I love it when a series of moments pull themselves together and become a story, especially when you never saw the story coming. For me, the story is about what I am calling "My 24 Hours with Joan Didion."
The clocks changed today. This is one of my favorite days of the year. I get a whole extra hour to spend, which has 60 minutes...and I have 60 different ways to spend this time.
You would think after recommending books to the 1.1 million readers in our Network each month I would find suggesting books to friends to be a snap. But, oh no, this is pressure. In the past months I have found myself sweating my role of what I call, "Book Concierge."
Today, August 26th, marks the 9th anniversary of Bookreporter.com, and its parent company, The Book Report Network. This week I pulled a late night at the office and went through some old files and paperwork. Along the way I took a trip down memory lane. As I am quite a pack rat, I found the original drawings for our first site, endless papers with all kinds of notes and ideas for features, and screen shots of some of our early "issues" of the site.
Here are the books I have packed for vacation reading:
ALL THIS BELONGS TO ME by Ad Hudler - I have been a fan of Ad's since HOUSEHUSBAND.CASE HISTORIES by Kate Atkinson - This is coming out in paperback in September. Four people including Joe Rivera, our designer, said this is one of the best books that they have read.CHILL FACTOR by Sandra Brown - Beach means read Sandra.CREEPERS by David Morrell - We are doing a Suspense/Thriller feature on David...looking forward to reading him.
I love to read and I am lucky enough to have children who love to read. This is why I loathe, abhor and out-and-out HATE required summer reading for kids. It takes away the pleasure of reading.
I put this in the same category as homework projects that require parental involvement for trips to the craft store, glue of any sort (as ours is ALWAYS dried up no matter how many containers I buy) or participation from me or a skilled professional. I can see you all rolling your eyes and commiserating. But, I digress.
My blog about my library memories got so many notes from readers that I wanted to share their comments with you. Read on, and see if any of their words provoke some memories for you.
LIBRARY STORIES FROM BOOKREPORTER.COM READERS:
Traveling and a hectic schedule have kept me from acknowledging --- and celebrating --- the 10th Anniversary of Amazon.com. I have decided belated is better than skipping this occasion since I think this anniversary deserves to be acknowledged.
Remember when you would hear the word Amazon and think only of a river in Brazil? Ha, if you are a book lover, I am betting the river is a distant second thought these days.
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from January 31st to February 14th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict and THREE DAYS IN JUNE by Anne Tyler.
Our major goal for 2025 is to redesign Bookreporter and the rest of the sites in The Book Report Network. How can you help? We have launched a GoFundMe campaign and are asking for donations. Any level of donation that you would be comfortable with is sincerely appreciated. If you would prefer donating via check, please send to:
The Book Report, Inc.
16 Mt. Bethel Road, Suite 365
Warren, NJ 07059
Click here to read more about our plans and to donate.
Coming Soon
Curious about what books will be released in the months ahead so you can pre-order or reserve them? Then click on the months below.
February's Books on Screen roundup includes the season premieres of Prime Video's "Reacher" and Netflix's "Sweet Magnolias"; the season finale of "Dexter: Original Sin" on Paramount+; the films Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy on Peacock and Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery on Hallmark Mystery, along with The Monkey and The Unbreakable Boy in theaters; the continuation of CBS's "Tracker" and "Watson" (both return February 16th), in addition to ABC's "Will Trent" and Hallmark Channel's "When Calls the Heart"; the series premiere of "Apple Cider Vinegar" on Netflix; and the DVD/Blu-ray releases of Wicked;The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim; Oh, Canada; and Across the River and Into the Trees.