Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Where Is Your Bookmark? (03/25/2014)

I love being able to open the windows this time of year and let in the fresh air, feeling a breeze throughout the house.  Spring is definitely in the air.  I have been driving home from work with my windows down, taking in the smell of the orange blossoms.  One day a couple weeks ago my husband and I were commenting on how much we loved the smell of orange blossoms in the spring, when my mother suddenly cried out, "What's that smell?  It smells like a sewer!"  Evidently she isn't a fan.

The advent of spring makes me think of spring cleaning.  My in-laws will soon be giving us their old couch.  It's ancient, but a cover can easily make it look mostly new.  I will just be glad to finally have something to sit on in our home library.  We've only lived in our house three years this coming May.  It is about time, don't you think?

This past weekend, as I browsed at the books sitting behind the toy fruit and canned goods (my bookshelves also act as shelves for Mouse's make believe grocery store), I wondered if it was time to cull out the books I don't want or need anymore.  There's other spring cleaning I need to do as well--closets to go through, maybe the garage . . .  Are you doing any spring cleaning this year?

On the reading front, I went from spending time in the rain forests in the Amazon, robbing a bank in Albuquerque, New Mexico to falling in love all over again in Lucky Harbor, Washington.  Only in books can you make such big leaps.

I know many of you said you enjoyed Ann Patchett's State of Wonder.  Carrie of the Books and Movies"I've Always Meant to Read That Book!" Challenge will be discussing the book at the end of the month, and I hope to post my review later this week.  Be sure and join in the discussion on her blog if you are interested!

After reading Duke City Split by Max Austin (my review will post next week), I fit in a Jill Shalvis novel, Once in a Lifetime--I was having a bad day, and it was just what I needed to get me through.   Now I am turning my sights to Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke.

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it something you would recommend?



Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts 
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where  
participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a 
book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.


Sometimes a good caper story is just what I need, and what better than one involving a bank heist, the mob and an FBI chase?  Here is the opening to Duke City Split by Max Austin: 
Bud Knox relaxed on a park bench, basking in the April sunshine, his windbreaker zipped to his chin.  A placid man with thinning brown hair, Bud looked nothing at all like a bank robber.
Would you continue reading?


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

45 comments:

  1. Since I've stopped writing reviews, I've stopped getting review copies of hardbacks and audios, so I haven't been having space issues lately. When I got my new shelves, I did some serious purging though. There are just some books I KNOW I won't read! I loved State of Wonder...awesome audio.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sandy - I don't take in a lot of print review copies--haven't in a long while. And while I don't still buy a lot of print books, I do buy some. I also get them as gifts. Space isn't a big issue for me since we moved and I did a major purge--I've still got bookshelf space to spare. But there are definitely books on my shelves I've bought over the years I likely will never read. My interests have changed. I tried one book by an author and have decided I don't need to read the rest of the million book series I stupidly bought thinking I'd love the author--since so many others did . . . That kind of thing. :-)

      Delete
  2. Curious about this bank robber ...LOL (I'd read more) and yes, I like spring, open windows and purging the shelves and closets --weather-wise we are not there yet (30s still)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane - It's been ages since I read a good caper story. Duke City Split was a fun one.

      I hope your weather improves! It's supposed to rain here tomorrow, which I'm excited about. The area desperately needs it. If only I could be home curled up with a good book rather than at the office where I will hardly notice!

      Delete
  3. Sounds as if it could be an interesting mystery...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harvee - It made for a fun read! There isn't really much mystery to it, other than perhaps whether the bank robbers will get caught, but it had plenty of twists just the same. :-)

      Delete
  4. I'm thinking about spring cleaning. That is about as far as I've gotten!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jenclair - Haha! Me too really. I've been doing a lot of thinking, but haven't actually started yet.

      Delete
  5. The forecast here is for a possible wintry mix, but probably rain. I am ready for spring. Ann Patchett's State of Wonder sounds interesting. Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat - It's supposed to rain here tomorrow or Thursday where I live, which is typical spring weather--a mix of sunshine and rain. That sums up winters here too, now that I think about it . . . What I am not looking forward to is a scorching summer, which it sounds like is one its way. :-(

      Delete
  6. Our weather can't settle on a season. One day it seems like spring is here and the next we realize winter hasn't left us yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy - Winter doesn't want to let go in some parts in sounds like.

      Delete
    2. Same one state north, Kathy! It's driving me crazy.

      Delete
  7. Ah, yes, now I'm curious about the book. Thanks for sharing...and yes, I need to do some spring cleaning! Everything seems a little dusty....sigh. My garage is full of bins I need to go through...some with paperwork to shred, now that seven years have passed!

    I, too, have been opening windows...more dust, though.

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laurel-Rain - So true . . . With the winds we've been having especially, dust is inevitable. Your mention of your garage reminds me that now would be a good time to go through ours (again), and maybe even put up those shelves we keep talking about . . .

      Delete
  8. This sounds interesting. Hope it sucks you in. Here's Mine

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great teaser, I'd carry on reading Duke City Split as I love characters who turn out to be something other than they first appear.

    Not sure what I'll be reading next. I've just finished The Collected Tales of Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand on which the film Nanny McPhee is based.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tracy - The characters are interesting. And where else but in a book would I cheer for the "bad guys" to come out on top? Haha

      Delete
  10. I am always reading like 8-10 books at a time, but I am really enjoying being in the middle of the Amazon searching for The Lost City of Z, as well as on a distant planet with bioluminescent trees and treacherous snow mountains that only a very brave young man is willing to go across in Dark Eden by Chris Beckett, and in the new land of The Tearling in the near future in the book by Erika Johansen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BBI - I love that books can transport you to so many places and allow you to experience so many different things. Sounds like you are all over the place!

      Delete
  11. I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on State of Wonder. I listened to it and that always gives me a bit of a different experience than reading a book but I enjoyed it and the narration was fantastic.

    I'm doing spring cleaning around here as well. I just finished my craft room and next up is the kitchen but it's probably the worst room in the house. Ugh. I also need to cull the shelves. I just counted up over 400 unread books and there's no way I'll be able to read them all at the rate that I bring in new books. Time to let go of the ones I can't remember why I have anymore.

    Spring is the best, isn't it? Well...until Fall. Then Fall is the best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trish - I might go back and listen to State of Wonder at some point. I can see it being a good book to revisit from that perspective.

      Sounds like you are making good progress with your spring cleaning. I really want to dig into my mass market paperback collection and weed out some of those series books I am not going to read. I think maybe I'll try to work on that this coming weekend.

      Delete
  12. I am looking forward to opening the windows as I look outside to see snow flurries. I've done a bit of spring cleaning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nise' - I hope the snow lets up soon so you can enjoy some more spring-y weather. I feel for all of you who have been stuck under all that snow and cold weather.

      Delete
  13. What an intro!! I am gonna check out Duke City Split.

    Here is my intro post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gautami - It was quite entertaining! I think you might like it.

      Delete
  14. I give away my books a couple of times a year. I first offer them to other family, and when I have 8-10 unclaimed by them, I take them to book club as a 'mystery read'. I put them all in brown envelopes and let each member take one home. It seems to go over well.....who DOESN'T like free books?
    Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kim - I give away print books I read and no longer want to keep around. I often will just take them to my office and they get devoured by the readers there. I like your idea of having a "mystery read". That'd be fun to do.

      Delete
  15. I think I need some more information for this one.

    Here's Mine: http://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/fiction/first-chapter-first-paragraph-tuesday-intros-hundred-summers-beatriz-williams/

    ReplyDelete
  16. We've had lovely spring weather here in the last week or so, even though our winter this year was not very harsh, it's still great to see blossom appearing. My husband loves bank heists (only in fiction I hasten to add :) but not sure if it would be for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peggy - Winter wasn't harsh where I live either. In fact, winter seemed to skip my part of the world by completely. Except maybe for that one weekend in early March. :-) My husband wrote a game involving a bank heist last year and that's what initially got me interested in reading this particular book. I don't read a lot of caper books, but they are fun now and then.

      Delete
  17. I wonder what a bank robber is supposed to look like. Good introduction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margot - Good point! In this case, they each look very different from one another.

      Delete
  18. I am reading Mind of Winter right now as well :) We will have to compare thoughts after we both finish. It is just okay for me so far...but I am not that far into it so we will see. I wish we had spring weather, instead we got snow on the ground. Yuck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Samantha - I can't wait to read your thoughts on Mind of Winter, Samantha! I'm nearly half way in now, I think. I'm not a big fan of Holly, I have to confess.

      Delete
  19. April sunshine just sounds good about now and then the whole surprise of the bank robber really got me interested. enjoy your book

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kelley - It is raining today. I know my daughter won't be happy. She was hoping to go to the park again today. Oh well.

      Delete
  20. We've had some good weather, too. Warm enough to not have to wear a coat, it's brilliant. We're lacking a sofas and seats in general. It's not much fun and I can emphasise! I think it'd be too soon to do a spring clean this year, maybe an autumnal one for us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Charlie - I joked with my husband early on that we should just get a couple of bean bag chairs and use those as seats. I do feel bad that Mouse will lose the open space that is our living room/library right now, but there's so much she can do with a couch too.

      Delete
  21. I feel like our spring quickly morphs into summer and that is not pleasant! But I'm hopeful we may have a decent spring as our winter was pretty hard for these parts. Isn't it wonderful to be able to "travel" so much via books? I'm feel like I need a good, comfy read. I've had the weirdest reading month and I'm ready for a bunch of good reads! Hope you are enjoy your book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Iliana - I was worried summer would make an early appearance here (it's not too late for that to happen, so I should be careful what I say), but so far so good! I love that we've even being getting rain. It's much needed!

      I could never afford to travel the world like I want to. Books make a good substitute. :-)

      I hope your reading improves this next month!

      Delete
  22. Replies
    1. Stacy - Haha! I wish I could send you some of our spring weather. Thank you for the postcard, by the way! What a nice surprise!

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.