Lovely Books and Things - 8.30.20

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

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HAPPY THINGS:

1. Independent Bookstore Day, August 29, online author events (details)
2. Schnitzel (recipe) and noodles - a favorite thing from The Sound of Music :-)
3. Setting up an arm chair travel theme for September. Will start off the month with The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel.

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Library: audiobook

The Summer Country
by Lauren Willig
Historical, Victorian, Barbados | Goodreads

Freebies: from Free Little Library

The Broken Kingdoms
by N.K. Jemison
Fantasy | Goodreads

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Virtual Author event: hosted by Booksmith
Listen to archive of this and check out their calendar for future free author events (here)
A conversation between:

Ballistic Kiss
by Richard Kadrey
Urban Fantasy | Goodreads

Shakespeare for Squirrels
by Christopher Moore
Humor Fantasy | Goodreads
A conversation between:

The Great Offshore Grounds
by Vanessa Veselka
Literary | Goodreads

Pull of the Stars
by Emma Donoghue
Historical, Ireland | Goodreads

Virtual Author event: hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore
Listen to archive of this and check out their calendar for future free author events (here)

A conversation between:

Winter Counts
by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Mystery, Thriller | Goodreads

Blacktop Wasteland
by S.A. Cosby
Mystery, Thriller | Goodreads

Virtual Author event: hosted by Book Passages
Listen to archive of this and check out their calendar for future free author events (here)

The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls
by Ursula Hegi
Historical, Germany | Goodreads

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AND watched: in virtual theatre

John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020)
Director: Dawn Porter
Documentary | imdb | my rating: 5
The film explores Georgia representative's, 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health care reform, and immigration.

VOTE

Readalong update:

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen | Goodreads
co-read with Naida at the the bookworm

Aug 17-23: Prologue & chapter 1
I got halfway through the introduction and decided to stop as it was getting too spoilery for me. I will get back to it later along with the acknowledgments which was also part of the front matter of the book.

Enjoying the details of the trek and learning about the various members of the party and how they function.

Aug 24-30: chapter 2
Importance of a good comfortable pair of hiking boots made an impression. Similar to what I found when I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

Love his writing style. Felt the cold, danger and beauty of the Himalayas as the search for the Blue Sheep and Snow Leopard continue.

"I am here to be here, like these rocks and sky and snow, like this hail that is falling down out of the sun." -page 108

Liked the reference and thoughts about the Yeti.

Aug 31-Sep 6: chapter 3

Sep 7-13: chapter 4 & wrap-up

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

*** THANKS to those on the front line during these times ***
Shelter In Place - Day 167, Week 25
Stay healthy! Be safe!

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Happy Shakespeare Day

I'm celebrating Shakespeare's 450th Birthday with Shakespeare themed books this week.

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Have to get a move on with this one, as book 2 is available and book 3 comes out in July!

William Shakespeare's Star Wars
by Ian Doescher
Published: 2013
Amazon | Goodreads
Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome Stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.

Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations--William Shakespeare’s Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This is the book you’re looking for.

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Last night I caught Christopher Moore on tour with his latest Shakespeare themed book, The Serpent of Venice. He was dressed in our good ol' SF Giants wear. Along with a bit of intro to Venice of the past and present, he treated us with a couple hilarious stories. Check out his site to see if he will be in a bookstore near you.

Serpent of Venice
by Christopher Moore
just released: April 22, 2014
Amazon | Goodreads
Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy from the Queen of Britain: the rascal-Fool Pocket.

This trio of cunning plotters—the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago—have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.

But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.

Greed, revenge, deception, lust, and a giant (but lovable) sea monster combine to create another hilarious and bawdy tale from modern comic genius, Christopher Moore.

Note: The book, too, is a veritable work of art. Rich creamy stock is enhanced by two-color printing, featuring part/chapter titles, running heads, and folios printed in red ink. The text block has blue-stained edges. The book opens to reveal two-page spread endpapers decorated with a sepia-toned antique map of Venice; an antique map of Italy graces the book’s front matter, printed in red. The jacket sports a matte finish with embossed author and title type; gold foil embellishes the title and illustration detail.

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AND, I will be checking out the The Twisted Lit Series:

Anyone But You:
A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Publised: January 2014
Amazon | Goodreads -signup to win this (expires May 9)
“Heartbreakingly lovely.” -- USA Today.

After her family’s struggling eatery, Cap’s, falls prey to another of the Monte clan’s vicious and destructive pranks, sixteen-year-old Gigi Caputo finds herself courting danger during a clandestine encounter with Roman Monte, the very boy whose relatives have brought her family such grief. When the daughter and son of these two warring factions fall for each other, their quest to mend this bitter family feud turns out to be a recipe for disaster. Their story is irrevocably linked to the summer of 1933, when two twelve-year-olds, Benny and Nick, hop the turnstile at the Chicago World’s Fair. While enjoying some of the fair’s legendary amusements, Nick has a “love at first sight” encounter with Stella, a young girl who unintentionally causes a lasting rift between the two boyhood pals. Deftly winding its way through past and present day, this modern take on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet has much to do with hate — but more with love.

Tempestuous:
A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's The Tempest
by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Published: 2012
Amazon | Goodreads
“Irresistible debut novel. We can assure you reading the surprising adventures in the Twisted Lit series is nothing short of thrilling.” -- Children’s Book Review

Recently banished, unfairly, by the school’s popular crowd, former “it girl,” Miranda Prospero, finds herself in a brave new world: holding dominion amongst a rag-tag crew of geeks and misfits where she works at the Hot-Dog Kabob in the food court of her local mall. When the worst winter storm of the season causes mall workers and last-minute shoppers to be snowed-in for the night, Miranda seizes the opportunity to get revenge against the catty clique behind her social exile. With help from her delightfully dweeby coworker, Ariel, and a sullen loner named Caleb who works at the mall’s nearby gaming and magic shop, Miranda uses charm and trickery to set things to right during this spirited take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Exposure:
A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's Macbeth
by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Published: 2013
Amazon | Goodreads -signup to win this (expires April 28)
“Death, betrayal, ruthless plots to seize the “crown” — all the seeds of stage tragedy take root and flourish in this clever modern-day homage to Macbeth.” -- Kirkus Reviews.

Double, double, toil and trouble. Sometimes, the quest for high school royalty can be deadly! In this emotionally-charged twist on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a self-conscious shutterbug named Skye Kingston navigates a treacherous school year in Alaska fraught with unspoken secrets and tragic twists of fate. Along the way she encounters three strangely prophetic BFFs; one social-climbing, sociopathic cheerleader; and a heart-stopping hottie named Craig McKenzie: the man who would be Prom King. Can Skye save the boy she loves — and herself — before they get caught in the crosshairs?

FYI: Currently reading this.

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I also plan on watching this on DVD...

Romeo & Juliet (2013)
Director: Carlo Carlei
Writers: Julian Fellowes (screenplay)
William Shakespeare (play)
imdb
Douglas Booth as Romeo
Hailee Steinfeld as Juliet
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How are you celebrating Shakespeare this week?

Do any of these books capture your fancy?

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* image source: Shakespeare

In My Mailbox - 4.08.12

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. A post where we share books acquired via mailbox, library, store, etc.

Bought:
Alien Diplomacy
Alien Novels
by Gini Koch
-Paranormal Romance, SciFi

Sacre Bleu:
A Comedy d'Art
by Christopher Moore
-Art, Comedy, Paris
-obtained from author reading
yes! saw him in the flesh
he spoke of his ear hairs and all ;-D

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Continuation of Paris mode...

From the library:

Walks Through Napoleon & Josephine's Paris
by Diana Reid Haig
-historical

The Paris Wife
by Paula McLain
- historical
- audio version

!!! - ! - ! - ! A L E R T ! - ! - ! - !!!
G U E S T
P O S T S
W A N T E D
F O R
J U N E
I am looking for guest posts with a Paris theme to post in June from bloggers and authors.

Those interested can include book giveaways not related to Paris - but the post itself needs to refer to Paris in some way.

Feel free to contact me for more details vvb32 at yahoo.com

For Review:
Death Sentence
Last City on Earth: Book 1
by Rhiannon Paille
-Dystopia, YA
courtesy of author
Thanks Rhiannon!

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* get a heads up on free or discounted ebooks from Books on the Knob

* per usual, check out the sidebar for my current giveaways to you

* image from Leafcutter Designs - world's smallest postal service and you can get a letter kit at Chronicle Books