Thanks to these reviewers who submitted book reviews for What’s That Book. It’s great to see what other people are reading and what books they recommend. My TBR list is getting longer!
Books from the sea – At first I called this “Selected books about water and the sea” but I thought that sounded funny. There’s only one book that isn’t about the sea (We Are Water by Wally Lamb) anyway so forgive me for not being totally accurate! And “Selected” sounded unnecessary hence the new title.
Summer is a great time to read books about water and the sea. Take a look at this mix of classic tales, popular fiction and nonfiction:
Lord of the Flies by William Golding What happens to a group of young British schoolboys when their plane is shot down and they land on deserted island in the Pacific?
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott Light historical fiction and romance written into the history of the Titanic’s voyage, its passengers and the disaster’s aftermath
Hi Everyone – Sofii over at “A Book A Thought” put together this terrific list of book bloggers. It takes a long time to compile a linked list like this so thank you, Sofii! It’s a great way to connect with other book bloggers. Take a look, you may find a bunch of new blogging friends like I did!
📢Hi, friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful day full of the best readings & beautiful moments.❤️ SO excited and SO happy to be presenting you today a project that I’ve been working on for some months now, and it’s THE DEFINITIVE BOOK BLOGGER LIST. 🎉This small space on the internet within my blog aims and is made with the intention of celebrating our work as bloggers amplifying the voices in order to give us more support among ourselves with each of our projects. (More info about this project idea HERE) The work of book bloggers is worthy of greater respect, admiration, and recognition, that’s what has prompted me in the first place to create this list of which many wonderful book bloggers and beautiful people have wanted to participate, which makes me more than happy. 😍I hope from the bottom of my heart that we…
Hi Everyone, author Luccia Gray has featured my YouTube channel over on her blog. I hope you’ll stop by and while you’re there, take a look at Luccia’s blog, Rereading Jane Eyre. It’s one of my favorite places to visit!
YouTube Channels and Youtubers for writers and everyone else!
I’m joining the AtoZ challenge sharing YouTube channels and Youtubers I follow as an independent author, researcher, learner, reader, and someone who is interested in emotional growth and physical wellbeing, as well as entertainment and current affairs.
I’ve enjoyed watching YouTube videos for years, but in 2020, when the pandemic broke out in Europe and the first lockdown was imposed as a security measure in most countries, I decided to go Premium on YouTube and I started watching even more videos on a wide variety of entertaining and informative topics, which I’d like to share with you over the coming month. I hope you enjoy!
Today, I’d like to introduce you to two channels; the first is Book Club Mom. I started following Barbara Vitelli’s blog ages ago, and I recently started following her YouTube channel. She’s an inspiration…
Hi Everyone! Today I’d like to welcome Darlene Foster, today’s contributor to What’s That Book. Thank you, Darlene!
Title: The Shadow of the Wind
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafron
Genre: Magical Realism/Historical Mystery
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
What’s it about? One cold morning in 1945, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel to a labyrinthine library of forgotten titles, hidden in the old city of Barcelona. Allowed to choose one book, Daniel pulls out The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. But as Daniel grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in this book. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to discover the truth about the life and death of Julian Carax, and to save those he left behind. A book lover´s book, and a tale of obsession, the story brings alive the magic and mystery of Barcelona, its gothic streets and hidden corners. A world that has lost none of its power to entrance and bewitch. (from the back cover of my copy)
How did you hear about it? When I was planning to move to Spain, a friend suggested I read it. Then over the course of the next five years, others recommended it. A friend from France gave it to me as a gift from Shakespeare and Company. I knew then that it was time to finally read it.
Have you read other books by this author? Not yet, but there are three more in this series called The Cemetery of Forgotten Books.
What did you like about the book? One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Several stories within a story, it´s complicated, full of many interesting and complex characters. A tale of books, writers, history, lovers and mystery. But I was never confused, as it is so well written. The city of Barcelona is another character and is the perfect place to set a story such as this. The time is right after the Spanish civil war, an event that plays a huge role in this tale as it defines a generation.
The writing is at times dark and serious and at other times hilarious. The author uses his words so well, like this—“She was famous for letting off hurricane-force wind capable of stunning the sparrows on her balcony and sending them spiralling down to the ground.”
And this—“To my dismay, the day was turning out to be longer than The Brothers Karamazov.”
My favourite line—“Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.“
Closing comments: I loved every word. This is a book that will stay with me forever.
Contributor:Darlene Foster—Brought up on a ranch in southern Alberta, Darlene dreamt of writing, travelling the world and meeting interesting people. Following her dreams, she’s now an award-winning author of children’s travel adventure books. She divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Spanish Costa Blanca, where she lives with her husband and entertaining rescue dogs, Dot and Lia. Learn more about Darlene at darlenefoster.wordpress.com.
Have you read something good? Want to talk about it?Consider being a contributor to What’s That Book.
Email Book Club Mom at bvitelli2009@gmail.com for information.
Hi Everyone, I’m reblogging this because I published it too early! I hope you enjoy this review and that you’ll stop by Robbie’s blog, too, to read her thoughts on For Whom the Bell Tolls. All links are live now 🙂
Lately I’ve been in the mood to return to the classics. I’ve always loved Hemingway, but had never read For Whom the Bell Tolls, published in 1940. I’m sure you’ve all either read it or heard of it. Maybe you’ve seen the 1943 movie starring Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman and Akim Tamiroff.
You may not know that the title refers a line of prose by the poet John Donne which begins with, “No man is an island, entire of himself.” Donne wrote those lines in 1624 as part of a larger work entitled Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions. The last lines read, “Therefore, send not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” The gist of Donne’s words is that we are all part of a greater whole. And Donne’s bell metaphor reminds…
During the month of November, aspiring and published authors from around the world have committed to writing 50,000 words in thirty days.
Geoff Le Pard
Today we welcome NaNoWriMo published author Geoff Le Pard, a published indie author whose multiple projects began with NaNoWriMo challenges.
Thank you for joining us, Geoff!
How many years have you participated in NaNoWriMo? I’ve done three and a half years!
How did you first hear about or get started with NaNoWriMo? When I started blogging, I read about it and heard people praise it so decided to give it a go.
Three of your books began as NaNoWriMo projects. Can you tell us more about how you got started? The first book was the second book in a series. It followed my hero on his hapless journey and was set in 1981. Having finished the first book (set in 1976), I knew I wanted…
During the month of November, aspiring and published authors from around the world have committed to writing 50,000 words in thirty days.
J.D. Estrada
Today we welcome NaNoWriMo published author J.D. Estrada, a published indie author whose multiple projects began with NaNoWriMo challenges.
Thank you for joining us, J.D.!
How many years have you participated in NaNoWriMo? Along with Camp NaNoWriMo I’ve participated 4 different years though not back-to-back. November is often a very tricky month to navigate because of work and hey, we’re only human 🙂 Still, when the opportunity is there, I dive right in.
How did you first hear about or get started with NaNoWriMo? I first heard about NaNo when a fellow indie author was hosting some live panels, YouTube videos, and write-ins 5 years ago and the year after. I found it interesting and took a stab at Camp NaNo first to get my feet…
Hi Everyone, Take a look at this NaNoWriMo interview with Jennifer Kelland Perry. Jennifer graciously agreed to be interviewed for our library’s blog. Like many other authors, Jennifer is preparing to write a new book as part of next month’s NaNoWriMo challenge. Best wishes to Jennifer!
Dreaming about writing a novel? NaNoWriMo is a great chance to get your book idea going. During the month of November, aspiring and published authors from around the world have committed to writing 50,000 words in thirty days.
Jennifer Kelland Perry
Today we welcome NaNoWriMo published author Jennifer Kelland Perry, whose book Calmer Girls was part of a NaNoWriMo challenge.
Thank you for joining us, Jennifer!
How many years have you participated in NaNoWriMo? First of all, thank you for inviting me for this interview. I’m truly honored to be here. I have taken part in NaNoWriMo three times since 2013. The first two times, I worked on the Calmer Girls series, a duology. I successfully reached the word count of 50,000 words with both. The third and most recent time I participated was in 2016, where I didn’t reach the goal – life and a bad flu bug got…
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