Sunday, July 31, 2022

BW31: Crime Spree - True Crime

 



Happy Sunday! August is upon us and our newest crime spree category brought to us by Sandy and Amy is all about True Crime. 

True Crime is a genre with no middle ground—readers either love it or have no stomach for true examples of the darker side of human behavior. The modern genre started with Edmund Pearson in the 1920s and continues today in dozens of forms of media, from books to podcasts. 

Studies in Murder by Edmund Pearson

·      In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

·       The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

·       Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

·        The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

 

Challenge: Lock your doors, turn on your lights, and pick up a True Crime mystery that won’t keep you up at night.

Our A to Z and Back Again letter of the week is V and Vanguard.

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Sunday, July 24, 2022

BW30: Bookish Miscellanea


Happy Sunday! This week we celebrate Amelia Earhart day, National Tequila day, Culinarians day, All or Nothing day, National Love is Kind day, National Milk Chocolate day, National Lasagna day, National Cheesecake day, and last but not least. Paperback book day.  Hmm, I think I'm hungry!   

My neighbor dropped off a bag of peaches from his garden today. I decided I should make lasagna as well as a peach pie this week, so off the the grocery store I went.  And while I was there, I got to thinking how we've been in kind of a food rut lately and should pick up something different for a change versus the same ole, same ole.  I ended up with a potpourri of items.  Which brings me to my web wanderings which mirrored my shopping trip. A little bit of this, a little bit of that!

Fiona Barton's Favorite Thrillers featuring Female Detectives 

Pass the popcorn: action adventure thrillers 

Tasmanian 'book detective' reunites customers with long-lost books and beloved childhood titles

Discovered a new blog as well as an annual book celebration Women in Translation

Chance, Choice, and the Avocado: The Strange Evolutionary and Creative History of Earth’s Most Nutritious Fruit

10 Food Writing Books to Read This Fall

He Might Be a Prophet. That, or the Greatest Chef in the World.

The Cocktail at the End of the Universe

Do any of  you remember Graham Kerr?  Why the Galloping Gourmet—a Kooky, 1970s TV Chef—Is an Unsung Style Icon for Our Times


Our A to Z and back again letter and word of the week are W and Wine.


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Sunday, July 17, 2022

BW29: Fall of the Evening Star

 

Constellations by Maggie Vandewalle

Happy Sunday!  I bookmark things on my computer, buy cards with unique sayings, add books to my wishlist and I'll come across them later and wonder what was I thinking.  What struck me at the time and why did I save it?  This poem is one of those saved and forgotten.  I was going through bookmarks, deleting those I don't use anymore and found it. Don't know when I bookmarked it, but I'm glad I found it again. Love the imagery.  Reminds me of reading and rereading stories and getting something completely different out of them versus the first time.  Sigh! So lovely.


Fall of the Evening Star

By

Kenneth Patchen


Speak softly; sun going down

Out of sight. Come near me now.


Dear dying fall of wings as birds

complain against the gathering dark...


Exaggerate the green blood in grass;

the music of leaves scraping space;


Multiply the stillness by one sound;

by one syllable of your name...


And all that is little is soon giant,

all that is rare grows in common beauty


To rest with my mouth on your mouth

as somewhere a star falls


And the earth takes it softly, in natural love...

Exactly as we take each other...

and go to sleep...


All this to say, revisit an old friend by rereading a favorite author or book and enjoy discovering them all over again. 

Our letter and word of the week are X and Xiphoid.

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Sunday, July 10, 2022

BW28: 52 Books Bingo - Southern Fiction

 


Howdy!  I was born and raised in the south before we headed out to wild and wacky California. But my roots will always remain in Texas where I was born, then Alabama to Georgia during my formative high school and college years.   Yes, I was one of those who used to call everybody hon or sweetie or darlin. And dropped the g's on all words ending in ing. I had to work hard to lose the accent once we landed in California, however my southern accent still creeps back in when I'm tired or I hear someone speaking with a drawl.  But Y'ALL has stuck with me ever since.  And I bet y'all are wondering why I'm telling you this. Why our next 52 Books Bingo category, of course!  :)   Time to dip our toes into the wonderful world of Southern Fiction.  

What is Southern Literature?

What Makes Southern Literature Unique? 

Southern Gothic Literature

36 Deep-Fried Delish Southern Books And Writers

12 Southern Novels That Will Knock Your Boots Off

Seven Atmospheric Mystery Suspense Novels Set in the South

Goodread's Listopia of Best Southern Literature


Our letter and word of the week are Y and Yesteryear

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Sunday, July 3, 2022

BW27: Crime Spree - The Americans

 


Happy Sunday! July is upon us and our newest crime spree category brought to us by Sandy and Amy is all about American mystery Authors.

Not all of us want to venture too far from home, and The American authors have plenty to offer as well. From the start of hard-boiled detection starting in the 1930s (Carroll John Daly) to Navajo mysteries (Tony Hillerman) to mystery writers that spanned several generations (Rex Stout).

 Authors to explore:

  Dorothy Hughes (1931-1978)

·         Raymond Chandler (1933-1959)

·         Rex Stout (1934-1975)

·         Baynard Kendrick (1937-1961)

·         Sue Grafton (1967-2017)

·         Lawrence Block (1958-present)

·         Robert B. Parker (1974-2010)

·         Tony Hillerman (1970-2006)

 Challenge: Pour yourself a stiff drink, grab a dame, and spent a weekend contemplating the grittier side of life by reading an American-centric mystery.

And our countdown begins as we go backwards through the alphabet with A to Z and Back Again. Our letter and word of the week are Z and Zeugma. 

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Sunday, June 26, 2022

BW26: Half Time Randomness


 

Happy Sunday! We're half way through the year and Summertime has arrived in our neck of the world, and  Wintertime for those on the other side of the world.  And I've got nothing. Well, not really. I've got a song crashing through my mind, an unfortunate earworm that I can't identify which will drive me loopy until I figure it out.  In the meantime, let's dip into a bit of half time randomness. 

Once a year I watch Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Danger of a Single Story and get something different out of it every time. I love her books. 

I just finished reading The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk so the Ted Talk about The World's Most Mysterious Book fascinated me. 

And while wondering through Ideas.Ted.Com came across 70 books to make you feel hopeful: A special reading list.  You're welcome! 

While falling down some rabbit hole about 25 Beautiful Literary Maps, it lead me to  Kenocartographobia. No, I didn't know what it was either. The fear of Maps. And wouldn't you know it, Goodreads has a list

I just discovered the newest book by A.J. Jacobs, The Puzzler, which I of course, had to get instantly.  If you haven't read any of his books, start with The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible) and also check out Jacob's favorite recent reads.

And given that our letter of the week is Z, check out books by authors whose last names start with Z.  My choice is of course, Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

~Cheers~

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Sunday, June 19, 2022

BW25: Happy Father's Day

 



Happy Sunday!  This week we celebrate our dads. From the serious to the silly, from thoughtful to chatty, from gregarious to introverted. We honor those who we miss and hold close to our hearts.

 A Brief History of Father’s Day

Fatherly Advice Given From Famous Dads in Literature 

Celebrate Dads Everywhere With These 10 Books

The 8 Best Dads in Literature, According to Readers

12 most memorable fathers from literature

A Book for Every Kind of Dad on Father’s Day

Read a book with father  or Dad  in the title.

Read a book about Fantastic Dads and Father Figures

Did your dad ever read to you when you were little?  Share memories of books given to you by your father. Which literary father do you like the best?


Our letter and word of the week are Y and Yesterday

Happy Father's Day to all our dads! 


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Sunday, June 12, 2022

BW24: 52 Books bingo - Clef Notes

Sakarambo

 

Happy Sunday! Whenever I think of religious characters, I think of chanting monks which brings us to our next 52 Books Bingo category - Clef Notes. Music comes in all shapes and forms so read books about music, learning to read music, musicians and singers, Tibetan monks and singing bowls, Gregorian chants in a church, or just go with the flow and see where your mind takes you. 

Read a book with Clef  or Notes in the title. 

Read a book about Musicology 

Read a book with musical notes or instruments on the cover

Read a book from The Capitol Theatre's list of 10 Books That Every Music Lover Should Read. 

Read a book from About Great Reads list of  50 Great Novels about Music.

Our letter and word of the week are X and Xango.

Have fun following musical rabbit trails! 

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Sunday, June 5, 2022

BW23: Crime Spree - Religious Characters

 



Happy Sunday! June is upon us and our newest crime spree category brought to us by Sandy and Amy is one of my favorite to read.  

There’s something so appealing about a man (or woman) of the cloth who isn’t just trying to save our soul, but also our life. Religious Characters feature in cozy mysteries, usually as a reluctant amateur sleuth but sometimes as the unexpected villain. 

 Authors to explore:

 GK Chesterton – Father Brown

·         Ellis Peters – Brother Cadfael

·         Cassandra Clark – Abbess of Meaux

·         Julia Spencer Fleming - Clare Ferguson

·         James Runcie - Sidney Chambers

·         GM Malliet - Max Tudor

·         Harry Kemelman – Rabbi Small

 

Challenge: See how the other half lives by reading a mystery with a man or woman of the cloth as a sleuth.

Our letter and word of the week is W and Wisdom

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Sunday, May 29, 2022

BW22: Memorial Day

All Gave Some, Some Gave All by Flagwix 

We Honor You Today

By

Susan R. Smith 

To all of our veterans
Far and near.
We thank you for your service
For all those years.

You sacrificed your time,
And some gave your life.
You preserved our freedom
By willingly paying the price.

Many of you
Were sent overseas.
You were wounded in battle,
With scars and disease.

But courageous and brave,
You weathered the storm.
You faced every battle
With faith and beyond.

We honor you with joy
For all that you've done.
You stood strong for our country,
For our daughters and sons.

So no one stands alone,
We walk hand in hand.
Remember, we are with you.
Together we shall stand.

We salute you today.
Hear what we say.
Let our words speak eloquently
In this special way.

On this day,
Let us express our love and thanks
For the sacrifice you paid.
You served in honor
For many years and days,
And we will never forget
How you were strong and brave.


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Sunday, May 22, 2022

BW21: A bit of this, a bit of that!

 


Happy Sunday! I'm in a mood. Can't tell you which one, but a mood. So today, you get a bit of this, a bit of that.  A bit of this from my wild mind as well as a bit of that from the world wide web. 

One of the dusty books in my virtual shelves is A.S. Byatt's The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye. It's one of those one day I'll get round to it. Saw George Miller Presents His “Anti-Mad Max” in Three Thousand Years of Longing Trailer on Tor which is based on Byatt's book and is quite intriguing.  Especially since Idris Elba is in it. Yum.  I'll be diving into The Djinn soon. 

I recently got sucked into a Korean drama on Netflix, Romance is a Bonus Book which is set in a publishing company.  It was quite fascinating and wondered if any of the books mentioned were real. Quite pleased to discover they are!  Discovered there are a few K drama's that are based on books

Stumbled across Lessons Learned from a Year Listening to the Fictional Octopus in My Head by Shelby Van Pelt. Reminded me of my very literal minded son when he was young and how I had to rethink each sentence and learn how to talk to him without slang or metaphor. Will definitely be reading Remarkably Bright Creatures this year. 

As we all know, Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors. Her assistant Laura recently posted her latest Notes from a Cranky Publicist in which she mentioned books she read while recovering from hip surgery.  Besides Nora of course, she listed several great books including other authors I love such as Nalini Singh and Sarah Addison Allen. She talked about some new to me authors and Beach Read by Emily Henry and Every Summer After by Carley Fortune immediately went on my wish list.  My ever growing wish list because my buying ban is still in force.  Maybe I'll break down in June. 

Okay, enough about me.  LOL!  Several interesting things happened in history on May 22.

1819:  The steamship SS Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia for Liverpool, England on the first trans Atlantic crossing.  Read a book about a steamship.  

1859: Birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:  Read about the author or read a book about his character, Sherlock Holmes.

1868 - The Great Train Robbery:  Read Michael Crichton's Great Train Robbery, or other fiction and non fiction books about train robberies 

1906 - Patent 821,393 is to Wilbur and Orville Wright for “new and useful improvement in Flying Machines.”    Read a book about how airplanes were invented and/or the Wright Brothers.

1933:  first declared by U.S Congress to be National Maritime Day in honor of the Merchant Marines.  Read a book about marine heritage.

1933 - First reported sighting of the Loch Ness Monster.  We enjoyed reading the book written by Dick King-Smith, The Water Horse as well as watching the Movie.

1967 - The debut of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood:  We recently enjoyed both the movie and the book tie in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  based off of Tom Junod's article about Mr. Rogers for Esquire magazine. It touched our hearts and gave us a new appreciation for Mr. Rogers

1977 - the Orient Express takes it's final trip across Europe.  Read a book about or which takes place on the Orient Express.  Hint, hint - Agatha Christie. 

Have fun following rabbit trails!!!!

And if you are still following along with our letter of the week, we are back on track with the letter U

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Sunday, May 15, 2022

BW20: 52 Books Bingo - Ensemble Cast

Headlines  - Darren Thompson

Happy Sunday! It's time for another round of 52 Books Bingo and this week it's all about Ensemble Casts. My favorite kind of book. I love books with ensemble casts, especially series books because they make it seem like the story goes on and on and on.  There are books in which the cast revolves around one main character and others which rotate through a series of characters, all working together for a common end.  









Do you enjoy reading books with an ensemble cast of characters?  From Agatha Christie and Leo Tolstoy to Robert Jordan's and J.D. Robb, there is a wide variety to choose from.  Who is your favorite author and/or books with an ensemble cast you've read and would recommend?


I just noticed that we have a predicament, a quagmire, a problematic quandary.  Que Pasa!   When I pondered and questioned why my weeks weren't adding up, I realized I missed P and Q in our letter and word of the week.  We missed a pilgrimage, a quest. Oops, my bad. Jumping back on the Quixotic path for a moment.  

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