April is National Poetry Month. I have so much respect for poets. No writing seems harder to me than writing a poem. I would never, ever attempt to write a poem Although, I must confess that I have written the occasional horrible Haiku. But wait, there is one type of poetry anybody who can read can write: Book Spine Poetry.  The idea is very simple. Create a poem using book titles. Here are a few I wrote:   One Italian Summer Killers of the Flower […]

To celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s discuss books about real women. They can be biography, autobiography, memoir, graphic memoir, historical fiction, or even non-fiction expose. I am going to ramble here about some that I have enjoyed across many of these genres. Let’s start with me as a little girl devouring The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. I loved this book and after I learned about her, I worshiped Helen Keller. I still think she is a wonderful role model for any young […]

Valentine’s Day is upon us. The stores are filled with regular shaped candy in heart-shaped boxes and heart-shaped candy in regular shaped boxes. For us book lovers, it is time to talk about romance novels. This is the perfect topic for me to write about, since I only read romance novels when a book group requires it. Therefore, I am always surprised by the wide variety of types of romance novels out there: Sports Romance – love a jock Regency Romance – love a duchess […]

Groundhog Day is supposed to make us think about spring being right around the corner, but thanks to Bill Murray, it instead makes us think of reliving a part of our lives. I am one of those people who rarely rereads a book–why read something you have already read when there are so many books you haven’t read? However, I know I am in the minority. Many readers go back to their favorites and reread them again and again. It is comforting, you know you […]

I started 2023 with high hopes. I would read 100 books, I would do a Quarter Cannonball, and I would complete the cool Passport challenge (see Passport challenge wrap up). Instead, I posted fewer reviews than ever before (although I did read 100 books). However, it was a great Cannonball year for me. I wrote Cannonball diversions throughout the year. I had fun cohosting a couple of Cannonball zooms (and participating in a few others). Most of all, I made great connections with my fellow […]

It is that super busy time of year. So much shopping, wrapping, cooking, baking, decorating, and celebrating to be done. Hopefully, you also have some time to read, even if it is under the mistletoe. So here is our holiday diversion. Take a book title and add “under the mistletoe” I will get you started: The Whispers Under the Mistletoe by Heidi Perks (shown in the photo) The People We Keep Under the Mistletoe by Allison Larkin Someone Else’s Shoes Under the Mistletoe by JoJo […]