Friday, October 31, 2014

Friday Finds #57

Friday Finds is a book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Friday Finds is a chance to share and show off the books you discovered during the week and would like to add to your reading list...

Or a place to simply feature the books you've actually purchased throughout the week and have added to your to be read pile!

The following are my book finds for this week:

1. A Corpse At St. Andrews Chapel by Mel Starr

2. The Unquiet Bones by Mel Starr

3. A Trail of Ink by Mel Starr

4. The Teriyaki Samarui by Dennis Yates

5. Sex, Murder & Killer Cupcakes by Allison Janda

6. A Very Coco Christmas by Robert Bryndza

So, which books have you added to your stash of books to read??

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Famous Writers And Their Cats!!

I came across an article on BuzzFeed's website title 16 Famous Writers And Their Cats, which was posted by HarperCollins. I enjoyed seeing pictures of famous writers with their cats.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Literary Halloween Costumes For Duos

Still haven't decided what to wear for Halloween this year??? Time is almost running out!! I came across an article on BuzzFeed titled 22 Literary Halloween Costumes For Duos by Jennifer Schaffer... Schaffer's costume ideas are awesome!! So, check them out by clicking on the above link.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday -- Top Ten Books To Read To Get In The Halloween Spirit!


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.


Here are my picks for the week!

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker
2. Frenkenstein by Mary Shelly
3. Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells
4. Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James
5. The Asylum by John Harwood
6. The Box: Uncanny Stories by Richard Matheson
7. Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews
8. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
9. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
10. The Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

So, which books are your picks?

Monday, October 27, 2014

Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon 2014 Wrap-Up Post

Alright, I am very glad that I participated in the Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon 2014!! 

However, I didn't reach quite complete my reading goals for this read-a-thon with all the busyness of my life and having company visiting as well.

I did however manage to read and review Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers... This book is awesome!! I highly recommend this young adult novel, especially if you enjoy reading historical fiction.

I also read sixty-six pages of Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis. This novel is excellent so far and I look forward to finishing it soon... Hopefully, before the end of October.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Books That Combine Food & Love

I came across an article on The Huffington Post Website titled
16 Delicious Books That Combine Food And Love. The article highlights some terrific book titles that I look forward to reading, but was surprised that the article mentions books that have been around for quite awhile!!


I would have added The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, Cooking for Harry: A Low-Carbohydrate Novel by Kay-Marie James, and Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas to my list of favorite foodie books!!

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Earlier this year, I read Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, which is the first novel in the His Fair Assassin Trilogy. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Grave Mercy, so I looked forward to reading the second novel in the His Fair Assassin Trilogy titled Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers as well.

I finished reading Dark Triumph earlier this week and loved it!! Dark Triumph focuses on Sybella's story and journey as one of 'His Fair Assassins'. Sybella was first introduced in Grave Mercy and she was an intriguing character with a dark past that you knew nothing about... That is until reading Dark Triumph!!

For me, Dark Triumph started off kind of slowly and didn't pick up its pace until around page eighty. Once the story line picked up, I was hooked and couldn't get enough of the plot, characters and how things were going to turn out!! I enjoyed reading a story told through Sybella's eyes and learning about her dark past. 

Sybella is a much more intriguing, multidimensional character than I ever thought she'd be from her initial portrayal in Grave Mercy. Sybella's past unfolds over the course of Dark Triumph. I enjoyed seeing Sybella's character change her point of view about life and the world around her over the course of Dark Triumph as well.

The following is a plot summary for Dark Triumph from Amazon's website:
Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.
Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?
I'm giving Dark Triumph a rating of 8.5 stars out of 10 stars!! I am now really looking forward to reading Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers as it is the last installment in the His Fair Assassin series. What will we learn about the character of Annith in Mortal Heart that we didn't know before?

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Friday, October 24, 2014

Friday Finds #56

Friday Finds is a book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Friday Finds is a chance to share and show off the books you discovered during the week and would like to add to your reading list...

Or a place to simply feature the books you've actually purchased throughout the week and have added to your to be read pile!

The following are my book finds for this week:

1. The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

2. The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

3. The Seance by Joan Lowery Nixon

4. Jack Daniels Stories by J. A. Konrath

5. The Velvet Choker by Selena Kitt

6. Scent of Lilacs by Ann H. Gabhart

7. Call Me Cat by Karpov Kinrade

8. Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

9. The Gray & Guilty Sea by Scott William Carter

Which books have you added to your reading list this week?

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Tolstoy's Reading List

I discovered an interesting article on Brain Pickings titled Tolstoy's Reading List: Essential Books For Each Stage of Life by Maria Popova. In the article, Popova writes the following:

Shortly after his fiftieth birthday, Leo Tolstoy succumbed to a deep spiritual crisis and decided to pull himself out by finding the meaning of life. He did so largely by reading voraciously across the world’s major philosophical and religious traditions, discovering great similarities in how they dealt with the truth of the human spirit. He was also, as any great writer, an insatiable reader of literature, which he wove together into A Calendar of Wisdom — the proto-Tumblr he spent the final decades of his life assembling.
Popova goes on to further write:
Under the heading “WORKS WHICH MADE AN IMPRESSION,” Tolstoy divides his reading list into five distinct life-stages — beginning with childhood and ending with his age at the time — and ranks each title by excellence, from “great” to “v. great” to “enormous.” Curiously, Tolstoy seems to consider the teenage years one’s most formative, prescribing for them books greater in both quality and quantity, whereas the twenties and early thirties are most meager in both and mostly occupied by poetry — perhaps because few people at the time had the luxury of leisure for reading during their most vital wage-earning years, or maybe because Tolstoy simply believed that one should be busier living than reading during that life-stage.

I found it interesting to learn which books made Tolstoy's reading list. Click on top article to learn which books made the list.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Four Movies to Rediscover as Audiobooks!!

I love promoting audiobooks, especially now that I've become a huge audiobook fan the past couple of years. I found an article on The Christian Science website titled 4 movies to rediscover as audiobooks by Rochelle O'Gorman. 

Interestingly enough, the first audiobook mentioned in O'Gorman's article is Breakfast At Tiffany's by Truman Capote and is narrated by Michael C. Hall. It just so happens that I listened to this particular audiobook earlier this year and thought it was well narrated by Michael C. Hall! 

If you're interested in listening to audiobooks and have enjoyed watching movies that were adapted from books, then you may enjoy rediscovering the movie version through listening to the audiobook version as well!

Until my next post, happy reading!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Top Ten Fictitious Biographies

I came across an article through The Guardian website titled The top 10 fictitious biographies by Jonathan Gibbs. In the article, Gibbs writes the following:
Fictionalised biographies – novels based on the life of a famous person – are ten-a-penny. And why not? They're easy enough to turn out. Other people – the actual biographers – have done the hard work. All the novelist has to do is to twist the "facts" to suit their own interpretation of the life in question, and away they go. 
n writing a novel based on the Young British Artists, I decided I wanted to do something different: write the biography of a made-up person as if they were real. The trick would not be to fool the reader into thinking they had actually existed (see William Boyd's Nat Tate, below) but to access that special kind of reading we slip into when reading something we assume is factual – by which I mean, basically: gullibility. Where a reader might ask, of character in a novel, "Now, would they really do that?" of a character in a biography the question would be, "Wow, why on earth did they do that?"
Interested in knowing which novels made the list?? Click on the link above to to find out!!

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site

Front View of the Eugene O'Neill House

Last Thursday afternoon, I visited the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site (aka Tao House) in Danville, California. What a fabulous literary historic site to visit!!

The Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site is operated by the United States National Park Service and guided tours are given twice daily by park rangers on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Sundays... Self-guided tours are available on Saturdays. Admission is free and advanced reservations are required for guided tours. Click on above link for more information about making reservations.

Eugene O'Neill is the winner of four Pulitzer Prizes and the first American playwright to win the Nobel Prize for Literature! While living at Tao House, O'Neill wrote some of his most famous plays: The Iceman Cometh, Long Day's Journey Into Night, and A Moon for the Misbegotten.

Below are two photos of Eugene O'Neill's office where he wrote his plays while living at Tao House. Visiting O'Neill's office, where he wrote some of his most famous plays was probably the highlight of my visit to Tao House. I loved the smell of old books in the office. The park ranger who gave the tour said that O'Neill owned approximately 8,000 books!!





I enjoyed my guided tour of the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site a lot. This home is an important piece of American Literary Heritage and I'm honored to have paid a visit to a place filled with such a rich history. 


View of Mount Diablo from Tao House

For all of you literary fans, I hope you are able to pay a visit to the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site some day in the not so distant future. It's definitely worth the visit.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Book Tag: Seven Deadly Sins

I was tagged by Vonnie at Vonnie's Reading Corner to participate in the Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag!! This should be a fun meme to participate in... I'm looking forward to putting on my creative thinking cap and answering the questions below.

Here's how the 
Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag works:

There are seven questions. Each question will address one of the 'seven deadly sins'. I have to answer each question with a book title/titles that addresses that particular 'deadly sin'.

1. Greed - What is your most inexpensive book? What is your most expensive?


Well, I've downloaded several free ebooks from Amazon to my Kindle over the years... Too many ebooks to count or list here actually... So, my most inexpensive books are the freebies from Amazon.

The most expensive book on my shelves?? Wow, tough question! I'm not sure which book is my most expensive 'buy'... It's not like I collect rare books or anything like that and most of my book collection is still sitting in boxes since we've moved. I'd have to say/guess the book that probably fits the bill is S. by J. J. Abrama & Doug Dorst. It's $35.

2. Wrath - What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?

Tamar Myers fits this one for me... I have been reading her Den of Antiquity cozy mystery series and am almost done with it. My complaint is that some of the novels in this series are fabulous while others are duds. I wish all of the books were consistently well written.

3. Gluttony - What book have you devoured over and over with no shame?


There aren't too many books I've reread multiple times in my life... The few that I've reread as follows and that highly recommend:

A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov --- I love the characters and the way in which this book is written/laid out.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne --- This book is so detail oriented. I feel like I'm right there in all the action.

4. Sloth - What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?


I've been lazy about finishing both The Outlander Series and the Lord John Grey series by Diana Gabaldon. Love Gabaldon's writing, but her books are soooooo loooonnnnng!

5. Pride - What book do you talk about most in order to sound like an intellectual reader?

There isn't a specific book title that fits this category, but a specific genre. Usually some sort of nonfiction title works/fits in an effort to sound like an intellectual... Especially, if it is a recent nonfiction title.

6. Lust - What attributes do you find attractive in male or female characters?


For male characters, think of Jamie Fraser from The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. Do I need to write more???

7. Envy - What book would you most like to receive as a gift?


I have no idea really, but probably a first edition of a book I've loved reading, like a Russian first edition of The Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov or first edition of East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

I am tagging the following seven people to participate in the Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag... Mainly, because I'm curious to see which books and authors show up on their list!!


1. Mozette @ My Reading List
2. Ellen @ Glamourous Book Lounge
3. Angela @ Angela's Anxious Life
4. Casey @ Story Notions
5. Carole @ Carole's Chatter
6. Cleo @ Cleopatra Loves Books
7. Sally @ Books & Musings From Down Under

+ 8. Stacy Renee @ Lazy Day Literature

Friday, October 17, 2014

Friday Finds #55

Friday Finds is a book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Friday Finds is a chance to share and show off the books you discovered during the week and would like to add to your reading list...

Or a place to simply feature the books you've actually purchased throughout the week and have added to your to be read pile!

The following are my book finds for this week:

1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

This is a book group selection!! I purchased it last weekend.

2. The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle

Given to me by another avid reader!

3. The Lost Gorillas by Peter Hoggett

An eBook download through Amazon.

4. Four Plays by Eugene O'Neill

I purchased book yesterday while visiting the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site in Danville, California.

So, which books did you add to your reading pile this week??

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura

Manga Novel
I recently read a manga novel titled Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura

I am currently trying to expand my reading horizons by branching out and exploring new (to me) genres and/or authors... And Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura fits the criteria as prior to now, I'd never read anything written by Asumiko Nakamura. Nor has the manga genre been a big interest to me personally.

Alright, so what initially grabbed my attention/caught my eye about Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura?? The art work on the front and back of this novel definitely has curb appeal. The summary of the book itself on the back cover also made the thought of reading this novel appealing... And that fact that this novel is for adults 18+ also piqued my interest. So, with these three things in mind, I went ahead and purchased a copy of Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura.

What did I loved about Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura?? 

1. The art work is nicely done! 

2. This novel is more complex than I ever expected it to be. It's filled with many layers, like peeling an onion. It has a lot a depth to it and I still doubt I completely grasp the 'big picture' when it comes to fulling understanding this novel in its entirety. 

3. Quick read... Even though this novel is 400+ pages, it can be read within a couple of hours.

What I did NOT love about  Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura?? 

1. The teeny tiny writing, which made it difficult to read the text for my aging eyes!! 

2. The bubbles where dialogue fit, didn't always clearly mark which character was actually speaking the words. This made you have to really work hard at times figure out who was saying what.

3. This novel didn't seem to follow a linear fashion... It seemed like events of the past were mixed into what was going on in the present making things confusing. 

4. Some scenes/events were difficult to follow. I don't want to have to work that hard trying to make sense of the unfolding events, etc in a novel. 

The following is a book summary from Amazon's website:

Young author Aki Fujino appeared poised to making it big in the world of publishing. Her debut title UTSUBORA was being pitched about to a number of editors and at least one person felt it was set to propel her into stardom. However, before she could ever have her book published, the young woman was found dead. Some believe it was a suicide, but those close to her feel there is something more sinister involved in this young talent's death.

Aki's death has become something straight out of a mystery. Much like the story behind UTSUBORA, there is something more to Aki, Sakura and their relationship with an author named Mizorogi than meets the eye. And it is possible that the only way to solve this mystery may be to uncover all their secrets.
Overall, I didn't enjoy reading Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist. It wasn't my cup of tea. I'm giving it a rating of 3 stars out of 10 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Marilyn Monroe Reading Challenge?

Unbeknownst to me, Marilyn Monroe had 430 books in her own personal library. I discovered this through an article I found on the Open Culture website titled The 430 Books in Marilyn Monroe's Library: How Many Have You Read?

I only gave a passing glance at most of the book titles mentioned... In fact, I didn't even review the entire list of books in the above article!! But is begs the question, are YOU up to the Marilyn Monroe Reading Challenge?? Would you want to read all of the books listed in Marilyn Monroe's library?? 

I can't say as I'd be interested in reading many of the titles mentioned. Some of the classics mentioned, sure... But rest of them not really.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday --- Ten Places Books Have Made Me Want To Visit!


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

1. After reading A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco by Suzanna Clarke, I want to visit Morocco!

2. After reading The Sacred Well by Antoinette May, I now want to visit Chichen Itza, the Mayan ruins, in Mexico's Yucatan.

3. I love elephants, so I want to go on an African Safari after reading Larger Than Life by Jodi Picoult.

4. I'd now like to visit the Channel Islands off the coast of England after reading The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

5. I want to visit Turkey (and maybe even live there) after reading Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village by Ray and Karen Gilden. 

6. Alright, I admit that I didn't much enjoy Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, but I must also add that I'd love to take a year off from everyday life, like Ms. Gilbert did, and spend my time in Italy, India, & Indonesia.

7. Ride on the submarine, the Nautilus, from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne and have an adventure with Captain Nemo!

8. The convent of St. Mortain in Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers to learn how to be 'His Fair Assassin'.

9. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci reminds me that at some point I'd love to take a long distance train trip on Amtrak. The trip doesn't have to be during the Christmas holiday season, but it would be fun to either travel across country by train at least once in my life... OR take the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Los Angeles, California to Seattle, Washington.

10. I love sweets!! After I read Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas in 2012, I wanted to eat all the lovely treats that the author enjoyed while living in Paris.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Jodi Picoult Interview

I enjoyed reading an interview with Jodi Picoult in the New York Times called Jodi Picoult: By the Book!! It was enlightening and wonderful to read. I hope you enjoy reading it too. Click on the link above to read it. Until my next post, happy reading!!

Firegirl by Tony Abbott

I recently read Firegirl by Tony Abbott, which is a young adult novel. I enjoyed reading this novel and was riveted by the writing from the start!

Firegirl is told through the perspective of a 7th grade boy named Tom Bender.  I really like Tom Bender's character. He's smart, sensitive, compassionate and is able to convey the feelings he's experiencing in an articulate and credible manner. It's a pleasant experience to discover male characters in novels that display the kind of emotion sensitivity and feelings that Tom Bender's character expresses in Firegirl



I don't want to give too much of the story line away, so will leave
the following overview of Firegirl that I found on the Barnes and Noble website:
"This novel may be brief, but it leaves a big impact."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review) 
"Tom's a normal seventh-grader, negotiating a slightly prickly stage in his long friendship with Jeff...The arrival of new girl Jessica Feeney, however, changes everything; Jessica, who is attending a local hospital for treatment, has been badly burned by a fire, and her terrible disfigurement shocks the class into confusion. This isn't the usual book about adjustment to difference; instead, Abbott brilliantly explores the kids' struggle to manage the intrusion of abnormality in their lives...this is a thoughtful exploration of a brief interlude's lasting impact."
-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
I'm giving Firegirl an overall rating of 8 stars out of 10 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!! 

Friday, October 10, 2014

Awkward Bookseller Moments!!

Buzzfeed has featured an interesting article titled 12 Awkward Bookseller Moments... In the article, it states:
Being a bookseller is a pretty fantastic job, but booksellers are humans and humans can be very, very awkward. Therefore, booksellers can be very, very awkward. Here are 12 Awkward Bookseller Moments. (No booksellers, books, readers, or bears were harmed in the making of this list. Unless you count feeling awkward as being harmed. In which case, yeah, there’s a good amount of that.)
Checkout the awkward bookseller moments by clicking on the link above!! 

Friday Finds # 54

Friday Finds is a book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Friday Finds is a chance to share and show off the books you discovered during the week and would like to add to your reading list...

Or a place to simply feature the books you've actually purchased throughout the week and have added to your to be read pile!

The following are my book finds for this week:

1. Lovestruck in London by Rachel Schurig
2. The Potluck Club by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson
3. Double Espresso by Anthony Bruno
4. The Keeper of Dawn by J. B. Hickman
5. The Bad Girls' Club by Kathryn O'Halloran

Thursday, October 9, 2014

2014 Nobel Prize for Literature Goes to French Writer Patrick Modiano!

Congratulations are in order for French writer Patrick Modiano! Frankly, I'd never heard of him before today. Have you? I'm now curious about his published works.

In an article I discovered on The Wall Street Journal's website titled, Patrick Modiano Wins Nobel Prize in Literature by Anna Russell and Anna Molin, I read the following:
STOCKHOLM—French author Patrick Modiano won the 2014 Nobel Prize for literature on Thursday, bringing international attention to an author known for his elegant and spare examination of memory, identity and loss. 
The 69-year-old Paris resident received the award from the Swedish Academy in Stockholm “for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation.” 
Mr. Modiano said he was aware that his name featured among potential contenders but was bowled over by the announcement.
“It felt like looking at a double, as if we were celebrating somebody who had my name,” the author told a packed news conference at his publisher’s offices. “I didn’t expect it at all.”
Click on the above link to read the full story. Until my next post, happy reading!! 

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Love Music? New Music Related Books in Time For Fall!

I noticed that Parade Magazine had an article titled 17 Great New Music Books for Fall... I've been listening to a lot more music lately, so this article appealed to me!! The above article mentioned that "A bevy of great books by and about musicians is hitting store shelves this fall." 

I definitely wanted to check out which books made this list of music books coming out this Fall!! The Universal Tone by Carlos Santana and The Beat of My Own Drum by Sheila E. sound the most appealing ones to read.

Songs That Reference Books!

Lately, I've been listening to a lot of music. I came across an article on Shortlist.Com titled 25 SONGS THAT REFERENCE BOOKS. In the article, it says:
Songwriting is a competitive business, with each artist keen to prove that they're more knowledgeable and artistic than their peers. So what better way to do that than to name check, or draw inspiration from, a respected book? 
In addition, usefully, it means that you don't have to think too much about the lyrics - so that's half your job done already. 
We've taken a look at 25 excellent examples where the world of music has been inspired by the world of literature. Cross-art-pollination ahoy.
Intrigued by the article's title, I decided to check out which 25 songs reference books!!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

DIY Projects Using Old Books!!

Are you a crafty type of person??? Do you love books like me??? Then perhaps you might enjoy re-purposing old books and turning them into the following nifty DIY Projects Using Old Books!!

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

"These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves. From each of them goes out its own voice...and just as the touch of a button on our set will fill the room with music, so by taking down one of these volumes and opening it, one can call into range the voice of a man far distant in time and space, and hear him speaking to us, mind to mind, heart to heart. "

Gilbert Highet

Friday, October 3, 2014

Friday Finds # 53

Friday Finds is a book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Friday Finds is a chance to share and show off the books you discovered during the week and would like to add to your reading list...

Or a place to simply feature the books you've actually purchased throughout the week and have added to your to be read pile!

I came away with the following two audiobooks this week:

1. Silent Night & All Through the Night by Mary Higgins Clark

2. Roadside Crosses by Jeffrey Deaver

Plus the following four eBooks from Amazon:

3. Letters From Alacatraz by Michael Esslinger

4. Mad Tinker's Daughter by J. S. Morin

5. All Saints' Secret by Nicole Loughan

6. The Memory Closet by Ninie Hammon

Which books have you added to your reading pile or reading wishlist this week?