Sacramento Archives Crawl - Free Event!

 

I recently learned about the Sacramento Archives Crawl a couple of days ago. It's a free public event that is happening this upcoming weekend. 

I learned the following information about the Sacramento Archives Crawl from the Center For Sacramento History website:

Every October, in celebration of National Archives Month, archives and special collections libraries from throughout the region open their doors to the public and showcase their rarely seen holdings during the Sacramento Archives Crawl.

The Center has worked with other local archival institutions to organize and co-host the annual Sacramento Archives Crawl each year since 2010. The Crawl is held at four host institution sites in downtown Sacramento: the California State Archives, California State Library, Center for Sacramento History, and Sacramento Room at the Sacramento Public Library. Free bus transportation is provided between all four locations.

At the host sites, the public can view archival collections on display and take behind-the-scenes tours. Representatives from other archives and special collections libraries will be at the host locations, as well, to display their archival collections - historic photographs, documents, and objects - and answer questions about how to connect with local history resources.

Archives Crawl Passports are given to guests as they visit the host institutions. The passport provides a map of the event and information about the participating institutions - get your passport stamped at three of the four host sites and you'll get a set of limited-edition commemorative coasters that feature archival images representing that year's theme. Crawlers can also participate in a history scavenger hunt for a chance to win fun prizes.

I live about an hour and forty-five minutes away from Sacramento and would love to participate in the Sacramento Archives Crawl. However, I already have plans on October 4th, so I am unable to attend this event. I will take note of this annual, literary event for next year's timeframe and hope to attend then.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

George Takei to be Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week 2025!!

 

Congrats George Takei being an Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week 2025!! He seems like a good candidate for this role.

12 Must-Visit Libraries in Japan!!

My husband and I have plans to visit Japan for our 25th wedding anniversary. During our visit, I'd love to visit a few bookstores and also a few libraries.

I recently came across an article titled, 12 Must-Visit Libraries in Japan, which I discovered on the 1000libraries.com website. 

I want to visit all the libraries listed in the above mentioned article, but I especially want to visit the Library in the Earth in Kisarazu, Chiba.

Click on the above link to see each library listed. All of them are unique and beautiful!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

Alta Journal - California Book Club - Amy Tan Discusses Her Book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles!!

 

Wow, what a treat it was to listen to author, Amy Tan, discuss her nonfiction book titled, The Backyard Bird Chronicles during

Alta Journal's monthly live California Book Club event!!

Something like 1800+ people from around the globe showed

up for this virtual author event!!

Apparently, The Backyard Bird Chronicles was never originally supposed to be published... Amy Tan's was behind on a novel she was writing, so her editor (or was it her publisher?) wanted to see her birding journals... From there, it was decided her birding journals should be published and the rest is history.

During the live event, the audience sees Amy Tan sitting in her rooftop garden in Sausalito, California which is where she started her birdwatching and journaling in 2016. It was cool to view where Ms. Tan began her birdwatching adventure. See the below photo.

I now want to read The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan and have added it to my ever growing reading wishlist!

Do you enjoy attending author events/signings in-person or virtually?

Have you attended any author events/signings recently?

Throwback Thursday - Books That Didn't Live Up to the Hype!

Below are a few books that missed the mark for me.

1. Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself by Judy Blume

I've read and reviewed several books by Judy Blume.

Most of them I've really enjoyed. However,

Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself

wasn't a win for me.

2. Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot

This memoir was praised by many prominent writers

like Roxane Gay and Lidia Yuknavitch. Sherman Alexie even wrote

a glowing introduction for Heart Berries. However, Heart Berries wasn't for me.

3. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

I did not enjoy Carrie Fisher's memoir at ALL.

The Princess Diarist is rambling and verbose. Ms. Fisher tried too hard to be clever and funny in her book, but fails miserably at this attempt big time. She comes off as insecure and needy throughout much of The Princess Diarist.

The journal entries Carrie Fisher shares from when she was filming the first Star Wars movie are sad and depressing for the most part. Ms. Fisher came across as having very low self esteem and lacking emotional maturity during her time filming Star Wars.

4. The Son by Philipp Meyer

I'd never heard of Philipp Meyer until the summer of

2014 when a book group had selected his novel, The Son, for

that month's book club selection.

I found it interesting to learn that The Son had been nominated for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. I personally wasn't enamored enough with this novel to ever fathom that it would be nominated for such a prestigious prize as the Pulitzer Prize.

5. Cari Mora by Thomas Harris

I'd read several of Thomas Harris's previous novels and enjoyed them immensely. When I decided to read Cari Mora, I was expecting the same entertaining writing by Thomas Harris. But Cari Mora was just plain weird and creepy.

6. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

I was disappointed with The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. I didn't care much for the story, the characters, or the writing. For a classic novel, I expected to really like it.

7. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

I thought House of Mirth was long, drawn out, B-O-R-I-N-G, and DEPRESSING! Another classic, I thought was a total bust.

8. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Generally, I love Russian literature. But We wasn't very good.

I think the eBook edition I read may have largely been the culprit to

my lackluster experience.

Another classic that was a bust for me.

9. Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

I've loved almost every novel I've read by Jerry Spinelli with

the exception of Eggs!!

10. The Other Story by Tatiana de Rosnay

After reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay back in 2012,

I was hoping to read another amazing novel by the author.

The Other Story was awful!!  I read another novel by

Tatiana de Rosnay too and it was also bad. Maybe

Sarah's Key was a one hit wonder... I don't know.

Have you been disappointed by a hyped novel or classic novel?

Has a favorite author written a novel/book that was a let down?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

My Dream Bookstore - If I Owned a Bookstore Tag

Earlier today, I was watching a video on YouTube from one of my favorite BookTube channels, Criminolly, where Olly made a video about his dream bookstore based on the "If I Owned a Bookstore Tag" going around right now.

I decided to participate in the "If I Owned a Bookstore Tag". Below are my answers to ten different questions.

The Questions Are As Follows:

1) What are the hours of operation?

Monday: 12pm-5pm

Tuesday: 11am-8pm

Wednesday: 11am-8pm

Thursday: 11am-8pm

Friday:11am-8pm

Saturday: 10am-6pm

Sunday: 12pm-5pm 

2) Is there ambient music? What kind? 

Yes, there will be ambient music!! Instrumental music only though, like soft jazz, classical, or perhaps guitar or piano music.

3) Is there a coffee bar? Do you serve alcohol? 

Yes, there will be coffee and tea bar! Maybe a few other beverages like cider, lemonade, hot cocoa, etc. No, on alcohol though.

4) Are patrons encouraged to linger? Are there comfortable chairs? What kind of lighting? Are there tables? Are there areas for group gatherings? 

Yes, patrons will be encouraged to linger in my bookstore! I want to create a cozy, welcoming vibe where the community can come together to read. I'd offer comfortable chairs to sit in during one's visit and a table surrounded by chairs for monthly book club groups to sit and discuss there current book club selection. Bright lighting throughout the store will be available to make it easier for people to read during their visit.

5) Is there live entertainment (poetry readings, author’s reading from their current works, lectures in literature)? 

Yes, to live entertainment in the form of author's speaking events.

Plus, monthly book club groups/meet-ups where readers collect to discuss the books they've read for !!

6) Where is your bookstore located? In the busy heart of large city? In a neighborhood of a large city? In a suburban strip mall? In a small town? In a rural area? 

A medium sized bookstore set in a strip mall near where I live.

7) How does your bookstore look from the outside? Sleek and modern? Dark and brooding? 

I want a vintage vibe for my bookstore. Hardwood floors, area rugs, black and white photos of authors, books, exterior shots of indie bookstores hanging on walls, etc... Plus, potted plants, and a bookstore cat or two!

8) What’s your specialty? Used books? New? New and used? Only fiction? Only non-fiction? Fiction and non-fiction? Does your bookstore specialize in a particular genre? 

I think a used bookstore filled with gently used fiction and nonfiction books would be perfect. 

I'd also like to have a used book buying/trade-in program as well.

9) What’s the name of your bookstore? 

The Bookstore of Second Chances

10) Tag some friends.

I won't tag any other book bloggers for this book tag. Feel free to tag yourself if you'd like to  participate.

The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel by Mark Paul

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel by Mark Paul, which was well narrated by Will Damron.

I never thought I'd enjoy a nonfiction audiobook about horse racing and gambling so much!! Suffice it to say that The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel is really good!! 

The primary focus of The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel is on horse racing as it pertains to the 1988 Kentucky Derby and its winning filly, Winning Colors, along with some of the major players pertaining to horse racing like horse trainer, D. Wayne Lukas (trainer for Winning Colors), Gene Klein (owner of Winning Colors), Gary Stevens (jockey for Winning Colors), the three gamblers who bet big on Winning Colors, the Mexican cartel, and various other aspects of horse racing.

The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel by Mark Paul is well written, engaging, informative, and well organized. I enjoyed that this book isn't over stuffed with factoids and is just the right length to keep the interest of the readers.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel by Mark Paul found on Chirp's website:

The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told is an inspiring personal narrative about a filly who broke through the male-dominated world of horseracing and inspired crowds of men and women alike, along with a trio of gamblers who embark on an unforgettable adventure that’s as epic as the historic victory of Winning Colors. It’s Seabiscuit meets Narcos, and the best true-life gambling story ever told.

In the late 1980s, a spectacular 3-year-old female racehorse named Winning Colors was being groomed for success under her famous “Hollywood” trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, and the billionaire owner of the San Diego Chargers pro-football team, Eugene Klein. Meanwhile, three fun-loving gamblers, Miami Paul, Dino Mateo, and Big Bernie believed that Winning Colors could be the unlikely female winner of the 1988 Kentucky Derby.

When the gamblers unknowingly place their longshot bet with members of a suspected drug cartel at a racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico, they must figure out how to claim their prize - without getting killed in the process. In a heart-pounding race of their own across the U.S.-Mexico border, the trio come face-to-face with suspected killers, are arrested by the Border Patrol, and fumble their way through the riskiest bet of their lives.

I am giving The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel by Mark Paul a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. This is my fifth read for the month of September.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

A 14-year-old boy from Sacramento, CA is leading a movement to end “book deserts”!!

 

I love it when a youngster creates ways to bring books to other youngsters to promote literacy!! I learned the following from the above short video:

Sacramento teen Ethan Minton, 14, is tackling “book deserts” through his nonprofit E-Train Talks Inc., which has donated more than 7,000 books to children’s hospitals, libraries, and underserved communities. Inspired during COVID-19 by the comfort books provided him, Minton launched the nonprofit in 2022 to spread what he calls “book joy.” His work earned recognition as a Nonprofit of Distinction from Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty. Alongside book drives, Minton also runs a podcast interviewing authors and reviewing books, while balancing school and his dream of becoming a sports journalist. His goal is to reach 10,000 donated books by 2025.