Welcome New Subscribers and a Few Links to Start Your Week

Another quick newsletter with lots of bookish goodness

Hi Readers,

I’m writing this on Sunday after working at my day job for 16 days straight. I’ve got five more days before I can get my life back and enjoy reading again. Welcome new subscribers; I’m so glad you found my little corner of the internet. Thank you’s go out to Brent & Michael Are Going Places for recommending my newsletter to their subscribers, and Books on Gif also recommended my newsletter along with several other bookish newsletters. Please check out both of these creators; I subscribe to both and enjoy their newsletters each time they land in my inbox.

This will be another short newsletter, and then hopefully, next week, I’ll be refreshed and ready to get back to my regular posting schedule. I’ve listed a few links below to interesting articles, a recommendation of a couple of virtual literary festivals, and a shoutout to another favorite of mine. Let’s get started.

• I had no idea that the Book of the Month Club has been around for almost a hundred years. This Bookriot article takes a quick look at its history, along with some recent controversy and the changes it has made because of the controversy.

• What a terrific idea; think of it as a “mini version of a book club.”

• My friends over at Strong Sense of Place wrote in this week’s Endnotes (isn’t that diner picture gorgeous) about the upcoming virtual Newburyport Literary Festival. Mel & Dave will be presenting again this year; they were so much fun to watch and listen to a couple of years ago; I can’t wait to do it again. All the events are free; register for one or all, and enjoy some great bookish events. While you are at SSoP, be sure to sign up for their Friday newsletter, and the best part of it is the Endnotes. Psst.. the new season of their podcast starts in two weeks, and I can’t wait.

• I’ve heard about commonplace books before, but I was never very interested in starting one myself. And then I read this article; both articles are from fellow Bookstackers (Substack newsletter creators writing about books). I might have to rethink this as I can see many good reasons to start one.

• The Epigraph Literary Festival, a free virtual literary festival, begins on April 21st and goes through the 23rd. There are author events, book journaling and tracking your reading classes, events focusing on specific genres, and so much more.

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Beginning in March 2020, in-person bookish events were either canceled or transitioned online, allowing for a different type of event. I enjoy doing in-person events, but virtual events are the next best thing when you can’t attend in person. I enjoyed the Newburyport Literary Festival so much that I decided I would attend in person when I could. Here’s hoping 2023 and beyond are in person again.

I hope everyone has a fantastic week; make sure you get your taxes finished by Friday, enjoy a book or two, and happy reading!