Monday, March 11, 2024

A to Z Blogging 2024 Theme Reveal

AtoZChallenge theme reveal 2024 #atozchallenge

The theme reveal began yesterday, and there are over 30 so far. 

I wasn't yet sure what my theme would be, as the info for A to Z began on their blog on the first. I was scrambling with ideas since then, and still wasn't sure. But there was one idea I'd been toying with, and will be going with. 

The theme is... 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁


So the movie tanked at the Oscars last night, with Billie Eilish's song as the only winner. But the doll is turning 65 this month. I must admit I did not have a lot of the Barbie stuff as a child, and some of the lines came out long after I had outgrown toys. Some that came out then I might have gone after, from what I have learned about them. The book Thirty Years of Mattel Fashion Dolls was one thing that made me think of this, though the books is terribly outdated and my personal copy has fallen apart. And of course, the hit movie from last summer. All the hype tempted me into seeing it. I'm kind of tempted to buy the DVD, even though many will argue that DVDs are on their way out. But I still have so many (but that's an argument for another time). 

As I said in one of my A to Z posts last year, I  wasn't too big on Barbie, though I did have at least one doll. I was more about other similar dolls. Many do not know that "Barbie" is trademark name and many think it is a generic name for all dolls of similar design. I remember one person saying the had the Starr "Barbie" doll, but Starr was in fact not tied to Barbie, though it was from Mattel. Same with the Donny and Marie Osmond dolls, (also by Mattel) which she also had. And this same person made reference to the Dukes of Hazzard action figures (made by Mego Toys), calling them "Barbie dolls." I can't help feeling disgusted by that one!  I was once under the impression that Barbie had a friend named Julia, but that doll was actually a tie-in line to the hit TV series starring Diahann Carroll. Sorry to get so picky about details, but that's how I get about some things! One could say these dolls were "Not quite part of Barbie's world." And other toy companies have tried to imitate Barbie. Remember Darci from Kenner, or Tuesday Taylor from Ideal? 

So there you have it. The A to Z begins on April 1. I will begin drafting the posts as soon as I can. I'm not sure how many items I will include in each post, as there is a lot to choose from in this theme!

This is my fourth A to Z.  Check my blog archives to see my previous themes and posts.

Monday, March 4, 2024

Blogging A to Z 2024

#AtoZChallenge2024 badge1


It's getting to be that time! The theme reveal is next week and I still haven't come up with one, but I have a some in mind. I'm hoping to post it next week. Also looking forward to seeing what others post. 


Sunday, March 3, 2024

March Bookish Bingo

 The card for March is here.


My Books:

  1. Home--Toni Morrison (4 squares): Library Book, Not in a Series, Physical Book, Soldier or Guard
  2. Say the Word--Frank Delaney (1 square): Audiobook
  3. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry--Rachel Joyce (4 squares): Book Club, Luck (Good or Bad), Soul Mates, Free Space
  4. The Fabulous Zed Watson!--Basil Sylvester (3 squares): Cemetery/Grave, Secret Identity, Beard
  5. Something Wicked--E.X. Ferrars (2 squares): E-Book, In a Series
  6. Sugar and Spice--Sarah Mlynowski (5 squares): Crossover, Silver or Gold on the Cover, Fae/Fairy, Female on the Cover, Empowered Female
  7. The Paris Apartment--Lucy Foley (1 square): Multiple POV

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Book Discussion: How Long Do You Take to Read a Series?

I used to be eager to finish reading a series, thus binge-reading all the books one after the other in order. But lately I have found myself reading the first book in a series, and not reading the rest of the books, not right away anyway. Some of the  reasons for this: 

  1. A lack of interest in continuing (though this is pretty rare)
  2. Unable to find the rest of the books in the series at the library and not wishing to buy the rest if they can't be bought second-hand
  3. Finding a book other than the first one (happens often when getting thrift-store books)
  4. No hurry to continue right away, especially series with really long books (e.g., The Outlander series)
  5. Simply forgetting that I even began (also rare)

One thing that I have come across in my challenges in recent years are prompts for reading a duology or trilogy. In that case, I have to read all the books in the same year, though I have tended not to read the next one(s) immediately after the first one.  One prompt I have this year is "The final installment in a series." I don't yet know what book or series this will be from!


Does the above apply to you? Usually not to me, as I'm always reading something. When I'm done with a  series, I go on to read whatever I choose. Sometimes It's hard to decided what to read next, but that's true in any case (perhaps this could be another discussion topic).

How about you? How long do you take to read a book series? Do you binge or take your time?

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Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Book Buying

Is this you?


Yes, I can be this way. But in the last few weeks or so, I have not felt compelled to buy any books. Even after going the monthly book sale at our local library or stopping at Goodwill. Nothing I saw interested me then and there. I got an Amazon card for Christmas, which I used to buy this writing kit. I got a $25 Visa gift card for my birthday, which I plan to use on Amazon. I may now get another of the writing kits in this series, but am uncertain just yet. I have sen some books that look interesting, but I cannot find them at my library, but am unsure about buying them. Well, maybe if they can be found at a thrift store, though that hasn't been the case recently. One thrift store in my town I have not been visiting lately, seemingly because of lack of time or compulsion to stop in the first place.

And I certainly have more than 10 books at home to read! But I still keep going to the library when the ones I have at home don't fit any of my challenge prompts. And so many of them don't--at least right now. But they will be read--someday.


Posting to:

Discussion Challenge

Friday, February 16, 2024

Spring 2024 Reading Challenge

 Runs from March 1 to May 31, here at Beyond the Bookends.

Spring Reading Bingo 2024 1

    1. Read a Middle Grade Realistic Fiction: The Fabulous Zed Watson!--Basil Sylvester
    2. Read a Book Set Abroad:
    3. Read a Biographical Fiction:
    4. Read a Classic or Classic Retelling:
    5. Read a College Novel:
    6. Read a Friends-to-Lovers Romance: It Starts With Us--Colleen Hoover
    7. Read a Psychological Thriller: The Paris Apartment--Lucy Foley
    8. Read a Book with a Pirate:
    9. Read a Book that Will Make You Cry: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry--Rachel Joyce