First, I just have to say all of you guys are the best! Thank you so much for all the super nice comments you left me. I’m sorry I didn’t comment myself and I know I haven’t been around to blog visit but I’ve been spending some time away from the computer this weekend. Sometimes that’s a good thing. I promise to catch up, and I have taken note of all the suggestions you’ve left and those which I haven’t read have gone on the famous TBR list. Oh it’s so long now.
Now the moment you’ve been waiting for…. Lesley of A Life in Books is the winner of a special handmade book! Congrats Lesley. I’m sorry I can’t give everyone a bookish prize but I’ll just have to think of more contests throughout the year. By the way, you must go visit Lesley because she’s just announced a reading challenge. There can never be enough of those!
My weekend was spent reading and hanging out with friends. I did have two bookish encounters which really made me smile this weekend. The first one was at Starbucks. I stopped for a hazelnut latte and the barrista noticed I had a book with me. She asked me if I liked to read (I guess she doesn’t know I’m Bookgirl – heh) and I said yes. She told me that I must join their book club and of course I said yes again. Seriously, what is wrong with me? I already belong to two book groups. Ah well, maybe she won’t call me to remind me because then I’ll feel guilty if I don’t go.
The second bookish encounter happened while I waited for a friend at a restaurant. I was reading, Parable of the Sower, when a girl came over because she noticed the title. She asked me if I liked the book and said she hoped so because it was an amazing read. She sat next to me and we started talking about the book for a bit and even though I haven’t finished it based on what I’ve read so far and what she said I will definitely be reading more by Octavia Butler. How nice to be able to share the love of a good book with perfect strangers right?
Anyway it was a great weekend and I am so close to finishing Parable of the Sower so I’m off to do that right now.
I am glad that people in TX read! Try the other book group; you never know!
Sounds like a lovely weekend. And can you really have too many book groups? 😛
I read Butler’s Kindred a couple years ago, and I really liked it. It’s not traditional sci-fi (which I don’t like)…a black woman in present-dayish America keeps being snapped back to the plantation her ancestors were slaves on. What a neat premise! And Butler definitely does justice to it.
How fun! I love bookish encounters. While on vacation, I was tempted to sidle up to people to talk about what they were reading, but I didn’t. I did find myself looking around, thinking, “Suppose that person is a blogger and we know each other by our screen names?” Neat thought, really. 🙂 I have a couple of Octavia Butler’s books on my wish list, so I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying Parable of the Sower.
How nice to actually have people ask about what you’re reading. That doesn’t often happen to me even though I have my book on the bus every day. The Butler book sounds interesting–you’ll have to share your thoughts on it when you finish!
Wow — that is just great — to make that connection with others through books. Hope you had a good rest of the weekend…. we will have to attmempt Xocolatl again. Anyway — it was great to catch up.
Isabel – Ha,ha. I’ll see about the other book group. Depends on what kind of books they read and when they meet I guess.
Tanabata – Well that is true 🙂
Eva – Oh that one sounds good too. Yes, Parable is not what I would have thought of as sci/fi either so it’s a nice surprise.
Nancy, Bookfool – Wouldn’t that be funny?! Sometimes I’m tempted to go up to someone but then I think they may not want to be distrubed. I know when I used to ride the bus to go to work I hated it when anyone talked to me when I was reading. Then again, there were a lot of strange ones on the bus so that may have been my hesitation 🙂
Danielle – As much as I’m in the bookstore/library it hardly ever happens to me either. So it was kind of neat to have it happen twice in one weekend.
Christine – Yes, we have to go back to Xocolatl. Next time we are calling ahead. The Petit Four place was totally cute though so that was a lot of fun. So happy to see you guys 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever had any random book discussions like you had twice in one weekend! Maybe there just aren’t as many readers here where I live. 🙁
I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it to you or not, but your screen name (not sure if it is your real name or not) is a slightly different spelling of one of the names we have chosen if we have a girl: Eliana! (The other name we have picked is Maya…we’ll be finding out June 29 if we are having a boy or girl).
Hurray! Thank you!
Sounds like you had a great weekend. I wish I could get invited to a bookclub, I haven’t found one since moving here. 🙁 Perhaps I don’t look approachable enough! I also don’t think I’ve ever had an in-depth conversation with a complete stranger over a book, but that would be lovely, too. I’ve only read Butler’s Kindred but really enjoyed it. Perhaps I should look into her other works.
The perfect weekend. I think it is so cool perfect strangers connected with you!
I read two books and started a third.
Everything you may have heard about “A Heart Shaped Box” by Joe Hill is true. It was SO good.
I love Parable of the Sower! I should try to find my review of it (in my personal blog from before I made a books blog) and post it for you to read.
Happy belated blogiversary! I was away from my computer most of the weekend.
Hope you aren’t drowning down there!!
Alisia – Hope you’ll have a good encounter one of these days! And, yes, Iliana is my real name. I get the “e” spelling a lot too. You’ll have to keep us posted on what the sonogram reveals – how exciting!! 🙂
Lesley – Have you checked the bookstore or library? From my experience most of the B&N & Borders bookstores in the Dallas area do have book groups so I would think those in other cities would too. Hope you find a good one. That can be hard.
Nancy – Oh I’m so glad to hear you are enjoying A Heart Shaped Box. I really want to read it. Have heard it’s fantastically creepy!
Dew – I just read your review of another Butler book but I’d love to read the one on Sower.
Les in NE – Thank you! And, let’s just say I’m ready to start building the ark! Geez, we never have rain in June so it is a bit weird. Hope you enjoyed being away from the computer. I need to do that more often 🙂
Congratulations to Lesley! Sounds like a lovely prize. I love that you agreed to join another book club – I can barely commit to one list of books for my club. What fun to chat with someone about your current read, I love when people approach me to say how much they loved what I am reading.
Drat! I missed the book giveaway. Cool bookish encounter over Parable of the Sower. I am glad you are enjoying it. Butler is an amazing writer.