June Bookish Bingo

 The new card is here.

My Books:

1. The Path Made Clear--Oprah Winfrey (4 squares): Audiobook, Book Club Read, Cover is a Simple Design, Not in a Series
2. The Other Side--Juan Pablo Villalobos (2 squares): Physical Book, Society
3. Famous Father Daughter--Jamie Bernstein (2 squares): E-Book, Father
4. Summer on the Bluffs--Sunny Hostin (8 squares): Set in Summer, In a Series, Shelf Love, Body of Water, Bride/Wife, Free Space, Current Partner Related to Ex, Soul Mates
5. The Best At It--Maulik Pancholy (3 squares): Free Book, Gifted to You, Secret Crush

Book Challenge by Erin 19.0

 

Categories:

5 points: Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages:

10 points: Read a book set in Ireland :

10 points: Read a book with one of these words in the title: birthday, birth, day, fifty, or fiftieth :

15 points: Read a book that's title starts with E or G (articles The, A, or An are allowed):

20 points: Read a book published in the 1970s or set in the 1970s: 

20 points: (selected by Vivienne) – Read a book inspired by a real event (i.e. historical fiction, true crime:

25 points: (selected by Molly) – Read a book with an animal on the cover or in the title:

30 points: (selected by Kristen W.) – Read a book with a one-word title (no articles for this one):

30 points: (selected by Carly) – Read a book that relates to food, cooking, kitchens, restaurants, or chefs:

35 points: (selected by Vinay) – Read a book on mental health; fiction books welcome, but we encourage readers to challenge themselves with a non-fiction book for this category:

Nonfiction Bingo Summer 2023

 This one is hosted at this Instagram account, and runs form June 1 to August 31. I will get as many books as I can

1. Memoir or biography: Famous Father Daughter--Jamie Bernstein

2. Pop culture: 

3. Book about gun violence:

4. Recommended to you:

5. Science and/or medicine topic: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs--Steve Brusatte

6. LGBTQIAP+ author and/or topic:

7. Book about climate change:

8. History from your own country: The Other Side--Juan Pablo Villalobos

9. History from another country:

10. Published by an academic press:

11. Book about disability:

12. Social justice:

13. New release:

14. On your TBR for more than a year:

15. Essay collection: The Path Made Clear--Oprah Winfrey 

16. Published by an indie press: COVID-19 and Other Pandemics: Comparison--Don Nardo

2023 Summer Reading Challenge @ Messy Middle

One of my favorites for the summer is now up. I will complete as many of the categories as possible during the time frame indicated.

It will start on June 1  and run through August 11, 2023. To enter, read seven books from 25 categories and leave a comment at the end of the challenge with the books you read. That’s all. No entrance fee, no hassle, just fun.

What’s different?

• I tried to find a book we could read in community, but the author didn’t get back to me. So, this idea will have to wait for another summer. Is that something you’d be interested in?
• A few new categories: read in a book in a foreign language, read out lout to someone, and listen to someone read out loud (not an audio book, an actual person) to name a few
• The picture for the reading challenge this challenge was taken by me :). Have any of you every visited Cannon Beach Book Company (in Cannon Beach, Oregon)? Their website claims that they are the “perfect browser’s book store” and I agree. The owner and staff were delightful!
• I lowered the “700 page book” to 600 pages 

What’s the same?

• Many categories will be similar because reading is reading. As mentioned above, you will notice a few new gems
• Choosing a penalty book within the first week of the challenge. A penalty book or category is one you declare to yourself I will read or be penalized. The last five summers I’ve selected a penalty book and it worked, except that my penalty book last year was horrible. I’m now a bit gun shy, but am reminding my self that my track record is 80% good books. I tend to choose “long” history books that I have meant to get around to and this summer is no different. My penalty book for 2023 is No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin (I have been meaning to read this for year and I like her writing). 
• Like previous years, if you do not read your “penalty” book, you will subtract two books from your total.
• The joy of reading!

What’s in it for you?

• All who comment between August 10-14th with the names of the books they read will be entered to win one of ten $10 Amazon gift cards.

Drumroll . . . here are the categories!

1. A biography or a book about history: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs--Steve Brusatte
2. A book you already own: Summer on the Bluffs--Sunny Hostin
3. A book you’ve been wanting to reread
4. A book a friend recommended
5. A Young Adult book (YA): The Best At It--Maulik Pancholy
6. A book of poetry
7. A memoir or autobiography: Famous Father Daughter--Jamie Bernstein
8. A graphic novel
9. A book for professional development (loosely defined): The Path Made Clear--Oprah Winfrey
10. A book longer than 600 pages (counts as two books)
11. A book with a verb in the title
12. A play
13. A book about a country or culture you have never visited
14. A book that won an award
15. A book by someone with a different view point than you
16. A book by an author you know (get “credit” for supporting your friends ): Timeless Depths--Erica Varela
17. A mystery
18. A classic
19. An audiobook
20. A book with an animal
21. A book less than 100 pages: Pinocchio--Margaret Hillert
22. A book you want to discuss with others
23. A book you read as a child
24. A book in a different language than English (could be sign language, morse code, Spanish, don’t get hung up on terms )
25. Read out loud to someone. Could be a whole book, a favorite passage, to a child: Read paragraphs for book group (see below)
26. Listen to someone reading out loud (not an audio book, an actual person): Began reading of Heavy by Kiese Laymon for book group. Each person reads different paragraphs (Will be reading at work weekly; began on June 5)

My Penalty Book: 

Back to the Movies

Last week, I got brave and went to the movies to see Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. I'd read the book many times and was eager to see it on screen. As with many book-to-movie adaptions, there were some differences. 

Even before the pandemic hit, I had not been going to the movie much. I believe the last time was in 2019, to see Last Christmas. When everything started gradually opening up after the quarantine, I was hesitant to do a lot of things, including going to the movies. Also, what was playing then didn't seem to interest me much. I want to save my money and time for ones I really want to see. I almost went yesterday to see the new Book Club movie, but decided against it at the last minute. I felt a little too rushed then, but perhaps another day. After being unable to do this sort of thing for over three years now, I've decided to get back into this mode gradually, though going inside the theater last week felt no different from years before.

I am still undecided abut seeing The Little Mermaid, since it opens on Memorial Day weekend. The cinema will be crowded then, no doubt, and I am not much for crowds. A local play production of The Little Mermaid is happening near me, starting at the end of July, but I'm not certain abut that either. I've not been to see a play since February of 2020, when my local stage company put on California Suite, their last production before the pandemic shutdown. They had already cast and scheduled Beauty and the Beast Jr, for that spring. That show finally place in November 2021, but I was still hesitant about going into these kinds of events at that time. I'd only gotten my booster about a month earlier. Slowly but gradually getting back. And trying to decide whether I want to see the Barbie movie in July. Still time for that, though.

A to Z 2023 Road Trip

 

It's time for the Post A to Z Road Trip 2023! This is a great opportunity to catch up on the many blogs you would have liked to have spent more time visiting, but didn't during the Challenge, and a chance to visit the blogs of people who did the Challenge that you never got to. And, if you're one of those people who did the Challenge but didn't get a lot of visitors, this is a way to let people know that you'd appreciate a visit. 

There's no set time limit to the Road Trip (i.e., no specific end date), so if you wanted to, you could visit everyone who was part of this year's Challenge between now and the start of next year's Challenge. If that's what you want to do, go for it! Most importantly, have fun!

(From the A to Z blog).

Summer Reading 2023! by alisylvi@StoryGraph

 Now this looks like a fun one! I have not joined Storygraph, but will do this. 

Starts: Thursday, 01 June 2023

Ends: Thursday, 31 August 2023

Hello! This is a summer reading challenge featuring summer themed prompts! Tackle your TBR or read new books - it's your choice! Feel free to combine prompts and have a lovely reading summer!!

All prompt pictures are taken from Pinterest!

1. A Beach Read:

Read a book set on the beach or the ocean, or read a book while on the beach or the ocean! 

Summer on the Bluffs--Sunny Hostin

2. Road Trip:

Read a book containing travel or set in a country you would like to visit!

3. Celebrate Pride:

June is Pride month! Read a book by an author in the LGBTQIA+ community or a book featuring LGBTQIA+ characters! 

 

4. A Midsummer Night's Dream:

Read a play or poetry collection: Timeless Depths--Erica Varela

 

5. Be a Tourist:

Read a translated book set in another country than the one you live! Even better if you read a book by a person with different ethnicity and cultural background than you.  
 

6. Outdoor Picnic:

Go outside and enjoy the summer weather! Read an entire book or parts of a book outdoors! Feel free to combine this with other prompts!

7. Strawberry Cake:

Read a book you think will be the cream of the crop! A 5 star prediction or something you think you will very much enjoy! 

  

 

8. Sunset Colors:

Read a book with a cover that has one or more sunset colors! Orange, pink and/or purple. Feel free to combine with other prompts!

9. Summer Lovin':

Read a romance book! If romance is not your thing - read a book featuring friendship or a close sibling bond. 

 

 

10. A Refreshing Lemonade:

Just like how lemonade feels in the summer-  it can feel refreshing to try reading from a new genre or a genre you rarely read!  The Path Made Clear--Oprah Winfrey

11. A Long Vacation:

Challenge yourself to read a longer book than you normally do! 
 

bonus
12. Childhood Nostalgia:

Summer is a time when we miss our childhood summer breaks from school. Read a children's or YA book, a book you never read as a child, or do a reread of any book you'd like to read again!