Reading Quote of the Day!!

11 Bookish Things Every Bibliophile Should Do!!

As a bibliophile, I like to participate in all sorts of book related things! So, when I came across an article on Bustle's website titled 11 Bookish Things Every Bibliophile Should Do At Least Once by Kerri Jarema, I looked forward to discovering which bookish things made the list.

Since reading the article, I learned that I've already done six of the bookish things mentioned in Kerri Jarema's article:

1. I've already worked as a bookseller at two different university bookstores during my life.

2. I've joined an online book club before!

3. I've attended a book convention as part of my job working as a bookseller.

4. I've had several books signed by favorite authors.

5. I've browsed a local bookstore that isn't my own on several occasions.

6. And I've also donated books to the public library for them to sell at their FOL Bookstores to help raise funds to support the public library.

I'd still love to host and/or attend a book themed dinner party, go on a book themed vacation, and visit various libraries around the world!

9 Literary BookTubes to Watch on YouTube!

Check out this article titled 9 Literary YouTube Series To Watch This Summer When You Need A Break From Reading by Kerri Jarema. In the article, Kerri Jarema wrote the following:

These modern adaptations are not only a great way to get into some of the renowned stories you might have missed, but for those who were already fans of the original texts, are wonderful ways to see the stories in a whole new light. All of the 9 series have large followings, dedicated Tumblr blogs, and entire fandoms for you to join in on this summer. We bet you can't watch just one.

Some of these YouTube series sound really great. I am most interested in watching the 'Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party' as I do love a good mystery!

50/50 Friday --- Favorite/Least Favorite Format of Books (HC, PB, ebook, etc)

50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reads and Laura @ Blue Eye Books. This fun themed meme focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc). Every week a new topic will give bloggers the chance to showcase their answers.

This week's topic is to highlight your Favorite/Least Favorite Format of Books (HC, PB, ebook, etc)!!

Favorite Book Format

For me it's a tie between mass market paperbacks

and unabridged audiobooks from Audible!

I like the feel of real books in my hands and being

able to actually turning pages...

But I also love to listen to unabridged audiobooks

when I am not in the mood to read a book

for whatever reason. 

Plus, listening to audiobooks

allows me to do other things while listening

to a book, like knitting, making and eating meals

when I am home alone, or  traveling, etc. 

I also enjoy being about to change

the listening speed on an Audible

audiobook in order to

finish listening to a book faster.

Least Favorite Book Format

I'd say a PDF version of a book and then reading

the book on my laptop or desktop would be my

least favorite way to read a book...

Also, have you ever tried reading a book on your

smartphone before? I did once and it's not great

either. The screen is too small on one's phone for

reading a book!!

So, what is your favorite and least favorite book format??

Have You Read the Most Popular Book From the Year You Were Born?

I discovered an article from the website 22 Words titled Have You Read the Most Popular Book From the Year You Were Born? by Abby Heugel. In the article, Abby Heugel wrote the following:

There are books that stick with you for your entire life, but do you know what book was most popular on the year that you were born?

Thanks to Good Housekeeping, you can now find out what people were reading the year that you entered the world.

How many of the top books from the past 87 years have you read?

Curious, I couldn't resist learning which book was popular the year I was born!! So, what are you waiting for??? I know you're curious, so go ahead a check out which book was popular the year you were born!!

Circus if the Dead by Seth Blackburn

Horror Short Story

Circus if the Dead by Seth Blackburn is a horror short story, approximately 32 pages in length that I was able to download to my Kindle for FREE from Amazon.

Below is my honest, unbiased review of Circus if the Dead by Seth Blackburn.

Aside from Circus if the Dead by Seth Blackburn being FREE, I was additionally attracted to this short story's cover artwork, which looked really cool!! I also enjoy reading short stories because they are a great way to become acquainted with a new to me author's writing without having to make a commitment to reading a full length novel.

I thought Circus if the Dead by Seth Blackburn was okay. It was interesting enough to read from start to finish, but not a short story that will be memorable for me in the long haul. Seth Blackburn's writing was okay... I don't think I'll be going out of my way to read anything else by Seth Blackburn.

The following is a plot summary for Circus if the Dead by Seth Blackburn from Amazon:

Twenty years ago, the dead destroyed the world of the living. The survivors scattered in the wake of the Scourge, erecting small towns in the worlds' most sparsely populated areas.

For young Gabriel, the walking dead are merely the memories that haunt the eyes of those old enough and lucky enough to have survived. He is more concerned with his hard life in America's desert, where his chores keep him busy and the husks of books stashed beneath the cellar of the library are his only freedom.

Until the circus comes to town.

I am giving Circus if the Dead by Seth Blackburn a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Little Free Library in San Ramon, California!!

On Father's Day, my hubby and I found our 12th Little Free Library of 2017 in San Ramon, California!! It was a hot day in San Ramon topping off at a high of 105 degrees Fahrenheit.... Wow, summer has arrived! We waited until later in the day to leave a book and take a book at the Little Free Library we discovered.

So, do you exchange books at Little Free Libraries too?

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Recipe for Murder: Frightfully Good Food Inspired by Fiction by Estérelle Payany

Hardback Book

Recipe for Murder: Frightfully Good Food Inspired by Fiction by Estérelle Payany and illustrated by Jean-Francois Martin is one of the most unique reads I've read this year so far.

I love the layout and how the information is presented in Recipe for Murder: Frightfully Good Food Inspired by Fiction by Estérelle Payany! A page or two is devoted to the villain, then a short excerpt from where the villain is found in literature is presented, which is then followed by a recipe that would be perfect for the the said villain. Plus, the amazing vintage artwork/graphics by Jean-Francois Martin are sprinkled throughout this book as well. I loved the author's sense of humor too in Recipe for Murder: Frightfully Good Food Inspired by Fiction by Estérelle Payany.

I have not made/tried any of the recipes in this book and probably never will. I like to cook and many of the recipes do sound delicious, but some of the recipes contain ingredients I normally don't use all that frequently (if at all)  or the ingredients are found at specialty grocery stores. So, with that in mind, I do not plan on making any of the recipes.

The following is a blurb about Recipe for Murder: Frightfully Good Food Inspired by Fiction by Estérelle Payany from Goodreads:

Thirty-two great hero-villains of literature lure the reader into the kitchen to sample their signature recipes. Estérelle Payany shares to-die-for recipes inspired by scoundrels from popular literature. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from the original story and quirky illustrations by Jean-François Martin featuring the criminal and his recipe. The Big Bad Wolf roasts three little pigs in their blankets while Snow White’s stepmother concocts bewitching caramel apples. The Queen of Hearts orders Alice to eat treacle tart while Long John Silver stocks the galley with sea biscuits. And although Shakespeare’s infamous Brutus can toss his Caesar salad in a mere ten minutes, Dracula’s paprika hendl is best when simmered from dusk until dawn. It is sure to be a duel to the end between Patrick Bateman’s truffled roast beef and Tom Ripley’s Venetian lemon chicken, but both can be paired nicely with a simple white bean salad from East of Eden’s Cathy Ames. This spirited collection drawing from fairy tales, literary classics, and contemporary favorites is as entertaining as the recipes are scrumptious (and harmless!). And with the winning ingredients in Recipe for Murder—famous literary thrillers and authentic home-style recipes—it would be a crime to pass up this diabolically scrumptious book!

I am giving Recipe for Murder: Frightfully Good Food Inspired by Fiction by Estérelle Payany a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh

Unabridged Audio Version

I finished listening to the unabridged audio version of Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh and narrated by Christian Rummel on compact disc.

Listening time for Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh is 11 hours, 45 minutes.

OMG, Christian Rummel is an amazing narrator!! Hollywood Moon is already a good book, but I felt Christian Rummel's narration only made it better.

I really enjoyed the quirky cast of characters in Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh. The plot was good and well written with a likable story.

The following is a plot summary for Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh from Audible:

There's a saying at Hollywood station that the full moon brings out the beast - or rather than the best - in the precinct's citizens. One moonlit night, LAPD veteran Dana Vaughn and "Hollywood" Nate Weiss, a struggling-actor-turned cop, get a call about a young man who's been attacking women. Meanwhile, two surfer cops known as Flotsam and Jetsam, keep bumping into an odd, suspicious duo - a smooth-talking player in dreads and a crazy-eyed, tattooed biker. No one suspects that all three dubious characters might be involved in something bigger, more high-tech, and much more illegal.

After a dizzying series of twists, turns, and chases, the cops will find they've stumbled upon a complex web of crime where even the criminals can't be sure who's conning whom.

Wambaugh once again masterfully gets inside the hearts and minds of the cops whose jobs have them constantly on the brink of danger. By turns heart-wrenching, exhilarating, and laugh-out-loud funny, Hollywood Moon is his most thrilling and deeply affecting ride yet through the singular streets of L.A.

I am giving Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Little Free Library in Fremont, California #2

I love finding and visiting new to me Little Free Libraries!! My hubby and I visited Fremont, California yesterday. While we were in Fremont, California, we stopped by two Little Free Libraries to leave books for other readers to find and enjoy. 

I didn't take any books home with me from the Little Free Libraries we discovered, which was fine by me as I have so many books to read already in my ever growing 'To Be Read' pile.