Here is a great giveaway if you'd like a Kindle.


Choosy's giveaway

14 Signs You Were Born to Read!!!

by Julia Seales

• You were picking up books at an early age.
• You are fascinated with learning.
• You have a great imagination
• You are an empathetic person
• You'd drop everything if a story was involved.
• Bedtime was your favorite.
• When you first went to a library you thought you were in heaven.
• You know the best way to unwind from stress.
• Words fascinate you.
• You started hoarding books at an early age.
• You have confused book plot lines with your own memories
• You like having alone time
• Your family reads a lot.
• You want more than reality.

Complete article can be found here

Trivia and interesting fact of the day:    The Eagles' song Witchy Woman was based on Zelda Fitzgerald's biography.  That's right the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald.   Here is an article that gives you the high points of Zelda's life and then under the picture I have listed some biographies written about her life.  10 Roaring Facts about Zelda Fitzgerald by Suzanne Raga  The article was found on Mental Floss

Biographies of Zelda Fitzgerald:

• Z:  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Theresa Anne Fowler
• Zelda Fitzgerald:  The Tragic Meticulously Researched Biography of the Jazz Age's High Priestess by Sally Cline
• Zelda A Biography by Nancy Milford
• Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald:  An American Woman's Life  by Linda Wagner-Martin

All of these and more can be found on Amazon.

Poet Benjamin Zephaniah is a British Jamaican Rastafarian writer.  Like me, you might be asking what a Rastafarian is?  So, since inquiring minds want to know including mine, I looked it up.

The Rastafarian religion started in the slums of Jamaica in the 1920's and 30's.  It is politically base.  Some Rastafarians see it as a way of life and some as a religion. There is no formal structure and beliefs vary widely.  You can learn more at Religion Facts/Rastafarianism

Zephaniah is a performance poet (poetry is composed for or during a specific performance).  He is also a reggae artist.  He left school at 13 unable to read or write - he was dyslexic so that probably played a part in his inabilities and leaving school.

He describes his poetry as being based on 'street politics' based in Jamaica.  He published his first book of poetry in 1980 called Pen Rhythm

He has received many honorary doctorates from many prestigious universities.   Zephaniah has also written a few novels and several children's books.  

To read about Benjamin Zephaniah here is an interview with Writers and Artists, The Insider Guide to Media.

Information gathered from Wikipedia and PoemHunter.com  Each of the links go to the page about the author.

RIP Alan Rickman probably most recently known for his part in Harry Potter as Professor Snape.  Did you know over his career he brought 6 prominent literary characters to life.

Here is an article at Bustle that tells you which characters.  6 Literary Characters Alan Rickman Brought to Life  There are more characters he played and he played a villain well.  Here is How to Play a Villain  The many faces of Alan Rickman.

    

Bookmobile circa sometime between  1935-1948

I love vintage and retro things!  They have personality and stories to tell.  I especially like vintage books and their covers.  

The New York Public Library has some 1920's and 1930's book jackets and you can check them out here

I think I discovered today I might have a slight hoarding problem - not books, most of those are on my Kindle so I really don't "see" how many I have.  Yarn - yep yarn.  I have to clear out one of my craft rooms to put a new floor down and I have 5 bags of over 100 skeins each and I haven't done the baby yarn or crochet thread yet.   I know, I'm bad.  I'm making a vow not to buy any yarn for at least 6 months till I use some up.

Here are 16 New Years resolutions for book nerds according to Buzzfeed

1. You promise you won't buy any more books till you finish your to-read pile. ha, I've tried this it doesn't work.
2. You solemnly swear that you'll stop using receipts as book  marks in favor of one you won't lose.  I just lose those too.
3. You finally commit to donating that pile of books that have been sitting in the closet for months.
4. And you pledge to read That Classic Novel that everyone has read but you. 
5. You also vow to read books by authors you have not read before.  I do this all the time anyway so I'm ahead of the game, lol.
6. And you 'swear' that this is the year you will get your shelves organized.
7. You also tell yourself this is the year you'll FINALLY tackle the Game of Thrones books. Not really.
8. You promise to stop 'whining' when your book club picks a title that doesn't appeal to you.
9. And you promise yourself you won't judge people when they say that their favorite book is just the current #1 best seller.
10. You'll read various genres instead of just your favorite.  Yep, accomplished this last year -spread my wings and enjoyed it.
11. You promise to stop babbling about the current book ~that changed your life~when you know your friends are ZONING out.  
12. You swear to explore more of your local Indie book stores.
13. And you'll make an effort to not get too 'ragey' when someone in your family interrupts your reading.   No promises here.
14. You'll promise not to spend all your book gift cards in one trip.  I didn't get any but I don't think I could make this promise if I had.  lol
15. You also promise to be more organized and keep track of which book you leant to which friend.  I doubt this is going to happen, lol.  I can't remember where I put my keys, let alone where which books are.
16. Most importantly, you swear on your stacks of books that you'll never stop reading!!!  Yeppers, most definitely.

For the original article by Farrah Penn go here

Had to share this.  A writer, Al Macy, shared it in his newsletter so I thought I would share it with my readers.

Patty Jansen is hosting a promotion of 60 - yep 60 free kindle sci fi, fantasy and post-apacolyptic books.  I don't know how long it will last so check it out HERE

This was too big an event to just put on the regular book giveaways page!!!

According to Shannon Fiedler on Romper.com there are 13 books you should read before they become movies in 2016.  

Here is the list:

1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander by J.K. Rowling
2. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
3. The BFG by Roald Dahl
4. Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Laura Myracle
5. I Take You by Eliza Kennedy - this might be a 2016 release
6. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
7. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
8. Inferno by Dan Brown
9. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
10. The Zookeeper's Wife:  A True Story of an Unlikely Heroine by Diane Ackerman
11. East of Eden by John Steinbeck - no release date for this one
12. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
13. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Full Article can be found here.

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope all my readers have a safe, healthy, happy 2016 filled with lots of good books!

I came across this article on a book being currently banned from 10th graders in an Idaho high school and thought I would share.  I think banning the book is outrageous and say - good for the 350 students, Rediscovered books store and Hachette publishing.  I'm trying very hard not to get on a soap box and go off on the backward practice of banning books soooooooooooo

You can find the article here:  Parents call cops on teens distributing a banned book.