Hi everyone. If you have been around here lately you may have noticed the mess from BEA everywhere – books, notes, swag stuff…. I have literally been chatting BEA all week-long.
Ummm…. can you say “addict?”
This is my post for Weekend Cooking the weekly meme from Beth Fish Reads. Earlier this week I talked about a dinner at Mercer’s Kitchen in New York with the amazing Beth Hoffman. I had also mentioned the delicious spiced almonds we had while sitting at the bar and waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Since coming home… my mind has still been thinking about the almonds. 😛
With a little help from Google (my gosh… what did we do before Google?) I found a recipe that I thought would be fun to try to see if I can come close to the awesome experience I had at Mercer’s Kitchen.
Spiced Almonds
Yields 2 cups (I doubled this as I am that much in love with these!)
You will need:
2 cups raw almonds (you can use another nut…. but my fav is the majestic almond)
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar (packed)
3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ – ¾ teaspoon cayenne powder
½ teaspoon salt
Directions:
Prepare counter space or a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil to place nuts to dry. Set aside. Take the sugars and spices and mix well in a medium size bowl. In a large dry saute pan on medium heat stir in the almonds and continue stirring frequently to avoid burning. Once they are well heated, then stir in the butter. Once almonds are well coated, transfer to the bowl with the spices and coat well. Put the almonds on the prepared paraffin wax or foil. Spread them apart so they can cool, separating with a fork.
Store in an airtight jar - or freeze in a large ziploc for future use
That’s it.
Results?
It’s close. The spices did not stick as well to the nut as they had at Mercer’s Kitchen. (Any advice on what would make that happen is welcome :D)
I think these would go well with a cold beverage of choice – The Lemonade recipe here would go well.
Throughout the week I have been sharing with you moments of last weeks BEA. I probably could have bunched them up into fewer posts, but each topic I have posted on has required more of me than a few descriptive words. I think even with this being my second year attending BEA, I have trouble believing such an event exists, as this is truly what I would have envisioned Heaven to be like….. books, books everywhere :D…
That said – forgive me as I gush out even more BEA posts….
On Thursday May 26, I had a wonderful opportunity to go on the tour of Greenwich Village as invited by one of my favorite authors, Adriana Trigiani. Our event started with a taxi ride to Greenich Village (apparently called “The Village” by New Yorkers) where we met Nikki, who was our tour guide. What was super cool is this is Adrianna’s own tour – Called Adriana Trigiani Tours. The tour(s) is centered around places she mentions in her books and for a book lover and a big fan of Adriana Trigiani it is beyond AWESOME!
There were 10 of us on the tour and it was so much fun. Nikki was amazing and I soon learned she knew her stuff. As we walked we learned not only the connections of the places to the books, but also the history they held in New York, as well as the history of Greenwich Village. Our tour took us to the Church that is mentioned as a place you may have found two of Adriana’s favorite characters, Lucia Sartori and Valentine Roncalli (Lucia Lucia).
Gorgeous isn't it?
The oldest house in the village built in 1799, updated and expanded in 1836, and a third floor added in 1928 still remains at 77 Bedford Street. The skinniest home in New York (I believe it was all of New York) is also in the Village, notably 9 1/2 feet on the outside, 8 1/2 feet wide on the inside and 32 feet deep.
*groan* Where would I put my books?
We walked on and seen gorgeous homes and gardens, at one point our guide pointed out an apartment and said that we may recognize this as the outside of Monica’s apartment from the show Friends. (I LOVED Friends!!!)
Monica's Apartment from the sitcom Friends
As we walked and took in the sights and learned the facts, we stopped at McNulty’s Rare Teas which was a delight for the senses! Walking inside there were rows and rows on assorted teas with incredible names like Apple Pie, Cinnamon Stick, etc… I just INHALED.
MMMM..... smelled delicious inside and out!
Of course there is so much more to this walking tour and I know I am not doing it justice but trust me – this is an experience you will not want to miss. Check out Adriana’s Tour site and learn more AND for those of you going to Italy (I am jealous…. but that’s beside the point :D) be sure to see Adriana’s Italy tour as well which I here is just as divine!
As if that was not enough of a treat, we were then escorted into the Standard Grill which has a gorgeous floor tiled in pennies…. I kid you not. PENNIES. Check it out here. We all sat at a long table in a room all set up for us and while we chatted with our group… in walked the lady we had all come to see…. Adriana Trigiani.
“Hello Ladies!” she exclaimed and we instantly greeted her.
Adriana is always so down to earth and real. She treats us like old friends, and once I stop pinching myself, I believe I am. As the bread is passed around the table and the water glasses filled, Adriana starts sharing stories – which I LOVE to hear, from her early writing days, to how she came to live in the Village… I could listen to her for days….
When it came time to order, we had little menus placed in front of us as and we chose a soup or salad starter, a main dish, and dessert. I went with the orange squash soup, as I was intrigued that it said it had Yogurt in it. It came served chilled and it was delicious!
Then came my main dish – I chose the grilled egg plant and I was so pleased I forgot to take a picture of it. It was fantastic and I would definitely have that again and highly recommend it.
In the end came a lovely dessert, I went with the raspberry topped cheese cake that was… oh my gosh…. words can not describe but I can tell you my mouth is watering right now as I think about it….
The food and the company – SUPERB! We talked and laughed and had pictures taken. I adore my time with Adriana and this group of fantastic bloggers. I can not wait for her next book to come out!!!
Left back: Julie (Booking Mama), Candace (Beth Fish Reads),Dawn (She's Too Fond Of Books), Reagan (Miss Remmers Reviews), Me, Adrianna Trigiani, Alison (Alison's Book Marks), Nikki our wonderful tour guide, Front left: Diane (BookChickDi), Lenore (Presenting Lenore), Kathy (Bermuda Onion), and Tanya (Dog Eared Copy).
As we gathered to leave, Adriana handed each of us two of her books, signed to each one of us.
Hopefully I did not overdose on the pictures here but this was such a visual experience I had to share it. 😀
The Book Blogger Convention (BBC) for the last two years has followed the excitement of the Book Expo of America (BEA). When the expo ends on Thursday, Thursday evening has been a Book Blogger Reception and then Friday is the BBC, a day committed to Book Bloggers connecting with authors, publishing houses… it is a Book Blogger work shop and well worth attending.
After a delicious breakfast served at 7:45 am and a chance to build your own swag bag, we all settled into a large room to listen to our Keynote Speaker, Sara Wendell. Sara is a fellow book blogger and if I remember this correctly (it was early after a crazy busy week) I think an author too. Sara was funny, describing the first time she was offered a galley…
“What’s a galley?” she had asked. When they said it was a book sent to her for free to read and review she was shocked. When a large box a short time later “THUMPED” on her front step she was beside herself…. FREE BOOKS. MY PRECIOUS! (picture Gollum here). When Sara had finished reading the books she called the company and asked where to return them. They laughed at her and told her to do what she wanted with them – the lady on the phone told Sara that she burned her copies…
“Burning BOOKS?” Sara had cried out in disbelief…. no, “I will keep them.” The lady had laughed and explained that the books tend to accumulate…. (as a two-year book reviewer… *looking around reading room* I can not agree more.)
Besides being funny Sara also had great advice for taking your blog to the “next level” which means something different for each of us.
I really enjoyed listening to Sara.
Picture by Meg from "Write Meg!" as she was awesome enough to get pictures! (Click on it to go to her wonderful post about BBC)
Next up was Ask A Publisher or Publicist session and I took a lot away from this. A great panel led by Jennifer Hart (Harper Collins). We had on the panel:
Lydia Hirt (Penguin Group)
Kelly Leonard (Hatchette Book group)
Lucille Rettino (Simon and Schuster)
Allison Verost (Harper Teen)
Ksenia Winnicki (Macmillan)
Here is my take away:
You may have heard of some of the big promotions around the blog when they chose blogs to represent Districts for the release of Mockingjay by Susanne Collins and again when they chose blogs to represent courts for the release of the latest Iron King book. These promotions generate excitement and the panel encouraged us as reviewers if we have ideas to feel free to share them by emailing the publishers. (They graciously gave us lists of contact emails)
Galleys cost more than the actual books (I did not know this and this was really a wake up call for me). In respect of this new-found knowledge I have been taking all the books as they come into my home and adding their release dates to my Google calendar so I can better watch when i should be reviewing these.
We can post a review for an upcoming release at the point it is available for pre-order. We do not have to wait for release date.
Posting your review to other sources besides your blog is important. I currently always try to also put it on Amazon, but learned that when the Publishers were asked, they really would like to see it on Good Reads as well as Good reads apparently connects to other sources. (I did not know this!) I am a member of Good Reads but terrible at posting my reviews there as the time spent writing the post, adding it to Amazon… but knowing now that this is important I am going to make the time to do this.
They also said that we save them time if we also send them a link to our reviews when they are up, as they like to let the authors know.
Also – they do appreciate it is we also let them know of reviews we do to older titles as well.
5. When requesting a book for review – be polite. (I would think this is a given, but apparently it is not.) Explaining which blog you have, traffic, etc… is helpful if you do not already have a relationship with this publisher. Do not demand a book – in one case the blogger apparently said they needed the book by the weekend…. wow…. uhhh…. *delete request*. Also helpful is to include your mailing address at the time of the ask. This saves them the time of having to connect with you again and request it. *I have a separate email I use for my bookish side and I have added my address to my signature so it shows up on all emails.
I then went into the author Speed Dating event with Reagan (Miss Remmers Reviews) and Alison (Alison’s Book Marks) *waves*. I really enjoyed this session where we (bloggers) sat around tables and a different author came to our table every 15 minutes to discuss their book and we had opportunities to ask questions as well. This idea was BRILLIANT! (Yes I quote Harry Potter….) . I had a lot of fun meeting authors that were new to me, as well as a few that I had previously met and it was so fun!! Of course this also added to my “must read” list. *sigh – but a happy sigh*
The final session I went to Technology For Blogging because seriously – I need all the help I can get. I went into this blogging gig hardly knowing how to make a post. Everything else I learned by visiting blogs, seeing things I liked, emailing the blogger and asking how they did it. Another reminder that book bloggers are incredibly generous and helpful people.
What I took away from this session was:
Do NOT automatically connect your blog to Twitter and Facebook. *Guilty as charged* I think it was Anna Moore who said this (Blog Graphic design). She said that we should only connect to other social media with our “best of the best” posts. I agree and disagree… I believe I will keep my posts connected to Twitter as they are all bookish people there – the only twitter connections I have. I do however agree on the Facebook part as that is everyone from family, friends, co workers, bookish types… some of my posts do not need to go there. I have not decided at this time to open up a blog page on Facebook and do not think I will. One more thing to try to keep up with 😀
Connect connect connect… we talked about Tumblr which I know little about – but also other ways to connect with others which in turn will create relationships that in turn will (possibly) become readers of your blog.
By the end of BBC I was full of information and chalk it up as a successful and fun day. I learned a little, made many connections with bloggers and authors and publishers and say hats off to the hard-working behind the scenes bloggers who pulled off a successful event! 😀
This week, I am planning many posts on my time in New York for BEA. I will be posting about the YA Teen Carnival, Dinner with Beth Hoffman, The Expo itself, Harper Collins Party and dinner following with Bloggers, The tour of Greenwich Village, lunch with Adriana Trigiani, The Harry Potter Exhibit, and this, seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway.
Now – Mary Poppins was actually the last thing we did in New York this past week. It was Friday evening and I was hanging with Reagan from Miss Remmers Reviews and Cass from Bon Jour Cass. They wanted to do something “New Yorky” for our final evening in the big city, I just wanted to go out to eat. 😛
When they came up with the idea of Mary Poppins, it sounded interesting but I was tired and calculating when we would get back… we still had to pack… our flight left at 6:45 am…. (I know… I know… what a pain right? :razz:) I knew they were right to do something awesome, but really… Mary Poppins? Really?
Oh. Ok…..
So off we went stopping for delicious buffalo chicken sandwiches and spaghetti on our way to the show. Once seated and the curtain was drawn….
I was never the same.
Ashley Brown makes a wonderful Mary Poppins. I can not even begin to do her justice. Her voice, her moves, if ever there was a Mary Poppins – she is her.
I’m practically perfect in every way
practically perfect that’s my forte
uncanny nannies are hard to find
unique yet meek unspeakably kind
I’m practically perfect not slightly soiled
running like an engine that’s just been freshly oiled!
The special effects are phenomenal – props appear from within a seemingly empty travel bag and a bed appears under a sheet…. when Gavin Lee as Bert walks up the stage wall across the tops and down the other side – the audience goes wild! I imagine children are astounded and will not soon forget the magic of Mary Poppins …. shoot, neither will I.
I think one of the key moments for me was when they sand supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. The song, the dancers, was so good! See for yourself:
I told Reagan and Cass later that I could study that dance for the rest of my life and not be able to do it!
AND how about the kids? Their roles are huge, I found it fascinating that there are actually three sets of kids who perform these songs and dances. What big roles! Hear from them yourself:
I loved the witch, errr….. the other nanny, Miss Andrew, Mr. Banks’ nanny who he had as a child. *gulp* If this actress does not play roles as a witch she certainly should… she was AWESOME!
Overall… I LOVED IT! How could you not. I think I had forgotten the story behind Mary Poppins. Deeply buried no doubt in childhood memories, entwined in stories long since abandoned in the depths of the files in my brain. It was nice to take these memories out for a refresher.
BEA is more than books… it is for me, a taste of New York and each time I go I bask in what I can experience this time.
If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend you go and see this visual treat. You will thank me.
As a lover of all things BOOKISH, I love love LOVE to read book reviews by book bloggers. Many of the books I read I have discovered by reading a review on a blog about said book. I appreciate a warm and honest review, and like to know how that book made the reviewer feel…. be it emotionally charged, angry, sad, happy, ready to do battle – whatever… books and emotions to me go hand in hand and I like to know how the reader feels when immersed in a book.
While the above is what I enjoy, I absolutely am turned off by reviews that tell me the book from start to end – the beginning, the big plot line, the solution and the ending… really, why do I need to read the book now? I do not care if the review is long (although there is clearly such a thing as too long..) as long as it is interesting, or short, as long as it gives me a feel for the book. I enjoy knowing a bit about the author, a bit about the history of the book, and really like the reviews that go the bit extra with perhaps a definition of something in the book along with a picture of that said word and its meaning.
As a reviewer, I want to write a good honest review that will cause my readers to know if this book is a good fit for them. For those of us that do review, we know this is not always as easy as gushing out “I loved it” as much as I love those reviews, there are also the ones that we have to say….. hmmmm…. not so much loving it here.
This may or may not apply to the post here... I just thought this was funny. It reminds me that we want... what we want.
Here is my question(s) today:
1. As a reader, what do you like to see in a review of a book you may be interested in? What do you not like to see in a review?
2. As a reviewer (for those of us who are), what do you like to be sure are in your own reviews you write?
GAH. Sorry I had gone quiet this week. I have been so tired at night and then we get up and go so early that I just look at the blog and go… “nah.”
I have a few minutes here now though and just left the Book Blogger Convention and apparently… have some stored up bloggy type energy stored up in my fingers I was unaware of. So let’s catch up shall we? 😀
So…. my last post left off at the Beth Hoffman Dinner Tuesday night…
First ever subway ride. I am now an honorary New Yorker.
Dinner was so awesome. We went to dinner at Mercers Kitchen in Soho. So wonderful. There were 8 of us bloggers I think, I will list them all and their blogs next week when I write more detailed posts about the events. Beth Hoffman…. as real in person as she is in her books and on the social networks.
Back in hotel room 1t 11:30 pm. SO TIRED!
Wednesday…. up at 5 am. To Javitz by 6:15 am… picked up Rick Riordin tickets for a signed event.
At Javitz until about 3 pm. Reagan and I are SHOT. So tired books have lost all meaning (and that is TIRED!)
We go back to our hotel room and crash for about an hour.
Up and get ready for the Harper Collins Blogger Reception
Reception is a blast… we taxi over, get a chance to connect with many authors and fellow bloggers. I meet two of the authors I am doing book tours with this fall! (More on this in post next week)
Go to dinner with a group of bloggers organized by Heather from Age 30+ a Lifetime of Books to a place called Bice. I had a fettuccine with shrimp…. YUM!
back in hotel by 11:00 pm…. shot again. 😀
Thursday – sleep in a bit day!!! Up at 7:30 am…. YEAH!!! Get ready and to Javitz by 8:45 am after stopping at Dunkin Donuts for COFFEE and breakfast.
Spend morning at Javitz center chatting up with publishing companies and getting a few books along the way.
10:15 am meet outside to taxi to the Adrianna Trigiani event with other bloggers (detailed post on this next week). Taxi to Greenwich Village where we go on the wonderful Adriana Tour of the Village!
I will break down these events soon in more detail, I just wanted to touch base and let you know I do still exist and I am returning home very early tomorrow morning… 😀
I fully intended to write a post Tuesday morning before I left for BEA. BELIEVE me I had plenty to say (gosh… do I ever not have something to say? :razz:) BUT – here is why you have not heard from me until now:
Fast pass recap:
Sunday evening I met Reagan (Miss Remmers Reviews) in Minneapolis at our hotel for the night.
Ordered pizza at 9:30 pm because we were hungry…. hour and a half later we get what can only be described as “pizza from days gone by”. Didn’t matter…. HUNGRY!
We talked WAY TOO LONG and were up until almost 1:00 a.m.
We got up at 3:00 a.m. on Monday morning to catch the 4:00 a.m. shuttle for our 5:45 am flight to New York
Uhhh…. can you say tired? 😉
Arrived in New York around 11:10 a.m.
Booked to our hotel and dropped off our luggage by noon
Ran (it’s true… we did) to the Simon Schuster event that started at 11:00 am that we were invited to. About a mile away.
Sent to the 14th floor… not there… sent to the 4th floor not there… sent to the 11th floor – not there….. could not find the group. 😯
Being tired we decided to start walking our way to the next event – the YA Teen Carnival. Destination 3 miles.
Stopped half way in to grab a quick-lunch and get out of the rain that suddenly came crashing down….. pouring. Really. POURING.
Went back out and continued our walk to the event… struggled finding the right road.
5 miles later, found it. We high-fived and danced around the entryway. (Not really…. but we could have…. and we SHOULD have. 😛
Event is awesome – many YA authors (more on this on a later post) stayed until 6:30 pm.
Took a taxi back to our hotel (I know right? A TAXI! :razz:)
Walked to Subway and grabbed subs to eat in our hotel room – we were super SUPER tired. (Oh.. we were SO tired).
Bed at 10 pm
Alarm set for 5 am…. woo hoo… here we go!!!
6:15 am left for the Javits Center – BEA here we come!
Get our badges and go check things out….
Ok… this part is fun and full story worthy, so I have broken in to this timeline of awesomeness and need to share. Reagan and I are leaning up against the tall table at the Javitz. I was reading the Daily BEA magazine they put out when a lady walks up to us and asks us where to register. It is then that we realize we are standing in front of the Information table. We laugh, help the lady and continue to hang out. Moments later another question.
The sign above us says :BEA info booth
I tell Reagan we should get behind the counter and sit in the chairs (I am a bad influence sometimes…. :razz:) No one is there and so we do. Pretty soon we have people steadily coming and asking questions:
Where do I pick up my badge?
Where is the children’s author breakfast?
What time does the main arena open?
Where is the Starbucks?
Can I go to the authors breakfast without my badge?
Where is the Blog World entrance?
Can I get a map?
Where is the line to get in?
The only one we couldn’t answer is “where is the silent auction”, which later we found when we walking around again. 😛
We seriously had a blast and actually helped a lot of people while we sat and it really passed the time as we had an hour and a half to kill. When the dude who was scheduled to run the booth showed up, we graciously stepped aside, he asked us what people were asking about and we helped him get his start.
Dang…. that was fun. 😛
Ok… back to list…
20. Hung out at expo from 6:30 – 4…. chatting with authors and publishers, getting books. Highlight book of the day: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater. Yup. It’s true… in my hot little hand. 😀
21. Back to hotel room at 4 where within 20 seconds from hitting the door, Reagan and I both have our feet up… ow ow ow ow!!!
22. I gather my reserve energy get cleaned up and ready to write this post and go out to dinner with some awesome bloggers AND Beth Hoffman, author of Cee Cee Honeycutt. (post on this event later)
Me and Beth Hoffman (uhhh.... SSSQQQQUUUUEEEEE!!!)O
😛
23. back to the hotel at 11:30 pm. Wrote this post and went to bed at 12:14 a.m. (Alarm set for 5:00 am so we can get in line for Rick Riordin tickets…. and maybe…. maybe run the info booth. 😆
More soon… just wanted you to know where I have been and what I have been doing. Today was gorgeous in New York!
I remember when I first started book reviewing, just about two years ago. Shortly after that day, just as I was getting into my groove, someone on another blog mentioned that really book bloggers write their reviews for other book bloggers.
At the time I heartily disagreed. In fact I was a little put off about the statement – it sounded so self-serving and made me visualize a circle of people reviewing books, posting about books, and then reading books they seen that other book bloggers reviewed and then reading those books… starting the circle over again.
No, I thought. I write about books for the masses… for the book lovers everywhere that want an honest opinion on a book.
*Pause here for dramatic effect.*
I write reviews for anyone looking on-line for thoughts about a particular book or a particular genre….
Ok… ok. Now… here I am thinking these last few days is that still true? What I set out to do (books for the masses, honest reviews, book talk genre talk for everyone….) is it still true that I am writing for everyone, and not just chatting it up with other book reviewers?
Honestly, most of you who comment here are book reviewers as well. And honestly – I have grown to really love that because we truly are an incredible community of people and together we have a voice that can make a difference – and has made a difference. I like knowing my frequent commenters, even if it is virtually. I know from reading your own blogs the type of books you enjoy, injuries, sicknesses, trips, exciting news, and sometimes hardships too. I like being able to comment something to the effect that is more personal like, “glad to see you made it back from _______________”. or , “I know you will love this book as it reminded me a lot of the other book you read and loved.” And of course with the addition of BEA where I actually was able to meet many of you – well that just is too awesome for words. 😀
I have noticed that my original “for the masses” *let masses echo in your head* plan of attack, is not always accurate when I write posts like this, or about BEA (do the masses care that I am going?), or about meme’s (although I honestly wish none book bloggers would partake too as I honestly do really want to know what everyone is reading. :razz:)
I turn this question back to you….
as a book reviewer/blogger, who do you write your posts for?
Do you have a targeted audience in mind?
If you are not a book reviewer/blogger… do posts that seem to only be written for other book reviewers bug you, or (hopefully) make you feel part of the circle of books lovers?
Word Shakers is an on-line book club hosted here at Book Journey. When a group read is announced, anyone who wishes to join in (book bloggers and readers of any type) are encouraged to fill out the form (below) and join the group. At a given date a survey will be sent to those participating with questions about the book. On a later date, a group post will go up at the Book Journey site as well as a place for participants to link their reviews as well. (*Participants who do not book blog are encourages to put their thoughts on the book on the survey when it is sent as well as in the comments once the review is posted.
Our current read being offered is:
Lisa Shannon had a good life – a successful business, a fiancé, a home, and security. Then one day in 2005, an episode of Oprah changed her life. The show focused on women in the Congo, a place known as the worst place on earth to be a woman.
The subject of a recent New York Times column by Nicholas Kristof, Shannon details how she left her comfortable life in Portland, Ore., to aid women in the Democratic Republic of Congo suffering abuse and death in what has been termed “Africa’s First World War.” Running a successful business with her fiancée (who would leave her), Shannon is still “hungry for something all [her] own” and after seeing a show on Oprah about Congolese women, she establishes the Run for Congo Women to raise money to help those suffering. From meeting Congolese women she’s sponsored to learning that 90% of the women in one village have been raped, Shannon is exposed to a world remote from her own affluent life. Her painful firsthand accounts of the violence inflicted upon Congolese women by Hutu militants will most interest readers, but the book lacks a detailed overview of the political circumstances surrounding this long war. Shannon provides a much-needed view of how one inspired American can act with hope, drive, and courage to aid women in a part of the world too often overlooked.
How to participate:
Fill out the form below
read the book or listen to audio before June 22 (questions regarding the book will be emailed to you at this time)
Respond to the questions and submit our answers
Reviews will go live on the blogs on June 30th
Grad the Word Shaker widget from this post and feel free to put it on your blog and on your review.
I know right? SUN. And SUN. And SUN. Did I mention SUN? Sorry it seems like it has been forever since we have had sunny days and I am grinning ear to ear.
I listen to three audio books at once. I have one going in my bathroom bedroom (Their Eyes Are Watching God…. currently they are running from the floods…), one in my kitchen (The Zookeeper’s Wife (a man just parachuted out of the sky…), and one in my car (Change Of Altitude (Margaret is with a small group of friends hiking up a dangerous mountain)…
I don’t know how they all stay straight in my head – but they do and I listen to all three at least a little bit each day. When I get up I flip the one on in the bathroom and while I get read y for my day I get in a good 20+ minutes… then when I am in the kitchen making COFFEE, cleaning up or working on dinner, that audio can get in around 20-30 minutes a day… the one in my car is on whenever I am driving alone which is most of the time so about 10-30 minutes car time a day as well.
And like I said – that works for me and I look forward to each story line….
Until…
Yesterday I am coming home from work listening to Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. I have commented that there was A LOT of pre story before it seemed like it was ever going to get into the heart of the story and then as I pulled into the grocery store parking lot… it happened. I could tell the book was getting to the point and I reluctantly shut my car off ran and picked up the things I needed and hurried back to my car…. driving home my ears were glued to what was happening…. once home…
I sat in the car in my garage, listening to the audio.
After 20 minutes of that …. I decided I looked ridiculous and popped the audio out of the car, went into the house… plucked out The Zoo Keepers Wife from the kitchen CD player and put in Change Of Altitude to listen to while I prepped my salad for the potluck I attended last night.
Change of Altitude… trumped Zoo Keepers Daughter.
It happens.
Certainly those of you who read more than one book at once can relate…. if one takes off in the story line, it gets more attention at least for a time while you dive in.
Yes… I will go back to Zookeepers Daughter, in fact this morning I had. Change of Altitude followed me from the house to the potluck and home again and while the story line still is holding my captive… I am back to listening to the three again in harmony…
😛
Hope your day is super fab! I work… I hope to play a bit on my bike… I will probably start on the front lawn again tonight as yup…. with all the rain I could mow again. 😀
I put the question to you…. do you read multiple books at the same time (different genres…) and or audio – or a mix of both?
Book Journey 