The Smell of Chocolate in Bookstores Increases Sales!

In an article I discovered on the Huffington Post website titled, Smell of Chocolate In Bookstores Increases Sales, Study Finds by David Winograd, I learned that "A new study from Belgium researchers at Hasselt University suggests that the smell of chocolate in bookstores encourages customers to spend more time browsing for books." 

Winograd's further writes in his article: "The key finding? Overall book sales increased as well, and sales for certain kinds of books, such as romance and food-related books, increased by about 40 percent."

This new study sounds like great news for book retailers as a way to increase sales. I personally know that I'd love to smell the scent of chocolate while browsing through a bookstore! Whether I'd buy more romance novels or food-related books remains to be seen.

Until my next post, happy reading!

The Cat Who Sang to the Birds by Lilian Jackson Braun

Paperback Edition

I've never read a novel by Lilian Jackson Braun until now, even though I've seen her novels displayed on shelves at bookstores over the years. 

Lilian Jackson Braun is the author of the "The Cat Who..." mystery series featuring former newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats Koko & Yum-Yum.

I read The Cat Who Sang For The Birds, which was given to me by another Bookcrosser I know during my recent visit to the San Diego area. I found this particular mystery novel to be lighthearted fun and a good read while I was on vacation. I didn't figure out whodunnit until near the end of the novel, which is a good thing. 

Even though I enjoyed reading 'The Cat Who Sang For the Birds', I am not sure I'll be rushing out to purchaser or read another novel written by Lilian Jackson Braun.... The characters seemed kind of dated/stuffy for the times... Otherwise this mystery novel was a good read!

Until my next post, happy reading!

15 Interesting Things Found in Library Books!

I came across an article on the BuzzFeed website titled 15 Curious Things Found In Library Books by Tabatha Leggett. I'm always personally amused with the items I find inside the books I purchase at used book sales, so the above article written by Tabatha Leggett appealed to me. The notes found in library books were mostly interesting to read... The mushed fly was gross though!

'Books on Bikes' Library Program in Seattle, Washington!

Wow, Seattle's Public Library has a 'Books on Bikes' program as a way to deliver books to the masses!! I stumbled upon an article on NPR titled 'Books On Bikes' Helps Seattle Librarians Pedal To The Masses by Gabriel Spitzer. 

In the article, Spitzer writes the following:

By the loading dock of Seattle's downtown library, librarian Jared Mills checks his tire pressure, secures his iPads and locks down about 100 books to an aluminum trailer the size of a steamer trunk. The scene is reminiscent of something you'd see in an action movie, when the hero is gearing up for a big fight, but Mills is gearing up for something very different.

"If you're not prepared and don't have a lot of experience hauling a trailer, it can be kind of dangerous," Mills says, especially when you're going downhill. "The trailer can hold up to 500 pounds."

Mills is part of Seattle Public Library's "Books on Bikes" program, which aims to keep the library nimble and relevant by sending librarians and their bicycles to popular community events around Seattle.

I like the sounds of this new Seattle Public Library Program as another way to reach readers! Click on above link to read the full story.

Learn How Literary Agents Fit into the New Publishing 'Ecosystem'

It's interesting to see how a literary agent functions in the publishing industry. A few days ago, I came across an interesting article posted on the Forbes website titled How Do Literary Agents Fit Into The New Book Publishing Ecosystem? by Jeremy Greenfield. This article did shed some light on the importance of a literary agent and how their role has changed in recent years. Click on the above link to read the full story!

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Check Out This Book!! It's the Size of a Ladybug!!

On The Atlantic website, I came across an article titled Revealed: A Book the Size of a Ladybug by Rebecca J. Rosen. Wow, who knew books could be that small in size and still contain text within its covers! The following is a quote from Rosen's article:

The University of Iowa library contains more than 4,000 miniature books, all measuring fewer than three inches in either height, width, or both. Three inches is not a lot for a book, but three inches is outright capacious when compared with a little red bug of a book, one of the smallest objects in the entire collection, measuring 0.138 inches square and 0.04 inches thick. 

Based on the cover, library staff assumed the little book was a Bible, or at least some part of one, and a photograph taken through a magnifying glass and cleaned up on Photoshop confirmed this suspicion. But everything else about it was unknown. Librarian Colleen Theisen, who found it in a box marked "microminiatures," calls it the "most perplexing" of the miniature collection: a book so small it could not be read by the naked eye. What was it? Who made it and when? Whatever clues its text contained were locked between its tiny binding.

Click on above link to read the entire article and view pictures of this tiny book!

My Journey to Becoming a Book Minimalist...

Last month, I posted an article on my blog about breaking one's sentimental attachment to books. I'm in the arduous process of downsizing my current collection of books. It was a tough decision for me to make when I decided to downsize my book collection, mainly because I'm an avid book lover... But alas, I need to downsize my current book collection as I've acquired books faster than I've been able to read them. Books are overflowing everywhere in our home as I no longer have room on my bookshelves to store them properly and I'd prefer to downsize my collection verses purchasing new bookshelves.

I've managed to go through my entire book collection and giveaway 41 books since the beginning of July 2013!! I think this is a good feat since it has been difficult for me to decide on which books I no longer want to read. I still have plenty of books waiting to be read, so it feels like I've hardly made an impact on downsizing my collection. 

The good news though at least, is that I've started the process of downsizing my book collection! Now to simply keep myself focused on reading the books I currently have in order to prevent myself from adding more books to my collection.... This will be no easy task!

Until my next post, have fun reading books!

Ask and It Is Given Cards by Esther & Jerry Hicks

I've been going through some challenging health related issues the past month that have been difficult to deal with over the past few weeks. 

The good news is that I am finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel with some small, but very wonderful steps forward. I'm still continuing to work towards improving my health one step at a time and one day at a time.

One of the many things that has helped me through this difficult time has been to read the Ask and It Is Given Cards by Esther & Jerry Hicks. 

This 60-Card Deck of beautifully illustrated cards contains wonderful messages of love, hope, and inspiration that helps one through difficult/trying times! 

I love the size and shape of these cards, along with their glossy finish. The 60-Card Deck is held inside a lovely box. I usually read a few of the cards at any given time that speak most to my heart.

One of my favorite quotes in the 'Ask and It Is Given Cards' is as follows:

"Absolute Well-Being is the Basis of My Universe.

Well-Being is the basis of All-That-Is.

It flows to you and through you.

You only have to allow it.

Like the air you breathe, you only have to

open, relax, and draw it into your Being."

Until my next post, happy reading!

Running from Love: A Story for Runners and Lovers by Rozsa Gaston

eBook Edition

I recently finished reading Running from Love: A Story for Runners and Lovers by Rozsa Gaston.

'Running from Love: A Story for Runners and Lovers' is a contemporary romance novel that combines the sport of running and with the romance genre.

The following is a synopsis of 'Running from Love: A Story for Runners and Lovers' from the author, Rozsa Gaston's website:

Farrah Foley runs the way she runs her love life—too cautiously. She slows down when it’s time to fly. Getting dumped with no explanation by the love of her life, she’s determined never to find herself in that position again.

When Jude Farnesworth comes along, Farrah is intrigued but fears she can’t compete with the kind of high society women he’s surrounded by from his town of Greenwich, Connecticut. Raised in Queens, she lives in the Bronx, where she runs with the Van Cortlandt Track Club. Down-to-earth yet vulnerable, she has no idea that Jude is attracted to the qualities in her she’s trying hardest to hide

.Growing up on the fringes of affluence, Jude wants to write about straddling two groups, belonging to neither. But first he needs to finish ghostwriting TV financial expert Dan Perlstein’s latest book How to Marry Money. When Jude meets Farrah, for the first time he can see himself as an insider, the only other member of Farrah’s club. But when Farrah discovers what Jude is writing about, she leaves him behind in the dust. Will Jude be able to catch her at the finish line?

I'm not a huge romance genre fan, but sometimes I do read romance novels while on travel or the beach, etc. I thought 'Running from Love: A Story for Runners and Lovers' by Rozsa Gaston sounded decent at the time, so decided to read it. 

I was pretty disappointed overall with  'Running from Love: A Story for Runners and Lover'. Farrah Foley, one of the leading characters, is annoying/frustrating!! I totally understand that Farrah Foley has been burned by her previous fiance and is gun shy about starting a new relationship. I also totally understand why she isn't a fan of those who have a lot of money, BUT what I didn't understand is why Farrah Foley acts so immature is parts of the novel. Nor did I understand why she'd even remotely consider reconnecting with her ex-fiance --- the very man who burned her in the past!?!?

I initially gave up on reading 'Running from Love: A Story for Runners and Lover' about halfway into it because I couldn't get past Farrah Foley's frustrating behavior. I only decided to continue reading 'Running from Love: A Story for Runners and Lover' while on travel recently and felt this novel wasn't really worth reading once I'd finished it. The ending was predictable, no surprise! I personally wouldn't recommend running to purchase this novel.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Life's A Beach Then You Die by Falafel Jones

eBook Edition

I enjoy reading mystery novels immensely. 

Life's A Beach Then You Die by Falafel Jones caught my attention for the following three reasons.

1) The book was a FREE eBook I could download to my eReader.

2) The plot summary sounded intriguing enough to capture my attention.

3) Falafel Jones is a new author to me. I'm always on the look out for new writing talent to add to my reading repertoire.

I really enjoyed reading 'Life's A Beach Then You Die' more than I thought I would... I wasn't expecting much from a free eBook by an unknown author, but I really enjoyed reading this mystery novel for the most part. 

The Pros are as follows:

- Likable lead character
- Good characters throughout the story
- Nice plot/well told story
- Good twists and turns to keep the reader interested
- Didn't guess the killer until near the end of the novel

The Cons are as follows:

- Novel needs some minor editing work
- Sometimes too much detail is given... Do I really need to know what the lead character ate during a meal?? Especially if it isn't an important part of the story??

Otherwise, I found 'Life's A Beach Then You Die' a good read! 

I look forward to reading 'The Kewpie Killer' also written by Falafel Jones sometime in the future.