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 :-)

Yarn Along - June

Yarn Along
hosted by small things
details | June links
On the first Wednesday of each month, knitters, and a few crocheters as well, link up and share what they are knitting along with what they are reading. The link up remains open all month long.

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Knitting:
Yarn: Wool and the Gang - Billie Jean (Indigo Denim and Washed Out Denim)
Needles: 6.5mm / US 10.5

Working on the last piece (sleeve) before putting together a summer cardigan. But, I ran out of yarn this week. Argh!

This is my first go at something knitted other than a scarf. Exciting.

I will post final cardigan here when done.
Reading:

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

Not my norm. I am reading three books. A chapter or two per book per day.

Since the start of Shelter in Place in March my reading has been off. Short attention span. Keep getting distracted with the latest news and Covid-19 count. Thus, short reading stints.

~*~
* first spotted at Reviews from the Stacks

Black Publishing Power

Black Publishing Power
June 14 to June 20, 2020
#BlackoutBestsellerlist #BlackPublishingPower
Purchase any two books by Black writers to...

Blackout bestseller lists with Black voices
My picks:

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
by Austin Channing Brown
Memoir | Goodreads

Girl, Woman, Other
by Bernardine Evaristo
Contemporary, Short Stories, Man Booker Prize 2019 | Goodreads

The City We Became
by N.K. Jemisin
Fantasy, SciFi, New York | Goodreads

The Nickel Boys
by Colson Whitehead
Historical, Pulitzer Prize 2020 | Goodreads

Lovely Books and Things - 5.31.20

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

~*~
HAPPY THINGS:

1. Sleeping in (especially on the weekend)

2. Discovering new songs on Refinery29 (here)

3. Whimsical mural art - found on Fillmore Street

~*~
Bought:

Sharks in the Time of Saviors
by Kawai Strong Washburn
Magical Realism, Hawaii | Goodreads
Library: audiobook

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins
Dystopia, YA | Goodreads
NOTE: Most of the virtual author events below are recorded and can be currently accessed for a listen - check per site

Virtual Author event: hosted by Booksmith
Check out their calendar for future free author events (here)
Tune in Tuesdays 11am pst VIRTUAL: ZYZZYVA & The Booksmith Present: Lockdown Lit @ Lunch
A conversation between Erin Somers and Mary South

Stay Up with Hugo Best
by Erin Somers
Contemporary | Goodreads

You Will Never Be Forgotten: Stories
by Mary South
Contemporary, Humor, Short Stories | Goodreads

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

Brown Album:
Essays on Exile and Identity
by Porochista Khakpour
Memoir, Essays | Goodreads

Virtual Author event: hosted by Borderlands Books
Check out their calendar for future free author events (here)
A conversation between N.K. Jemisen and Rebecca Roadhorse

The City We Became
by N.K. Jemisin
Fantasy, New York | Goodreads

Black Sun
(Between Earth and Sky #1)
by Rebecca Roanhorse
Fantasy | Goodreads

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

Drifts
by Kate Zambreno
Literary | Goodreads

AND watched: on Netflix

Never Have I Ever (2020)
tv series, season one
Creators: Lang Fisher, Mindy Kaling
Stars: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Darren Barnet, Poorna Jagannathan
Comedy, Indian American | imdb | my rating: 5
The complicated life of a modern-day first generation Indian American teenage girl, inspired by Mindy Kaling's own childhood.

DELIGHTFULLY funny, but also deals with serious issues.


AND watched: online part of SFFILM

One Thousand Stories: (2019)
The Making of a Fresco
Director/Writer: Tasha Van Zandt
Star: JR
Biography, Documentary Short | imdb | my rating: 5
One Thousand Stories is a 14-minute documentary that follows JR’s process of creating his first video mural project The Chronicles of San Francisco, which was mounted at SFMOMA in the summer of 2019.

~*~
* image source: JR at SFMOMA

* 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 76, Week 12
Stay healthy! Be safe!

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Camp ToB 2020

Camp ToB 2020
summer reading program (details)
from the Tournament of Books
Camp bylaws are the same as last summer:

- Every week we’ll read half of each book, then discuss here on Wednesdays.

- We’ll be joined in the commentary booth each week by a different member of the Commentariat. (Please volunteer for that in the form below!)

- At the end of each month you decide which of the two books we just read heads to the end-of-summer finale, where you’ll cast one final vote to decide which of our summer reads heads to the 2021 Tournament of Books.

~*~
WINNER: Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn
~*~

The City We Became
by N.K. Jemisin
-Fantasy, New York | Goodreads | my rating: DNF

Sharks in the Time of Saviors
by Kawai Strong Washburn
-Magical Realism, Hawaii | Goodreads | my rating: DNF

The Night Watchman
by Louise Erdrich
-Historical, North Dakota | Goodreads | my rating: tba

Such a Fun Age
by Kiley Reid
-Contemporary | Goodreads | my rating: 5

Weather
by Jenny Offill
-Literary, New York | Goodreads | my rating: 4

Writers & Lovers
by Lily King
-Literary, Massachusetts | Goodreads

Camp ToB 2020 Reading Schedule:

June 3: The City We Became, first half
June 10: The City We Became, second half
June 17: Sharks in the Time of Saviors, first half
June 24: Sharks in the Time of Saviors, second half
July 1: VACATION
July 8: The Night Watchman, first half
July 15: The Night Watchman, second half
July 22: Such a Fun Age, first half
July 29: Such a Fun Age, second half
Aug. 5: Writers & Lovers, first half
Aug. 12: Writers & Lovers, second half
Aug. 19: Weather, first half
Aug. 26: Weather, second half
Sept. 2: Announce summer champion

In My Mailbox -10.9.11

Bought:

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
(The Inheritance Trilogy)
by N.K. Jemisin
-fantasy
got the kindle for $2.99

Free from Kindle: beware some free offers are limited

Skulduggery Pleasant:
Scepter of the Ancients
by Derek Landy
-adventure, fantasy, YA

Free from Smashwords: beware some free offers are limited

The Halloween Collection
Ebook By Indie Eclective
Thanks to Krysykat for the heads up!

Wild & Steamy
stories by:
Meljean Brook
Jill Myles
Carolyn Crane
-paranormal romance, steampunk

For Review:

Dreamland
by Alyson Noël
-fantasy, YA
courtesy of publisher
Thanks Tara!

For Review and giveaway:

Zombie-Killer Bill
by E.M. MacCallum
-zombies
courtesy of author
Thanks EM!
signup for giveaway here

The Dishonored Dead:
A Zombie Novel
by Robert Swartwood
-zombies
courtesy of author
Thanks Robert!
signup for giveaway

Happy Birthday to Me Again
by Brian Rowe
-paranormal, YA
courtesy of author
Thanks Brian!
stay tuned: giveaway in later this month

Won from contest:

Twelfth Enchantment
by David Liss
-fantasy, historical, ARC
Thanks to A Buckeye Girl Reads!

The Lantern
by Deborah Lawrenson
-mystery, France
Thanks to Unabridged Chick!

~*~
Bookie Brunch schedule
Now follow me to the Bookie Brunch meeting for a bit of chit chat at StoryWings

Bookie Brunch Question of the day: Are you a book buyer or a book borrower? Why?

Answer this question at the host site and be eligible to win a Bookie Brunch giveaway prize!

~*~
* 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

* 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.