10 Fictional Bookstores That Would Be Awesome to Shop In!!

I came across an article on Bustle titled 10 Fictional Bookstores We Wish We Could Shop In, Because Flourish And Blott's Is Too Magical To Not Exist by Amy Sachs. In the article, Sachs wrote the following:

There are some pretty great local and independent bookstores already — just look at places like Powell’s and The Strand, for instance. But we’ve seen and read about some truly amazing ones. I don’t know about you, but I can’t read or watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets without wishing for a Flourish and Blott’s of my own to shop in — even if it’s just to look! Same goes for You’ve Got Mail — I know it’s about a small neighborhood bookstore being crushed by a huge competitor, but I root for Meg Ryan every time anyway, despite knowing the ending. 

There’s just something about these fictional bookstores that never fails to make me wish I could visit them myself. The sheer size of them, the book-loving owners, the stories they hold within them — everything, really. Here are 10 of the best fictional shops I wish I could get lost in for an afternoon — or maybe a little longer.

Which fictional bookstore(s) do you wish you could visit?

Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon ~~~ Day 5 Update!!

Today was the fifth day of participation in the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon!! It wasn't a great day for reading for me. I only listened to about an hour of my current audiobook. I am still listening to the audio version of Fidelity by Thomas Perry and have listened to about 45% of it at this time.

I've also participated in a total of three read-a-thon challenges at this point as well --- the Bookish Survey hosted by Writing My Own Fairytale, the Book Haiku hosted by Kristina Horner, and From Modern to Classic hosted by Ranty Runt of a Reader.

Happy reading!! I hope you're enjoying the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon as much as I am.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon ~~~ Day 4 Update!!

Yesterday, was the fourth day of participation in the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon!! It was a decent day of reading for me overall. I began listening to the audio version of Fidelity by Thomas Perry yesterday and am now a third of the way into it.

I've also participated in three of four read-a-thon challenges at this point as well --- the Bookish Survey hosted by Writing My Own Fairytale, the Book Haiku hosted by Kristina Horner, and From Modern to Classic hosted by Ranty Runt of a Reader.

Happy reading!! I hope you're enjoying the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon as much as I am!!

Friday Finds #81

Friday Finds is a book meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm. 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!

This week I've added the following books to my ever growing 'to be read' pile this week:

Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos by Ed Hardy

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Bingo You're Dead by Lou Fletcher

An Unremembered Grave by Abigail Padgett

The Doorknob Society by MJ Fletcher

The Novelty Maker by Sasha L. Miller
Rocky Ride by Vivian Arend
Ice Demon: A Dark Victorian Penny Dread by Elizabeth Watasin

Masquerade by Victoria Vale

What have you added to your wishlist and/or 'to be read' pile this week?

Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon Challenge ~~~ From Modern to Classic

Welcome to four of the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon! Today I look forward to participating in another fun read-a-thon challenge. Today's read-a-thon challenge is titled From Modern To Classic and is hosted by Ranty Runt of A Reader.

The rules for this challenge and how to enter are as follows:

THE CHALLENGE Share one book that you believe will be considered a classic in 100 years time. Simple? I do have a few caveats, the book must have been published in or after 2005 and you need to provide two reasons for why this book will be a classic. 

HOW TO ENTER You can enter this competition on any platform, including posts on your blog, on twitter, facebook, goodreads or in the comments of this blog post. Include a link to the entry in your comment. Also, make sure the post is public, so I can check out your awesome answers!

Below is my response for the From Modern to Classic read-a-thon challenge:

I've decided to be BOLD & DARING with my book selection for this read-a-thon challenge and nominate Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. 

Yes, I realize that Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee will not be published until July of this year, but my prediction is that it will become an instant classic that people will be reading a 100 years from now.

Why do I feel this way? 

The first reason is that To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is already a beloved American classic. I think people are going to want to continue reading this novel in the years to come. Readers will also want to read Harper Lee's second published novel to see what Scout is like as an adult. 

The second reason is that Harper Lee is an amazing writer, who has written about important political and societal topics that are still relevant today. For this reason I think that Go Set A Watchman will become a classic like To Kill A Mockingbird in 100 years.

What do your thoughts? Will Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee live up to the anticipated hype and become an instant classic or not?

Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon ~~~ Day 3 Update!!

Yesterday, was the third day of participation in the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon!! It was a great day of reading for me overall. I finished listening to and also reviewing Hot Target by Suzanne Brockmann. At this point in the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon, I've listened to a total of two books so far!

I've also participated in two read-a-thon challenges at this point as well, the Bookish Survey hosted by Writing My Own Fairytale and the Book Haiku hosted by Kristina Horner.

Happy reading and I hope you're enjoying the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon too!

Hot Target (Troubleshooters Series #8) by Suzanne Brockmann

Abridged Audio Version

I recently listened to the abridged audio version of Hot Target (Troubleshooters Series #8) by Suzanne Brockmann and narrated by Melanie Ewbank and Patrick Lawlor. 

I really liked Hot Target more than I thought I would. It was the first novel I've read or rather listened to by Suzanne Brockman, so I wasn't sure what to expect from her writing. The storyline and characters of Hot Target sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a shot. 

I really enjoyed the well developed, likable characters in Hot Target, especially the main characters of producer Jane Chadwick, her brother, Robin Chadwick, FBI Agent Jules Cassidy, and Navy Seal Cosmo Richter. The storyline of Hot Target is also very good one... It's fun, entertaining, and engaging!! I must say that Suzanne Brockmann is quite a good writer and wouldn't mind reading another novel by Suzanne Brockmann in the Troubleshooters Series.

I'm not sure that I liked listening to two narrators for this novel. I think sticking to one narrator would have been perfectly fine. As far as narrators go, I thought Melanie Ewbanks was alright -- Not good, nor bad, just middle of the road. As far as Patrick Lawlor goes, I initially thought he narration for Hot Target too fast, but eventually his narration grew on me and I eventually liked his narration of Hot Target quite a bit.

The following is a book summary for Hot Target from the the Amazon website:

Known for her adrenaline-laced Navy SEAL romances, Brockmann displays a new, more political side in this brisk but bumpy romantic thriller, which advocates gay rights. Though the book follows the exploits of sexy, silent Cosmo Richter, the man of mystery from Brockmann's earlier romances (Gone Too Far, etc.), Cosmo must share the limelight with Jules Cassidy, a gay FBI agent and also a recurring character in Brockmann's books. Both Cosmo and Jules are charged with safeguarding hot Hollywood producer Jane Chadwick, who has come under fire (literally) for making a movie dealing with two gay war heroes. A few contrived plot twists find Cosmo and Jane initially butting heads, then coming together as friends and finally burning up the sheets as lovers. More compelling is Jules's struggle to stay away from his egocentric ex, an actor who conveniently lands a starring role in Jane's film, and from Jane's brother Robin, who's so deep in the closet that he has turned to drink. At times, Brockmann goes too far in pushing her agenda—even Cosmo is a card-carrying member of PFLAG who, thanks to his gay father, "can name every Barbara Streisand album ever made"—and readers won't need second sight to foresee the story's twists. Still, Brockmann's uncanny ability to give each character an authentic voice and dialogue to match will pull readers through this shaky installment.

I'm giving Hot Target by Suzanne Brockmann a rating of 9 stars out of 10 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!! 

Bout of Books 13.0, Day 3 Read-A-Thon Challenge ~~~ Book Haiku!!

I'm excited about participating in the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon!! Today is day three of the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon and I've decided to participate in the read-a-thon challenge, which is to write a book haiku. The only rules for this challenge are to write a haiku about whatever book you’re reading currently and then share your haiku on the host's website.

I'm currently listening to an audiobook titled Hot Target by Suzanne Brockmann. Below are my two Book Haikus for Hot Target:

Navy Seal, Cosmo

Is sent to guard producer,

Mercedes, from harm...

Will they fall in love?

Only time will tell if these

Two hotties connect

Thank you to Kristina Horner for hosting this particular read-a-thon challenge! 

Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon ~~~ Day 2 Update!!

Yesterday, was the second day of the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon!! It was a fairly decent day of reading for me overall. I started listening to the abridged audio version of Hot Target (Troubleshooters Series #8) by Suzanne Brockmann and narrated by Melanie Ewbank and Patrick Lawlor. I am halfway into Hot Target and am enjoying it so far. I am hoping to finish listening to it on Day 3!!

How did your second day of reading go for the Bout of Books 13.0 Read-A-Thon??