><p style="text-align: center;">That wild will be the night.</p><p style="text-align: center;">There’s sound of distant thunder.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">The latest sea-birds hover</p><p style="text-align: center;">Along the cliff’s sheer height;</p><p style="text-align: center;">As in the memory wander</p><p style="text-align: center;">Last flutterings of delight,</p><p style="text-align: center;">White wings lost on the white.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">There’s not a ship in sight;</p><p style="text-align: center;">And as the sun goes under</p><p style="text-align: center;">Thick clouds conspire to cover</p><p style="text-align: center;">The moon that should rise yonder.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Thou art alone, fond lover.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Our post is sponsored this week by the letter J for just, judicious, and joy</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<script src="//www.blenza.com/linkies/easylink.php?owner=mytwoblessings&postid=21Oct2023" type="text/javascript"></script>Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-68054349008470527152023-10-15T00:00:00.001-07:002023-10-15T00:00:00.133-07:00BW42: 52 Books Bingo - Rogues <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnGYQB-cgekPUVnLgj50lwaI7CLY7JdVq2GaodMjGrju7YDHbqhXJ7i-3neFT_Rb0cRumziyuLfu1MXl0tXLunFb8KJGFr1KDIjoEcNgDefcA0oU5a3jec-kc2-TwVoCig-ZySGfV7NXVSffYPS9bSq8qWOeuTRNv5Gq4QVGW5nEJFvoDqwyThP-dSCgq/s640/ulysses%20by%2096dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnGYQB-cgekPUVnLgj50lwaI7CLY7JdVq2GaodMjGrju7YDHbqhXJ7i-3neFT_Rb0cRumziyuLfu1MXl0tXLunFb8KJGFr1KDIjoEcNgDefcA0oU5a3jec-kc2-TwVoCig-ZySGfV7NXVSffYPS9bSq8qWOeuTRNv5Gq4QVGW5nEJFvoDqwyThP-dSCgq/s320/ulysses%20by%2096dpi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Rogue which matches up with our spooktactular theme. From science fiction and fantasy to romance and regency novels, there are plenty of stories which include Rogues. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rogues come in all shapes and sizes: scoundrels, con artists, outlaws, or villains, lords, reformed bad guys, spies, detectives, and thieves such as Robin Hood.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even assassin's such as Gin Bianco in Jennifer Estep's <a href="https://www.jenniferestep.com/series/elemental-assassin-series/">Elemental Assassin series</a> or Fitz in Robin Hobb's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77197.Assassin_s_Apprentice">Far Seer Trilogy</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/87206.Romance_Novels_with_Rogue_in_the_Title">Romance Novels with Rogue in the Title</a></span></p><p><a href="https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/john-wilker/space-rogues/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Space Rogues: A series by John Wilker</span></a></p><p><a href="https://best-sci-fi-books.com/best-science-fiction-heist-books/"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Best Science Fiction Heist Books</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/assassins-thieves-and-rogues"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Goodread's Assassins Thieves and Rogues books</span></a></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Reading!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our post is brought to you by the letter K which stands for kingpins, keelhaul, and kilts. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5435844874964791975.post-81432897276669286042023-10-08T00:00:00.001-07:002023-10-08T00:00:00.143-07:00BW41: October Author of the month - Neil Peart<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYw_CsyQ7YOIKqzbMmPya6qcHJ05e367r0dn8ybcS9oo8wYajfHOPxfLZJWYzElO66IkfcHb4X0dfPyAH5Duu5NrevfNKIjSckocK0YlzCxN_zCQI8H4mD-VGTH3D9hsq0LccS8_faU1fv3au6PV-GeA1t3DddInoFpKzWelvviFLszPGD3gtvd8t3wCM/s200/Neil%20Peart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="200" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYw_CsyQ7YOIKqzbMmPya6qcHJ05e367r0dn8ybcS9oo8wYajfHOPxfLZJWYzElO66IkfcHb4X0dfPyAH5Duu5NrevfNKIjSckocK0YlzCxN_zCQI8H4mD-VGTH3D9hsq0LccS8_faU1fv3au6PV-GeA1t3DddInoFpKzWelvviFLszPGD3gtvd8t3wCM/s1600/Neil%20Peart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Sunday! Our October author of the month is <a href="https://neilpeart.net/">Neil Peart</a>. Peart is best known as the drummer for the band Rush, but he was also a writer. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He published several nonfiction books about his motorcycle explorations while healing from his wife and daughter's deaths, his physical and spiritual journeys through Africa, his musical inspirations, and travels off the beaten path travels while on tour.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa (1996), </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road (2002), </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to My Life and Times (2004), </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Roadshow: Landscape With Drums, A Concert Tour by Motorcycle (2006).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Far and Away: A Prize Every Time (2011), </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Far and Near: On Days Like These (2014), </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Far and Wide: Bring that Horizon to Me! (2016)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> As a prolific reader, he also started <a href="http://www.neilpeart.net/book_club/issueArchive.html">Bubba's Book Club</a>. The book club ran from 2004 through 2011 in which he read, reviewed, and recommended books from Vikrim's Seth's <u>An Equal Music</u> to Barbara Kingsolver's <u>The Lacuna.</u> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He also collaborated with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/155012-clockwork-angels">Kevin J. Anderson</a> to write a steampunk fantasy trilogy based on Rush's album Clockwork Angels. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Peart died from brain cancel on January 09, 2020. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Join me in exploring with Neil Peart. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
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Robin Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07765229264945106765noreply@blogger.com0