The Big Reveal

My blind date and I weren't really strangers after all.
We had flirted briefly on Amazon when BookBub sent a special offer to set us up but the timing just wasn't right for a commitment.
We had so much in common unbeknownst to me.
The author, Bruce Holsinger, is a professor at the University of Virginia (my alma mater).
He also teaches the following class on Coursera  that I had signed up for  last fall (but haven't finished):  Plagues, Witches and War: The Worlds of Historical Ficion.

Fate was drawing our paths together all along.

A blind date with a book?

Would you dare go on a blind date with a book?  Take a chance - cover unseen, jacket unread, reviews unvalidated?  Without even knowing the title or name of the author?  If you are longing for a little adventure, step outside your comfort zone and go to  your public library.  Let them hook you up!  

Across the room, it caught my eye, dressed for a party.  No name, no Good Reads recommendation, no enticing art work.
Just a coy little teaser on front.
It was awkward at first.  I don't want to rush into things.   We should at least have a drink and candlelight supper before unwrapping.
I mean I don't if we will have anything in common.

I just know it had me at

London, 1385






Blind Date with a book is a real thing - just ask your Librarian!

January TBR

The Magician's Land - by Lev Grossman
I was finally able to get the third and final book from the library just in time for the premiere of the series on SyFy TODAY.  Appreciate the post by the author to fans of the books explaining that the show is different from the books and why and that it is OK.  I caught the pre showing of episode 1 on the SyFy website and yes it is a lot different from the books but they got the characters and the essence of how magic is portrayed right.  I can't wait to watch how the story unfolds in the series.

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
After reading Slade House, I thought I would like to read more by this freaky but brilliant writer.  My friend read Cloud Atlas for book club and her comment 'weird and confusing' put me off a bit.  So I thought Bone Clocks is the most recent before Slade House so I will start with that.   Reading an author backward (just like I did with Neil Gaiman) is a strange journey that not many get to take.  My first thought is The Bone Clocks would have been a bit a of a spoiler for Slade House and in Slade House there is quite a bit of detail about something that is initially just alluded to in The Bone Clocks so it would have been a bit confusing without that background.  I recently heard the author say in an interview that he reuses characters from one book to another.  So readers going forward will recognize a character and think ah there he is again.  However since I am going backwards I don't have that ah ha moment.  I wonder if that will change how I understand the characters once I get back to the beginning and see where they started with the retrospective of knowing where they are going.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Because every now and then for book club we feel guilty for indulging ourselves with popular crime or YA novels and think we ought to read something smart so that we can talk intelligently to other smart people.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab
I keep seeing her as a recommended author so finally I decided to try one of her YA novels.   The more recent and popular novels were all checked out from the library or at least I could not get the first book in the series.  The Archived is probably not her best effort but it was available.  The concept is unique and I liked the characters but it didn't grab me the way Hunger Games or Six of Crows did so I probably won't continue the series.  I may give her another read once I can get the first book in her most recent series.

I'm also reading some free or cheap books - if any of them turn out to be outstanding I will write them up here.

2015 My Year in Books

I am terrible with lists (grocery lists, to do lists, any list) but just to prove that I DID meet my reading challenge of 24 books for the year,  I spent a few minutes (on the last day of 2015) updating my Good Reads account.  My reward was this lovely summary of my year in books.  Two things strike me:  1) 8,750 pages!  2) How beautiful all the covers are displayed all at once.  I took pictures to post here but it looks better viewed on the Good Reads site.

New Library

 Haymarket has a brand spanking new Regional Library and even though I live in another county, they let me get a card!  SHINY! (Firefly ref for those in the know, wink wink).  It is modern and full of windows and light (and books, and audio, and computers).  It is very high tech with self check out kiosks and no more of those not so sticky due date stickers that fall off as soon as you get to the car; I got an actual receipt when I checked out!

This library is not really any closer to my house than my other options but it does have the advantage of being on my way home.

It does not have an adorable polydactyl live in cat.

It isn't located in Old Town (which makes me feel all historic and important just going there).

However, as Chris Core from WTOP would say, having three libraries to choose from is a CORE value!

Free Books!

One of the best features about an E-Reader is all the 'free' or 'very cheap' book offers that are available.   It is true libraries are Free and used book stores are Very Cheap but quite often you won't see these e-reader offerings in stores or libraries.  Here is a sample of my latest downloads.

Sign up with BookBub and personalize your profile to reflect your literary tastes and preferred vendors to get a daily email listing free or discounted offers.
Note:  Most of the offerings are for less well known authors so it is a great inexpensive way to meet new authors.  However, every now and then, a really good/well known book/author will also be on sale.  You can pick up some really good books this way.
WARNING:  Sometimes they are free because they are terrible.  Read the negative reviews (positive reviews cannot be trusted to be genuine) and see what the major complaint was about.  If Look Inside is available, read a snippet to see if you like the author's voice.

All Hallows Read

Consider giving books for Halloween instead of candy.  Check out the link below for a list of recommendations.

allhallowsread.com

Artwork courtesy of Introverted Wife