Four New to Us Little Free Libraries in Concord, California!!

Yesterday afternoon, my husband and I decided to take a drive out to Concord, California just to find a few new to us Little Free Libraries. 

Concord, California is approximately 30-35 minutes from our home via automobile.

We found four Little Free Libraries in Concord, California. All four of them were very close to one another, which was awesome!! 

Three of the four LFLs were on the official LFL app. However, the fourth LFL was discovered randomly as we were driving by on our way to the first LFL.

As a side note, we did see a fifth LFL in the same area. We weren't able to visit this particular LFL because it was located behind a chain link fence and was part of a community vegetable garden. This LFL is not on the official LFL app either. And, well, I can see why if not everyone has access to it.

Have you found any Little Free Libraries recently?

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

US Blocks Canadian Library Access Cross-Border to the Haskell Free Library and Opera House and Outrage Erupts!

 

This is such sad regarding the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, which sits on the Canadian and US Vermont Border.  

According to the above video, "outrage erupts as the US blocks Canadian libraries from cross-border access! US officials cite drug trafficking concerns, but a Quebec town claims the move weakens vital international collaboration. Learn more about this escalating US-Canada conflict and its implications."

A Blog Milestone Has Been Reached!!

 

Earlier this month, I noticed that my little book blog has surpassed one million page views mark!! This was exciting for me to witness. I never thought I'd be blogging this long... Nor, did I ever think about reaching one million page views from readers like you.

I simply wanted to have fun sharing book reviews, bookish quotes, author, library, and other bookish related news, my journey of discovery throughout the years, whether attending book festivals, author signing events, new to me indie bookstore, Little Free Libraries, etc. with other avid readers and book lovers.

Thank you for taking the time to peruse my book blog over the years! I appreciate all of my followers and everyone who has left me comments.

Do You Like Listening to Authors Narrate Their Own Books?

As many of my longtime blog followers already know, I love listening to audiobooks! 

I love listening to audiobooks for a variety of reasons. Audiobooks are great to listen to while commuting medium distances or during longer trips too. I enjoy listening to audiobooks while doing other activities like while I'm taking walks alone, eating meals alone, or doing other simple activities that do not require a lot of attention. Also, as I've grown older small print is more difficult to read due to aging eyes even with progressive lenses in my prescription eyeglasses... Additionally, I have an ongoing issue in my left eye that causes some issues occasionally in terms being able to read clearly. 

So, audiobooks have become my 'go to' way of reading these days the majority of the time. It just makes life easier and I've also come to enjoy the audiobook format immensely. In fact, everything I've read this year (so far!!) has been in audiobook format. I've listened to 12 books this year already.

Narrators are one of the key factors that make for a great experience when it comes to listening to audiobooks. There are some great narrators out there whom I love listening to when it comes to audiobooks. But today, I'm not going to focus on the topic of professional audiobook narrators. Instead, I am going to focus on authors whom have chosen to narrate their own books. 

Personally, I've discovered that not all authors make good narrators! However, I have had some great experiences with listening to authors narrator their own books. 

Below is a shortlist of audiobooks I've listened to over the years that have been well narrated by the author themselves. I am sure there are many other audiobooks narrated by the authors themselves I've enjoyed, but decided to stick with a shorter list of books vs a longer list of books!

The Seas by Samantha Hunt

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson

The Story of English in 100 Words by David Crystal

Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds by Linda Geddes

Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright

The Professor & the Madman by Simon Winchester

Share with me in the comment section which audiobooks narrated by the author have you enjoyed listening too!!

Show Up For Our Libraries - Help Protect the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Yesterday, I published a post sharing the American Library Association's statement regarding Donald Trump's executive order signed on March 14th. This is a serious assault on the Institute of Museum and Library Services "by eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer"! (The quote comes from the ALA)

If you'd like to help libraries across the nation, PLEASE consider making your voice heard on this very important issue!! You can make your voice heard by clicking on the following link and support the Show Up For Our Libraries campaign.

Once you've clicked on the above link, you will be taken to a website where you can send an already drafted message to congress requesting that Donald Trump's March 14th Executive Order be overturned.

Let's work together to prevent Donald Trump from completely gutting our nation's libraries!

ALA statement on White House assault on the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Over the weekend, I read the following information on the American Library Association website:

Americans have loved and relied on public, school and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer: 

• Early literacy development and grade-level reading programs
• Summer reading programs for kids 
• High-speed internet access
• Employment assistance for job seekers 
• Braille and talking books for people with visual impairments
• Homework and research resources for students and faculty
• Veterans’ telehealth spaces equipped with technology and staff support
• STEM programs, simulation equipment and training for workforce development
• Small business support for budding entrepreneurs

To dismiss some 75 committed workers and mission of an agency that advances opportunity and learning is to dismiss the aspirations and everyday needs of millions of Americans. And those who will feel that loss most keenly live in rural communities. 

As seedbeds of literacy and innovation, our nation’s 125,000 public, school, academic and special libraries deserve more, not less support. Libraries of all types translate 0.003% of the federal budget into programs and services used in more than 1.2 billion in-person patron visits every year, and many more virtual visits.

This news is tragic!! We need the above library services for everyone here in the USA. And, especially, for marginalized and poverty stricken regions that have less access to educational resources. 

I am a US taxpayer and I want my tax dollars to fund public libraries and the programs they offer!! #showupforourlibraries

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee by Paul R. Gregory

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee by Paul R. Gregory and narrated by Traber Burns. 

Listening for The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee by Paul R. Gregory is 8 hours, 11 minutes.

I wasn't a huge fan of the way in which Traber Burns narrated, The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee by Paul R. Gregory. I wish another narrator had been chosen for this book.

As far as The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee by Paul R. Gregory goes, I would highly recommend this book for those who enjoy learning about American history. More specifically, this book delves deeply into the lives of Lee Harvey Oswald and his Soviet wife, Marina, in quite some detail. 

Paul R. Gregory, the author of The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee knew Lee Harvey Oswald and his wife personally, so Mr. Gregory was able to give thoughtful insight into their personal lives leading up to the assassination and aftermath.

Additionally, other details surrounding the assassination of JFK and the manhunt for JFK's killer were discussed in this book in some detail. I gained more knowledge about this subject that I didn't know about it before.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee by Paul R. Gregory I discovered on Amazon's website:

This “lucid, insightful” memoir by a man who knew Lee Harvey Oswald and his wife offers “an informative view of a killer’s marriage and lethal motivations” (Kirkus Reviews).

Merely two hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, television cameras captured police escorting a suspect into Dallas police headquarters. Meanwhile at the University of Oklahoma, watching the coverage in the student center, Paul Gregory scanned the figure in dark trousers and a white V-neck tee shirt and saw the bruised and battered face of Lee Harvey Oswald. Shocked, Gregory said, “I know that man.” In fact, he knew Oswald and his Soviet wife, Marina, better than almost anyone in America.

Identified by the FBI as a “known associate of LHO,” Gregory soon faced interrogations by the Secret Service. Later he would testify before the Warren Commission. Here, in The Oswalds, he offers the intimate details of his time spent with Lee and Marina in their run-down duplex in Fort Worth, and candidly assesses the murder that marked a turning point in our history. His riveting recollection includes memories both casual and deadly serious, such as the dinner at his parents’ house introducing Marina to the “Dallas Russians,” a front-yard incident of spousal abuse, and a further rift in the marriage when he revealed to Marina that Oswald was not the dashing, radical intellectual whose Historic Diary would be a publishing sensation. Gregory also gives a fascinating account of his father’s role as an eyewitness to history, serving as Marina’s translator and confidant in the first four days after the assassination.

“A definitive personality sketch of Oswald . . . Gregory’s book will stand the test of time.” —Mark Kramer, Director of Cold War Studies, Harvard University

I am giving The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee by Paul R. Gregory a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

The Horoscope Writer by Ash Bishop

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Horoscope Writer by Ash Bishop, which is decently narrated by a collected group of narrators. 

Ash Bishop is a new to me author and the plot summary for his novel, The Horoscope Writer, was intriguing enough for me to purchase it. The Horoscope Writer is a contemporary, mystery novel set in San Diego, California.  I liked the horoscope angle for this novel. The premise for the storyline was a good one, but the writing wasn't very captivating. The writing needed more depth and suspense to keep the reader interested in the storyline. I wasn't a fan of any of the characters either. Towards the end of the novel, I didn't care what happened and just wanted The Horoscope Writer to end.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Horoscope Writer by Ash Bishop from Amazon's website:

From Audie Award-winning author Ash Bishop

“Readers will be eager to see what Bishop does next.” —Publishers Weekly

“. . . filled with realistic scenarios and satisfying twists.” —Midwest Book Review

Leo: You’ll step out the door, prepared for a normal day. But you’ll never reach your workplace. You will vanish, without a trace.

Who is The Horoscope Writer? It’s not Bobby Frindley. He’s an ex-Olympic athlete who has fast-talked his way into an entry-level position at a dying newspaper. He’s supposed to be writing horoscopes, but someone has been doing it for him . . .

On his first night on the job, Bobby receives an email with twelve gruesome, highly-detailed horoscopes, along with a chilling ultimatum: print them and one will come true, or ignore them and they all will.

Working with a skeptical co-worker, Bobby investigates the horoscope writer’s true identity, but the closer he gets to the truth, the more the predictions begin to be about him. Has he attracted the attention of a cruel puppeteer? Or is it possible that, like any good horoscope, it’s all in his head?

For readers who enjoy The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, Deal Breaker by Harlan Corben, or Therapy by Jonathan Kellerman.

I am giving The Horoscope Writer by Ash Bishop a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!