Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

Alta Journal - California Book Club - Shortcomings Adrian Tomine

 

Yesterday evening was another fun, virtual author event hosted by Alta Journal!! I love Alta Journal's monthly California Book Club events. They always have great authors featured each month in conversation with host, John Freeman, and a different moderator also in conversation with the author featured each month!

This month's California Book Club featured author, Adrian Tomine, discussing his book, Shortcomings, a graphic novel. I loved hearing how Adrian Tomine created the artwork for his graphic novels and the history of writing and making artwork for his books.

I've never read anything by Adrian Tomine before. In fact, I've never even heard of Adrian Tomine until recently. I love discovering new to me authors.

Next month, Amy Tan will be discussing her book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, via Alta Journal's California Book Club. I'm excited to attend this upcoming virtual event.

Have you attended any in-person or virtual author events recently? Tell me about it in the comment section below.

Alta Live: Author Peter Orner Discusses His New Book, The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter!

 

Yesterday afternoon, I listened to the Alta Live event featuring author, Peter Orner discussing his new novel, The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter.

 Frankly, I'd never even heard of Peter Orner before. After listening to Peter Orner in conversation with author, Tod Goldberg, I didn't hesitate adding Orner's latest novel to my ever growing reading wishlist! It sounds amazing!! It took Orner 15 years to write The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter!

Watch the above YouTube interview with Peter Orner in conversation with Tod Goldberg. It's roughly 41 minutes in length and very engaging to watch if you're interested!

Below is a summary for The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter I discovered on Peter Orner's website:

The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter

The cold case of a young Hollywood starlet’s death sets a contemporary writer on an epic and comic quest to uncover the truth, and its connection to his own family—a new novel by “a major talent” (New York Times) and “one of the most distinctive voices of his generation” (Granta).

Jed Rosenthal hasn’t published a book in fourteen years, the mother of his child left him in a “trial separation” that has stretched on indefinitely, and he struggles to navigate the daily sorrows of their co-parenting arrangement. But the implosion of Jed’s family is simply a footnote in the larger history of the Rosenthal family’s decline.

Just days after the JFK assassination, Karyn “Cookie” Kupcinet was found dead in her Hollywood apartment. The press reported that the 22-year-old was strangled, yet unanswered questions linger to this day. Cookie’s parents—Chicago royalty, Irv and Essee Kupcinet—had been close friends with Jed’s grandparents, but in the aftermath of her death, their friendship abruptly and inexplicably ended. Decades later, Jed pores over family stories, newspaper archives, old photos, and crime scene notes, believing that if he can divine the truth of Cookie’s death—whether it was suicide, murder, or part of a larger conspiracy—it might shed light on a mystery closer to home.

Spanning seventy plus years, and weaving together family drama and a true-life unsolved case, The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter is a singular, wryly comic, and deeply human exploration into friendship and the bonds that sustain us.

Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue

 

In 2023, I listened to and reviewed Steeped to Death by Gretchen Rue, which is the first cozy mystery novel in the 'Witches Brew' Mysteries Series. I really enjoyed Steeped to Death by Gretchen Rue, which has now prompted me to listen to Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue, which is the 2nd novel in the 'Witches Brew' Mysteries Series.

I absolutely loved listening to Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue!! It's another winner in the 'Witches Brew' Mysteries Series and it is well narrated by Kristin Price. I now look forward to listening to the 3rd novel in this cozy mystery series sometime in the future.

The storyline, plot, characters, and writing are excellent for this novel. The pacing was great for this novel too... Not a dull moment to be had. 

I also enjoyed the recipe section at the end. Maybe I'll make a sourdough starter myself?

Below is the publisher's summary for Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue from the Goodreads website:

Phoebe Winchester is back on the case in Raven Creek when a body is discovered at an estate sale in Gretchen Rue’s second book in the Witches’ Brew mystery series, perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Cleo Coyle.

Ever since she moved to Raven Creek, Washington, Phoebe Winchester knew she would have to grow accustomed to having a lot on her plate. She’s beginning to make the Victorian manor she inherited from her dear and adventurous Aunt Eudora feel more like home, successfully running the bookstore and tea shop, The Earl’s Study, and learning to harness her recently discovered magical powers. But when she discovers a dead body at an estate sale—even Phoebe wonders if this is simply too much.

Rumors of Phoebe’s involvement force her to take action; she needs to find the killer and clear her own name, once again. She enlists Rich Lofting, the handsome private detective and her childhood friend, in her investigation, all while she sorts out her unresolved feelings for him. Is there something more sinister lurking in the shadows of this small tight-knit town? And does Phoebe really want to find out?

With a dash of magic, a pinch of sleuthing skills, and a spoonful of friendly assistance, Phoebe needs to uncover the killer to keep Raven Creek safe once again. But if she doesn’t—will she find herself in even more hot water?

I am giving Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Top Ten Tuesday - Books with a High Page Count I Want to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I use to be an avid reader of books with large page counts. However, in the past decade or two, I've enjoyed reading shorter reads under 5 hundred pages in length. 

Below is a list of longer books I'd like to read some day.

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

2. War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy

3. Russka by Edward Rutherfurd

4. Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd

5. The Lucuna by Barbara Kingsolver

6. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

7. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo

8. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

9. Sacajawea by Anna Waldo

10.Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Have you read any of the above novels?

Sadly, Best-selling Author and Mississippi Native, Greg Iles Passes Away!

 

Cookbook ONLY Themed Bookstores Are Thriving Right Now!!

 

Wow, just wow, this is spectacular news!!

I'm loving the idea of cookbook only independent bookstores

are thriving big time right now as more Americans are taking 

to cooking again.

Checkout the short video above from CBS Mornings

for more information!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

 

I do not recall where I first learned about Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy. All I do recall is that this novel sounded like a good read. I'm glad that I decided to listen to the unabridged version of Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy, which is well narrated by Christine Rendel.

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy is a work of domestic fiction and explores the topics of aging, loneliness, and grief. Sipsworth is a very heartwarming tale and was well paced. The protagonist is Helen Cartwright. She's a widowed octogenarian who has lost her husband and son. Helen Cartwright is a noted (now retired, of course) cardiologist who lived most of her adult life in Australia. She moves back to her hometown in the UK to spend the last years of her life alone and to die. 

However, life has other plans for Helen Cartwright! She discovers a mouse inside a broken aquarium and thus begins the journey into caring for this mouse. Along the way, Helen Cartwright also makes new human friends as well. The grief and loneliness begin to subside as Helen Cartwright finds a reason to live.

Below is the publisher's summary for Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy from the Goodreads website:

Over the course of a single week, a widowed octogenarian (who has spent the last years of her life alone and ready to die) discovers an unexpected reason to live.

Following the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns to the English village of her childhood after living abroad for six decades. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss.

But years of monotony and loneliness tick by on Westminster Crescent. Helen retreats into her home, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship.

The Cure for Loneliness is a gentle reminder that no matter what we have planned for ourselves, sometimes the world has its own plans for us. Simon Van Booy’s lucid, lyrical storytelling brims with a rare kindness and a reminder that not only is no one is exactly who we expect them to be, we can even surprise ourselves sometimes.

I am giving Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy a rating of 4

stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones, which is narrated by Kirsty Rider. 

The Earthquake Bird is a novel that had been sitting on my reading wishlist for quite a long time and I finally made the time to read it this month. The Earthquake Bird also happens to be the author's debut novel. 

The Earthquake Bird is billed as a psychological thriller. I enjoy reading psychological thrillers, which is one of the features that attracted me to this novel. Another factor that drew me to this novel is that the story takes place in Japan and also features an unreliable narrator named, Lucy Fly, as the leading character. If done correctly, unreliable narrators are a fantastic feature in a novel.

So, what did I think of The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones? The pacing of this novel is kind of slow. 

Yes, I like unreliable narrators, but I've seen better unreliable narrators in other novels I've read over the years. 

There was too much switching back and forth between the first person perspective and third person perspective in the The Earthquake Bird, which I found disconcerting. I guess you can say this only added to the main character's unreliability. However, I still don't like the lack of clarity when an author switches perspective on a reader as it is does cause some minor confusion.

The ending for The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones was dull. For me, it's clear who the killer is to me. But it felt like the author was trying too hard to be creepy in a psychological way that didn't hit the mark. 

The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones is a good, debut novel, but I think it could have been so much better. 

Below is the publisher's summary for The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones from Chirp's website:

Now a major Netflix film starring Alicia Vikander and Riley Keough, a haunting psychological thriller set in Tokyo probing deep into the mind of a murder suspect

The grisly headline leaves nothing to the imagination: “Woman’s torso recovered from Tokyo Bay. Believed to be missing British bartender Lily Bridges.” The only suspect is Lucy Fly. Her friend is dead, her lover has disappeared, and as far as anyone is concerned, she’s as good as guilty.

Trapped in the interrogation room, Lucy begins to unravel two stories. One, for the police, is a spare outline, offering more questions than answers. The other–the real one, if you believe her–is a gripping dive into an obsessive mind, revealing the checkered past that brought her to Japan, her complicated friendship with Lily, and a tempestuous affair with a missing Japanese photographer named Teiji. As she excavates the dangerous secrets–both past and present–that haunt her waking mind, Lucy relates an unsettling life story that spans bustling Tokyo, the British countryside, and remote Japanese islands, each step taking us closer to the chilling truth about Lily’s death. An all-consuming crime story like no other, Susanna Jones’s mesmerizing debut novel is a neo-noir thriller as shocking as it is exquisitely composed.

While listening this novel, I learned that Netflix made a movie, 'Earthquake Bird', based on the novel in 2019. I might watch the movie version.

I am giving The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next, post happy reading!!

Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict, which was nicely narrated by Alana Kerr Collins.

Carnegie's Maid is the second novel I've read by Marie Benedict. This novel is a work of historical fiction set in the USA during the late 1800s. What I love about Carnegie's Maid, aside from it being a work of historical fiction, is that it features a strong, female protagonist named, Clara Kelley. Strong, leading ladies in Marie Benedict's novels seems to be a common theme in her novels. 

I read and reviewed, The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict earlier this year, which features Mileva Maric as the strong leading lady in this particular novel. I also have plans to read, The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, which also features another strong, female leading character as well. So, I see a trend here that I like in Marie Benedict's novels!

As far as the rest of Carnegie's Maid is concerned, I liked the storyline, characters, and plot development. The story's pacing was delightfully even throughout. The struggles of immigrants has a strong presence within Carnegie's Maid as well, which only added another layer to the storyline.

I look forward to reading more novels by Marie Benedict based on the fact that I've enjoyed reading two of her novels to date.

Listening time for Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict is 9 hours, 2 minutes.

Below is the plot summary for Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict from the Goodreads website:

From the author of The Other Einstein, the mesmerizing tale of what kind of woman could have inspired an American dynasty.

Clara Kelley is not who they think she is. She's not the experienced Irish maid who was hired to work in one of Pittsburgh's grandest households. She's a poor farmer's daughter with nowhere to go and nothing in her pockets. But the other woman with the same name has vanished, and pretending to be her just might get Clara some money to send back home.

If she can keep up the ruse, that is. Serving as a lady's maid in the household of Andrew Carnegie requires skills he doesn't have, answering to an icy mistress who rules her sons and her domain with an iron fist. What Clara does have is a resolve as strong as the steel Pittsburgh is becoming famous for, coupled with an uncanny understanding of business, and Andrew begins to rely on her. But Clara can't let her guard down, not even when Andrew becomes something more than an employer. Revealing her past might ruin her future -- and her family's.

With captivating insight and heart, Carnegie's Maid tells the story of one brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie's transformation from ruthless industrialist into the world's first true philanthropist..

I am giving Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

P. S. I enjoyed reading the following paragraph from Carnegie's Maid (page 24 of the paperback edition), which is of Clara Kelley's perspective upon arriving to America from Ireland.

"In the short walk from the carriage to Mrs. Seely's establishment, I saw filth the likes of which I'd never imagined. Black clouds billowing in plumes from tall stacks. Buildings turned ashen from sooty air, outlines of posters in white, like ghosts on their walls. Why didn't anyone tell me that industrialization would look like biblical hell?"

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

A Hack on How to Clean Your Book Edges

Hmmm, I discovered an interesting video tutorial on YouTube that explains how to clean the edges of your books to make them look almost pristine again.

I can't say as I'd try this cleaning hack on first edition, signed collectible books. I'd be too afraid it would permanently damage such a book. 

Maybe, just maybe, I'd try this cleaning hack on books I acquired from Little Free Libraries, charity/thrift shops, garage sales, and the like... But then again, who am I fooling? I probably wouldn't trouble myself with the effort if I wasn't going to keep the books permanently in my personal collection. 

Would you try the technique suggested in the above YouTube video? Let me know if you do and how it worked out for you.

The Best Book Video Ad I've Seen to Date!!

 

When I first started watching the above video, I had no idea the video was a video to promote the novel, Grim Begins by Wiktor Miesok, and is the first novel in the Grim Series. It's billed as an organized crime thriller.

Grim Begins by Wiktor Miesok has a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5 stars on Amazon. I may just read this novel after all.

The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov, which is well narrated by Ben Allen.

I've been meaning to read more books written by Russian writer, Mikhail Bulgakov, for decades now. I first learned about Mikhail Bulgakov in college from my Russian language professor in the early 1990s. My professor absolutely loved Bulgakov's novel, The Master and Margarita. So, based on my professor's glowing review, I decided to read The Master and Margarita in the early 1990s. I absolutely loved this novel beyond words. The Master and Margarita is the only book I've ever read by Mikhail Bulgakov until now.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of when The Heart of a Dog was written. I figured the time was right for me to read this novella as my next choice for something to read that was written by Mikhail Bulgakov.

The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov is a political, satire set in Moscow after the Russian revolution has already occurred. There are a lot of references in this novella that flew over my head, so I was forced to do a lot of digging online to figure out some of the symbolism referenced throughout The Heart of a Dog. Doing the online research wasn't so bad, as it did add to my understanding of what the author was trying to convey.

As far as the storyline goes, it is fantastical as I'd imagined it would be considering the author. I enjoyed the storyline and interesting characters in The Heart of a Dog. 

Essentially, you have a professor who transplants the testicles and pituitary gland of a recently deceased man into a stray dog with consequences no one sees coming... The dog begins to transform into a human with a spectacular outcome and results that are less than positive.

These events portrayed in The Heart of a Dog seemed reminiscent of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley... You have a scientist playing 'God' (if you will) by trying to reanimate a dead body (Frankenstein) or in this case, transplanting human organs into dog's body (The Heart of a Dog). It all made for interesting reading.

If you are into Russian literature, classics, and political satire, then The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov may be your next read to devour.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov from Chirp's website:

A well-to-do professor working in Moscow strikes up an unlikely friendship with a stray dog and attempts a scientific first by transplanting the testicles and pituitary gland of a recently deceased man into the dog. With a wild, but alarmingly human animal on the loose, the professor’s previously respectable life becomes a nightmare beyond his imagination. A superb satirical novel, it is also a sharp and pointed criticism of Soviet society, especially the new rich that arose after the Bolshevik revolution.

I am giving The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

As a side note, The Heart of a Dog marks my 50th read of 2025. It looks like I'll meet and exceed my reading goal of reading 52 books this year much sooner than anticipated, which is always good news.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Top Eleven Tuesday - Genre Freebie - Graphic Novels/Graphic Non-Fiction Books

  

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Although, I wouldn't say I am a huge fan of graphic novels or graphic non-fiction books, I've read quite a few of them over the years. Below are eleven books I've enjoyed reading from this category. Click on the links provided below to read my review of each book listed.

1. Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown

2. Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

3. Drama by Raina Telgemeier

4. Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

5. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

6. The 14th Dalai Lama by Tetsu Saiwai

7. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

8. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi

9. March (Trilogy Slipcase Edition) by John Lewis

10. Red Scare by Liam Francis Walsh

11. Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani

Have you read any of the above books? Are there any graphic novels you recommend?

The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young, which was narrated by the author.

The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young was my first read for August 2025 and was a book that had been on my reading wishlist for some time. The Secret Lives of Cows is a work of nonfiction and is a quick listen at 3 hours, 41 minutes.

I'm glad I finally read The Secret Lives of Cows as I love cows and wanted to learn more about them from the author. Rosamund Young is an English farmer and she provided a lot of interesting information about cows on her farm. The personality and behavior of individual cows is amazing, but not surprising.

Rosamund Young discusses hens, sheep, and pigs in her book as well as organic farming. Although, I found these topics to be interesting, I wish they'd been excluded from this book altogether. The Secret Lives of Cows is already a very short book as it is and I'd rather have had the sole topic of this book be about cows exclusively instead of a book that included other animals in it.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young from the Goodreads website:

Cows can love, play games, bond and form strong, life-long friendships. They can sulk, hold grudges, and they have preferences and can be vain. All these characteristics and more have been observed, documented, interpreted and retold by Rosamund Young based on her experiences looking after the family farm's herd on Kite's Nest Farm in Worcestershire, England. Here the cows, sheep, hens and pigs all roam free. There is no forced weaning, no separation of young from siblings or mother. They seek and are given help when they request it and supplement their own diets by browsing and nibbling leaves, shoots, flowers and herbs. Rosamund Young provides a fascinating insight into a secret world - secret because many modern farming practices leave no room for displays of natural behavior yet, ironically, a happy herd produces better quality beef and milk.

I am giving The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos by Ed Hardy with Joel Selvin

 

I started reading the hardback edition of Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos by Ed Hardy with Joel Selvin in late 2021, but I eventually switched over to the audio version in July of this year due to another recent flare up with my vision issues.

I liked the hardback edition of Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos for its beautiful dust jacket. Even the endpapers within the interior of Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos were beautifully rendered with tattoo artwork. The physical book also contained many photographs as well that are (of course) not part of the audio version of Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos.

Overall I enjoyed listening to Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos from start to finish. This book was narrated by Johnny Heller and I found him to be an okay narrator. I think a different narrator could have been chosen as I felt Johnny Heller's voice was too gravelly.

I have always enjoyed reading or listening to memoirs and biographies. Ed Hardy became such a big cultural icon and well known tattoo artist that I wanted to learn more about the man behind the public figure and how he became the man he is.

I enjoyed listening to Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos. The memoir discusses Ed Hardy's childhood, education, personal and professional life. Ed Hardy has lived a very colorful life to date and has met and interacted with various artists and people from different walks of life. He's pretty much lived in a wide range of places like Japan, Hawaii, New York, Vancouver, Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco, and Orange County, California. 

It was interesting to read about Hardy's life as a tattoo artist, how he became a painter and showed his paintings in exhibits later in life, and how Ed Hardy paired up with French fashion designer, Christian Audigier, which explodes the Ed Hardy brand through the use of his tatto imagery on clothing and accessories.

As much as I enjoyed Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos, I found it to be a bit dry. I also found the few chapters about Ed Hardy's life as a painter to be boring.

Below is the publisher's summary for Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos by Ed Hardy with Joel Selvin from the Goodreads website:

The memoir of iconic tattoo artist Ed Hardy from his beginnings in 1960s California, to leading the tattoo renaissance and building his name into a hugely lucrative international brand "Ed Hardy" is emblazoned on everything from t-shirts and hats to perfumes and energy drinks. From LA to Japan, his colorful cross-and-bones designs and ribbon-banners have become internationally ubiquitous. But long before the fashion world discovered his iconic designs, the man behind the eponymous brand spearheaded nothing less than a cultural revolution. In Wear Your Dreams, Ed Hardy recounts his genesis as a tattoo artist and leader in the movement to recognize tattooing as a valid and rich art form, through to the ultimate transformation of his career into a multi-billion dollar branding empire. From giving colored pencil tattoos to neighborhood kids at age ten to working with legendary artists like Sailor Jerry to learning at the feet of the masters in Japan, the book explains how this Godfather of Tattoos fomented the explosion of tattoo art and how his influence can be witnessed on everyone, from countless celebs to ink-adorned rockers to butterfly-branded, stroller-pushing moms. With over fifty different product categories, the Ed Hardy brand generates over $700 million in retail sales annually. Vividly packaged with original Ed Hardy artwork and ideal for ink devotees and Ed Hardy aficionados alike, Wear Your Dreams is a never-before-seen look at the tattoo artist who rocked the art world and has left a permanent mark on fashion history.

I am giving Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos by Ed Hardy with Joel Selvin a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!