It’s been so long since I’ve done one of these posts but I love sharing bookish/paper arts/etc. stories that I think you might enjoy as well. So I’m back with another post!

Do you miss library card catalogs? It’s so nice to be able to find things quickly thanks to the internet but I have fond memories of learning how to use the card catalog. If you want to learn a bit more about its history read this article.

Speaking of libraries, did you know that the New York Public Library has a collection of weird objects? I loved Virginia Woolf bound journal which sounds like she made. Check out this short video to learn more about artists and some of their special items.

If you are having a hard time sticking to some of your New Year’s resolutions and need a habit tracker to help you with your reading goals, check out this clever bookmark.

For all those of us who have piles and piles of books, we’re in good company.

Have you ever thought, wouldn’t it have been lovely to talk to Jane Austen about her books? Well through this A.I. chatbot you can! There are many other figures (historical/current) but of course I would only want to hear some of Jane Austen’s thoughts or perhaps Shakespeare!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and are reading good things!

Last week I joined my Mystery Book group to discuss Stone Dead by Christopher Wortley. To sum it up, this book was not one of our favorites. It was a bit all over the place. Was it a mystery, was it fantasy, who was the target audience? I will say though as usual with a book that is not a favorite, we had a very lively discussion. I’ll try to do a bit of a review later.

Now to look forward to our upcoming reads:
State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Walk the Wire by David Baldacci
Ghost Daughter by Helen Curie Foster

I’ve not read any of these but I have read a book by Helen Curie Foster (local author) and I’m excited to read another one in her series. Plus, she’s going to be at our book group meeting to share more about her writing process, characters, etc.

Oh and speaking of mysteries, in not so good news, Mystery Scene Magazine suspended its print publication in December. Ugh another great magazine I enjoy bites the dust. Luckily they are still publishing articles and reviews online.

Now in exciting news the Mystery Writers of America announced the 2023 Edgar Nominees? There are several nominated for Best Novel that I am really curious to read. Our mystery group read The Red Palace by Jane Hur in December and we quite enjoyed it so I was happy to see it made the nominees list for Best Young Adult.

Would love to hear if you’ve read any of these or on the Edgar’s list. Or maybe you have a good mystery to recommend!