Happy Friday Links

2-4-22

Happy Friday!

What a gift Thursday and Friday turned out to be this week for me. I knew early in the week that snow and ice would be here by the end of the workweek. When it gets icy, I sometimes can’t get past the bottom of the stairs, much less to my car and out of the apartment complex. I woke up yesterday morning to sleet and snow on the ground, resulting in ice and a four-day weekend. I am treasuring this gift as these two workdays off will be my last until after the April tax season deadline. Catching up on some magazines that are piling up, contemplating what my reading life will look like this year, and staying toasty warm inside with a couple of great books is my idea of a lazy, fantastic weekend.

Since I have extra time this week, Happy Friday links are back for a surprise appearance. Even though I haven’t written a Friday newsletter for a few weeks, I’m still collecting links to articles that I find interesting and that you might like too. So, here we go:

• If you enjoy reading about an author’s writing process with a bit of real-life thrown in, you will enjoy this article. Laura Lippman shares about her writing process of being a morning writer, walking, and how she carves out reading time for herself.

• I’m not in the market to get married, but if I were, I would seriously look at one or more of these libraries to get hitched. What a novel idea this is to share your love of reading with your friends and family.

• I mentioned Isabel Allende’s newest book here, and this article tells about why she wrote Violeta, more about her life and overall writing process.

• I’ve confessed that I’ve been late to the party on many things before, but not only was I late this time, I wasn’t even in the same city on this one. How have I NOT heard of bell hooks before? This article rectifies that and makes me want to read her books now. If you’ve read any of her books, which is a good one to read first?

• I’m a proponent of tracking your reading and keeping a reading journal; I think both make for a richer reading experience. I’ve written about both here and here. I enjoy reading about other people’s lessons learned from exploring their own reading habits. Sometimes it works, and other times, it doesn’t; I believe there are lessons to be learned from both.

• We’ve all heard of writer’s block, and now there is “reader’s block.” I see all over social media readers saying they just can’t find something to read that holds their attention. This article delves into reader’s block and some tricks to prevent it.

• If you want to read more books written by people of color, Electric Literature has a great list of sixty-two books by women of color. I’ve heard of many, and several are already on my TBR; how many are on your TBR?

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February is looking to be a great month for new books; here are a few that publish next Tuesday that I can’t wait to read and one I’ve already read and loved.

• With Love from London by Sarah Jio - This novel focuses on a librarian that inherits her mother’s bookstore in London and finds herself thrust into the story of family secrets, her mother’s past, and what the future might hold for her. I’m curious to see if her writing has held up for me over the years, as I haven’t read much romance over the last several years. Along with the author, the inherited bookstore theme is what draws me to this book; hopefully, that and the dual timeline will be enough to keep me interested to the end.

• Shadows of Pecan Hall by Caroline Frost - Bestselling author of White Oleander, Janet Fitch describes this as “Paper Moon meets Badlands in this mesmerizing Texas backroads thriller, a twisty story … told in a gritty sensual prose.” The characters are described as unlikable most of the time, but compelling nonetheless; the storyline described as fascinating and simultaneously troubling, and both will stay with the reader for a long time. There are cringe worthy spots and some violence trigger warnings, but it is drawing praise from early reviewers as comparable to Where the Crawdads Sing.

• The Next Ship Home by Heather Webb - I was excited to receive this book as a Net Galley ARC, and I was not disappointed. I’ve read several of Webb’s books co-written with Hazel Gaynor, but this is the first sole-author book of hers that I’ve read, and it won’t be the last. Set at Ellis Island at the turn of the century, this book tells the story of two women; an immigrant arriving at Ellis Island for a better life in America and a translator arriving for her first day of work at Ellis Island. A horrible act brings these two women together to fight injustice, and these experiences will change each of their lives forever. The rich characters and descriptions have the reader understanding what immigrants felt arriving in America with dreams of a better life, to the injustices that immigrants and women workers faced at this facility. Kristina McMorris, one of my favorite HF authors, says, “A seamless tale of immigrants, corruption, resilience, and hope”; this book will stay with me for a long time.

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I hope that the weather doesn’t keep you from doing important things this weekend, as it looks like it will be challenging for many in the US. If you aren’t missing any important activities this weekend, I hope you can spend time doing fun things that allow you to relax and enjoy the inside while it is so cold outside. I’ll be inside, staying warm, wrapped up in the “bookcase” blanket I received for Christmas. I need to finish a book for one of my postal book clubs, and I’ll be enjoying my last free time for a couple of months. I’d love to hear how you will be spending your weekend and what good books you’ve read recently.

I’m so appreciative that you read my newsletters week after week. You spend your precious time reading and commenting on each one, and I don’t take that gift lightly. I’m convinced that readers are the best people in the world. Happy reading!

Some of the links in this newsletter may be affiliate links. That means that if you click through and purchase anything, I may earn a small commission. This costs you nothing and helps me feed my voracious reading habit, and for that, I thank you.