Maggie Banks’ best friend owns a struggling bookshop in Bell River and Maggie has been tasked with running it for a while. What she finds when she arrives, however, is not what she expects – bestsellers to be flying off the shelves. She encounters a literary society that wants to keep the bookstore stuck in the past. Maggie decides to take matters into her own hands by starting a secret book club and starts selling forbidden books. Keeping things under wraps is nearly impossible, though, and she has to decide which types of books are more important – the ones that tell the town’s history, or ones that might revive it.
Did you know that I listen to two fabulous book podcasts? They’re available on my phone’s podcast app, and all I have to do is stick a pair of headphones in (or not) and listen right from there. It’s so simple, yet so exciting! I’ve been listening for years now.
The first one I started listening to was Sarah’s Bookshelves Live, hosted by Sarah Dickinson. The episodes come out every other Wednesday. Her format, for the most part, is that she has a guest on, or a guest host such as Catherine Gilmore from Gilmore Guide to Books or Susie from the Novel Visits blog. Sarah then asks her partner for the episode to share “two old books they love, two new books they love and one new release they’re excited about.” I think this is a simple format and it is perfect for book recommendations. She also does interviews with authors on her podcast, so has a conversation with great, thoughtful questions for her guests. This is the first book podcast I started listening to, and I couldn’t imagine my reading life without it!
The other book podcast I listen to is the Currently Reading Podcast, whose two main hosts, Meredith Monday-Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb are just two of the most awesome book people I “know.” Their part-time hosts are: Mary, Mindy and Bunmi. All of these ladies come together and put on an incredible show for book lovers. The format is that two of them are on one episode, and they each share three books they’re currently reading, giving a “set-up” for each book. Then they also do a deep dive, a discussion on anything book related or book adjacent. Then they “visit the fountain,” and each share a bookish wish. I should mention that the fountain is a new thing, and they used to press books into your hands. You can find the list of their presses on their website here.
I’m also a patron via Patreon for both of these podcasts (which means I pay a small fee to get bonus content like extra episodes and access to their Facebook groups so that I can interact with other listeners). It is beyond worth it! These book podcasts enrich my reading life (and my reading list) so much. I am grateful for all of the people involved in these podcasts, from the hosts, to the guests, to the people behind the scenes.
Have you been wanting to diversify your reading but aren’t sure where to start? Bibliophile: Diverse Spines is a wonderful book with book lists that are sure to drastically increase your TBR (to-be-read) list. It includes book lists in various genres that feature diverse authors and even mentions unique bookstores from around the country and around the world. So, what are you waiting for? Dive in now!
I have been MIA for December, sorry about that! It was a busy month, but I did manage to get quite a lot of reading done. I read 24 books, and surpassed my yearly goal of 300 books by completing 315 for 2020.
I am super excited for this year and have been keeping a list of all the books that are being published this year, as well as some backlist books that I’ve been meaning to read that I MUST read this year!
Take a look at the books I read in December, and get ready for posts about the books I’ll read this year! Happy reading!
Ever since listening to James Franco narrate The Dead Zone by Stephen King, I have been more interested in audiobooks lately. I love going for walks and listening to them at the same time. Tom Hanks narrated The Dutch House and it was excellent. It was my first experience with an Ann Patchett book and I very much enjoyed the story. Narrated by one of the main character, Danny, we are taken through his life living at the Dutch House with his father and sister Maeve as well as life after he gets married and has his own children. A family saga filled with secrets and intrigue, The Dutch House is not to be missed!
The 12th installment of the Rosemary Beach series, Glines brings on the steamy romance! River “Captain” Kipling is ready to leave his crime-filled past as an employee of a well-none mob-boss and move on with his life. His new target is Rose Henderson, the cute redhead waitress at a local restaurant. He doesn’t know much about her, except that she’s a single mom, and wonders if she’d be interested in him, or if she knows anything about his past…
I wanted to post these photos on my Bookstagram but I didn’t feel like that 1080px by 1080px square would do them justice. I had just watched an Instagram live video by @yaallegiance and was positively ogling her wall to wall bookshelves! While my bedroom is quite big, it would take a lot of heavy moving to be able to even get my bookshelves next to each other. Also, I have built in cubby holes which house a lot of my books, and they’re deep enough for me to double-shelve my books, if need be. I’d rather not have to, though, which is why I just re-arranged my bookshelves (yet again!) so that most of the books’ spines are visible with a glance.
The back and forth of the two authors’ analysis of the assortment of games discussed in this book was delightful to read. Each had insight to offer – a lot with a bit of humor – as he or she explained how each game is played and what we as a society can learn from it. What a great book!
Thanks to Netgalley.com for a review copy of this book.
Cady LaBrie and Cooper Murphy are high school seniors and best friends who are the definition of what some would call “goody-two shoes.” They’ve always followed the rules and would prefer to stay in on a Friday night instead of looking for trouble. So, they decide to do all the things they’ve missed out on over the last four years and create a bucket list of things to complete in one weekend before they graduate. On top of it all, neither one has admitted that they have feelings for the other. Will it be the weekend of their lives or a complete disaster?
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
Bear finds a present outside his cave. It is orange, long and pointy, and sweet and crunchy. As he eats it, he wonders where it came from. The next day, two more of the same gift appears. He knows that someone who cares about him is leaving him the treats. But who? Bear wants to be able to leave a present for his secret admirer, too. He follows clues and eventually meets his special someone.
The Bookish Librarian 