Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks: July 2022

Sunday, July 31, 2022

BW31: Crime Spree - True Crime

Happy Sunday! August is upon us and our newest crime spree category brought to us by Sandy and Amy is all about True Crime.

True Crime is a genre with no middle ground—readers either love it or have no stomach for true examples of the darker side of human behavior. The modern genre started with Edmund Pearson in the 1920s and continues today in dozens of forms of media, from books to podcasts.

Studies in Murder by Edmund Pearson

· In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

· The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

· Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

· The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Challenge: Lock your doors, turn on your lights, and pick up a True Crime mystery that won’t keep you up at night.

Our A to Z and Back Again letter of the week is V and Vanguard.

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Sunday, July 24, 2022

BW30: Bookish Miscellanea

Happy Sunday! This week we celebrate Amelia Earhart day, National Tequila day, Culinarians day, All or Nothing day, National Love is Kind day, National Milk Chocolate day, National Lasagna day, National Cheesecake day, and last but not least. Paperback book day. Hmm, I think I'm hungry!

My neighbor dropped off a bag of peaches from his garden today. I decided I should make lasagna as well as a peach pie this week, so off the the grocery store I went. And while I was there, I got to thinking how we've been in kind of a food rut lately and should pick up something different for a change versus the same ole, same ole. I ended up with a potpourri of items. Which brings me to my web wanderings which mirrored my shopping trip. A little bit of this, a little bit of that!

Fiona Barton's Favorite Thrillers featuring Female Detectives

Pass the popcorn: action adventure thrillers

Tasmanian 'book detective' reunites customers with long-lost books and beloved childhood titles

Discovered a new blog as well as an annual book celebration Women in Translation

Chance, Choice, and the Avocado: The Strange Evolutionary and Creative History of Earth’s Most Nutritious Fruit

10 Food Writing Books to Read This Fall

He Might Be a Prophet. That, or the Greatest Chef in the World.

The Cocktail at the End of the Universe

Do any of you remember Graham Kerr? Why the Galloping Gourmet—a Kooky, 1970s TV Chef—Is an Unsung Style Icon for Our Times

Our A to Z and back again letter and word of the week are W and Wine.

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.

Sunday, July 17, 2022

BW29: Fall of the Evening Star

Constellations by Maggie Vandewalle

Happy Sunday! I bookmark things on my computer, buy cards with unique sayings, add books to my wishlist and I'll come across them later and wonder what was I thinking. What struck me at the time and why did I save it? This poem is one of those saved and forgotten. I was going through bookmarks, deleting those I don't use anymore and found it. Don't know when I bookmarked it, but I'm glad I found it again. Love the imagery. Reminds me of reading and rereading stories and getting something completely different out of them versus the first time. Sigh! So lovely.

Fall of the Evening Star

Kenneth Patchen

Speak softly; sun going down

Out of sight. Come near me now.

Dear dying fall of wings as birds

complain against the gathering dark...

Exaggerate the green blood in grass;

the music of leaves scraping space;

Multiply the stillness by one sound;

by one syllable of your name...

And all that is little is soon giant,

all that is rare grows in common beauty

To rest with my mouth on your mouth

as somewhere a star falls

And the earth takes it softly, in natural love...

Exactly as we take each other...

and go to sleep...

All this to say, revisit an old friend by rereading a favorite author or book and enjoy discovering them all over again.

Our letter and word of the week are X and Xiphoid.

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Sunday, July 10, 2022

BW28: 52 Books Bingo - Southern Fiction

Howdy! I was born and raised in the south before we headed out to wild and wacky California. But my roots will always remain in Texas where I was born, then Alabama to Georgia during my formative high school and college years. Yes, I was one of those who used to call everybody hon or sweetie or darlin. And dropped the g's on all words ending in ing. I had to work hard to lose the accent once we landed in California, however my southern accent still creeps back in when I'm tired or I hear someone speaking with a drawl. But Y'ALL has stuck with me ever since. And I bet y'all are wondering why I'm telling you this. Why our next 52 Books Bingo category, of course! :) Time to dip our toes into the wonderful world of Southern Fiction.

What is Southern Literature?

What Makes Southern Literature Unique?

Southern Gothic Literature

36 Deep-Fried Delish Southern Books And Writers

12 Southern Novels That Will Knock Your Boots Off

Seven Atmospheric Mystery Suspense Novels Set in the South

Goodread's Listopia of Best Southern Literature

Our letter and word of the week are Y and Yesteryear

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Sunday, July 3, 2022

BW27: Crime Spree - The Americans

Happy Sunday! July is upon us and our newest crime spree category brought to us by Sandy and Amy is all about American mystery Authors.

Not all of us want to venture too far from home, and The American authors have plenty to offer as well. From the start of hard-boiled detection starting in the 1930s (Carroll John Daly) to Navajo mysteries (Tony Hillerman) to mystery writers that spanned several generations (Rex Stout).

Authors to explore:

Dorothy Hughes (1931-1978)

· Raymond Chandler (1933-1959)

· Rex Stout (1934-1975)

· Baynard Kendrick (1937-1961)

· Sue Grafton (1967-2017)

· Lawrence Block (1958-present)

· Robert B. Parker (1974-2010)

· Tony Hillerman (1970-2006)

Challenge: Pour yourself a stiff drink, grab a dame, and spent a weekend contemplating the grittier side of life by reading an American-centric mystery.

And our countdown begins as we go backwards through the alphabet with A to Z and Back Again. Our letter and word of the week are Z and Zeugma.

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