Thursday, April 08, 2021

Where Is Your Bookmark? (A Bookstore Vacation / Spelling the Month in Books / BBHOP)




A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.

Advertisement: A Novel Holiday Idea

Borrow-A-Bookshop invites you to live out your dreams of running your very own bookshop in a historic Deveonshire harbour village . . . for a fortnight. [opening of prologue in The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday]

 and

'Gran needs me, sorry,' I say, not making eye contact because I know I've said this a thousand times before and it wears a bit thin with people. [first line of first chapter in The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday]


A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.


'I want to know everything about you,' I say, and it's true. I really do.

Elliot's eyes leave mine for a moment and it feels like winter coming, I'd been so warm under his gaze. He gets up, reaches for his phone on the counter and skips a few songs.

'Or we could stop talking?' he says.

I draw my neck back, trying to work out what he means.

'We could . . . dance?' [excerpt from 56% of The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday]
After finishing The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton, I was in the mood for something lighter and recently began reading Kiley Dunbar's The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday. I am not too far in yet. The novel opens with the advertisement listing an unusual type of holiday which immediately drew me in. The first line of the first chapter is not particularly revealing, although it is clear our protagonist often uses that excuse to get out of something, whether true or not. 

I have not yet made it to excerpt 56% which is shared above but two thoughts came to mind instantly about this scene--a romantic moment, perhaps? And why doesn't Elliot want to talk about himself? 

The Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Café invites literature lovers to run their very own bookshop … for a fortnight.
Spend your days talking books with customers in your own charming bookshop and serving up delicious cream teas in the cosy café.

Bookworms, what are you waiting for? Your holiday is going to be LIT(erary).

Apply to: The Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Café, Down-a-long, Clove Lore, Devon.
Jude Crawley should be on top of the world. She’s just graduated as a mature student, so can finally go public about her relationship with Philosophy professor, Mack.

Until she sees Mack kissing another girl, and her dreams crumble. And worse, their dream holiday – running a tiny bookshop in the harbour village of Clove Lore for two weeks – is non-refundable.

Throwing caution to the winds, Jude heads down to Devon, eager to immerse herself in literature and heal her broken heart.

But there’s one problem – six foot tall, brooding (but gorgeous) Elliot, who’s also reserved the bookshop holiday for two weeks…

As Jude and Elliot put their differences aside to run the bookshop, it seems that Jude might be falling in love with more than just words. Until she discovers what Elliot is running from – and why he’s hiding out in Clove Lore.

Can Jude find her own happy ending in a tiny, tumbledown bookshop? Or is she about to find out that her bookish holiday might have an unexpected twist in the tale…

The perfect cosy, romantic read for any bookworm! Fans of Jenny Colgan, Cressida McLaughlin and Philippa Ashley will love this feelgood romcom. [Goodreads Summary]

Does this sound like something you would like to read? What are you reading at the moment? 

Originally a feature called Last Year I Was Reading created by Maria from ReadingMaria
I liked it enough to continue on my own, but have tweaked it
 to feature Five Years Ago I Was Reading. 
(I would have gone back ten, but I read so little in 2011)

Five years ago, I was reading The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys, a quiet novel about a woman who longs for love, who has never really experienced love, and when she does . . . Well, it is beautiful and sad all rolled into one. The novel is set during World War II and is about a group of women who volunteered for the Women's Land Army in an effort to help the war effort--and whatever other more personal reasons they have for needing a change. On a nearby estate are a group of Canadian soldiers waiting for their orders. The Lost Garden came to my attention because of Catherine, Book Club Librarian, her contribution to that year's postal bookclub, and while I wasn't sure about it at first, I ended up really enjoying it. It is a different kind of love story from the one I am reading at the moment. 



Have you read The Lost Garden? If so, what did you think? What were you reading five years ago? 


Connect Five Friday is a weekly meme where readers 
share a list of five books, read or unread, or bookish things,
 that share a common theme. 
Hosted by the  Kathryn of of Book Date.

This week I am combining my Connect Five Friday with Jana's (Reviews from the Stacks) "Spell the Month in Books" feature. Since there are five letters in the word April, it seemed a good fit. Thanks to Carla of Carla Loves to Read for pointing me in this direction! I decided to go with books on my TBR shelf whose titles begin with the first letter spelling out the month's name. (Covers are linked to Goodreads.)

A - Akata Witch (Akata Witch #1) by Nnedi Okorafor


PPride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev


RRed At the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson


IIgnite the Stars by Maura Milan


L -  Little Gods by Meng Jin



Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? 


Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Does the cover of a book affect whether you are more willing to read it? (submitted by Julie @  JadeSky)


Yes and no. An attractive cover is likely to get me to pick up a book and take a closer look to see if it is something I would want to read, but no amount of an appealing cover is going to convince me on its own to read a book that does not interest me subject/author/genre wise. 

On the other side of it, a not-so-attractive cover is not the death knell for a book. If the blurb entices me, the cover does not matter. Add in recommendations from friends or trusted book bloggers, even better. 

What about you?

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

© 2021 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.

58 comments:

  1. The quotes don't reveal much, but I'm still interested in this story. I like the idea of renting a bookstore. Enjoy your current read!

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    1. Breana - Yeah, they aren't too revealing, are they? I like the idea of renting a bookstore too. I wonder if I could convince my husband to give it a try some day? Thank you for visiting!

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  2. A holiday running a bookshop sounds great - I think you can do just that, but can't remember where I saw that! And I like the sound of The Lost Garden. And I fancy doing the Spell the Month in books too.

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    1. Margaret - I think it sound great too! Maybe not for someone who already does that for a living, but for those of us who do not, definitely!

      I might have to participate in the Spell a Month feature more often. It was fun to put together.

      Thank you for stopping by!

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  3. I love the look and sound of Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors. I hadn't heard about it before.
    I'm reading A Cowboy Kind Of Heart by Donna Grant at the moment. So far it's just.. Mwahh

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    1. Maureen - I am looking forward to reading Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors. It's well liked from what I can tell--but even with that, it sounds good! I hope A Cowboy Kind of Heart gets better for you soon! Thank you for visiting!

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  4. I'm not a huge fan of romance, but I would definitely like to borrow a bookshop!

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    1. Eustacia - It sounds like a reader's dream vacation. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  5. I can see that this book would have widespread popular appeal. Borrowing a bookstore for vacation? Yes, count me in.

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    1. Deb - I am not too far in yet but hopefully it will be good! I am definitely up for that type of vacation. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  6. I love any books with "bookshop" in the title, and this one is calling to me. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. Laurel-Rain - Me too! I can't resist books about bookstores/bookshops--or even book clubs. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  7. What a fun idea for a vacation! Sounds like something I'd love to do. Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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    1. Ashley - It does sound fun, doesn't it? Thank you for visiting! I hope you have a great weekend too.

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    1. Anne - It would be so much fun! Thank you for stopping by!

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  9. The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday looks super fun. I'd totally read that one! :)

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  10. The setting alone lured me in!! Happy weekend!

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    1. Freda - I wish I could have stepped into the book and spent time there. Sounds like a lovely place! Thank you for stopping by!

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  11. I absolutely love the premise of your current read--and I've read about the actual bookshop somewhere in Scotland where you can be a bookshopkeeper for the day.

    Thanks, also, for the shoutout. Is it really 5 years ago we read that book? I miss our postal book club!

    Enjoy your book and the weekend, Wendy!

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    1. Catherine - In a note at the end of the book, the author mentions the real bookshop. She's never actually been there and so hers is based on a fictional one. Regardless, I love that it's actually a thing.

      I miss your postal book club too! It was a lot of fun.

      Thank you for visiting!

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  12. Borrow a Bookshop sounds really cute, hope you enjoy! Also I’m a huge fan of Chanel Cleeton so I’m glad you mentioned her book since I didn’t know she had anything new our. Now I have to add it to my list. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Mtucha - It was cute! I enjoyed Chanel Cleeton's novel and look forward to reading more by her. I am glad you like her work! Thank you for stopping by!

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  13. The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday does sound really good - and ties in nicely with the blogger hop question. I'm not so struck on the cover but the blurb is enough to make me ignore it!

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    1. Louise - I see what you mean! I actually don't mind that cover and find it fits the type of book it is. Thank you for visiting!

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  14. Gosh, I haven't read any of these books. There is a town in Scotland where you can run the local indie bookshop for a day as part of a holiday.

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    1. Helen - I've heard of that. And the author references it in her notes at the end of the book. Definitely something worth doing if a person got the chance! Thank you for stopping by!

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  15. I'm hooked on your book of the day, which one of us bookish people wouldn't give their eye teeth to be let loose in a bookshop for the summer, although I'm not too sure about serving cream teas!! The only thing which lets this one down a bit for me, is that the author doesn't use 'real' locations, as I like to be able to plot the action in a story in real time. There is a place in Devon called Clovelly, which is probably where Clove Lore is based on?

    I haven't read 'The Lost Garden' but I love that beautiful cover. I only reviewed one book this time five years ago and that was a murder/mystery called 'The Devil's Tombstone' by author Carolyn J. Rose, an author whose writing style I really enjoy.

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24311342-the-devil-s-tombstone?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=RHTrIQpfL1&rank=1

    I like your choices for the 'Connect 5 Friday' all are new to me.

    A great post, thanks for sharing and have a good weekend :)

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    1. Yvonne - It would be such a dream! This bookshop came with a little café attached, which I probably would not be as good at running (especially if I was making the food to serve), but I love the idea.

      Yes, this author didn't use a real location for her book, but is is loosely based on Clovelly. She mentions that in her note at the end of the novel. She has very fond memories of the place and has visited often.

      Thank you for sharing the link to The Devil's Tombstone with me! I am glad you enjoyed it.

      Thank you for visiting!

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  16. Great idea to spell out April. I loved Pride Prejudice and Other Flavours.

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    1. Kathryn - I am glad to hear it! I look forward to reading it. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  17. Akata Witch was great. I hope you enjoy!

    Lauren @ Always Me

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    1. Lauren - I keep hoping my daughter will read it with me, but regardless, I look forward to reading it! Thank you for visiting!

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  18. Looks good. So many books lately involve a bookshop. I love it! Hope you have a great weekend!

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    1. Yvonne - Yes! It does seem like the bookshop themed books are coming out in droves these days. Like you, I'm not complaining. I love it too. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  19. Love the books on your Connect Five! Will add to my TBR

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  20. I love a good book cover but it's not the deciding factor for me either. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Jamie - An attractive cover just isn't enough on its own. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  21. Interesting about The Lost Garden, Wendy. My best friend sent me her copy and I enjoyed it, but haven't reviewed it yet. Love the cover.

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    1. Jenclair - I am glad you enjoyed The Lost Garden too. Thank you for stopping by!

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  22. The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday sounds really fun. I mean, wouldn't we all dream of that?! And, regarding covers... I can't pass up a cover I like. Well, at least when I was visiting bookstores and the library before the pandemic, a striking cover will at least make me want to read what the book is about.

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    1. Iliana - Yes, a cover can get me to pick up a book for a closer look, but it isn't enough to make me want to read it ultimately. Thank you for visiting!

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  23. I haven't read The Lost Garden but it looks gorgeous! I also really want to read pretty much anything by Cleeton and The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday sounds absolutely delightful. I'm kind of funny about covers. A good cover will make me take a second glance at the book but if the blurb doesn't grab me I probably won't read it. However, if the cover is bad I won't even look at the blurb so there's almost zero chance I'll read it.

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    1. Katherine - I really liked it. I am looking forward to reading Cleeton's other books now. I do pass by some books that have unattractive covers--although if a friend recommends it or I catch wind of the blurb and it sounds good, I would be open to trying it. I just wouldn't necessarily take a closer look if I didn't know anything about it going in. Thank you for stopping by!

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  24. I would LOVE to borrow a bookshop for a vacation, except that I would probably never give it back! And yes, we really are in perfect agreement on covers ;) Thank you for dropping by my post and I hope you're having a lovely weekend!

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    1. Juli - Haha! I was kind of hoping the protagonist wouldn't have to give it back in the end. LOL Thank you for visiting!

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  25. I can never get too many "cat pictures" - adorable. We have one that jumps from the counter to a 3" overhang at the top of of refrigerator when he wants attention or, he will stick his head out of a very high loft railing! My granddaughter, 9 this month, has read all of the Dork Diaries series. I gave her the first 10 Nancy Drews but don't think she is into them yet.

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    1. Diane - I love cat pictures too. :-) That would be my Nina too. She often gets on top of the high cupboards and hangs out. She's fearless when it comes to heights. The Dork Diary series is a fun one. My daughter really enjoys the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series. Thank you for stopping by!

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  26. A vacation running a bookstore...interesting! It would be a dream job but I don't know that I would want to pay for the privilege. I have picked up books because of the cover and probably overlooked a few too but it is what is in the story that really matters.

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    1. Carole - With the views in the book, I would pay. LOL It's a neat idea. The café part would probably be an issue for me though. Thank you for visiting!

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  27. You should definitely try the book Much Ado About You by Samantha Young, I think I mentioned it when I saw you post about this book before. I haven't read any of the other books you've listed although a couple are on my own TBR. And I love how you share what you were reading 5 years ago. I wish I would remember to do somethinng like that!
    Lisa Loves Literature

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    1. Lisa - Much Ado About You is on my wish list so perhaps one day. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  28. I love the idea of borrowing a bookshop for a holiday. I was getting ready to mention that Much Ado About You has a similar concept and is a delightful read but I see Lisa above me just mentioned it. :)

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    1. Suzanne - It's on my wish list so we'll see. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  29. I've not heard of these books on your list but The Lost Garden sounds like a good one. And the cover is pretty, too. :)

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