Book Club
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Blog Posts
Welcome to my literary life.
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Ten years ago, Tina, Veronica, Melinda, and I were at one of our Sunday family events, talking about the books we had read, the ones we loved, and the endless list we still wanted to get to. At one point, we decided to start a book club. A decade later, the format has evolved, our…
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My process began by researching ‘genrefication’. I follow a few bloggers and wanted to learn about their processes – what they learned and what they would do differently. I also read a few articles about the potential problems from genrefication, For my process, I didn’t want to create a big mess in the library. I…
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Figure 1: Image generated using Word Press AI Image Generator. During my school’s Open House I stayed in the library and got some work done. I wasn’t visited by any parents and nor did I expect to. Parents are busy and need to see their children’s teachers. It doesn’t mean that they don’t appreciate the library.…
The Salem Literary Festival in Salem, MA was so much fun. It was in September in Salem, MA so there were absolutely people dressed in costume, including plenty of witches walking around. However, my friends and I were able to find parking and walk around comfortably. That would not have been the case in October.
This year I was able review the schedule ahead of time and learned of suspense author Karen Dionne. This led me to read her book “The Marsh King’s Daughter” which I devoured. Give me a book set in a marsh, with character(s) isolated from the rest of the world any day. The book is set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where Dionne grew up with her homestead family. Like any author talk or interview, you get the backstory, and a few more details about the book, making it even better.
Currently Reading Podcast
One of my favorite podcasts is the Currently Reading Podcast. https://www.currentlyreadingpodcast.com/
This podcast is so well done. The hosts Meredith and Kaytee follow the same structure for each episode. There is very little chit chat about things unrelated to the show. They are very personable and have good chemistry. You learn a lot about them, but they do it in a way that doesn’t take them off topic, which I really appreciate.
Each episode starts with their bookish moment of the week. Next, Meredith and Kaytee each share three books they have recently read. They give honest reviews, with no spoilers.
Then then do a deep dive into a bookish topic. Topics have been, “How do you organize your home library?” or “How do you pick your next book?” or “What are your favorite snacks while reading?”
Why I like this podcast most is because they try to bring books that aren’t already being talked about on BookTok. Sometimes it feels like everybody is reading and reviewing the same books. They know that so they bring books that might not be on your radar. They also bring some backlist books, which I love.
The podcast is ad free! And it is free to you. They do offer a $5.00 per month membership for additional content, but you don’t have to join.
Once you get to know their reading tastes, you will quickly begin to notice which book recommendations are right for you. I’m more of a Meredith follower as we both like mystery, horror, and some contemporary fiction.
One of my favorite episodes that they do at the end of each year, is their Top 10 books for the year. Even if you just listen to their Top 10 episodes, you will walk away with some outstanding new books to read.
There are also special episodes. Kaytee does a Popcorn in the Pages series with a different host, where they review the book and the movie. Meredith hosts “Journey to Three Pines” with a different host. This is a special series on the Three Pines series by Louise Penny. These episodes are so freaking good, and if you love this series, you have to listen to this show.
This is their seventh season. I would recommend starting from the beginning because you will learn a lot about them, their reading habits, and how their reading life has changed over the years. Happy listening.
isa bookworm 