Buzzword Challenge 2022

Buzzword Reading Challenge
hosted by Books and Lala
details | storygraph
#buzzwordathon
The Buzzword Readathon (#buzzwordathon) is a monthly readathon, running the first week of each month (1st through 7th). Each month has a designated word/word theme and you have a week to read as many books as you like with that word in the title.

Alternatively you can complete this as a year-long reading challenge, and read just ONE book each month featuring the monthly buzzword until you complete the whole challenge!

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JANUARY: A book with one of the 5 W's in the title - WHEN
who, where, what, when, why OR how

When We Cease to Understand the World
by Benjamín Labatut
translated by Adrian Nathan West
Short Stories, Historical | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
FEBRUARY: A book with a location in the title - HE
me, you, mine, yours, he, she, hers, his, their, theirs, we, ours etc.

The Last Thing He Told Me
by Laura Dave
Thriller, Mystery | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
MARCH: A book with a location in the title - KAMUSARI
A city, country, state, province etc. OR an attraction (ex: park, valley, Disney World etc.)

The Easy Life in Kamusari
by Shion Miura
translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter
YA, Contemporary, Japan | Published: 2021 (first 2009) | Goodreads | my rating: 5
APRIL: A book with LITTLE or BIG in the title - BIG
Any word similar to these qualifies (ex: giant, tiny, small, huge)

Love in the Big City
by Sang Young Park
translated by Anton Hur
Contemporary, LGBTQ, Korea | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
MAY: A book with a direction in the title - NORTH
north, south, east, west OR left/right, up/down etc.

My Holiday in North Korea:
The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth
by Wendy E. Simmons
Memoir, Travel, North Korea | Goodreads | my rating : 4
JUNE: A book with ALL in the title - ALL
all / all's

Scattered All Over the Earth
by Yōko Tawada
translated by Margaret Mitsutani
SciFi, Climate, Japan | Published: 2022 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
JULY: A book with a book related word in the title - BOOK
examples: book, library, read, page, paper

Book Lovers
by Emily Henry
Contemporary, Romance | Published: 2022 | Goodreads | my rating: 5

AUGUST: A book with an item/object in the title - VIOLETS
examples: door, key, house, moon, donut, dress

Violets
by Kyung-sook Shin
translated by Anton Hur
LGBTQ, Historical, Korea | Published: 2022 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
SEPTEMBER: A book with LIGHT or DARK in the title - DARK
light/dark or words associated, such as shadow, bright, darkness, highlight, shine

A Flicker in the Dark
by Stacy Willingham
Thriller, Mystery | Published: 2022 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
OCTOBER: A book with an animal or creature in the title - BUNNY
from mermaids and vampires, to birds and wolves

Cursed Bunny
by Bora Chung
translated by Anton Hurby
Short Stories, Horror, Korea | Published: 2021 | Goodreads
NOVEMBER: A book with "ING" in the title - KILLINGS
examples: missing, haunting, watching, darling

The Basel Killings
by Hansjörg Schneider
translated by Mike Mitchell
Mystery, Crime, Germany | Published: 2021 (first 2004) | Goodreads
DECEMBER: A book with a number in the title - SEVEN
one, 4, eight, thousand, million

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Historical, Romance, LGBTQ | Published: 2017 | Goodreads

Lovely Books and Things - 5.9.21

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. Spotting jigsaw puzzles (with @karenpuzzles) in the reality tv show, The Circle.
2. Virtual Jane Con weekend, May 1-2 - see Jane Austen themed presentations (here)
3. Walking up the mosaic steps at Moraga and 16th Avenue and admiring red tailed hawks flying overhead - check out the article, San Francisco’s mosaic staircases turn forgotten places into colorful art: The California city is the hilliest in the U.S., with more than 600 public stairways, some of which are decorated with beautiful mosaics by Sharon McDonnell (here)

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Bought: Book of the Month

The Last Thing He Told Me
by Laura Dave
Thriller, Mystery, Reese Book Club | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

Library:

Stairway Walks in San Francisco
The Joy of Urban Exploring
by Mary Burk, Adah Bakalinsky
Guidbook, San Francisco | Published: 2018 | Goodreads

Freebies: from Free Little Library

The Nasty Bits
Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones
by Anthony Bourdain
Essays, Food | Published: 2007 | Goodreads

The Bloody Chamber
by Angela Carter
Short Stories, Fairy Tale Retellings, Horror | Published: 2006 | Goodreads

Freebies: from Amazon Kindle (free for a couple days)

Monet and Oscar
by Joe Byrd
Historical, France | Published: 2021 | Goodreads
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Virtual Author event: hosted by TW Book Club
Check out their instagram for future free author events (here)

Water, Wood and Wild Things:
Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town
by Hannah Kirshner
Travel, Memoir, Food, Recipes, Japan | Published: 2020 | Goodreads

Virtual Author event: hosted by Booksmith
Check out their calendar for future free author events (here)

A conversation between:

Goodbye, Again
Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations by Jonny Sun
Essays, Memoir | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

The Best Girls
by Min Jin Lee
Short Stories, Horror, South Korea | Published: 2019 | Goodreads

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AND watched: online

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Director: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Paul Briggs, John Ripa
Screenplay: Qui Nguyen, Adele Lim
Story by: Paul Briggs, Don Hall, Adele Lim, Carlos López Estrada, Kiel Murray
Qui Nguyen, John Ripa, Dean Wellins
Stars: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan
Animation, Action, Adventure | imdb | my rating: 4
In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.

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

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Reese's Book Club 2021

Reese's Book Club
@ReesesBookClub

2021

JANUARY:

Outlawed
by Anna North
Historical, Western, LGBTQ | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: 5

FEBRUARY:

Sanatorium
by Sarah Pearse
Mystery, Thriller | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: tba

MARCH:

Infinite Country
by Patricia Engel
Historical | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: tba

APRIL:

Northern Spy
by Flynn Berry
Mystery, Historical | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: dnf

MAY:

The Last Thing He Told Me
by Laura Dave
Thriller, Mystery | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: tba

JUNE:

Seven Days in June
by Tia Williams
Chick-lit | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

JULY:

The Paper Palace
by Miranda Cowley Heller
Literary | Published: 2021 | Goodreads
AUGUST:

We Were Never Here
by Andrea Bartz
Thriller, Mystery, Travel | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
unreliable narrator, explores female friendship, dark
SEPTEMBER:

L.A. Weather
by María Amparo Escandón
Contemporary, Chick-lit | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

OCTOBER:

Sankofa
by Chibundu Onuzo
Literary, Africa | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

NOVEMBER:

The Island of Missing Trees
by Elif Shafak
Historical, Magical Realism | Published: 2021 | Goodreads
DECEMBER:

Lucky
by Marissa Stapley
Thriller, Canada | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

Eight Hundred Grapes
by Laura Dave

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
Twitter @lauradave

Just released: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Chick-lit
Paperback: 272 pages
Rating: 4.5

There are secrets you share, and secrets you hide…

Growing up on her family’s Sonoma vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. The secret behind ending a fight: hold hands.

But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever.

Georgia does what she’s always done: she returns to the family vineyard, expecting the comfort of her long-married parents, and her brothers, and everything familiar. But it turns out her fiancé is not the only one who’s been keeping secrets…


First sentence:

My Father has this great story about the day he met my mother, a story he never gets sick of telling.

My two-bits:

Intermingles several love stories within a family set in the wine country. So, it felt a bit like a family drama rather than focus on one particular person which I liked just fine. Each character were equally engaging and interesting.

The Wine country backdrop provides a brief look into the world of wine making and selling. This would be a fun one to read before embarking on a wine country tour/tasting.

About the author:

Laura Dave is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The First Husband, The Divorce Party and London Is The Best City In America.

Her novels have been published in fifteen countries, and three of her novels, including Eight Hundred Grapes, have been optioned as major motion pictures. She resides in Santa Monica, California.

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* added this to my Books On The Nightstand Bingo challenge - square: With a number in the title

* review copy courtesy of Summer Reading Challenge 2015. It's not too late! You can join the challenge here. @booksparks #SRC2015
Destination: Drink in Sonoma wine country

Stacking the Shelves - 5.30.15

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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Bought:

My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante
-Italy, Historical
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> wanted to start this trilogy as book 3 has been getting great reviews

For Review:

Eight Hundred Grapes: A Novel
by Laura Dave
-Chick-lit
courtesy of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2015
Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

The Measure of Temperance
by Ichabod Temperance
-steampunk, zombies
courtesy of author
Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
Gift:

You're on Your Own
(But I'm Here If You Need Me):
Mentoring Your Child During the College Years
by Majorie Savage
-Non-fiction
courtesy of friend
Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
Library:

Finder, Vol. 04: Talisman (Finder #4)
by Carla Speed McNeil
-Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Amazon | Goodreads
Finder: Talisman is a great stand alone entry into an amazing world! Since 1996, Finder has set the bar for science-fiction storytelling, with a lush, intricate world and compelling characters. Finder: Talisman is the story of a book - the book beloved by misfits and castaways, once glimpsed and forever longed for - and of Marcie, the kid who never gives up her search for magic and meaning. Now, the fan-favorite story is collected in a new, oversized hardcover edition!

AND binge watching:

Shameless
tv series, season four
-humor, drama
Amazon | imdb | wikipedia
An alcoholic man lives in a perpetual stupor while his six children with whom he lives cope as best they can.

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* some of these may be offered as giveaways within the next two months

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

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

Books On The Nightstand Bingo

Books On The Nightstand
Summer Bingo
Memorial Day (May 25) – Labor Day (September 7)
details | Goodreads group
The Books On the Nightstand is hosting a 2nd annual Summer Bingo challenge. As I have been loving the quarterly Bookish Bingo card challenges, I decided to add another card for the summer session.

Here's what the randomizer came up for me:

Looks a bit more challenging and will take me out of my comfort zone in some cases!

Books read:

Square - Self-Help
You're on Your Own (But I'm Here If You Need Me):
Mentoring Your Child During the College Years by Marjorie Savage -my review coming soon

Square - Western
Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman -my review

Square - Currently on the non-fiction bestseller list
Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown -my review

Square - Child on Cover
The Red Sun by Alane Adams -my review

Square - with Time Travel
The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Hayes Palmieri -my review

Square - By an author of a different gender
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter -my review

Square - Published before 1970
Ross Poldark by Winston Graham -my review

Square - Romance or Love Story
Longbourn by Jo Baker -my review

Square - Set in another country
Pieces by Maria Kostaki -my review

Square - Red Cover
Us by David Nicholls -my review

Square - With a protagonist/narrator over the age of 50
Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde -my review

Square - Six Words or More in Title
Young Jane Austen: Becoming a Writer by Lisa Pliscou -my review

Square - With a number in the title
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave -my review

Square - A non-human main character
El Deafo by Cece Bell -my review

Square - Nonfiction
Extraordinary Tales From A Rather Ordinary Guy by Ed Marx -my review

Square - Animal in Title
A Rant of Ravens by Christine Goff my review